The Only Mortal God

The Favored Child Falls

DAY 1It felt like defiance at the moment, foolishness in another. Regardless, what was left was a certainty. At that moment, as the heavens were settling her down, for the first time in her life she was able to understand the concept of breathing – the ins and outs of the heaves of breath, so fragile and so finite, as if they were moments you can count. While the thought was finally exhilarating for her, it was equally mortifying regardless of the fact that she asked for this. She finally asked a way for an end. And for the cost of a wish.

Scarlett, landing back upon the pavement she once lay bloody on, observed her body as she had not felt before. The feeling of being fragile finally creeping in, the delicate couture required of some being that could break. She tacked this thought as hard as she could before eventually patting at her clothes and walking away as casually as she could, back to her apartment.

It felt like an extensively long and winding road to her, Scarlett confirmed to herself, as she had not really expected to go this far at the expense of her previous life of immortality. It was as if it was a “treat me like your best friend, oh my dearest new familiar,” screaming in her ears as the exhaustion and the feeling of hunger grew into her. The realization that her previous lifetimes had finally caught up to her due to this one deal with the greatest of the above had what was dire to offer.

She was to make the most of this, but she was definitely overthinking things at that moment.

Reaching her apartment, she lay frazzled for a moment. Decidedly, the feeling of hunger which wasn’t always apparent to her had finally arrived and in her irritation, she wanted to prompt into whatever she could find in her refrigerator for once! She was tired.

But.

She felt good about it.

She crossed back into the depths of her sheets, setting aside her plate after having much gusto on the plate of microwaveable burritos. Before she fell deep into the slumber which reminded her of the very reason why she opted to give up her vague place in the destined forever—

The persistent reminder of what she had done wrong to these mortals keep pressing her deep into the underwater.

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Three Days Before“Are you sure you don’t want to consider?” the devilish temptation that was once was borne from her mother had pounced again. Think of this tactless being as… Scarlett’s deserted sibling. Of sorts. Gods and their relationships were always peculiarly confusing.

Scarlett concentrated on fixing her papers for the workweek that was to come. “And what will that do for me, huh?” she said, eyeing the small intangible immortal as she flew across the apartment. “Unlike you, I have papers due. You can’t invade my body again for your entertainment if that is what you want to imply at the moment.”

“But it’ll be fun,” the demigod demanded of the minor goddess. “The Pantheons can’t stop you now, can’t they?” with a pose, the sibling tried to appeal with sensualities. “Please? For me?”

“Not even for you, Agreus,” she dismissed her sister. “We’re gods amongst humans. You know that implication, and I’m not ready for a—”

To be greeted with the face that could probably charm someone who wouldn’t know any better, Scarlett rolled her eyes and continued filing through her papers up until Agreus floated up and away to the bookshelf situated. The move made the goddess gaze at her intangible sibling.

“Okay, Miss Prophetess,” she sighed. “What are you not telling me?”

“I’m certain you’ll love it, so please do take a shot for me for once?” she almost looked like she was pleading.

“Agreus,” she punctuated with a pen poking her own cheek in thought. “You’ve always snuck in some form of trouble, if not for me then for some mortals. Maybe hold this one in your pants for one, yes?”

“Please,” Agreus added, oddly more defiant than usual.

With a stern look on her face, Scarlett closed her book.

“We’re not going to some flimsy party just so you could make the most of my body, okay? Agreus, enough is enough. And women are not just playthings to go by on your whims anyway, so hush now and let me study in peace instead, why don’t you.”

Agreus looked stunned at the accusation, feigning that it was so harsh that she felt it in her already intangible but supposedly fragile core. She came towards Scarlett, flickering.

“If I said you needed to do this in order to keep going, would you believe me?” the intangible prophetess told her, her eyes glowing; knowing the vision is only evident for the only person who could see her at that moment.

“I—” Scarlett hesitated. “I don’t know what’s so wrong about staying at home and away from a party for once.”

“Trust me on this one.”

“It’s literally trusting the devil,” Scarlett said with scrunched up brows. “You’re not a Cassandra; you’re not the type, to tell the truth, all the time. I think. You’ve gotten me into all sorts of trouble!”

Agreus looked amused at that note. “Yes, but like Cassandra, you don’t believe me on most things.” Her face looked grim after this.  “And what happened during the Fall of Troy? Oh right!”

“We are not living through war times, and I’m not going to cause some devastating happenstance you know—”

With a sign that indicated she should shush, Scarlett followed Agreus’ instruction, still annoyed by the diversions that her sibling was making amidst all the school work that she needed to have done at that point.

“I promise you, you need to do this, my most darling Scarlett Eve.”

Scarlett sighed and pouted. “You can’t just have everything that you want.

