by Brey Willows
* * *
She landed at Afterlife just as the sun was coming up. Unlike the days before, the grounds were nearly empty and the building was, thankfully, still in one piece. Alec and Meg were outside waiting for her. The moment she was in reach, Alec handed her a huge mug of coffee.
She sipped it gratefully before asking, “So?”
They entered the building together, all of them taking a moment to scratch one of Cerberus’s heads before getting in the elevator.
“Selene managed to calm everyone down and get them focused, the way you wanted them to. It’s taking a lot out of some of the lesser gods, but they’re managing to put things back in order. Consequently, because they’re actually helping people on the ground level, the people are responding in kind. No more religious spaces are being attacked at the moment.” Alec held the elevator door open for them as they headed for Zed’s office.
“That’s good news. I’ve got some of my own, but I want to tell Zed and Ama about it at the same time.”
Meg was uncharacteristically quiet, and Tis gave her a questioning look.
“Just feeling a little rundown, you know? I haven’t had a spa day or manicure in ages. I want some quiet time.”
Tis put her arm around her and gave her a squeeze. Meg was always so up, she forgot how deep she ran. “Hopefully, we can work things out soon and get back to normal, whatever that is.”
Zed saw them coming and waved them in. “I take it your personal issues are dealt with now?” He frowned at her, thunder rumbling around him.
“You’re one to talk. How many times did we have to go after someone because you were fooling around with humans? Especially when you went through that shape-shifting phase.” Tis sat down and finished off her coffee, wishing there were more. “And yes, thank you, I managed to resolve everything. But I saw something on the way back that I need your perspective on.”
They sat down and looked at her expectantly. She concentrated and pulled the scene back to her. “There was a smoking church, and I felt the need to see it. When I got there, there was some kind of emanation everywhere—sticking to the ground, to the trees, and especially around the burned bits.”
“What kind of emanation?” Meg leaned forward, looking like a child listening to a campfire story.
“Confusion. Despair. This subtle feeling of disorganized mayhem simmering, waiting. At first I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, but then I saw someone, something, in the distance, and I knew they were behind it. But by the time I got there, they were gone.”
Everyone was silent until Meg said, “By the time you got there? How could anything move that fast?”
Tis hadn’t even considered that aspect of it. “So, not human then. That’s a start.”
Zed drummed his fingertips on the table. “You couldn’t see them? Anything at all? You’ve got the best eyesight I’ve ever known.”
Again, that hadn’t occurred to Tis either, and the cloudiness of her thinking made her incredibly uncomfortable. “Nothing. It was like…like…” She struggled to find the words, and then it was as though a wall crashed to the ground and she could think clearly again. She almost gasped at the sudden clarity. “It was like a living shadow. Darkness formed into a person. I haven’t been able to think clearly since the moment I landed there. And I got the feeling I knew them, but I have no idea from where.”
Ama’s sudden intake of breath drew their attention. “I know.” She took Zed’s hand in her own. “So do you.”
He shook his head. “It can’t be. She’s been gone for centuries.”
“Um, excuse me? Who are we talking about? Confused fury here.” Meg waved her hand to get their attention.
Zed stood and motioned them to follow. “Come with me.”
They followed him to the disguised staircase and up to Level Five. The receptionist wasn’t there, and they walked straight back to the Fates’ offices. All three of them were standing in front of a massive door at the end of the hall, waiting.
“Is it true? Is she back?” Zed’s deep voice bounced off the walls.
As one, they said, “It’s true.” Clotho stepped forward and looked at them impassively. “She can not be defeated until passion merges with destruction to create a new world.”
Tis really, really hated oracles, and this wasn’t the time for vague warnings. “What in Hades are you talking about?”
The Fates moved away from the huge door. As it slowly swung open, the tension in the small group was palpable. Tis wanted to spread her wings to protect them from whatever was about to walk into the room.
“Awesome. You’ve got a door into outer space. That puts my parties to shame.” Meg leaned forward, and Alec put a gently restraining hand on her shoulder.
“It’s so beautiful,” Ama whispered.
Beyond the open door was a view of the cosmos, in all its brilliant colors, swirling masses of stars passing by in jet streams of superheated gasses. And then that sight was blocked by the person coming in. Tis felt the same pull and strangeness she’d felt at the fire and fought against it.
“Knock that off,” Clotho snapped at the person.
