Chapter 217 - 2.94 Amazing Rewards with Terrifying Consequences
Zeus hushed the crowd and everyone noticed his Pegasus was flying around, almost as if it was the security for the event. Athena and her sister looked on from their booth, both smiling, both nervous.
"Xander and Diana are young, and Diana will be the first human turned goddess to marry a god formally in Paradise as an equal. They have already received my beautiful daughter's blessing, and it is time for me to offer mine. Whether the two of them choose to accept it or not will also answer the question of whether or not they would like to take each other to be their soulmate for all of eternity."
Xander and Diana's eyes both widened and faces went flush. Xander didn't even bother checking her head because he knew his emotions were just as surprised as hers.
"Master Zeus, so if we don't accept, we do not become husband and wife?" Xander asked politely.
"That is correct! You will simply exist as god and goddess and will not have the ability to marry again, nor will you ever gain Athena's blessing to have children."
'No wonder Athena was so nervous, yikes.' Sora thought.
'That's a little harsh.' Brie thought while keeping a straight face.
"Well, I'm ready. I'll say yes no matter what," Diana said confidently.
"I like your confidence, but you must hear my blessing first."
Zeus smiled.
"You will be blessed as eternal soulmates and must act responsibly as god and goddess and never interfere with any universal affairs, unless otherwise approved by my daughter. This remains true for your current quest on Exteria, and that blessing still stands. You will share each other's abilities with each other and no longer be able to use your abilities on one another." Zeus was speaking calmly and excitedly, and the Pantheon, including Xander's family, were hanging on to every word.
"Can you please clarify what you mean by that Master Zeus?" Diana asked politely.
"Certainly. I will give you an example. Xander can currently see your morality, which is a brilliant gold color and sense all of your emotions through color, can he not?"
"Yes, he can." She smiled.
"Xander, you brought Diana to Paradise to help block out her visions of the two of you in the future, am I correct with this?"
"You are sir."
"Well, every ability Xander possesses, Diana will possess. Every ability Diana is able to use, Xander will be able to use with one specific condition. Neither of you will be able to see each other's futures, or the futures of anyone involved in your family nor will you be able to see the emotions of one another, does that make sense?"
"So all foresight about the war on Exteria will go away?" Diana asked calmly, with a hint of nerves.
"You are a wise goddess. Yes, for both of you. You will both be able to see the morality of everyone in your family and party, including their emotions, but not of those for each other."
"Thank you, that is actually nice to hear. I didn't think it was fair that I could always see her emotions without her being able to see mine." Xander smiled.
Zeus smiled and laughed. "I have not finished Xander."
Xander and Diana looked at each other in surprise. They were both great with this blessing so far, despite losing access to the visions of war. What could be so severe that would cause Athena to be nervous? They didn't realize everyone in the Pantheon was thinking the same thing, as was Xander's family.
"In the event one of you is to betray Athena, myself, or the Pantheon and join Hades' side, your soul will immediately shatter."
'Ok, that makes sense.' They both thought.
"In addition, if either of your souls are shattered, the others will shatter as well, causing both of you to disappear into nothingness for eternity, with no way of returning." Zeus finally dropped the most chilling condition anyone there had ever heard. The pantheon was whispering amongst themselves.
"That's unbelievable… if one of them dies, they both have to die?"
"That is not all." Zeus continued.
'You have got to be kidding me.' Xander thought.
'I was fine dying with Xander and I'm sure he'd die for me, but what else?'
"If you are to have children and one of your souls shatters, any and all of your children will share the same fate. They will fade into nothingness as well."
The crowd fell silent. Brie wanted to cry but couldn't. Sora was at a loss for words. Athena was trying to hide her face. She knew everything beforehand as did Eris. She was just glad there was a little ray of hope at the end that might not make them hate her, or at least that's how she felt.
It wasn't the loyalty she was worried about: they were about to go to war with a psychopath who shattered souls for fun.
"The final condition of my blessing allows you to freely have children, travel invisibly, have telepathy that you can choose to use or not use, like an on/off switch type of thing and any abilities you do not wish to pass on to a child and or children you can choose not to. If your child's soul is shattered, your souls will also shatter. So, be good parents and make sure they're protected."
Chronos slowly rocked back and forth nervously. He knew every outcome this world had to offer and he was hopeful it was one where Sora succeeded in the mission he started all those years ago.
'They can do it. I know they can do it.' He thought.
Brie and Sora hid their anger well. Aphrodite gently squeezed Brie's hand to give her a reassuring feeling. Cyrus wrapped his arm around Sora, which was a bit awkward looking, because Sora was much taller than him, but he appreciated the gesture.
Emma and Emery sprinted out both holding a golden box. They skipped down the aisle, holding hands, which made the Pantheon relax and smile.
Emma handed her box to Diana and said, "You look beautiful, my brother's a lucky guy!"
Emery handed the box to his brother, "You better agree to the blessing and make sure you protect her. You already have a crazy amount of abilities, you and her might be stronger than mom and dad now!"
Xander smiled and Diana blushed.
"Well, god Xander Lockheart and Goddess Diana, do you accept my formal blessing?"