Chapter 2:

Zeus Vs. Poseidon:

Clash of the Dragon Rivals

The once tall grasslands that blew in the face of strong breezes now faded away, leaving the unchanging surface of the sea before them. Something like this would have normally disturbed Bahamia - she hates things that always stay the same - but she was too excited about meeting Shiva again. Shiva was the ice goddess and, by that right, the queen of the frozen world. Shiva's exterior and powers may have been cold, but her heart was definitely full of compassion. She was wise behind her years, regardless of the three millennia she existed. Shiva and Bahamut are two of the most powerful Eidolons, but they were also the last two freed from their human servitude in the ceremonies. Years afterwards, they developed a strong bond between each other and Bahamut came to view her as a big sister. In this right, Shiva would be Bahamia's aunt.

The princess' mind raced. How long had it been since she'd last seen her aunt? Had it really been six months? Although she usually only saw her annually, this was far too long for her now. Wow, I can't even remember what we did the last time I saw her… Bahamia collected her thoughts of the fairly distant memory. Bahamut, on the other hand, kept tabs with her regularly. It was his business to do so. Her kingdom, Aurora, was almost as notorious as was his, and the two were in conference with each other on a regular basis with the other Eidolon leaders. They had fought alongside each other in the Ark Wars, and he may not have been able to defeat the calamity from the skies had she not been one of the many who supported him. The two of them flew on, smiles on their faces as they approached their frosted destination.

However, their mission would be suddenly interrupted when a large spray of water drenched the king's face. "Wha…what's the meaning of this?" the king snarled. Such blatant disrespect to a king would not be tolerated. He looked down to see several dolphins laughing at him. "How… dare … you?" the dragon growled. He generally was in the mood for horsing around amongst subjects, whether or not they were his own, but the place that he was hovering over was the problem. He knew who was responsible for the actions of the water kingdom's subjects, but the tyrant was nowhere in sight. "Explain yourselves!" demanded the soaking Bahamut.

"Whatsa matter? Can't take a joke? Or is it the only things worthy of pulling pranks on you are your own dragons? You think you're better than this kingdom, don't you? I bet you don't even consider this a kingdom!"

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for Oceanis," the winged king defended. "It's just the king whom I deplore. So ignorant, so immature, so cowardly! How can you honor the name of a king who attacks other royalty through his subjects? He can't even do the dirty work himself." Bahamut was stern on his opinion of the underwater king. After all, he had natural rights over him to begin with, and above water, this king was nothing more than a different version of the Edolonian subjects.

"Don't you dare smear dirt on the name of King Leviathan," said a shark as it swam up to see the commotion, bearing its fangs. "One more word and I'll shred you into the ocean!"

"I'd like to see you do that," countered Bahamut. "Keep in mind that only an immortal can harm me. Do not be such a fool. Where is your king so that I can… ahhh!" A waterspout sprung up beneath the king, drenching him so badly that he plummeted into the ocean. The entire aquatic kingdom roared with laughter at the sight of Bahamut struggling to return to the sky.

"Oh, do shut up! Don't you see that you're all wet, dragon king?" Bahamut's eyes shifted to the direction of the familiar voice. It was Leviathan, the serpentine underwater king. On sight, Bahamut's wings pushed him out of the water and he flew up once again to face his aggressor. Bahamut was furious at the indignity of this scoundrel. As far as he was concerned, this underwater ruler was a disgrace to the Eidolon domain, the land of the Eidolon kingdoms.

"I thought only the Tonberries fought so sneakily," Bahamut sneered, grinning nastily. He did not condone foul play between the kings and queens of the domain. "I see your conniving reputation exceeds your title, as usual." The serpent was furious at this insult.

"You dare slander my name in my presence or, even worse, on my territory?"

"Wrong, I dare do it overyour territory!" Bahamut countered, laughing. He didn't necessarily hold a grudge against Leviathan. He simply enjoyed irritating the king who didn't have a good enough reason to hate him so much. The only thing that hurt him and infuriated him at times was what Leviathan had been before being granted the ocean kingdom. He thought the water dragon would be grateful to him for understanding his feelings.

"Try saying that underwater, Bahamut!" The oceanic crowd increased in size. Leviathan certainly had an influence on his underwater subjects. The kingdom felt their ruler's contempt for Bahamut, and they often voiced it openly.

