Chapter 21: Back to the Senior Council

After a break of several weeks, Project Axel meetings at the Senor Council Chambers resumed with the alpha gods feeling particularly awkward and self-conscious given the heated "closed-door" incident that had occurred prior. The Creator himself also did not have an appetite to have an audience with anyone in the days that followed. Given the intensity of the situation, the alpha gods fell in-line and made themselves "unavailable" as well.

Gods, fairies, nymphs, and divine beings filed into the council room, one after the other. Excited chatter was heard ringing from every corner of the room, as there was quite a bit of anticipation for the project that would expand the Mortal Realm onto the Red planet.

When the Goddess arrived, the occupants as usual parted like the Red Sea for her, with some members bowing their heads respectfully. She walked in with her chin high and exuding the power befitting of an alpha god. She eyed the bodies in the room, with some glancing her way, while others were engrossed in their own conversation.

It was hard to gauge how much of what had occurred that day, "leaked" to the God Realm masses. She had always assumed that with so many eyes on the senior gods, gossip always got out. The real damage was how much of it was going to be misinformation, that could end up hurting her cause to get Tuzi back one day.

Moon felt somber. She noticed the Mortal Mirror had also been removed from the Senior Council room. It was now probably back in that side office down the hall. She wasn't sure whether she was prepared to activate that mirror again, to see how Tuzi was doing on Earth. She had kept her friend in a deep sleep for years now in the Mortal Realm.

Although she kept to herself, Cedric and Eureka came over to join her.

The God of Innovations reached out to give Moon a quick hug. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "If you need more time, don't be in a hurry to come back to the Senior Council. Request a leave if you need it."

She took his hand in her's and patted it appreciatively. "I'm okay. I can't sulk around my place forever. It's best if I threw myself back into it, while I work on figuring out how to bring her back home."

"Just give it time," Eureka advised kindly. "The old man can be stubborn but he'll give in once he sees that it is in your best interest to have Tuzi back with you."

"I know," she responded softly, trying her best to muster a smile in return.

"Be strong, my brave little Goddess," Cedric said resolutely, giving her hand a light squeeze.

She thanked them both for their kindness. Between the three of them, they began to talk about the progress made on launching the internet for the humans a few hundred years later in the Mortal Realm. Certain important events would have to kick off one after the other, to incite a period in which the humans would find it vital to speed up how education and faster means of communication can be accomplished.

As Cedric and Eureka chatted away, Moon caught the Sky God's gaze from across the room.

His emerald green eyes held a good measure of affection and concern in them as he nodded his head to greet her. He wore a look of exhaustion, alongside a tinge of guilt and unspoken apologies.

It was a look that Moon had become quite familiar with over the past several thousand years. Sometimes it would be his fault. Sometimes it would be her fault. Regardless it widens the rift and she felt wary as she acknowledged his nod with one of her own.

Sky's rejection at the "closed-door" council meeting concerning Tuzi had stung and hurt her quite deeply. He was the most influential deity in the Realm of Gods. Had he really wanted to, he could enter the Mortal Realm and help her retrieve Tuzi quickly. The Creator likely would not have fought with Sky over it. But try as Moon might, she could not figure out why he said no and wouldn't even look her way when he did it. That cut deep especially when she had felt so desperate at that moment.

She was upset and furious with him at first, but as the weeks went by, she came to accept that what was important to her, may not be important to anyone else. Tuzi was her's, and her's alone. It was her problem. She shouldn't expect for the Sky God to help her, if he didn't want to. She can acknowledge that he owed her nothing, and that she had no right to be mad at him for it. He had been supportive of her for the months prior, and she was grateful for that.

But somehow, it still hurt to realize that the emotions she felt for Tuzi, her friendship and her life with her, was not something that she could ever share with someone like Sky. And realizations like that can over time, increase that rift that already existed between them. It was sad and sobering at the same time.

Sky was surrounded by the other alpha gods: War, Sea, Underworld, and Air. The "Ancient Gods" was how others referenced that group. The deities that were there since the dawn of time.

While Moon was usually in the company of Humanities and Innovation, notably labeled as the "New Gods," as their realms were created when humans became a reality. Although the Goddess was technically an "Ancient," she was often categorized by others as a "New God" because of her often "progressive" views.

