To Be Chosen By A God

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

                The next two weeks seemed to fly by and Chelsea was a little nervous about the Fifty Year Summit.  She was used to his Presence which had pressed on her so when she first arrived.  Would the combined Presence of all the gods overwhelm her?  And what of Luther?  He had already attacked her once and from what Micah had said, the attack could have easily killed her.  Would he attack her again?  Surely not!  Not with all the other gods there.  Oh….Micah had said they would probably want to talk to her about the attack without him present to influence her.  And all those rules he mentioned to her!  Not speaking unless addressed, keeping her face impassive when Luther did something disgusting with his concubines.  Micah had warned her that saying anything about how he treated them could make it so she was required to stay with that disgusting man for a year where he could do anything he wanted to her so long as she alive at the end.  She shuddered at what her mind created as possibilities.

                It was now the night before the meeting and she was scared.  Even sleeping close to Micah as she usually did now did not calm her.

                “What’s wrong, Chelsea?  You aren’t sleeping.” 

                “I’m scared about tomorrow.”  She confessed.

                “Talk to me and maybe I can help.  Even if it’s something I can’t help you with, sometimes sharing your burdens makes them lighter.”  She was snuggled up to his side with her head on his shoulder.  He stroked her face and hair with his opposite hand, trying to lend what comfort he could while holding her with his trapped arm.

                “Did you know that you have a Presence about you that takes some getting used to?”

                “Yes.”

                “Will it be worse with the rest of the gods at the Summit?  All that combined Presence?”

                “It’s possible.  I know that when we become angry or emotional with each other that feeling can get worse for our mortal companions.  It has been a long time since this was an issue.  This time may be hard, but it should be something you get used to quickly as it’s something you’ve already gotten used to with me.  Does that make sense?”

                “Sort of.  I think.”

                “What else.”

                “Luther.”

                “What about Luther?”

                “Everything, Micah.  He tried to kill me and I have to sit with him in the same room and pretend nothing happened and he might try to provoke me in to saying something about how he treats his concubines and then…..”  She began sobbing.

                He tightened his hold around her and rubbed her back.  “Oh, honey, it will be ok, I promise.  You will never be in a room with him alone and if I have to be apart from you for any reason, I will have you sit with Draven.  You’ll like Draven.  He’s a good man, easy to talk to, and he would protect you if you needed protecting for any reason.  We will be sitting together, so if you ever need to, just snuggle up next to me or bury your face into my side or whatever you can get of me at the time.  I’ll comfort you the best I can.  And remember, you can always pray to me if you need to tell me something but I haven’t addressed you first.  Even if it’s just to tell me you’re scared or nervous, remember that I can still hear you if you pray to me.”  Her body started to loosen and her tears began to dry up.  He continued to stroke her hair as she finally fell asleep now that her burdens had been lightened in the sharing.

                The next morning started fairly normally.  While Micah took his morning shower, Chelsea made breakfast and it was ready when he came down to eat.  They ate together and they chatted about what to expect later that day with the Summit.

                “Not all of the gods look at their mortal companions the same way.  There are some that truly love them and the partnership between them is the same as any married couple on the earth.  Some see them as nothing more than pets or play toys with no real value and others fall somewhere in between.  Remember that regardless of how you feel, you cannot interfere with another god’s companion or you will be forfeited to them for a year.  Remember that you cannot speak unless you are spoken to, but if you pray to me, you can bypass that.  There is no stove or oven there, so you will want to bring something to eat.  While the Summit is going on, you will be sitting with me on a wide chair.  You cannot get up from it unless told to do so.  That’s when praying to me will be beneficial if you need to use the necessity or need to move.”

                “Why are there so many rules for mortals like that?”

                “They were created before I was born.  There will be times when we are discussing something and you may think you have the perfect solution or you feel strongly about a thing.  Because of the views some gods have of mortals, having a mortal feel that they were equal enough to a god to speak out on decisions like that was not wanted.  To discourage it, these rules for morals at the Summits were created.  If you were to break one of them, I would be required to discipline you in front of the other gods and if they collectively thought I was being too lenient, they would also discipline you.

