The Avatars -- Chapter 1: Decisions and Discord
The goddess's infuriated shrieks shook Mount Olympus all the way down to its formidable foundations as the mortals below trembled with fear, wondering what would rain down upon them from the heavens next.
Among the group of five girls clustered in one of the palace's opulent rooms, however, Hera's tantrums were nothing new. There was little reaction from them; Mehalia stretched lazily, her long golden hair spilling over the edge of the sofa to pooling on the ground in silken heaps, Kassia yawned, her purple eyes slitted half-shut, Lehana scratched a flaking scab on her wrist absentmindedly, Rhoswen leaned her chin on her hands, and Ayla unrolled another thick parchment scroll.
Closing her eyes as the walls shook with Hera's renewed fury, Lehana asked without much interest, "What's the old hag moaning about now?"
Kassia smiled to herself, purple eyes amused. "Now, Leha, is that any way to speak about the Queen of the Gods? Particularly the wife of your god."
The emerald-eyed brunette smiled mischievously. As Zeus's avatar, she was second only in fame to Rhoswen, whose radiant silver hair and gorgeous blue eyes had earned her the honor of being the most beautiful mortal woman alive. Lehana could also enjoy certain liberties that came with her status–but she also had to watch out for Hera's wrath. "Oh, well... I behave myself around her, and as long as I don't involve myself with Zeus and agree to tell everyone that their marriage is proceeding wonderfully... Let's just say we've reached an understanding. As for that unbearable screeching...she's probably just found out about yet another one of Zeus's paramours."
Rhoswen flushed at the mention of sexual matters and toyed with her twin streamers of silvery hair. "Hera isn't such a witch, Leha. She's always been nice to me."
Kassia rolled her eyes, but her fond smile took the edge off her words. "Everyone's always been nice to you, Rhoswen."
"How can they help it?" Ayla added, her blue eyes keen as she glanced up from a scroll Asclepius had sent her on the setting of broken bones. Half the time, she appeared to be lost in scholarly pursuits, but she always heard everything that was being said.
The silver-haired girl scooted over to hug her friend impulsively, nearly crushing the scroll in the process. Ayla returned the favor before rescuing her precious scroll; she rolled it up carefully, finally ready to join in the conversation.
"Well...certain gods have been nicer than others, from what I hear." Mehalia's eyes were sparkling wickedly as she leaned her flawless cheek in her hand.
Raven-haired Kassia sat straight up, spilling a handful of silver bangles onto the floor. They tinkled merrily, clanging against each other until the last bangle rested flat on the tiles. "Which ones?" she demanded, tomes of suspicion wrapped up in those two simple words.
Rhoswen buried her face under scented purple cushions as Mehalia swooped over to tease and Kassia to scold. All traces of merriment vanished from Lehana's face, and she brooded in the corner, looking as stormy as a thundercloud. Ayla's expression was troubled, and she looked over at her friends with worry. The very reason that they led such comfortable, luxurious lives was the same reason for why they were forbidden to involve themselves with men.
They were the legendary avatars, five young women who had been infused with minor powers of the gods and goddesses they served. Rhoswen was bound to Artemis's service, Mehalia to Aphrodite, Kassia to Ares, Lehana to Zeus, and Ayla to Athena. At the moment, the other gods and goddesses were either between avatars or had never chosen to take any. Hades, for example, was one of the later group–much to the relief of many a young woman who feared living in his shadowy palace among the dead.
It was easy to see that the one who had come up with the idea of the avatars had been male–a god. All avatars were female; there was an unspoken rule that men could not be avatars. Perhaps it was because the gods feared for the defiling of the last three virgin goddesses: Hestia, Artemis, and Athena, or those who were married wished to prevent the seduction of their wives (not that seduction was an uncommon thing among the gods and goddesses anyway).
Not many rules governed the behavior of an avatar. More applied to the gods. The avatar, when chosen, was typically a young virgin girl in her teens. The current generation, however, had been singled out when they were mere babes. They had been taken to the oracles at Delphi and Dodona by their parents or other caretakers, each girl bearing a different symbol on her forehead. When they had turned fourteen, they had been spirited away to Mount Olympus to begin their duties as avatars, although they did not have many.
Basically, they carried out their god or goddess's wishes on earth. This could entail carrying messages to kings and oracles, establishing universities, visiting those deities who dwelled on earth, and reporting certain matters of significance to the Pantheon: good harvests, bad harvests, plagues, droughts, floods, and the like. The rest of the time, the avatars did as they wished. They lived in splendid suites on Mount Olympus, frolicked with the Muses and Graces, visited the Furies without fear, and flirted with the gods.
