Chapter Twenty-Nine:
The Meeting of the Gods
Atlas
As Ashlynn finished cleaning up from dinner, I walked up the stairs and down the hall to my son’s bedroom, where I knocked twice and exhaled to steady myself. “Yeah!?” He called, which made me chuckle as I opened the door. The room had changed a lot from when we had first moved into our new home. Since gaining his sight, Nick had opted to paint his room black, and had switched out the bright blue and whites for more black and grey pieces. Had he not had windows he would be sealed completely in a goth kid’s dungeon, but that was how he liked it, and I wasn’t going to argue with him.
He himself was lying on the floor with gaming headphones on, and was in the middle of playing a first-person shooter with Griffin, who was trying very hard to not lose his temper and throw his controller. Sebastian, who was staying the night, was lounging on the couch working on an essay for my class, with notes spread all across the cushions. Akira slept sweetly on the bed with my familiars, while Nick’s Shadows were lounging in various places of the room. The four Shadows waved to me with smiles, which I returned, as Nick screamed in anger and slammed his controller down. “Damnit! That’s the fifth match we’ve lost!” He cried.
“I FUCKING HATE THIS GAME!” Griffin screamed bloody murder through the headphones, loud enough for Sebastian and I to hear and laugh at his agony.
Nick turned and saw me standing there before flashing a smile and sitting up. “Hey, Griff, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, turning the microphone off and swiveling around to face me, “What’s up, Dad?” He chirped.
“I see you boys are occupying yourselves,” I joked as Griffin continued swearing through the headset. I ruffled Sebastian’s hair as I sat in Nick’s desk chair, stretching my legs casually.
“As if! You’re killing me with these citations!” Sebastian cried, “I can’t find another source to save my life!”
“What essay did you chose again?” I prompted as he spastically sorted through his notes.
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
I peered over his notebook before tapping his forehead with a pen, “Did you cite the actual poem yet, ding dong? Because that does count as a citation.”
He blinked, then burst out laughing at his mistake, “DUH!”
“Anyway...” I chuckled, rolling my eyes to Nick with a smirk, “Will you two be alright if Mom and I run out for a little while?”
“Sure; where ya going?”
“We have a meeting with the other Gods,” I said, trying to hide the seriousness of the event from reaching the tone of my voice.
The boys were too smart, though, and raised their eyebrows at me. “Meeting, eh? Sounds super suspicious!” Sebastian sniffed.
“It’s nothing important, just an update on everyone’s Realms.” I lied smoothly.
“You say that, but we don’t believe it!” Nick mocked.
“Well, who asked for your opinion anyway,” I joked.
“It’s fine, abandon me, your only child!” He cried, throwing himself into my legs dramatically as Sebastian and I laughed.
I tousled his hair gently, giving him a weary side eye as he cackled demonically, “We’ll only be gone a couple of hours, Mr. Dramatic, if you think you can last that long?”
“Do we still have pizza bagels?” He asked, peaking at me from under his arm.
“Of course we do. I know better than to let the supply run low with you around.”
“Then I shall survive,” he declared, making me chuckle and stand, “We’ll call if we need anything. Have fun at your, non-important but totally is and you’re lying about it, meeting!”
“Yeah, yeah…” I smiled and shut the door behind me with a sigh.
I walked downstairs with my hands in my pockets and my head hung low, my heart thumping with worry as Ashlynn wiped her hands on a dishtowel and pushed one of the kitchen chairs in. “Ready, love?” She asked. I nodded, holding my hand out to her. She took it with no hesitation, and flashed me the beautiful smile she and our son shared, that made my worries melt away in an instant. I kissed our interlocked grasp before leading us outside, where I locked the door and started down the road. The lights in Galaxy’s home were like a beacon in the distance, making Ashlynn and I both swallow before we hiked the steps and stiffly opened the front door.
The other Gods had already arrived, and were conversing quietly over coffee. Deveraux and Blaine were extremely tense, and Zephyrine tried to occupy her worry with asking Elizabeth about future competition dates for the kids. Galaxy was bent over a clipboard, where he was tracking statistics on the latest storm activity in North America, and looked up when he heard Ashlynn and I enter the dining room. “Hello, folks,” he chimed, setting his papers aside as we sat down, “Thanks for joining.”
