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It was the first time I'd seen the Goddess like this. I couldn't see her face or feel her emotions, but she looked physically defeated. She held her head back, as if staring up at the tree over our heads, and her chest rose as she took a deep breath.
"It's okay. I know he didn't,” she replied, her words barely audible. “And he was right.”
She looked down, and I watched as she ran a finger over the back of her left hand. The stars on her skin shone bright, and I held my breath when a drop of water fell on her arm from under her hood.
The teardrop was glowing like a star, and the Goddess quickly wiped it away.
“Goddess?” I whispered.
"My sister's skin was as white as a cloud, but her hair was as bright as the sun," she said. "She had to wear a hood like mine whenever she created souls."
"She sounds beautiful," I said.
She nodded and sat up straight, her shoulders squared as she regained her composure. Still, I was honored that she'd allow me to see her like this, in such a vulnerable state.
It was also moving to see her be so—mortal.
I frowned at that thought. Was she losing her powers? The more souls died or became infected, the fewer energy sources the gods had. Prayer was the gods’ source of power, and while werewolves firmly stood behind the Goddess, the loss of those who’d become infected could affect her divinity.
“She was,” the Goddess answered. “We were night and day, quite literally, but inseparable.” She took a deep breath. “But you all were right. It's possible, but highly unlikely, that Cedric has tested the virus on demons. Which means, there's hope."
"Cedric has more armies under his control, and we have to protect Earth. So we’re going to need some help,” she added. "As much as I detest this idea, we’ll need to ask the Demon Realm for aid.”
“I’ll go,” I said. “You can all continue your search here for Cedric and Rumir. Even if it takes time, we know they’re holed up somewhere in the mountains."
"No," she countered. "You don't know the Demon Realm, or even have a clue where to start looking. If you end up trapped, we’re doomed. Besides, you're the only chaos user we have on our side, and we don't know when the next attack will be. You have to stay here."
She stood up, and so did I.
“I’ll go,” she said with finality. “Besides, I think I know how to secure the help we need.”
“How? You'll have to speak to the Demon King, and honestly, I don't see that conversation going well.”
She touched my shoulder. "Let me worry about that, okay? We all have our roles to play, and this one will be mine." She shook her head. “I should have seen this coming. I knew of Cedric’s feelings towards the gods, even if he might have loved me at some point—or whatever he calls love. He’s always been greedy and self-righteous, but I just never imagined him capable of this."
“You can’t beat yourself up for not seeing the future,” I argued. “He was once someone you cared about, even with his shortcomings, and that's okay. What matters is what we do now.”
A bird's chirping drew our attention, and I looked down at the bench to see a translucent, holographic bird perched there. Its eyes were pale blue, and its head tilted as it watched us. When its little beak opened and it started to sing a beautiful tune, I smiled, a sense of calm washing over me.
“I should go,” the Goddess said, turning to leave. “Time is of the essence. We don’t want to lose our advantage.”
“Are you sure about this, Goddess? Are you strong enough?”
She nodded. “I’m fine, Natalie. Trust me. Just look after Lucian and keep searching for Rumir. Find my son, Natalie. Please.”
"I will," I told her, and without another word, she tapped her bracelet and teleported.
I felt uneasy. The Goddess had seemed like herself in terms of her powers, and last night, she'd fought alongside Zeus and the other gods. Yet, something was wrong.
She was right in deciding to go the Demon Realm herself. I didn't know anything about it. But could she handle going to the place where her beloved sister had lost her life?
Hopefully, she would reach out to us if she needed help. But I had no choice but to trust that she had a plan, and would be able to get the aid we needed—although I hoped that plan didn't involve killing the Demon King. We didn’t need another war.
