Children of the Moon

Among the Gods of Old, Séléné, the moon goddess, was particularly ancient, having come into existence before the God of them all, Zeus. Unlike many of her peers, Séléné was disinterested in mortal matters and spent her time tending to the night sky.

It wasn't until Zeus cursed an entire people by bounding them to the moon, an extension of herself, that Séléné started paying mortals attention.

Mortals, she realized, were very strange creatures. Their lives were incredibly short, and yet, in the little time they had, their accomplishments were admirable.

To a being like Séléné whose lifespan was too great to comprehend, it was utterly fascinating. Slowly, the moon goddess joined the ranks of the few gods who had a particular interest in the lives of mortals, like the god of war or the goddess of love.

The number of her worshippers continued to increase over the ages despite her being a minor deity. Séléné, known for her clemency, was especially loved in the lands which later became the kingdom of Elide. The moon goddess was not particularly active but would exhaust a wish every century or so, proving she was not a mere fabrication.

Out of all the mortals Séléné had seen, the cursed ones were her favourite. She had borne witness to their curse from the start, thus no one but her understood them more than she. In her opinion, it was a cruel fate and an even more painful existence that had lasted for far too long.

Séléné had tried pleading on their behalf to Zeus once, but her request fell on deaf ears. The God of Gods never went back on his word, even more so for a wrongdoing of his own making. The moon goddess had expected this outcome. Nevertheless, this situation greatly saddened her for Séléné's love ran as deep as the night was dark.

In the following years, nighttime became dark, harsh and inhospitable, reflecting the coldness of Séléné's heart. Perturbed by the moon's standoffish behaviour and its consequences, the gods who enjoyed roaming the mortal world asked Zeus to reconsider Séléné's request.

At first, Zeus refused. His pride as the God of Gods would not allow it. As time went by, even his worshippers joined the plethora of gods asking for his help. Zeus thus conceded.

However, he had one condition. The cursed ones would only be free of their affliction if they fulfilled a prophecy of his making. Should they fail, the matter would never be spoken of again.

Séléné was elated by the news and her sombre mood rapidly shifted. Having neglected the mortal world for quite some time, Séléné had now become a myth to many. The only place the moon goddess had retained her influence was the kingdom of Elide.

Thinking it would be for the best, Séléné focused her entire attention on the Elide kingdom. It was a prosperous and beautiful land where lived merry inhabitants. The goddess never tired of exploring Elide and it quickly became a habit of hers to roam the lands at night.

Many years after Séléné first started walking the lands of Elide in the nighttime, the goddess met a young shepherd by the name of Endymion. When she first saw him, he had been lying in the grass, staring up at the moon. At that moment, Séléné had felt his warm gaze on her heavenly body. It was love at first sight.

The goddess was not enamoured by his looks although, in hindsight, the young man was certainly pleasing to the eyes. He had dark brown curly locks, tan olive skin, the start of a beard, thick heavy eyebrows and the most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen.

Those enchanting eyes were how Endymion ensnared her.

No matter how beautiful a man Endymion was, it was nothing compared to the allure of a goddess. In her human form, Séléné had long shimmering black hair, alabaster skin, liquid silver eyes and an ethereal grace to her no mortal had. Thus, as quickly as Séléné fell for him, Endymion in turn fell for her.

Depending on who you asked, their love affair was either sweetly short or barely lasting the blink of an eye. Upon engaging in the relationship, the moon goddess had already known it would be brief. The sheer difference in their lifespans could not allow more. It would be cruel of her to make it last if she ended up leaving anyway. It was only one summer, a fleeting romance but it was a memory Séléné would forever treasure.

Ordinarily, the story of Séléné and Endymion would have ended here. Unbeknown to the pair of lovers, fate had other plans. After parting from her mortal lover, Séléné was surprised to learn their love had borne fruit - she was with child. The realization made her both overjoyed and heartbroken.

The gift of life was something to celebrate and Séléné was happy her love with Endymion was rewarded. However, Gods whose children were half-mortal were to live with their mortal parents. Unless her unborn child accomplished heroic deeds in their future thus gaining immortality, it would only add to the number of Séléné's loved ones who were fated to die.

Despite Séléné's complicated feelings, the goddess was still incredibly happy the day her child was born, and even more so since she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Both babies had a half-crescent birthmark on their foreheads which was a symbol of the moon goddess.

However, this was where their similarities ended. Where the boy was born fair, the girl had deep olive skin. The baby girl had a full head of black hair whereas the boy had wispy brown fuzz. As young as they were, Séléné could tell they would be like night and day - whether it be a mother's instinct or a goddess' foresight, she was not sure.

Once the twins were fully weaned, Séléné, returned to her former lover's cabin and knocked. Endymion promptly opened. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Séléné - gaze quickly focusing on the twins in her arms when the baby girl gurgled. Séléné smiled softly.

"As you can see, our love has borne fruits. May I present you Lucien Apollo, son of Endymion and Lycée Artemia, daughter of Endymion."

Endymion's face displayed many emotions, mostly shock and astonishment.

"You are she, the moon maiden, aren't you?"

Séléné did not answer but her secretive smile spoke by itself. Endymion sighed sadly and motioned for her to give him the twins which Séléné did.

"I am honoured to have met you Séléné, goddess of the moon and queen of my heart. I promise you I will raise our children with care in your stead, for it was our love they were born from and your love is the greatest treasure you have given me."

The ill-fated lovers parted on these last words. Then, Séléné laid a final kiss on the twins' forehead before sharing a last embrace with Endymion. The goddess thus turned around and disappeared into the night.