Merely Mortal

[shtteredprnces]

Merely Mortal:

Falling into the darkness, the voices around me faded to black and all that was left was the two of us. 

"Where am I?" I asked, turning slowly in the deep black room.

"Limbo" Hecate's cool voice answered.

"But I won...."

"No, little girl, the glass won.  You are hanging by a thread, the decision of your life or death rests in hands other than your own."

"Whose hands?" I questioned.

"Ours..." the word echo'd the tones of multiple voices, breaking apart as they began to introduce themselves on by one.

"I am Kali, The Goddess of time and Death." almost on top of hers came a second and third, "I am Saraswati The Goddess of knowledge and music,"

"And I," the last voice was so smooth it was almost melodic, "Am Venus.  Welcome, we are glad to speak with you at last."  I could feel the smile in my head as the room before me began a cool blue glow, allowing me to see their forms if not their faces, "We have waited a long time for this moment."

"I don't understand..." I took a step towards where they stood, but it did nothing to close the distance.

"Of course you don't" the voice soothed once more, "In time you shall.  For now, let us look upon you, child of our spirits."

Bringing my hand up to rub my temple, I asked, "Could you please stop talking in riddles.  How am I your child?  How do spirits reproduce?"  Seriously, this day was just too long it needed to end.

"Are you sure that's what you long for? An end of days?"  Kali's tempered voice questioned.

"I didn't mean literally, it's a figurative kinda thing.  Like give me a break...when we say that, we don't mean, break me...get it? Oh Gawd.." I sighed.

"No, there are none of those present now." Saraswati's pleasant tone floated to me, "We are goddess's...would you like us to call some?  I know Ares is quite interested."

"No, No. we're good.  Four Goddess' is plenty, really.  If we get bored later, we'll call him, maybe he can bring Zeus and Achilles...we can have a party.  All we need is tequila."  I said sarcastically.

Venus laughter drifted on the breeze in my glowing world, "Here we use ambrosia, you would like it."

"The child mocks us." Hecate's chill took the warmth from the room.

"No, she is merely mortal, she is trying to hide her fear and confusion in humor.  It is normal for them."  Kali explained.

"Thanks" I mumbled with a sigh, "Can someone tell me what I'm doing here?  Please?"

"Of course." Saraswati said softly, "You are waiting to see if you will live or die."

"Ok, that's easy.  I pick live."  I told them simply.

Venus soft laughter floated to me again and she stepped forward, the glow surrounding her as she stepped from the mist, her beauty mesmerizing, thick strawberry blond curls falling to her waist, bright blue eyes framed by long  lashes, perfect porcelain skin...I felt plain in comparison.  But her smile lit on me, "I knew we choose wisely when we gifted you.  Your passion and strength have been always shown through, but it has been your more recent humor and warmth that has appealed to me." her gentle hands reached out, one resting on the side of my temple, the dull throb dying away, the other resting on my stomach, the pain in my side subsiding as she said, "Alas my child, the choice of life or death is not yours to make.  It is for the one that made you."

My eyes snapped up to hers, real dread filling me for the first time, "Do you mean my mother?" As she nodded slowly, one thought filled my mind, I was officially fucked.

"Do we know how much longer?"  I asked Venus.  They were Goddess, they were supposed to know everything, I thought.

"That's a common misconception." Kali's voice floated to me, "No one knows everything."

"Really, you people need to stop with that.  If I wanted you to know what I was thinking, I would say it."

"If you don't want us to know, don't think it" Hecate said snidely and I gave her the mental middle finger with a grin, listening as Saraswati began to laugh.

"Would you like a drink?" Venus offered, a crystal cup in hand.

"Venus!" Kali snapped.

"Oh, please, it's water." she said with a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes.  Venus and I could get along just fine, I thought to myself.  Me, her and a bottle of tequila...

"The bar wouldn't know what to do with itself," she finished for me with a grin.

"Not you too," I groaned.

"I'm a Goddess...I know everything, remember?"

"Except when my mother is coming."  I quipped back.

Hecate interrupted our banter, "She is making the connections now, it shouldn't be long."

"Can't you just tell her to come?  Now?"  I asked.

"Are you in such a hurry for her to sacrifice you to our cause?" her voice condemned me without ever giving me a chance.

"You know that is not set in stone," Kali reminded and I smiled as she too stepped from the shadows, her dark skin gleaming, her hair wild.  I was taking the manifestations as votes for me.  That or they were so sure I was going to die they weren't worried about what I saw.

