Phobetor is as Mina left it, a black towered city-scape, with glowing windows for eyes and faint cackles and crackles of several thousand voices. It is an ever unchanging shadow-light, an endless twilight. Typhon doesn't spin on its axis, instead one side faces perpetually towards the sun, and the other, the coldness of space. The habitable zone lies in between, in the edge, just away from the burning too-hot rays of sun, and but exposed to the warming winds that blow over keeping the cold edge away.

Her father had once compared Typhon's long days to the winter Arctic days on Earth, "Back when it had ice. Back when the sky was clear enough to tell day from night."

But for Mina, who'd never known a planet with seasons, or changing light over twenty-four hours, Phobetor was exactly as it should be. Typhonic cycles were marked by the explosive eruptions of Anvil, the largest volcano near the city of Phobetor. It erupted, like clockwork, when Oceanus and Rhea were closest in orbit. This happened every six turns around their sun Helios. Mina's father had equated six Typhonic cycles to one Earth year.

One of Mina's last memories of their father, when he was lucid, was his attempt to calculate their Earth age. He'd placed Mina around twenty-four, Josh at eighteen and Dee at fifteen. It had been one of the last times Mina had seen him, some five cycles ago. Not that he'd been particularly present before then. Mina had been looking after Josh and Dee since their mom had fallen ill. Mina had spent most of her life protecting her siblings.

And I'm not giving up now.

She crosses Kakos' bridge. Each deep set gem in the metal planks brings awareness again to her mangled cheek. Her head pounds painfully where Dee punched her. Which normally wouldn't have done much harm, only Kakos had already had a go on her face.

And here I am, walking back to him. Maybe I am just a stupid human.

The bridge swings and chimes, sending echoes into the black depths of Nix. It is disturbing to think that she is placing her trust in this construct of Kakos. Will he even speak to me? He will probably laugh in my face and ruin my other cheek.

She climbs the cliffside slowly, wondering if defeat lies at the end of her journey. The putrid smell of the human camp above assaults her senses first. A deep voice speaks above, negotiating a contract:

"...and in exchange for this thimbleful of water, you will be the doormat for the entirety of my feast-gather."

A raspy human voice replies, "Make it three and you have a deal."

The god-blood laughs. Mina crests the cliff in time to make out an enormous god, little bits of static sparking off his skin as he reaches forward and shakes hands with an older man, bent with age or other afflictions hidden under his dirty clothing.

The older man winces as he gets shocked. The god-blood smiles, "All will enjoy cleaning their feet upon you. Be sure to come early so we can shower you before you collect the dirt off our claws and toes."

The god-blood turns away. Another human hand reaches down towards him from a rock cave above, "Please." The woman cries, "I could hold jackets, scarves, anything. I am so thirsty."

The god-blood stops, looking up. "I was looking for a miserable human for a centerpiece. I will give you ten thimbles to wear the irons and allow the other gods to explore what disgusting creatures you are. That shouldn't be too hard for you?"

The woman's hand hesitates. Mina's heart thumps for her. Explore is a pretty vague term. She should counter the offer.

The woman replies. "They can touch only where I have no clothes."

The god-blood smiles, "Let me see what you are wearing."

The woman grunts, then pulls herself from the crevice between a rock and back wall of the building. She is short and her pants are ripped at the knees. She wears a long sleeved shirt and a scarf over her head and ears.

Mina's gaze is caught on the exposed neck and face, and she is certain the god's gaze has landed there as well.

"Very well." The god-blood smiles. He holds out a hand.

The woman blinks, perhaps having an inkling that whatever she has agreed too might still be more terrible than she has imagined. But then there is a sound behind her, and a child emerges. Its eyes flash a little to bright and its skin isn't quite a shade of human, but carrying an undertone of purple. A half-bleed child, like me.

The woman pushes her hand into that of the god. She also yelps as she receives a shock from his zapping skin. It is a trait in Zeus descendants, as powerful a connection as one can have among the gods. Poseidon and Hephaestus might have their own planets, but Zeus lords over them all.

The god-blood leaves, and silence descends in this mess of human habitation. All had been listening in, and perhaps all are imagining what this woman and man will live through in the next few hours, and in what form they might return. Food and water are the currency in which to buy human entertainment.

Mina's heart thumps, thinking of what sort of contract she might negotiate with Kakos. Will he make me a doormat? An interactive centrepiece?

"Minaterror?" A faint voice calls. There is a shuffling again as others notice her presence. "Minaterror?"

