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IN THE GOLDEN CITY OF CAELUM, THE ROMAN PANTHEON WAS CALLED TO ORDER. The creation of a new goddess was at hand, woven into the Parcae's threads, intertwined within the tapestry of all life and death. Each god had their equal, and though Mars and Venus caught and clashed, lovers and fighters writhing since the beginning of the world, Jupiter sought another force to balance his reckless son. Yet the king of the gods could not claim conception for the newest among them, though he had birthed Minerva from his mind alone. Juno had uncovered her husband's secret, and took it upon herself to create the child unaided by him. From Mars's famed spear came shards, and the queen of the gods reached into her own chest, plucking out a piece of her own heart. She called upon the Parcae once more, and once bound, the sister of the god of war had come to be. She was christened Bellona, glorious war.
Bellona took to her station and powers effortlessly. She became known for her ferocity, bloodlust, and madness in battle, leading those who prayed to her and even the gods themselves to bloody victory, red drenched triumph over their enemies. Her extensive knowledge of battle differentiated her from her brother; where he was rash and blinding rage, she was coolly levelheaded, ever flowing intelligence tampered against the rush of battle. She was known throughout Caelum as Duellona – the essence of warfare.
Her sense of duty was renowned; she wore her responsibilities as medallions across her chest, unflinching and unfailing in her beliefs and roles. She stood at the ready always, prepared to ride into battle with her sword and torch, whip thrashing from her lofted chariot. Her visits to the mortal realm were often brief, and though she much preferred her home, she found herself filled with curiosity and a sense of protectiveness over the violent creatures that inhabited the Earth. She admired their willingness to fight for all they saw worthy of doing so, and their resilience in spite of their fragility impressed her.
She had not meant to fall, to forsake herself with a mortal man. He was not of military standing, shockingly enough, which was surely what most would have expected from her. It was his heart that captured her attention, which spoke through his mouth in activism for others, marching in streets and creating the history he taught to other mortals. With her mind enamored, her body and soul soon followed.
Her feet fell into her brother's footsteps without warning.
War bowed to Love, as always, as ever.
A goddess and a mortal could never be, and Bellona's sense of duty triumphed over her love for him. But when she returned to Caelum, she found she was with child. Her mother helped deliver the little one when the time came, both goddesses united and strained. When Bellona looked into her daughter's eyes, she realized her entire world could fit inside of her hands. She christened the girl Iris – the halo of the moon; the ray of light around war's darkness.
Bellona raised Iris in Caelum and in the mortal realm, educating her in her powers and history on both sides. She would answer when her duty called, but she made sure her daughter was taken care of, well known and well loved by her.
On the eve of a declaration of war between the gods, Juno visited Bellona in her temple. The goddess had become frenzied, discovering that her sacred military helmet was missing. Neither could fathom how a soul could've entered Caelum undetected and stolen the mark of a goddess, but they immediately set off to search for it. Upon realizing the helmet was no longer within the confines of the golden city, Juno sent Bellona and Iris down to the mortal realm to recover it and return. Bellona adopted a human identity, traveling across the United States in search of the helmet with Iris. She began in the West Coast, where her daughter had known well, and went all the way East to Avellen, sensing her sacred artifact somewhere within its grounds.
The goddess and the demigod still search to this day, locked away from the golden city until the helmet is recovered. Yet, the duty and protection of humanity has not left the former, who has vowed to serve her purpose while in the mortal realm. The latter's story has yet to unfold, and the threads of the Parcae wind them both ever closer to their destinies.
