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Minthe’s eyes took on a deep, murky green hue.
“You betrayed me and killed your own brother all because Crius made you false promises.
Because he promised you Devon.”
“Fuck you!” Minthe rasped, “That is not how it went! We were lovers and I could have ruled the Underworld alongside him far better than you. I could have protected him far better than you ever could or did,” she trailed off weakly. “If Tristan had stepped aside from his own desires to rule the Underworld, I wouldn’t have had to kill him. He wouldn’t… wouldn’t help me,” Minthe let out a sob, “So, I killed him.”
Persephone watched the pitiful creature stew in the consequences of her decisions.
“Devon didn’t return your feelings, so like a petulant child, you decided to take care of anyone he chose to love. What did you think would happen when I died? That he would fall into your arms again?”
Persephone waited for some evil scheme she’d hatched to come from her dried and bloody lips, and though no words were said, Persephone saw the answer in her eyes. Minthe didn’t care about the power like she thought, she was just consumed with owning Devon. Her obsession stronger than her conscience.
“You most likely thought Devon would make you his Queen and you would rule together,” Persephone mused as she looked back to the river and took a deep breath of the brimstone smell emanating from Tartarus. “But you failed and now you are at my mercy. This is my realm.” She looked back at Minthe. “I run things here and if I sent you to the Fields of Punishment or the pits of Tartarus, there is not a damn thing anyone could do about it.”
She looked into the woman’s eyes. “Are you paying attention now?”
Minthe whimpered but held Persephone’s gaze.
“I thought of an eternity in the Fields for you, but that seemed to be what is expected of me. The Furies would love another shot at you after you escaped them.
“However, people might associate that with me not thinking rationally, and who knows what scheme you might concoct with all that time on your hands. That might give you hope that I can be reasoned with, and after your betrayal, I do not believe I can be.”
“I highly doubt I can find it in myself to care if you will not allow me to stay in my human form. Either kill me or let me die in peace.” Minthe tried to put power in her words, but she was far too weak.
Persephone stood and smiled down at her.
“I think I like the idea of you always seeing the river, but never touching it. Never feeling the water move between your fingers or over your skin again.”
Minthe let out a huff.
“Need me weaker so you can kill me? Scared of me? Or is it that Devon took me to bed long before you, kept me around, and you know if I get to full strength, he might just take me back to his bed? He almost did the night of the gala. He definitely thought about it. I bet I could work and weaken his resolve enough to bring him back to me.”
“Make it easy for me, nymph, please,” Persephone growled as her eyes lit up and her foot
stepped down onto Minthe’s neck.
Minthe’s eyes went wide as she felt Persephone pulling the power from her weakened body.
Minthe struggled to hold on to her magic, panic flooding her system, but Persephone was markedly stronger than her.
A loud, piercing scream left Minthe as her power was finally released, completely drained from her, and rising into the air around them.
Choking on tearless sobs, Minthe went slack as the last piece of her power left her body.
Persephone put her hand out and the magic swirled into a white ball just above her open palm. As she closed her fist around the ball of magic, Minthe let out a pained noise.
Staring Minthe in the eyes, she crushed the magic in her fist, it slipping through her fingers like grains of sand before fading out and disappearing completely.
All the river nymph’s power went back into the Underworld.
Persephone opened her hand and Minthe cried out at the sight of her empty palm, her missing magic. No tears would stream down her face at the lack of hydration in the water deity’s body, though Minthe tried to cry.
“Oh no, you do not get to cry,” Persephone growled as she leaned down over Minthe to lay the same hand that had just crushed her magic onto Minthe’s forehead.
As Minthe looked up into the bright glowing eyes of an angry Goddess, she saw no mercy. She closed her eyes one last time as she felt Persephone’s power blast into her.
Minthe was engulfed in a sudden burst of flame, but the fire dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared.
