Hadrian's (Hades'? It was a little confusing) revelation was met with an almost universal reaction of shock- with two notable exceptions.
The first was Natasha. The redhead was shocked for all of two seconds before a sense of gleeful vindication took hold of her. She had known since day one that the glorified accountant was dangerous! Despite her inability to find concrete proof, every instinct she had said that the placid, dark haired man was a threat and she was fucking right.
Now she just had to figure out what he wanted.
Admittedly, the placid man had been on their "side" the last several times they'd encountered him, but she knew better than anyone that "sides" changed every day. Someone as powerful as this "man" didn't just help out of the goodness of their heart. The most obvious answer would probably be his relationship with Jane, Darcy, and Athena (and apparently now Rose), but she wasn't very fond of the "obvious" answer. She'd hear his explanation, and see what she could figure out on her own.
Rose was the other notable exception.
She was also briefly shocked, her brain moving rapidly as it tried to assimilate everything she knew about "Hadrian" with all of the things she'd read about Hades. Her brain kept getting stuck on one fact.
Hades was married.
"Hadrian" was dating her friend.
He was cheating on Lydia.
As soon as she pieced that fact together, the petite blonde let out an angry hiss, shifting in place before lunging for the dark haired man. She only made it about a foot before both of her boyfriends latched on to her arms, struggling to hold the absolutely irate woman. She strained against them both, all but foaming at the mouth as she snarled at him.
"You rat fink bastard! You're cheating on my friend!" Hades looked terribly amused by Rose's struggle, one dark brow quirked as he gave her a minute smile.
"I reveal that I'm the King of the Underworld and your first reaction is to be upset that I'm 'cheating' on your friend." He let out a small chuckle, grey eyes crinkling merrily. "Of course it is. Given your nature I'd expect nothing less." He raised his hands in a placating gesture, the smile on his face taking on a pained edge. "While commendable, your rage is misplaced, Rose. I am not 'cheating' on Lydia. Our relationship is much more complicated than that." Only half-satisfied with his response, Rose (temporarily) decided to settle down, plopping back on the sofa with a scowl.
Complicated? Bitch better have a better explanation than that.
You're actually an idiot. He's the god of the Underworld! He could probably feed you your own spine!
Not before I punched him in the face.
….we've already died once today- let's not make it twice.
What is it that the kids are saying? YOLO?
YOU LITERALLY ALREADY DIED ONCE!
I got better.
Hades let out a deep sigh, half-heartedly scanning the room before summoning himself a chair, seemingly from thin air. He ran a tired hand over his mouth, the weight of the ages he'd seen settling on his face for a moment, eyes and bearing terribly sad. As quickly as the look came, it disappeared, his placid expression returning as he relaxed back into his seat.
"I imagine you all have questions." His lips quirked again, eyes settling on the scowling Rose. "In honor of my newest family member, I believe the best way to explain would be a story."
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Once upon a time, there was Chaos- an endless void of nothingness and darkness. Then, out of Chaos, came Gaea, the Great Mother. From her, all good things were made. By herself, she created the very first gods and monsters. The gods dubbed themselves the Primordials- Saturn and Pontus. Saturn and Gaea were soon married and from their union—
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Bucky let out a low whistle, looking terribly amused. When everyone turned to look at him he shrugged, lackadaisically flapping his hands.
"That's a lot of incest." Surprisingly, Hades snickered, nodding his agreement.
"True. But, to be fair to my grandmother, her options were Saturn or the hell beasts and degenerates that Chaos had given birth to. I imagine that Saturn, young and handsome as he was, was the far more palatable choice." When no one added anything, the dark haired god raised a brow. "Shall I continue?"
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From their union, the next generation of gods was made- the Titans. The youngest, and most ambitious of these, was Kronos. Unhappy with his father's rule, Kronos united the Titans and went to war against their forebears. They succeeded, locking them and the monsters that Gaea had created in Tartarus, sealing them away until the ending of the world.