“Of course,” I replied, hands still submerged in my pockets. Ashlynn sighed softly and moved to comb her fingers through the back of my hair, attempting lovingly to help me relax.
“Well, let’s get started, shall we?” Blaine offered.
“Where are Soren and Griffin?” I asked Galaxy worriedly.
“They went to Dev’s house to see Praxis,” he replied.
“To begin, we have some serious issues that we need to lay out on the table, the biggest revolving around our children,” Deveraux said, “I really think it’s time we told them the truth.”
“They already know too much, so there isn’t much more to tell.” Blaine sighed.
“Wonder who’s fault that was...” Elizabeth growled, which made her husband flash her guilt-stricken eyes and a deep scowl.
“I know, alright? I royally messed up, and I shouldn’t have said anything to him...”
“What’s done is done,” I stepped in, “In all honesty, Nicodemus was going to find out one way or another. We all hinted pretty heavily at it after what happened in Japan.”
“Yes, well, I don’t think anyone was expecting him to do what he did.” Zephyrine said.
“I'm still shocked he was able to transform to begin with, equally at such a young age and with that much ease. Part of me thinks maybe his Shadows knew the spell, but they claim they didn’t, so I'm not sure how it happened…” I sighed.
“To add onto everything...” Blaine started, “That kid shows signs of powers I have never encountered. Performing Bladedances at seventeen, summoning the Reaper, properly wielding a demon and four Shadows? Not to mention, I’ve never seen a Death Elemental who’s hair turns white when in their Elemental form.”
“It terrifies me as much as it amazes me that he can do these things. As intriguing as it is to watch him grow, his future holds nothing but anguish that is tacked on with the responsibility of having such abilities. People are going to hunt him like a wolf does a blood-soaked rabbit, which means he is constantly going to be in danger. This is everything we tried to keep him from, and in the end, we failed. As if Pandora wasn’t enough…” Ashlynn trailed off.
“If his powers ring any truth, it’s that he will be able to defend himself,” Elizabeth said, caressing her sister’s arm, “Besides, he still has us...?”
“We say that, yet we let he and Sebastian fall through our grasp.” Deveraux moaned.
Zephyrine interjected, “We’ve come up on our two-thousandth year mark, and with that we are losing our powers rapidly. Japan was a prime example of how far gone we’ve become. We don’t have options anymore. There is no way we’re going to be able to kill Pandora before the kids take our place, and we may end up in more trouble than previously expected if we don’t intervene.”
“I find something funny...” I began, which made everyone turn to me, “The forcefield that Pandora put up around her little ‘training arena’ to prevent me from tracking Nicodemus was way too powerful for her to have done it alone. Besides that, it’s obvious someone set Nicodemus up to fight the Gashadokuro, knowing I wouldn’t be able to kill it. We were chasing demons tails trying to figure out who let them out of Gehenna, but even knowing what we know now about Pandora, there’s still no possibility she was the one who released them.”
“You think someone else is helping her?” Zephyrine breathed in horror.
“Pandora couldn’t have kept us out the way she had if she were working alone. Powerful or not, we are the Gods. Our power surmounts all others in the universe. We would have been able to break down that barrier much more easily than we were able to had she not had a helping hand. Our children horrifically suffered because someone was able to break into our defenses. That is extremely uncalled for, and in all honesty, we should feel equally ashamed and terrified that we let something like this happen.”
“So, let’s agree for a moment that someone else really did help Pandora. What does she have to gain in torturing the boys like that?” Blaine asked.
“It’s similar to rats in a cage; she pushed their powers to the max to test their capabilities. She was able to truly see how powerful Nicodemus and Sebastian are, especially in Nicodemus’s case. She had an ideal environment to assess the damage they can cause, and see if they were worth chasing after. If she gets her hands on Nicodemus again, and finds a way to force him into resurrecting the other Original Gods, we’re all going to be royally screwed.” Elizabeth stated matter-of-factly.
“Which means she’s hunting them down every second she can,” Galaxy croaked.
