Disney Storybits 98

PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION BEFORE READING THIS STORYBIT!


The cave was nothing special, and so Minnie was puzzled. Surely a god – even a minor one – would adorn his home with some sort of decoration, or an announcement of his greatness. But there was nothing spectacular or even unusual about this dark cave that stood over the ocean. It looked like the same you’d find anywhere else on earth. For half a moment, Minnie wondered if the mermaids had played a trick on her and sent her to the wrong one. She stood in the entrance of the cave, peering into the blackness –


And then something peered back at her.


Minnie held a staring contest with the thing with yellow eyes. A grinding sound echoed in the cave, followed by clicking and whirring. Minnie stepped back, but as the sunlight poked into the cave, she felt less fear and more confusion. No, this was not a god. But it certainly wasn’t mortal either, though it tried to have the appearance of one. It was human in design, but it was gold from head to toe. Gold skin, gold eyes, and as Minnie stared at this creature, she could see screws in her – this thing was female, no doubt – elbows and neck. It took on the design of a human female wearing a civilian’s robe, but it could never have actually passed for it. It was just too strange.


The thing’s jaw dropped. “Are-You-Here-For-The-The-The-Master?” The voice carried no emotion, clicking in its throat.


Minnie couldn’t help herself – she started giggling. It was all just so absurd, like a dream. “Is… Is your master Mickey?”


The thing shook as it nodded its head. “His Birth-Birth-Birth-Name-Is-Hephaestus. His-Chosen-Name-Name-Name-Is-Mickey. Are-You-Here-Here-Here-To-See-Him?”


In that instance, Minnie understood. As Mickey had built the jewelry that had drawn her here, he must have designed this… thing. What else could he make? How could a talented man like that not belong in Olympus?  “Yes, I am here to see him.” Minnie hesitated, and then asked. “What’s your name?”


“I-Am-Am-Am-Called-Axelia.” The mechanical being then turned in place, starting to walk back from whence she came. “Follow-Follow-Follow-Me.” Minnie easily caught up to her, and as they traveled into the darkness, she could see torches aligned on the wall. The cave was actually much longer and bigger on the inside.


“My name is Minnie.” Minnie said as they walked, hands held together. “It’s nice to meet you, Axelia. Did Mickey make you?” Though Axelia still unnerved her, Minnie could tell the metal maiden was made with careful decision and love. She wasn’t just functional, she was beautiful.


“The-Master-Made-Me-Me-Me-Third.” Axelia answered, eyes ahead, perhaps unable to go in any other direction. “He-Created-Us-Us-Us-To-Assist-Him. There-Are-Ten-Of-Of-Of-Us.”


Ten of Axelia! What an achievement! Minnie furrowed her brows, trying to imagine the figure of a man who could make ten of these creatures with painstaking care and patience. Perhaps he was muscular. Perhaps he was covered in injuries. Perhaps he was lonely. “So you’re like his family.”


Axelia didn’t answer right away, and Minnie chose to believe it was because the golden girl was thinking. “His-Blood-Blood-Blood-Family-Is-Lord-Zeus-And-Lady-Hera.”


Minnie had heard that before, from the whispers of gods and goddess above and from the mermaids down below. It was still difficult to believe – why would he have been cast out, when he could inherit the most powerful throne? Surely Hera, who hated all of Zeus’ lovechildren, would want proof of Zeus’ loyalty for her. She found herself speaking without thinking. “What happened?”


Now Axelia didn’t hesitate. “Hera-Threw-Him-Down-Mount-Olympus-When-When-When-The-Master-Was-Born. One-Of-His-Legs-Does-Not-Not-Not-Function.”


Minnie drew in breath. Axelia was speaking of when the mermaids found the child and raised him, but Minnie couldn’t hear her. This was an awful story, but it was so awful because Minnie could believe it. Hera was spiteful and cruel, and even seemed to loathe Minnie for the crime of existing.  Zeus was terrible in his own ways, and so they were meant for each other. Because of their drive for their own ideas of a perfect life, this innocent babe had suffered. Minnie almost wept.


