Moondust.

Her dreams were filled with uncertainty, and but somewhere in the night she found peace. With peace she drifted off into the realm of dreams far softer and kinder and she lay on the table so much more relaxed, her face in an innocent sleeping expression, soft lips gently parted, shoulders moving lightly with every little breath she took. She felt a presence near her at some point, and shifted a little in her position, tilting her head away from the presence, hoping it would go away.

It didn't go away. There was just sudden pain and burning on her hands. She woke with a start and in horror, eyes flying open, sitting up automatically but whatever held her forced her down. Yune had only managed to let out a yelp, and now she lay there feeling weak and exposed, looking up at Apollyon and his gnashing teeth and snarling face. She trembled. Here he was angry like she hadn't seen him, and it was terrifying.

She felt a new wave of cold and fear run through her at the mention of that being her last meal. She should have eaten more than just the heart and the arm she eventually forced herself to strip the meat from. Yune felt her brows knit together, taking small breaths. Channel the fear from tears into hate and anger, those she could at least control. "You…" she couldn't even find a word to describe him, "Bastard." She managed to spit back, keeping still in her chains but sitting up to glare at him, wanting nothing more than to nurse her hands.

But then she felt that little sliver of pride, and her own scowl twitched lightly into a smile, and she laughed. She looked at him and laughed. Maybe she was losing touch with sanity, but she saw how angry he was and he was angry because of her. No, he would not own her, control her nor have his way with her. "Why so angry?" Yune teased, knowing that it was better not to, but not being able to help herself. "Thought I wouldn't eat human? You're stupid!" All she knew was that he unsettled her and around him she could barely think straight. She was a mess of emotion and he could probably very clearly see that.

She pulled her knees up and hid her face into them, hiding away from his anger, mumbling something. Hell, she'd eat his minions too if it came to that. She would not beg, at least not now.

---

Arneas, still in bed, grunted, He couldn't really say anything to that - it was true. Ariel usually did find girls in his bed if there were girls in his room. Lifting a goblet of water, he took a sip, sitting up in the soft mattress. "Why are you here?"

"I'm just dropping by, I have to check up on you now and then - especially when you go falling out of the sky like that." Ariel looked over, concern in his knitted brows. Arneas frowned, "I did not fall." Ariel argued otherwise. Briefly they also debated the definition of fall, until Ariel noticed the girl's alertness change.

Ariel peered down at the girl as she stirred. "She wakes," he said, floating in a little closer to look down at her more curiously but having to back away as she sat up. Now that they were eye level, he grinned, looking into her grey eyes and wiggling his legs back and forth behind him. His wings were still, and he wasn't using them to keep himself afloat in the air - in fact, he was perched on a small cloud.

Without warning or asking, Ariel reached out and grasped a two strands of the girl's hair and quickly plucked them before she could do anything, darting away to safer distance, now abandoning his cloud (it dissipated into the air) and hovering with his wings softly buffeting the air around, in the middle of the room. He amused himself with the two strands of hair, tying them into a small bow and putting them into a little bag before pocketing them into a smaller satchel hanging from his white loose shorts. He was barefoot, dressed in said white shorts that were a little baggy and only mid-thigh high, and a baggy white singlet tucked into them.

He perched himself at the foot of Arneas' bed and rested his chin on his hands again, "Arneas," he whined, "This place bores me. They do not have a flour mill nearby, and no nurseries. There's barely a babe!" He looked heartbroken and so pouty that if any one more thing upset him he would certainly cry.

Arneas did not bat an eye to it. "Ariel, do be quiet." He cast a glance over at Aurora, noticing she was vaguely dressed and the dress was still stained with blood from last night, "Conjure Aurora a new dress, will you? Make yourself useful."

Ariel looked excited, and he turned on the foot of the bed to look at the girl again, waving his hand midair. A pink short dress and held it by the girl. It was obviously too short. He conjured two more, one white but with a lot of chest and also short, and one white with gold decorations but barely covering anything. He mischievously glanced at the girl, "You can choose the one you like, Au-ro-ra."

“You bastard,” Apollyon mocked, reflecting her girlish tone. They seemed to enjoy to push each other’s buttons, he was angry and so was she. They were natural enemies, their emotions and instincts on high alert around each other. Who would break first? He felt her emotions, their opposing waves of energy crashing into each other. He decided then, that he would not be the one to break because he worked far too hard to let someone like Yune take it all away.

He exited the room then, having his strongest fighters sit in the room and watch her. He moved quickly through the halls of the Underworld until he found his loyal metal working demon, Emerily. “I need a favor,” Apollyon said, and the demon turned, as dark as the coal that lit his fire. Emerily's yellow teeth shone in stark contrast to his black skin and he crackled his clawed knuckles. “You remember those chains you made me?” Apollyon continued, grabbing a knife and slicing his hand, letting the blood pour into a cup, “I need a leash just like it,” he said with a smirk. Emerily chuckled and nodded.

It took a few hours for Emerily to emerge in Apollyon’s quarters, hours that he passed by using Priscilla’s body over and over again. He felt tired and reenergized all at the same time and when Emerily arrived, his entire body felt like it was flowing with electricity. “Come on now, love,” he said, tilting Priscilla’s head to plant a kiss on her jaw. He took the metal from Emerily, smiling with approval and a promise of payment.

“Oh sweetness,” he called into his throne room, his confidence only echoed by Priscilla’s shrill laughter. “Guess what I’ve got for you.” He walked up to Yune, as she sat holding her knees. He wondered if she were hungry yet or scared, but he hoped that she soon would be. He needed more than for her to be his prize, holed up in his throne room, he needed people to see her and know she was here. The Underworld was always full of parties and dinners and Apollyon decided that it was time he hosted one of those himself. The thought of a Goddess chained to him as he walked into his own party gave him a thrill that not even sex did. Perhaps then it would be time for him to face Hades, when all the other demons truly saw how far his power reached.

He held up the leash so she could see, turning it over and over in his hands and smiling. They were dressed and ready for the party, blackness and blood painted on them like decorations, and parading Yune around would be just another decoration. “I hope it fits. Let’s try it on, shall we?” He gestured to his servants, knowing they were far more powerful than she was right now - especially when her emotions were going haywire the way that they were. With the aid of the others, even despite her growling and futile flashes of light, the leash was secured to her throat.

“Well would you look at that, baby,” he said, smirking at Priscilla, “It fits. Let’s go.” He unhooked the chains from the table and pulled hard, tugging Yune off the table as they walked. “We have guests.”

---

Aurora yelped when he pulled at her hair, her hand flying to massage the sore spot that the angel had caused. She corked a brow at him when he not only pulled her hair but decided to save it as she rubbed her hands against her head. She thought angels were suppose to be kind and beautiful and well - heavenly. This angel looked mischievous and childlike and when he started to whine, Aurora felt her entire body react. Children, whiny little beings like this angel, who Arneas called Ariel, made Aurora’s skin squirm. She never wanted to take care of something so fragile and so needy and a childlike angel seemed even worse; a spoiled and expectant servant. She rolled her eyes and was pleased when Arneas silenced him.

Conjure her a new dress? Was everything so simply handed to Gods and Goddesses and angels? Was it all presented to them on shiny gold platters? She wanted to sneer at them, beg to be allowed to go get one of her own plain dresses and that feeling only intensified as Ariel crafted three of the most hideous dresses she had ever seen in her entire life. Again she felt like Arneas was trying to get her killed. Not only was it wrong to call attention to yourself, as a woman here, but to cover barely any of your assets was one of the worst things a woman could do. Surely if she wore one of those everyone would assume she and Arneas had sex and she almost wanted to laugh at them.

“Can I choose none of them?” She asked, trying to make her harsh words sound polite. She casted a wary glance to Arneas, as if he would be sympathetic to her needs. Did he not notice what she was wearing? She routinely wore a long plain dress, a dark hooded cloak (embroidered by hand with soft and gentle flowers) and dirty, worn out leather shoes. None of these dresses would ever look good on someone like her, she was not a Goddess. She did not have any muscles to fill those out nor did she have smooth curves, large breasts or tight skin. She had stretch marks and curves from fat, though they were starting to disappear since she had stopped eating as much, and she would be so ashamed to wear any of those dresses. She was not elegant or confident in the slightest, but did her best to cover all that she could in hopes people would forget she was even a woman at all.

@ Ria Miku;

@ honeysuckle;
Yune tensed as he left, and warily eyed the guarding demon. No, she could not take him on just yet. Even though now would be good, a good time to escape. So she sat still and tight and dreaded whatever was coming her way. She wondered, if she had eaten the whole man would she have been able to break chains and escape? Did she pass up a good opportunity? She stayed in her position for what felt like hours, and when the doors finally opened, she resisted the urge to leap forward and claw her way out. She'd waste energy and that would do her no good. She barely had armour on her, save for the fluttering loose dress, she was so weak.

Lifting her head at 'what i've got' she eyed the chain in his hand, and all too late realised what it was. She barely had time to cast a glance at their strange attire, eyes fixed in silent horror on the leash. No… No! She jerked and kicked and growled, trying to burn whatever was closest, but in limited amounts, so he would not feel her strength rising, but the leash was there, and it burned. Yune tugged at it, gasping for air after her struggle and kneeled onto her knees and one hand, the other tugging at the collar, head hanging, trying to breathe evenly.

She didn't want to go anywhere, but his tug wasn't exactly soft and welcoming. She practically fell off the table, stumbling after him, trying to resist the pull, but her feet gripped nothing on the ground and his tug was strong. Yune found she was simply sliding along, and gave up. For now. At first she kept her distance, glaring angrily at his back and the back of his head and fantasying greatly about where to best stab him. But as they left the throne room, and there were more demons about, all leering and peering and trying to touch her, she felt tired of dodging and found herself closer to Apollyon than she would have liked.

But what good would it have to her walking like some sort of slave? She would not let them see her weak. Slowly, she lifted her head, and intensified her hateful gaze, and ignored all the disgusting demons and their horrible and occasionally lewd comments. She took the chance beyond the throne room to map out this kingdom, where they were going, looked around to see where she could run if she got the chance to.

Everything was fine… as fine as being enslaved to a demon could be, when one of the nearby demons - crazed by her appearance - lost its right mind and leaped onto her. Yune fell, writhing on the floor to get him off her, seeing the mad look in its eye as it came closer to her neck for a bite. She shoved her hand into its face, towards its eye, and it screeched and hissed as it burned but still pushed closer.

