Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Fifty-Seven
"The deepest part of the Alpha Galaxy…"
Pluto nodded and looked into the nothingness ahead of her, "The Underworld is at the very bottom of the heavenly realm—Olympus." She turned her face to the prince with a worried look, "To get there, you will have to face many demons first. What you are attempting to do is madness, you are condemning yourself to be tied to that place for all eternity. God Hades may not be a cruel god but he is certainly one with great power and it is no secret that he has been wanting to lock you in his realm for too long."
"It can't be helped Pluto," Endymion absently rested his left hand over the hilt of his sword and closed his eyes for a minute, "Serenity can't be in such penumbra—she is a deity made from light and if I am the reason she's there then I am going to be the reason for her to be freed," he turned to look at the senshi of time and revolution, "You better than anyone knows this,"
"And I also know the consequences of you going into that realm—of what you are asking me to do,"
"I should not be a priority to you, Pluto. It has to be done, one way or another. Right now, I need to find Asteria—I need to know where she hides."
Pluto bit her lower lip and looked at her garnet stone, "To think a titan would turn corrupt—it baffles me,"
"Not all titans have good intentions just as not all gods have good hearts, Pluto. In the end, they all have power as a common interest," Endymion mumbled with disgust by the truth in his words, "The best we can do now is to be one of those few who fight for the right cause and balance the scale, even if it is on a minimal rate."
"You are aware," Pluto turned to the prince no longer masking the surprise in her voice, "You know you are not a demigod—you understand why you have been treated as a threat for thousands of years."
"I am treated as such because I defy their laws of nature because by being a descendant of titans and by those who were given mortality, I am my own kind; it is a threat to them for me to be tied to a powerful goddess like Serenity. Our union is a sin to them and if she ever bares a child—our child, it would be considered heresy." his blue eyes darkened as he turned to look at her, "No child should be considered such a thing…"
The mention of the heir to their dynasty and power knitted with longing in his voice softened Pluto's heart. It suited that he would mention a pregnancy in the princess' life as a wavering possibility now that he was about to do the unthinkable and put his own future at risk. As she looked down at the gusts of wind behind the open gates of time and space, Pluto thought how much it worried her because she has met that child and because she has loved that child more than she ever imagined she would. Up until this day, she dearly keeps the image of that beautiful girl with sparkling eyes so full of curiosity and innocent mischief mirroring her parent's care and deep love for her, living by their example. That child was proof of the deep love and trust they had for one another; that little girl was who she remembered the king say on numerous occasions: the best of both. And he was right because unlike gods, that little princess was born from a union based in love, far away from prejudice and disregard for anyone's nature. She was being taught to be fair, kind, loyal to others, and to never treat anyone with arrogance or inferiority. She was growing up to be a graceful lady—like her name, and she was certain that if destiny decided to bring her into this life, she was going to continue their legacy with honor and pride.
It was interesting to see, that aside from her mother's obvious and given beauty and grace, she could now see where that sharp and fearless character came from. Her unwavering decision to travel through time all the way to the past in order to save her future. Not many could see much of her father in her, the beauty was a given, and even that, it resembled more the one of the lunar queen's. Maybe there were a few features that copied her father's like her straight nose, the small widow's peak on her hairline, or the almond shape of her alluring plum-colored eyes. But now that she had the prince in front of her, talking to her this way Pluto could see that the resemblance was something that came from within: her guts, her poise, the way she speaks her mind at times, her will, her fearless character and determination, her mannerisms—that was all her father's heritage.
Being the daughter of the lord of time granted her the means to know more than the rest; she has seen the many strings of fate weaving themselves to become a reality and she has seen so many of them that it has become difficult for her to grasp on to one as the real one. Time is funny like that, and so it's fate.
Seeing them living in that future made an impact on Pluto; she wanted them to be lifted from that curse and judgment. She wanted to live in that future where the moon princess would take her mother's throne and follow her steps as the beautiful queen she is meant to be with her loving husband, the terran king, ruling by her side. She wanted to see their heiress' big, beautiful eyes looking at her, always so full of curiosity and mischief; she wanted that small princess to become a reality and not just a vision or a possibility but to do that, there was still much to be done and now, uncertainty had the advantage.
It was uncertain—everything. That was the irony of being tied to the strings of time; you would see many things but you wouldn't know what will become true or not, not even she, the descendant of time itself could know what was going to happen next. In the end, the Crystal Tokyo she knew happened behind the gates of time and space was just a result of many decisions they made in their string of fate and not an actual reality, again, it was a vision full of possible maybes. Time had a lot of doors and the universe being as infinite as time proved that just because they witnessed it once it didn't mean it was set in stone; not even her own future. She was not supposed to leave her post yet she did, she was born to endure the strains and changes in time and yet, she died and was reborn looping her life in the exact moment Queen Serenity used the power of the silver crystal to send all of them into the future, their present era—again, time is funny like that.
In her time at the gates, she has never really known how Crystal Tokyo came to exist or how it was built, she just knew it did after a long battle and that it was Neo-Queen Serenity who built that new future with the power of the silver crystal, but now, another page to the story and many truths she didn't know were being been unveiled. It was not about just the silver crystal or the moon princess anymore, it was also about the prince and the dynasty he is a descendant from. This time, there is another crystal involved, one that could surpass the mystical power of the silver one due to its raw and savage energy; the one that came directly from the Sun and it has been guarded for thousands of years by those with titan blood.
