The Past

Arriving in Orion

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When we first landed in Orion, I was shocked by how many people there were. Not people, I supposed. Gods. The streets were all paved with marble, and the twilight night was lit with gold-plated lanterns. I was expecting to find maybe a hundred people, at the very most. From what I saw, though, there must have been almost a thousand in the city.

"Where did all of these people come from?" I muttered to myself.

There weren't many people at all, in our lands. After all, it was my mother's friends and their kids, and that was it. I was barely even a princess, in such a small group. There were dozens and dozens of gods on Orion, though, and their chosen heroes and demigods from other lands. Some even came from other Realms. I had never seen the Mirror, but I longed to find it, use it, and never come back.

"Don't you read?" Teirr scoffed, following me out onto the dock. "This city is filled with gods and people from every Realm and every land. It's been around much longer than our three kingdoms."

"I know that, it's just hard to imagine how many people exist in these other Realms, or even how many must live in the Old World," I said to him. Teirr was a good childhood friend of mine, but I suppose I could say I had liked him a bit too much as children.

"Our kingdoms have only been here for about 20 years, and with a hundred people between the three of us, we aren't much of kingdoms." He loved being well-informed. "Everyone else is much more structured."

"May Erisin bless us all."

"Perhaps I will." The woman now in front of us was beautiful. All of the goddesses were, I guess, but this one you could tell was Alarithe's greatest competition. She was Alarithe's direct opposite; where Alarithe's hair was blonde and wavy, Erisin's was black and straight. Alarithe's blue eyes were beautiful, but Erisin's eyes were a grey so dark that they looked black. She was terrifying.

"I would take care not to speak our names here on Orion, boy. You will catch any god's attention doing so," she told Teirr, who was looking at her with an open mouth. "Come now, I will escort you all."

I walked in front, followed by Teirr and his two brothers. We were all rather close in age, as Teirr was only two years older than me, and Casar and Andon were both a year younger. Heilen was Arke's youngest son, and the youngest of the group at 14. He did have two younger sisters, though.

"Mother?" This was one of the first times I'd ever heard Heilen speak.

Erisin shot him a pointed look.

"Your ladyship, I mean."

"Yes, Heilen?" She continued leading us into the grand palace, nodding politely to those she knew on the way.

"Why did you ask Father for me to be here?" We took a sharp turn and he almost lost his balance. "I mean to say, I haven't come of age yet, so is it not improper for me to be here?"

"It would be improper for Arke to be the only one with no representative in our court this year. You will not be expected to find a match now, you are only to keep up with your companions' socialising."

That seemed like the end of that conversation, so we all continued to follow her in absolute silence.

When we came into the throne room, there were two thrones, one of which stood empty. Beside it was the same throne, except carved from shining black metal rather than the brilliant platinum shade of the empty one. In it sat Death himself, though he did not look such.

Hathe, the father god and brother of Erisin. Black hair, black eyes, and skin like the dead. He did have a surprisingly warm smile, though.

"Welcome to our court, dear mortals," he greeted us, rising from his throne. "Tonight, there shall be a ball to commemorate your arrival. I presume you know the dances?"

"Yes, my Lord." I offered him a curtsy, while also becoming a bit self conscious about my simple gown. How could we call ourselves royalty, without even servants or a people to govern?

"Perfect. You may all now be escorted to your chambers to rest and ready for the ball. Would you like food sent up?"

"That would be nice, my Lord."

"And a warm bath," Teirr added.

"Yes, yes, of course." On his throne, he looked every bit a god. His kindness, however, did not fit my expectations for the god of Death.

We followed their half-breed servants to our rooms, and as soon as we arrived, I got in a tub of water at the first chance I got. I heated the water around me to just hot enough, and let the feeling take me until I was asleep.