Divinity: Chapter fifty
"Everything has been at peace for a long time now"
A pair of lavender eyes stared at the man speaking, the moon queen frowned when she heard her husband's voice. "You say it as if you were bored"
"In some way, I am" King Athan said nonchalantly.
"How can you say that? Queen Serenity stood up from the sofa and walked towards to door to close it, rubbing her temples she sighed, knowing that this was the beginning of another discussion.
"It was more entertaining when we had to fight for what we wanted, now that we don't anything else to do, it's kind of boring" the king's voice sounded indeed bored, and it wasn't just his voice his body expressed boredom, his hand was supporting his head and his legs were crossed.
"Every day we must fight for what we want, there are beings living in our kingdom, beings that need to eat, who needs safety, how can you say there's nothing else to do?" Serenity was getting frustrated with her husband's attitude.
Serenity was confused; she didn't understand how this could be happening to her. She remembered always trying to be a good daughter, a good princess; she studied hard and always was acting like a regal lady. She remembered then when she met the man sitting across the room, when he was gentle, kind and enthusiastic. Lowering her gaze she looked at her wedding ring, that shiny silver band that meant to be a proof of their undying love; tears threatened to fall from her glorious eyes but she tried her best to maintain herself calm.
She couldn't remember why did he started to act the way he was, she knew Gaia's problems started days after she was married, but it was normal for her to try to help her best friend. That wasn't the cause, she knew it, it was something else…yes, she knew what it was.
An heir.
They tried so many times and none of them were successful. She started to feel unworthy and useless, less a woman, while he started to feel like a failure.
Although they talked the night of the ball celebrating the alliance they just formed, it seemed things were going to be okay from now on, but the thing is that sadly the sweet and old Athan only lasted a couple of weeks before turning again into the cold bored man who now mostly spent his time in this living room.
She could see it, her marriage was a failure and it hurt her.
She didn't want to feel jealousy for her friend, who was also expecting her first child, but she didn't understand why she couldn't be happy as well with him, the man who sore to be with her at all times, to support her and make her happy.
"I'm going out" Athan stood up and went to the door where his wife was standing silently.
"Where are you going?" Serenity asked.
"Any place but here" Athan's voice was cold and distant.
"Why Athan? Why is this happening?" Serenity tried to stop him "I can't still pretend nothing is happening anymore"
Athan turned to look at her "Who asked you to pretend?
"You said we were going to wait to have a child, you said you wanted to dance with me forever…why…" she trailed off.
"I've been saying a lot of things lately, but still…" he trailed off and sighed "Don't wait me up, dear" he came closer to her and kissed her on the forehead and left the room closing the door behind him.
Silence was soon broken by her sobs. She was hurt.
Athan walked to the main court and turned to see the window of the room where he knew she was, crying. After a few seconds he disappeared.
Neherenia was sitting in her dark throne; one hand was supporting her delicate and pale face while the other held a glass of wine.
In front of her, a woman in black appeared. Her eyes, very characteristic gleamed with the soft light of the candles that lightened the room.
"What are you doing here, you think you can come and go as you please?" Neherenia's voice echoed the room.
Metallia smiled "I am here only to bring you good news, I finally created war in the mortal's realm. I spread rumors like a disease and soon that planet will come to an end"
Neherenia raised a brow "Why should I care for that miserable planet? I asked for the lunar crown and you focused on something else, you're useless!"
"If the blue planet comes to an end, the moon queen will be devastated; once we accomplish that you are going to be able to take her throne" Metallia's words were direct.
Neherenia chuckled "Do you really think, he'll turn you queen? Do you really expect for him to love you?"
Metallia's eyes widened in shock.
"Wake up stupid girl, once he's freed he will forget about you" Neherenia stared at the black woman in front of her.
"You're wrong!" Metallia yelled.
"So sweet...you truly believe he loves you, you don't really know what you're doing. You are treating with the darker side of the immortal realm and still you still believe in love" Neherenia snarled.
"No…you don't know him. You know nothing!" Metallia raised her voice again.
"With stupid little rumors you think you are going to destroy the terran goddess, a being like him will never look down to a silly witch like you…she's stronger than you and yet you think you can destroy her by bringing up rumors" Neherenia laughed this time.
"Mortals are stupid! They destroy themselves just because of that" Metallia said.
"No dear, you are stupid" Neherenia chuckled "And now I had enough of this nonsense, get out of my sight! I will get what I want without anybody's help!"
