“Let us go to Nyx!” Erebus spoke, and then he quickly added, “Unless you would prefer to see her alone first. I would understand if you—”
“No, brother. You are responsible for the brightness of our future. I want you to come with me.”
Erebus looked away, taking a moment to gain control of his emotions. Then he wiped his eyes and grinned at his brother. “That makes me very happy.” Erebus spread his wings, ready to fly to Nyx’s palace, but his brother touched his shoulder.
Kalona met his gaze. “Thank you, little brother. For not giving up on me. For knowing I could be more. For being a good brother, even when I did not deserve you.”
“You are most welcome, big brother. Now I’m going to show you how to give a proper hug!”
Other Nyx
“I’m going to call you Princess, little one.” Nyx kissed the tip of the spotted kitten’s nose and the baby wriggled playfully, trying to lick the Goddess and burrow closer to her at the same time. Nyx laughed musically. “Oh, sweet Princess, let me untangle you from my hair and then we can—”
Laughter boomed from the sky and interrupted Nyx. Confused, she looked up to see Kalona and Erebus, golden and silver wings catching the morning sunlight, flying toward her balcony as they laughed together.
Nyx’s stomach did a strange flip-flop—something she hadn’t felt since the two immortals had been created for her and Kalona had first looked into her eyes. She placed the kitten in the little round bed one of the sprites had fashioned for her and stood, shielding her eyes with her hand as first Kalona and then Erebus dropped lightly to her balcony.
“I won!” Kalona shouted as his smile radiated good humor.
“Because you cheated! There were no songbirds in that tree you pointed at.” Erebus was frowning at his brother, but Nyx saw the laughter dancing in his eyes and pulling at the corners of his lips.
“Guess you should have set the rules before you said go!” Kalona said.
As Nyx stood there speechlessly staring at the brothers, Kalona clapped Erebus on the back. Not in a gesture meant to hurt him or knock him aside, but with what appeared to be real affection.
“I’ll definitely remember that next time,” said Erebus. Then he turned to face Nyx and bowed with an exaggerated flourish. “Beautiful Goddess! Good day to you. I see that you’ve added another kitten to your collection.” Erebus went to the baby’s bed and reached down to pet her, but the cat hissed and spit at him.
“They never like anyone but our Nyx,” Kalona said before turning to the Goddess. “And I cannot blame them. Once you’ve known the beauty and majesty that is the Goddess of Night, everyone else pales in comparison.” He also bowed to Nyx, though he held her gaze as he did so. “Good day, my beloved.”
“Good day,” Nyx said slowly as she looked from Kalona to Erebus. Both immortals grinned at her with expressions that suddenly reminded the Goddess of precocious little boys. There was a feeling spreading over her skin that was very much like standing on a field during an electrical storm. “What has happened?”
Erebus looked at Kalona. “You should tell her.”
“But it was your idea, and you did it,” said Kalona.
“True, but I think she’d like to hear it from you.”
“That’s kind of you, little brother.”
“Not at all, big bro.”
“Bro?”
“I just made it up. I like it shortened,” said Erebus, scratching his chin in contemplation.
“By all the lost gods and goddesses! Will one of you please tell me what is going on?” Nyx rested her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the brothers.
“Sorry about this. In my defense, I am new to this feeling and it is making me rather …” Kalona paused, searching for the correct word.
“Giddy?” Erebus offered.
Kalona nodded and grinned. “Good word. Giddy. The feeling is making me giddy.”
“What feeling?” The Goddess didn’t exactly shout, but the intensity in her voice had the air around them swirling in response.
“Joy!” Erebus said. “My big brother now has joy within him.”
Nyx’s smooth brow furrowed. “I do not understand.”
Kalona moved closer to Nyx. Taking her hand in both of his, he kissed it gently. “I was flawed at my creation. Erebus figured out how to correct the flaw.”
“Not just you, big bro,” Erebus said. “I was flawed as well, Nyx. Kalona wasn’t given a capacity for joy, and I was given too much capacity for it. It tainted my life, though not as obviously as the lack of it did my brother’s life. So I fixed it.”
“You fixed it?” Nyx felt dizzy with the beginnings of a great, swelling happiness that caught her completely unawares. Her gaze flew from Erebus’s smiling, familiar face to Kalona’s. He too was smiling—and the expression reached and filled his eyes, blazing joy and love. “You are joyful!”
“I am indeed,” said Kalona. “Thanks to Erebus.”
“And you are no longer jealous of him.”
Nyx didn’t speak it as a question, but Kalona answered readily.
“I am not jealous of my brother’s relationship with you. I never will be again. That I promise you. I also promise that from this day forth I will do everything I can to make up for the sadness and hurt I caused you and my brother. Can you forgive me, Great Goddess?” Kalona went to his knees and bowed his head.
Nyx stared from Kalona to Erebus. The golden-winged immortal nodded.
“He’s telling you the truth. Joy has replaced anger, just as love has replaced jealousy,” said Erebus.
“Oh! I can hardly breathe with happiness!” Nyx pulled Kalona to his feet and threw her arms around him, laughing as he held her tightly.
Then the son of the moon opened one of his arms, motioning to Erebus. “What kind of hug did you call this?” Kalona asked.
Erebus’s smiled blazed like the sun. “Group hug!” And he too stepped into his brother’s embrace while Nyx laughed and cried tears of joy. Then he kissed Nyx softly on the cheek and clapped his brother’s shoulder. “And now I am going to make a trip to Earth. Mangoes are in season on the island where the people call our Goddess Pele. I intend to collect a basketful.”
“I adore mangoes!” Nyx said, clapping her hands like a girl.
“And that, my Goddess, is why I am going to bring you back a basketful.” Erebus paused and waggled his brows suggestively. “But not until much, much later tonight.”