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Hecate threw another broken weapon onto a pile of similarly broken things with a quiet growl. Selene, who was sitting calmly on one of the logs, flinched in fright at the clatter and slowly looked at her friend, who was becoming more and more irritated by the minute.
Another failed attempt. Another waste of resources precious to her, all for nothing. Titaness wanted to howl from it all — surely there must be a weapon that would suit her! It couldn't be that some random person had their own adamantine equipment, but the Goddess of the Crossroads herself did not!
The girl had been moving toward the idea of her own weapon for quite some time. After her defeat in the battle with Chronos, Hecate realized that she had lost most of her power. Whether the Titan had done this intentionally or whether something had happened to her body because of her injuries was unclear, but the fact remained. The things that Titaness used to be able to do with her eyes closed, without much strain, now required enormous effort and consumed far too much mana.
She needed to find a solution to this problem. She had to have the strength to be able to protect the Crossroads and herself. Especially now that new rulers in the form of those foolish gods had ascended to Olympus. They would eventually learn of the Goddess of the Crossroads and might even try to bring her under their control.
Hecate immediately ruled out Selene as an option. She already owed her so much. The Moon had often saved her friend and had always been by her side. Moreover, Selene too needed to accept the new order after the fall of the Titans. And despite her origins, she still had less power than, say, Helios. If she also gave part of it to her friend, there was a chance the girl herself would fall into great danger.
Protective amulets throughout the Crossroads and a little in Erebus also could not be considered a solution. Firstly, because they were precisely protective amulets, which could be destroyed if something happened. Secondly, Titaness did not intend to spend the rest of eternity in this place. Someday, she would need to go out, rendering all these amulets and signs useless.
And then, during one of her conversations with Selene, the Goddess of the Crossroads heard about certain "aspects" and understood. That was it! Adamantine weapons! Many used them, not only gods but various beings and even humans. Hecate had heard that even Lady Nyx had once used them. This way, Titaness could at least somewhat amplify her remaining strength and perhaps leave her mark on history.
The main thing was to create this weapon. Of course, she could order it from some masters, but it was better for the future owner to make it themselves. One could say that a special connection would then form between the weapon and its owner, and Titaness could tailor it to her own needs.
But who knew it would be so difficult!
The girl quietly cursed again, placing her hands on her makeshift table. Selene sighed heavily, rose from her spot, and slowly walked over to her friend.
"Hecate. I think you should take a break from your experiments."
"No, Selene, not now. I feel I'm close to finding what I need."
The Goddess of the Crossroads waved her off, beginning to write something with charcoal on one of the parchments. Selene carefully placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Dear. You really need to take a break. Your hands are already trembling from fatigue."
She pointed to the hand hidden behind the metal gauntlet, which was indeed twitching involuntarily because Hecate had not secured it properly. Titaness quickly hid her hand under her cloak, which she had made recently, and turned to Selene.
"I'm sorry, Selene, but I really need to create my own weapon. It's important to me."
"Tell me why. Maybe I can help somehow? Maybe Nyx knows what to do, or perhaps Eos."
She said, and the girl sighed heavily, looking at her friend with a guilty expression.
"Selene… I… I promise I'll tell you the reasons someday, but right now… I need to find the weapon that is perfect for me. The one that, as if they themselves…"
Here her eyes widened, and she turned back to the parchment.
"Exactly. Yes. That's it."
Hecate muttered, quickly beginning to write something. Selene looked at her in surprise, tilting her head to the side. The sheet filled more and more with various runes and circles. Inscriptions could be seen along the edges — apparently, words that needed to be spoken.
The girl waited quite a long time for her interlocutor to finish her work and look at her.
"Selene… Um, sorry, but… Would you mind helping me with something?"
Selene smiled warmly upon hearing this embarrassed tone.
"Of course, Hecate. I am always ready to do anything for you."
Selene slowly directed her rays onto one of the circles that Hecate had just drawn and told her to aim at. Titaness continued to draw something on the ground, quickly whispering an incantation under her breath. When she finished, she stood in what she thought was the right place, pressing her hands to her chest in the shape of a cross.
