"Be Jealous!"

At the Palace.

~The king and his queen~

"Why don't you get jealous?"

Vulcan's eyes emphasized how raving his heart lapped on his voice. He was seated directly opposite her in the royal chamber. She was seated on the bed.

"Jealousy is one of the three greatest defects of humans."

She replied, keeping that cool beautiful face. He stomped his left foot and leaned forward in displeasure,

"I'm mad at you. So do not play around words with me. Answer my question reasonably or either of us would regret having this discussion."

She stood up from the bed and walked over to him. She sat on the arm of the one-seater wooden chair, decked with the skins of cheetah and cowries lacing the bases.

She put her arm across the top of the breadth of the chair but he shot,

"Don't touch me."

She took a deep breath and stood up. She paced the room for a while with no words. He seemed to had gotten tired of it as he stood up suddenly,

"I know you won't answer my question. And the reason is very obvious. You don't love me. You only pretend to do but you really don't. Because I have no idea how someone whether a god or not, would prove that she loves without even feeling an iota of jealousy. Who knows, probably you are just using me!"

His eyes were red and you could tell by the intensity of the glare that he wasn't even close to being ready to take back his words. He seemed to had built a rampart around it and lives comfortably behind its walls.

"A lady ran to me and kissed me. And there you sat on the horse without doing anything. She even said she would come for me, and you didn't even bother to mention it throughout the ride to the palace. It's very obvious that I'm not important to you... all you've been putting on is merely a charade."

She stopped pacing suddenly and goes back to sit on the bed. Her face folded into a thin smile as the words dropped,

"When Juno found out that Jupiter was in love with a naiad..."

"Don't even start with those crappy allusions of yours. I'm in mood for it."

He had cut in. He seemed to have no cool, for since the beginning of the conversation, his breathing pace hadn't lagged, thereby emphasizing the magnitude of the continuously swelling rage.

"And as things are, I think I have no reason to be here anymore. To be with you again. I guess I'll just return into the woods and resume the life I used to live. Or even go back to Poseidon and make a bargain with him. He seems rather objective. Enough though he's evil, at least it's obvious. He doesn't need to fake it. Like you, Athena!!!"

She sighed out loud. And suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the chamber.

"In."

She called and the door opened to the captain of the guards. He couldn't enter into the chamber. He dared not.

Vulcan ogled her the last time and stomped out.

"What happened?"

His voice heavy from the argument.

"The market square. The beast is there at the moment. It has set the whole place on fire, killing as many people as possible. We were busy with the Colosseum when the news got to us. I've sent men there, but I thought to bring to your notice first."

"You did well."

He complimented as they both walked out of the door of the palace. He looked at his back but Athena wasn't there. He ignored.

"Get the royal horse and prepare the archers... let them have fire on the steel of their arrows. It ends today. We don't have time relying on some charade mistress."

Before the fellow left, he took the risk,

"I'm in no position my Lord, but is something wrong with the queen?"

He glared at him, weighing his contempt with the sway of his heavy eyes.

"Forgive me, my Lord."

The captain scrambled off and returned with the horses. They mounted on, and off they went.

In less than few moments, they've gotten to the market square. But the whole place looked untouched and in shape. It didn't even seem like a storm blew there let alone waves of fire and the likes.

The only thing Vulcan could fancy was looking at the Captain for explanation,

"Was that a prank call or what?"

"I swear by the gods, my Lord. The information was relevant. Who am I to fiddle with the king's intelligence?"

He looked away from him,

"But the scene says otherwise."

The captain kept his gaze on the side of Vulcan's face until he looked back at him. The captain at that looked to the front.

"My Lord."

He called suddenly, his face glued to the front, with demands and curiosity. Vulcan traced it.

His jaws dropped at the sight. There was first the hard thumping of footsteps on the earth in their direction. None could see clearly. There was a fog acting as an entourage of the creature which had just appeared from the corner of the market to the East.

"What in the world is that?"

He struggled to classify those words into a suiting group. Whether a question or just a statement tampered by concerns and quick judgement.

And he wasn't left hanging. The creature came into view as the fog began to disperse into the jaws of the wandering winds. And more wonder, seated on the creature was Athena, clothed in glory, red lasers in her eyes, her face like the sun, her hair gold, her gown purely white and her countenance exceedingly beautiful.

The creature halted some metres away from them as Athena climbed off it; many of the warriors freaking out. Reasonable eh?

As she climbed off, stepping on the earth, she wore her old shape and form; the Athena who was their queen and not a goddess.

She walked towards the army and the king. She bowed slightly,

"My Lord. I found a way. The Kludde henceforth is now the master of all the monsters from the rift. All the monsters would do its biddings. And the better news is, you my Lord, are the master of the Kludde. Call it by a name. And see the wonder."

Vulcan at once forgot that they were brawling. He stepped off the horse and took steps forward. He walked past Athena and halted. He stared at the creature for a while then took a glance at Athena. He looked away.

"Pallas. Her name, Pallas."

And suddenly, the Kludde tossed its tail sideways and spewed fire into the sky which was equivalent to fireworks in the sky. Everyone whooped in joy.

Then he walked back to Athena and grabbed her face. He kissed her passionately and let go.

"Sorry about earlier."

He pleaded and she did she usual. Smiled.

Holding her hands, he turned to the front and raised his voice,

"But I shall not be your master, Pallas. My queen shall be. Because you've been named after her."

He declared and everyone celebrated.

She put her arm around his waist.

"So you know my other name?"

"That's how much I love you. Though I'm not sure about you."

He scorned. They began to walk towards Pallas.