---

Ariel's mischievous glint intensified at her words. She was displeased. She knew what they were, and she wasn't stupid like usual female girls who were so awestruck by the God that they'd parade naked. No, this one kept its senses.

Arneas looked up at the words too, and cast a glance at the dresses to see what was wrong with them. "Ariel," he said firmly, knitting his brows together but raising their ends, "A little more something…" He didn't know how to describe what Aurora was wearing, and so gestured to her current outfit. Ariel pouted, waved his hand dismissively and the dresses fell apart. He eyed the hideous (in his mind) outfit of the girl and clapped his hands. Instantly, one of Aurora's own attires appeared on the nearby couch, pinched from her room. Ariel waited for her to take them, to go change in perhaps the bathroom, where he crept after her and perched himself behind her, crossing his legs on his cloud and raising a brow.

"You're so human, look at you," he spoke, breaking the silence and his voice echoing around a little. He had waited for her to strip so he could look her over, and what he saw didn't exactly fill with any sort of awe. "Dirt under your nails, and hair washed what looks like only yesterday for the first time in ever." He let out a sigh that expressed disappointment, "You're barely fit for a God's bed."

Angels as heavenly or elegant was no lie, but also not a truth. Not all. Some held themselves high and behaved like royalty, and then there were others like Ariel, mischievous and perverted to an extent, but genuinely good. He looked closer at her but as if was looking right through. "You were taken as a servant and your father is dead and your mother..." He trailed off and narrowed his eyes. He could not sense her. "Your mother was...?"

@ Ria Miku;

Apollyon felt his success coursing through his being, it was etched in the chain that now burnt Yune’s skin and reverberated in the sounds of approval of his people. He made his way through the crowd, two of the finest women he had known clinging closely to his body, though in very different waysl. He did not need a reminder of the immense power that he had here, but it did feel exhilarating knowing that the crowd parted for him, that high level demons waited to meet him and that Hades soon somewhere would know him. He did not even mind the prying hands and the lustful eyes because it was again a reminder of what he had that they did not.

When the Mercury demon, Roland, leaped onto Yune’s body, Apollyon even thought of letting him burn her up and devour her whole, but Roland was too harsh and had burned through Apollyon’s shirt in the process. Apollyon turned quickly, grabbed Roland by the horn that protruded from his head and slammed him against the stonewalls, a loud vibration silencing the crowd. Apollyon took pride in the powers he had stolen from others and he was the most proud of the powers he stole from witches and wizards. “Incinerate,” he spat, literally landing a wad of spit on the demon’s head. Within seconds, he burst into flames and Apollyon tugged at his shirt to see the rip.

He glanced down at Yune, burned and breathing heavily from her new found wounds. She looked as pathetic as he once wish she would, but he wanted to be the one to cause that look of fear to cross her face. “Let that be a lesson,” he said, his yellow eyes sweeping across the crowd. “We must not touch what isn’t ours.” With that, he pulled on Yune’s leash and they continued the march into the dining hall.

The room was lit with torches, casting an red glow all around them and the table in the centered was carved from a coal-like marble with ten seats around them. They were filled with all the respective leaders of the Underworld - the vampire queen, Empusa, Achlys (the demon of misery), a cyclops, the leader of the Warlocks, a seat for Priscilla (the succubus Queen so it seemed), one large seat for the resounding giant, The Seer (who once worked for Hades before he replaced her with The Fates), a representative from the Furies, Zelus (the demon of jealousy) and Melinoe (leader of the Sirens). He wanted to smile at all the people who had agreed to spend the evening with him. He sat down in his chair, directly across from Priscilla, and tied Yune’s leash to his arm rest.

As he sipped his wine, he smirked and said, “My friends, I have brought a most honorable guest.”

---

Aurora felt much more at ease once Ariel materialized something from her own trunk, though she was again curious at how everything seemed to come so easily for these creatures. She stood and reached out to grab the familiar scratch of her own dress and once her fingers enclosed around it, she quickly hurried to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She hoped they would begin talking again and forget she existed. The angel seemed too interested in her as did Arneas and all the attention was starting to make her uncomfortable. She just wanted to go back to being quiet and alone in her own corner of the world. She glanced around the bathroom, quickly abandoning the idea that she would get to be alone anytime soon, save for these few minutes.

Defeated, she untied the already loosened string of her dress and let it fall to her feet. When Ariel’s voice echoed against the tiles of the room, Aurora had only half of her dress on and she yelled with surprise again for the second time this morning. “Och, do you always barge in on women?” She said, the disapproval and embarrassment coating her words. When he began to appraise her, she felt even more embarrassed and her fingers fumbled with the ties on her dress more so than before. If anything, she felt grateful to be facing away from him or she would be truly embarrassed.

Once she tied the dress, she turned to look at the far from holy little angel. She wanted to roll her eyes and she walked away from him back to the mirror. She looked down at her nails, knowing that he was right about that and tried to quietly wash her hands again in the basin that rested on the counter. He was also right about how rarely she washed her hair. Even her dress smelled better than usual and she wondered if the angel had something to do with that as well.

To distract herself from his berating, she began to braid her hair and attempt to secure it on top of her head in some sort of ornate bun. When he mentioned that she was unfit for Arneas bed, she let a loud laugh escape her lips.

“I have no interest in being in a God’s bed,” she said, grabbing the thin piece metal that she had seen many women nowadays wearing around the temple and using it to better secure her piles of curls. This was exceptionally true, though she was sure the angel did not believe her. Sure sometimes Arneas’ body and face distracted Aurora but his arrogance and lack of interest always brought her back to reality. When he touched her, she did feel like butter melting on freshly baked bread, but that feeling had only lasted a second and she was sure she could live without feeling that again.

The conversation took a turn for the worse when Ariel began rattling off personal details. Was every mythical creature omniscient? Was it enjoyable to poke at her emotions? Her hands fell from her hair, though she had succeeded in making it look presentable, to steady herself from the wave of grief that washed over her chest making it feel cold and heavy. “She’s dead,” Aurora said because that was all she knew. Her father never talked about her mother, except to mention that Aurora had her eyes, and she never wanted to know about her.

“I think you’ve invaded just about every aspect of my personal life, don’t you think?” She said, though her words came out strange as she tried to stop herself from crying. “I’d like a minute to be alone, please,” she muttered, but again her words came out like soft broken sobs.

To die. To burst into a bright light and burn these demons with her, to create a supernova, a falling star, a bright light so terrible the sun would look like a meek firefly in the presence of a fire. That is what Yune in that moment of fear wanted to do. As this demon's teeth grazed her skin, she considered letting it all go and ending her very existence. There would be no return, but at least all these demons would disappear. Including him, the demon Apollyon, the filth that lead her in chains.

But she did not for suddenly that demon was off her, and she was looking up at the stone ceiling somewhere high up. She heard Apollyon hiss and spit, and something burn, and the silence that ruled afterwards. She lay in shock and wanted nothing more than to disappear. But he tugged her chains and she had to get up, for she was a Goddess and she would not lay on the floor and tremble. A war goddess! To think of her presence here was even laughable. What would her followers do if they should find out? They would laugh and leave for Arneas, or any other God.

This was the only thought that made her stand firm again, raise her head and push back her feelings, suffer through the pain and burns and wounds even if her legs trembled - she made herself walk on. If she had thought one main demon was bad, the sight of many in the dinning hall was even more so disgusting. She counted them, eight and Apollyon. She recalled her strength from long ago, and knew with ease that she would have freed herself from this position with ease. Kill the weakest two and be gone, killing all the minions in her path - that would have been easy… a long time ago. But her followers receded and so did her strength. She was burning out.

While Apollyon introduced her, she fixed her hateful gaze upon each ugly face in the room, committing their faces to memory to fuel her motivation to get out of here. She was aware all their attention was on her, and she heard them murmur and smirk.

She heard them call her beautiful but weak, she heard them praise the chains that were on her, and the leash that attached her to Apollyon. She looked away from them all to look past female succubus at the other end and towards the door through which they came, becoming more wary when one of the demons asked, "How does she taste?"

---

Ariel grinned at her as she yelled in surprise, kicking his legs back and forth lightly in childish satisfaction as if the prank he just played had come out in his favour. He tilted his head to one side at her question, pretending to think, "Not always, often though." And most usually, the women did not think he would understand and shamelessly stripped in front of him, and he would sit and watch with the knowing look on his face until they would realise he was more than just a sweet young child. Of course, there were times where girls and young women fell for his charms and he would lead them off cliffs or into forests. For fun. Or act lost and small and young, and trick people into risking their lives for him. Also for fun. And most importantly, for their hearts. A person dedicating their life and love to an angel was a person fit to consume. The more hearts Angels ate, the stronger they became and they grew. They were like small gods, but Gods could only consume a human follower who willingly sacrificed his soul - and were not restricted to just the heart and rarely ate humans; whereas Angels could have whatever human they wanted.

But nobody knew those stories, for the angels were clever and they spilled rumours of their innocences and lovingness and wish to do all good.

Ariel sensed the truth in her words, for her soul did not waver as she spoke. He let the smile fall of his face, and a more serious look crossed over. He leaned forward lightly, watching her in the mirror, and his eyes narrowed a little, "What do you want?" Not now, not tomorrow, but for forever, for her life. He could not read that.

Her answer about her mother was also true - in the girl's perspective but try as he might, Ariel could not find the string between the souls at all. He had her father's, but the second - which should have been her mothers - he did not see. It was as if one day this girl appeared out of thin air. He did not say anything, but felt his brows twitch slightly in thought; then he pushed this thought all away and laughed at her next words, waving his hands dismissively. "I? Invaded? Darling if you think I have invaded anything, you have no idea what a demon could do. Your soul is an open door displaying all your secrets and your life." Yet there is less sin than any other humans', he added to himself, and with a shrug instead said, "Learn to shut it."

He did not have any more interest in her and here, and with a small 'poof' and a little shower of misty rain on the spot, he and the cloud disappeared into the room with Arneas, resuming talk with his God and pestering for him to hurry to leave this despicable temple so that they could go elsewhere. He did not miss the opportunity to critique the herbs, pointing out be they great healers, they were applied poorly and that Arneas does not need such human approaches to healing. Eat a human and go!

