Walking amidst the segments of pillars, bearing the pitiful remnants of Eros, were the twin gods, Deimos and Phobos. Each step seemed to carry the weight of an unspoken sorrow, their path marked by a solemn duty decreed by the All Father, Zeus.
Yet, as they pressed on, their progress was abruptly halted by a figure emerging from a concealed corner. With urgency in her steps, a fair lady draped in a diaphanous white robe, leaving little to imagination, rushed forward. Her hands, once smooth, trembled as they cupped Eros's fading visage.
In her anguish, she lost her footing, collapsing to the ground, her lamentations filling the air. "The All Father has brought this upon him! How could he?!" she cried out, searching for some sort of answer, her pleas echoing through the temple.
"My lord, awaken, I beg you! Return to me!" she implored, her grip on Eros's lifeless form growing ever more desperate. As she looked on for some sort of response, her fear grew, eye balls darting about randomly as if she was in a contest between what was and what could be.
She squeezed her right fist around Eros's hand tightly, the warmth from his essence was giving way to an encroaching chill.
"Shiva, this is not the time for mourning. Should the All Father witness your grief for Eros, a traitor in his eyes, you may find yourself in a similar plight!" Deimos cautioned, his voice laced with a somber warning.
"The All Father!" Shiva began, not letting go of Eros yet eyes fixed on the twin gods.
"I must confront him at once!! He must restore my lord, my love!" Shiva declared, a fierce determination flashing in her eyes, propelling her towards the twin gods who stood in her path.
However, Phobos would not yield. Passing Eros's shattered bow to his brother, he turned to seize Shiva by the hand. "Have you been consumed by madness?" Phobos inquired, searching shiva's eyes for any trace of sanity but it was crystal clear that emotions far beyond reasoning were at the forefront and Shiva was all about letting them flow.
Yet, Phobos sought to reason with Shiva, perhaps find a mutual ground.
"Confronting the All Father? Is this driven by devotion or folly for my little brother?" Phobos questioned, his tone a mix of concern and disbelief.
"Release me! As we speak, his life slips away! I must confront the All Father!" Shiva insisted, her resolve unyielding. She tried to pull from the grip of Phobos but found how daunting that proved.
At this, Deimos stepped forward, his voice grave. "You may not comprehend, but any action you take now, even if by some slim chance you succeed against the All Father, Eros cannot be restored. Not after the 'Bitter Ending Curse' that the All Father himself has placed upon him,"
"Bitter ending?" Shiva repeated, eyes darting back and forth at the two gods standing befire her. She looked back at Eros perhaps to disprove the sudden claim. Unable to make sense of it and dreading the realization that the twin gods in front of her may be right, she sought clarification.."You mean the god killer curse?!" Shiva's voice quivered, her words strained, as if struggling to let more words form from her mouth as her face grew visibly pale.
"Sadly, yes. Now that you know, there's no retreat. Eros is no longer a god. His immortality, his godhood, all stripped away. He is but a mortal now, fated to meet his end," Phobos interjected, his voice steady but tinged with subtle empathy.
Hearing this, Shiva shook her head while taking cautious steps back, desperation surging through her as she staggered back against a pillar, her gaze darting wildly, as if seeking an elusive solution.
Her eyes fell upon Eros's prone form, and she rushed to him, clutching the tattered remnants of his garb, pulling with a desperate force.
"Wake up!!" She suddenly blurted, still pulling Eros's garment like madness had overcome her.
"Wake up, Eros!! You can't leave me!!" She declared with tears streaming down her face. The sudden outburst caused Phobos and Deimos to stare at one another, exchanging glances of what appeared to be pity or perhaps understanding for what she was going through.
However, not stopping, Shiva went on to try to awaken Eros.
"You are a god, are you not?!! Look at you!! Eros, look at yourself!!!" Shiva continued to yell at Eros with tears streaming down from her eyes.
