At some point, Jokasta had entered Livia’s room. The Goddess currently sat on Livia’s bed, staring deep in thought out the window that Livia had tried to close.

  “No need for that, Livia,” Jokasta replied with little thought.

  She still looked toward the window. “It is just the two of us here, and I am in your quarters, please be at ease.”

  “Of course, goddess,” Livia said as she stood up. She stood in the middle of the room, tense and at a loss for words. Quickly she began trying to think of what might be the issue.

  “Do you need something from me, my Goddess? Is there an issue with the manufacturing? I can speak with Gedel in case there are problems, my Goddess.” Her words came out so fast that she could not even catch her breath.

  Livia addressed Jokasta while looking at the floor. Her heart raced; she hoped that whatever had caused the Goddess to arrive unannounced could be easily dealt with.

  “There are no issues, my child.” Jokasta said with a calm smile. “I really mean it, be at ease.”

  “Yes of course, goddess.” Livia said, still avoiding looking at her.

  “You may call me Jokasta when it is just the two of us.” The Goddess instructed her while still looking out the window.

  Livia looked at her now. “Yes… Jokasta.”

  The words felt odd coming out. Even though she had her permission, it did not feel right for her to address her so casually.

  To this Jokasta turned to Livia and smiled.

  “Earlier today Zhi entered Bukulkan’s domain,” Jokasta mentioned it as an offhand comment.

  “She did?” Livia replied with excitement.

  Livia had heard little about Zhi since she separated from the rest of the furtive forces. All she heard was that Zhi had faced several leviathans and a dragon and emerged victorious.

  “Yes. Artesh’s forces will soon enter his domain as well,” Jokasta added.

  “The final phase of this campaign.” Livia replied with disbelief.

  “It has gone by fast, hasn’t it?” Jokasta replied.

  “It really has,” Livia replied.

  She could not help but think about everything that had occurred until this point. Her initial meeting with Zhi, their travels through the continent, Jokasta’s arrival, the recruitment, and the buildup of the furtive army.

  There was silence between the two. Jokasta still looked out the window. Livia had encountered her fair share of enigmatic characters since departing on this adventure. The tree-like forest elves, cursed titans, powerful dragons, but compared to Jokasta they all seemed like footnotes.

  Livia understood Jokasta’s aim, to destroy the titans and their gods, a purpose they all shared, but beyond that there was nothing about her she understood. Livia felt as if she shared the room with an enigma her mind could not comprehend. It was not a common situation for her. No matter who she encountered, Livia always felt no one could match her wits. She felt confident that even the strongest titan of the land would not be as clever as she was, but Jokasta was different. No matter how much Livia tried to understand Jokasta, there was something about her she could not grasp. Jokasta was the one being that made Livia feel as if she was always one step behind. It made Livia feel like a child.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Now that we know we are in the latter stages of our encounter with the giants, we ought to begin preparations for the next phase.” Livia said, trying to spur on the conversation anew.

  “True,” Jokasta replied.

  Livia expected more of a response, but she continued.

  “Thinking about the battlefield, it seems prudent that once we have established control of the land, we ought to secure control of the skies.” Livia continued. “The dragons will always present a danger to us, and if we try to force a fight with the leviathans, we will always be on the lookout for any danger from the skies.”

  Jokasta smiled as Livia spoke.

  “Of course, the skies seem like the natural progression of our war,” Jokasta chimed in, still not looking toward Livia. “After all, with control of the skies, the dragons will always present a danger to us.”

  Livia felt her spirits rise. She felt silly for being validated in such a way, but could not help but be proud that Jokasta agreed on their next steps.

  “It might seem like the logical next step, but it is not what we will do,” Jokasta added.

  “What… What do you mean?” Livia said confused.

  “Titans have so far been unwilling to come together because they still do not consider us a legitimate threat,” Jokasta said. “My brothers, they might find our uprising a nuisance, but nothing beyond that. They think that since they already defeated me once, that the outcome of this conflict is already decided.”

  “Your brothers?” Livia asked aloud. So much was being said that she did not even know where to start.

  “I forget sometimes that there is still much I have not told you,” Jokasta mused. “But you know who I speak of, Speir, Maji and Uraqi,” Jokasta said as she looked at Livia. “The triplets. They are my younger siblings.”

  “The gods of the titans?” Livia asked.

