Disclaimer: I don't own any POTC characters, only my OCs.

Ok. So here's the thing. If you guys probably know, I am very long winded. It is my fatal flaw, I know. I'm working on it. However, if you guys don't like what you're reading, than DON'T READ. I understand that catering to the readers is very important…however, if you can't stand my writing style, than DON'T READ. I write for myself, believe it or not. Yes, I get that I'm long winded. Yes, I may describe too much.

But that IS my writing style, and I am not going to change completely so as to cater to a few random people. I am a descriptive writer. Somewhat artistic. To me, emotions and settings are as equally important as the story plot. I'm still an amateur writer, so I am still learning. Nevertheless, I am not going to change my writing style to fit a few people. I'm sorry, but I'm not.

Furthermore, as for Joey's character…well…she is as she is, and I'm not going to change her in any way. She is not mature. AT ALL. Will's death, however, is going to change her, as you will see in the sequel. This will make her grow up. A little. Often enough, I write things in the author's note, and than change my mind. So, please, bear with me.

Lastly, for the rest of you guys out there, please don't take this as an insult to anyone. I'm merely addressing a review given to me. I adore you guys, so please, if you can stand my writing, please read on and enjoy. If you can't, however, go ahead and close the page. I believe I can handle the consequences.

Again, I don't mean to offend anyone.

So please, enjoy this one!

Chapter 53: The Requiem Of A God

For a second, for a still, silent second, I froze, staring, waiting, waiting for him to laugh, to burst out in furious giggles, to see his familiar cheeky grin tear across his skin, shredding through his act, light gleaming from his face again. I waited for those flashing dimples, those chuckling curls, those brilliant blue eyes igniting with a glowing flame, joy and youth prancing about in the endless depths…

But there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He just sat there, hands clutched against the rock, the flute caught between in his right, knuckles pale, veins blue, chest still and silent, not a single breath. Broad shoulders splayed wide and firm, tensed, rolling golden, fair curls kissing against them, forever silent. Locks of pure gold trickled down, hanging cold, hanging dead, still and frozen against his shoulders, his neck, his dusky strong jaw. Stubbles of black stuck out against the sands of his skin, like patches of paint, jaw hard and cold, clenched tight, wound shut. Up above, amidst the fray of cold, dead curls, his face was silent, so very silent, calm and blank, devoid of emotions, muscles firm and still, as if a painting forever frozen in place. Blue eyes screamed, torturous and wild; his face was calm, quiet, cold, but his eyes were on fire, a dark, evil fire consuming the quick blue, azure swirling with black smoke. Storms raged, waves crashed and in the soft golden glow of the small cave, Balder's eyes glowed a furious blue, a horrid blue, anger, despair and pure violence trashing against the metal cage, screaming in agony. Wails of a ruined soul moaned through the deep blue.

His lips were silent.

Absolutely silent.

Oh God.

For a moment, the cave filled with the sweet sound of hissing water as I stared in silence, up at him, through his curls, at his eyes, waiting for a reaction, for a burst of laughter, nails biting into my arms, shivering without reason-

But than again, I had all the reason to shiver.

Every reason.

Especially after what he had just said.

Pronounced.

Admitted.

Declared.

Oh god.

My tongue was so dry.

"W-What?"

His voice was like ice.

"They killed me," He said so simply, so very simply, as if it was nothing more than a fact, a simple, day-to-day fact, calm, quiet, cold, his accent rolling smoothly, blue eyes screamed with twisting black fires, with burning darkness while his face kept absolutely still, like a sculpture, frozen in time, "My family, my brothers and sisters. They murdered me."

Each word was like slap to the face.

A cold, harsh slap.

Murdered me.

Murder.

Oh God.

Oh fucking God.

I couldn't breathe.

Not a breath.

Still I waited, clutching my arms, shivering, tremoring, staring into dark, stormy eyes that did not see me, still waiting for a laugh, for a playful smile, for all of this to fall away into some twisted sense of joke at a really inappropriate time-

But there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Silence screamed as blue eyes wailed and moaned, black storms raging through the deep blue, golden curls frozen, shrouding a silent, dark face, a calm, cold face, nothing moving, nothing stirring, time itself seeming to have frozen away, to have paused, stopped altogether in the little golden cave…

Water sang its soft, sad tune.

My heart froze.

Oh God.

It's a dream.

A twisted, sadistic dream.

An unreal dream.

After all, how can it be possible?

How can I be hearing those things from his lips?

How can this be real?

How can Balder have been killed by his family?

His brothers and sisters?

Other gods?

How was that possible?

Who would even do that?

I mean, sure, I hated Jared at times….

But I would never want to kill him.

Not even what had happened to Will.

No.

Not even than.

I wouldn't kill him.

I wouldn't even try.

How was this real, than?

How could have Balder been killed by his family?

How?

But more importantly….

Why?

Why?

My voice croaked out, before I could even stop it.

"You're joking right?" it sounded so loud in the silence, in the glowing, dank silence, water rushing like a song, torn, screaming eyes staring right through me, far away, caught up in the onslaught of a far away storm, of a raging battle somewhere else, his body completely and utterly still, "This is a joke?"

Golden curls hung dead.

"I'm serious."

Nails bit into skin.

"No, you're not. You can't be. You're telling me that your family killed you-"

"Yes."

"You're lying-"

"They had to," it was as if he wasn't even there anymore, not really, not now, a hollow shell of a god, cold, hard, eyes caught away in some wild battle, black raging across blue, storming the fortress, my heart frozen solid, holding its breath, "It was required."

Water hissed.

Stalactites hung.

I shivered.

"What was required?"

I could barely him.

"My death."

Silence screamed.

Another few moments past as I gave him another chance to give the gig up, to flash a smile, to grin cheekily and confess to wanting to see a terrified look upon my face, to toss back his golden curls and crazy on with a more humours narrative-

But there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Oh God.

My voice was a whisper.

"Liar."

Water laughed.

"Not this time."

Not this time.

Not this time.

Jesus.

God.

Could it be?

Could it really be?

I've heard of stories, but people killing their siblings, their children….

But Gods?

Were Gods as insane as us?

As cruel?

As barbaric?

As evil?

Why would the gods kill one of their own?

Their own brother?

Their own flesh and blood?

How was this real?

How was this even possible?

How?

How?

Why?

I cleared my throat.

"What happened?"

It was than that he finally saw me.

With a slow, tired blink, Balder fluttered his dark eyelashes and than, just like that, he was no longer looking through me but right at me, reaching my eyes, staring into my eyes. I was no longer invisible, no longer hidden from him, my body no longer transparent for him to gaze right through, to see far away, caught up in another world; a blink, and he saw me again, blue eyes raging wild, raging hot, face cold as ice, still as night, storms of black tearing through the cerulean deep-

And somehow, it didn't make me feel a lick better.

A shiver crept up my spine.

Why?

"Balder?"

His golden brow crinkled as he squeezed his eyes shut, as if wincing back a headache, fair locks shivering as his body finally body, his face unfrozen, his entire being as if released from the spell, from the enchantment, muscles purring back to life, waking from their icy slumber; in the soft hiss of the rushing brook, Balder began to move again, stretching away the kinks. Golden curls snapped softly against dusky jaw.

A hand trailed up to massage at his brow.

Eyes squeezed shut.

I gulped.

"Balder?"

His voice was hesitant.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice no longer cold, no longer calm, an etching weariness tearing through his voice as he massaged his forehead with two slim fingers, face twisted in a slight scowl, riding over what seemed to be a bad headache, the blue tormented eyes hidden away, closed off for now, "Sometimes…sometimes-"

"It's ok-"

"No, it's not," with a grimace, he pulled away his hand and with a tired blink, opened his eyes, revealing those blue eyes, those piercing blue eyes, bright and-

And still storming with black fires.

Burning, blazing hot fires.

A black storm.

Great.

For a moment, I just sat there, giving him a second to stretch his muscles, to rub his neck, to let his lips work again back down into a little scowl, his face no longer passive but disturbed, troubled, staring over at me with a small frown, blue eyes blazing the torrid, endless storm. Golden curls swished back into motion, licking against his wide shoulders, the flute once more dancing among the clever fingers, its design gleaming bright silver. Sighs, low, soft sighs echoed throughout the golden cavern along with the tune of the stream, chest gleaming gold with every breath.

Yes.

He was breathing again.

Great.

Blue eyes raged a brutal storm.

A fatal storm.

Just great.

It took him a bit before he was finally speaking again.

