Media: Fic
Title: Blessed and Eternal
Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: If you don't know who these characters are, you're in big trouble.
Warnings: Mythological AU.
Word Count: 3,340
Summary: When a misunderstanding causes Blaine to accidentally offend a goddess, he finds his very life is in danger. Thankfully, Kurt is there to protect him.
Notes: The POV alternates between Kurt and Blaine, but I hope that doesn't confuse anyone.
Something is amiss in the divine realms.
Even Kurt can feel the disturbance and that puts him on edge as he hurries to his mother's dwelling. Behind her small stone house is a beautiful garden, which is where he finds her. His mother, Elizabeth, the goddess of wisdom and truth, is sitting at the edge of an elegant water fountain he designed himself. She dips the fingers of one hand in the pool of water and swirls it, directing the floating gardenia and azalea petals in a pattern only she understands.
Kurt kneels down beside her, taking her other hand in his and kissing it. "Mother," he says softly, smiling up at her. "You called for me?"
"Kurt," she greets him with a smile of her own. "I am glad you came. How is your father?"
He pauses, considering his words. His father is getting older and his health is declining, but he hates to worry her, even though he has a feeling that she already knows. "He sends his love," he replies.
Elizabeth closes her eyes and draws his hand to her lips. After a long moment, -when she opens them again- her gaze is strong and direct once more. "Kurt, I called you here today because I need your help." She releases his hand and directs him to look at the water. When he peers closely at it, he sees a familiar face. "It is Quinn again."
Kurt resists the urge to groan. From his experience with the other gods and goddesses, many of them have their eccentricities, but Quinn is on a level all her own. As breathtaking as the goddess of love and beauty is, she's spiteful and angry. Kurt can't lie about how terrifying he finds her to be, but he's sympathetic for her being the way she is. Because it really isn't her fault.
Once, Quinn had been so kind and innocent. She loved with all of her heart, asking for nothing in return. But she was always used and abandoned by those claiming to love her. She had her heart broken so many times that she stopped trying to put the pieces back together. She's harbored so much resentment over the years, anything could set her off.
"Does this have something to do with Rachel?" Kurt can't help but ask. Rachel is the goddess of music and poetry. She is lovely in her own right and has rare moments of sweetness, but she's selfish and manipulative. Although she and Quinn are at times inseparable friends, for the rest they're bitter enemies. It gives him a headache just to try and keep up.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth swirls her hand and the image changes. Kurt swallows a gasp when another face replaces Quinn's. It is of a young man, a gorgeous young man with dark curly hair and the most beautiful hazel eyes he's ever seen. He glances quickly at his mother, who shakes her head sadly.
Elizabeth goes on to tell him about the man -a mortal named Blaine- and how he is attracting both men and women from distant parts of the earth. They treat him like a god and shower him with gifts. Even though he tries to dissuade them for their actions, more and more people are deserting Quinn's temples, which she is absolutely livid about.
"Quinn wishes to curse Blaine with misfortune by forcing him to fall in love with a cruel and violent man," his mother says, her expression pinched and sad.
Kurt swallows hard. No one deserves a fate like that. Especially Blaine. "How can I help?"
"He must be hidden and protected until Quinn's anger diminishes. Until she realizes what a horrible mistake she is making." She looks at him the only a proud mother can. "And I know no one better to do just that."
Instead of reassuring him, however, Kurt looks down at the image of Blaine, causing his heart to clench painfully in his chest. As a demigod, he is despised by most gods and feared by mortals. Who's to say that Blaine would react any differently? "What if-... What if he doesn't want to come with me?"
"Then you must make him," Elizabeth says at once, her eyes hard. "Kurt, you know as well as I do that Quinn has been volatile since the incident with Beth. There is no telling what she may do to Blaine if she does not calm down first."
Everyone knows about Beth, the result of Quinn's union with Puck, the god of mischief. She was suddenly taken away from Quinn one day, without warning, who was never been the same since. Volatile doesn't even begin to describe Quinn now. A chaotic mess is much more accurate.
