Missing
Chapter Ten: Timeless Lullaby
Vicky wasn't kidding when she told Timmy to dress appropriately for cold weather. The moment the pair set out into the open night all nuances of a warm climate immediately plummeted into a crash of ice shattering fragility. The youth had not noticed from atop the apartment's balcony, but save for the streets and most sidewalks, there were glistening white blankets of snow strewn out in all directions!
"Why is it so cold all of a sudden?!" the boy yelled, though with out reason for it.
"You don't need to shout," Vicky flowed calmly, "and quit trying to cover your arms like that. You need to stay connected to me or else people will start noticing you."
"Are you wear-"
"Yes, I'm wearing the belt," she answered before he could fully form the question, "Now, as for the weather, it's colder out here on the street than up on our balcony because there is no outdoors air conditioning down here."
"Outdoors air conditioning?"
"Ughh…" Vicky sighed heavily with a tinge of impatience, "Can't you just assume since this is the future then there are inventions and technological breakthroughs that don't exist in your time? Hm?"
"Is being curious about this time a crime now?" Timmy didn't mean for this question to sound harsh, but it felt that way. Luckily Vicky seemed to understand his honesty and took to that rather than his unintentional incredulity.
"Curiosity, huh?" he saw a smile play on her rose coloring face, no doubt on account of the chilled air, "So, are you telling me that you like this time period?"
"I'm… I don't know, some things are interesting, but some I just think are unfair."
"Well, that's a little progress at least," Vicky seemed both exasperated and let down, "Anyway, come on. See that big white marble building over there on the hill all by itself? The one with the colorful torch flames licking the sky? We're headed that way, so let's make some fast tracks."
Upon setting foot over the massive steps leading up the classical structure Timmy could only feel a sense of severity, of respectful awe. Her design was purely ancient Greek; columns, a frieze and its guttas, triglyphs, metopes, and then of course the pediments. Timmy didn't know these terms, save the columns, but Vicky was pointing everything out for him, enlivened in a way that reminded him of a child showing off an art project.
"I was thinking to go with the Doric order; it just feels more powerful to me. Now, if you look closely, they used me as a model for Athena in the pediments. Believe it or not I didn't order this, but I was pleasantly surprised at the boldness of the sculptor and awarded him handsomely. He did capture my beauty and power rather nicely, don't you think?" she was gesturing to the life sized relief of a robed goddess placed directly in the center of its brethren figures.
"Umm… yeah," Timmy agreed, though only so he wouldn't set her off. And why would he want to? She was so much more tolerable when calm, "Say, Vicky?"
"What's up?" The smiling redhead was admiring the likeness of herself, covered in a warm fire's glow.
"I thought you said outdoors air conditioning existed," he laid out.
"It does."
"We went up all those steps, but its still cold… why?"
"Ah, glad you are paying attention to the details, twerp. This temple is a classical structure, right?"
"Uh, yeah, right."
"So why would it not have outdoor AC?"
"Ummm… because it's old?"
"Bzzzzt! Wrong! The New Athens Temple of Athena is only ten years old. Try again."
"Wait a second…"
"What?"
"New Athens? You mean that's the name of this city?"
"Oh! I totally forgot to mention that! Okay, my bad, my bad," she chuckled to herself, "Yeah, I rebuilt my favorite city in all of history and rose it up from the cinders of my past. This is no longer Dimmsdale; nothing of that piece of crap town exists anymore. This is New Athens, the center of the civilized world!"
No words from Timmy's mouth. Why would there be? A strange, empty sensation filled his innards; like he should be feeling everything from rage to disbelief and all emotions in relevance, but instead he couldn't form a single one.
"Well?" Vicky asked with expectation.
"Huh?" the boy answered with barely a whisper, he had forgotten what they were discussing before her announcement of capital
"Well, why wouldn't there be outdoors AC? Get it together."
"Umm, it doesn't need it," he half put together, not really paying attention or caring about that subject anymore.
"Not exactly… say, what's wrong with you?" She moved to block his path, hands taking hold of his upper arms as she bent down to examine him in the colorful flame light.
"Nothing," Timmy answered honestly while averting his eyes, for this feeling of nothing was exactly what the matter was.
"You should know me better than to give me that," she shook him a bit, "Now tell me why you're acting like this all of a sudden."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Tough luck, now spill it."
"How can it be luck if you-"
"And don't try starting another fight with me either. I'm not going to let you get to me again."