@ Ria Miku;
Apollyon was enjoying the night, the laughter and company of creatures who were as intelligent and (nearly) as powerful as he was. They pledged allegiances, they talked of training, they talked of war and they talked and talked. They wondered, did the Gods know? Did they see how the Underworld would soon break, fragmented by death and fear? Did the Gods know? Did they know that if Underworld breaks, so does the world? For what is a world without contrast, without balance, without the good, the bad, the evil, the dark, the light and the middle.

Apollyon swirled the wine in his cup, drunk on its contents and on the evening itself. The wine was a little too dark, a little to red, too metallic and he smiled a knowing smile at Empusa. He had once served her, she was his roots and there was a childlike appreciation for her knowing she had selected the blood laced wine for them all. When she spoke, Apollyon felt like it was only her voice he could hear and he knew it was the wine and their inexplicable connection. He did not notice the wrinkle on Priscilla’s forehead for he only saw the porcelain skin of his mother, his lover, and her glass smile.

“Apollyon, how does she taste?” Empusa repeated, her words soft like velvet.

Taste. Apollyon looked at Yune’s face, her features like stone and her eyes set hard at the door. He could tell she was listening and he did not want to lie. He hadn’t tasted her, not all of her, he thought as his amber eyes traveled down her body. He had tasted her blood, but only mingled with his own and though his mind felt clouded her tried to isolate it. She seemed to taste ineffable, and he licked his lips trying to remember.

“Her blood tastes like the summer” he stated, though he heard muddled laughs. “It’s hot and sticky, salty like sweat but crisp and clean and you don’t want it to end but it’s almost to much to bear all at once. I have never tasted a God before, it is more than blood. It is an experience all its own.” Empusa opened her eyes to find his and they locked eyes and he knew that she was the only one who would understand. They worshipped blood, they lived for it and to these other demons, it was merely an afterthought, a mess to clean up. To them, it was the only thought, the whole inside of a part.

“Yes, well, isn’t that just lovely,” Priscilla said, her knuckles white on the armrest of her chair. Her gaze was scornful and Apollyon broke his eye contact with Empusa to look at his present lover for just a moment. He finished his wine, gesturing for another glass.

“I wonder,” Apollyon said, ignoring the angry waves of energy he felt from across the table. He leaned back in his seat, Yune’s chains rattling as he moved causing him to smile even bigger. She had barely faltered when he spoke and in a sense, he hoped that he had made her proud. She should know how lovely her blood is, it was a drug and he knew he would crave more for a very long time. Though he had never thought of it before, he wondered now what the rest of her would taste like. “I wonder,” he repeated a little louder, “What it is I taste like?” He said to her, for their blood and energy had mixed far too many times for her not to know.

---

Aurora felt suddenly less beautiful, though she was enjoying what she looked like in the mirror at first. She was reminded once again of where she was, who she was now and she held herself steady since Ariel continued to speak to her. What did she want? Learn to shut her soul? She barely believed in souls and Gods and angels until less than a day ago - the first time she had ever encountered them. They spoke of souls like they were alive, like Ariel and her soul were having a conversation that she could not hear and she wondered if Arneas had the same conversation. What else didn’t she hear or see? More importantly, why did he ask? He knew pieces of her she tried not to say aloud so why would he have to ask her what she wanted?

Of course the realization sunk in as the silence of being alone did as well. Ariel had left her alone just like she wanted, bored with her simple words; words that she could never get exactly right. If her soul was talking, it clearly had nothing to say about what she wanted for her life and that becoming abundantly clear. She finally let her hands rest, sore from pressing her body weight against them and sank a little onto the counter to let out a soft cry.

She did not want anything.

She had failed her father, she was not proud, the world beat her. She did not want this little talking soul that bore all her pieces to whoever came. She did not care if Arneas left her to these people where she would surely die nor did she care to leave this place. She did not care that she had spoken to and been touched by both an angel and a God sooner than the sun rose. She did not care for her hair, her face, her smile, her skin, her smell or for her pesky little soul. Let them come, let the demons come or the people of this temple who lacked basic humanity, let them come. What does she care? What does she have if nothing but a bag of herbs and a will to live? A will she thought to be as fragile as a string and as Ariel spoke, she realized that it had been broken for quite some time.

She wiped her eyes, how long could she stay in here? Their conversation was mainly Ariel whining, begging him to leave. Yes, Arneas should leave this place there was nothing for him here. She heard him speak of eating and Aurora knew there was plenty of food or perhaps that was what she was for. Was this Fate? So many people spoke of the Fates, with the silver scissors rested over the string that constitutes a life. Were they stretching hers now? Did it matter if it was already broken? Would they even need to cut it? She wasn’t sure, but she was sure that the bathroom had become hot and suffocating. She wiped her eyes hurriedly, again making loud noise to announce her arrival.

“Anything else you need from me?” She asked, leaning against the wall once more.

Yune may not have overly watched them, but she listened, sitting down onto the floor at some point, better off without their gaze on her. She tried to figure out their relationships between each other, who was a stronger or weaker ally, who would run and who would stay to help should she lash out in a murdering spree. It was necessary to know your enemy's allies in order to be well prepared to attack them, or be attacked by them. Yune tried to also listen to what they talked about, and her dread only grew. They talked of vile things, making Yune's skin crawl.

Yune dared not look up when Apollyon described her blood, feeling all too disgusted but at the same time proud. He liked it. It was both an advantage and a disadvantage for her. He would want to have more, and that meant more contact with him and more pain, but it also meant that he wouldn't kill her off so soon - hopefully. If he wished to have the blood, he would just keep drinking from her like a foul vampire perhaps. She shuddered at the mere thought, and finally cast him a hateful glare, only to hear the succubus' words and instantly Yune caught whiff of something.

Was it akin to jealousy? There was an underlying tone in that demon's voice, but maybe Yune was just imagining things in her own hateful fit. She would surely need to keep an eye on that, and use it to her own advantage if she ever could.

Yune looked up when he asked, her pretty eyes narrowing. She did not pause to consider his question, nor if he wanted a verbal answer or this was a rhetorical one. She would give him a piece of her mind. She jerked a chain and spoke. "Like dirt. Like filth and ash that gets stuck in your throat and chokes you, and stays its flavour on your tongue to remind you how vile it is." She huffed lightly. She would give him no more description, he did not deserve it. Yune turned her head away and looked to the other room, but was still curious as to how he would react - and how the others in the room would react.

Then briefly she wondered what he would do if she were to mention the few of his mistakes he had made. Would he suffer in shame or would the demons be forgiving of him? How close were their bonds?

---

Arneas refused to leave on the simple condition that he did not feel he was ready. He would rather wait here a little while he healed and be stronger when he came out than to heal mid battle, besides, nobody was calling him anywhere - why rush? Against his wishes, Ariel continued to persuade him to go.

As the door opened and Aurora stepped out, both hushed and looked over. Arneas continued to lace up his boots, though his shirt was still undone, for he wanted a change of bandages. Ariel sprang off the frame at the foot of the bed. "You could get him breakfast, and a change of bandages," he haughtily suggested, annoyed at having been interrupted. He reached toward her face, but stopped when Arneas sharply said his name. He looked over at his god with a questioning glance.

Arneas fixed his gaze upon something he saw beneath the boy's shirt, "Ariel what is that, on your side?"
Ariel looked uncomfortable and dropped his hand, looking away, but under Arneas' insistent gaze and saying of his name, Ariel surrendered and crossed his arms. "I had a run in with Uriel… Of Mapleriver. Her's."

A fit of anger mixed with concern crossed the god's face. "I thought I told you to stay away from him."
Ariel only thrust a hand in a random direction, "He wanders! He searches for something! I was hoping he would lead us to her!"
"He's older than you by a thousand years and stronger by just as much." Arneas grasped the angel by his leg and pulled him closer (Ariel gave a protesting yelp and a flimsy attempt to grab at something), forcing the shirt up to have a look at the seared wound on his side. A blade of fire had run across Ariel's ribs, breaking the soft smooth skin into a charred gash. The fact that Ariel had shown no signs of pains only served to prove for Arneas that his angel was getting stronger, but not strong enough to hold his own against Uriel, not even close.

With a sigh and closing his eyes as he did, Arneas released Ariel, ran a hand through his hair and turned to Aurora. He didn't want to heal Ariel simply because the angel had disobeyed his direct instruction, but he needed the angel to be in full health too. "Do you have any more of those herbs?" He asked her.

@ Ria Miku;
Apollyon stared at Yune as she spoke, her hatred for him and the others in the room coated every word that she spoke. The others were quiet for a moment before collectively laughing. It was like she thought that they did not know how she felt about them and the laughter only got louder the longer they thought about her words. “Apollyon,” the cyclops roared, his voice echoing loudly, “Funny little Goddess.” Again, everyone erupted into laughter and it was clear that whatever Yune was trying to prove did not matter much to the people here.

The table started to empty, the words starting to fall on drunk ears. Empusa, The Seer and Priscilla were the only ones left by the end of the night and Apollyon was just barely conscious enough to wonder if Yuna was tired or hungry yet. Not that it mattered, she would get no sustenance if he had anything to say about it - and he most certainly did. Apollyon was exhausted, the wine and the blood making his head feel light and airy. Priscilla left for his chambers, though she was cold and distant.

Empusa walked up to him, trailing a soft finger around his collarbone. “I enjoyed seeing you tonight,” she said, kissing his neck. He let a groan escape his lips and he smiled at her. “And you,” Empusa added, looking down at Yune. “I hope that my sweet prodigy will share next time.” She left then with Apollyon longing for her so that he almost left Yune alone in this room to chase after her.

Only the Seer remained and she smiled once the room was empty, save for himself and Yune. “My lord,” she said, her voice flat and quiet. “Before I leave you to your prize, I wanted to let you know that I sense a battle coming soon.” Apollyon casted her tired eyes. He knew there was a battle coming, his entire existence relied on there being a battle. Perhaps this was why Hades moved on from The Seer and deciding to use the Fates instead, she did not know anything that he did not know.

“I am not telling you what to do, but you are not ready,” she added, standing from her seat. “If I were you, I’d take a better look at what I had laying around.” With that she disappeared in a swirl of dark clouds. What he had laying around? He wasn’t sure what that retched witch meant by that and he wondered why prophets like her could not simply say what they meant. He leaned back in his chair, swirling his leftover wine and taking a long sip. 



“Lovely evening, wasn’t it?” He asked Yune, so tempted to continue his ecstasy with a taste of her.

