38. The Goddess of

The Past

It was Naia's eighth year.

Holding onto her father's hand, she gawked at the sparkling pinpricks filling the sea sky. Schools of fish waded by, distorting the glittering blobs into golden clouds.

They entered the palace and the feast wafted from inside the great hall. Three goddesses of music provided entertainment, strumming their lyres and singing in melodic pitches that warmed Naia's ears. Gusts of chattering relatives and guests mingled with the tune.

Mother sat at the table at the head of the room atop a platform. She wore a dark blue velvet gown, and her long silver hair was braided around her head like a crown. As she peered across her hall, a rare smile passed over her lips.

Naia interpreted the goddesses' fleeting emotional response as adoration. A silly fantasy of a great misfortune, or perhaps deep in her soul, her mother harbored a love for those filling the walls of her magnificent hall. A secret joy or satisfaction sitting perched above, observing her guests sharing tales, reminiscing about her glory daysof being an untamed High Goddess.

Mother's iridescent irises cut to Naia, as if she could sense her staring, and the delicate curve of her smile fell into thin lips.

Naia frowned.

Father gave Naia's fingers a gentle squeeze to get her attention.

She looked up at his soft expression, seeking refuge in his gentle presence.

"Let us dance." He swept Naia off her feet into his arms and moved swiftly to the center of the floor. With the grace of water, he swayed in sync with the others twirling around them. The room blurred, disorienting the gods and the hall.

Naia giggled, spreading her arms out. "Keep spinning!"

A deep rumble vibrated his chest as he laughed.

She latched onto the detail of his joyful smile, the delicious aroma of seared octopus and roasted asparagus, and the specific melody playing as they danced. Naia wanted the moment forever, but too soon, they would resume their place at the table. And with that thought, a mourning sliced through Naia's happiness. Why couldn't things last forever?

"I don't want this moment to end, Father," she murmured. "I feel sad."

"My darling." He lightly flicked her nose as they continued to spin around the dance floor. "That is the definition of love."

Tiny yellow flowers lay throughout his hair, like an onyx meadow painted with specks of painted jewels. Naia reached out and picked one. "How?"

He plucked the small flower from between her small fingers and stuck it in her hair. "You don't want this moment to end because you love me."

She pursed her lips, thinking on it. "Does love last?"

"Love lasts eternally."

Naia shook her head, expression growing serious. "Then why is it painful?"

He studied her face, brow creasing, as if he wasn't sure how to phrase his reply. "Love lasts forever, but people and moments do not."

All she heard was our moments together will one day end, and her pulse flickered with opposition. She wanted to freeze time and prove him wrong. They were both immortal, and they would never be separated. His definition was too morbid, too depressing for her to believe in.

If that was the case, what was the point of love when those that it was shared with disappeared one day?

With resolve, she declared, "I do not wish to let go of those I love. I want you forever with me."

Her father's dancing slowed to a tranquil sway, his eyes flitting between hers.

At the sound of his hesitation, she considered what her mother would say to such things. Attachments were a weakness. Perhaps her father shared the same belief.

Naia dropped her gaze shamefully, staring at the back of her own hand resting on her father's shoulder."I suppose it makes me weak."

Father tilted his head, dropping a strand of his black hair across his forehead. "I believe it makes you quite the opposite, my darling."

"I am without a title." Her eyes burned with the pressure gathering behind her sternum. "Unlike the rest of you, I don't have power flowing through my veins. What good am I?"

He held his enclosed hand up between them. "Continue to hold on to love, Naia. Deeply, fiercely, infinitely, and it will always find its way back to you." He stretched his long fingers open, revealing a blossomed flower. Its petals thin and defined, a stunning velvet burgundy. "In my opinion, that is precisely what makes you a goddess. All hail Lady Naia—Goddess of Everlasting Love, Infinite Love."

Naia scrunched her nose, shaking her head. "Hilarious, Father. There are no such deities. I've done my research, remember?"

Father tucked the dahlia behind her ear and smiled. "All High Deities had a time when their lineage did not exist. No one knows when the next lineage will emerge. Who says it cannot be you?"

The idea flourished a hope in the bottom of her belly, its roots traveling through blood and bones and touching her soul.

Naia couldn't tell if he was joking, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him just the same.