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I Lived My Life In Silver

Summary:

The rise and fall of the Silver Millennium through the eyes of Princess Serenity's closest friend and head guardian, Sailor Venus

We've seen the story told so many times from the eyes of Serenity or Endymion of the Silver Millennium- we all know the story so well- from their point of view. This follows Sailor Venus (Cytherea) through the more raw and less fluffy side (don't worry there's fluff...) we all know of the story and how the fall from grace mixed with forbidden romance and betrayal lend much different perspectives.

(Please read "I Lived My Life In Gold" for the other side!!!!)

Notes:

I have mentioned in a few posts over the past (years!?) that I wanted to re-write Silver and Gold- and so it begins!
The original is still up for those who read and liked it (which omg thank you) and I wanted to keep it because I'm still quite proud that it was the first thing I've ever written seriously years ago. Every time someone leaves kudos, or comments on it, it is seriously the best feeling in the world, and the support around this project has been overwhelming <3 So thank you for being so kind.
So if I like it, why re-write it? Because I recognized that I was new and that I could do better and WANTED to do better because this project is so near and dear to my heart that I couldn't settle for less than my very best, so I hope that you understand and enjoy this just as much (Hopefully MORE) than the original story now called Tarnished.
Another disclaimer- that this isn't perfect, and it likely never will be-but what is important to me is improvement and that I continue to improve as the project progresses.
Updates will be spread out-but I wanted you to have this little piece of the re-write. <3 Thank you all so much for your patience.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“It will begin soon.”

Two pairs of green eyes clashed against each other like the waves upon the shore in front of them, the young soldier who spoke pulling Artemis from a quiet reverie. Odd that the thunderous tide could feel like such a deafening silence until the spell of it was broken.

“Yes,” Artemis replied curtly through the tangles of his long white hair, salty and windblown from the cool winds that beat against them from off of the water. “Not soon enough I’m afraid.”

 “Here, this will help you to tame that lovely hair of yours.” The soldier said, extending a simple red ribbon toward him with a dashing smile. The thing laced around his fingers and fluttered violently in the harsh Autumn wind, his voice hushing between the waves kissed by a sultry Venusian accent.

“Thank you,” Artemis said, heat warming his cheeks as he accepted the gift from the soldier’s fingers with a grateful nod. Amusement sparkled in the boy’s peridot eyes, watchful while Artemis fumbled to tie the red ribbon into the waist length of his stark white hair.

He turned back toward the sea in front of them, feigning the stoicism of a soldier’s attention though his handsome face was alight with anticipation, and his cheek dimpled from the efforts of suppressing an all too eager grin. Artemis took a long moment to appraise the youth beside him, too long perhaps, but he was no older than sixteen years, shedding the buds of childhood into the age of Venusian maturity. He’d be considered a man at this age, bursting into the blinding and ethereal beauty that the people of his planet were renowned for.

In ceremony, soldiers painted and adorned themselves in cobalt blue warpaint, and judging by the simplistic designs swirling around his pale green eyes, trailing down his arms and chest, he was a soldier of low rank, a new recruit. Like the seasoned warriors in his company the designs would grow more intricate if his ambitions to the crown allowed him to progress, he would earn his marks in time. After all, there was little else nobler than love to fight for to the people of Magellan, and it was a message spread even through the courts of La Serenitatis. Artemis had learned this during his long stint serving the Venusian crown, even if he hadn’t always believed it.

All Venusians were beautiful, more so than any other unique culture known in the vast cosmos of space and time, and they wore their beauty like a badge as well as they wore their tendencies for vanity. Artemis dared to think that the young man beside him was perhaps the most prepossessing of them to behold aside from the Goddess of Love herself. He was fair, like the marble statues likely to be carved in his likeness one day should he earn a great name for himself. His eyes were hypnotic, a pale green like pristinely cut peridots that gleamed in his unveiled excitement. A pale gold sheen glimmered through his careless hair as it billowed messily in the Earthen wind, stark against his skin which was also fair but flawless and touched by the slightest tone of gold. The cobalt warpaint jumped off of his features in contrast to his coloring making the more decorated soldiers around him look plain by comparison.

Artemis couldn't remember the boy's name, but it was his enthusiasm when he'd volunteered as a member of their security detail that strummed the chords of his memory. Strange that a soldier so green would be chosen for such a task on the most important day in Venusian history, now or ever, and he resigned himself to think that he was perhaps selected for no other reason than his striking appearance. Vanity had delegated stranger things in Venusian culture, so it was not entirely unusual.

Brushing it off, Artemis glanced over his shoulder at the scene behind him and heaved a heavy sigh, burying his toes in the sand as if to root him in place when he turned his attention back to the wide expanse of sea in front of him. He shivered not only from the chill in the air that came with the cool months of Earth's harvest season but the tension of the parties behind him that cut through his white Lunar uniform just as bitterly as the wind rushing off of the water.

The beach itself was located on a small island off of the coast near Elysium, as ancient as any one planet, and supposedly the birthplace of Aphrodite herself. At some point, it had become the main port on Earth’s trade highway between the Western and Eastern Kingdoms thanks to the ruler in the Middle East. Artemis had tried not to be offended on Aphrodite’s behalf when one of Earth’s Four Kingdoms had turned such sacred land into a hub of commercialism, but the Goddess herself had just laughed and claimed to now be a Goddess of Commerce as well. He let it go, because Venus was not known for their trade, but made their wealth on love fortunes, pleasure, and an abundance of luxury.

Common revelers of Aphrodite had long settled there, strange to Artemis that there were Terrans in this region who worshipped the Kings and Queens of the Silver Alliance, only to find that it was a frequent practice. Though it was forbidden for such common folk to attend a divine ceremony such as this one, they would spin the tales about this sacred event by word of mouth for millennia to come. Invitation to an event such as this was a scant honor granted to a slim number of even the highest born Nobles from any planet. This day would only ever come to pass one time over the unforetold eons to follow it, sifting through Pluto's hourglass as a singular grain of sand while the other Gods and Goddesses may partake in such an event many times over. Artemis knew that Aphrodite would only ever call for this kind of sacred gathering once.

The celestial bodies had all gathered on the forbidden sands of one of Earth’s many beaches for this final act to align them despite not including Earth in their plans and it was likely to be the last time any of them ever set foot on this planet again. This strangely magnetic planet had already been cast out of their budding Silver Alliance, and as beautiful as it was, each brush of the wind against his face, each crash of salty water against the granular shore sent a feeling of foreboding down his spine. The chill of a whisper unspoken rolling off of the gathered Terrans that told them they shouldn’t have been there, that celestial bodies of the planets around them were unwelcome company.