The Titans ruled, and were prosperous for a time. But, as happens far too often with power, soon became corrupt. Kronos went insane, convinced that everyone was trying to steal his throne from him. The Fates, daughters of the Titan Nyx, only worsened this paranoia, telling the unstable god that one of his children would soon replace him.
He responded by imprisoning them- locking them in Tartarus like he had the last gods who'd opposed him.
All but one.
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Rose raised a tentative hand, eyes huge and enraptured as she listened to Hades' tale. Resigned to the fact that he was doomed to interruption, the god of the Underworld sighed, good naturedly "calling" on her.
"I thought Kronos ate all of his children? Except for Zeus. Zeus got replaced with rocks." Before he could respond, Sammy piped up, looking just as enraptured as Rose was.
"It was boulders, actually. Boulders swaddled in cloth and then swallowed whole." Darcy snickered, a huge grin on her face as she glanced in between the two women.
"You're such fucking nerds." Both promptly flipped her off, eyes still glued to the smirking storyteller. Hades gave them both nods, acknowledging their statements.
"That would be the myth. However, the reality was much more boring. I'm afraid that 'eaten' sounds much more dramatic than 'locked up in very tiny cells'."
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Zeus, the youngest of Kronos' children, was smuggled out by our mother, Rhea. He hid for centuries, growing in strength and planning our escape. While he plotted, Kronos turned even more depraved, leaving oceans of corpses in his wake. As Rhea had borne no more children after my brother, Kronos became more comfortable and much less guarded, throwing lavish, debauched parties. At one particular party, Zeus finally got his chance. He disguised himself as one of the mortal cup bearers and poisoned the Titans with Manticore venom. While they were delirious he broke into Tartarus, killing the dragon guarding us and setting us free. Once freed, we saw the ruin that our father was bringing upon the world and banded together.
The war lasted for close to a decade, scorching whole cities and sending some crashing into the sea—
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"Atlantis!" There was an aggrieved sigh.
"Yes, Atlantis- and many others, most of which have been lost to time. Shall I continue?" There was a tentative pause and then a sheepish voice.
"Yes. Sorry."
-_-_-_-_Page-Break-_-_-_-_-
The fight was long and bloody but, in the end, we prevailed. We locked them in the deepest, coldest pits of Tartarus, right next to the Primordials that had been imprisoned there before them.
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This time, Natasha spoke up.
"If they were such big threats, why not kill them? Assuming gods can die, that is." Hades hummed, mouth curling with deep pain.
"Gods can die- Titans cannot. Titans existed before humans and are defined by nature. They draw their life from it. To kill one is to unravel a part of nature itself, effectively ending the world. Our best option was to lock them away." His eyes flashed with ageless pain, the air around him cooling as he recalled the darkest days of his existence. "If I could strike each of them down without unmaking the planet, I would do so in a heartbeat."
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We ruled for centuries, eventually earning the title "The Pantheon" from the mortals who paid us tribute. Our numbers grew, gods born and made as time wore on. We guarded the humans and the planet, staying true to the purpose we had been created for and flourishing.
History, however, often repeats itself.
One by one, the Pantheon strayed from their purposes, turning to depravity much as our predecessors had. Titles that were meant to be passed on, were not. Mortals were sacrificed and hunted for sport. Petty wages were made, resulting in the deaths of hundreds- entire cultures wiped out by strife we created. The more they strayed from their purpose, the weaker each god became. Despite my wife and I's warnings, they each convinced themselves that their power came from the worship and adulation of the mortals, demanding more and more elaborate tribute in an attempt to bolster their waning powers. In the midst of our decline, two things happened.
The first, is that someone began to free the Titans.
The second, is that the Fates predicted our deaths.
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"I didn't think gods could die. Isn't 'immortality' a part of the whole 'god package'?" Hades sighed, running a tired hand over his face before answering Sam's question.