Timmy tried averting his eyes from her fierce gaze. Though the iron grip she had on his arms hindered this attempt rather efficiently. He gave in soon enough, wishing to finish up with whatever Vicky had planned as soon as possible, "Fine!" he huffed, "I'll be honest too, just like you want. I'm scared and mad; really, really mad. And you wanna know why? Because the thought of you destroying our home town to make way for your corrupted city makes me sick!
"I keep trying to tell myself that this place isn't real, that you made it all up! But no, I know better! I know how this is a real time with real people who are really dying. Yeah, sure, I have grown to hate the faces of happy people ever since you stole me away; and I know you feel as a result of those people's inabilities to protect you, you ended up getting raped as a little girl; as I feel it's the fault of all the stupid adults in my life that I got kidnapped by the most crazed person I have ever met. But so the hell what?!
"I don't think-"
"No," Vicky interjected, "you don't. Ah-ah! Hold your tongue! I'm talking here!" her sharp fingers were now anchored deep into his flesh, no chance of escape, "In case you have forgotten the only reason you are still alive is because I want you to be. I thought perhaps there could be a place in my new world for the boy. Maybe he can make me a better person somehow? And I could do the same for him. I want you and I to be friends, Timmy! I want you to be my right hand man, really I do. But every time you lash out at me because you find out something you don't agree with yet, well, it makes me reconsider my decision...
"Ah…" a soft look captured the woman's eyes, "But you know, earlier tonight you made a point. Perchance my methods haven't been working to full efficiency. I think I started caring about you too much, and have been too soft on you. Funny, this little excursion was supposed to be a break from all the work and lessons, but I seem to be the one discovering revelations tonight."
"You scare me," Timmy exhaled quietly, fearful of her rapid changes in emotion and behavior, "I can't even talk to you normally because of how… inconsistent you are."
Vicky seemed to choose not to hear him, an action with her that can be more unsettling than screaming death threats. "You know, I'm kind of glad you don't agree with everything I do."
Could have fooled him, but Timmy bit back this retort, "Why is that?"
She loosened her clutch on the boy's limbs and opted to slide one cold hand into his own soft and warm, grasping it gently, "It makes me think twice about things… important things. Come on, I refuse to fight with you tonight. We are going to have fun whether you like it or not."
Athena's Temple was just as beautiful inside as it was outside. There is a certain reflective quality specific to well tempered white marble that expands the illumination of light. Vicky had the two of them make tribute to the Goddess' alter, her snipping off a section of her shining red hair, he following suit as he really had nothing left to offer. It wasn't until after she had finished with the tour of the temple's features and history that he asked why their hair had to be cut.
"Its not exactly traditional, true," she said as they made their way back down the rolling hill, "but I'm sure the gesture and meaning are sufficient. Our hair is luscious and a source of pride for us, or at least me. So giving a small part of what makes us confident to the Goddess shows her our faith. And a Deity is powerless with out faith."
"So you believe in Athena?" the boy questioned, finding it hard to swallow that Vicky could worship anything but herself.
"That's not something… so effortlessly answered, Timmy," her hand gripped a little tighter around his, "I know now that fairies exist, and their anti counterparts. I also know now about genies, ghosts, spirits, and life on other planets. Though surprising, none of these beings ever really jarred my foundations in reality.
"It wasn't until recently that I started really believing in gods, even after my introduction into the world of magic. I'm surprised you didn't have the same epiphany I did. Then again, you knew so little of Greek mythology…" her tone became morose, serious, "There is a resident in Fairy World that you have been on speaking terms with in the past. Perhaps you just found it a funny little insertion to the populace, but I realized who he was right off the bat; a God, a Greek God."
"What? What God? Only fairies live in Fairy World, Vicky-"
"Cupid!" Vicky shouted, "The son of Aphrodite, who was the Goddess of love. At first I didn't believe it, had to be one of the stupid little faes just playing dress up. But my Cosmo confirmed it, claiming that Cupid has no anti-fairy and is in fact a cherub, the cherub. Look at your face, you don't believe me, do you?"
Timmy just shook his head, deciding to be honest.
"Well, have you ever seen him use a wand? Or even use fairy magic?"
