Skye

Present day.

In an unknown wilderness leading to an unknown cave.

I'm going to kill Leo. He had to die and I was going to take his life even if it cost me mine. This, I swore to myself as I stood over the mangled, desiccated, grey husk of my friend and colleague. Greta, formerly full of life stared at the sun without blinking now, face frozen in terror, twisted in the opposite direction. The resistance task force appeared around us to pick her body up. I held her hand until it was out of reach. I felt my spirit animal itching to race like a murderous ostrich and pick apart our enemies. It always took the form of a bird depending on the situation. If let my wings out at this moment, they'll be powerful but fairly useless as they would be ostrich wings but I echoed the mindless rage she felt back. I didn't even realized I was crying until I was handed a handkerchief. They were all waiting for my instructions. Waiting for me to pull myself together. So I did. I shuddered, cleaned my face and stood to face them.

I remembered the day I was given the task to save the world. A bit of a tall order. That was the day I first met Agent Greta.

Skye

A year ago

A Night Children Camp in the middle of a desert.

It had been two years since the Leo Maahes Gabriel took over the world. Two years. It was a measure of time that had lost all meaning in the 'Golden Age' of the sun god. Two years since the one quarter of the world had felt the blistering, celestial wrath of the son of the sun.

Four years ago, he was American's top model, singer, actor, and all-round superstar, heartthrob. Today, cities that defied him were skeletal husks of their former self, their structures, warped and blackened by heat, or razed to the ground like they never existed. Their oceans, receded, leaving behind vast, cracked salt plains, the land, barren and uninhabitable of any living thing. To remember your place, you only needed to look to the sun as a constant reminder of your unconquerable captor.

He'd done it through a combination of brute, military force, primordial power and psychological/religious control. His celestial arsenal was unmatched. States that dared to revolt against his rule were met with hurricanes, tornados, and droughts, and whatever his divine ass felt like unleashing, with a sociopathic cruelty that kept humanity on its knees. He wasn't opposed very often because their fate was a chilling deterrent. Very few people very dumb enough to go against one who could give you three apocalypses in one day. Information was a weapon, and he wielded it with precision. News outlets all echoed his benevolence and divine infallibility. He was loved more than he was hated. Rebels were labeled as heretics. Fear was his most effective tool of control. Fear of the unknown, fear of the sun god's wrath, fear of being associated with the neighbor who might be a traitor.

The Southwest was now a haunting scar on the nation's heart. They were the first he made an example of. It didn't take much convincing after that for the world government to submit to him. Especially after the world leaders that stubbornly opposed him started disappearing mysteriously, starting with the most powerful, as a warning. He was the first tyrant to successfully take out leaders in his way instead of engaging in a drawn out war, when the citizens were unopposed to his rule.

Survivors still opposed to his rule called themselves the Night children. They retreated to coastal areas, where the ocean breeze offers a bit of relief from the heat. They live in group, forming camps, scavenging for scarce food and water.

I lived here, among them in the house I grew up in, before I was recruited for this mission. Helping them, blessing their crop, healing them. To be honest, I got no thanks for it. Only rude and entitled demands. But I didn't care. Knowing that I released the one behind all this suffering, was a weight on my shoulders that was only made lighter when I helped.

I unleashed the mad god unto the world and the fallout from the rampage was felt far beyond the immediate disaster zone. I've seen neighboring states unopposed but apathetic to his reign that were insulated from the cataclysmic events, but were now on the front lines of a humanitarian crisis. Cities swelled with refugees, their roads clogged with the desperate fleeing the inferno. Shelters were erected in haste, their capacity stretched thin as the numbers of displaced surged. The economic impact was staggering. Agriculture had collapsed. Supply chains were disrupted, sending shockwaves through world's economy.

As months turned into years, the initial shock gave way to a grim realization: this was not a temporary crisis. The world was irrevocably changed. People grappling with the loss of their homes, loved ones, and way of life. There is a growing sense of isolation and hopelessness as the realization sets in that life may never return to normal. And with time, my initial, irritation grew to hatred for him.

There was a growing sense of otherness between those who had endured the wrath of Maahes, the son of the sun and those who had been spared. The people that pledged allegiance to him raised their noses at the night children. No sympathy for their plight. Even in the face of catastrophe, humanity's capacity for division remained.

On the other hand, the citizens of the sun god's favored cities lived idyllic lives, at least on the surface. They had access to abundance, all their needs amply met. The city's infrastructure was a marvel of engineering, a testament to his power. Starkly contrasted to the lands of the defiant, the cities that bowed their heads in acquiescence basked in an unnatural splendor. They were the chosen, the favored, the sun-kissed. They blossomed under "the sun god's" tyrannical yet oddly benevolent rule. Their skylines were glittering spires that seemed to touch the heavens. The cityscapes, monuments of power and opulence. Water flowed freely through the city veins. Rivers, diverted by celestial command, nourished the lands into lush gardens and fertile farmlands. Everywhere you looked was an emerald oasis. The people, too, felt the touch of divine grace. Diseases vanished, replaced by an unnatural vigor. Children were born with an inherent resilience, their eyes sparkling with vitality.