Mina pushes through the camp without answering. Fear eats into her chest now, at what she is about to lay before Kakos. Perhaps I should try another god?

But then she remembers the gem he's forced into her skin. No. No other god will touch me now. Kakos has deterred any other options with his "gift".

Mina steps through the alleys and arrives on the other side, to the dark-beautiful of a god-street. The horned towers of the god-dwellings rise up, some mountainously high, such as the one she is heading towards, where Kakos makes his den. Overhead winged gods enter through ornate balconies, while Zeus descendants send lightning out into the sky or between towers.

The street is hung with soul-lamps which glow a pale green. Inside the half-bleed ghosts twist and rattle, muttering to themselves. Mina hears all with her defective god-curse.

"Oh if only I had held her one last time..."

"I would have told him no. And never left..."

"That one there, she simmers a little more than she ought."

The lamp closest to Mina rattles. These souls serve a sentence to the gods. They guard by reading the souls of others walking among them, ready to weed out any humans who might harbour ill-intentions towards god powers. Mina might hate Kakos, but has made no plans to end him as of yet.

"Rattle away little ghostling. I need Kakos alive more than I need him dead."

The lamp flares a little then settles, falling back into murmurings of its old life.

The road is mostly empty. After the Evisceredge fights, most settle in for creative entertainment.  It is a small reprieve between cycles.    Hephaestus does demand the maintenance of his planet's cities, Typhon is a popular destination. Gods travel from Rhea, Oceanus and Borealis to acquire the rare earth metals and bask in the architecture of Typhon. Kakos' work is always on display. Rhea houses agriculture, and serves as a bread basket. Oceanus' waters house an underwater kingdom of meditation, will and healing. Borealis guards the past and future histories of the gods and offers an exchange of knowledge. All planets come together to meet the needs of the gods.

Mina steps along the obsidian cobbles, polished to reflect the green lamp-light. I wonder which humans spent their time on their hands and knees while the gods looked down, enjoying their power in thimblefuls of water.

A door slides open from one of the massive towers. A winged-god emerges, with the golden browns and greens marking him as a Rhea native. Following the coil of chain tied to his waist is. a human. She's naked besides the collar about her neck. Her belly bulges full of a half-breed baby.

Mina swallows, horrified. The human woman turns her face and looks at Mina. "You think being a slave is so terrible. But I will live longer than you, Minaterror."

Mina comes to a standstill, caught in the surprise of being known. The woman follows her master. Slavery might not be allowed on Typhon, but sometimes gods from Rhea and Oceanus visit and bring their possessions with them while vacationing.

Mina stares after the woman long after she has disappeared into another tower. Despite the gods clear disgust of humans, many did take human partners. Her parents after all had come together, though her mother had never explained how much god-blood she carried, and made it sound like it was largely irrelevant, or pitiable. But it is the imbalance of power that disturbs Mina to no end. How is it different what I do in the pits? I have few ways to earn what I need for us to survive. She is likely right, my path will see me ending earlier, but if Josh, Dee and I were all slaves... Mina shakes her head. No. No I would be in control of my own body and choices, right until the end.

Mina's feet slow as she rounds the last corner towards the central most square. A great black-walled horn shaped tower rises up. It curls so high that the top-most windows are mere pin-pricks to Mina's eyes. She drops her gaze down to the front doors. Several Jadet guards stand before it, along with a mix of gods from other planets. They make a considerable force before the entrance.

To think I came to put myself before that.

Her body slows its pace, and slows again. Until finally she is stopped before them.

They are in the middle of a conversation in several languages between the planets. But Mina, with her weird god-defect, has all of it filtered into understanding:

"Do you really think Earth is worth all this trouble? Not killing humans is just annoying."

"Heh, Zeus made the contract himself. If we break it..."

"Aint you never seen a broken contract demo'd? We melt into god-dust!"

"No you sun-flapped-turd. Our blood boils and we die."

"You saying Zeus could be killed by a contract?"

There is a thwap. "Don't even put that in a sentence. You want to end up in a lamp?"

"Why is Zeus making contracts with humans anyways? We could run'em right through."

"What, you not get your basic education on Borealis?"

"I got some!"

"While your forgetting then that Earth has some god-killing weapon on it. And Zeus's contract keeps it there and us here all safe like."

The group falls to silence. 

 Mina draws her blades at an angle that lets them sing with a high chime, as if they were bells inside of blades.

In an instant all have turned with weapons drawn. The quiet cuts, all friendly banter dispelled.

