COPG: Life and death of Ayasha and Gaea: Clash on the big bridge.

 
xxxxx

Somewhere in the Philippines, at a random orphanage. 


Ayasha arrived, dressed in an expensive white dress, a pair of sunglasses and her hair glamoured to make it look like a 50's best haircut. It didn't suit the decor well, much to Gaea's annoyance who rolled her eyes as her daughter finally made herself known to her mother.  Ayasha was persistent, she was convinced that with the right conversation she could make her mother join them in their efforts to destroy Elpis. It became really obvious that despite her claims, Gaea was afraid of Elpis and hid on Earth just so her daughter couldn't find her. Ayasha could feel it since she was also afraid of her sibling. The All-mother glanced at her daughter and walked further into the orphanage with the toddler she was holding in her arms. 

"Mother, why are you rotting away here?"

"And yet you're here." Gaea simply snapped back, swaying the infant so it could slowly drift into sleep.  "Why are you here, Ayasha? weren't our last conversations explicit enough?"

"They were... but an opinion isn't cast in stone, it can change." She pointed out, walking into the room and crossing her arms above her chest. "Mother, you can't refuse to talk to your daughter any longer."

"What if I want to? Do you want to test my patience, Ayasha?" She curbed a brow, but Ayasha removed her glasses to stare at her mother with her emerald eyes.  "Say what you have to say and leave. I have no interest in talking to you."

"Oh, yes you do. I have gathered intel from the last couple weeks and it appears that Elpis is getting stronger. She's testing her limits as we speak, still in the company of that abomination created by Hades and she's getting stronger. I felt her, too briefly to locate her, but enough to feel the immense power she's using. they're getting close."

"She won't harm me, why should I concern myself with your petty fears?" -Yet, her ton faltered-. 

Gaea did feel Elpis' power surge, once. it was faint but it was terrifying because she could feel Elpis' determination to destroy her enemies. Gaea understood her anger, After all,  Ayasha and Ishtar betrayed her, cursed her, and killed her father and her siblings. they were a source of great grief for the goddess who now wanted nothing more but to destroy all of them. While it was unclear whether or not Elpis wanted to go after Gaea, it was still a possibility for the pink haired goddess to come after her mother.  Gaea clenched her fingers onto the toddler's back and looked at her daughter's green eyes. She felt it, the stronger connection to life Elpis had ever since she was released from her curse. A power similar to Gaea's but potentially even greater since the child was the lovechild between Khaos and Gaea. If Elpis realized her true potential, it could possibly become the end of the All-Mother which made her swallow a hard lump.  Ayasha's smile grew larger as she now caught a glimpse of fear in her mother's eyes and she quietly sat on the chair in front of her mother and that mortal child. 

"Now that I have your full attention, I am going to lay down my plan. You will listen carefully to all I'm going to say and until I'm done, you won't interrupt me. Are we clear, Mother?"

"..." Gaea nodded and cradled the human child some more. 

"Good. Finally!" -The blond crossed her legs and leaned forward so her mother could have a better look at her. Seeing Gaea like this sent a shiver down the spine of her daughter who did her best not to gloat too early. she would wait a little bit, at least until she was done explaining her plan to her mother, before she could openly mock her.- "We certainly cannot let Elpis gain enough strength to level our entire pantheon. I still cannot locate her, but you are the All-mother, the original one. with you I think we would be able to find her and squash her for good.  I already have a plan in motion which is the following. I found her former vessel. Asma Jensen, the human doppelganger. I found her and befriended her. There would be an exhibition very soon in town. I have already made myself known to Elpis by appearing on TV. So she knows her precious former host is in danger;" She marked a pause and  ran her hand over the artificial curls of her hairstyle. 

"...." 

Gaea didn't say anything. she was listening to her daughter, thinking of how a plan like this was lacking vision. She didn't take into consideration the power of emotions. She didn't trust the plan, knowing that potentially, it could lead to a true awakening of her daughter. Asma was cherished, it was obvious. If she had not been she would have been killed during the ritual. Both the Sin and her daughter cared for her, so threatening Asma might not be the brightest idea Ayasha had. She realized that eventually, her daughter was cornered and panic had settled in more than she let on. It had the All-mother frown but waited until Ayasha was done talking. 

"I want to cause a rift between my sister and the Sin. He spared this human's life, so I guess she bonded with him like no other could, not even Elpis. I want them to fight each other and destroy one another. Bonus point if I get to kill Asma too." -She said with a tight grin- 

"And when do you exactly need my help? if you have this plan already, then I should be useless to you, shouldn't I?" She curbed a brow and  swayed the infant who was moaning in its sleep, as if it was having a nightmare.-

"Mother..... This is plan B. This is what I have thought of in case you didn't help me but we could do better than this. If you help me locate my sister, I could attack when they least expect it." She smiled brightly. "You are the all-mother, you have tremendous power, Mother. with you, we could even destroy the Sin."

"I don't think so. Hades truly designed the sins to be impossible to destroy. they are an essence, a concept. they will forever exist as long as life does. Do you honestly believe that Pride, of all the seven sins, would not exist within you? or me?"

