The Don’s Soulmate

Prologue

Jupiter

Mount Olympus quakes violently from the rage seeping through me at what I see going on below. Hundreds of earthlings, androgynous beings with two faces, four arms and four legs, all kneeling, arms all outstretched towards one of their own.

The one they are hailing is sitting atop a golden throne, fit for a divine being, accepting offerings and imparting blessings, as though this creature were one of us gods. All around their finite idol, the earthlings chant one name on their lips: Guillerme, Guillerme, Guillerme, until their praises reach the heavens.

“Friends,” the puffed-up mortal shouts into the gathering. “I offer you the guidance you seek to make all your dreams come true, to appease your fears, to pave your destiny.”

The perishable one speaks with confidence, exuding an aura of power rivaled only by a deity. Earthlings grow stronger under its tutelage, bolder in their dismissal of the gods. It bestows upon them knowledge of self-empowerment and teaches them to rely on their own insight rather than on ours.

My chiton flaps wildly under my golden armor, and the sound of thunder booms throughout the earth’s sphere as I drop to earth in an instant, shaking the very ground they kneel upon. If my golden crown wreathed with olive leaves does not inspire their respect, the lightning spewing from my eyes, hair and beard surely causes them to cower in fear.

“You dare blaspheme the gods!” I roar in fury.

“Forgive us, mighty Jupiter,” they shout in unison, but I silence their futile pleas.

“You were fashioned from the mud by Prometheus, and for your insolence, to the mud you shall return.”

With a thunderous roar, the earth trembles from the storm raging around me. The north and east winds howl in protest as lightning crackles from my fingertips. Earthlings scatter in fear as I unleash my wrath upon them, smiting them where they stand.

The pillars of the Earth quaked, tearing open its crust, hungrily swallowing all that dared defy me.

As swiftly as the judgment was fulfilled, it receded again. The seams of the lacerated earth close and heal up, the storm ceases, and the sun once again peeks through the clouds. On the eerily empty ground, only one remains—the Guillerme mortal. Once proud and defiant, it is now on its knees, its eyes filled with fear and regret. I strive towards it, my presence casting a shadow over its trembling form.

“Why have you spared me,” Guillerme asks, hiding two faces behind four hands.

“Your pride provoked the wrath of the gods. Your punishment shall serve as a reminder to all. Henceforth, you shall wander the earth in agony, never finding true peace or be whole again.” Summoning the full extent of my divine power, I reach out toward the finite being, my fingers brushing the air mere inches from its trembling form. With a fusion of energy, I execute the sentencing.

"Noooo!" Guillerme’s mouths cry out, struggling as its neck contorts and snaps apart, its form separating, detaching, all the way down between the legs. The molecules split apart, divorcing it into a male and female half – a physical manifestation of the division Guillerme sowed between the earthlings and the gods.

A voice, rough and male, blends with the wind that has picked up again, carrying its anguish and desperation to my ears. "Please, Jupiter! Please do not do this to me! I beg of you!"

Both their screams, his and hers, echo through the storm-torn sky. Two figures, one with hair whipping around her face, try to hold on to each other. Their clothes now lie torn, fallen to the ground, and their naked bodies try to reconnect, rejoin. Their shrieks sound like that of a wolf being ripped apart alive.

I walk forward, grabbing the woman by her waist to pull her away. The woman screams in terror while the man reaches for her with an outstretched arm, so helpless, so pained.

The tempest rages on as I witness the woman, now severed from her other half, attempting to scramble away from me. Her eyes, wide with terror, dart back and forth between her other half and myself. Desperation fuels her movements, a wounded animal trying to find shelter.

"Please!" she cries out, her voice barely audible above the howling wind. "Make us whole again.”

"Lord Jupiter,” the man pleads, tears streaming down his face. "Have mercy on us."

"Mercy?" My laughter booms through the storm, cold and cruel. "I am granting you far more mercy than you deserve. Had I chosen, I could have ended your lives in an instant.”