"We can be killed- though not in the traditional sense or in the traditional means. No mortal weapon can harm us, but an immortal one will kill us. Certain primordial monsters can kill us as well." He shifted in place, eyes and shoulders tense. "As for our deaths…"
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When a god dies, their form is destroyed. Their memories, their personality, their skills- all obliterated. Their purpose is passed on, reincarnating in other forms, each form more powerful than the last until they eventually ascend into godhood. The more powerful we were, the quicker the passage was- as was the case when Helios was killed. His power transferred to Apollo almost immediately, the Ascension nearly instantaneous. As I said, however, the Pantheon was the weakest it had ever been.
And the Titans were coming.
If we died, it could be centuries before anyone was powerful enough to oppose them. Rather than risk the fate of the planet on the slow process of reincarnation, Hera conferred with the Fates and devised a "cheat". Each of the most powerful of the Pantheon would place a piece of their souls in a trinket- a concentrated piece of themselves that contained their memories, skills, and powers. It would act as a "fast forward" button on the natural process, taking the "worthy" and ascending them to godhood.
As I am the god of the Underworld, my fate is tied to death itself- as such, I cannot die in any sense. I simply reappear in the Underworld, existing as a shade for a time. Because of this fact, Zeus entrusted the items to me, giving orders that, should the worst happen, I travel the world and find the "worthy".
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Hades paused, absently reaching up to touch a strange red flower pendant hanging from his neck. Once again, the same ageless pain appeared on his face, grey eyes sharp with remembered agony and fathomless grief. Before anyone could comment, he gently cleared his throat, the very faintest traces of mischief appearing in his eyes.
"Hera had created the items herself, each with what the god defined as 'worthy'- all of which were terribly skewed. My brother, for instance, wanted the most powerful man on the planet to have his power. What he failed to realize, is that such a man would be a terrible fit for the god of the sky, far too focused on earthly means to be true to his purpose and, therefore, truly powerful." He shrugged, a tiny, mischievous grin on his face. "So I meddled." From her spot in Thor's lap, Jane snorted.
"Yeah, no shit, Haddy." For some reason, this set Darcy off, the brunette absolutely cackling at her friend's dry tone. Pedro, who'd been perched in her lap, quickly hopped off of her before he was unseated, grumbling in the way that dog's do while sniffing around the crowded living room. Hades shrugged again, looking completely unrepentant.
"I 'tweaked' her spell, making 'worthiness' mean what it was meant to- someone worthy of the title they were meant to hold." Darkness came upon his expression, mouth twisting in a scowl as he continued his story.
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The Titans were unleashed, by who and for what is still uncertain, and a great battle took place. As we'd had ample time to prepare, we were able to defeat the Titans again, this time with more elaborate seals and protections than the first time, each designed and hidden by a separate god so that no one person knew how to open the gates.
Our victory came at a terrible price.
Olympus was decimated and nearly all of the gods were killed- some obliterated so completely that their bodies were never found. In the aftermath, Hera fled the field and stole the items from me, disappearing with them, never to be seen again.
-_-_-_-_Page-Break-_-_-_-_-
Hades paused, eyes focusing on Rose. The blonde shifted in her seat, heart pounding as her realization hit her.
"Not until me." Pedro, completely unaware of the tension in the room, awkwardly trotted up to Rose's feet and scratched at her legs. Head reeling, she absently reached down and put the dog in her lap, petting at the tiny pup as her mind raced. "I saw her- that jewelry store! You're saying that was actually Hera?" Hades nodded, arms crossed as he thought aloud.
"It was. Athena and I have come to the conclusion that the goddess is fulfilling the purpose given to me- namely traveling the world and finding the worthy, the trinkets shifting to whatever the 'worthy' would find appealing." He shifted in his seat before pointing at Athena, the pastel haired woman watching the proceedings with a flat expression. "The first of which, was Athena- an apt name, as it were. Athena discovered her item as a child, sometime around 1960. I felt the surge of power and took her under my wing." Something bitter flashed over the woman's face, her golden eyes squinting just the tiniest bit before her expression forcefully relaxed. She popped her lips, waving her hand sarcastically.
