Awakening The Goddess: Book II

Chapter 10: New Discoveries

Eriana 

“What do you mean he released Ba Pef? He wouldn’t...,” I trailed off, my mind racing with all of the horrible things that could happen at their hands. 

“He did,” Baal responded dejectedly. I didn’t want to believe it but Thmei literally can’t lie and if Baal saw it, then it must be true, right? I should have never left him. All of the blood that Derion spilled is on my hands. I sighed as I fought the tears back again, but now was no time to break down. I just have to find him and everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. It’s okay, everything will be fine. 

I squared my shoulders and looked up at my companions and they all wore a concerned expression. I wiped the tears that threatened to spill over and fortified my resolve with a few deep breaths. 

“Alright, well, let’s do this then. Iah, I will need you to let my friends and our kids go,” I announced, turning my attention to her. She rolled her eyes at me and did whatever it is that she does to control time. I looked back and both Gia and Ash were standing behind me in a fighting stance, ready to defend our home like the warriors that they were. 

“It’s fine, they’re friends, mostly…,” I said with an exasperated sigh and a gesture towards the group standing before us. I walked over and picked up Erion and walked him over to Anuke. I could see her eyes soften as she took in his little chubby cheeks and bright eyes. 

“This is Erion, our son. Do you want to hold him?” I asked, carefully, eyeing her and taking in her body language. 

“Um, y-yeah, I would,” she said as she held her arms out to receive him. As she took him into her arms I could tell she was falling in love with him. I couldn’t blame her, I birthed two amazing and beautiful children.

“The sleeping one is our daughter, Bria. She’s my daughter but he adopted her and he’s treated her like his own since the moment he met her,” I said with a small smile, remembering the first time they met back in my little apartment. 

“Of course he did,” she mumbled as she bounced her nephew in her arms. She was absolutely entranced by him and when I looked around everyone had small smiles watching the War Goddess cradle a baby. In all the time I’d known her, this was the softest I’d ever seen her. 

“I hate to break up this beautiful moment,” Ash spoke cautiously. “Who are these people and how did they get into our borders?”

I heard Baal scoff in the background and I shifted uncomfortably. I hadn’t told Gia about who I am and Ash doesn’t really understand the depth of who I am. I didn’t want them to look at me differently. I just wanted to be myself, to be normal and not carry the weight of everyone’s expectations  

“Let’s go talk in one of the conference rooms,” I responded, walking away before anyone could ask any more questions. We made the small trek in silence, Anuke still holding Erion and Bria still asleep in her stroller. I felt a presence beside me and when I looked over Ash was already looking at me and I could tell her mind was going a million miles a minute. I reached out and grabbed her hand and gave her hand a gentle squeeze as we came upon the packhouse. 

I hadn’t been here in so long, I missed this place almost as much as I missed Derion. When I stepped inside I was greeted with the familiar lemon scent of the floor cleaner and it took everything in me to not break down right here. All of the memories played through my mind like a movie and I just wanted to rewind everything and do it all over again. 

I sighed as I led the group to the conference room off of the kitchen and sat in Derion’s chair at the head of the table. Everyone looked at me waiting for me to speak but I had no idea where to begin. 

“Um…,” I  mumbled, unsure where I should even start. How do I even begin to explain everything to them?

“Okay, so who the f**k are y’all?” Ash asked, looking from me to everyone else, who ironically looked to me for guidance in this situation. 

“Well, they’re….Gods...and Goddesses,” I said, gesturing at the group. I watched Gia’s jaw drop and Ash had little to no reaction that it was almost frightening. 

“How do you know a horde of Godly beings?” Gia asked as she ran her hand through her hair trying to figure out what was going on. 

“Uh, well, I’m a Goddess, too…” I replied quietly. The room was so silent I could hear a field mouse a mile away.

“Well,” Gia said softly. “Okay. Yeah. Alright. No, yeah.. That.. that makes sense,” she rambled as her brain tried to process the bomb I just dropped on her. 

“Derion and I both are. I mean, he’s a God, but we’ve been soul mates since, literally forever ago,” I continued. “He… he’s the God of War and I’m the Goddess of Death, hence the spirits all floating about a few months ago. I didn’t remember who I was, but I remember now and so does Derion. He’s been having some issues.” 