“Then it’s settled!” Blaine snapped, making us all jump as he slammed his fist to the table, “The kids absolutely must become Gods. Between the powers they already have and the one’s we will be sharing with them, they will be unstoppable. As not only a parent in this situation, but as their trainer, I can guarantee that they will win in a fight against us. Soren alone has beat me in more matches than I can count. Of course, I've not come close to using my full capabilities, but neither has he. Griffin and Praxis on their own are extremely powerful, but together, could wipe out this entire dimension if they chose to. Griffin has never lost a competition, and barely breaks a sweat in the ones he competes in now. As timid as Praxis is, the power behind her tornadoes is insurmountable to any I have ever seen. She has ripped entire dimensions to shreds with it, and when she takes her ultimate form, her transition is next to flawless. As for my own son, though he may be reserved, he trains harder than any Elemental I have ever met, no matter if I push him or not. Since obtaining the Holy Sword, his powers have sky rocketed. He can harness light energy with or without the weapon incredibly, and is able to create as many Light Dancers as Nicodemus can Shadow Walkers.”
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“He can summon that many?” Ashlynn asked in awe.
“If not more,” Blaine said seriously, “I do not mean to demean any of our own capabilities, but these kids outshine us already and they’re only eighteen. Can you imagine how they’ll be when their fifty, or a hundred? I can only imagine what they can do at a thousand!”
“Blaine is right...” I finally admitted, “The only way for them to become untouchable is to become Gods...”
“That is a huge responsibility to pin on eighteen year olds, Atlas...?” Zephyrine tried.
“I’d rather pin this on them then allow them to be beaten and abused for the rest of their lives. If they can beat us they can beat anyone, including Pandora. This back and forth of us trying to find other Successors and stringing them along is getting us nowhere. We need to face facts; our children are going to become the next set of Gods, and we need to begin preparing them for this before it’s too late.” My voice was steadily betraying me, though I kept trying to convince the room I was impenetrably confident in my choices.
“How do we explain this situation to them without causing upset? Especially if someone we don’t know about may be out there? This is a lot to throw on their plate?” Ashlynn sighed.
“I don’t think we can. Between becoming Gods and the stress of Pandora, I don’t think their hearts can handle much more. Sebastian has barely gotten over his nightmares, and if I even hint that he will be a God soon, he might keel over.” Devereaux morosely croaked.
“Maybe Pandora won’t be after them…” Elizabeth whispered, “What if she’s scared of them, and that’s why she’s let them escape? What if she knows that they’d be able to beat her, and that terrifies her. She may be keeping her distance on purpose. She probably thought she would put the boys in their place and restrict their powers, but all it did was enhance them even further. She won’t be able to control the kids, none of them, no matter how hard she tries.”
“Yes, but neither will we.” I swallowed harshly, pinching the fabric of Elizabeth’s favorite table cloth, “I’ve been mulling Pandora around for quite some time, trying to pin the connections together, and I believe I figured out why she did what she did; chapter two of Victorine Deorum.” I whispered, which made gasps echo through the room.
“Atlas, be serious...?” Elizabeth giggled nervously.
“I am being serious. How are you all going to question me when the signs are presenting themselves clearly before us? Nicodemus alone has almost completed every single obstacle written in that book, with Odysseus and Sebastian on his tail. It would explain why Pandora is trying so hard to kill the kids. He told us that she kept calling them the Successors…?”
“I don’t want to discuss this right now,” Deveraux croaked as he cupped his shaking hands, “Please, Atlas. We’ve had enough stress tonight.”
“I just, think it would be a good idea to retrieve the book and look it over again. To really see what is going on. We cannot deny the legend, or that one of the Original Gods is the person to enact such violence the way she has. We don’t have to think about it now, but in the meantime, I just want to put the thought out there. We need to handle Pandora, and any leads on the situation concerning her are something. We cannot continue to be naïve because this involves our children.”
“No, he’s right. He is absolutely right. It’s impossible to deny this isn’t the case, guys. How can we turn a blind eye to this when…?”
“Blaine, please; another time.” Galaxy said, though his eyes said he agreed completely.