The man falls to his knees. The damage is done, and they feel it. The two halves now remain separated, one on the earth, one in my arm. Each yearning for the other half of their soul. Both are tortured with despair, loneliness, and longing.

"Listen well, for this shall be your eternal curse: You both shall spend eternity seeking one another but never finding true satisfaction. Your hearts will be forever haunted by an intense loss, a longing that can never be fulfilled until death claims you both."

"Noooo!" The woman screams a wail of anguish that pierces the roaring wind and rain. She claws at me to battle against my unyielding grip, trying to reach the man dragging himself towards her, unable to get up on his new, unused legs.

"Every moment apart will be agony," I continue, reveling in the prospect of their suffering. "And should you manage to find one another, the briefest taste of love's sweet embrace shall only serve to remind you of what you've lost, for you shall be ripped apart over and over and over again.”

"Curse you, Jupiter!" the man snarls, his eyes burning with hatred. "We will find a way to break this vile spell! We will defy you; I swear it!"

"Bold words from one so thoroughly defeated," I sneer. "But by all means, continue to cling to your futile hopes.”

With a flick of my wrist, I send the woman hurtling through the stormy skies. She vanishes into the tempest; her cries drowned out by thunderous roars of lightning as I transport her to a dense, dark forest at the farthest reaches of the earth. There she lies, bruised and battered, sobbing for the loss of her other half. Her pleas re-echo off the tree tops, each lamentation a pleasing symphony to my ears.

"Please, Jupiter! Have mercy! Return me to my love!" she wails, but her cries go unanswered, for I have no intention of granting her or him any reprieve from their torment.

Days turn into weeks, and the earth, save for the animals, is bereft of all human life, barring one man and one woman. For a while, it is amusing to witness him walking for miles on end, fighting off beasts he’s never seen in hopes of finding her. I laugh as I watch her pluck leaves and use her blood as ink to write messages of love and send them floating down a river on small makeshift boats.

Little do they know how vast their world is and the chasm between them truly is.

Soon, only a shell of their former self remains. Day by day, they learn to forge a path on their own, getting stronger at walking on only two feet, watching out for danger with one face, and fashioning weapons and tools with only two hands. Their quest for redemption, revenge, and love fades into obscurity as they become more self-reliant. Before long, they eat and sleep away their days in a quiet, depressed lull.

As I continue my self-appointed task as celestial overseer, the air around me chills. The breeze ceases, and the light rain recedes, replaced by an eerie silence that only one being could command. My brother, Pluto, materializes before me, a slight smirk on his face, his three-headed dog Cerebrus by his side, spit and ash dripping from his three mouths.

"Brother," he bellows down from the sky, his black robes flying in the wind, his beard merging into the finely woven cloth. "You have gone too far this time."

"Ah, Pluto," I reply with a smirk of my own, "I was wondering when you would make an appearance.”

Pluto frowns. “I’ve watched to see what you’d do next. Alas, it’s come to be known amongst us gods that this is how you intend the world to remain.”

“I do,” I kick a cloud mindlessly, already bored with this conversation, as well as with the two puny humans below.

“The balance of the world has been disrupted, and our fellow gods are displeased."

"Let them be displeased," I snap, my mood darkening. "It is not your concern what I do to those who defy me."

"Perhaps," he concedes, a sly smile gracing his lips. "But I come bearing a proposition, one that may bring some semblance of entertainment back to this dreary world you've created. Our days have turned futile, for nothing stirs the order of events. We need mortals to command our powers. What are we without them?"

"Speak then," I relent, for he does speak the truth. A god is only a god as long as he has worshippers.

"Allow the soulmates a chance to find each other and mend their suffering. Make it a game, a challenge for them to overcome. If they bear a child, the curse shall be lifted. Can they turn the tables? Come together as one? Give birth to a life to reverse their fate? The gods will be amused by watching their efforts, and the world can regain some sense of balance."

I consider his words, weighing the potential gaiety against my desire to see these insolent mortals punished. "Very well," I agree, at last, intrigued by the prospect of a new game. "But know this: They will not find solace easily. Their journey will be fraught with peril, and I shall take great pleasure in watching them fail, time and time again."

