Disclaimer: Okay...whoever doesn't know by now that this is an original story written by me, raise your hands. Good, now go sit in that corner until I find out how to deal with you! Everyone else...enjoy!
<b><i>Ikimashou!</i></b>
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Chapter Seven - "Judgment Day"
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A loud murmur swept through the Court upon hearing Artemis' request. To punish a god for the mistreatment of a mortal was one thing. To petition for that mortal to be lifted to the status of a deity, well, that was a whole other matter. A matter the Olympians didn't take too kindly to. "State your case, Artemis; but remember to tread lightly." Zeus' booming voice roared through the Court, reverberating even in the marble halls outside the spacious room.
The goddess of the hunt nodded politely, and cleared her throat. "For over two-thousand years, Cassandra has endured my brother's curse. It is time that it be lifted, and that she be given recompense!."
"He may have cursed her, but it was you who interfered with her, Artemis." The voice came from Athena, goddess of wisdom. She knew of the situation, as well as the cause. "While I am inclined to agree with you, dear Artemis, one fact has given me pause. If you had not brought Cassandra back to life, she would not have suffered so. Her death at the hands of Clytemnestra and her lover was her fate. It was your own negligence in not having your brother remove the curse on her before giving her eternal life that prolonged her suffering. The fault is yours, not Apollo's. Truth be told, we should be considering your own punishment."
Artemis knew what Athena said was true, all of it. Yet she was still taken aback, and felt the need to defend her actions. "I...I didn't know the curse was still in effect!"
"That's because you didn't bother to ask your brother about it before you took matters into your own hands!" Demeter, goddess of the harvest cut in. "It was wrong of you to bring her back into this world without knowing what kind of life would be led by that woman."
"With great power comes great responsibility!" Hermes jokingly said, repeating the famous comic-book refrain.
"Mmm-hmmm...your own damn fault. That's what happens when you don't have a good plan." Ares lazily sat back in his chair, his filthy boots marring the table. "You had to have some idea of what she'd be like when you brought her back, didn't you?"
"Well, I..." Artemis lost her composure for a moment, but then righted herself. "My intention was for her to have the time to find someone who would care deeply for her without putting her through any other horrible experiences. It is true that I did not consult my brother as to the curse before I brought her back. I asked him about it after the fact, but he would not lift the curse. Knowing his spitefulness, I should have expected nothing less. I regret what I have done, and have apologized to Cassandra, but I cannot undo what I have done."
Hephaestus' gruff voice entered the argument. "You could have, but you chose not to. You know as well as I do how we fashion the lives of mortals to our whim. And just how easy it is to kill a mortal...especially one that was already dead to begin with."
"Aw honey," his wife Aphrodite chimed in. "I for one applaud what she did. She did it for love! She only wanted Cassandra to finally be happy! What's so bad about that? Okay, so it's taken over two millennia, but you know what they say, 'love takes time'. Now Cassandra has someone, and if Apollo can lift the curse, then all will be right with the world!" She leered at Artemis. "You deserve a reward for doing such a fine thing in the name of love! We could--ACK!!"
Hephaestus yanked the golden chain around Aphrodite's neck, sending her forcefully into her seat. "Don't you ever stop?"
"Gives a whole new meaning to 'ball and chain', doesn't it?" Hermes smirked to a chuckling Ares.
Zeus listened to all of this, and stood at his table. "Enough!" He then turned to Artemis. "I know you would like to right the wrongs done by both you and your brother to this woman, but you both must also pay for what you have done. Leave now, and we will discuss the matter further. Hermes will come for you when we are ready with our decision."
"I will be ready." Artemis bowed and turned to leave the Court. Poseidon, god of the sea, stood from his chair and escorted her to the door. "Don't worry, Artemis," he said, his voice as calm as a lake. "I know you did what you thought was right. Heck, I've intervened on her behalf as well, so I know where you're coming from. I'll do my best to help you both."
"I do appreciate your help, Poseidon, though I fear the results." Artemis kissed him on the cheek, and left the room.
