Broken Maidens.

Saturn was really surpriced as he was travelling to Jupiter's domains. It was unusual of him to ask to see him, specially after his defeat by the Sun. Jupiter recluised himself in his castle after that and only his Galilean moons have spoke for him.

But this letter was wrote for Jupiter. It has his calligraphy and his seal, Europa herself deliver it to him, face-to-face and told him was important for him to read it. Such a way of delivering an invitation was very peculiar and showed that, whatever Jupiter's reason for him to call for his fellow planet, was important. And more of all, the invitation has for him alone.

As he was getting in Jovian skies, he noticed that nothing was different from his last visit. It was long time ago, so Saturn got more curious over the nature of his visit. The letter only said that Jupiter needed him before him and fast. He internally giggled a little; Jupiter's power hungry complex was even present in his way to ask him a visit.

"Welcome, Mr. Saturn", said a unfamiliar voice while he was getting out of his ship. Saturn's eye then widen up for who he had in front of him.

A young lady, of long red hair, dressed in violet clothes was his welcome comitte. She was someone he have never seen before. But what really makes him uncounciously get a step back was when she lifted her head to look at him. Bright red bruises on her face, as if something have hit her so hard it broke it.

"Master Jupiter is waiting for you. He would like you to enjoy a nice dinner before talking about bussiness matter. Please follow me", The redheaded girl said as she disposes to lead the way.

"Sure. Ehm, excuse miss...", he said, still a little out of base as he follow her. Her way of speaking meaned that she was one of Jupiter's servants, but in all the time knowing him, he never saw her before.

"Amalthea, Mr. Saturn", Amalthea replied straight out as she keeped walking.

"Miss Amalthea. Excuse me if im being rude, but i never got the chance of seeing you before, and i dare to say, i never forget a young lady's face", Saturn said, with his nice and smooth voice. No matter if it was one of his own moons or just a random gal, Saturn will always be a gentleman to all women.

"I just recientely got this job, Mr. Saturn", she said and then remained quiet. Saturn could deduce she was the kind of girl that doesn't say more than she needed.

"I see. It's a surprice that Jupter hired such a pretty lady."

Amalthea's silence just confirmed his deduction. Since he understood that she would remain quiet the long way to Jupiter's castle, he decided to study her well as they were in going.

Her red hair was shimmering and looked very well cared, in contrast for the rest of her. Not only her face, but also her arms were covered with red glowing bruises and her clothes have many holes on it that exposed her pastel red skin. She have neon green gems in her upper hands that seem to have been introduced by force into her flesh and a headband with frills that also doubled as some sort of headphones.

As they reached the stone doors, Amalthea opened them. Inside it was a familiar face.

"I'll take care of Mr. Saturn from here, Amalthea" Europa said to the young maid.

"S-sure, Lady Europa!" said Amalthea with unexpected zest as she bowed repeatedly and kinda awkwardly. She somehow was a totally different person.

"Then you may return to your normal schedule" said the female Galilean moon.

"Y-yes, Lady Europa! Immediately!" said the newbie maid as she pokes one of the gems of her hands. From it, it appeared a hologram that loocked like a "to-do" list. "I'll make sure that the dinner is ready soon, and Lo has made another disaster at the resting hall, better take care of it and-..." she chanted to herself as she was taking her way.

As she was leaving, Saturn for the first time noticed something: a thin trail of something red behind her.

"Master Jupiter is at the throne hall, Mr Saturn" Europa's voice said, taking him out of his mind.

"Sure, Europa. May I ask about the young Amalthea?" he asked while he follow her.

"She and the others came here sometime after the rising of the Asteroid Belt. They were useful so Master Jupiter kept them"

"You sound like if they were lost puppies or- wait, 'she and the others'?"

Suddenly the sound of a vaccum machine caught his attention and yet another unfamiliar young lady.

Messy dark hair, short height and fast moves, she almost seem to float over the floor while she was vacumming a next hallway. She moved a little to reveal her face covered by a visor. But what caught his eye is that she was covered in bright, glowing bruises and holes overing her outfit. As soon as he put eyes on her, she started to clean faster (if that was possible already) and leaved the hallway as fast as she arrived, leaving it clean as a silver cup.

"That young girl, also new?", he asked.

"Yes, she's one of the four new maids, Adrastea. Don't try to have conversation with her, however; she never talks, she just cleans", Europa said, uninteresed. "Please, Master Jupiter hate waiting"

"Ah, sure, Europa dear, i'll hate to cause you troubles"

As Saturn waited while Europa anounced his arrive, he keep thinking of the two girls. For some reason, he felt uneasy about them. Maybe it was because many of his guardian moons are young ladies too and one of them, Iapetus, was a maid aswell, but he kinda wondered what Jupiter has been doing with them to  those girl have such injuries in their lovely faces.

"He's waiting for you", Europa said as she bowed goodbye.

"Wait, aren't you staying? You're one of Jupiter's trustful guardians.", Saturn say very weired.

"The nature of your conversation is private. Im not allowed to know until Master Jupiter founds it appropiated"; Europa bowed again and leave.

