#of course I had to throw Imogen in there as I 🎶don’t trust myself to write anything else🎶

[thats-how-i-role]

Ancient Greece/Greek Mythos AU

A/N: A writing piece from me? I am equally as surprised as you. @unfortunately-fabtastic please enjoy! It’s short with no real resolution but something we could build on in the future?? 👀👀👉👈

It was snowing. The weather had not changed for many moons now, far past when the people had expected spring to come. Livestock had their infants which was a sign that time had not stopped. But the seasons had come to a standstill and many believed that it was punishment from the Gods. No matter how much they prayed or what they sacrificed, winter refused to end.

Deep in the woods, a soldier tucked herself in a make-shift hut made from leather and fibre gathered prior to the winter. It had wilted and hardened to straw, impossible to manipulate without it snapping off and turning to dust at her feet. But it was all Kaida had been left with when she was shunned from her army.

Years of her life -including her childhood- given to a system that didn’t accept mistakes and a god that no longer believed in her. A god that had spoken sweet promises of turning her into a hero, one that would be remembered for generations. A victor with the status equivalent to the pantheon.

Lies. All of it.

Because this god had underestimated their soldier. They believed Kaida’s ambition was to succeed and would do anything to reach the peak of her life. But she couldn’t kill the baby that she heard crying from within the burning camp. Burning herself to save the child, Kaida held him in her arms and swore to protect. Despite the knowledge she would bring down the wrath of the heavens, Kaida carried the baby boy to the next town over for safety. Warning the civilians of the incoming raid as well, to protect the child the best she could.

As she sprinted over the rolling, snow covered hills Kaida could feel something in her changing. The burns on her skin no longer stung. She wasn’t sure if it was cold or the adrenaline that had numbed her. She didn’t understand the widening wounds that no longer bled, and why her vision developed dark spots.

An unknown curse rolled over her, and instead of a hero Kaida became a cautionary tale. Mouths and eyes had formed from her burns, turning her into an outcast. A monster. Something that people mistook for a creature that crawled out of the underworld to feast on the young. Gasps echoed from the townsfolk, and people fled from view. Waiting on a legend to come and slay the best.

A hero never came. But the monster did flee into the deep, wet woods. She set up shelter there and although Kaida was no longer the praying kind, she hoped she would survive the harsh winds of a neverending winter.

Food became scarce early on, but Kaida survived on the few animals that dared to leave their territory in search to end their hunger as well. As the days went on, Kaida was sure she would perish in this climate. She fought the elements the best she could, coating her shelter with hide she had skinned off her prey.

It still wasn’t enough to hold off the cold. All of her teeth across her body chattered as her nerves began to freeze. Kaida, unsure of what else to do besides keep her small fire going, succumbed to the deep slumber calling to her. Her last thought was that she would awake in the River Styx.

She, by someone’s intervention, opened her eyes the next day. Her fire was still going strong. But the first thing she noticed was the fibre that regained its colour and density. Outside her tent, berries had flourished despite the snow that covered them. Their small little campsite had warmed entirely. Not enough to melt away the winter, but she no longer feared the risk of frostbite. If she nurtured the campfire, Kaida would get by.

She quickly gathered the berries off the brush before they withered in the snow and began rationing the berries in case the miracle didn’t show up again. But the next day it did. And the day after as well. Due to the warmth and the food that would appear every morning, wildlife began approaching the campsite. Like a moth to a flame as Kaida would strike them down for meat.

The only clue ever left behind was bare footprints in the snow around her tent.

Once weeks had past, and Kaida no longer feared starvation, she decided to attempt to trap the entity that was aiding her. She couldn’t trust whatever creature greeted her with such generosity. Nothing in life was free after all.

Kaida pretended to sleep in her tent, like clockwork and waited for the sharp sound of the trap triggering. It was a long night. Paranoid, she would check close to every hour to find nothing. No one. She feared she had scared the stranger off somehow but stayed vigilant.