"Yup. Turned into the goddess of wisdom and warfare by a shitty owl pendant." She tapped at her right hip, the area faintly flashing pastel purple. "Got a nifty tattoo, too." Hades snorted, looking amused by Athena's characterization.
"It's more of a brand- but yes. The surge of power does leave a mark. The second to Ascend, was Dr. Foster." The large blonde woman gave a half-hearted wave, absently tapping the center of her chest where a silver lightning bolt rested, the symbol shining electrically before fading again. Rose squinted incredulously, eyes darting between the large blonde woman's face and the brand.
"Are you saying that Dr. Foster is Zeus? Isn't that supposed to, you know, be a guy?" Jane raised an amused brow, pale eyes shining mischievously.
"How do you know that I'm not?" Rose gaped at her, eyes darting between her face and the other woman's chest as she did rabid calculations in her head. After the sixth time Rose glanced at her breasts, the statuesque blonde began to snicker, eyes crinkling with mirth. "I'm kidding, Rosie. I'm definitely female- mentally and biologically." The physicist shrugged. "I guess reincarnation doesn't really care about gender." Hades nodded at her assessment, looking just as amused as Dr. Foster did.
"My brother is correct. The title was passed on to the one most worthy of it. Gender has no bearing on it. I can think of no better guardian of the skies than our Dr. Foster." At this point, Thor piped up, looking a combination of smug and unbearably proud.
"Don't forget the thunder! King of the skies and thunder."
That explains all of the fried equipment.
Their sex is literally electric.
She must have said the second part aloud because Jane suddenly flushed brilliantly, sputtering indignantly while hiding her face with her hands. Thor just became more smug.
"Indeed. My Jane is a passionate creature. It is fitting, then, that she is the bearer of such a powerful element. She is a goddess in all ways, a truly divine being-" Thor was cut off by Jane's hand over his mouth. The doctor's earlier embarrassment had disappeared in the wake of her boyfriend's exuberant gushing, fond exasperation taking its place.
"Thor, dear, I think she gets the point." When the massive blonde man just beamed at her in response, Jane rolled her eyes, removing her hand to place a smiling kiss on his lips. "Thank you for the compliments, but I think Hades was trying to get to a point." Hades just waved her off, looking both pleased and pained at his "brother's" happiness.
"It is quite all right, brother. Your consort is not wrong." The god shifted in his seat, idly gesturing to a snickering Darcy. "The third to Ascend, was Darcy. Or, more accurately, Darcy and her twin." At the mention of her brother's "ascension", the laughter slid off of Darcy's face, a frown curling the edges of her full lips. The brunette tapped at her right wrist, the arrow on it flashing silver at the contact.
"Yup. Goddess of the moon and the hunt at your service." Rose made an eager noise, wiggling in her chair and nearly dislodging the dog napping in her lap.
"Oh! The 'hunt'! That explains the whole…" The blonde put her hands up in fake "claws", making ridiculous hissing and growling noises while "scratching" at the air. The somberness melted off of Darcy's face, fond amusement taking its place.
"Please stop before you hurt yourself." Rose a raspberry in her direction before letting out another fake growl.
Darcy responded with an actual growl.
Rather than be frightened by the animalistic display, the blonde let out an excited squeal, clapping her hands.
"Oh that's so cool!" She gasped, wiggling in place before spewing out rapid fire questions. "Do you have a bow too? Do you have moon powers? Does that mean your brother is Apollo? Wait, no, of course he is! With the whole-" She mimed an explosion, making "fire" noises with her mouth and then wiggling her fingers like she was performing "magic". The brunette snorted, eyebrows raised as she took in her friend's ridiculous acting. Her boyfriends were both desperately holding back laughter, halfheartedly dodging the blonde's flailing as Rose continued her "demonstration". After one final "explosion", Rose finished with a huge grin, completely oblivious to her friend's entertained spectating. Once she was sure that the petite blonde was done, Darcy drily answered her.
