***

THE YEAR 5000 BC

They say flowers bloom whenever Persephone is around. They're not wrong.

The mighty Celestial, Arishem, had blessed her with the cosmic energy to control nature. It was an interesting power to wield, but it brought her unique happiness, understanding that she could aid planetary development.

The chosen Eternals sat in a circle, united in a dormant state. As their ship approached their new home, a gold sphere emerged from the palm of Arisham's statue. It floated down, locating its host and joining with them. 

Their leader, Ajak, awoke from her slumber. "It is time."

Shortly after, the other Eternals awakened, wasting no time as they all got to work. Each of them stood on their allocated spots, feeling the cosmic energy enthral their bodies. Persephone smiled as gold dust decorated her body with a dark shade of magenta. It was an armour like no other, a suit that represented the power she had.

This was her first mission; to defend a planet called Earth from Deviants. Her fellow Eternals prepared for their arrival, whilst she gazed out a window, observing the planet below. She pressed her hand against the glass, sensing the natural energy emitting from its surface. It was perfect.

She had a destiny to fulfil. This was her chance to prove her worth to Arishem.

Their first stop was Mesopotamia, a diminutive settlement of humans who didn't know about the incoming danger. They were told that the people of this world had limited resources to build their own civilisations, but it was their job to help them learn.

"Ikaris, Makkari, Thena, Gilgamesh, Kingo." Ajak addressed five Eternals, utilising sign language for the second one to understand. "You will go down first. Stop the Deviants at all cost."

"Yes, Ajak," Ikaris answered with a strong accent.

Persephone was unsure what to do, at first. Her instincts told her to follow the five as they began to exit the ship. She had to help in any way she could.

Yet, before she could leave, Ajak grasped her arm. "No," she stated. "You stay."

She frowned. "But I want to help."

"And you will." Her leader promised.

With despair, she watched as the stronger Eternals went out to fight against a small band of Deviants. Persephone wished that she could join them, but even she knew that her powers wouldn't be enough to destroy one.

Ikaris could fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes, Makkari had faster speed and agility than the rest of them combined, Kingo wielded cosmic energy through his hands, Gilgamesh had a powerful punch, and Thena could create any weapon she thought of. 

What could Persephone do? She could grow flowers. The best she could do was let a Deviant choke on petals.

Once the threat was defeated, their ship uncloaked itself to the bewildered humans. From the sky above, the others floated down to greet humanity. Of course, they were hesitant to accept these new visitors. A cluster of them pointed their spears towards them, ready to strike.

However, another Eternal, Druig, used his powers to briefly take control of their minds. They dropped their weapons simultaneously; their eyes now a bright gold. 

Persephone glanced at the mysterious boy with a curious eye. He was the most silent out of all them, and it seemed that only she was drawn to him. Although, she looked away when he noticed her staring. In the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that he was smirking at her.

Ikaris rejoined the group, allowing Ajak to heal him with her abilities. "Thank you, Ajak."

The Eternals stood proud as the fiercest warriors in the universe and the new protectors of Earth. They were Gods amongst man, though, they did not ask for their worship or praise. They were guiding human evolution; never to interfere with this planet's politics.

A young boy, under the urging of his mother, shyly stepped closer to them. As an act of first contact, Ajak nodded at Sersi to go ahead. She crouched, picking a small dagger up from the ground. In her hand, it transformed into gold as a gift for him. The boy observed it in wonder, discerning his reflection in the metal.

Then, more people stepped forward, understanding that these strangers were not their enemies. A little girl, no older than five years old, wandered towards them. Ajak turned her head. "Persephone."

She softly smiled, obeying her silent command. Persephone took a deep breath and stepped towards the little girl. As the wind blew through her hair, she got down on one knee and closed her eyes. She cupped her hands together, gold dust began to form from her skin. It prickled upwards as Persephone captured the image of her creation in her mind, then in the palms of her hand.

A small, pink azalea grew right before the little girl's eyes, filling her with wonderment. The flower was perfect, just like Persephone had to be.

***

THE YEAR 2024 AD

"Alright, let's bring her down." A tree surgeon said to his co-workers. They were cutting down a large, overgrown tree in Victoria Park. According to their superiors in the council, it was "getting in the way". It had stood there for hundreds of years, and now it was time for it to be taken down for good.

