Chief Archon Zariah immediately teleported himself back to his wife's side after he left his father's.
When Head Priestess Meera saw her husband return she also noticed a unique smell on him.
"So you and Father Thoth had a glass of spirit wine without me I see..." Meera said in a pouting manner.
Chief Archon Zariah immediately became nervous and tried to defend himself.
"That was not my intention in going there my dear. I simply needed to talk to Abba. The drinks were his idea. We did not mean to exclude you."
Meera was still looking away from him as if his words meant nothing.
"Hmmm...is that so?"
Zariah could see that his attempt to appease his goddess had failed, but he could also tell that she was not really pouting. So he simply hugged her from behind and kissed her softly on the cheek.
"Since you're taste for spirit wine has been aroused by my scent, I'll be sure to ask Abba for another bottle for us. And...the way we'll be drinking it...we won't need glasses."
Meera's richly melanated cheeks began to blush when she heard her husband's words. She then turned around to embrace him properly and welcome him home with a kiss.
"That's why we have so many princes and princesses now. That silver tongue of yours is dangerous." She laughed a little before releasing him from her embrace and straightening herself up.
"But that will have to wait. Our beloved begotten are on their way here right now because we all need to talk about our situation."
And as if right on cue, Mordecai, Michael, Lyra, Lilianna, and Zen appeared before them.
They bowed in unison and Mordecai greeted their parents.
"Peace be unto you and the nine heavens you rule mother and father. We are here at your command." Mordecai spoke on behalf of his siblings since he was the eldest now that Zemyna was gone.
"Peace be unto you all. The fruit of my womb. Relax now we have much to discuss." Head Priestess Meera didn't want to waste any time in getting the family meeting going.
"As you all know, Zemyna has left the nine heavens to undergo the Rite of Ascension. Her presence here, her incomparable strength, did as much to keep the nine heavens at peace as did the rule of myself and your father. And with her gone, other families from the lower heavens may see this as an opportunity to challenge us for our position as the Archons. The sixth through eighth heavens bare us no ill will. I cannot see Krishna, the Shiva family, or Heru being at odds with us. Our families have known each other and worked together in harmomy for too long. But the rulers of the lower of the heavens...I wouldn't put anything past them."
"I concur with your mother." Zariah chimed in and then continued. "Mordecai, you are the eldest now and you have spent the most time studying under my father. Who would you say is the biggest threat to us?"
Mordecai was a bit shocked to hear his father pose this question to him, but he was ready for it.
"No family in the nine heavens poses a threat to us. Even with Zemyna gone and grandfather having to remain mutual, I feel our strength is unmatched. But if the question is who would be foolish to move against us, I could easily see Mael, the brothers Romulus and Remus, and Set making that grave mistake."
Zariah smiled when he heard his son's strong words.
"Very good my son. Michael, do you have anything to add?"
Michael was surprised to be called on so soon after Mordecai, but he took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Luckily for him, he was able to think fast.
"I do, father. As you all know, I love the sword almost as much as Zemyna. And so I have invested most of my energy in honing my combat skills with our armies. While I trained with our soldiers, I built quite the rapport with them and I can tell that our own readiness needs to be addressed. They are capable when keeping the peace, but much preparation needs to be made if they are to be ready for a true large-scale conflict."
Zariah nodded. "I see...and if rumors of our armies intensifying the training were to spread, would that not stir our potential enemies to act faster, Lyra?"
Lyra thought it was odd that her father was testing them like this and wondered if this was his weird way of bonding with them. Before, he would simply have these chats with Zemyna with her and the others barely saying a word. But with Zemyna absent, it seems he knew he needed to rely on all of them more. This realization warmed her heart a little. But of course she vocalized none of this and focused on the matter at hand.
"Father, while my brothers were learning magic and swordsmanship, I was wandering the lower heavens. There is a palpable disdain for us down there. Mostly for Zemyna who kept them at bay by merely existing. It was a slap in their face and their pride has been bruised since she was born. As someone who was jealous of her myself, I could empathize with them. So, I can confidently say that if Mael, Romulus, Remus, and Set were to hear that we were fortifying ourselves, they would surely use it as an excuse to move against us and as a lightning rod to draw others to their cause."
Lyra responded to her father, but it was her mother who answered.
"Thank you for your honesty, Lyra. Your words just now show how much you have grown. And the same is true for you you two as well, Mordecai and Michael. I am so proud of you. It is clear to me that our family can overcome whatever comes our way."
Of course while the lower heavens rebelling is the challenge they may have to face in the immediate future, what truly worried the Head Priestess was the looming threat to all of Creation she could feel was coming in the distant days to come.