---

Aurora could not get any further away from the pesky little angel and was relieved when Arneas grabbed him. She had enough bandages in her bag, but she did not have breakfast or enough herbs for the both of them. She nodded, indicating that she would need to leave to go get more and rushing to slip on her shoes before he could tell her once again, in just one word, to stay.

She shut the door behind her, heaving a sigh of relief that she had not even noticed she had been holding in. The temple was quiet, the hallways silent and it was clear that the people were still sleeping. The sun had only just risen and she knew that the kitchen would be empty aside from Georgia drinking a cup of tea in the morning, as she always did. Aurora pulled her hood around her head, though she placed it gingerly around the bun she crafted just a few moments ago. She traveled down the hallway as quietly as she had practiced for the weeks she had been here: undetected and leaving behind on the ghost of her footsteps.

“Georgia,” Aurora said, another sigh of relief in seeing a happy and familiar face at last. “I’m so sorry. He..he asked me to stay. I have to go back soon,” she added, hurriedly. The kitchen felt cozy and had the soft gray sheen of morning. Her surrogate mother had already poured another cup of tea as she had blabbered away and with relief, once again, Aurora sat across from her. The herbs and bandages were in the cabinet just next to where the teapot was boiling and she knew that there was bread and plenty of fruit that she could grab on her way out so she knew that she could stay for at least a cup of tea.

“Yes,” Georgia said, her voice tense but her eyes kind. “People are watching, they are muttering, koreetsi mou.”

“They have always muttered about me,” Aurora commented, sipping the tea and relishing the warm that spread throughout her body.

“I do not like it this time,” Georgia said, grabbing Aurora’s hand and squeezing. Aurora remembered now why she was still here and she looked up at the older woman and smiled. They had both lost so much, it would be cruel to forget that Georgia needed her just as much as she needed Georgia. Even company over tea seemed so simple, but it was important to them both and neither of them needed to say that to make it known. The minutes passed by slowly but comfortably from there and despite how horrible she had felt coming into the kitchen, she felt much better now.

Georgia took both their cups and filled another bag with all her supplies, rushing her away as the temple started to wake, little by little like the sun rising from the East hallways to the West. “Be safe, koreetsi mou,” Georgia said, slipping the bag over her shoulders, pulling up her hood and kissing her forehead abruptly. She shoved Aurora out the door just as the other maids loud chatter was heard coming in. Aurora was surprised at how quickly Georgia had made her leave and wondered if she really was scared this time.

Aurora moved quickly through the halls and was just two doors down when the stable hand, Markos, stepped out from the darkness. “Good morning, Aurora,” he said. He smelled like the horses and his hands were almost as dirty as the gloves he removed from his hands. He was alone, it seemed, though he had backed away Aurora into a corner. “Where you headed this morning?” He asked, a grimy finger touching a curl that had fallen from the bun.

“The usual morning chores,” she muttered, casting her eyes to the floor. Was she failing again by casting her eyes to the floor? She should be fierce, she should push past this simple man with his simple thoughts. She was weak and she was scared and she was pushed up against the wall now, her breath a little shaky. Her father would have never wanted her to do this, to be complacent in the world, to let people walk all over her, but her father was not here anymore.

“I think you’re lying,” Markos said. “I think you’re going to back to Our God of War, Arneas. Can you take me to him?” He asked, running a finger against his jaw. She didn’t respond, just shook her head no and she had barely lifted her when a resounding slap echoed down the hall. He hit square on the jaw that he was just caressing and head was knocked back into the wall. “Come on, tell the lion to move.”



“I can’t,” she said, moving her jaw. His slap turned into a punch that split her lip and with that she yelled and the lion outside the door seemed to finally notice that danger was near.

She heard the other demons laugh but she had fixed her glare on Apollyon and him alone. She only flicked the roaring cyclops a small glance, pushing him up in the list of first to go. But still she felt irritated by their laugh, what's so funny? She had her huff and turned away, and continued to try be invisible for the rest of evening, though did put her ears to good use.

In the reflection, she saw that succubus walk out but Apollyon had sights on another demon. So many, so many desired. She felt sick, but she couldn't be surprised, he was a demon - did she think he'd stick to one and lovingly hold her for the rest of eternity and be a good father? The thought of him cradling a child made her snicker audibly, and she quickly glanced over her shoulder before making herself small again.

While he was distracted, Yune eyed the table for any scraps of food that she might be able to pinch. Scraps and pinch? What terms were these? As if she were nothing but a slave! She refused to sink to such a low level.

Yune cast her mind away from that again, listening in about a battle. A battle? Against whom? She recalled the map she had seen and laced her fingers together nervously. With Hades, surely. There was no other kingdom on that map. Apollyon wanted to go to battle with Hades and take the rest of the Underworld for himself. Yune felt her heart flutter in terror. Hell would be unleaded upon the world again. There had been one time, and humanity was nearly wiped out. She had to let the other Gods know somehow. Arrogant as they were, they would still have to band to prevent their own destruction. If Hades falls…

"No," She bluntly returned, eying the table again. "That other one, she said you're not ready. She's right. You're weak. You think you captured me - as if it were a big accomplishment - but I am already falling, Hades is not like me. Hades has many believers. He's still very well alive. He has allies. You don't stand a chance against him." She turned her crystal grey eyes on him, challenging, more than happy to ruin his 'lovely evening'. She stood, brushing off her knees and pulled on her leash a little, ignoring the sizzling of her hands, to let it sit easier on her burnt-raw neck.

Hades was old and that made him all the wiser, but his methods were becoming outdated. She remembered other Gods urging him to re-evaluate his strategies but he dismissed them. 'If it works, why change', he had said. Yune edged nearer to the table, keeping her eyes on Apollyon but seeing something edible out of the corner of her eye. If she could snatch it and shove it down her throat in time…

---

Arneas watched her go, and then looked to Ariel who squirmed in his grip. He let go of the Angel, sitting back onto the bed with a groan. Why was Ariel so stubborn? Of all the angels that had come to his birth and sworn oaths to serve him until his death, why did Ariel have to be the first one? It wasn't that Arneas hated him, or thought Ariel was weak - no, Ariel was strong. Strong and tricky, and it made him unpredictable, and powerful in his own way. But he acted most like a child, and rarely ever grown up.

Although he never wanted to admit it to anyone, and definitely not to Ariel, Arneas envied Yune in only one thing. Her main angel. That was Uriel. Uriel had evolved fast and grown stronger than the majority of the angels of all Gods. He had only seen Uriel once, and it was a brief glance during a battle. Uriel had been watching, and Arneas had felt most uncomfortable and unknowing why until he had looked up and there on the pillar of a fallen building stood a boy with hair as white as snow, eyes black as tar, wings huge and thick. They made eye contact briefly and then lightning flashed and Uriel was gone.

But Arneas had felt his strength even from that distance. And he felt the fate of the Angel and it unnerved him.

Should Yune die, this angel would not die with her. He was strong to live without his God, enough to succeed and become one of the three Reapers. Or resurrect as a God. And that worried Arneas most. It was rare that an Angel could even come close to such power. He had to kill him now, while Uriel was still nothing more than an angel.

They sat in silence for a little while, both lost in their own thoughts until Arneas sensed unease, confirmed furthermore by Ilris' unsettled wariness. Arneas stood and quietly opened the door to see his lion bristling into one particular direction. Now he sensed the disturbance in the air more than ever. Hatred, will to hurt, desire for something. All these feelings like a small scale war. Arneas quietly made his way down the hallway, unseen and unheard. He saw the man punch Aurora and heard his words only at the very last second.

"You sought an audience with me?" He asked, his voice even and calm. He watched the two humans, watched the man turn around but it was not the man that he had his attention on, but the girl, bleeding behind him. She had returned when he expected she'd run away. He didn't take his eye away from the man though, and quietly ordered him, "Kneel." His voice echoed into the man's mind, though his voice was quiet in the hall. It was different from when he told the girl to stay. Then he simply said for her to stay, but here he demanded. And with that demand came his God's power, the power to make a human obey.

How many more? Was the man alone? Arneas shifted his attention and awareness further out, still sensitive to Ariel's curiosity and Ilris' bristling. He searched for souls nearby, ready to summon his sword and wipe the whole temple down to the ground if he had to.

Apollyon leaned back in his chair, tapping his index fingers together and thinking. For as much as he hated to admit it, the Goddess had a point. It was clear she enjoyed the fact that he was failing which should have angered him, but perhaps this was where he succeeded at being better than her. She was controlled by her hated for him, she did not see an opportunity when it presented itself. She tried so hard to preserve herself and her sense of dignity that she was falling into the very sin she hated it so.

He cocked his head to the side and smiled, “I will give you that and let you sit if you continue to talk to me. He knew she was about to protest so he raised a finger to his lips, hoping to silence her. “I know, I know. I am filth and you would never ever bargain with filth, but humor me, if that helps you process it. You are in chains, you are weak and there’s a collar around your neck. I’m offering you food and a comfortable seat if we just talk. I like your brain,” he commented.

He sipped his wine again, gesturing for another glass and then waving to dismiss everyone from the room. He wondered if people would whisper, him having a private meeting with a Goddess might cause a stir, but perhaps they would assume the worst the ways demons usually did. He was riding on a high and he needed it to last, even if it only lasted in the form of intellectual conversation with a foe. She was a far better match than anyone else.

He closed his eyes, wondering if perhaps that would help her to decide to sit and enjoy the food. The room was empty, he was barely looking, no one would ever know if she took a bargain with a demon like himself. He certainly would not tell anyone: it would soil both of their reputations so quickly. Apollyon hated this one thing about Gods, they never acknowledged the evil creatures that they actually were, but instead paraded under white hats. At least demons were somewhat honest about what they were.

“Hear me out, love. You know I’m powerful, whether or not you want to admit it. You know, you heard, that a battle is coming. You know what this will do to the world. You also know that Hades is weak and old and a stupid God. People may believe him, but we all know I am smarter. What if we, the good and the evil of the world, can save the world by changing the Underworld? Hm?” He asked, raising a brow. He didn't need her for this, but she definitely needed the food. He didn’t need her, but he wanted her answer.

---

Aurora was happy to see Arneas, at least to know that the pain would not escalate. She had felt her heart beating and thus, wondered if she truly had given up on life or was just simply more resigned to failing at it. Either way, she felt relief at this beautiful God, thundering down the hallway with a scowl on his face that made her skin feel cold (and she was not the one in trouble, it seemed). She was not one to swoon and she felt funny for noticing how fierce and wonderful he looked, but maybe she just needed to focus on something simple over the pain.

