The snickers and giggling all around me made my face burn even more. How am I supposed to react? What am I supposed to do right now? Everyone is watching, and my legs are feeling weak…
My body was lifted from the soft grass, the warm arms wrapped around my waist and back as the goddess pulled me close to her chest. She silently shushed the other angels, a small but bright smile plastered on her lips as she did so. The angels quieted down, except for Rory.
I could hear them on the floor again, laughing uncontrollably. I let out a soft growl, feeling more embarrassed by the second. Janus shook her head, her long hair swishing around her neck as she did so. I didn't turn to look, but I could hear Seth and Bridget scolding them. A light smack was followed by an audible "ow!" from Rory, which confirmed what had just happened.
It was quiet now, with only the gentle sound of shuffling as I gathered the courage to look up at the goddess holding me. The smile that greeted me nearly sent my emotions spiraling. She looked at me with such love that I forgot everything that had happened.
I never wanted her to leave my side..
I wonder if she could read my thoughts?
She giggled, softening her hold on my thighs. She slowly let my feet drift back to the ground. I didn't want to lose her warmth yet. I kept my hands up on her shoulders as much as I could; even if I was falling down from her height paired with mine, I still wanted to be close.
She had no problem with it, a hand on my hips while I pressed myself closer to her.
"Vienna, my dear, something is bothering you?" Janus looked down at me, her face masked with concern.
"I.. I don't want to see you go... I just.. miss you…"
She laughed softly, leaning down to press her soft lips to my temple. "I will always be with you, my darling. Never will I leave you alone."
"I haven't seen you in a while. I just thought you.. left me."
"Never would I be away from you," her hand moved down, hovering over my chest right above my heart. "Always. I will always be here."
My face felt like it was burning from the inside, overwhelmed by the words that expressed how close we were. I wanted to believe it, even though thoughts in the back of my mind questioned it. Why was I having these doubts? They seemed so intense as if they were filled with pain.
I wanted to hold onto her, to feel safe and protected as I knew she could make me feel. But whatever was happening between us was interrupted by a distant clatter. I heard a light slashing sound followed by the heavy stomps of metal. It sounded familiar, like I had heard it just moments before.
Janus looked up, giving a small nod to greet the new group.
"Greetings, Gate Goddess." The words were accented and gruff but held formal intent.
I turned to see who it was, and my mouth fell open in surprise when I realized it was the Warrior Angels. They knelt down, their heads bowed with great elegance as they spoke to the goddess. The woman who spoke was large and had blonde hair. Although she kept her head down at first, when she looked back up, her eyes met mine with a powerful intensity.
"You don't have to welcome me like that, Arden. You and your group may stand."
The warrior did what she was told, standing up as her comrades did the same. She towered over everyone else; only Janus was still feet taller than her. Still, with the bulky armor, huge shield, and Branchie sword at her side, she looked freaking terrifying.
The rest of the angels had moved off to the side so that the warriors could stand in a long line in front of Janus and me. I caught sight of my group watching from the left behind the warriors. Seth made eye contact with me, giving a confused look while darting from me and the armored angels.
I couldn't help but stare back at him; I was just as confused as him.
"Goddess, I do apologize, but I am finished training the adolescence group." Arden looked up at the goddess, her eyes stern but her expression was as soft as a feather.
"Oh, that's wonderful." Janus nodded, "how about you and the adolescents come to the new welcoming party at the palace?"
"Of course, goddess, there is someone new?"
A soft touch on my head made me look up; Janus kept her eyes forward as she replied. "Yes, she is off in the cove, Penny is her name."
"She is young?"
"Yes, I feel like she will feel more comfortable with the younger warriors."
"Then you do not want me to come, goddess." Arden gave the goddess a side eye, finally breaking contact.
Janus kept a smile on her lips, her brows dipped with indifference. "You will not scare her if that is what worries you. But I do want you to come; the Warrior Goddess wishes to see you as well."
"Then I will come, Gate Goddess." With one last bow, Arden stood back up. Her eyes drifted to me as she turned around. Her group followed after her, putting their helmets back on before they leaped into the air and took off.
The wind that came from behind them was almost as strong as Rory's. I could just tell they would be as fast as them. It was a quick leave. The Warrior Angels flew away, and their feathers dashed around on the grass as they did so.
The warmth behind me moved back, causing my heartbeat to spike. I turned, seeing the goddess look back at me with a slight smile. Still, I was fearful she was leaving, and I wasn't ready to let go.
"Calm, my angel."
"Where are you going?" I looked up to her.
Muted noise from other angels surrounded us, filtered by a foreign surface, pulling only the goddess's words for me to hear. "I must check on the other goddesses for the upcoming party." Before I could say anything, she lightly tapped my lips with her finger. "-You will be coming to the party, will you not?"
"Y-Yes, but.. I don't want to be away from you."
She wrapped her large arms around me, closing my whole body off as her head went on top of mine. "No matter where I go, I will always be with you." Her hand was over my heart again, "always."