Metallia turned and disappeared.
"Stupid girl…" Neherenia took a sip of her wine and smiled at the sight in front of her.
"I wasn't expecting you today…"
"I wasn't planning to come here either, but I needed to distract myself for a while"
Neherenia stood up and walked towards him "Let me be your distraction then, dear Athan" she closed the gap between them and kissed him deeply on the lips.
Metallia entered to her room like a mad woman, she threw everything that was on her way, threw everything from her vanity and fell to the floor in defeat.
Her sobs echoed her dark room, Neherenia's words were still fresh in her mind and she didn't want to believe them. She have fought hard to tear the terran goddess apart, she did bring her to misery and even hurt her and her unborn child the last time she saw her.
But somehow, the dark queen's words still hurt like a thousand knives, he never loved her…he never will "No" she thought, she was going to make him love her more, it was time to truly destroy the golden queen and once she does that she will go after the silver queen as well.
"You will be sorry for what you said Neherenia…you'll see" Metallia's makeup was ruined; dark trails of black mascara tainted her face.
She fisted her shaking hands and turned to look her reflection on the mirror. In a rage she grabbed an onyx sphere she had close and crashed the mirror alongside her reflection with it.
"All of you…will be sorry" she breathed.
"My back hurts so much…" Gaia flinched when she tried to turn on the bed.
"I know…let me massage your lower back a little, you've been sitting for too long" Aurea helped Gaia to lie down on the bed and turn her to a side.
"I don't know what hurts me anymore…it's my back, my feet are swollen, my chest… I don't know" Gaia breathed.
"Like my grandmother said once, you are about to pop" Aurea chuckled.
Gaia chuckled as well and soon after fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Aurea noticed her sudden change of humor.
"I'm scared…" Gaia said softly.
"Of what?"
"Giving birth…"
"You'll be fine; you are very strong, hey! You kept this baby safe inside for nine months it's time for us to meet this little miracle!" Aurea smiled at the queen.
"What day is today?" Gaia asked.
"Today...July 28th, why?"
"King Isra said he'd be coming here in these days to sign the treaties" Gaia said softly.
"Hmm...he'll be here, don't worry. You did enough already and speaking of enough, is the king still mad at us?"
Gaia shook her head "No…well…yes…well…just a little bit"
"Yes or no Gaia?" Aurea laughed.
"He's not angry anymore…but he's still a little bit upset, I truly worried him…Leonidas said he was frantic looking for me all over the palace"
"He adores you. I can understand, he's upset because he loves you" Aurea commented.
"Humans are too complicated" Gaia chuckled.
"No…you goddesses are too complicated. We care for the ones we love…we get scared because we don't have long lives like you do…one moment you can be talking to someone and the next one that person is gone, just like that. Our life is a breath of yours" Aurea said.
"You're right" Gaia sighed.
"I support His Majesty, it wasn't right what we did, but it wasn't also your fault, you are not used to this kind of life, you are still trying to understand us…" Aurea said; her hands were doing wonders to Gaia's back.
A soft knock was heard on the door, revealing a smiling Obelix from behind.
"Is my little goddess here?"
"Yes, she's here!" Aurea said out loud from the bedroom.
Obelix walked to the room and smiled at the brunette assistant and his queen "How are you feeling today little princess?"
"Like a whale" Gaia breathed.
Aurea and Obelix laughed, making Gaia smile at her comment "But seeing you always makes me feel better"
"What are you hiding there Obelix?" Aurea raised a brow.
Obelix blushed "Um…I brought you some flowers little goddess" he revealed a small bouquet of fresh flowers.
"Obelix, they're gorgeous!" Gaia smiled.
"I'll go get a vase to put them with some fresh water, I'll be right back" Aurea smiled.
"Thank you" Gaia smiled.
"Sit, sit, sit" Gaia padded her mattress softly motioning the priest to sit next to her.
"Do you want me to keep rubbing your back?" the priest asked.
"That would be wonderful" Gaia smiled.
"I know you too are going to say what I did was wrong…" Gaia broke the silence.
"I don't think I need to tell you that, I think your husband made perfectly clear what you did wasn't appropriate, it would have been if you weren't pregnant" Obelix said.
"I was feeling well, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to stay here and do nothing" Gaia protested.
