King of Gods and Whole Family’s Regret After I Died

I had seven days left to live. My father was the God of War. My mother was the Goddess of the Harvest. I was born with divine power running through my veins, and like all gods, I should have lived forever. But I'd been poisoned by Godsbane, a plant so deadly that even the Healer had no cure. I forced myself back to the temple through the pain, one step at a time. That was when my husband Caelum, the King of the Gods, came home. His expression was grave. "Lyra," he said, "your sister Selene has collapsed. Her divine blood is completely spent. The Healer says she won't survive the month. The only way to save her is for someone who shares her bloodline to give her half their divine blood." "You're twins. Your blood is perfectly matched." He paused. "Would you reconsider donating half of yours?" "I know it's a lot to ask." He hesitated, then reached into his robe and placed a divine decree on the table before me. It called for the revocation of my title as Queen. "But if you won't save Selene, I'll have to honor her last wish. She says she wants to marry me before she dies." I looked at the decree for a long moment. "Don't worry," he said, his voice softening as he took my hand. "Once this is over, I'll burn it myself and marry you again as my Queen. Lyra, you know you're the only one for me." I looked at him trying so carefully not to push too hard, and something hollow settled in my chest. He wasn't the only one. Even my parents, when I'd refused before, had turned cold and driven me from our home: "If you'd rather watch your sister die than help her, then get out. Don't ever come back." If that was what they all wanted, fine. I had seven days left anyway. "All right," I said. "I'll give her the blood." My father and mother were pleased. They said I'd finally come to my senses. I finally became the Queen they'd always wanted me to be. A good daughter. But when I died, why did they all cry? Chapter 1 I had seven days left to live. My father was the God of War. My mother was the Goddess of the Harvest. I was born with divine power in my blood, meant to live forever. But I'd been poisoned by Godsbane, a toxin with no cure anywhere in the divine realm. I bore the pain and walked myself back to the temple, step by step. That was when my husband Caelum, the King of the Gods, returned. His face was serious. "Lyra," he said, "your sister Selene has collapsed. Her divine blood is completely spent. The Healer says she won't last the month. The only way to save her is a blood transfusion from someone of the same bloodline." "You're twins. Your blood is a natural match." He paused. "Would you reconsider giving her half of yours?" "I know this is difficult." He hesitated, then slowly drew a divine decree from his sleeve and set it in front of me, an order revoking my title as Queen. "But if you won't save her, I'll have no choice but to grant Selene her last wish. She wants to marry me before she dies." I looked at the decree. "Don't worry," he said, squeezing my hand, his voice going soft. "When this is all over, I'll burn it myself and take you as my Queen again. Lyra, you know my heart only has room for you." I watched him being so careful, so afraid I might say no, and felt something bitter rise in my throat. It wasn't just him. Even my parents, when I'd refused before, had looked at me like I was a stranger: "If you won't treat your sister as family, if you'd rather watch her die, then leave. And don't come back." If that was what they wanted, so be it. I had seven days left anyway. It made no difference. "Fine," I said. "I'll do it." Caelum's shoulders dropped with relief. He tucked the decree back into his sleeve. My parents rushed to the Healing Temple the moment they heard. My mother flew to Selene's bedside and burst into tears, clutching her hands. "My darling, you're going to be all right. Don't be afraid, I'm here!" My father hovered nearby, glancing at me every few seconds to make sure I hadn't changed my mind, urging the Healer to bring out the binding contract. I took the contract and pressed my divine seal to it. My father's posture straightened at once. He came over and clapped me on the shoulder. "That's my good daughter. When the transfusion's done, I'll take both of you to Lake Elysian to recover. You won't lose anything from this, I promise; you've been patient long enough." I shook my head. "Take Selene. I can't make the trip." My mother assumed I was sulking. She came to coax me. "You've always wanted to see the mortal world, haven't you? Once you're both recovered, the four of us can go together, the whole world, wherever you want." I didn't answer. She thought I was throwing a fit and didn't press it, turning back to fuss over Selene instead. I stepped back into the corner of the room and watched the three of them cluster around that bed and felt something ache, quietly, in my chest. Five years had passed since they'd looked at me like that. Five years ago, my parents had been trapped in the Demon Abyss. Someone needed to sacrifice divine blood to seal the rift and free them. I had volunteered. The ritual was set for dawn. But they didn't know that the night before, I'd been drugged and bound to a stone altar. My blood was taken by force. Then I was thrown off the mountain. By the time I'd crawled back up, battered and barely conscious, having pulled myself up the slopes half the night, they were already celebrating. Selene had taken the credit. From that day on, my parents had gone cold. Whatever Selene took from me, they said I owed