In These Waters, Part I
“I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer.”
- Song of Solomon 5:6
In These Waters I Find Rest
There will be blood
Before human beings grew to worship only one God, there were the Gods of lore. They were referred to as the Ancients. They were worshipped without question; they were whispered about; they were feared; above all they were respected. They demanded little in return for the mercy they showed the human race. They asked only to be left alone. Every God understood the most absolute rule: Leave the humans to themselves.
Castiel understood the reasons behind that rule. When he was a younger God, his sister had abandoned them in favor of becoming a human. She had thrown aside her birth rights. She had vanished without explanation. And Castiel hated her for it.
The ocean was Castiel’s domain. He alone decided what direction the currents would flow; what time of day was the calmest in the sea; what new creatures would be birthed that day. When the waves swept up to touch the land, it was his doing. When the fisherman prayed for smooth sailings and found that the waters were of perfect condition that day, it was Castiel’s doing. When the water churned and held back some calamity from befalling the shore people, it was Castiel’s mercy in effect. He would not trade it for anything.
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“C’mon baby bro! Just a real quick peak!”
“No Gabriel,” Castiel hissed as he walked at a brusque pace. “I want nothing to do with this foolish quest.”
Gabriel sighed in exasperation. “If you don’t want to fraternize with them, fine! But we can still look.”
“You are asking for trouble, brother. Maintain control of your senses.”
“I’m in control of my senses! Don’t be so daft. It’s only a little fun.”
Castiel abruptly stopped walking. Gabriel, caught up in his fuming, failed to notice and crashed into his brother. Castiel turned to glare at him. His brother was short (humorously so) and covered in bright jewelry. He wore many bracelets in strong shades of green and purple; the necklace he wore was adorned with many pale stones. Although Castiel preferred softer tones in his jewelry, he thought the look suited his brother’s golden skin.
As far as siblings went, they definitely looked nothing alike.
The longer Castiel stared, the more uneasy Gabriel became. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.
“Okay I get it. You don’t want to go with me. Stop staring!” he pleaded. Though he was tempted to resume his walking, Castiel continued to stare.
When Gabriel had had enough, he grabbed his brother by the wrist. For a moment, Castiel admired the way their skin tones differed. Castiel’s skin was a soft tint of azure. Even the clothes he wore differed from his brother. He wore garments of purest black; his brother liked to dress in shades of pink. Gabriel was especially fond of carmine and carnation.
“Gabriel,” he said finally, freeing his wrist of his brother’s grip. “Do not mention this to me again. You know the weight our family carries already. I do not wish to be a part of this folly. I will not go with you to watch humans do…human things.”
“Do you even know what ‘human things’ are?” Gabriel sneered.
“Whether or not I know is not of import. Don’t you have things to do today?”
“Well….yes. But I’m not worried. It’s simple enough.”
“What, exactly, is simple enough?”
“Well…you know how we’ve had a hard time finding the right fit for Anna’s old position.”
Upon hearing his sister’s nickname, Castiel stiffened. His sister - who had been gone for nearly seven hundred years - had once been the Goddess of the Moon. The position was a highly coveted one. Being God of the Moon meant being the physical embodiment of the Moon. The one to have such power needed to know how to hold it; how to use it. None had lived up to the challenge yet.
“I think I’ve finally found the right one for the job.”
“Oh? What makes you so certain?”
Gabriel chuckled. “I wish I could explain but you have to see it to believe.”
And so, Castiel opted to go with Gabriel to welcome the new God. This, at least, had gotten the topic of people watching off his brother’s mind.
You are the Moon
The castle that Gabriel resided in was monstrous, even by the standards of the Gods. Gabriel, being the ruler of Thunder, chose to place his castle high in the sky. It was made of many towers that seemed to reach beyond the very border of the planet. The walls were elaborately made of gold and the floors of silver. In the center of the largest chamber sat a red throne.
“Now then,” he said, throwing himself down onto the aforementioned throne. “I know I don’t have the best record of picking good deities for this job.” Castiel snorted. Gabriel looked affronted. “Hey! I’ve made some mistakes, okay? This one is different though.”
“So you say. Forgive me if I am leery.”
