Alrighty Chapter 11, how am I doin' so far people? Are we enjoying, not so much?

Chapter 11

Over the next couple weeks Leonardo got angrier. He didn't know why he was so angry but he was furious. Raphael had calmed down. The goddess had given him something for the pain and there were no more outbursts. Raphael and the goddess seemed to be close. They would sit and talk in quiet corners and watch TV together. She seemed to show Raphael a little bit more affection, an extra hug here an extra touch there, but she seemed to treat Michelangelo and Donatello with the same amount of affection. He felt as if he were in this horrible position, where on the one hand he didn't trust her, and she made him furious, but on the other hand he had seen the look in Raphael's eyes when he had thrown that mug at her. She was Raphael's lifeline to sanity and he was furious that she hadn't chosen him yet. No matter what the thought of her with Raphael did to his heart. There was also the change in Donatello that was bothering him. He seemed more tired than usual, a little paler, more drawn. He would be this way for a week then be fine the next. He wasn't sure if he was just staying up too long fiddling with whatever it was he was working on, or if there was something else going on.

When Leonardo returned to the lair he found all of his brothers doing something. Raphael and Michelangelo were watching a movie while Donatello was working in his workroom. He looked at Raphael and Michelangelo. They were laughing and joking with each other.

When he looked at the entrance to the lair he saw the goddess walking through the entrance. Donatello walked out from his work room. "Hey goddess, you want to come here and help me with this, I can't seem to understand what this means." Donatello said looking at a blueprint and turning it upside-down. "Sorry Donatello, did I write it in T'lae-ran?" She asked curiously.. "I don't think so, it's all symbols." He said looking at her curiously. She walked past Leonardo and gave him a slight smile. "Welcome back Leonardo." Leonardo looked at her, nodded and walked away. He then paused and followed the goddess to Donatello's workroom. There had been something strained about her manner. When Leonardo looked into Donatello's workroom he saw Donatello supporting the goddess. The blueprints lay on the floor written in symbols he couldn't read. Leonardo stayed out of sight and watched as the goddess collapsed and Donatello swung her up into his arms. He looked down at her worriedly. "Don't look at me like that Donatello." He hugged her close to him. "How can I not worry. You are getting weaker each day, and you won't let me do anything to help you." He said anguish in his voice. "You have already done all you can Donatello." He gently placed her upon his work table. He took both her hands in his and looked at her. "Take my blood.." Donatello began.

A flash of pain crossed her face only to be hidden. Leonardo remembered seeing other such flashes, but the change of expression was usually so quick that he hadn't been able to understand what it had meant. She touched his face lovingly. He stepped in closer and hugged her close. Her face was buried in his neck. "Donatello..." She whispered and she hugged him back. She pulled back. "I cannot bite you Donatello. No matter how tempting the offer." She slid herself off of the workbench. He backed up a little, but she clutched him and doubled over in agony. She let out a silent scream. When the wave of agonizing pain passed she said to him. "If Leonardo ever found out he would be furious." "Then we go to him. Leonardo is reasonable he would understand." Donatello began. Then he stopped and his shoulders slumped. "No he wouldn't." He said turning his head away. Donatello pulled her close and she let him. "You are suffering." He whispered. "I have suffered a great many things Donatello, believe me when I say that this is bearable." She said with a smile

"This is not the time to make light of this." Donatello said angrily. She smirked and touched his cheek tenderly. Donatello leaned into her hand, clutching it and pressing it into his cheek. She pulled away from him gave him a bright smile and turned away walking towards Leonardo who was standing just out of sight. Leonardo stepped back out of sight, but not before seeing her expression turn to one of pain as she clutched a hand to her throat. Her step wavered slightly, but she righted herself and continued walking. She passed him as she exited the workroom. She had schooled her expression and removed all traces of pain. "Hello Leonardo." She said softly as she passed him. She looked over her shoulder at him and asked. "Did you enjoy the book?" "I haven't read it yet." He lied. She looked at him steadily, nodded, then walked towards the couch. It was still early, just passed supper. She sat down between Raphael and Michelangelo. Raphael and Michelangelo had just started watching a really bad monster movie. Leonardo sat down on a chair in the kitchen and watched his brothers joke around with the goddess. Raphael put his arm around the goddess and pulled her into him. Raphael lay back so he was half sitting half laying in the corner of the couch, the goddess tucked in-between his body and the back of the couch. She looked up at Raphael in surprise. Raphael looked down at her with a tenderness that made Leonardo's heart hurt. She smiled at Raphael, a true smile, not a coy smile or a seductive smile but a smile of happiness. "You comfortable babe? Don't worry, I'll protect you from the scary monster movie. " Raphael said glancing at her uncertainly like he was wondering if he had gone too far.