                “The truth of the matter is that you probably won’t notice the rules much.  They really aren’t very difficult or strenuous.  Besides, I haven’t gotten to hear you pray to me in a long time now.”  He smiled, showing her he was joking and wasn’t actually asking her to begin praying to him again.  “The Summit grounds are set up with a round chamber at the center with halls radiating out.  Each of us has our own hallway.  We will come in at the end of the hallway and you will see a room to your right.  Mostly that is your bedroom.  Sometimes the talks will range long into the night and it was recognized a long time ago that our mortal companions may need a place to rest or eat.  Further up the hall is your necessity room should you need it during the talks.  Also around the chamber are a couple rooms where if we need to talk about something without all of you, we will ask the companions to leave the room.  Should that happen, follow Draven’s wives to the room.  We’ve always encouraged our wives to become friends.  It’s helpful to have someone that can relate to what you are going through.  Sure, the people of the Haven know me and the Margarets know me the best of anyone here, but none of them have ever been married to a god.  It will be good to become friends with as many of the other companions as you can, you just have to be careful about interfering with their relationship with their god. 

                “Draven’s wives will be the most lenient in this aspect and will help you to not make mistakes.  This is something they are already prepared to do for you, so don’t be afraid to talk to them as you would Margaret.  I don’t mean to be making you more nervous, I just want you to be as prepared as possible because this will be a new thing for you.”  He kissed her brow.  “We will leave for the Summit just after lunch, so whatever you want to eat, you will need to make and put into a stasis field and we can leave it in the bedroom at the Summit.”

                “Won’t you be eating dinner with me?”

                “No.  It is the one time where I will probably seem the most alien or other to you.  I’ve spoken to some of the other gods and they said it’s just something we all seem to do when we’re around each other; to lose some of that mortal disguise we use around our companions or Haven inhabitants.  I won’t love you any less just because I seem different.  My love for you is not a disguise, but doing things like eating, sleeping, and showering are all part of the disguise.  I’m told I become a little cold, distant and calculating when I’m around the other gods, so be prepared for that as well.”  She nodded.  Would he still be her Micah at the Summit?  Maybe he would be more like she had thought of him before she came here?  Before he left for his workroom, he hugged her fiercely and kissed her deeply to remind her of his love for her. 

                She busied herself with making lunch for them both and then dinner for just herself.  She placed the dinner in a stasis field and let it sit on the counter.  They ate and then she went up to take her shower.  He followed her to the bedroom and waited for her on the bed.  “Just come out in the towel.  I’ll take care of your clothing.”  He called after her.  He thought he saw her nod.

                When she came out, her face was red and her arms crossed her chest, holding the towel in place.  The towel just barely covered her lower anatomy.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize how short the towel would be.  Come here and let me dry your hair.”  She walked over to him, eyes on the floor.  He felt bad that he was causing her so much discomfort.  He ran his fingers through her hair, drying it as much as he dared to with his power. 

                There was a large standing mirror in the corner of the room so he had her walk with him over to it.  She stood in front of it properly and could see him looking at her from his reflection.  He placed his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes.  In an instant, the towel she was clutching to herself became a dress.  He hadn’t brought any materials into the room to create it, he had made it with his power instead.  The dress was form fitting at her arms, chest, back, and stomach and the neck line swooped lower than she was accustomed to in the front.  The dress was red with black edging and details, and black buttons.  There were small black buttons that were on the outside of her wrists to allow her hand to exit the sleeve when the dress was put on or taken off and there were two rows of buttons up the back which Chelsea suspected was what allowed the dress to be as tight as it was.  The skirt was in a straight line from her hips with a wide gold belt at her waist whose end hung down the front of the skirt nearly down to the hem.  The dress material felt as smooth as silk and flowed like water over her hands when she touched it.  A necklace with matching wide, flat links suddenly appeared around her neck.  Around her wrists appeared fine gold chains attached in a triangular pattern that ended at the middle finger was a fine net of gold chain.  The tip of the triangles were held in place with a loop of chain that went around her middle fingers.