"You stay out of this, Flipper! This is between my uncle and my father! Unless, of course, you wanted do the underwater tango with me!" Most of the crowd withdrew. No one wanted to be in Bahamia's path when she attacked. Rumors of her power had even spread throughout the underwater kingdom.

"Oh yeah? All we have to do is knock you out the sky with our water blasts, and then you'll be just as helpless as your father was. Say that again and…"

"You'll do no such thing!" The entire crowd was extremely confounded to hear the objection of their king. His grudge was with Bahamut, not his daughter. He loved Bahamia very much, as though she was his own child.

"Bu-but sire..." the subjects pleaded. They had never seen him defend the dragon king, or at least that's whom they had thought he was defending.

"Are you questioning me? Do you need to be reminded the penalty for questioning your king?" The entire crowd departed. Bahamia smirked. She could play around with her uncle and not feel bad about embarrassing him in front of his subjects. He would not insult her, and she could end this quarrel, as well as regaining her father's prestige. Then they could be on their way to Aurora; they had wasted enough time.

"I'm sorry about that, my dear niece," the serpent apologized. He could never live with himself if he had hurt her in the most miniscule manner.

"Stop this bickering, you two. You are kings! Need I remind you uncle that it is because my father relinquished his rule over you that you now rule Oceanis?" The princess scolded the two of them, directing most of her voice to Leviathan. She turned just in time to see how he looked when his ego was diminished. His eyes cast into the waves, and he almost completely turned his head away. He was ashamed that he had offended the princess, at least in what he thought he had done. Bahamia simply enjoyed her power over the two would-be gods. Bahamut laughed. The serpent was finally made to be modest before him.

When the humans had freed them all as gods, appointing their roles, Leviathan, an Eidolon dragon, was placed under Bahamut's rule, and he had a lot of resentments because of it. He felt that the humans were mistaken, but took his anger mainly out on Bahamut, although he is the one who occasionally floods the land for what eventually became known as monsoon. He was a dragon, but he was an immortal Eidolon as well. Bahamut should not have been his king; Leviathan should have had that title in the same right. How could he have been overlooked? He wasn't second-rate. It wasn't that he wanted to rule the dragons, but he wanted to have been ruler of something. His resentment only grew when Bahamut saw how he felt and gave him the ocean. Only out of pity, do I become king. For nearly one and a quarter millennia, this is what the hurt Eidolon had felt towards Bahamut's gracious offer. He quickly hid his shame, and announced another thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Bahamia. Take this with you. I was going to come to the kingdom and personally deliver this, but since you are here, there's no point in my doing so." A large, magical drop of royal blue water magically formed before her, and as she gazed into it, she saw another world, like one of the crystal balls with a snowy setting within that the humans had become accustomed to having. This was different though. It definitely possessed a magical feel. The world within was not real but seemed very much so. It was always raining. How beautiful, how very sad...A tear ran down Bahamia's cheek.

"This is the Royal Teardrop. This is one of the three magic waters of my kingdom, each with a different emotion or use. The Mirror of Reflection is for guidance during hard times. It is a mirror that almost looks like the reflection from a puddle. It shows you advice and allows you to bring into vision whatever you long to see. The Glistening Dew is the treasure that controls water's effect on weather. But this, this is a personal treasure. Look into it when you are sad. Behold its beauty in the hopes that you become cheery from my gift. I've peered into it long enough. I no longer feel the grief the humans caused me. This is my gift to you."

The princess, with watery eyes, smiled at her uncle and the gift he had given her. She had always regretted the fact that she was born from creation and had no mother to love her. This would help her drift away into the lonely nights she so frequently endured. She wasn't ungrateful for being brought into the world. She simply longed for a mother's touch.

"Thank you uncle. Father let us continue. Do try to come to our banquet tonight, uncle!" the princess said as she and her father sped off once again. The serpent king cringed. Come to their banquet? Return to their kingdom for more than business? He smiled. "She always tries to make us reconcile. She's so young and far too naïve to be angry with."