The strange sensation vanished, and Tis focused on the figure. Or she tried to. One second she would swear it was female, with long flowing hair. The next instant, it appeared male, with shining black eyes. It was all of them and none of them, and even their clothes seemed to reflect the cosmos behind them.
Again, Clotho sighed and slapped the figure on the arm. “That’s enough. Behave, or I’ll shut you out there again.”
The figure solidified and became an utterly stunning woman with jet-black hair down to her waist and eyes that looked like snowflake obsidian. She gave Clotho a mischievous smile before turning back to the group.
“Lovely to see you again. Please, call me Dis.”
Tis stared at a being she hadn’t seen in more than a thousand years, and understood why the world was imploding. Chaos is back.
Chapter Thirty
Kera had been at her fair share of meetings with powerful people. She’d eaten with presidents in various countries, had slept with royalty, and shaken hands over billion-dollar deals.
None of that prepared her for sitting at a conference table with a bunch of gods. Nor did it help that her girlfriend’s sisters were there, looking far more terrifying than the one she’d gotten used to. It was a hell of a way to meet someone’s family. “So, let me get this straight. You’re the reason all those pretty buildings out there are smoking piles of rubble now?” She spoke to the extremely sexy but extremely dangerous looking woman across from her.
As soon as she’d been able to, she’d given control of the situation to Ajan and Petra and hopped into Dani’s car, which had entered a long underground tunnel and emerged shortly thereafter in LA. When she’d asked if she could buy one for herself, Dani had laughed heartily. “Only if you want my job, too,” she’d said. The thought of being Death made Kera cringe, though she made sure not to show it. She’d choose life any day, even if it did mean she wouldn’t get the cool travel toys. When Kera had arrived after a pleasant journey with Ms. Death herself, she’d been ushered straight past the enormous three-headed guard dog receptionist, and up to where Tis was waiting for her outside the elevator. It was like a really twisted urban version of Wonderland.
After a quick hug and kiss, Tis had explained she needed to stay in her meeting, but Kera was welcome to join it, as was Dani, since it also involved her.
Kera focused on the conversation going on around her, trying to keep up.
“I’m only partially responsible. I admit, it’s very nice to be back.”
“What do you mean, partially?” Tis swatted at Meg, who looked bored now that her initial curiosity had been satisfied.
“For centuries, humans have been content. Whether they believe in religion or not, they’ve had a sense of their place in the universe. They think they know about the origin of their species, whether that’s from a place of faith or a pl
ace of science.” She looked at Selene and smiled. “Occasionally, when a new epoch was ushered in, I was able to come out and play for a while, but eventually, creatures on this planet find a way to either placate or ignore their fears, and I’m relegated back to the infinite. The humans were settled for a ridiculously long time, until the gods decided to make their presence known. When that happened, it began another stage of evolution, in a manner of speaking. There are too many people who can’t handle the truth, who see their gods and are unable to cope with it.”
“Like the old days,” Zed said thoughtfully.
“Like the old days,” Dis agreed. “To look upon your god was to risk death or insanity, as the human mind couldn’t handle it. Today, there are many people who can process it without issue. But there are also many who can’t. Thanks to those people, I’ve been called back. They are the embodiment of me, and as they disintegrate mentally, it’s me they understand, not their gods or their science. Only me.”
Kera sat back and studied Dis. “Well, don’t you sound like the happy little cosmic sadist. I don’t suppose you feel any sympathy for the people you’re ruining?”
Dis looked at Kera with a wry smile. “I was first, you know. Before all of the people around you, before everyone in this building. Even before the crones on the floor above us. I was the beginning, and everything came from me. And, eventually, to me everything returns.”
“So, you’ve got a mother complex, too. What difference does that make to the people you’re messing with?” Kera felt Tis squeeze her hand in warning, but she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, the woman was a bully with nothing better to do than hurt people.
“I am the origin and the cosmos. I am galaxies and universes you can’t fathom. No, I don’t care for insignificant human lives that last less than a flash of a second in the expanse of space.”
“I have to admit, that does sound pretty selfish,” Dani said in that quiet way she had.
“Doesn’t it though?” Kera leaned around Tis to give Dani a high five. “So, how do we make you go away again, so you can go play with your neon gasses and balls of rock?”
Dis looked at Zed and Ama, obviously unfazed by Kera’s sharp tongue.
“Until the world calms down again and people understand their places, Dis will be among us.” Ama looked at the rest of the team. “That means we have to come up with a way to exist in this new world, quickly. But in the meantime, people’s fear and confusion will call to Dis, and she’ll answer.”