Titan blood—not even she knew she was a descendant of titans until she was old enough to understand why her power and abilities were different from the other senshi. She always heard Chronos being addressed as the god or lord of time, but never as a titan. She knew the fates of the titans, she knew about the great war that brought their kind to dismal and that some of them were either trapped somewhere in the underworld or had been completely annihilated. Now, after years of speculation and confusion, it has come to the light the truth about why the terran goddess' actions were condemned and labeled as high treason to their kind and why her child was considered a sin—he has titan blood. Unlike many demigods Zeus' had created with mortals over the centuries and that have gotten their lives either spared or ignored, the princes' birth could not be easily ignored because not only was not part of their divine world but also because he was a link between two forbidden kinds: mortals and titans. That is why his existence baffled everyone, that is why he was not supposed to live and that is why he has been considered a threat to all of them because not only he continues the lineage they tried to destroy, he was granted their power despite being raised like a human being and the fact that he was trained to be a skilled warrior that matched those in the heavens only made matters more atrocious to them. The birth of the terran prince represented their biggest fear and loathe: the rebirth of an ancient and powerful kind. One that once ruled the divine world and that was taken by the gods, the same gods she served and swore her loyalty to. Gods like Queen Serenity, Gods like Ares, Gods like her own mother.
Gods.
Were gods the true villains to this story? —Pluto thought with bitterness. Were gods the true enemy? Is that why her father asked her to be of help in the future? Is that why he said he was going to help his kind before he left? Who was he going to help? How many titans are still out there? The time senshi turned to look at the prince with that question echoing in her mind: where they the only ones left? And, if that was it, if they were the only titans left, she had to do something in any way she could to protect the good of their offspring.
It was time.
This is why her father always reminded her that despite having a great power she had to remain humble and loyal to those who shared her ideals in preserving the good left in their realm. She had to fight for good, she had to do good, and now, she has come to a point where good was not taking sides with the gods and she had to listen to the voice of reason and follow what felt right in her heart. The perfect example was standing next to her ready to throw his life to the beasts in order to save what's most precious to him—his goddess wife.
The times when a race defined someone's value were long gone now; the reason why gods took charge of the divine world will probably remain a mystery to her but the truth is that it was no longer a way to live. A change was needed to be done, that she was sure of and the man standing next to her with determination in his eyes was more than proof of that.
"Thank you, Pluto." Endymion turned to look at her with the faintest of smiles, silently letting her know he was well aware of the dangers and probable outcome of his journey but without complaint or hesitation, he threw himself into the void below him and disappeared into the darkness of the warp that would take him to his next destination.
Pluto raised her garnet rod and looked down at the infinity below her and closed the large, heavy gates. She closed her tear-glossed eyes and took a deep breath, "Father… if you are out there… somewhere, if my voice reaches you… please, aid him on his journey."
O—o—O
A pair of dazzling violet eyes snapped open with surprise the minute she felt a new presence entering what she considered her turf. Eris, the goddess of discord, turned her attention to one of her dark mirrors that monitored the outskirts of Alpha—close to the gates of the underworld where she used to serve as one of Hades' keepers and where she had her passionate encounters with Ares before moving to his palace, as his wife.
After their last encounter and very much forced separation from the god of war, Eris returned to her home in the underworld to continue torturing and punishing those souls with unfinished business in the realm of the dead. Being her own kind of deity, her judgment was always unpredictable and erratic making her more dangerous than she appeared. With the title of the siren of torment, Eris was famous for taking advantage of the fear of those souls that didn't even know had died and take whatever she felt was worthy to possess, sometimes taking their offerings to the gods and condemning them to an uncertain fate. Her beauty was alluring and she was aware of it, making it her constant weapon of choice to trap more lost souls and feed on them, being this the sole reason why Ares always returned to her no matter how many times he disappeared in the past. "Ah… that energy," she mumbled as she slowly moved away from her satin chaise chair in her chambers and went to stand in front of one of her mirrors; Eris traced the intricate bone frame and smiled with mischief knowing exactly what this meant, "I know it—so familiar..."
With all the grace and mysticism that characterized the dark goddess, she turned on her heel and pushed back her long silk cape exposing her deep red gown, contrasting beautifully against her milky alabaster skin. Her deep blood red lips curved even more with pleasure "Well, this is going to be interesting," she muttered and turned to look over her shoulder at the pair of eyes glistening in the dark and cracked a subtle laugh.
O—o—O
The effects of traveling through many warp holes and stages in time and space were beginning to manifest as the terran prince continued to fall down into the heavy pit Pluto opened for him to travel to the very core of the Alpha Galaxy. At this point, he no longer had an idea of what was going on, he wasn't sure if he was falling or just being pulled to some other place in space; like the senshi of time had warned him, he was going to be challenged in many ways both physically and mentally and he had started to understand what she meant.
After a confusing amount of time—Endymion wasn't sure anymore—he finally felt he was finally standing on solid ground but the vision ahead was still uncertain. Whenever he turned, there was heavy and chilling fog making it hard for him to know which direction he was going leaving him with no other choice but to follow his instinct. Not long after, a slurping sound quickly warned Endymion he was not alone and that just like Pluto said, it was going to take a lot of skill and power to break into Hades' realm.
"Ah... a visitor—visitor? Yes, a visitor... here? Yes, here—interesting,"
Endymion continued to walk in silence ignoring the voices that clearly were aware of his presence; he quickly jerked back when he felt a hand slightly pressing his left shoulder for a brief moment, taking him off guard. He turned quickly and frowned when he saw no one standing next to him but he could clearly listen a hoarse breathing close and then another voice echoing in the nothingness.
"Yes, it is real... a real one,"
"Oh? A real one..."
"Yes, yes..."
He turned to look over his shoulder and frowned when he found no one behind, "Oh, it has heard us..." He heard another eerie voice joining the other four in the conversation. "Interesting..."
"Interesting..."
"Interesting..."
"What are you doing here?"
"Do not scare it away!"
"No... no... it should not come close—it should not come close, it is too dangerous,"
"What are you doing here?!"
"Shh... hush, hush..."
"Why don't you show your face and save us all some time," Endymion muttered with defiance. "Ah, I see..." the fog finally cleared revealing a lean and tall entity wearing a white cloak over a tunic of the same impeccable color; *their androgynous look and beauty concealed *their dangerous nature to perfection as *they combed *their long black hair back. "What an interesting soul..." the androgyny clicked *their tongue as they* moved closer to the prince. "And I can understand why..."
