Destiny Unbonded

Chapter 6

The Gods command this: At dawn of each day, every man and woman is to kneel in reverent prayer and submission to the Gods. By this, many blessings shall flow from the Gods.

     - The Canon

[The Gods]

Athena reclined on a glass lounge, her crystal body glowing in warm golden light. She, like all the Gods, absorbed energy from the cosmos as projected by the mindful worship of humanity. As with all Gods, from this came her power. Ambrosia, they called it.

Ares strolled into the great room of her mansion, gazing at the furnishings surrounding him. A low wall and curving white marble bench lined the half circumference that overlooked the valley far below the slopes. Intricately carved white pillars supported the roof. He looked down and grunted. Black tiles on an otherwise shiny white floor created an expanding spiral, starting from the center where Athena laid.

"I never understood this design," the god scoffed in thought-speech.

Athena replied, her eyes remaining closed. "It represents the Chaos from which we arose." Her eyes opened and her head turned to the uninvited visitor. "We should not forget that, Ares, lest we descend again."

"That is what we need to discuss."

"Oh?" She raised her head.

"I will show you." Ares led Athena from her mansion and up the stone winding stone steps to the Pantheon. He stopped at one of the oval silver seeing-mirrors along the perimeter.

Athena smirked. "Did you come to gaze upon your greatness?" she said, adding a lilt of sarcasm to her thought-voice.

Scowling, Ares replied, "Do not mock me, I do you a service! You would do well to heed my guidance." He pointed to the mirror as the image shifted. "This came from the memories of one of my worshipers. Watch and see!"

The image resolved to a night scene with a camp fire glowing in the distance, viewed through the eyes of one man. He and three other armed men crept through the underbrush among tall dark trees. One hissed in whispers, commanding the viewer to be more quiet.

Ares lifted a hand, fast-forwarding the images to a fight scene. With another motion, the footage froze. He pointed at a dark-haired woman. "Is that not the Moirai you sent? Does she not hold your knife in her hand?"

Gazing at the image, Athena replied with a hint of resignation, "It is."

With another gesture, Ares resumed the footage from the perspective of his worshiper, then froze it again. "There, that man with the black obsidian knife! He is the one unseen and unbonded, the anomaly. We see him through the eyes of another man, but he is invisible to the eyes of Gods. Only if he be of Chaos would that be so." He turned to Athena, glass eyes narrowing. "Your Moirai betrayed us. This will not look good for you before Zeus and the council."

"You had his entire village purged, wasting the worshipers that power us, yet failed to kill him!" Athena stepped closer, pointing an accusing finger. "And that will not look good for you!"

Ares smiled. "So you see, we have a common problem."

Athena shifted her eyes to the seeing-mirror. "Where do they travel?"

"This occurred east of Kelde. If he is of Chaos, the destination is obvious."

"The Forbidden Lands. We cannot allow that."

"Recall that Moirai and deal with her!" Ares commanded. "And I shall deal with the anomaly."

Athena took three steps to the next seeing mirror, another of several centered between the white columns supporting the roof of the huge hall. She gazed at it for several moments, then shook her head.

"I cannot. She no longer hears me, nor I her. Nemesis should have purged her when she had the chance." The Goddess paused in thought. "We cannot reach them from our Realm, and going to the Realm of Men ourselves to resolve this problem would deplete our Ambrosia. No doubt Zeus would notice. But if these two dare enter the Forbidden Lands, the problem may resolve itself."

"What do you suggest?" Ares asked.

"You have worshipers to the east? Have the Seers watch for them and report their progress. I shall prepare a reception in the Forbidden Lands. They will die like all others."