2.08: Dead End

Location: Greece

Other gods would certainly have balked at serving a human in this way, but Nemesis’s life had been one of service and hardwork. She’d always forsaken luxury, as well, so a servant’s bed was more than comfortable to her. She cleaned and cooked – fortunately two centuries of infiltrations and stake outs had taught her some basic domestic skills, and Andesidora was forgiving of any mistakes. Although Nemesis had to work long days, Andesidora shared her meals generously, and Nemesis regained much of her health and fitness. Eventually, Andesidora tasked Nemesis with work related to her apothecary practice, sending her trade or forage for ingredients, showing her all the ways they could be utilized, and building upon Nemesis’s not insubstantial knowledge of medicine.

Nemesis was out in the wetland hunting for a particular type of mushroom when she saw a swan set upon by an eagle. The long-necked bird tried to fend off the raptor, but couldn’t match its talons and sharp, hooked beak. It honked frantically, pleading with the other swans present to help it, but they ignored its cries and swam away.

Nemesis was stricken by her terrible memory of Zeus’s abuse in the Constellar Palace – of the way Hera had simply walked out and left the predator to do as he wished. She still hadn’t consciously accepted that her masters were wrong to have treated her like that, but perhaps it was some subconscious awareness of the injustice that she projected onto the swan’s plight. She dropped her basket and splashed into the water, batting at the eagle, trying to drive it off. It sank its claws deep into the weak skin of her human arm, and then flew away, trailing blood.

Nemesis ignored the wound and attended to the eagle’s victim. The swan seemed to be barely alive – fortunately, Nemesis had access to every remedy she could possibly need to save the beautiful bird, so she scooped it up and rushed back to the house with it. She knew Andesidora would think her foolish for wasting her healing skills on a dumb bird, so she came in discretely while the woman was tending her garden out back.

Nemesis laid the swan on a table and began pulling out potions and ointments – bandaging the feathered beast would be very difficult, so she’d need to resort to the faster-working potions. Estimating the dosage was the most difficult part. Actually getting the swan to ingest the medicine took some effort, especially since Nemesis started to feel more than a little clumsy as she worked, but she managed to get the full dosage down its throat.

Andesidora came in just as Nemesis finished, and became visibly upset. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?” she demanded when she saw the blood on the floor and table.

“This swan, an eagle attacked it,” Nemesis said listlessly, “It um… it was really hurt, so I brought it back here and healed it…”

“What happened to your arm?” Andesidora took Nemesis’s hand.

“The eagle got me with its talons. I thought it cut me pretty deep, but it doesn’t really hurt all that much.”

Andesidora sniffed the bleeding cuts on Nemesis’s arm, “That’s because the creature’s claws were poisoned dear. That was no ordinary eagle…”

A deep voice came from behind Andesidora, “I’m no ordinary swan, either.”

Andesidora wheeled around, “You!”

“Yes, me, Pandora,” How long has it been? Nearly two hundred years? Since this one was an infant, right?” he nodded at Nemesis. “Didn’t come expecting to see you here, though.”

Andesidora held up her hand and performed a variety of arcane gestures, which produced faint sparks and glimmers of light, but clearly not their intended effect.

“Oh, yes, that Brahmastra spell you threatened me with years ago. You seem a bit off your game, Pandora – you gave up your Legacy, didn’t you? Passed it to someone else? How on earth did you do that without the box?”

“Perhaps if you and your siblings had deigned to learn about the legacies before jumping into the pool feet first, you’d know how to do it yourself.”

“Perhaps. Anyway, be gone. You’re not nearly so appealing as you were two hundred years ago, so I’ll give you a head start.”

Andesidora looked at Nemesis with a pained expression on her face. Nemesis tried to speak, but no noise escaped the clumsy movements of her lips. She tried to reach out to her mentor, but she only succeeded in raising her hand a few inches.

“You know why I’m here, Pandora, and you’re no longer powerful enough to fight me. Leave, or I’ll start with you.”

“I’m sorry,” Andesidora said to Nemesis as she backed out of the room, “I’m so sorry.” The woman turned and ran, leaving Nemesis alone with her former master, Zeus.

“No…” Nemesis finally managed to whisper.

Zeus didn’t care.