"Who are you?" Endymion narrowed his eyes; the cloaked androgyny snickered, "Oh, me? Well... I have many names, but I am more interested as to why you are here." Their face changed abruptly to one of sadness and shook their head, "Do not scare him away... it is—" their face changed again to into one of pure lust, "Something to keep us very occupied for quite some time... what a beautiful creature..." Like a hungry hyena, the androgyny quickly vanished and appeared behind the prince and took a long sniff, catching him off guard "Oh—that scent, so addictive," they smirked then began sobbing out of the blue, "Why did you never answered my question?"
Endymion narrowed his eyes and turned to look at *them, "I wasn't aware that I needed to expose my reasons for being here to you."
"Ah... a feisty one that is..." the androgyny arched their brow and clicked their tongue again several times, "Which makes it more delicious,"
"What?"
"Your soul—" they pointed an unnatural long finger at Endymion and wiggled it with enthusiasm, "It is still attached to your body—Eat it! Eat it—now!" They hissed and shook their head again, "—No, noooo... it is so pretty... can we keep it? Noo, nooo, it is scary..." the excitement in their voice went from sadness to anxiety and to pure sexual lust in a matter of seconds, making their personality even more unnerving "—Yes, yes! Let us keep it! I want it for myself!"
At this point, Endymion was more than aware the deity in front of him had split personalities and that all wanted to steal the spotlight at the same time. The way their beautiful but unnatural and elongated face shifted from different emotions in a matter of seconds was disturbing to see, almost grotesque. "You are indeed one with a very interesting soul, delicious I must add—"
Endymion's face darkened, "I am not your pet,"
A new addition to the list of personalities made its introduction with a heavy, raspy chuckle, "You are certainly not a pet—I know what you are." they smiled and tilted their head to the side until their bones cracked as they studied the prince's face, "Yes... yes… unmistakable..."
"I am very much aware of what I am at this point—it's all you can think about and it is starting to become old. I don't have time for this." Endymion turned on his heel, ignoring the androgyny's fiery glare. They immediately reacted to his disinterest and crawled across the floor and blocked the prince's path. The more time it passed, the more the androgynous left their humanoid body and morphed into a more unnatural long-limbed creature with vacant eyes and pale, very pale skin. "Titan blood runs through those warm veins but there is a soul attached to that body—you still have not perished... yet," the now demon smirked, showing its sharp needle-like teeth "I am hungry—Noooo it is so pretty! You promised! —Nobody promised anything..." their eyes began to gleam blood red, "I just want to take that body and make it mine..." they looked at the prince with a creepy, demonic smirk "Your soul is condemned—your soul is mine! That soul!. Give it to me!"
"Give it to me!"
"Give it to me!"
"Please..."
"Give it to me! Me—no, me—Me!—Me!"
"Now—now!"
"Now"
"Now"
"Now!
"Now,"
"NOW!"
Endymion's eyes widened when he heard the creatures' bones cracking and its body starting to bend and split into several other entities accompanied by the highest and most disturbing howling sound he has ever heard in his life. There was suffering inside that one body and it was clearly in pain from the morphing transition but it also seemed to enjoy it—it was too disturbing.
The first to come out was Grief; with its long dark hair still wet from the viscosity that kept them fused into one body. Followed by it was Anxiety, with a similar appearance but with a much more abnormal proportioned body and a deep cut across its long face. Disease was the third to come out with a loud painful howl; its rotten flesh rotten fell into pieces, similar to the tar from the army of shadows they had fought on Earth. The next to come out was Fear showing its pale long face and deep dark circles around its vacant eyes. Hunger, looked at the terran prince and ran its long pointy tongue across its rotten sharp teeth, savoring the taste of his flesh and bones. Death stood next to Agony, both similar in appearance, long stretched bodies with long sharp nails. Anxiety fixed its white eyes on Endymion and howled as it turned its head in 180 degrees with a loud, cracking sound of its bones and lastly but not less horrible was Lust—the androgyny deity Endymion met in the beginning. Their eyes were not red anymore but completely black, contrasting with their white tunic and unlike the others, Lust levitated and tilted their head from one side to the other in a quick motion like a monster studying its prey's movements.
"Now... who told you that you could go through these grounds with such ease? Who told you could escape alive?! That soul attached to you—it is mine to have!" The androgyny dashed towards Endymion, being the first to attack and drew out its long, rusty claws. The prince quickly blocked the sharp nails with his sword, but even he had to admit that the demon was stronger than he imagined. "Ah... so the living creature has some strength in it?" Lust smirked and licked their sharp teeth, "Are you going to lure me into shredding that beautiful body of yours to pieces just to get to your soul?"
Endymion narrowed his eyes and kicked Lust with his knee, but his attention was immediately fixed on Anxiety and then Disease who were throwing themselves at him just as aggressively as Lust. "My soul is not yours to have," Endymion growled and clashed his sword against Grief's long claws and used his leg to kick the demon right in its face and sent it away with force, making it screech and howl in pain, "What a nuisance..." The prince muttered with disgust and glared at Disease, who was crawling towards him at incredible speed and jumped high out of its way and slashed its chest with his sword. He widened his eyes when his body began to slow down and become heavy, almost unresponsive to his command. Endymion turned over his shoulder and was met face to face with Agony, who was wrapping itself all over him like a second skin, "There is darkness in you," the demon exposed its sharp teeth and hissed like a hungry snake, "It is nested—right—here." its long fingers curled around the prince's chest as it moved its face closer, "Why are you so troubled, eh? I can taste the hate,"
Endymion tried to fight the creature off his body but it clung like a shadow over him, pulling him down to the ground. He looked up and saw Death leaning close to him and closed his eyes with disgust when he felt its hot, rapid breathing in his ear, "I promise it will be painful," the demon whispered with a creepy grin on its face and laughed, taking his jaw with force "Look at me! Look how I quench my hunger with your soul,"
Endymion shook his head and tried to shake the feeling of possession falling over him. By now, he could barely feel his limbs, his hands, and the heartbeat in his chest; he heard their laughter and howling cries—the pleasure of being pinned down by their long, rusty and bloodied claws. At this moment he was theirs, he was being controlled; he growled when he felt a sharp sting in his chest and for a minute he could swear the feeling of his skin being burned and pulled apart—dissecting every muscle and every nerve in his body.
