Internally, I marveled at the sheer scope of her existence. What would it have been like to witness the dawn of life on Earth, to feel the ebb and rise of primordial seas... it was almost beyond comprehension.
And yet, here she sat, sharing a meal with me. A goddess, yes, but also undeniably a woman. Complex, sarcastic, and utterly captivating.
I found myself wanting to know more, just to know.
"Well, how did you feel when the first people became cognizant?" I asked, still unable to contain my curiosity.
Rissa's expression shifted, a dreamy look settling over her angular features as she reminisced. Her fork dangled forgotten from her fingertips as she stared off into the middle distance.
"That was such a fun time," she murmured, a note of wistfulness in her tone. "That's when things started to become more focused, more about thinking and less about being."
I leaned forward, my elbows resting on the small kitchen table as I studied her. It was a rare glimpse of the person beneath Rissa’s sharp exterior.
In my mind's eye, I tried to picture it. The world in its infancy, primitive humans taking their first tentative steps towards self-awareness. And Rissa and her siblings, watching it all unfold with the fascination of a child with a new toy.
"It must have been incredible to witness," I said softly, not wanting to break the moment. "To see the birth of consciousness, the dawn of a new era..."
Rissa's lips curved into a smile, but there was a tinge of melancholy to it. As if the weight of all those memories pressed down upon her in that moment.
"It was," she agreed, her gaze finally flickering back to meet mine. "But it was also the beginning of the end, in a way. The end being stuck in a bottle."
I nodded, hoping for a little more time of her reminiscing. My hope was answered.
A gleam of humor settled over Rissa's face as she continued. "It was fun to think in the beginning, but it got old quickly. That shit's for the birds."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her assessment. "I can understand how you would feel that way."
"Watching people learn how to crawl, then walk, then run—it was a fascinating time. I became a bit obsessed with the progression of all the monsters and humans, and how they interacted." A wistful smile played at the corners of her mouth.
I shrugged one shoulder. "That's understandable. To see a species evolve and grow like that, it must have been fascinating."
Rissa let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "Not to my siblings. A couple like Tezcatlipoca wanted to kill them and start over, Zeus wanted to breed with any of them who couldn’t run away fast enough, and Raven wanted to interfere in everything they did, just to see what would happen."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. The dynamics between the ancient gods had always been a source of mystery and speculation. The elders of Daemonkind had always suppressed that knowledge after the banishment. "Tell me about your siblings."
Rissa's demeanor shifted at my words. Her gaze hardened, her posture stiffening almost imperceptibly.
"If you recall," she said, her tone sharp as a blade, "it was you daemons that banished them. How involved were you with that, exactly?"
I tensed, the air between us suddenly charged with many undercurrents revived by memories. I needed to tread carefully here.
I met her challenging stare head-on, refusing to back down. "You know it wasn't that simple. There were extenuating circumstances."
She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Isn't that always the case with you lot? Always an excuse, always a justification for meddling."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair in frustration. How could I make her understand? The decisions made back then, the actions taken, the elders hadn't been made lightly. I’d been very young then, allowed to voice an opinion but with no power over the outcome.
Looking at Rissa, seeing the hurt and betrayal simmering beneath her facade of anger, I knew that words wouldn't be enough right now.
Buying time, I leaned back in my chair, studying Rissa's face across the small kitchen table. The silence hung in the air between us.
"If you remember, someonehadto be involved," I said, trying to keep my tone even. "Your brother, Set, decided to get rid of humanity and you and your siblings didn't stop him. Then Tezcatlipoca had started that big flood, remember? It took a lot of cleaning up to keep humans and a lot of the monster peoples from all being killed off."
I paused, gauging her reaction. Her jaw clenched, but she remained silent, so I pressed on.
"Humanity and some of the other monsters couldn't survive in the same world as the wildest old gods. Back then was when the Council decided to use humanity for when the formless ones show up to give the formless ones fodder so they didn't try to possess us. Sacrifice a portion of the world to save the rest of it, was the justification."
The words tasted bitter on my tongue, a reminder of the choices I’d argued against. I wasn't proud of everything we daemons had done, but I stood by the necessity of most of our actions.
