#Chapter1

/"Veni, inquit, quia vocavi te/"

. . .

/"Once upon a time, the great Gods had erected a beautiful castle, carved of gold in all its glory, spread throughout the centre of the universe. Each of the twelve heavenly stars lived in their respective towers, the castle had twelve, each with its own story.

Different towers of that castle were called by different names but the most popular of all those parts was Shire Towey tower situated at the centre of the universe, connecting all realm gates. The twelve stars that dwelled in those towers were Knowledge, Time, Water, Earth, Fire, Music, Silence, Love, Bravery, Happiness, Luck, and lastly the one that kept them all together, the prince of all the eleven siblings, the twelfth sibling, Beauty-The most beautiful star that ever existed.

They all ruled beside the gatekeeper in the golden castle just above the purgatory, but Beauty took his responsibilities rather lazily, never committing to his people and enjoying a lavish life with castle maidens, in the depths of lust.

For he believed that love didn't exist, it was only lust that would bring in true pleasure. He danced all his evenings away, forming physical relationships with other goddesses and leaving them behind, in search of more beautiful ones. Hovering from one flower to another, crushing every flower who's nectar he had tasted, left behind to wilt and either away.

But then a witch fell for him, a rather ugly one. She dressed herself in fine silk and went to Shire Towey to meet beauty. But he refused to even look at her for his sight was only meant to perceive the beautiful.

This infuriated the witch and she told him that one day, he would lose the face that he's proud of and then everyone will refuse to look at him the way he refused to look at her.

And the very next day, while Beauty was in his garden, adorning the blue roses, his face felt droplets of rain. He looked up, it rained of acid and burnt the prince's face. His face had burnt so badly that nobody had the courage to look at his monstrous mutt.

Soon, the enchanted ballroom turned lonely and the castle deserted. Beauty couldn't bear to look at his face, so he wrapped himself in bandages and walked into a grave. He asked his servants to cover the grave.

Later, when Knowledge knew of this, he ran for his brother's help, but when he dug the grave, he found nothing but blue roses drenched in blood.

As soon he dug the grave, the entire golden castle broke down and all the twelve stars living in it separated out in different parts of the human world, forgotten by the heavens, left to choose their own fate./" The story teller closed the book and smiled. She had bright brown lips and skin as black ebony. Her eyes and hair though were a sheer contrast of sliver and grey. She wore a long floral frock and long boots beneath it. Her hat covered her eyes at intervals. She was surrounded by a group of children.

/"Where did Beauty go?/" The children asked.

/"Nobody knows. His body is still missing,/"

/"Maybe someone stole it?/"

She smiled, /"Or maybe, he lives in your eyes, look how beautifully they shine, as if beauty himself resides in them,/" She smiled.

She got up with her book,

/"Tomorrow, I'll read you the tale of Music and his curse of one thousand Gods,/" She smiled at the children.

/"Ms Feline, are all these stories real?/" A bronze haired girl asked her.

/"They are very real, Jevelene./"

Ms Feline got up and all the children scrambled away to their homes. She walked away with her books. She walked into her house and looked at the letters in her letterbox. It had been two months since she had been in Italy. The king wanted her back at Alkinshime in Sweden. That was her life as a spy of the magical kingdom of Alkanshime. She had to leave immediately. She was sad she couldn't recite the story of Music to the children. That had always been her favourite.

The nine years old Jevelene ran inside her house and jumped into her father's lap. He had the same hair as her.

/"Where have you been, Jev?/" He asked as he fixed his tie.

/"With Ms Feline!/"

/"Oh? Did she tell some story again?/"

/"Yes! She told me about prince Beauty! He's the prince of all the twelve heavenly stars!/" She giggled, /"Have you met him, dad?/"

/"Your mom might have, she was a goddess after all,/"

/"He is the most beautiful of all the stars! I wish I could see him just once, even if it is all in my fantasy/" She danced across the chairs in the old and dusty living room. The wooden floor creaked as she walked over it,

/"How about making him your star?/" Her father wore his gloves.

/"Having the prince of the twelve heavenly stars as my star spirit? That's too fancy of a dream to dream. Plus he must be so beautiful... And I'm so...,/"

/"Jevelene, kindness makes you the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what you look like,/"

She smiled, /"Yes,/"

She pressed her hand on the window plane, /"If I become the gatekeeper, I'll will solve the mystery of beauty. Sad for me, I couldn't see him once before he died,/"

/"Miss Jevelene, that's not possible anymore,/" Mr Laurent, the housekeeper said as he packed her father's luggage.

/"But why? Father told me about the parade,/"

/"Yes, but they won't happen anymore, dear,/" Her father said.

/"But why?/"

/"The parades have ended. The chosen gatekeeper has set an empire, so her children will be the next gatekeepers,/"

/"She is a girl?/"

/"Yes, and if she being a girl can be as strong as a gatekeeper, so can you be a strong and kind demigod. And if you have your mother's strengths, then I must tell you this, you will be quite alright./"

/"I certainly will!/" She smiled, excitedly.

/"That's my girl. I'm leaving for Russia,/" He kissed her forehead, /"Do you want me to get something for you?/"

/"A hair ornament!/" She smiled.

