Chapter 5 Chapter Five - Jartre
As I appear in front of the familiar, large beachfront estate I remove my mask and discard it on the ground. I stare up at the pristine white compound as the sounds of the beach waves echo against the rustling of lush palm trees. I sense two celestial bodies inside, but it’s only one I care about.
As I storm towards the double doors, that sweet scent of bubble gum and cream sickle continues to swirl around my brain, consuming every fibre of my being. My hands still burn like fire from her touch, sending pleasure coursing through this vessel I call a body. My heart continues to beat erratically and as I effortlessly slam my hands against the doors, blowing them to smithereens, it’s not the sound of shattering wood that I hear. No, it’s the sound of her sweet orgasmic moans as she came on my fingers. I can still feel the way her tight pussy quivered and clenched around them, so tight as if to hold me there and continue to bring her pleasure, and I wanted to. Fuck, how I wanted to.
I march through the house and make my way to the living room, finding Zarseti and Morrtemis sitting back lazily on the couch without a care in the world. Their respective fuchsia and violet hair and bright silver eyes acting as beacons in a sea of white furnishing.
“I’m having a strong case of déjà vu,” muses Zarseti.
“You saw this coming?” Morrtemis quizzes.
“Oshmin did the same thing five years ago,” she responds casually; the sound of that traitor’s name causing me to grind my molars.
“Ah,” Morrtemis nods in understanding before her face morphs into one of deep thought as she appears to piece an intricate puzzle together in her mind. “Wait, but he did that because he learned you’d given him an animai,” she continues, her eyes now zeroing in on my unamused face as I stare down Zarseti with enough power to strike her down. “No,” Morrtemis drawls, her voice dipping low as shock and amusement fill her features. Fucking warrior Goddess. Her powers of induction far surpass any other being, and right now they’re pissing me off.
It only takes a mere second for her to erupt into a fit of laughter, and at the sound of it, my anger intensifies, unleashing resounding thunder all around the island.
“Was that necessary?” Zarseti sighs.
“Oh, this is too good! I am so glad I was here for this!” Morrtemis continues to cackle, compounding on my irritation.
“Get out,” comes my deep voice in warning.
Morrtemis stops laughing and glares at me, “I was here first, you get out.”
“I won’t ask again,” I threaten.
“Thousands of years and you’ve still got a giant stick shoved up your ass, I see. I’m amazed it hasn’t come right out the other end yet,” she says acerbically.
“You are testing my fucking patience, Morrtemis,” I say through gritted teeth.
“That would imply you had any patience to begin with,” she mocks with a smile.
I take a threatening step forward, and she jumps to her feet, her body posed for a fight. Been a while since we went toe to toe, this should be interesting.
As we glare at each other, our eyes glowing fiercely, a sheer wall of fuchsia energy appears between us as Zarseti slowly rises to her feet. “There will be no battles taking place in my home. It is bad enough that Gods with the ability to appear anywhere they please, feel incessant upon breaking down my door, I will not have them destroying my earthly sanctuary over a petty squabble. Am I clear?” She says, her voice calm but stern.
Morrtemis narrows her eyes at me, but then relaxes her posture. I huff and reluctantly step back. Not because I wouldn’t take satisfaction in striking Morrtemis down with a bolt of lightning, but because I need some questions answered, and if I start a fight, Zarseti may not answer them. So, to satisfy one need, I must deny another.
The wall between us disappears and Zarseti puts a gentle hand on Morrtemis’ shoulder.
“I think it best Jartre and I speak alone.”
Morrtemis frowns, “Are you sure?”
“He won’t hurt me,” she says with confident reassurance, and even though she’s right, something about her saying that irks me.
“Very well, but I’m a call away should you need me,” Morrtemis reminds her before turning to look at me, “You do anything to her, and I will kick your celestial ass.”
“I’d love to see you try. I am the God of Gods after all,” I say with a smug smirk.
She wrinkles her nose like she smells something repulsive, “That was never put to a vote. There is one among us who I would gladly grant that title to and it’s not you, the God of Worlds,” she says bitingly before disappearing.
Zarseti sighs and turns her attention to me, “Let me hear it.”
“A human!” I exclaim; the words I intended to scream flying from my mouth the moment Morrtemis leaves.
“And?” She prompts.
“What do you mean and? You fated me to a human!” I bellow.
“I’m aware of what I’ve done,” she says unperturbed by my tone.
I stare at her incredulously, “Has eternity finally withered away your sanity? You bound a God to a human!” I shout as thunder rumbles around the island and lightning strikes the sea.
“It does not matter how many times you shout the words or throw your power around Jartre; I am well aware of what I have done. Now do you have a question, or do you intend to keep shouting pointlessly?” She calmly asks.
I run my fingers through my thick hair, yanking the roots to ease my nerves and gain some clarity. “How the fuck is that supposed to work? What remains of her life will pass in the blink of an eye to me. I’ve never known your pairings to be cruel, but this…”
She sits down on the couch, “You know how my gift works. I search space and time for two perfect souls – or essrams in our case. I am never wrong.”