"...Jus...Just look at the form you're in. Is this godly? Will you not stand up and be a god?! Will you allow this shame continue?!!! Eros!!!!!..." Shiva yelled even louder.
"It's enough, Shiva," Deimos stepped in to restrict her but staring back at him fiercely, Shiva retorted.
"I'll tell you when it's enough!!!" Enraged, she growled from the pit of her stomach at Deimos but as quickly as she showed that fit of anger, she immediately turned her attention back to Eros and began to weep again.
"Eros...you can hear me, can you not?"Shiva asked, looking back and forth at the twin gods and then Eros as if they could offer some solution to the situation.
Hysterically, she began again with her eyes widening, "You still can hear me, I know you can. Remember, 'Love cannot be vanquished!' you told me this..." Shiva said, rocking Eros's form in her arms, shedding floods of tears at this point.
"Was it a lie?!!" Shiva whispered.
"You promised me eternity, and we've barely begun our millennium together! Why deceive me?!!" Shiva's tears flowed freely.
"Rise now, or I'll curse you!" Shiva's voice shook as she yelled at Eros, her sorrow slowly beginning to mingle with rage.
"Wake up, Eros, or find no peace in your slumber!!" She said, landing her palms on Eros's chest.
"Eros!! Do you hear me?!!" Her voice echoed, a desperate plea reverberating through the temple.
"Shiva, what's done is done" Deimos stepped once more to say.
"But have faith in this, you will not be alone. You'll have the choice, either me or my brother, Phobos, as your companion," Deimos offered, his words a ray of faint solace, extending his hand out to shiver.
However, Shiva's mourning seized at that moment. Her cries were now replaced by silence and her sorrow instead paved way to seething anger, her gaze piercing Deimos with a disdainful fire.
"Such impudence!!!" Shiva spat with a ting of disdain.
"How dare you?!!!.... How dare you?!!" she repeated, abandoning Eros, she stood up, her fists striking Deimos's chest in a frenzied rhythm.
"As I said, the choice is yours. Either I or my brother, Phobos. But remember, as a companion to a fallen branch of our bloodline, you cannot stray far from us!" Deimos asserted, his tone unyielding and taking a more darker tone.
"I understand" Shiva nodded her head hysterically.
"..I see now..." Shiva's reply was measured, a nod punctuating her words. She glanced between the twin gods back and forth, over and over again, then set her resolve and walked away.
"I'll take him to the abyss and see to his fate. Ensure she's secure in her chamber upon my return," Deimos commanded, and Phobos responded with a sardonic smirk, moving to apprehend Shiva.
Amidst the vast celestial expanse, Deimos stood on the edge, his dark hair tangled in the wind. His intense gaze pierced the cavern below, where shadows danced in suspense.
In his arms, the fragile form of Eros hung suspended, a stark contrast to the grandeur of the cosmic vista. The cool breath of the wind whispered secrets of ages past, carrying the weight of an irreversible destiny.
It was a frozen scene where gods and now mortals were bound by their inevitable destiny.
"Behold, the descent of a fallen god, a fate ordained in starlight's trod," Deimos intoned, his voice echoing in the vast expanse as he held Eros over the yawning chasm.
With a graceful motion, Deimos released his hold on Eros's form, allowing it to descend into the abyss. For a fleeting moment, Eros's body was swallowed by the unyielding darkness.
Deimos then extended his hand, letting Eros's bow follow suit, relinquishing it to the depths below. Drawing a deep breath, he turned on his heel, retracing his steps towards the temple.
*********************
In a vast, shadowy realm, echoes of abandoned souls murmured like distant ripples in an eternal sea. Amidst this desolation, Eros lay motionless.
A mysterious figure approached, initially resembling tattered remnants in the void. Cloaked in darkness, with malevolent red eyes and a lone horn, a female figure perched on it, gazed at Eros.
A subtle smirk crossed her face as she said, "The form of a god lying so still and weak. How ironic?" The voice echoed through the void.
*Author's note*
Really nervous about this one. Let's hear your thoughts.
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