"Here's where you and I have a problem, you just don't get emotions. I'm fucking stuck like this because you promised that sorceress a favor." Orion finally snapped at Nyx. Why was she still following him?
"I didn't…." He cut her off not caring what she had to say.
"If you couldn't care about your last living earth bound child how could you even phantom understanding a total stranger? You don't play games with mortals messing with emotions like love or hate and not get burned yourself. That is not a game I want to dabble in, I will be trapped too. You know what happened with Shayla." A flicker of emotion went through Nyx's gaze at the mention of Shayla, it looked like sadness. Well at least she could care.
"You don't have to love her, and don't pretend like you care. You never loved mortals, you've never even remotely cared about them. Just what they could do or give." Orion gave her a harsh look, "What difference is one more when it will free you, you I do care for. I do love you." Her tone was nearly a hiss and he could see she was getting upset. He could see his breath in the air. Didn't faze him.
"That's where you are wrong, I did have those mortals I trusted, those that did matter to me. You just refuse to understand, and that woman walking away might be the closest chance I've ever had. The signs are there, but what is needed isn't fake and even those that feel have a hard time dying for those they love. I'd rather just spend my time in her mundane existence, not having things commanded of me, than have her dead and with another that is going to make me slaughter people by the thousands again." Nyx glanced toward Kora who had stopped at her car and just glanced at the two of them. Kora wasn't shouting for Orion, or even stopping him from talking to Nyx. That was a first.
"She doesn't command things of you?"
"Other than getting angry or annoyed at things I must do no. I find this enjoyable where I have not before. So leave me the hell alone Nyx, for once just let me have this one. It's peaceful, and I think I could like this and her. I've made peace with my condition, you know that." He had long ago stopped trying. He could hope and he did look at Kora and wonder but he wasn't really trying anything either. Hope was a hard thing to have, a hard thing to lose, and a harder thing to gain back.
"The coven realizes your book was not there, they are going to come looking. They will look at her."
"She is no body, she has no magic and as long as she plays her cards right she will not be seen nor realized." Nyx was quiet a moment.
"She needs to give me your book to hide it." He looked down toward Kora who was pushing her cart to the stall a few parking spots down.
"It will always come back, you can't hide it."
"I can keep it for a time if she allows it. It will give the time you are asking for, they have already summoned me to ask where you are." He narrowed his gaze.
"Did they?'
"They wasted their request of me because they asked where I had stored you years ago. It was protected against witches, they asked me again. I did not have to answer, but I can't interfere with them either as they are a coven under my rule and protected. It would damage me greatly."
"Heaven forbid you damage yourself for your son." He turned and walked away from her. She let out a hiss and frost formed on the ground and cars next to her.
"You are pissing me off. You have no idea what I have done for you." She said to him and moved forward with nearly a march. She reached for him but he pulled his arm away and continued on. He reached the car as Kora did and she raised an eyebrow moving toward the driver's seat. Clearly she wasn't going to get into their little spat.
"You've done more than enough." He responded, he had every right to be angry with her. She promised him to that sorceress, clearly not thinking he'd have a problem marrying her or ruling with her. Wrong. Because of that it gave the sorceress grounds to entrap him, and being a vindictive bitch like most women were left his curse in place so that he had to go through time being used. A servant to his mistress since he refused the opportunity to allow her rule at his side.
"Who are you?" Kora asked the woman, the air was icy.
"I am his mother." She snapped and hit Kora in the chest with the flat of her palm forcing her back against the car. Kora let out a rush of air not expecting to be attacked like that. It nearly winded her.
"Clearly." She commented and Orion reached out lighting fast and got a hold of Nyx's arm but didn't pull her back. Nyx was incredibly strong, she was a goddess after all. Though his strength was also god like. Nyx's black gaze bore into Kora's for a moment. Kora just stared right back at her daring her to do whatever she was thinking.
"She didn't command you to protect her, let go of me Orion."
"It's called freewill look it up. He doesn't have to do anything you say either." Kora snapped at her. Nyx's hand tightened in Kora's shirt. She couldn't kill the woman, but she could harm her if she wanted too. She was in a half mind to teach Orion a lesson, and the only thing he might find important was this woman. Who did have all the traits of one needed to free him. Nyx loved her son, and yes she had done horrible things, but she was trying and he was being an asshole.
"Let go of her Nyx. I'm warning you."
"Or you'll what?" Nyx said. "Be like me?" She took a step forward and was practically against Kora who just continued to stare at her. Orion still had a hold on Nyx's upper arm and to be honest he wasn't sure what to do. Normally by this point he'd have gotten a command and he was so used to being controlled that it was odd to argue with himself if he should be taking action of his own volition or not.
