Ungodly Chaos Book Three of the Ungodly Series

Chapter Fifteen: Messengers And Punishments

How do you move on when someone you love leaves you behind? Emma felt like everything and everyone around her was just too happy. Too ridiculously happy. Falsely happy. Nobody could possibly ever enjoy themselves that much. Wait until they experienced this pain. Her life was passing around her, and she hardly took notice of it. She remembered Cern running through the woods outside of her Aunt's house to find her. He had Sage in his hands, and Sage was pointing and crying 'Mommy!', but she didn't remember how she'd gotten back home from Ireland. She remembered Luci apologizing to her over and over again, but she just waved him off, and numbly headed to bed. Sage took mere seconds to calm down and he was fine, and toddled off to do his own thing. The Chaos God took one look at the things going on around her and gleefully announced he'd be back later. She didn't care. She'd lost everybody. Everything that ever mattered to her. She went through the next few days and weeks by rote. Get up, feed Sage, search for and apply for jobs, set up interviews, go to them if she got them. She couldn't even remember when her head stopped hurting because of the parasite. She just kept moving because she knew if she didn't, she'd drown, probably in her own tears. Job after job she interviewed for, until finally, finally she got one. Ironically, it was back to square one with her. She got a job at the public library. Unfortunately, it was only part time, and mostly at night, but at least it was something. It would keep her busy when she couldn't sleep. Or get her out of the bed when all she wanted to do was sleep.

Emma wasn't certain what was going to happen to her Goddess status either. The only reason she had been transformed was to become Bel's other half. Now that he'd released her, she wasn't sure that she wouldn't revert. She didn't touch any of the power she had left, afraid that it might simply dwindle and disappear. It started to be noticeable around her Aunt's house. The life she had brought to the little area was less rampant. Her Aunt's garden suffered, some of the animals died since Emma no longer used her power to heal them or sustain their life. Every bit of it broke her heart, but she was too afraid she might need the power to save one of her family and not have it, so she clung to it like it was the last lifeline she had. Worse, it was her last link to Bel.

She woke to another bleak afternoon, and went through her routine. She made sure Sage had his dinner, told her Aunt she was headed to work, nodded at Cern as he asked if she was ready to go. He transported them to the library and left her in the back of the building. She walked away with a mumbled thanks but Cern caught her arm, tugging her back into his arms. He pushed her hair off her face and looked at her blank expression.

“Emma, I will be here for you if you need me. I hope you know that.” Cern murmured. Emma closed her eyes and nodded. “Emma... I know you've told me no several times, but I'm offering again: I will Claim you if you'll let me. You won't have to worry then about losing your abilities and status...” Emma shook her head. The idea of being betrayed by someone else in her life stung too bitterly.

“I can't... no... Cern, it's just not.. I'm not capable of...” She helplessly searched for the words to explain herself as Cern rubbed her arms and looked at her with pity. She despised the look and threw his arms off her. “I just can't trust you!” She burst out. Cern looked like she'd slapped him, and she reigned in her anger with an exasperated sigh, searching the heavens as if for an answer.

“It's not.. it's not because of you.. it's because of the things that have happened in my life. I've been betrayed by so many people that.. I just can't trust anyone. And that's my problem, and I know that, but that's something I have to work through.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I thought I was past all this, but Bel... It just brought it back, ok? And it hurts.” Emma blew out a breath. “You don't know much about my past, about what I went through, about the things in my human life. Bel did, and he still.. he still...” Emma turned with a sob and bolted for the employee entrance at the back of the building, fumbling with the key. She had the door unlocked and open before Cern moved, and he let her go, watching her disappear into the basement of the library. He didn't know how to help her, she was right about that, and he desperately wanted to go after her, but something told him it would just continue the argument. Sadly, he turned and plodded his way back to Lynne's house where he picked up his son and cuddled him for a few moments before the child demanded to be released. Emma, on the other hand, stood on the other side of the basement door until she had her tears under control. She didn't see the pair of eyes watching her from the dark. She didn't feel the presence of the god there, because she had shut off all of that to save as much of what was left as she could. It had felt like cutting off her own arm, but she did what she had to, just in case, but because of that, she couldn't tell she had a stalker...