"In order- yes, yes, yes, and please do that in front of Damian. I need it." Rose just blinked at her before shrugging.
Why does she want me to do that in front of her brother?
….You're actually an idiot, aren't you?
What?
Suddenly, the fact that we died today seems less and less shocking. Clearly Darwin was just trying to fix a mistake.
Shaking off the thought, Rose shifted her focus back to Hades, a consternated frown on her face.
"This has all been super revealing, but I'm not quite sure what this has to do with me." The god raised a bemused brow.
"Come now, Rose. Surely you must have some idea." The blonde gritted her teeth, anxiously petting the dog in her lap.
"I think that you're implying that I'm some sort of goddess now- which is just patently ridiculous." Rather than argue with her, Hades hummed, eyeing her speculatively.
"Tell me, Rose, what were you thinking about before the ocean swallowed you?" The frown on her face disappeared, a brilliant flush taking its place as she spluttered at him. Hades just watched her placidly, waiting for the blonde to answer him. When it looked like the god of the Underworld was bent on patiently waiting for her answer, Rose slumped, resolutely staring at the ground while anxiously petting the dog snoring in her lap. Her face still bright red, she mumbled her reply.
"My boyfriends. I was thinking about Steve and Bucky." Steve gave her a besotted look, tenderly nudging her shoulder with his own before placing a gentle hand on her leg. Bucky gave her an equally besotted look, shifting slightly and placing a warm hand on her lower back. Bolstered by the gentle touches, Rose shot them both a small smile from behind the curtain of her hair, face flushed a rosy pink. Hades nodded at her, shifting slightly in his seat until his forearms rested on his elbows.
"And that necklace you had? The rose-gold swan? Where is it?" Rose absently reached up and touched at her throat, patting the spot where the swan used to rest before sliding over to the swan branded just over her heart. The bird flashed a pearlescent pink in response, it's feather shifting restlessly before settling down again. Hades gave her a tiny smile, nodding at the flash of color. "I'm not implying anything, Rose Grey. I am stating a fact. You are a goddess reborn. And I know exactly which one. The swan? The sea foam? You, my dear girl, are Aphrodite- the goddess of love and beauty."
Rose feels something inside her snap.
She shifts restlessly in her seat, shoulders shaking as she laughs bitterly, eyeing the god seated across from her with incredulity.
"Are you fucking high? Me? Me? The goddess of beauty? Have you looked at me? I barely classify as a fucking person. I'm this broken, misshapen, thing—" She's cut off by Bucky, his voice a sharp bark.
"Hey! Enough." Rose jerked to stare at him, teeth gritted, periwinkle blue eyes desperately blinking back tears. The brunet lurched forward, gently placing his metal hand underneath her chin and forcing her to look at him. "I want you to fucking listen to me. You are not a thing. You are the kindest, most loving, most beautiful woman I have ever met. Nobody gets to say otherwise- not even you, baby doll." He leaned forward and tenderly rested his forehead against her own, tracing her nose with his before pulling back and placing a soft kiss on her now tear stained cheeks. Steve gave her a leg a commiserative squeeze, leaning more heavily into her side and pressing a kiss into the side of her head. He only leaned back enough to whisper into her hair, his voice a soft grumble only meant for the three of them.
"Damn right. You've always been a goddess, Rose, magic jewelry or no." Rose swallowed wetly, shutting her eyes and focusing on her breathing in an attempt to calm herself down. Her heart was a beautiful, throbbing weight in her chest, bliss and pain mixing in a way that she had become wholly addicted to.
She loved them both so fucking much.
Every time she hit a new low, they were to lift her up high again. Both of them called her "angel" and, she thought, if that were true? They were her wings.