"Four, that is all?"
"Let go of me." Kora said sharply.
"Or you'll what? He can't kill me, he won't be able to. Go ahead command something of him. Gives him five doesn't it?" Kora narrowed her gaze, this woman was off her rocker.
"How about you just let go of me and stop being a psycho? It's called decency." Nyx said something in a language that Kora didn't know, and Orion responded. He did pull this time at Nyx's arm and Nyx moved slightly but jerked away from him. Kora gave a very shocked sound as Nyx closed her mouth over Kora's. It was definitely like a kiss but it felt incredibly cold for a moment. Like something slid down Kora's throat. Nyx was more against her and had a hand around Kora's throat.
This time Orion did pull her back from Kora and Nyx had an odd look about her. Orion snapped something at her and she straightened herself. What the fuck was that? Kora narrowed her gaze and touched her mouth.
"It wasn't willful on her part, it's not a true break of vows." Nyx said so Kora could understand. Holy crap had the woman nearly gotten her killed by doing that? What a bitch.
"I want to be aware of her if you've decided to be fond of her. Now, give me my son's book. I need to keep it safe for a time when the witches come looking." This woman was bipolar.
"I don't have it right here, and besides what does it matter if they have the book? Can't use it unless I'm dead right?"
"She's a fast learner." Orion commented not happy at all what Nyx just did. He didn't want her attached to Kora he realized. He didn't trust Nyx to not try something thinking it would help.
"Because if they can read through it to study it before killing you to take control of him then it's worse. Do you even know the mass destruction he is capable of?"
"I don't care. As far as I am concerned he can live his own life, but apparently he's stuck following me around. I'm not interested in what he might be capable of. Does it freaking look like I'm using him for things? Number two, he can just keep wishing I give a fifth command." Kora glanced at him and he had a really intense look about him.
"You have a very daring mouth for a mortal." Nyx said but had calmed down a great deal. She wasn't expecting the kind of mortal this human was. Rather humble, rather good, she had a very nice taste. No doubt something her son would be starving for, and judging by the way he was looking at her he already knew.
"If you are done attacking me and this next level of crazy train I'm going home. Go get his book for all I care, clearly isn't doing me a world of good." She turned and pulled her car door open. Nearly hitting Nyx with it and got in. Nyx kind of felt shocked at the woman and her audacity. Did she even realize what was standing here with her? Truly? This small little mortal.
"Stand here with your psycho mother and talk if you want I'm going."
"Is that a command?" He asked, and Nyx raised an eyebrow at the odd tone in Orion's voice. Kora's aggravated sound was sharp as she slammed the door on him not answering right away but they both heard the no as she started the car.
"You like this mortal?" Nyx asked him, because before when she'd been telling him to just get what he needed from her so he could be free, she really didn't think about it. She just didn't see him capable of the level or caring a mortal could. She wasn't able in the same way either. That didn't mean she didn't though, when an emotion became real in a god it was a force to be reckoned with, and she did love her son.
"I like this mortal." He stated as she backed the car up and really was going to just leave him there, and Nyx had never seen behavior like this before. The woman didn't care she had a serious weapon at her disposal. That she could make herself nearly godlike and bring others under her control with him. No, she was just leaving him standing there and Nyx suddenly felt the smallest laugh. It just hit her from nowhere. Orion looked at her and the small tiny sound.
"Your master is dumping you on the street."
"If you want to hide my book go get it. I don't need advice from you on how to deal with my mistress."
"Mistress? Not owner or master?" She inquired and this was not what she was expecting coming to warn him. She expected his resistance, she did not expect the woman.
"Not yet, I've been with her over a week and only four. I'll get the fifth out of her." The way he said it, normally one wouldn't want a fifth. It told her he wanted something from the woman badly. He sounded irritated that she didn't already have five.
"The coven is a serious issue Orion. Abby is very much like Devala. She will stop at nothing to amass power she thinks is hers. If this Kora wants to live and not be killed so quickly she will need to ask for help and power of her own. I may not deny her like others if you wish it." Orion was silent for a moment before looking at his mother.
"I'll keep it in mind. Though I don't see why you'd offer when you've already signed her death warrant to free me." With that he disappeared on her and Nyx stood there for a moment just thinking. She needed a refresher in good human behavior, she just didn't deal with them much. This mortal best free her son, because she was tired of this vicious circle too, and she really didn't think that Orion was going to get a second chance. Here was the best one, and they needed to make it work whether Orion was okay with her dying in the end or not.