“You’ve made a bad pairing before,” I say pointedly.
She sucks in a deep breath as her silver eyes briefly flare like comets in the night sky, “Do not mention that occurrence. I fulfilled a request, but that did not mean I liked it. All these years later and that bond still sickens me,” she says with revulsion. Suddenly her revulsion vanishes and she’s staring at me with a surprised look on her face.
“What?”
“You’re not angry with me,” she says, slowly rising to her feet and walking over to me, her eyes assessing me carefully like examining some human science equation. “You’re happy,” she says with a wide smile, “You like her.”
I scowl and look away, “I never said that.”
“You don’t have to; I see it as clear as day. You’ve already opened your heart to her,” she says, clapping her hands with glee, “I was expecting you to protest and demand I reverse it.”
I whip my head to look at her in offence, “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“That’s what Oshmin did,” she shrugs.
I feel my eyes flare as I stare her down, “Do not mention his name in my presence!” I seethe.
She sighs. “This. This is why I did this. Thousands of years of pain manifested into anger is unhealthy. It’s destructive to the world around you and toxic to yourself,” she says sadly, as I walk over and stand by the open window, leaning my hands against the stone ledge, staring out into the vast ocean as the moon glistens off the surface.
“I’m surprised you’d care given what I did the last time we spoke.”
“You mean when you tortured and nearly killed my daughter.”
I glance back at her, “Surely even you would hold a grudge over that,” I state, quirking an eyebrow.
“Grudges do no one any good. I do not excuse your actions, but I understand where they came from,” she says compassionately.
I shake my head and look back out at the ocean, “You gave him a rare gift and still he complained about it,” I scoff.
Zarseti walks over and lays a comforting hand on my back, “If it’s not that I gave you an animai that weighs on your mind so, then what is it?”
“Why not just read my mind?”
“Because I’d rather hear it from you,” she says with a kind smile.
I look down at her and feel something inside me splinter by the tiniest amount. Once upon a time, I called Zarseti a friend. She has the ability to look into the blackest heart and still see redemption and worthiness. She has only ever craved for those in this world to be happy, but after all I have done, I was certain even she had reached her limit. Yet here my old friend stands, offering me a chance at happiness, still believing in the goodness of others. But I’m not sure if that belief is misplaced.
“Do you think I deserve to be happy?” I whisper.
Her face softens as she wraps a comforting arm around my broad shoulders, and immediately an ancient part of myself buried deep under centuries of betrayal and anger awakens to her touch. Vaguely remembering what it once felt like to be comforted by another. I can’t remember the last time someone touched me in such a way.
“Your heart was broken, but it deserves to heal. You have caused such pain and destruction, and even through the malice, I can see the hurt. I see your essram seeking out chaos to spare itself from the pain you should have never had to bear. Yes, Jartre. I believe you deserve to be happy; I would not have done this if I felt otherwise. Plus I believe that through healing your heart, many others can be healed in the process,” she says as hope shines in her silver orbs.
“But she’s human, Zarseti. How can that ever possibly work? All it would take is to accidentally squeeze a little too tight and I’d crush every bone in her body,” I say in despair. Those unique mint-green eyes that looked at me in awe, fill my vision, but no longer are they filled with awe. Now they are the vacant eyes of death. The eyes of a lifeless corpse, dead at my hands. I wince and shake my head, willing the image to leave me. All we had was a moment, but it was a moment that altered every part of my being, a being that would rather be unmade than ever cause her pain.
“I’m going to ask the hardest thing anyone could ever ask of you,” she says, bringing her hand to my cheek and gently turning my face to meet hers, “I’m asking you to trust me. To trust that I have a plan,” she says empathetically as her eyes search mine.
I suck air into my lungs and feel myself on a cosmic level yearning to resist her plea. Trust. I gave all my trust to another once and they destroyed it. She’s right. Asking me to trust her is the hardest thing she could ever ask of me, but as soon as I think back on how it felt to have that little human in my arms; to feel her surrender her body to me… I know that I’d give anything; sacrifice anything, to have her in my arms again. So with all the courage I can summon, I yield to the Goddess of Peace and Love. I nod, and just this once, allow myself to trust again.
She beams at me, her smile twinkling in her eyes like glistening pools that remind me of our realm.
“You will not regret it; I give you my word.”
“You better be right,” I say with great apprehension. “Even though I am giving you my trust, I haven’t a clue how I am to make this work. I can’t hide what I am from her.”
“Then don’t. Tell her the truth. It’s not as though you can’t prove it,” she says, snapping her fingers and instantly restoring her front doors to their rightful state. “She may be human, but she can handle you,” she teases, “She’s the only one in this universe who can. Give her a chance, you might be surprised.”
“Why do I get the distinct feeling you have something up your sleeves?” I ask suspiciously.
“I usually do, but that is not your concern. Your only concern is to win over your human,” she says with amused glee.
I shake my head, “This is going to be interesting.”