                She stuck her foot out from her underneath her skirt and found herself to be wearing black boots that went up past her ankles and were pointed at the toe and were raised slightly at the heel.  She looked up at them both in the mirror and his eyes were open now. 

                “Do you want your hair up or down?  I know you usually like to wear your hair down when you aren’t working in the kitchen.”

                “How do you want it to be?”  She placed a hand on his that was still on her shoulder.

                “I was thinking of just pulling back the hair at your brow and temples and braiding it.”  She smiled and bobbed her head in a quick nod.  He reached behind him and her hair brush jumped into his hand.  He took his time brushing out her hair and separating the hair he wanted for the braid from the rest.  He braided it and then used a leather cord to tie the end.  He took the remaining hair and bunched it up in his hands, concentrating on it.  When he released it, it was now hanging in lazy, loose curls instead of hanging straight like it usually did.  The last thing he did was suspend a ruby drop in her hair so that it hung at the center of her forehead.

                “It’s beautiful, Micah.”

                “There are a couple other things we can do, if you want.  I can lacquer your nails red to match the dress, but it can feel weird if you’re not used to it.  I can also accent your eyes and lips, but to be honest, I think you look perfect the way you are.”  She turned around and wrapped her arms around him.  “Have a seat while I get ready.”  She nodded and watched him as he dressed in similar colors.  His pants and boots were black and his shirt was red.  He didn’t wear any jewelry, and he wore his hair just the same as he always did.  He looked powerful.  The clothing was formfitting on him as well, but also looked like he had his normal full range of movement.  It looked like the clothing was made out of the same kind of material her dress was made from which meant he had made the clothing with his own power.  The drawer he had pulled the clothing from was one she had never seen him pull clothing from before.  She saw a few other shirts and pants in the drawers he had pulled the clothing items from and realized she had never seen them before.

                “The nice thing about this clothing is that you never have to wash it and you will never be too hot or too cold when you wear it.  It’s not easy to make, so I don’t make it very often.”

                “But why make it with your power?  There’s plenty of fiber to make any kind of clothing you would want.”

                “It’s a status thing; a mask we all wear in front of each other.  It’s a mask that says that I have so much extra power, I can just see to all of mine and my partner’s needs with my own power.  You won’t be able to see it, but everything worn by the other gods and their companions will be made with power, rather than a mortal material.  We can see the difference, so when someone isn’t wearing such clothing, it’s very obvious and can be seen as a sign of weakness by the other gods.  I’d rather not be attacked, if I can help it, so I play the game.  You will also notice varying degrees of make up on the female companions.  It’s another game of whose companion is the most beautiful.  I have chosen to not play that game for a long time.  I don’t need to prove to someone else how beautiful my wife is.  I love her and that will always make her the most beautiful of women to me.”  He kissed her lips.  “Besides, if I painted you up and tinted your lips, it would just smear when I kiss you.”  He kissed her again and grinned.

                He guided her down to the kitchen where the dinner she had made for herself earlier was sitting on the counter in a stasis bubble.  He picked it up and adjusted the bubble so that it attached to the plate instead of the counter.  He then pulled the picnic basket from one of the cabinets and set the plate within it.  “What do you want to drink, tonight?  The wine and grape juice mixture you like?”

                “That sounds good to me.”  He made sure she had a glass and eating utensils as well as a napkin.

                “Are you ready?”

                “I should bring that accounting you asked me to write after I woke up after Luther’s attack.”

                “Where is it?  I’ll bring it to us.”

                “I put it under the jewelry box.”  He nodded and concentrated on the papers she had written.  In a moment, they were in his hand.  He tucked them into the basket as well.  He held out his arms and she stood close to him, getting one arm around his neck as he lifted her into his arms.  He leaned her over to the counter for her to pick up the basket.  As soon as she did, he turned and Stepped.

