Stars twinkled and danced in the dark sky. To the God of the Night, it was like the city's lights didn't exist. No material light could drown the star's natural glow. They had always been there. Through every war. Through every victory, small or big. Through every life. Though the Gods had faded, the stars never did. To the God, they shone brighter than any light. They were his only light.
The God of the Night laid on the beach, the sand under him still warm from the past day's heat. He had never known the light of day, never felt the warmth of the sun but he knew the moon and the stars and the darkness. They knew him more than anyone else.
One would think that he would get lonely but the God never did. He didn't mind the silence and the distance. He liked to think that he was in a long distance relationship with the stars. They blew kisses to him with with every twinkle.
"It's a pretty night." The Moon Goddess said from where she sat beside the night god, her black hair flowing over her shoulders. She would sit with him often, watching the waves and the stars. Like the Night God, she too had never seen the day.
"Thank you." The god murmured, glancing up at the Aztec Goddess. In this day and age, she liked to go by the name 'Berenice'. "I wanted it to be pretty. There are too many nights that aren't pretty."
"You should want beauty more often than." Berenice said softly. "Don't make yourself sad, Evan." It was the name that the God of the Night had chosen long ago. It had been in Paris on a sad night where a soldier was left heartbroken by the Seine. The God had thought the way his lover had said the name was so beautiful that he knew he had to have it for his own. So he caught the name while it floated on the cold fall wind and pressed it to his heart.
"There is beauty in pain. I'm sure the Moon has seen its fair share. The night is rarely meant to be happy." Evan said. They debated this often. Under his dark hair, his red and white jacket served as a pillow for sleep that would never come.
"But the nights that are happy are always better than the happy days. For happy days are a guarantee. When given a happy night...it is something that must be cherished for there is light to be found in the dark after all." The Moon explained, a smile playing on her lips.
"The stars are light enough. And so are you." Evan sighed, watching the stars above him.
"Maybe you should go make some friends and have a happy night. Then you will see that I'm right." Berenice glanced at the sad God, her smile wavering.
"I have friends." Was all he said.
"Then go find them. Enjoy the pretty night that you have created." She smiled and disappeared. In the night sky above, the moon glowed brightly. Enough debating with the Moon for one night. He never seemed to be able to win with her, not that he minded. For she is the bright beautiful moon and he is the dark night around her. She was right. He should enjoy the pretty night.
With a sigh, he stood up, brushing the sand that was nearly as old as him from his pants and shook it from his leather jacket. He pulled it on and headed towards the parking lot. In the distance, the glittering lights from the pier reflected off the ocean waves. He reached the pavement, kicking the sand out of his red shoes. He pulled the handle on the black car door and got in.
He had had the car for only a few years. He had wings, he didn't have to drive. Unfortunately, the only owls in the city were captive ones and none of them were like the great horned owl that he could be. He longed for the days when he could spread his wings out, feel the starlight on his feathers and the cold, powerful wind that would take him higher into the sky.
Those days were far behind him, so he pulled the large feather that had appeared on his wrist as he had been thinking about flying and tossed it out the window. The engine roared and he sped out of the parking lot. The feather floated on a gentle wind over the beach.
It was only midnight in a city that never stopped shining. Evan loved Los Angeles. It was cruel but sweet, beautiful but ugly. It stayed awake with him.
He wasn't quite sure where he was going. He didn't have that many friends which was surprising for a God like him. He was ruler of the night and all its creatures. Everyone should know him.
He went to the one place that always brought him a little sunshine. He had never felt the sun before but he imagined that it felt like this place. He parked in front of a house so surrounded by palm trees that from the street, the house was almost invisible. He pushed open the gate that was always kept open for him and walked around the house through a tunnel of palm trees. The greenhouse took up most of the backyard, a warm glow spilling from inside onto the grass.
"Hello Evan!" The girl inside smiled, her hands holding a pot that contained a very yellow sunflower. "I was wondering when you would come by."
"The night is still young, Sydney." He said as he stepped inside, fascinated by the brightness of the flower. The flower goddess liked the name 'Sydney' and ignored the night god's protests that her real name was far prettier. The Roman goddess Flora smiled at him as he gently touched the sunflower's petals, feeling the softness and the rough seeds at it's dark center.
"I was starting to think that you started to listening to the other Greek Gods about me…" Sydney said softly, setting the flower down. Evan stayed close to it, stroking each petal as gently as a lover's cheek.