"Mother. I-..." Kurt bites his bottom lip, worrying it with his teeth. What if Blaine hates him for taking him away?
Elizabeth draws her fingers from the fountain, but the image of Blaine remains. "Kurt," she says gently, as if reading his mind. "I promise you that Blaine will understand why you are doing this for him. He will not resent you."
Of course he believes her. She has never given him a reason to ever doubt her. Even when she had to return to the divine realms and leave his father. And he never doubted how much it broke her heart to be away from them. It doesn't make his uncertainty go away entirely, however. "I should go and make the necessary preparations then," he says at last.
Nodding, his mother reaches into the folds of her dress and holds out a small pouch out to him. "This is for your father. I asked Tina to make it for him."
Tina is the goddess of compassion and healing. She's one of the few goddesses to befriend Kurt and willingly makes herbal powders meant to ease his father's condition. Kurt clutches the pouch tightly to his chest and leans in to kiss his mother's cheek. "I'll come see you again."
Delicately, she lays a hand on his cheeks, saying softly, "Please give Burt all my love."
As Kurt walks away, he thinks of his father, who seems to look older with each passing moment, and his mother, who hasn't aged a day. He thinks of how they're separated by realms and time and the inevitable knowledge that men don't live forever.
"You must choose someone eventually," Blaine's father tells him sternly. "You are already at the marriageable age."
His mother runs her hands over the soft furs in her lap -the latest gift from a prince of some distant Northern land- as she sits comfortably in her chair and smiles. "And they are all so considerate, dear. Remember that lovely young woman who brought myrrh oil and frankincense? She seemed rather fond of you."
Blaine doesn't reply and scrubs at the floor with a washcloth harder than he means to. It may be true that people come from the ends of the earth to see him, but it's only for his appearance. They only talk about themselves and rarely ever listen to what he has to say. Even their gifts feel like insincere displays of their wealth, rather than any real consideration to him. And he can't help but feel lonely by that.
Sometimes, he wonders if he'll ever meet anyone who can look past his face and see him.
Standing quickly, he grabs a bucket and leaves the house. He ignores his parents as his father yells after him for not finishing all of his chores, while his mother reminds him to embroider the silk an Eastern merchant brought over to make her new dress. Which just proves how much wealth has changed them.
When he reaches the water well, he empties the bucket with a heavy sigh and draws up the water, pulling hard on the rope. Suddenly, he sees a pale figure out of the corner of his eye. He discreetly turns his head, trying to not make it obvious that he notices him, and stares at the stranger. His auburn hair shines red gold in sunlight. He is slim with delicate features, but carries himself with a strength Blaine is convinced he would never possess in his lifetime. However, what really draws his attention is his eyes. His eyes are the color of a stormy sky, but has the saddest expression he's ever seen. It's so incredibly sad that it makes his heart ache.
"Good day, lovely one," a voice says from behind him.
Blaine turns around in surprise. The voice belongs to a haggard old woman who is leaning heavily upon her walking staff. When he glances back to where the stranger had been standing only moment before, he finds the spot deserted. Had he been just a figment of his imagination? Blaine swallows his disappointment and immediately rushes forward to help the woman lean against him as he helps her to sit by the well. He fetches clean water for her to drink and, once her thirst is quenched, he asks her gently, "Who are you?"
"You are kind," she says instead, smiling at him. "You are kind as you are beautiful."
Her words make him flush and he looks away, suddenly uncomfortable. Whenever people notice his appearance, they can never seem to focus on anything else.
She tilts her head curiously at him. After a moment, she lays a hand upon his until he looks back at her. "I wish to repay you for your kindness."
"There's nothing that I want," he replies honestly. And he certainly can't take the few coins he's sure the old woman has. Her clothes are tattered and worn. She isn't even carrying supplies or food. Although he can't help it, he suddenly thinks of the stranger. The stranger with sad and lonely eyes.