He laughed, /"You already have so many of them,/"

/"I want one like mom!/" She pointed at a picture of her mother, wearing a golden iron crown, hanging on the wall. Her blonde hair shining brighter than the crown.

/"That is not a hair ornament, Jevelene, that is a crown,/"

/"Where is it now?/" Jevelene asked.

/"Under the icebergs of Alkamshine, with your mother,/"

/"Can't we go there to meet her?/"

/"Jevelene, we've had this talk before,/"

Jevelene looked at her feet, /"But I want to see mom,/"

/"Trust me, you will...When the time comes. You're still fourteen, you have a lot of time,/"

Mr Laurent got on the chariot. She was left at home with the rest of the maids and servants for another six months.

But after a few days, she received the news. The ship by which her father was to travel to Russia had sunk. Jevelene smiled at the messenger and bowed, /"Thank you for letting me know,/"

She stood among the men in a black robe and his father's old black hat.

'Through all the deep waters, you have to smile your way,'

She bit her lips and smiled under her black umbrella. The white lilies lay on the grave. Her grandmother took her in after that. But the house was taken over by Mr Laurent.

/"But this is my house,/" Jevelene said.

/"Not until you're eighteen, now get the hell outta here,/"

She and her grandmother were thrown on the streets. She lived at her grandmother's old house. But they had no source of income, so Jevelene had to leave her studies and work in a flower garden with her grandmother, selling flowers to earn a living. Her grandmother couldn't help her with her housework because of her weakness due to old age.

Jevelene's love for flowers grew and so did she. She had just celebrated her fifteenth birthday. Italy felt hotter than usual. Her grandmother fell sick that summer and so she had to take care of the garden by herself whilst nursing her sick grandmother.

/"I want to give some flowers to my wife. We fought this morning,/"

/"White orchids are the best flowers for an apology,/" Jevelene smiled.

/"Then please pack me a bouquet of white orchids,/"

/"Certainly,/"

She walked inside the house in the afternoon.

/"Jevelene,/"

/"It's time for your medicine, grandma,/" She gave her her medicine. Her grandmother looked at Jevelene's face, /"It's hard to believe your mother was a goddess when you look this way,/"

/"What do you mean grandma?/"

/"I have seen your mother,/"

/"She is very beautiful, right?/" Jevelene smiled.

/"Yes, she is, but you are so...I guess you take after your father,/"

Jevelene looked aside, /"Well, I am.../" She chuckled, /"I am not a goddess, neither was father,/"

/"How will I get you married?/"

/"Grandma,/" She held her grandmother's hand, /"I will be fine,/"

/"No, you wouldn't. Just look at your face. Who can love you?/"

Jevelene looked down, /"Maybe someone...Who appreciates a different kind of beauty, not the conventional one./"

Her grandmother looked into her dull brown eyes, /"Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It's ordinary to love the beautiful, but it's beautiful to love the ordinary,/"

Jevelene smiled and covered her with her blanket, /"You just need a lot of rest, don't stress about me. I'll be fine, I am strong. I need to get the water for the garden from the brook. I couldn't go this morning because I had to go buy some seeds. It's alright, I'll be back soon!/" Jevelene ran outside.

Jevelene walked through the forests with a bucket in her hand. She looked at the tree leaves above and danced on the grass as she sang the song her mother used to sing.

She stopped at the brook and saw a small boy sitting beside it. He looked the same age as her. He had dirty brown hair and donned tattered shreds, seemed like a pauper. She stood behind him. He took some water in his palms and the water turned to bread.

/"Oh wow!/" She said and he quickly turned back, and the bread turned back to water. He had a feminine face.

/"You just turned the water to bread! Your sila is so good!/"

He got up and looked at her with a vexed expression.

/"Who are you?/" He asked.

/"I'm Jevelene,/" She smiled.

/"Fancy name, Jevelene,/" He said, /"Forget what you just saw,/"

/"Don't worry, I am a demigod too!/"

He looked at her in disbelief, /"You don't look like one,/"

/"What do you mean?/" She asked.

/"Demigods are beautiful, you are not,/" He said and made bread out of the water again. He ate his bread.

She laughed, /"My grandma says that too,/" She filled the bucket with water.

/"Well, she ain't wrong,/"

/"Maybe,/" Jevelene smiled.

/"You smile a lot,/"

/"Thank you-/"

/"It's kinda annoying,/"

/"You hate everything about me,/" She laughed.

/"Whatever. So hey, what is your sila? You just witnessed mine, I can control atoms around me, what about you?/"

/"I don't know what my sila is,/"

/"So, what you're saying is...You don't even have a fucking sila yet?/"

/"No,/"

/"Trust me, you are not a demigod, because I got mine when I was a toddler,/"

/"Maybe I'm a late bloomer,/"

/"Or just a scam, and judging by your looks, you're entitled to think you're a demigod,/"

/"Well, anyways, what about you? What is your name?/"

/"I am not telling you, you are sketchy,/"

/"Come on, tell me! I won't tell anyone!/"

/"Nope,/"

/"Okay, then in that case, I'll call you what I want,/"

/"What do you wanna call me? Douche?/"

/"How about...

Ariel?/"

-To be continued