When Markos fell to his knees, Aurora looked up, focused on the exchange in front of her. He was trying to speak, but it was clear that this simple man did not have a plan. He was not the brain of the plan, he was the muscle and the handsome face that was suppose to used against a fickle little girl like herself. She heard them then, the other men seeming to scatter with the clear indication that something had not gone as planned. She shivered a little, curious what would have happened if Arneas had not come to her rescue. Would she have to thank him later? Would he even care to hear it or would he expect to hear it?

“My lord,” Markos finally stuttered out. “I.. yes. She has had your counsel since you have arrived and she is just a woman. Aurora felt no surprise at his words: little regard for women was pretty standard at this temple and all the women seemed to cower under a male presence. “Not only that, she is a foreigner.” His defense was laughable and she wondered if Arneas was aggravated enough at simply being bothered to just kill this man here and now. Is that what she wanted? Another person dead? Would mercy not be better? She wasn’t sure, maybe that’s why she wasn’t a Goddess.

She wiped the blood from her face, staining yet another dress. This time she’d have to take whatever Ariel had to offer, she only owned two dresses. She wondered if angel could get blood out of her dresses. Her racing thoughts were just distractions though; she was afraid to move, afraid to breath, afraid to see whatever was going to occur in front of her. She decided in that moment that she did not want to see anymore death in her lifetime, but Arneas had more control over humanity in his pinky than she would have in a thousand lifetimes.

@ Ria Miku;
(P.S. I don't think I proofread this one really well. I apologize in advance.)

Yune narrowed her eyes, wary. Why was he suddenly being nicer? No, not nicer, he wanted something. She wanted to protest, say he's an idiot and she - a goddess - would never make conversation let alone a deal with a demon such as him but he shut her up and voiced her exact thoughts. As he dismissed all and closed his eyes, Yune neared the chair and carefully sat into it, as much as the leash could allow, and picked up an untouched piece of meat - which she could not identify but upon smell and taste from the tip of her tongue with which she touched it, she figured it was edible and placed in in front of her. She did the same for three other pieces of unidentified meat, and what looked like a fruit.

His offer to eat was only if she talked to him, not agree. With that calming her, she nibbled carefully on the meat and after she was sure she would not start burning nor throw up, she ate the two of three pieces and turned her attention to him.

"Enough with the endearments," Yune muttered before she could stop herself, shuddering merely at the words as they came from his mouth. They clearly unsettled her and made her skin crawl. Almost with a huff she added quietly, "Save that for your precious succubus." She poked the maybe-fruit and scanned the table for a drink, but she could not reach a single cup or goblet or jug and slumped lightly at the edge of the chair. Should she sit back any further she'd come into contact with whatever other filth sat there only minutes ago.

To the matter at hand, she frowned. Why would he want to talk to her now, what did he need? He dismissed everyone, so surely it was not something he wanted to have others know about. She could use this against him if the time ever came to require it. Perhaps.

"Hades is a God and must be succeeded only by a God." She replied, gripping the edge of the table, "For the humans. It does not matter if you think you are smarter and that he is dumber and old. Where will the human souls go if you overthrow him? In to your grasp to suffer? I think not." She narrowed her eyes, "They would lose faith in us, and then you unleash your demons upon the world." Yune shook her head. If he had the Underworld, where would he stop? Would he stop? She doubted it. He'd take his minions out onto the Earth, and then try to reach the Gods in the sky. If the Gods could hide up there for a while - the humans could not. What would become of them?

---

Arneas snapped to attention when he sensed other souls nearby, and their desperate scatter in attempts to run. He looked at the pitiful man in front of him, sweating and stuttering. He felt disgusted. He felt his man perhaps wanted to praise and then beg for a war in his favour, but judging by his current composure this fool would not win anything.

"Did you want to take her place in my bed instead?" Arneas mocked, leaning forward just a little. His unsheathed sword hovered near the man's throat. The man vividly gulped and before he could say anything, Arneas growled, "If you seek my listening, pray. Run along now, tell them that, and then stain my altar with your blood." He gave an irritated 'tsk' and withdrew the sword. The man, as if in trance, stood and rushed down one hall as if he could barely see where he was going. Arneas had no time for this idiot and his stupid excuses. What had those things he said to do with what the man himself wanted? It made no sense. Arneas looked down another hallway. He could still sense the unease. Unrest among his followers. What plans did they have?

"You are not safe here." Perhaps they were jealous that she spent so much time with him, but by satisfying his own amusement he placed her under danger. And he still had that little debt to her for the healing herbs. "Come." He started towards the room, but the moment he stepped away, he heard someone yell 'there she is!' and rushed footsteps. He turned around to see a group of people rush to her, and in a flash he was by her, golden wings wrapping around her and blinding the oncoming gang of idiots.

In a flash, they were gone and surrounded by white, before suddenly they were outside on a rolling hill and the temple was not far but quite a distance away. Arneas let go of the girl (he had slipped an arm around her to hold her while they fell through the small portal) and watched her - in case she would be sick or something. He hadn't jumped space with a human before, and was not sure how she would handle such a thing. But on the outside she seemed fine, and her heart still beat - so perhaps it was alright.

Ariel was instantly beside them, grasping Arneas' shoulder, "What are you doing!? You could have killed her like that!" He scolded, barely suppressing his voice. Arneas only muttered in response, "But I didn't," and pointedly looked to the girl.

@ honeysuckle;
[No stress! ]

@ Ria Miku;
Apollyon sighed, her words were true. He had no interest in guarding the souls of humans, but he also had no interest in making them suffer. He did not actually have any interest in human souls at all. He just wanted to drink, eat, control and fuck. He wanted his demons to be happy and he wanted his people to be strong. They deserved it. The world was not meant just for God and humans, otherwise the demons themselves would not exist.

She hated him so much and she did not even understand that her very hatred breed demons over and over and over again. They had to exist, they had to balance each other out. He did not hate her, he admired her position in the world. He did not hate her, he needed her and he was big enough to admit that about the world and about himself. She never would see this, she was so full of herself and her ‘holiness’ that she did not see how important and vital he was to her very existence. Why would the people pray if there was not evil in the world? He created faith as much as he destroyed it. Apollyon was smarter than Yune as well, it seemed.

He yawned, feeling that eating just one thing was enough for now. He was wrong, clearly. He thought perhaps she had started to see them as equals, but she did not. She was too pompous, too self-absorbed, too proud of herself and she would never see him as he was. He sighed, he really thought she would be smarter than that. He shrugged, leaning forward and wrapping her chain around his knuckles once more. “Come,” he stated, he no longer wished for responses.

He dragged them back through the empty halls, the fire dimming into the darkness that every being here lived for. The halls were quiet, his kingdom was sleeping or they were eating or parading around, but they were leaving him alone. He felt Priscilla’s soft energy, her sexual power curbed by jealousy, snuggling on his bed; like a tiger in waiting. She would surely pounce on him, but he would talk her down. She could not blame a man like him for a wandering eye and a feeling of service to his previous Queen. If Yune was talking, he was no longer listening to her and was just dragging her back to the throne room.

He threw the chains, feeling angry at the night but also oddly satisfied. He had not won, but he learned. He learned more about his followers, about Yune and about Hades himself. He hooked them back up, chaining her to a mere few feet in the room. No food, no water, no wine, no people. He had given her a chance to survive, a chance to forge a partnership - friendship was the wrong word - and instead, she picked anger and pride. He was allowed to be angry about that, was he not? He was allowed to learn and be frustrated at the same time. He wondered if Yune would ever learn.

“Sit here and think. Why do you hate me so?” He muttered before putting out the fire and heading to his own room, to think on the same thing.

---

It felt like a blur, a blur of movement and a blur of light. There was a flash and feeling like a hook pulling at her stomach, warm arms burning into skin and the light making her eyes and insides burn. They landed, she knew they had landed, she felt the farming softness of grass under her skin and the rush of wind brushing against her face. She knew they were outside but her eyes were stinging from the light and she felt a little sick, especially with the iron taste of blood mixing in her mouth. She knew she was laying on the grass, trying to settle her stomach and her emotions all at once. She knew all this and yet, felt like she knew nothing of the last five minutes at all.

She heard voices and even with her eyes closed, she recognized the whining voice of the angel Ariel, yelling at him. She opened her eyes then and sat up very slowly, letting the woozy feeling rush over her. She spit, the red tinge of blood landing on the bright green grass and looked up at them. It was like looking at the sun, partly because it was day time and partly because they both seemed to be glowing. Had they always looked like that or were they getting stronger? She shielded her eyes, blinking a few times to wet them so the burning stopped.

He did look God to her, finally and truly. He was shiny, competing with the sun. He was so muscular, the bright light of the world bringing out all the curves of muscles that were chiseled into him. He jaw was set tight, a determination and a pride that she had not seen from him before. His blond hair blended in with the sky and she was happy to look at him in this instant, even despite her confusion.

She stared at Arneas, so confused by all his actions for they were far from what she would consider Godly, at least not based on his actions from the last twenty-four hours. She caught his eyes, the look he casted at her to make sure that she was okay. She let herself nod, but she wasn’t so sure that she was okay. She was confused, why was she here? Why did he take her? He did not owe her anything and he had so many better opportunities in the world waiting for him, so much better than a peasant girl like herself. It almost did not feel real and she held his eye contact as if she was hanging onto her strange new reality.

“Why?” She asked. She spoke, softly. She did not mean disrespect or to sound ungrateful that he had saved her, for absolutely no reason. She was so utterly human in comparison to them and it showed in this moment. The two heavenly creatures staring at the fragile little girl in the grass and it felt like they were all holding their breaths. What next? What now? What have we gotten into?

[Ah, apologies in advance, I didn't want to bore you with her idling in the throne room, is it ok that I skipped forward a little in time to whenever he shows up next (hours, days, etc)? If not or you have an idea you wanted to do, let me know, I'll change it up ^-^ ]

Yune managed to finish the four pieces of meat and slip another into her tunic before he tugged at her chains. She grumbled to herself, following after, trying to grasp any sort of drink on the way out but failing. Occasionally she'd try to say something in her favour but seeing that he had no response, she gave up and quietly walked, hand brushing against the small piece of meat hidden away in the layers of her clothing.