The feeling, oppressive against his back, was without a doubt attributed to the tense scene just behind him. He’d tried to ignore it before he’d become so rapt with the beautiful soldier at his side, grateful now for the boy’s presence and the rest of the small troupe of Venusian soldiers with him. It took everything Artemis had not to acknowledge the tension between the crowds by tearing his gaze back to the horizon in front of him. Earth’s beauty was crude and cruel with unrelenting wind, the only serenity of it lent by the lulling waves, a tide gifted by the Moon. It was a marvel of blue sky and mountains of clouds tinged with golds and pinks by the rising Sun that shimmered in the endless true blue seas which violently foamed and shifted green as it constantly crashed and rippled against dark rock. Artemis lifted his large green eyes toward the heavens where the Morning Star shone the brightest and seemed so very far away.

“It’s worth it.” He whispered to himself through a heaving sigh. Artemis had been gone from his post in the Lunar court for fourteen years now, away from his wife Luna, and the young Moon Princess he had yet to meet. There was some disturbance around her birth celebration years, and he’d been advised to raise security in Magellan, but his absence had long unsettled him since. The divide of the people behind him was also not very settling to his nerves.

The beach was small, almost too small for the crowd of ethereal beings with their immense God-like powers huddled behind his left side. They were currently intruding on this planet, and the natives mistrusted them, feared them, and even worshipped the Immortal entities for their endless lives and magics that blessed them as much as it offended them. Artemis had long become used to their power, but it would terrify and overwhelm the mortals of Earth whose lives burned out like candles, too brief to stand the test of time and only remembered in fables. The occupants of the nearby cities would no doubt feel the power of those in attendance reverberate and echo throughout the halls of their homes for miles, omnipotent and oppressive. These Terrans might lock their doors and shutter their windows against it, some might kneel in prayer and reverence, but it would be felt nonetheless. At least if only for the short duration of their visit.

Ares, the God of War, donned robes instead of armor, accompanied by his nephew Ryo, the Duke of Phobos. Both dark haired with intense violet eyes burning with Mars’s eternal fires, savage and intimidating beside the cold and immaculate Mercurian scholars and messengers. They tended to the sharp-witted Hermes in silvery blue robes, the wise Athena donning flowing white and gold with a gleaming helmet and a great owl slumbering upon her shoulder. Zeus, who was thought to be an all-powerful God, and worshipped as such by many Terrans of this region, was a hulking mass of a male standing tall and proud, and yet dwarfed by the petite but statuesque figure only belonging to Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.

She overwhelmed all of their great powers combined despite her dainty physique with her power alone. This rippled and washed over Artemis like a peaceful homecoming that felt out of place and only perhaps enhanced the tension. Queen Serenity stood quietly in a silvery white fitted gown that draped in elegance on the sand at her feet, more refined than the robed thunder wielder of the Gods. Her pale and flawless skin was illuminated and kissed by moonlight from within, her round eyes like two molten silver coins being reforged over and over again. An endless length of silver hair knotted in two buns at her crown with two tails that playfully danced upon the wind, her lips full and pink, upturned at the corners giving her the appearance of indiscriminate kindness. Her limbs were graceful even in their stillness, making carefully carved statues look foolish with her embodied serenity. Zeus may have stood more than two feet taller than the Moon Goddess, his features imposing with lightning flashing in his gaze and full beard, but even his might was nothing to Queen Serenity’s presence.

Artemis noted a lack of representation from their Outer Alliance which came to no surprise to him, given that there was still tension being worked out between them and the stalwart Moon Queen, for she was still new in their eyes despite her tenure of many millennia on the throne. The Old Gods tended to keep to themselves, in constant conflict over their own ideals, clashing with the ancient ways and the new ways. Regardless, there was no shortage of Venusian soldiers and diplomats to make up for it, dozens of ladies in waiting, painted with graceful blue marks that mirrored the warriors, bearing all manners of luxurious gifts, as well as only one of the Ancient Thread Spinners, ready to determine the path of one’s heart, to learn a secret that this one Spinner would keep to herself. And the Alliance liked to keep its secrets.

They were considered minor Fates, Priestesses of Aphrodite who could peer into one’s heart and determine their soul mates. There were golden threads for friendships, for which there could be many, and the most coveted red thread for love. Artemis learned that these threads could come knotted, could appear entwined with a gold one, or wavy and turbulent, and they all meant something different but that was not for him to know. The Ancient Ones were eternally child-like in appearance, but their eyes betrayed their agelessness for they had overseen the fate of love for all worlds in all ages, and would continue to do so for as long as Pluto’s hourglass still tumbled with sand. Only the most powerful of Venusians would be gifted with the Lover’s Sight, and aside from the Ancient Thread Spinners, Aphrodite herself was the only other one burdened with the gift.

Artemis cared little for the party of Terrans huddled on the beach behind his right side, mostly because he was ill-educated to name any of them. The tense and fearful mortals had assembled from the highest ranks of Earth’s five realms in the form of scholars, priests, noblemen, and world leaders officially representing the Four Kingdoms beneath Elysium. One of few legends that had ever piqued his interest was the Heavenly Kings, supposedly derived from these Four Kingdoms, and Artemis was disappointed to see that those very recently appointed to the positions were not present.

He had a mind to not believe in their existence, but the King Adrian of Elysium’s Golden Throne had expressed their needed presence in his Kingdom while he was away. Earth’s Far Eastern Kingdom called them The Shitennou, a title that seemed to have stuck in both legend and reality, and their awakening had been the only ripple in Earth’s reputation for tens of thousands of years. Artemis had doubts of their existence, or that the men appointed were indeed born of the same prophecies that spoke of great power and celestial origin. They’d been kept a secret until the Four Kings had been bestowed Knighthood under the Golden Rose, a matter of little consequence to The Silver Alliance because they were not Gods. Only men born of privilege on a planet that held no magic.

In the divide between these two parties, directly behind his back, stood the King and Queen of Elysium, the rulers of Earth itself. In contrast to the Gods and Goddesses of the Silver Alliance, the Terrans looked utterly barbaric. They wore fine clothes, but appeared duller, dirtier than those blessed and glowing with all of the Celestial magic of the Gods before them. Even their eyes were harder, riddled with mistrust and envy, a weariness that came with their rapid aging and short lives. A weight that matched the harsh gravity of this alien planet. 

Elysium’s King and Queen were the exceptions, not that Artemis had ever seen many Terrans in person before, but they were by far the most beautiful. Their features were dark, with golden skin and bright eyes, draped with heavy and luxurious fabrics the rich colors of jewels and accents of twinkling gold. Their features were regal and sharp yet soft, magnetic and almost humming with a deep well of ancient and latent magic that no one dared to speak of, because there was very little that the people of Earth feared more than magic. Regardless, it was either a dangerous attribute or a gift, one that neither King of Queen of Elysium held over the heads of their people. They were ill fit to do so, and still, Queen Serenity had dubbed such a thing very dangerous indeed.

The tension and mistrust that strung taut between them ran far deeper than the events of one afternoon. The way they all remained so separated, so quiet, on the beach behind him spoke volumes about the relationship the Silver Alliance had with Earth and its people. Terrans were known to be reckless and emotional, irrational beings who waged wars against themselves for greed and power, claiming their violence in the name of the Kings and Queens of The Silver Alliance who served as the deity they worshipped. Artemis knew the Alliance had its enemies, but the planets themselves had all banded for peace to keep those enemies at bay. It was insulting.

