The Aetherkeria and Glasseia

Zariah led everyone forward, staying silent and stoic. RJ and the quiet Lili were on either side of the girl on crutches, helping her along, leaving Cola, Kayla, Summer, and I to bring up the rear. Kayla, Summer, and I were inclined to stay silent, but Cola appeared to need to fill the silence with exposition.

"So, this is the Aethekeria!" He said, gesturing to the structure. "It's a type of temple specifically made to worship Atana. Many of them were torn down, like most temples to the gods, but a few remain. The Ágioi had most of the temples to the Old Ones torn down centuries ago when they rose to power. Well, centuries makes it sound sorta recent. More like two thousand years ago."

"They're really old then," Summer muttered sarcastically.

Cola didn't pick up on it. "Yeah! And the Old Ones are even older! They say that they were around before the world was!"

"Yeah, sure."

"Inside the Aethekeria is a statue of Atana, a replica of her likeness. It's incredibly accurate. The artist even got the loose strand of hair that always hangs on the right side of her face. They used to say that touching the statue would give you the wisdom of a dolphin, her sacred animal, if you had her favor!"

"Her sacred animal is a dolphin?" I asked with a frown. "That's… stupid."

"Dolphins are actually incredibly smart," Cola countered. "It only made sense for the Goddess of Wisdom to have an intelligent sacred animal. Oh, look, we've reached the entrance."

We had. Eli was leaning against one of the enormous mahogany doors carved with images of dolphins and spears. We followed Zariah inside, and my jaw dropped.

Huge braziers attached to one side of each of the sixteen marble columns lit up most of the temple. They covered the hall in warm oranges and dancing shadows. The domed ceiling's intricate and symmetrical design patterns danced in the flickering light. At the same time, statues and marble icons looked down upon the gray wood floor of this impressive hall.

A ruby rug split the entire room in half from the doors to the statue, while matching, rounded banners with golden borders covered parts of the walls. Between each banner sat a shrine-like ornament covered in candles. None but a few were lit and, in turn, illuminated the wall paintings of war heroes above them. Tall windows were shrouded by curtains colored the same ruby as the banners. The curtains were adorned with gilded linings and emblazoned edges. 

I marveled at the statue as we approached it. It was massive—at least forty feet tall—and was entirely silver. Atana wore a helm on her head, her hair trailing down her shoulder and over the ancient armor. A giant spear rested in her left hand while a set of scales hung in her right.

"The scales represent her judgment, which is frequently the deciding factor in the gods' debates," Cola explained. "The spear represents her battle prowess and how she is among the deadliest of the Ágioi." 

"Good to know," Kayla said in a small voice.

RJ approached the feet of the statue. He knelt and said, "Lady Atana, Goddess of Wisdom and Judgment, we humbly beseech you to grace us with your presence." 

Nothing happened.

"Uh, should something be happening?" Summer asked, looking around the temple interior. 

"She's probably looking for a bookmark," Eli answered, leaning against a lit brazier as casually as someone would a wall. "Atana's always reading. She says she wants to read every book ever written. However, that often leads to her reading fanfiction after she reads a particularly good book. Just last month, she read about twenty fanfics of Nymph of the West."

"A goddess reads fanfiction," the girl on crutches muttered. "Cause that's what a god does with their free time."

As she said that, a bright light filled the room. As it dissipated, a woman was standing in front of us. She had dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a business suit, giving me teacher vibes. But, like, hot teacher vibes, with the top few buttons undone. 

Her face was beautiful, which made sense for a goddess. The loose strand of hair that escaped the ponytail made her look normal, even. Her green eyes seemed to fish every secret from me as if she already knew them. And she smiled like she knew exactly what I was thinking. The thought made me blush, and I concentrated on looking at her hair.

"Hey, Lady Atana," RJ greeted with a bow. He lifted his head to look up at her. "What book were you reading?"

"Throne of Twilight, by Cato Andyman. It's fascinating, and I highly recommend it." She scanned the rest of us. "Good job on completing your mission, RJ. You too, Cola, Zariah, Eli."

"Thank you, Lady Atana," Eli said with a bow.

"Yeah, thanks!" Cola added with a bright smile. 

"Five new Godlings," the goddess murmured. She pointed at us, starting with me. "Lincoln River, Kayla Wendall, Summer Valentine, Brooklyn, and Lili Anastasia. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise, my lady," Kayla said politely. 

Atana liked that. "You know your manners, young lady. I am pleased."