Leonardo watched her carefully. She looked...pulled. Now that he knew what to look for he could see the slight signs of strain on her face. "I can't believe the goddess is afraid of monster movies." Michelangelo said with a laugh. "I'm not afraid of monster movies Michelangelo. It is more that the human mind cannot even grasp the true horror of some of the monsters out there. I have seen real monsters Michelangelo, some are so grotesque that just looking upon them will destroy your mind." She whispered. "And sometimes the real monsters wear a human face." Michelangelo in a rare moment of seriousness touched her leg then lay against her. They looked like sprawled dominos laying there on the couch. The goddess wrapped her free arm around Michelangelo, hand resting on his chest. "Maybe just some TV." He took the remote and turned the movie off. The sounds of the TV floated around the silent occupants of the couch. Finally the goddess broke the silence. "And Raphael, don't call me babe. What woman actually likes being called babe?" She asked twisting and placing herself more firmly beneath Raphael's arm, laying her head against his chest. Michelangelo sat up, but his hand was still touching her leg. "April lets Casey call her babe." Michelangelo said. "Who are April and Casey?" She asked.

"Friends of ours, humans, we haven't seen them for a bit. They've been on their honeymoon for the past few months, touring Europe, or something." Michelangelo said with a shrug. "You are warm Raphael." She whispered. She snuggled in deeper. Raphael gently took her hand in his and laced her fingers through his. She looked up at him, eyes half closed, but content and happy. Raphael kissed her forehead and rubbed the side of her cheek. She looked back down at the TV, then closed her eyes as Raphael began stroking her hair turning his attention back to the TV, a slight blush on his cheeks. He brushed his hand over her ear. She didn't move. Raphael stilled. "Hey Mikey is she sleeping?" He asked in surprise. Michelangelo leaned closer to her. "Seems to be." Michelangelo said curiously. "She's breathing slowly." "But she doesn't sleep." Raphael said in confusion. "Well she is now. Maybe she's just tired cause she's more mortal than goddess, now that she doesn't have any powers." He said with a shrug. "You are basing this on comic book theory aren't you?" He said with a groan. "Hasn't steered me wrong yet. Think about it, she's cut off from all of her powers, she has a mortal body, therefore no powers equals mortal. It's like in The Silver Sentry and the Justice Force Volume 36,when Dr. Malignus managed to create a special ray gun that stripped the Silver Sentry of his powers, he basically became a regular human, with all of a human's weaknesses." Raphael looked down at her and nodded. Raphael watched a few minutes more of TV until his eyes drifted closed and he too fell asleep. Michelangelo looked at the sleeping figures with worry in his eyes. He stood up and found a blanket. He walked back to the couch and covered them. He then turned and walked to Donatello's workroom. Leonardo got up off his chair and walked over to the sleeping figures. Rage burned through him like molten lava. He ripped the blanket off just as Donatello and Michelangelo emerged from his workroom. He grabbed her by an arm and pulled her out from Raphael's side. Raphael woke up, eyes confused. Leonardo looked at the woman apparently still asleep. He grabbed both shoulders and shook her. "Leonardo what the hell!" Raphael shouted at him. "I'm sick and tired of watching her play all of you! We don't know anything about her." He shouted. "Leo, let her go!"Donatello yelled, worry and anger written on his face. "How hard would it be for her to just pick Raphael." Leonardo said his voice cracking. The goddess opened her eyes and blearily looked at Leonardo "We don't even know if she has a boyfriend back home, or a husband! Goddesses are always married, the only ones that never are, are the virgins, and she just doesn't seem the type!." "Husband?" The goddess asked in confusion. She shook her head as if trying to clear it. "Your husband!" Leonardo yelled at her. Her eyes went wide with shock. She stood up pushing Leonardo out of the way. Terror filled her eyes. She started breathing hard. "Aerion." She said in a barely audible voice. "No, no,no." She was backing away from them. She backed up until she hit the wall. She looked around wildly, hand held out warding them off. Tears started streaming down her face, as great wracking sobs of terror shook her body. She started looking over her body as if checking for something.