"I wouldn't do that to you, Flora." The God of the Night looked up at her with his dark eyes, the warmth of the greenhouse starting to get to him. She shot him a glare at the mention of her real name.
"None of you Greek Gods like us Romans." Sydney turned away from him.. He watched her as she picked up a watering can and turned her attention to a pink hibiscus. He didn't want to talk about this. He had wanted to listen to her talk about flowers and sunshine.
"We do have reason too. It's not unjustified, Sydney."
"I thought you said that you weren't listening to them!" She cried suddenly, turning around to glare at him accusingly.
"I'm not." Evan didn't want to listen to the other Gods. They were arrogant and only liked to listen to themselves. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't the same.
"Everyone gets replaced eventually...Even us Roman Gods have been replaced, Nyx." Sydney spat, using Evan's real name. "I guess that it all worked out in the end." Evan bit his tongue. He didn't like being replaced but he couldn't deny the truth. All of the old Gods had been replaced with the new and one day, they too would be replaced. "But you Greek Gods have no right to be holding on to that anger. It wasn't our fault. I swear...Someone is going to end up dead one of these days if you can't control your stupidity." She snapped, breaking a dead twig off the hibiscus tree. Evan didn't want to be there anymore. He pulled at his collar, sweat dripping down the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry I came by." He turned towards the glass door, condensation dripping down the walls. Sydney sighed, reaching for his hand.
"I didn't mean that. You know it's almost impossible to kill us Gods." She tried to smile but Evan wasn't going to change his mind. He said goodnight to the flower goddess and left the greenhouse, thankful to feel the colder night air on his face as he walked back around the house to his car. He sat in silence for a little while, thinking about where he could go next. Every night was spent thinking about where to go and what he could do. To him, it seemed like the night was limited while the day was limitless.
He finally decided that he would find Ares. The war God had been a close friend despite the fact that he liked to ask the night God for favours. He started the engine and sped down the quiet Santa Monica street towards the city. There was always one thing that Ares could do for him in return and it always gave him the feeling of daytime when flowers couldn't.
The bright night lights of the city glinted off the windows. Near the towering skyscrapers, the car came to a stop, parking at the side of the street. As the God got out of his car, he pulled another feather from his wrist, the thoughts of flying still floating through his mind.
"Haven't seen you in awhile." A voice cackled from the shadows. A normal person would have been disturbed but Evan had never been normal. He turned, looking into the dark alley way filled with shadows. A man stood in the dark, a blue hood pulled over his head and a mask over his face. Despite the mask, Evan knew Nemesis was smiling. Blood dripped from the brass knuckles on the God of Revenge's hands.
"I think for good reason, Jonathan. I'm still scarred from the last time." Evan didn't know why the God had taken that name. It seemed so odd, so common for someone so wild and dangerous. Jonathan moved towards him, shrugging his shoulders as he pulled the brass knuckles off his hands. "Having a nice night?"
"Yes actually. Thank you. The stars look extra beautiful tonight." Jonathan said, wiping the blood on his hands off on his hoodie. "A nice night to follow a nice day!"
"I'm sure it was."
"You should let me show you the sun some day, Nyx!" Jonathan laughed as Evan started to turn away, walking down the street. "You can't be a night owl your whole existence!"
"Yes...I can be." Evan sighed. "I wanted to see the day since I came into existence, Jonathan. I would give anything for it but the natural laws of this universe won't allow it. My night never ends. It will be the only thing I will ever know till the end of time. The only thing you will ever know is blood and anger."
"You have clearly never tasted a good breakfast before." Jonathan joked, playfully punching Evan's arm. He was grateful the brass knuckles were off. "I could make it for you one day! You could pretend to have a whole day ahead of you!"
"I've never known that feeling so how could I pretend? You shouldn't be putting Gods where they don't belong." Evan finally reached the door that lead to an underground club. The neon sign above them flickered and buzzed. The noise annoyed him.
"Oh come on, Evan! Stop being so serious for once in your fucking life! Promise me that you will let me make you breakfast one night. You'll love it." Jonathan insisted. Evan looked him over, seeing the blood and the brass knuckles in his pockets.
"You won't try to fight me again...right?" Evan remembered the last time. He had been curious. Everyone is. How does one defeat the night? Jonathan's curiosity had gotten the best of him and he suffered greatly. Jonathan nodded, his bright eyes on the dark God. "I promise. Have a good night, Jonathan." Evan smiled and pushed open the door, disappearing inside the club.
