Dark almost felt sorry for Leonardo. Aqua had the rather nasty habit of pushing everything to its absolute limit- her alcohol tolerance rarely went more than a month without being tested, her worshippers had often been forced into absurdly overcomplicated rituals, and her shower pouf had been worn down to a string held together with soap and old body flith. However, Dark had other problems. 

She counted the humans in her quarters: Joseph and Billy on the table she'd created, Marie in her cleavage in a shadow pendant, Miranda and Annie pleasing one another in the corner, Daniel recovering from whatever Light had done to him, and Leonardo spending quality time with her Water Goddess sister. That made seven. Hadn't there been 18 when they started? All the excitement had left her confused. 

If she remembered correctly, she was at just less than halfway to winning this argument. She had to get up to nine, minimum. 

With that thought, she snapped her fingers, summoning another human into her room.

---------

Jonathan looked around, realizing that there were four people left, and he was the only guy among them. Two girls were clutching one another fearfully, a redhead and a girl who he hazarded a guess at being of African descent. The third was tall, and vaguely androgynous- and she looked between the goddesses, a massive smile on her face. 

Jonathan had to figure out which goddesses these were- maybe, he thought, soothing his fears, if he figured out who they were, he might be able to really solve whatever this was and avoid being hurt.

The one who had stomped her foot earlier really unsettled Jonathan, if only because of her wide grin. Her radiant skin, once you looked past her golden glow, was a deep brown the color of good chocolate. Her long blonde hair was mildly unkempt, radiating outward like sunbeams. However, the look in her golden eyes was filled with a mirth Jonathan recognized- one that came with someone enjoying messing with you. 

The other was no less threatening- her deathly pale skin and raven hair resembled a vampire stereotype, and Jonathan was unsettled to note that curls of what resembled black smoke swirled around her body at odd intervals. What made her the lesser of two evils at the moment was her thoughtful frown, which helped call attention to gleaming silver eyes that didn't hold a hint of malice.

Jonathan wracked his brain, trying to figure out whether he'd seen these goddesses in Greek mythology before. He was drawing an absolute blank. That wasn't good.

So, it was almost a good thing that, before his mind could stew over it more, he was enveloped in the same midnight-black smoke that the pale Goddess was shrouded in. When it cleared, he was in the titan's palm.

"I am Dark," she said softly, the very edges of her lips curled in a light, vaguely pleased smile, "the Goddess of Darkness. Be it the shadows external, or the personalized darkness provided by your eyelids, I occupy every piece of the world's darkness."

Well, that explained why Jonathan had never heard of her before. She was a member of a much more powerful pantheon. "Hi," he waved shyly. "I'm-"

"Jonathan, yes," Dark finished for him. "Remember, I am darkness. You've said your own name at night before, hence how I know it."

Jonathan looked down at the far drop from Dark's palm, and noted vaguely human shapes scattered about the room, decorated in the same black as Dark's hair and clothing. "So . . . now what?" He asked. "Are you going to tell me what you and the other Goddess were arguing about?"

Dark laughed, a sound both intensely foreign and comfortingly familiar. "You aren't the first to ask. Would you be opposed if I told you that I don't remember? However, this must be settled so that Light will talk to me again." She smiled at Jonathan, which marked the first time Jonathan felt entirely comfortable around a goddess. "No, I've brought you here to consider a reward for your support. And I think I have come up with one."

Jonathan was pleasantly surprised. "Reward? You don't have to-"

---------

Dark grinned wider, lowering Jonathan to the floor between her sandaled feet. "Oh, but I should. And some of your . . . prior adventures have given me an idea as to what that reward should be."

Jonathan sounded confused, and slightly afraid. "Wha- what are you talking about? What's your idea?"

Dark felt good enough about herself that her shadowy essence spilled forth, making the very air around her dark as night. "Well, you do have a particular . . . shall I call it an appreciation for women's feet?" With that, she allowed her shadow sandals to dissipate into nothingness, exposing her beautiful, pale feet.

