Chapter 8: History Together
As Tuzi was cleaning up the last of the dishes in the kitchen sink, she heard the clanking of the shells in her robe pocket. She wiped her hands dry on a towel and pulled out the pair of divine shells with the necklaces attached to them. She had accidentally tangled the Goddess's golden shell into her own pile of robes yesterday when she was leaving Lord Sky and the Goddess by the springs. She had meant to return it to the Goddess last night, but she had completely forgotten about it.
She knew that her master was summoned to the Senior Council today. Maybe she hadn't left yet, Tuzi thought. She exited the kitchen and hurried down the palatial halls. The light shining through the pillars made the whole scenery look golden. Tuzi never got tired of this view in Moon's palace. The palatial columns framing the sight of the court yard with vines crawling up the edges. Tiny delicate pink flowers grew on the vines as they wrapped around the pillars. Small songbirds serenade the palace occupants here, as they take flight with the butterflies.
A small stone fountain carved with intricate details sat in the center of the courtyard. Lily pads floated on the surface of the water, and a gentle breeze caused them to sway. Tuzi and the Goddess had spent many hours here, seated on the edge of the fountain, enjoying breakfast or tea and each other's company. They had shared many hilarious jokes and stories over the years.
Tuzi followed the stone path leading to the wall where the large Mortal Mirror was set. The divine mirror, gifted to her master by the Great Creator, was over eight feet tall and framed in a heavy set of gilded wood, chiseled with ancient symbols. The mirror itself was clear, and reflected Tuzi's own image back to her. She glanced over at the small marble desk that was located next to the mirror. The Goddess sometimes took notes while observing the mortals through the mirror. "Small improvements," she would say to Tuzi.
The Goddess would use her divine powers to activate the mirror. With a flick of her hand, the mirror illuminated and glowed, displaying a view of the Mortal Realm. The Goddess could choose what she wanted to see, and the mirror would show it to her. She had used the mirror to see many different things on the planet, from human tendencies and historic events to natural and unnatural disasters, ideas, and thoughts.
Tuzi's favorite was when the Goddess used the mirror to display events such as plays, operas, or musical gatherings. Moon had commented many times that the God of Humanities was working to instill "culture" in humans, and the result was beautiful stories told in different mediums. Stories of bravery, sadness, love, happiness, and many other topics. Tuzi could sit for an eternity watching the beautiful stories unfold in song and poetry.
Not seeing The Goddess seated at her small marble desk, indicated to her that the deity had already left for her summons at the Senior Council. She will have to wait for her master's return then.
She was set to leave the court yard when suddenly, the Mortal Mirror began to glow. The reflection of the mirror began to fade and display images of swirling stars.
Tuzi was startled by this, and looked around her surroundings for her master. "My Lady, is that you...? Where are you...?"
Tuzi called out to the Goddess, but there was no reply. She knew there wouldn't be. By now, she could sense her master's divine powers when she was nearby, but she hadn't sensed her presence at all.
Tuzi was beginning to feel a bit unnerved. The mirror was glowing brighter and brighter, and the stars were swirling faster and faster. She took a step back, but the mirror seemed to follow her.
"What's happening?!" she cried. She turned to flee, but it was too late. An eerie light emanated from the mirror, filling the room with brightness.
There was no one around to hear Tuzi's screams. When the light finally subsided, the mirror was calm and Tuzi was nowhere to be seen. The courtyard was silent, and the songbirds had stopped singing.
* * *
The God of War insisted on calling the initiative Project Axel, since he would be the one leading it. The other deities did their best to convince him to reconsider, because if the project failed, his name would literally be all over it. But the God of War was indeed a stubborn man.
The gods took a short break to regroup before reconvening to discuss plans for Mars and the steps that would need to be taken before humans could migrate to the Red Planet.
The Goddess had not anticipated that the Senior Council meeting would take up so much of the day. She wanted to let Tuzi know not to wait up for her, as the meeting might run late. However, she realized that she had forgotten to wear the divine shell that day, which would have allowed her to easily communicate with Tuzi. Moon got up from her seat during the break and started heading towards the door. If she hurried, she could make it back to the palace and give Tuzi the message in person before the recess was over.
She was almost out the great door when the God of Sky stepped into her path. She came to an abrupt halt, barely avoiding bumping into him, and let out a weary sigh.
"You know," he said, beaming at her. "I would think you'd be looking much more relieved than this. But that worried frown on your face says otherwise."
Moon wasn't in the mood to have an idle chat with him. She hesitated before responding. "Worried...? Me...? No," she muttered, averting her gaze.
"Well, this morning was intense," he said understandingly. "Your verbal sparring was on another level. The way you were defending your children was admirable. I commend your commitment to them."
