The two strange acquaintances looked out through the tinted, black windows of the limousine. Hekate motioned for the driver to press on. He wasn't disturbed by the powerful Elders sitting in the back seats because the chauffer was in no way human.
"It's been so long," Rangda whispered in shock at the bustling metropolis around her. "So much has changed."
Hekate nodded, "The humani are slowly destroying themselves. But, in their defense, they have come a long way for being such a young, primitive race."
"The last time I saw the world of the humans was when the Indus Valley was just flourishing into it's golden age."
The sleek, black vehicle came to a stop next to a cracked and ancient sidewalk. The incredibly ancient Elder and the once-imprisoned Next Generation stepped out of the car and stood motionless on the walkway.
There was no one around to see their shockingly unique characteristics. Nothing moved around them. Everything was still, silent.
Hekate took a step into the large, creviced, empty parking lot. Ahead of her was a huge, empty, warehouse-looking building. There were multiple floors, many of which had caved in from destruction.
"Why would Shiva wish to come here? To this dying city?" The Thorn asked bitterly.
" Los Angeles is chaotic. There is no system. This city thrives on destruction and discord. So does Shiva." The Goddess with Three Faces answered as she quickly, yet silently, across the wide parking lot towards the large, falling apart building.
She stepped up to what looked like a splintered, old door. Rangda raised an eyebrow in a silent question beside her. Hekate smiled and held her hand up to the door. Shards of rainbow collected at her palm, and then, suddenly, a tie-dye bolt of energy shot at the door, ripping it off its hinges.
She bent down and picked it up, pointing to the thick side of it. There was an eight inch steel panel running along the outer edge of the door which they both knew that the door was made the exact same way.
"Paranoia much?" Rangda muttered as she stepped inside.
Hekate dropped the steel door and walked in as well. She looked around, her lips drawn into a tight, thin line. The building had obviously been devastated by a fire…..decades ago. The inside was scorched black, the floor splintered and charred. The ceiling was collapsing, and wide hole exposed the upper level in some places.
"Wha-…What happened?" Rangda stuttered, unsure of what was going on.
The goddess strode around the shocked Next Generation and walked up to a long, nondescript wall. She put her hands in specific spots, and pushed. Two wide circles appeared where she pushed. She spun them one way, and then the next until a deniable "click" echoed through the room.
The wall split in two, revealing another gray wall behind it, engraved with a giant lotus flower. The goddess spoke something in an inconceivable language that sounded like insect buzzing, and the flower's petals began to turn until they too clicked into position, and the petal pulled away, revealing a strange scene behind them.
A dark room lay forth in front of them. There was a small square for them to sit on, but after that spread a dark pond of shining water, black square stepping stones a few feet from each other. They led up to a bigger pedestal that was made like a pyramid, flat on the top where someone sat.
Something.
Shiva, the Destroyer.
Millennia ago he had destroyed myriad civilization. But, despite his destructive powers, he was righteous and only decimated the wicked. He had destroyed Pompeii for their drunkenness, Sodom and Gomorra for their just plain evil, and he had even destroyed Ancient Egypt after they had been brutal to their slaves.
He was clothed in black jeans with a tight black shirt, exposing his lean, sinewy, muscled body. He had albino pale skin that looked grayish with the green tint in it. He had startling green eyes, with thick eyelashes that made him more attractive than feminine. This beautiful being was Shiva the Destroyer.
Hekate put her hand to Rangda's torso, applying minimal pressure, but she knew she could produce thousand times that power. The goddess began to walk across the pond on the wobbly stepping squares. Shiva's back was to her, his face hidden. His dark, short hair shined from the eerie glow that reflected from the pond of water. Lilies floated through the water, translucent humanoid creatures swam through he dark waters, flashing their sharp, pointed teeth.
Rangda decided to stay where she was.
The Goddess with Three Faces leaned her thin lips against his ear. She spoke rapid-fire, and then straightened her spine. Shiva turned his head slightly, so that Rangda could see his profile, and his mouth opened, but no words came out. He stood up quickly, and turned to the stepping stone, but instead, he just walked across the water, immune to gravity trying to pull him under.
The Destroyer passed the demon witch with little more than a tilt of his head to acknowledge his presence.
"It is time for you to go," He said, politely banishing them from his home.
"Bastet lives, Shiva," Hekate said sharply, still on the other side of the pond.
He stopped suddenly, shock plastered across his face. He couldn't resist releasing a snarl from the back of his throat. "Bastet."
"She is yours, if you join me," Hekate knew about the rivalry between the two powerful Elders.
Eons ago Bastet had gone to Shiva's mother, the Earth Mother Gaea, and had requested to be given the knowledge to destroy the powerful Elders that stood in the Dark Elder's conquest. She had refused, so Bastet had attacked her. Gaea, being one of the most powerful Elders, cast the Cat Goddess into a fiery Shadowrealm. Years later, when Bastet had escaped, she had tried to kill the Earth Mother, and would've succeeded, if Shiva had not ultimately destroyed her. At least he had thought he had destroyed her, only now had he finally learned the truth that his arch-enemy lived.
"Bastet, is mine," He said calmly. He was the righteous one. And he was a righteous fighter too. He would not indulge in torture like Rangda would to her sister. But she needed a powerful thinking Elder on her side. Shiva looked at Hekate, his bright eyes full of anxiety. "The battle had begun."
"The battle has begun, and will end in the Dark Elders bloodshed." Rangda said happily.
Shiva nodded, and with that, the two almighty Elders, and the powerful Next Generation, walked out into the dark night, embracing their blood-stained destiny.
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Ok everyone, sorry about the cliff-hnager, but this ill be the lost Hekate post until Thursday, Jnauary 29th, I'm going on a trip, and I can't work on it there. AGAIN, SORRY FOR THE CLIFF-HANGER!!!