Hades cleared his throat gently, regretfully breaking up the touching scene the trio made. He was genuinely happy that his "niece" had found the love she had always craved- in this life and her last. Aphrodite had been a vain, lonely creature at the end of her life. The woman had only one great love in her life- her son- and the boy had been just as vain as she was, though ten times more vicious.
"Rose, my dear, I believe you missed the point. Your perceived physical beauty is not why the necklace chose you. Vanity is considered a sin for a reason- a sin that your predecessor wallowed in. Aphrodite's vanity was her weakness and, ultimately, her downfall." The dark haired god sighed, running a tired hand down his face. "She, along with my wife, were the first to die in the battle against the Titans. Both of them were crippled in different ways, though Aphrodite's vulnerability was her own doing." He gave the petite blonde a crooked smile, grey eyes crinkling slightly as they took her in.
"If Aphrodite had her way, her gifts would have gone to the most physically beautiful woman on the planet- one no doubt just as selfish and vain as she was. Instead, I focused on the aspect that should have made her one of the most powerful gods among us- the thing she was almost completely incapable of feeling." Across the room, Wanda sucked in a revelatory breath, eyeing the slouched blonde with a small smile.
"Love. You focused on love- that makes so much sense." When Rose gave her a confused look, the smile on the brunette's face widened, blue-green eyes glittering with fondness. "The first time I entered your mind, little flower, I was awed by the depth of your feelings. Every emotion was shockingly deep and piercing- oceans compared to the pools other people felt. The greatest emotion? The one that colored nearly every memory? It was your love, Rose- your compassion. You give every person you meet a piece of your heart, regardless of consequence or pain. You are love, my little flower. Selfless, protective, passionate- I could think of no one better to wield such a title." Hades gave the witch a nod, shifting Rose's focus back to him.
"Indeed, your friend is correct. The necklace was meant to go to one who wore their heart on their sleeve- someone steeped in and capable of the three most powerful kinds of love." The brunet counted off on his hand. "Familial, fraternal, and romantic. Only when you'd shown yourself capable of all three, would you Ascend." Rose flushed brilliantly, awkwardly taking in the praise being heaped on her. Before she could open her mouth to argue (and probably end up getting shaken by both of her boyfriends), Hades interrupted her, voice almost boyishly mischievous. "Besides all of that, I'd like to use your own words against you for a moment. Have you seen you, Rose?" The petite blonde gave him a confused frown, glancing down at her body with furrowed brows.
"What do you mean? I mean, I noticed I got taller, and my hair is longer. Oh! And then there's-" she absently reached up and cupped her breasts, completely oblivious to the strangled noises both Steve and Bucky made, "-these bad boys. I haven't really had the inclination to look in a mirror just yet." Irritated with all of her moving, Pedro let out a high pitched yip, wiggling in an exasperated manner in her lap. Darcy perked up at the high pitched noise, scanning the room for her dog. After a moment she finally spotted the three legged pup curled up on Rose's thighs. She sucked in a startled breath, eyes widening before shooting up from her relaxed position to squeal in excitement.
"Rose! Oh my god, Rose!" The blonde shot her a startled look, shoulders tightening as she glanced around to see what had her friend so excited. Darcy pointed exuberantly at her lap, a beaming smile on her face as she danced in place. "You're holding my dog!"
Rose blinked at her.
Right. I am holding her dog.
….holy shit.
What? What am I missing?
You're holding a dog.
Yes?
You're holding a dog and you haven't broken into hives! No swollen eyes! No itchy throat!
Rose made a strangled noise, shaking off Steve and Bucky's hands as she shot up from her seat and bounded over the coffee table, sprinting towards the nearest mirror. Her sudden movement sent the tiny dog flying, three legs flailing as he pin-wheeled through the air with an indignant yelp. Before the pooch could slam into the floor, Hades lurched forward and caught the tiny dog, running a soothing hand down his back as he watched the blonde skitter gracelessly down the hall.
