Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian of Love: The Origins ❯ Goddess of Love & the Fates ( Chapter 2 )

Guardian of Love

The Origins

Chapter 2 - The Goddess of Love & the Fates

By Angel Love

Author's notes: This is in the first person of Angel because this is her story to Seiya. The Sailor Scouts will be in this fic but they are not in this chapter.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, the Greek Gods or the characters I have fashioned them after.

I stood awed as we were led up into a room that sparkled with gold and velvet. Rose moved around Eros cautiously to stand beside me, her eyes as wide as mine. Eros stood there letting me clutch onto his arm in amusement as we stared speechless at our surroundings.

It was almost as if we were transported to another dimension, and in a way we were. There were long marble pillars around the room, which had ivy growing up their sides. Fountains were scattered around, the trickling of water making soft music. All about were velvet-covered chairs in reds, yellows, and golds. In a far corner sat a bed covered by a silky canopy and matching cream-colored sheets. Several scented pink candles adorned the area making it smell like strawberries.

"Relax, animus meus," he whispered soothingly in my ear. "This is my home. You are safe here."

I looked at him, confusion evident on my face. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Most people don't care about us females. We are nothing but lowly scum."

I heard a tinkling laugh come from behind me. I clutched Eros's hand tighter as I turned to see the most beautiful woman that I had ever laid eyes on. She had long honey-colored hair down to her feet. Her blue-green eyes twinkled with laughter. She was short, much shorter than Rose or I, but that didn't take away from her beauty only enhanced it. On her face was a look of pure amusement she obviously loved to laugh.

"Aphrodite..." I heard Rose breath beside me; for once it seemed that she was a total loss at what to do.

The smile got wider on the goddess' face. "You are quite right, child," she laughed. "Hello, Eros," she greeted him lovingly, kissing him on the cheek.

Finally the situation we were in dawned on me. Eros was a god and we were on Olympus. I suddenly felt very self-conscious. I was hanging onto a god's arm for dear life and staring at the Goddess of Love. I did not feel worthy.

Rose began to drop down to one knee when Aphrodite held up a hand, a serious look coming across her delicate features. "Do not bow before me," her tone firm, her eyes spoke no argument.

Eros smirked. "Mother hates that," his tone playful. "But she loves people worshiping her."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes at him, before she looked serious once more. "So why may I ask, do I have two girls in my chambers?" she pointed at us. "I remember asking you to find only one."

Eros nodded his head at her. "I did bring you one," he motioned his free hand towards me, oblivious that I was trying my best to cut off the circulation in his other hand. "But she would not leave without her sister. I thought maybe she could be of some use."

At that my temper rose, I pulled away from him and glared at him, startling him slightly. "You are not going to use my sister in any way!" I yelled at him. "She is not some pawn in whatever game you have planned!"

Aphrodite laughed. "Oh, I like her. She's got spunk," she giggled. She glided up to me, pulling my chin down to look up into my eyes, diffusing my anger immediately. "Her spirit is strong," her voice had gone wistful and it felt like she was looking right into my soul. "She will do nicely."

"As well, as her sister," three voices chorused behind her.

Rose and I looked over Aphrodite's shoulders to see three very different women. The one on the left was quite beautiful, her long red hair curled to the middle of her back, her brown eyes sparkled. The one in the middle looked quite a bit older than her, about middle-aged. Her red hair still shone with the light, but not with the same vitality as the first. Her brown eyes shone with kindness of a mother. The one on the right was slightly hunched over, her red hair streaked heavily with gray. Her brown eyes glared daggers towards us. They wore all black and seemed to look right through us, sending chills down my spine.

Eros leaned close to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry, I get that reaction every time I see them too."

"We heard that, boy," the one on the right hissed. Eros visibly shrank back.

Aphrodite smiled softly, welcoming the new women. "How will the other be of service?"

The girl smiled. "The bond between them is strong."

"Unbreakable... even in death," the mother added.

"Making them the final Guardians will only strengthen that bond," the hag finished.

"Are you saying that they will be stronger than Celestial and the others?" Eros asked, his hand lay gently on my shoulder.

"Together... yes," the young girl said, looking over us.

"Apart... no," the mother continued.

"But who will give her powers?" Aphrodite motioned towards Rose, who seemed to be in a complete state of shock. "I have already chosen who will receive mine."

"We will," the hag answered, sounding annoyed by the question.

"They must be special," Eros said quietly. "If you are interested in them."

"You knew that, boy," the hag said, sounding even more annoyed by his remark.

"Only someone special could catch your eye," the mother said, looking pointedly at his hand that was resting on my shoulder.

"Or catch your feather," the maiden said, sending another chill up my spine.

I wondered just how much they knew about us. I grabbed onto Rose's hand, which seemed to bring her back to reality.

"Who are you?" she asked, tightening her hold on my fingers. "And what are you talking about?"

The three women seemed deeply amused by this.

"We are the fates," the girl stated simply, as if it should have been obvious.

