Rona
I stood on the slab of earth with Kethan.
The height off the ground made me nauseous.
"Hold tight." He extended the sleeve of his robes towards me and I gripped it tightly.
The slab thrummed faintly, the runes engraved on it shone brightly in the dark.
"Close your eyes."
I felt my soul disperse as the slab ascended like an elevator on endless caffeine.
My grip on his sleeve tightened and I buried my head into his chest as the pressure increased.
The air around us thinned and the movement stopped.
"Are we there yet?" I asked, my head still burrowed within his layered robes.
He hummed, the sound reverberating through his chest and I finally peeked out of my hiding place.
"You can let go any time now." I released his robes like it was liquid fire, averting my gaze from him.
It was at that moment I finally realised that I was no longer on earth.
A colossal building, castle-like and straight off the mediaeval fantasy shelves, nearly spanning the length of a small country.
The large veil of transparent water parted as we stepped foot off the chunk of earth.
Kethan offered a hand with an amused smile on his face.
"Welcome to the city of gods, Arrythia."
I took his hand, reaching out to feel the droplets of water that splashed slightly around me, accompanied by the slight chill.
Horse neighed in the distance and I turned to stare at the man beside me,
"I'm," I paused, staring at the lush fields before me, the ones that led into yet another massive door, "going to pass through that door, with you, a god?"
"I don't see why not." He pulled me forward, his hands firmly tethered to the small of my back.
As we approached the doors, A man–no, a god, sat on a chair, his white robes draped carelessly across his shoulders with a golden goblet in his hand.
Kethan's grip on my waist tightened and we slowed down into a steady walk.
"Is he one of them?" I asked.
His firm nod was all the answer I needed.
" Ahh! Θάνατος." The god looked up, his striking green eyes boring into mine, "Late as always."
There was a prominent smirk plastered on his face, highlighting his superior facial features.
I had to admit, sculptors didn't do them enough justice.
The temperature dropped as Kethan stared at the languid god. His gaze was empty, his face expressionless as he took a step forward.
"You've finally brought a plus one–" The god drawled, taking a slow sip from his goblet as his eyes raked over my body, "I can see why."
I shuddered underneath Kethan's touch, white knuckling the hem of my skirt.
"It's been a hundred odd years and you still haven't changed," Kethan placed his palm on the door, "have you? Andronicus."
"Of course not!" The god, Andronicus bellowed, "What's a hundred years compared to an eternity."
He raised his goblet, tipping his head slightly as his gaze bore directly onto mine.
"With the way your woman stares at me, I'd think she just might like to spend the night." He smacked his lips together, "In my bed."
The doors opened slowly and his face faded from view.
Instead I was met with Kethan's glower.
"Don't. Stare."
My neck receded like a quail and I lowered my gaze as the doors fully opened.
Blinding golden lights and the gentle resonance of classical music was the first sight that greeted me.
The scene before me didn't match the classical music I heard.
Debauchery.
Scantily dressed women with voluptuous bodies paraded around, their bright clothing barely concealed anything as the smell of sex and wine lingered in the air.
'Is this what a god's mating ceremony looks like?'
"It's just another opportunity to whore around under the guise of finding their primordial half." Kethan spoke, his words chilly as he led me past the halls.
"Is this the Fate's Banquet your guest spoke off? I asked, scanning through the opulent ballroom.
"And you swore you weren't eaves dropping." He mocked, "You're a bad liar, little one."
My eyes widened and I placed a hand over my mouth, watching his expression through my peripheral vision.
"It holds before every convergence."
With this level of debauchery, it's no wonder the Fates stopped granting gods mate.
Kethan's POV
The foul stench assaulted my nose first– the languid smell of sex and stupor.
My gaze lingered faintly at the centre of the hall, I had been one of them once, a long, long time ago.
I could remember her laughter, like little jingles as she danced with the wind.
The first time I saw her, she stood in these very halls, like a confused little lamb that had lost her way.
There was a connection between two of us, one that I feared would grow too strong if left untouched.
She was human. I was god. It wouldn't last, because it was never meant to.
We wouldn't last, we were never meant to, but her voice haunted me every single night since she left, her laughter echoing through my mansion walls as though she never left.
Cold, vengeful guilt clawed at my chest, "Never again,"
" –Never again what?"