Aaric sighed and placed a hand on his head. He waved his hand, and the images disappeared, much to Luna’s disappointnt.
She made a pitiful expression, holding Aaric’s hand and swinging it side to side. "We were at the best part. Why did you stop?" she asked, only to get a pinch on her nose.
"Who are you learning these things from?" Aaric said in exasperation.
She giggled and pointed at him. "Who else but you?" she said as if it were obvious.
Aaric raised a finger to object but thought better of it, sighed, and turned to the tree, where an opening had ford, big enough for them to enter.
He moved toward the entrance, Luna giggling as she followed. As they entered, they saw a dark tunnel with a faint opening at a distance.
Just as they were about to step through, the tree’s voice echoed around them. "Soone requested to et you."
Aaric raised an eyebrow and looked at Luna, who shrugged. They walked through the tunnel. "Well then, let’s see who it is," Aaric muttered.
They entered a grand hall with three figures sitting on thrones, one male and two females. Aaric recognized Hades and Persephone imdiately.
The third was a beautiful young woman wearing simple robes and a veil. She smiled gently at the two kids from her wooden throne with a gentle fire behind it.
Aaric waved at all of them. "Nice to see you again," he said, addressing Hades and Persephone.
They smiled and nodded. "Thank you for accepting the request," Hades said.
Aaric nodded and then bowed to the third person as well. "Nice to et you. I am Aaric," he introduced himself, followed by Luna, who bowed and introduced herself.
The woman smiled at them like a mother. "A pleasure, young Aaric and Luna. I am Hestia," she said, then looked at Hades. "And if we are done with the grand introductions, can we give these children a comfortable place to sit and so food?"
Persephone covered her mouth and giggled while Hades scratched his cheek. He and Persephone then introduced themselves to Luna.
Luna stood surprised and moved closer to Aaric, holding his hand. He smiled and reassured her with a squeeze. Hades snapped his fingers, and they reappeared in a comfortable area with sofas and a table filled with food. A fireplace lit beside them, warming the space.
Aaric and Luna sat together while the three gods waited, giving Luna ti to orient herself and digest the information. Aaric held her hand and raised an eyebrow. "Please, tell the reason for the eting. Formalities can wait," he said, trying to get straight to the point.
Hades nodded, looking slightly apologetic toward Luna. "You rember the first ti we t was shortly after your encounter with... Arkham, yes? That is the na he gave you?"
Aaric nodded.
"Before we t, Vasuki had summoned almost all the gods in the dreamlands and the void, where the outer gods dwell and where the Court of Azathoth is located," Hades continued. Aaric nodded, understanding.
"After we were summoned, Vasuki made an example of Nyarlathotep, or Arkham as you know him. She told every god to stay away from you if they harbored bad intentions." Hades paused as Luna looked very confused and scared.
Aaric held her cheek. "I will explain everything later. Just trust ," he whispered, and she nodded, moving closer to him.
Hades took a deep breath. "Well, my whole pantheon was there as well, except for a few. And Zeus, in his infinite arrogance, scoffed at the statent." He glanced at Persephone, who was comforting Hestia as she looked sad at this part of the story.
"Long story short, the three of us and the few gods who could not attend the summons are all that remain of our pantheon," Hades said, leaning back with his face resting in his palm.
"All others were devolved into pure divinity, their powers and followers given to us," Hades concluded.
A single tear escaped Hestia’s eye, though she made sure Luna and Aaric did not see it, unwilling to make them feel guilty.
Aaric digested the words as he looked at the three. "I understand all that, and I am truly sorry for the death of your family. I am sure you loved them dearly," he said, bowing slightly.
"Still... what is the reason for this?" Aaric asked, referring to the eting request.
Persephone looked at Luna. "We three wish to give her our blessings and make her our chosen," she said directly.
Aaric glanced at Luna, who understood but still seed very confused.
"We will leave you to discuss this. Please call for us when you have your decision ready," Hades said, and they walked out of the room, leaving Aaric and Luna alone.
"Aaric, who is Arkham and what happened?" Luna asked as soon as the gods left.
Aaric sighed, scratched his head, and then explained a tar version of the events.