"Neither is the case" Saraswati answered the questions in my mind.  Gawd that was annoying, "Sorry." she said softly.

I gave her a smile and a mental 'no problem' as I moved to take the water from Venus, grabbing a spot on the immaculate floor, "So what do you do while you wait?"

With a wave of her hand she filled the room with misty images of all the men in my life, talking joking, playing, "I usually play with the mortal boys.  Since this is limbo, this is the best I can give you.  Who would you like to play with?"

I raised a brow in her direction, "Have you people never heard of cards?" I sighed.  That was a question I was avoiding in real life, seeing them all in a line here was almost too much,

"That's something I don't understand," it was Venus' turn to place questioning eyes on me, "What is the problem?  I have been in love hundreds of times.  I've never struggles with it the way you do."

"All part of being a pesky mortal I guess," I told her with a laugh, "Broken hearts and bad endings leave us bitter and guarded."  Can you tell me if it's right?  This time? I couldn't say the words but I knew they could hear me.  As they all stood still and silent I asked, "Now you can't hear me?"

Venus chuckled, "I thought you didn't want us too."

"Yeah, it's annoying" Saraswati said, stepping forward with a smile to expose her bountiful Brunette good looks.  Is there no such thing as an ugly Goddess? I began to wonder, feeling quite inadequate in comparison.

"Oh, there are" Venus smiled, "Just not us." her tinkering laugh filled the room and I asked again, is it right this time? She looked at me closely, "Regulus was right at his time, he was needed to bring you from the shell you were encasing yourself in.  Marcus was the ship passing through the night that kept you from cap sizing.  These loves may not have been forever, but both were 'right' as you are saying, for the purpose that they served.  Now Blaise.."

"And..." I got quiet, mentally shhhing myself as well.

"Oh yes," she grinned, "And..." she rolled her eyes once more and I knew she knew who 'and' was, as did everyone else in the group.

"Blaise and...um...And" she laughed once more, "Both have their own purposes in your life.  Love created for you and by you."

"But how do I know which is right?" I surprised myself with the honesty behind my own question, knowing while love might not be an issue, the constant pull I felt towards him told me it could become one.

"Who says either is right?  Love is merely an illusion" Kali answered.

"That is not true.  Do not listen to her, she is bitter."  Venus said with a scowl

"Me?  Bitter?  Please."

"It's kinda true, Kal, you've been on this 'love is an illusion' kick ever since Poseidon said he thought the two of you were better off as friends." Saraswati injected.

"Mush as I love hearing about your love lives, can we please get back to me?" I asked with a grin.

"Me me me..." Kali said with a laugh, "The choice is open to you, child, there is no set path until your feet are actually on it."

"Well, how do I know which path to choose?" I looked between the three of them, "You've been around for what...ever?  You have to know a thing or two...or call cupid, maybe he can help!" I suggested with a grin.

"He's off duty," Venus said with a shake of her head. "Advice on love...we can give you that.  IF you love him...hold on with both hands."

"No, if you love him, let him go...if he loves you, he'll come back."  Kali contradicted,

"How am I supposed to hold on and let go at the same time?  Or do you mean hold onto one and let go of the other?  And I don't know if I love And...I just like him alot."

'A whole lot" Venus snickered from behind her hand, "And don't flip me off."

I stuck my tongue out at her, "I know I love Blaise...he loves me.  With And...I might just be part of a game.  How do I know if I'm not?"  These weren't even things I was supposed to be wondering anymore, I thought to myself, hearing Venus 'hmph'  I remembered again, I wasn't the only one I was thinking too.

"Ask him." Hecate said with a sigh.

"If you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss..." Saraswati began.

"Oh, Gawd, we're not gonna burst into song are we?" I groaned.

"We so can!" Saraswati said with a laugh.

"I'm with the mortal on this.  No singing." Hecate grunted.

Up for anything that annoyed her, I said with a smile, "In that case, let's do a duet!"

"With or without the body shots?" Venus asked with a smirk.

"Just how much time do you people spend watching me?"

"More than enough" Hecate sneered.

"Does it matter that I don't like her?  Does that count against me?"  I asked the rest of the group.

Before they could answer, my mothers form joined the group, her eyes blue as she looked around and shocked filled my features as Hecate stepped from the mist.  With wide eyes, I looked at her, "Your me..." 

                   

[shtteredprnces]

Jan. 12, 2010 at 6:48 PM

Sara Black written by shtteredprncess.

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(Original Poster)