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For the first time in weeks, Alexa slept soundly and peacefully. No dreams of disasters or a cold-hearted rabbit...in fact, she had not remember what she had dreamed at all, or if she even had done so. What she did remember was how fast things happened last night. How one kiss turned into so much more; how sweet Misaki's body tasted, and how warm it felt. She remembered what making love with Yume was like, and how her daughter was so much like her mother. She remembered not to call out Yume's name, as difficult as that was. And she remembered the sound of the words "I love you, Alexa". A sound she hadn't heard in over twenty years. The prophetess looked down at the still-sleeping form of her lover, and sighed.
'Can I do this? Can I really tell her everything?' The familiar feelings of fear and doubt started to creep into Alexa's heart. 'I have to tell her, but...would she still love me?'
Alexa's body suddenly tingled, as Misaki's face rubbed against her breasts. The brunette roused from her sleep, kissing her way up to Alexa's neck and then her lips. Misaki finally opened her eyes, and seeing she wasn't dreaming, gave Alexa a deeper kiss.
"Good morning to you, too, Misaki-chan!" Alexa said, catching her breath.........
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It was a miracle Kurumi didn't get killed this morning, what with her reckless driving being compounded with her scattered thoughts of the previous evening. She left before her sister and her lover were awake, not wanting to be the butt of the pair's joke again. Kurumi had to admit, though; they did make a good match, and she was very happy for her sister.
Even so, something about the redhead bothered Kurumi to no end. She seemed to have a way of throwing people off-balance, and for a sharp reporter like Kurumi, it was something she wasn't used to. The fact that the woman was smart and attractive didn't make matters any better. "If she wasn't with Misaki, and I wasn't with Paul, I might just have...I don't know what I might have done!" She made her way into the paper's private garage, locked the door and took the elevator up to the National News floor.
Kurumi waited impatiently for the doors to open. When they did, she was greeted by her smiling boyfriend. 'Paul! What are you--mmmm!"
The tall man cut her off with a kiss, before answering her question. "I was just coming to ask if you wanted to go to Seoul tonight. They're christening a new ferry service tomorrow that's supposed to symbolize better harmony between Japan and the Koreas. All the big papers are sending reporters. You probably have marching orders on your desk as we speak."
"But...what about your interview with Matsuzaka?"
"That's where I'm going now. Make sure you're slated to go, then call me....... We'll leave from Fukuoka and spend the night on the other side.. Talk to you later" He didn't wait for a reply or a kiss, taking a step back and letting the elevator doors close ahead of him.
Kurumi stood staring at the shiny doors, dumbfounded. "Oh-kay..."
"Hey! Ohta-san! You might want to see the Chief before you get started." A young man in suspendered pants and thick glasses said to Kurumi. "Sounds like you're going on a trip!"
"So it does, Akihito," the reporter replied. Then a thought crossed her mind. "Oh, by the way...could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Ohta-san. What do you need?"
Akihito was the paper's resident research analyst. His skill at getting just the right info on practically anyone made him indispensable, yet his writing skills left much to be desired. So he ended up behind the scenes, but his information touched every article. If Kurumi couldn't get information on Misaki's girlfriend directly, she'd have to do it the hard way.
"I need you to look someone up for me. Her name is 'Alexa Melanos'. Whatever you can dig up--most likely pictures, since she's a freelance photographer."
"I'm on it!" Akihito saluted the raven-haired reporter, and set about his task with a smile. She wondered how long it would take before something finally wiped that ever-present grin off his boyish face.
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Paul exited the elevator and made his way to the visitors' garage, spotting a spiky-haired brunette standing by his car.
"You haven't been sneezing a lot lately, have you Apollo?" the woman asked.
"Should I be, Eris?" Paul didn't look at the woman, going around her and unlocking his car.
"With the way the other Olympians are discussing your fate, I was wondering if you needed an antihistamine." The woman chuckled at her own joke, which wasn't funny to Paul. "Oh, and it seems your dear sister got painted with the same brush you did--you're both in big trouble for messing with that prophetess, y'know!"
"Serves her right for meddling. What are they going to do, chain me to a rock?"
