Dear Ms Lady Demigod: Twelve Days To Doom

6 7 No More Portals

Cynth walked back home with the empty bucket in her hands, "Cynth!" The old woman yelled, "You wrench, I told you to get the fire!"
"The fire in the river has died," Cynth told her as she quickly kept the bucket inside the bark and began getting inside it, "What the heavens does that mean? How can the rover dry, it was fine yesterday,"
"Now it's full of vines. Do not believe me, go and see for yourself," She closed the small of the bark with a rock from inside and turned on the light, which seemed like a small tulip with a glowing insect inside it. 

It lit up the bark, which went down a tunnel in the ground. She got into a huge hold, that resembled a tiny house with pots all around, a tiny fireplace, a few knives and some small wooden planks. She kept the bucket down and slowly took Jevelene out from it. She was still unconscious and had shrunk to the size of her palms. Cynth upturned a glass pot and laid Jevelene inside. 

She smiled as she looked at her, "I wonder what this is..."

. . .

Aphrodite looked into Zeus' eyes as he spoke to her, "Speak, child, why would you disobey?"
The entire court looked at her, the gods, the goddesses. Their familiars looked from behind their master gods, and the stars peeped from above the clouds. Vierne looked at Aphrodite, waiting for an answer just like the others, but she wouldn't speak. 

"Aphrodite, speak," Athena intervened but Zeus rose his arm and asked her to be quiet. 
Aphrodite looked at her feet, "How did Ajax survive?"

"...Because, he's my son," Aphrodite looked up at Zeus and got up from his thigh, "And I will disobey because he is my son, not yours! He is mine to kill or let live, and I decided that he must live,"
"And who are you to decide that when the entire court told you to kill him?"
She rose her head up, "Who am I? I am his mother and Ajax is my blood,"

Vierne looked at her, "Aphrodite, your love for your son will be your doom,"
"Then, so be it!"
"NO, SO NOT BE IT! HE HAS TO DIE!" Athena got up.
"If you touch him, I'll be your end," Her eyes glowed golden, just like Ariel's. And Vierne recognised it.

"Much affection?" Vierne turned back and saw another descend from the stairs, GoddessAsterelli, the goddess of stars and planets. Zeus stood up with his goblet and so did all other gods. Aphrodite looked down at Asterelli from Zeus' throne as Asterilli stood in the court. Vierne looked at her, quietly. 

"Where lived this motherly affection when Ajax needed it in all his unripened years?" Asterelli spoke as he looked into Aphrodite's eyes, "Where were you when they broke his chastity against his will? Where were you when he was sold as a slave to a mortal? Where were you when he had to run from the curse that you, yes you, put on him? Those shackles, you gave them to him,"
Aphrodite had nothing to say, Asteralli began to walk closer to the throne as she climbed the stairs, "Where were you when fatherless, he grew up half a woman? Weak, fragile and mortified?" Aphrodite covered her ears with his palms, "Go away!"
"Where were you when he killed half a village with his uncontrollable sila?"

"Go away!"
"And where were you when the son of the goddess of love, could himself never get any of it?"
"GO AWAY!" Aphrodite glowed golden and threw a strong beam of energy towards Asterelli, which deflected and ended up hitting Aphrodite herself. She fell to the floor, "You're not meant to fight," Asterelli looked down at her fallen frame, "So why not go and make love since that's all you've ever been known for,"

She kicked Aphrodite's face and she fell down from the throne's podium. All other gods gasped but continued watching, "All you do is give birth to menaces," Asterelli jumped down and made a spear out of the wind, "You are hypocritical, unlovable, endlessly passionate but weak, miserable and deplorable, just like the "things" you give birth to, burden!" 

She hit her in the stomach and she went down rolling on the stairs, hitting her head on the marble floor. Asterelli walked down, "You wish to love him, yet you have ended him countlessly. Why did you not kill him if you didn't love him?!" Aphrodite spat some blood from her mouth and slowly got up, "You hate him thus to make his spirits dangle among mortals?! MORTALS! And yet you lie that you love him? This is the most painful form of love I have ever encountered! How dare you...HOW DARE YOU BIRTH SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T LOVE!" She was about to force her spear down her when Aphrodite spoke,

"It takes a lot of courage," Aphrodite stood on her feet, "A lot of courage...to love something so destructive," Glistening tears fell down her soft, pink cheeks, "It scares me to witness what I have created. But just because I am petrified, doesn't mean that he should end. No, he mustn't,"
"Is that why you made him suffer,"
"No," Aphrodite looked furious, "You only see parts of an image. He did not suffer, he grew resilient. Strong, stronger than anyone here,"

Phobos looked at his mother, praising his step-brother. A demihuman over that.

"If I were gentle with him, he'd be warm, but no, he mustn't be warm, he must burn. So that you," She pointed at Asterelli, "You won't be able to kill him. Because I knew you would find him once he came of age,"

Asterelli looked at her and swiftly turned towards Vierne, with all the diamonds in her hair jingling and shining, "Lady Gatekeeper,"
Vierne looked at her and held her septor strongly, "I want you to kill Ajax,"
Aphrodite looked at Vierne. 

She looked at Asterelli, unwavering, unintimidated, she replied kindly, "I will not,"
"Lady gatekeeper, I said, I-"
"I heard you the first time, and my answer remains the same,"

"Oh? May I ask why you decided to give me that answer?"
"Because, Ajax, as you yourself say, is a child. Children make mistakes, and we as adults fix the mistakes. Not be a menace,"
"Lady Gatekeeper, just do what you are told,"
"No,"

Asterelli's eyes began glowing, "Do what you are told,"
"Who are you to command me? Everything I have, I earned it. You didn't give me my title and you can't take it from me. So, I ask again, who are you to command me?"
"I AM A GOD!" She screamed and darkness took over Vierne. She looked at the dark clouds began surrounding her. She moved away but they grew bigger and bigger, and she saw a huge monster, "What...What is this?" 

"You belong to hell," Asterelli grinned as she looked at Vierne, but suddenly the smoke disappeared, "What happened? What did you do?" 
"I don't know, I didn't do anything," Vierne said.

"It's happening," Zeus looked at the blue sky, "The universe is dying..."

-To be continued 

Vierne Obolensky
Dear Ms Lady Demigod: Eleven Days To Doom