The sound of waves beating against the great silver warship that streaked upon the Xunamere sea had an almost tranquil feeling to Juno Freya. The mist that hang over the waters almost made this sea seem mystical and the three islands ahead like forbidden isles.

The young fae would have been forgiven for forgetting that no more than three hours ago, a bloody battle had been fought upon these very waters and the shores of the Spice Islands.

Though the grizzly remains of that battle still remained as a reminder to all who dared to look into the deep aquatic abyss. From the prowl of the silver battleship, she could see the broken remains of other battleships, their once impressive and seemingly impervious halls had been torn open by artillery rounds.

Many were slowly vanishing beneath the waves of the Xunamere sea.

Amongst them floated other pieces of debris like the scattered remains of aircrafts. No doubt from the rounds that had knocked them out of the skies.

Seeing them made Juno wince from an invisible pain. Before joining Zodiac, she had dreamed about a path in the Stratha, the Empires air force, and in this aquatic cemetery, she could see the Lunar Empire aircraft's.

But most importantly of all, the bodies or body parts of hundreds of thousands of men and women floated as grizzly remainders of mortality. Their blood blanketing certain portions of the sea as crimson patches.

"A true shame," the aged voice of Libra uttered besides her.

Juno almost yelped in surprise, she turned quickly and saw the ancient Zodiac, his weathered face almost seeming more aged as he looked into the mass of death.

"A shame?" the fae asked in confusion, as she looked back in the water.

"All of these dead boys and girls. Ours and theirs, a butchery and a waste of life," he responded, his eyes never leaving the waters.

Juno followed his gaze to the vast majority of dead in the water. Many did not wear the silver armor of the empire or the green of the Luperon kingdom.

In fact, these men and women wore the purple and gold of the Ocean Lords and the scarlet clothing that the rebels had taken to wearing. They might not all be citizens of the enemy, but that made their betrayal even worse. She could not see how they deserved much sympathy from her.

"They were traitors and Ocean Landers, this is the fate that they deserve," she responded, contempt burning in her heart.

"Do not be too quick in lusting for blood, young Freya. They might have been rebels and our enemies, but it is always a shame when it comes to this," he said with a heaviness in his voice.

Juno wanted to argue with him, to tell him that his age was making him soft and emotional, but she respected the elder Zodiac too much to bring herself to do it. All that she did was bow to him in a show of acceptance, she then began walking away from the edge of the battleships deck.

She wondered if she could manage to catch a few more minutes of sleep in her room before they arrived upon the islands. She loved serving their Lady, but it was stressful and tiresome work.

"Juno!" her sisters voice rang out, halting her.

She saw Ulfhild standing upon the other side of the deck, her silver and red armor glistening under the embrace of the rising morning sun. Her face was a cold stoic statute and even though Juno near matched her in height, she could not help but feel dwarfed by the imposing aura of her sister.

"Sister, a good morning" she mumbled out a barely audible voice with her face lowered in order to avoid her sisters grim gaze.

"Look me in the face when we talk. You are my sister, not my damn servant," Ulfhild grumbled and though every part of Juno's instincts were against it, she forced her face upwards.

"of... ah... of course... our lady would never let this happen," Juno mumbled again, gaining her a puzzled look from Ulfhild. "I mean, a good morning."

"Yes... a good morning," Ulfhild's voice was laced with a tinge of irritation.

Not that Juno could blame her, they should have been here to fight this battle, it was their duty. But their Lady had directed them to missions under project apotheosis and they were now just arriving as the actual fighting had ended. Juno could only imagine the way this shame would hang over the Zodiac for years.

"I see that you are not with our Lady?" Ulfhild asked, her eyes never turning to Juno, but focusing her eyes completely on the Spice Islands.

"She desired to be alone," Juno didn't exactly know what their Lady was doing alone in her chambers, but it had to be very important.

" I see.... I hope that.... " Ulfhild paused as if she was deeply thinking of something, she then sighed before saying, " Its okay. Tell me, how has your time in her service been?"

"It has been good, the Lady is quite demanding, but it is all worth it."

" I am sure that it is." Juno didn't like the way Ulfhild said that.

"Is something wrong?" She asked Ulfhild and the lion of Zodiac took a sharp breath.

"We should have been here. Our presence would have saved many of them, instead we are sneaking around almost committing treason!" Ulfhild spat out.

"Maybe, but project apotheosis will save even more. We just need to have faith in our lady."

Ulfhild scoffed before replying, "That's if it is not just an immortals delusions."

Juno gasped in horror as she processed what had just come out of her sisters mouth. The Lady was a being worthy of nothing but respect and Ulfhild just so casually called her senile and mad.

" Sister, how could you say such a thing!" she hissed at her sister.

