Short stories

God of Redemption

There was a man who thought he had a right to laugh at the world. This was a man born of a mortal father that he never got to see, and a Goddess mother that was a nightmare. His mother, Ivuna, shaped him into a miserable man that lashed out at others in a way that was comfortable and familiar to him. He took what others had without asking, and never apologized for his actions. His mother drilled into his head that he was to never allow anyone other than herself to inform his decisions. The Goddesses took the worst of it, as they could not fight back, even with their specialized gifts. His angelic face and charming smile hid a monster inside that liked to bubble over and find ways to rear its angry head. His blond hair and lean body told of innocence that his uncaring eyes contradicted.

Only one God held more power and influence than Zechariah and his mother. Nuthos, God of Order, and he was a difficult man to track down. When Nuthos was away, Ivuna, the Goddess of Destruction ruled with an iron fist and made sure no one would get in the way of her power. No one was brave enough to disobey her or her son and tell Nuthos of their cruel actions. Until one day, one lowly Goddess with more desperation than common sense took it upon herself to risk her death to have Ivuna and her pushy, handsy son controlled once and for all. When Nuthos became aware of the destruction of peace in his absence, he banished Ivuna to live out her punishment in The AshLand. The AshLand was a desolate place, nothing to see but fog and ash that invaded the lungs until one struggled to breathe.

Nuthos took pity on Zechariah, as he was only a demigod and did not truly understand the responsibilities that came with being, or becoming, a God. Nuthos cast Zechariah into a deep, damp pit in the middle of a forest on Earth that was untouched by humans. He told Zechariah that the only way out would be to face and overcome the monsters in the hole. He did not tell Zechariah that they would appear only when he was ready to face them.

It was years of unrelenting rage and cursing Nuthos before Zechariah quieted himself enough to listen to the whisperings in the pit. When he started to listen, the ground rumbled around him and a door-like opening presented itself across the pit. With the confidence of someone who believed they were invincible, he strode across the pit into the room without a care. Inside the room was a couch, a pit, giant rocks, a thin man, and a lady who looked ancient enough to be a mummy. Zechariah watched her move rocks into the pit one by one for a few moments before mentally dismissing her and taking a seat on the soft-as-sin light blue couch next to the man.

Wow, this couch is so nice, Zechariah thought to himself. Much nicer than any of the couches in my mother's home. Who knew that couches could be this soft.

The man sitting next to Zechariah had a bored look on his face and his body looked almost glued to the pillows of the couch. Neither man spoke a word for what seemed like an eternity.

"Have you noticed that every time she puts a rock into that stupid pit, another one appears where the last one she grabbed was." Zechariah said offhandedly to the man, although he didn't expect a reply in return.

The man's body creaked, as if he hadn't moved in a while, when he turned to look at the cherubic demigod next to him.

"She has been at it for years." The man replied.

"How annoying," Zechariah gave the woman a look of distaste. "Does she not realize that it's pointless. This is why I hire people to do the dirty work for me. My mother would punish her for not getting all of this done in a timely manner."

The man laughed, his long, unkempt beard hardly moving with a shake of his body. The laugh sounded off, it was too slow to be considered a normal laugh. In fact, the man moved slowly as well, like his body did not like to move at all.