"I'm sorry," he repeated as he breathed in the dank air, staring straight at me, right at me, golden locks laughing about his scowling face as his chest heaved along with each slow breath, blue eyes raging, screaming and tearing, my own nails biting endless into my healed skin, "When I get angry…. when I remember-"

My own voice was still frozen in a whisper.

"That they killed you?"

The scowl faded back a little.

"You would think that 4000 years of solitude would give me ample time to come with terms with what they did."

I could barely hear myself.

"You said they killed you. Your own family. How could anyone come to terms with that?"

It was than that he smiled.

With a blaze of storming, violent blue eyes, Balder's frowning lips suddenly quirked up to tear away into a new, flashing smile, a sudden humour, a crescendo. Dimples flashed all over again, and there, just for a moment, it was as when I had first met him, shivering golden curls, broad, bare chest, cheeky, witty smile gleaming like the moon, beaming across his face, lighting it up. Flute danced among the loosened fingers, like a ballerina spun by a puppeteer, the golden curls snapping back to life, laughing away. Shoulders slumped in released tension.

The tempest still screamed in his eyes.

An unholy tempest.

Somehow, it's scarier this way.

A humour seemed to have danced back into his voice.

"I suppose not," he smiled, beaming like the famous cat of a famous fairytale, flaxen locks giggling, his handsome face once more young, once more alive his eyes blazing another story altogether, an uncontrollable rage, a blizzard, a squall, blue and black in an endless battle, "Than again, it has been 4000 years…. besides, it wasn't as if they had much of a choice."

"What do you mean?"

Blue eyes stabbed fires.

For another long moment, Balder just froze, smile painted in place, his handsome face gleaming with the glow of his playful smile, teeth like pearls, dimples small and cute, his entire face cheeky and contented while his eyes above played a different game, screaming with rage and anger, a black storm tearing across the deep blue, shredding it away, engulfing it, the laments of his darkest souls screaming in terror and in pure agony-

And then, with a tired moan, he reached upwards and stretched his arms up in the air, arching his back, a strangled sort of purr tearing from his throat as if he was some sort of cat, his naked torso relaxing away, pulling in complete laziness. Stormy, horrid blue eyes blinked back, rolling with the ecstasy of a good stretch, flute playing among the stretching fingers, his body humming in a long drawl, so very long that I almost wanted to stretch along with him-

His voice came out in a lazy drone.

"My sister Neauth," he hummed, his body arching, rolling, muscles gleaming, his arms slowly pulling back down as he finally finished his stretch, creaming into place, golden curls sighing contently as he opened his eyes again, lips beaming but eyes screaming in torture, "She had a vision, you see."

It was as if his eyes could never hide the true laments of his soul.

Of his tattered, ruined soul.

Yup.

Definitely scarier.

I refused to stop hugging my arms.

"Who's she?"

A lazy sigh.

"A goddess," he said simply enough, the grin flashing bright, flashing eager, a lazy swagger melting across his features as he rolled his body back into place, legs stretching out still, voice reining in, his blue eyes screaming like a beast trapped away in a cage, hidden from the world unless you looked close enough, "Goddess of the winds, of the skies. Second in command to my oldest sister, Gaia, second oldest. A constant recluse, if you ask me."

Blue eyes screamed in torment.

I cleared my throat.

"Goddess of wind?"

His smile was the perfect lie.

"Aye. Her domain is the skies, the heavens. The wind is her lair."

It sounded weird.

Even to me.

Nails bit into skin.

"There's such thing as the goddess of wind?"

Water hissed.

"Well, of course there is! Why wouldn't there be? Huh? Why?" he was snapping back to his old self again, to his bubbly, talkative self, his tone beginning to swirl with humour again, dancing along with the swish of his lazy golden locks, smile becoming infectious, his beaming lips and cheeky dimples flashing as if nothing had happened at all, his entire being sinking lazily back into its normal routine except for those cold, stormy, violent eyes, "I'm the god of light and peace. She's the goddess of wind. Considered much more important than me, I can assure you. Emphasis on the considered. Doesn't mean she is. Well, was. Anyhow, what's this world to do without wind, eh? What?"

I just wanted to ignore those blue eyes.

"I suppose you couldn't sail a ship without her."

"No, you can't. You never will. Neauth's also the goddess of dreams and foresight, of all that cannot be touched by mortal hands. Spirit things, if you will. Yes. Spirit things. Things that are spirit. Spirit-like. Spirit-ty. A complete airhead, in my opinion."

"Airhead? Like you?"

"Nah. I may not be smart, but I have the energy of a thousand rabbits. A thousand hopping, bouncing, rabbits. Neauth just sorts of…. dreams away, you know? Lost in her little world. Never liked staying in one place, my sister. Never did. Always had to move about, to dance about, mingling here and there, hiding here and there, fast and invisible-"

"Like the wind?"

Bright teeth gleamed pearl below raging dark eyes.

"Aye. Exactly. Like the wind."

For a moment, I let his voice echo throughout the cave, staring at him silently, biting down on my lips as my nails dug deeper into my healed arms; he was coming back, slowly but surely, a lethargic laziness creeping about his body with each rolling golden muscles, fair curls singing, his beam flashing like a bright moon against the dark sands of his face. His usual demeanour of laugher, of joy, of silly merriment was creeping back, coming back, the swagger of pure laziness like a dash of salt to his handsome face, melting across his skin, languid, idle. His firm, accented voice rolled with a slight sluggishness, a slight sigh, as if somehow, in the mix of all the things, Balder was finally tired, finally lazy, ready to fall on his back again, to take a nice long nap.

As if he hadn't slept enough the past 4000 years.

Blue eyes screamed black.

Horrid, burning black.

Keep it together, Joey.

I gulped.

"What did she do than? What did Neauth do? This goddess of the wind?"

His voice was not so lazy though.

"Well, she had a vision. A prophetic vision, actually," the chipper, the quirky, boundless energy definitely coming back, quickly taking over the lazy drawl and spreading his accent with that familiar tang, that familiar bounce, smile melting away into a sluggish grin, blue eyes flaming with that horrid tempest, "She could do that, you know. See the future. Like I said, dreams and foresight were her allies too."

It was as if the god had decided to squash three different emotions into his being; laziness in his body, keenness in his voice and fury in his soul.

The only thing I could feel was a pulling, gnawing dread.

What is this?

What's going to happen?

What's he going to do?

I did not want to look into those eyes.

"When was this?"

"About 4000 years ago?"

"You mean…. the same time they killed you?"

"It was her vision that caused my death."

He sounded happy.

Too happy.

"But what did see she than?"

Water whispered a soft, sad tune.

Black stalactites hung like black, bloody daggers.

It didn't take him too long to answer.

"Only what my future would be."

"Which was?"

"That I would be bring about the end of the world."

There.

There it was.

Finally, after all the turn about, the dead ends and continuous ramblings, there it was, the truth, the knowledge, the words that had first captured my attention, the words I had been dying to hear all this time.

End of the world.

End of the world.

Finally.

Blue eyes screamed a bloody storm.

I straightened my back.

"End of the world?"

His smile was such a lie.

"Aye."

Hands unfolded themselves.

I sat up even straighter.

"But what did you have to do with the end of the world? It's because of you this whole damn multi-verse world actually existed in the first world."

Blue eyes raged with fury.

"Well, that's true-"

"So how can you have anything to do with the end of the world?"

"Technically, it's not, per say, the end of the world."

I raised an eyebrow.

He just kept smiling.

Like an idiot.

A true, bloody idiot.

Water hissed like a dream.

"What do you mean?"

"Meaning that it's not fires and brimstones….no, not that sort of deal. No. Not really. I don't think so, anyway….well, maybe, when it comes to it-"

"What the hell-"

"4000 years ago, when I was in your world, Joey, with Aine, enjoying those warm summer nights, Neauth had a vision," his voice was back to its old, annoying tune, that irritable joy, his smile sluggish, his face gleaming, his body slouching down in a lazy stretch as golden curls sighed against his cheeks, black clouds clawing through the deep blue orbs up above, "A dream, if you will, a view of the future. She was here, in our world, in this original timeline, up above in her drifty clouds, maybe in that silly little palace of hers…I don't know. She was in the sky. Somewhere. Who knows? The point is that she was up there, far away from me, from anyone when…well…when she had the vision."

A prickle was beginning to gnaw at the back of my neck.

A prickle of irritation.

Even my voice sounded slightly annoyed.

"Which was about what exactly?"

His eyes were like a nightmare.

"About me ending the reign of the gods."

This time, I froze.