But one of the cardinal rules for the avatars was no involvement with men–none whatsoever, be they mortal or gods. Of course, the rule had been broken a thousand times by the male gods and their specific avatars, but as long as it was discreet, it was viewed as something to be expected and easily overlooked. But dalliance between a god and an avatar who was not his especial property–forbidden. Absolute taboo. The whole idea behind the position of the avatars had been to create pure vessels for the divinities: young virgin women who were virgins when they began their service and died as virgins (presumably).
There were a few rules that applied to the gods and goddesses. They could only be in possession of one avatar at a time. It was thought that women, the weaker sex, would vie with each other for the attention of the god if forced to live together and perform the same duties. No interference with the other deities' avatars was a given. Treatment of the avatars was also supposed to be closely monitored: no physical violence, no verbal abuse, and no rape. There had been other guidelines, but over the years, they had blurred.
The tradition was an old one. For years, the avatars had been held up before mortal men and women as the closest mortals could come to perfection without becoming actual gods or goddesses. Of course the avatars were always beautiful: this generation was no exception. It caused no little jealousy among the deities, but that was also to be expected. The avatars acted as intermediaries for the gods and the mortals they ruled over, and their positions were exalted above all others.
Once an avatar began losing her looks, she stepped down gracefully and handed her position over to a new successor. The old avatar would then go and live among Hestia's Vestal Virgins in Rome.
Unfortunately, the distinctions concerning moral behavior had blurred a bit in recent times. The avatars were still beautiful young women, and they still became Hestia's charges once their looks faded. The avatars–or, more correctly, one particular avatar, was no longer untouchable among the gods. Basically, a clever deity had turned the situation to her advantage. If one had a lovely, desirable mortal female as a servant...well, why not use her?
Aphrodite used Mehalia to gain her certain concessions from powerful gods. The god in question would promise her something she wanted, and in exchange for that favor, he would have one night with her avatar. Due to the strict regulations about rape, Mehalia had to agree beforehand–not that she disagreed often. The majority of the gods were handsome, courteous to women, and skilled lovers (due to centuries of experience). Neither was it wise for an avatar to disagree with her god or goddess, as she usually had another two decades or so to serve, and living with a vengeful goddess like Aphrodite, who could be particularly vindictive, was not a very pleasant thing.
The one time this matter had been brought before Zeus in blunt terms, the entire Pantheon had been in an uproar. In the end, even perpetually-jealous Hera had been won over: Mehalia, living on Mount Olympus, were convenient, in close proximity, and untouched by mortal men. Philanderers like Zeus would end their ceaseless affairs with mortal women (Zeus had had over a half-dozen affairs going at the time), and it seemed like a profitable solution for everyone–even the avatars, in the gods' opinion...if this continued. They had a place of honor, pretty things, lives of luxury, and gods for lovers. What more could be lacking? Nothing, in their opinions.
There were still various gods and goddesses who were against the practice, but who could speak out against Zeus and Hera? The three most vocal were Hestia, Artemis, and Athena–the three virgin goddesses, unsurprisingly. Hestia considered the presence of women who were not virgins in her temples stains upon her own purity. Artemis thought it was a cruel, needless practice and hotly defended the young women. Athena looked at it from a coolly practical point of view: she thought it just like the mortal men having their way with the slaves. There were differences in treatment, rank, and duties, but she used it as an example that the gods were turning as barbaric and warlike as the mortal men they scorned. So far they were unsuccessful in bringing about a return to custom.
Several goddesses, with, surprisingly, Hera at their fore, had been campaigning for yet another change in tradition. They wanted to have male avatars–they argued that if the gods had female mortals serving them, they could choose male mortals for their avatars (Hera's means of getting revenge upon her unfaithful husband). They were having little luck changing the minds of Zeus, the other male divinities, and even several goddesses.
Currently, the deities were of mixed thoughts about this new way of doing things. Aphrodite and Mehalia had an intricate, complicated relationship, and the two great beauties were extremely careful in their dealings with each other. The same arrangement did not hold for Zeus and Lehana, Artemis and Rhoswen, Ares and Kassia, or Athena and Ayla–bad enough, they said, that Aphrodite was doing things this way. It was kept hushed up, especially from the mortals, and even from the minor gods.
But several gods knew that if they wanted a night with Aphrodite's lovely avatar, all they had to do was offer her something she wanted–not that many of them tried it, for fear of being labeled by their peers. But they watched Mehalia, and the other avatars, and fantasized about them as the mortal men did. The kindest term that was applied to the avatars, indiscriminately, was seductress. Coarser names were whispered among the jealous goddesses and scornful gods–whores, sluts, prostitutes. Mehalia seemed not to mind the gossip that went around behind her back, but Kassia and Lehana were furious. Ayla kept her opinions to herself, and gentle Rhoswen was completely unconscious of the rude murmurings.
