Defiance: Perfect by Nature

Chapter Four: In the Beginning

Chapter Four: In the Beginning

2351 years ago:

Gabriel slowly walked up the sand stone steps that lead to the mortal dwelling his older sister and brother liked to live in from time to time. Each step he made caused his golden armour to rattle against the stone and reverberated through the still morning air, giving away his arrival even if his siblings hadn't already been notified that he had arrived through telepathy. Gabriel didn't even want to be there in the first place, but it was impossible to ignore a summons from the second eldest Immortal. Besides, if he didn't show up then Baal's wife would certainly hunt him down and drag him back against his will. Luna was like that; always more of a mother to him than the sister she was supposed to be.

Having climbed the final few steps, Gabriel opened the sturdy wooden door without knocking or announcing himself and walked in, hoping to annoy his siblings in some way or another. Did they have any idea how annoying it was for him to come to the mortal realm like this? Well, actually it wasn't an annoyance at all, considering he had been there since the previous night anyways. He just wouldn't tell them that though. Why did they even want him there? Very few of the Immortals paid attention to their youngest sibling and he honestly liked it that way. It left him free to pull practical jokes on humans all he wanted; and he was getting very good at that. Just last month he had some random sheep herder believing that he was some kind of celestial being sent to bring him the word of the Gods.

“I see you're still letting yourself into people's homes, Gabriel,” a soft feminine voice sighed from another room. Gabriel tried not to laugh as he walked towards the voice, knowing that if Luna heard him she would think up some obscure punishment for him.

“You summoned me and I told you when I was heading up the stairs, so where's the problem? It's not like I'm walking in on you and Baal having sex again!”

Gabriel found his elder sister lounging on a luxurious chair in the first room off the main hall, and he smiled at the look of both embarrassment and loathing she wore on her face from the memory of him catching her and her husband going at one another in a secluded forest just outside Athens a few years back. During that time he honestly could have just turned around and left them alone, but the mischievous side of him pretty much forced him to hurl olives at them from the branch of a rather tall tree. To this day that tree was still split in two from when Luna had tried to attack him.

“I thought we weren't going to bring that up anymore,” his sister groaned in annoyance. Her look of disgust quickly smoothed into her normal, pristine smile that she always seemed to wear. “Now why don't you have a seat and we can have a little talk.”

Now it was Gabriel's turn to groan as he found a seat near an open window. the smell of blossoming flowers and olives surrounding him. He was sure he was about to be lectured about something; that was usually the only reason he was ever called over to Luna's home. He just hoped they didn't find out about him hiding the King's robe after his bath last week. It was a pretty funny sight to see that old man burst out of his private bath and scare a dozen or so slaves with his shrivelled manhood.

“I thought both you and Baal wanted to speak with me,” he said and tried to keep any fear out of his voice. Gabriel preferred to deal with Baal when he was in trouble, because the older Immortal was a lot more gentle than his mean wife.

“Oh don't worry, Baal will speak with you alone after you and I have a friendly little chat. Do you know why I have called you here this morning?” she asked and Gabriel shook his head slowly. “When was the last time you spoke to or even saw Athena?”

“So it's this old topic again,” he sighed in both frustration and relief that his latest exploits weren't being called up today. Gabriel looked away from his older sister and her beautiful face as he stretched out on the chair and kicked his legs up onto a painted vase that was left unintentionally in front of him. “Four year ago I suppose.”