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“What are you doing here?” Growled Bel.

“A summons was issued, and ignored, so a sentence was handed down in absentia by a panel of her peers. Your Claimed, her niece and the Raven Familiar known as Rafe have been accused of altering the timeline for personal benefit to the detriment of all.” A smug-faced God turned to face Bel, who had just appeared to keep his usual secretive eye on Emma. He had been noticing she wasn't watching out for herself, and it broke his heart, but he had done this for her, backed away from her to keep her safe.

“She's been trapped here on this plane, through no fault of her own.” Bel snarled.

“Oh then, the responsibility would have fallen to you to inform her and defend her as the one who Claimed her, but.. what's this? It appears as though your Claim has been revoked!” The smug expression turned to an open sneer. “Then you have no say over her sentence or punishment. Good day to you sir.” The God turned, ignoring Bel, and began to make his way upstairs. Bel was after him in a second, sinking talons into his shoulder.

“She is still mine, her family has a Pact with me. That has not been revoked, which means she is under my protection.” Bel snapped.

“Yet she has the power of a Goddess, so obviously does not need the protection offered by that pact. Yes, we know about your little human deals Bel. Thus, again, none of your business, Belinus.” The God returned with a snarl of his own. “You waited too late or ended your Claim too early, however you wish to view it. Now this matter is out of your hands. Good. Day.” The God repeated forcefully. Bel yanked him backwards off the stairs, tossing him into the basement, and following more quickly than the God expected. He thrusted his face into the other Gods'.

“Perhaps you hadn't heard: I was trapped in Hell for a time, by my own blood. I had no opportunity to help Emma, and I released her because the Demon part of me these humans have cursed me with is struggling for control, even now. And trust you me when I say he thinks you look a fine treat.” Bel could feel his teeth and eyes changing as his wings burst from his back. The god's eyes registered fear for a brief moment before he got his expression under control. He consulted a pad of paper, flipping through a few pages before looking at Bel again.

“Ah yes, we have a hearing scheduled for that in the near future too. It seems when we first went to apprehend the young lady, a certain Fallen God was there-your Grandfather, in fact, also recently escaped from Hell, it would appear...” The accusation of the God was clear to Bel, and the God flipped a few more pages. “Now, if I have this right, he is not supposed to be here, via an agreement made with your kin, in which he was captured...”

“Yes, yes, and walled up in the nether world, which would later become part of Hell. Look, I have very little dealings with my brother.” Bel ran his hands through his hair. “He's not very accepting of anyone tainted by Corruption or Darkness, whether we chose it or not.” Bel sighed.

“Nevertheless, it was your escape from Hell that freed your grandfather, was it not?” The God asked. Bel gritted his teeth.

“Possibly. I didn't stick around long enough to find out if someone shut the door behind me.” Bel ground out.

“Oh, so you admit to not closing the rift behind you?” The God began scribbling notes and Bel could feel himself becoming enraged.

“I was drained of power and they had me in a Devil's trap. My own personal Hell. How was I supposed to even know a rift opened? I thought I had just broken out of the trap.” Bel griped.

“Negligence too..” Tsked the God, and Bel considered tossing him into Hell for an experiment in negligence with the Demons that were obsessed with torture. “But we also show another Demon escaped..”

“That's Lugus.” Bel growled.

“Your twin? When did he become Corrupted?” Gasped the God.

“When he got greedy and began overreaching his station.” Bel leaned in and advanced on the God.

“Well,” The God said abruptly, nervously tucking away his pen and closing his book. “You've certainly given us a lot to think about. I need to report this before anyone does anything with your brother or grandfather. Good day to you.” The God turned to leave.

“Mercury.” Bel snarled, and the God paused. “Don't let me catch you around Emma again.” He let the threat hang in the air.

“You know I have no choice in where I'm sent.” And with that, the God vanished from sight. Bel allowed himself an angry yell. He had to get to Emma. They would be trying to snatch her now, and he had to stop it. Bel only knew what kind of punishment they had decided on. They could have decided something as simple as being trapped on the human plane for a hundred years, or being eliminated from existence. Bel bolted up the stairs.