Raphael stood and she looked at him with terror in her eyes. She looked down at herself. "It's okay, if this guy scares you that bad, we won't let him take you back. I promise, you can stay here." Raphael said softly.

She looked at them and seemed to focus, and realize where she was. She slid down the wall, knees pulled in tight, arms tightly hugging her body, wings wrapping themselves around her shaking body. She put her head on her knees, tears softly falling. Donatello approached her slowly. He touched her shoulder but she flinched back. Raphael knelt down on her other side and she pulled herself into a tighter ball.

Leonardo looked at the goddess in horror and confusion. He had never see terror on the goddess' face. He didn't think there was anything that she could possibly fear. She took in a deep breath and let it out. "I thought...What happened?" The brothers looked at each other in confusion. "You fell asleep." Michelangelo said. "Probably for a few minutes until Leo here started freaking out about you playing with us and how we didn't even know if you had a boyfriend or maybe even a husband?" The last he asked as a question. "Heterion" She whispered.

She closed her eyes. "It would be husband. Goddesses don't have boyfriends, we don't get to date, we are given husbands or Consorts." She said slowly. "I was sleeping?" She asked in confusion.

Raphael and Michelangelo nodded. She looked at Donatello who looked at her, anger warring with worry on his face. She started wildly running her hands through her hair. "Found you." She said as she pulled something from her hair. She opened her hand, a black butterfly was sitting on her palm.

"What is that?" Donatello asked.

"It's a nightmare." She crushed it in her hand, a fine black mist wafting into the air. "Daydreams are golden butterflies, if you ever wanted to know." She looked at Donatello grimly, eyes the colour of pale leaves.

She stayed curled into a little ball. She looked up at Leonardo. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, then opened them revealing her usual moss green eyes. She covered her face with her hands then dragged them down her face. "Husbands are usually chosen by the goddess' parents," she began. "Suitors bring gifts and are either given her hand or denied it. The goddess in question is never given a choice." "So you have been ..." Leonardo began, but Michelangelo hit him in the shoulder cutting him off.

"The god in question also has another option if his suit is declined. Have you ever heard the tale of the goddess Persephone?" She asked him. Leonardo shook his head. Donatello was nodding his face paling. "That's the goddess you got your sword from." Michelangelo said. She nodded and looked at Leonardo. "Long story short Hades kidnapped and raped Persephone, thus making her his wife. If a god can manage to take his chosen goddess by force she becomes his. There are no divorces, no annulments, there are often lovers, but never will a god or goddess be free of each other until death do they part." She paused and took a breath. Raphael looked stricken. He tried to place an arm around her in comfort but she flinched back. Raphael pulled his hand away but stayed near her. Raphael's face contorted with rage. "You mean some god..." He couldn't even say the word.

Leonardo felt ill. The thought of this god taking her by force.

"Aerion, was the God of Nightmares, and technically my husband...briefly. He despised me, hated my position, hated how powerful I was, but if he made me his wife I would occupy the position below him, and he would gain in power and position."

She fell silent.

"You don't have to..." Raphael said softly. She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Heterion is..." She took a breath. "He..."

"Is he you son?" Leonardo asked. Her eyes opened in shock and a devastated looked quickly passed over her face.

Out of her line of sight Michelangelo was shaking his head no.

"Heterion made me remember, relive...He made me believe..." She stopped as she choked out the last word. She seemed to gather herself and began again looking straight at him.

"Aerion brought two sons out of three with him. He knew he couldn't succeed on his own, but with his two sons he may have had a chance to subdue me. And as long as he got me first he didn't think there would be any problem with his sons having me after." She said angrily."They forced a ceremony on me, binding me to him, trying to subvert my Will. But my Will would not be subverted by the likes of him." She said conviction running through her voice. " She stood, and walked a little way away so that she could look at all of them at the same time. She unwrapped her wings and looked at Leonardo steadily. "Ceremonies of marriage are important, but it is the consummation of the marriage that is the most important part. Without consummation the marriage is invalid. He tried to consummate the marriage. Aerion was the God of Nightmares. He could appear in a human form if he wished, but he did not wish. Imagine the most horrible creature your mind could fathom, and make it one hundred times worse. A creature with smooth oily transparent skin. Muscle, tissue, sinew bulging and flowing, constantly rearranging itself into a new hideous form. Imagine deformed limbs, whip-like tentacles lashing and grasping. Imagine the smell and feel of rotten flesh. The oozing tissue deteriorating before your eyes into putrid clumps, while millions of white writhing maggots burrow deep into fetid flesh. Fangs and mouths ripping and tearing, eyes glittering and flashing malevolent desire as the creature feasts on your screams of abject terror." She said, voice devoid of all emotion.