Ayla's thoughts were drawn back to the present as Mehalia and Kassia finished their interrogation of their victim, Rhoswen. Her voice was muffled as she admitted from under a pile of multicolored pillows, "It's Apollo."
Mehalia sat back on her heels, a worried frown marring her perfect features. She had dropped the act of airheaded flirt. "This is not good," she said flatly. "The twin brother of your goddess...who knows what trouble this could cause." Despite Aphrodite's agreements, it was still strictly maintained that the avatars were never to involve themselves with the gods (or any mortal men, for that matter). Complaints or just plain gossip about Mehalia was done in secrecy, not discussed openly.
Kassia said curtly, "Tell him to leave you alone. It's against divine law."
The silver-haired girl emerged from the pile of cushions on the ground, blushing profusely as she wound her fingers in the slippery rope tassels. "But...he's so handsome...and he's always been so kind to me..."
Lehana's voice was unusually harsh as she replied, "What lies beneath the beautiful surface is often much less desirable than the glittering veneer, Rhoswen. You do something with Apollo, no matter what kind of gentleman he appears to be, and you'll bring the entire wrath of Olympus down upon us."
She stood abruptly, and the pillow that had been resting on her stomach tumbled to the ground with a soft thud. "I should be going now...I'll be busy the rest of today. I'll see you all tomorrow, all right?" She had disappeared through the gilded door without waiting for their reply, and four pairs of eyes stared after her.
Rhoswen leaned her head against Mehalia's shoulder and whispered, "I didn't mean to upset her."
The golden-haired girl patted the shining, silver-tressed head. "I know, sweetheart. Don't worry; she'll be all better tomorrow."
Kassia's face was stormy as she rose swiftly to her feet, unconscious grace making her quick movements elegant and hypnotic. "I'm being called," she said shortly before leaving the room as well. What she meant was that her god, Ares, had summoned her to him.
Rhoswen glanced at her two remaining friends helplessly, stretching her slender arms out. "What should I do, Melia, Ayla?"
While Mehalia appeared to be considering, the blue-haired girl spoke first. "I don't see what else you could possibly be doing, Rhoswen. You know the price that you may have to pay–you could lose your status as an avatar and be sent back to the earth in disgrace. Do as Kassia says and avoid Lord Apollo for awhile."
"But he told me that he loved me."
"Apollo is honorable–but he is only a god, after all," Ayla replied.
Mehalia's laugh pealed silvery and bright. "‘Only a god,'" she repeated. "What mortal girls who heard you would do to you if they heard that..."
"This is all your fault," Kassia snapped at the blonde as she reappeared, slamming the door behind her. Ares had asked her to go on a brief errand and return to him in an hour, so she had come back to more thoroughly chastise the gathered company. Glaring at the other two girls, she muttered sarcastically, "You're speaking loud enough for the oracle at Delphi to hear you, for goodness' sake. Do you want someone to overhear you? That would solve all of our problems rather nicely for us."
Mehalia frowned in polite confusion. "Exactly what is all my fault, Kassia? Did I tell Eros to shoot Apollo with some of his arrows and make him fall in love with Rhoswen?"
She huffed impatiently. "You know what I mean. If you didn't do what you do, there would be no question of Rhoswen saying ‘yes' at all."
"And what is it that I do?"
Silence. Even Kassia was not brave enough to say what she meant.
Mehalia's voice remained light and pleasant, but her eyes had cooled to ice. "Ah ha! So, even my nearest and dearest friends are of the opinion that I am nothing more than a whore. How many men is it that you think I've bedded, Kassia? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? The entire male population of Olympus, or perhaps including the gods on earth?"
Kassia's face was chalk white, save for the burning spots of red on her cheeks that matched the coiled rage in Mehalia's voice. "Melia, that isn't what I meant," she began.
"It is precisely what you meant," she cut in, "and I'm not going to stay and hear you try to make it better." She rose to her feet with her usual breathtaking grace, even managing smiles for Ayla and Rhoswen before she exited.
Kassia threw herself onto the couch and buried her face in the cushions. Rhoswen had just opened her mouth to say something comforting when a soft silver glow was suddenly emitted from the symbol that appeared on her forehead. "I'm so sorry," she told them, "but Artemis needs me..."
"Go on," Ayla told her, indicating that she would take care of the situation at hand. Her friend vanished with a relieved smile on her face: Rhoswen and the others often put their confidence in Ayla's intelligence and intuitive advice. Once again, Rhoswen was sure that Ayla, their designated peacemaker, would solve all the problems, as usual.
As she watched her friend go, Ayla sighed and rumpled her short hair anxiously. She approached Kassia–she thought the other girl would be crying, but as she laid a gentle hand on the gleaming head, Kassia jerked up and moved away, the curtain of long, raven-dark hair falling between them.