"Someone needs to say it. Dreams and fantasies can't win this war, Juno. We need to be out here, fighting through the trenches with our countrymen, not risking our lives within the shattered islands and the eye."

Juno nervously glanced around, hoping that no one close enough had heard her sisters treasonous talk.

" Ulfhild please, do not say such things. Our Lady is more than two thousand years old, she knows exactly what she is saying. Don't let your heart be so easily set astray," she pleaded with her elder sister.

Ulfhild looked ready to respond with some more blasphemy, but after a second the elder fae simply sighed in defeat. She rubbed her faced and slumped her posture.

"You are right, I am just too tired and emotional after seeing all this, " she gestured around them. "I should probably get some sleep."

Juno smiled in relief, " I was thinking about doing the same thing. Maybe it is best for us to rest".

Ulfhild finally smiled since they had started talking today, " let me escort you."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

" That will be unnecessary, sister."

"You never complained before," Ulfhild said with a slight chuckle that reminded her of the Ulfhild who existed before she was made the lion of Zodiac.

"I was a seven year old child who thought monsters existed in her shadows," Juno reminded her and both sisters laughed as they thought about the past.

XXXXXXX

They arrived upon the spice islands two hours later and Juno as well as the other four attendants were summoned to join their Lady who waited on the deck.

Juno stood in her position on their Lady's right and the others on the left and behind the Lady. She didn't bother much with her fellow attendants, they were always replaced with new fellows.

The Lady had high standards for her attendants and those who failed to live up to them were quickly replaced. Juno, much to her pride had survived these purgings and so she saw no reason in bothering to learn about people who would soon be replaced.

Besides them stood the Zodiacs in their entirety. Their beautiful armor glistening in the sun and their posture upright and in attention, they were like bodyguards to their lady, but Juno knew that their Lady was not in any need of such.

The ships side lowered into a ramp and the attends behind her took that as their signal to raise the black banners of the Zodiac. The symbols of each Zodiac were drawn in beautiful white paint upon the scarlet red cloth.

Their Lady took the first step and they all followed, their movements in near perfect sync with each other. The first thing that Juno saw as she stepped on the ramp was a beach which was filled with a multitude of warriors.

Many were alive, though many rows of the dead could be seen with white sheets laid upon them. The living were an intermingling of Lunar Empire and Luperon troops.

These troops were exhausted and many were having their wounds tended to. As Juno looked upon them, she could not help notice the blatant looks of contempt and anger that flew off the eyes of the masses.

" How dare they, do they not know who she is, what she did for the realm," Juno thought in outrage as she saw a few soldiers spit upon the ground to signal their hatred as the Zodiac procession walked by.

She was tempted to turn over to one of these disrespectful fools and to beat them down as punishment for this unbecoming behavior, but alas she could not do such a thing without the Lady's say so.

The crowd in front of them parted and out of it walked a lone male fae. His black hair and beard in a disarray from the madness of battle that had taken place.

He wore a completely black piece of armor which had stains of dirt and blood, though Juno doubted that the crimson life substance came from him.

"Lady Nimue, I hail you," he said with a respectful bow.

"Duke Conall Nuadason, I hail you as well," their Lady responded with a smile.

Juno looked at the fae that many called the Black Raven for his onyx armor. She had heard stories of the bastard half brother of the Emperor.

She had heard of how he had been born from a affair between the former Emperor and some random low born woman. She had heard of how their current Emperor had risen him to Dukehood after he came to the throne and how He had become arguably the greatest warrior of this age.

She very much doubted the last legend, if the man was as amazing a warrior as many claimed, he would have been brought into the Zodiac and taken up one of the mantels.

"Well met, but I fear that you are late for the battle," the Black Ravens words gained a few mocking chuckles and heckling from the mass of soldiers.

Their Lady did not change the expression upon her face, even as Juno and her fellow attendants glared at the crowd who dared to mock them.

"A shame, I must be forgiven for missing this one battle. I am sure my past efforts in previous battles can grant me mercy for this one mess up."

" Your past efforts are always noted my Lady, though forgiveness is not for me to give. It is for Emperor Nuada to decide," the Black Raven responded.

"I do hope so. Shall we go my dear Raven?" she asked him.

"Of course, let's," the Black Raven replied and he led them forward to a series of silver tents where she knew the Emperor awaited them.

XXXXXXX

The tents that held the Emperor were large enough to be full on houses and they were guarded even more than one which belonged to even the richest civilian.

Juno noted four whole rolls of guards who would have made it a pain to get past even when you were a Lunar Empire citizen. Thankfully the presence of the Lady, the Black Raven and the Zodiacs, allowed them to simply pass the guards without a single fuss being raised by them.