Her limits were restricted, and Yune wanted to throw a revolt and rage and demand more space, but thought of the hidden meat and decided against it. She sat - though convinced herself it was ont on his command - and looked past Apollyon, wishing for him to leave so she could eat her last piece. Once the doors were closed, she had her snack and lay down - for the first time pondering on his words as he had said to. Why did she hate him? She thought all night and had little sleep, and for when he came again she would have an answer.

She did not know the time she spent in the room, nor the time that passed until finally Apollyon showed up - but the time alone was time enough to think on his question. She did not care what he had to say when he came again, and handed her answer to him flat out, without greeting.

"I hate you because it is in my nature, as a God, to hate all demon-kind." That was the most obvious, simple one. Their skin burned at contact, they loathed each other's presence. Sure, they were born because of each other to some extent, but they would alway clash, like day and night. Never anything in between. "But I, as Yune, also hate you because you hold me prisoner, you hold me a slave. Does that suffice you?" And as it seemed, until the end of her days - whether they come due to the lack of faith in her, or he decides to eat her, it did not matter. She would die, and she feared death more than anything. Sudden death on the battlefield was one thing, but to watch and wait and suffer through her days as she weakened was more terrifying. She did not mention this to him, admitting fear of death to a demon was like handing him a sword and turning up her head so he could easily cut her throat. Suicidal.

She turned her eyes on to him, studying his face. "We Gods despise you but we leave you be in your Underworld, no? What more do you want?"

Yune looked at her hands, her own curiosity - as well as her natural God's care for humans - taking over, "Say you take over Hades, what will you do with the human souls?"

---

Arneas rolled his shoulders lightly, and his golden-light wings disappeared. The glow around him settled, but it glowed still, more so than in the temple. He felt freer, less surrounded by humans, and it was a literal breath of fresh air. He looked down at the girl, and she seemed to waken though her lips were covered in blood. She looked at him and they looked gazes for a little while, and he tried to figure out why on earth he just brought her here.

Ariel seemed to want such information too, for he forced himself between the two and glared Arneas' in the eye. Arneas unwillingly switched to look at his angel. Ariel lowered his voice, "What now? What are we going to do? Are you out of-"

Arneas pushed the angel aside and stepped closer to the girl, crouching beside her. In her eyes he saw his reflection, glowing, big, defined. "Are you alright? Do you think you can do that one more time? I want to go to a safer place-" he cast a pointed glance at the temple, "-and I want you to- I would like you to heal Ariel." He said, amending his words as to not sound demanding. Behind him he heard Ariel give a questioning noise. Then he narrowed his eyes lightly, but in a curious manner, and he tilted his head. "How much do you know about herbs?" What skills in healing did she have? If these worked on him, could she restore to health one of his angels?

He could hear Ariel's probing and knocking inside his head, the angel tried to spiritually talk to him, but Arneas blocked him out again. This was not a time for the angel's own wishes and wants. If this girl could heal him from Yune's damage, and if she could heal Ariel from Uriel's attack - she would be a powerful healer and thus very useful, and he could keep her around - and perhaps she'd like it more than her current place. Healers did not exist in angels, there was no medicine in the realm of Gods. Holy Water only did so much, so angels and Gods had to heal from wounds inflicted by their own kind naturally - and that was a long process, far longer than damage done by humans.

Rarely did Gods take up healers, often too snobby and not wanting humans to see their weakness but she had seen him and his blood, and she did not seem to be invested into the religions - would it hurt to take her with?

@ honeysuckle;

@ ashen knight;
Apollyon would not and could not go back to see her, not yet. He had to have a plan, a better understanding of himself, of Hades and of Yune. He needed a lot more before he were to find whatever Yune had thought on. It took a few days before he was ready to go see her again and the days were full of planning, of moving pieces around his map, of spying on Hades and his servants, of sex with Priscilla, of pondering and thoughts and confusion. He felt better after a few days away from her and he attributed parts of this the fact that Yune was not sapping his energy away.

He walked down the empty stone corridors, enjoying the echoing of his footsteps on the floor. He smiled upon his entrance to the room since Yune looked so hungry, so tired, so weak. He wondered if he missed the company or at least, the conversation. She was not used to being alone, she had followers and servants and an angel. Apollyon doubted that Yune spent much time listening to her own musings, but Apollyon was quite used to his own thoughts. He assumed she must have missed someone to speak to for she rattled the answer to his question quickly, her voice monotone and her eyes lacking the light they once had.

He sighed, her answer was not good enough.

“Yune. Why don’t we agree not to lie to each other?” He said, walking to his throne and sitting down. “What you just said is a practiced answer, an answer so obvious I did not even need to ask it. Do you think for yourself or do you let the more powerful Gods write your words?” He shook his head, casting a look of disdain at her. Even her answer when she narrowed it down personally was surface level, did Gods ever do deeper? He doubted it, they never had to. The world was at their fingertips.

He continued though, noting that he would probably never get through to her. “I want what you have. You have the heavens and the Earth, why can we not have hell and the Earth? The human souls, they can keep swimming in Hades’ little pool. Hades can keep at it if he wants, but if you want the Underworld to not go haywire, you need a better leader. These demons, they are angry. They are ready to burst at the seams and everything will go to hell - war or not.” This was true, they were ready for something and at least Apollyon was offering war.

---

Aurora felt herself shrink as he walked closer to her and she could still feel the brush of his skin where he held her before. Her nose was still bleeding and she wiped it away as a reason to break his gaze. He spoke softly, his words like fresh picked cotton; pure and pleasant, something to hold onto. She nodded, she would go with him wherever he wanted. Where else would she go? She moved her eyes to the temple that lay just behind them and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. She could obviously not return; she would follow him until he no longer wanted her too.

“Oh, well, I had a book,” she said, her eyes falling down to the green grass beneath them. “It’s in my room. It was my mother’s. My father said she wrote it all down for me so I would know..” she stopped again. She always did this, starting rattling off her story to him as if he cared but she knew that he did not. He cared a little bit at least, he had saved her, but that did not mean he wanted to hear her life story. She shook her shoulders trying to refocus.

She looked at Ariel, pointedly, “I don’t know how it works, but it’s in my trunk. It was under this dress. It’s leather.” She moved her hands, almost like she could feel the smoothness of its skin under her fingers and used that to gauge its size for them. “I will need it if we’re going to leave this place.”

She felt something funny in her stomach, nerves causing butterflies to flutter like her insides were just a meadow. It was a strange sort of feeling, one she had not felt in a long time: conviction. He doubted her at first, but clearly Arneas needed her now. She must be a better Healer than she once thought if a God was asking her to come with him. She needed to go, it was holding her together. “Yes, yes. I can help,” she said, looking back to Arneas. She must look pitiful, needing a God like him to give her a purpose, but perhaps that was the purpose of Gods and Goddesses in the first place.

Yune blinked at him. What other response did she have to give him? She was tired and hungry and wanting to drink, and she had recently felt a small drop in believers and knew that the prayers directed to her had been long unanswered. They were there, but she could not act on them in this Underworld.

She watched him sit, wishing she had a back of a chair to lean against. Propped up as she was, it was tiring anyway. Knitting her brows together at the mention of more powerful gods deciding for her, she felt the jab at her pride more than anything. How dare he! She was certain a look of offence had crossed her face. Her paler and thinner, less glowing face. The light was ebbing away. She saw it in her hands and in her legs, and felt it inside.

She threw care aside, rubbed her eye and proceeded, "What else do you want me to say? That I love you? You're just a demon with a fancy name, and your personality is trash. You smell like sulphur and something vile, and you have red things on your skin. What even are they?" She lay down, too tired to prop herself up anymore, and looked up at the ceiling, listening to whatever he had to say. He wanted what the Gods had? That is, the Earth?

"Hades won't give it up so easy and he can't protect the human spirits from your minions with nothing but himself. Let's be realistic." She closed her eyes, feeling sleep lull her. The little rant had taken its little toll. And little in her state was big. "Why do you even wait? Hades isn't meant for war, he knows nothing about tactics. He uses the same old technique every time because it works but there's a flaw in his plans…" She lowered her voice and muttered next,"That nobody else seems to notice because everyone is so distracted by the big things he conjures. And everyone's too thick to understand how to get past it." And even quieter, as she rolled away from Apollyon, "All it takes is another God."

---

A book? Possibly a book by which she did many of her herbs, humans liked books. They didn't have vast memories of years and decades and centuries worth of recollections, and preferred to store them in some other medium. Arneas guessed her mother had been a healer too, and wanted to pass this onto her daughter. A legacy sort of thing. Humans held those close to heart. Besides it seemed she would need use of it.

He glanced at Ariel as she did, and saw the angel scowl.
"What? Am I fetching message boy now? You expect me-"
Arneas firmed his tone, "Ariel."
The angel scoffed, folded his arms, and tried another excuse, "The temple is far. I'd have to go-"
"Ariel.
The young boy looked away, taking a big breath and letting out a dramatic sigh, "It's teeming with armed humans probably and-"
"Ariel." Arneas was even surprised by the tone of his voice himself, as it cut through the air like an order. The Angel started, looked guilty, and vanished but not without a small huff first.

Arneas ran his tongue over his lips, watching the temple. Ariel could handle a few men, nothing too worrisome. He looked at Aurora again, pleased with her answer. He felt it would be right to say 'thank you' but being a God, it contradicted his nature, and so he didn't say it, but flashed a tiny smile of gratitude instead. The words were unsaid, but he hoped that was enough to show he was thankful to some extent.

Ariel came back soon enough, holding the leather book and a small pouch of herbs and whatever that he had found in her room also. He handed these to her, looking rather pouty, but snuck a guilty glance over at Arneas. The god seemed satisfied. Since neither of them could heal Aurora's blood nose, they'd have to get a move on.

"Are you ready?" Arneas asked, unfolding his arms and waiting for Aurora to stand up so that they could jump through space again. "…to go?" If she was, they would depart now and he would take her to a temple - the grandest of all his temples - in a lovely field secluded far from any human place, existing alongside the human world but not quite in the God's realm either. It was a portal between the two worlds. It was tended to by a few most-trusted humans at its lower levels, but at the higher floors only a god and angels could access. As long as one had the blood, they could go up and into the realm.

@ ashen knight;
Apollyon listened to her her explanation of him and he smiled. If anything, she clung to her identity as a Goddess so tightly he wondered if her fingers were hurting. He looked down at himself, his tan skin swirled with dark maroon swirls. He traced a finger over them and smiled. “It is a reminder. Did you not notice it on Empusa as well? The mark of a powerful vampire is blood drawn to the skin. All beings rally around others that they find attractive. Why else do you think your people are so beautiful - even Hades? I can’t get rid of them, though as I have gained more powers, I have been able to change them to look much better.”