He exhaled a breath of the thick and luxurious air native to this planet, watching feathered creatures take to the sky over the water with splayed and flapping wings while both excited and disdained murmurs rumbled from behind him. Artemis grew grateful as the hour shifted and the Morning Star, twinkled brightly overhead. Winds blew through the grass along the shore, waves crashed more violently against the sand and thundered against the nearby cliffs. The air electrified as the sky turned vibrant shades of pink, orange and gold, the sun peeking low through the clouds just before the stars would disappear for the day. A telling sign that the ceremony would finally begin.

Artemis served Queen Serenity first, and always. After the destruction of his home planet Mau, she had opened the doors to La Serenitatis for the few survivors of their race and offered them sanctuary. Because of this, his wife Luna had devoted herself to Queen Serenity’s initiative toward building the Silver Millennium and the peace that it promised. She didn’t want what happened to their world, to happen anywhere else, and Artemis was hard pressed to disagree. Luna had quickly been appointed as a Royal Adviser and Guardian, naturally placing him in a similar role. They had been knighted and branded with the Moon’s crest upon their foreheads as officiated Lunarians.

However, for the past fourteen years, Artemis had been assigned to Magellan to serve Aphrodite in preparation for this very day. He’d learned the ins and outs of Venusian culture, their language, their stories, all of which made him blush for the first seven years before it became second nature. Artemis was still Mauan after all, so he chose not to partake in certain customs even when he had been required to learn everything. Some of it, however, he was eager to bring home to his wife.

All of his work and education during his service to the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Desire had led him to this moment.

Aphrodite seemed to materialize from the steady rushes of wind that caressed them from the sea, grown soft like a lover’s touch as opposed to the icy blasts of earlier. Nothing in all of the cosmos could have stolen her limelight as a small procession led the Goddess toward the front of the crowd where the surf lapped upon the shore. A heavy cloak of red velvet concealed most of her petite form, revealing nothing but her head of lustrous hair. Her eyes were like molten gold as they gazed slowly over the gathered crowd, her full, perfect lips tense as she stepped directly in front of him at the edge of the water, leaving Artemis to suffer the wrath of heavy eyes from all angles.

Two of her servants, he recognized as the heads of Magellan’s household, stepped forward to help Aphrodite shrug out of her heavy cloak to greet them all with her raw and unforgiving beauty. A simple short dress of thin silk did nothing to hide her body, unmatched perfection regardless of who gazed upon her. Each line and curve was crafted to appeal to anyone, shifting to one’s own personal tastes with razor sharp precision that only the mind could mold. Long curls fell to the sand at her feet in bright cascades of shimmering gold that gleamed blindingly in the light of the rising sun. Her flawless skin illuminated from within, a light that reached her eyes reflected outward like liquid gold.

Being used to gazing upon her, Artemis paid little mind to the gasps and reactions of the Terrans behind her, but he could still sympathize with the shock of Aphrodite’s overwhelming presence as he had yet to recover from it. Seductive and warm, she was made of love in its most potent and powerful forms, consisting of all of the wrathful and perfect beauty of the Universe itself. It rippled like a shockwave across the sandy shore, likely to be felt all across the island. Erotic and addicting, these emotions she emanated and commanded caressed like a lover, sending most swooning on their feet, ready to be consumed by it. One mere glimpse of the Venusian Queen was known to make the most chaste of beings forget their virtues for the rest of their days.

Earthen men broke into prayer, artists began to feverishly work their graphite over parchment and paintbrushes furiously over canvases. Artemis knew they’d never be able to capture her likeness, not really because beauty is in the eye of the beholder and love was spoken differently by all. She would appear unique to each of them, each portrait similar but varied in appearance according to their individual perception of beauty. The artists would work quickly though because her countenance was nearly blinding to most, but it was only just the surface of her great and sometimes deadly power. 

Resting snug between her breasts lay a closed oyster wrapped in gold wire and strung on a simple strand of dyed orange leather. Artemis was intimately familiar with the trinket, it had no name, but it was supposedly the most priceless and powerful treasure in all of Venus’s Kingdom. He had scoffed at it initially, a simple shell that looked like something meant to be discarded in its battered black casing like every other oyster common to a Venusian diet.

That changed somewhere along his tour from planet to planet with the shell tucked securely in a pouch of blue velvet with his life sworn on the line to protect it to allow the Gods and Goddesses of the Silver Alliance to bestow their many gifts upon the trinket. Power and knowledge, magic, history, war secrets, mythology, and even all that they knew of the forbidden planet they stood on now. There was no telling how much information, how much power, had been crammed into such a small and simple shell. Aphrodite had told him that she carried Venus with her always, and it wasn’t until he learned just how precious the pendent was, that Artemis understood his true mission.

Aphrodite caressed it lovingly with the pads of her fingers before she pulled the shell free from its string and pried open the black casing. Slowly plucking a blindingly bright pearl from it, her golden eyes glistening with love upon first sight of the pearl born from a grain of sand as old as the beach they stood on. She cradled it in her palm for a moment, beaming, and gazing at the jeweled with the most beautiful and loving smile alight on her flawless features. Gathering the pearl between her finger and thumb she thrust it victoriously toward the heavens for all to see, allowing the Sun to blind them with its brilliance.

The Venusian party beside him began to sing, their chorus followed by a louder, impossibly sad and beautiful note from the Goddess herself. Goosebumps rose to every inch of his skin, toes curling further in the sand when Aphrodite palmed the jewel again, lowering her hand to present the pearl to the Terrans first. Her open palm moved slowly across the beach as she sang, offering the jewel, offering love itself to Earth’s people, to the Elysian King and Queen, to himself, and all of the diplomats of the Silver Alliance, resting in front of Queen Serenity at last.

It was then he watched the single tear fall from an eye of molten gold as Aphrodite’s stare bore into the liquid silver eyes of the Lunar Queen. Their gazes held for a beat before the Goddess of Love closed the golden pearl in her palm and held it tenderly to her chest. The Venusian’s song did not cease, but she stole a moment for herself, Aphrodite’s voice continuing to rise above the beat of the wind that howled through the nearby cliffs. A chill ran up his spine despite the warmth of the sun that tried cutting through Autumn’s killing frost, and the amplified emotions surrounding them like a thick ocean fog. The sound of her song, a Goddess’s mourning, all of her love and triumph, had moved Artemis to tears.

Swallowing the intensity of his sobs, he watched as golden sparks lit the air around them sending a pleasant hum against his skin causing some of the men behind him to fall to their knees in fear. Aphrodite remained focused on the ceremony, slowly turning her back on the crowd while her voice echoed her Venusian song through the cliffs until her song filled the air in all directions, and with the golden pearl cradled in her palms, she walked into the foam of the lapping surf. She walked until the ocean claimed her, her golden hair disappearing beneath the waves.