"Endymion,"
The prince heard a soft call in the very back of his mind and visualized a soft glow synchronizing with the sweet echo of its calling quickly soothing the pain and nausea fermenting in his body. It was the same voice he heard back at the corridors of space and time, singing his name and guiding his path. "Wake up..."
Death turned like a rabid beast at Disease and hissed when Fear made its way to sit on top of the prince and looked down at him, "Look at me..."
"Wake up, Endymion…"
Endymion felt he was about to lose himself when a sudden rush of anger took over him when the image of the moon princess being wrapped in dirty chains and dragged to hell came to his mind.
"Endymion…"
The sound of her desperate cries of fear and the horrified look in her always loving eyes shook his very core and returned him to reason. "Salvum me," (Get off me) he growled and shrugged his shoulder with force to break free from the demons' grasp. Death's vacant eyes narrowed and pulled Endymion's hair to force him to look up, "LOOK AT ME!"
"Endymion!"
Endymion snapped his eyes open and glared at the demon with all the hatred and rage boiling inside him, feeling his sanity starting to leave him and being replaced with nothing else but a pure bloodlust and murder. "Et dixit: Ite. Sunt. Mihi!" (I said: Get. Off. Me!) he roared and grabbed the creature's hair and watched the sparks in his hands quickly ignite into golden flames, making it screech and jump away trying to appease the scorching blaze caught on it. The prince peered at Fear and Grief and turned his daring glare at them and also reached out to grab their slimy hair and set them in an unceasing fire. Without a second thought he jumped back on his feet and allowed his body to feed on the overpowering rage bursting in him and without a warning he leaped from side to side and swung his sword taking ownership over their heads with one sharp move and turned over his shoulder to see Anxiety and Lust fusing themselves into one cringing looking demon with its gooey flesh peeling down and quickly stormed after him. Endymion quickly took charge and ran towards it and jumped right when the creature was just feet away from him and extended out his hand and called for his power, "Tuxedo—La Smoking Bomber!" A much stronger beam shoot from his palm and pierced through the demon giving the prince the perfect window to raise his sword above his head and glided the blade through the creature's vivid flesh let it fall into two as he landed on the ground. With one last and brusque swing, he shook the dark gore from his weapon and looked down at the burnt corpses and slaughtered demons at his feet, "I said... I am not a pet," with one very memorized movement, the prince slid the deadly weapon on its sheath to scrape any remains of impurities before he proudly put it inside the sheath he kept tight and secure on his belt. He turned to look at the gates in the distance and walked towards them without a single trace of mercy in his eyes, "If I have to give in and become a demon just so I can save her... then so be it," the prince understood that to be able to survive in hell, he too, had to succumb and accept the darkness flowing in him. Endymion frowned as he finally crossed the entrance of the underworld and clenched his jaw with unwavering determination and rage, "So be it."
O—o—o—o—O
"In more related news, another strange attack has sprouted near the coast with the number of victims increasing to alarming rates. In Japan, close to Hokkaido, another disease has spread and taken with it several li—" Ami put the remote down after turning the television off and sat next to Zoisite with a worried look on her face, "I—I..." she shook her head and closed her eyes, "I can't... watch..." she turned to the blonde with tears in her eyes, "I can't watch this while knowing there is not much we can do in this very moment..."
After the incident, both senshi and shitennou worked together to strengthen the barrier that would keep Asterias' shadows away from the pathway she created between the two worlds. For now, they were safe, but they knew that silence and tranquility would soon be disrupted with another invasion, one that at this point Mercury was not sure to be strong enough to keep at bay.
All eight soldiers returned to the shrine where they knew would keep them at the perfect distance to watch over the city. The shitennou took their post as guardians of the four cardinal points on earth and followed Endymion's petition to stay alert and annihilate whatever they considered a threat. Zoisite and Jadeite took the lead and were in charge of creating and keeping the sacred barrier active, Nephrite monitored the position of the stars and Kunzite as Endymion's right hand and leader of the shitennou, was conscious to take his place and make any decision in case there was another malice erupt from Asteria's army.
"Mercury..." Zoisite trailed off and closed his eyes, "We are the Prince of Earth's Shitennou, we were granted the power to serve and protect him and this planet. I understand your turmoil, I am too mortified about the prince and princess' safety but..." he exhaled heavily, "We are warriors, that is what we do—he was trained to be aggressive, it is in his nature." he turned to look at the senshi of wisdom and graced her wet cheek with the back of his hand, "We put ourselves on the front line to protect what we hold dear—you better than anyone understands this,"
"I feel so helpless..." Mercury looked down and shook her head, "I can't sit here and do nothing while I know all the tragedies that are happening all around the world, while I know Mamoru and Usa-chan are in a horrible place..."
"They are long gone... those you are talking about—Usagi and Mamoru."
All eyes landed on Kunzite, who was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed; his grey eyes opened and looked at Mercury, "Endymion has come to terms with it after he came back from unconsciousness and has accepted his fate to take his oath as the next king of Earth,"
"Technically, he is already king..." Mars pointed her finger up, trying to prove a point, "The priest... Hel—"
"A prince cannot rise to the throne if his king has not passed down his crown—at least not this prince."
Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter looked at Kunzite with wide eyes, "The king? W-What are you talking about?" Venus shook her head, "Wait, you know more to this?"
"Endymion predicted this..." Kunzite took a deep breath and exhaled, "He knew Asteria would come back with vengeance and he was ready to fight her. He knew the princess would become a target but he did not predict Princess Serenity would go out of his range without protection and without him noticing..."
