Love is Blind.

I stared at my food not particularly hungry but I had to eat something, I took another mouthful before seeing a glowing portal light appeared in my doorway, “It was dark with what looked like burning outline, “What the fuck?” I groaned and dropping my fork saw a woman rush out, “I will kill you if you come near me!” she barked looking back which in my position confused me because it was clear from the ribbon around her head that she was blind, “Philippa Eilhart you will be coming with us, on the grounds of the illegal practice of sorcery, the attempt to murder the king and conspiring to do harm against the people of France!” the group spat in their weird styled hats, “Fuck off!” she snarled back readying her hands, “Ran to your lover is it? Scarface... no worry we will take you with us to!” I got up and grabbing my sword which it’s outline glowed with fire to Philippa’s surprise I was massive in size, “I don’t know any of you but I much rather have a quieter, strong and pretty woman in my prison then twenty brutish and stupid men in my prison. This is my home so all you can sling your hook!” “Not unless she comes with us!” “Has it never come to mind on where you are? Look around then ask yourself where you are?” “Cut the crap where are we?” “You are in Tartarus, it’s the Greek Gods prison that holds all the most notorious evil creatures and vicious bastards which probably makes me the top bastard! But let me tell you this...you are trespassing on my territory in a high secured prison... so I will ask you one more time! Leave or die?” they drew their swords which caused me to remove my glasses and start to attack. Philippa moved back unaware of what was happening and concerned of where I was, she heard the screams and cries along with the cutting and slicing sound and then there was silence...

“Hello?” I walked up to her before taking her arm spoke, “Sit a while!” she sat in her seat before hearing a plate be slid over to her side spoke, “Here eat this!” “What are you?” “Too most humans a god...I am the son of Thánatos II great grandson of Hades and Persephone. To you who I assume is an intellectual I am just a child of a more developed and smarter then the other populations of beings. You can’t see it but I am quite different to humans. My height is just one thing humans are what? Five and a half foot? I am around 11 but I also have shining golden lines over my body...” she put her hand out to grab my cheek before feeling the scars spoke, “You have seen a lot of action?” “Some say way too much for my young age but this place is unbearable for those incarcerated here, most want to break free or rebel, me being alone makes it hard!” “Don’t you have soldiers?” “They are all controlled by me!” she nodded before feeling a different bump asked, “Is this a scar?” “No that’s the lines I was on about!” “So what do they call you?” “My birth name is James but I go by the name Krisi!” “Why are you alone?” “I fell in love with a goddess that should never have a consort, when I asked for her to stand by me she said that she loved me but refused, my family didn’t even stand up for me, so I left the surface and took over here!” “She didn’t stand by you?” “She left me to face the music!” “I’m sorry...I know what it is like to have shit lovers!” I nodded before looking over asked, “So how did you end up with bounty hunters after you and how did you end up blind?”

She shifted uncomfortably before commenting, “Politics and a wrong move caused me to piss off a king called Radovid who took my eyes...” she laughed before saying, “You think that would stop me from using magic?! Like hell it did. Me, Geralt and others took his life but that didn’t stop the witch persecutions: us, alchemists, elves all punished for no reason, well okay me there were valid reasons but others no. I fled knowing I would be wanted, they found me so I fled to anywhere, I didn’t count on them having the enough time to jump in after me, I apologise for that!” “Like I said earlier I don’t mind you being here, you weren’t a loud mouthed or disrespectful and I assume from your situation you need to hide out somewhere?” she nodded before saying, “I have hideouts but I get the feeling I would be undetected here and until my eyesight is returned I can’t do anything...” “But you found your way to your seat easy enough...” “I am magically simulating my sight... virtually I am seeing with no eyes, it’s by touch!” “That’s lucky, I don’t have to wear my glasses!” “Problem?” “Tell me do you know of the Greek myths and stories?” “Some...” “Well to stay here I advise you get to know them because there are more or less true. Anyhow, there was a woman punished by Athena...her and her sisters were turned into Gorgons virtually a humanish body with scales and snakes for hair anyone who gazed upon them were turned to stone like some of those Witch hunters I freed them from the curse and turned transferred the main part of the curse to me. You see Medusa was the first and main inflicted one, her two sisters were secondary meaning their curses weren’t as strong and despite being immortal when I transferred them over to two soldiers I got rid of them by throwing them into the lava pit, the main one is harder to take care of so I took the curse on, so now anyone who isn’t blind turn into stone!” “Can’t you just do what I am going to do? Remove your eyes and regrow them with tissue?” “First thing Asclepius tried, just regrew with the same problem, tried an transplant and same problem. Why don’t you just get a new pair of eyes...I could easily find you a pair!” “I know whose eyes I would love to take...that bitch! But not yet I don’t know how to get there and I am tired! Let me tell you something in line with Yennefer I am the most powerful of my lodge, I will find the solution and then I will be able to gaze into your eyes and see what lies beneath the scars. I require two things!” “They are?” “A lab to work and my former lover Cynthia she is a mage who could also help with your problem!” “You are a lesbian are you? Well don’t let Aphrodite find out she goes both ways and would definitely take an interest!” “I am more of the bisexual nature I favour men a lot more but if the woman is attractive I do take an interest after all I am a ‘quieter, strong and pretty woman’ according to yours truly!” she smirked “I say what I see!” and in her tough exterior a flicker of a smirk and blush appeared but she quickly dismissed is before speaking, “Room?”