"Wh.." Ayasha swallowed a lump and lost her composure. she blinked several times as she had not thought about it. She was certain that using a weapon similar to the one Pride used against Leviathan or his siblings could be a solution. "No, you're wrong! we can destroy him! He was able to kill Leviathan and steal his power. He was able to kill his siblings and steal their powers. he...I haven't had a better look at his weapon or how they work but I'm pretty sure that once I figure this out, I would be able to take him down. Maybe he can't be killed in the biblical sense of the word, but he can be contained and imprisoned. I will... I will look into this." She bit her bottom lip. "How little faith you have in me, Mother, to think that I haven't foreseen this issue. I am the goddess of knowledge!"

"And yet, you still know nothing!" -Gaea snapped at her.- "How dare you come to me, lecture me, suggest to me that I kill my beloved daughter? How dare you after you got my husband killed? After you orchestrated everything with Ishtar just so he could take the crown and steal his father's powers. How /dare/ you come to me with a smile on your lips, that out-of-place look and this fake smile and even HOPE to convince me to work with you?"

Thunder and lightning rumbled above their heads. Gaea's eyes turned white as she summoned the elements. Ayasha recoiled on her seat, shocked to see the reaction of her mother and a glimpse at her anger. the elements were slowly starting to manifest around them, inducing panic in the hearts of the orphans but also the adult humans who were around. the animals were screaming and tried to take cover from the weather that was going out of control. Ayasha tucked some hair behind her ear and flashed a bright green light at her mother as  her divine aura slowly engulfed her. Gaea teleported the child to his bed and stood up slowly, towering her daughter who was still sitting on her chair. she wouldn't dare grow to her actual size, a size way too big for humans to even conceive and in this modern times, who would even have the capacity to understand what was going on? or to suffer a divine apparition? Nobody. 

"How BOLD of you Mother! How bold of you to get angry at me for doing what you both taught us to do!" She stood up slowly too, facing her mother with her blond locks whipped because of the wind. She stood tall and  looked at her.

"You killed my  HUSBAND! You killed your father!!  I will never forgive you! I willl NEVER work with you!"

"Yes you will!!! It's not going to be out of love!  It's going to be for survival!" This ticked a box in Gaea's mind, who tilted her head to the side and narrowed her gaze. "Ah!  Mother, we have always known that your only true love was Father. You desired Elpis but I've always known that if you could ditch her, you would and you just did."

"Enough!"

"No! When you realized we were going to betray her, you let it happen! You even let it happen with  Dad!"

"ENOUGH!"

"I am the goddess of Knowledge! don't you think I'd know the truth someday? You hide here among humans, pretending to be a saint and caring for them when all you want is to be worshipped by them. you want to become stronger, you cower here in fear that Elpis finds you! You know she will find you and once she does, she will KILL you! so Stop being stubborn and join us, Mother. let us protect you."

"Do you honestly think I would trust a word you say? You are a sniveling bitch Ayasha! I know you're trying to manipulate me like you manipulated your brother. GET OUT!"

Ayasha started to chuckle, mostly because she knew she hit right. The fear she could read on her mother's face was enough to convince her she was on the right path. Yes, Gaea was pretending, as always. She'd always been lying to everyone, including her own kin about her true nature. Even today, as finally Ayasha was able to spit the truth to her face, Gaea pretended. she could never admit to being a fraud and to be selfish. she could never admit that all she ever wanted was to be worshipped by her children and her creations and now that she lost the power she had on her sons and daughters, she relied on Earth to maintain that power. Elpis was threatening this, especially now that her true nature had awakened and Gaea was afraid to lose everything. Gaea knew that staying on Earth and being so easy to find would ultimately lead her to a fight with her daughter, but she was confident she could stand her ground and was strong enough to vanquish her daughter. Yet, doubt crept in her heart and Ayasha could see it on her mother's face. it was only a matter of time. 

"GET OUT!" -screamed Gaea, the winds now hurling into the room and threatening the roofs. Ayasha lifted a brow and put her sunglasses back onto her face. 

"You will come around. whether you like it or not. Trust me on that, /mom/." 

And just as fast as she came into the scene, she vanished. It took a while for Gaea to calm down. As soon as her daughter left the orphanage, she took a deep breath and sat back on the chair. her chest heaved up and down at a fast pace and she dropped a couple tears. Ayasha was right about something, she was scared of Elpis. She was worried that nothing could make her stop her rampage of violence and wished she would be able to reason with her. The truth was, that Elpis was beyond reasoning with. She would never listen to Gaea, not after the All-Mother abandoned her to her fate. She would never listen to her, not after she let her husband be killed. It scared the All-Mother because she felt that power and knew that it only was a matter of time before ELpis found her, yet, she still believed she could buy herself some time. After all, Elpis' first target would be her siblings and since Ayasha was the goddess of KNowledge and had a plan, maybe she would be brilliant enough to kill Elpis. Gaea wiped her tears off of her face and took calmer bigger breaths. Everything would be alright. it had to be. 

-TBC-