"Uhhh… no, I guess not-"
"That should be proof enough! If Cupid is real then the rest of the Gods have to be real too! Or at least existed!" There was a ravenous vista ignited behind her large eyes, which unnerved Timmy in a way he had not yet experienced from Vicky. "Think about it! Gods! Real Gods! I don't mean the ramblings of mad men who have stupider men jot down everything they say and make leather bound holy books out of it; I mean the truth behind the myths. The real beings that have existed before any Christ, Moses, or Mohamed ever screamed out of their mother's wombs. Do you know how much I despise the Abrahamic religions?! The faiths of men, focused on men, and empowering to men alone! Outdated and irrelevant, Timmy, that's what they are…
"Ah, but the rebirth of the Greco-Roman Gods, beings that I know now actually existed, that is where people's true faith should be. Or at least in something that doesn't denounce women as nothing more than baby factories that need to keep their mouths shut. The best part about this new world religion is that it's active, it's alive! It's not engraved and stationary, always to be adhered and never questioned, despite how much the world around it changes. Rather it changes with the world, for the Gods aren't some unheard of beings who magically made the entire universe and then decided to disappear, but inhabitants of this world too."
Timmy stayed quiet. True, he himself was never huge about going to church or whatever, but it didn't feel fair to him that people's faiths should be disrespected like that; tossed aside as worthless garbage. Athena's temple seemed a little less beautiful now. It occurred to him that Vicky had been dying to say something on this subject for awhile, and though she probably had not expected it to happen now, she was still going to spiel none the less. "So these religions… the Abrahamic ones you mentioned, they don't exist in this time anymore I'm guessing."
"Not like they used to, no. Some people still cling on, practicing underground or deep in the fourth world jungles and islands scattered about the planet, but all of the first world civilizations either worship the Greco-Roman Gods of the west, or the various faiths of the east. The so called holy land is still up in arms, but they are steadily being choked out and diminished."
"But…" Timmy began, "Tootie had said there is only one faith, I just remembered."
"In the west, yeah, it's just the one faith practically. But I wasn't about to snuff out the east. I like it, it's not so different and at the same time very different. And either way, I still have rule over it, so what do I care? Think of it like a back up, a little insurance in case for whatever reason my gods fail, I could just institute one of the beliefs of the east. Besides, it's now a living faith, ever changing to flow with the times. I don't feel threatened by those cultural influences, just as long as I stay on top."
"And all of this came about because you found out Cupid was real?"
"It started way before I discovered his whereabouts, but I do admit his existence being confirmed was quite a revelation. He's been weakened, you know, not quite the god he used to be. Fairy World was like a sanctuary for him, a magical place with other immortal beings who believed in him. Do you know where a god gets their power from?"
"Ummm..." he had to ponder this for a moment, "they are born with it?"
"Not entirely, and you need to listen more, I practically gave you the answer to that one! Anyway, no, Gods get their power from the faith of others. Mortal faith tends to be more charged, because people have a limited time to live and want to know and do everything before they die, and most are scared to die. So when they have faith in a God they give so much, more than the steady inclination of an immortal who might give a fraction of one human's faith his entire life! People need answers and want certainty, and they give everything they have to get it. Gods take all of that energy and might answer a prayer or two every so often, just to fuel more faith and generate more belief. Spend power to make power, you might say."
"I feel like I'm in school right now…" Timmy mumbled to himself, what ever happened to no more lessons?
"Fine, you brat, I'll get back to the main picture," she flicked him on the ear for his rude behavior, "So Cupid is real, right? And he somehow survived all of these millennia. I had a few chances to talk with him, and might I add only on the assurance that you would come to as little harm as possible. I found out, through what he recons, that he is still alive and somewhat thriving because he remained a symbol world round, a symbol of love. Though not necessarily faith, it still gave him enough power to roam, settle, and establish a new home. When I asked about the other Olympian Gods he seemed a little sad. 'They haven't been heard of for thousands of years. Hardly anyone believes in us anymore, let alone pray and offer faith. They are not dead, I'm sure of that much, but how and where each one exists is still unknown,' or something along those lines." Vicky too appeared a little sad now, but Timmy did not let this get to him.
"So…" the boy began, starting to put all of this jumbled information together, "Now that people are worshiping the Gods again, will they come back?"
"I though so at first," she sighed, "but its not going to be so easy. Yes, the faith people are showing does somehow get to them, but Cupid feels they are dormant. I somehow need to find them and reawaken them. He also recons that if I can achieve this goal then there will probably be some kind of reward, if and when they would be able to do such things."
"And you can't use fairy magic to do this? Find them, I mean." Timmy found it funny how quickly he was able to get absorbed into this concept.
"No, and I've tried, and so has Cupid, well, more like he asked some friends to help him out, but its all been useless. It was humans who lost the gods, and humans alone have to find them." Her face now appeared passionate, full of meaning and cunning, "Do you understand my secret little plan now, Timmy? Not even my Cosmo knows what I have been doing for the last few years. The belt hides us from all, even magic kind. Yes, I have been making progress in changing your time into this time, and that is what he sees, but underneath it all is this secret mission. I think I can trust you with it now."
