STARGIRL

fifteen.

Eleanor looked around at the planet in awe as they stood on a floating platform that was slowly moving through the planet, straight towards the massive main building. Everything was so brightly coloured and breathtakingly beautiful. The sun was rising over some skinny trees, casting a nice glow to everything and it gave the planet a nice warm feeling.

Ego raised his arms, turning to face everyone else, "Welcome, everyone, to my world."

"Wow," Peter commented, as he marvelled at the waterfall behind his father, "You have your own planet?"

"Come on," chuckled Ego, "No larger than your Earth's Moon."

"Humble," commented Drax, "I too am humble."

Drax touched one of the floating bubbles and started to laugh as it split into multiple smaller bubbles. Eleanor smiled and touched one herself, and as the big bubble split, her smile grew wider. Everyone else stared up in awe as the bubbles floated away.

Once they reached the main building, Ego started to walk with Mantis nervously scurrying after. Eleanor stood still, watching the fish in the fountain with absolute delight. She felt a hand on her shoulder guide her away and looked up to see her dad. He quickly grinned down at her and then slid his hand into hers, giving it a squeeze.

"You own a planet and can destroy two dozen spaceships without a suit," commented Gamora, walking beside him, "What are you exactly?"

Ego smiled to himself, "I'm what's called a Celestial, sweetheart."

Her, Peter and Drax paused, causing Eleanor to walk into Peter's back as she was still focused on the fish fountain. "A Celestial, like a god?" Peter asked. Just before Ego reached his golden stairs, he turned to face the others, "Mmm, small 'g', son. At least on the days I'm feeling humble as Drax." he chuckled.

They followed him up the gold stairs, and he turned with his hands in the air, smiling once they got into the building. Eleanor's jaw dropped as she looked around the room. It was all perfectly made out of gold and some silver.

Ego started to talk as they headed further into the house, "I don't know where I came from exactly. First thing I remember is flickering, adrift in the cosmos utterly and entirely alone. Over millions of years I learned to control the molecules around me," the little hologram brain changed, "I grew smarter and stronger. And I continued building from there," he walked over to another hologram, "layer by layer, the very planet you walk on now. But I wanted more. I desired... meaning."

He started walking again, "'There must be some life out there in the universe besides me', I thought. And so I set myself the task of finding it. I created what I imagined biological life to be like down to the most minute detail."

Drax stepped forward, "Did you make a penis?" The others, minus Ego and Mantis, turned to look at him. Eleanor had her face scrunched up looking disgusted at his comment. "Dude!" Peter said, also looking repulsed.

"What is wrong with you?" added Gamora, giving him a stare.

"If he's a planet, how could he make a baby with your mother?" Drax argued, "He would smush her!"

Peter groaned in disgust, "I don't need to hear how my parents..." he couldn't finish the sentence, as he waved his hands around.

"Why?" said Drax, looking surprised, "My father would tell the story of impregnating my mother every winter solstice."

"That's disgusting!"

"It was beautiful!" Drax argued, "You Earthers have hang-ups."

"Yes, Drax, I got a penis." Ego stopped the conversation.

"Ha! Thank you!"

"It's not half bad."

"Oh?" Drax commented and Peter pulled a face.

"I've also got pain receptors, and a digestive system, and all the accompanying junk," explained Ego, as he continued on the tour of the room, "I wanted to experience what it truly meant to be human as I set out amongst the stars until I found what I sought. Life. I was not alone in the universe after all."

There was an awkwardly large silence. Eleanor decided to break it, "Did you know that Terra is radioactive?" Everyone looked at her with a mixture of expressions.

Peter shook his head, "When did you meet my mother?" he asked Ego.

Ego turned to him, "Not long after. It was with Meredith that I first experienced love. I called her my river lily. And from that love, Peter, you. I have searched for you for so long. And when I heard of a man from Earth who held an Infinity Stone in his hand without dying, I knew you must be the son of the woman I loved."

"If you loved her, why did you leave her?" Peter asked, and Eleanor placed her head on his arm.