The beach grew hushed with the quiet song and the Sun flared with orange and bright gold until Artemis found himself shielding his eyes. Terrans cowered behind him when the golden magic still flickering through the air became like fireflies, and the sea began to bubble and foam violently where Aphrodite had vanished. The very Earth trembled and the tide moved in erratic patterns around the island, so much happening at once that he lost track of how many minutes had passed, yet the chorus of the Venusians continued. Clouds moved in rapidly, casting a biting chill to the wind until the sparks in the air began to fade in the air, and the sea grew unnaturally calm. Artemis swallowed his nerves, and like the tense boy at his side, he fixed his gaze anxiously on the spot where Aphrodite remained submerged.

It was the moment his life would change forever. The moment that the fruits of his labor and long absence from his wife would make Artemis whole. The entire beach seemed to hold their breath, leaning forward in anticipation for what was to come. Even Queen Serenity stared forward with awestruck silver eyes at the way the sea and sky bent and embraced the submerged Goddess beneath the waves, and a new kind of power rippled across the water. A power as ancient as the Spinners of Fate, with all of the potency and brightness of a new star.

The soldier beside him nudged Artemis in the ribs, pale green eyes wide with awe as he sang out the last notes of the Venusian’s song with the choir of his people and the beach grew eerily silent. He’d barely paid the boy any mind, too busy holding his breath as the crown of Aphrodite’s golden head emerged from the calming sea. An almost balmy humidity rose up from the sand s the ocean calmed its tides and the clouds thinned, clearing the sky as it does after a mid-summer's rain leaving the Goddess more radiant than he’d ever seen her.  

Her eyes were fixed in determination, glowing in dawn’s light, too bright and too gold when they regarded the crowd in her ascent back to the shore. Her hair was a darkened, saturated train of antiqued golden curls and deep waves that trailed behind her in the sand.  The scant white dress had become completely translucent and clung to her skin, lit from within, casting a golden sheen in the Sun. Aphrodite, however, was not what held the crowd captive and speechless. There was no sound but that of the waves that whispered like a mother lulling a child to sleep, no breath but the wind that had grown calm and caressing, no pair of eyes fixed on anything but the child now cradled in the Goddess’s arms.

He could not look away, his heart singing some kind of song in a language that Artemis did not comprehend. Naked, as all are at birth, the girl was at that age between a child and a woman with budding signs of perfection that had only just begun to forge itself into flesh, preparing to bloom later as something entirely celestial. He knew that she would be older, and yet was not prepared for the girl’s beauty which shined bright enough to pale her mother’s. They were one in the same, he remembered, that this child was not merely the daughter of Aphrodite but a divine thing not born of seed and womb. A new incarnation of the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Desire had been born.

Weary, Aphrodite paused at the shoreline as the girl stirred in her arms. The bluest eyes he’d ever seen fluttered open and widened as they fell upon her mother for the very first time, and the two smiled their identical smiles. It was like watching someone look into a mirror, though instead of gold the girl’s eyes were the same color as the sea she’d been born from, perfect like the brilliant Morning Star against a clear Autumn morning. Artemis had to steel himself as she approached, a deep inhale, insides churning, knees locked to keep himself from falling to his knees in reverence as some of the Terran men behind him had done because his life’s work had become flesh and blood before his very eyes. It had been love that he had been feeling all along, for the battered black oyster shell he’d traveled with, for the golden pearl that emerged from it, and now for the girl who embodied love in its truest, purest forms.

Aphrodite stepped close enough that her arms nearly brushed his chest, and the girl turned in her mother’s embrace to smile up at him with such wonder in those innocent blue eyes. Up close, Artemis found that they were laced with green like the shifting sea, magic sparkling in flecks of vibrant gold in their depths and framed by the longest, feathery black lashes he’d ever seen. She had the same luscious golden hair as her mothers, already long enough to somewhat keep modesty over her budding breasts, the shades complimentary to the tone of her flawless skin. Her lips were full and pouty, the perfect shell pink color, were parted absently, and a light spatter of freckles dotted the bridge of her nose which crinkled adorably in her very pointed assessment of him.

Artemis wondered if this is how she looked to everyone, or if her beauty would shift depending on the beholder. Perhaps she looked entirely different to the young soldier still standing nearby, his own eyes locked in wonder on the spectacle like everyone else but with the hungered gleam of yearning in them. She’d been molded by the Gods themselves, made of starlight and sunshine, magic, and love. It showed in each curve of her remarkable bone structure and body in ways that made perfect feel like such a bland description, but Artemis could think of no other word to describe her. Aphrodite took care to hold the girl in a way that might conceal her more private features, long golden locks darkened with seawater to help keep her modesty, but the girl’s beauty was already sinful in its potency.

The fatherly reflex to shield the girl from the prying eyes of the men around him made his fingers twitch, particularly from the young Venusian soldier standing beside him. As silent as he was, the boy’s green eyes were transfixed, his knees locked as though he fought the urge to join the Terran men still praying in the sand. She didn’t notice, not the soldier or anyone else, because her wide blue eyes were roving over Artemis’s strange appearance with the awed fascination of a small child as though she knew how their fates had intertwined. She’d been there in the golden pearl he’d guarded with his life these past years, warm and sentient, and older than he could comprehend. This girl was ancient, truly ageless like the child-like beings who spun those red threads of fate, only this child would be far more powerful, she just didn’t understand it yet.

There was a world of communication in her unwavering stare that bore the age of eons within them and Artemis swallowed dryly beneath it, trying to relax under the curious prodding of her eyes as they roved over his face, studying the crescent moon symbol on his forehead. She reached up to trace it with a delicate finger, a small smile on her perfect lips. He wanted to protect her from all of it suddenly, from the future that brought them all together that day, and everything that would change about her for the sake of that future. Artemis had never fallen in love so quickly, and though his heart was crumbling in his chest he loved her like the child he and his wife had yet to bear. He knew without a doubt that he would die for her, and do so gladly.

“Apologies.” He muttered, shrinking as he noticed Aphrodite’s impatient stare upon him. There was heartbreak in those eyes of pure gold, a painful reminder about what life would mean for this child, and that her mother would not be able to hold her daughter for long. This girl was not meant for the Kingdom of Magellan, not meant to be the heiress to Venus’s throne. She was meant for more than Aphrodite could ever be, and so the Goddess would rule as she always had, while a new incarnation of herself would sail the stars to spread the light of love and justice for the sake of perfect peace.

“I was born here too, you know,” Aphrodite said to him quietly, lovingly. The young girl heard this with unnerving knowledge in her expression, staring up at him as though she had said the words herself. “That was eons ago. Tell me, what do they call his isle now? Kythira?”

“Cythera.” Artemis replied, “One of Earth’s great hubs for trade, though if I recall there are temples in celebration of your birth, and many who still gather here to worship your name.”