Megumi wrapped her arms around her and hung her head low with shame and closed her eyes, "I should have stopped her..." her voice quivered, she felt a big knot in her throat that was threatening to burst into sobs, "I should have woken up His Highness right away... I..." she closed her eyes and shook her head, "It is my fault..." she brought her hands to cover her face but widened her eyes when she felt an arm around her shoulders, she looked up and saw Jadeite pulling her close to him, "Do not blame yourself for this, Megumi," he muttered softly in her hair, "We happen to have the most rebellious royals in our care, they both know how to fight and they both want to do things by themselves... Princess Serenity is a strong soldier and that has given her the liberty to do what she wants, and the prince well... this is not new for us,"
"But this is different, it is not a matter of who is stronger than whom..." Mars sighed and shook her head, "She should have known better..."
"I do not doubt she gave them a fair fight, after all, Endymion had been teaching her fighting techniques upon her request, but, this is an enemy that needs to be tackled with merciless aggressiveness. Asteria is a corrupted titan, it does not matter how much Princess Serenity knows how to defend herself, this creature is a demon and she needs to be annihilated." Kunzite looked at Megumi, trying to support Jadeite's comfort and who now looked down at the young maid crying under his arm, "Blaming the situation to others is not going to help us solve this and it is not going to help them either, we have to keep moving forward."
Mars noticed Jadeite's sweet attempt to make Megumi feel better softened her heart. Despite being under so much pressure and stress they all still managed to stay calm for their sake, including hers. This was not the time to be thinking about love but just seeing him being so present and determinant to fulfill his duty made her worry and feel scared of losing him.
"I believe, I have never been so scared in my life but this is how things are and I must stay grounded."
Jadeite's words echoed in Mars' mind, it was just days ago when they were talking about their fate and duty. Between a soft veil of sympathy, his true feelings came through along with worry masking his always playful eyes. He was scared, he had confessed it, but his mission and loyalty to his prince were greater and he was keeping his words close to his heart.
It has been a while since she had seen him smile—she thought. It was strange, not to hear him speak with such lightness in his voice; she wanted to help but didn't know how. She wanted to be there for him but she wasn't sure just how much longer it would be until they had to part ways to fight.
At the other side of the room, Artemis noticed Venus' nervousness and rubbed his head on her shaky hands for support; the blonde senshi looked down at him and scratched him behind his ear, "Thank you, Artemis…" The white cat nodded and turned to Kunzite, "You said the prince has accepted his faith to take his oath as the next king of Earth, but what exactly does that mean?"
"I will not go into much detail about what happened to him while he was unconscious but it was a cathartic process he needed to endure to help him master the power of the crystal to its entirety and accept his nature as a descendant of titans,"
All eyes widened in shock, including Luna and Artemis', "T-Titans?" Venus blinked, "W-Wait... are you saying that..." Kunzite nodded and took a seat next to her in front of the sacred fire, "Endymion is not a demigod like we all believed, Venus, he has titan blood... Helios' blood—not the High Priest but the actual Titan of the Sun, Helios. That is why the gods have been so persistent in condemning his nature and why they compare him with Chaos who is also a force to be reckoned with."
"That is why Queen Gaia's romance with the terran king was much more outrageous to them... she was part of a legendary family of titans and polemarchos and to have broken the laws of gods was a deplorable act against them," Nephrite narrowed his deep moss-colored eyes, "And to have a child that was not supposed to be born, challenged them even more—that child not only would defy their power but also, their laws of nature."
"Titans have always been a delicate subject for Olympians… their story has always been a strained one." Artemis said softly, "It all makes sense now, I do not know how I could have missed this..."
"I wonder..." Jupiter leaned her head on her hands, "If he has found his way to our princess... I wonder where he is right now... where is the princess... if she is alright, I am worried sick." Venus nodded and reached for her hand, "Me too, Jupiter... me too."
"Uranus and Neptune too—do you think they got to see Pluto?" Jupiter covered her face and shook her head, "It kills me to be here and feel like there is nothing I can do to help,"
"Your time will come, Jupiter..."
Jupiter moved her hands away and looked at Nephrite, who was now taking Kunzite's previous spot with his back leaning on the wall, "You may feel helpless right now, but the time for you to rise and fight will come soon enough, we are ready but our paths will go on separate ways," his words felt like daggers in her chest; Mars, Mercury, and Venus felt it too. The anxiety of having to take a different path than theirs, to be separated once again without a guarantee of a reunion was beginning to brew in the pit of their stomachs. "You have seen it... in the stars?" Jupiter's hesitance reflected the others' feelings too, Nephrite included, "We cannot leave our posts due to our duties as Shitennou but you can—we are all involved in the same war but we have different jurisdictions, it is up to us the result of this great battle."
O—o—o—o—O
"Do you think she is here? I feel like we have walked for hours..."
Sailor Neptune sighed and looked down at her mirror, "We should be close, it's pulsing... the mirror is in sync with her garnet stone,"
After the incidents on Earth and the princess' capture, the shitennou immediately put their strategy into action and formed a strong barrier to block the shadows that would still cross from the underworld along with the inner senshi upon both, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune's request. It was easier that way, they thought. They were not lying when they stopped the other girls from following them, they had other kinds of power, it's well known that their jurisdiction was different from theirs and due to that, they could tackle the enemy differently but that didn't mean that they didn't miss them or needed their strength and support in times like these. After all, they have been through, they grew out to be a very peculiar family once they put all of their differences aside.
Like Uranus had said, they had been wandering through a dimension they were not even sure if it was the one that would eventually lead them to Pluto. They had never done this before—time and space travel, but they had to show security and certainty so the other senshi could trust them and agree on their plan to find the prince and princess and help them return from wherever they are. All they had on their side right now was the power of their talismans and even that was beginning to fade. "It's weakening..." Neptune tightened her fingers around the golden mirror and showed genuine concern; her troubled look made Sailor Uranus growl and grit her teeth with desperation, "This is not how things should go..."
"What do you mean?" Neptune turned to look at Uranus with a quizzical look. Uranus sighed and shook her head, "The princess being in such a horrendous place, the prince after her... you and I having fights..."