Rose was completely oblivious to Pedro's ignoble flight, heart racing as she bounded towards the bedroom where she'd changed into her beach dress. She slammed into the door, ignoring the way the wood splintered under her indelicate grip as she raced towards the bamboo framed mirror in the corner.
She's not at all prepared for what she sees.
From the tips of her dainty toes to the top of her golden head, every inch of her is a masterwork of delicacy and beauty. Irish golden skin stretches sinuously over sensuous curves, her muscles shifting elegantly as she rotates to take in her body. What had once been boyish and pixie-like was now a near perfect hourglass, something curvy without being obscene. Her hair (which she'd been dimly aware of) was an artful mess of waves and golden curls, the locks so long that they nearly hit her waist.
Her face was the most jarring part.
She had starred at her reflection more times than she could count, picking apart her features with practiced cruelty that no bully could ever hope to touch. She'd eyed her too small eyes and too big nose with contempt, hated the crooked, misshapen mess of her jaw and cheeks, and loathed the awkward, thin tilt of her lips.
It was all gone.
In its place was something heart-shaped and almost perfectly symmetrical, a petite button nose accentuated by full lips and high cheek bones. Thin, elegant brows rested above almond-shaped eyes, thick-lashes blinking comically as she took everything in.
The woman staring back at her is a stranger.
The only thing that had stayed the same was the color of her eyes- periwinkle blue and completely, hopelessly, lost.
Logically she knows she should be happy at the transformation. All her life she'd dreamed of what it would be like to be beautiful. As she was now, no one would ever mistake her for a boy again. She looked like a Disney princess come to life, some air-brushed celebrity made flesh, her perceived flaws wiped clean by sea foam and magic.
Logically she should be ecstatic at the change.
She's not.
Her real feelings are…complicated.
She had only just begun to feel comfortable in her body, accepting her flaws and maybe beginning to love them. The sudden change left her feeling alien in a way she never had before, like she was standing in a stranger's skin. It's abruptly terrifying and disorienting, anxiety skittering under her skin like fire ants under her flesh.
Steve and Bucky should at least be happy, now. Hell, they probably like you better this way.
The thought nearly sends her to her knees, pain vibrating from her bones like the resonance from a tuning fork. Already crippled by the sudden change in her body, Rose decides to temporarily ignore the nagging thought, instead closing her eyes and just focusing on the feel of her new body.
The first thing she notices is her breath. Each time she inhales, her lunges inflate completely, no strain or wheeze accompanying her every exhalation. She shifts her focus to the rest of her body, honing in on each section and analyzing the sensations.
The second thing she notices is the beating of her heart, its rhythm strong and steady as it thunders in her chest. The pacemaker, ugly, raised, and necessary is gone, the organ firing by itself as it pumps blood through her veins.
The third, and most significant thing, is the lack of pain. For as long as Rose could recall, some part of her hurt. Her hips. Her back. Her chest. Every moment of her day was an exercise in her pain tolerance, the simple things that people took for granted (like walking) causing her no end of discomfort. With her cancer returned, that agony had only gotten worse, though numbness had followed in its wake.
Now there's nothing.
No aches. No cramping. No twinges or throbbing.
The numbness that had terrified her was gone.
She's only aware she's crying when she finally opens her eyes, a beaming smile appearing on her face as she sobs with pure joy. For the first time in her life, she was healthy. If her unintentional experiment with Pedro was anything to go by, even her allergies were gone.
More importantly, if the lack of numbness was anything to go by, her cancer was gone.
Grinning at her reflection, Rose clapped a hand over her mouth and squealed with elation, exuberantly dancing in place. She wasn't sure about this whole "goddess" business, or about the way she looked, but she was sure of one thing.
Her bucket list just got a whole lot longer.
_~_~_Author's-Note_~_~_~
Surprise! TWO updates this week! I know the formatting was a little funky this week, but I hope y'all don't mind too much! We finally have some answers! So? Thoughts? Comments? Favorite lines? I love hearing from you guys!