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Death & Sea (Part 1)
Death & Sea
A drop of pure moonlight fell into the vast, empty mass of water on Earth during the dawn of time. It breathed life into the oceans and birthed aquatic flora and fauna. From the blue waters emerged thick seaweed, they untwisted and unfurled, revealing a humanoid female like a clam presents a pearl. Moon saw her as her daughter, born from her own luminance. She dubbed her moon-child Aquamarine and granted her regency of the oceans and seas.
Aquamarine reigned over the realm of waves and storms for time immemorial. Sailors referred to her as the “glistening one”, they erected shrines for her near the shore and dared not to take from the seas more than they needed. From her underwater kingdom, she commanded more than seventy percent of the globe. When she felt pleased, she would send fish to coastal cities. When she is enraged, she could drown entire civilizations without leaving her coral and pearl throne. Legends say the fate of Atlantis was the perfect example of her rage.
She was as changing and unpredictable as the realm she commanded. Beautiful as she was enigmatic. She was a storm housed in skin – exquisite olive skin, to be exact. With alluring, sensual, dark eyes and midnight hair bedecked in white pearls. Resembling a night sky covered in gleaming stars. She caught the eye of many-a Ancients. Namely the war god, descended from a red star, Antares. She was a virgin, maiden goddess, and though every male Ancient wished to court her, she preferred the company of her aquatic friends and the sea-nymphs that helped her. One morning, a gathering of breataking nymphs dressed in seaweed bedecked with pearls and corals danced acrossed the waves. At the center, Aquamarine tended to the delicate flora of the sea.
"But why, Lady Aquamarine? You sent Lord Antares away the other day, he is so strong and handsome. I hear he comes with an impressive sword. And I'm not talking about the one he wields in battle!"
"Antares is a beast. He knows nothing about love or fidelity. Such as the way of war." Aquamarine said, she continued along the seabed and collected the most precious pearls from inside seashells. She soon forgot about all of them though, because before her eyes appeared a black shadow that swirled and danced underwater. She was sure that it did not belong here under the waves, and she sought to chase it away. Each time she got close to it, it would just fade away then materialize a short distance in front of her. She knew what game it was playing, and she wasn't at all impressed. She turned around and saw that the nymphs were gone, chased away by the darkness like leaves blowing in the wind.
As she left the water and got to dry land, the sand beneath her began swallowing her down into the depths of the earth. Her vision was blinded, she saw nothing around her but darkness. She screamed and grasped around her for something solid to hold on to, but it was futile. She felt a pair of cold hands seizing her by the ankles, quickening her descend into the depths. She realized to whom those cold hands belonged to -- Death, Lord of the Underworld, King of the Shadow Realm and Keeper of Souls. The lady of the sea was no longer in her realm, and the waters fell quiet and still. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, but there wasn't much to see, except for the dull glitter of mineral veins running past them like rivers through cold, stone walls. She tried to look at the figure dragging her down -- dark and implacable. She found herself in a gloomy, underground cavern. She saw a river of inky, black water flowing. She knew this place, but she never thought she'd ever end up there.
Aquamarine almost screamed again, but her voice caught in her throat. Finally, they stopped at the obsidian gates of a large palace. She laid eyes on her kidnapper -- charcoal black hair, sharp, angular features and gorgeous amethyst eyes. He wore a neat, black attire and had a sword strapped to his belt. How could anyone look so angelic yet devilish at the same time? He cleared his throat, and addressed her in a smooth yet deep voice. "Welcome to the Underworld, Lady Aquamarine."
"How dare you?! You have no right to take me here! The Sun Father and Moon Mother shall punish you for this!"
"They could never come down here, they fear the darkness. Let's not argue about that now, please come inside." Death guided her into the palace, and even in her shocked state, she could not deny the beauty and extravagance of the place. How could a place so dark feel so heavenly at the same time? She wondered how many long dead builders did Death pull from the bowels of his realm to construct this place. The walls were made of black garnet, the dark green marble floors were covered with a long carpet and ornate furniture made of darkwood dotted the place. She caught glimpse of thralls coming back and forth, working as servants.
"Have some water." He offered, he knew she must be thirsty, but she wasn't budging. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. "I won't lay a hand on you without your permission."
"An easy thing to say when you've already taken me from my home! I do not belong here, I must return to the water!"
"Taken? No, nothing of the sort. I brought you down here to protect you. The other Ancients, they were either lustful of your beauty or envious of your power. They thought it unfair that you command the majority of the globe. Many humans have become dependent on you to make thier sails swift and to bring them rain. They were beginning to ignore the others. Sun and Moon could protect you, they reign supreme. But you know that their attention is always elsewhere."
"I do not need your protection, Dark One. And you care for nothing and no one, how should I believe you?"
"Perhaps. But I also know that I wanted your brightness and beauty here with me in the realm of the dead, to keep me company."
"I do not want your hospitality or protection. I want to go home."
"This is your home now, and my hospitality and protection will always be here should you change your mind."
The Lord of Darkness bowed to her then withdrew, and she was left wondering what would become of her. For the first time in her life, she felt fear. She did not protest as the thralls escorted her to her new bedchamber. She saw a large bed with green and black sheets, ornate desks and a closet filled with more dresses and jewelry than any underwater wreck she explored. She was shocked to see the Underworld had clean water and essentials like back on the surface, but then again, an Ancient could summon anything in his realm. She attempted to use the water from the bathtub to fight her way out, but discovered that her powers here were weak and limited. She could barely even move the water from the tub. She had nothing now. She cannot escape, and even if she did, the other deities were eager to take her down and rip her assunder to take her realm. She hated staying where she was, yet she couldn't leave. For the first time, the lady of seas and storms felt trapped.
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