How he loathed that superior look she hid in her eyes.
She stood there in front of them and he knew she felt so proud of herself, like she deserved her status, her title. It took everything within him to not let his anger show, to not spew the venomous words he conjured in his mind. Asmodeus instead just sat in his seat silently fuming as he watched a vile ceremony play out in front of him. His hands gripped the arms of his throne while the rest of the Eternal Host almost eagerly applauded the girl that had managed to worm her way into their ranks. Daenerys, the so-called "goddess of the dead". She had stormed into the acropolis that morning. Desperately attempting to persuade the Host to let her be the one to ferry the souls of mortals. She had even put on a "performance" as the others would call it, describing in excruciating detail about the many ways in which she died, taking on the faces of her various boring lives, and how that surely made her the only person capable of understanding how to take care of mortals after they died.
To Asmodeus, however, all the explanations and the parading and the pantomiming did was bore and anger him. He had witnessed many deaths and had inflicted many more in his time as a god, and Daenerys' impressions of them seemed more like a child's drawing that you could barely make out the subject of. And so when the other gods wanted to hang up the child's drawing, legitimizing her claim on death and allowing her to fully ascend to godhood, it irked him. What could she possibly have to offer beyond what the rest of the pantheon already did? It's not like they were hurting for souls to worship or fear them in the afterlife. After all, Asmodeus had a hearty selection of souls waiting to be rewarded or punished for their efforts in life back in his domain. She would just be inserting a pointless middleman into things and attempting to solve what didn't need a solution. On top of that, her inclusion into the pantheon continued to highlight how much more power the others had. How little power he--
"Asmodeus, are you with us?" Tyrora inquired.
He was wrenched from his inner thoughts and brought back into the moment. The Host had moved on from their deliberations and had begun setting up the council room for a banquet. The dais in the middle of the room around which sat the gods' thrones had been removed and replaced by a grand oak table and elaborate decorations. Floral arrangements were hung from the walls, beautifully designed plates and bowls were placed on the table, and many gods chatted with Daenerys on the opposite side of the room as the celestial servants of the pantheon brought out platters of food. His eyes focused on Tyrora, her brow raised as if trying to read the emotions on his face through her blindfold. "Yes. As present as I need to be, Tyrora." Her eyes may have failed her long ago but Tyrora had become accustomed to Asmodeus' demeanor over the centuries. The sounds of his clenched fist against his armrest and the repetitive tapping of his ring on his cane were telltale signs of his anger.
"Present? You've been stewing in your seat since the vote. Is there something you'd wish to say, Brother? Perhaps we could call for another round of deliberation and-"
"There are many things I'd like to say, but unless you wish to make a spectacle of this, I suggest you bite your tongue. Sister." Asmodeus spat.
The cheeriness of the pantheon soured at Asmodeus' anger. The servants froze. The sconces that lined the interior of the marble hall, lit with bright silver flames, dimmed as if cowering in fear at his voice. Tyrora did not, however. She simply brushed her hair out of her face and continued. "We could call for another round of deliberation and you can voice your opinions. You are the one making a spectacle, Asmodeus. You sit here like you're angry at the world and then lash out when anyone points it out. Maybe instead of casting your vote with a one word answer, you explain your thoughts and give us a different perspective?"
Asmodeus scoffed and stood up from his throne. "My opinions have never had any sway with you, nor most of the people in this room. My opinions have always been pushed to the side. If I felt I could voice my opinions, I would have done so. But you and everyone else had already decided the moment that child walked in here." He marched towards the chamber doors, intent on storming out and ending the conversation, but before he could get there Tyrora stepped in front of him. She placed a forceful hand on his chest. "You will not stomp off like the very thing you accuse Daenerys of being, Asmodeus. And we will hear what you have to say here. Sit down, eat, and speak your mind as you should have from the very beginning."
The pantheon stood there silently, most in awe at how she spoke to him while a few could barely hide their disgust. The evil-aligned gods notably all stared daggers at Tyrora just like Asmodeus was. Beshaba, Erythnul, Incabulose, Shar, and Talona had all voted against Daenerys' ascension just as he had and much like Asmodeus had all been on the silent side afterwards. Beshaba believed that her addition just added more misfortune upon herself. Erythnul was jealous that the good-aligned gods had gained yet another individual who would most likely vote the same as them. Incabulose believed that the compassion of the newer gods was a blight on her and her kin that diminished her sway over the mortals in Yusarin. Shar bit back anger that someone was added to specifically ease loss, something that she had domain over. Talona kept remembering every time that evil-aligned primordials were denied ascension because of good-aligned gods like Tyrora and grimaced. They all hated her, and hated the inevitable decision that had let Daenerys in.
Daenerys on the other hand seemed utterly taken aback by the whole exchange. She hadn't realized just how disapproving he was of her presence, nor had she expected him to blow up like that. At most she had expected the occasional glare or snide comment towards her, not a spectacle in front of the pantheon she had just joined the ranks of. All she had wanted was to share her experiences and show that she could be just as helpful to mortals as the Host. Not only that but that she could be helpful to them as well and ease their burdens. But now she worried that she had let her excitement get the better of her.
Tyrora pulled out a chair for Asmodeus and gestured for him to sit down. When he reluctantly did, scorn painted on his face, she pulled out a chair next to him and sat down as well. "Shall we eat or not?" Daenerys and some of the other newer gods, namely Eldath, the god of peace and the three sisters Habbakuk, Illmater, and Silunria, sat down first. Others soon followed suit until eventually the whole pantheon was seated, including the likes of Beshaba and the others. The celestial servants of the Eternal Host scrambled to finish setting the table so they could start eating and when they finished they hurriedly rushed out the servant's door, leaving the room in eerie silence.
