Divine Raven’s ghost appeared to Athena. She floated in the warrior’s tomb, looking down at his never aging, never rotting body.
…athena… His words whispered. …can you do this? if you enter my body, who will be in your physical body?…
"I have no physical body, Divine," she responded. "I will just cease to be in this form. I can shift into any physical appearance I want to. I chose this one a long time ago when I saw a young woman fighting. I guess only you could probably see my true form, since you’re already dead."
…what do you look like?…
She stared at Divine’s wispy figure. "You just don’t want to know, Divine, it’s painful to tell you what I look like. Not for you, but for me." She turned her eyes from the ghost Divine Raven and looked at the cold dead body lying on the slab of marble.
Divine Raven’s body was entwined with ivy and small violets that Demeter enchanted to grow on the vines. Grass grew inside the sunless tomb and a soft light exuded from the stones, illuminating the great warrior of the Siege Wars.
"The others want you back, Divine," Athena told him as she grew transparent and tensed up to revert into her true form. "Hecate has been working for days and weeks looking for a cure. We’re going to get you back."
The Goddess’s figure slipped away and for three seconds, Divine Raven "stood" alone in his tomb. A violent white flash exploded from the area where Athena once stood and filled the dank room with unbearable heat. A scream of a warrior and the shout of a senator filled Divine Raven’s nonexistent head. The light subsided, but the screams echoed on and on.
A woman stood before Divine Raven’s spirit, but it wasn’t Athena. This was someone old, decrepit, and weak. Whoever the impostor was, it sure wasn’t the youthful goddess named Athena.
…what are you?… Divine asked.
"Divine," wheezed the old hag. "Do you not recognize me?" Divine saw the old woman’s stormy gray eyes. The Eyes that looked like waves in a storm. Whoever this impostor was, she couldn’t have been Athena. Of course, Divine Raven could have said that all day, but the truth was, this was Athena, and this was the Goddess’s true form.
… my…. god!… Divine Raven’s ghostly shape wavered in fear. …what are you?!…
"When the Gods took themselves to the New World, we started aging," Athena’s impostor rasped. "That is why we were so obsessed with getting a new Breed of Gods and Goddesses out there. When Tristian came along, we were elated, because it meant that there were new immortals to take our place… umm, if we die. Tristian was born the Goddess of Judgment, but we’re teaching her to be the Goddess of Wisdom. She will take my place soon."
The impostor’s face contorted in shame. "Look at me. Gods and Goddesses are supposed to be beautiful and full of vigor. Hecate is truly nothing but leather strapped to brittle bones. Zeus, a skeleton. Hades was the only one to not have been effected by the move. He is as blue as a drowned victim and as insane as he always was. Nemesis too. As I age, the Black Warrior stays young. As my powers wane, hers shine brighter every day."
…oh, god… it IS you… Divine Raven gasped. …athena, you’re a decrepit old crone! what has happened? why are the gods aging?…
"When we left to the New World, people stopped believing," Athena sighed. "Even as we transported the thousands of people and the millions of animals, something snapped in the humans’ minds and made them refuse to accept the fact that they were ruled by us. Those things were dreams. The dreams of humans were just too advanced. We left the Old World because of the technological advancements. But they just followed us here too. When humans start using Technology for everything in their lives, it starts to become Godless. That’s what happened. We took away the human’s dreams by silencing Morpheus, the God of Dreams.
"Morpheus went to Hades, and mutely explaining to the Insane Master of the Dead what we had bound on the Dream God. We Gods had taken the golden marble that allowed the Dream God to speak out the dreams of humans, and hid it in the ocean, without Poseidon’s knowledge. Hades, with his natural hate for the Gods, helped Morpheus locate the golden marble with Poseidon’s help. All three agreed that the Gods of Olympus should be punished. The punishment, naturally, was the death of the Gods. With each Godly death, Morpheus, Hades, and Poseidon would grow stronger. Only the Faeries and the Greeks survived the horrible onslaught that the three vengeful Gods.
"Think of it Divine Raven!" The old crone Athena wheezed. "The Aztecs have computers now! The Egyptians and the Norse are barely hanging on, but the Egyptians only have Ra, Isis and Osiris. Odin, Loki, Thor and Hel are barely clinging onto their stragling and few followers! You see, Divine! We are fighting for the survival of the Gods! This isn’t just about hating Olympus or hating the Legion of Water! This Siege of Olympus is ending soon! If this was is won, then we may survive to pass on the genes of immortality. If we lose, then, the Gods of this world die, except for maybe Hades, Nemesis and the Faeries. You are our only hope. The Oracles have predicted you to be the second coming. As you already know, you thirteen were not the first to be chosen, in fact, there was to be another band of experienced warriors, but they were murdered by Hades. Now you are the new hope. Remember, Divine, when I appeared in The House?"
…yes… the ghost affirmed. …we were all terrified. many people in the house are used to paranormal experiences, but we were not prepared for this… we weren’t prepared for what you had in store. you wanted us to do the impossible… change a world! a world, athena!…
"Yes, what a world you have to change," Athena’s old voice laughed. "But, the battle is raging, as we speak. I must take your body. I must take you Divine. While my body is fusing with yours, I want to warn you. The magic I am about to perform will be painful for both of us, and you will experience something no living human ever has: the Targe. As our bodies combine, your soul no longer exists, but your body will, so your essence will be transported… to where, it is a mystery. But I want to warn you that the Targe will show you something that you will not be able to comprehend until a certain time in your life… or death. Are you ready?"
……… Divine Paused for a long time, but he knew that Athena could hear his thoughts whirring. Finally, …yes, I am ready…
"Let us begin."
Athena’s gnarled, veiny hands reached into Divine Raven’s misty shape. In sheer revulsion of her, Divine’s figure wavered as she touched him.
Athena began whispering an ancient language from ancient lips. Somehow, though, the words were fathomable:
Gaea, you gave birth to the universe.
The ether that surrounds the heavens is yours.
Allow the ether to touch our souls.
Take us to you.
Take us to your realm of Eternity.
Mother of all, you can reclaim me.
Allow me to return to the womb
From which all has come.
A soft sigh exuded form the ground; from the air; from Divine Raven’s form; from the flowers and vines that twisted around Divine Raven’s body; from everything that existed. The air started to vibrate visibly, like shimmering cement on a blistering-hot summer day. The cave no longer seemed solid; rather, it was wobbling like Jell-O. Divine Raven’s body’s flesh was melting like plastic from milk white bones. Athena seemed to fuse with the floor of the gelatinous cave and sank into nothingness. The purple violets on Divine’s body turned an ashen hue and curled in on themselves until the flowers and vines were inside out, exposing every cell it ever had.. The sword lying on the warrior’s chest twisted and writhed like burning paper and flew into the vibrating air. The whole world was collapsing in on itself, and Divine was the only witness. The end of a world, and only a ghost saw it!
There was complete blackness for what seemed like eternity—or it could have only been for two seconds—but suddenly, Divine wasn’t alone.
Not by a long shot.
Stars of a trillion different constellations collected in the nothingness. A million galaxies of planets sewn into a cushion rested on the stars. A throne too exquisite for a God or Goddess appeared. Nebulas of new suns and solar systems surrounded the throne, revolved around the celestial divan. Infinitely tall. Eternally being built. Divine knew somehow who inhabited this eternal, infinite royal court.
Gaea.
The Earth Mother. How it changed my life:Part Two coming along Nicely!!!! I hope you all will drool over my Magical powers that Control Pinto Beans while I'm away. Yay!!! Me so happy I'm getting this story finished! Do a dance with me people!!! ::Does a little Jig::
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