"No," purred Eris. "As much as I'd love to see that, I think they have better plans for you." She tried to get into the passenger side door, but Paul kept it locked. Eris huffed and simply willed herself into the front seat. "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
"For now. One way or another, Cassandra will not get the better of me. She can't be in two places at once." He started the engine and turned to Eris. "Now, get out of my car! I don't want people thinking I'm picking up prostitutes at work!"
Eris shot him a dirty look, and disappeared in a swirl of black leaves.
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Alexa had been mindlessly flipping through the cable channels, waiting for Misaki to finish up in the kitchen. They shared a quiet breakfast, and the redhead had offered to clean up, but Misaki wanted her to just relax..... Somehow, Alexa thought, her girlfriend knew she needed time to gather her thoughts. It was one of the many things she loved about Misaki--and about Yume.
"So, are we ready to have 'the talk' now?" Misaki's voice caught Alexa's attention, and the two women faced each other on the sofa. Misaki turned off the television, making sure there were no distractions.
Alexa's anxiety was obvious. So much so that Misaki took her hands into her lap and gave her a reassuring nod. "Whatever it is, Alexa-chan, just tell me."
Alexa couldn't look into her lover's eyes. "I...I don't know where to start. Or how to tell you this without it sounding strange or sick."
"We had passed 'strange' three prefectures ago, Alexa-chan," Misaki joked, trying to lighten the prophetess' mood. "As for 'sick', let me be the judge of that... I will still love you no matter what. Now, just start at the beginning."
"Well," Alexa began, clenching Misaki's hands tightly. 'When you met me at the Kobe Memorial, I was...visiting someone I had lost in the quake. Someone I had loved very deeply, but I had to let her go. I wasn't able to open my heart to anyone else since then...until I met you. Maybe it's her way of giving me a second chance. Maybe it's just cruel fate. Maybe she led me to you."
Misaki cocked her head to the side. "To me? Who was this person, Alexa-chan?"
Alexa swallowed hard and fought the urge to run. "It was...it was your mother."
Misaki's eyes widened as she lost the feeling in her hands. "My...mother? You and my mother were...lovers??"
"Please, Misaki-chan, hear me out!" Alexa felt her girlfriend's hands begin to slip away, and held them as tight as she could. "it was a long time ago--before you or Kurumi were born. I met her while she was in college. We had...something special. She loved me, and I her." Misaki saw the tears in Alexa's eyes, and nodded for the prophetess to continue. "I had gotten a vision of her in the future--your past--and how I was not to be part of it. How she was to lead a happy life, with a great husband and two wonderful children. I couldn't do that for her, and I wanted her to be happy, so I left her. I also saw how she and her husband--your father--would die, and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell her, because she wouldn't have believed me. I had to let fate run its course."
"I...I am sure you only did what you thought was right, Alexa-chan. I cannot fault you for that, nor for loving my mother."
"That's just it, Misaki-chan...it wasn't right! I found out recently that the vision was a lie planted by Apollo. He wanted me to leave Yume, so he could seek his revenge on me. I could have...I should have stayed with her. I should have made her understand. I shouldn't have left her!" Alexa fell into Misaki's arms, crying loudly and painfully.
The younger girl took time to absorb all of this, gently rocking the sobbing prophetess. Part of her was angry at Alexa for what she had done, but she also knew it wouldn't be fair to blame her. She waited until Alexa began to quiet down before she spoke.
"You tried to make her happy, Alexa-chan. You had no reason to believe the vision was a lie. You did what you thought was right. Maybe it was fate that she would die in the earthquake--with or without you. She made the most of her time, and lived a good life. You gave her the chance to have that, Alexa-chan." She held Alexa's head to her chest. "I am not mad at you, and I certainly do not think you are 'sick' for loving both my mother and I. If anything, it is because of you that I exist at all, and Kurumi as well. Maybe it is like you said. Maybe I am my mother's gift to you."
Alexa felt comforted by the brunette's words. Maybe there was a reason for all of this after all. She composed herself and looked up at Misaki. "She was gone when you were little, so you probably don't know too much about her, huh?"