"Little princess, you've been weak since Metallia came…you confronted her and almost die. If you die, this baby dies…you are King Eros's life, you and this baby. Yes, you made the southern king to be at peace with this kingdom but…what if you had been hurt, what would happen to Eros?...think about that Gaia; you need to think you are carrying a small life with you…and that you are what makes our king stronger, what gives him life. King Eros has been worried because of his father's health too, you know his state is delicate" the priest said softly.
Gaia sighed "You are right…oh my…I feel terrible" her eyes started to tear.
"No…don't feel terrible, the important thing now is that you are here, safe and sound and so the baby" the priest smiled.
"Any news on King Odell's health?" the queen asked.
"His heart is weakening" the priest said sadly.
"Is there something we can do to help?" Gaia's voice was full of worry.
"Just be there for him and for Queen Narella, she's very worried for her husband"
Gaia lowered her gaze "I understand"
Aurea came in a few seconds after "They're here Gaia. The three kings are here" she smiled.
"Ah! Please could you help…"
"No!" Aurea interrupted her.
"Let the king handle this" Obelix said.
Gaia sighed "Fine"
"Besides, they're staying for a couple of days" Aurea said nonchalantly.
"What?" Gaia widened her eyes.
"You seem to have cause quite a strong impression to make the other kings follow the southern king and to actually stay here to settle this matter for once" Aurea said with her arms crossed.
"…" Gaia tried to say something but she couldn't.
"You don't even have words for this!" Aurea and Obelix laughed.
Gaia shook her head in amazement.
"What are you doing in here?"
"Preparing myself" a man responded.
"For what?" the woman with dark hair asked worried.
"War" King Geb said.
"What? Geb…what are you saying…" Nut widened her eyes in surprise.
Geb turned to look at his wife "I'm getting the sacred crystal back to where it belongs"
"And to do that is necessary to create war?" Quee Nut asked trying to reason with her husband.
"Nut, she won't give the crystal away without a fight, I thought her that" Geb responded, looking down to the scars in his hands, he sighed.
"You thought her what she wasn't supposed to learn" Nut said sadly.
"What are you saying?" Geb frowned.
"She wasn't supposed to handle that crystal, it was him" Nut said.
"You saw it Nut, you saw the power of that crystal react with her in a different way it did with him, your father chose her to carry the crystal not him"
Flashback
"Geb!" Nut yelled at her husband who was running to take his young daughter out of the palace.
"She's still inside with him! I need to go for her!" Geb yelled at his wife who was feet away now from him.
A young Gaia was standing in front of her brother trying to make him go back to his old self "Please Cho, please stop this"
Tears fell from her big round green eyes, her small arms held tight her honey brown teddy bear, as if that teddy bear was holding her life.
"Don't listen to them, they want to control you just like they tried to do it with me!" his voice was deep and dark.
"Cho, please! I don't understand!" her fragile voice made a strong contrast with her brother's deep and raspy one.
"The power is mine now! Can't you see Gia! Look at me!" the golden energy flowed from his entire body like flames that burnt everything inside the terran palace.
Everything was falling apart and as only could happen in a nightmare darkness followed those golden flames.
The young man extended his hand out to Gaia "Join me, let's change this universe forever"
"Cho…" Gaia sobbed louder.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER YOU MONSTER!" Geb yelled at the man standing in front of his daughter.
The man with raven hair made a devilish smile "Kneel before me you insignificant god! For now I'm stronger than you!"
The golden flames were surrounding little Gaia and burning her surroundings.
Like in slow motion Geb ran to save Gaia from that circle of golden fire, in his attempt to grab her he fell to the floor, placing his hands on the ground to balance himself up but the flames caught them by orders of its master.
"Ahhhhhh!" Geb screamed in pain.
"Daddy!" Gaia yelled scared.
The dark man in front of them laughed "I hope you suffer well"
Gaia managed to separate the flames that were surrounding her, running towards his burning father she blew the flames away with just a swift of her tiny hands.
"What?" the man in golden flames said confused.
"Cho, what you're doing is wrong…why are you hurting daddy?" Gaia asked between sobs.
"Because he didn't believe I could be more powerful than him!" the dark man yelled and sent a blast at him.
Geb screamed in pain and fell to the ground hurt. Gaia couldn't stand seeing her father being hurt by her brother, the two men she loved the most in the universe were fighting against each other.
Nut ran inside after she noticed her husband wasn't coming out with Gaia in his arms safe.
"Please dear! Stop this madness!" Nut yelled.
"Shut up you weak goddess!" he sent a blast to her mother too, but then Gaia stepped between the energy coming and her mother protecting her, extending her small arms she closed her eyes.