For a brief moment, I just sat there, mouth hanging open, staring at his golden curls, his beaming smile, his dark, roaring eyes that was the only part of him that was not false, that was not an act, heart stopping dead in my chest as I waited and waited and waited….

And nothing happened.

Absolutely nothing.

He just sat there, grinning like an idiot he was, stretching like a cat.

A cat.

Yeah.

A big, hairless, golden cat.

Which would be the weirdest thing in the world if there were even such a thing-

"You alive there?"

My throat began to feel dry all over again.

"You serious?"

His smile was such an act.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Really, really dry.

"Only a couple of reasons…one of which is that you're mad, which, by the way, is an assessment I should have come with the moment I met you-"

His chuckle came out like a rolling drum.

Blue eyes screamed.

"I'm not mad."

Water whispered.

"Really? You sure? Because you just told me that you are going to end the reign of the gods, ergo your family, ergo you-"

"Well, I couldn't control what Neauth saw. I had nothing to do with it."

"So, you had nothing to do with your sister getting a vision of you killing your entire family-"

"I never said that the vision had me kill them…"

"Oh really? Than what exactly did Neauth see?"

There was a brief silence.

A very brief silence.

For a second or so, Balder kept his peace, grinning like a fool-

And then, like the snap of fingers, the smile fell away from his lips, his face, dissipating in the golden glow of the cave, disappearing forever. Lips pulled away as that bright joy, that childish, beaming smile so in contrast to his flaming eyes vanished away completely, wiped away, disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place. The seamless glow, the lazy smile evaporated, petering out like mist, dwindling away to absolutely nothing; there was nothing left but a stern pull of his lips, a calm, silent face, a blank façade all over again.

That creepy, terrifying façade.

Raging blue eyes fell right back into their element.

Muscles still sprawled in a lazy squall.

Damn it.

With a long, low sigh, Balder tilted his head back, face up to the ceiling and with a long drawl, closed his fiery, tempest eyes, shutting away the gateways to his torturous soul, the golden curls moaning along his skin as his stretched back his neck, breaking a kink. Veins and muscles rolled, golden and perfect as he nodded back his head and stared up at the ceiling, at the hanging black stalactites, breathing up to the roof, to the golden rock. Hands clutched at the rock on either side of his thighs, flute caught in his right, each breath like a sweet whisper up to the hidden heavens. Arms rolled, perfect, flawless, creamy gold.

His sigh was long and weary.

Like a lover's whisper.

Damn it.

His voice was still that same, lazy drawl.

"Something about me killing all the gods…I don't really know…."

I just stared.

"What?"

He rolled his head a little farther back, eyes still shut.

Golden curls sighed.

"It was seen by Neauth, and it has been written, that I will be the end of the gods. It is me that will bring about their deaths."

Water sang.

"You mean, Neauth saw that you will kill them? That you will kill the rest of the gods?"

"More like I will bring about their deaths."

"So…not kill them?"

"Exactly."

Silence.

Lazy, golden silence.

"You lost me."

With another tired sigh, Balder rolled back his head forward and with a flutter of dark eyelashes, he opened his eyes again, stretching his neck back in place, looking back at me, the golden curls swishing about in the pale light, kissing against his shoulders. His handsome face was etched with a lazy, languid spell.

His blue eyes were no longer stormy.

No.

Not anymore.

With a lazy blink and slow fluttering of dark lashes, blue eyes stared back at me with an unfamiliar dance of weariness, of plain tiredness; gone were the black storms, the wailing winds, the dark flames. There were no more screaming, no more wailing, no more caged beast crying and begging, no more souls screaming and lamenting from the depths of his being…

Just tired.

Just really tired.

And now, that I think about it, so am I.

So am I.

A finger went up to trail the medicine man's eye again.

His voice was an indolent sigh.

"4000 years ago, Neauth saw, in her vision, that I, Balder, the youngest of the gods, would bring about the end of our reign. I would bring about their demise. Our demise."

Water sang a soft tune.

"How?"

Blue eyes stared with a dull light.

"Don't know. Neauth never really saw that part. All she saw, all she knew was that I would, in a matter of time, bring about their deaths. I would, in a way, be their death."

"Was she always right with these visions of hers? This Neauth of yours?"

A simple, tired nod.

"Always."

The medicine man's eye was still slightly damp.

I licked my lips.

"So, let me get this straight," I said softly, turning away from those weary blue eyes, suddenly not so sure that it was any better than those horrid blue-black storms, staring down to the golden dust as I tried to wrap my head around the whole thing, "4000 years ago, you left this world to enter my own universe, in seek of leisure. You met a human girl called Aine, and decided to spend the summer there. Meanwhile, back home, here, in this world, your sister Neauth had a vision about you bringing about the death of all the gods-"

"Most."

"Most?"

Another sigh.

"It is as it goes, me dame; I, Balder, god of light and peace, god of music and beauty, would one day, inevitably, bring on the death of the gods and in turn, the new world order. I would bring the war of the gods. I would bring the blood and the screams. If I were to live, the gods would eventually go to war and in turn, kill each other off, almost everyone. Only some will survive. Very few. I will be one of them. I will be the one that starts it all. I will be the one that survives. I don't know how. I don't know why. All there was to know is that my existence ensures the war of the gods and the damnation of the legacy. It was said that I would bring about the war of the gods."

Something in me froze.

"War of the gods?"

He blinked.

Ever so slowly.

His voice was like a tired dream.

"Aye."

My voice was a whisper.

"H-How?"

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"I don't know either."

I gulped.

"But I don't understand," I shook my head, staring down at my feet, flashes of images, of my imagination running on full time, racing across my mind, across my vision, a kink beginning to grow in my back, my tongue so very sour, "So, Neauth foretold that you would bring about the end of the gods. This war of the gods. Your…your presence would, somehow, ensure that this would come to pass."

Another sigh.

"Unfortunately."

My throat was so dry.

"What does that have to with the world though? You said that you would bring about the end of the world…all you've told me is the end of the gods, not us. You guys. Can't we function without you lot?"

I thought I could hear a little smile in his voice.

"Oh, yes. Almost definitely."

The medicine man's eye was so cold.

"Why than? Why the end of the world?"

Silence.

"Earth will be a battlefield."

I couldn't breath.

With a frozen heart and stilled breath, I gazed away from the golden dust and back to the man sitting opposite me, the god, the golden locks and the burnished blue eyes, the creature foretold to bring about a war that would end the existence of most of the gods, ending their reign forever….

Yet earth was to be their battlefield?

Earth?

This earth?

This soil?

This muddy terrain?

No.

No way.

No fucking way.

Impossible.

It's just impossible.

How could this be possible?

How could this be the truth?

How?

How?

Gods…ok.

Magical sword…fine.

Crazy witch…. sure.

Parallel universes…. got it.

A war of gods…. whatever.

But earth?

As a battlefield?

As the combat zone?

The arena?

The battleground?

This was where the gods were supposed to kill each other off?

On earth?

They were supposed to destroy each other here?

Here?

No.

No way.

No fucking way.

It can't be.

It can't.

My voice was just a choke.

"Earth?" I whispered, staring straight ahead, no longer tired, no longer lazy, eyes wide, disbelieving as I stared away into those dull blue eyes, mouth open, tongue dry, mind reeling with all sorts of possibilities, refusing to believe, to understand, fingers pulling against the cold, beaded medicine man's eye, "As in here?"

I could barely even hear myself.

I could barely even think.

Earth?

Our Earth?

His voice was just a lazy drawl.

"Do you know any other?"

"B-But the people…" I was stammering, I knew that, but I couldn't help it, couldn't help the way my mind was beginning to twist, to turn, a cold, metallic taste stinging the tip of my tongue as I tried to blink away the thought, to squeeze it all away as if it was nothing more than a dream, "All the…all the people…the humans….if the gods are using the land as their battleground…all the people-"

"They will die."

The world crashed.

For a moment, for a silent, breathless moment, all I could hear was the rushing, whispering stream, loud and clear in my head, ringing a crystal clear tune, snuffing away all other sounds, other images, every single thought-

Because it finally made sense.

It was finally clear.

I finally understood.

Oh God.

I couldn't breath.

"The poem."

He did not even blink.

"Finally."

The world seemed to crack into a million pieces.

A million, brilliant, bloody pieces.

Oh God.

My tongue went dry.

So very dry.

"No."

His blue eyes were like dull crystals.

"Unfortunately so."

My heart wasn't making a sound.

Oh God.

My lungs froze.

"No."

A little smile crept onto his lips.

"Yes."

I couldn't think.

No.

No.

No.

