Chapter 28: Chapter 28

200 years ago

Dark red liquid splattered on her face dripped slowly from her chin.... her own child's blood... Her Marian.

Selene sat on her knees, all alone in the middle of nowhere, nobody by her side....all alone, broken and tossed aside, her body limp as she looked ahead, her eyes unfocused, tears streaming down her face.

Her child was murdered, her Marian brutally thrown to beasts of the night, such cruelty bestowed upon a mere child, naked and cold, her lifeless body nowhere to be found.

She had screamed for him for help, begged to let her only child live, but he betrayed her.

Her god betrayed her.

Hades

She got up trembling, her feet covered with thorns piercing the creamy skin as she paid it little heed walking towards the place she swore never to step a foot inside....the altar of Zeus and Hera.

A fire was burning by the far end of the temple, beside the sacred shrine. Selene dragged her battered body towards the fire.

"I, Selene the loyal priestess of God Hades sacrifice herself to the sacred fire infront of the queen of Gods Hera. Take my body goddess, take my blood, take every little thing left inside me for your offering but make me the moon."

Selene stepped inside the burning pyre closing her eyes. Her pained screams echoed throughout the place singing a horror song, her body burned, skin melting, bones crushing and soon her soul left the battered body.

Her eyes opened only to find herself infront of a mirror, her head tilted as she observed the stars and herself.

Moon goddess Selene

"From this day onwards to the last day of my poisonous life, I will make your life miserable, I hate myself, loath my existence but yours.....I will make everything attached to you suffer.

I will have you to myself and then in your sweet sleep which couldn't be broken ...not even by a mother's horrified pleas and such barbaric incident...I will kill you in your sleep Hades.

I will search till my soul crack, hurt each and everything you love. I will destroy you."

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17 YEARS AGO

EROS'S POV

There she was more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. she was more precious than the stars that seem to shine in the water flowing into small rivulets right ahead of the ocean. such a small baby she was, so tiny that I did not know what to do in her presence.

She was my treasure, a reminder of the one whom I have lost once. I thought I have lost her forever but now because of Persephone finally my Selene was alive. Then it dawned upon me that she wasn't the one I thought she was, this was a new girl with an old soul that was once carrying thousands and thousands of burdens that were now removed from her shoulders.

She was my beautiful Psyche and till the day I will breathe she will be my eternal queen.

Psyche was not Selene but she was a part of her and then a whole new person.

I was a Guardian Angel. her Guardian Angel to be exact. What else I could do? where else would I go if not to my Psyche? If not near her then I think I would rather die from the pain of separation. I would not be able to survive it again, losing her would make me lose my damn mind.

When I heard her small cries it was as if my ears were hearing the music lost to the gods from the celestial instruments that have been destroyed a long time ago, withered with ages passed yet now it felt as if they were playing the melodies themselves.

I rushed to what mortals called a healers inner cave and found her wrapped in a white little bundle and my heart burst, such happiness captivating my body as if I was being reborn.

I fell her then moving and suddenly she looking at me with big blue glittering eyes staring at me unblinking or rather at my soul. Did she recognize me? I was standing right in front of her even though her mother could not see me but I had known that she could.

I was going to protect her without my presence being known to others.

Her little hands waved in the air as if calling me to come closer, commanding me perhaps, yet I watched from afar, she was like my heart and my responsibility whom I would have to protect at any cost.

I was the god of love yet I never knew what love was till I met her tainted soul in the previous life. I wanted to save her, hoped that she would realize that the path she was walking was of destruction and devastation, it was nothing else yet I failed to do so.

The day she died, the pain in my heart suddenly appeared so excruciating that I wished to die and the bond broke as if telling me that I did not deserve her. I felt as if my heart was dying. as if somebody had ripped it off my chest and crushed it. Then there was absolute numbness, my eyes wept without abandon, a sadness so deeply engraved that for once I wanted that if only I was a mortal I would have killed myself at that moment.

One moment she was there and the very next she was gone. I, Eros was reduced from the stature of God to a mere statue..barely existing.

I might not have known a lot of things in the world but still, there was something inside me that said that I cannot leave Psyche this time alone, maybe it was fear so deep-running inside my mind that I forgot that Persephone herself was looking after my mate.

After that, I was beside the baby every single moment of her life watching her first birthday when her father bought her a blue dress that make the color of her crystal irises glimmer even more. I went to her room when we were left alone and made funny faces at the baby in the cradle making her laugh.

I brought sprinkling stardust for her and rubbed her tiny head with it making her shoulder-length hair shine and pulled one lock for her to see making those blue eyes round and big with astonishment.

She looked so cute with confusion coating her chubby cheeks that day.

When she first learn to walk and along that walk waddled and fell, I was there like a specter, haunting her or more so she was haunting me as she laughed every time I dived to catch her from falling.

She was a troublemaking baby.

But later she could not see me as a Phantom looming over her every single moment of her so after spending a month assuring myself that she was safe, I returned to my castle and closed off myself from the entire world.

And then I played the broken melodies of my harp making celestial nymphs happy that they once in a while gave me some magical toy or beautiful mortal possessions that in turn, I gifted my mate in secrecy. She did not have to know, what will a baby of four-five years suspect and even though her parents would be suspicious of those things I could care less, just take it as if she was immensely blessed.

I was so lost looking after my mate that I have given up all my duties and responsibility as the god of lust and love. But when there was no Eros there was no love and then there happened to be a dramatic steep fall in procreation activities which was not in the favor of the workings of the universe.

Zeus was apprehensive of me and the Council of Gods invited me to meet them in the Pantheon without any delay.

The order was not to be refuted or I would have run away before meeting these terrible creatures. Now I finally understood why Hades avoided these meetings, living along with your beloved was peaceful and these all matters only made one's mind and heartache.

The sparkling white throne of the heavens was decorated with golden Roses and white lilies, a chandelier, and the layer above the very ceiling thousands of stars have poured their light together.

In these particular meetings when every single god was present because the matter was related to the procreation of species and the world if the mortals did not populate the Earth then there would be a time when the Gods have no one left to worship them.

If the Gods did not procreate there would be no demigods looking after various little activities and controlling the seasons and wind of the cosmos according to their own will it would be a disaster and unknowingly I have created a war and a calamity there were droughts and people were dying and here I was immersed in a small angel.

Eros, welcome! we were waiting for you. Zeus smirked when he saw me in the way no god should have been, wearing the mortal clothes smelling like every mortal should, and then I swear I didn't even realize that I was losing my godly powers and was becoming more and more like a common human being.

What are you doing to yourself,Eros? Hera was usually quiet and just listening but now her eyes were filled with the concern of what was about to come.

I am just trying to find my solace.

Is this the way to find your peace? I can completely understand that you love your mate and now that you are finally got what you wish, you want her to be by your side but you cannot neglect your duties Eros.

It's almost impossible for gods to be replaced, what we have done is already providing you so much time to spend as you wish, it has been years and now you have to be back.

But Hades and Persephone on the other hand just looked at me and smiled as if these other worldly things to do not matter to them. For a moment I could not understand the reason of that gentle smile but then I recalled Persephone's words.

When the time comes you have to part your ways and let Psyche grow, dont hamper with her memories because in future if she remembers you, it will only create chaos..you have to be back Eros and this is the demand of the universe, you cannot change or neglect it.

I will comply to your wishes.