They had nearly sawed to the heartwood of the tree; there was barely any support left. All they needed to do now was finish the job with a chainsaw. One of the tree surgeons powered it up, it whirred away in his hands. He placed it through the gap and began to saw.

The others moved out of the way, avoiding the impact zone. "Steady!" they warned as the tree shifted ever so slightly. Once he reached the centre, it started to topple. "Steady!"

Within a minute, the tree came plummeting to the ground. It smashed against the dirt, ruining the once-lively green grass that had been flattened under the weight. "Let's take it away, boys." The tree surgeons dragged the unmoving corpse of the tree from the scene, leaving only its stump.

However, when their backs were turned, a loud creak made itself known. They halted, curiously peering back at the stump. Dark orange tree sap was leaking from the wood, pouring out like honey. A cold breeze wandered through the discarded leaves. They rippled up like a wave in the ocean. Their instincts told them to leave, but the tree surgeons remained still with their eyes fixated upon the stump.

A root sprung up, then another. Their mouths hung open, yet no sound escaped them. Some backed away with a widened gaze. The creaks got louder and louder as life pulsated through it. The sap recoiled back into the wood, acting as if it had never left. The tree throbbed as the stump seemed to grow upwards. New oak formed before the tree surgeons' eyes, causing fear and calamity.

Soon enough, they made a run for it, leaving the old tree behind. The new one blossomed quickly, sprouting thousands of new leaves within a few seconds. 

As the tree surgeons sprinted away, they failed to notice a young girl with pink hair observing the fray. Gold dust shimmered from her fingertips as she made the tree grow higher. She didn't care about a stupid council's opinion over it, a tree was a tree, and it was beautiful. They may age or wither at the branches, but a tree was eternal.

Sephy smiled, a strange sense of glee running through her veins. In her opinion, her act was not immoral. In her eyes, she was saving the life of something precious.

"You know what Ajak would say, right?" She flinched a little, acknowledging the sudden appearance of Sprite on the other side of the tree she was leaning on.

She clutched her chest, shortly recovering. "Geez- Sprite, don't do that!"

The childlike Eternal shrugged. "I'm just standing here."

"I'm not interfering." Sephy declared.

Sprite's brows furrowed. "You clearly are."

"Look, I'm just trying to prevent climate change here." She justified.

"By growing trees in a park?"

"Yes."

"And scaring people?"

Sephy slipped her hands into the pockets of her worn leather jacket. "Sometimes freaking people out does wonders for the environment."

"But that doesn't mean they won't try again." They mentioned. "Humans never stop until they get want they want."

Nevertheless, Sephy didn't care. "Well, I'll be here to stop them if they do."

"You are such a treehugger." Sprite mocked.

They both chuckled before she asked. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going to meet Sersi at the museum."

"I got bored, so I decided to come here first." They told her.

"Just to annoy me?" Sprite had always been her constant companion since they moved in with Ajak, then with Sersi. They were as close as siblings, sticking with each other no matter what happened.

"Obviously." They grinned. The problem with being with Sprite all the time meant that they had to move regularly. Being an Eternal meant that they could never age, Sprite would be an immortal child until the world's end. "Anyway, I also thought that I could use a chaperone."

She narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?"

Sprite nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you've never been to the museum before. I want to show you some stuff."

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because I want someone to reminisce with." They said.

Admittedly, she did spend all her time at various parks, secretly growing trees and flowers galore. Diverting her daily routine for just one day wouldn't hurt anyone. She sighed, putting on a smile for Sprite. "Fine."

They returned an elated grin, soon beckoning Sephy to follow. Reluctantly, she did so, hiding her desire to stay.

This was the life of Sephy Green, an Eternal living amongst humans. Sometimes, she wished the circumstances were different. Because, after an eternity of living on Earth, there were some things she wanted to forget. What's the point in reminiscing good memories when the bad ones always reappear? 

***

I actually put a little symbolism in this chapter with the azalea as it represents "family and familial duty" which Persephone is very dedicated to at the beginning.

I've made Sprite genderfluid here as that's how they're portrayed in the comics. Seriously, look it up.

Also, and this may sound controversial, but I don't like Ikaris. It's not because of what his character does, it's just that Richard Madden was very wooden with this performance. Which is weird because he's a great actor and I love him in Cinderella. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

I hope you liked this chapter and I hope I haven't deterred you with my opinions.

- Alice.