“Let’s focus on one thing at a time is all I meant. I can’t physically handle anything else, and right now, I’d rather dedicate my energy to preparing the kids for the worst.” Devereaux began, “Unless something catastrophic happens, let it be her issue. She can’t blame us for anything if she attacks them on her fruition. If we continue to hunt her down we’ll be taking ourselves away from the kids, and leave them even more vulnerable. I would rather bring them to their full potential now and go after her together. I'm sure when that day comes, she’ll be met with the same thing she was on that rooftop; Nicodemus’s ultimate form…” he joked lightly.
“You say that, yet you don’t understand how dangerous it is to become Grim.” I croaked.
“No Atlas, I don’t understand, but I what I do understand is that you are his father. If he is going to learn from anyone, I thank the Gods that it’s you. If one of my children had been the Death Elemental, I would be honored to have you teach them their powers. I think I speak for all of us when I say that you are the most powerful God, and you will teach your son how to properly take your place.” He said, which made me flush pink as everyone nodded in agreement.
“There isn’t anyone at this table that is incapable of teaching the kids how to become a God…” Blaine stated, “We all care deeply for one another’s children, and will do everything in our power to prepare them for this battle. We have been friends and comrades for two thousand years. Our love for each other surpasses all leaps and bounds, and it does not stop with the people at this table. I have spent ample amounts of time with all of your kids, and I love them almost as much as I love my own. You all seem to forget something; Odysseus would not be where he is today without any of your help, or your children’s.
Both you all and the kids have been incredibly kind and patient with him, and have coaxed him into trusting the world again…” his voice broke slightly, and he wiped a few falling tears away as he spoke, “I never thought I would hear the sound of my son’s voice again, and after only a couple of miraculous months, he’s happier than he’s been in his entire life. He has made incredible friends, who stand by him and support him no matter what. He attends public school, and runs home at the end of the day to tell me all about his adventures. After what happened with Rosalyn, I didn’t think he would ever be able to find happiness again. And yet, just a few days ago, he walked into prom with the person who did the most to help him shine…”
“Their relationship truly is special...” Ashlynn cooed, “and Odysseus has done more for Nicodemus than you give him credit for, Blaine. We didn’t think our son would ever be able to see how beautiful the world is, but your son gifted him the incredible blessing of sight. Atlas and I prayed for years that we could find a way to cure his blindness, but every day we went without an answer was a day we felt we were failing him. We can never repay Odysseus for what he has done for Nicodemus.”
“Let’s not forget Soren and Sebastian,” I said, making their parents laugh, “Who would have thought those two would hook up?”
“Not me, that’s for sure. They are polar opposites, and yet love one another unconditionally. I’ve always worried about Soren, truthfully, as he has a very difficult time expressing his emotions. I still remember the day he met Sebastian...” Galaxy sighed happily.
“He ran down the road as fast as his legs could go, threw open the front door, and screamed, ‘I'm getting married, mommy and daddy!’ with all his might!” Elizabeth recounted.
“Did he really say that?!” Deveraux snorted.
“Oh it gets better…!” Galaxy giggled, “When we asked him who he was so infatuated with, he said, ‘Well, he doesn’t know about it yet, but he will someday. His name is Sebastian, and he has the prettiest eyes in the entire universe! He saw me sitting alone at lunch, and came over to share his pretzels with me. I don’t even like pretzels, but I would eat an entire truck load just to see him smile.’ It was the most adorable moment of that kid’s life,” he cooed.
“What was Sebastian’s reaction to Soren?” I asked.
“Exactly what you’d expect from Sebastian. He came inside with a huge, evil smile, and simply said, ‘I’ve met my soulmate today. I hope you like redheads because this one’s a keeper!’ They’ve always had an undeniable connection, and it’s been fascinating to see it blossom the way it has over the years.” Deveraux giggled.
“Yes, well, Odysseus has thrown around the Particeps Potestatis saying already,” Blaine chuckled, “Which in the case of he and Nicodemus wouldn’t surprise me. The fact that they were able to cure one another’s ailments kind of proves the point he’s trying to make, and that’s without counting what happened when Nick was gone. I’m very intrigued to see what will happen during the upcoming ceremony.”
“Isn’t it amazing,” Zephyrine cooed, clasping Deveraux’s hand lovingly, “To think that such a custom holds this much truth? I mean, what other way would Odysseus be able to cure Nick, or Nick help Odysseus find his voice again? I absolutely agree with him. If anyone were to be soulmates, it would be those two.”
