Chapter 3: Missing Summons

"Oh… Oh… Oh, right there! Right…there… Oh my god… Please don't stop," The Goddess crooned, while tilting her head to the side, to allow better access to Tuzi.

Tuzi wrinkled her nose and leaned in closer to get a better look. She rubbed her fingers on the side of her Goddess's head, rather like scratching behind a dog's ears. "Like this…?"

"Yes please…" The Goddess breathed as her eyes rolled behind her lids. She had started moving her head back and forth, to create more friction against her friend's hand. "This itch has been bothering me for DAYS. My god. It's SO SO SO annoying."

"What happened, my Goddess? Why are you suddenly so itchy here…?" Tuzi asked with a slight tinge of worry, while scratching a little bit harder, not quite understanding the situation.

"That's it… Oh… Okay… Thank you…" The Goddess sighed as she pulled back from her friend, and lowered herself into the water. The two were enjoying a leisurely bath in the palace's quiet hot springs. She felt the hot water might help soothe the itching. She was thankful that Tuzi was here to lend a hand.

"It's a mosquito bite," she answered without hesitation, her voice laced with accusation. "I KNOW it's a mosquito bite. Can you imagine that? A disgusting creature such as a mosquito? Allowed in the Realm of Gods? It's horrifying! The scandal that would cause, if the other deities knew!"

Tuzi's face did not indicate she had any idea what her Goddess was talking about. "What is a mos-skit-to?"

"Only the WORST creature in all of the Galaxy!" The Goddess groaned. "It has no other purpose other than to BITE you."

Tuzi's eyes widened in fear and she backed away, sputtering, "Wait– What! Bite?!"

"Yes, BITE. It BITES you. Then SUCKS your blood. Essentially eating you alive!"

The former rabbit was horrified, covering her mouth in shock. "EAT me?! But where?!! Where is this mos-skit-to monster?!"

The Goddess let out a steady breath. "It's gone now. I killed it." She obviously had a flair for drama as she clenched her fist and smacked it into the water. "But I will remember this offense… I will have my vengeance!"

"I'm so glad you killed it," Tuzi whimpered fearfully. She had wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her body into the water. Still gazing around her surroundings worriedly, as if a monster can still suddenly appear. "Why would there be such a horrifying creature here…?" She felt her whole world had changed over a matter of seconds.

"The God of Weapons," the deity grumbled bitterly, while scrubbing her shoulder lightly with a silk cloth. "That horrible horrible man. Grrr… All I did was make a passing comment about how he has lost all creativity when it came to creating new weapons. Everything is so stabby stabby and pointy pointy. You would think that an old man can take a joke. But nope…! He brought a mosquito into the Realm of Gods and released it into my palace! That menace! I will get him back for this, if it's the last thing I do!"

"B-But… Will he release MORE mos-skit-to monsters here…?" Tuzi did not like this one bit. She had trained hard over the years and is quite a skilled fighter these days. But if a mos-skit-to monster can somehow harm The Goddess, then what chance would Tuzi have against fighting off such a beast?

Noticing how worried Tuzi had become, she decided to tone down her dramatics. "Don't worry Tuzi. I won't let mosquitoes bite you. I will protect you, no matter what!"

"Really, my Goddess! You are the kindest deity in the Universe!" she cried thankfully, hugging onto her master. The Goddess took that opportunity and playfully dunked her friend into the water.

Tuzi came up spewing water everywhere, completely taken by surprise. She gaped at her master, as if not really believing she did that. This was a serious challenge that was issued and the gauntlet has been thrown. There was no backing down now. Within seconds, a water fight broke out between the two. Water splashed everywhere as laughter filled the atmosphere. They did not notice the uninvited guest, who had just arrived moments before, and was observing them with mild curiosity.

"Ahem… Pardon me, my ladies."

The male voice snapped both ladies out of their spell. They spun around in surprise, facing the source of their bewilderment.

The God of Sky himself had decided to grace them with his handsome-self today. He did not look apologetic at all for being uninvited. As a matter of fact, he looked quite at home, while he lazed against the side of a palace column. His muscular arms crossed against his chest. He looked relaxed as an amused eyebrow arched towards The Goddess, with a smile tugging at his smooth lips.

The Goddess, however, was not the slightest bit amused. She bit out, rather sharply, "What, are you doing here?"

He shrugged innocently, ignoring the hostility in her voice. "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop in. No harm in coming to see an old friend."

The Goddess did not look impressed. "Friends, we are not–"

"My lord Sky! It is good to see you!" Tuzi happily chirped, while she splashed towards the side of the spring to reach him.

The God of Sky chuckled and walked over to the edge of the spring where Tuzi was waving to him, like a puppy welcoming its master home. He patted her on the head, ruffling her wet hair. "Tuzi my dear, how are you doing? I've missed you lately. The Celestial halls have been too quiet without you."

Tuzi shimmered under his attention and gave him the biggest infectious smile she had to offer. He couldn't help but grin in return. "I just learned about mos-skit-to monsters and how terrible they are. I would've come to you to find out how we can defeat them."

"Oh my… mos-skit-to monsters…?" He glanced over at The Goddess with one eyebrow raised in question. "Is she talking about–"

"Not any of your business," The Goddess snapped. She looked from Tuzi to the God of Sky, not liking what she was seeing. Since when did Tuzi become acquainted with this jackass? From the looks of it, they are quite familiar and are on friendly terms. This did not sit well with her. "Tuzi, this isn't a peep show. Throw on your clothes and get back to training. I will see Lord Sky out."