But then the ground underneath her stopped being dusty and hard, and now was soft and smooth. She was no longer walking on a cave floor, but the floor of a home, and she looked up to see the elaborate workshop of the blacksmith god. She could not cry to see this view, as it was amazing to behold. On the walls were scrolls of maps and blueprints drawn by hand, and nine other Axelia’s were involved in their own tasks – cooking, cleaning, constructing and bending tiaras and spears. Shelves of finished weapons and ornaments aligned the walls, showing off his latest accomplishments. Colors smiled at her from these lovely trinkets, and she longed to wear them.


Heat radiated in the room, coming from the ceiling, where lava from the volcano lazily flowed into a large black work oven. Sitting before the oven on a gray bench was a small mouse,  slamming a hammer onto a bright light that sat on an anvil. Minnie squinted, trying to see what it was he was working on. It appeared to be a lightning bolt, but she couldn’t be sure.


Axelia spoke. “Goddess-Minnie-Is-Here-Here-Here-To-See-You-Master.”


The mouse stopped, hammer held high. He then placed it beside him gently, and started laughing – his voice was much higher than Minnie had expected. He laughed long and hard, almost out of breath. “Th-that’s a good one, Axelia! Goddess Minnie, I bet!” he slapped his knee, and then bent over, holding himself due to laughing so much. “Prettiest goddess all around, and she wants ta see me? Talk about never, ever, ever!” He then began to turn over, and Minnie saw one of his legs – his left- drag. “Didn’t know ya girls could have a sense of humor-”


He promptly shut up the moment he saw Minnie, as most all living things did when they first saw her. She was used to it, ever since she first woke up on the bubbly shell. Both mortal and god-kind were stupefied by her looks, and so she had been given the goddess name Aphrodite – Goddess of Love and Beauty. Minnie found the stunned introductions as a kind of advantage, as it gave her time to study the person she was meeting.


Mickey was small, his fur tinted with smudges of dirt and oil. He wore a small brown robe around his waist, and that was it, modesty long since forgotten. He was covered in grime and sweat, and Minnie found to her own surprise that such filth rather excited her. It was proof of his exhaustion, proof of his dedication, and she even found herself enjoying the smell that came off him – the smell of work. She smiled at him, and he looked ready to swallow his own heart, eyes bulging out and mouth hung open. When he spoke, it was barely above a horrified whisper. “… G-Goddess Minnie?”


Minnie tugged on the ends of her eternally flowing dress and curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’ve heard a lot about you.”


Mickey gaped for words, and then he flailed his limbs at emotionless Axelia. “W-Why didn’t ya tell me it was the goddess  - that it was her?!”


“I-Just-Did-Did-Did.” Axelia replied, and her tinny voice almost seemed to carry a hint of amusement.


“Well ya shoulda told me sooner!” Mickey yelped, now very aware of his exposure, and his filth, and he felt a great need to cover himself – or die, whichever came easier. He tried to get up on his own, her presence so overwhelming he forgot his own disability, and he promptly fell over. Minnie could see it clearly now, his deformed left leg that refused to work. It twisted at an unnatural angle, but thankfully Mickey didn’t appear to be in pain – physically. Emotionally he was a wreck. “I-I woulda gotten the place cleaned up! Made her some tea, o-or somethin’, and, aw, geez, this place is a pigsty! Look at me! No, don’t look at me!”


Minnie stifled a giggle. Normally most men and women she came across got over their surprise fairly easily, and then treated her with utmost respect, speaking calmly and with reverence. She found herself enjoying Mickey falling apart at the seams. It was very real, if she had to put a word to it. A very mean aspect of her kind of wanted to wind him up further, but she held it back. “I’m sorry, was I interrupting your work?”


Axelia had helped Mickey back into his sitting position, and he glanced quickly to his project. “No.” he lied. “Nothin’… Nothin’ important. I’ll get ta it later.” His tail flicked back and forth, and he rubbed one of his arms, nervous. “Uh… what brings ya by?”


Minnie chose the long version of the story – that she had seen one of the demigoddesses with the beautiful jewelry, and asked where she could get some. The demigoddess took Minnie to the mermaids, and they spoke of the amazing Mickey, who would create anything they desired. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, tiaras, he was more than happy to build them lovely things. He asked for nothing in return, as making his craft brought him joy. Minnie had admired their sparkling treasures, and wanted one for herself.


