Hecate stood, straightening her shoulders and putting her cup down. She spoke clearly, cutting through the cacophony of the two men. “Aeëtes was cursed by Hera.”
Silence fell over the room as every face turned to Hecate. Aeëtes let out a long sigh, burying his head in his hands. He had wanted to approach that subject delicately with his parents, especially since they were here to contact Helios. It was a conversation that he was hoping to have with cooler heads, but as always, this proved difficult with his adoptive father. At this rate, he wasn’t looking forward to conversing with his birth father, either. Hecate didn’t elaborate, letting the silence go on. It was finally the queen who broke the tension, standing and taking a step towards her son.
“Aeëtes, is this true?” Her voice was full of concern, her face twisted in fear. Hecate’s heart went out to her, and she felt a twinge of guilt at springing that news on a mother. She kept her eyes purposefully off Faidra.
“Yes,” Aeëtes sighed, and his mother ran to him. She threw her arms around her son and held him close, Aeëtes bending his shoulders so she could manage it. For a brief moment, even in a crowded room, Aeëtes let himself be held by his mother.
Something about it rotated the knife in Hecate’s stomach. She didn’t let herself think on it.
“What do we do?” The queen’s voice was anxious when she finally pulled away from her son, her hands cupping his face. “Is this why Hecate is with you?” She turned to look at the goddess, her face imploring. “Are you able to help us?”
Hecate nodded once, giving the queen what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Even if she couldn’t manage it, she knew that her glamour would be effective enough. “I know something that might work…” Hecate started before she stopped and got the attention of one of the servants. “Bring out some food and wine for the room. This is going to take a while.”
They disappeared to do her bidding, and Hecate stepped into the center of the room and told the entire story. No one uttered a word as she went through Hera’s curse on Aeëtes, the temporary stay that Circe managed, or how Hera had sent the Scylla after them. Finally, after she had dictated all of their adventures, Hecate paused. Aeëtes managed to only look sheepish, keeping his eyes on the floor. The king and queen were stunned; the queen had been reacting quietly the whole time, but the king was stoic. Hecate couldn’t help herself as she stole a glance at Faidra, who was chewing on her lip with a puzzled expression.
“Is what she says true, Aeëtes?” The king stood and looked at his son, who took a step back in surprise.
“You would doubt a goddess?” Aeëtes’s voice was sharp. “You insult her by asking me this.” Hecate felt her heart flutter, but she stamped it down, her gaze going directly to the king.
“I know that you have done something to garner great favor from Helios. At least, you have some camaraderie since he decides to drop off his children in Colchis.” Hecate moved closer to the king, and the flames that lit the hall flickered. Coils of red power pooled around her feet and left footprints on the tile as she walked; the second snake appeared on her other arm, hissing dreadfully. The queen and Faidra were wide-eyed but said nothing; Aeëtes had the same, moon-eyed expression that he always did when Hecate’s magic flared.
The king was wise enough to sit down, his lips pulling into a tight line. “I misspoke, Goddess.”
“You did,” Hecate snapped, her power refusing to recede. “There’s a spell that I know, and it will reverse the curse. However, we need the blood of Aeëtes’s mother.” Hecate softened her tone, pulling some of that dark magic back into her, speaking respectfully. “His birth mother. We need Helios to tell us who that is. You are going to call on Helios for us.”
“Surely, it would be easier for a god to call on one of their own?” the queen asked quietly with no disrespect in her tone. Hecate shook her head.
“Gods are fickle. Helios is on the fringes of Olympus, on a good day. He would just as soon ignore me than purposefully decide to not help us. You and your husband have a better relationship with Helios. It’s as simple as that.”
“It’s politics.” The queen gave Hecate a small nod. “I can understand that.”
Hecate scoffed, “You have no idea.”
“You’ll do this.” The queen turned to the king and demanded it. There was no space for debate in her demand, and Hecate decided that she liked Aeëtes’s adoptive mother.
“I’ll do this,” the king agreed, standing and bowing in Hecate’s direction. “We have a temple to Helios on the palace grounds. If you all will excuse me, I will put forth your request immediately.”
Hecate nodded once, making it clear that the king had been dismissed from his own home. No one said anything else as he left the room, but not without tossing a disappointed look at Aeëtes. Hecate watched as he seemed to crumple under the stare. The once-confident and always-smiling Aeëtes seemed to shrink in Colchis, ricocheting between trying to get approval from his adoptive father and not wanting the life that had been chosen for him. Hecate couldn’t even imagine what was going through his head, now that they were—hopefully—going to summon Helios.
It doesn’t matter what’s going through his head.She growled, pulling the last of her power back into her body and strengthening her glamour.You are here to defeat Hera, defend your honor, respect a life debt, and go home.
Faidra quietly stood up and slipped out a side door, disappearing down a hallway without saying a word. As soon as she was gone, Aeëtes nearly ran towards Hecate, his face looked equally terrified and upset. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, Hecate turned to the queen, who was halfway out the door.
“Do you have a place where I can freshen up?”
His mother turned around, and it stopped Aeëtes in his tracks. He didn’t want to have an audience to this conversation. The pain on his face was nearly palpable.
“Of course. I can show you to your rooms where you will be staying if you like.” The queen held an arm out for Hecate in invitation. Hecate picked up her skirt in one hand, walked out of the room, and didn’t spare a single look at Aeëtes as she went.
29
Hecate followed the queen through the winding halls of the palace, taking note of how many effigies to Helios dotted the passageways.
“Have you always worshipped Helios so…devoutly?” Hecate asked the queen, keeping stride with her. She let out a long sigh, and her steps faltered for a second, but she recovered quickly.
“No,” she admitted quietly as if it were a great secret. “It was reactionary. After Helios brought us Aeëtes, my husband began covering the palace in homage to the Sun God. The temple was rededicated to be solely for his use, too.” Hecate knew it was actually Circe’s arrival that caused the change, but they no longer remembered her. They walked in comfortable silence for the rest of the way, before the queen pushed open a door to an expansive set of chambers.
“If there’s anything else that I can get for you, please don’t hesitate to find me directly.” Hecate turned and looked at her with a warm smile in acceptance, genuinely appreciating the woman’s soft countenance. There was an arrogance to the king that she didn’t like, but the queen seemed different, gentler. Hecate stepped inside, turning at the last minute to get the queen’s attention.
