Sotiria

Chapter 3

   The gods had exploded in a flurry of voices, frantic and loud. Hades and Persephone gave Sotiria wary looks, but not fearful which she was happy about. She figured it was best to just let the gods work this out themselves, but she returned the occasional suspicious glare with a smile to show them her good intentions. Finally they stopped arguing and reached a consensus. She hadn't been paying attention to their exact words but the she got the gist of it. They would call the Fates to discern her underlying goal. It was slightly upsetting that they thought she would try to hurt them, but at least she would get to meet Clothos, Atropos, and Lachesis, her great-great-nieces. 

   "As King of the Gods, I declare you our prisoner." Zeus declared.

   Zeus, Ares, and Apollo jumped forward and boxed her in. The rest of the gods all lashed out with their combined powers to shackle her. Now she was offended. Their powers were useless against her, of course. She didn't even feel it. When they realized their powers were ineffective they strained even harder to imprison her. Sotiria crossed her arms, upset, and released her full aura once again. As one the gods moved away from her. Okay, this had been amusing but no longer. They had to learn who was boss. They involuntarily flinched from her glare, which was mollifying but not enough. She waved a hand, blocking their power sources. There were a couple shrieks and gasps of horror. Ignoring their panic, she let herself grow taller, towering over them.

   "I came here to Earth to meet my family. I did not come here to be treated like this. I do not appreciate disrespect from mere children, and this will not happen again. I am quite capable of getting rid of Earth if I must, despite the amusing human creatures. Gaia and Ouranos will get over it. I have no harmful intentions, I simply wish to become acquainted with you all. This is your only warning."

   Whew. She had never been so angry before, but that lecture had helped her burn off some steam. From her observations she had known that the gods were rather pig-headed, but she did not have endless patience. To emphasize her words, she let her aura vacuum the energy from the room, turning the surroundings to nothingness as an example of what she would do to the Earth. Judging by their terrified expressions, they had learned their lesson. She returned their powers and energy back at the same time. Most looked rather shell-shocked, so she let them have time to gather their wits. To everyone's surprise, Hestia was the first to come forward. But Sotiria knew that it was in her nature, as goddess of the hearth and home. Hestia hated family disputes. 

   "I'm sorry, for reacting without hearing your explanation. I'm sure I speak for all when I say that we will be more respectful."

   The looks that Hestia received said otherwise, but fortunately for them no one voiced their dissent. Sotiria nodded in satisfaction, the last of her anger leaving her. She gave them all a bright smile once more, happy again. As the daughter of Chaos, she was subject to rapid mood changes at the slightest provocation. She could tell they were disconcerted but she ignored that. They'd have to get over that. Aura subdued once more, she clapped her hands excitedly. 

   "So, has anyone eaten churros before?"

   It was hours later that she finally made any progress in befriending her family. She had materialized churros for everyone to eat, but only Persephone had been brave enough to try one. Of course, she had fallen in love with them instantly, and convinced Hades to try some. The others also tasted it, mostly out of fear of what she would do if they didn't eat it, but Sotiria wouldn't have hurt them. Silly gods. 

   Sotiria approached Aphrodite, curious as to why she could sense sorrowful guilt in her soul beneath her flimsy shields. The goddess of beauty and love squirmed under Sotiria's look, uncomfortable. 

   "I can see beyond your shields, you know. Why do you feel this way?" Sotiria whispered.

   "I- I don't know what you're talking about." 

   But there was a flash of shock in her eyes, before she covered it back up in her shield. Sotiria shook her head, disappointed. 

   "Look, Aphrodite, I have seen the Titans and you gods make mistake after mistake. I'm here to help clean this all up and I can't do that if you lie to me. I know you have been cheating on Hephaestus for a very long time with Ares. Is this the reason for your guilt?"

   The goddess' eyes sparked in defensive anger. She took a step forward trying to intimidate Sotiria, snarling. But Sotiria could sense the pain the girl was feeling underneath and didn't react, knowing that was what the goddess wanted. She delved into Aphrodite's memories, sifting through until she found what she was looking for. The source of her pain. 

   At the beginning of Aphrodite's marriage to Hephaestus, the young love goddess was overjoyed. She was in love with her brooding, distant husband, and believed he loved her back. She pledged eternal devotion to him. But one day, she found him in bed with a nymph, and that betrayal had cut so deep she vowed to never be faithful to her unfaithful husband. 

   Poor Aphrodite, this is why she was so mean to others. And she didn't even love Ares, she was just using him because she was lonely. Sotiria couldn't help it; she threw her arms around the girl, patting her head consolingly. 

   "It's okay now, Auntie Sotiria is here now!"

   Sotiria was a bit too wrapped up in Aphrodite's emotions, and ended up bursting into tears. Now the goddess was trying to calm her down, rather awkwardly. When she calmed, she noticed her nephews Hephaestus and Ares staring at them. She stomped over to Hephaestus angrily, grabbing his ear and yanking hard. 

   "Bad Hephaestus! Bad! You do not cheat on your wife! Now go say sorry, and then go sit in that corner!" Sotiria yelled, pointing to said corner.

   He tried to push her hand away from his ear but no luck. She let him go after a second yank, and prodded him with her power towards Aphrodite.