Tuzi was surprised by The Goddess's harsh tone. "But…" She looked from the Sky god, over to her master, and back. She didn't understand the situation or why The Goddess was angry. The Sky god was a personal friend, and she enjoyed being around him. Tuzi was feeling disappointed, but she also knew better than to argue with The Goddess, especially when she was upset about something. And at the moment, she seems very annoyed. "I have to go, Lord Sky. I will see you again soon."

"Go ahead, we will catch up later," he said gently, tapping her under her chin and giving her a wink. Tuzi returned with a cheesy smile and went to retrieve her clothes. The God of Sky averted his eyes, to give her some privacy as she climbed out of the hot springs and grabbed her robes from the pile of clothes on the ground. She hugged the garments to her chest and quickly disappeared down the palatial hallways.

The Goddess waited until her friend's form was gone before turning her wrath on the Sky god. "How DARE you. WHEN did you become so familiar with Tuzi? She's off limits!"

It was obvious that she could not keep tabs on Tuzi every single moment of the day. She would hate to think that the Sky god had somehow turned her precious friend into one of his many "women" while The Goddess was not paying attention.

"Hey… Relax, Moon," he said, raising his hands up, indicating he meant no harm. "Tuzi and I are cool. I just ran into her a few times when she was visiting the Celestial halls. She just wanted to make a new friend."

The Goddess had a really hard time believing that a senior deity, such as the all powerful God of Sky, would make time in his day to become friends with a human, immortal or not. She pulled herself out from the hot spring and hastily wrapped her silk robes around herself. She did not like this one bit. "Your idea of friendship is toxic, Sky. Stay away from Tuzi and get the hell out of here. You're not welcomed here."

"Can you cool it with the hostilities?" he said bluntly. "I did not come here to start a fight." He had no intentions of that at all. As a matter of fact, he felt a little hurt by her reaction to his presence. He sighed in exasperation. "I mean no harm. I am here on official business with you."

"Oh yeah? Official business, where you let yourself into someone else's home and spy on them bathing? You little perv!" she shot back at him.

"I had no intentions to spy on you bathing," he responded defensively. He had seen her naked a million times before. She had seen him naked a million times before. Nudity was not an issue among the Gods. He as a matter of factly added, "And I knocked on the door. No one answered." He felt silly telling her that, but the words were already out there.

The Goddess rolled her eyes. She did not have time for this. "What do you want, Sky? Tell me quickly and leave."

His lips drawn into a line, as his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. He hasn't seen her in ages. Sky might've encountered her, here or there over the centuries, but they did not mingle. In over a thousand years, this is perhaps the longest conversation they've had. He did not like this. He knew that over time, he was not her favorite person but he never would've thought she'd dislike him this much.

He bristled slightly and straightened his back defensively. This felt unnatural to him. Clearing his throat, he answered, "You've ignored every summon from the Senior Council. Your attendance is required."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. The Senior Council was where the alpha gods met to discuss matters of the highest importance, and their decisions could have a profound impact on all living beings. As a member of the council, she had never missed a summon before, whether the matter directly concerned her or not.

She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a frosty stare. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I've answered every summon directed to me."

"You have not," he responded frankly. "You have missed your last four summons. The Senior Council is growing rather… impatient. Our Creator stated that if you do not show up representing your domain, then he will make decisions on your behalf." Sky paused, trying to choose his next words carefully, though he knew that whatever he said, it would upset her. "He said you would not be happy about the decisions made for your children, if he had to be the one to do it."

The Goddess was not expecting this. Her heartbeat quickened slightly, and she regarded him pointedly, "You're bullshitting me. If the summon was that important– If there was really a summon at all, I would have been invited. Multiple times! But you said I missed FOUR summons? That is impossible!"

He made her upset. Great. He had been expecting this, but no matter how well he rehearsed this in his head, this conversation was never going to be enjoyable. Don't shoot the messenger, Moon, he thought begrudgingly, I'm trying to do you a favor. "Multiple summons were indeed sent to you. Other deities confirmed it. Perhaps Tuzi received it and misplaced–"

"She wouldn't do that." There was no doubt in The Goddess's mind. "Tuzi knows not to accept anything from other Gods, much less important council summons. I did not receive any." She bit her lower lip, feeling rather bitter about the situation. "It's more probable that someone does not want me there."

The God of Sky did not say anything in response to that. The politics that occurred behind the closed doors of Gods was not for the light-hearted. Deities were never happy with just their own domain. They always wanted more. It was a constant power struggle and The Goddess's place in the Realm of Gods was very valuable.

"It is not too late… Come to the next Senior Council. It takes place tomorrow morning. And brace yourself because it will not be a topic you like."

She felt wary of him, unsure why the bastard would want to help her. Hesitantly, she nodded her head. "I will be there."

"Good," he said, before a wry little grin formed on his lips. "See? We are capable of having a civilized conversation. Civility is possible."

"Don't pat yourself too hard on the back," she snapped at him. She spun around abruptly with her long silky robes floating behind her, heading back into the palace. "Help yourself out, Sky," she said before warning, "and don't come back."

He watched her until she disappeared down the hallway. "I miss you too," he said to no one with a sigh.

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Author's Note:

Are you enjoying the story? Please help this novel succeed by adding it to your reading collection or voting with a power stone! I am a first time novice writer. Please help this novel succeed! You guys are angels!

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
LotusLin

Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying the story, help a girl out with a power stone, a review, comment, or add it to your library! Thank you so much!

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