If I Had Words

Chapter 5    Chapter 7

Ouranos watched Gaia retreat. He didn’t follow her. She seemed determined to remain free and he didn’t blame her. He wanted his freedom more than she did. 

At least, he had.   

He looked down at where he had touched her. It was different from the void. Her elements had an energy that sent some kind of feeling through him. The void had nothing. She — she had something. 

And now a part of him wanted it. 

It was clear, though, that she didn’t like his touch. 

His touch certainly had had an effect on her. His heavens had grown significantly as a result. That delighted him greatly. If he couldn’t be completely free of the earth, he could at least have more heavens to roam and enjoy. 

But did he want to be free anymore? Where would he go? As far as he understood, his choices were either the void or the abyss. Even if he could find a way for his elements to exist alone in either of those places, both of them didn’t seem to offer much. Tartaros seemed a mellow enough fellow, but the abyss was just a darker void. And he’d watched Tartaros draw out all of the light and energy from Gaia’s loose elements. Would the abyss sap all of his energy too, leaving him with nothing? Absorb him into nothing? 

He somehow didn’t feel curious enough to find out, even if he could. 

No, it was becoming more clear to him that being around Gaia wasn’t so bad. She wasn’t trying to control him or force him to do anything he didn’t want to do. She may be ugly, but — but she had potential. 

The more he realized he didn’t mind staying with Gaia, a new thought came. Did Gaia need him? He did somehow have the ability to keep back Khaos. Maybe he could help her.

But it was clear she didn’t want him.  

“You seem thoughtful today,” Aether said.

He certainly was feeling thoughtful but he didn’t want to talk to Aether about it. 

“Is it Gaia?” Aether asked.

Ouranos still didn’t answer. 

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” 

What was there to talk about? Aether didn’t know Gaia. Aether couldn’t tell him how to solve the problem of wanting her and she not wanting him. Ouranos wasn’t even ready to admit he wanted Gaia anyway. The thought hadn’t fully settled in his mind and he wanted to hold on just a little longer to the possibility of finding a way to be free. 

Not that he was putting much effort into that either. 

“Do you depend on Gaia too?” Ouranos finally asked.

“In a way,” Aether said. “The light is independent of the earth, but it gives us a way to harmonize better with the dark. The void is dark, but, well, it makes us feel like we have more of a purpose. Or, maybe, it is like we are not wandering the void as much. It is certainly better than that.”

“You have wandered the void?” 

“Yes. There’s not much to see. It’s just nothing. I haven’tt been to the abyss yet. Not sure I’m interested in going there.” 

“But you could go there if you wanted to, right?” 

“Yes, I suppose I could,” Aether said. “Though I don’t know how the abyss would affect my light. Or how my light would affect the abyss. I don’t know if we would all get along down there. Gaia is much easier to work with. And now that we have night and day figured out with Nyx and Hemera, I am glad Gaia pushed back on Khaos and forced him to make space for us.”

“Was it hard for her?” Ouranos asked. 

“Khaos always seems most annoyed with Gaia. She was here before any of us. When she emerged from the abyss, he fought pretty hard trying to tear apart her earth, until you came. I think he was not expecting to encounter a force that could stop him.” 

Ouranos nodded, thinking. 

“Why is it that you can stop Khaos?”

“I am not entirely sure. It might be that my elements are more loosely held together. It takes more energy to create my elements, and they trap and store that energy in the space between them. I think it’s this energy which pushes Khaos out.” 

“Hmm,” Aether said. “Have you talked to Gaia?” 

Ouranos didn’t answer.

“Do you still wish to be free?” 

There was another pause.

“Maybe not as much as I had,” Ouranos said. “Gaia is not what I thought. I mean, I wonder if I might be able to help her. Maybe protect her against Khaos.” 

The two of them noticed Khaos crossing over to the other side of Gaia. He was likely working to take apart more of the earth. 

“He is doing that more frequently now,” Aether said. “I think his dissatisfaction is starting to give him more energy, more desire to get rid of us and clear his void.” 

Ouranos frowned. 

“If he pushed us out, where would we go?” Ouranos asked. 

“Probably back into the abyss. Although, it wasn’t strong enough to contain Gaia. I don’t know if it would be strong enough to contain all of us now.” 

There was a sudden rumble and they heard Gaia scream.

