Chapter 329: Counteroffer

Chapter 329: Counteroffer

If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.

---------------

16th May 2013, Sayre Manor

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

I would get to know Hestia once more, and honestly, even if we take into account how much the both of us have changed, we seemed to get along just fine.

The only issue is that I would be dooming the multiverse, that I would be abandoning Wanda, Jean, and Selene to die at the hands of Entropy's madness. I would let Asgard die, once more. Thor, the boy king that had so much potential would not live to realize it, Loki, my hopeful student would never learn to control his madness. Everything I had worked for in my entire life, for thousands of years, would be gone for the fraction of a second. And yet, this regret was overshadowed by the potential freedom that would come with the offer.

I would live in peace, without dealing with cosmic entities. And wasn't that what I wished for the most? Perhaps, for the first time in God knows how long, it's time for me to be selfish, to do something for me. I looked Hestia in the eyes and spoke up, "Hestia. About your offer, I have an answer now."

Before I could tell her my answer, I felt my mind being pulled from my body, and everything turned white. It was blinding, and sort of confusing, and I had to blink for a few seconds to see if I hadn't somehow turned blind or something.

I looked around me, and it was hard to describe the place I was in, except for the color white. The floor was white without even a speck of dust to mar its unnatural color. It was completely even and completely flat, with no natural imperfections, which ironically made it feel unnatural. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

The sky was white as well, and there were no shadows or distinguishable features. Everything seemed to blend together into a seamless, infinite expanse of whiteness. I felt a sense of disorientation and emptiness as if I was lost in a world without any reference points. It was both eerie and calming at the same time, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to me and where I was. I would have thought that there was some kind of enchantment making me see only the color white, but when I raised my hands, they looked normal.

And yet, this place felt oddly familiar, like I had been here before. It reminded me eerily of Limbo, but it was something else, something more

"Well, isn't this interesting?"

The familiar voice surprised me greatly. I jumped in fear and turned to confront the being who had taken me away, only to gape at the sight before me. The thing took the shape of a woman, and yet it was just wrong. She looked like someone had taken a drawing of what a human looked like and just given it birth, without any expressions.

The woman was pale white, with her eyes as dark as the night, yet filled with what seemed like galaxies and star systems, that seemed to glow inside. This being was on another level, and I knew it.

I put on a facade of confidence, "Hello, I wouldn't know about interesting, but you are the one who summoned me, I presume."

The woman let out a smile that sent chills down my back, "Oh, do you truly not recognize me, Morrigan? After all, we've known each other for quite some time, haven't we?"

The being released a fraction of its power, but it was enough for me to recognize it instantly. I was intimately familiar with that power, as I served it for what felt like an eternity, "Death." I spoke up with a monotone voice.

The cosmic entity's smile widened, "Yes, indeed."

"You look different."

"Is it, now?" the way Death asked me that question made me shiver in fear, "What if I gave you the incentive to listen to my commands? What would you do then?"

This didn't sound good, "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember our deal, our first one on Atlantis? You promised to serve me as my champion, as my Avatar, in exchange for me saving the remnants of your people, of Atlantis. I even let the Olympians escape my grasp into that little dimension of theirs since they were all that remained of your people."

I nodded, "Yes, and even though Atlantis is dead, I still served you for thousands of years."

The woman's smirk widened, "And yet, by disobeying a direct order from me in accepting Hestia's offer, you would go back on our bargain, which means that I can go back on mine."

"I still don't understand" I replied.

Death sighed and took a deep breath, "What I am getting at is the fact that should you accept Hestia's offer, I will consider it a betrayal of our agreement and I will slaughter every single remnant of Atlantis, man, woman, child, or even artifact. I will destroy that little dimension you created for them, I will drain them dry of their very essence, and kill every single living thing on Olympus, even your precious Hestia."

I gulped, "You can't"

"You'll find that I can. Don't make deals that you can't back out of, girl. But you were so hopeful for my help. Like it or not, you belong to me, you have always belonged to me, and you are forever destined to belong to me. So, what is it going to be, Morrigan? Are you going to kill off your entire race again or are you going to listen to me for once?"

I honestly didn't know what to do now. I could say without a single shadow of a doubt that Death was not bluffing. She was more than prepared to kill the entirety of Olympus just to punish me for disobeying her. I had thought I was free of her, but that was just her humoring me. I didn't have a choice really. If I disobeyed her, she would destroy Olympus and bring me back here, or maybe even kill me, but if I listened to her, I would give up whatever illusion of freedom I had and continued to fight Entropy.

Honestly, for all that Hestia was barely more than a stranger to me now, she was still a close friend and lover. My fond memories of her wouldn't let me sacrifice her just to make a point, just to defy Death.

Resigned to my fate, I nodded. The cosmic entity cackled in laughter, "That's good to see, girl. Now, I want to see no rebelliousness from you. I want you to keep to your role, keep recruiting, and keep working on your fight against Entropy. Do that, and Hestia would be safe, even if you somehow manage to fail, I can promise you that."

I still glared at the cosmic entity, and she seemed to soften slightly, "Look, Morrigan, do this, and after you've dealt with Entropy, if you succeed, I will let you go. I will not force you to do anything anymore. That is a promise."

I could feel the weight of the promise. The air was electrified, and I could feel that this statement would be enforced if I accept. It didn't change anything, not really, but at least it was a guarantee that I would be free of her after this whole Entropy mess is dealt with. Still, I had no real choice in the matter, and she did pretty much just threaten me into agreeing, "I agree to your terms."

---------------

AN:

For those that think that I am making Morrigan needlessly suffer, this is me setting up Death as an antagonist. It's sort of like making sure that there would be that inevitable confrontation between them, in which Hestia will play a large role in. Honestly, I could have done it better, but I didn't really know how else to do it. However, trust me, the payoff will be worth it.

---------------

If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.