The Gifts of Gaia

The Gifts of Gaia
The winds of Sheye whipped around the people as the scene began to change. One by one crowd members disappeared until only the members of the board remained. Hectate waved his hand, and Morrigan felt her body lift.

"No!” she screamed in terror as she rose from the ground. Landing in a chair at the table, she jerked back and forth, unable to move.

Hectate faced Lilith. "Have you truly figured out the answer to this test?”

"Yes,” Lilith said, as her tears began to fall. The words of her loves floated around in her head, almost seeming to suffocate her.

"I asked her if I could give her a hug. She was pretty shaken up, but accepted. As soon as she was in my arms, I knew it was over for me.”

"You look beautiful, My Love.”

“I love you, forever.”

“You looking fine, Lil. You looking MIGH-TY fine!”

She walked over to Liam and wrapped her arms around his waist, causing her to sob. Worry immediately found his face. “Lil? What’s wrong? I’m pretty sure you won! You just beat the hell out of your facially challenged, cheating sister, and I know you’ll figure out how to save Sam!” He lifted her head. “Please stop crying. You know I get overly emotional when you cry.”

"You are love,” she whispered small, slightly stunning him. He stood confused, and she pressed herself to continue. "You are what opened my heart and allowed me to be open to others and myself. You are affectionate, funny, kind, thoughtful, and patient. You do for others just out of the sheer natural goodness of who you are. It’s so intense and beautiful to see, and it draws people like a moth to a flame to you, just out the hopes of being a part of your world.

"You are passionate about everything you do because you are the embodiment of genuine love, Liam.” She looked up at him, and he wiped her tears. “For all the time I’ve spent loving you, I missed how deeply your love affects not just me, but all those around you, reminding us to show it to those who mean the most to us.”

"She’s right,” Jayden said. "You’re the glue. You figured all this shit out, and it’s been you since the beginning trying to keep us all together. You vex the shit out of me, but you really are an amazing brother, and person.”

Liam felt a lump form in his throat at the sight of his other brothers agreeing. He kissed the top of Lilith’s head. "That means the world to me you all feel that way.”

Lilith turned to Jayden, and her tears hit her once more.

"Don’t talk to us that way. You can be mad, but don’t snap at us for asking a simple question.”

"Sorry, but unless your name is Lilith …not interested, but very flattered.”

"I know, but Lil, words hurt and once they’re out there, you can’t take them back. A person can only take so much, no matter how they feel about someone.”

She wrapped her arms around him, and he pulled her closer. “I got you, okay? No matter what happens. I know whether it was a test or not, you would have done the things you’ve done for everybody anyway because of what you stand for.”

Hearing his words, Lilith held him tighter. "You are respect.”

He tilted his head. "Huh?”

"You heard me. You hold me accountable for hurtful words and harmful actions. You hold your convictions not just to people around you, but also to yourself. You don’t expect people not to be flawed, but you demand they be accountable for how they treat others. Your strength comes from your desire to protect those who aren’t being given the same consideration as others, not because you pity them, but because you know everyone deserves it. You are the embodiment of authentic respect, Jayden.” She smiled at him. "For all the time I’ve spent loving you, I missed how deeply your respect affects me and others, reminding us to be considerate.”

"She’s two for two,” Mason said, nodding. "We might fight because you annoy the hell out of me, but you always make sure we never let things go too far. Liam and I were plotting on how to greet Noah, and you just walked right up to him. No tricks, no plans against him, but with the same respect you expected to receive. You look out for me in a way that never makes me feel like I can’t do it on my own, but moreso like I don’t have to because I have such an awesome brother.”

Jayden reached out and patted Mason’s back. "I don’t even know what to say.” He kissed the top of Lilith’s head. "Thank you, it means a lot to know that I’m seen that way.”

Lilith stood in front of Mason, and he eyed her curiously before pulling her to him. "Hey, don’t tell them I said this, but seeing Liam and Jayden happy because of what you said makes me happy,” he whispered.

"You’re too sweet of a person to do that, Mistress.”

"She came and complimented me on my work.”

"Nice suit! Is that shit Armani?!”

“Good girl, You’ve made me very proud.”

Lilith sobbed again, thinking about his words as Mason rubbed her back, trying his best to console her. "I know we’re in a bad situation right now, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I need you to know that seeing everything you’ve done almost made my heart stop. You’re wonderful Lil, absolutely wonderful.”

"Appreciation,” she said, lifting her head. "You are appreciation.” Seeing his eyes gleam, she hugged him again. "You see the good in others, and have taught me to do the same. You’re knowledgeable in your experience of being devalued and you make sure no one around you will have to experience that. You are the embodiment of honest appreciation, Mason.” His face slightly reddened, and for a moment, the dread in her heart lifted. "You are someone that will always listen to others, cherish what they’ve done, and above all, you’ll never let a moment go by without communicating to them how special they are. For all the time I’ve spent loving you, I missed how deeply your appreciation of me and those around you reminds us to never take anything for granted.”

"Three for three. I have your Time Magazine article on my desk at work,” Noah said, giving him a smile. "I’m truly in awe of everything you’ve accomplished. I’ll also never forget how you read between my words and knew how unhappy I was. If it wasn’t for you giving Lilith the signal, or for you telling the other two knuckleheads about what transpired that night, I don’t know what could have happened, but what I do know is that I’ll always be grateful that I have you for a brother.”