I could've chosen to abandon the survivors I was helping and sneak my way to the literal greener pastures but people there lived in constant awe and fear of their solar overlord. Their lives, dictated down to how many times they could blink. I refused to live life in that monotone pattern of worship and servitude, as trophies in his collection and lifeless exhibits of his power and grace. To me, their prosperity was a mirage.

That day, in one of the Night Children camps, where I resided, I had just completed my daily routine of multiplying the camp's crop. I dug my fingers out of the dirt and stood. The farm serving the refugees stood out in sharp contrast to the monochromatic barren wasteland that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Thanks to my 'blessing' (as I called it) of their harvest, their fruits and vegetables have quadrupled in number almost to the point of ridiculousness as a branch could only fit so many fruits on it.

I felt a little lightheaded so I waited a moment or two before standing. 'Blessing the harvest' always took a lot out of me and you'd think that solving a large portion of world hunger would get me an applause or perhaps a grudging thanks. You'd be wrong. The thanks I got today was…

"Can't ya make pizza?"

I sighed and dusted my hard on my grey pants and matched with my blouse, shoe, house, soil, and basically everything. Everywhere you looked, it was grey. It took an extra amount of vanity to still care about colors in this climate. They all faded eventually under the heat, leaving you looking ridiculous. As for the ungrateful twits, I couldn't blame them. The display of magic was awe inspiring the first few times I did it. At least it was, seconds before they fought each other for the bountiful harvest, more than enough to go around. I turned to the pizza-craving, middle-aged brat with faded pink hair who was still waiting for a reply while the town leaders were distributing food in baskets. "No, Sheryl. I can't make pizza. I'm can only multiply what is grown." I said exasperatedly. Well, I could. But, I didn't like her tone.

"But have you tried?" She whined.

"You're welcome, Sheryl." My friend, Lara said with her soft voice that fooled you into a false sense of security. She was one of the food regulators and the only other freak in town because she was also a Chimerae like me. Although, she only had the abilities of her spirit animal without the magic tricks I could do. "If you don't want it, a family or two could use the extra food." She said sweetly.

Sheryl started grumbling under her breath while accepting her overflowing basket. "Everyday. Damn apples and bananas and shit." I shook my head at Lara and she smiled. When I showed up to this town, Sheryl could barely stand due to hunger and sickness. At least, she was now strong enough to complain about food options. I took that as a win.

"Miss Skye!" I heard the town's mayor call. He was a short, stout man that was constantly frowning, and was permanently unimpressed with whatever was going on around him. He was a tough nut that lacked the ability to feel sympathy for anyone but he ran a tight ship and ensured things moved smoothly so I respected that and didn't care.

"Hello Sir. I was just about to retire for the day."

"Some people are looking for you." He stepped closer to me and said quietly. "They're from out of town. We don't want any problems. Understand?" He asked me. Then he waited, looking me in the eye. I knew what he was asking. Make sure they don't stay. We don't need more freaks in town. I bit my tongue and ground out. "Yes. I understand." I spent my entire time here helping this town. I didn't deserve the suspicion I received on a daily basis here from the town's people, on account of the powers I possessed. Half the town believed I was a witch helping them in exchange for their souls, the other half believed I was the one causing the famine I was solving. Again. I didn't need their gratitude, I needed redemption.

I entered my tent and the visitors were already seated there. The team that sought me out comprised of two former Special Forces operatives. Their approach was gentle, respectful, and filled with a sense of urgency. "Good evening, Miss Sloane." The male one greeted first.

"It's Skye. What do you want?" I replied, making them aware of my disinterest so they can rush it along.

"I am Agent Derrek. Here with me is Agent Greta. And it's the world that needs your help, not us."

I said nothing, carrying about my evening routine as though I was alone. I fished out a cup and started preparing my ginger tea.

"The world is in the era of a great darkness." Agent Derrek continued unbothered. "This era was prophesied along with a chosen one with the power to end it."

I damn near laughed. If you had told me four years ago, that that one day, special agent operatives would, sit in my desert apartment, talking about ancient prophecies while I made tea, I'd have admitted you into rehab. But, superstition no longer existed when creatures of myths were ravaging your world.

The room was heavy with anticipation, the air thick with the weight of the world's fate. I sat across from the two figures, their faces showing the gravity that matched their mission.

"And you believe the prophecy was referring to me." I said, sipping my tea, warming my hands against the cup. My inner spirit chirped like a curious sparrow. I know girl, what the fuck?

"We're fairly certain you possess the abilities of the goddess, Isis." Agent Derrek said, sliding a weathered scroll across the table showing a bird and a snake stealing the sun from a lion. Oh boy. I was descended of Isis and possessed her abilities. That much was correct. But believing I was some sort of chosen one to stop Leo Maahes Gabriel was another matter and I told him as much.

