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(Final Chapter) I floated, feeling weightless within the core of my earth. It had been some time since Kronos had taken what he needed, what he wanted, what he used to rule over the rest of us.

“Are the children well?” Ouranos asked. “Yes," Gaia said. "I made them promise not to waste the elements and to be kind to each other.” He froze. “You let them out?”

I suddenly lifted my head from where it had been resting on Ouranos. “What is it?” he asked. “The children. I can hear them crying.”

Okeanos, Hyperion, Rheia, Tethys, Krios and the others grunted as their energy failed to push them out of Gaia’s earth.  “They must be there, pushing back on us,” Tethys said. “We can’t break through.” “It’s because Kronos refuses to help,” Koios said, still catching his breath.

“They are trying to break free!” I cried, summoning Ouranos to me.

Kronos’s sickle struck rock, the metal sound echoing within the large cavern. “Did that do anything?” Okeanos asked. “I told you it was going to take more than a little power and one hit to do anything,” Kronos said over his shoulder. “I might be relatively new, but I seem to have a better understanding of things.”

I sat, watching the mound which marked the space where we had trapped our children. It was still black and charred from the heat.

Themis watched as the earth closed above them. They would have been left in total darkness if Mother and Father had not included all of the children. Hyperion and Theia’s light brightly illuminated the space. Themis was glad for that.

Gaia waited until enough cycles of day and night had passed before searching out Ouranos. He did not seem to feel the same need to seek her out, but she wanted to know what he had learned from his talk with Kronos.

Ouranos took more interest in the children after our creation of Kronos.  It was wonderful.  At least, at first it was wonderful.

Ouranos stepped back and observed the thing he and Gaia had created. He had wanted so much to provide for her, to protect her from the cycle of creation that would eventually destroy her. He didn’t just need her. He wanted her to be safe.

I watched Ouranos move about his heavens. It was clear he was avoiding me. He never got close enough to the earth. I thought about what Nyx had said. Desire was the beginning of creation. If Ouranos didn’t have any desire to create something new, maybe he could still desire me. I just needed to be desirable.

Ouranos moved through the heavens, sensing and pushing out bits of Khaos’s power. It felt good to be busy. It felt good to have purpose. It felt good to be useful.

I sat in the cool of Nyx’s calm night, thinking about Themis’s question. Did I feel complete? Was I finished creating? Was there still something missing?

Over the next few cycles of day and night, I found myself distracted. I thought often about Ouranos and wondered whether he would eventually stop caring, stop protecting us.