Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian of Love: The Origins ❯ Facing the Gods ( Chapter 7 )

Guardian of Love

The Origins

Chapter 7 - Facing the Gods

By Angel Love

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, the Greek Gods or any of the characters I've used to fashion them after.

When Rose, Trista and I arrived back on Olympus, the other Guardians were waiting for us. They had felt our use of magic and had come to see what had happened.

Vega stood with his back against the wall, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. Rosely stood close to him, speaking in a low voice, but from the look on his face it was hard to tell if he was even listening to her. Across the room from them stood Osmound and Brenna, watching the two cautiously with Chesna lounging on a chair nearby, playing with her long braid.

All attention turned to us as we stepped out of the giant doors. Brenna gave an audible gasp at the way I looked and Chesna was instantly out of her chair, rushing over to us. "Oh, Gods, what happened to you, Angel?" She asked, a hand fingering my dirt-caked hair.

I gave her a small nervous smile, but I didn't answer her for fear that they would all condemn me for what I had done, as I myself was doing.

Rose obviously did not fear the same thing because her voice was calm and clear when she answered for me, her voice filling with something akin to pride. "Angel and I had to take care of some unfinished family business."

Vega was watching me closely. I met his eyes and he raised his eyebrows in silent question. I shrugged a shoulder, but unfortunately by doing so I revealed the sore state of my clothes or lack there of in the case of my top, as well as the hideous bruises on my flesh. He quickly moved his way over to me, slipped his jacket off, revealing a nice expanse of well-toned chest muscles, and had it around me before I realized what was going on. He looked at me again curiously when he saw the baby, but did not say a word.

Rosely narrowed her eyes at us, something was flashing in her hazel depths. "You used your magic without permission," she said in a low, very pissed off voice.

Rose rolled her eyes and stood in front of Vega and myself with her hands on her leather-covered hips. "Damn anyone to Hades who said that she was in the wrong," my sister hissed through clenched teeth. "He would have killed her if she didn't fight back. I think she had every right to use her powers."

"You are not the leader. I am," Rosely said, stepping forward until she was practically in Rose's face. "I decide when and where you can use your powers."

"When exactly was this rule made?" Chesna shot out, coming into the argument.

Osmound and Brenna standing behind her waiting to see if they too had to jump in, but to their obvious relief Chesna kept going and left them out of it. Luckily for them, Rose and Chesna seemed to always be willing to leave them out of the Guardian spats that came up.

"Because if I am not mistaken, we are supposed to be using these powers of ours to defend the innocent and bring the worlds back into order," the white-haired Guardian continued.

Rosely shot her a dark look in a clear statement to back off. "They did not defend any innocents. She killed a man that is not defending the innocent. That is called murder."

"Actually," Vega said in a smooth voice that somehow still made Osmound and Brenna jump, since he rarely came into the arguments, "I think she did."

Rosely arched a black eyebrow, anger and betrayal burned in her hazel eyes. "Oh? You weren't there, so how would you know?"

Vega gently moved back one of the edges of his white jacket, careful not to reveal any of my intimate body parts, and continued on to move the black cloak that surrounded the bundle in my arms, until he finally revealed the face of the sleeping newborn in my arms. "That is how I know," he said low, his eyes never leaving the face of my little sister.

"You brought a child here," she hissed, pushing Rose aside and getting into my face, startling me and causing Trista to fuss slightly. "Are you stupid? You can't possibly keep a child here!"

"That will be decided by us Gods," a cool voice said in the doorway.

We turned to see Hades standing in the doorway. His violet eyes were flashing dangerously at Rosely and she shrank back away from them visibly. His anger was not something that anyone wanted provoke.

His eyes softened with regret when he finally looked at me. "I'm afraid that you will have to go in front of others in order to decide Trista's fate, as well as your own." His eyes slid over the rest of the Guardians. "All of you have been summoned to a meeting."

I slowly nodded, the sudden fear I felt clogging my throat. I felt Rose place a comforting hand on my arm through Vega's jacket.

Hades turned, his braid swinging behind his dark attire, and led us through the halls and into a room that we had never been allowed in before. Fire torches lit up the room and all of the gods and goddesses were sitting on fluffy chairs around the room, leaving the center of the room empty.

