Chapter Ninety-eight: The Gods room

I think we stop travelling and I start to feel the normal sickness I used to get when travelling with Nuria. I look around, finding I’m being exposed to an extremely bright light. I rub my eyes which were still wet with tears and find when I come to my senses that I’m in a room. A throne room.

The floor of the room seems to be white, and I wonder if I’m standing on what looks very much like a cloud. It’s soft and fluffy and I can’t see an end to it, however it was stable and I wasn’t falling through it. Looking around, there’s no walls or ceiling, but it’s all different shades of blue so I wonder if we’re somehow floating in the sky. I look around and see several figures, maybe people, sat on chairs. People may be the wrong word however, as I can tell everyone here is a God or Goddess.

Each of the chairs are golden, but it’s strange as it seems like it’s shifting continuously. I can only describe it as liquid gold, which is encapsulated. I notice one of the thrones which is directly in the middle is slightly bigger than the others, but I forget about it as I glance down at my wolf who is looking around, intrigued by the place we’re in.

Athena is back to showing off her magnificent white coat, no longer covered in blood. Her sapphire blue eyes look up to mine. I can tell she’s trying to gauge my reaction, she’s already taken a look around the room and sensed my uneasiness. I look down at myself and my clothes and see that I am also clean, no longer covered in grime or the blood of my mate. I seem to be wearing a simple white dress, with a golden broach breastplate and shoulder blades, as if they are feathers forming a wing.

I notice and look up when I see my Mother, Selene, and my Father, Solaris, stand and walk towards me with a small smile on their faces.

Selene is the first to speak. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Eos. This is the throne room and you will see many of the Gods here.” She says melodically, gesturing her hand to the other deities in the room.

I look around the room, counting out fifteen Gods and Goddesses sitting around.

“We are what you would call the originals, which include myself and Selene. We were the first born from great Mother Gaia.” Solaris says with his deep voice. I wonder who Gaia is and if she was in this room.

I look around and see the faces smiling down at Athena and I, but I do not smile back.

“You’ve done us a great service, child.” One of the Gods says as he rises from his chair, the largest one I noticed when I looked around. He comes forth and introduces himself. “I go by the name Zeus, if you will.”

He looks larger than the other Gods, and more magnificent. He has deep brown hair but I can see streaks of golden within, the same as his beard. His beard reaches the bottom of his chest and is full. He has golden eyes which from what I can tell, have streaks of…lightning in them. He wears a golden halo wreath, similar to the ones my Father and Mother wear, but his is evidently larger, probably signalling authority.

I bow my head out of respect but say nothing in his presence. He continues to watch me, curiously.

He says nothing more but instead looks to Selene and Solaris. Both of them look at me lovingly, then back to him.

Selene speaks to him, as if in a song. “She has lost her mate in the war against Erebus, or as she knows him, Fedori.” She has a soft, but subtly sad smile on her lips as she looks down at me and moves one of her hands to my chin to raise it slightly and one down on Athena’s snout. She speaks directly to me. “He is in my realm now my daughter. He will be waiting for you there.”

I look at her, unsure what she means. “But I am immortal.” I respond to her, causing her to give me another sad smile.

“That you are. He will be waiting for you for eternity.” She answers my question and as she looks at me, she already knows I have more questions to ask. Before I can start or even begin to process what she means, I hear Zeus speak to me.

“Child, you may ask us for one thing. You have done a great deed taking out the evildoer Erebus. He has now been taken into our hands and will be dealt with accordingly. He will no longer cause havoc on the world you know as Earth, or any others. We have the power to grant anything. You can choose.” He says, the others around nodding their heads with unwavering smiles on their faces, their eyes focused on me.

I look to Athena and then back to Selene and Solaris. She smiles and nods, already knowing what I’m going to ask. He looks at me with the fire in his eyes, not disclosing any emotions.

I look back to the God named Zeus and detail my want. “Almighty Zeus, and the graceful deities who have summoned me here. I’ve spent countless months finding allies and fighting a war I never wanted or asked to be a part of. Nevertheless, I did this, knowing that the world as I knew it, along with everything else, would be destroyed if not. For the most part, I did it because Fedori, or…Erebus, had Lukas in his grasp, and all I wanted was to have him back…” I think about the several months that had passed where I hadn’t seen Lukas or Ares, I had no idea he was alive.

I continue. “All I want is to spend the rest of my life with Lukas and his wolf, Ares. They are what kept me going this whole time. It’s only right I spend the rest of my time with them. They are our mate.” I say, stroking Athena. ”And I feel it’s only right that you give him back to us.”

Solaris continues to watch me, a small smile creeping up on his lips at my determination. Selene, although an original Goddess herself, looks to Zeus to see what he decides. I assume that he has the last say in anything that happens. He looks back at Selene as if they’re having a silent conversation. He then looks down at me with a more serious look.

“Reversing death is something we’ve prohibited for obvious reasons.” He says solemnly, taking a few moments to relish in his words. “However, we would all be in a box if Erebus had taken your powers.” He starts to pull at his beard in thought, taking a few moments to decide.

“Only Selene can grant you your wish, however be warned. Your wish could cost you your immortality, it is something that goes along the lines of, take a life to give a life. You, being the child of not only one original, but two, means you have been granted immortality irrespective of your current life path. However, a wish such as this could reverse that, it’s not our choice, but Mother Gaias’.” He says.

I smile up at him which seems to catch him by surprise. “I am ok with that, Lord Zeus. Up until recently, I didn’t even know I was immortal. In fact, if I had a choice, when Lukas leaves the Earth I would wish to go with him, to spend eternity with him.”

He smiles at me, and I realise he hasn’t smiled at me like this before...now it seems, more authentic. He looks back to a Goddess who was seated beside him and she smiles back at him. I see the love in their eyes for each other and looking at Selene and Solaris, I think there may be love between them also.

I look up to Selene who’s already smiling down at me. “Your wish is granted child. We will leave now, the others here will deal with Erebus. We wish to take you somewhere to speak.” She hums.

I nod my head and look to Athena who’s patiently standing beside me. I realise I didn’t confine in her what she wanted to do, but before I even say anything she looks at me.
“We’re still connected, Aliana. I will accept whatever you choose.” She nudges my hand with her snout and I pet her pretty fur.

I look up to Selene who then takes my hand and pats Athena’s head. I then see the room in front of me blur out and in an instant, I find myself besides a beautiful waterfall which is surrounded by what seems to be hundreds of miles of forest.

Both Selene and Solaris are sitting on a bench in front of Athena and I, gesturing for us both to come forward and sit with them.

We move in harmony, looking around us at the alluring forest. The sounds coming from it are that of different songbirds, chirping away as if they have no care in the world. The different shades of green shining all around me, and I’m pretty certain I’m unable to tell if some of the green colours I see exist on Earth.

I make it to the bench, which seems to be made from a deep brown wood, carved beautifully with many patterns etched within. I take a seat and Athena lies on the floor in front of me, her head on her front paws as if about to take a nap.

I look to Selene with a hundred questions going through my mind, but before I start, she speaks.

“It’s about time why we had never brought you here before.”