He did miss his other form, it was beautiful to him. It was beautiful to his old Queen, it was beautiful. People looked down upon vampires and they were ostracized from the Underworld, except for him. Apollyon was strong and smart, he learned how to suck powers from others and he had held onto that secret, he will always hold onto.

Apollyon listened as she spoke, truly listened to her. She had much to say, though she spoke quietly and softly like she was giving up. No. She could not give up. He was having too much fun. If her spirit were to break so soon, he would lose the only companion that matched his intellect. She was tired and her body did not shine like a God. He did not want her to give up yet, but he enjoyed the look of humanity that was beginning to creep across her skin and face. He would have to bring her back to her pompous self. Despite how conflicted he was, she said something that caught his attention.

Another God?

It made sense now. He was waiting for her. Oh how interesting Fate was, or rather the Fates, to plan something like this. Did they hold Hades string? The Seer warned him, but she warned him when he already had Yune in his possession. Why did he wait? Why else did he wait? He wanted to know everything and she had already mentioned two things that he had not known: who would take Hades spot and how would he control the human souls? Did he care? He had to. Controlling the Underworld meant more than just having power, but organizing it. He needed to talk to her, her hate fueled her logic while his passion blurred his.

“Yune, darling,” he called, hoping to wake her. “What can I get you so that we can continue talking? I have an idea.” He smiled at her, though he knew that it would never be returned.

---

Aurora almost smiled at their bickering, it was a form of affection. She did not know a lot about Gods and relationships among angels was not one of them. Arneas, though annoyed, seem to take good care of his angel and needed his angel. Is that how it worked? When Ariel left them alone, Arneas showed yet another form of affection, or at least something pleasant, when he flashed her a soft smile. She smiled back and the rest of their alone time passed in a comfortable silence, something Aurora would have never expected.

Aurora felt her hands shaking a little when she took her things from Ariel upon his return. She did not want them, they reminded her too much of that temple. They weren’t even her dresses, she had just embellished them. She only needed the book and the herbs. “Thank you, but I think I’ll leave these here,” she muttered, dropping the extras. She slid the book and herbs into the pouch Georgia gave her, a keepsake that she felt comfortable with. She learned by now that you did not need to take much when you left a place, memories often sufficed or haunted.

Aurora looked up Arneas, his hand offered to her and she felt her heart pick up a few paces. Was she ready? She looked back at the temple and then past it (though you could not see it), to the remnants of her village. There was nothing here to hold onto, nothing to gain and anywhere that she went would be better than staying here. This was a fresh start and she had to take it, especially since it was not demanded of her. “Of course,” she said and that was something she meant. Her hand felt small in his, but it only took a second before that all consuming light filled her again.

The blurring ended, though it was longer than before, and she felt the ground beneath her before she opened her eyes. The ground was hard, granite or marble perhaps and she let her eyes flutter open again. How had Arneas landed on his feet again? Did it take practice so that she wouldn’t end up on her back every time? She groaned as she sat up, blinking a few times to get herself to refocus on reality, the reality past the God standing in front of her. It did not feel like reality at all.

The temple that rose above her gave her a perspective on why Arneas seemed so unhappy with their temple; it was a shack in comparison. It shone gold and bright and the air around them seemed to be lighter and somehow happier. The grass was greener, there were more butterflies in the air and the wind did in fact feel like a soft caress against her skin. She looked at Arneas, his face almost proud and certainly happy to be ‘home.’ She stood then, her body already adapting to the time jumping - or whatever it was called. “Well, it’s lovely,” she breathed.

This temple was far too grand for someone like her and Ariel’s assessment of her came screaming back int her head. This did not seem like a place for a peasant and if she was going to be in the company of one God, would there be others around? She should try more, a fresh start meant trying a little harder. “Are you sure I’m allowed in? People will notice me. I’ll, um, maybe try to look better. I’ll fit in better, yes? Shower and maybe I guess wear one of those dresses Ariel made.”

She paused.

“Well, not exactly those dresses, something a little more conservative,” she added, a nervous laugh tumbling from her lips.

Empusa? Who? Yune searched her memory for a demon with alike markings, and remembered one back in the dining feast. Of course. She listened to him though made no move to open her eyes. Beautiful? Demons sure did have a strange taste for beautiful if red markings were a glorious thing. But whatever, she thought, their strange ways were about as strange to her as her ways were to them.

Warmth flooded over her and she nestled into the table that had seeped her body warmth for so long it was no longer cold. Suddenly she remembered her angels, and the thought sent a wave of grief through her. She had not thought of them for so long, had been so focused on the human souls that Apollyon wanted to ditch that she had forgotten to care for her own. They too were growing weaker, as she did, but not one. Uriel. She could feel him burning bright and strong, stronger than ever. She felt pride, and that pride gave her a little courage to fight on. She could get out of here.

Maybe.

Hearing her name brought her back to reality and Yune forced herself to open her eyes. She glanced at the figure on the throne. "Eat," She whispered, "I want to eat. And drink." And bathe, but the energy needed to come first. She wanted the basic necessities for life.

He needed her, she felt that at least. If he still had not attacked Hades it was because he couldn't, because he didn't know of the gates that every time demons to tried to open and tried to break down, but couldn't simply because of one fact. They could only ever be opened by a God. And thus they would waste their energy and time and minions trying to break down these burning gates and they would fail and Hades would pick them off one by one like an eagle hunting rabbits with ease and precision.

So for as long as he needed her, he would keep her alive, and to keep her alive was to feed her. Yune wove the thread of thought deeper. To feed her was to give her strength, and if she could amass enough she could escape. Even if she only made it as far as the edge of the Underworld and onto the Earth, to see the sun one more time. That was alright with her. The sun would give her strength, and if not - at least she saw it. For now, she would fight.

---

Ariel watched the extras be dropped to the ground and another small scowl started to form on his lips and he opened his mouth, but Arneas shot him a warning glance and Ariel shut it. The moment that Aurora confirmed she was ready, they were off, and within a blink they were in the temple's outside court. Around them small hazy mirrors hung by each column, in each a reflection of some other location in the world but all had a temple in them.

Arneas looked around, scanning the surroundings to check all was in place and normal. It was, and he relaxed. Nobody had violently entered, which was good sign. Arneas breathed in the fresh smell and rejoiced a little in being home. No more unnecessary barging in, no more pesky servants that couldn't keep their hands to themselves. He heard her compliment, and silently agreed, though he could not say anything about it himself. It was not his making, but that of his angels.

Both Arneas and Ariel looked at her when she paused, but with different expressions. Arneas looked concerned, and Ariel's face was filled with glee and triumph though that fell the moment she amended herself. Arneas lightly smirked at Ariel's disappointment, and rolled his shoulders, the wings had vanished by now and it was a great lesser load onto his back. He relaxed. "This is my temple, if I permit you in, you are allowed in. We shall have you wear something else, come for now," He started to head towards the entrance where two golden lions sat on either side of a grand staircase. They did not move until Arneas and the other two neared them and only then seemed to come alive and look at the newcomer. But seeing that Arneas was aware of her and permitting her in, they did not bother more and turned back to look out the endless horizon.

The moment they stepped in, the onlookers made themselves known. There were a mixture of people here but there were not a lot. They were all dressed in white, with gold or silver designs here and there. There were some elderly and some lovely young adults. But in between these there were smaller children with a great glow to their faces and wings by their backs - angels. As Ariel passed them, they bowed their heads, for even angels had rankings. There were not a lot of them though and all of them were boys. Some carried swords and some carried platters, or scrolls, or other things.

All of them watched Aurora with curiosity and wide eyes, whispering between themselves, "A human! A living human! What is she doing here? Why?" But there tone was light and curious and without hate.

Arneas gestured for a human servant to come closer, a girl just smaller than Aurora. "Mira, help her with a room, and some clothing," he said and Mira nodded, offering Aurora a smile and ready to lead her to the servants sleeping quarters. Arneas paused then, looked back at Aurora, and a small concerned look crossed his face, "When you are settled, come request my audience." He waited to see if she had any questions now, but he had to attend his prayers, and needed some time alone.

Apollyon conjured food for her then, a plate of meat and fruit fell at her feet along with a glass of water. Simple enough. She did not need or ask for as much as Apollyon thought she might. He had expected requests for a bed, a change of robes, a shower, wine, a human heart. She would not receive those things, but Apollyon wondered why she did not ask. It was clear they were playing each other, a game of cat and mouse where the both assumed the roles and swapped back and forth. He enjoyed it. Even if she won in the end, he would have had a damned good time being vanquished.

He shook his head. That was talk for a different day, a day when he was weaker but he is still strong and this is still his throne. “I have united the Underworld against him. I am prepared to take him on, but it looks like I needed you. Let us strike a deal. Make a deal with the devil,” he said, laughing a little to himself. He was not a devil, he was not even the cruelest demon around but he was smart and he vicious and thus, he received his name ‘The Destroyer.’

“You help me figure out all these pesky details and you help me get inside, I let you go. No wars waged against you, no harm done. You don’t kill me, I don’t kill you. You regain your strength to go finish whatever you were doing that wounded you and I get the Underworld. We all win,” he said with a smile. She would argue, of course, about the fate of the humans and what about the rest of the world but Apollyon counted that as pesky details, ones he often didn’t consider.

“I’ll get you more food, whatever you want within reason and we’ll figure this out together. Buy your freedom with a little knowledge. You are a Goddess of war, no? Help me wage a war that will go down in history. Then, you and I can go to the Gods with a plan - so they don’t kill us both,” he said, chuckling again. He either won or he died. Either way seemed fine for him and he was prepared to do either. He was prepared to wear the crown and he was prepared to die for his name, his plan and his community would remember Apollyon. He burned his name into their mind, a reminder of better treatment and better days.

“Tell me, what do you think, princess. Don’t hold back. I think we should stop lying to each other at this point,” he added, though she probably would not believe him. She was just simply so dense, at least he was flexible enough to engage with her. She was lucky to have fallen into his hands, honestly.