Without warning, the woman's hand tightens over his. The strength of her grip is nothing one would expect of her size and is so painful he can't help but gasp. "Everything in creation has desires," she says, staring at him intently. "That includes the gods as well. There's the desire to eat, to drink, to live. So what is it that you want?"
"I-..." Her fingers squeeze tighter until Blaine cries out in pain. He tries to break her grasp and twist away, but it's as useless as wrestling stone. "I-I want to be happy!"
She immediately lets go, smiling in a way that frightens him. "Good." Rising to her feet, it's as if the remnants of a feeble old woman melt away. She isn't even holding her walking staff. "Return to this place tomorrow night and you will be led to your happiness."
Blaine holds his wrist to his chest and backs away. "I don't understand," he says quietly.
Her eyes harden and she stands straighter. In that moment, he realizes with certainty that she is not human. "What is there to understand? Do as I say or misfortune is sure to befall you!"
He shivers at her words that sounds so much like a curse. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows so hard he has to raise his arms over his face, protecting it from flying sand. When it clears, the woman is gone. All that remains is her staff, leaning innocently against the side of the well.
Kurt is, understandably, furious when they return to the divine realms. "You were just supposed to tell him the situation. That's it! You didn't have to hurt him."
Sue -the goddess of victory and strength- rolls her eyes as she sheds her disguise like a second skin. She towers over him, a sneer curling on her lips. "Be grateful I helped you at all, muse."
Muse is the name she calls him when she's either showing him vague endearment or being sarcastic. Hearing it, Kurt feels his anger deflate and sighs tiredly. "I just don't want him to hate me," he whispers.
"Throughout my immortal existence, I have never heard anything more pitiful," Sue says in a dry tone. Before Kurt can feel too miserable about it, she claps him on the back. Hard. "He'll come. I'm sure of it. I still think you should have been the one to approach the boy, though."
Kurt shakes his head. He tells himself it's because contact with Blaine would make Quinn and her spies suspicious. That it has nothing to do with fear of how Blaine will react when he finds out what he is. But he knows he's just lying to himself. "What did you say to him?" he asks instead, shoving those thoughts away.
Sue smirks and disappears in a cloud of smoke. "That's a secret."
Wrinkling his nose at her dramatics, Kurt doesn't notice the presence behind him until a shiver runs up his spine. The feeling of wrongness has him whirling around to face the cause of it, his skin crawling.
Dave grins at him in dark amusement. "I wasn't aware mongrels were allowed in the divine realms."
Even though Dave is just a minor god, he seems to think he's somehow better than Kurt. From their very first meeting, Dave has always tried to make him feel small and insignificant. No matter how much times passes, Kurt is sickened by how intentionally cruel he is. "What do you want?" he snaps.
The grin disappears completely as Dave's face purples with rage. "How dare you speak to me like that!" He takes a threatening step forward.
But enough is enough. And Kurt has more important things to worry about. Namely, Blaine. "I may be only a half god," he says, his voice firm, "But I don't stoop down to the level of brutes and scoundrels the way you do."
Dave stops, struggling to form a reply. Kurt relishes in the satisfaction of rendering him speechless for a long moment before turning on his heel. He has to return to the mortal realm. There's still so much to do.
Sleep eludes Blaine that night. By the time the sun peeks out over the horizon, he's already dressed in a simple blue tunic and prepare breakfast. He spends the entire day thinking about the strange old woman's proposition, his thoughts racing. Although the woman promised him a reward for his kindness, he's still unsure how truthful she was being about making him happy. Which, of course, somehow always returns to thoughts of that beautiful man he only got just a glimpse of.
"Are you listening, Blaine?" his father demands at their evening meal, startling him.
"I'm sorry," he says quickly. He stops picking at his food, which he hasn't taken a single bite of. "What was that?"
"Oh, Blaine, it's so wonderful!" his mother cries with a bright smile. It breaks his heart that she didn't use to smile at him like that before. Before everyone seemed to fall in love with his face. "Sebastian came by today to ask your father for your hand!"
