31 Desire

Endless. They are a family embodying seven abstract emotions and ideas of the infinite multiverse.

Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.

Hecate had heard various stories and fables about them. The Queen of Night frequently imparts her vast knowledge of the cosmos to her, weaving it into stories.

The Endless was born at the beginning of creation, when time and space fornicated. Their birth was said to be what gave the multiverse meaning and purpose. They were literally the wave functions of the cosmos.

Hecate didn't believe these ridiculous stories until she met Morpheus, or The Dream, as he is famously known.

She realised it at that point. The Endless are real. They are beings of such power that even gods like her couldn't comprehend them.

Hecate, breathing heavily under the blanket of billions of stars, looked at the Desire. Her heart was consumed by dread. She didn't want to admit it, but the Endless terrified her. The power they wielded made her realise how frail and insignificant she was. And she hated and loathed that.

Desire descended in front of her. Their beauty and grace could leave Aphrodite in the dust.

"Who I am doesn't matter tonight, does it?" Desire shook their head. To her ears, their voices sounded like music.

Hecate shivered as they traced their finger across her cheek. "It's you. Who are you?"

Desire chuckled, replying to their own question. "Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, the Creator and Ruler of Weave, the Source of All Magic. You will become one of the brightest stars in the Cosmos. But here you are, trying to deceive yourself about the truth."

"No!" Hecate hollered, her heart pounding. As fury overtook dread, she ignored their first words. "You are wrong! He isn't..."

Desire silenced her by placing their finger over her lips. They then murmured. "This isn't the place to talk. It's extremely inconvenient here."

"Follow me to the stars."

They extended their hand. Hecate wanted to refuse instinctively, but her lips and hands moved on their own, saying and taking. "Yes."

Desire smiled and floated towards the starry sky, holding Hecate. The Goddess of Magic tried to calm herself down, her magic filling her heart while gazing at the brilliant stars.

There is no point in panicking anymore. And her thoughts were already going over everything that had happened.

Finally, she turned around and looked back at the castle, through the door, at Apollo. He was still sleeping, obliviously.

Her vision suddenly wrapped and spun in the midst of passing stars and galaxies. Then she found herself in the midst of a massive structure floating in space, near a blue gas giant.

The structure was unlike anything Hecate had known. It was different, too different, so much so, that it felt utterly.....

Alien.

(Image here)

"Where are we?" she asked, gathering courage.

"A trillion light years away from Earth." Desire spread their hands flamboyantly. "The ruins of the universe's first parliament."

They deliberately elaborated, a smile suffusing across their rosy lips.

"It was convened at the beginning of the creation. We were invited, you know, me and my siblings, with a bunch of star spirits and other representatives of the races. That was a great time. The universe was more vibrant than ever. Life was teeming in the brilliant ocean of space."

Desire sighed, shaking their head. "Until the little demon, Chthon, came along. He destroyed and corrupted everything, and then, as always, my sister arrived and drew the curtains, bringing that bright era to an end..."

Hecate regretted. If it had been another time, she would have loved to uncover everything she could about the first parliament. But not now, when her heart was falling apart at the seams.

She took a deep breath and implored. "Why?"

Desire came to a halt and nodded contentedly. "Finally, you recognise it. Trust me, this way is better."

They said lightly as they walked towards Hecate. "Phoebus Apollo. He is the most unique one. His birth caused a quiet ruckus across the cosmos, so much so, it is a miracle he is still alive."

Desire smirked, standing before Hecate, looking into her purple eyes. "And his heart, oh his heart, is as cold and hard as the nether glacier deep within infinite hell. Someone will be able to melt his cold heart with love. It won't, however, be you, Hecate, Goddess of Magic."

"No!" Hecate roared, pointing at Desire. "You are wrong!"

"You stupid girl." Desire chuckled, pressing her hand down. "What did I say? Stop fooling yourself over and over again. You already know very well that I am right deep within your heart."

Hecate knelt on the shattered blue lights, tears streaming down her cheeks. Uncontrollably, magic erupted from her, sweeping the entire ruins and disintegrating everything into ashes.

