Her mind groggy and her head pounding, Amneris managed to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was fire. It was so bright she closed her eyes again, suddenly feeling nauseous. The smell of burning metal brought her to her senses. She hated that smell. It reminded her of her childhood. The worst parts of it.

Amneris looked around the room, recognising it immediately. This was the basement of the Forest House, the one room she refused the enter unless it was absolutely necessary. Someone had lit the fire and placed what looked like iron brands in it. Now there was a blast from the past. She felt metal clamped around her wrists, finally realising the position she was in. Her arms were chained to the ceiling and her legs were chained to the floor.

Her head tilted back. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Footsteps echoed down the metal stairs. All she could see was a shadow walking toward her. Then the shadow stepped into the light.

Amneris groaned at the sight of the woman before her. “Are you fucking joking?”

Before she had time to react, her cheek was stinging. “Don’t you dare speak to me that way! You must treat me with the proper respect.”

Amneris spat in the woman’s face. “There’s your respect.”

The woman slapped her again.

This time, Amneris laughed. “The day I treat you as my mother is the day you treat me as your daughter, you–” A leather bit was shoved into her mouth. Amneris shook her head, trying to get it out, but it wouldn’t move. All she could do was growl at the woman sashaying toward the fire as if she owned the worlds.

Over time, Amneris had forgotten what her mother, Nephthys Topanga, looked like. It was on purpose, of course, but clearly her efforts had not been enough. After all, it’s hard to forget the face of someone you wish would rot in the deepest darkest pit of the Underworld. The Second Death was too good for her.

The woman had straight scarlet hair, partially falling over her frozen jade eyes and brown face. Despite the darkness that ebbed from her form whenever she entered a room, a side effect of her power and personality, heads would still turn at her beauty. Like most in history, the beauty had gone to her head. It was amazing Aphrodite had done nothing to put a stop to it considering all the horrid things Nephthys had done.

The woman warmed her hands by the fire. “How are you today, dearest?” A laugh. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t answer with your mouth full.” Nephthys stormed to her, ripping the bit from Amneris’ mouth, the strap holding it in place snapping behind her head. Amneris bit down on her mother’s hand in response. Nephthys jumped back. “Where did I go wrong with you?”

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Amneris spat out the chunk of flesh she’d torn off and shook her hair from her face. “Well, there’s the whole torturing me as a child thing. That could fuck up anyone’s head. Of course, there’s also the fact I’m the Guardian of the Photon Core because Naiu chose me to be so. It’s made me very powerful, though I can’t really use that much of that power. The irony is real with that one. Not to mention the fact that I can’t use my power means I have to keep it inside myself and I have enough power to make even the strongest of people go insane. Am I right or am I right?’

Her mother was grasping her bleeding hand. “Do you ever shut up?”

With a grin, Amneris continued. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Usually, I’m a quiet person but I’ve been known to drag on and on and on. Apparently it’s very annoying. I wouldn’t know.” She laughed suddenly. “No one lets me get a word in more often than not, so I have absolutely no way of testing the theory.” She frowned. “You’d think a Queen would have her say, but no.”

Nephthys moved until she was in her daughter’s face. She twirled a knife between her fingers before pressing it to Amneris’ throat. “If you will not stop talking, I will force you.”

“Oh no. I’m so scared. Whatever will I do. It’s not like I’m immortal.”

That last line was all it took for Nephthys to shove the knife into Amneris’ stomach. Amneris looked down, tilting her head to the side at the sight of her gilded blood dripping onto the stone floor beneath her.

“Was that supposed to accomplish something aside from annoy me?”

“There is something I never forgot about you,” Nephthys was saying as she stalked toward the fire. She pulled a glowing iron brand in the shape of the Terpolite sigil. “It was what you did to me when we met after my banishment.” She brought the bran closer. “Do you remember what you did to me?”

Amneris flinched back at the heat on her skin. “I remember, yes, but I’ve been through worse than you could ever imagine.”

The woman growled. “This is what you deserve for taking my beauty.”

No. Amneris’ eyes focused on the bran, a cold sense of panic funning through her body. Not again. Her power sparked, reacting to her fear. I won’t let her do this again!

Amneris roared. Her power flared, throwing Nephthys to the other side of the room. The chains shattered. Amneris dropped to the floor. She pulled the knife from her hand, tossing it away. Her body glowed as she stood over Nephthys, power coming off her in waves.

Nephthys jumped to her feet, wielding the brand as a weapon. She brought it down as though it were a hammer. Amneris caught it with one hand, unable to feel her skin burning. She tugged it free from the woman’s grasp.

“You think I don’t know the pain you’ve been though,” Amneris said, her form shifting. Her star-covered wings spread behind her. Nephthys backed away but found herself unable to move. Amneris spoke again. “All you’ve ever done is cause me pain. I think it’s about time you understand what you’ve done to me.”

A snap of her fingers. The chains wrapped around Nephthys’ arms wrists and ankles, chaining her in the same position Amneris had been in moments ago. She struggled against the chains. They held firm.

“You can’t do this to me!” Nephthys cried. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

Amneris smiled at the woman, her eyes wild. A small laugh escaped her. She held the brand close enough that Nephthys’ skin reddened from the heat. Her head tilted as she went to press the glowing brand against the woman’s cheek. “Say something nice.”