Project cosmos: The Golden Ring

The Gods of Time Get Into an Argument With Their Mother

I woke up next to a tree. I couldn't see Latona anywhere. Shiru, however, was in my hand, cleaner than I've ever seen it. I sat up and looked around. I didn't see much. Just a couple of trees and a small house. I stood up and walked closer to the house. I glanced in the windows and saw an old lady sitting on a chair, reading a book to a little girl. I knocked on the window. No reaction. The lady didn't look at me, nor did the little girl. But then I realized who the girl was. That was what Latona looked like, ten years ago. I was either looking into my friend's memory, or I had just traveled to the past...
"You're friend's got quite the interesting past..." I heard a boy say. I couldn't see him, but yet I could tell he was close by.
"I'd say that her future is better!" A girl said.
"You always say that! It's just because you're the goddess of the future!" the boy yelled back.
"So?"
I continued to look around, looking for the voices.
"That girl looks so confused. Why did you wrap her up in this?" the girl asked.
"That's her friend. She doesn't know as much about her as she thinks she does..." the boy explained.
Those words rang through my head. What was Latona hiding from me? What didn't I know?
Then the boy appeared behind me.
"That is your friend, right?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Great! My name is Algy, god of the past!"
"I've never heard of you..." I mumbled.
"That makes sense. My sister and I have only been around for about a hundred years..."
"Oh..." I was still spacing off, my head full of questions.
"I think we're done here..." the girl said. She had just appeared next to her brother. "By the way, my name is Asmer, goddess of the future,"
"Good bye!" Algy and Amser said and waved in perfect unison. Then they disappeared, thus ending my second visit by gods.
I woke up back at the bottom of the hill. Shiru was still in my hand, but this time I could see Latona.
"Latona? You okay?" That was all I could manage to say.
"Ya..." she said.
I sat up and moved over to her.
"Are you sure? You don't look the best... Maybe we should..."
I was interrupted by Mark and Sandy.
"Isabelle! Latona!" Mark shouted from the sky. He was floating above us, and Sandy was holding onto his leg.
"How did you find us?" Latona asked.
"I was looking, and I saw you. It's that simple," Mark explained.
"Where's the other kid?" Sandy asked.
"You mean Travis?" I asked.
"Ya sure,"
"We still can't find him!" Latona cried.
"Don't worry! He can't go missing forever!" Mark tried to reassure her. It didn't work. After all that had just happened, Latona was convinced that Travis was gone.
"I saw him fall down here! But I can't find him!" she cried.
"Latona, calm down. We're not going anywhere until we find him!" I said.
Latona looked away. At first, I had no idea why, but then I saw the tear run from her eye. She didn't say a word, nor did anyone else. We silently walked back up the side of the hill, which seemed shorter and much more dry. Then I heard the voices again. The world went dark and I fell down the hill again.
This time, I was in a city. I didn't know what city though. I could tell it was different from last time this happened.
"How does the future look?" I heard a girl say. It was Amser. Her and her brother were back again.
"What do you need? I was a bit busy," I said.
"Oh don't worry! Time has completely stopped where you're friends are," Asmer said.
"What?!" I yelled.
"I told you not to worry! You're friends are fine! They can't even tell you're here, or that time stopped!" she said.
"It didn't completely stop. Only our mother can do that," Algy explained.
"Who's your mother?" I asked.
"Me, of course," said a lady standing across the street.
"Mother! Were you standing there this entire time?!" Amser yelled to her.
The lady walked across the street.
"My name is Athaiah. I am the goddess of time," she introduced herself.
"Can I go back now?" I asked.
They ignored me. Amser and Algy just kept yelling at their mother for listening in on their conversation.
"Mother, I told you to stop doing that!" Amser yelled.
"I have authority over you! You can't tell me what to do!" Athaiah yelled back.
"Please stop yelling," I sighed.
Once again, I was ignored...
"Can I PLEASE go back now?" I said more sternly. I was getting tired of this.
They still wouldn't listen.
"CAN I PLEASE GO BACK NOW?" I actually yelled that time. I didn't mean to, but I did.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Athaiah glanced over at me, completely clueless. She didn't even let me respond. She went right back to yelling at her kids. But I could tell that Amser noticed. So did Algy.
"Mother, Isabelle wants to go back," Amser said.
"Who's Isabelle?" Athaiah asked.
"That would be me," I sighed.
"Oh! Why didn't you just say so?" she asked.
"I did..."
"When?"
"Nevermind... Just take me back..."
"If you say so,"
And just like that, I was back in present time, climbing the hill with my friends. It was like nothing had happened. But I still couldn't get it off my mind. I've been wrapped up in a conflict with gods.
When we got to the top of the hill, Latona must have realised that something was wrong.
"Isabelle? Are you okay?" she asked me.
"No," I sighed.
"Can we talk about it?"
"I guess, but I'd rather not tell everyone about it..."
"I'm all ears,"