"Well let's see what you've got," the old god said as he suddenly manifested in the room without warning.
"Don't do that!" Urd chided her Father, "you have no idea how unsettling it is to have you sneak into the room like that."
"Sorry about that," he sighed, "force of habit you know, but that is how I found out about your mother and that high priest."
"Well I don't think you need worry about that while you're here, nobody here looks upon you in that fashion. Isn't that right Peorth? Peorth!"
In nature there is a certain animal magnetism that is emitted by dominant males, (AKA Men of Power,) that certain women find almost overwhelming. As you can well imagine, the ruler of all reality would possess this quality in spades. Urd, Skuld and Belldandy, being from the same gene pool were immune to the effects. However, as her blush clearly indicated, Peorth was not. Her desire being the more obvious for all to see, as the scantly clad goddess turned bright red from her head to her toes. Skuld, looking from the haggard face of her father to the eternally young one of Peorth's, had a sudden flash back to the illustrations she had just seen showing in the differences between love and lust. The latter being Peorth's obvious intention. The unbidden mental image of her father and Peorth doing the same sorts of things was more than she could take. Her head barely made it out the window before she lost her lunch. While she was still gasping for breath she heard the pumping of water into a bucket followed by a loud splash. Turning to investigate she saw her sister Urd still emptying the last of the contents of the bucket onto the French goddess' head as she stood, unfazed, staring into the eyes of the Almighty One
"Mercie," Peorth said her gaze locked with that of the old god's, "thank you."
"My apologies," the old god said to Peorth bowing deeply his eyes never leaving hers, "outside the antechamber this is the only other place in the universe that I feel at ease. So I sometimes fail to mask my presence."
"Oh no no, the fault was all mine," the goddess stammered fluttering her eyes.
"Is our old man a player or not?" Shot Urd to Skuld via their private mental link.
"It's hard to tell who's playing who, with Peorth going all misty eyed and coy like that." Skuld sent back.
"Do you think the two of you could keep it down?" Came the voice of their father as he broke into their connection, "I'm trying to get some work done here. Why don't the two of you go get your sister and Keiichi or something?" He told them, all the while his eyes never leaving those of Peorth as he bowed to kiss her hand, the latter blissfully unawares of the conversations taking place all around her.
Once outside the room the two Norn's continued their private conversation. "Do you think we should have left Peorth all alone with him?" Skuld asked.
"After all the agony that she put Keiichi and Belldandy through? Personally I think it's just karma coming back around to settle up a debt."
"Anyway, let's retrieve our young lovers before Father winds up nailing her on the floor."
"I heard that!" came the voice of their father echoing in their minds.
Upon opening the door to Keiichi's and Belldandy's shared bedroom the playful mood in the house was suddenly shattered.
"Father," came the panicked voices of his two daughters, "we need you quick!"
"Ah, it is a shame my dear," he said to Peorth as he untangled himself from her arms and legs, legs? "but even here it seems that duty calls."
When he arrived at Keiichi and Belldandy's shared room it was easy to see why his daughters had panicked. When the old god had first arrived Urd had cautioned Belldandy against leaving Keiichi unattended. So she had stayed behind, putting up a shield around the two of them as a precaution. As time had passed and no one had come to tell her that there was no danger Belldandy began to fear the worst. As that fear had grown, so too had the energy she put into the shield. Even as exhaustion over took her she still refused to drop her shield. Finally, the inevitable happened and she had collapsed unconscious, her shield still at full power.
By the time the other two Norns had arrived she was in serious distress. Like a crowbar laid across two power lines the shield continued to drain Belldandy's powers as she slept forcing her into perpetual recovery mode. This had created the quandary; as long as she was asleep she couldn't take the shield down, as long as the shield was up she would remain asleep. At least until it had sucked every last bit of her life energy from her!
"My God she must have been terrified!" Peorth exclaimed as she joined the group gazing into the bedroom, "She's put herself into an infinite feed back loop!"
"I wonder why that might be?" Skuld remarked as she looked up at her older sister accusingly.
Sizing the situation up the old god said, "I need for the three of you to avert your eyes for a moment."
"Why, what's the matter?" Skuld asked out of curiosity.
"Because he is fixing to call forth his angel!" Urd answered her.
"So?"
