Silence In Heaven
1003 Words
The Moon Goddess' POV: Mount Olympus
"Mother, save me. I'm sorry I disobeyed. These people are wicked. Their hearts are full of evil. Bring me home. I promise to be a good daughter, better than I ever was."
Every word reached me, every tear found me, yet I could do nothing.
There was my daughter, the only fruit of my loins, down in a dungeon, restrained by cuffs and chains, made to eat dirt at its very best.
Pain jabbed my heart as she dashed towards the door and began pounding on it.
"Let me out!" my daughter cried. "I am innocent!"
I wanted to save her, send hail crashing upon the mouldy walls of that colony and burn it to the ground.
But I couldn't.
Since Aylin left, Olympus has become a graveyard. It has been two years now, yet no banquet, no celebration and no heavenly music could fill the hollow in my chest. I had only ever imagined loneliness, never the horrid taste of it.
Aylin was the universe's gift to me, a reward for every sacrifice I had made. Yet now she was gone, stolen by the very beings I was created to watch over.
"Are you going to free her, Moon Goddess? Is there no way around this?"
For what felt like an eternity, I tore my eyes away from the portal and turned towards Ira.
"I can't do anything about this," I admitted, barely hearing my own voice.
"But aren't you the Moon Goddess?" Ira insisted, her fiery red hair glowing beneath the moonlight. "Aylin is your only child. What if those wolves harm her? She's already in chains, and Dorian is planning to sell her to strangers."
I drew a slow breath and lowered myself onto the nearest crystal seat. As I did, my reflection stared back at me from its polished surface. My silver hair was no longer the only thing that had lost its lustre.
I looked away.
"Ever since Aylin transferred her essence into that man, I have been unable to reach her."
"Oh?" Ira frowned. "But that's not all there is to being a goddess. Surely you can make Aylin withdraw her essence from Kael and..."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"There seems to be another force standing between Aylin and me."
I searched Ira's face, hoping she understood.
"I can't even appear in her dreams anymore."
"And what do you suppose is causing this?"
"Destiny."
The single word left my mouth like poison.
"This may be what Aylin was born for. I can neither see nor alter the destiny of another god."
"Bullshit!"
The word echoed across the courtyard.
I stared at Ira in disbelief.
"What did you just say?"
"You heard me." Her chest rose and fell with every breath. "How can this possibly be Aylin's destiny? To be chained like an animal? To suffer? To die?"
"You speak of things you do not understand."
"Then help me understand!"
"There are laws even I cannot break."
"No." Ira shook her head furiously. "You're hiding behind those laws because you're afraid."
My fingers curled into fists. The air around us crackled, and I felt a storm gathering over the Earth below.
"Have you forgotten your place, Ira?" I asked coldly.
"No." Her eyes burned with defiance.
"You are only a lesser god. I could kill you where you stand."
"But you can't save your child?"
Her eyes flashed with defiance again, then she stepped closer.
"Is this really the time to be high and mighty? Haven't you ever descended to Earth yourself? Haven't you made mistakes?"
"You bastard!"
A sphere of blue fire burst out of my palm, and in my fit of rage, I hurled it at her.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped across the courtyard, sending Ira crashing through the air before she struck the marble floor.
My chest rose and fell violently.
The blue flames vanished from my hand, leaving only horror behind.
Ira groaned as she struggled to sit up, blood trickling from her nose.
She had never spoken to me like this before.
She had always been gentle, respectful, loyal.
Now there was only disappointment burning in her eyes.
"Dear Moon Goddess," she said between ragged breaths, "if your daughter no longer means anything to you, she means everything to me. Aylin is my best friend, my sister and the future of this world."
She wiped the blood from beneath her nose.
"I'll descend to Earth myself and retrieve her essence. All we have to do is kidnap Kael, drain Aylin's essence from him and return home."
"You can't."
"Why?"
I swallowed hard, the debris in the courtyard twisting my stomach.
"There are two reasons, Ira. It's high time I confessed."
I almost reached for her, almost burst into tears and give in to my weak knees.
"You are only a messenger deity." I tried to explain. "Your gifts were never meant for battle. There is only so much you can do."
"But I will do my best," Ira replied stubbornly.
Before I could stop her, she stormed towards the exit, her torn robes trailing behind her.
"You can't do this, Ira!" I shouted after her. "There is something you don't know!"
She stopped.
Slowly, she turned to face me.
I hurried towards her.
"Whenever a divine being leaves Olympus, they leave behind a trail of celestial aura. Anyone with sufficient power can sense it, and most of the time, they are evil forces."
I swallowed hard.
"Please... don't make the same mistake Aylin did."
Ira's expression softened for only a moment.
"What ancient force could possibly frighten the Moon Goddess?" She asked, bewildered.
I closed my eyes and flipped through the dreadful memories in my head.
"The one that has been waiting for Aylin to fall."
"What? What is that meant to be?"
Silence spread across the palace. Far below, thunder rolled over the Earth. And for the first time in centuries... I feared it wasn't the wolves hunting my daughter anymore.
It was something far older.
- Writer
