Cry of the Moon

Chapter 1: A Universe is Born

Did you know I was never actually a god? Big G, little g, it doesn't matter. The old stories liked to separate us into good and bad, Gods and Titans. In reality, it was never that simple.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For you to understand the full story, we have to go back to a little before the beginning of time.

But my lady, you protest, that's not possible. How could there be anything before the beginning of time?

To understand my story, you will have to learn three important lessons:

The world is much bigger and older than you mortals could ever dream.

We immortals are not constrained to the same laws as everything else.

And 3. In a universe where palaces float in the sky, siblings marry and impregnate each other, and immortals can be killed, anything is possible.

But back to the story.

Now that we are before the beginning of time, I can introduce you to the first official character of our story. Its name is Chaos, and it is the ruler and creator of all. It is formless, genderless, and impossible to describe or define. Not even the greatest of immortals have ever laid eyes upon it. Yet it is always there in the background, creating universes from the fabric of its own flesh. Now, reader, remember this, for these universes, or rather the difference between them and the one you know so well, will be an important factor in future events.

When Chaos birthed this world, it birthed three immortals, later called the primordials; Ouraneous, Gaia, and Tartarus. Ouraneous made up the heavens and the skies. His skin was a rich blue, freckled with silver stars. There were no constellations yet, for so far there had been no heroes to create them for. Gaia was the mother of the land. The curves and shapes of her body made up the mountains, hills, plains, and oceans. The last primordial was considered the darkest and worst of all three - Tartarus, father of the pit. He dwelled far below Gaia, where his siblings could not see, and there he built his kingdom of evil and despair. He found another primordial of unknown origins and married her. She was called Nyx and together they reigned in their kingdom of fear and pain.

Lucky for you, dear reader, Tartarus and his monstrous brood are not a part of this story. Darkness and light have never gone well together and, after all, I am one of the personifications of light. Needless to say, we don't get along.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After being cut off from their brother, Gaia and Ouraneous turned to each other for comfort and company. Gaia bore Ouraneous's children three times, giving first the one-eyed Cyclops, then the hundred-handed Hecantoncheires, and finally the twelve golden Titans. The Cyclops and Hecatoncheires do not factor heavily in this story, but it is important to know Ouraneous loathed them and cast them into the pits of Tartarus. In revenge, Gaia convinced her Titan children to chop up their father, thereby reducing his power so much he was forced to retreat back to the heavens where he would stay for the rest of eternity.

And now, dear reader, I thank you for your patience as we work through the important, albeit possibly boring parts of the story. This is where it gets interesting.

This is where I come in.

Among the twelve Titans, there were six males: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and the King Cronus, and six females: Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Theia, Themis, Tethys, and the Queen Rhea. Yes, I'm aware of the shock and disgust you may feel at the thought of siblings marrying and having children. However, please see it from our standpoint; the first twelve Titans were the only creatures in this world. It seemed only natural to them, since there were no other options.

And anyway, remember what I said. Immortals are not bound by the same laws as mortals.

Most of the Titans found love with each other. Oceanus and Tehtys retreated into the oceans to rule the lands under the water. Coeus and Phoebe became the first Titans of prophecy and kept to themselves and the futures they saw. King Cronus and Queen Rhea ruled the world, although their marriage was more one of convenience, rather than love - consequences of Cronus insisting on eating every child Rhea bore him.

In my opinion, the best pair of the Titans was Hyperion and Theia - the sun and the moon, gold and silver. In many ways, my brother and I are exact replicas of our parents.

Yes, Hyperion and Theia are my parents. I was born soon after the death of Ouraneous, after Gaia fell into a deep slumber and left her Titans to rule the world. My brother was born first; he has always insisted on being the louder and brighter of the two of us. I came more as an afterthought, my mother giving birth to me in a corner as her sisters and nursemaids fawned over my brother.

My mother once told me the first of her sisters to notice my birth was Phoebe, Titan of prophecy. My mother says she took one look at me and said "She will lead the moon around the world and will be known by mortals as such. She will surround herself with her enemies and friends and yet will never find love in the arms of a man." My mother took me from Phoebe's arms as quick as she could, but Phoebe still had time to trace a small crescent shape onto my forehead, just between my eyes.

As I grew up, I continued to stay back in the shadows. I stayed two steps behind my brother, always noticing everything he didn't. He glowed with the light of the sun and every room he entered immediately shined golden. My glow was much fainter, more of a silver mist that made everything it touched sparkle. My younger sister, born just a few decades after me, had no glow. Instead, her fingertips had a rosy color and everything she touched emitted a soft light while she held it.

Reader, have you guessed who I am yet? Daughter of Hyperion and Theia, Titans of the sun and the moon, and sister to Helios, Titan of the Sun, and Eos, Titan of the Dawn.

I would not blame you if you are still confused. The storybooks mention my name only in passing, if they mention it at all. I am called many names, and often confused with other, more famous goddesses. But, as I said before, I am not a goddess.

I am Selene, the Titan of the Moon.

And I am ready to tell my story.