Chronicles of the Primeval Gods: Life and Death of Gaea : « Atonement »

Chronicles of the Primeval Gods: Life and Death of Gaea : « Atonement »

A/N : For once, the All-mother is speaking to me. Besides, if I can get a glimpse of the life Elpis and Pride are leading now it's a bonus.

XXXX

Sardinia, La Pelosa beach, roughly around 6 pm.

The pink-haired goddess walked on the warm sand, her pair of red heels in her hand, and a glass of white wine in the other. The fresh wind was brushing over her sensitive skin, eliciting a soft smile on her features while her messy bun came undone because of the wind. She took the glass to her lips, taking a sip before her golden orbs stared at her beloved who was walking next to her, unbothered. If anything, the fact he loosened his tie was proof enough of his relatively relaxed mood. They had been on Earth for a couple weeks now and they had not been attacked by her siblings yet. Pride's strategy to never stay in the same spot long enough to be noticed, somehow paid off. They were now sharing a new, better, and stronger bond than the one Elpis and Prime! Pride did. As they spent more time together, Elpis appreciated his brutal honesty. Pride was a man of his word who valued loyalty and honesty. He promised he would destroy the primeval pantheon and make her siblings pay for what they did to them. He promised her a crown and a seat by his side as the ruling queen of the Universe and she knew he meant his words. The only thing he required from her was her loyalty and to trust in him, which she did.

The king of the Underworld came to understand why he was attracted to her. On top of her indisputable beauty, and the passion of their love-making,  there was something else about Elpis that just drew him to her. Perhaps it was the confidence she had in their relationship, the one that made her handle 2000 years of pure solitude and despair. Perhaps it was the darkness inside of her. Elpis was known to be temperamental. She was known for her vengeful spirit and the power that was untapped, unleashed, destructive. He hated Earth and would rather not be here, but she managed to make it interesting. She managed to capture his very attention, intrigue him, amuse him even. She was beautiful in that delicious evening and the beach was empty, which only added to the relaxation. Her laughter was sweet to his ear and the mischievous grin she had on her lips as she quietly ran before him had him chuckle a little bit. She stopped mid-run and gently turned around to look at him. Elpis took another sip of her champagne and outstretched her hand towards him so he could come closer. He smirked and walked towards her. He wrapped a powerful arm around her waist and pulled her against his frame. She kissed his lips and pulled away so she could smile at him. His other hand stroked her cheek and pushed some pink strands off of her face.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Amazonia, the All-mother felt the familiar psychic print of her beloved daughter. Regardless of Pride's magic, the ancient one was able to still feel the life force of her daughter. It made her stumble and she put her hand against a large tree to keep herself from falling. Elpis' energy was so powerful, so vibrant and so full of life that it almost made her tear up. Her eyes filled themselves with unshed tears as she realized she would never be able to reconcile with Elpis. How could she, when she let things happened? Elpis' anger would be justified. After all, she knew Sitäa and Khrön were in danger and let them die at the hands of Ayasha. She knew her husband was threatened by her children and yet, chose to exile herself instead of trying to punish her offsprings.

She didn't protect Khaos, she never protected Elpis' siblings because all she cared about were humans. All she cared about were humans... and Elpis. It was argued that the All-mother had never truly felt « motherly » until her last born. She performed, calculated everything and followed Khaos' design of perfect existence, until Elpis. Elpis was the child of the true love she shared with Khaos. She was the only one she wanted, that wasn't needed for this world to be functional. Elpis was the only child he actually loved. Hence why she was the favorite. Gaea sighed deeply and put her hand on her cheek, allowing her fingers to trace those human features she had on. Gaea wasn't able to locate her daughter, but she could feel the emotions that filled her heart. She knew that aside from the joy of being free and reunited with her beloved, there was anger.... hatred even that was overwhelming her. What power was making the All-mother, the goddess of creation feel shaken-up ?.... Worried ?...Afraid! Elpis was capable of so much destruction that they were afraid of her. After she came back from the Sumerian pantheon's shambles, it became clear that she could very much destroy hem if she wished to and they didn't want to experience that. She played with the heart of their All-father, took some satisfaction in sadistic retribution and nobody wanted to face it. 

Gaea could see it every day, the change within the very humans she cared for millennia since her daughter disappeared. She could see them feel bolder and stronger. She could feel her own strength being restored and yet, ever since Elpis was now on Earth, she could feel herself lose more and more strength. Perhaps it was just an emotion she felt, a knee-jerk reaction to knowing her beloved daughter was now freely roaming the Earth. Maybe it was Guilt. After all, she'd been feeling guilty for so long that she was now starting to feel the weight of her sins on her shoulders. Maybe it was the anticipation of what was to come. Gaea had always known the true potential of her daughter. The power of Life itself, of the very destruction of body and soul Hope and Light gave.

Elpis was the daughter of her father and her mother, the true mix of Creation and Destruction and they all feared she would be able to get a hold of her power and therefore be unstoppable. The All-mother shivered at the thought but couldn't help but smile at it. Wouldn't it be fitting after all? Wouldn't it be fitting for the Last born, the baby born out of true love to be the instrument of destruction of the old ways? They had been molding the goddess ever since she was born, to control her, to contain her but now she was free. They had tried to make her stop loving a sin and punished her for this and now she was free. They deserved to reap what they sowed. They deserved to die. Gaea wanted to, so she could finally join Khaos.

But before she fell victim of her daughter's scorn, she wanted to see her one last time.

She wanted to touch her beautiful face, stroke the soft skin of her cheek, hear her soft voice.

She wanted to be a mother like she had not been for millennia.

She needed to atone for her crimes, and apologize.

-TBC-