The daughter of the night

“I am Millia, Nymph of the Forest and daughter of Aphrodite," she said, her voice cold and hard. "And you should not have threatened what is mine.” More and more plants responded to her call, wrapping around the woman, reaching for her arms and legs, but the woman wasn't easily pinned. As she crawled into the shadow behind a couch, darkness enveloped her, causing the vines to fumble blindly, unable to find her in the mist of pure blackness. In the meantime, daggers cut the vines in shreds, the plants wailing as they were murdered. The woman stood, her teeth showing in a smile, her eyes flashing dangerously. "The night is my ally," she hissed.

Millia's eyes narrowed. She could see the plants and flowers, even in the darkness, but the woman was only a silhouette, a shadow. “You have an ally,” Millia said. “But I have a hundred of them.” She turned to the plants, her voice low and commanding. “Take her,” she ordered.

The plants surged forward, their vines and tendrils reaching for the woman like living whips. She dodged, twisting and turning, her daggers transforming into voids that cut through the plants like a scythe. But Millia was relentless, her fury and indignation shared by her allies, sacrificing their newly gifted growth and autonomy to the cause of punishing the one who'd threatened their sister's long awaited Claimant.

However, even through her fury, Millia recognized she was losing this battle. The woman was another Champion, as sure as the gods drank wine, and she'd been chosen for longer than Jack had, her skills further developed. She'd soon slip past the vines and tendrils, trapping Millia against the wall.

So it came as a most welcome surprise when Jack appeared, seemingly out of thin air, as the woman passed by a corner. A swift kick to the ankle sent her to the ground, the daggers clattering across the floor. Jack grabbed her wrist before she could recover, twisting her arm behind her back, before locking her neck into a tight chokehold.

“I think that's enough, girls. You've had your fun. Mil, wanna pull back your buddies?" She nodded in relief, the plants retreating to the walls and corners, their leaves quivering in restrained anger. "Good girl. Amazing girl." Jack smiled at her and Millia blushed, her anger momentarily forgotten in the wake of his praise. She walked towards him, her steps still unsteady. "You did great, Mil. In fact, you were fucking awesome." The woman struggled in Jack's arms, but he held her tightly, his face expressionless. "Now, what shall we do with you?"

The woman snarled, her eyes blazing. “Let me go,” she spat. “Let me go, or I swear, I'll-”

“Or you'll what?” Jack asked, his tone amused. “Kill me? Hurt me? You've already promised to do that, remember?" He tightened his grip on her neck, making her gasp. “No, I don't think I'll be letting you go anytime soon. Not until I've gotten some answers, at least.”

"You heard? How? I would've felt you through your shared bond, even while invisible."

Jack smiled. "I was never invisible. Luckily, that's not how the Shroud of Aphrodite works. I was here the whole time, in plain sight. Your mind just didn't feel it worthy of notice." The woman gasped, her face turning red with fury and humiliation. "Now," Jack continued, "let's start with something simple. What's your name?"

The woman glared at him, her lips pressed together. Jack sighed, tightening his grip again, causing a whimper to escape the young, latina woman. "Nox. My name is Nicoletta Esposito. Most call me Nox."

“Nicoletta, huh? Pretty name. Italian, if I'm not mistaken?” The woman's jaw clenched, her teeth grinding. “So, Niccy, why don't you tell me why you're here? Why did you threaten my Mil?”

The woman's eyes flickered to Millia, then back to Jack. “I didn't threaten her,” she said. “I threatened you.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “And why would you do that?”

Nox smiled, a cold, cruel smile. “Because I was curious,” she said. “And because the stars remember her birth. And it wasn't recent. Yet, for some reason, she's bound to you. A fat old man with a shrunken liver, broken heart and the blood of hundreds on his hands. Of course, now the mystery is solved. The daughter of Aphrodite, gifted to her chosen Champion. But what a disappointing choice the Goddess of Lust has made."

Jack laughed. "I'm not the one with my neck in a chokehold, sweetheart. Now, the next question. Who's your god?" Nox didn't answer, her eyes flashing with defiance. "Oh come on, it's not like we can't figure it out. You're obviously Italian, so I'm guessing Roman." Jack looked at Millia again. "Wanna help me out here, love. Any Roman gods with a kink for darkness? Or the stars?"

Millia nodded. “Nocturna. Or, as she was called before the Latin people nicked our pantheon, Nyx. Goddess of the night, darkness and ****.”

“Nyx?" Jack looked down at the girl. "Well, that wasn't very subtle, 'Nox'. So, I suppose Nocturna is the variant you follow? And the one who chose you as a Champion?" Nox remained silent, her jaw clenched, causing Jack to smile. “Alright then, Niccy. Why don't we make this a bit more fun?"

Millia felt a rush of her mother's power leave him and stream into the woman's body and mind as Jack once more activated the Breath of Aphrodite. Nox's eyes widened, her pupils dilating, her cheeks flushing. She gasped, her breath catching in her throat.

"Come, Mil. We'll leave through the back - I'll text Thomas you feel ill - and leave our new friend Niccy somewhere she'll be alone with her thoughts for a while. I know just the place."