Chapter 117

117 Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

“And here I was thinking that you would be working on a cure rather than a plague for once in your life,” she retorted, rolling her eyes at the god’s petty hobby.

“Oh, my son, dear Asclepius is the one who’s always handling the cures. Trying to prove to his father that he can undo every type of cruelty I set on the humans. Sometimes I think that boy is delusional about my love for him. Doesn’t he realise I’m making him greater?” the gods twisted logic failed to worm its way into Seth’s mind. He simply couldn’t understand what Apollo was getting at.

“Do these puzzles ever get you closer to your son? I’m sure he just loves the humans a bit more than you’d like to accept,” Celeste tried.

“I would only accept your opinion if you assumed the form of you that I respect. So... ‘Celeste,’ get on with it... As you can tell, I am quite busy,” he said. Seth was wondering what was going on between the two of them considering they were supposed to be siblings.

“I have a medical issue that I’d like to run by you,” she said.

“Can’t you just go Asclepius? The ‘god’ of medicine, ugh,” he raised air quotes around his son’s name, “Unless it’s a werewolf in trouble, then that means you had no choice but to come to me.”

“Do you think you can put aside your deductive reasoning for once? I have a problem, it’s medical, it’s with a werewolf. I decided to come and ask for my brother for help. Before your son, you were the one who knew everything to do with medicine. Those of us who still remember those times still come to you if we ever need such help,” she tried to reason through the man’s ego.

“You and who else... You’re the first one to come to me for help with anything medicinal in a very long time. I was thinking of completely going for the title Apollo, god of plagues and pandemics,” he continued.

“Brother, will you help me?” she asked him. There was nothing left she could say to convince him that he was still respected as a god of medicine. Asclepius had far surpassed him in that right and was known across the human world as the god of medicine. This was Apollo sulking after having lost that power.

.....

“What makes you think I’d help you? Gods can heal all kinds of injuries with a flick of their hands. Go do that,” he said.

“The person I’m trying to heal has no injury to heal brother,” this got god’s attention.

“Now that is interesting. It’s no wonder you came to me. I wonder if one of my plagues got to them. Follow me to my scrying pool so that I might see this poor soul in need of the Lord Apollo’s help,” his voice boomed across the castle while he strode out of the laboratory.

The two followed him as he led the way to the pool he used to watch over the human world. Opening the room he spoke of, a cloud of dust drenched the got in brown dirt. Celeste hadn’t caught up to him and did all she could to preserve her laughter. Quite embarrassed the god walked into the darkroom, lights turning on automatically and illuminating the countless books that lay inside gathering dust in the room.

“After what happened with the werewolves and the big man banning all godly interference except for you and Prometheus... well, until you fix your mess, I haven’t visited this room. Years of civilisation and development fell after what you pulled,” he said to her, “But all is forgotten, dear sister. Who is it you want me to look at?”

Celeste, feeling a slight pang of guilt walked up to the pool at the centre of the room and cast a glow upon it, springing it back to life and wiping all the dust off it in an instant. Seth was getting used to seeing the impossible. Well, after how long he’d been in his relationship with the goddess, he knew what to expect every time he walked into another god’s domain.

“That’s her,” her voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked into the pool to see the girl being carried out of the plane by her mate. The two fit together like puzzle pieces that almost made him envious. Had he not married the goddess herself, he would have been.

“Who exactly? The one being carried. She’s in more shape than most of the people around there. And brimming with so much raw power and potential. I can tell she’s not even in her prime yet and she still holds so much power. Maybe if you’re talking about the one holding her,” the god said.

“Who, Cole... No, he’s fine. I’m talking about the girl he’s holding,” she said to him, getting slightly frustrated.

Right before Apollo could protest, he saw the girl get placed into a wheelchair. His eyes, after hundreds of years in the field of medicine, noticed all the twitches the girl’s muscles made. The dormancy of her arms and legs and yet keeping the strength they held. It was like she was in good shape, but didn’t even know, “Now I see the problem...”

“Finally, some good news... What seems to be the problem?” she asked, getting excited.

“It’s all in her head,” the man said.

“That must be the least anticlimactic diagnosis you’ve given in the centuries that I have known you, brother. What do you mean it’s all in her head?” she asked.

“I mean just that... The girl doesn’t know she’s fine or at least, she does but doesn’t accept it. It’s quite bizarre what the mind of a human can do. I watched the man cut his son’s head off just because he thought it was a vine of grapes,” the man mused.

“That was... a very long time ago, brother...”

“I know, but when you’re as bored as I’m getting, you remember a lot about the past. I’ve also realised I’ve never once done something just from the goodness of my heart. I’ve heard humans speak of such a thing. So for once, I will do it for you dear... sister, even though I like you better when you don’t look like that,” he spoke.

“I assume you’ll be leaving now,” he said, sitting cross-legged to watch the pool.

“I thought you weren’t allowed to use this room,” she said.

“Oh no, I’m not allowed to interfere with humans, but nothing says I can’t watch them. I’m curious to know how this girl’s life goes. I have never seen a human brimming with this much power from the gods. You must be scared to take measures as drastic as this... Good luck, Celeste. Fix this crap, so that I can get to messing around with humans once more,” he mused, ordering one of his servants to bring him a plate of ambrosia. His experiment was completely forgotten and now occupied by what seemed to be a far more interesting movie.

They strode out of the room with their mission done and with more hope for the future than what they’d arrived with. Once again, Seth was left astounded by the efficiency the moon goddess had gotten out of this endeavour. “What just happened?”

“I asked for a favour and got it done,” she replied as though nothing special had happened.

“I didn’t even notice him use any power to diagnose the girl. He just stood there and looked at her,” he continued to grumble.

“Are you surprised? Asclepius might be good at his job, but his father was the first to study the human anatomy to the letter. Apollo got so absorbed in making plagues that he didn’t notice his son surpass him. Before long, the boy had invented something that could even cheat death. Something like that would only make him earn the title, ‘god of medicine.’

“Aren’t you guys afraid of mentioning names of gods so easily?” Seth asked.

“That’s only for gods that are much more powerful. Asclepius is a peaceful lad,” she replied. They were only getting to the courtyard of Apollo’s palace when Seth stopped the moon goddess tugging on her hand. She’d been moving so fast she didn’t notice he wanted to talk to her.

“Why aren’t you and your brother on good talking terms?” he asked her.

“Seth, look at me. I’m the moon goddess, Celeste. The version of Artemis that doesn’t go according to her original vows. Do you really think he would be happy to see me in this form?” she narrowed her eyes at him, “Oh, let’s go already...”

The last statement he meant to say to her was drowned out by the sound of a twister that developed when they began their travel back to the palace. White light enveloped them and cast them across the sky, “You’re still lovable just the way you are...” He knew it to be a fact... after all, why had Apollo stayed to watch what his sister was up to with the werewolves...