Three Cursed Gods

PROLOGUE

It is time for bed, child. Sleep.

No, there is no time for a story.

...

Oh, very well then. A short one. I suppose it can't hurt.

***

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there were three gods

Each story tells it slightly differently. In some, they are triplets, born out of the primordial Chaos which shaped our world. In others they are friends, who bonded over shared immortality and power, each a god in their own right. In some they are two females and a male, in others two males and a female, some three males, some three females, and some without any gender at all.

Their powers could be placed on a spectrum: two extremes and all that was in the middle. Black, white, and gray. Yes, no and maybe. 

Creator, Destroyer and Everything in Between.

(This meant that the third god's powers were left in ambiguity; no one knew exactly the scope of their gifts. Some said that they had a little bit of both gifts, others said they had neither at all. Since their powers are unknown, they are referred to as 'the Third God'.)

For eons they roamed the universe, building and taking apart as they saw fit. They created Earth and the humans who inhabited it, taking pleasure in their small lives, as if they were puppets and marionettes to be manipulated for the their own amusement.

(This may sound cruel, but remember: these gods have been here since the beginning of time. Human lives are little more than blinks in the long history of the universe, and their problems short-lived nuisances.)

They walked the Earth, breeding with mortals, creating a new race of demigods and half-bloods who stunned the world with their gifts. The gods lived and laughed, drank and partied, changing the course of history as they saw fit.

Then two of them fell in love.

It was the Creator and the Destroyer. No one knew at first—they took great pains to hide it from everyone, most of all their other friend. They feared the Third God's reaction, worried their relationship might be taken as a personal attack. The cosmos were fragile as they were; it could not survive a war between the gods. So, it was kept a private affair. But the problem with secrets is that it's difficult to keep them quiet for long.

As would be expected, the Third God found out, through rumor or gossip, and, as was expected, reacted badly. Oh, the god took the news well enough in public, but inside they worried that this new coupling would change the balance of their friendship. They were no longer a perfect trio, rather, a duo with a third one added on, almost as an afterthought.

After a while, their worrying turned to anger at the other two. They were gods after all! For centuries they had laughed at the so supremely 'human' notion of love, fickle and unreliable as it was. And now, they claimed to finally understand the mortals? What was love in the face of the universe? Why would you bind yourself permanently to another being? It was nothing but a form of imprisonment, and as gods they were supposed to be free! The Third God hated their relationship, but for the sake of their friends kept it quiet, though every time they saw the couple, they felt a sharp stab of fury, deep in their gut.

(It was possible, of course, that the god was confusing anger with envy. Sad as it was, they had never experienced true love before.)

Years passed, and the god's hatred festered into something dark and ugly. They sneered at any sight of love, whether it was between their friends, or amongst humans. They began to take pleasure in meddling in the affairs of mortals, causing squabbles and rifts between even the most enamored couples, until they fell out. Their rage and delusionality built up, up, up, until...

Until they couldn't take it anymore.

Gods are immortal, everyone knows that. They are impervious to disease, accidents and disasters, living through the conditions that would kill a mortal in a matter of seconds. A god cannot die.

Unless they are killed by another god.

So, when the Third God attacked the Destroyer in a fit of blind rage, the god died within seconds, too surprised at their friend's actions to raise a hand to defend themselves. The Third God spent an age slowly mutilating their friend's body, driven by insane rage and crazed passion. When they finally stepped back to admire their handiwork, they laughed, loud and maniacal, before turning away to hunt down the other god.

The Creator soon learned of the news of the dead god, and wept at the loss, both of their lover and their friend—for with this murder, she had lost them both. They soon realized that the best thing to do in that moment was to hide, far away, where they could not be found by the Third God, who was still on the hunt, still thirsty for immortal blood. And so, they disappeared, never to be seen again. None of the gods ever were.

That is the story of the gods. One dead, one missing, and one out for vengeance. A sad story, is it not? I suppose even gods too are subject to human follies.

***

Too short? Well, I warned you, child.

Another?

Very well, then, child. Another story it is. I warn you though: this story is longer, but no less of a tragedy.

A/N: vote and comment!