                They arrived at the very end of a long hallway.  Just ahead of them was a door on the right.  He set her down and they headed to that door.  He opened it for her and she was met with a surprising sight.  He had told her that it was a bedroom that was mostly for her use.  What she wasn’t expecting was that it was an almost exact replica of their bedroom.  The walls had been painted the same color, the carpets were in the same patterns and the bed had the same headboard.  There was a vanity dresser and armoire for her and a tall dresser and armoire for him.  There were no decorations in this room and the big differences was that this room had a small dining table and chairs in it.  She set the basket on that table and he explained that if their talks went long into the night, she would be able to come back here while the talks continued to sleep.

                “Would you want to continue sleeping here, or would you want me to risk waking you up to take you back home?”

                “I would rather sleep at home, Micah.  Despite looking a lot like home, this place has a very different feel to it.  I feel like I would just sleep so much better at home.”  He nodded and held out his arm for her twine hers with it as they walked out of the room, into the hallway and down to the meeting place.  The Summit had stone floors  covered with a carpet runner and the walls had stone mixed with areas of plaster so while the place made Chelsea feel cold, it was intended to be a warm and inviting place that was also brightly lit with light emitting crystals like Micah used in his work room.  Towards the end of the hallway was another door on the right.

                “This is a chamber you can relieve yourself if need be during the Summit.  Just send me a prayer and when you see me look toward you and nod, you’ll know you can leave.  I’m sorry it’s so formal here, but on the bright side, it’s only once every fifty years.”  The chamber ahead of them was empty.  The other gods were either waiting for their companions to settle anything in their bedrooms or they had not arrived yet.  Micah would not have spoken so freely had another god been present.  Well, another god except for Draven.  He know the god of love and hate was not fond of all the ceremony either.

                Being first meant that he had a chance to show Chelsea the set up.  They all sat at a round table and each of the chairs was much wider than a typical chair as it was meant to also seat a mortal companion.  Each chair also had different cushioning and carvings that likely belied the owner’s personality.  Micah’s was simple and the seat and back were well cushioned, though the arms remained bare.  The wood of the chair was dark and had simple gold banding around the legs of the chair.

                She knew Luther would be sitting to their left, so she quickly peeked over at his chair.  It was carved so that it depicted various scenes.  Once she realized what they were, she quickly looked away.  They were all scenes of s*x acts with multiple women in submissive poses.  Sometimes they were collared with leashes that were tied to something else or being held by a man; always the same man depicted with an erection.  Some of the panels depicted the women being whipped or s*****d with a wide paddle.  The carvings horrified her.  It was not the acts, because had the women been depicted with smiles or looks of pleasure, she might have just been uncomfortable looking at it.  Instead, the women were depicted with horrified and pained expressions or expressions of revulsion for what they were doing.  She buried her face in Micah’s chest, not wanting to think about that horrible chair anymore and wishing she had never looked.

                He stroked her hair.  “I know.  It’s not what you’re used to and this place can be intense the first time you’re here.  It will get easier, I promise.”  They sat down and it wasn’t long before the other gods with their consorts began walking in.  She was horrified when she saw Luther and his three concubines walking in.  Micah had warned her, but the sight was still shocking.  They wore no clothing and had wide black collars around their necks with leashes held by Luther himself.  They had identical piercings and chains attaching them.  They started where Chelsea could only guess where the women’s lower lips.  The thin chains traveled up and attached to n****e rings which also had another chain connecting the n****e rings together in a loose arch.  The chains traveled up to the collar which was fed through rings in the collar to form the leash.  The chain thickened as it went from the collar up to his hands.  It was designed so that if he pulled back, the chains all tugged upwards, which would let the women know he wanted them to stop.  Chelsea’s eyes welled at the sight and Micah guided her face away with a hug.

