Mirror Me

19: Gods in the Sky

"I don't quite understand," I said bewildered. "What do you mean by my reflection, my mirror me?"

Martha took a deep breath. "It is about time you learn the legends of Tartarus and the heritage of your bloodline. I pray you listen well for to answer that question of who you are and what you may become we must travel to the very beginning even before time itself."

"Oh not a history lecture!" moaned Owen leaning back on his horse. "They put me to sleep."

"It is not a history lecture," snapped Martha lifting her chin to Owen's childish behavior. "Tartarus is far too complex for a simple listing of facts and dates. No, this is a story of love and loss, good and evil, myth and truth."

"So in other words," said Daarith glaring at Owen, "shut up and listen."

"Not exactly the words I would have used, but essentially, yes." Martha adjusted her horse's stride so it paced gently next to mine. "Now listen well, young Hope. You are about to learn of the gods in the sky.....

In the beginning before there was man or magic there was light, and this light was all that existed in a vast sea of darkness. Vetrus was the light, a god perhaps, or the source of all things but whatever he was Vetrus was beautiful and bright. He suffered from incredible loneliness. He loathed for companionship, another to share his existence, but unlike him, none appeared. So in his anguish he cried and cried and from his eyes fell water, the very first creation.

Around him the water droplets swirled like fireflies dancing in a glade landing into the void becoming the stars. So then the night sky became the second creation.

Yet, even though the darkness had been conquered and light twinkled in the heavens, Vetrus was still alone. He gathered the water from his eyes into his hands and saw for the first time a reflection of himself.

Bright and beautiful was his reflection, so beautiful it came to life. So was born the goddess, Hetrus. A name here that means, one made to love.

Hetrus had hair of rainbows and skin of silver and gold. She loved Vetrus and wished for nothing more than to share eternity with him, but as soon as their fingers touched a violent force ripped them apart. Being a reflection of her lover, Hetrus could never embrace Vetrus without causing him harm. Despair set in and soon the two great gods faded away. Vetrus became the Earth and the sun. Hetrus became Tartarus and the moon. They would dance in a sea of stars forever creating the day and the night. Even now in the night their love still shines. The moon reflects the light of the sun so no one living in darkness may ever feel alone.

But this was not the end to the gods in the sky. Energy can never be lost or destroyed. It simply becomes something more. The power left behind from Vetrus and Hetrus birthed three god brothers so named, Juprus, the Proud, Plutus, the Wise, and Neptus, the Ambitious. Together these three gods descended upon the new worlds and from their hands they brought into existence magical beasts, and those for burden, the tallest mountains, and the deepest oceans, the rivers and the valleys, the forests and the deserts, and as a final testament to their power, the three brothers created a being similar to their likeness, humans.

While the brothers were proud of their human creations, they bickered on their creation's true purpose. Plutus believed humans could be capable of great things, that it would be a waste of their intelligence if magic offered them all they ever needed. He desired a world of laws and reason; a world where people could create, discover, wonder, and learn independent of gods. On opposite ends, Juprus and Neptus wanted to be worshiped and adored. They believed humans should be grateful for their lives and offer acts of devotion through prayer and praise. An exchange that caused Plutus and Neptus to gain great power, but ultimately become dependent on their creations for sustenance. So in their differences they made their homes. Juprus and Neptus ruled over Tartarus. Plutus reigned over Earth.