Phantasia still wanted an answer. Even after her audience with the Queen, she was uncomfortable with Ophion’s behaviour. She would continuously bombard Faye with speculation, even though her handmaiden found most of her ideas absurd and illogical without necessary evidence to back them up.

“Fire Faeries would have demanded an answer,” said Phantasia, as she sat outside overlooking the palace, “And the Earth Faeries? They would have beaten him for showing such contempt and disloyalty. I doubt the Wind Faeries would mind, though if they did, they’d just trick the answers out of him!”

“What would you do to obtain your answer?” asked Faye.

It was an interesting question, certainly. She didn’t fit into any of the behaviour patterns associated with the other faeries at all. “I think…” she began, “I think I’d try to talk to him, I guess. Talk to him, be kind, try to open him up. If he didn’t answer, I’d try something more direct. Maybe frightening him into answering!” she giggled at the thought of herself trying to frighten another faerie, “I don’t know,”

“Perhaps then you should try that,” said Faye, “If our attempts do not divulge answers, perhaps yours will.”

Phantasia didn’t know if Faye was trying to subtly encourage her into doing what she really wanted to do, but was afraid to – or if she was simply making another reasoned statement with no emotional attachment. Either way, it was a good idea, and she was going to try it! Faye remained motionless as she jumped up.

“There is no place for me in such anarchic behaviour,” she stated.

Phantasia found Ophion alone in his room, standing at the balcony and overlooking the world outside. There was an eerily familiarity about the whole scene. He turned to face her, his expression blank and eyes cold.

“I have been waiting for you,”

Ophion lacked the spark he once had while Dionysus was around. His eyes had become narrower, his hair was now a navy blue, and underneath the cape traditional for faeries of his position, he was wearing extremely human clothes. He stood with his arms folded, resting against the balcony and watching Phantasia closely. As she studied him more, she began to notice cracks in his aura, like dark veins running across his body.

“Dionysus asked me to tell you something,” he continued, “He told me that you should open your eyes,”

This wasn’t what Phantasia had come to hear! She was supposed to be asking questions, not receiving cryptic remarks! She started to say something, by Ophion had already read her thoughts.

“What I do is not important. As I said, I have been waiting for you. It was his last request to me, to make sure you understood,” he turned back towards the world outside, “He knew you would not understand, that you would be oblivious to your own power. Tell me, what do you see when you look at me?”

The cracks, she thought. The cracks that were growing and expanding and consuming him. It was so obvious, so how could no one else have seen it? How could Queen Thetis not see the darkness growing in someone from her own court? It was there, in plain sight!

“Did she not tell you? The world only tells you what the world wants you to know. That is a mantra of water faeries, but you are not one of us. You can see things we cannot. That is what Prince Dionysus wanted you to learn. That is what will take you there,”

Chapter 2
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