“I worry for Praxis and Griffin, though...” I sighed, “They’re the school’s most eligible singles at the moment, and show no signs of ever hooking up.”
“They’ll make it work. Not everyone can fall in love at eleven.” Blaine mocked Ashlynn and I with a coy smile, causing laughs to echo through the room.
“I have no doubt in my mind that Ashlynn is my true soulmate,” I sang, lovingly brushing her hair behind her ear, “I’ve known it from the moment I met her up until this very second. All of us, really, have true soulmates. I never believed a marriage could last two thousand years, but here we are today. In all honesty, having a child is what strengthened our relationship.”
“We spent so much time apart...” she morosely sighed, “Months to years, sometimes, with only an occasional letter, phone call, or quick date in between. We became so caught up in our Realms that we barely spent time with one another. Sometimes, we didn’t really know why we had gotten married for the simple fact that we never made time for our relationship, but Nicodemus changed all of that. He gave us something to truly bond over. He brought us closer than we’ve ever been, and made us realize how much wasted time has gone between us.”
“I agree completely. Between our Realms and the academy, Elizabeth and I barely said a hello in passing. When Griffin was born, all I could think about was how much my life had changed. I had a new responsibility, but it was one I had craved for centuries. His first smile was enough to make me rethink everything I had ever done my entire life. I didn’t think I could love anything as much as I did him, and then we had Soren. Between my boys and Elizabeth, I thought my heart would explode.” Galaxy chuckled.
“My only wish...” Deveraux softly sighed, reaching over to clasp Blaine’s shoulder, “Is that all of us could share in this experience, together.”
Blaine smiled sadly and patted Deveraux’s hand, “As horrible as everything has been, and as much as I miss Roz, I have Odysseus. That boy means the absolute world to me, and I'm grateful the universe has allowed him to be with me. Besides, I can always hook up with Seraphine,” he snorted, which made us all burst into hysterical laughter. “Hey, I’ve always like an older woman!”
“When should we discuss all of this with the kids?” Ashlynn asked to redirect us.
“When Odysseus gets back from Siberia. We’ll transfer them to our Realm, as well as the next set of higher ups for the academy. This will ensure we can keep a close eye on them, as well as start the training process. This mess with Pandora is beyond what we can play with right now. We have a universe to worry about, and if we don’t take a hold of what control we do have, it will fall down around us. It’s unfortunate that our children are going to be our Successors, but if that’s what is planned, so be it.” Elizabeth said.
“As pressing as this matter is, can we agree to prolonging the final battle as much as possible. They are still five years from being done with their Elemental studies, let alone their Godly ones, and I want them to be fully prepared for whatever comes their way.”
“We’ll do the best we can, but if things take a turn for the worse... our choices may be limited, Dev. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but…” We all sighed before Galaxy slid his chin into his palm, rolling his lips, “I'm sorry, for the trouble I’ve caused. I didn’t mean to scare the kids, nor cause us to fight the way we have.”
“It is what it is, Galaxy, so stop beating yourself up, and we’ll stop doing the same to you. For now, let’s focus on preparing them for the inevitable. We have to prove to them that we are the ones in control, and no matter what is going on with Pandora they can rely on us to protect them. At the same time, should they accept the role they have some big shoes to fill, and we cannot hold their hand through this entire process. I’d rather get the ball rolling now so we can take some semblance of time in making sure this isn’t a rushed process.” I offered unsurely.
“All in favor?” Deveraux asked.
“I…!” echoed through the room.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll meet again once Odysseus is home to explain our plans for Odrikius. In the meantime, we can figure out which students are going to be moved up there with them, and finalize everything regarding their first big step as Gods-to-be.” Galaxy declared.
Everyone mumbled in agreement before dispersing to either refill coffee or take a moment to themselves. Ashlynn glanced up at me as I sighed, my chest aching with worry, “Everything will be fine, love…” She whispered, leaning her cheek into my shoulder.
I kissed her hair delicately and buried my face into her golden locks, “I hope he’s ready for this. I will never forgive myself if something happens to him...” I choked, blinking back tears.