"Also known as Moirae," the mother added.

"We are the three Goddesses of Death and Destiny," the hag said, showing a small pair of silver scissors from her black robes.

"I am Clotho, the spinner," the girl said.

"Call me Lachesis, the decider," the mother said.

"My name is Atropos, the cutter," the hag added, snapping the scissors, causing both of us to jump slightly at the evil smirk she gave us.

Aphrodite turned and looked at us, quirking a delicate eyebrow in question. "Now what are your names?"

"I am Rosetta," my sister answered smoothly. "And she is Angelita." I flashed her an annoyed look. I could very well introduce myself.

Aphrodite looked thoughtful. "How about we call you Rose and you Angel?" It was more of a statement than a question. "That is a perfect name for the Guardian of Love," she said looking me over.

"Excuse me?" I looked at her wide-eyed, which only caused her to laugh.

"The Earth and the other planets are in chaos," Clotho said.

"Guardians are needed to smooth over the mayhem," Lachesis added.

"You are to be part of those Guardians," Atropos finished.

"How are we going to be Guardians?" Rose asked, stepping closer to me defensively. "We don't have powers of any kind. We are only mere mortals."

"That is why you were brought here," Aphrodite giggled. "I am going to dispose the powers of love onto Angel. She will become Sailor Love."

"We will grant you your powers," Clotho said to Rose.

"The powers of time and death," Lachesis added.

"That will make you Sailor Destiny," Atropos finished.

I squeezed Rose's hand and she squeezed back. "You said that we would be part of the Guardians, does that mean there are more of us here?" I asked, a little frightened by the path that I was being lead down.

"Yes," Aphrodite answered, her eyebrows rising when Eros moved closer to me and placed a comforting arm around my waist. "There are five others."

She moved to sit on one of her velvet chairs; she waved a hand gracefully for us to sit. I noticed that the fates seemed to shrink back, staying in the dark corners of the room.

Eros led me to a red velvet couch. He sat down pulling me down close to him, tucking me close to his side and against one of his wings, which he had to spread out so they wouldn't be crushed. He laid an arm around my waist, bringing me further into his embrace and plucked a grape of a vine with the other, offering it to me.

I shook my head and pulled Rose down to sit next to me. The skirt of my dress rising up a little and I marveled at the soft feel of the velvet against my legs. The soft feel of Eros' feathers helping to sooth away some of my fears.

Aphrodite plucked a grape of the vine next to her, popped it in her mouth, silently watching her son. Her gaze guarded, but it was obvious that she was curious as to his actions towards me. Her eyes proving that they could be just as intense as her sons. Finally, she spoke.

"The first is Sailor Celestial. She is the Guardian of Hope. Hera chose her," Aphrodite wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Her name is Rosely. And she is very much like Hera herself," the goddess paused, but with a look from her son made her stop from continuing with her thought. "She is a short girl, with short black hair that reaches her shoulders, and without bangs. She has hazel eyes," she looked at me. "But not quite the same as yours, hers are darker, less green," again her voice held a wistful note as she gazed at me. It was almost as if she was reading into my soul again. "But she is very pretty, a real eyecatcher."

"The second is Guardian Tranquility. He was chosen by Apollo to be the Guardian of Light. His name is Vega." A smile came to her lips. "Quite a handsome young man. He has short black hair that comes to his shoulders and deep piercing black eyes. He is quite tall, I think almost as tall as Eros, who is at least 6' 1."

Eros made a disgruntled noise in his throat, and was rewarded by a smirk from his mother. It was obvious that he did not care for the man that his mother had just mentioned.

"The third is his twin sister, Chesna," she continued. "She is Sailor Peace, the Guardian of Peace. She was chosen by Artemis." Aphrodite plucked another grape from the vine, shifting her body so that she was almost lying across her chair, a long leg appearing from one of the slits in her skirts. "Quite a wise choice on Artemis' part. Chesna is quite intelligent. She has long white hair that she mostly wears in a braid that wraps around her body. She has the same piercing eyes as her brother, except hers are blue. Unlike her brother she is rather short, not quite as short as Rosely, but not quite as tall as either of you either. They are like night and day, a bit like the two of you," she commented, eyeing us.

"The forth is Guardian Virtue. He was chosen by my husband, Hepahaistas," she rolled her eyes as she said husband and Eros chuckled, knowing just how much she enjoyed the thought of being married. "His name is Osmound. A rather plain looking fellow, short brown hair and brown eyes, medium height, barely taller than you. But he makes up for that because he is quite the charmer."

"The fifth and last, is his younger sister, Sailor Faith, the Guardian of Faith. Her name is Brenna and Athena chose her. Which surprised me, for she looks almost exactly like her brother and is quite the mousy little thing," her tone clearly said that she didn't understand the other goddess' decision.

"Mother," Eros said, his tone extremely patient. "Not everyone judges by a person's looks." She gave him an annoyed look.

"When are we going to meet these other Guardians," Rose asked, her voice holding something akin to awe.