"I am an Unclaimed virgin goddess Leonardo. I am not like Hestia or Athena, I have not been placed in the role of the forever virgin. I have just remained Unclaimed. Goddesses as powerful as I am do not stay Unclaimed. To have a goddess with as much power as I do, and without the restraint of a god makes me even more dangerous and feared. Us goddesses might begin to get Ideas, like maybe thinking we are equal to the gods." She smirked and looked at Leonardo. "I am the head of my Pantheon of one. Do you know how rare it is to have a goddess rule her own Pantheon? So rare I don't know of any who do. But I exist outside all other Pantheons, and because I am the most powerful I rule over all other Pantheons. Aerion was not the first, but he was the last god who ever tried to take me by force." She said, her voice hard and steely

"My guardians Seymous and Daemon were killed trying to save me. Their deaths allowed me to break free of Aerion, a creature that can attack your mind, know your most secret fears and use them against you. It is easy to fight an opponent you can see, harder to fight against your own mind." She said evenly.

"I killed Aerion and his two sons and destroyed their very souls. I was safe from nightmares because I did not sleep. But Heterion has found me. He is the new God of Nightmares, Aerion's third son." She said looking at the hand that had crushed the butterfly. "If I sleep again his nightmares will not be able to find me. The destroyed butterfly will repel all others, and Heterion will never know that one of his nightmares held me in its sway for a short time." She looked at them seriously.

"You are probably wondering why I would not have chosen a Consort, if only to avoid any such...incidents of unpleasantness." Donatello shook his head and slowly began to walk towards her.

"I had not chosen a Consort because I had not found any I would have liked to bind myself to for all eternity. Marrying for the gods is a power thing, marry for power, take godly or mortal lovers after. But I have never cared about power." She said softly. She shook her head as if trying to clear it.

"Do not look at me with such horror." She said with a wry smile "It was a long time ago, nearly 900 years. It was Heterion's power that brought the memory to the surface, made me believe I was in that time and place again. Now that I know it was Heterion, he will no longer have any power over me." She whispered as she put a hand to her head. She looked at them, closed her eyes, and fell.

Donatello managed to catch her, picking her up gently. He looked at Leonardo angrily. "What is your problem Leo! Why can't you just leave her alone!" He looked from Donatello to Raphael and to Michelangelo. All of his brothers looked at him with accusations in their eyes. All of them were pale, the looks of horror had yet to leave their faces. Leonardo was struggling to keep the bile from rising in his throat.

"She is undead Leo." Michelangelo growled. "Don't you remember what she said, 'nothing in my body works unless I want it to, and sometimes not even then.' She can't have kids. So good job on making her re-live that."

Raphael stood and walked over to him, anger vibrating through every muscle. He didn't see the punch coming but he felt it when it connected. He fell to the ground. "I don't know what your problem is Leo, but you had better get over it right now." Raphael said to him angrily. He rubbed his jaw. Picking himself off of the floor."I'm sorry Raph...I..." "Don't be apologizing to me Leo, it's her you've got to apologize to! For everything!" "But if you knew Raph..." Leonardo began. "Don't even Leo." Raphael said angrily. But what was he supposed to tell him? That no matter what had happened to her in the past right now when she wasn't with him, she was with Donatello. That she touched Donatello as lovingly as she touched him. That his own brother was going behind his back.

"Leo..." Donatello began. Leonardo looked at Donatello. "No Donny you are the one that..." He stopped the ugly words before they came out. Instead he turned and walked away.

He managed to make it to his room before his stomach revolted and he puked up everything that he had eaten that day. He leaned against the cool stone wall and slid down until he hit the floor. His mind replayed her words, and he felt his bile rise again. He pushed it down. He couldn't feel this way. He needed to remember that she was betraying Raphael, that there was something that she was after. That she was a danger to his family. He stood up, he needed fresh air.