fiction | Part of the journey is the end

Book 15 - Eternals | 1. Mesopotamia & London

Gilgamesh clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You did your best fighting them," he laughed. He remembered when Thor had been a young man, eager to slay monsters and prove himself in battle.

"And thankfully, the Deviants are all gone," said Phastos.

"Eternals had unyielding faith in Arishem until one mission, led by the Prime Eternal, Ajak, changed everything..."

The Eternals furrowed their brows. Which mission?

The Domo flew past the Sun in 5000 BC. A statue of Arishem formed the Celestial Communication Sphere and it entered Ajak's body at the level of her chest. "It is time," she said.

Eros noted that Ajak had to know of the Eternals' true purpose as the Prime Eternal, but he didn't know if any of the others knew and he was sure that not all of them knew. He had Titan's communication sphere, but he rarely spoke to Arishem and didn't want to speak to him either. The Celestials were wrong in wanting to destroy planets to create new galaxies; none of it helped Titan in the end. If the rest of the Eternals didn't find out by the end of this what the Celestials do to Eternals after an Emergence, he'd tell them himself. They deserved to know that they were artificially created and their memories get reset.

The ten Eternals suited up in their suits using cosmic energy.

The Avengers and Guardians appreciated the Eternals' suits; they were intricate and beautiful.

"Eros' suit looks the same too," Nebula said.

"Well, I am an Eternal, just not one on Earth," Eros said.

"Oh, all of you guys have the same cosmic energy from the Celestials," America noted.

Quill and Mantis wondered if they had the same Celestial cosmic energy. Did the Celestials gift the cosmic energy to the Eternals? Mantis knew she never had the Celestial gene, but as far as Quill knew, his Celestial powers died when Ego did and honestly, he preferred that.

Sersi walked over to the window where Ikaris was standing. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said, looking at Earth. The two introduced themselves.

"It is pretty great," Thor agreed. He never expected to have a soft spot for Earth, but it was his home now.

Eros' heart twisted. Titan had been beautiful once too; he loved that planet more than anything, but it was unlivable now.

"Wait, so you two are Sersi and Ikaris, but what about the rest of you guys?" Carol asked.

"Besides Ikaris and I, there's Ajak, Thena, Gilgamesh, Kingo, Sprite, Makkari, Druig, and Phastos," Sersi said, pointing to each one.

"And Eros, an Eternal from Titan. Brother of Thanos," Gamora said, eyeing her uncle. She and Nebula didn't know what to make of him yet.

Eros sighed. He understood Nebula and Gamora's hesitation because Thanos hadn't been kind to them at all, and he knew how cruel he could be, but he wasn't like his brother and didn't want to be like him either. He hoped Nebula and Gamora understood that in time. He'd like to have a good relationship with his nieces if they let him; he didn't have much family left—Thanos, Gamora, and Nebula were the only ones alive. The other Eternals from Titan were dead and he ran off with the communication sphere after Titan's destruction, his parents were dead, and his relationship with Thanos was...complicated.

"No wonder you guys know Thor. Those are a lot of mythological names," said Peter.

The Eternals groaned. "They're either named after us or we were mistaken for the real versions," said Phastos.