"Remember the position he holds!"
"Oh crap!" Skuld responded quickly covering her eyes with her hands.
As he came forth the Almighty One's angel began unfolding his massive wings, a color of white so bright that they out shown the sun! Once sufficiently empowered he quickly created a separate universe around his middle daughter. Stepping from his reality into hers he was able to remove her hands from around Keiichi. Sending thoughts of happiness and joy he was able to calm Belldandy's fears and she released her hold on the shield that had been threatening to suck the life out of her. Lifting her gently in his arms he allowed the small universe he had created to collapse back in on itself, the light in the room fading as his angel returned to its rightful place in his soul. He carried Belldandy to her own bedroom and laying her gently on the futon he whispered softly to her. "Of all my daughters you have been the most maligned, I wish I could take the pain away but were I to do that then you wouldn't be who you are. I will make you this promise though, my daughter; happiness will be yours if you can but persevere.
Once satisfied that his middle daughter was resting comfortably he turned to the obviously concerned goddesses; "She's just exhausted, she'll be all right in a couple of hours. So why don't we take this opportunity to finalize the details of our little experiment before she wakes. Peorth, if you would be so kind and wake our hapless mortal?"
"But of course," the French goddess purred the flush returning to her body. Entering the bedroom she kneeled over the sleeping Keiichi and kissed him full on the lips. In his dream like state Keiichi, obviously mistaking her for Belldandy, returned her kiss reaching up to embrace her. When his eyes finally open there was a three-second delay between recognition and reaction. From his expression it was easy to tell when his brain finally started firing on all cylinders as the look of peaceful contentment was replaced by the look of shear horror.
"God Almighty in Heaven!" Keiichi screamed at her while throwing her off of him.
"Right now he's in the kitchen." Peorth said under her breath.
"Are you trying to get both of us killed!" he continued to rant, "Have you forgotten about her jealousy storms! If she had seen us just now they would have needed spatulas to clean up the mess! Jesus! What if she comes back and smells you on me? I need to take a bath before she returns!"
"Relax Keiichi," Peorth replied, "Belldandy is asleep in her own bedroom. She nearly killed herself protecting you from some phantom fear."
"What phantom fear?"
"You're worse nightmare!" came the voice of the Almighty One from the kitchen, "Get you're ass in here son! I've got a Universe to run and having to take time off to manage the affairs of some lowly mortal tries my patience!"
Quickly following Peorth to the kitchen he found the Almighty One and the two other goddesses kneeling around the table his place obviously on the other side facing the Norn's father.
"What can I do for you sir?" Keiichi asked, hoping he sounded respectful but not afraid.
"Drink this!" the old god demanded.
"What is it?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"Father," Urd began, "there isn't any…"
"Silence!" the old god boomed, "For too long this puny mortal has had it easy. Time for him to start making the hard decisions."
"Easy?" Keiichi began, anger welling up from within him, "Easy! There are lots of verbs I can use to describe my life up till now but the word easy isn't one of them!"
"Keiichi be careful," Urd cautioned.
"Would you describe Belldandy's life up to now easy as well! Was the phantom fear that knocked Belldandy out just now really you! Haven't the Gods in Heaven put her through enough! Is granting her a little peace beyond the power of heaven, or would that also be too easy!"
By the time Keiichi finished his tirade the three other goddesses had dove for cover. Not that he noticed as he held the old god's gaze with his own.
Instead of getting angry, however, the old god's face broke out in a smile. "Good, good, mindless followers can be found aplenty in all three realms, but acolytes who question, much harder. Which makes the choice before you more difficult, because I'm still not going to tell you. But, if you are going to make a choice you should at least have all your wits about you."
That said, the old god touched his thumb to Keiichi's forehead unlocking the seal Belldandy placed on his recent memories.
"You said you wanted a say on what to do about the problem didn't you?" the old god reminded him, "Well now you do!"
Looking down at the mystery drink Keiichi sighed and looked back at the old god.
"When I said you have had it too easy I was referring to your faith," the Almighty One continued. "You have lived these last few years knowing that there was a power beyond the mortal world. Unlike other mortals you haven't had to make any faith-based choices, to place your happiness, good fortune, your very life into the hands of the unknown. Belldandy will die if you don't have the faith to do what I tell you now!"
