The Sky God led the Goddess to his residence, which was not far from where they were. All of the Senior Alpha gods lived in close proximity to one another, like a dysfunctional family clustered together. This was what the Creator wanted. Everyone could be summoned at a moment's notice, if need be.
They walked in silence. Moon's thoughts were chaotic, still in denial that Tuzi was missing. Sky did not know what to say to comfort her, so he thought that silence might be the best remedy available.
When they arrived on the grounds of Sky's compound, she looked up at the familiar estate. Even though night has veiled over the realm, the grounds were illuminated by orbs of glowing lanterns, hundreds of them. The emanating gold light felt magical and enchanted the atmosphere.
Unlike Moon, who preferred a quiet life with her companion Tuzi, the Sky God's estate was a bustling hive of activity. Divine soldiers, serving staff, farmers, and others all called his estate home, and the surrounding areas were also densely populated. In fact, the Sky God's estate and the surrounding areas could be considered a small village in their own right.
As they approached the main house, the people inside began to notice them. One by one, they bowed their heads in respect to the deities. When they reached the front entrance, the great doors were flung open, and a flurry of serving staff rushed out to greet Moon. They embraced her warmly, their joy at her return evident in their smiles.
"My Lady! It has been ages!" An older gentleman exclaimed, enveloping her in a big bear hug. "I thought I would never see you again in this millennia. It has been a good few centuries!"
"Oh, My Lady! I can't believe it's you! It has been so very long," a woman said, cradling The Goddess's face in her hands.
Moon had forgotten how wonderful the patrons of Sky's household could be. They were always so warm and welcoming, and their hugs and pets were like a balm for her soul. For a brief moment, she was able to forget about her problems and simply enjoy the company of these kind people.
Sky watched his serving staff fuss over the Moon Goddess, a pang of longing for the days when she was still the mistress of the estate. His people had always loved her, and he could see why. There was no difference in station and status with the Goddess. She treated everyone here like they were her family and friends.
Not wanting to dig himself further into that hole of nostalgia at this grim moment, he cleared his throat loudly. "Guys… Moon had an incredibly hard day. Please set her up in her quarters. Make sure she is comfortable and give her anything she needs."
"Oh my poor child," an elderly lady said, stroking the hair on The Goddess's head. "Did this fool do something to hurt your feelings again?" She frowned at the Sky God. "Want me to poison his food for you?"
The Sky God looked a combination of shock and hurt, responding with his hand up in defense, "I didn't do anything!"
The elderly woman wagged her finger at him. "'Didn't do anything' my ass! Don't you let me catch you picking on My Lady!" She turned to The Goddess. "Don't worry. If he tries to bring home another one of his harlots, I'll toss him out of the house."
Sky rolled his eyes with a groan. "But I didn't do anything!"
Moon couldn't help but laugh, even though the joke really did hit some sore spots. "Thank you for watching out for me, Helga."
The elderly housekeeper scrunched her nose and sent a frown in the Sky God's direction. He threw up his hands and gave up. His own staff loved her more than they did him!
Twenty minutes later, the Goddess found herself in her old room on the upper floor of Sky's large estate house. It was the most classically designed room in the house, with ornate Versailles furniture and satin floral wallpaper. Twines of roses decorated the edges of the grand windows that faced the estate gardens. The sitting area was to the left of the room, and a very large canopied bed was on the right.
Moon's eyes avoided looking at the bed. It was where she had spent many days and nights in his arms. The memories made her face flush, and she knew it was best not to dwell on them.
There was a quiet knock at the door.
"Come in," she said.
The door creaked open, and Sky leaned against the frame, his green eyes scanning her face. He looked tired, but his face still held a gentle smile for her.
"I uh… I just wanted to see how you are doing and if you are settling in well." He glanced around the room. "I don't think we changed anything, since you were last here. The staff kept the place clean and always brought in fresh flowers."
She nodded, acknowledging his words. "Thank you for letting me crash here."
"It's not a problem at all. Is there anything you need?"
"No… I can't think of anything. Thank you for asking," she said, clearing her throat softly. Yeah, this is going to be awkward.
He nodded robotically. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know. You know where to find me. And uh… I'm sorry about today… And about Tuzi. We will work with the Creator tomorrow to find out more information. But until then, please try and get some rest tonight."
"Yeah… I'll try. Thanks, Sky." She didn't know what else to say to him.
"Ah… Well then, good night."
"Good night." She was fiddling with her fingers now.
The Sky God pushed himself off the door frame and left the room, closing the door behind him. Moon waited a moment before she went and clicked the lock on the door.
She leaned her forehead against the door. Don't let him pollute your thoughts right now, she scolded herself. Tuzi needs you.
She knew sleep would be impossible. She walked over to her former writing desk and pulled out a pen and some paper. Moon knew she needed to start connecting the dots and release some of the chaos that was warring inside her head. There was a lot to think about and too much has happened. It was time to organize all the information she has learned these past two days and figure out what the hell is going on and who was behind this mess.
She began by jotting down the names of potential suspects on the paper. The first name she wrote was, Sky.
There will definitely be no sleep tonight.
* * *
The darkness was all-encompassing, stretching on for as far as the eye could see. The only light was the faint glow of the stars, which seemed to hang like distant lanterns in the black sky.
Tuzi had been floating in the void for a while now. She had no way of knowing how much time had passed. She struggled to keep her eyes opened but found the pull of sleep hopeless to fight against.
Her eyelids felt heavy. It was impossible to keep them open for long.
Before she gave into her endless dreams, her last thought was that she hoped her Lady Goddess wasn't too worried about her…