For the next few minutes, I just sat there, waiting for him to react, to burst out in laughter, another chance, another hope for him to ride this all away as a poorly-timed, ill-placed joke-

But no.

No.

No.

No.

He was silent, staring dully, staring lazily, not an emotion etched on his face, golden curls sighing languidly as my jaw dropped open, my heart silent and dead, cold in my body-

And than the words of the poem started to whisper in the back of my mind, the sweet, golden words etched upon the Enfal Tree, upon that black rock, slippery and gliding, smooth and delicate, trailing a bright, gleaming across the opaque rock, nudging, poking at my mind…

The same words.

The very same words.

Gold upon black, whispering, murmuring in my ear, right down to the bottom of my soul-

Because it now made sense.

It finally made sense.

Those words, those stanzas, those gliding gold letters of painting blood, of blackened sun, of treacherous weather, of crimson gore….

No.

My breath was a whispered gasp.

"That was it meant," it hurt so much to speak, my chest squeezing tight, my lungs collapsing, my body starting to shake, to tremble as I finally realised what it all meant, what it all was, what I had done, "That was it was trying to say. To warn. The tree was trying to warn me-"

"Actually, it was more of a warning my siblings left in honour of me."

The smile crept like a whisper.

My heart stabbed.

"No," my voice was trailing, whispering, the pain lancing through my chest, stabbing like a million knives, bloody and raw, shivers clutching at my spine as my mouth went so very dry, fingers digging into rock, heart squeezing away, "No…. that was it meant. That was that were trying to warn…. 'Do you seek t-to know? A-And…. And what?'... It was all warning about this war! This war of the gods! Releasing you-"

A flare ignited in those dull blue eyes.

"Jumpstarted doomsday."

The world was spinning.

Oh God.

With a strangled moan, I reached upwards and buried my face in my hands, palms over my eyes, hiding me, shielding me, collapsing in the darkness as the realization of what had just happened, of what I had just danced spun out of control, whirling before my vision, mocking me, taunting me. Breath pulled shallow and quick, my heart screaming, my lungs strangled, my entire body shivering with that very fact, with that very knowledge of what I just done-

Because I just released Balder.

Somehow, Balder was free.

Because of me.

All because of me.

And now, because of me, the entire world will end.

The entire universe will be destroyed.

Me.

Because of me.

Me.

Me.

Me.

Me.

Me.

I couldn't breath.

I couldn't breath anymore.

The air was so cold, so very cold, darkness blinding me as I rested in my palms, closing my eyes, shutting out of the world, willing myself to wake up from this dream, this nightmare, to make this all go away, to pretend that none of this had ever happened in the first place, to start all over again-

Balder's voice was nothing more than a dream.

A nightmare.

Oh God.

I wouldn't open my eyes.

"Some call it Doomsday. Others, Armageddon. The nor then people called it Ragnarok,"I just wanted to stare at my hands forever, to stare down into the darkness, to fade away into the black, to pretend, to imagine that I never existed in the first place, to fall away, to be consumed by the abyss, every part of my body shivering with utter horror, "I call it the Boom Boom, you know? Boom Boom? I think that's how it will sound, mostly, when the world comes to an end…at the very end, I think…at least, when the gods die, because I think that's how it will sound like when a god dies…not that I have ever had a first-hand experience-"

My voice was strangled sob.

"Tell me it's a joke."

Blackness pulsed like a dark heart.

"Sorry."

Something burned in my eyes.

"Sorry?" I could barely hear my own voice as I turned back up to him, pulling away from the safety of my palms, from the shivering darkness, tongue dry, throat raw, heart screaming with a pain I just couldn't understand, mind whirling with too much dust, eyes blinking sorely up at those golden curls, "Sorry? You're telling me that I just started the end of life itself-"

"Well, if it would help, it's not like you did it on purpose-"

"If your sister was right about you," my throat was so raw, so tight, my lungs squeezing, my heart strangled, my head pounding as I stared up at those golden curls again, those dull blue eyes which now studied his fingernails, a tired, bored look splayed about his handsome features, water hissing a clear song, "If Neauth…if she saw that you would bring about the end of the world-"

"Here's how it goes, alright?" he had an elbow propped on his knee as he studiously studied his right fingernails, lips slightly pouted, his golden curls sighing against his dark skin as he quietly busied over his nails, biting his inner cheek and looking so very bored, so very calm, my own mind swirling and twisting, a raging storm, "Neauth saw that I was destined to bring about the war of the gods, and in turn, the end of this universe. She didn't see how. She didn't see why. All she knew was that it would be me that would start it all, that would jumpstart the end of the reign. She didn't know how. And, if you're wondering, neither do I. I had no idea about anything. Neither did I had any intention of destroying anything. Why would I? No earth, no fun right? What was the point in that? Besides, I hate war. Always have. Absolutely no fun in blood and grime. No fun at all. Vulcan likes that kind of stuff…but not me. No, no. Not me. Hate it. Absolutely hate it. The only good thing that ever came out of any war, immortal or mortal, was seeing delicious men in their soldier's uniform-"

My throat felt gagged.

My stomach felt twisted.

My eyes kept burning.

"But you would do it than? You would start this war-"

"No…. won't you listening at all, me dame? No. No! I don't want to start a war. I don't want to start anything. I never did. Never was part of my character-"

"But Neauth saw-"

"Yes, Neauth saw that I would start the war, that my existence would bring about the end of the gods, and in turn, end of this world…Yes, yes… I know…. though I completely disagree with it, my sister's vision have never gone wrong, if though starting a war is something I simply will never have time for-"

"But the people," my throat was so raw, so very raw, my mind twisting and turning, pounding and screaming, the words of the poem, the golden warning whispering in the back of my mind, mocking me, taunting me, my heart moaning, crying, wailing at what I had just done, what I had just committed, everything in the world spiralling around, lost in confusion, "All those people…. if earth is going to be the battlefield of this war of yours-"

"Yes, yes…" he was too busy with his nails, too interested, my gut twisted and knotted, eyes burning with smoke, "People will die. Those who get in the way will die. Yes, yes. I know that. We all know that- but that's not important right now. I was in your world, having no intention of killing anyone-"

"Not important? Not important-"

"Would you stop interrupting-"

"The poem warned about would happen if you live, didn't it?" I was glaring now, I was sure of it, my throat raw and red, my lungs tight and hot, my entire body still shivering as I rubbed at my eyes, trying to smite the burn, refusing to cry again, to wail away, to sob and give in to my worry, to my gnawing fear, "It warned about the war, this war that you would, in some way, start if you were alive again-"

"Technically, I will always quite alive. Gods can't really die, you-"

"The blood…the crimson gore….the weather treacherous…."

"All pretty tales-"

"So you're saying that that will never happen?"

A short pause.

And then, a long, tired sigh.

"I'm saying that I don't want it to happen. That doesn't mean it won't."

I could taste the blood on my tongue.

"Right. Because Neauth saw it. And Neauth is never wrong."

"There's always a first time for everything."

My eyes felt as if they were on fire.

My jaw was so tight.

No.

His voice was quiet.

"I never caused any harm before," with a soft sigh, he looked away from his golden nails and beyond, towards the hard-packed rock, the smooth golden walls, staring away into some dream, into some memory, golden curls hushing for silence, lips slightly parted, his blue eyes snapping up in flames as he gazed into another world, the water singing a sad tune, "Never did. Never wanted to. I liked the mortals. I liked your lot. I never wanted to hurt anymore. I never wanted war. None of it. I hate violence. I hate it….more than anything-but my sister's vision…what Neauth saw overbalanced the very fact that I would never do anything. Her vision, her dream….it was the only thing that mattered than. It was the only thing that there was. No music. No beauty. No peace. No simple fact that it was I who destroyed The Void. No simple fact that it was I that allowed creation to occur. No. Nothing. No. That was not important anymore. Not anymore."

He was looking into a dream again.

My head screamed.

No.

Shivers trembled up my spine.

My tongue was so bitter.

No.

"The only thing that mattered was that you would bring their end."

A simple, far-off nod.

"Apparently so."

I tried to breath in calmly.