To say that Gabriel had made some mistakes was a bit of an understatement. Their Father had chosen Gabriel, as the eldest, to make certain the Moon was never left unattended. Technically it had never been left unattended, as Gabriel would frequently fill in when they were in between Gods, but that often left the skies without a watcher.
The last God that Gabriel had chosen ended his reign by trying to destroy the moon. He said the rays of moonlight that bounced off it were mocking him. Castiel had been the one to dispose of him. He had vowed never to let his brother live it down.
“You’ll see when you meet him. You’ll get the same feeling that I did.” When Castiel continued to look doubtful, Gabriel sighed. He gestured for his brother to sit. Castiel took the seat nearest the throne.
It was not long before a servant entered the throne room. She bowed gracefully and announced, “My Lords. Euanthe is at the castle doors. Shall I bring him in?”
“We can’t very well send him away, can we Priscilla?” Gabriel replied, giving her a wink.
She grinned. “I am happy to do whatever my Lord requests of me. I will allow him entry.”
Castiel gave his brother a puzzled look. He had never heard of this Euanthe before. He was not aware that there were any Gods he did not yet know. He had watched his own Father create them. He knew them all and he kept track of the families they went on to create.
Priscilla returned with their guest in tow. “My Lords - may I present Euanthe, Son of Jerahmeel.” Castiel’s eyes widened in surprise.
Jerahmeel was the weapon forger for all the Gods. He lived on an isolated island that no one dared to go near. It was said that his temper was erratic. He had killed his own wife for interrupting him while he forged new weaponry for Iblis. He was an unpredictable, intolerable God whom Castiel had no dealings with.
Gabriel nudged his brother abruptly. “I can feel you judging him harshly. Don’t be misled by his dad’s rep.” Gabriel’s voice grew loud as he said, “New Lord! I introduce to you my younger brother, Castiel, God of the Waters.”
Castiel took another minute to observe the young candidate. Euanthe was tall; strong-shouldered; with silver skin that seemed to glow. He wore a brown tunic that Castiel found pleasant. His bright green eyes did not waver when Castiel’s blue eyes bored into him. He in fact nodded at Castiel in salutation.
“What is it that you do now, Euanthe?” Castiel inquired.
“I forge weapons with my father,” was Euanthe’s deep-voiced response. “You must be the only one I’ve never forged anything for. Why is that?”
“I have no use for them. The entirety of the world’s waters is my weapon.”
“Perhaps one day you will have use for some of my weapons then. I would gladly make anything you desire.” Euanthe smiled gently at Castiel, who found himself offering a small smile in return.
Gabriel watched in silence as the two continued to gaze at one another. He had never seen his brother react so curiously. And he knew - just knew - that his stoic, sexless brother was not about to complicate things by flirting with the new Moon God.
“Yes well,” Gabriel started, clearing his throat, “Now that you’ve met him…what do you think?”
Castiel mulled it over. Euanthe certainly did look the part. He held himself humbly; he stood not so straight that arrogance radiated off him, nor did he slump in shame.
On the surface, all Castiel had to go on was looks. He knew not the contents of the other’s soul. He did not know what Euanthe dreamed of or hoped for. He had no way of knowing whether or not this being would be everything the job required.
What he did have to go on was his brother’s recommendation. And Gabriel - for all his trickery and foolish behavior - had never led Castiel astray. If Gabriel trusted him then Castiel had no reason to distrust Euanthe.
After several long moments, Castiel nodded at his brother. Gabriel’s face broke into a grin.
“Excellent!” he shouted gaily, hopping up and striding over to Euanthe’s side to give him a big pat on the shoulder. “EXCELLENT! Now, I have some…other matters to tend to. Cassy - can you be a good brother and get him acquainted with the job?”
Castiel’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink when his brother addressed him so.
“I have requested that you never call me that,” he growled. Gabriel chortled with amusement and slipped out of the room.
With his brother gone, Castiel made quick business of arranging a meeting with Euanthe the next day. He would need to be shown his new castle. At some point, a ceremony would need to be held, so that every other God would know his name. There was one task Euanthe would need to complete first, but that was better left for explaining until the moment before.
I’d be perfectly fine with being the only one to know his name, Castiel later found himself thinking. As soon as the thought was fully formed, he began to blush furiously. There was no way he had a thing for the Son of Jerahmeel. No way.