“What kind of issues?” Ash asked. Derion was like a big brother to her now and she wouldn’t stand for anything bad happening to him. If she wasn’t my best friend, I might have a little problem with their relationship. 

“He’s...regressing, I guess. When I first met Derion as Montu, he was a barbaric, blood-thirsty asshole who had no regard for life. He would literally slaughter thousands of people in a few hours just for attention. Since I haven’t been around the last few weeks and he’s halfway been corrupted in this life and then with Ba Pef, it’s almost like he’s losing himself, probably losing his mind too because I can’t reach him.” 

I dropped my head in shame, this was all on me. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t do a thing to help. I sighed as I rested my head on my forearms and let out a groan. I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. 

“Okay, so how do we fix this and get our Derion or Montu or whatever his name is back?” Ash asked, clearly not caring about any of the other information I just dropped on her. 

“Well, Baal,” I said, gesturing to the dark-skinned man with the silver eyes and colorful tattoos covering his body. “He’s the God of the Sky and Storms, so he can see everything, everywhere. I know, it’s a little creepy, but he isn’t like that. So, Baal has been keeping an eye on him and I’m going to go get him.” 

“Okay, then we’re coming with you,” Gia responded. 

“No,” I replied a little sharper than I meant to. “He’s not...himself. He won’t kill me, but he would definitely kill you, both of you. No offense.” I gave Gia and Ash a small smile and they looked at each other nervously. 

“How do you know he won’t kill you? You saw what he did to your face by accident. Who’s to say what mental state he’s in right now. What if he hallucinates you as someone else and he kills you?” Gia replied worriedly. 

“He won’t,” I said, tiredly. This conversation was taking more out of me than I expected. I didn’t want to go into all of the technicalities of my divinity, and I definitely didn’t want to get into the specifics of our reincarnations. 

“Okay, but how do you know?” Ash asked. 

“Because I just do, Ash. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but how do you know?” Gia asked before Ash could. 

“Because he can’t. If anything, I’ll have to kill him a little,” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand as Anuke chuckled. 

“What do you mean, kill him a little?” Gia asked. I groaned and I just wanted this conversation to be over. 

“Gia, I can’t right now, maybe Thmei can explain everything to you. I really need to find Derion before things get worse. You know how he’s supposed to be off chasing off that hunter that’s killing people? It’s him. He’s on a rampage and if I don’t stop him, he’ll get more powerful and the more powerful he is, the further his domain reaches and the more people will die.”

Gia and Ash looked at me in utter shock, their mouths hanging open in surprise and it was almost comical. I stifled the small laugh that tried to escape and let them have their moment. 

“So, yeah. I really need to find Derion. Thmei, can you catch them up on everything? Baal, Anuke, and Iah, I’ll need you to come with me.”

“I don’t know why you’re throwing out orders and bossing everyone around. Who died and made you head of the pantheon?” Iah scoffed as she rolled her eyes at me. 

“What is your problem, Iah? I’ve never done anything to you. In fact, today is the most we’ve ever talked before. So, what’s up?” I asked, annoyed with her little attitude. 

“Hmm,” was all she said before she got up and stormed out of the room, Ken following behind her closely. I looked to the rest of the group and they all just shrugged at me. Clearly, they knew just as much as I did. 

“Annnnywho, so, let’s get going then. Do you mind watching Bria and Erion until I get back?” 

“Yeah, of course,” Gia said with a smile as she reached for Erion who was still being cradled by Anuke. She reluctantly gave him up to Gia and they left the room with Bria who was still sleeping from her long day of being a toddler. 

“Do you all want to come with us or are you staying here? If you’re staying, I can have someone make up some rooms for you.”

“No, I think we’ll come with. I’d like to see how this plays out,” Djefa responded with a devilish smile. Of course, he did, he might be the God of Abundance, but he missed his calling as a trickster. Everyone nodded in agreement and I didn’t know if they were genuinely supporting me or just wanting to see Derion spiraling out of control. 

They never cared for him much, but they had to be sincere in their arrival today, right? I mean, why else would they be here?