Inside the tent, they found the Emperor and his generals standing around a floating war table. The war table projected holographic images which moved on their own in realtime to reflect anything said by the Emperor or the generals.

The Emperor looked somewhat similar to the Black Raven, though while his half brothers armor was black as night, his was made from a milk white stone with orange Phoenixs engraved upon it. And resting upon his head was the gold and purple crown.

"Your grace, Lady Nimue and the Zodiac have arrived," the Black Raven declared out loud, drawing the Emperors attention from the war table and to them.

"Lady Nimue, I bid you a welcome," the Emperor said.

"I thank you for your graciousness, your majesty. I beg forgiveness for my late arrival."

" There is nothing to be forgiven. I am sure that your impromptu visit to the Shattered island and the Eye was in the duty of some objective to the war effort."

"It was," their Lady replied.

"Really, I would love to hear what these important objectives were?" amongst the generals a young human male asked in a sarcastic tone.

This young man was no general, his green and gold armor, plus the golden crown upon his head made it clear that he was the King of Luperon.

"A lesser king, he must know his place," Juno thought as she looked at the impetuous boy with a beardless chin.

"King James, it is a pleasure to see you as well."

" Do not ignore my question woman. What were you doing that was so important to not lend your troops in our aid!" King James demanded, slamming his fist upon the war table to emphasize his point.

"James, that is uncalled for," the Emperor reprimanded.

The Emperor's disapproval made the impetuous boy king shrink into a more meek stance. He turned to the Emperor and he pleaded like sycophant.

"But Emperor Nuada, what reason do we have to trust her?"

" King James," Lady Nimues voice was now much more forceful than before. "What reason have you to trust me?. How quaint it is that you forget that it was my decision to extend the Coros rings in my ownership to your ancestors near two thousand years ago that granted all of you the extended lifespan and magic that you posses..."

At that rebuke King James began fiddling with the plane gold ring that was resting upon his right middle finger.

"...It was through my efforts and knowledge that the Lunar Empire was saved from being crushed underfoot by the Emperors of the Ocean Lords. It was through said efforts that Luperon was freed from near thirteen hundred years of occupation by the Ocean Lord invaders. Was it not through my advise that it was your illustrious ancestor, the lady Athrpa who was chosen to be Queen of Luperon, even though more valid claimants with ties to the old royal house lived."

" Enough! " James was now red faced with embarrassment. " Do not dare try and diminish my ancestor's importance, she fought harder than any Luperonian in the freedom struggle against our occupiers and their puppets. And besides, the Ocean Lords received the gift of Coros first due to your own gullibility. These rings and their gift are not even of your design, you were gifted them by the Avalonian's!"

"James, calm yourself," the Emperor said once more and though the young king looked ready to argue again, the Emperor's cold face silenced his flame of impotent rage.

"There is no need for all of us to become unnecessarily dramatic. I am sure that Lady Nimue has important reasons to her actions. Over nine generations of my family have trusted her and in return she has served the Empire faithfully, she has my full trust," the Emperor said.

Juno smugly smirked as she looked King James. The spoiled boy had taken a seat, pouting like he had been denied sweets.

"But, let us speak of the Avalonian's. I have read your report on them. You once knew their King and Queen?" The Emperor asked.

"I did, though they were a prince and a random girl then. I served Natalia once, though it was a realm far from this one. A war with dragonkin came and my valor in their aid gained me and another companion of mine the rings of Coros, the very gifts you posses," Lady Nimue responded and she took special care to look directly at King James as she spoke.

"That is good, then we can send you as a part of a peace committee to broker a treaty with them," the Emperor stated with delight.

"Your grace, would that be wise. Avalon is... Not to be trusted, they will not just accept any terms which don't allow them to dominate us."

Juno could not help but frown, in fact damn near everyone in the room had the similar expressions of confusion at Nimue's response.

" Why would they not be trusted. As far as I see, they have kept out of this conflict and I would prefer them my friends than they be added to the pile of my already considerable number of enemies."

"They have an interfering nature. Roland and Natalia fancy themselves as leaders of all, they will try and make the Empire subservient to their wishes. I advise that we strike now whilst the iron is hot and decapitate our opposition."

" All so that we can open another front in this war?" the Black Raven asked.

"I agree with Conall, this war is hard enough as it is. I will not begin a war with the Avalonians unless i have to, regardless of what feelings you have for its rulers, are we clear?" the Emperor stated and for a second Juno thought that Lady Nimue would say anything.

But instead, Nimue relanted and she bowed before the Emperor whilst saying, "I will carry out the wisdom of your will."

But Juno knew that she did not mean it and though the Emperor didn't see it, the next part of project apotheosis was being forced into being, open treason.