“Something is wrong!” Hemera said, joining them. 

They both looked at Ouranos. 

“We cannot go on that side,” Aether said. “It would be up to you if you wanted to help.” 

Could he help her? Would she even accept his help?

“I will go see what is happening,” Ouranos said. 

Pulling along his elements, he made his way to the dark side of the earth. There he saw Khaos ripping huge cracks in the earth. The cracks glowed as the hot inner core was suddenly exposed. 

“Stop!” Gaia screamed. She followed after him, closing up what she could and trying to preserve her precious energy.

“Where is Pontos?” Ouranos asked Gaia. 

“Somewhere in the sea,” she said. “But there would not be much he could do. Khaos could tear apart the sea just as easily.”  

“Khaos,” Ouranos said, moving ahead to where he was unleashing his rage. “What are you doing?” 

“I warned her,” he said. “I told her she would never be rid of me. If she is determined to make me suffer with the existence of her earth, I will make her suffer, make her rebuild it over and over again.” He continued ripping chunks out of the thick black rock and hurling them into the empty space. 

Ouranos pushed Khaos to one side, making him stop. 

“Stay out of this,” Khaos hissed. “I can give you what you want. I can set you free. In the void there are no limits. Only total and absolute freedom.” 

Ouranos paused and noticed Gaia stopped too, waiting to see what he would say. 

“Maybe I do not want that anymore,” he said, stealing a glance at Gaia. She seemed somewhat happy at his words. 

“There is nothing better than limitless freedom,” Khaos smiled with a sneer. “You will not find anything better than what the void can offer you.” 

“I may never know. My elements cannot survive beyond Gaia.”

Ouranos turned to her.

“I know that my elements need you, but I think the only way to really overcome Khaos is with me. I know you do not trust me. I know you think I only care about myself and what is mine, but I can help you. The only way is to trust me. Let me surround you. Let me touch and surround you completely.” 

Gaia hesitated. 

“Why would you want to be with me and my ugly earth?” 

He looked down at the earth in the shadow of Nyx’s night. It didn’t look so bad in the darkness.  

“No one really wants to be with your earth,” Khaos said, moving towards Gaia again. “They have no choice. They do not want to be stuck here. If they could, if they really had the choice, they would leave and be free from you forever, free within the void.” 

“Let me surround you,” Ouranos said again, ignoring Khaos. 

“I will free them!” Khaos cried. “I will free them all!!”

Khaos returned to tearing at Gaia, plunging his force deep within the earth and pulling at it. Gaia gasped, her eyes widening as she felt it. Khaos drew his hands out, sending disorganized elements flying in a wide spray.

“Please,” Ouranos said, urgently. “Please, let me surround you.” 

Gaia wobbled as Khaos tore at her. 

“Promise you will always protect me,” she said. 

He looked at her.

“I promise,” he said. 

At his words, Gaia closed her eyes and reached for Ouranos. He embraced her and the earth instantly began creating heavenly elements. Ouranos gathered them and let himself stretch and expand, pushing out Khaos and moving him away from Gaia until she was completely out of his reach. 

They continued working together, expanding and spreading the heavens across every part of the earth. He included the surfaces of the sea, and the earth beneath it grew hot as he covered it all. 

“More,” Gaia said, allowing herself to pour more energy into her core as the heavens came together from all sides. 

Ouranos continued gathering and organizing what she gave him into a stronger and mightier heaven. 

“It is enough, Gaia,” Ouranos said.

“Not yet,” she said, letting the waters of the seas gently boil, increasing the water to the mixture of the heavens. Great clouds began to gather as Ouranos collected the energized elements. 

“It is almost too much,” Ouranos said. “I do not think I can handle any more. It is getting too heavy.” 

“Almost,” Gaia said. 

With one last surge, the heavens were overwhelmed and great droplets of water began forming and falling back down to the earth. They fell until they formed little streams which began flowing along the great cracks Khaos had made.

At last Gaia sighed, opening her eyes as the last few droplets fell to the earth. 

“But it is more of the sea to cover your earth,” Ouranos said, confused. 

She shook her head. 

“It is different,” she said. “It is purer.” 

“I am sorry,” he said. “I am sorry you did not have a choice.” 

“There is always a choice,” she said. “You were right. I need you. This feels right.” 

Chapter 5    Chapter 7