"It's a shame..." Desire muttered under their breath as they gazed at the parliament's floating ashes.

They leaned in, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look into their dazzling golden eyes.

Hecate's eyes were red with tears, and her figure looked withered. Crushed and heartbroken.

Desire sighed in pity. "You truly love him, don't you? I shouldn't do it, but I'll make an exception just for you, little girl."

Their voice grew deeper and more powerful. "I'll show you how to not only melt his heart but also conquer it all for yourself. And as for my price, I will demand it in the future. You can't pay it now with your scant power."

Desire leaned in and whispered. "So what do you say?"

There was a brief silence. Hecate gave Desire a silent look, as if she was seriously considering the offer. Her red eyes were filled with pain and struggle.

Then she stood up, her eyes brightening. "You may be right, but the future isn't fixed. In the end, Apollo and I will be together. I will see to it."

Hecate fixed her gaze on Desire. "And you, Desire, just want to use me to influence Apollo. It was too telling. You brought me to the other side of the universe, away from Apollo. And your deal."

"You cannot interfere with him directly. Something or someone should be obstructing you. That's why you came to me, an insignificant god. You want me to turn into your pawn to use against my love."

Hecate's eyes became cold and determined. "I'd rather meet Death herself than accept your offer."

Desire shook their head with pity, raising their hand towards Hecate, brewing with power.

Hecate closed her eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Apollo..." She muttered. Her magic erupted all around her, forming red magic circles and exuding a terrifying, destructive aura.

It doesn't matter if she faced an Endless; she still wouldn't go down without a fight.

However, nothing happened. Hecate opened her eyes wide, gazing forward. Desire smiled as they stood before her. They had a red heart of cut glass in their right hand, while their other hand waved at the magic circles, breaking it.

"It's truly pity…" Desire exhaled a sigh. They looked her in the eyes. "You're not insignificant, silly girl. You still don't realise your true potential."

They gave Hecate the red heart.

"This is my sigil. Accept it."

Their voice became deep and mythical, as if they were uttering a prophecy.

"You will surely need it in the future. And when the time comes, don't hesitate. Or you might lose everything. Remember what I said? The Great Darkness stirs. And they want the head of your love."

Desire pointed at her. "You, silly girl, might be able to help him."

"How?.." Hecate inquired, her convention waning.

"Love." Desire chuckled. "When love is truly pure, it can transcend all boundaries. Don't underestimate its power."

They whispered in her ear, patting her shoulders. "So, don't hesitate."

Hecate gazed silently at the heart. Then, with quivering hands and dimming eyes, she took the heart.

Desire immediately laughed brilliantly, their hands covering their mouth.

But then they looked up, their laughter fading.

"Leave, Hecate. It's time. If you don't leave now, my brother will notice my actions and kick Apollo out of his realm."

They snapped their fingers. Everything was bathed in a brilliant starry light. Desire had vanished. And Hecate found herself back on Earth, on a balcony, gazing at the dark sky, which was nothing but millions of stars.

For a brief moment, she wished that everything had been a dream. However, the warm heart in her hand shattered all illusions.

Hecate immediately turned back, gazing into the room.

Apollo was still peacefully sleeping.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Then, her fingers over the red heart of Desire tightened, wanting to break it. But all the strength left her hands. In the end, she couldn't do it.

Hecate placed the heart of desire in her personal space, sealing it with all her power.

She returned to the room and sat on the bed near Apollo. Her fingers traced a gentle trail through Apollo's brown hair, causing him to frown unconsciously. This made her smile. He hates when she messes with his hair, so much so that he even stopped in the middle of their intense passion before, just to grunt at her.

Hecate's smile waned away, as a prophecy of desire reverberated in her mind. She averted her gaze from Apollo, her heart quivering with guilt.

Finally, she just laid in the bed next to Apollo, closing her eyes and drifting off into the realm of dreams to distract herself. Her rapid breathing became serene.

Apollo opened his eyes and looked silently at sleepy Hecate.

After what seemed like an eternity of indecision, he sighed, a sigh filled with emotions, dragging her within his arms, cuddling her gently under the shimmer of moonlight.

They entered the realm of Morpheus together.