  “The very same,” Jokasta said with little enthusiasm. “To them, my mother gave control over the domains. To me, she bestowed wisdom.”

  Her mother?

  “From the moment they arrived in this world my brothers set in place their never-ending conflict,” Jokasta continued. “I believed that if I imparted upon them wisdom, that they would see the folly of their struggle and work together to create a better, more prosperous world. One ruled by reason, not endless chaos. But my good intentions were wasted on them.”

  “Is, is that how we came to find you… in the prison?” Livia asked.

  Jokasta slowly dropped her smile. Livia felt fear rising within her.

  “I’m sorry, I meant nothing by it my goddess.” She quickly bowed.

  “No,” Jokasta quickly interjected. “It pains me because it is true. The gift I gave them did not put an end to the conflict between my siblings; it only changed the nature of the conflict. No longer was the conflict between them personal, but they instead relied on chosen creatures, their titans, to fight on their behalf. Seeing that my kindness did nothing to change their bellicose ways, I knew I had no choice but to force an end to their fighting. It was a long and hard-fought conflict. Many furtives fought side by side with me and gave their lives in our efforts against the gods and their titans, but at the very end they worked together, even if for once, to defeat us and seal me away.”

  Silence pervaded the room. It all came back to Livia in a rush. She remembered the murals she saw in Vivenah. The furtives in the city, all working together, various Onsiels. Livia could not even consider what sort of life furtives led in those days. She realized she had been quiet for too long. She looked at Jokasta.

  “But the gods… your brothers, they continued their conflict.” Livia added, breaking the silence.

  “Correct. My imprisonment led to millennia of ceaseless fighting and to the relegation of your kind, the sapient creatures of the land, to mere pests the titans can pounce upon on a whim.” Jokasta said. “They are sure that this time will be exactly like the last time we fought. That is why they keep falling into the same pitfalls. They do not work together, they do not engage me directly, thus like last time they will wait until the situation becomes dire to change their ways. The last time we fought, I tried to change their minds, but that was my mistake, and unlike them, I do not repeat my mistakes.”

  Livia was at a loss for words. Jokasta had revealed so much to her, that it made her feel so small. Thinking of the vastness of Jokasta’s experience sent Livia into a frenzy of doubt. How could she even attempt to figure her role in this war of hers? Between gods and goddesses? And there was still so much unanswered. Despite this mind bending experience, despite how it made her feel, Livia felt an urge to know more. She needed to learn more.

  “But do you know why I am confident we will win this time?” Jokasta spoke up.

  “Why?” Livia asked.

  “The furtives of this time are not the same ones I last led into battle,” Jokasta said. “Those had spent their entire existence living a life of comfort, of safety. When war finally came, it was not something they understood. The violence of the titans was alien to them, they could not understand what it was to face such a powerful foe, but that is not the case for the furtives now. It is unfortunate that you have suffered so much under the titans, that I had to spend so long without being able to provide you the safety I could provide to the sapient races before, but that time has made you strong.”

  “The many millennia that all of you have lived under the treachery of the Titans, imposed by my siblings, have taught you all how to survive under the harshest of conditions, how to claw your way to survival no matter the odds.” Jokasta continued. “This is not something that you have learned; this is something that is ingrained deep within the collective fabric of furtives. All furtives I have met since returning have a deep understanding of how to survive, how to persist no matter what you face. That is how I know, that you, and all the other furtives around me will not stop until victory is achieved, no matter the cost. And this is something I did not even give to you, this is all thanks to my siblings, and it will be their undoing.”

  A fire burned deep within Livia. The words from Jokasta stoked something primordial within her, an urge to fight to the death, to use any trick she needed, all matter of subversion to win, to fight, to kill the titans and their gods.

  “Jokasta, I promise you we will be victorious no matter what,” Livia announced as she looked at the Goddess.

  “I know we will, my child, I know we will.” Jokasta said as she looked at Livia and smiled. With that she disappeared from the room.

  The room was warmer now. Livia was not sure if it was merely because Jokasta had left, or if it was the effect of Jokasta’s words on her.

  Livia looked out to the mountains, where Giocco toiled somewhere. Her mind raced, her heart burned. She had been waiting for Giocco to return before she set her next plan of action in place, but that would no longer do.

  I need to find Giocco. We cannot waste another moment.