Chapter 31: Ch. 31: To The Fairest (1)
Ch. 31: To The Fairest (1)
I vaguely remember when I last felt like this— cornered, hurt, helpless, played. Growing up in the orphanage I always wanted to have a family I could call mine, I wanted a home. I heard my mother abandoned me because I was a son of an unwanted relationship and thus deemed unworthy myself. When I got married and had my daughter I felt whole, because I finally had something to protect— a home.
And when my wife took that all from me-- my daughter I so cherished, the house where we built our memories, my everything— I ran mad! It was hell on Earth. I wanted to die but I was too weak to take the easy way out, Greek mythology became my rock in the dark times-- my new home.
I'm happier than I have ever felt in all the eighty years of my life here and if it would take killing a person to keep my new home safe, I would BLOODY DO IT-- !!!
At first when I came here I pondered on what my role would be.... Would I just watch from the sides and follow the story the way it would go. But that was no fun, what I really wanted to live my life to the fullest without any war or calamities occuring. That was then I decided for the first time in my life that I would become the protagonist of my own life.
There was a mumur coming from a certain direction, my senses urged me to go in that direction. I pushed through everyone in my way roughly without any regard for anyone, the timer was already running and I had to act without hesitation. My eye caught a glimpse a glimpse of her long dark hair, I was closing in on her, there was no way she could lose me with the eye.
I don't think I have ever fought this hard for my life before, my heart was pounding much harder this time, my eyes blazing. I kicked whoever was in my way, the time for low profile was gone. I was closing in on Eris, I reached out to grab her hair which proved hard when she was zigzagging through the crowd. Just a bit more and I would have her in my grasp.
Just as my grasp rounded on her hair —WHAM— someone shoved me from the side and I skidded lightly, my grasp missed her just barely. I could see her turn and stare at me with a pleased smile as she dissolved into the crowd.
"Damnit!!" I barked as I looked to see who it was that had attacked me so directly, to think she had an associate tagging me from the back. How well had they planned this? I was too busy chasing her to notice the other person, the people around us started to take notice of what was happening just slightly. "You!"
Ares stood there and licked his lips like the snake he was, his eyes were deeply pleased and held no glimpse of fear in them. "Sorry big brother Hades but things have to be like th--"
--WHAM--
I drilled my knuckles into his face and heard a loud crack, his body went hurtling through the air like a projectile knocking down a few people with him. Hot smoke hissed from my now bloody knuckles, I gritted my teeth and hissed. "Stop interfering with my story you pest!" Before people could panic I darted into the crowd not caring for the repercussion of what I had just done.
Now which way did Eris go?
WARNING!! HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS HAS BEEN DETECTED!
"Tch!" I hissed, I could feel my body getting hotter by the second, was this an effect of being a god? My body was reacting uncontrollably.
WARNING!! YOU ARE LOSING YOUR SENSES!
YOU WILL FALL INTO A BESERK STATE IN 10 SECONDS!
Dammit! I have to calm down or I'll lose it but I have to-- and just when I had realized it, I was too late! I could see Eris walking closer to three female figures sitting at an open corner of the hall and being adored by others. "N-- no!" Eris beat me to it, perhaps I would have reached her if I had seen Ares coming from the side earlier. It doesn't matter if I lose anyway.
I watched her present them with a tray where a bright golden apple shimmered in the light, when. Hera asked who the apple was referred too I could hear Eris' voice clearly saying. "TO THE FAIREST!" That was the trigger, not long after the three beautiful goddesses started to argue on who was the fairest of all.
The fairest in this case clearly meant the most beautiful, right before my eyes the fight started to escalate beyong just a mere argument.
Curses were rained down and signs of a rising conflict were starting to spiral.
"No!" I could not control myself, I charged forward and closed the gap between us in seconds. I grabbed Eris by the hair and yanked her back roughly, she screamed from the pain. "Why you, what have you done?"
Tears started to form in Eris' eyes, wait-- it wasn't Eris but another maidservant. I was wrong, if it wasn't Eris then.... I looked back at the three goddesses whose eyes were now transfixed on me. There was no golden apple there, had I just imagined it then? Had I just made a fool of myself in public? But I just beat Eris to it right, or maybe she just gave up.
Everyone looked at me and started to mumur, what had I just done? "Hades?" Hera called out to me her eyes pierced into my soul as if expecting something.
"Ku--" I tried to speak but words failed me, my head was still in a mix. I looked around left and right, there was no Eris. Did I scare her off.