"She makes me so angry!" she burst out, combing her fingers through her hair rapidly.
Ayla raised an eyebrow, but her voice was cool and untroubled as she replied, "You just made her very angry yourself."
Kassia hung her head for a short moment. "I know," was the very soft answer, "and it wasn't right of me. But it isn't fair to her!" Her chin came up, and her intense purple eyes stared into Ayla's sapphire blue ones.
Calmly, she asked, "What isn't fair to Mehalia?"
"Everything! The way Aphrodite treats her–anyone can see that that scheming, catty bitch is jealous of her. She's putting her through all this agony in hopes that it will eventually be too much for Mehalia, and the minute she starts losing her beauty, Aphrodite will ship her off to Hestia, and–" Kassia gave an indignant, muffled squeak as Ayla covered her mouth.
"Unless you plan on keeping Tantalus company in Hell, I suggest that you be a little quieter," Ayla warned levelly.
She released her friend a few seconds later, and Kassia continued her tirade at a lower volume. "And can you believe the humiliation she has to endure? No one says anything to her face, of course, because they all adore Mehalia. They sing her praises everywhere, about how beautiful she is, how accomplished...the minute they're in some dark corner or having one of their exclusive little garden parties, it's ‘Yes, what a wench that girl is, it's positively shameful...someone should tell Zeus about her.' Then they make lewd jokes about how Zeus is probably on our side because she beds him. Of course, this leads to wonderful bets about how long it'll take Hera to find one of us in his bed."
Ayla's cheeks had begun flushing somewhere during Kassia's speech, and when Kassia paused for breath, she said firmly, "I know what they say, Kassia. I agree with you completely–it's not right that Mehalia should be treated so badly by those who are, outwardly, her friends and admirers. But I'm sure she knows what they say behind her back. If she can ignore a handful of busybody troublemakers, why can't you?"
"It's a matter of pride," Kassia replied shortly. "One that you, apparently, and Mehalia don't understand." The barb had little effect on her even-tempered friend, and the moment the words had left her lips, she had begun to regret saying them.
"Well, you're entitled to your own opinion, of course." Ayla got to her feet slowly, deliberately. "I understand your anger, but are you sure that it stems only from Mehalia's mistreatment? As you've said, what they say of her is often applied to all of us, as a whole. Is what makes you so angry the stigma also attached to yourself now?"
It really was amazing what painful barbs could be issued in Ayla's soft, pleasant voice. Her frame was deceptively petite, sheltering a razor-sharp mind. Most of the inhabitants of Olympus were now acquainted with her irrefutable arguments and crafty maneuvering. Not many of them were familiar with the shyness kept carefully concealed from them.
In her village, Kassia had been famous for an uncontrollable temper and an inability to tolerate stupidity. Her eyes should have been shooting sparks at the moment, and she should have been sharpening her tongue on Ayla. The one time she had been forced to returning to her old home, those who had known her had been shocked by the change that had come over Kassia during her service to the god Ares.
Kassia shook her head, rising as well and heading for the door. Ayla couldn't see the tears that were glimmering in her eyes, salty drops of hurt and suffering that were dashed away quickly. "They can say what they like about me," she replied quietly before the door shut to leave the last of the avatars alone.
~~~~~*~~~~~
AN: A number of things should already be apparent:
a) although this chapter, as the first, was mostly introductory, the action will move quickly (but this doesn't mean lack of character development)
b) yes, it's chock full of mythological allusions without footnotes. If anyone's having too much trouble with the references, please contact me and I still start leaving notes at the bottom regarding things like the gods and particularly famous mortals
c) this is set in a pre-Trojan war era, but I'm not particularly fastidious about background details–in fact, I've manipulated a lot of things, so I hope that no one minds...
The story is still quite rough, but I have a general idea of where things are proceeding. In the next chapter, the Shittenou will be introduced... I understand that it is difficult when authors come up with new names, especially for the senshi, but I have tried to keep the names starting with the same letter, the exceptions being Serenity and Rei. The reason for the re-naming will become clear around Chapter 3 or 4...
Rei is also more temperamental in this fic, and her and Lita's slightly-abnormal behavior will be explained as things progress. I think I've been making Rei a bit too tame, so I'm trying to remedy it in this fic! ^.~ Not to say she will be the absolute terror she's made out to be in the anime, but she'll have a temper. ^^
Serenity: Rhoswen
Mina: Mehalia (Melia)
Lita: Lehana (Leha)
Rei: Kassia
Ami: Ayla
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter ^^ and thank you to those who asked specifically for Avatars to be written ASAP and voted for it on the site. Thanks again!!
~Ice
The Avatars