On one side I could see Aphrodite, who gave me a concerned, yet reassuring smile. She was seated between Ares, who nodded at me, and Hephaestus, her husband, who was surprisingly not one of the best looking Gods, but he was far from ugly. His brown hair was well kempt with a few strands falling over his brow. His blue eyes regarded us coolly as we all walked in the room.

On the other side was Apollo, who gave me a polite smile. He was seated next to his sister Artemis, her long blonde hair hung straight down to her mid-thigh and her blue eyes, so much like her twin's, watched us with open curiosity. Next to Artemis was Athena, her flaming red hair curled out from under her helmet, her own blue eyes regarding the Guardians behind me thoughtfully.

As I looked around I could see them all, Poseidon, Hermes and all of the lesser Gods, many of which I have no idea what their names are. But I couldn't see Eros or the Fates anywhere.

As Hades led me to the middle of the room, he held up a hand and stopped everyone else from walking into the circle. I gently laid a hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look and turned back to Rose, silently asking him for her to join me.

He glanced towards the thrones where Zeus and Hera sat in their thrones. The King of the Gods was a magnificent looking man, his flaming red hair was cropped short, and his green eyes twinkled with an emotion I didn't fully understand, on both sides of his face were black lightening bolts coming across his temples and his cheek bones. His well-toned chest was bared for all to see. Hera was even more impressive than her husband. Her long black hair was pulled up a purple helmet, with a jewel hanging down the front. She had a beautiful purple pattern of swirling circles on her temples, that looked it was part of skin, ending right next to her hazel eyes. Her long black dress clung to her curves, dipping low to expose plenty of her ample cleavage. Her fingers looked like claws as she lifted a hand and allowed Rose to enter the circle with me.

I was grateful for the presence of Rose next to me, but as Hades stepped away from us to take a seat next to Athena, I felt very alone standing there in Vega's uniform jacket that was so big on me that it went all the way down to the tops of my boots. I could feel the knots in my long hair and the bruises and the dirt caked to me only made me feel even more inferior to the Queen of the Gods, whom was eyeing me closely taking in each and every detail, her eyes revealing nothing about what she was thinking.

Rose stood next to me quietly, with her staff in hand. I could hear her whisper softly to me through our mental link but I was so scared that I couldn't hear a word she said. I think she knew that and just continued to talk knowing that the sound of her voice was something that I desperately needed to hear at that moment and the only real comfort anyone could give me at the moment.

Hera made a wave of her hand and the room got completely still, and my level of fear raised another notch. "Guardian Love, you were brought before us because of your use of magic against your own family and for bringing a mortal to Mount Olympus. You may not speak during these proceedings. But I will allow both Hades and Eros tell their stories since they were both present. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said quietly, wishing I could have kept the tremor out of my voice.

She looked over at my sister. "You are being allowed in the circle with her because you were also there. But if you do anything to hamper these proceedings at all, I will strip your sister of her powers on the spot and have her killed slowly and mercilessly before your eyes. Do you understand?"

I felt Rose go completely still, even her whisper in my mind stopped, before she nodded her head and quietly spoke, "I understand."

"Good," Hera said, clearly satisfied with the way she had frightened the Guardian of Destiny. "I would hate to loose a fine warrior-in-training because you have this uncontrollable instinct to protect her."

We stood there stock still as Hera grilled Hades about everything. He acted impartial about the whole thing; as if he wasn't fazed at all that he witnessed a death, until he was asked if he had a personal relationship with either Rose or me. His violet eyes flashed dangerously and his growl echoed through the room. "My personal relationships with either of them have no bearing on this, Hera."

She seemed unfazed by his temper, unlike the other Gods who all shifted uneasily in their seats, and just regarded him coolly with her hazel eyes and cupped her cheek with one of her hands.

Zeus' voice boomed out as he finally broke his own silence and entered the discussion for the first time. "We do not wish to pry, Hades," he spoke to his brother. "We only wonder if you are speaking in their favor because of any personal feelings towards either of them."