The Agent Derrek, leaned forward, his voice low. "It's not a matter of belief, Miss Skye. It's a matter of fact. We've uncovered evidence that suggests a profound connection between you and the ancient prophecy." He slid a dossier across the table, its pages filled with cryptic symbols, weird pictures and satellite imagery I was sure was gonna explain the weird drawings and somehow connect it to me. "And we believe you share a bond with the former subject 52, now identified as Ra the sun god."

A cold feeling shuddered through me. The name twisted my stomach, a memory of a time I wished to forget. Subject 52. Genesis Labs. I was starting to get a headache. "I knew him only briefly." I said, my voice barely audible over the screams awakening in my mind. "He is not Ra. He is Maahes the Son of Ra and Bast. And all you would have had to know him as was Leo Gabriel, America's celebrity heartthrob, if you government folks didn't decide to capture and torture the son of the sun for two years!" I was a little louder than I intended. I felt my talons protruding from the tip of my fingers. My spirit animal was staring at them through my eyes, unblinking, as a raven.

The room fell silent. The operatives exchanged glances, a mixture of surprise, awkwardness and an annoying determination in their eyes. "You had some sort of relationship with him," the agent I later knew as Greta continued looking for confirmation in my face. "You were there at his capture as an intern during his, uh… time at Genesis Labs." She tumbled over the words looking for the least damning words. "…and you were the only one he spared when he... broke out."

I lowered my cup, forcing the memories back. Sharing diner with him, and my family, sharing everything together in our dreams, sharing the plans and the blame for his escape, everything that went wrong afterwards. It felt like a lifetime ago and yesterday.

"He's changed," I said, my face, a glass mask. "He's not the person I once knew and I barely knew him to begin with." I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm, calming my spirit animals in the process.

The Special Forces operative spoke. "Yours is the closest relationship he has ever had and he's destroying the world and life as we know it. We need your help to stop him, Miss Skye. You are the only hope we have of negotiating with him. And if you know a way to stop him, your cooperation would save millions of lives."

"There are only two Chimerae in the world that display more than the abilities of their inner animal." Greta interjected. "Only two that seem to have taken after their divine ancestors. You and him. There might be others but none we know of. This was fated to happen."

Greta continued, "We believe your ancestress to be Isis, the goddess of protection and knowledge. Although we notice certain semblance in your abilities to that of Athena the goddess and battle and strategy." She said, looking at me waiting for clarification. Well, after taking down a cabal of ruthless scientist and government official despite the immense power they wielded… The suspicion was fair. I paused deciding whether to answer or not. I sighed and took a deep breath to commence lecture. The knowledge aspect of my powers always made me come across as a know-it-all.

"Isis and Athena are the same being." I finally replied. "As Athena, she chose to appear, holding her essence on her arm in the form of her owl, instead of wearing her wings. The gods or beings or power have visited many cultures and were known by many names. Some were worshipped as gods in one culture and feared as monsters in another so you couldn't really call them gods. Hathor was worshipped in Egypt as god and feared as the Minotaur in Greece."

The agents nodded, then Greta continued, Agent Derrek keeping silent. I guess they've determined she has the best rapport with me. "The world needs protecting, daughter of Isis. It is unclear what the sun god wants. If this continues…"

I stopped listening to them. The weight of the world seemed to crush down on me. I was being asked to confront a past I thought I had escaped, to face a man I had complicated feelings for. Feelings of want and disgust, understanding him and loathing him. The decision felt like a chasm. But as I looked into the eyes of the two people across from me, a resolve began to form within me. Maybe it had been for a while. Someone had to save humanity from him. If no one else would do it, I would try. I felt responsible for this. Pain and power was a terrible mixture and I released it into the world when I set him free. I just never foresaw that his rage would spread beyond the confines of that lab.

The Mayor chose that moment to waltz into my home without knocking, most likely to take matters into his own hands and get rid of my guests or pressure me to do so. He walked in acknowledging neither of them and addressed me. "Miss Skye. There is a medical emergency that needs your immediate attention." He said to me, waiting for me to hop to it.

I ignored him, we all did. I would lose not sleep over leaving these shitty people.

I finally spoke. "If I joined this fight. I am not the ace you think I am. I'm not as powerful as he is even if I finally harness the entire might of my goddess ancestress." I said to the agents.

"Miss Skye!" The Mayor said, loudly demanding we acknowledge him. I continued unfazed. "Ra was one of the most powerful beings to ever walk this Earth and he passed on all his gifts to his son. His mother Bast wasn't too far behind. Isis was powerful but not that powerful."

"We'll take whatever you can give." Derrek responded and stood to shake my hand. The Mayor turned and left; fuming and red faced. And so I made the decision I knew will threaten my survival. At the moment, the sun god didn't seem to want me dead due to the brief part I played while he was being hunted and when he was captured and my role in his escape that probably doomed the world. That sentiment would definitely change when I become a threat. I had to try anyway. Or die trying.