Chapter 35: The Fighters: Mythology A.U
(A/N: Here's a one-shot I wrote based on Greek mythology, and I'm experiencing some writer's block at the moment...)
Legends say that above the land, high in the clouds, there is a kingdom of gods. They are the gods of purity and happiness... gods that are kind and benevolent. Then, below the earth, there is the underworld. The underworld is the home of the unknown gods. The gods of the underworld are feared by mortals and minor gods alike. The mortals worshiped the gods of the heavens, glorifying them in poems and plays, celebrating them. However, they did not talk about the gods of the underworld. They feared that if they spoke about those gods, they would get their attention.
However, unknown to the mortals of the earth, not all of the gods in the heavens were paragons. This is where our story begins...
There once was a goddess named Marinette. She was the goddess of clothes-making and kindness. She was well-loved in the kingdom of the heavens. However, Lila, goddess of lies, grew jealous of Marinette. She began to spread lies and rumors about the other goddess, hoping to become superior to her. The other gods foolishly believed her and started to hate the goddess of kindness. Marinette saw this and tried to warn her fellow gods of the lies, but she was too late. The only two gods who did not believe the goddess of lies were Luka, god of Music, and his lover, Kagami, goddess of swordmen's ship.
The two gods tried to protect her from the others, but they knew Marinette wouldn't be safe for long. Kagami came up with a plan, though. She decided to hide Marinette in the mortal world until everything blew over. They did just that and stashed the goddess of kindness in a forest in the human world, where she would reside until the kingdom of heaven sorted everything out.
When the goddess of lies was discovered to have deceived the other gods, she was cast down from heaven and into the far depths of the underworld where no god would ever go. When Luka and Kagami went to get Marinette from the forest with the other gods, she was nowhere to be found. What happened to Marinette?
The goddess was sulking in the forest, questioning how her life turned out like this. Marinette then heard the meow of an injured cat. Being the goddess of kindness, she rushed to the cat's aid. The cat had an injured leg, and Marinette healed it using her powers. When the cat was fully healed, a cloaked figure approached the goddess. Marinette was afraid, but the cat leaped out of her arms and rushed to the person. The cat meowed excitedly as the figure lowered its hood. The person below the hood was an attractive man that looked the same age (appearance-wise) as Marinette.
Marinette knew he was a god, as he radiated power like the other gods. But, he was not a god Marinette was familiar with. The unknown god picked up the cat and looked at Marinette. He introduced himself as Akira, prince of the underworld and god of death. The cat Marinette helped was his pet, Morgana, who was also his messenger. He knew of what happened in the kingdom of heaven. He offered to help Marinette hide in the underworld and assured her that she would be safe. Marinette agreed, and the god of death took Marinette to the underworld.
Despite the rumors of the underworld she heard in the kingdom of heaven, Marinette liked the place. The gods of the underworld were kind to her, despite being a bit odd. Like Ann, goddess of seduction, who's a kind soul, and Ryuji, god of pirates, who was just a wild and loyal friend. The king of the underworld, Sojiro, god of the afterlife, welcomed Marinette. He even provided her with materials for clothes-making... Marinette then immediately made the king a new set of robes as a thank-you gift.
During her time in the underworld, she made friends with the other gods. Marinette also fell in love with Akira. The two gods bonded over sharing stories and grew quite close. Akira felt the same about the goddess of kindness and wanted to marry her. They confessed to each other and got Sojiro's permission. They were going to marry, much to the joy of the other underworld gods, who thought their prince deserved a bride like Marinette. But then the heaven gods found out where Marinette was.
The nymphs of the forest Marinette was hidden in saw Akira take Marinette and told the other gods. The heaven gods sent the messenger goddess, Alex, to get Marinette. The goddess entered the underworld and asked Sojiro if he knew about his prince kidnapping Marinette. The conversation then devolved into an argument. Said prince and Marinette, who were in the middle of planning their wedding, went to investigate the noise.
When Alex saw the goddess, who were friends in the past, the messenger goddess hardly recognized her. The goddess of clothes-making and kindness usually wore a childish pink dress that radiated warmth and similarly styled her hair childishly. But now, the goddess wore a mature, crimson red dress with black accents that showed off her curves. The childish pigtails Marinette once took pride in were replaced with a high ponytail and longer hair.
The messenger goddess informed Marinette about Lila's banishment and the gods' wishes to make amends. Marinette told the goddess about her desire to stay in the underworld and marry Akira. Alex then returned to the kingdom of heaven and reported the other gods of Marinette's choice. While Kagami and Luka understood their friend's choice, the other gods did not take it so well. In their rage, they stopped the rain in the mortal world and began a drought, causing thousand of mortals to die.
While the kingdom of heaven was in chaos, Luka and Kagami quietly slipped into the underworld to attend their friend's wedding. The two gods told Marinette of the disorder above, and she knew she had to return. The underworld gods understood and bid the goddess of kindness a tearful goodbye. Akira, however, wanted to ensure that Marinette came back. So, before she left, Akira split a rice cake between himself and Marinette. They each ate half, and Akira bid his wife farewell.
The gods of heaven were ecstatic to see Marinette again. But Marinette told them that she couldn't stay because she ate half a rice cake in the underworld. Then the gods came to an agreement. Marinette would spend half the year in heaven with the other heaven gods. Then spend the other half of the year with her husband in the underworld. When Marinette was in the underworld, the gods of the heavens grew sad, and life in the mortal realm became hard.
But Marinette was happy with that. She loved her husband and eventually forgave the gods of the heavens.
The End.
(A/N: For anyone curious, here's a list of the gods:
Marinette: Goddess of kindness and clothes-making
Akira: God of death
Ryuji: God of pirates
Ann: Goddess of seduction
Yusuke: God of old art
Makoto: Goddess of order
Futaba: Goddess of forbidden knowledge
Haru: Goddess of Nobility
Akechi: God of deception
Sojiro: God of the afterlife
Adrien: God of good looks
Alya: Goddess of writing
Nino: God of stage-play
Alex: Goddess of messengers and speed
Bridgette: Goddess of protection and vengeance
Etc.
Feel free to suggest anyone else!
Oh! If you want to, you can also share some A.U.s or story ideas!)
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