Hades shook his head, his long braid swaying back and forth. "I have only told you the facts as I saw them. Sailor Love only defended herself. If she did not, she would now be a member of my world as well as her two sisters. If I wanted to claim either of them for myself their death would have assured them to me." At this his gaze made a sweep over both Rose and myself, making us both blush at the predatory look in his eyes.

"Very well," Hera said, ending the interrogation of Hades. She looked behind me and motioned for whomever it was to step forward with a tiny movement of her claw-like fingers.

I turned my head to see that Eros had been standing there quietly with the Fates, listening to the entire proceedings. His eyes held mine as he stepped forward; with a small smile he walked past me and stood in front of Hades, turning his attention back to the Queen of the Gods.

"We are well aware of your feelings for the Guardian, Eros," Hera said, sparing a glance at me before gazing back towards him. "But please, try to keep them out of this as you tell us in your own words what happened."

He inclined his head slightly indicating his understanding before answering each question quietly. It amazed me how each sentence held no emotion and he only said what was needed to. He reminded me of a soldier who lived just to follow orders at that moment.

When it was over Zeus spoke up again, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully. "If it became obvious that she could not have handled herself, would you have stepped in?"

Eros turned and his emerald eyes held mine as he answered, his voice was thick with an emotion that even now I couldn't tell you what it was. "Yes and what I would have done to him would have been far worse than what she was forced to do."

"From what you both have said, I agree that Sailor Love acted out of defense in using her magic against her father and will not be punished for it," Hera said. Then she looked at the infant who slept on thankfully oblivious to what was going on around her. "Now we shall decide the fate of the child. Child of Love, I feel as if we must ask you what you would like to do with her."

I looked down at the newborn in my arms, one finger tracing over her sleeping face, before I answered. "I would like to raise her." I looked up at the Queen of the Gods. "I want to give her to love that Rose and I lacked while we were growing up."

"Who will watch over this child while you are off fighting?" Hera asked in a stern voice, raising one delicate eyebrow.

I looked down, knowing that I could not answer that question and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. The person I would have said would have been Rose or even Chesna, but I knew that if I was off fighting then they would also be fighting. We were Guardians, that was the reason we were given our powers.

I was startled when Eros broke through my thoughts. "I will."

"Eros?" Aphrodite asked startled, starting to rise out of her seat, but a hand from both her husband and her lover stopped her.

Hera nodded her head in approval, a smile lighting across her face. "Then so be it. Sailor Love, this child is now in your care. She is your responsibility. If she gets into any trouble, it will be you to pay the price. Eros, you will also be responsible for her. It will be your job to protect her until she is grown. When the Guardian is unable to be here or in training, the child will be in your care." Then she turned to Rose. "Sailor Destiny, when the time comes… you shall pass some of your own powers onto her and she will become the Guardian of Time. She will guard the gates between the worlds and the times. Therefore like the rest of you, she will not be a mortal in a world of immortals. Do you all understand?"

I nodded my head, my arms holding Trista a little tighter to me. "Yes, I do."

Rose shifted next to me, and when I glanced over I saw that she was watching Trista's face with a soft expression on her own. "I understand," she said quietly.

Eros made his way over to us stopping just in front of us, before turning his head and looking back at Hera. "It would be an honor to protect her."

"Are there any objections?" Hera asked looking directly at Rosely.

The Guardian of Hope looked over at us before crossing her arms and saying low, "I don't object as long as this doesn't interfere with our training or our mission."

Hera nodded her head. "It won't," she assured for her, before narrowing her eyes at her successor. "And you shall not make it any harder on them, Celestial. Your two sailors acted as they should have and you shall not punish them."

Rosely nodded her head in understanding; a shadow crossed over her face for a split second before she smiled brightly. "They have nothing to worry about from me."

I heard Rose mutter next to me. "Yea, right."

To be continued...

(1)Hephaestus is fashioned after Trieze Khusranda of Gundam Wing.

(2)Artemis is fashioned after Dorothy Catalonia of Gundam Wing.

(3)Athena is fashioned after Catherine Bloom of Gundam Wing.

(4)Zeus is his own character, but the markings on his face are from the character Zell from Final Fantasy 8.

(5)Hera is fashioned after Edea from Final Fantasy.