“Then she will be called Cytherea, but all will regard my daughter as Venus herself, a symbol and tribute of our great and powerful kingdom of Magellan.” Her voice came loud, ringing out over the now silent beach in a commanding tone, a calm in her torment that Artemis would never forget. One day, this would be the voice of her daughter. “She will make you proud, stronger than any Venusian before her,” Her voice lowered for Artemis’s ears alone, “and as Queen Serenity takes this heart from my chest, her Silver Millennium will be complete.”

Artemis nodded, nerves pulling his gaze toward the Moon Goddess standing only mere feet away from them. She showed no indication of hearing the words, so he turned to the soldier beside him, issuing a hard nudge in the ribs to break his intense stare upon the young Goddess in Aphrodite’s arms to retrieve a robe of pure white, embroidered with golden threads that glimmered in the sun. The boyish Venusian issued a mumbled apology for the cobalt makeup now staining the elbow of Artemis’s uniform and ignored his reprimanding glare as he handed the garment over.

"I will protect her with my life. I will teach and mold her into a Princess, a Warrior, and Guardian that you can be proud of My Queen. A Soldier that this Alliance has never known. She will be legendary." He took on the difficult task of holding her intense gold stare and lowered his voice as well, only hoping to offer the torn mother some consolation. "She will never be alone in life. This I can promise as long as I live. And I will see to it that you will know her as she grows." Aphrodite gave a tearful nod, kissing the Venusian crest on her child's forehead and helping her stand on wobbly legs so Artemis could help her into the robe.

‘I'm not letting you out of my sight.’ He vowed to himself as he affectionately slipped the robe over her shoulders, covering her nude form from the prying eyes of the Soldier beside him. Perhaps it was this paternal love that had consumed him, but Artemis found himself unsettled with how enraptured the boy had become by her and he couldn't place it since the entire beach had been held captive by her at first sight. Venusians were strange in their infatuations as well as their adoration, it was always more intense than Artemis was accustomed to, and in some cases, dangerous.

Aphrodite allowed her house staff to quickly assist her back into the thick red robe of earlier, the state of her meager white silk dress leaving her body on display in its saturated state. Terrans had an aversion to nudity that Venusians celebrated, but Venus had an amicable enough relationship with Earth that she covered herself out of respect and began a slow procession toward Elysium’s King and Queen to end the ceremony, offering introductions and thanks. Artemis wrapped a protective arm around Cytherea’s waist, helping her to walk behind her mother up the sandy isle between the gathered crowd where the awed and judging eyes of Terrans and the royalty of the Alliance washed over them.

"King Adrian, eternity would never cover the depths of my gratitude. I do hope you and your own growing household will accept my strongest blessings of love." Artemis felt Cytherea cower into his side under the heavy stare of Earth's King, her smaller hand reaching out to grip the belt on her Mother's robe while she clung to his uniform as well.

The tall dark King’s face softened, becoming jovial as he addressed Aphrodite, the Terran Queen at his side beaming silently down at the little Venusian Princess with kindness that crinkled her dazzling violet eyes at the corners. “You have blessed and filled my house with the purest of love, your Grace. A beautiful, loving wife, a healthy and strong young Prince-“

“And four young Kings now, I hear.” Aphrodite interrupted with a knowing grin that made King Adrian’s smile broaden, such pride twinkling in his sapphire eyes. While she was a gracious and generous Goddess, she was also blissfully ignorant of her own vanity. The way she pressed for information without the grace of subtly only seemed to further amuse the King and Queen.

“We have Knighted one of them in your honor, of course. The strongest of The Four, from lands in desperate need of your blessings.” This pleased the Goddess, of course, gifting them with a smile fit to make a mountain swoon. Aphrodite stepped to the side then, gesturing for Artemis to step forward so she could better introduce her new daughter.

“May I introduce Venus, Aphrodite incarnate, at least she will be when she reaches the proper age. She has a long journey to embark on yet, but she will be my only child born of my celestial body.” Artemis could hear the veins of sadness in her tone, watching as Cytherea lifted her gaze up to her statuesque mother as though she could hear it too, many questions passing behind her ageless eyes.

“I am Queen Elenora, but you may call me Ellie if you’d like to, Little Venus.” The Queen said, kneeling down in front of them, craning her head of soft black curls to offer the new Princess a stunning smile, “I’m so glad that I could meet you. I always wanted a daughter, beautiful like sunshine, just like you.”

Artemis watched Cytherea pause in contemplation before, to his shock, she released her hold on him and practically jumped out of her robes when she threw herself into the Queen’s arms to embrace her. He knew with all of the knowledge she’d been infused with that she should have known better manners than this, but Artemis was the only one who seemed to have a mind to flush for her poor ones. Regardless, the Queen’s laughter seemed to warm the air around them as she hugged the little Goddess tight, her beauty made all the more severe by its brevity.

“I think it is safe to say you could leave Venus with us, Aphrodite. My Queen seems ready to adopt her as her own.” King Adrian said through laughter, placing a large hand on Cytherea’s golden head, earning the curious gaze of her wide blue eyes. As though he had seen her fear earlier, his voice softened to a soothing depth that had Artemis narrowing his eyes at the calming undertones, as though he could hear the empathic magic within it. “Don’t worry child, you have seas of stars to sail, and this old King would have little of this world to offer you. Though I would welcome you to it if I could.”

 She laughed then, music to ears all around them when Cytherea giggled and threw herself into the King's arms next. Artemis had to fight the urge to laugh along, or press his face into his palm, but he maintained his very professional air. Cytherea was going to be a handful, this much was clear immediately since she was already so set in her ways to tackle life the way she wanted, though that sinking feeling that he'd have a cruel job to do in altering that course for a life of servitude brought on a foreboding shiver.

"Well, King Adrian. Thanks, are in order for your generous hospitality today. I must congratulate you on progressions in your own Kingdom. As you know we'll have much to discuss in regards to today in our annual meeting." The Royal's faces fell to one of indifference at the approach of Queen Serenity. Her voice alone was soothing in ways that made the rush of the ocean's waves sound cacophonous. Where Artemis felt at ease by it, the others seemed to tense. Perhaps it was that strong presence of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou that was so overwhelming to most. She was a gracious ruler. Kind, but also firm in her ways.

"Queen Serenity. You look well." The King nodded, his Queen continuing to dote over Venus while she became fascinated by the cobalt blue velvet of her gown. An obvious distraction for anyone paying attention to the interaction. "Indeed, I expect our upcoming meeting to be eventful. There is much to discuss, though I do think today is about the newest addition to your house. The Moon has gained a new Sun this day."

"None of that." Aphrodite interrupted sharply, gaining the surprised eyes of the Moon Goddess and Terran King. She looked worn and tired, sighing defeatedly while Cytherea was distracted. "I have three years, and you will grant me those years to ready her for your purpose Serenity. The Silver Millennium is completed by her birth, but our agreement grants me three years."