She reached out for Agreus to take control over her body for the meanwhile, let the little sister do her do’s as she pleases. Or as she claimed, was at of necessity. What she found herself doing was claiming her jacket, and whirling into and out of the door as soon as she could, the party for the night ready and set for Agreus to claim as she controlled the world by Scarlett’s palm.

The more intoxicated she became, and the more people she came into contact with, the more she found herself losing the contact with Agreus. It was the most peculiar feeling and the first time she had ever felt more asserting the self in the chaotic scene instead of the stead of the prophetess sibling. She wasn’t sure if that was bad but somehow, she felt that it was a way of getting loose. And getting loose away from Agreus was questionable—

That was what she thought until she met the most beautiful woman she ever saw while intoxicated. And in drivel and a drunken appeal of hands all over, she called the cab and took to her stop by her place. Agreus was strong with this will of hers, maybe.

This was all Agreus, taking a woman home again.

Agreus brought Scarlett back to focus where the flow of kisses, continuous then erratic, but somehow holding steady in hunger— laying consistent together—with this woman yet to be named as of yet. The way the flesh touched with the woman felt divine as she lapped and bit at skin that she found so soft she hadn’t been sure she had even been able to remember to this point. There was always something delightful in the motion of things like this; in reading it felt like sweet skin, and in another in tasted of bloody bones. Otherwise, it just tasted like the best kind of flavour a woman can ever ask for. Enticing and with casted drivel.

The night was to come as she had anticipated, dawning on her a little more like chasing a ghost but wanting the moans to be addressed until she was just done raw as the other.

This was all Agreus casting the spell on the woman again, whoever she was.

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Two Days BeforeScarlett found herself amidst a hell in her room, everything misplaced and her body worn out and weary. Her arms were in a lot of pain and she was aching and naked. Agreus, you f*****g slut. Was the thought repeated in her head over and over again? But Agreus was nowhere to be found; not yet at least. That bastard, that b***h, always scouring for—

Then she heard subtle showering noises. She looked around to check for whatever else may have been oddly unusual. Her room was need minus some knocked down pieces on the floor. Probably knocked over during some possible proclivities that had occurred during the previous evening. An image of Syberios started singing in her head.

“Darling sister, you have got a guest?” her satyr brother said in the query, invisible and floating above her head similarly to how Agreus would normally tease her. She waved at him, in panic (how punny), trying to shoo away her invisible brother as the woman in question was starting to finish up – the water from the shower starting to lessen in pressure by the sound of it.

The Celestial being started to be accompanied by his fey twin, Aegipan. “Oh, lovely maidens indeed. You should’ve seen the night before. It was almost scandalous, you’d assume that Agreus actually did it.”

In hushed tones, Scarlett hissed at them, “What do you mean—”

But before she could gather an answer from the infuriating pair, the woman in question looked right at her, flushed with party tattoos splayed all over her skin.

“Um, hello, I—” she said, trying to avert her eyes. Apparently, and thankfully, she opted for the extra towels found in Scarlett’s bathroom. “I needed to bathe because of errands…”

The woman bit her lip, contemplating what was to follow. “Would you like to have some coffee, maybe? Last night was really wonderful and I—”

Scarlett, confused, looked at the woman carefully.

She was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, even sober.

But definitely a naïve mortal, she could sense it in every lifetime. She felt it and neither was she going to put up with another petty anticipation at that point.

“I’d love to,” her mouth then said, as if automatically. As if bored, but with a canted playful smile. Hopefully to get a mixed message across as she wasn’t entirely sure where it was headed, to begin with altogether. “I’m Scarlett, by the way.”

“Amelie,” the girl responded with a smile. The more Scarlett looked at her, the more she felt a tiny tug. The mortal was really appealing for one, and for another, she wasn’t really sure how to describe the kind said appeal happened to be.

Tart enough, she smiled and got ready in turn. “Just wait for me and let’s have a little breakfast.”

And the day went by, and Amelie and Scarlett actually spent the day together. Both completely forgetting that very day that they had errands to attend to.

But this detail is not really important…

Not yet, at least.

Not as how you’d expect it, for the meanwhile.

All Scarlett knew was that maybe mortals were not that bad. Again. Who could say that, really? Maybe this one gorgeous mortal could actually account for the better of them after all.

Wait.

Where was Agreus?

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The Day BeforeThe stab wound was probably the least of Scarlett’s problems at that moment. The man who had stabbed her in question looked at her peculiarly as she was still standing. The fury radiating from Scarlett could not be calculated exactly but she was ready to march right down and rip him down from that very moment. Of the rare moments that the gods had provided her with any form of power, it was thankfully at a moment where her immortality could not be challenged. A simple knife could never counter what could be waltzed away. But it was a mere flesh wound.