Neptune widened her eyes, surprised that her always so stoic and hermetic lover would bring the situation that had stepped in between their steady relationship. "I suppose I will have to admit that he is strong," Uranus narrowed her eyes while continuing her journey, "To make us disagree on something, that is a task no one was able to do in the past,"
"The prince didn't make us disagree... you did." Neptune kept walking next to her partner but stopped a minute after, "What you did was horrible,"
Uranus stopped a few feet ahead of Neptune and stayed still, giving her back at her, "I know you don't agree with many of the things that have hap—"
"You're right." Uranus interrupted, catching Neptune by surprise. Uranus nodded and bit her lower lip, "I didn't agree." she sighed, "It was that question, you know? The one the Andromedian soldier asked us the night he awoke. What side are you going to take from now on Sailor Senshi, the one from the heavens or the one from hell?" she turned to look over her shoulder at Neptune, "My duty, my loyalty... my descent, it all made me take their side without really thinking about anything else—it was automatic. Despite going along with it, I still remained defensive and hesitant when it came to how things would be between Odango-chan and this awoken version of him..." she shook her head, "The feeling of doubt intensified when he was in that coma, I didn't know what to expect considering what happened when he was woken up by that sword. I was angry because I was supposed to protect her... I was supposed to save her and I wasn't expecting him to step in, I wasn't expecting him to be powerful and aggressive, I wasn't expecting him to match Asteria's power and strength. I suppose I was getting angry with the fact that things started to revolve around that family's legacy and his past, making me feel like that man we thought we knew was nowhere to be around anymore and to see the princess still there, defending this strange, dangerous person really stirred my rage."
Confessing her thoughts was one thing but to admitting her flaws was a totally different thing. Uranus was not the kind of woman that liked to be wrong, in fact, she always took everything too personal, especially when Usagi was involved. "But my rage... this... anger..." The blonde furrowed her brows, feeling the pain of her admission and the truth about things, "I always had a sort of admiration for him, despite being at a disadvantage with us and our powers. He gave everything to keep her safe, he was fearless despite his flaws and limitations but now..." Sailor Uranus shook her head, "I guess I felt intimidated by his nature and power. Seeing everything unravel around that dynasty he is part of... I felt threatened, minimized. He's his own kind and a force to be reckoned with... "
"You liked being the one with control when it came to her safety, you liked being trusted... I know..." Neptune walked over to Uranus and cupped the blonde's cheek "But you have to understand that this is not a matter of who is the most qualified to look after her. She is not a baby girl—she's a grownup woman, she's a sailor senshi and she's married to him. We may not process some things that have happened lately but we also don't know what happened in the past with those two because we weren't there."
Uranus looked at Neptune and her once cold stare was immediately supplanted by one of love and grinned with acceptance, feeling more like herself as she came to terms with the situation. "I suppose I can no longer stand a competition against him. My, my, you will have me all by yourself from now on—the monster won't let me come close to his precious bunny anymore,"
Neptune smiled, "That is how it should have been all along," she was glad to see her back to her usual self; she missed her and she was glad to have her back to her. "You are doing it again," Neptune said softly as they continued walking down the long hallway that seemed to have no beginning or end. Sailor Uranus' turned and blinked at her shorter companion, What?"
"You can't keep calling him that—he's—"
"I know, I know..." Uranus sighed, "But he did say he was not my prince,"
"Because you challenged him and you called him in so many derogatory ways that would have made anyone mad." Neptune sweatdropped, "What did you expect him to do? To give you a pat on the back and say you were right in such a moment of crisis?"
"To kill me,"
Neptune stopped and widened her eyes, "What?"
"I was expecting him to kill me—he had the chance to do it," Uranus muttered, "I wanted to prove their point, I wanted to see it with my own eyes."
"Who's point?"
"The gods'."
"About him being evil..." Neptune looked at Uranus with sadness, "Why?"
Uranus shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know anymore," she turned to Neptune and smiled sadly, "At this point, I don't know if we are ever going to be in good terms again." Neptune sighed and shook her head, "You know, there is this famous word you use to patch things up..."
"Oi," Uranus frowned, "Stop mocking me..."
Neptune sighed as she continued walking by Uranus' side "Stop being so hard headed. Once this is over... talk to him, he is, after all, our princess' husband and he'll be around for quite some time... so you better fix this, you don't need to prove any po—" her eyes widened when she saw her mirror began to glow and so did Uranus' sword "The talismans..."
"They're reacting..." Uranus muttered and looked ahead, "She must be close..."
O—o—o—o—O
He was one of those people who didn't believe when someone said silence could be deafening but as he walked deeper into the halls past the gates of the underworld, Prince Endymion came more to terms with the fact that it was true silence could leave you deaf when it came straight from hell.
Endymion continued walking down the long corridor he soon noticed it was made of bone fused with stone. After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached for its end and widened his eyes when he was met by an immense valley divided by many rivers in the distance. If he wasn't aware that he was in fact in the realm of the dead, he would easily believe he was in a land of dreams. Unlike the tales he heard when he was a child, the underworld looked nothing like it was often described in mythology books. There was a mystical quality floating around, wherever he turned there was foliage with all kinds of flowers emitting an unnatural yet beautiful luminescent glow; it was like looking at tiny lamps scattered all over the quiet and somber valley.
He looked around and while it was indeed a peaceful and beautiful view he could not deny the gloomy feeling and the heavy energy lingering in the air. Thick and almost palpable—he thought to himself. Endymion studied the surroundings and noticed the pebbled stone path met its end at the shore of a large river and quickly came to terms that in order to continue with his journey he had to cross ahead but the question now was: how.
The prince crossed the meadow until he reached for the river and stood right before his boots would get wet and looked down at the greenish and opaque water barely moving on the shore.
"You will never see your reflection on these waters since they are not meant to be appreciated."
Endymion looked up and was met by a tall lean man wearing a dark cloak standing in a long black boat. He raised his head and looked at the prince; his eyes were like jets of fire and he had an unkempt grayish long beard growing from his chin, matching the color of the dirty cloak hanging from his shoulders. "Another one has come," his voice was calm and raspy, one that would only be attained by smoking an exaggerated number of cigars a day. The man's fiery eyes narrowed in appreciation, "And you—I do not see any labels on your soul, where are you supposed to be heading, eh boy?"
