Forgotten; Worshipped (Imported from Ao3)

20

A few days after Washington had ordered the ingredients his carrier was able to bring them to him. The carrier had had a difficult time acquiring the items it seemed, especially the white fire from Thomas' sun who had protested to some of his sun's fire being stolen- it was difficult to create it after all and he would never be in the mood to actually do it. The carrier coughed out some smoke clouds, having just acquired the white fire it seemed and spread out the items before Washington to do with as he pleased. Washington dismissed the imp and turned his attention to Alexander with whom he had been talking to about a god's most recent complaint. He found that Alexander had an odd, yet extremely helpful and somewhat intriguing insight into the lives of other gods. Alexander never outright said it but Washington suspected that this came from the dead god's loneliness and that it was a desperate attempt at being part of other's lives. Washington could only assume because he couldn't read Alexander like he could any other god but it seemed to him that Alexander was a fundamentally lonely person, and it made perfect sense at that. Of course, he would be lonely, considering what had happened to him and how he was treated for three centuries. Washington scowled and mused, regarding the ingredients spread out on his desk with interest and little disbelief, if any, trying to imagine how the ingredients would work together. He cleared his throat, interrupting Alexander's tale of how the god of the sea was not, absolutely not in the right complaining about the god of the stars' most recent silent treatment towards him. It was completely warranted, Alexander had said, because the god of the sea had insulted the god of stars, claiming his job was the easiest and that his own job was the most difficult, and Alexander imitated the way the god of the sea had said that with mocking and over the top inflexions.

"The ingredients have arrived, Wind," Washington informed him and Alexander perked up.

"Oh! Great! Alright, I assume you have a cauldron?" Alexander grinned and Washington nodded.

"Of course I do," he said and Alexander simply shrugged.

"Well, there's no 'of course' about that, apparently. It seems like twenty-seven gods don't have one, actually. Thomas, for example, or James. 'Never needed a cauldron, Alexander. Really, why would I need a cauldron?'," he imitated badly, probably intentionally so.

"Really? Well, that's surprising, to say the least. The cauldron is in the basement, I really only rarely use it," Washington said, called for his carrier and had it carry the ingredients for him down into the basement.

The basement was rarely used, used more for storing even though he really has nothing to store except for some papers and the cauldron. Empty shelves lined the walls and were collecting dust. They were supposed to hold things he didn't always immediately need but they ended up never being used. The papers he barely remembered having ever sent down there were lying on the floor, scattered all about sometimes and other times being stacked in a too neat to be comfortable with pile, standing out like a sore thumb. There was dust collecting and gathering on top of the stacks as well and something about this scene made him uncomfortable. He hadn't been in his basement for a long time and he had not yet been aware of how long it had actually been since he had last seen it. The cauldron was placed smack in the middle of the room, drawing all attention immediately towards it. It was black, dusty and very big. Washington turned to his carrier and made it clean a space beside the cauldron and put down the ingredients there. He then made it dust off the cauldron and then had it stand behind him for further instructions. Alexander was murmuring something Washington couldn't quite catch. Washington made his way to the cauldron and the ingredients.

"We're here, Wind," he said and waited for Alexander's instructions.

"Alright, here's what you do. Take the white fire," Alexander instructed and Washington made the carrier grab the flame, "Put it in the cauldron." The imp carried the flame to the cauldron and dropped it inside. The cauldron was now illuminated from within and Alexander continued with his instructions, "Now you take the black tooth leaves and you rub them between your hands over the cauldron. Seven should be enough." The imp carried out his instructions and grimaced at the smell coming from the black tooth leaves. The leaves dropped into the fire and Washington found the fire was tainted a light green, so light one could barely see it. "Now you put in the rose petals, twelve of them and you let them burn for a minute," the imp followed the instructions as Washington repeated them to it. The flame took on a quiet pink colour as Alexander continued. "Now twenty-seven drops of the water" the imp did so and the flame flared an aggressive blue, loud and bright. "And to finish it off you put in the pegasus feather, top first," when the imp carried out the last instructions the fire turned from its aggressive blue to a radiant violet. The flame flared elegantly and like it was royal until it suddenly, and with a loud boom, expanded into the cauldron, filling it up, and melting into a purple liquid.