"And me coming here….seeing you…releasing you, I guess-"

"You don't understand," dark lashes blinked, blue eyes trailing to the floor, the golden-locks shivering as he lost himself in the depths of his mind, his voice quiet, his tone firm, his accent rolling smoothly as his frown deepened ever so slightly, blue eyes hidden beneath those gallivanting curls, "I didn't want this. I never did. I don't want war. I never wanted war. But here I am, killed, locked, caged away like a beast because of some stupid vision-"

"From your sister, who never got things wrong-"

"But do I deserve it?" with a sudden, thick snarl, Balder shook his curls and with a whip of fair, turned his blue gaze upon me, brow crinkled, wrinkles lining, his face aging as the frown deepened, sank with each growing second, his shoulders squaring up, his chest gleaming gold, fingers clutching down against his pale rock seat as he glared at me through the fog of his curls, blue eyes shied away by looping gold, the water gurgling like the throat of some beast, "Did I deserve it? Tell me, Joey. Did I? I never wanted to do anything but here I am, locked away from a crime I had not committed, a crime I have no intention of committing. How is that fair? How is killing me, destroying, locking me away for 4 millenniums any sort of fair? How? How? Why did they have to kill me?"

My eyes burned.

For a moment, no one spoke as we just stared at each other, the blonde of his curls hiding away his fiery, striking blue eyes, shivering with each, long breath, his lips twisted away into a deep frown, shoulders tensed, my own breath caught in my throat as my mind whirled and whirled and whirled…

Because it's not fair.

Of course, it's not fair.

It's like committing a man to life-imprisonment because you believe he could kill someone.

Complete injustice.

Completely wrong.

Than again, the vision from a goddess who never got it wrong…

Nevertheless, a vision of the destruction of the word..

Does it justify it?

Does that justify what had happened to him?

To his man?

This god?

Balder?

Was this fair?

How could it be fair?

How?

My eyes burned like pyres of burning flames.

My bones shivered, trembling with confusion and fear.

My mind whirled, opinions and facts fighting against one another.

My heart screamed.

How?

I could only whisper.

"How did they kill you?"

Golden curls shivered like fine threads in the warm wind.

Blue eyes screamed among the brambles of fair.

I gulped.

How?

His voice was oddly calm.

"The simple way," his voice was so calm, so very calm, my head pounding, screaming as the water rushed and giggled, black stalactites hanging above, ready to fall and kill at any moment, "The usual way. I was with Aine at that time, in your world, making merry, loving those summer nights….I was away when Neauth had her vision. It was easy for her than, as Fate would have it, for her to seek the council of the gods, of the rest of the family."

I couldn't stop the shivers.

"Council of gods?"

His eyes were too bright, hidden among the gold.

My hands folded all over again.

"A meeting of all the gods…my oldest sister, Gaia, as well as my oldest brother, Ra'al, lead the council. It is a meeting only called by the gods, and only attended by the gods. We all bring our problems to the council, problems that need sorting out."

I tried to calm my breathing.

"Like you and Thoth, with that pretty nymph girl?"

I thought I saw a little lance of humour in those shadowed blue eyes.

"Aye. Just like that."

Water hissed like a dream.

Blue eyes screamed.

"That's where Neauth when, than?"

"Yes. That's exactly where she went. Where else would she go? She called the meeting and they met at the Council, at Olav; I was away, and was not invited. It didn't matter, after all. They would find me in the end."

Fingers clutched at fleshy arms.

"Neauth told them than?"

A simple, golden nod.

"Yes. She told everything. She told them what she saw."

"What did they say?"

"They decided to kill me."

Kill me.

They decided to kill me.

Blood pounded in my ears.

I couldn't feel my legs.

"K-Kill you?"

He sounded too calm.

"Yes. Kill me. It was pretty much agreed by everyone, except for a few. Sometimes, when I think about it, I don't really blame them. Not really. No. I am the youngest of the gods. The most foolish, as Thoth would say. The idea of me being their deaths…. that they even had deaths….no. Sometimes, I don't blame them. I can't. They had no other choice."

My heart moaned.

"They could have done something better than kill you."

Blue eyes screamed.

"Maybe."

My voice still sounded weak.

"That's what they did than? That's it? They learned about the vision behind your back-"

"And than, they came from me."

I couldn't stop the shivers.

"But…But….you didn't see them come? They killed you, caught you off-guard?"

It was than that something gentle entered those horrid, screaming blue eyes.

Something tender.

For a moment, Balder kept silent as his piercing, glaring blue eyes faded back into something soft, something quiet, the blue among the gold wilting into a gentler cerulean, like the colour of a quiet sea, of a still, ocean night. His jaw loosened a notch, shoulders slumping down slightly.

Flute whispered in the grasp of his golden hands.

Golden curls laughed.

I gulped.

"Balder?"

A small smile crept up onto his lips.

"No, not really," he wasn't staring me again, but through me, remembering a time, a place, smiling gently, tenderly, ever so sadly, my mind tired but still whirling, still dancing, water singing it's lonely song, "I was warned."

He seemed lost away, all over again.

I hugged my arms closer.

"By whom?"

His voice was like a dream.

"Arian, my older brother."

I couldn't stop trembling.

"W-Who?"

Golden curls sighed.

"Arian, god of night, god of the moon. Three older before me. Believe it or not, he was my favourite."

Arian.

Another name to remember.

I bit my lip.

"He warned you?"

Another lost, faded nod.

"Yes. He did just that. After the council meeting, after Neauth confession of her vision, my brothers and sisters began to plot my death. My murder, if you will. I was away…with Aine, in your world…No, I didn't know. I didn't suspect a thing. Not a thing…But they did it. They planned. They prepared…but my brother Arian…. no. Not him. He was one of the few who didn't agree to the plan, Joey. He didn't want me killed, no matter Neauth's vision. Yes. He was one of the few who were still loyal to me. He was one of the few who truly loved me. Yes. He loved me. He loves me. As much as I love him. He was my favourite brother, my best friend. We were and will always be loyal to each other."

The air was so sweet.

"He was the god of night?"

The smile on his lips only grew wider.

"Funny, isn't it? I am the god of light, of all that is bright. His realm is of the dark, of the lonely, cold night... we are opposites, mirror images, but I love him all the same. He is the only one in all the worlds that I would die for. I would destroy The Void again, just for him."

Something pulled in my heart.

For a moment, I just stared at him, at his faded smile, his lost eyes, his curls whispering a soft tune as they sang and laughed, remembering a better time, a good time, my own heart screaming and tearing….

Because Balder loved this brother of his.

He loved him dearly.

He still did.

He was willing to die for this Arian.

And Arian, obviously, was willing to die for him.

They loved each other.

Two brothers.

Two completely individual siblings.

Two people so different from each other.

Like Jared and I.

Just like Jared and I.

Just like us.

Only I didn't safe my brother.

Only I let him die.

I couldn't safe Jared.

I couldn't safe my own brother.

It took Will dying to bring him back, and even than…

All the bickering…

All the fighting…

His love for Scarlett…

No.

No.

I had none of it.

I didn't.

I wouldn't.

I couldn't.

This Arian warned his brother in his toughest hour…

But I couldn't even protect him.

He came back from the dead….

But I let my own brother die in the first place.

I let Jared die.

I let him die.

My soul screamed.

I let him die.

Balder's voice was like a claw, pulling me out of those murky depths.

My eyes were burning all over again.

"He came for me, that very summer's night," he was breathing calmly, so very calmly, staring into the wall, into a dream, smiling softly a memory now lost forever, my own heart breaking, cracking, screaming as I tried to listen to the story, to push Jared's face out of my mind, to push his pale, silent, dead face, my soul wilting as my eyes burned with the flaming agony, throat caught forever, "I was in that village, that little hunting village near the beaches…with Aine, no less, enjoying the sweet summer night, that sweet warm wind…I didn't know anything. I didn't suspect anything, but than there he was, riding just ahead of the rest of them."

I tried to swallow back the burning pain.

"They were coming for you?"

Nothing more than a faded smile.

"Aye. That very night. They had tracked me down, among all the universes, all the alternate realities….somehow, they had tracked me down and upon that night, upon that warm full moon, they came for me, all of them, every single one of them. Somehow, however, Arian came for me first…I found him in the outskirts of the village, and it was there that he told me everything. He told me about Neauth's vision, about my supposed destiny, of our brothers and sisters coming for my blood."

"You believed him?"

"Not a first, no. I couldn't believe it. Why would they kill me, after all? Vision or not…I was their brother. Their baby brother. I thought that meant something, that family, our blood was precious and pure…but no. No. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered but the stake of their own lives. I didn't matter. Blood didn't matter. The only blood they wanted was mine, to end this wretched destiny even if Neauth's visions always had a way of coming through in the end…. but they didn't care. They wanted me dead. They wanted to live. It was only Arian that warned me; he couldn't stop them. No, of course not. He couldn't take on all of them. No. Not even if he wanted to. The only thing he could do was warn me. To try and safe me, to get me to run before it's too late-"

I rubbed at those fiery eyes.

"Could you?"