Luna looked scared and worried. "Is that why you left that day?" she asked, and he nodded. "I just wanted to calm the tide of emotions running through at that ti," Aaric explained.
Luna placed her head on his chest as he reassured her that he was fine.
"I think you should take their offer. I have t Hades and Persephone before, and they are not bad people. I think they told us the whole story to show how powerful they are now," Aaric said, shifting the topic.
Luna looked up at him and tilted her head. "What do they get from all this?" she asked suddenly, making Aaric smile.
He thought for a mont and shrugged. "I don’t think they know you possess the sands," he muttered, his hand on his chin.
"Vasuki once told that the gods from the dreamlands like to experience the waking worlds and cannot manifest there directly. So the next best thing is to experience the waking worlds through their chosen ones," Aaric explained.
Luna nodded but frowned again. "That day... I could have helped you," she said, referring to the encounter with Arkham.
Aaric sighed. "You could have, of course. I just did not want to burden you or make you worry."
Luna clenched her fist and hit his chest lightly. "I can handle it," she whispered. "You close my eyes and ears when we face danger." A tear escaped her eye.
"You are always in front of , comforting and helping . I can do that too. I have faced scary things and overco them. I am not weak," she said, her voice gaining strength.
She held the fabric of Aaric’s shirt in a fist and sobbed against his chest. Aaric’s heart ached at the sound.
He cupped her face and gently wiped away her tears. "I am sorry," he whispered repeatedly.
After so ti, she stopped crying and put her arms around his neck. "I will always be there for you, as you were for when you helped in my dream," Luna whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
Aaric smiled and held her waist. He leaned down and kissed her cheek tenderly, then moved closer to her lips. Their breaths quickened as Luna rose on her tiptoes.
He kissed her softly, a quick, gentle kiss to show his affection. Then he looked into her eyes and saw only love and a smile.
He bent down again, kissing her with more passion. She was inexperienced, but she tried her best to match him.
He picked her up by the waist as they kissed, taking their ti before finally separating. Luna was breathing heavily and rested her head on his chest as he rubbed her back.
She looked up and stole one more quick kiss. "You should call them back," she whispered.
Aaric grinned. "What? Can’t stop yourself from assaulting ?" he teased.
Luna smirked. "Not even a little." She stole another kiss.
"Last chance," she whispered again, nibbling on his ear. Aaric lightly slapped her butt, making her yelp and glare at him.
He chuckled and stepped back, calling out to the gods before she could jump on him.
The gods took a minute to enter the room, during which ti Aaric and Luna adjusted themselved on the couches.
They looked at Luna hopefully. She smiled at them and stood, bowing. "Thank you for choosing ... I accept," she said.
The gods smiled, and Hestia hugged her with happiness. "I promise we will always protect you," Hestia said. The other two nodded.
They moved to an open area in nature, with Luna sitting on an elevated pedestal, level with the thrones of the gods.
The three gods cut their fingers, and drops of golden blood floated above them before entering Luna through her forehead, granting her their blessing and protection.
"We now have more authority than before. You have the blessings of our whole pantheon," Persephone said. Luna nodded in gratitude.
"We grant you the title Seraph of Olympia’s Dream," Hades announced. Luna’s wings changed again. Six wings ford: the upper pair shimred like moonlight on water, the middle pair were feathered with threads of starlight, and the lower pair resembled drifting petals of silver fla.
Aaric smiled and joined his hands in prayer to Vasuki, thanking her silently.
"You can be anyone you want. We trust you to be true," Hestia said, kissing Luna’s cheek and brushing her hair.
After the ceremony, they sat in the dining area and celebrated. The gods recounted tar exploits while Luna and Aaric listened, wrapped in attention.
While Hestia spoke with Luna, Aaric produced a golden seed and showed it to Hades. "Can you tell what this is?" he asked.
Hades nodded. "This is called a divine seed. It forms when there is not enough worship to create a god, only the idea of one."
Aaric raised an eyebrow. "What if it is given to a mortal?"
Hades shrugged. "That would turn the mortal into a demigod. Over ti, their powers and abilities would grow. There are even ways for them to beco a full god."
A/n: Power stones and reviews.
User Comments
0 comments from readers