“Of course, Cousin, there is no shortage of work still to be done. Three years is plenty of time, and Venus will need training.” Queen Serenity’s silver eyes were wide, tone suggesting offense to Aphrodite’s outburst. Artemis swallowed shifting uneasily on his feet with the tension thick in the air between the three royals.

“I was curious about your choice for Venus to lead the Silver Alliance.” The King said cautiously. Clearly, he felt endearment toward Cytherea, being the only child destined to be the front line of Queen Serenity’s defenses that he would meet in person. “It seemed a more fitting task for the likes of one born from Jupiter or Mars, perhaps Uranus even.”

 Aphrodite’s eyes flashed with the wrathful light that Venusians were known to wield with deadly precision. They flickered toward Ares who stood well within her range to obliterate him if she wanted to, introducing his nephew to Zeus. Venus had a strange dynamic with Mars that included verbal sparring during diplomatic affairs and passion in the bedroom, it was an understanding between them that Artemis had yet to understand, and didn’t want to. There was danger in this particular exchange, a warning and reminder as she locked eyes with the King of Earth.

“There is more than one God of War on this beach, Adrian.”

His lips tensed, and he muttered an apology for the oversight of his position on the matter, his lack of position among them. It was a hard place for such a strong man, and celebrated King to be in, but a reminder nonetheless that Aphrodite was indeed a revered Goddess of War, one who fought with the love of her people in her heart where Ares was a God of Passion, and Zeus a God of Strength. Serenity had chosen her champion well, a warrior who would serve the Lunar crown and Silver Millennium with unerring loyalty because if Cytherea would find love in her duties, there would be no stopping her. Queen Serenity made sure of this when she bound Aphrodite to this agreement, for they were soul mates of a certain nature that happens between close friends and family, bound together by a golden thread. Their daughters would be the same, given the nature of their birth, and this had forged their link into silver steel, tense and likely to shatter with excessive force.

“Forgive me for my passion, King Adrian,” Aphrodite began, the weariness evident in her tone, “Venusians sometimes struggle to restrain our emotions and I fear it’s gotten the better of me.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled down at his Queen who still crouched in the sand with Cytherea. “I am weary, and I know that you have traveled far for this occasion. If Queen Serenity will allow it, I would like to make amends and offer you two of my guards to escort you home to Elysium safely. They will of course remain disguised, but if any threat befalls your travels, they will be more than powerful enough to protect you.”

"Of course, you have our gratitude as always Aphrodite. If Queen Serenity will allow it, I will gratefully accept your offer. And many thanks to you for your blessings upon the Golden Rose." King Adrian bowed, Aphrodite gesturing to two soldiers nearby to confirm their plans without Queen Serenity's affirmation, which of course came forced.

"We will speak soon, Cousin." She spoke curtly, turning and smiling sweetly at the royals. "I, of course, am happy to allow you safe passage home. My lines of communication are always open Good King, should you need anything of the Alliance, I am happy to oblige. You only need to ask."

"We are grateful to you Queen Serenity. May your Silver Millennium bring light to us all." Artemis saw the look in Aphrodite's eye upon the King's words, knowing that light would never reach this strange and beautiful planet so fresh with air and magnetic weight.  Reports came in daily; the overall consensus that the Earthen people were at unrest because they assumed the way Queen Serenity offered her protection that the Lunar Kingdom spied on them without the grace of offering them any such gifts.

"Well, as mentioned I'm quite weary and must give my goodbyes. Safe travels to you and your Queen, good King. You have all of my blessings of love for your young Prince and his Four Kings. I do wish I could have met them." Aphrodite offered her gentle, warming smile in an attempt to overshadow the tension Queen Serenity had brought them without trying. Her smile only broadened when Earth's Queen bent to kiss the top of Cytherea's golden head.

"You will grow as strong and beautiful as your Mother. I wish you well on your journey little one... may you lead them with Love, first and always." Cytherea's eyes seemed to sparkle with the Terran Queen's words and Artemis felt a warmth in his chest at the affection she offered.

"Farewell, little Goddess." The King placed his large hand over the spot his wife had kissed, smiling down at her with a crude softness that allowed Artemis to see once more that there was beauty in these mortals. Interactions with Terrans were otherwise forbidden, and today's events were only allowed by the goodwill of the Elysian King. Some would say he was no advocate for his people, and in lesser words was a traitor to his kingdom the way he supported the Silver Alliance with blind hope that Earth could become more to the Silver Queen’s grand plans for peace. Even Artemis could see by the pride in his deep blue eyes, the shamelessness of his love and respect for those around him, that King Adrian was anything but a traitor.

The young soldier was of the few chosen to escort the King and Queen back to Elysium, seemingly proud in this task, where truly he'd been chosen because he was expendable. There was no need for their stronger warriors to be placed in lands where no magic was present to threaten them. The Mauan guardian had kept an eye on him during this exchange, even as he gathered Cytherea from her silent and sweet farewells, the soldier hadn't looked away even once. 

"Artemis." Queen Serenity stepped toward him while Aphrodite offered her kiss as her own goodbyes and blessings over the Earthen royals. He bowed deeply, missing his Queen for all of her mixed reputations. She was a fair and just ruler, and as Peace Incarnate her intentions were always well meant. "Luna sends her love, I wanted to send you off with her anticipation to see you in three years."

"Thank you, My Queen. I am anxious to return home to my post. Though Venus has been good to me, and it seems my purpose only grows after today." Queen Serenity smiled at this, her silver eyes beaming with happiness, shifting down toward the smaller, very golden girl at his side.

"Indeed, it has Artemis. She is remarkable, isn't she?" He nodded, glancing down at Cytherea who had become rather curious of the very tall Silver Goddess in front of them. "You will send me your reports by morning then? Action plans I'm sure you've been making for quite some time. You will have your work cut out for you to... guide her toward our ways."

“Yes, of course.” He said, tight lipped as he stood from a deep bow and followed Queen Serenity’s gaze toward Cytherea. Things had been easier when he woke up that morning, before he saw her beautiful face, felt her warm and beaming happiness, and heard the music of her chime like laugh. He would be forced to change Cytherea, a being manufactured for a life of duty and purpose that required Artemis to take her Venusian nature and twist it into something profound.

 “I will see you both in three years.” Queen Serenity said knowingly of his thoughts. She placed a lingering hand on top of Cytherea’s head, and the young Goddess gripped his hand a little bit tighter as though she knew. When he looked up, the Moon Goddess was smiling at him with all of the grace and warmth of a loving mother. “It gets easier, Artemis, I promise. I look forward to receiving your reports.”

Artemis nodded through a dry swallow and watched Queen Serenity walk away, two silver tails of hair trailing in the wind behind her before she shimmered away in a cascade of iridescent sparkle that tingled through the air long after she’d left.

