Chapter 84
Loiza's POV
Today I have finally earned my High Priestess title! I had spent so much time working on it under Yaya's tutelage that it felt like forever, yet it was easier to achieve than my basic Priestess training. To be fair, getting the basics from nothing and at that age is so much harder, you are learning from scratch while for higher ranks you must only increase your focus, your intuition and determination on what you already know.
Dana, Yaya's daughter and Handmaid gave me a little whoop and helped me undress to enter the natural spring pool in the Eastern Cardinal Temple which Yaya serves as Guardian. It completes the ritual of my ascension, yet suddenly I felt a burning sensation on my back below the Guanín tattoo in the middle of my spine and then it was gone. I got out of the water and Yaya was surprised.
"Yaya what the fuck happened to my back?!" I wanted a mirror and Yaya took me to one and gave me another to look.
"Izzy, the Goddess has Blessed you with another Mark!" I still don't know how to control the one Gaia gave and now I'm given another? I AM turning into a damn bulletin board!
As the Guanín medallion tattoo is in my upper back right below my neck, this one was right below on the middle of my spine. It was composed of five symbols from top to bottom: it started with a circle then a triangle pointing up with a horizontal line at the top of it, under that another triangle pointing up, this one with no line. Under that another triangle pointing down with no line either and ending with a forth triangle pointing down mirroring the first one with a horizontal line just above the part that points down.
"Mother, those are the alchemy symbols! Alpha, the Goddess seems to wish to enhance your abilities!" At least Dana seems exited.
"Yaya, what on Earth does this mean?" I keep looking at it. Sure EVERYONE come with a Sharpie and write whatever on me!
"I don't know Izzy, I haven't seen this happen before but I wouldn't worry, as Dana says, it's a Blessing!" She says as Dana helps me put on a white linen tunic with v-neck in the front and back with long sleeves and a black line in the middle going from top to bottom. It's so light and comfortable.
"So your just guessing?" I ask. She just shrugs.
"Maybe it's because you're an Alpha?" She answers not paying any mind to it.
"Maybe?! Yaya take a picture of it and send it to Moira for inspection in the library at Avalon! I want to know of any records of any Priestess, or anyone for that matter who was Blessed by the Goddess with these symbols." These symbols are actually already on my body, inside the seven pointed pentagram tattoo to ward of possession by any entities. They are the triangles that represent the four Cardinal Corners.
"As you want Izzy but I still wouldn't worry." Me? Worry? Nah!
"Anyway Yaya, as we said, we will start with our Prime Priestess training with Sumayah after I have given birth, ok? I'm taking a break from training for now." She gives me a warm smile and a hug. Her black box braids and and dark cinnamon skin smelling of jazmine reminding me of the day I returned from Avalon and she helped guide me on my duties and assuring my family my silence would subside. It has served as a scent of comfort that my steps were still being guided.
"Agreed, with all the new members the Temples are receiving many visitors and I have to focus on my duties. I also have to tell Moira that we all need more Handmaids to assist in all the Temples. With a growing population we need more help." Yeah, Ayana was already complaining about the lack of help and with worshipers coming from Atabex City, she could really use it.
"I recommend that you have the others with you when you do, so you have power in numbers. If not link me up and I'll send Bayo over to deal with her." She takes my face in her hands with her warm smile.
"You have done so well Izzy, I am very proud of you." Oh boy, don't cry.
"Yaya please don't feed my ego, with my hormones as they are, it will go to my head!" She slaps one of my cheeks playfully.
"Not what I wanted but fine... Thank you ladies, I have to go, see you soon!" And I get in the car back home. Besides a hefty lunch, I want to visit the shrines to change the flowers and then check on today's report.
After lunch I go to the garden with the usual roses for each Goddesses, give thanks for whatever it is that was slapped on my back and pray for guidance to use it. I decided to go back to the lagoon and enjoy the salty water. I take off my tunic and go in the water and the temperature is very nice for early December. And I see her--them... Oh whatever!
Queen Pasha swims up to me, I don't move from my spot and she circles me like a shark. I put my hand under water signaling for her to quit the game and get the fuck above water. And she complies.
"Queen Pasha, greetings." I say walking towards the shore to sit yet still deep enough that my body is almost fully submerged. And she follows, yet still not very close.
"Alpha Loiza." Ah! Well what do you know? A greeting! Sorta.
"You have come to visit. How can I help you?" Damn I could go for salted caramel gelato. She cocks her heads at me.
"Something is new in your scent." It better, I just became a High Priestess.
"How so?" A star fish starts walking over my foot and I stay very still as to not disturb it's path. Pasha observes this.
"I do not know. You are full of riddles... The sea is attracted to your presence." I'M full of riddles?
"Hmm." I am not engaging until she gets to the damn point.
"My people are enjoying the time on shore. They like the gifts the children give them and them playing with their hair. The also like this thing called helado? Some young men gave some to a few of my sisters." Wow, full sentences!
"I am glad they are enjoying themselves, have you been to the beaches yourself?" She looks confused, shit, I guess she really doesn't go out much.
"I am here." Touchè.
"Good point." Can't argue with that.
"You are close to welcoming your pups." She says pointing at my pretty big stomach and popped belly button.
"Yup, they are supposed to arive next month. Do you have offspring of your own?" She looks down.
"I am Queen, I have no eggs." This is like pulling teeth!