Aphrodite smiled. "After we get the two of you cleaned up," she looked pointedly at our dirty bare feet and torn dresses.

I could feel the heat rise in my face. I looked over at Rose, who was also looking a bit flushed. "When do we get these powers that you are talking about?" I asked quietly.

"When you met the others, we will perform the ceremony that will grant the two of you the powers that you need," Eros answered just as quietly next to me.

I nodded my head, looking down at a red bloodstain on my simple dress. My thoughts were spinning circles around themselves. I was not sure that I was capable of doing the things that they were asking. My whole world would never be the same again I knew.

"I think we need to leave the child of love alone for awhile," Clotho spoke from behind us, causing everyone in the room to jump.

"And take the child of Destiny to get cleaned up," Atropos added.

"I think that Angel needs some time to sort things out," Lachesis said, her tone motherly. I jumped even further when she placed a cold hand on my shoulder. My eyes met hers over Rose's head, she smiled softly at me, but didn't say a word.

Aphrodite nodded, her face showing a slight startled look that the Fates had taken more than a passing interest in us. Her face composed again and stood up slowly, her hand extending out to Rose. My twin glanced at me for a brief moment before she took the Goddess' hand and left the room with her, the Fates following close behind. Clotho stopped at the door for a moment and winked at me before she disappeared in the shadows.

Suddenly I was alone with Eros. But I didn't even notice him as I stood up from the couch and wandered towards what looked like a balcony. I was disappointed when I couldn't see anything except clouds upon clouds. I was hoping to see something that I might recognize. It would have helped ease the uneasiness in my heart.

I suddenly thought of my mother, a single tear trickled down my face. I knew what would happen to her. She would be blamed for Rose's and my disappearance and father would beat her again and again, until we were found. I felt guilty for leaving her with such a fate. But I didn't think that I would be allowed to go back for her. I was pushing my luck when I asked for Rose.

Rose... I was deeply worried that she would resent me for this. I hadn't had a chance to talk to her at all. I had to go chasing after that stupid feather and change both of our lives. I suddenly wondered if it would have been better to stay in my old life. At least there I wasn't expected to do whatever it is that they want me to do. But then again, there I was expected to follow orders and be a man's slave. When I think more about it, I think that the feather was sent to find me. This was the path that I was supposed to take.

I leaned against the railing, my head bowed low. I wasn't used to such strong emotions. I always ignored the serious side of life. Not that I didn't care, because I did. I just didn't want to deal with any of it. And now it was being thrown in my face. I would have to deal with it. Uncontrollable tears fell down my face as a feeling of complete helplessness filled me.

I don't know how long I had stood there sobbing before I felt a pair of strong arms turn me around and pull me in their embrace. I didn't have to look up to know that it was Eros; somehow I already knew his scent and his embrace. He stayed silent as I continued to cry against his bare chest. He gently stroked my back, letting me know that he was here.

Finally my crying subsided to a few sniffles, but I continued to stay in the god's arms, my head buried in his chest. I heard his voice rumble as he spoke. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

I pulled my head up enough to look into his concerned green eyes; for once I was able to see his entire face. I was a bit awed by his pure beauty, something I am sure that only a few have ever been graced with. "What will happen to us?" I asked quietly.

Eros smiled softly, his fingers playing with my waist-long hair. "You both will be granted immortality along with your powers," he smiled again when I gasped at the thought of immortality.

"We already live a thousand years without growing old. Well, at least the men seem to," my voice held a bitter note. "Us women seem to die a bit younger than that, like sixty or seventy years younger than that, if we are lucky."

"You seem to have a dislike of men," Eros noted.

I pulled out of his arms, crossing my own over myself defensively. "Wouldn't you, if you were forced to endure the things that I have. And Rose and I are the lucky ones. Our father never deflowered us. The only thing that stopped him from doing that was the money he could get for us," I spat out at him, only to be startled by the dangerous look that glittered in his eyes, causing me to stop my tirade.

"No woman should ever have to lead the lives that you and your sister have," he spoke, barely controlling the rage burning inside of him. "If I could kill your father with my bare hands, I would." His hands made fists at his sides.

I placed my hand on his chest, trying to calm him down. "I wouldn't want you to," I spoke softly. "He may not be a very nice man, but someday he will pay for the things that he has done. I believe that eventually we will all pay for the wrong doings that we made during our lives."

Eros tucked a finger under my chin, smiling at me, the anger dying from his emerald eyes. "You are a kind person, Angel. Never loose that." Then his lips were on mine.

The kiss was soft and tender. I would not mind kissing Eros many times, but it was missing something. It didn't hold a spark. It left me warm and secure, but it didn't leave me longing for more. I think that both he and I knew then and there, we may share a bond stronger than friendship, but I would never love him, not the way a woman should love a man.

To be continued...

animus meus - my heart (Latin)

The Goddess Aphrodite's physical appearance was borrowed from Relena Darlian from Gundam Wing (with longer hair of course)