"Lady Atana, if I may," Eli interrupted, which must've taken a lot of nerve. "RJ and I are 16 hours behind on our Callback. We would be extremely grateful if you could take us to Glasseia."

Atana chewed on her lip as she thought about it. Finally, she said, "Alright, I will help you."

RJ and Eli bowed. 

"Thank you, Lady Atana," RJ said. 

"You're most welcome, RJ. Now, close your eyes, everyone. I will Ethereal Shift us to Glasseia."

"Ethereal Shift?" Brooklyn repeated. "What in the world is that?"

"It's like teleportation," Eli replied quickly. "Now shut your eyes unless you want to go blind."

That made me shut my eyes tightly. Atana pulsed with bright light, and I suddenly felt like I was in a water vortex, being pulled on from all sides with flashing lights blinding me. Then, as suddenly as it happened, we hit solid ground.

Several of us grunted as we rolled onto the dirt. I heard someone yelp painfully, followed by plastic hitting the ground.

After taking a few moments to collect myself, I opened my eyes. Brooklyn was sitting, holding her leg. Blood leaked through her bandages.

"Oh, yes, we might want to take you to Adrestus," Atana said. "Ethereal Shifting while wounded is never a good idea."

Brooklyn muttered something I didn't understand before letting RJ and Summer help her to her feet. RJ slipped his arm under hers before scooping her up in his arms, bridal style. Lili giggled at the shocked/embarrassed expression on Brooklyn's face. 

RJ had no problems carrying Brooklyn as we followed Atana through the winding marble streets. The city looked like it had been built amidst the windy fields of gentle grasslands. Its beauty matched the backdrop of green pastures in the distance.

Palaces of vibrant colors dotted the foreground, mixed with restaurants, houses, and skyscrapers. Every road appeared to lead to the city's center. A massive, spiral building stood there, sparkling with every color imaginable and stretching to the sky.

"What is that?" Summer asked, pointing to it. 

"That is the Abikaya," Atana told her. "The place where we gods meet to discuss the nature of the world and our works. We discuss what we must do to help the world, how to keep the Godlings and Glasseia safe, and how to safeguard against our enemies."

"Enemies?" Kayla asked this time. "What enemies? Aren't you living in a time of peace?"

"Peace only lasts as long as we keep up our defenses. Many gods would see our downfall and cast us into Aeziochaeus, where we keep most of the Dark Gods contained." 

As Atana talked, I saw Eli making hand signs to Lili, who replied the same way. It looked like sign language, which would explain why she hadn't talked yet.

"Dark Gods?" Kayla asked. "There are Dark Gods?"

Atana stopped and turned to her. She took Kayla's hands and said, "Yes, but I promise you, they will never break free from Aeziochaeus as long as we remain in power."

"O-Okay." Atana smiled at her before resuming her walk. 

As we walked, I looked at the city. None of the buildings were tall like back home. The tallest was maybe three stories. It was like a quiet town in the northeast. Striped awnings over storefronts, light posts about every ten yards, places for people to put their bikes in front of a few buildings, and benches for people to sit on. I didn't see many people, but everyone I did see was around my age. Few looked older than 20. Someone was singing with their window open, and the smell of bread floated down to us.

I was so distracted by the city that I nearly ran into a light post. Luckily, Cola pulled me out of the way before I could make a fool out of myself.

"Watch out, Link," he warned me playfully. "Those would hurt."

I tried not to let Brooklyn and Kayla's snickers get to me. "Yeah. Thanks."

About half a mile later, Atana said, "Ah, we've found Adrestus."

How did I not notice him before Atana said something? He radiated warmth, even from 50 feet away. He had darkly tanned skin and long, curly blond hair. He wore a gold muscle tee, showing off his rippling muscles, and loose gold shorts. He was smiling as we approached, his teeth blinding white.

"Hey, newbies," he said as we stopped before him. His eyes looked like someone had poured molten gold ore into his eye sockets. "How was the trip?"

"You're hot," Summer said. She blushed as she realized she had spoken aloud.

Adrestus tipped his head back and laughed. "I don't think anyone has said it so bluntly before!" He leaned forward toward Summer. "My little lady, my grandmother is the Titaness of the Sun. I inherited not only her naturally good looks but her inherent heat. When I was younger, I would spend my time driving the sun with her. I don't even sweat anymore!" He laughed.

"Adrestus," Atana interrupted his laughter with a stern voice, but she looked like she was trying not to hide a smile. "Young Brooklyn here requires your healing."

"Wait, I thought he was the god of the sun," Kayla said. "How can he heal Brooklyn?"