Bright lights and music surrounded the God as he moved down the stairs and through the club. He made sure to be gentle as he moved past the humans. He has always admired mortals and their ignorance to the violence that went on in the universe around them.
"Want a drink, Nyx?" A soft hand on Evan's shoulder startled him. He looked up to see Dionysus.
"Sure, Brock. Something sweet." Evan nodded. The bright, happy God never failed to make those who were sad happy again. He would search for them, claiming that it was his mission now that he wasn't worshipped anymore. It seemed like he was always finding Evan. He followed Brock to the bar where he got him a drink, it's neon blue colour seeming odd to Evan but the taste was delicious. It was just what he wanted. "Have you been having a good night?" Evan shrugged, sipping on his drink.
"Just the usual." Evan stirred his drink, watching it swirl.
"What did you debate about with the lovely moon tonight?" Brock asked, pulling himself up onto a bar stool. He had chosen the name only a few years ago. Everyone had been nagging him to do it and he finally had enough of it one day. Evan had helped him pick it and they spent the night celebrating.
"If a night can be happy. The usual debate. You ask every time." Evan laughed.
"Well I'd love the chance to have a conversation with the Moon! I heard she's beautiful."
"Well don't get your hopes up. Some Celtic God who has just shown up recently has been wooing her. He's the God of the Sun over there in Ireland." Evan smiled. "Seems like a perfect match. Anyways...I'm here to see Ares. Is he around?"
"He'd hit you if he heard you using that name!" Brock sounded scandalised.
"Upstairs?" Evan asked simply. Brock nodded, ordering a shot. "Don't hurt yourself." Evan patted his arm and made his way through the crowd, careful not to spill his drink. He reached a flight of narrow stairs at the other end of the dark club and hurried up them, thankful to be out of the crowd. "Tyler?" He called as he reached the top.
In the lounge room, laying on a black couch with a glass of wine balanced dangerously on his chest, the God of War dozed despite the noise that came from downstairs. Evan set his own cup down on the small table by the couch before taking Tyler's before he could spill it.
"Hello ." Tyler smiled, not opening his eyes. "You smell like flowers. Have you been around that Roman girl again?"
"Her flowers bring me as much day as you do. Don't be jealous." Evan sat awkwardly on the couch, glancing around the dimly lit room. When Tyler wasn't here, he was on the streets or in the big office skyscrapers, listening and pushing towards conflict. It amused him. "Speaking of which...I need some."
"Has it been a rough night?" Tyler finally opened his eyes and sat up, looking at his long time friend. He had always cared about Evan for as long as he could remember. There were times when he had battles during the day so not to upset Evan's nights. When Evan nodded, Tyler smiled and got to his feet. "Come on then. We're losing the dark!"
He pulled open the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. They made their way up to the roof, where a nymph with bright blue hair sat, watching the stars. "Something bright tonight." Tyler handed the girl a handful of cash who smiled and nodded, getting up and running to the other side of the roof where an old trunk stood open. Wherever Evan and Tyler went, the trunk went too.
"Thank you, Ares." Evan sat on the edge of the roof, his eyes on the stars that blew kisses to him.
"What have I told you about that name?" Tyler snapped as he sat down beside him.
"Sorry...It just feels like old times when I use it."
"Well the old times ain't coming back, Nyx. Listen...Something has shifted. Something bad is coming. I don't know what but it feels like power has shifted. Maybe it has something to do with these other Gods showing up but whatever it is...You need to be careful." Tyler explained. For the first time, Evan saw worry in the war God's eyes. "I'm normally for a good battle here and there but not now. This feels different."
"I'll be careful. You have to remember though...I'm one of the oldies. I'm hard to defeat." Evan said, trying to make him feel better. "I think you have more mortality than I do."
"Just promise me that you will be careful, okay?" Tyler demanded.
"I promise." This was his second promise of the night. The night is full of promises. The only question is if they will be fulfilled.
A sudden firework exploded in the sky above them in bright yellow sparks. Evan's eyes widened and he smiled brightly. More fireworks filled the sky, their bright light reflecting off the buildings around them. Green, red and yellow sparks rained down over them. Evan imagined that the day was like this. Loud and bright.
Over the horizon, the sun began to rise and Evan faded away, leaving only a black feather behind.