Keiichi's mind was a whirl with thoughts. The potion placed before him could be anything, poison meant to kill him while Belldandy slept; a memory eraser like Urd had forced Belldandy to drink after she was betrayed. A love potion meant to make him fall in love with somebody else. Anything and everything was possible. When all the internal deliberations were through though he knew that if it would save Belldandy then Hobson had the final say, again.
Reaching for the drink he started to say, "To her health…" when the commanding voice of Belldandy filled the room.
"No father! I forbid it!"
Turning towards the door Keiichi spied Belldandy, barely able to stand, as she steadied herself on the doorframe.
"You forbid!" came the angry voice of the Almighty One as he slowly rose to his feet. "You dare use the word forbid to me! Your very own father! How dare you!"
"Keiichi is mine!" Belldandy shouted, refusing to be cowed. "If you try to take him from me then you must take my life first!"
From past experience Keiichi knew what the anger of a jealousy storm looked like on Belldandy's face. Keiichi saw that look now only multiplied, and he knew even though she could barely stand, she still would fight even in the face of her inevitable defeat.
Slowly standing Keiichi caught the old god's gaze and gave him a wink. Turning to Belldandy he placed himself between the two, breaking their mutual stare down. "Belldandy," he said calmly, "This is a fight you can't win. For both our sakes back off."
"Keiichi I…"
"I know, I know. There will be another time, another place. If you fight now you will lose and then who will be there to help me? Your father was telling me just now that I didn't have enough faith, but he's wrong. I do have faith. Faith in you!"
"I see what you mean by the missing compass." the old god told his elder daughter mentally.
"Yes, the one thing he can do for her that no one else can." Urd answered him.
"And a most crucial roll in the affairs of Heaven," the Almighty One concluded.
"Oh my beloved," Belldandy cried, "why do these things keep happening to us?"
"I don't know," Keiichi said as he lifted the potion to his lips, "but I have faith that there must be a good reason."
That said he drank the potion down, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the floor.
"All right," Peorth screamed, "it's par tee time, yea!"
"What the hell did he just drink?" Belldandy demanded fixing Peorth with a stare that would turn a man into stone.
"Never mind about that now," Urd answered her, "we have fifteen minutes before the spell kicks in and by then I need the two of you sealed inside the Temple!"
"Sealed, for how long." Belldandy asked.
"About seven days." the elder Norn answered.
"What about food for Keiichi?"
"Relax," Skuld answered, "I already stocked the temple with everything you need for your extended stay."*
*Two cases Monster energy drink, a six pack of beer, a loaf of bread and an almost full package of bologna.
"Quickly, fifteen minutes was just a guess, it could be less." Peorth interjected.
"Oh, and don't forget these," she said handing Belldandy two flimsy see through nightgowns.
"What are these for?" asked Belldandy as she eyed the garments suspiciously.
"You're going to be in there for a whole week." Peorth replied as if speaking to a child, "You are going to need a change of clothes."
"Wait up a second." Skuld said, "I need to take some measurements of his soul before you go."
"Why is that?" Belldandy asked.
"Father told me too." she answered.
After Skuld finished taking her readings Urd and Peorth lifted Keiichi by his arms and dragged him from the house over to the Temple. Upon opening the doors after they reached the top of the stairs they were surprised to discover that the Almighty One had created a small separate universe inside the building. Laying Keiichi's limp body inside the threshold, his head lying on Belldandy's lap, they sealed to two inside. It was only after everything was said and done that a sniffle could be heard coming from Skuld.
"Oh I feel so bad for them right now," sniffed Skuld.
"It'll be all right," Urd told her, "Belldandy might have to zap him a few times to keep him in line but she'll be Okay."
"It's not Belldandy I'm worried about. It's Keiichi! To have his humanity stripped away from him like that."
"You're too young to understand yet but he is an adult, he made the choice freely, he'll take his lumps and he'll get over it."
"Don't treat me like a kid Urd! Don't forget that I was an adult once, even if it was for only a day. A day that I still remember, Belldandy let me spend that day with Keiichi. He was so kind and gentle, from that time forward I've always known what held Belldandy here. We just took that from them! What we did was wrong! It was wrong!"
"No Skuld," Peorth interjected, "it was necessary."