Mickey scratched his nose as he listened, but stopped soon enough as he appeared to realize this was not something one does in front of a lady – a beautiful lady like this. Minnie didn’t mind. Once she was finished, Mickey cleared his throat, trying to pretend he hadn’t been helplessly thrashing minutes before. “A’course I can make ya somethin’. That’s my specialty. In fact…” he rubbed his chin, eyes going to her ears, and he nodded to himself. “Tiara, I’m thinkin’ tiara.”


Minnie’s eyes glittered at the idea, and she could feel it already sitting atop of her head. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I would love a tiara! Thank you, thank you!” she practically skipped up to him, and he clearly hadn’t expected her to get any closer, as he leaned back, with redness to his cheeks he couldn’t blame on the lava’s blaze. “But they told me you wouldn’t accept any kind of reward… Isn’t there anything I can give you? I have a lot of treasures myself.” Every day her home was filled to the brim thanks to admirers who had only caught a glance of her. She didn’t really care for the treats and often gave them away.


Mickey’s lips curved – he had some mean aspects of his own, and goodness, the things he could have asked as a reward – he bit the inside of his cheek to stop it. “Aw, I don’t need nothin’. I got everythin’ I need here, who could ask for anythin’ more?” He shrugged the offer away dismissively, telling himself if he had asked for a kiss on the cheek, either she would have thrown him into the lava, or everyone else n Olympus would go after his head. “It’ll be ready by the end of the week.”


“That’s very kind of you.” Minnie kept smiling, and soon he smiled too. Some of the other Axelias had stopped what they were doing to watch them. The two mice held a very long gaze that made Mickey feel as if he was shrinking, while Minnie was deciding some things for herself.


Mickey took a breath, and then turned away from her, hitching his shoulders up. “Guess I better get started.” That would be the signal for her to leave, and he picked up his hammer. It would be a very interesting week, he knew it, as he waited for her to come back and marvel at what she had made him. He was already picturing the tiara – blue with streaks of the sea – but when he lifted his hammer, he heard his bench creak, and saw in the corner of his eye that Minnie was now sitting next to him. Close enough that he could feel her dress on his good leg.


Mickey stupidly kept his arm up, staring at her. “… Ya forget somethin’?”


“No.” Minnie had her hands in her lap, with that ever present smile on her face. “I wanted to watch you make it. Do you mind?”


No one ever wanted to watch him work, and he had understood why. No one could understand or see the same fun and excitement he did when he was crafting. To others, it was long boring work. To him, it wasn’t work – it was his reason to be. He still held his arm up, perhaps forgetting it was even there. “I… uh… well… i-it ain’t any fun -I mean, for yerself, wouldn’t be any fun… and ya’d just get all dirty.” Even now, the ends of her dress were starting to blacken in grime and dust.


“I don’t mind.” Minnie kicked her feet about as they dangled on the bench. She knew a bat of her eyelashes tended to make things go her way, as they were doing now. Normally this would annoy her, as it meant no one was paying attention or even thinking about why she was asking what she asked. But only for him did she employ the full powers of her beauty, watching his heart flip-flop in his eyes. “if you’ll let me, I’d really like to watch.”


His hand shook, but it finally came down, banging his hammer against the hardening project on the anvil. “D-do what ya want.” He finally managed to stutter out. “I aint gunna tell ya whatcha can do, no sir…” he mumbled as he hit, very aware of Minnie leaning on him.


Several weeks ago when the mermaids had told him about the arrival of the new goddess, who had gotten a place in Olympus merely based on her looks, he was slightly jealous. It wasn’t the girl’s fault, he knew that, but all they had to do was look at her and they let her in, while he, a blood son of the ruling gods, was down here underneath the mountain, their dirty secret. He vented out his anger into his work until he didn’t feel it anymore. A soft curiosity had replaced it, wondering how beautiful a girl had to be in order to achieve that place.


“Master-That-Part-Part-Part-Is-Already-Finished. You-Can-Stop-Stop-Stop-Hitting-It-Now.”


“I kn-know what I’m doin’!”