Chapter 35:
"Has she awakened?" asked a male voice.
"No," came the sad reply, this time from a female. "Nor can she pass on to the next plane to be reborn. She is stuck in limbo."
"The child?"
"The child, though weak from helping her mother, seems to be doing fine. She is not fully developed and we hope will come to term."
"The father?"
"Human. He does not know our ways. They have not been together for some time now."
"Is that by choice or force?"
"I have to admit, I'm not sure. I sense that there was deep passion in the relationship, but that it abruptly stopped. Now it is filled with hurt and anger and sadness. It could be the demon's doing or basic human stupidity," she shrugged, not knowing.
"Could that be the reason she cannot pass on? Besides the child, could it be she has unfinished business with this human?"
"It very well could be. However, when a goddess decides to use your body, few survive the impact, even if you were created for the purpose of becoming that shell. She is strong, yes, and with the child, even stronger. She has always been strong, in each of her lives. I just don't know, with her weakened state obtained during the battle, if she will survive this time."
"So you believe she could live out the rest of this life, that she could make it through this impasse?"
"Possibly. Time will tell. Right now, I know she fights to survive for the child, but she needs more than that or we will lose her, possibly for good, if she doesn't recover."
"It's certainly food for thought. Has anyone thought of approaching the human, of explaining this to him?"
"To a human? How could he possibly understand? Humans barely see what is right before them! However, if you wish her to survive, being that she is half-human, bringing him to her might not be a bad idea," the female said thoughtfully. "It could be what helps her survive."
"If I could, if it wasn't against the laws, I would do anything to see she lives out the rest of this existence! She deserves that."
"Yes. Yes, she does. Go and do what you can, without breaking the laws. Bending them, however, has always been your specialty, Puck," the female replied with much amusement.