I held back a rising fear. My eyes felt blurry when I noticed her heat was disappearing. I closed my eyes tightly, fear overtaking my body when her being was out of my touch, my senses. I was afraid to open my eyes; I knew what I would see…
Casper jumped at me from behind, knocking me over onto my face. Now, I had to force my eyes open to push him away. He gave me slobbering kisses, wagging his tail as he invaded my personal space. "Alright, alright, I see you.."
He yipped, stepping back for me to stand up. I did so, taking a glance back at where Janus once was. She was gone.
A prickling sensation in my chest made me squirm. A warmth enveloped my body, subtly pressing it down. It felt like a tug-of-war; the fear remained as strong as ever, but something was attempting to push it away. Was I reacting impulsively and pushing back?
My head was hurting, and my weight suddenly felt very heavy. Keeping myself up was getting difficult. I was tired. The energy was gone, replaced with a feeling of slumpy limbs attached to my body. I groaned, forcing myself forward, where I was met with the three of my friends.
"You and the goddess seemed to have gotten closer, hm?" Rory put an arm around my shoulder, pushing me forward with their body weight.
"What are you talking about?" I shrugged off their attempts to get my attention and continued toward the entrance of Angels Cove. The others trailed behind me, their expressions filled with questions. Bridget opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted her, saying, "I just feel comfortable around her, that's all."
I could tell she wanted to ask more; a look in her eye told me all her thoughts. My face burned, and she seemed to drop it. They walked with me, Rory still on my shoulder while they bickered with Seth to my left.
"How many goddesses are there?" The question left my lips before I could stop it.
They looked at me, Rory turned to look up while counting in their head. I rolled my eyes, pushing out of their hold as they were too distracted to fight back. Seth answered before Rory could finish. "Six goddesses."
"Do they, uhm.. all have a purpose like the Gate Goddess?"
"Ye-"
Seth was interrupted by Rory, who shoved forward to stop him from speaking. "Let me tell her!" Seth growled at them, trying to push back, but Rory was stronger than him.
They made their way next to me while Seth gave up. "You know the Gate Goddess already; she is the protector here, she both guides and protects everyone. There is also the Warrior Goddess, who helps create weapons and armor for the Warrior Angels; she is also our protector and gives us strength and courage. There is the Euphorian Goddess; she brings this place and everyone here joy. It keeps us on our feet and helps us stay active. There is the Attendant Goddess, she leads over in the place, she performs the duties that are.. well.. hard? It's hard to explain what she does.
Next is the Mother Goddess. She creates living beings; she is one of the reasons we have Heaven Wolves; she created them to protect and bring more love here. It is also the reason this place is flourishing with beauty! Last is the.. the Lord Goddess." The atmosphere shifted slightly; the angels slowed their steps with little notice. "She uhm… We aren't supposed to talk about it here. But she is the one goddess that never shows herself to anyone. We do not know much about her; the one thing we do know is that she is able to travel to the Underworld. She can travel there and other places…"
It was silent. I was forced to stop when I heard the pitter-patter of shoes slowing to a stop behind me. I turned to see the others stare at me. When I met eyes with Rory, they motioned to behind me.
Oh.
"Is that all you want to tell me?" I rested a hand on my door, making sure they wanted to continue talking with me.
"Well, you'll be at the welcoming party this time, right?" Seth crossed his arms. I nodded in response, and he shrugged. "Then you'll get to see the rest of the goddesses, I guess. But I'm assuming you want to rest, though, right?"
"Yeah, right.." The smile was small, but I knew they saw it. They nodded me off into my room as I shut the door in front of them. With the door shut, I turned to sigh in exhaustion.
I walked over to the mattress and flopped down onto my stomach with a groan. The soft embrace of the bed enveloped my stiff body, and my racing thoughts gradually slowed as I settled in and made myself comfortable.
My vision blurred as I turned to my side. My wings felt stuffy, and one stuck under me. I pulled it out, flattening the large limb to my side while the other wing went across my torso. The feathers caressed my bare skin, bringing a sense of warmth that was comforting—it felt like a soft blanket over me.
It was nice enough that I curled my legs up to stuff it to my chest for a more comfortable position. I pulled my face into my arms, getting comfortable as I let myself drift off.
Only a small sound made me open my eyes again.
It was whining; I turned my head and found Casper sitting by my door, his ears dropped and eyes pleading. How did he get in here? Was I so lost that I didn't even hear him enter when I flopped onto my bed?
I shook off the questions, not wanting to hurt my head anymore. The pitbull looked at me, waiting for something; I didn't know what to do. I just watched the dog look at me with big, blue eyes.
My gaze drifted to where my wing lay in front of me, and a small understanding came into my head.
"Oh, do.. do you want to lay with me, boy?"
His ears perked up, and a smile crossed his face as he stood up. Still, he didn't rush forward like I expected him to. My eyes drifted to my side again, and I understood his hesitation.
I gently lifted my wing, signaling for Caspar to come closer. He hopped up and landed with a thud on my side. Snuggling in, he pressed his smaller wings against his body to keep them from overlapping with mine. I lowered my wing back over both of us, snuggling closer to the little furball with a smile on my lips.