"If you'd stop staring–"
I averted my eyes at the speed of light.
Shit! This is so embarrassing
(*﹏*;)
"It's not something to be ashamed of, mortals do say I'm quite irresistible."
Somebody hang me (Q _Q)
I shrunk my head, heat steadily rising through my skin.
His low chuckle, reverberated through the halls and his hand on my waist jostled.
"Little one, there are things you don't do around gods. Don't stare. Don't speak unless spoken to." His voice dropped, darkening with each syllable, "And absolutely avoid the gods dressed in white or gold."
"Why?"
"They're the most promiscuous type, and if you want to be nth mother of their numerous children, you're welcome to be my guest."
A chill racked through my spine, numerous?
The Greek retellings weren't far off, these gods really did whore around.
"Just know their wives won't be happy, and destroying a human soul is an infant level exercise."
Holy Hera.
"Technically, I'm not alive so they can't," my voice lowered as we made it past the grand doors, "Fuck me."
"If you think they don't have tricks up their sleeves, you're sorely mistaken. They're gods." He enunciated each word, clearly outlining the power disparity. "And you, little one, exist in a soul state, you're as alive down here as you were up there while your body is in a state of comatose."
There was a silence that neither of us were willing to break until he finally spoke up.
"Just stay by my side, no harm will come to you."
"What if we're separated and I can't find you, what happens then?" An event like this would be swarming with immortals.
"Then you call for me." He retracted his hand that rested squarely on my waist and he took with it, his warmth.
His finger elongated, like a claw, and he pierced through the barriers of his skin.
Golden droplets squeezed out of his wound, floating around each other.
The tear on his exoderm closed faster than I could blink, without a single trace left behind.
I stared at the droplets in fascination as they moved in concentric circles. Suddenly, they approached each other, colliding with themselves.
They coagulated, morphing into something different and they shot towards me at an alarming speed. I didn't even have enough time to scream.
Warmth exploded in my veins, engulfing me as faint golden lines creeped along my skin.
"Now they'll all know that you're mine."
I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, "But I don't even know your name, how am I supposed to call for you.?"
His hands snaked around my waist pulling me flush against him.
"Tell them I'm the god who'll kill them if they touch so much as a strand of your hair." His voice echoed authority, a threat that he would most likely fulfill.
" I want to know your real name." I whispered, my voice came out huskier than I intended.
He raised his fingers and flicked me on my forehead.
"Ow!"
"Mortals can never know a god's true name, except–" he trailed off, his eyes wandering into the distance.
"Try me."
He stared at me, a flicker of disbelief and amusement flashed through his eyes.
"Kethan." He paused, his attention solely focused on me, "Call me Kethan little one."
"Kethan." The taste of his name lingered on my lips, "Lord Kethan."
"Just Kethan."
I didn't see it then, the loneliness that hid within his orbs as I whispered his name into the night's air.
The air around us rippled and the garden morphed into a path, hidden by the tree's canopy with glowing petals illuminating the earth.
"Where are we?" I reached out to pick a golden flower.
"This is as far as the Convergence's rules allow immortals to travel, from here we go by foot."
I snickered, "Whoever created these rules is a genius."
Kethan's glower shut me up.
It felt refreshing to call him something other than his title, The Progenitor.
He walked off, his robes trailing on the ground behind him and I lifted my skirt, ambling towards him.
Behind the tree's borders, I could faintly spot animals, unlike anything I've ever seen.
Deer-like creatures, smooth and furless, their skin with a pale whitish hue, and antlers large enough for birds to hang on.
Their gazes lingered on me but they fled every time I stared too long.
I nearly stumbled, the progenitor's harsh voice cut through the air.
"Focus on the path."
A slab, huge and platinum, elevated five feet from the ground with markings and runes engraved on it.
Did Newton's law of gravity not exist here?
The Progenitor, Kethan leaped gracefully onto the platform.
I gulped, staring at the slab of earth hovering a tiny bit above me.
He stared at me, his hands crossed behind him.
Chapter 12:
The Centennial Convergence III
Rona
I stood on the slab of earth with Kethan.
The height off the ground made me nauseous.
"Hold tight." He extended the sleeve of his robes towards me and I gripped it tightly.
The slab thrummed faintly, the runes engraved on it shone brightly in the dark.
"Close your eyes."
I felt my soul disperse as the slab ascended like an elevator on endless caffeine.
My grip on his sleeve tightened and I buried my head into his chest as the pressure increased.
The air around us thinned and the movement stopped.
"Are we there yet?" I asked, my head still burrowed within his layered robes.
He hummed, the sound reverberating through his chest and I finally peeked out of my hiding place.
"You can let go any time now." I released his robes like it was liquid fire, averting my gaze from him.
It was at that moment I finally realised that I was no longer on earth.
A colossal building, castle-like and straight off the mediaeval fantasy shelves, nearly spanning the length of a small country.
The large veil of transparent water parted as we stepped foot off the chunk of earth.
Kethan offered a hand with an amused smile on his face.
"Welcome to the city of gods, Arrythia."
I took his hand, reaching out to feel the droplets of water that splashed slightly around me, accompanied by the slight chill.
Horse neighed in the distance and I turned to stare at the man beside me,
"I'm," I paused, staring at the lush fields before me, the ones that led into yet another massive door, "going to pass through that door, with you, a god?"
"I don't see why not." He pulled me forward, his hands firmly tethered to the small of my back.
As we approached the doors, A man–no, a god, sat on a chair, his white robes draped carelessly across his shoulders with a golden goblet in his hand.
Kethan's grip on my waist tightened and we slowed down into a steady walk.
"Is he one of them?" I asked.
His firm nod was all the answer I needed.
" Ahh! Θάνατος." The god looked up, his striking green eyes boring into mine, "Late as always."
There was a prominent smirk plastered on his face, highlighting his superior facial features.
I had to admit, sculptors didn't do them enough justice.
The temperature dropped as Kethan stared at the languid god. His gaze was empty, his face expressionless as he took a step forward.
"You've finally brought a plus one–" The god drawled, taking a slow sip from his goblet as his eyes raked over my body, "I can see why."
I shuddered underneath Kethan's touch, white knuckling the hem of my skirt.
"It's been a hundred odd years and you still haven't changed," Kethan placed his palm on the door, "Have you? Andronicus."
"Of course not!" The god, Andronicus bellowed, "What's a hundred years compared to an eternity."
He raised his goblet, tipping his head slightly as his gaze bore directly onto mine.
"With the way your woman stares at me, I'd think she just might like to spend the night." He smacked his lips together, "In my bed."
The doors opened slowly and his face faded from view.
And I was met with Kethan's glower.
"Don't. Stare."
My neck receded like a quail and I lowered my gaze as the doors fully opened.
Blinding golden lights and the gentle resonance of classical music was the first sight that greeted me.
The scene before me didn't match the classical music I heard.
Debauchery.
Scantily dressed women with voluptuous bodies paraded around, their bright clothing barely concealed anything as the smell of sex and wine lingered in the air.
'Is this what a god's mating ceremony looks like?'
"This is the Fate's Banquet your guest spoke off?" I asked, disgust peeking through my voice as my eyes wandered across the ballroom.
"And you swore you weren't eavesdropping." He mocked, "You're a bad liar, little one."
I clamped my hand over my lips, stifling a groan.
It's official. I'm cursed.