I took her arm before guiding her to the master bedroom spoke, “It’s the queen room... I had this in place because everyone who was sent down here to be my consort hated the sight of me this was actually Circe’s room; she is the first ever witch, you will like the next room, it has her gear, notes, ingredients and receipts in here, you will just need to learn Isu then you will be able to use them!” “It’s massive!” I nodded before commenting, “It contains the blasts and reactions caused by the bombs. It is just a shame she never used it!” “James...” I looked back feeling bowing her head spoke, “Thank you and I’m sorry they ridiculed you by sending wave after wave of woman at you for political gain and for them to only leave and mock you!” I nodded before hugging her spoke, “You aren’t to blame... now rest and I will find this Cynthia of yours!”

Hours later and escorting the nervous woman down to her lover she cried, “Please no! Don’t let her find me!” I pushed her forward before saying, “Not to happy to find see your lover again?” she shook her head before pleading spoke, “I betrayed her! I was spying on her... she may have found out!” I smiled before pushing her through the door spoke, “Philippa I found Cynthia!” Cynthia froze waiting for the reaction of Philippa who smiling hugged her, “Cynthia it has been so long... things got worse for me after you... you know: I lost my sight, I lost my lover, I was forced to run, it has gotten so bad!” Cynthia smiled in relief hugged her back, “I’ve missed you to! Are things really that bad?” Philippa smiled before turning cold grabbed her by her hair, “It was... but now I am safe, my eyes will regrow and now I have the bitch who betrayed me!” “Philippa no!” Philippa grabbed her knife as slide her knife into her chest before doing it again yelled, “No one betrays me and gets away with it!” I watched on as she stabbed again and throwing her down barked, “Take her to yours cells!” I looked down before kneeling to the bleeding floor, “No!” “What? I thought you were my friend!” “My cells Philippa are for evil people and so far you are lucky I haven’t thrown you in one. She was doing a job and hasn’t done anything significant to make me warrant to throw her in one also she wouldn’t even make it the cells! All this effort to get her just for you to stab her. Fucksake I have things to do as well!” she bowed her head before wiping her hand clean spoke, “I’m sorry! I didn’t think” “And now I have to mop the floor again! Philippa you know what makes someone who is evil and someone who is good? The good people kill because they have to or it’s their job, the bad ones kill because they want to or they do it for revenge and don’t care about who has to deal with it afterwards!” “You are in a dungeon with murderers and do horrible things to them but hate murder?” “I punish those who are monsters I kill when I have to not because I want to! Remember that! Now if you don’t mind I need to clean the floor.”

“You still here?” her voice half queried half shocked by my presence and nodding I scrubbed at the carpet, “Yeah, half of trickled to the carpet!” “The way you were speaking earlier I thought you would be doing other things!” “I should be but if I don’t clean it now it will stain and then the whole carpet would be ruined!” she nodded before sighing spoke, “Look...I’m sorry! I didn’t think and this room reminds me of my own one...I forgot I was a guest! I’m sorry!” “Yeah okay, just let me know next time... I literally have a killing room down the end of the hall...” “You do?” “Yeah it’s called the exterminator burn them to a crisp or impale them... it could do anything you want and it has drainage” she nodded before leaving me to continue clean I growled, “Didn’t even offer to help! Unbelievable...I wouldn’t care if she was blind with no assistance but she does!” I slammed the scrubbing brush down again and scrubbing the solution in left her to it. Meanwhile in the lab Philippa closed the door before opening the books wrote on the board, “First things first! I must solve his problem, that will work as an apology and a thank you! Surely?” she flicked through the pages but growling snapped, “Can’t understand the language... hmm” she walked back and for before smiling spoke, “Three birds one stone. A god’s eyes will help me read the text... punishment and eyesight; now where do I find that bitch!”