Jonathan looked conflicted- one leg desperately backpedaling, the other advancing towards her relatively narrow toes. Of course, this only led to him falling on his face. Ad he pushed himself up, he shakily spoke up to Dark. "Th- that's alright, really- I have someone else who's already . . . uh . . ."

"Catering to your appreciation?" Dark asked, her eyebrow arched at her attempt at humor. "Don't worry, I know all about that, and I will be having some cross words with her later. That is, if she is who I think she is." Dark had a lingering theory that Nature was playing with Jonathan, given her habit of shapeshifting to seduce and confuse mortals, but she had no real proof.

"R- really?" Jonathan asked, hesitant to trust Dark. Dark didn't blame him, given what he'd been through, but she needed him to trust her if he was going to actually enjoy his reward.

"Really," Dark replied with a sigh. "I won't cause you any harm. I love humans, really- why else would I accompany you, from before birth to beyond the grave?"

---------

Jonathan considered this. This was a completely different situation- Dark wasn't forcing anything, she apparently didn't have a malicious bone in her body, and seemed to have a legitimate interest in making him happy. 

Still, though, she was the Goddess- the embodiment of- DARKNESS. Every shady deal, every midnight murder, all the horrible atrocities committed at night, had been done under her supervision. Who really knew what she considered "harm" to be? How could Jonathan be sure she was even mildly trustworthy? 

Partially as a show of good faith, partially because he feared what Dark might do if he refused, Jonathan shakily nodded his head. "Al- alright. Let's do this."

Suddenly, Dark was seated, in a high-backed throne made of swirling shadow, with high, narrow legs, leaving Dark's bare feet hanging in midair, nearly glowing due to how pale they were. "Do as you please. Take care, though- I may not be able to resist playing a little," she finished mischievously. 

Jonathan hesitantly approached Dark's feet, and reached a hand outward. The skin was smooth and soft- divine, some might say. He looked up at her face, and she was studying him. "Go on," she said. "I don't bite."

With increasing comfort, he put his hands to exploring the massive foot before him, exploring every bit of the plush flesh. Dark laughed again. "After all this, you're only using your hands? Some appreciation this is," she said sarcastically, spurring him forward.

---------

Dark knew this type- hesitant, uncomfortable with their own true happiness. They existed, from time to time, and often pretended they were happy and content with their lives, with a slight yearning for more. A yearning they never acted upon, out of some internal fear they'd lose what they had already attained. While these people were rather fun when they were younger, being easy to tease and quick to fluster, as they grew older they only became miserable, and lost their personality. 

Dark had to help guide Jonathan to become a better person, by showing him that risks were okay to take. While, yes, there was someone else working on that issue, they were going about it all wrong.

Also, once spurred to action, his actions against her foot, while not quite worship, were absolutely fantastic. Dark cooed mildly in pleasure, allowing herself this wonderful moment. Sensitive nerve endings in her human form's foot fired off, bringing Dark to a high she'd only experienced once, earlier today. However, rather than the instant rush Miranda had provided, Jonathan was slowly building a crescendo, his rubbing eventually being added to with reverent kisses, which slowly increased in frequency. 

Dark let a dreamy smile overtake her face and, eyes half-lidded with literally divine ecstasy, decided to give little Jonathan another, more literal push.

----------

Jonathan found himself on the floor, Dark's massive, pale foot becoming his sky, surrounding him with darkness. If Jonathan had been fully aware of his surroundings, he might have appreciated the irony. 

However, Dark had pressed him just . . . so . . . and he found himself completely in enjoyment of his position beneath the Goddess of Darkness. He had finally found a benevolent goddess, one of whom worship would not be a constant chore.

However, as time went by, even in his state, he grew tired. Dark removed her foot, and he found himself on a pillar of the shadow material that Dark's throne and clothing were composed of. 

Dark gave Jonathan a smile, and with her pale lips it truly resembled the crescent moon. "Oh, Jonathan. I had meant to reward you, and I rewarded myself instead. I hope you will forgive me."

Jonathan shook his head, taken by the enjoyment of the moment. "Nothing to forgive," he sighed happily.