Earth had purposefully been left out of her great plans for the Silver Millennium since the disappearance of the Golden Crystal eons ago when the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, or Silver Crystal, chose her as heiress to the Lunar throne. Queen Serenity claimed that Earth kept secrets from them, harmful to her goal of absolute peace, and after the gifts of magic and immortality waned from its people, they grew erratic and dangerous. Their short, mortal lives now added an element of desperation, feeding into rash and violent behavior.

This was an era for Earth where men told tales of how God-like beings affected their harvests causing feast or famine, blessing them with rain, and cursing them with seasons, blaming them for all of it down to the manner of their wine and entertainment. Tales of champions fighting Earth’s Titans because Terrans were too weak to, and Goddesses descending from the Heavens to warm their beds and bear offspring that were of Earth, but something else entirely were commonplace. The fact that some worshipped the Kings and Queens of the Alliance only validated the instability that the Terrans were being accused of.

The Old Gods saw these things, how Earth’s power flickered and snuffed like a candle with the disappearance of the Golden Crystal, how immortal seed mingled and created stronger mortal champions on Earth, and how wars began to wage on its surface in the name of Venusian, Martian, and Jovian royalty. Their short lives made them desperate to reach for more, feeding into their rash and violent behavior, and made the citizens of the surrounding planets reckless with their curiosities and indulgent desires. Queen Serenity was young still when they declared God’s Law that falling in love with a mortal was taboo, and Earth was rendered a forbidden land. To that very day, the Lunar Queen upheld the Old God’s ideals, even when some of the Outer planets, younger generations of those Old Gods, had begun to question them.

Gracious still in her youth, some thought she was naïve to offer her protection to the planet that her Moon orbited in exchange that Earth merely allow the Gods and Goddesses of the Inner and Outer Planets to fade into the mythology of their books and stories. As a condition, they would also strive to create peace amongst the chaos of their shifting world. Queen Serenity had seen many of the Elysian King's ancestors fall in her long life, each one was more gracious and accepting than the last in efforts to absolve Earth's people of their barbaric reputation. Each one obliging to the agreement against the judgments of the four Kings beneath him, none eager to prove Earth as worthy as King Adrian.

So, Artemis turned a blind eye to the stack of reports that came in almost daily about the incidents of unrest in the four corners of Earth’s great kingdoms. They fought amongst themselves, shedding their own blood for the sake of religion, land, and power. Some say that there were those who wished to rise up the powerful Kingdom of Elysium to find the Golden Crystal and earn its affection, all so they could one day overthrow the Moon.  Whether or not the rumors of schemes and rebel groups were true or not held little to no weight on the mere premise that like the Silver Crystal, the Golden Crystal would choose its wielder and only one born under the Elysian Rose could be worthy. A pure heart.

He was both relieved and sorry to teleport back to Magellan where the very dull and quiet roar of swirling gaseous storms that danced along Venus’s surface made him realize just how loud the oceans of Earth were. This was a lulling sound in comparison to that strange cacophonous music of the waves crashing against the silence, somehow evoking feelings of calm and sickness for home. It had been his only time ever being on that forbidden planet, and Artemis couldn’t quite make sense of the strange emotions that the people, the heavy atmosphere, and that thick luxurious air had left him with. Earth had been loud, and heavy, and fragrant, and beautiful in ways places like Magellan and the Moon Kingdom could never be. His keen gaze shifted out toward the orange and yellow peaks and valleys of Venus’s now toxic and uninhabited terrain and felt a churning sensation in his stomach from the day, and the days still yet to come.  

Magellan was a vast structure, encased within a false atmosphere and the size of a small moon, floating above the actual planet’s surface. It held the entire Venusian population, the top floors being the palace, and the rest of the floors containing their markets, temples, public bathhouses, libraries, gardens, everything normally housed within a civilized planet, with the lower levels cavernous and sacred with baths, spas, and natural springs preserved from Venus’s surface back when it was inhabitable. It was a lush, balmy kingdom of white marble veined with glittering gold, regalia of orange flags and red sashes, fragrant with orange groves and lilies, bushes of honeysuckle, and trees of sweetly scented myrtles in white and red. Artemis found the layout brilliant, and the energetic and charming nature of the Venusian people intoxicating.

Venus wasn’t a strong trade nation outside of oranges, perfume, and jewel crafting, but beings from all over the galaxy would travel there to shop the vibrant markets, visit the temples and learn about their love fortunes from the Spinners of Fate. Luxury was their brand, and love was prevalent in every corner of Magellan, including the darkest ones in which the lewdest acts were carried out without shame for the body, and love was meant to be worshipped there. It had taken Artemis years to grow accustomed to the casual nudity and public displays of affection, orgies, and sex work which ranged from educational to recreational. He’d never be able to shield Cytherea from certain aspects of her people, the history and rich culture of her people was too important for her not to know, but she’d been born with the knowledge of it all crammed inside of her mind, but little by little he would have to sway her interests elsewhere.

Cytherea’s eyes were huge, her complexion pale from her first teleportation which could be jarring for those not used to it. She stared in wonder up and down the wide candle lit halls of the palace, slowly taking in the open balconies and intricate architecture, deeply inhaling the sweet and floral scents that created a wistful and romantic atmosphere. Artemis smiled down at the endearing sight while Aphrodite gave orders to her house staff in preparation to close up the palace for the night. She looked worn when she turned to face them, sad with her dulled grey eyes and hair matted by the ocean’s salt and wind. The Goddess needed to rest having poured so much of herself into the child that stood in awe between them.

“Goodnight my Child of Love, my little Cytherea,” Aphrodite said, snuggling the young girl into her robes affectionately, kissing the Venusian crest gleaming in gold on her forehead like the pearl that Cytherea came from. They shared loving looks before the Goddess stood up straight to offer Artemis a weary smile, her hand resting on his shoulder in passing as she began the short walk toward her rooms.

“I love you, mother,” Cytherea said, her voice light and small like a sweet love song, stopping the Goddess in her tracks. She looked back over her shoulder with a proud, teary eyed smile, and Artemis found himself beaming with a smile fit to split his face.

“I love you most, my daughter,” The Golden Goddess replied softly, relenting her reign of all things sensual and beautiful if only for a moment, and became the embodiment of a Mother’s Love. Aphrodite blew a kiss before she disappeared behind the large gilded doors to her rooms, and Cytherea had pressed her fingertips to her own lips as if to mimic the action, or perhaps catch the affection. Then she sighed a great big yawn into her hand. She fought sleep like a small child too, content and absorbed in her surroundings and he had to place a hand at the small of her back to gently lead her down the vibrantly decorated white corridor to her rooms.

Artemis helped her to bathe, washing the sea salt and sand from her skin and hair before dressing her in a white cotton gown for sleeping. Brushing her hair was an ordeal, for it was already very long and thick, tangled in the Earthen wind. He had to marvel at the golden shimmer to it, the silkiness in his fingers as he sat behind her on the bed and combed through the thick luscious locks once it was clean. Cytherea did not speak again, though in small moments it looked like she wanted to, only to sink back into the comfortable silence of their bonding. He found himself unable to stop smiling throughout the ordeal, her every unspoken curiosity wrought with charm and a child’s demand to comprehend everything around her. Judging by the affection in her eyes, an unnerving familiarity in them. Artemis could tell that she knew him far better than he knew her and she trusted him completely, seeming to understand his patience with her as her overburdened mind tried so hard to form a coherent thought.