"Wherever Asteria is lurking in the shadows," Endymion answered without hesitation, "That is where I am going."
"This whole place is made out of shadows, boy," the man leaned his weight on the long bone paddle in his hand, "You sound determinant and you seem to have an objective but just how much would you be willing to pay for my services?"
"What?" Endymion frowned, the man inched his head forward, "I am the ferryman who carries every soul of those newly deceased across the rivers that divide the world of the living from the world of the dead, Charon. But you must know my services come with a price, this is not just a thrill ride."
"I do not have anything to offer you,"
"Then, there is no deal."
"Do you know where Asteria is or not?"
Charon cracked a hoarse laugh, "Asteria, the responsible for the oracles and fallen stars? Aye, aye... I know where she is, but if you are not willing to pay the price—ah... I see..." his fiery eyes narrowed as he studied Endymion's appearance, "You are not dead yet," he laughed again with delight, "How did you manage to cross here, boy?"
Endymion drew out his sword and pointed it at Charon and glanced at him with threat showing in his deep blue eyes, "The same way I am about to take that boat of yours and navigate my way to meet that damn demon if you do not help me go where I need to be."
Charon looked at the prince in silent admiration and quirked his bushy and long brow, "Ah... those eyes, such a bloody and murderous glare... a soul that pulses life like yours should not be in this realm, boy."
"That should not be of your concern," Endymion narrowed his eyes, "Either you let me pass or I make my way—choose one, old man, because I hate wasting my time."
"A feisty one has landed—tsk, tsk, tsk!" Charon snorted by the prince's fearless approach. "It has been a while since I met one of your kind. I thought they were extinct... this is interesting." The man rubbed his thumb over his index and middle fingers, "But as interesting and delightful as this is, I do not work for free—either you pay or grow roots in this place."
Endymion looked at the man and put his sword back in its sheath. Back in the day, when he served as prince and advisor to the king he met countless types of people that worked for their own benefit. There was always the aggressive kind and the passive aggressive, the friendly and the silent, but the one that never failed, was the merchant that always loved a good bargain to take advantage on and for what he has seen with this man, violence was not the way to go to make a settlement. He had taken care of too many commerce agreements in the past that were natural for him to know how to make a good deal, and if something Endymion was proud of was his keen negotiating skills. Without thinking it twice, he undid the clasp on his neck sash holding the medal pendant that represented his astral house and proved his rank as royal and commander of the terran army, the same one that permeated through time and later stole to accompany him in his heists and battles as Tuxedo Kamen in the present, "Will this do?"
Charon widened his eyes when he saw a shiny object gleaming in Endymion's hand; he leaned closer to take a good look at it and silently admired the intricate design and its value in pure gold. It didn't take him long to wrap his long bony fingers around it to study it with care and let satisfaction immediately lit up his fiery eyes as it graciously dangled from its red silk sash he now had securely tied around his wrist to measure the medal's weight, "Aye aye... this is one valuable piece right here boy, I am satisfied." The old man grinned with pleasure as he motioned the prince to join him on the boat and later pushed it away from the shore and into its depths with the help of his long paddle.
As soon as the boat went deeper into the river, it was then when Endymion noticed the real reason the water was so thick and opaque-looking. They didn't flow as normal water did on earth because it was actually made of spirits floating deep down, "They did not get a proper burial, so they did not pay the price for my services and since I am not merciful with cheapskates, I throw them here and let them drown in their own misery—they cannot float their way out either way. Now, I am no vengeful spirit but I am no servant either; either you pay or you drown and rot—" the old man smirked, "You, on the other hand… you sure know how to make a good bargain, but I have to ask, why are you heading to Asteria's nest, boy?" Charon looked at the prince sitting on edge of his boat and continued paddling into the river's depths.
Endymion looked at the ripples on the water, making them react and glow neon blue, like bio-luminescent matter; each ripple revealing a tormented face from someone trapped inside. "Let's say I have business to attend with her and I will not leave until I am done."
"Aye, aye... she is a demon alright. A rebel who sold its soul to become a shadow and live among the dead as a gatekeeper." Charon said as he continued paddling, "No divine entity can just come here and do as it pleases, have you come here to sell your soul too, boy?"
Endymion turned to look at the man over his shoulder and frowned, "You know who I am..."
"You reek of death, boy, it is not too difficult to read your thirst for blood and vengeance." Charon lifted his wrist to show the medal hanging from the red silk sash, "Also this, it gives you away—I have traveled with many of your kind... those with a different kind of blood pumping fiercely through their veins."
Endymion felt a tug in his chest and felt the urge to ask the man at the mention of the word: kind, "Did you made a bargain with the titan goddess, Gaia?"
Charon's smirk widened when his suspicions were finally confirmed, "Nay, nay, not with her—she never made it to the river. She is one good myth alright, I have heard has kept Hades very busy for centuries,"
"What do you mean?" Endymion frowned; Charon shook another trapped soul from his paddle and continued moving across the river and looked at the prince, "I mean, that either she is kept somewhere else I do not know about or that she is still alive, somewhere. Hades has not been able to locate her soul for more than two thousand years; everybody knows who she is but nobody knows where she lies—her soul was supposed to be thrown into Lethe's river..." he pointed the dark stormy river ahead for Endymion to see and shook his head, "But, she never arrived."
Endymion's eyes widened with shock, this piece of information changed so many things for him and now it debunked his theory as to what happened to the queen of earth after the explosion Beryl caused that night she took over as Metallia's servant. Like Ares said to him, she was condemned and sentenced her life to stay in this realm with the crime of a traitor for the rest of her existence but now it all made sense to him. It clicked like a buckle in place; the dreams, the visions of the woman sitting by the cherry tree being engulfed by fire, the girl in the blue gown, the voice calling for him—it was not Megumi, but Gaia's.