His blood runs cold at his mother's words. Sebastian is a wealthy, high ranking military officer. Yes, he may be handsome and, yes, at times he is charming. But he's also persistent. Everyone knows that he has a reputation of having a bad temper and unfaithful to his partners. And no matter how many times Blaine politely declines his attentions, he ignores him. "When-..." His voice cracks. "When did this happen?"
"While you were out in the marketplace!"
"Blaine," his father interrupts with a cold, hard look. "This is a good opportunity for you."
You mean this is a good opportunity for you, Blaine wants to scream at him. Instead, he hides his trembling hands beneath the table and manages to whisper, "I understand."
His parents smile at each other and tell him that Sebastian will come in the morning for him. Blaine nods at all the appropriate places and even hugs his mother back when she throws her arms around him.
But as soon as they retire to their rooms and fall asleep, Blaine packs what he can. As he creeps through the house, he pauses outside their door. He considers the weight of what he is about to do and feels a faint pang of regret. Raising the tips of his fingers to his lips, he presses his hand against the wood and prays that -someday- his parents will understand why he has to leave.
When he reaches the well at least, a young man with hair as black as night is already there waiting for him. Blaine pauses at the sight of him, wondering if he made the right decision after all. But his dark eyes are warm and friendly, which puts him at ease. "My name is Mike," the man introduces himself. "Sue said you would meet me here."
Blaine's eyebrows lift in surprise. Sue, the goddess of victory? Then that means... "Are you a man?" he can't help asking.
As soon as the words leave his mouth, Blaine wants to take them back, afraid of offending him. But Mike just laughs. It's a clear, pleasant sound. "I am the east wind," he says. He holds out his hand to Blaine, who stares at it. The old woman -Sue in disguise, he realizes now- promised he would be led to his happiness. By the east wind.
"We should go," Mike coaxes gently, when he still doesn't move.
"Where?"
Mike blinks at the question. "East of the sun and west of the moon, of course," he says, sounding as if he thought Blaine would know that already. Even though he didn't.
But he can't go back. All he can do is keep going forward. So, taking a deep breath, he reaches out his hand and rests it over Mike's palm. Mike smiles reassuringly and tugs on his hand, pulling it close to his chest. They start to float into the sky, as if invisible fingers are plucking them up. Blaine gasps in wonderment as they pass over lands and oceans faster than he ever thought possible.
By the time they land on solid ground again, he falls to his knees, trembling. Mike drops down beside him and rubs frantically at his back. "Are you all right?" he asks, sounding worried.
Blaine opens his mouth to reply, but a laugh suddenly bursts out instead. Within moments, he's laughing so hard he can barely breathe. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" he manages between gulps of air.
Mike tilts his head in bemusement, but politely doesn't say anything as he helps Blaine to his feet. They are standing in a beautiful flower field, the likes of which Blaine has never seen. It seems to go on forever, to the very tip where land meets sky. "The entourage will be arriving shortly," Mike says with a smile.
"Entourage?" Blaine echoes. He blinks as a group of young men materialize out of thin air. They're servants, all wearing the same red and blue tunics. One of them steps forward and kneels, bowing his head. The others follow his example, but that only makes Blaine feel very uncomfortable.
"Welcome, Lord Blaine," the servant says. He looks up with a kind smile. His eyes and hair are dark, similar to Mike's, but not quite the same. "We are the Warblers. We have been sent to serve you."
Another young man looks up as well. His face is kind and his skin is a lovely shade of brown. "Our master has been expecting you."
Blaine helplessly glances back over his shoulder at Mike, who is doing his best to smother a laugh at his expression. "There is nothing to be afraid of," he says. "You will be well taken care of."
That's not the point! Blaine wants to protest. But Mike mentions something about 'Tina' waiting for him, and disappears in a swirl of flower petals and grass. Blaine slowly turns back to the Warblers, who are still kneeling on one knee. He tries to find his voice but, when he speaks, it's softer than he expected.
"Please lead me to him."
Notes: This story is loosely based off of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and The Arrow and the Lamp: The Story of Psyche and Eros.