The soft, sad, lonely smile wilted away like a dying rose.

Something hard crept into those blue eyes.

"No."

I could barely breathe.

For a few moment, a few minutes, Balder sat in silence, his soft, tender gaze falling away as his eyes remembered something else, something darker, something cruel, a black storm creeping about those deep blues, his lips pulling back into a frown. Golden curls froze against his dusty skin.

It was as if he stopped breathing again.

Damn it.

I swallowed back my own issues.

No.

Now's not the time for that.

Now was the not the time at all.

My throat was so sore.

So, so sore.

Now was not the time.

I gulped.

"What happened?"

His voice was like ice.

"What do you think happened, Joey?" he was calm again, quiet again, silent and cold, his face passive, his jaw tight, his blue eyes staring away into the another world, a darkness creeping over them, slithering over them, his icy voice whispering across the arch, cold and dead, golden curls hanging silent, my own stomach turning," What do you think? Arian warned me…but there was no time. There was nowhere I could hide. No where I could run. I was trapped. Arian's warning or not. I was trapped. Cornered like a beast. There was nothing I could do."

My heart screamed.

I bit my lip.

Now was not the time.

"Couldn't you have….I don't know…hide? Seek protection from someone…hell, couldn't you try to talk them out of it, seeing as you are so darn talkative-"

"It would have done no good. None of it would. I was grateful for Arian's warning, truly, grateful and obliged, indebted, his words somewhat comforting, reminding me that not every one of my siblings had wanted me dead…but no. It could not save me. It did not save me. There was no escape."

Water hissed like an army of snakes.

"You were trapped."

"Like an animal."

Shivers crept up my spine.

Now was not the time.

His voice was like a blank slate.

"There was only one thing I could do, Joey. Only one thing. I couldn't hide. I couldn't run. I knew I was about to die-"

"So what did you do?"

Blue eyes screamed.

"I created a portal."

What?

I clutched at my arms, hugging tightly.

Jared's face whispered at the back of mind.

Now is not the time.

"What?"

A strange light bloomed in those deep blue orbs.

A strange light staring right through me.

"A portal, Joey," he said simply enough, emotions gone, face blank, his eyes wandering off to a far and distant land, golden locks frozen in place, his chest still, his shoulders straight, his entire being caught away in the remnants of some memory, of some horrid, terrifying memory, "A pathway between universes. It was how I went about the realities, how I universal hiked, if you will. I went through portals. Always through portals. Portals created by me. Every god can do it. Only the gods."

My brow crinkled slightly.

"What? I don't-"

"A portal is an opening to another world, Joey. A door that leads to the other universes, to whatever universe we choose…. whatever at all. Only the gods can make such things. Only we can create these doors, these portals right out of thin air, right out of smoke. It is something only we can do…. magic only we can harness. Portals are yet another advantage of the gods."

My tongue felt like dust.

"But you said that there was no time to run-"

"This portal wasn't for me, Joey. It was for Aine."

What?

For a moment, silence reigned as I stared, open-mouthed, crinkled-brow, water licking and slapping, resounding through the golden cave-

And then, with a slight clearing of the throat, I pushed away the faded, dim image of Jared from the back of my mind and leaned forward, grasping at my arms, biting on my tongue. Shivers rippled through my body.

"What?"

His voice was so very cold.

"I created a portal for her, Joey," golden curls hung silent, like dead marshes on a humid day, blue eyes drifting away, lost forever, "A door to lead her to the original universe, to this universe…I knew that my brothers and sisters would bring me back to this world in due's end. I would be brought back here, alive or barely. They would want me here. They would have wanted that. So, at the dime of midnight, on that warm summer night, under the watchful gaze of Arian and the impending cavalry of my family seeking my blood, I created a portal and gave it to Aine so that, when time comes, she can find a way to rescue me. I could not risk Arian…he would suffer my fate if he helped even more. No…. No. It had to be a human. It had to be someone they wouldn't suspect. It had to Aine. After they were done with me, after they had killed me, I needed her to sneak into our world and rescue me, to bring me back, to save me. I needed her-"

"How exactly did you expect her to do that?"

"I had to do something."

"Did she even come?"

Water screamed.

"No."

I stared at my feet.

For the next few minutes, no one spoke.

Not a single word.

Not a word.

Than, with a soft clearing of my throat, I continued again, determined to carry on the conversation, to learn more, to do anything to keep Jared and Will out of my head….

My voice came out as a choke.

"How did you actually give a portal? I mean, isn't it some sort of otherworldly door-"

"A portal can be transfixed to an object."

"Ah. Like Harry Potter."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

My throat was too raw.

My heart squeezed.

Now is not the time.

"No. I suppose not."

"Portals can change shape, Joey," his blue eyes were still far away, still lost, still gone forever, locks frozen gold in time, "They may be transfixed as an object but it's a chameleon; it changes, to suit the people around them, to blend in at times, and on other occasions, to forecast the nearest person's future if he or she was to follow this path."

Brow crumpled.

"I don't-"

"When a person touches it, Joey, this portal, this gift to my Aine would change, would metamorphose to show its bearer the future, the destiny that lies for him or her if they were to take the path, to enter the portal and into this world. A sort of warning, really, to warn Aine, when she was ready, about what she had to face…. even though she never ever came-"

Oh God.

It hit me, square in the face, slapping me through and through, screaming through my bones, through my being, raging through my blood as it spelled out each word-

And than I was gaping, like an idiot.

Like a complete, total idiot.

Oh God.

My heart stopped.

My lungs collapsed.

I couldn't breathe.

Oh God.

My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"The painting."

The fog cleared a little from those blue eyes.

"What?"

I had to blink twice to let it sink even further.

To let it fully register.

Oh God.

My knuckles had turned white.

My heart was dead.

I couldn't even think.

Oh God.

I could barely hear myself.

"The painting," I whispered, staring before me, staring through the rock, my mind thinking, whirling, finally understanding everything, just about everything, the lone, new fact registering in my head, slapping me alive, coursing through my blood and screaming through every ounce of bone, like a sting of electricity right through the soul, "The painting. In the attic. Back home…. Oh God. Oh God. The portal-"

His voice was completely blank.

"Aye. That was the portal."

My tongue tasted like saw dust.

I shivered.

"I don't…. How? How? How on earth did that…. portal…. end up in my attic? How the hell did it get there?"

Blue eyes burned.

"That, I don't know. Aine never came for me…. so I don't know what she did with that portal. I have no idea. It must have changed its shape several times in its 4000 years of history, and by the time it got to you, it was-"

"It was painting!"

"Aye."

"A painting depicting a ship, with black waters-"

"A ship that was your future if you had ever gone through the portal. Which you did, of course. The ship is now, very truly, your future."

Only I don't know that ship.

I have no clue.

For a second, I sat there, stunned, silenced with this new find, thinking hard, thinking deep, taking in long, deep breaths as I tried to sort out the mess in my head, biting my tongue, clutching the rock-

And trying to remember that painting, that painting that had, so long ago, faded away beneath my fingers, that had let me fallen through, into the tumbling sea.

That painting of a ship, a black ship, with dark waters and stormy clouds-

And that was it.

Nothing more.

That was all the painting had been.

A painting about a ship in a storm.

Nothing remarkable.

Nothing interesting.

Nothing at all, discounting the fact that it had actually brought me here in the first.

No.

Absolutely nothing.

How could this be my future?

I don't know this ship.

I don't-

I bit my tongue to hold back any thoughts.

No.

No.

This was mad.

This was so very mad.

My stomach suddenly felt sick.

I was still shivering.

"Didn't anyone else fall through? Before me, I mean," I said firmly enough, my mind already aching from all the revelations, all the thoughts, all the swirling, churning mess, bile hot in my throat with this new, stunning knowledge, the new fact, the real truth burning like a brand on the back of my neck, "Surely-

"Oh yes. But none ever made it this far."

"But than what happened? After the portal, I mean? If you gave the portal to Aine, and she never came along-"

A little smile crept onto his golden lips.

The mist whispered away.

Water sighed.

So, so mad.

Blue eyes turned back to me.

"Yes, Joey. They killed me."

Silence screamed.

For the next few moments, we both kept our silence as I tried to ponder everything through, every new fact, every supposed truth; the gods, the magic swords, the visions, the blood-lusting family, the portals, the painting-

It was too much.

Too, too much.

Moments ran by, bright, burning moments, screaming, silent moments as I just sat there and thought and thought, ignoring his eyes on me again, the mist dissipating away from those blue orbs, the god once more returning back to this world, staring at me again and not at some far-away memory, a smile creeping onto his lips as his eyes fell completely on me-

But all I could do was stare down at my shoes and think.

