The big blonde wolf walked confidently next to his goddess. She was the mother of everything. She was of medium height, fit for a woman her age, and always plump carrying new creations. Her skin was a golden peach color and she had long hair that consisted of plants. The green foliage twisted and turned in and about itself with a leaf or flower popping out here and there. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds and her elfish face glowed with the love and passion she felt for life. After halting Uranus' latest scheme to control his destiny, she walked gracefully and stood in front of the two men on the ground. She gestured to the wolf to sit. He did so with the grace of an alpha. He sat eyeing each of every person or thing around them. He was daring any of them to move against his goddess. He stopped when he saw the one person he had been looking for since his demise in the earthly realm. He sat waiting for her to notice him and realize who he was. He was hopeful she recognized him although he had changed drastically since his time with his goddess.
Finally, she looked up and gasped when she saw him. He felt her pain then, shifting his gaze to his goddess he whined, and she waved her hand stopping the pain. Katia smiled at him and raised her hand motioning him forward, "Zor, look at you. You are beautiful and strong once again. I am sorry for what Thomas did to you as his wolf. You did not deserve to have to fight your human so hard." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He whined once again because he could still feel the pain in her body that she was hiding from everyone else. She was so weak. Why could no one else feel it?
Zor licked her face and whispered in her mind, "You and his mate are worth it. I am just sorry I could not stop him in the end." She sighed into his fur and he knew she was drawing comfort from him. Holding onto him, she stood and swayed slightly, so Zor moved closer so she could lean against him for balance. He glanced at his goddess and chuffed. His goddess gave him a slight nod of encouragement to stay close to Katia. She let him know that she felt it too. Katia could not take much more of whatever Uranus had been doing to her and her sister. Selene was not as weak due to not being around the man as long as her sister.
His goddess squatted, as she gathered her moss-green dress aside, and laid her hand on Zeus' forehead. Runing her hands all over Zeus' body she questioned Nathan, "Do you feel better son of Zeus?"
Nathan lowered his eyes to the ground and answered her respectfully, "No madame goddess, I do not." He had lowered himself to one knee next to his father and was trying to wipe some of the blood from Zeus' face.
As she continued working on Zeus with her hands, she continued the conversation with Nathan, "Son of Zeus, you have had a time of it. Your life has twisted and turned many times to bring you to where you need to be. Your emotions and reactions have had to grow. I have heard that has not been easy on you or those you love. The blood of Zeus was always running in your veins, the mate bond awakened it at its full force. Unfortunately, you were not ready like I thought you would be."
Nathan did nothing but continue to clean the blood from his father and watch the goddess' hands move over him. He knew she was not done with him and had the feeling she was about to teach him something he was supposed to have figured out. She smiled and ran her hands over Zeus' head. Standing she said, "He will live, give him a few moments and he will be good as the new snow."
The goddess remembered then she had been speaking with the son, "You see son of Zeus, your mate has always been who she is to be. Just the pieces that makeup who she is are scattered inside. With love, understanding, and patience, those pieces align and she will become whole. Only a fated mate can supply what she needs."
Nathan looked up at the goddess and was starting to understand what she was telling him. He had started on the right path with Katia but veered off when he could not control the strong emotions evoked by the bond and his awakening god's blood. Katia was not halfway healed when he assaulted her that day and the pieces shattered once more.
"Nathan, son of Zeus, do you know who I am? Do you know why I have let myself be seen once more?" She asked.
Nathan stood, bowed at the waist, showing respect for who she was, and answered. "You are Mother Earth, you are Gaia, grandmother to my mate, and wife to Uranus. You are here to save us, I hope." The last part could barely be heard.
Gaia smiled broadly as flowers randomly popped in and out of her hair. Sometimes it was daisies, other times it was roses, but each time one withered, a different type popped up. "Hmmmm, so you do have some brains and as for saving you all, I do not know if that will be possible. In every war, some life is lost."
"We did not want this war. Uranus is the one who has relentlessly hunted the moon goddesses throughout history to destroy them and their creations. We had no idea of this until I met my mate and our destinies started taking shape." Nathan complained. He knew he sounded like a child but it was all true what he told her. Look at how much Katia and Selene have endured even before coming into their lives.
"Tsk.tsk. tsk. young wolf, your kind are raising weapons against those who seek their annihilation. So, they are allowed to kill although they did not ask for this war or know it existed until recently?" Gaia quizzed Nathan. She wanted to understand how their primitive thinking served them.
Lucifer stood to interject and she held her hand up, "I did not ask you fallen one." Lucifer seated himself again and watched as the blonde wolf catered to Katia and kept her steady. He leaned so far into her that she was almost sitting on him. Lucifer knew the wolf looked familiar but he could not place him and wondered how the wolf ended up with Gaia.
Nathan spoke again but he was trying to choose his words carefully, "Madam Gaia, we do not normally go around starting wars or wondering if there is someone out there who wishes to wipe away our existence. We are not naive, we know that there are humans who have an idea we exist and hunt us. They would kill or study us. We sometimes fight amongst ourselves when our laws are broken or mating laws are not followed. In a fight, we did not want but have been given no other choice but to raise arms and defend our families and our own lives. We wish to exist in peace and live according to our laws but there is always those who have been corrupted by power and would do harm to gain more."
"And because you must defend, that justifies taking of life?" Gaia countered.
Nathan was still not sure if he knew the correct answer to her question but he tried once more, "No ma'am it does not justify the taking of life, but what else can we do? If we allow our loved ones to just be killed and not take steps to fight back then we will eventually exist no more." Nathan paused for a moment and then continued, "I wish that my mate lived the perfect life and we met to live a beautiful life together with children and a happily ever after. I wish that I was smarter or stronger and could have understood what was happening to myself and her but I did not or was not. Now I do not believe that the happy ever after will happen for us."
"Because of the war that is happening in your realm? Because of the numb nuts I am married to cannot give up his vendetta against our children and grandchildren?" The goddess asked him.
Sighing out defeat, tiredness, and just loss in general, Nathan answered quietly, "No, because I have eyes and I can still feel through our mate bond. I know that Katia is weakening every moment in Uranus's presence. I can feel the pain she is in and I can feel her slipping away slowly. The wolf, that came with you, I know he is from her past and he is keeping her steady. I do not know who he is but he cares for her and wants to be there for her. She is grateful to him and sorry for the life he had with his human. I feel everything she is feeling because she is so weak now she cannot block me. So as you said in every war some life is lost and I am terrified that means I am going to lose my mate."
"So, young wolf, what would be the answer to this dilemma?" Gaia wanted to know.
"Uranus be punished and the rest of us set free to return to our lives and try to fix what we have done. To move forward and see how we end up as a species. But I know that is not what is going to happen." Nathan said with a small frown.
Gaia gave a sad smile and said, "You are correct, Nathan, son of Zeus."