Days past and watching her eat she asked, “James... How would you react if I did something most would deem sadistic but others would say is adequate?” I stared over to her before asking, “Context?” “Well let’s day I punished a evil person and took their eyes for myself afterwards” “What has they done?” “Terrible things...” “Like?” “Punished the wrong people, being unfair and unjust!” “You mean Athena? I can’t support this you know... it would cause a lot of trouble buy if you want to try I won’t tell anyone” she nodded before returning to her food spoke, “I will make it up for your hospitality I promise! Just need a few more days” “It doesn’t matter...I will still be alone and ugly!” “You won’t be...” “It’s funny how only the blind can love me” she got up before kissing my cheek spoke calmly, “I can't see your ugliness but I can feel your beauty, it lays within.”

Philippa walked out among the people, she didn’t tell James she was going because deep down she knew he would stop her, she hunted for the shrine knowing exactly it would be Athena’s time to visit those followers who had passed on to the next world. she knelt down and there she was “Walking around all posh like she is the greatest gift known to man!” she walked up causing the followers to back off when they saw her hand holding up fireball walked into the temple using her other hand to close the door sealing it, “Who are you?” Philippa smiled before walking forward slammed her hands onto the table facing her, “You don’t know me but I definitely know you bitch! Acting snotty nosed and thinking you are in charge! Let me tell you something... I don’t care about your status or position!” “What have I ever done to annoy you?” Philippa smirked before saying, “Not me but a friend of mine... I call him James to you Krisi! He doesn’t know I am here because he would try and stop me but he doesn’t know what justice this will be!” “Going to me? Now that would cause upheaval and trouble for both of you!” “No...I have learnt one thing from being in his prison complex... killing is anywhere near as fun as making people suffer!” “Is that what he is too you? An entertainer?” she shook her head before saying, “No, he is charming and sweet. He is helpful and caring, he is strong and hardworking. I heard he was once beautiful but he is definitely clever. It makes me angry to think you abandoned him when he needed you!” “Abandoning him? I was saving him! I know what Zeus is like and me standing by Krísi would have made him suffer. I saved him!” “You left him or are you scared of him?” “I did the right thing!” “You were looking out for your self!” “Yeah so what...you have to care only about your self, it’s how I keep my power, influence and position. Love makes you weak and I will not been seen as weak!” “So that is what I was to you? The weak link, the inconvenience, the leech? I loved you Athena!” I growled and looking back Athena looked down, “I did card for you but you are leeching off me, you were destroying my reputation!” I looked down before punching her status growled letting the blood trickle to the floor, “I have hoped for centuries you would return to me! You would love me... but I was just a hinderance to you!” “James... I didn’t intend to be with you, you just wanted to be with me; that party was to be our last date event together then you were to be free, we would go our separate ways and you would meet someone new a pretty girl who was obsessed with you and would do anything for you, like you deserved!” “See Philippa like I said my family is fucked up! They think that is better then accepting a lovers feelings towards them!” she looked away before saying, “You can’t see it now but I did the right thing!” “You want her eyes right? Let me do the honour!” I grabbed the knife from my belt and backing away Athena cried, “Please don’t! I need them!” I walked forward causing her to cry, “You can’t touch me remember that!” “Oh I can...I could charge with so many crimes!” I walked forward before feeling Philippa take the knife out of my hands snapped, “Let me do it, I am used to being hated!” “James please!” I looked down before burning her papers spoke, “You won’t need these anymore!”

There was an flash and looking back Athena fell rigid against her seat and watching on Philippa slid the knife in cautiously cutting around the eyes to leave the scream from the goddess whose body shook and mouth fell open, “James please make it stop!” and standing there unbothered I spoke, “Don’t know what the fuss is about...she has the first already out!” “I need them to be able to do my job” “A god that relies on one sense is a useless god!” when the other came out I watched to see Philippa insert it in and summon the powers to restore her sight, it was then when I noticed the shade of Athena’s eyes they were blue a pale blue and finishing the spell Philippa smiled looking straight at my lensed eyes, “Now that I can read the ancient texts I will fix your sight, that’s a promise! But you...” she snarled I knelt to the goddess wiping the blood away from her face, “Get away from me! Who is it? No get away!” “Athena...I am cleaning your wound!” “Why should I believe you?” “Because why would I be wiping the blood away I wasn’t?” she froze before nodding let me continuing, “Krisi I can’t hear! I can’t hear!” “Philippa what have you done?” “Monkey speak no see no evil, hear no evil and now will speak no evil...I have cursed to speak only the truth even though she won’t be able to hear what she says! I’m a evil bitch James You should know that by now! You can do what you want with her?” I nodded before grabbing her by her dress spoke, “You can’t hear this Athena but you are finally coming home!”