---

Aurora followed them timidly, staring at the lions as they passed, feeling smaller and smaller as she walked through the doors of the temple. The first and only thing that she saw was people, among other beings. There were lions standing tall and shining, angels practically prancing through the air and people whispering and muttering but with smiles. She again recalled Ariel’s comments, heat rushing to her cheeks quickly and she wanted to run and hide from all these people. Everyone here somehow seemed better than her and she felt completely out of place; a scratch on his crown or a smudge of dirt on his robes. She pulled the pouch tight against her body, and closed her arms to hide the blood that stained her dress; she couldn’t do much about her face.

Arneas ordered a small girl to step forward and Aurora felt at ease, at least finding comfort in someone so innocent and small. It took her a second to realize that he would be leaving and she wondered why she expected to stay with him in the first place. She nodded and took a chance to look over Mira. The girls hair was a soft brown, wrapped in braids and her ivory dress hung loosely off her childlike frame. She couldn’t be older than thirteen, but Aurora saw her own timid smile reflected back to her. She nodded again at Arneas and followed the little girl away from all the prying eyes.

This temple was huge and Aurora felt like she needed a map or else she would get lost. She followed Mira’s footsteps and they both walked the quiet walk of a servant and a seeker. Aurora was expecting different quarters, cots and cramped spaces like she had at the other temple, but that was not so. “In here,” Mira said, opening a door to a large common room where children were huddled around games. The room was a circle with many doors, hallways and stairwells surrounding them which Aurora noted as rooms, for individuals or families it seemed. There was the crackle of a fire and the laughter of people and Aurora knew that this was exactly what a home was suppose to feel like.

Mira continued walking, up a spiraled staircase and across the balcony that looked down upon the common room before stopping at a white door. She opened it and Aurora walked very slowly inside. “So, this is your room. The common space is for everyone. The kitchen is to the right of the fire place. The bathroom is through that door. If you want to shower, while you are busy I will bring dresses to you,” Mira said, casting her eyes downward. Aurora’s forehead crinkled, were they not all equals?

“Well, thank you. That’s really lovely,” Aurora said, letting her pouch slide off her shoulders onto a bench that sat at the foot of a very big and very white bed.

“If you need anything, just pop your head out the door. I’m sure anyone in the common room will be able to help,” Mira said, nodding a little before leaving Aurora alone and shutting the door behind her.

This place did not feel real. Aurora never had her own room, let alone one with a mirror and a bed and bench and a private bathroom. She never had marble floors or granite sinks or a bath tub that seemed to be big enough to cover her knees and chest at the same time. She smiled, letting herself enjoy this one moment in a quiet, safe, white room that smelled like lavender and felt like happiness. She felt immediately comfortable and one day soon, she would have to remember to thank Arneas for this, among other things.

Aurora’s bath didn’t take long, though she smelled better than she ever had before and made sure to get all the dirt out of her nails. She was examining her tanned skin from the farm since she had forgotten how soft and how creamy it looked when she actually washed it. Even her hair did not seem as dark and one would be able to see the soft curves of auburn that hid inside the mass of brown. A knock resounded on the door and Aurora felt relieved that she had a robe on.

Mira walked in then, carrying a few long white dresses and a smile. “I brought you some things and well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to help you with your hair,” she said, giggling. Aurora smiled, she could only imagine what she must have looked like when she walked in and it was abundantly clear that she had was not entirely sure how to be a ‘pretty servant.’ Once she received her approval, Mira worked her tiny fingers through Aurora’s hair and pulled the hair that usually covered her face backwards in a braid that looked like a waterfall and cascaded down with the rest of her curls. She slid in a tiny gold headband and Aurora even felt comfortable enough asking her to pick out a dress, she really did not care. When Mira was finished, Aurora turned to look in the mirror and felt a wave of pride wash over her. Would Ariel be able to criticize her now? Probably not.

“Thank you. I’m not sure I deserve any of this,” Aurora stated with a laugh.

“If our God believes you do, then you most certainly do. Come,” Mira said, pulling her along and grabbing her pouch. “You should go see him now.” And with that, they headed towards Arneas’ quarters and knocked before entering.

Yune raised her head at the sound of something clinking by her feet, the sweet smell of food. She opened her mouth, feeling saliva fill and without a glance at Apollyon grasped the plate and – throwing all her godly elegance aside – chowed down her meal and drank the water until there was nothing there, not a drip. She did not speak while she ate and drank, nor make eye contact with him. How despicable. She acted like a starved dog and surely he was laughing, if not aloud then to himself. Wiping her mouth, she regathered what was left of her pride and dignity and looked at him, eyes narrowing at his offer.

A deal? With him? He was joking, surely. “You ask me to go against my own kind,” She said, rephrasing his neatly wound words into the bitter truth. No need to be flowery and fancy. Her face spoke of disagreement, but she considered it behind the facade. If he won, and she returned, the gods would rain curses down on her and possibly exile her from their community – perhaps even kill. She’d lose allies, and then that pesky new God can strike and she would be defenceless and all alone. She searched his face for a hint of a laugh, but no he was serious.

“I’d need my sword,” she started, warily testing waters, seeing how far she could go with regaining her strength. “To summon my sword, I need at least six willingly sacrificed human hearts, twelve if these chains stay on.” She leaned forward a little, gripping the edge of the marble table top. That was a small lie. She needed four and eight hearts respectively, but she had to be smart here. Her eyes turned rather dark, and her glow seemed to brighten, as if the war was playing out right before her eyes and she was in her element.

But she had to be careful. A deal with the demon was a risky deal. There were catches, surely. “The other Gods will not listen to us. They’ll exile me, if not kill me. I’d need more than just my sword.” I’d need my army, and another title to secure it. She’d need more energy, in other words. How much was he going to allow her to have?

Suddenly, she had an idea. What if with his… help- no, what if she made use of what he was doing, and knowing his plans she could take Hades’ title? That way she technically didn’t help him and the Gods would not hunt her, and she’d also escape Arneas’ hunt. She didn’t say this out loud. Apollyon surely wouldn’t approve of it. Going behind other God’s backs and then using him to fix herself a new title. He would also surely guess.

“How can I know you will keep your end of the deal?” She asked instead, tilting her head. Oaths were nothing to demons, surely, they were full of deception and tricks and lies. Never trust a demon.

---

The moment she disappeared behind the door, Arneas turned away and headed for his room. There he spent a good half an hour soaking in a bath prepared for him, and listening to all the prayers he had failed to hear, sorting through each in his mind like paper. So many pleas for war, so many hateful things. So many prayers for a successful war where one was ongoing, and victorious wars. It took him some time but finally he managed to get through most of them and as a reward he felt their unconscious thanks. Arneas felt more relaxed, sturdy, felt his energy levels rise. He got out, looking more pristine and shiny and clothed himself in fresher cloths.

He let another angel he had left in charge tell him of all important things he had missed before dismissing the boy. In total, he had a mere few fourteen angels. He was, after all, still quite young. And angels required teaching, discipline and monitoring. Like children, he supposed. They had ranks, the elders taught and watched over the younglings, but he himself had to make contact with the younger angels also – least they stray and die. An angel without its God was a dead angel. He provided them with energy, and they grew. The more useful they were to him the stronger they became. A useless angel would perish fast.

And yet not even Ariel, his first and strongest angel could match Uriel. And Arneas felt envy grow in him. He had to take a few breaths and distract himself. Envy was sinful, a demonic thing. He needed no blight in this temple. Keep the angels and humans free of sin, keep himself free of sin.
Humans were certainly most tedious, but the ones that lingered here – they were souls. They had died and he had picked them up as they were. These human souls were most resistant to sin. They died with their beliefs etched into them, all their morals and understanding of rights and wrongs. And between themselves they had no ranks. Only respect. Humans were easy to fall into sin, he did not need envy for ranks – it would cause more harm than good. They did not need to grow stronger, nor compete, unlike his angels.

At the knock of the door, Arneas was only all the more thankful for it took away his attention from his darkening thoughts. He let the two girls come in, though Mira promptly disappeared when he dismissed her. Looking up from the book in his hands – he had been standing by the window and writing something down – he scanned Aurora over. She certainly looked much better. Cleaner. He could almost smell the freshness from her. A tint of herbs.

Arneas set the leather book down and rested his hands on the high back of his chair. “There are a few things I want to clarify. Simple rules.” He paused, scanned her face, “You are alive. You will be looked at. These human souls that stay here will want to touch you and find out about the current day. You may tell them and entertain them, but,” He moved to the side of the table, folding his hands, his expression firm, “If you suspect so much as a little tinge of envy I want to know about it. If any, any at all, do something to harm you, or downplay or dishonour – I want to hear it. If not to you, or to any other, I want to hear it.” He tapped his chest over his heart, “I sense it, and I will find out if there is sin breeding in my temple, but if you – and others – come and tell me it, it would make life here a lot easier for everyone. Is that understood?”

He cast a glance at his table. “I assume you know what sin comes from. Here, sin can spread. It may form blight, and that is insanely hard to get rid of. I’d rather not deal with it. In saying that you are equal though, please treat each other with respect, and the angels with even more respect. The Angels are here to guide and protect you when I am away.” He waved a hand in a random direction (at least, it seemed so, but Ariel was in that general direction behind many walls and many rooms away). “I understand some Angels may be difficult to deal with, I understand if you bicker lightly, but within reason.”

He looked to her again, “I hope that is clear. Now, come.” He headed to the side, opening a door. It lead down to the infirmary through a small corridor. As they walked, he spoke over his shoulder, “I have one… request to say.” He opened the door into the infirmary. It was a white spacious room with a few cots. The main entrance was on the other side of the room, but he had access to shortcut it in case of emergencies. He walked past all these cots and came to stand by a door with a lock. He took a small breath, clearly somewhat hesitant and nervous. Without looking at Aurora, Arneas said. “I have an angel who is sick. I want to know if you can treat him.” He braced himself and opened the door.

It wasn’t easy to see the patient until Arneas pulled aside the white curtain to reveal a pale young boy. He was covered in serious burns and huge lacerations, his closed eyes sunken and one sporting a massive wound where the eye can obviously no longer be recovered. He was thin, and his breath was shaky, small and in all he looked ready to die. The angel did not react when Arneas approached nor when the god touched his hand gently. He was in a comatose-like state.

“Izra,” Arneas introduced. “He struggles to heal. His wounds are caused by another angel so he cannot heal well. We, angels and Gods do not have medicines nor herbs. We heal by our natural abilities alone, unless they are inflicted by others of our kind.” Arneas narrowed his eyes, clearly hating the one who did this to him. The same that almost took Ariel’s life as well.

[Whoa, all these long posts ]