Which means that Erebus is .
I guess that somehow , I thought I ’ d be safe coming down here , because when the temperature around me drops and he steps into the spotlight , cold red eyes glinting maliciously and a broken , gold , headband circling half his head , I realise that I just made a mistake .
*****
“ Raven Waters . I knew when Sun chose you that you were unpredictable , but being stupid enough to come down here after just learning what was going on - well , you surprised even me . You just saved me the trouble of having to come find you .” Erebus chuckles and that ’ s when I know that there ’ s nothing I can do . Sun seems to have disappeared , and even just standing next to him , I can feel his power . I feel sick , my hands are clammy , but even though my body is paralysed with fear , I come to the realisation that mentally , I ’ m not nervous at all . He stops suddenly and hisses , “ Give it to me .” “ No .” His eyes flash and a second later I ’ m flying across the room , slamming into the wall . I gasp for breath and roll onto my side , heart pounding and tears blurring my vision . Erebus appears in front of me , towering over my body . “ Insolent little girl . You ’ re pathetic . Give me the band .” A sudden fury comes over me . “ No .” His hand shoots and lifts me by the neck , cutting of my supply of oxygen . And yet for some reason ,
I don ’ t struggle . Erebus ’ s face is a few inches away and I see in his cold eyes just how insane he is .
Just as I start to see stars , a sudden force slams him away for me . Sun . Erebus crashes into the opposing wall with so much strength that it crumbles directly on top of him , burying him in masses of marble . I fall to the ground , rasping . His headband must have been knocked off , because when I look up , it ’ s a few metres away .
Raven . You don ’ t have to put it on . If you do , you ’ ll die . Even half of the band contains too much power for your body to handle .
Sun doesn ’ t seem to understand that subconsciously , I don ’ t care . Growing up , I hated mom . I hated how we had no money , how she couldn ’ t afford to buy me anything and give me the life that I saw others enjoying . So when she finally saved up enough to give me an education , I ditched class . I smoked and drank and stayed out late . I made her life miserable , and she still loved me enough to borrow money from all sorts of people to try and make me happy . Then , she died , and my world came crashing down .
Maybe by doing this I can make it up to her . So , I stand up , and taking one last , final breath , I put on the crown .
***** I ’ m standing over my lifeless body , looking down at it . I feel … content . At peace . I ’ m not angry , sad , happy , or anything else . I just am .
Looking up , I see Sun . He ’ s real , a real being with arms and legs and a face . He stands on the other side of my body , watching me . The golden half-crown that I saw Erebus wearing lies on his head , only this time it isn ’ t broken ; it ’ s a full circle that wraps around Sun ’ s head and shines brighter than the stars . He ’ s watching me and after a few seconds , his lips turn up sadly . “ Thank you .” It ’ s as if we ’ re still the same person , because I know the hidden meaning behind those words . He ’ s sorry I had to die ; he ’ s sorry that he couldn ’ t do anything to help . I smile softly to show that I ’ m not upset , and I reach out my hand . He takes it and as we shake , his gaze moves to something behind me and he slowly starts to fade away , until all I ’ m holding onto is air .
“ Raven ?” says a soft , gentle voice . I gasp ; I know that voice . I spin around , and there stands my mom . She opens her arms , eyes filling with tears , and I rush into them , sobbing . Burying my face into her shoulder , I hold on to her as if I ’ m drowning and she ’ s anchoring me to the shore . “ I ’ m sorry mom , I ’ m so sorry .,” I choke . “ Shh … shh . I ’ m so proud of you ,” she whispers , stepping back and cradling my face . “ What now ?” I mumble through my tears . “ Now , we go home .”