her. Whatever she accused me of, they believed. Back then, I still cried about it. I didn't anymore. Chapter 2 I turned to leave the Healing Temple. Caelum stopped me. "One more thing, Lyra." His tone was easy, almost offhand. "The sacred music for the Divine Assembly this year, you've been composing a new piece, haven't you? Let Selene use the score. She's been bedridden, she hasn't had time to prepare. She can perform it in your place." I didn't move. The sacred music at the Divine Assembly was the channel through which gods communicated with mortals. It decided whether the coming year would bring rain and harvest or drought and famine. It mattered to the whole world. I had been working on that composition for a full year. My mother spoke up from beside the bed, her voice patient and gentle. "Selene has real talent. Her illness has just held her back. You're her older sister, isn't this the kind of thing you yield to her?" Yield. I had been hearing that word for five years. Yield your divine blood. Yield your place as Queen. Every Assembly these past years, every piece that brought Selene praise from mortals and gods alike, every surge of faith and power she absorbed: how many of those were ones she'd actually written? Not one. Every single one came from me, built behind the scenes, while she walked out to take the applause. "All right," I said. "I'll go get the score." Caelum had already pulled a scroll of sheet music from his sleeve and passed it directly to Selene. "I knew you'd agree. Picked it up on my way out." He'd had it on him the whole time. He'd never intended to give me the choice. Selene took the scroll and glanced up at me. That look. I knew it well. Just a flicker at the corner of her eye. Satisfaction. Caelum tucked her blanket around her, leaned down, and murmured something by her ear. Selene laughed softly and pushed him away. I walked out of the Healing Temple. The laughter followed me down the corridor. No one noticed I'd already gone. I went back to my own chambers in the side hall. I stood in the doorway and looked at everything I'd put there over the years: the writing desk by the window where I'd spent three years composing; the shelves of books I'd copied by hand, every page; the small painting propped against the corner of the table, done by a court artist in our first year of marriage. Two figures in it. Caelum had hoisted me onto his shoulders, and I was laughing so hard my eyes had crinkled shut. White blossoms lined the corridor on both sides, the flowers that bloomed on Olympus in spring. I flipped the painting face-down on the table. Then I started packing through the pain. Books, stack by stack, moved to the hallway. The ceremonial robe he'd made for me himself, worn only once at our wedding, folded and placed in a trunk. The gifts I'd prepared for my parents and for Caelum, never gotten around to giving, pressed to the bottom of the trunk, lid closed. I was about to burn the whole thing when the door opened. Caelum strode in. My parents came in behind him, half-supporting a red-eyed Selene. "Lyra." He stopped and looked at me, disappointment plain on his face. "You agreed to give her the score. Why would you send someone to publicly question Selene at the Assembly?" I pushed myself upright on the bed. "I didn't send anyone." Selene was already crying, her voice catching. "Sister, if you're upset, I understand. But why go to the God of Music? I was up on stage in front of every god in the realm. He questioned me in front of everyone." Her voice broke. "Do you want the whole world to think I'm a criminal?" "I didn't go to the God of Music," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Lyra." My mother stepped forward and sighed. "We're family. Don't let it get to this point. Apologize to your sister." I looked at the three of them. Nobody asked me why. Nobody waited to hear me out. Nobody wanted to. My mother turned to soothe Selene. "It's all right, sweetheart. Have your sister apologize and it's done. You're our hero. You're not a criminal." Selene's crying quieted. I leaned against the edge of the bed. The poison had crept deeper; my fingertips had gone numb, and I couldn't grip anything. The truth was, there was no error in that score. The God of Music had been my teacher. When he saw that composition, he recognized at once that it wasn't Selene's work. Her style was nothing like this. He'd challenged her on the spot. That had nothing to do with me. But what was the point of explaining? Whatever I said, all they'd ever hear was Selene crying. Chapter 3 Caelum pulled me up from the bed. "The God of Music taught you. If he's questioning Selene, you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with it?" His grip was tight. The poison spiked where he pressed, surging deeper along my wrist. I bit down and said nothing. Selene had gone pale, her eyes red, crying again. "Sister, I understand if you hate me. But why drag the God of Music into this? I can't even show my face outside anymore. Do you have any idea what that's like?" "I didn't go to him," I said. "Enough." My father's voice came out flat and hard, full of anger. "You've put your sister through this, and you're still making excuses?" "You abandoned your post when she needed you most, and she was the one who sacrificed everything to hold the seal in your place. She needs the faith from the mortal world to recover her power, and you still had the nerve to do this. I won't have a daughter this cruel." His eyes were full of disappointment. I looked at him, and a deep exhaustion moved through