Several relax instantly. "This one must be a special stupid."

A metal whip unravels from a short Typhonian native. The tapeda of its eyes reflect orange. "Maybe it's lost." The links of its whip click and wisp along the cobbles, like the tail of an impatient cat.

Mina breathes past her racing heart and stretches her blades out as far as they will go, taking a low stance. She angles the metal to catch some of the green lamp light and cast it at their faces.

As a group their hackles seem to rise. "It's annoying me." Says one in another tongue. But there is no language Mina does not understand.

Half the group shifts forward, slipping into a circle, studying her and her swords. Mina holds steady. "I would have an audience with Kakos."

A Jadet who hangs back laughs. "Why would Kakos bother with the likes of you? You'll be lucky to leave here walking. Human blood is so terribly fragile."

Mina's spine prickles with awareness. The Typhonian native is behind her with a whip. "It's not a human. It's a half-bleed. Look at that goop on its arm. She's got a symbiont."

The Jadet on the stairs narrows its gaze. "You're a long way from home Poseidon."

Her symbiont pulses a warning. Mina wants to tell it she already knows she's in plenty of danger! Her symbiont buzzes uselessly back along her skin, more distracting than helpful.

The whip comes down forcing Mina to step to side or be hit.  She flashes her swords again, "Tell Kakos I am here and let him send me away himself." 

I am a desperate idiot, because I cannot win against god-bloods.

The Typhonian laughs and flips the whip high this time.  

Ashen suns! Mina has to leap forward towards the whip-slinger. She lands closer than expected, rolling and nearly catches her blade under the Typhanian chin.

He steps back surprised.  Then draws a short blade.

Yes it turns out half-bleeds can fight too. 

Mina scissors close, catching his wrist with a faint slice, and making him lose all momentum with his weapon. But she doesn't have time to follow through, for two others are coming at her.

She flips into the air, one blade up and the other down, and the overhead attack by a winged Grackle is turned aside. It dodges awkwardly, circling to land on a nearby balcony.

I should run.  I can't win.

Mina lands before another God whose bare hand is reaching for her. It gives off a faint pulse of power. Best Mina can guess, if it touches her, she will be cursed with whatever god power it possesses. She sees a plentitude of clear crystals hanging off its necklace, some of which look remarkably like human fingers in their perfect likeness. A statue-maker then.

The Jadet steps in close and she avoids his hands barely. He could squeeze me dead in a breathe. She ricochet's off his elbow to leap over him, but not before something sharp pierces her shoulder. The winged Grackle is back, its fingered claws trailing back into the sky with her blood. She lands between the group on the stairs and the ones who'd approached her. A circle. I've landed in my own circle of death.

A familiar hissing, slapping clap interrupts all motion. 

 From the darkened balcony above two gold eyes burn. "While I enjoy seeing Mina dance, I don't enjoy my blood-bound souls toying with what is mine. I believe it goes against your contract, Cevias, to bloody those who bear my mark?"

The winged Grackle stares stupified at Mina's cheek, its face horrified.  It spreads its wings, "I—!"

But even as it speaks, its blood begins to boil under his skin, his voice gargles, his eyes burst, and he vanishes in pool of hot flame, steam and blood.

Kakos stays in the darkness. "Sun spots are such pesky things to have in our blood. Veil, bring her in, bound. Surely you can manage that without a mess?"

Mina feels the heavy gaze of a god on the stairs, who hadn't bothered to engage with Mina before. An Echo. Mina realizes, a second before he opens his mouth. She fumbles in her pocket for the sound-bites from Josh, pulling a ball out even as his song reaches her ears.

The power of the song is thick, like a migraine sneaking in. Mina's thoughts become heavy, sluggish, hurting. She drops Josh's sphere, inactivated. She stumbles, trying to pick it up, and feels the hands of the Jadet press upon her shoulders. She tries to twist but comes to her knees. She is forced to the ground on her stomach, her blades twisted from her hands.

She is dragged upright, the light from the lamps piercing her eyes. The Echo's voice is all around her, thick and suffocating. I'd heard of them before this, but never...ah..heard.  Them. Her thoughts are waspish, small.

The whip-bearing Typhanian with orange tapeda is the last thing she sees. He struts before her, his whip coiled at his side. The Jadet pulls her to her knees. The Typhanian leans close, "You won't bleed," he pulls back his fist, "on the outside." She watches his fist approach, the wrist still bleeding where she cut it. Then he lands several hits under her ribs, and Mina's world goes black.