                “Don’t think about it.”  He whispered into her hair and he felt her nod.  When she was calm, he released her and she sat with her back slightly turned away from Luther so that she couldn’t see what he was doing with his concubines.

                When everyone was seated, a man Chelsea didn’t know spoke.  He appeared, like the rest of the gods except for Luther, to be in his twenties.  He had short red hair and a close cropped and neatly kept red beard.  As with almost all the other gods, his body was well toned.  “It’s good to see all of you here today.  Micah, I see you have a new charge.  Please introduce her to us.”

                “Of course.  Everyone, this is Chelsea.”  He gestured to each of the gods in turn starting with Luther.  “This is Luther, god of disease.”  She noticed he did not introduce the concubines, but he had told her before they were different at every meeting and it was Luther’s choice not to ever introduce them because they would not be there again.  “This is Dierdra, goddess of agriculture and animal husbandry with her husband Dennis.  Next to them are Gregor, god of weather and his husband, George.  Next we have Walter, god of death and the underworld.” He had mentioned that there was a god that never had a mortal companion and realized it must be Walter.  “After him we have Varia, goddess of healing and her husband Paul.  Next to them are Griffin, god of luck and misfortune and his wife Holly.  And then we have Alexander, god of crafting,” That was the man who had spoken.  “And his wife Deborah.  Theodora is next.  She’s the goddess of the arts and inspiration and her husband Markus.  Next to them is Sheila, goddess of creation and destruction with her husband Travis.  Last is Draven, god of love and hate with his wives Nalia and Edwina.”

                Knowing she was not allowed to speak, she blushed and gave a quick wave to acknowledge the introduction.  The companions were all various ages.  She didn’t know why she expected most of them to be young, like her, but she did and was surprised to see people that looked close to her parents’ ages and even a couple that were much older and could be close to her grandparents’ ages.  Except for the concubines, they were all smiling at her. 

                “It’s nice to meet you, Chelsea.”  Alexander replied.

                He was addressing her so knew she could respond.  “Thank you.  It’s nice to meet all of you too.”  She gestured with her hand to include all of them with her words.  She folded her hands back in her lap and Micah gave her leg a comforting squeeze under the table.

                “Micah, is that a scar on your cheek?  It wasn’t there last time.  What happened?”  Draven asked.  It was a rare thing for gods to become injured, and for them to become scarred was even stranger.

                “Chelsea and I were out on a date to get to know each other better when a demon attacked.  Damn thing got inside my reach and latched on.  He was quicker than I expected him to be.”  He undid a few buttons of his shirt and pulled the shirt aside to show the extent of the scaring to his neck, chest and shoulder.

                “Are they getting faster?”  Walter asked after seeing the scarring.

                “No.  I was out of practice and paid the price.  I have since rectified that mistake.”

                After the brief exchange, the meeting began.  They spoke of their own demon attacks since the last Summit and Walter made notes of the frequency of the attacks and which Havens were attacked as well as sightings in each of their lands.

                After comparing the numbers to the last meeting, he concluded that the attacks were more frequent than last time.  Theodora’s lands were hit hardest, so there was a request for Micah to encourage his hunters to go to her lands and try to find a nest.  This was where Chelsea understood what he had meant when he comes across as distant, cold and calculating at these meetings.  For him to agree to this without any compensation would be asking a lot of him and his hunters.  She knew he felt for her people.  She could see it in his body language.  But he had to look out for himself and his hunters too.  She reached over and put a hand to his thigh under the table.  After a short time, he placed his own hand over hers and gave it a squeeze.

                It was a few hours into the meeting when Chelsea sneezed a few times.  “I’m sorry. Please excuse me.” She said not thinking of where she was.  Micah handed her a handkerchief and her face reddened in embarrassment and horror at what she had just done; she had spoken without being addressed first.  Her eyes filled with tears as she prayed to Micah.  I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to, it just popped out.  I know what you have to do now.  I’m just so sorry.  He did not look at her and the other gods had all stopped to look at her.  She began panicking and ended up fainting before anyone could say anything.