me. Fine. "It was my fault," I said. "The score came from me. If something went wrong, I'll take responsibility. I'll tell everyone the composition was mine, that Selene had nothing to do with it, and answer to the God of Music myself." Everyone in the room went still. My mother recovered first. She came and put her hand over mine. "That's the right thing to do. I knew you had it in you. Mom's proud of you." My father nodded. "Be a family from here on out. No more of this." Caelum looked at me. Something passed across his face. "I'll back you up," he said. He'd back me up. Right. When had he ever backed me up? But I didn't say it. There was no point. There was no "from here on out" for me. Selene dried her eyes and picked up a projection crystal from the bedside table. A moment later, every peak of Olympus was lit with the image cast from it. Selene faced the crystal, her eyes still faintly red, and spoke clearly and calmly: the composition was hers, the work of her heart; her sister had borrowed the score to review, and had gone ahead and presented it to the God of Music without telling her, causing the misunderstanding today; her sister now understood the mistake and had come to apologize; she chose to forgive. She turned the crystal toward me. My parents and Caelum all watched, waiting. I faced the crystal. "It was my fault. The composition belongs to Selene. I took it without asking and showed it to the God of Music first, which caused the misunderstanding. I apologize to Selene." Everyone exhaled. Every god and mortal across the realm had just seen this. The curses came in one after another, pouring into my ears. Selene broke into a smile through her tears and buried her face in our mother's arms. "Mom, don't be angry at Sister anymore. She made a mistake but she knows it. I forgive her." Then, while our parents and Caelum weren't looking, she leaned in close to my ear, her voice low and light. "You see? Father, Mother, Caelum, they're all mine. What do you think you have left?" Chapter 4 Selene had won. That was simply the truth. We were twins. From the day we were born, she'd been competing with me: for our parents' attention, for a place in the temple, for the admiration of the gods. For everything I had, she wanted. And everything she wanted, she found a way to take. My parents had loved us both, once. But five years ago, when Selene claimed she was the one who'd sacrificed her power to save them and the whole divine realm, they gave her everything: all the love that had been for both of us. My temple, my divine blood, my weapons: taken, one by one, to keep Selene happy. And now I didn't want to fight anymore. I was the one who'd lost. "You're right," I said quietly. "You won." Selene blinked. She hadn't expected that. Then a smile curved her mouth. I had already looked away. The blood transfusion was scheduled for one hour later. I stood in the courtyard and waited. While I waited, my parents and Caelum were all with Selene. My father sat at the edge of her bed, holding her hand, his voice softer than I'd ever heard him speak to me. "Don't be scared. It'll be quick. When it's done, I'll take you to the Northern Sea Mountains for as long as you want, the spiritual energy there is the best in the realm for restoring divine blood." My mother said, "I'll make you elderflower wine when we get there. You loved it as a child, remember? I never forgot." Caelum reached into his robe and lifted out a pearl necklace, holding it in his palm, running his thumb along its edge. "I had the God of the Sea spend three months finding this. You said you'd always wanted the most beautiful pearl in the ocean." He carried it to Selene's bedside, leaned down, and clasped it carefully around her neck. "Wear it today. Everything will go smoothly." Selene looked up at him, her lashes barely moving. "Caelum..." No one was looking at me. I stood in the courtyard for a long time. Finally, I spoke. "If I don't survive the transfusion, will any of you be sad?" Both my parents paused. They seemed to suddenly remember I was standing there. My mother gave me a light push. "Don't say things like that. You're giving half your blood, you were born with more divine energy than anyone. It's not that dangerous." My father said, "Your foundation is stronger than Selene's by far. Rest a few days after and you'll be back to normal. Stop overthinking." Caelum squeezed my hand. "I'm having the Healer supervise the whole thing. Nothing will go wrong. Tell me what you want afterward and I'll get it for you." For Selene, he'd spent three months tracking down a pearl. For me, it was: tell me what you want afterward. I took one last look at them. Then I turned and walked toward the altar. When the ritual began, the Healer placed the channeling instrument at my wrist. My divine blood began to flow steadily through the conduit. The poison seized the moment. It ignited, burning from the blood vessels into the bones, inch by inch, without pause. My fingers started to shake on their own. Something rose in my throat. I clamped down on it and made no sound. My divine power burned out within seconds. I felt like a lamp with the last of its oil gone. The flame flickered once and went out. In the last moment before I faded, one thought surfaced: if they ever find out that five years ago it was actually me who gave nearly all my divine blood to seal the Abyss and save them, and that Selene stole the credit, will they cry for me? Probably not. It doesn't matter anymore. I can't see anything now. If there's another life, I don't want to know any of you.