"Almost ready."
The Goddess of the Crossroads said, closing her eyes. Selene thought for a moment and decided to stand in the same pose as her friend. She began to slowly move sideways, gradually lowering her hands. Selene repeated her movement.
"Threads, our guiding sign."
Hecate began to speak quietly, waving her hand to the side, taking a small step forward. Her friend did the same but decided not to repeat Titaness's words.
"Of our life, the master divine."
She continued, not stopping her step.
"Lift the veil of mystery, let it unwind."
The Goddess of the Crossroads raised her hand upward, turning her gaze to the sky.
"And let me know the outcome. Who is destined for me by fate to find."
After this, her speech became too fast and quiet, making it hard for Selene to make out. Suddenly, after some time, the circles lit up, and golden threads began to emerge from them. They slowly reached toward the girl's hands, causing her to read the incantation even faster. The threads began to twist, forming a kind of cocoon, which a second later lit up, and on Hecate's hands appeared…
"Torches?!"
She cried out indignantly, examining the silver weapon with moon motifs on it. Titaness had expected many things. A spear, a shield, a sword, even a staff or a small knife. But torches?! What kind of weapon was that?
"Oh, well, they are quite beautiful."
Selene said, approaching her friend. She snorted in displeasure, taking her new tool in her hands.
"Yes, but you can't do much that's useful with beautiful weapons."
Hecate replied with a heavy sigh. She grimaced, trying to understand what to do with these gifts, so to speak, of the Fates.
"What am I supposed to do with these? Light the cauldron? Or scare away animals?"
After thinking a bit, the girl gripped them, and when she began to channel her magic into them, she flinched. Huge flames burst from the weapon, shooting upward. Selene squeaked in fright, stepping back. Surprised, Titaness channeled a bit more power into them to see the huge flames again.
"Incredible."
She muttered, now examining the torches with interest. Were they such good conduits that even such a small amount ignited so strongly? In that case, it wasn't such a useless thing after all.
The Goddess of the Crossroads quickly shifted her gaze to one of the trees.
"Selene, could you temporarily grant your protection to that tree?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
Selene nodded and directed her rays at the indicated spot. The tree glowed slightly and seemed to become somewhat bluish. Hecate assumed a battle stance and, gripping the torches tighter, channeled a little magic into them, waving them. A fireball quickly shot out of them, flying straight toward the tree. A hissing sound was heard, but due to her friend's spell, nothing happened to the tree. Titaness did it again, throwing another ball. Then she waved both torches, creating a sort of line of fire that flew slightly more slowly.
After an hour of such tests, the girl happily realized that she still felt energetic. She still had plenty of strength and no desire to go rest. It seemed these torches consumed nothing. Probably, such a weapon would be more suitable for a beginner in magic, but since Hecate had regressed significantly after her defeat, they suited her perfectly.
Selene smiled, seeing how her friend was smiling contentedly while examining her new tool.
"I'm glad the Moirai gave you a worthy item."
She said, and Titaness nodded.
"Yes. I'm even curious whose weapon I took. Maybe it's yours? It has moons depicted on it, after all."
The girl replied, pointing at the silver weapon. Selene shook her head.
"I don't think so. After all, I'm too poor at fighting. I'm more of a helper, and such torches hardly suit that role."
"That's also true."
The Goddess of the Crossroads nodded, then grimaced in displeasure and began tossing one of the torches up a little.
"Although, you know… I don't like that they are so heavy and small. Because of that, my hands tire too quickly. Maybe I'll still have to improve them somehow."
She said, tilting her head to the side. Selene only shrugged at this.
"Perhaps you can do that. After all, it's your weapon now."
After that, Hecate waved her hand, turning toward one of the paths of the Crossroads.
"Well then, thank you for your help. I think I have a couple of important tasks now."
"Of course. If anything happens, call me, and I will come to you. And now…"
Selene looked up, where Helios had already begun to descend and Nyx was visible on the edge of the world.
"I think it's time for me to accompany the Night."
Titaness only nodded at this and disappeared into the foliage, while Selene walked toward the place where she had left her chariot.