The palace was already gone, everything was in flames, the sky was dark and full with clouds, the energy the man was emanating was transforming into a very dense energy, but he was shocked to see this little girl handing in there.
Dark thunders illuminated the dark sky; a strong wind was blowing in every direction. It was complete madness.
An army of Higher Gods were standing around the terran family; Zeus was pointing his thunder sword at the dark man, Poseidon was supporting Zeus controlling the dark energy that the young man was spreading, Chronos appeared next, his dark key staff pointing to the skies, he was about to attack the dark man when he saw the little girl protecting her now unconscious mother.
"How can this little girl handle all this energy?" he asked amazed.
"Gia get out of the way! It's time to bring all these bastards down!" the young man started to create a ball of energy a mix of onyx and gold.
Gaia shook her head and didn't change her position in front of her mother.
"Then you will die as well with them" he said.
The man threw the blast of dense energy at the little girl and the rest of the Higher Gods, Chronos moved forward quickly and swirled his key staff "Silence Typhoon!" he yelled.
Little Gaia shut her eyes waiting for the blast of energy directed at her but it never came, she opened her eyes slowly and widened amazed at what she saw.
Like a portrait, the mix of the energy her brother was throwing, Zeus thunders, the blue energy coming out of Poseidon, Hades waiting next to Zeus to take her brother's soul, she saw everything being stopped. In front of her was Chronos with his staff up high.
He stopped time, he protected her.
Gaia's eyes widened in shock, it was the first time she saw a Higher God's power.
"You need to get out of here" his voice was deep but very different to the one her brother had.
"I won't leave my parents alone" she said.
"We will take care of them" he said "You need to go; I cannot stop time for a long time!"
A golden light appeared seconds later, Chronos's eyes widened "Helios!"
A man in a golden armor appeared and smiled at the man with dark green armor and then to the little girl with green eyes.
"Awaken little goddess, the crystal is responding to you"
"Helios…I" Chronos fought to keep the time stopped but it was no longer possible, in a flash of light Helios disappeared and Gaia was out of the way with both of her parents.
"What?" Gaia's brother asked in surprise when he felt his energy die slowly.
Gaia stepped in front of him, her arms extended once again, the dark energy was separating from the golden energy, the dark going to fill the dark man while the golden was filling the small girl.
"No!" the young man yelled.
Geb and Nut were already awake and were watching the events in shock.
"No…" Nut whispered.
The golden energy flowed through her body and in a flash of light she was wearing a golden gown, a golden sword appeared before her.
"Take the sword and seal the darkness away"
12 year old Gaia opened her eyes to reveal they were no longer green but a mix between golden and green. Her eyes were golden. She took the sword and in a swift motion and as if she knew what she was doing she pronounced ancient words.
"Memento Mori"
She raised the sword with both hands above her head and made a script on the air and in a clean move she dig the sword in the ground making the earth rumble, a strongest golden energy engulfed the surroundings and attacked the young man in front of her.
"Giaaaa!" he yelled.
Zeus summoned his power along the other Higher Gods and Hades opened a dark hole in the sky, Chronos shifted his key staff and engulfed the dark man in a dark green energy.
"You will be sealed for eternity evil being! Outside of the immortal realm your soul will be trapped in the place you made by yourself"
"NOOOOOO!" he yelled, Hades tied him with dark wires until he wasn't in sight.
A girl in black was behind the dark man, her dark straight hair was covering her tear stained face. It was Metallia.
"NOOOO!" she yelled and fell on her knees to the ground.
Gaia watched the young woman crying desperately and recognized her, she remembered watching her following her brother everywhere.
In a flash, the dark man, the Higher Gods and golden energy that was engulfing Gaia disappeared, leaving a sobbing girl, a young Gaia and her parents alone in what was the remains of their home.
Geb stood up slowly and went to hug his daughter "Gaia…"
Nut started crying again and looked up to the skies "Father…why?"
End of flashback
"Father chose her…I still don't know why" Nut said sadly.
"Helios didn't choose her, it was the crystal. But now, I must get it back" Geb said.
"And what if she fights you?" Nut asked worried.
"Then the story will repeat itself once again" Geb said and left.
A/N: Will the story repeat again? ... you'll know in the next chapters! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. Thank you very much for your lovely reviews.
There are still so many things to happen but so little time! the good thing is that second season of Divinity will come up next :)
We all know I don't own SM just the plot of this story, the name and some of the characters.