And think.

And think.

And think.

Think.

There was too much things, too much objects, too much magical, nonsensical things that shouldn't exist, too much fluffy fairytales, too much whirling, twirling garbage of mythical gods and powerful knives and ancient prophecies and murderous plans and paintings that are actually portals in disguise….

No.

Too much.

It was too much.

Too, too much.

Head pounded and screamed as I huddled in my seat and thought, running over the facts, clearing through the entire story, water hissing along with the rushing, screaming train of my thoughts-

Balder's voice chimed in like a bright, golden bell.

"It's not that hard to understand."

Irritation ignited.

"Says you!" I snapped, all to suddenly, whirling my head up from the ground to stare back up at the god; Balder was just sitting there, his vacant, blank face now gleaming with a big, bright smile, dimples flashing, blue eyes now crystal clear, laughing, giggling, whirling with a honey mirth that hadn't been there just moments ago, bright and alive, kicking with energy, with pure youth. It was the man that I had first seen, the man from before, his gleaming smile and laughing curls springing back to life, right in front of my eyes. Water laughed a merry tune as the man switched his dour expression to one full of life, like a spring falling from the mountain top, eyes laughing and dancing, the freshest nectar of spring. His voice rang true again, clear and bright, laughing and smooth, the accent rolling perfectly above the crisp of his usual, overzealous voice, reborn from the ashes all over again. Golden curls snapped up like dandelions.

His smile beamed like a radiant star.

God.

What is with this man and his mood swings?

The frown refused to leave my lips.

Not that it mattered to him.

"I'm telling you, Joey," he was grinning again, grinning like the fool he was, cheeky smile and all, eyes bright and eager, face young again, irritation prickling at the back of my neck at his drastic mood swing, at his sudden turn of behaviour, suddenly very sick of all his acting and playing and just plain stupidity, "It's easy. Simplest story you'll ever hear. Arian warned me, I prepared the portal for Aine, and than, like a warrior, like a god, I waited for them. Yup. Yup! Waited for them, I did. Up on those cliffs, near the village-"

I didn't even bother to keep the growl out of my voice.

"Did you fight them?"

His grin just made him look more like the fool he was.

Fool.

Yes.

That's what he is.

A stupid, over-dramatic, PMS-ing fool.

Golden locks giggled.

"Of course not! Why would I?"

Knuckles clenched white.

"Because…because they were coming to kill you, you son-"

"It was whole entire family, Joey! Every one of them! Do you know how many there are? Do you? Do you? I couldn't take them on. Not all them. No, no. Not in my dizziest daydream! I had no chance, you see. No chance at all-"

"So you just stood there like an idiot and let them attack you?"

"I just stood there like an idiot and let them kill me."

He was smiling too much.

God…

"You-"

"Well, what was I do, eh?" He grinned, smiled, beamed like thousand stars, energy suddenly springing into his every muscle as he now sat up straight, firm, golden curls laughing against his shoulder as his firm voice rolled about the little cavern, blue eyes laughing with pure mirth, "I couldn't fight them. No. No way. Not fight and survive, anyhow. I had no choice, see? I had none. None. None at all. All I could do was stand there and accept my fate-"

"Which was to be killed by your family."

He didn't even seem to notice the annoyance in my voice.

God…

It was as if the irritation, the frustration had bloomed over all other emotions, taking control of my body.

It was as if all I could feel now as utter annoyance.

And complete self-pity for being the idiot who got stuck in all of this.

God…

His voice sounded loud and clear, bright like a star.

"It was not that bad, you know."

I tried not to grit my teeth.

"You mean dying? Being murdered?"

Golden curls laughed.

"I'm a god, Joey. I can't die. No matter what. No matter how. We can't die. Not by conventional means, anyway. Not normally. I don't know about Neauth's vision, about the end of the world being all of us gods getting into a big ol' mess and killing each other off…. but no one has ever actually killed a god. No one. No one at all. Nope! Nope, nope, nope! Gods can't die…we've never died…and they all learned that with me-"

My frown could only grow deeper.

"Fine. Got it. Gods can't die."

Flute danced among his slim fingers.

"Not unless you find a way to destroy the soul of the god….you see, Joey, 4000 years ago, on that cliff, in your world, my brothers and sisters destroyed my body. They ruined it. They came out from the skies, charging like beasts, screaming and screeching, riding their cavalry, swords a-blazing- and than, just like that, they cut through me, sliced me, diced me up and put me in a stew. Like a potato. A big, strong, very pretty potato. A nice golden potato. Yes, yes. Nice potato. Very nice potato-"

"Are you seriously-"

"They clawed through me, you little thumb-sucker, clawed all the way through, to itsy bits of shreds. They clawed, they gnawed, did everything that ended with an 'awed'….they burned me, Joey. Burned me! Drowned me, stabbed me, devour me and consumed me…like I was nothing. Ohhhh…. nothing at all, eh? Nothing at all! I was like a lamb, like dinner; ripping, tearing, shredding, igniting, gutting, stopping my heart forever, turning me to ash…and all I could do was scream and scream and scream as they took my body and destroyed it forever-"

Even through my annoyance, I couldn't help but grimace at the thought.

"That must have hurt like hell."

His smile was a cheeky whiplash.

"Not as bad as some of my lovers, eh?"

I wanted to punch him.

"Balder-"

"Oh, it hurt! It hurt bad! Really bad. Really, really bad. Really, really, really, really, really, really, really-"

"Balder-"

"They destroyed my body, Joey. They took it and they turned it to ash…no more heart, no more brain, no more pretty curls, no more handsome face-"

"But you lived?"

"Well, yes. They could destroy my body, Joey, leave me naked, leave me vulnerable, leave me completely ruined…but they could never destroy my soul."

Silence reigned.

For another few moments, Balder grinned while I frowned, my eyes glaring over at his dancing, bright blues.

My frown felt heavy, set in stone.

Damn this.

I sighed.

"So, in other words, they didn't really kill you."

His smile gleamed like a half-cresting moon.

Water hissed.

"No, no. No way. They didn't kill me. Not really. They destroyed my body…but they could not destroy my soul. They couldn't. No matter how hard they tried. They annihilated my body, but my soul-"

"They couldn't destroy your soul."

"Nope! Not a chance. When a mortal's body perishes, Joey, when they die, their soul, their core fades away to the spirit world…but not me. I didn't go anywhere. I couldn't. Without my body, I could only hover between the dimensions, neither here nor there. My siblings hadn't known of this, of course, seeing as I was the first dead god. They didn't anticipate my body to die, but my soul to survive. No. No way. They did not anticipate that at all."

Annoyance still pounded in my head.

My frown only sunk deeper.

"So you were dead….but not really?"

A beaming, brilliant grin.

"Funny, isn't it?"

"But what did they do than? How did you end up here?

"Well, they did what only they could do; they had to lock me away. They didn't know what would happen, if I would return, grow back….the only way that they could make sure that the vision never came true, that the prophecy of their deaths never passed was to ensure that I never came out into the world again. They had to lock me away, to hide me, to make sure that I never saw the light of the sun again. They threw away my sword, blah, blah, blah…they couldn't kill me, not truly. This was the only other way."

I thumbed the medicine man's eye again.

Black stalactites stabbed.

"So they locked you in here?"

His golden curls bobbed merrily with his rapid, quick nod.

Blue eyes laughed.

"Aye," water was hissing away, rushing, pushing, my mind still whirling, still accepting, a headache gnawing at my temple as I stared over at the beaming, golden god, his muscles purring, running like cream, blue eyes flashing bright as my frown sank in deeper and deeper, frustration still surging hot through my veins, "Aye, me dame. That's exactly what they did. They scattered what was left of my body on those cold, black beaches and than, with my frail, vulnerable, naked soul, they left your world and returned to mine, to ours…. Hoppity, hop, hop and they brought my soul back, ruined and ashamed, tortured and lost, my every being, my every soul weeping in horror, in disbelief, in utter betrayal, yearning for Arian, for Aine, agony and sorrow clutching what was left of me as I realised my doom…and than, they built this island."

Water laughed.

My brow crinkled.

"What?"

He was still smiling like an idiot.

"They created this island, Joey, right out of this waters…well, it was actually Calypso and Gaia who created this slap of land, though from I have seen, they didn't pay much attention in decorating the place-"

"But it's some sort of volcanic crater-"

"Whatever it may be, it was designed to keep me away, to lock me for all times, for eternity. The island was created to be my cage, Joey, my jail cell. I was never meant to leave. I was never meant to escape. They created The Enfal Tree-"

He pointed up to the hanging black stalactites.

