“Forgive me. I will make you everything you need. In the meantime, would you like to pray to your mother?” Galatea asked.

“Yes, get me out of the sun. A demigod should not be subjected to such maltreatment.” Jan said.

Galatea nodded and scooped him up in her hands. She brought him inside and brought him to the Room of Reverence, where she placed him between the two burning incense burners. “What you want to do is get on your knees and clasp your hands together. Reach out to your mother with your whole heart, and she may hear you.” 

Jan’s chin wobbled again. He was terrified that his own mother would not answer his prayer. He didn’t know what she meant by his ‘whole heart’, but he knew he wanted to see his mother again, with his whole heart. He got down on his knees with a sob and looked up at the stainglass window depicting his mother on the wall with shocking accuracy. 

“Ma… I don’t like it down here. It’s hot and sweaty and everything is too big. I don’t understand anything and I’m afraid of going crazy. Please… please come down here and rescue me!” Jan begged. 

Jan looked upward, where he hoped his mother was looking back down at him, and became teary eyed. He looked up for five minutes, then ten, and prayed as hard as he could that his mother would hear him. 

More time passed, the lighting in the room began changing, and still, his mother would not answer him.

Jan's whole body shook. She abandoned me… After all this time. 

"Why? Why won't she answer me…?" Jan wept. 

Galatea scooped him up and used her pinky finger to stroked his hair. "There, there… all will be well, Little Lord. She has not heard you today, and her reasons may be many as to why she didn't. We will try again tomorrow. Until then, would you like to help me plant some trees? New life always brings joy."

Jan shook his head. "No! I don't care anything about your mundane, boring, world full of work! Who cares about new life? I don't know anything about it!"

Galatea sighed. "I know it must all seem so small and insignificant to you, but… to us this is the one life we have. Things of green--new things, growing things… we love them. I thought they might amuse you, too, since nothing grows in Paradise."

Jan thought about that. It was true, he had never seen anything grow before. He wiped away his tears and answered, "I suppose… I would like to watch you plant it. I don't want to help."

Galatea bowed her head. "Of course, my lord."

She took him to the backyard, where she placed him on top of a doll-sized chair. On this chair, he observed Galatea and Shiske planting seeds, watering them, and fertilizing them. Jan's mind was taken off his mother for a moment. He waited with bated breath for the trees to grow.

And waited…

And waited…

He purses his lips. He shouted, "Well? When will it grow?" 

"Now for many years, my lord." Shiske answered. 

"Many years! You said you would show me new life, you mortal liars! Does your deceit never end?" Jan yelled. 

Galatea bowed. "I apologize my lord, I…"

"My wife did not lie to you. She was honest. She may have misspoken, but I don't appreciate your tone. She has been nothing but kind to you, and you have treated her as a slave." Shiske interrupted.

"You talk back to me? I am above both of you, if I tell you to jump, you will jump. If I tell you you are fools, you will listen without complaints!" Jan demanded. 

"Shut your mouth, you inconsiderate brat! If I let my own son talk to me like that I--"

"It's alright, darling. He's correct. I should have told him that trees take awhile to grow. He has had a rough time, and we need to show him compassion." Galatea said.

"Compassion? For this dictator? He's not to to lick your boot--"

Jan crossed his arms and yelled in his squeaky voice, "Enough! I've had enough! I just want to go back to bed until ma finds me!"

Galatea and Shiske went silent. Eventually, Galatea said, "I thought there might be one more thing you'd like to see before you go to bed."

"I'm not sure I want to see any more. All I have seen today are ugly mermaids, trees that don't grow, and dozens of tomatoes! I want to go home!" He cried. 

"You will be able to see many people pray to your mother. It may bring peace to your heart, to see how many people pray to her." Galatea suggested. 

Jan's eyes yes filled with tears without his permission at her words. He wiped his tears away, and he nodded. "Maybe that would help..." 

Galatea took him back to the Room of Reverence. Dozens of individuals willing to make the climb up the mountain began filing into the room, one at a time. Shiske stood watch outside of the room, ensuring that all who he let in had no weapons. Jan watched from a corner in the room where he would not be noticed, hidden under Galatea's hand. 

He watched destitute person after destitute person come into the room, oftentimes in tears, in rags, sometimes covered in bruises and cuts. He was utterly fascinated.

He had known his mother. She had been real–he had even touched her hand. But down here, she seemed nearly unreachable. He began to question if she was ever even real, because if she were, why was she not answering the prayers of these poor rabble?

They were suffering horribly. One of them had the plague, another was missing an arm, yet another was blind.

They were bawling, describing their miserable lives, and Jan didn’t know such suffering could exist. Jan plugged his ears and shook his head. “I can’t listen anymore! I want to go to bed!” 

Galatea didn’t say a word, but took him to his bedroom. She tucked him in, under the giant blankets, and asked him, “I don’t understand. Didn’t you see how determined and resolute they were in their faith?”

“She didn’t answer them…” Jan said, his voice trailing off. 

Galatea sighed. “She doesn’t hear all our prayers… or perhaps, she has chosen not to answer them immediately. She will answer some. But perhaps the hearts of those praying were not pure enough.” 

Jan still struggled with the concept of what gods and demigods actually were. He stared up at the ceiling, troubled by everything he had experienced in one day. 

“Do you want me to read to you, to help you sleep?” Galatea suggested.

Jan nodded, eyes teary. Galatea read him a story about elves. Jan hadn’t read many stories about elves before. But this one was historical in nature. Elves hated other races and cultures–thought them inferior–and wanted to eradicate them. They lived forever, didn’t catch diseases, and were highly advanced in technology. They worshiped no gods, and the gods repulsed them because of this, often smiting them out of spite. 

But the story centered around a human who had captured an elf as a prisoner of war, and shortly after let her go after falling in love with her. The woman met him again during combat, cast aside her weapon, and ran away with him, leaving the world and their cultures behind. 

Jan fell asleep easily to the story. He had never read love stories before. In fact, he rarely thought of women. But as he fell asleep, he thought it might be nice to meet one his age someday. 

When he dreamed, he dreamed of terrifying things. He dreamed of being swept under the ocean, being captured by merpeople, and being trapped in a seashell by them.

***

Jan’s twin, Kaz, was sent down to earth shortly after Jan was. The God of Light knew the approximate area Jan was sent down to, but that was all he knew. Kaz, who knew about as much about earth as Jan did, didn’t know where to start. He landed in the same little town Jan did–a podunk, backwater town called Jarnelle. The skies were filled with gray clouds and the town was full of mist. Kaz turned his nose up at it. He was still coming to terms with the fact that his original home was a paludarium created by his father, but he still preferred it to such a humble, ugly, dilapidated place. And that was saying something, as his paludarium was filled with hostile animals such as lions, hippos, sharks, and other creatures that he had to defend himself from, and had the scars to prove it. 

He thought of his twin, Jan, with some jealousy and disgust. His father let him know before he was sent down to earth, that Jan had been raised in a paradise where he did not know the meaning of hard work. He had no survival skills, and down on earth, he would most likely have to rely on others to survive.