The Children of the Gods

Chapter Four: Planning

The inside of the house was phenomenal compared to the outside. It was exactly how Maeva remembered: clean, bright, warm, organized. Bones, flowers, berries, and other alchemy ingredients littered the house, but somehow even they felt like they brought the room together. There wasn't a single hole or a single sign of wear and tear in any part of the house. The old lady was pouring tea into two cups, adding honey to her own before bringing them to the table. "You have gotten quite big from the last time I saw you," she sat in her seat, reminiscing fondly. Maeva smiled in return, biting back the pain pulsing through her body. "What brings you here in such a state? You look done in," she sipped her tea while Maeva just stared at her own cup.

"I need to talk to you about an encounter I had with Sol." The old woman's face lit up.

"Ah yes, to the people Sol is an omen of death and destruction. They say that Sol brings nothing but suffering and misery. Sol is misunderstood, they simply pursue what is best for everyone in the end, but they are unbiased and logical, they do not let their emotions guide them," she snapped back from her rambling, "but what happened with Sol?" Maeva explained everything to the old woman, spilling every detail she could remember, from the hunt to being transported to Sol's trial to the bear and finally to her escape and trip to the shack.

"Sol says they want to figure out what to do with 'us'. But I don't even know who us is..." Maeva hadn't touched her tea, she placed it on the table in front of her. The old woman's face looked sad as she listened to Maeva's recap. She stood up and walked to her bookshelf filled with many different apothecary ingredients. She dug through them and started picking out ones that Maeva didn't recognize.

"How about I treat you while we discuss what happened? Maybe we can get some insight as to what Sol wants or is planning."

~~

After discussing the events that went on and the consequences of her own existence among the rest of the children, Maeva's brain was bursting. The old woman explained as much as she knew, warning Maeva against falling into the radar of certain gods, such as Mjohvir and Anarar. She warned that even against Sol's command, those gods will still pursue her and the others like her in an attempt to kill them. She believed that these gods were firm believers in that the world would be better off without them.

"So what do I do about this? I don't stand a chance if some god comes to kill me, I couldn't even take down a bear when it came to it." Maeva's eyes drifted down as her face dropped. Her head ached, but luckily due to the old woman's poultice and potions, she felt much better. However, even though her pain was subsiding, her thoughts tormented her. The fight with the bear had demoralized her, as well as the inability to supply her town meat. She was disappointed in herself for being the daughter of a god, even if it wasn't her choice. Sol's trial made her feel disgusted in herself.

"Well... There is strength in numbers." Maeva glanced up from the table, confused about what the old woman was saying. The old woman smiled at her face and continued her plan. "What I mean is that you and the other children of the gods can get together. You can either fight for your right to live and likely die, or you can try to appease the gods and live alongside them through coexistence," the old woman waited her response, her face lit up and excited.

"That... might work. How do I get them all together? There is no way that we will all be united that easily." The old woman chuckled and nodded to her. She stood up and started to collect materials; a chicken skull, a paintbrush, and a blood flower. She mixed the ingredients together into a wooden bowl and placed them over burning embers, just like she did when she summoned Epros years ago. She swirled the ingredients until purple smoke poured out from the ingredients. She muttered 'nos', and a flash of purple erupted from the bowl. In front of the fireplace stood the same ginger nord she saw during Sol's trial. The same nord that defended the demonkin god and stood up to Mjohvir in the clash. Faiver, the goddess of insanity and art stood in front of them, her eyes glowing a beautiful and strong orange.