"Ok, Your Highness let's do this. You can just call me Loiza, I'll call you Pasha and we will have conversation with full sentences and no bullshit. You say that I am full of riddles, let's you and I get rid of riddles and cryptic incomplete chit chat, I am sorry that you have no eggs or if it's a positive thing I am glad you have no eggs. But I AM pregnant and my hormones are affecting my mood lowering my patience. I don't want to be rude but this is getting on my nerves. It will be be our little secret and no one has to know, yes?" I feel better now.
"Loiza I have no eggs because it is not my job to reproduce, my job is to keep balance for the Goddess according to her phases." All it took was was for me to tell her to drop the bullshit, I am going to have to do that more often!
"Well that's interesting information, there were mermaids in Avalon, yet they are even more shy than unicorns, yet the unicorns would allow for us to go near them. So I don't know much about your people like reproduction or if helados could make you sick, although it is a refreshing sherbet. Recommend your sisters not to eat to much, it can give stomach aches if you eat to much... I could go for some right now though." She sits next to me, each entity to each side of me.
"Mermaids with eggs lay an egg this big." And she makes a round shape the size of a softball. "They leave it in a special place only they know and wait for a sea creature to fertilize it, according to the sea creature is the features we inherit." Interesting.
"So it's like Sybil. She was fertilized by an eel?" She smiles and nods.
"Exactly." She says.
"And if I may ask? How were you fertilized? And do you think as one or have individual thoughts?" I totally went there.
"I was fertilized by Selene herself and she split my mother's egg so that I help her keep balance in the ocean. According to the phases of the moon I help the tides be as they should. Whether she wants them to be high or low, and yes I think as one but one aspect of me heightens the tides as the other lowers it." Ok, so Selene is her father? This is progress... In a way.
"So you are basically the embodiment of ying and yang keeping this oceanic balance?" That's what she makes me think of.
"Precisely, that's why I have no eggs. I embody both feminine and masculine, dark and light. I must work on balance so I have no time to care for little ones." Ok here goes nothing.
"Ok Pasha that's peculiar information I had no idea of. So I guess my next question, and again I mean no offense. What would happen to balance if one of your entities were to die, say by accident?" That star fish sure took it's sweet time.
"Then balance shall be lost until another is born. Balance always finds it's way to rapidly recalibrate." Thank the Goddess!
"Blessed Be! I was afraid balance would be lost. But would the next one have to wait for a certain age to be able to bring balance?" She looks a little sad.
"Yes it would take a year for balance to return." WHAT?!
"A YEAR?! And are you well guarded, do you need extra protection?!" I say looking around to verify if anyone heard this VERY sensitive information and if she is being guarded! And she laughs at my suddenly paranoid expression!
"Great, you can laugh! Pasha don't mention that information EVER out loud! If the wrong people heard it could mean chaos!" I am still looking around to make sure.
"I am protected, I have been so for 3,000 years." What?!
"Well I guess you are then, still don't mention it... EVER!" She looks at me curiously.
"You seem afraid." Yeah, no shit!
"Pasha, there are people who wish to destroy balance, some people WANT chaos to rule, even if it's just for a year. And they might even go so far as to search for the new one to destroy her too!" I whisper shout at her.
"I didn't know some wanted chaos." I look at her shocked, 3,000 years old and she is this naïve?
"Pasha you need to get out more, you should see what evil surrounds us! Actually I take that back, stay hidden and as safe as possible!" She is thoughtful.
"You will tell no one, yes?" Duh!
"We agreed that we speak in secret, I will only share what you allow, but this I can't share! I am to also help bring balance! No one must know! Does Poseidon protect you?" And suddenly it tasted HORRIBLE in my mouth from a moment I thought I was going to throw up! Just the thought of him! She scoffs.
"Thank you for your warning I will never say it again. You may share how we reproduce, some land males think we need them for this for some reason. And Poseidon maybe a god of the ocean but he doesn't care for balance! He has lived his way to feed his lust and joy only. He is a god but his power is limited. Just like the Great Mother can't control what those who harm the planet she tries to protect." I have definitely have heard of the lust of many gods and not caring for the consequences of it.
"I guess you are right about that, look at what happened to poor Medusa because he couldn't control himself and Athena was unfair. They are entitled and self serving." She shows me the Opal ring I gave Sybil.
"We need more, it works underwater." Um.
"Pasha those are for citizens of the island, I gave that to Sybil to test it underwater and it's range. They are not cheap, if you want some for your people, the artisans and technicians that make them must be paid." Giving them away would affect Maco and Gadiel's profit margin. She thinks for a moment.
"I will bring gold and jewels to pay, but I need 14,000 of them, I will return tomorrow with treasure to pay, yes?" 14,000?!
"Come tomorrow and we will see what you got and offer a deal for the numbers you ask and a technical engineer who can test it's range, deal?" And I offer my hands to shake on it.
"We don't pour blood?" And now I laugh!
"No, this isn't a Blood Oath, it's just a simple business deal. Do you understand the difference?" And she smiles.
"I understand the difference, I guess I do have to get out more." Ugh!
"No Pasha! You're to remain safe!" She looks around.
"I am safe here with you, yes?" I smile.
"As long as I am here I'll make sure no harm comes to you, but we will never mention out loud that very special secret, EVER! Understood?" And she takes my hands and we shake on it.