Gabriel's Child

Gabriel's Child;;Chapter Eleven

Her heart leaped, "What?"


Michael lifted himself from the carpet, "Gabriel, he's here, but why so early?"


"What?" Athena said again as if she could not process his words.


"Did you not hear me the first time?" He asked turning to her, "My brother is here."


She was in shock. Michael kept mumbling about something but his words kept going in one ear and out the other. Gabriel was here, the man she had been waiting for sixteen years, and that's all that mattered.


"Are you coming?"


"What?" She said once again, snapping back into reality.


"You'd think after sixteen years a person would be running to go see the man they love," Michael scoffed.


"I do, I just I- " she stammered.


"Then let's go."


Athena followed the angel slowly up the stairs. I'm going to see him, after all these years. Will he be waiting for me at the top? What I am going to say? What is he going to say? Will he look any different? Does he still love me the way I love him? He wasn't at the top of the stairs like she expected, but that did not ease the butterflies that were rampant within her stomach. She followed her brother-in-law that had turned the corner into her room and there he was. The only man she's ever loved staring at the pictures of their daughter.


She felt lightheaded as if his presence was sucking all the air out of her body.


"Gabriel?" she said quietly.


He quickly lifted his head from the picture to her.


"Athena."


Michael moved out the way as they moved towards each other. Gabriel pulled her into his warm embrace, one they've been both looking forward to. Athena looked up at him longingly and soon enough his lips were against hers. There was an explosion of feelings, everything from hunger, passion, happiness, to love. She thought she should would melt right there and she never wanted it to end. But she soon learned how much of a buzz kill Michael really was.


"Yeah, you guys need to break it up right now," he said shielding his eyes.


Gabriel moved away from Athena leaving her a little disappointed, "Sorry brother."


Michael gave his brother a look of disapproval as if he knew about something that could never be. Gabriel lowered his eyes from his brother's gaze.


"What have you come here for?" Michael asked, "We wern't expecting you for awhile."


"I know I did not expect to be sent here so early, but it's about Phoebe. She's in more danger than we first thought."


"If it is about our oldest brother we have already realized he's among us."


"But there is another."


Michael raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Another? Like an accomplice?"


"I don't know."


"What do you mean you don't know, Father sent you didn't He? And He knows all."


"Well we should all know that by choice the kingdom of Earth is not fully His domain and He has obviously shown His confusion over this problem. Whoever this other person or creature is he is hiding himself well."


"So what are we supposed to do?"


Gabriel ran his hand through his silky hair in frustration, "I don't know, just wait I suppose."


Just wait? Athena thought, My daughter is in a lot more danger than you thought and all we can do is wait?


Gabriel looked at his wife with sad eyes, "I'm sorry Athena there isn't much more we can do."




----





We ran for what felt like forever. As we ran I remembered what Thanatos said, 'I am no mortal'.


What did that mean? Am I running with the wrong guy? I attempted to shake off my feelings and thoughts of anxiety; I mean why should I be so worried? This guy is trying to save my life, isn't he? I was quickly yanked off our path and I soon realized it was Thanatos pulling us behind a tree, he hadn't broken a sweat. I took the opportunity to catch my breath as he began to speak.


"Read my arm."


I looked at him in confusion, "What?"


"Read my arm," he said a second time sounding a little more frantic.


"I don't quite understand what do you mean read your arm? How do I do that?"


"Look close at my arm, very close, what do you see?"


I squinted my eyes at examined his arm and what I saw shocked me.


"The ink," I started at the words now moving along his arm,"it's glowing white!"


He let a small chuckle, a reaction to my surprise I guess, "Yes, now can you read it?"


"I don't know...what language is this?"


"It does not matter, just do it. The words will come to you."


I once again looked at the bright writing, I recognized it from school. It was some form of Greek, but too old to be its modern version and too young to be Ancient. I opened my mouth to attempt to pronounce some of the words only to have them come out fluently. It wasn't my voice, it was far too beautiful, but at the same time it was. I don't know, it's a process too hard to describe. It sounded like a melody flowing passed my lips. The words translated to: By only the power of the Angels, Child of the Angel, or of God himself I hereby now release you O Holy Knight of God, Death the Pale Rider.


The smell of death became more pungent as the ink glowed brighter and wind began to pick up. Watched in awe at what I had just done as I gave some distance and watched the transformation unfold. His skin started to peel in the most grotesque of ways, and then the muscle until it was to the point of only bone. His beautiful lush, black hair became wispy, and his striking purple eyes became pure black, whites and all. Almost everything that made seem human was stripped away from him, but the strange part his human face remained intact. Thanatos's didn't seem to be the only one who had under gone a transformation.


The wind died down and Thanatos, now clothed in a black hooded robe with a skull in hand, was now siting upon a magnificent pale mare with sapphire colored eyes. The hooves of the mare rested upon the torn yellow cloth of a little girl's clothes. I put two and two together and realized the horse was Angela.


"You...you're one of the Four Horsemen in Revelations and Angela is..." My words I trailed off as I tried to comprehend everything that was happening.


He said nothing in response. The horse, Angela or whatever her name really is, turned and slowly trotted in the direction we had run from. The hissing of the demon was getting closer.


"Come out come out where ever you are. I can smell your fear girl!"


I turned to Thanatos as if to ask him for answers. He did not look bother to look my way.
The demon soon came in sight and froze at what she saw.


"No, you can't be," as she looked at the horseman and I, "then that would mean..." Her eyes widened as she looked at me. The demon woman looked as if she wanted to say more, but Thanatos began to make his move.


Angela started towards the demon with a slow trot.


"No," the creature said,"please don't"

Her step didn't falter and they actually sped up as a demon attempted to make it's get away. Every direction it tried to turn Thanatos and the mare were always there. The demon fell to its knees showing its surrender.

"Master of Death, please spare me. I realize my mistakes I promise I will do nothing like it ever-"

It all happened so fast. Thanatos's phalanges were instantly on the demon's face. It screamed a sickening scream that was almost too much for me to bear. I could see black smoke rising from the attack and the screaming had died away. It was silent for a moment before I heard Thanatos mounting himself and Angela trotting back to where I was.

"Phoebe," The voice seemed to be in my head, different from the one earlier in the forest.

"Thanatos," I asked out loud looking at him, "Are you in my head

"My part of your journey has been completed and you are to move on without me. You will forget I was ever here."

"Wha-," before I could ask more questions something sharp and fragile was piercing my forehead and everything once again became dark.



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I'm sorry it so short! Next one will be longer.


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You Me At Six - No One Does It Better