5 Chapter 5

Dario-

Fighting Zale wasn't easy, but I was at least matching him for now. I fucked up, I shouldn't have left her at all. I should have kept Aria with me. She shouldn't have had to feel that fear!

I landed a blow, him being a God, he doesn't bleed but he will feel it as a mortal would. I couldn't kill him, only Gods or Goddesses can kill another God or Goddess, but I could hold him until Jedrek got here.

"You're a skilled fighter Dario. You are keeping pace with a God. Doesn't that strike you as odd?" My sword made contact with the middle part of his spear as he used it to block me, he pushed back hard, nearly 10 feet away. He kept talking, "You father is a warrior too isn't he? That's rhetorical obviously, but yes, he is a warrior. Your mother on the other hand, wasn't she a Goddess? Sad relationships, warriors and a Goddess. Why would she stoop to such mediocrity? Maybe she didn't, who knows?" I armed my shield and charged him, I'm not going to talk to him.

"I'm not sure which Goddess your mother was, but oh, you wouldn't know either." He was talking as he fought me, it was irritating. "I've got news for you warrior." Before I could go to strike him again, in one swift motion, he dropped his spear, grabbed my wrist, stopping my sword and leaned in to whisper, "Someone is lying to you." I couldn't fully process what he was saying. Who was lying to me?

With my wrist in his grip Zale began to spin around, we were spinning fast enough that when he let go he threw me. I hit the ground near the forest line, I stood up as quickly as I could. I was unsteady on my feet to start, like a baby deer almost. I started moving toward them again gaining speed steadily. Panic set in when I looked and he had his arm around Arias waist pinning her arms to her side.

"Such a shame, I was hoping you'd be easy to steal away." He was disgusting, he leaned down and sniffed her hair. "Oh well." He picked her up, I was finally able to run again and I could see Jedrek coming in from the side, but we were both too far away. Neither of us could stop Zale from throwing Aria off the edge of the realm.

Jedrek had Zale in his grip, I looked over the edge I couldn't see Aria. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I turned my anger to Zale, Jedrek voice of reason, "Slow down Dario. I wanna rip off his head too, that was my little sister." I backed up getting ready to jump, when someone grabbed me and pulled me back. I looked up to see whos ass I was kicking.

Shit, "Father let me go! I need to go to her!" My father only tightened his grip and said, "Son, you need to think. If you act now, you may overlook a better solution." His voice was like ice. I couldn't calm my heart and mind. But I could calm my body, I went limp. My father let me go, I sat staring down to the mortal realm wondering what happened to my Goddess.

It felt like time was moving slowly around me. My whole reason for existing was gone, thrown from the realm and there was nothing I could do about it. I was moved, I say moved because I have no idea how I got into the Great Hall. I was just suddenly here. We were standing in front of the thrones waiting for Lord Cyril. Jedrek had Zale chained with restraints made by the Gods blacksmiths. He couldn't get out of it. My father was standing to my right looking straight forward, we looked almost exactly alike. Dark hair, his freshly cut from battle, strong jaw, sharp eyes and we had the same physical build.

You could feel the energy in the room change, when Lord Cyril entered the room. He wasn't running, but each step had and angry purpose, behind him the many Gods, Goddesses and warriors filed into the Great Hall. Lord Cyril walked up to Jedrek first, nodding to his son then acknowledging Zale. He looked the young God in the eye and without saying anything grabbed him by the base of his skull and dragged him to the front of the room. He let Zale drop to the ground with a hard thud. Lord Cyril addressed the room.

"We were attacked today by warriors, they were all aligned with Zale." He turned and addressed Zale now, "You decided to try and take the Gods Palace by force. I'm assuming your plans originally involved marrying Aria?" Zale nodded but didn't speak, it looks like he has lost his fight. Lord Cyril continued on, "Why did you decide to attack?" Zale looked up, "I heard, that the young Goddess loves another. Not only that, but that she didn't want to marry at all."

Murmurs started in the room, everyone talking about Aria. Lord Cyril yelled, "SILENCE! None of that matters, what matters is what has happened to Aria… I'm not sure if anyone had heard, but Zale threw Aria off the edge of our realm."

The room erupted then into gasps, crying and even a few yells and curses. I heard one God yell, "Execute Zale." I couldn't agree more…

"Don't you worry, he has a punishment coming. Right now, we need to get warriors together to go to the mortal realm and rescue Aria."

The room was dismissed except for my father, Jedrek, Ryan, who must have come in directly from the fight, and myself. Lord Cyril looked to all of us, he still had Zale on the ground at his feet, "Dario, what happened out there?" I explained everything to Lord Cyril, I watched his expression. It didn't change, I was waiting for the anger, but he was just looking at me, blank face.

I didn't leave out a single detail, but when Lord Cyril spoke again his words weren't what I was expecting, "I know you tried to keep Aria safe. You failed today. But, you can succeed tomorrow. You will be sent down to find her. Do you have warriors you trust and would like to take with you?"

I looked to my right at my father and Ryan, "The two warriors next to me are trusted friends and fierce warriors." Lord Cyril nodded, "It shall be done. Go, get your provisions together, you leave as soon as you are ready. Pack fast, this is my daughter we are talking about. Jedrek and I will be staying here to repair damages to the Palace and prepping in case of war. As for Zale, he will be kept until Aria is safe home."

Lord Cyril excused us, the three of us booked it to our quarters and began packing. I packed all my normal essentials, when my father walked in. "Dario, I am sorry." I looked up at him, this was as good a time as any, "Father, while I was fighting Zale, he was talking to me. He was talking about me, you and mother. He told me there is something I'm being lied to about. Do you know what that is?"

My father stood in the archway of my door, we had been making eye contact until that point. Father looked down, "Dario, there are some things that are better left in the past." I started to feel angry, "Father, if there is something you can tell me that would help Aria, you need to tell me now." Father just shook his head, "Nothing I can tell you will be helpful in this moment." I nodded and continued packing, if he didn't want to tell me the truth, then I will figure it out on my own.

Once I was done packing, I put my bag over my shoulder and pushed past my father, "I'll meet you by the drop." I continued up and out to the back of the palace, when I got there Ryan was already waiting. "You're a slow packer." I looked up at his smug face, "My father decided to stop by and talk to me before we took off." "Anything important?" I shook my head, "I don't care though, I just want to get to Aria."

My father walked out with Lord Cyril, when they got to use he gave us our orders. "Find Aria, once you do, go to the place the mortals call the Goddesses River. Once there you'll be able to come home." In unison, Ryan, father and I said, "Yes, Lord Cyril." With that, we all jumped off the edge of our realm.

I'm coming Aria.