"My mother is a goddess of medicine," Adrestus explained, kneeling as RJ laid Brooklyn on the ground. "I inherited her gift of healing. It makes me a very liked god here in Glasseia." He laid his hands on Brooklyn's thigh, not caring about the blood. He murmured, "Therapeuste ayti then plague sto onoma mia, kante then etsi aste nha mhn aimorragisei pote."

Golden light seeped into Brooklyn's thigh. The blood dissipated, and the bandages unraveled, revealing unblemished, bronze skin underneath.

RJ helped her stand up, and she gingerly tested out her leg. 

"Holy crap," she said in awe. "There's-There's no pain."

Adrestus grinned. "Not a problem, little lady."

She blinked. "Oh, uh… thank you, Lord Adrestus." 

Adrestus shook his head, his golden hair shifting with the movement. "Please, none of that 'lord' business. I'm not one of those formal gods. My father, however, is very formal."

"Your father?"

"Endios," Atana clarified. "The God of Authority."

"Yeah. Endios is my father, making me a prince of sorts. Oh, by the way." He glanced to Eli. "Do you want me to heal your hand?"

Eli lifted his bandaged hand. "Nah. I'll have Scooter look at it later."

Adrestus nodded. "Good. I'm glad my son can be of help to you." He turned to Atana. "Do you know if Aithra back yet? We were planning on having a hunting quest."

"Hunting quest?" I asked.

Adrestus nodded. "Aithra and I go on hunting quests. Often we hunt monsters, but occasionally we hunt bigger prey."

"Bigger prey?" Eli asked this time.

"It does not matter what they hunt," Atana interrupted. "Your hunt will have to wait, Adrestus. These five Godlings need to be brought to the Throne Room to have their parentage identified."

"So we'll finally find out who our parents are?" Brooklyn asked hopefully. 

"Yes. Father should be calling the meeting soon," Adrestus nodded. A loud boom pierced the air, making Adrestus and Atana look up. "That must be Father." He smiled at us. "Come, Godlings. Atana and I will walk you to the Throne Room."

They began walking to the Throne Hall. As we followed them, Brooklyn asked, "Uh, Lady Atana? What do I do with these?" She held up her crutches. 

"You do not need them anymore, so I have sent them to Minas. He will do what he wishes with them." Atana flicked her hand, and they disappeared in a puff of gray smoke.

"Oh, okay." She swallowed. "Um, Adrestus?"

"Yes?" the god glanced over at her. 

"My sister, Lili," Brooklyn started. "She's… she's deaf. Could you heal her?"

"I can try, but only if she wants it." Adrestus glanced at Lili, who had her head down. He knelt in front of her and gave her a kind smile. "Would you like me to cure your deafness, young one?"

It was silent as Lili pondered it. She glanced at Brooklyn. Her shoulders began to shake as she shook her head.

"What?" Brooklyn exclaimed. "Kesley, you can't be serious?"

Lili nodded. In a soft voice, she said, "I… I am."

Brooklyn looked heartbroken. "But… but why?"

"I… I am okay with who I am. I do not want to be fixed."

"Fixed?" Brooklyn repeated. "Fixed? There's nothing to-" She stopped. She bit her lip, then sighed defeatedly, "Okay, Lili. Okay."

Lili smiled. She raised her hand and made a weird gesture. She tucked in her middle and ring fingers but left her index, pinky, and thumb stretched out. Brooklyn returned the gesture.

"Oh, how touching," Adrestus said, holding his hand over his heart while he stared at the two. "Sibling love. One of the purest types known to mankind. It warms my heart."

"Yes," Atana agreed, "but we must get going. Endios will not tolerate us being late." She made some hand gestures to Lili, who nodded and replied with different gestures. Then Atana led us forward. 

I was curious about what was happening but didn't want to intrude and ask. Luckily, Cola did it for me. 

He grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me, idly saying, "I wonder what that was all about. Personally, I think being deaf would be cool. You're so unique that way. And you can't hear what people say behind your back."

I noticed Brooklyn's shoulders stiffen. Before she could turn around and tell Cola off, I said, "That's your opinion now, but maybe it would change if you were deaf. I think it's better not to judge others based on your own experiences."

Cola shrugged. "Whatever. Say, Lincoln, have you ever…." Whatever he said was drowned out as I looked forward and saw Brooklyn staring at me. Her eyes were piercing and judging, but I guessed I had passed into her good graces by their slight warmth. And judging by the anger in them, Cola had not.