Timmy was staring far ahead, into the wide luminous city. Gods? Really? He found it hard to swallow. Was Cupid truly one of these ancient mountain top rulers? Well, in any case, it mattered little if she was after world domination or the revival of ancient deities, because either way he was stuck under her supervision. He was wondering something though, after making their way into the busy city hand-in-hand, and found it hard to keep it quiet for very long. "Say, Vicky?"
"What's up?" she answered, still in a fixation of her newly revealed plans.
"So, all of this Greek God revival stuff, does this mean you don't really care as much about me being your lieutenant?"
She laughed, head thrown back and everything. It was strange to the teen to hear her voice bounce off of the buildings, yet see no one about appear to give half a damn, "Are you serious? Me not care about you being my lieutenant? Timmy, the plan is still essential! I find all of the Gods, take over the world, and then revive them with the renewed religion. Then they will tell everyone that I have the right to rule and no one will dispute me. Well, first I have to figure out a way to revive them, worship doesn't seem to cut it. But if Cupid is still around then there has to be a way. Maybe he'll help me out more if I tell him my plans one day? Heh…"
"Hmm?"
"I was just thinking about something before you asked that dumb question."
It wasn't that dumb! But he held his words back, "Oh?"
"Athena, I wonder what she's like. I mean really like! Not just the accounts we get from Homer, but her personality, her likes and dislikes, her outlook on life, all that sort of thing. I've always loved Athena, when I first learned about her in middle school I felt so miserable that we didn't worship gods like her anymore.
"It's just not fair, these gods were real! Why did they have to lose power? Cupid recons it's because Rome became so corrupted and fell under Christian law, then fell. If they did it over again, got a second chance somehow, he thinks they should pay closer attention to the rulers and keep their values in check, I'm inclined to agree."
"And they are lost forever, there is next to no chance of finding them?" he asked.
"Now I wouldn't say that," Vicky's mouth curled into a devilish smile, "All I said was Cupid felt as much. I, on the other hand, have a more inquisitive mind than the Cherub. I analyze the evidence and make deductions. I came up with a theory based on the way each of the individual Gods dealt with their recorded situations, and on the accounts that Cupid has passed onto me about his… 'long sleep,' shall we say? I'll spare you the painstaking details and get to the good stuff, since you suffer from a short attention span," why did she feel the need to always insult him?
"I think the dormant Gods are hiding in plain sight, simply put, and each one has taken a different form. Some are stationary, meaning they stay in one body or object, and some have fallen into a loop of reincarnation, meaning they live entire life spans of some creature or specific kind of person. The ones who keep reincarnating will be easier to find as I weed out more information from Cupid about what he witnessed of each of then. The stationary ones, however, might be kinda tricky.
"Let's say a God had hidden themselves in a chalice, because that was their symbol. Well, how many chalices do you think are in the world? Probably millions! Yeah, we can narrow it down to just the ones that existed between a certain dates, but that still leaves a problem of numbers. I would have to research any of the items with in that time period that had reports of being magical or connected to extraordinary events. Not to mention there would be practically no way of telling if a God was with in this object or not, seeing as I have yet to figure out a way to awaken said God.
"And then what if they hadn't hidden themselves in that object in the first place? Most of the Gods had more than only one symbol or representation. So that means I will have to collect every peculiar object that was ever loosely connected to a God. This is why being the ruler of the world is essential, more resources, you see. And with you by my side we can do it. If not for me, then how about for your memories? Having the Gods owe you one should really come in handy if, say, Fairy World decided your time with your godparents was up. Don't you think?"
He had to admit, if it all went according to Vicky's plan then his outcome did seem more promising. But the means were still disagreeable. Her taking over the world can't be allowed to happen! Even if it meant he was allowed to keep his fairies. Not that he believed in her about all of this God bullcrap anyway, but it was essential to survival to humor her. Well, let her waste time and energy chasing a hopeless dream, it would just make things more difficult for her in the end.
"So you think you can find them, Vicky?" Timmy asked, mood now lightening up due to her folly. He was partly distracted then by the looming monolith of a cathedral in which Dictator Victoria had taken him to dance on his last visit. They had come to stand under its shadow, and the sheer size of it sent chills down the boy's spine. How many people had she killed just to have this thing built?
"Think?" She laughed again, though in a more pleasant manner than before. "I don't think, Timmy, I know."
"Oh? Can I ask what makes you so sure then?" he fidgeted then, this place was making him feel so uncomfortable.
"Of course!" Her smile was slow, dangerous, and full of a sickening sense of satisfaction, "I have already found one."