If it was up to Moon, there would be no labels between the Gods, and they would work together for the sake of creating great things for all living souls and realms. But with Sky's group standing in one corner of the room, and the Goddess's own standing in the opposite end, the divide between the "Ancient" and "New" gods felt very present, and the difference was there for all the masses to behold.

When the Creator's presence was announced, the room quieted and everyone took their place standing or in their seats respectively. As Moon sat in her chair at the table, she wondered about the thoughts going through her father's head. It had been a few weeks and his expression held no emotion. As the day's agenda was presented by Axel, the Creator listened passively, leaning his chin on his hand as if he was bored.

The Goddess was willing her father to look at her, which he hadn't. As his daughter, she wished he would. Moon felt like she needed his affirmation that he was still supportive of her. But he didn't glance her way throughout the day. She could feel the knot in her stomach that was there prior, growing with apprehension as the day went by.

When the meeting finally came to an end, the Creator got up from his throne and left without exchanging niceties with anyone. It did not go unnoticed by the alpha gods at the table. Several of them glanced at Moon and looked away just as quickly.

Moon felt exhausted and she didn't feel like talking to anyone. Cedric gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze as she got up from her seat. She gave him a small smile in return.

Baby steps… she thought. It will take some time to get on her father's good side again. Although, she really wishes it could be as simple as just smacking him on the side of his head.

She left the Senior Council meeting room and began that all too familiar walk down the hallway, to the side office. Lifting her foot for each step towards the room felt difficult. Like her foot weighed a million tons. It was hard not to feel demoralized by the situation. She feared that seeing Tuzi in her current state, may well cause another nervous breakdown.

I won't cry. Tuzi needs me. Her mind flashed to a memory of her best friend's bright smile, as she sat crossed-legged on the bed, reading a fairytale she had found from the palace study. It was the one about a sleeping beauty, waiting for her savior. Oh Tuzi… I won't cry, she thought again, sniffling to herself. I will save you.

As she neared the room, she realized that there were rapid footsteps behind her. Someone was running towards her. She turned around and almost came into a head on collision with Axel.

"Whoa whoa!" he hollered, catching her by her arms. "Hold it there, Moon. Gotta be careful. Remember, I was molded from the sturdiest mithril in existence. You can get hurt if you bump into me."

Feeling a bit dazed, she looked up at his face. Boy, was he tall, and he was flashing his teeth, grinning so cheekily.

"Uh… Axel! Hi. What can I help you with?" The words came out sounding a little too high pitched, almost shrill.

"Well uh…" His smile disappeared and in its place was a look of concern. "It's like this, Moon– You're still okay with me calling you Moon right? I mean, we're still friends right?"

The Goddess was a bit taken aback by his simple question. Well, yes they are still friends. But she had never thought of it that way before. What an odd notion, because they are.

"Of course, Axel. Call me whatever makes you feel comfortable. I mean, you're still okay with me calling you Axel, right"

The grin was back on his face. "Of course! We're buddies!" He gave her a good smack on her back, once again underestimating his strength as she lurched forward. He caught and steadied her. "Gotta remember that I'm made of mithril, remember?"

The Goddess sighed in exasperation, shaking her head at him. "Of course, Axel. Mithril. Got it." She flashed him a thumbs up. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I saw you heading down the hall…"

He looked kind of sheepish now.

"I thought you were going to check in on your rabbit using the giant mirror…"

Now he looked kind of nervous.

The Goddess looked at him suspiciously. "Uh-huh…" she said with a nod of her head. "I was going to go check on Tuzi using my Mortal Mirror," she confirmed.

"You know how you said a second ago, that we're friends?"

Now, she was really curious at what he was getting at. "Yes, of course," she replied, not missing a beat.

"Well, like, friendship is really important to you right? So you don't break up with your friends easily, do you? Over silly little things?" Axel started chewing on his lower lip because he was feeling very anxious about this part.

A moment of silence fell over them, as Moon shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She was trying to figure out a way to approach this gently.

"Okay Axel. What the heck did you do?" The Goddess did not like batting around bushes.

"Well you see," he started hesitantly. "We uh…"

"Yes, Axel?" Moon was trying to be patient here. It was hard.

"We uh…" He swallowed. "We kinda stole your mirror."

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
LotusLin

Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying the story, help a girl out with a power stone, a review, comment, or add it to your library! Thank you so much!

Hmmm... What is the God of War up to? And why did he steal the Mortal Mirror? There are so many questions that Moon would like to have answered. Find out what they are in the next chapter!

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