A GODDESSES PARADISE (girlxgirlxgirl)

20; Tall and short

The captain sits down on the sand and studies the yellowing map in front of him. While the sun sets, stars shine in the sky. The sailors celebrate by eating everything they can find and sharing stories, gazing up at the well lit night sky for the first time in weeks. They laugh and have fun, but the captain has something else in mind. He sees the stars, sees the way that they came and they way that they should go. The stars have always led him on the right path, he's the best reader of them in their entire region. Stars are not permanent, but they are always there for him. When he looks up at the night sky, he can find answers to all of his problems. And right now, the lack of money is his biggest problem, and the stars have given him a way to solve it.

This island would make such a profitable income, wouldn't it? The man looks around with a knowing look and smug smile on his face. Clear skies, calm rains, tropical vegetation and protected from the outside world. People would kill to spend their holidays here. He can already picture it, the success story of one poor captain of a fishing boat that built a chain of hotels and lived in a mansion with his rich family for the rest of his life. All of his problems could be solved with a little marketing, and a little building. All he has to do is move everyone here.

In the morning he boasts about his plan to the other sailors. They erupt in cheers.

The crew leave the island the very next day, boat filled with food and a plan formed out in their heads. But what they don't know, is that high up in the nearest trees, the goddesses women sit there with frowns on their faces.

"-the outsiders are planning to come back, I know they are"

The queen and the rest of the leaders sit there, in the throne room. For these past two days they have been anxious, terrified, waiting for those outsider sailors by the west beaches to leave their island. They had decided to take the quiet approach, spy on them but not disturb them in any way. Make sure that the men think that this island is not habited by people and that they should just leave without any stories to tell. It was Thelenas idea, and sure, it worked. The men left. But the problem doesn't disappear with them.

The queen sits there on her throne, holding her head in a desperate attempt to soothe the upcoming headache. Outside it has stopped raining for once, their rain season cut in half. The people in the city of the goddesses go about their day like nothing is going on. That was Thea's idea, don't alert the public. Make sure that nobody knows. They open their shops and train for their jobs, explore the market place and work in the fields just like always. Society goes on, they keep going on. But the danger, unknown to them, grows every day. The danger from the outside that hasn't been discussed openly before Isaac and Irene showed up. It was never discussed, because it wasn't necessary.

"If this is true, it would destroy our entire world. The storm isn't holding the people back anymore, even if it's created by the Gods. First it was Irene and that boy Isaac, and we accepted it because they are small and young. But now, there are more coming, just as I first expected"

Thea's words are harsh. Ariadne has an urge to scowl and defy the other leader. She talks about Irene and Isaac as a threat, just like she did when Irene first came here. Talks like someone who's afraid of the outside, afraid because she thinks the people from there are bad. And maybe they are bad, but what does that make Irene? The girl they slept with two days ago, the girl they have both treated kindly and opened their hearts to? If she continues talking like this, as a leader, people might start getting different views on Irene.

"You are right Thea, either the storm has weakened or the outside has grown bigger and stronger. For thousands of years we have lived undisturbed on our island, the boys with their traditions and us with ours. We serve the gods and goddesses, we protect their values and create a place where they can gather their strength through our faith. That's why they protect us with the storm, because the outside is non believing, cruel and dark"

The queens words are nothing more than in support of Thea's. The outside is a bad place, where the people are evil and the gods have little to no influence anymore. The people are so ruined and dark hearted, that they would stain the soil on this island, on this safe paradise, and ruin the world for good. Not a single place would be protected anymore from the darkness of the evil, as everything would be tainted through the pest that is the outside's people. That's how they speak, that's what they sound like to Ariadne. And as a woman who has fallen for Irene, an outsider, those words are threatening.

If Irene heard what Thea was saying right now, she'd be broken hearted. She trusts Thea, Ariadne knows this. Otherwise she would never have worn that smile two nights ago, she would never have agreed to sleep with them. She would never have kissed them, never have laughed or spoke. Irene trusts Thea just as much as she trusts Ariadne, but it seems like she's now treated like a dark outsider that is only the beginning of their problems. It creates rage inside of her, and she can't just stand around and listen anymore.

"And what about Irene then? Don't tell me you leaders only allowed her to stay here because she's "weak" and small. Do you value her as human, or do you only see her as a pest like everyone else from her world?"

Ariadne spits out her sentence in an aggravated tone. She only looks at Thea despite addressing the entire room. She doesn't care that much about the other leaders, they don't see Irene in the same way that she and Thea does. The queen has shown little to no interest in the outsider girl, and the two other leaders have lived on their lives like nothing happened after Irene showed up. Ariadne has been the one to take care of her, and Thea has shown great effort and interest in her as well. They are the ones that are supposed to be speaking for her and defending her, but right now, Ariadne is standing alone on the battlefield while Thea feeds the fire.

Thea squints and challenges her stare. Ariadne feels like she has stepped back from their relationship. For years they have fought and debated on this throne room floor. Maybe even hated each other at some point. But the hate disappeared after awhile and turned into romance, to lust and love and attention. But now, Ariadne feels just like she did those years ago, feels like Thea isn't on her side. Feels like Thea is her opponent, feels almost like she hates her again. They always differ in opinions, but sometimes, those opinions become too different. Way too different.

"It doesn't matter what we think of Irene right now, Ariadne. What matters is that we have to fix the storm and bring this up with the Gods people"

The other leaders nod at the second matter that Thea brings up. This problem concerns the entire island, which includes the boys on the other side of the river. Although they haven't spoken to them since emperor Anaxagoras was chosen as emperor many years ago, as the girls have to accept the boys emperor and the boys have to accept the new queen out of tradition, this matter is forcing them to speak again. Usually the two worlds are kept separate, only meeting when new leaders are chosen, which is why it makes everyone tense and nervous. Taking up something with the boys is a huge deal.

But Ariadne doesn't think that this has nothing to do with Irene, or Isaac for that matter. She knows that there is more to this. She has a terrible gut feeling. But it doesn't matter what she thinks. The leaders are all against her on this. So as the meeting wraps up, and Ariadne heads home without even looking at Thea, she can't get out of her head. In the night, she wraps her arms around Irene's waist when they sleep. But her eyes don't close, and she lays there hugging the outsider close, because it could come crumbling down at any second.

Especially since the news are starting to travel.

🌿