The delay was over, and Bahamia had gotten a gift for being as patient as she could have been with the two dragons. "They're so immature," she thought. It would only be a matter of time before they arrived, and even then the ocean had disappeared behind them. All that was left were short, grassy plains, nothing like the grasslands she had come to cherish. It was apparent that they were almost there. The grass was changing color; Bahamia always noticed the beautiful color changes in the fall. She saw the grass turning yellowish, then a brilliant yellow, almost golden. Finally, as the grass reached its brown fate, Bahamia had caught the first glimpse of snow. A snowflake landed on her nose, tickling her in such a way that her entire face twitched. It had been so long since she had seen the brilliant white substance, and the princess was thrilled to return to Aurora.

Bahamut watched his daughter's eyes play with the little specks of white. This is what pleased him most about her. She never seemed to let the beauty of anything escape from her sight. Everything was beautiful in its own way to her. As long as war didn't force her to cloud her judgment, she could play with a nation that was once or would soon be her enemy and not care until the first sword was drawn; she would return to her regular state once the last sword was sheathed. The king knew that this would be her greatest year, one that she would never forget. This was one of his regrets. He never knew the benefit of growing, to see the world through the eyes of a child. "Perhaps while she sleeps, I'll peer into the Royal Teardrop," the king playfully contemplated. Just as his thoughts faded away, the outskirts of Aurora appeared.

The city was as beautiful as Edolonia was majestic. Constructed of beautiful ice crystals, light shone off of everything, creating the effect of the Aurora Borealis, the northern lights, as the kingdom was so aptly named for. In the center, the majestic palace pointed towered above all else, and Bahamia noticed, as she did every year, the beautiful appearance the city possessed from above. It was a beautiful crystal rose, shimmering with a dazzling display of lights. No land on this planet could compare to such beauty. This is what the dragoon princess concluded long ago. A chilling wind blew and signaled for the two dragons to land. As their feet touched the ground, their hostess was already before them.

"Auntie Shiva!" Bahamia ran to the goddess of the Arctic chill, hugging her fiercely. Shiva could only smile.

"My, my. I still can't figure out why you cannot teach her formal restraint, noble Bahamut," Shiva said, embarrassed by how her ideal niece had embraced her.

"Oh, Shiva. Surely you do realize that as my daughter, she is just as stubborn and free-spirited as I?"

"Yes, Aunt Shiva, can't I show how much I miss you? Does royalty have to be so distant towards others?"

"That's not what I meant… stop twisting my words around I…" Shiva let out a sigh. She had been defeated and would not play further into Bahamia's game, although her niece's manipulations were something quite amusing to engage in. Unlike Bahamut, Shiva knew when Bahamia was working and when to give up. Now was the time. She'll make a wily politician, just like myself. A boasting voice disturbed her contemplations. It could only be one person.

"Seriously, Shiva, what kind of host leaves her guests out in the freezing air? My wings are starting to gather ice crystals." Bahamut was trying to get a response out of her. He enjoyed playing little brother and often found sport in provoking her in informal gatherings.

"A very cold host. In any case, Bahamia can come, you stay out here since my hospitality seems a little too… cold-winded for you." She and Bahamia walked into the castle. Bahamia was filling up with ideas to taunt her father. The castle gates were closing. Two can play that game. Shiva was planning on exacting her revenge.

"Wait for me!" Bahamut tried to run but his face hit the door and he skidded back ten feet down the icy palace path. Inside, the queen and the princess were filled to the brim with laughter. "Let me in! Let me in! This isn't funny!" Their laughter grew louder in accordance to how loud he got as he banged on the palace gates. Now it's my turn.

"Bahamut, say please."

"What?"

"I said say please!"

"Please?"

"Now apologize."

"For what?"

"For being so annoying."

"Never!"

"Then you don't enter."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He had been reduced to actually being a little brother. All he wanted to do was to get out of the chilly air. It had been easier for him to keep warm when he was flying.

"Now say 'Shiva's the greatest'." This was enough.

"Just open the damn door!"

"As you wish." Shiva was not quite finished. She taunted him to build him up; now she would knock him back down. She raised her right hand and a bluish-white aura dispersed into the air in front of her, crystallizing into a giant snowball. "Bahamia, dear. Step aside, will you?" Bahamia knew what was about to happen and as the gates opened, the sound of her father colliding with the rolling snowball confirmed it. Yep. I was right. Good one, Aunt Shiva. "Come," said Shiva. "Let your father clean himself up. He can join us when he's done." The two walked into the depths of the castle.