"Why are we turning?" Trina called out at the sailor as he steered away from their course.
"I was ordered to change course ma'am," the young man quivered.
"Under whose authority?" Indigo joined in.
"The Captain's ma'am."
"What are those two planning?" Trina heaved under her breath.
"Don't let it get to ya," the magician reassured her. "I'm sure they have a plan."
"Well, whatever they're planning, they better make it fast," she complained. "Petra doesn't have much time left.
Olly who had been watching them bicker from a distance slinked away from the deck. He was headed for the cabin. There was something which needed to be done, and it needed to be done fast.
Pushing Xerxes off the ship was the first step towards achieving his goal, there were more steps to go. This was the only way he thought, as he made his way through the passage and into his room.
***
"How do you know about the prophecy?" Mephistopheles asked when they were alone in the cabin.
"Uranus told us after your banishment. You?"
"Raïs came up to me when I denounced my title. He said his time was almost up and he had to warn me about the future."
The room was lit by the light from the window. The light wasn't much as it was still covered by a torn piece of cloth which acted as a net.
They sat opposite each other with an oak table in-between them. Mephistopheles had his legs crossed with a tensed look on his face. Senile on the other hand was rather laid back in his chair.
"Tell me what happened brother," Senile beckoned. "Tell me everything."
The dark god did not know if he was to trust his brother or wave the discussion off for another time. He was conflicted on sharing his history, even though it was a history that was already out, he was unsure about letting more details come forth.
"How do I know that I can trust you?" he finally let out.
"Cos I am your brother."
"Ha!" he scoffed. "May I remind you of Uranus."
"I cannot argue about that brother, but I need you to trust me on this one," with that, he brought out a knife from his drawer as Mephistopheles watched him closely. "With a slice of my wrist, may I never heal if I betray you."
"You do know that oath doesn't work anymore."
"Then what proof do you need," he broke out violently tossing the knife away. "What do you want me to do to make you believe in me. To make you trust me."
He looked away. His brother had done nothing wrong to put him in harms way. He had been nothing but helpful to him, where was this trust issue coming from, he wondered.
"Forgive me Senile, if you were in my shoes, you'd do the same," he muttered. "Fine I'll tell you what you want to know, but first, we need..."
"Wine!" Senile shouted as two women opened the door almost immediately, tray in hands like they had been waiting for his signal to come in.
"Were they waiting outside the door?" Mephistopheles asked transfixed with shock.
"Don't worry brother, they're under my spell. They know nothing," he assured him, opening a bottle and pouring its contents into the mugs. "You can go now," he motioned to the women as they bowed before leaving the room closing the door behind them.
"Here, have a drink, it was made in Fern island with the finest grapes," he said, handing a mug over to his brother who collected it suspiciously. "Wasn't it wine you wanted to call out?"
He nodded from side to side after taking a sip, "Privacy. Was about to tell you that we needed privacy. I do not want anyone hearing what I have to say to you."
"It is safe brother, they were the only ones around anyway," he answered before pouring the drink down his throat.
Mephistopheles who had been watching him drink laughed at his actions, "How are you the god of war, you should be the god of wine."
"Well," he retorted with a hiccup, "You should be the god of doom, because you bring about trouble wherever you go." He offered to refill the dark gods cup who turned down the offer.
"This is all my fault, isn't it?" he asked sober.
Senile read the room, dropping the bottle he had been drinking from onto the table gently.
"No it is not."
"It is, Raïs was a good god. He was very kind and he was understanding. He died to protect my family..."
"Stop!" Senile blew up banging a hand on the table. "Are we not your family as well? We all have a role to play in life. If we do not do our parts in them we are nothing but cowards. And Raïs was no coward. Do not slander his name with petty words as he was not supposed to die. He had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, he was prepared to go anyway."
They both stared at each other in silence with tension filling the air.
The dark god raised his mug up, "Let us drink for today. Tomorrow still awaits us brother."
Senile gave a sad smile, "You still don't trust me, do you?"
He wouldn't say that he did not, but somethings were better left unsaid. If he told his brother the real reason for his silence, would his brother take action or would he disappear for another thousand years like he did when he lost his war hammer. Senile was an emotional god, war was something he used to distract himself with.
No. He would try his best to protect his brother from any danger even if it meant hiding the real reason for Raïs demise.
"Let us enjoy today brother, let tomorrow take care of itself. The past is the past."
"Even if it still affects the future?" Senile asked.
"Even if it still affects the future," he declared.
The clinking of their mugs made him remember the last feast he had taken with his fellow gods. It was after the defeat of Zenok, they were all happy for the destruction of their arch nemesis as well as the end of ten thousand years of fighting. The human race would be finally free from the tyranny of the old gods.
"May we outlive the last race of humans," Senile cheered.
"And protect them from every evil that threatens the balance of earth," he cheered back with gusto.