Saturn then realized that, whatever Jupiter needed from him, it was serious bussines for him to keep it secret to even Europa. Since making him wait was a delicate matter, Saturn opened wide the white stone doors...

...For then at his feet rolled the body of another unfamiliar, bruised body girl.

"Oh my, are you ok, my lady?", he said worried, trying to help her up.

The blonde girl then give to him the saddest glare he ever seen. Saturn was used to smiles in the face of beautiful women, so her sad expression make him gulp uneasy.

"I see you have meet my newest posesion, Saturn"; Jupiter's deep voice said. "Come back, Metis."

"Yes...", the weak voice of the girl called Metis said as she separates from Saturn and walks fast to Jupiter, to then recibe a slap which resonated in the empty hall and make her fall to his feet.

"Speak aloud, and show respect to your Master", Jupiter said, looking down to her. The little girl was able to make Jupiter somehow more intimidating and overcoming.

"My most sincere apologizes, Master Jupiter", Metis said in a more audible voice while getting on her feet, caressing her slapped cheek, from where it was falling something similar to the trail Amalthea was releasing while she was leaving.

Saturn could only watch with horror the previous scene.

"Saturn, thanks for answering my letter and coming to my domains", greeted him Jupiter, like if what he did before was as usual as killing a fly. "Let's go to my private hall, that way we'll talk more comfortable before dinner time"

He pointed with his hand a beautiful door behing the throne and Metis was quick to open it and bowing at both planets. Jupiter goes inside without seen her.

"Thanks, my lady", Saturn politely said to her.

Metis remained silent and didn't move until Saturn get into a beautiful circular hall. Nice furniture, a candelabrum on the ceilling, a window big enough to show the vast Jovian system and walls filled with Jupiter's trophies from his slaughters of asteroid beasts.

"Come, sit down, Saturn", said Jupiter, sitting himself is his favorite chair.

"Thanks. Now, can i ask what is so important for you to call for me?", said Saturn bluntly and dry. He already was sick of what he had seen and wanted to finish his visit as quick as possible.

"All at it's time; i'll like to have a nice chat with you and enjoy some dinner"

"Unfortunately, im afraid i leave some unfinished bussiness at home and i'll like to return soon"

"I see, but at least you can enjoy a nice drink with some appetizers", Jupiter said and looked at Metis, who was quiet aside the door. "Metis"

Metis bowed and went to the throne hall. A minutes after, she returned but was with another new girl.

She was a chubby but cute girl, with her soft green hair in pigtals, covered with hair nets. Plastic gloves covered her hands she had bigger holes in her clothes and also bruises in her body and face, but less than the others. The new girl has pulling a food trolley while Metis arrange the little table between Saturn and Jupiter and placed the plates with elegant pastries and glass cups.

"I hope it's for your liking Master and to his honourabe guest, Mr. Saturn", the girl said.

Saturn tried the dessert in his plate; it was delicious, almost as good as Iapetus' food.

"It taste amazing. My congratulation to the chef"

"Im flattered, Mr. Saturn", said the chubby girl bowing, unable to hide her smile.

"Im honored to meet such pretty and talented chef, Can i know your name?

"Thebe is my name", said Thebe.

"Leave us, Thebe", said Jupiter in a threatening way, while Metis pours wine to his glass cup.

"Master", said Thebe bowing at him before leaving with the trolley.

And then Saturn notices it again: a trail of something behind Thebe.

Saturn then realized it was a weid kind of dust.

"What do you think Saturn, of my new group of moons?", said Jupiter after a long silence.

"New moons?", asked the ringed planet. "Does that means you captured them?"

"More like they were 'attracted' to me. My overwheling power was enough to bring them from the wild space; proving that im more apt to rule over this realm than Sun, and sooner or later he and the inner system will know it."

"Is this about another intent of coup?" asked Saturn.

"Yes and no. As i deduce, you already noticed-", Jupiter stopped to then pulling Metis down, getting her face down enough to caressed without lifting his arm. "-that my new inner moons release a particular dust. I have accepted them in my domains and give them the honour of serving me, just for this magnificent dust. You see, it has proved to be quite useful to me, as fuel for many new artefacts in my system, but i'll like to know more about this dust; what other properties does it have? it's just a fuel of it could be used with other intentions? what it contains and it's only available with this four sisters? it could be made a similar substitute?"

As Jupiter keep talking, his hand went from caressing his little attendant's face to painfully get his fingernails into her cheek. As Metis silently whimpered, triying to resist the pain, a little rain of reddish dust fall like blood and Jupiter collected it in a little glass vessel.

"That's the favor im asking you. Investigate all you can get from this dust and let me know it. Oh and...keep it secret.
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Saturn left with a unpleasent feeling in his stomach. The way Jupiter treated his new group of inner moons was too much for him.

"AH! PAPA IS BACK!", yelled the child Mimas, running to hug him.

After her, came the resto Saturn's moons, all fighting their way to hug him. He hugged all of them, glad to return.

"Dear, you're quite pale", said Titan, a little worried.

"Well, you know that Jupiter is not a very pleasent person to visit"!, chuckled Tethys.

She was right. His visits to Jupiter were always not so nice, but this one was certainly horrifying.