"And buried me underneath it, the tree designed by Gaia, effused with sorcery, a sort of lock upon the cage door. The whole entire island is guarded by magic, and the only places I could venture is in the darkness of these caves; No. No. They did not want me to see light again. They did not want to see me again."

I bit my lower lip.

"But the dragon-"

"Metus and Rygor were Hel's idea; she never really like me, jealous whore if you ask me. Never liked me. Never a kind word. Not once. Not even once….if you want someone to blame for all your fights and blood, blame it on her. Not me. It was her idea to guard the island, the tomb with those two. She wanted a daemon and a dragon as my jailers. Her own creations, if I must be true. She created them herself, just for this occasion. Metus guards the outermost rim with his mist of evil and pale, killing random sailors who come too close, while Rygor guards the island, ensuring that I would never escape. Never. They were created to guard this island, to guard me. That was their only purpose, their only goal…well, it was Rygor's only goal. Apparently, Metus always wanted a little bit more in life..."

Almost instantly, the image of the shady deal, of the lone boat floating silent before the chained daemon, of his white, sightless eyes, his whispering tongue, his horrid, horrid deal….

I could barely stop the shivers again.

Damn it.

I hugged my arms even tighter.

My frown was fading.

"Why was Metus chained up to that pole?"

It was as if he was just too happy about everything.

"Like I said. He was more adventurous, as you obviously learned from your little deal with him…by the way, how on earth do you plan on keeping to that, eh? Killing a siren? Again? There will be absolutely no time in our schedule for something like that! Gallivanting around, killing sirens…no, no. My sister won't be pleased with that. Not a bit. Besides, we won't have the time…. but you've got me off-topic again, haven't you? Yes, yes, I'm off topic, completely on a totally different path, which is, really, all your fault-"

I cleared my throat.

"But if they destroyed your body, and buried only your soul here, how on earth do you look-"

"Well, my body grew back, of course silly! Took me a few hundred years to do it, wretchedly painful too….but yup! Yup! I grew my body back, just how I like it- I thought I eavesdropped through the sword a conversation about this between you and Circe-"

"Right…Circe might have said something like this-"

"And she was right. Righto! Completely and absolutely right! They buried my soul, they hid me away but I grew back my body, in just the way I like it! It took me a little bit, but I quite like how it turned up, don't you? Shoulders broader than before, and though I looked a little older than I would wish too…well, we've all got to live with what we've got! Besides-"

"Did the other gods know about portal? About your plan with Aine?"

His teeth were like gleaming pearls.

"Fortunately, no."

Thumb kissed against the flat, engraved bone of the medicine man's eye.

"Do they even know about any of the others that came through the portal?"

Blue eyes chuckled.

"Nope."

I gulped.

"What about me?"

His voice smiled above the rushing stream.

I couldn't stop the shivers.

"They don't know a thing, dame. Not a thing. Not a thing!" fingers still clutched my arms, hugging myself, pulling myself as my tongue rolled bitter, shivers creeping up along my spine as the god sat opposite me in a completely different posture, grin bright, eyes dancing, golden curls kissing against the sandy dunes of his perfect features, voice like a cherry, annoying bell, "They don't know…but the moment you and I step out beyond this island, the moment you and I run for our lives, they will know. They will know that I've escaped. They will know that you are helping me. They will know that you managed to kill Rygor and break the spell and than….well…and than, Joey…. They'll track us down. They'll find us, find you-"

"Why? Why me? I never wanted any of this-"

"Doesn't matter, Joey. Doesn't matter a lick. You helped me escape. You got past Metus and Rygor, and you broke the spell. I'm free because of you. It was Rygor's death that has broken the enchantment, Joey…you, who have released me, willingly or not…. and the minute we step off the island, the minute we leave….well, they will find us. They will track us down and kill us-"

And than, with a burst of golden curls, Balder jumped onto his feet, padding softly on bare toes, his smile leaping up along with him as his body unfolded and stretched out into a perfect stand, looming tall above, chest heaving deep, his blue eyes laughing down at me as he pulled to his feet-

And spoke up to the golden ceiling, grinning from ear to ear.

I had to strain my neck just to look up at him.

My brow crumpled in confused.

What now?

His voice was like a rapid train.

"Which is why, little thumb-sucker, we must leave at this very instance…. do you like that, by the way? Thumb-sucker? It's my new nickname for you…yes, yes. I liked it. I love it! It fits you so perfectly-"

"Wait, wait," I frowned even more, staring up at his golden hair, his blue eyes, his grinning lips and his idiotic face, wondering what on earth he was saying now, becoming bewildered all over again, "What are you saying-"

Water laughed a silly tune.

"I'm saying we have to go. Now."

Now?

"Now? You want to go now?"

"Yes. Now."

"You…you were just explaining to me about how the gods don't know I'm here, and that if we leave the island, they will find us-"

"Yes. Exactly. That's why we have to go."

Bewilderment stung like a nasty bite.

I frowned even more.

He just smile.

"What? No….No…you were saying-"

"Yes, well…I've already talked so much-"

"You just said that we left the island, they will find us-"

"Exactly…which is why we have to find somewhere else to carry on this little discussion of ours- the longer we stay here, the more paranoid I'm becoming! You broke the spell, and who knows how long it takes before my brothers and sisters realise that. Eh? Now. You don't want to give them an easy chase, do you?"

I could only gawk.

"We were having a serious conversation!"

"Which can happen anywhere else, anywhere but this hole; I've been here for over 4000 years, dame! You would think that I would get sick and tired of this-"

"But we can't leave the island without them knowing-"

"Not unless we go somewhere where they can't find us all over again-"

"Where?"

"Anywhere. I don't know. I don't care. With the nymphs maybe? They have always been nice to me, though I'm not sure their magic can shield us from my brothers and sisters. No, no…they will hunt us down surely if we went there. No…No. Not the nymphs, though their cousins, the pixies-"

"I don't even want to be here-"

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it?" there was that mock again, that taunt, that cheeky smile crooking along dusty skin as I gaped and stared, clutching at my arms, trying to wrap my head around everything happening all about me, "You got yourself into this mess!"

My eyes burned.

"I wouldn't even be here if not for your stupid portal!"

"Try explaining that to them when they hunt you down and kill you!"

My heart screamed.

I gulped.

"You're going to bring about the end of the world!"

A playful, blue wink.

"Well. I guess we'll just have to see about that, eh?"

I couldn't breathe.

For a few moments, silence screamed as I stared up at Balder and he stared down at me, my arms hugging my body tight, his flute dancing among his loose fingers at the sides, smile cheeky and bright, eyes raw and alive. Golden curls hushed along the fine, strong tanned jaw; my entire mind was whirling, twisting, catapulting, whirpooling, a raging storm of information, of newly-acquired knowledge, of all the riddles and stories that should never had existed, of all the lies and truths and biting words that gnawed against the side of my brain, taunting me, insulting me, mocking me, whirling and whirling, never-ending-

Because if the tree spoke true-

If the poem was true-

If I wasn't going mad and the puzzle that my brain had formed together was accurate and exact-

Than the world was coming to an end.

I had broken a 4000-years-old spell by killing Rygor.

I had opened the door to the tomb.

I had set Balder free.

And what?

What?

What?

End of world?

If I let Balder walk out of here, if I let him leave…

Was that signing the end of this universe?

The deaths of billions?

A massacre?

Genocide?

Had I just unleashed genocide?

Armageddon?

Was that it?

Was that what I had just done?

Blue eyes laughed.

Was it even possible?

Could this god really start the end of the world?

This golden fool?

Really?

Really?

Would he bring actually bring about the end of the world?

Have I actually begun doomsday?

Judgement Day?

I couldn't breathe.

For a few moments, for the last few precious moments, silence screamed as we looked at each other, water hissing, heart screaming, blood drumming in my ears as the thoughts, the arguments whirled about my head, blinding me, deafening me, clawing and biting at the walls of brain, like a trapped beast crying its laments on the cage walls, tearing and gnawing and biting and shredding and destroying everything forever-

Will.

"I've got a plan."

And there we go! Sorry if this one was complicated again! Hard chapter, really. Really hard! Probably the hardest one to write…ever…I also know that its really, really, really long…

So please, just take your time with it. Please have patience.

Anyhow, thanks for all your reviews, guys. Well, most of you…but thanks anyway! Really love them! Please let me know if you have anything to say.

The end is next, guys, so watch out for it! Should be out in a matter of days! Take care, and see you!

XOXO