Mason inhaled sharply, the words seeping through him. "Thank you. You all do the same for me.”

Knowing it would be the hardest to reveal, Lilith hesitantly walked in front of Noah. She looked down at her feet.

"Oh no, are you about to insult my character again?” he said teasingly. Seeing her shoulders shake violently, he quickly lifted her head. “Lil, I didn’t mean it, don’t cry. Whatever you’re about to say, I know it will be okay. We’ve passed so many hurdles, and I never gave up on where we would be. You know why? Because-”

"You are trust,” Lilith said, cutting him off. Sobbing lightly, she wiped her eyes. "That’s why I was the hardest on you.” Noah’s eyes widened, and she nodded her head. "I love many, I respect most, I appreciate all that I have and all that has been given to me…but to trust, to TRULY trust myself knowing what could happen to others if I failed, if I went too far…that scared the hell out of me…until I met you.” She wrapped her arms around him.

"Does that mean you’re going to introduce me? You think we’ll get along?”

"You said pick who I wanted and have a good time. What if I pick you? Do I get my wish…or does even the devil have hard limits?”

"Don’t give me a hard time.”

"Lil, you need to tell me right now what it is you want because I’m not doing this with you any longer. I know that I want you...I need you to decide, and if it’s me-I want to no-I NEED to be on the same playing field as my brothers.”

"I WOULD NEVER HURT ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY YOU!"

"Fine…so be it, you don’t know me.”

"Love me the way you love them because if you can’t, I swear to you Lilith, you’ll break my heart.”

"This entire time you were saying things to me that reflected the missing piece of what kept me from being whole. And I wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t accept that, because to accept would mean to face how much I feared myself. You became the mirror that forced me to see what I was running from, and learn to believe in myself and others. You never shy away from the unknown, even if you’re not sure how it will end. You put your faith in others, and never let past betrayals stop you from giving another who deserves that type of faith a chance.

"You’re a force, not because you’re king, but because anybody who walks by your side knows that whatever horrible things in the world may happen, they can always count on you to be there. That’s why your brothers held onto you so tightly, and why they pushed me to see the truth. To see that the man they knew was my fourth was also the man who’d suffered the most and still believed that things would be okay.

"You are the embodiment of unconditional trust, Noah. The hardest thing to earn-” she caressed his face, "but one of the most worthwhile to have when you finally do. I somehow loved you across realms and realities without fully ever meeting you, and now I understand why. It’s because had I known you then, I would have never truly seen how deeply I needed you, and how if I don’t put trust on the same playing field as love, respect and appreciation, I’ll always be incomplete.”

Noah pulled her close to him and breathed her in. "Thank you, Lil.” He felt his brothers pat him one by one.

"That was the sweetest shit I’ve ever heard. Look at his ass about to cry,” Liam said.

Noah scoffed. "Liam, you’re literally crying right now.”

He wiped his eyes. "She just called me love, Noah! How the fuck am I not supposed to be emotional after that shit?!” Huffing, he placed his hands on his hips. "And what she said about you is right, you beautiful faced son of a bitch. We may not have known exactly how close we all were, but I can say from day one, I just somehow knew you were a good guy. I knew you would become a good friend, and now after Lil said what she said, it makes complete sense to me why you’re such a great brother.” Noah embraced him in a hug, and they all suddenly realized Lilith wasn’t between them. "Where did-” his words stopped as they watched Lilith slowly walk towards Samantha.

"Sam…” she said lowly as her body shifted into her true form. “Sam,” she repeated, “Can you hear me?” A tear ran down Samantha’s cheek, and she nodded her head as best she could as Hecate pulled her and Calchas from the shadows. Lilith placed her hand over her chest, "I get why you were sent to tell me about them.” Her eyes purpled as she felt the power grow inside of her. "You’ve always shown me love, even when I didn't always value it, respect, even when I didn’t always return it, appreciation, even when at times I wasn’t grateful, and trust, even when I didn’t sometimes provide you the same. You’ve always been by my side, standing with me through good or bad, all the while unknowingly teaching me how to be a better person.” Reaching her, Lilith turned and looked at Calchas.”

"Last piece Lilith,” he said.

"I know.” She turned back to Samantha, and shakingly reached for the arrow. "You pointed me in the right direction, and gave to me something I did not give to you, and I’m sorry. Especially now that I fully understand why it’s always been you.” Grabbing the arrow, she stared Samantha in the eyes. "Without you, I would have never grown to be compassionate to others, even when they make mistakes. I give them that grace, because I learned it from you.” Closing her eyes, she pulled from the four emotions she’d always felt about Samantha. "You are the embodiment of pure friendship, Samantha,” she whispered. "And good or bad, I’ll always stand with you because I love, respect, appreciate, and trust everything that you are.” Tears streamed down Samantha’s face as she prepared for whatever was about to happen. A loud gasp broke free when Lilith yank the arrow from her throat.

Please don’t leave me Sam…please, I need you. You’re my best friend.

Shakingly, Lilith slowly opened her eyes.