Close to sunrise was when she heard it. The sticks under the brush snapped in unison. She had never ran so fast in her life only to find a woman standing there, stabbing a stick into the trap with a neutral expression on her perfect face.

She was a tall woman, with long pointed ears that poked out from beneath her long, wavy blue hair that softly billowed in the cold wind. Her skin was white as snow, no imperfections that Kaida could see. She wore purple robes that tied around her chest that wavered into a dress which was made out of thin, airy material. She had a long grey robe, with a large hood wrapped around her shoulders and just like the footprints suggested - no shoes.

She turned to Kaida, a soft smile forming on her face. “I suppose you wanted to speak with me?” In front of Kaida’s very eyes, the woman touched the bush and grew the bountiful berries.

Kaida went to speak, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to in so long. Her voice was hoarse and when it finally breached it the sound came from everywhere around her. “Are you a nymph?”

The woman chuckled, moving around the site to tend to the fire behind Kaida. “One would think you would’ve known better than to insult the gods.”

“I do not trust the gods.” Kaida’s voices echoed in unison. “Take whatever gifts you wish to give me and use them on someone who believes in the facade of your generosity.”

The goddess shushed her gently, standing back up to her full height. “Now why would I do that when I’m not looking for worshippers. I’m searching for crusaders.” She took Kaida’s hand in hers and brushed her thumb alongside of the mouth that had taken root there. “And you have more reason than most to be one.”

Kaida’s head tilted in confusion, “Why would a god wish for someone to rise against Olympus?”

The woman made of ice responded with a smile, “Well, how about a Mistress of the Wind?”

“The Lady of Bloom?” She retorted.

“Queen of the Seasons?”

“Goddess of Nature.” Kaida finished, venom leaking in her tone.

The goddess nodded in response, “But you can call me Imogen.”

“That didn’t answer my question.” Kaida added. “I’m assuming this eternal winter is a part of it? Your rebellion? Getting tired of sitting on a cloud and doing your job?”

Imogen shrugged, “Those are all part of it I suppose. I was feeling inspired. After all,” her cold stare held Kaida’s, “hasn’t the world made you cold as well?”

She appeared to stare right through Kaida. But it wasn't a punishing or cruel gaze that she had grown accustomed to from the pantheon. It was the first true warmth Kaida had felt in weeks. If she didn't know better, Kaida would believe Imogen was trying to empathize with her.

How could an omnipotent being even try to understand a mortal's pain?

As if she could hear Kaida's true concerns, Imogen continued, "Your god-"

"No longer." She stopped Imogen in her tracks, only to be gifted with a smile.

"Right." She took a deep breath, "they took something from me. Something irreplaceable. And unfortunately I can’t just bring him back with a wave of my hand. He no longer belongs to me.” Another deep breath as her gaze breaks away to restore the wilting fibre.

“But as they took from me, I shall take from them. The cold is only centered around their worshippers, your old army. I have been restoring what I can in other areas, trying to minimize the damage to the innocents. And it won’t be much longer anyways.” She blew air from between her grey lips gently, blowing away the freezing air. “Your brother in arms have already begun to feed on one another.”

“Why would you not punish me?” Kaida asked, tone still bitter despite the fear Imogen’s one phrase sent into her spine.

Imogen gave another, almost innocent smile, “You’ve been punished enough for something undeserving. And besides, what better way to get revenge than to keep alive the one mortal he wants dead?”

“I’m a means to an end.” Kaida stated, knowing it instinctively.

“You always have been.” Imogen sighed, turning to leave. “A reckoning is coming, Kaida. I will not make the decision for you. And whatever you end up deciding, I will not stop supporting you.”

Kaida scoffed, “Because of spite, not of generosity.”

Imogen stepped into the air, beginning to levitate away. “Wars have been fought for less.”

As she began floating away, Kaida called after her. Instinctively. For the same fire, the same spite that flowed through Imogen only echoed Kaida’s. “This crusade of yours,” Imogen looked down at the beast that the gods’ actions had made, “how can I help?”