2 Unavoidable danger

Diana took her seat on the throne and looked around the court hall, her face now solemn and filled with worry. The message she had received from the Underworld was anything but pleasant, and she had immediately rushed to meet her advisors to solve the matter.

Her other appearances, Luna and Hecate too were already present in the room and their presence eased her mind a little.

"Hecate, how did this happen?" Diana broke the daunting silence, bringing up the matter at hand and focusing all her attention on the Goddess of the Underworld.

Hecate's frown deepened further after listening to her and she lifted her gaze, her honey colored eyes meeting Diana's turquoise ones. She pursed her lips, sensing everyone's attention on her as they waited for her to respond.

"The curse has ended, Diana. The devil has awakened from his slumber, and soon he and his army will start to retaliate after what we did to them."

Audible gasps filled the room while everyone including Diana and Luna gaped at Hecate in fear. This was not good. The awakening of the devil was what they had been dreading for years, and now that it had finally happened, they could not help but be terrified for what lay ahead for them, for their children.

"How is it possible? You must have calculated the days wrong. I am sure we still have...." Luna stopped speaking the moment she finished calculating the time in her mind.

"Did you feel anything after the curse ended, Hecate?" Diana's eyes narrowed as she thought about what might happen in the future and who would be bearing the brunt of the devil's wrath. Immediately, she fixed her gaze on Luna, who had her fists clenched as she stared ahead lost in thoughts.

"Yes, I did. There was a sudden increase of power around me and the air was filled with cruelty and bloodthirst. This was how it had been when the devil was put to sleep centuries ago. It has to be the devil. He must have woken up."

Silence ensued in the room with the three goddesses lost in their thoughts while their advisors looked at them in trepidation.

"What do we do now, Diana? How are we going to overcome this issue?" Luna spoke after a long time. Even though she put on a brave front, everybody in the hall detected the slight tremble in her voice. "Our children, my children are in danger. We need to protect them."

Among the three goddesses, Luna had been affected by the awakening of the devil the most for it would be her children, the children of the moon who would be facing the danger. Her usual calm expression had long vanished, and all Diana and Hecate could see were worry and distress.

"Can we not put the devil to sleep again, Your Majesty?" One of the advisors stood up and stated his opinion.

"No, we cannot." Diana shook her head immediately while Hecate agreed with her.

"The devil has a blessing protecting him. He cannot be put to sleep for the next hundred years." Hecate let out a breath in anger and she gnashed her teeth.

"How about we kill him, Your Majesty?" The advisor suggested and looked back and forth between the three goddesses

"No. We are not destined to kill them, Keir. Only one among our children is fated to end the devil, and we do not know who it is." Diana tapped her fingers on the armrest, trying to think of a way to save their children from the devil and his army.

"Hecate, can you find out where the devil is currently?"

"Yes, Diana. He is still in their sealed castle, and it will take him a week at least to leave the place."

Luna's eyes turned to Hecate, unable to believe the coincidence of the matter. "The year will change in a week and it will next be the year of the moon." She breathed while Diana pressed her forehead in anxiousness.

"My children will be the least powerful during the year of the moon. How will they be able to fight the devil?" She voiced out. And this time, she was unable to hide her panic anymore.

"What do we do now, Diana? We need to find a solution before the devil leaves his castle." Hecate held Luna's hand to assure her silently even though she realized it to be futile. Luna's hands had turned cold and clammy and she was too anxious to accept her comfort.

"We cannot leave Mount Selas, neither can we protect our children from here alone," Diana remarked and closed her eyes for a moment. When she finally opened them, her turquoise orbs were filled with resolve and power.

"What are you suggesting, Diana?" Luna stared at her in hope while Hecate narrowed her eyes, understanding immediately what Diana had in mind.

"We will send our protectors to protect our children. Only they are capable of fighting the devil after us."

"You cannot do this, Your Majesty." All the advisors stood up at once and objected to it with Keir in the lead. "The protectors' duty is to protect you three and Mount Selas, Your Majesty. You cannot send them away."

"But our children's lives are in danger. We cannot sit still and watch them fall in peril. Can we?" Diana argued, her eyes flashing in fury and Keir took a step back in fear.

"But Your Majesty, they are your protectors." He continued to oppose her decision even though he discerned the consequences of it.

"Now they will be our children's. They need them more than we do." Hecate added, after nodding at Diana in agreement.

"But.."

"Do you have a better solution, Keir? Anybody else among the advisors?"

Diana stood up from her throne and walked to them, frightening them all the more. She was now livid, and the advisors did not know how to appease their Queen. Though they knew that their Goddess would never hurt them, they could not help but tremble on seeing her approach them slowly.

"We will listen to you if you can provide us with a better alternative." She continued and watched her advisors lower their heads in defeat.

"We apologize for our insolence. We were just worried about you, Your Majesty." Keir understood where he had gone wrong and he apologized immediately, and the other advisors followed suit.

"We appreciate your concern. We really do." Luna too stood up and walked towards them. She looked a lot better and more relieved than she was a few moments ago. "But our children need the protectors more than we do."

"Moreover, we can handle any danger that befalls us ourselves, with your assistance of course," Hecate added.

Now the advisors did not have any words to object, silently agreeing with the three goddesses. It was true that they did not need the protectors for they were more powerful and capable of handling any problem on their own. Even though they could not kill the devil, they could still defeat him if he were to attack them instead of their children.

"It is fixed then." Diana held out her hand and a yellow scroll appeared on it immediately. She looked at Hecate and Luna, and after getting an assuring nod from them, she pressed the Selas seal, passing the order for their protectors to follow until the monsters were dealt with.