"Where you are attempting to go is not a pretty sight, boy—" Charon stopped paddling and pointed forward, "It is darker than hell itself. Demons live there—the demon gatekeeper you are looking for resides in the land before Tartarus known as Thanatos. Are you certain that it is there where you are heading?" Endymion turned and narrowed his dark blue eyes at the fourth river crashing its raging waves and suddenly turning into fire and shrugged one shoulder, "I am already considered a demon, I might as well get to know my turf." He smirked and turned over his shoulder to look at Charon, "Say, old man, is my payment enough for you to take me all the way there?"
"The river of gore and fire you see ahead is called Phlegethon and it leads straight to Tartarus. If you want a speed ticket to hell—this is it." Charon grinned, "Ah... you sure are a feisty one, boy—" he continued paddling, "I like that, you do not get to meet interesting souls anymore."
Endymion arched his brow and stood up, "Well, somebody has to carry on the tradition." he smirked with defiance, "I never thought I could say these words and actually mean them, but, take me straight to hell, old man."
"The path to Tartarus will not be easy, you think that by me taking you to Thanatos is going to be the end point of your journey? Nay, nay... Hades has too many minions and beasts to spare, Cerberus the three-headed beast it is his most faithful servant. To get there, you have to get through him and who knows what else he will throw in your way to make your journey even more interesting."
Endymion narrowed his eyes, the more they went into the depths of the underworld and saw the many gates and pathways that would leave to its different resting fields, the more it angered him the thought of picturing Serenity being held captive in a place so dark and poisonous like hell. "I will take my chances... after all, I come from a dynasty of feisty ones." the prince's comment made Charon chuckle with delight, "Aye... you might have gained what not just anyone can achieve, boy,"
"What is that?" Endymion gave him a puzzled glance, Charon grinned "My services—for free."
"Really?" Endymion widened his eyes, "So, are you giving me the medal back?"
Charon leaned his head back in laughter, "What?! Nay, nay! This medal belongs to me now, boy." the old man continued paddling, "But your morbid intentions and the brutal honesty in which you speak is what has been making this one jolly ride. I am not the chatty type boy, you earned my appreciation." Endymion arched his brow, "My, my, a compliment from the ferryman of the underworld... now I am officially flattered,"
Charon smirked and turned directions into the river of lava; with each paddle, a scream of torment would echo from its depths, "Not every day I get to take a soul to such haunted grounds... the sight it is always one to take and process."
"Have you been in Tartarus, old man?"
"Nay, nay, I am a constant traveler in these rivers... I never touch ground." Charon narrowed his fiery eyes, "Tartarus is not considered to be directly attached to the Underworld, it is described as being as far beneath the depths of the underworld as the earth is beneath the sky—you better than anyone will understand that comparison." Endymion turned to look at the old man but remained silent, allowing him to continue, "Tartarus is so dark that the night is poured around it in three rows like a collar around the neck of a beast, while above it grows the roots of the earth and of the unharvested sea."
"That is something the gods have been wanting you to believe all this time—don't believe everything you hear, old man." Endymion crossed his arms, "Oh boy," Charon looked at the prince and exhaled, "Earth is in fact, linked to hell itself but so it is every planet and star in the universe." Charon continued paddling, "There are too many souls scattered all over this realm I already lost count since I have taken them myself. This is one of the few times I travel with just one soul on board." he pointed one bony finger up, "The Asphodel Meadows, the Mourning Fields, the Isles of the Blessed, Elysium, Purgatorio, or Inferno..." the old man shook his head, "There is something that has always had struck me from the underworld... once you enter, you end up reaping what you sow... that is how this realm operates and there are many deities, beasts, and gods to remind you where you stand and send you where belong." he sighed, "But Tartarus... that is a totally different place where not even the darkest myth or tale can make justice to what lies behind its truth."
A heavy silence fell between the two as they continued their path down the raging flames and lava-like waters of Phlegethon river, they were close, Endymion could feel it—there it was again, that familiar tug in his chest that allowed him to know that he was somewhere close. The longboat shook every time it crashed with chunks of solidified magma and scorched bodies. The smell of decay was starting to intensify as they moved closer despite the appearance of not moving forward; darkness was all that it was to be seen besides the neon red and yellow of the river flowing below them giving the appearance that they were suspended in time.
At this point it was hard to tell for how long they have been traveling, Charon did say it was a place very far from the underworld itself but just how far? —Endymion asked himself. When he felt they would be close and touch land, they were met with more darkness and decoy making him think that if Purgatorio was just an extension to this place, time probably worked the same and when he might be feeling that only a few hours have passed, in reality, it could have been days, weeks, or even years.
"The rim between Inferno and Tartarus will come clear soon enough..." Charon's husky and raspy voice interrupted Endymion's train of thought, "After that, the river will split and change its course—also its speed." The man looked at the prince and arched his brow, "To make you want to go to the depths of Inferno all so willingly... the business you have with the demon must be quite important,"
Endymion's eyes darkened, "Yes, it is very important—she did something she shouldn't have."
Charon arched his brow and groaned with annoyance, "Aye, aye... she is quite the nuisance. She takes whatever she feels it belongs to her—no benefit comes when making deals with that demon rebel."
"I am not here to make any deals with her." The prince narrowed his dark blue eyes as he looked at the violent waters crashing in heavy waves ahead. The shift in force and speed on the water became rabid, just like Charon predicted, "The rim is close... hold tight," he muttered as he gritted his teeth while trying to keep his boat in control, "This is where the waters of Inferno will begin... if we continue this path we will soon reach the path to Thanatos..." Charon laughed with excitement as he steered his paddle to keep his boat from losing its balance, "Welcome home, boy!"
Endymion narrowed his eyes and looked at the dark gates in the distance and smirked with defiance, "You can say that, old man."
The Divinity Series is rated M - Violence, gore, cursing, and intimacy may happen. Readers discretion is advised.
I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.
A/N: For people not familiar as to why 'they' instead of 'he/she'. 'They' is commonly preferred by someone who describes themselves as gender neutral. A complete nightmare for those obsessed with grammar, religion, or politics but I do not judge anyone, love is love and I will always side with love and respect.