"Thanks," she said, still not sure what he wanted. "Look, I just need to let Tuzi know that the meeting is running long so she doesn't wait for me. She has a tendency to get worked up if she does."
"I see," he said, looking thoughtful. "I can send my man Atlas to let her know. That will save you the trip, considering the meeting is likely to resume in the next 10 minutes. Plus, I'd like to get your thoughts on Project... uh... Axel."
Moon would rather not have to talk to him right now. She felt obligated to him after what happened at the Senior Council this morning, and she didn't like feeling indebted to the Sky God. Anyone but him.
"I uh... I uh... Think Project Axel is a great idea. Good for you, for thinking of it. Now be a good boy and move aside. No need to trouble your man. I have it handled. Now move," she said, not mincing words while flashing her least sincere smile.
The Sky God's smile did not falter at all and he certainly wasn't moving. In fact, he chose to ignore her rather blunt comment entirely. "Oh no, I insist. You're such a crucial figure to this project succeeding. Every word you breathe will be important. Please stay and–"
"Sky, move out of my way or I'll bite you," she practically growled at him. She hadn't been this close to him in a long time. He smelled good. She hated that he smelled good.
"Oh look here! Axel wants to talk to you about the project." The God of War was actually just minding his own business while trying to reach for a sandwich from the lunch spread. He had no time to react when Sky's muscular arm reached out and dragged him into their conversation. All he could do was stare helplessly at the sandwich that was so close, yet now so far.
"Axel, didn't you have something you needed to talk to Moon about for Project Axel?"
The God of War frowned at his loss of the sandwich and adjusted himself quickly before the Sky God and Goddess. One should not look unprepared, even when hungry. "Well uh.... Yes! Of course! We are all going to be working quite closely on this project. Moon— Do you mind if I call you Moon? I mean, we've known each other for a hundred million years now. I think we should be on a first name basis. I mean, Sky gets to call you Moon."
The Goddess was having a hard time figuring out what the heck Sky wanted, but knew she had to play along now. "Why, of course you may call me Moon. We are practically friends, don't you know uh.... Axel?"
The God of War was elated, his grin stretching ear to ear. "This is so excellent!" he exclaimed. "I'm stoked to finally get to work on a project with you two! Did I ever mention that you're my favorite gods?" He reached out to give The Goddess a happy pat on the back, which turned out to be a pretty hard whack as he didn't know his own strength. Moon lurched forward slightly and Sky steadied her. Axel began spouting off a hundred words per second of idle chatter. Moon had no choice but to smile, nod, and agree with words of encouragement.
The God of Sky was enjoying this. It really had been ages since he was able to be this close to Moon. Earlier, when she was laughing and smiling at him during the meeting, he felt like he was on top of the heavens. The feeling was warm and intoxicating. He had lost count of how many centuries it had been since she cared to look at him.
The Goddess was nodding her head and listening to Axel ramble. She sent a glare promising vengeance in Sky's direction. The Sky God couldn't help but return her gesture with a teeth glistening grin. He looked forward to any retribution that she would throw his way. In fact, the sooner the better. He knew his Goddess well. The longer she was within his vicinity, the harder it was for her to ignore him completely. He had gone too long without seeing her, as she went out of his way to avoid him.
Sky remembered the time when she used to follow him around the heavens with unfaltering devotion and adoration. She was always there, wherever he went and he loved every moment they spent together.
When the Creator first molded the deities, they were primitive and lacked emotional depth. They behaved like children constantly fighting and warring with one another. Because why the hell not, when you had all the time in the world? It all changed one day when the Creator breathed life into a new deity, formed from the brightest of stars. This was the first Goddess.
He recalled when Moon was introduced to the gods. No one had ever seen anything like her before. Her anatomy was different from theirs, her voice like the sweetest musical lyrics. Her soft features, delicate hands, and long strands of floating hair when she twirled were all entrancing. But it was her smile that truly captivated, her large blue eyes like open skies revealing her genuine sincerity.
She was a vision to behold. But from the first moment she opened her mouth, there was no doubt that she was different. She never agreed with anyone. Argued with everyone over any topic. Her logic made no sense to the other gods, but her reasonings were always infallible. The Goddess would then cry at the oddest things and over the most ridiculous situations. Laugh at inappropriate moments and her demands were weird and would rarely ever compromise. But despite her hard stance on things, she loves fluffy, cute and soft things. No one understood her. Moon was an enigma to the gods. And yet, everyone still wanted her.
They surrounded her from the moment of her creation, vying for her attention, fighting over who would get to spend time with her, and worshiping her beauty with gifts and words of love. But for reasons unexplained, the moment Moon set her eyes on Sky for the first time, she gave herself to him completely.