The lightning speed that resembled quicksilver, the element of her grandfather, she kicked him into an assault. Taking the lightning that was once stolen by her brother Aegipan, a borrowed bow, striking it to the human being. She felt the guilt of the attack and the weight heavy on her. Until the appeal of the gods came back, reconsidering her with yet another unintentional murder in her hands.

The immortal's curse was always this.

There is a reason why the gods refuse the mortal world.

She thought to herself.

But oh my mother, what have I done.

Truth be told about Scarlett, the day should have been uneventful altogether. All she heard was at the back of her head; the chant repetitive. The human behind you is trying to summon something within the goddess in you in order to pursue it. Take this away, part of the curses of a god’s blood.

And safe to say, she was running past every aisle, even though at that very moment she was just trying to veer away from the identified man. How he found out she was one of the Pantheon children was a wonder to her, but as far as she could tell, she just wanted to get her goddamn milk that very goddamn moment.

Offer a god’s blood and you can be offered the world, they’re told.

Upon the next turn though she was surprised, and the situation was not as she would have wanted it to be in any way.

“Amelie?” Scarlett said, a bit shaken.

“Scarlett!” other said, wide-eyed. “You’re doing groceries for the day?”

“Why… yes” her eyes squinted around to behind her and the man who she was scouting for stood behind her supposed fancy.

“Well, no point pacing around. Want to check out together? You’ve got your packs full by the looks of it…” Amelie said, amusedly. Unaware of Scarlett’s fears.

“Daughter of Pan, huh,” the man said, squirming in his last breaths. He tried to leap in. Was he so crazed and psychotic that he would result to aim for… this?

Smiling and not noticing right on time that the man had shifted his position, and before they could manage anything, Amelie had to witness said the horror of a knife going through the Scarlett. Obviously, this went back to triggering the innate protective instinct of the gods. The problem with the pantheon remained. They could never refuse their limited tempers. Scarlett was no exemption.

The fury of the gods knows no end as long as the human’s hunger for their respect and power.

And how many times has she done this?

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Awakened from Slumber”Agreus!” she shouted, waking up from restful slumber. The nightmare, the remembrance of the previous days finally catching up to her in a clear deliberation of panic. (Not so funny of a pun now)

“Aegipan?! Sybarios?!”

She asked. Dreading that her siblings had disappeared. Her guiding forces gone from this realm, gone beyond her begging due to her whim to take away the safety net of being an immortal. The immortality was the propriety for excuses, while her mortality was the prize for the loss of… fear. Regardless, her mortality had become true to life to her now, and the more the minutes counted down the more she realized the meaning of it for her.

“Agreus?” she nearly pleaded. “Please, please be there.”

“The gods may desert you in your efforts, Scarlett,” smiled the demigod, softly, appearing before her sister. “But never would I.” She wrapped her sister in a soft embrace. Agreus’ smile, though insidious, comforted Scarlett… For now, at least.

“Did Amelie…” Scarlett said, heaving breaths. “Oh my god, I’m going to jail. I can’t—”

“Don’t worry, Mama fixed that for us,” Agreus said snidely. “And sadly, you can’t keep the boys around. Pity that you had to make that decision now didn’t you.”

Scratching at her head, she looked straight at Agreus. “And what of you?”

“I’m the veil of a prophetess, a spirit as much as a demigod. Mother can’t stop me even if she tried.”

Fuming, she recalled the party. “You foresaw this!”

“How could you! Just for a little fun, just for a little fuck.”

“We avoided more,” Agreus addressed.

“Like what?”

“As members of the Pantheon, we both know I cannot divulge anything. I am only a foreseer of the events in time. I cannot say much to you, especially now that you are a mortal,” and for once, her normally risqué sister kept a composure that was beyond a sense professionalism that she had known.

Keeping quiet, Scarlett took back to packing her school things. “I hadn’t attended school for the day. I need to fill in slips. I need to fill in everything. I need to apologize to Amelie, and maybe fill in my friends on everything that had been happening while I was gone. Am I at least permitted some things?”

Agreus floated and whispered. “Normally, I shouldn’t,” she smirked. “But considering you helped me have a glorious time that other night, I’ll give you a pass and actually help you out on this year.”

“Grant me one thing though?”

“What is it?” Scarlett asked, sweating bullets as she was unsure what she could offer in her now unreliable state of all things. Mortals, she imagined, could not offer much.

“You give me a wish as well,” the sneaky prophetess said. “Once you return back into a goddess.”

“That is so off. That is on the assumption that I will do that. Go back, I mean.”

With a frown, the Prophetess just shrugged and floated off. “Well, yes. That’s all I want. Any questions?”

Sighing, Scarlett answered. “May the pantheons be kind in granting any of our wishes then.”

And a snide smile returned on the other’s face. Not that she wanted to let Scarlett know. Not that she needed to know, was what Agreus clarified. And perhaps that was all that was needed to be stressed at that time.

The rest follows.