But Thanatos isn’t the one to decide.Aeëtes’s intrusive thoughts were waiting in the wings, ready to strike down at the first sign of optimism. It was another reason that his ongoing enthusiasm was such a testament to his strength. Thanatos sensed the shift in his mood.
“If you are pursuing her,” Thanatos let out a heavy sigh, his voice getting even quieter as he beckoned for Aeëtes to come closer. “There is something that you should know.” There was something in his tone that made the hair on the back of Aeëtes’s neck stand up, and fear to begin churning in his gut.
“Tell me. I want to know,” Aeëtes insisted, stepping closer to the god, so they were nearly head to head, looking positively conspiratorial. Thanatos let out a long breath and began, speaking slowly at first.
“Have you heard the story of how Hecate became a goddess?”
“Sure, all of the gods…” Aeëtes stopped, mulling it over in his mind. He realized that he didn’t know the story although he had assumed it was a typical story of birth or creation by a primordial. “No. No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it.”
“That’s because it is not typical.” Thanatos sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m one of the only gods who knows and that’s because I was there.”
Aeëtes’s heart nearly stopped, and he held his breath, refusing to move as he waited for Thanatos to continue.
“Hecate was always talented when it came to witchcraft, even when she was a mortal.” Aeëtes’s couldn’t keep the shock off his face at hearing that Hecate had once been mortal, but Thanatos continued. “She was a priestess at that time, working for Gaia, before Hera and the rest of the goddesses demanded tribute. She was well-skilled and became a refuge for many, a sign of hope. She was loved.” There was a tone to Thanatos’s voice that made Aeëtes’s bones chill, indicating that the story was going to get worse before it got better. “And…she loved. She was in love with a mortal man, whose name I cannot say. It has been wiped from the Underworld. He loved her, too, but he could not match Hecate in passion.”
Aeëtes couldn’t help but smile, although there was a touch of sadness to it. “That sounds like her.”
Thanatos made a noise of assent. “Another priestess grew jealous of Hecate’s reputation and her great love affair. She had the man murdered in his sleep and left his body on the steps of the temple where Hecate worked.” Thanatos stopped, his voice sounding pained, and Aeëtes couldn’t help but let out a sharp gasp at the story.
“What happened to that woman?” Aeëtes growled. “Tell me that she was dealt with swiftly, Thanatos.” Thanatos held up a hand for Aeëtes to be quiet and continued his story.
“She was dealt with, I assure you. Although, your outrage warms my heart. There have been too few people who have been pushed to anger on Hecate’s behalf throughout the millennia. Unfortunately, the murder was seen as a bad omen, and Hecate’s reputation was ripped from her, and she was cast out from her temple. She didn’t mind; she knew that her witchcraft was sound, and she still had favor with the gods. Her heart, however, was shattered.”
“I can imagine…” Aeëtes looked pained.
“Hecate was desperate to have her lover back again.” Thanatos let his head fall back, looking up at the sky before he continued. He looked at Aeëtes with a serious expression. “You know that in addition to witchcraft, Hecate is the Goddess of necromancy?”
“Yes,” Aeëtes nodded eagerly, his brow furrowed in confusion as to why this would be a point of concern. Thanatos seemed surprised.
“Most men do not know this about her, and they are terrified of her when they hear it.” He waved a hand in front his face, brushing off the concern. “You do seem suited for her. Ah. I have lost my story. At the time, Hecate did not know anything about the practice. She spent ten years learning it, traveling to all corners of the country, even across the sea. There was nothing that would keep her from learning every secret she could about communing with the dead.”
Aeëtes heart cracked a little further, and he wondered if she would ever come close to feeling that sort of devotion again. Thanatos noted the shift in his countenance but did not comment on it.
“At the end of those ten years, Hecate proved herself a skilled necromancer. The first person that she brought back from the Underworld was her lover. Of course, it had been a decade by the time she was able to commune with him.”
“Fuck,” Aeëtes groaned, a sick feeling settling in his stomach. “Did he drink from Lethe? Did he forget her?”How someone could ever forget a woman like her, even when she was mortal, I could never know.
“No,” Thanatos’s eyes flashed with anger. “Worse. He no longer cared. He was content with his life in the Underworld and had no desire to return to the land of the living. Hecate understood this, or so she said, saying she knew that there were risks in disturbing souls. She accepted it, but…”
“Oh, no.” Aeëtes stopped, that dread growing in him as he sensed what was coming. Thanatos nodded.
“She asked if she could commune with him from time to time. She wanted his consent to bring his shade from the Underworld to see her, talk to her, until she could join him. He refused.”
“That piece of—”
“Your rage is admiral but unneeded.” Thanatos raised a hand and silenced Aeëtes. “As you can imagine, this broke her heart. She had lost everything, and her lover didn’t even want to speak to her anymore. Hecate was on my list a few days later, one of the few souls that I have ever come across who was truly dying from a broken heart.”
Aeëtes buried his head in his hands, keeping tears at bay at the thought of Hecate, broken-hearted and alone.
“I had never seen a mortal soul who had given so much for others. I had never seen heartbreak like that before.” Thanatos’s tone was nearly reverent. “I took her to my mother. It didn’t feel right for her to go and join the souls of the mortal dead, to be confronted in the fields of Asphodel with the man who had scorned her.”
“What happened?” Aeëtes’s eyes were wide. He had never heard this before and was hanging onto every word coming out of Thanatos’s mouth.
“My mother made her immortal. She turned Hecate into the goddess of all the things that she loved—witchcraft, dogs, and necromancy. Even the moon, although Selene does the heavy lifting there these days.”
“It’s why she works with women, isn’t it?”
“It’s why Hecate works specifically withscornedwomen, Aeëtes. She has never truly healed; I don’t think. There are parts of her that bleed fresh every time she enacts her justice. She sees herself and her lover in every stilted woman.”