They were the first pair, infamously known for spending countless ages in each other's company as lovers, friends, and spouses. When they discovered what lovemaking was, Moon and Sky's obsession with one another only increased.
They fought and made love. Then they fought some more and loved each other even harder.
The Moon and Sky deities were everything to each other.
Their strong devotion inspired a new emotion among the other gods: jealousy. They were envious of the couple's love for each other, and they complained to the Creator that the Moon Goddess only paid attention to the Sky God. The Creator listened to his children's grievances, and he decided to give them what they wanted. He molded more goddesses, nymphs, and fairies. Essentially, more women.
This ignited the period that changed the dynamic between Sky and Moon.
"Well what do you say, Moon? Should we start a committee and recruit deities to volunteer for Project Axel?" The God of War asked, his enthusiasm evident in his voice.
"Sure, Axel," Moon said, nodding half-heartedly. "That's a wonderful idea."
"That's great! I'll have my people reach out to your people. We will have something set up in no time."
"I guess I'll be the first to volunteer then," Sky chimed in happily.
"Aww gee, really! Thanks Sky! You are the best!" Axel slapped his friend on the back, tearing up slightly by the encouragement. The God of War is one big happy puppy.
Moon really wanted to give Sky a swift kick in the butt. Her face was a dark cloud of doom and gloom. It was too late to visit to Tuzi now. She growled at him. Sky winked at her with a sly grin.
It wasn't long before the senior gods were asked to be reseated at the table. The Goddess huffed, but there was little she could do about the situation now.
As they were heading to their seat, Sky hailed his man Atlas to him. The warrior bowed to the Sky God.
"Head over to the Moon Goddess's palace and inform Lady Tuzi that her master will be home a little later today. The Senior Council meeting will require more time to finalize today's agenda," Sky instructed his man.
Atlas nodded, accepting his task. He turned and headed out the great doors. The Sky God watched him go, then sat down at the table, reclaiming his seat.
The Senior Council meeting continued, with the alpha gods at the table setting goals. The crowd of deities listened in anticipation as teams were organized and rough timelines were set. Any uncertainties were also voiced at the table.
Moon, who had been more active at the start of the conversation, was now resting her chin on her propped-up hands. She was trying to stay awake, as it had been an extremely long day already. The topic was pretty intense to start the day with, and she was starting to feel the effects of fatigue. As she listened, she noticed a young warrior come up to Sky's side and lean over to whisper something quietly in his ear.
Sky's demeanor, which had been relaxed and upbeat all day, began to change. His confident smile gradually faded, and his visage was replaced with a serious look.
The Goddess watched as Sky quietly excused himself from the table and walked to the far side of the room. They were talking in low tones, so Moon could not hear them. But when Sky glanced over to her and quickly looked away, she began to be filled with a sense of dread. Something had happened and it involved her. She wanted to know what. What were they talking about?
Sky was patiently listening to his man, his brows furrowed in concentration. The deity's lips were drawn in a straight line and his body language was pensive.
What is he keeping from me, The Goddess thought curiously. It suddenly dawned on her that Sky mentioned he would send a man to help Moon relay her message to Tuzi. Had he done so already? Was Sky speaking with the messenger? The Goddess held her breath.
The warrior had stopped talking, awaiting his lord's response. The Sky God looked her way again. Hesitantly, he left his man and walked over to where Moon was sitting at the table.
Axel, who was speaking a moment before, noticed Sky standing behind Moon's chair, and paused his speech to ask, "Is something wrong, Sky?"
Moon looked up at him with unease. What is happening here?
"Pardon my interruption. I just need to speak to Moon for a moment outside," he responded in a quiet voice.
The Creator raised an eyebrow in question, but then nodded. "Very well," he said. "But be back quickly. Both of you are important decision-makers on this topic."
"Absolutely," Sky agreed.
The Goddess did not wait another moment. Both deities excused themselves from the table and headed out the door with his man Atlas following closely behind. Once they were out of earshot, Moon turned to Sky, grabbing onto his sleeve. A sinking feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, and she could feel her apprehension growing. "What is it, Sky? I know you. Something isn't right. What's going on?"
Sky's face was inscrutable. He struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. Finally, he raised his eyes to hers and said solemnly, "It's about Lady Tuzi..."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
LotusLin
LotusLin Yay! I have now shifted the focus into the main storyline. Finally!
As you have probably predicted from hints dropped here and there, Moon and Sky have quite a history together. Let's see where we can go with this...
Wherever Tuzi is, I hope she won't get eaten! Poor thing.
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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