"I do know that she was beautiful, smart, and very kind. She loved to teach. I was just starting school when she died, but because of her teaching me at home, I was well ahead of my classmates. She was warm and always smiling...that is how I always remember her." Misaki settled into a long quiet pause, letting the memories of her mother wash over her. "I could see how anyone would fall in love with her, Alexa-chan, even another woman. I didn't know she actually had a female lover before." She allowed a grin to crawl upon her face. "That would probably explain my own inclination, I guess!"
Alexa smiled, listening to the sound of Misaki's chuckling. For her, at this moment, all was right with the world. Apollo be damned.
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Artemis sat in the Olympic courtyard, a beautiful garden full of practically every flower one could think of. She was oblivious to the flora, more concerned about her current situation. "Maybe there was another way to handle this," she said audibly to no one in particular.
"You forget about your brother being an oracle, Artemis?" Hermes appeared, the flowers swaying in the wake of his sudden approach. "He's always a step ahead, y'know. Can't trick him, can't cheat him."
"I know," Artemis said sadly. "Even now, I'm sure he knows what the others have planned for him, and has acted accordingly."
"True, we know what he knows--that he knows what they know, and they know what he knows, but he doesn't know that they know something that he doesn't know!"
"STOP THAT!!" Artemis clenched her head as a crushing pain found its way to her temples. "Enough with the riddles! What are you jabbering about?"
"Come with me and you will see!" Hermes took the bewildered blonde by the hand, and they left an airy trail of swaying flowers in their wake.
They soon appeared at the podium inside the Court. "One down, one to go!" Hermes said proudly.
"Do you know where her brother is?" Zeus asked the messenger god.
"I've got a fix on his coordinates, Cap'n! Do ya want me to beam him aboard, or should I assemble an away team and recover him?"
Zeus was not amused. "Just...go." He watched as Hermes saluted him, and dashed off...and returned less than a few seconds later with a very annoyed Apollo.
"One malcontent present and accounted for, Sir!" Hermes snapped a salute, waited for Zeus to waive him off, and returned to his seat with a grin.
Apollo glared at the speedy lad before turning his ire to Zeus. "Let me guess. You're about to punish my sister and I for crimes against the prophetess Cassandra, correct?"
"Yes...and no," the thunder god replied. "Artemis. Your request of granting demi-goddess status to Cassandra and her herald has been denied. Cassandra already has immortality and limited foresight, so in essence she already has that title. Her herald, however, is not a subject of ours, so I cannot grant her any such title or power. I am sorry."
Apollo grinned eerily, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"As to your part in Cassandra being a demi-goddess, your penance is banishment from Olympus for one year. You will live on Earth as a mortal."
Artemis' shock sent Apollo into hysterics. "Oh, the look on your face now, dear sister! So, who's Miss Big Bad now?"
"As for you, Apollo," Zeus' booming voice ceased the sun god's cackling. "Do not think you have gotten off lightly in this matter! You also will be banished from Olympus, and forced to live on Earth as a mortal."
"Heh, saw that coming." Apollo said smugly. "Not a problem, as I practically have a life down there anyway!"
"Silence! I am not done yet! You will also remove the curse you have placed on the prophetess Cassandra, effective immediately!"
"You do know that this will remove her foresight, right?"
"I am aware of this, and to that end, I also demand that you, Artemis, rescind your gift of immortality from the prophetess!"
Artemis bowed her head. "This will render her as a normal human being. Able to live her life without the horrors of those visions. And when the time comes, she will die." Her voice was sad, yet grateful. It was what she believed Alexa wanted.
Apollo smirked. "This changes nothing in my plans." He turned to leave. "We're done here, right? I have other pressing matters to attend to."
"You may go. Hermes will handle your duties until your sentence is completed." Zeus watched as Apollo left the room, then turned his attention back to Artemis.
"There was one little detail he overlooked, dear Artemis, and I will entrust this matter to you." Zeus smiled as he spoke to Artemis. She glanced over to Poseidon, who gave her an even bigger smile.
"I will do as you ask, Zeus."
"Good. You will speak to Cassandra and her herald. Tell them what I am about to tell you...and then you will speak to the herald's sister, Kurumi. It is time she became a bigger player in your brother's game."
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End of Chapter Seven
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