Exhausted, he tucked her into the comically large bed of her suite, like a tiny pearl nestled in a sea of gold satin. Artemis was determined to sit at her bedside until she fell asleep, watching her lids grow heavy, only to flutter abruptly as a new piece of information clicked into place behind her eyes. Cytherea had been infused with so much information, that initially he’d been concerned about her capacity to function as a coherent being. He could physically see information processing in her expression as it grew blank, and despite having the knowledge of many languages she’d said very litter aloud, her expressive silence doing the rest of the talking for her. He’d never been so happy to have his concerns proven wrong as he gazed at him sleepily from the pillows with her ageless eyes of lapis lazuli. Artemis felt pride at how unafraid she was, how loving and innocent, and sweet…

“A-Artemis?” She spoke quietly, carefully as though each letter was thought out before spoken. Her speech would come to her in the following days, languages from all over their galaxy, including the common primary Terran language spoken in Elysium. No matter the sound, none was as sweet as his name. Artemis knew he’d fall even more in love with her the more she spoke. “Thank you.”

Cytherea’s delicate finger reached up to trace the emblem of the Moon’s Kingdom adorning his forehead, a light touch that sent his stomach into his throat as though he were falling. He knew what it meant to be a father in that moment, also knowing that he could not let his emotions get the best of him. Artemis had a job to do. A job he began to loathe with the more he thought about it.

“I’ll always be here for you Cytherea. I hope you understand that I will never leave your side.”  He offered a feline smile, one that sparked amusement in her gold laced eyes. She smiled in return, a wide and genuine grin, and sprang forward to throw her arms around his neck, disheveling the neatly tucked sheets in the process. Artemis chuckled, closed his green eyes, and buried his nose in her hair. Like the orange groves in the springtime when the honeysuckle bloomed and the lily of the valley sprung its bell-like white blooms, he inhaled her. The scent would take on a sultry tone eventually but for now, it was sweet, light, like sunshine.  “You just sleep now, little one.”

Kissing the Venusian crest on her forehead, Artemis urged her back against the pillows, tucking her in for a second time. Cytherea’s smile grew lazy as she nodded into the pillows, eyelids growing heavy. The girl was beyond exhausted. He was envious of the fast manner in which she fell asleep, Aphrodite had made it known to him that she’d sleep a great deal in the coming days as her body became accustomed to her divinity and all of the information she’d been gifted with. Her mind could truly work during this time when the majority of the vast quantities of information she’d been infused with would come to poor Cytherea.

Creating an incarnation of a Goddess was a difficult and strenuous process for both of them. Her soul had been coherent in that pearl all these years, absorbing imagery of other planets and their people, their voices, warmth, and good intentions. With hope, the good would overtone the harder facts that she’d have to face as the information unfolded. Cytherea was like the ancient Thread Spinners, but so much more. Old as time itself and crammed into a still fruiting body, forged from the sea with nothing but love and a golden pearl, for a purpose that had nothing to do with becoming the next Goddess of Love.

All of it wore heavily on his brow. His job had only begun for the night so Artemis allowed himself another lingering gaze upon the beautiful child, a miraculous child, and turned to leave for his room. He could feel the weight of it all transfer to his shoulders and he entered the luxurious suite he borrowed, for as accommodating as it was, it was still empty, and oh how he longed to tell Luna about that fateful day. To let her work the tension from his shoulders while he erupted in a political debate about how she was just a child. This wasn’t fair.

Artemis laughed to himself, needing the reminder that Cytherea may act like a child, look like a child, but the girl was no child. No matter… it still wasn’t fair.

He plopped heavily into the chair by his desk to begin Queen Serenity’s requested reports with a weary sigh. Up until that day, the past fourteen years had only been just another mission for him to tend to. A diplomatic errand that ended that very afternoon with the Mauan falling into the sort of love that you don’t ever quite recover from. A different kind of love that he was too tired to decipher, wasn’t sure if he could. Even if he hadn’t been so tired.

The letter he began to scribe was over toned with his weariness as he began to write the details of Cytherea’s birth in great detail from the ceremony down to her behavior as he tucked her into bed. Some of it to be published he was sure, a new tale for the mythology books to be skewed over the centuries as the girl would grow into something greater than just a little girl. Something powerful and unyielding that Artemis wasn’t sure he was ready to contend with. He wasn’t sure anyone would be ready for what Cytherea of Venus would become.

Next, he had to document his plans to teach, train, and mold the young girl into that very thing. A fierce warrior, a powerful diplomat, and the most loyal and devoted guardian to ever join the court of Queen Serenity’s Silver Millennium. She was made to be a legendary champion for peace and justice, wielding the most dangerous and powerful weapon of all: Love. Artemis sighed and raked a hand down his face. After the fourteen years, he’d endured away on this journey, three years suddenly seemed like such a short amount of time.

Artemis brushed the pads of his fingers over the crescent moon embossed on his forehead, a symbol of his loyalty to the Lunar throne, tracing the same path her small finger had before she fell asleep. He whispered to no one. “It’s worth it… I’ll endure it by her side for eternity. It’s worth it…”

 He swallowed, feeling something click into place within his heart. An oath made, and one he would never allow himself to break.

 Cytherea had been born more perfect than even Aphrodite had anticipated, and she was the final key to forging Queen Serenity’s Silver Alliance. The three other warriors of Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter had already been born, gathered, and raised together in the Moon Palace with their Princess and in the midst of their educations. Cytherea would not have the opportunity to grow beside them, to create those bonds, and learn that patience that children learn within a classroom. As immortals, eventually, those bonds would form naturally over the years, especially with Venus at the lead.

The gifts that had been bestowed upon that pearl were mature, seasoned, and would come to her slowly. Battle tactics, manners, and customs of all of the planets as well as diplomatic speech and coaching. War secrets were given to her freely and laws, both new and old, from all of the planets, would be her gospel. Even those of Earth.

“All I have to do is help her make sense of it all.” He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. It was late, and he was tired enough that even he didn’t believe it would be that simple. Powerful as they were, Venusians weren’t exactly built for such discipline, but regardless he thought no one was built to defy their nature.

It felt almost wrong, melting the silver wax to seal the girls’ fate, pressing the stamp of the Moon’s crest into it to seal the envelope addressed to his Queen. Artemis stared at it for a long moment before he placed it where it would be sent off for delivery in the morning. A letter that spoke of taking a being manufactured from the purest love, made of stardust, magic, power, and great knowledge from a simple gold pearl and a little sea salt and sunshine. A letter that spoke of taking the freedom of love herself, all that would come so naturally to Cytherea, and twisting her very nature against itself for a purpose that spoke only of duty. 

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