"Agreed," Pluto says with a nod, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Let the games begin."

I relish in the thought of countless mortals cursed to wander the earth, their hearts aching for the one they can never find. "But I shall give them a chance, however slim it may be. Let them strive to overcome the obstacles I set before them, and if they succeed... then perhaps their suffering will be alleviated."

"Your generosity knows no bounds," Pluto remarks dryly, though I detect a hint of satisfaction in his tone.

“But what if you allowed some of them to remain close to each other and enjoy the gift you have given them? This way, others can see this and know what they are really missing. This will increase their longing,” Pluto suggests.

“Excellent idea. It shall be so,” I nod.

With a wave of my hand, I summon forth the power of creation, feeling the rush of divine energy coursing through me. In an instant, thousands upon thousands of half-beings take shape across the land, each bearing the mark of their unique torment – the absence of their other half.

I watch as they rise to their feet, stumbling back down again, touching their faces, their hands, and their feet, all the while wondering where they came from and why there’s an innate hollowness in their bones.

The world is soon filled with cries and wails, the animals rushing away to hide from these unknown creatures. And with that, the curse for a soulmate is forged anew, ensuring that their pain will persist until the end of time.

"Remember, Pluto," I caution him, barely concealing the menace in my voice. "This game is mine to control. They may be granted the hope of finding their soulmates, but I will ensure that it remains just that: a fleeting, unattainable hope."

"Understood," Pluto says, bowing his head ever so slightly. "But there is one more condition I have yet to share, Jupiter."

"Speak your piece," I command impatiently, eager to witness the fruits of my cruel endeavor.

"Those you have just created," he begins, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I have granted them the gift of reincarnation. Upon death, they shall be reborn into new forms, their memories wiped clean, but their souls still yearning for their lost counterpart."

"Reincarnation?" I echo, my voice laced with fury as I realize the implications of his words. I wanted to see them in perpetual misery, yet he gave them unending hope of breaking the curse. "You dare tamper with my creation, Pluto?"

"Consider it... an added layer to our game," he replies smoothly, unfazed by my wrath. "Now, these half-beings have not only the challenge of finding one another in a single lifetime but across countless lives and ages. Surely, that will provide even greater entertainment for us and our fellow gods."

My anger boils within me, threatening to spill over – but with gritted teeth, I accept this unexpected twist.

"Very well, brother," I growl, my eyes burning with barely contained rage. "Let the game truly begin. But heed my warning: if you seek to interfere further, you shall suffer the consequences."

"Of course, brother," he says, his tone dripping with innocence. "I would never dream of crossing you."

And with that, he vanishes, leaving me to contemplate the world I have wrought.

My rage festers, a slow and venomous burn within me as I brood over Pluto's deception. The audacity of his actions fuels my desire for retribution, and I devise a plan to counteract his interference. "Enough!" I bellow into the vast emptiness, summoning three ethereal figures to materialize before me. "You three shall be my instruments of vengeance."

They bow before me, awaiting my command with unwavering loyalty.

"Pluto has bestowed these half-beings with the ability to reincarnate," I explain, seething in my fury. "But because of their betrayal, Guillerme shall never be reunited with each other. I charge you with a task: Reincarnate alongside them and ensure they never find one another, never conceive a child."

"Your will is our command, Lord Jupiter," they chorus in unison, their voices void of emotion.

"Go forth and execute my bidding.” My words are laced with malice, the bitterness of betrayal gnawing at my very core.

As the assassins vanish, I stare down upon the earth below, watching the countless souls wandering aimlessly in search of their other halves. It brings me a twisted sense of satisfaction to know that even with Pluto's treachery, I still hold the reins of their fate tightly within my grasp.

"Let the games begin," my whispers echoing through the heavens like claps of thunder.

Hidden behind the clouds, Pluto watches as the three assassins disappear.

“So, you want to play dirty, brother,” Pluto says to himself. “So will I. The Guillerme shall be granted memories from every life, and I shall mark them, setting them apart from each other. So, indeed…let the games begin.”