"Big bro!!" Zeus started to approach me from the crowd he walked slowly, cautiously. Why was I feeling gloomy deep down, Zeus smiled lightly and stopped a few feet from me. "Were you looking for me?"
Now what do I say, that I was chasing a crazy goddess hell-bent on causing chaos on Olympus.
"You came to see us right?" I heard a sweet voice that made my heart throb, I looked forward to see a beautiful young woman wearing a peach dress, her eyes were a mix of red and white, her lips pink, her hair a draping down her front and back in it's pink colour.
Her eye lashes was a deep black, her skin looked milky and sweet, there was no two ways but she had to be— APHRODITE, GODDESS OF LOVE & BEAUTY.
The other goddess on the the left of Hera wore a huge golden helmet, she had powerful black eyes and wore a long blue gown. She was much darker in comparison to the previous two. She looked very displeased in me, the one and only— ATHENA, GODDESS OF WISDOM & WAREFARE.
These were the three goddesses, most powerful in the world. They were the most impossible to tame women in all of Olympus and I was standing here before them. What anyone from old world would give to be standing here before them. This was a dream come true.
I smiled brightly and said. "I just wanted to say "HI" to the loveliest women I know of."
The three of them looked at me for a while as if I was a fashion accessory to be studied, I guess I was an eye catcher. What a wild ride, I still had to keep my eye out for Eris meaning I had to stay with them till they dissolved from the party. Talk about a difficulty in quest.
"So, you finally took my advice to come ask me for love advice?" Aphrodite giggled like a child, her puffy plum cheeks looked so ripe I wanted to snuggle them in my hands. I swear I don't know how those words went together.
She had huge bosom looked huge as it bulged hard against her peach dress it felt as if it would just pop right out of the dress. No! I tried to look away from it before I started to have ugly thoughts, too bad! I already did. It was really hard concentrating in front of a literal goddess in terms of beauty let alone one.
Athena glared at me with a scornful look, I have a feeling I wasn't popular with her. "Hades, I haven't seen you since you were what--? Two hundred?" I guess that seems long in immortality, was it just me I keep forgetting I was immortal. "I remember you still owe me a game of chess."
Zeus laughed heartily as she threw his arms around my neck. "Big bro Hades sure is back now, all my persuasion finally paid off."
Like hell it was you. "I hear you beat Zeus, a shame I wasn't there to see Mr Sunshine get his face mopped on the floor." Athena said with a clear distaste in her voice, now I was sure she was a negative minded person.
Zues brought his lips closer to my ear and whispered. "Big bro, you still haven't handed me my birthday present."
What the hell is he spouting, isn't he a grown up man— why would a god who has everything need something? "Sorry Zeus but I have business with the ladies."
"Oooh? Does it have to do with that then?" Aphrodite pointed at me, not me exactly but my trouser pocket. So that was what the three had been staring at for a while now, here I was thinking I might have offended them.
"Hehe, what are you talking about, there nothing in my-- !!" What was this feeling in my pocket? My eyes shot down sharply to see a glowing light piercing through my pocket but I did not have anything in my pocket.
"So what is it then?" Hera asked.
No please don't be what I think it is. My hand trembled greatly as they slid into my pocket hole and grazed the smooth circular substance in my pocket, my heart dropped into icy waters. It couldn't be....
"Take it out then?" Athena said grumpily. "Didn't think you were one to play pranks."
If I didn't take it out it could cause a ruckus, I slowly slipped the strange substance from my pocket and raised it up before me where everyone could see. "Shit!!" I cursed as an almost blinding light of golden rays shot up from what sat in my palms, the three goddesses beamed with excitement.
In my palms was the GOLDEN APPLE OF DISCORD!! Another light shot up from it forming the words "TO THE FAIREST". I swear my brain shut down in that instant, just how and when did Eris put that in my pocket and how did I not notice it until now? Because it just appeared, damn— I was played till the very end by her.
I felt my eyes lose all life on them as reality hit me like a projectile. It was now clear that I had no hope of stopping them from start. I was being manipulated from start and now I triggered the calamity with my own hands, neat trick making me do your dirty work for you bitch. I was unable to move for the first time in my life, so this was the meaning of defeat. I had just lost for the first time.
Truly lost—!!
I don't know if the calamity was true but maybe this wasn't so bad, letting the story take its original course. It was meant to happen right? Now what do I do?
I was clueless but the goddesses were already absorbed by the apple, how was I supposed to explain the apple. I just caused the biggest dispute in the story, I just dug my own grave.