Tis raised her hand. “Why did those kids blame Satan for the shooting?”
Dis shrugged elegantly. “When their brains are disintegrating, and they can no longer be rational, they find a way to explain what they’re feeling and why. They use concepts they know to put a name to what they’re experiencing. What or who they choose isn’t my doing.”
“But that one kid choked like he was murdered,” Alec said.
“A biological reaction. His brain couldn’t complete the process he was trying to rationalize, and it turned his own body against him. He quite literally choked on his words. Again, not my doing.”
She seemed like she was enjoying the attention and was totally unbothered by the accusations. It was pissing Kera off. She turned to Tis and was calmed by the serious beauty beside her. “So, gorgeous? I think we need to figure out a plan. It sounds like your spacey friend here is going to be around no matter what, so let’s work on getting the world back in order.” Tis’s smile held so much love and tenderness, Kera could have wept if it weren’t for the badasses surrounding her. There was no way she’d show that kind of emotion around a bunch of immortals.
“I agree. Why don’t we go to Meg’s place since it’s closest? We’ll get takeout and discuss potential solutions.”
Meg jumped up from the table and took Dani’s hand. “We’ll go get Thai food. I’ve been craving it for ages.”
Alec shook her head as they left the room. Dani looked somewhat bemused as she trailed behind Meg. Alec clapped a hand on Kera’s shoulder. “Glad you got out of that mess safely. It’s nice to see my sister so happy.” She sauntered out, whistling a tune from Snow White.
“I’ve been asked to have dinner with the Sisters,” Dis said as she rose. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you often.”
“Not to be rude, lady, but there’s enough death and destruction without you here helping things along. I kind of hope I’ll never see you again.” Kera winced at how hard Tis squeezed her hand this time, and she noticed the one called Zed move slightly in front of her.
To her surprise, Dis laughed, an eerie sound that echoed like rocks falling into a canyon. “I like you, little human. I hope we can speak again.”
She left, and Tis stood and pulled Kera up with her. “You’re welcome to join us,” she said to Zed and Ama.
Zed shook his head and put his arm around Ama. “This is your field and the whole reason we gave you the position. You’ll know what’s best, you always do. Just let me know what you need from me when you’re ready. In the meantime, I need to go back out to my temple and help with the nearby crops. Ama is going to do the same. And it keeps my ex out of my hair for a while.”
Kera had a hard time imagining the giant guy with the long beard wielding a hoe or dodging an angry spouse, but if it worked, she wasn’t going to knock it. She’d promised herself she’d be more open-minded, and sitting among them, it helped to see them as less useless.
Tis turned to her. “Well, shall we go have a few minutes to ourselves?”
“That’s an offer I’ll never turn down. Let’s do it.”
* * *
After a teenage-like make-out session behind the caretaker’s shed, Kera and Tis walked to Meg’s place, and Kera heard the TV newscast before they entered the room. She wondered what it meant for the world she’d dropped into.
“Tonight at the DNC, for the first time in American history, a Democratic nominee has come out in support of a religion other than Christianity. Gavin Jackson has stated his unequivocal support of the Buddhist belief system and has suggested that it’s time America takes a new direction in both policy and faith.”
Kera could think of a million things she’d rather be doing than sitting around talking about religion, and all of them included Tis naked. Instead, she smiled politely as Tis leaned down and gave Selene a hug before she made the introductions.
Selene got up and shook Kera’s hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. You gave us quite a scare.”
Kera wasn’t sure if Selene had a sense of humor, and it didn’t seem wise to insult her with her enormous, black-winged girlfriend behind her, so she kept herself in check. Apparently, sometimes sarcasm wasn’t the answer. “Definitely wasn’t my intention, and I sure as hell hope never to do it again.” She narrowed her eyes as she took a good look at Selene. “I really hope this isn’t offensive, but you don’t look like you belong here any more than I do.”
Selene laughed. “I didn’t when I first got here. I can imagine all the things going through your head. Most of them probably went through mine, too. If you ever feel the need to call someone who will experience gray hair and wrinkles while your partner remains ageless, just shout.”
Kera ran her hand through her hair self-consciously. “I hadn’t given that much thought. Thanks a lot.”
Meg came in carrying two massive bags full of Thai takeout. “Don’t let her fool you, Kera. She’s a demigod. She just likes to pretend she’s not one of us. It makes her feel unique.”
Alec rolled her eyes and sat on the floor beside Selene. She handed out plates and served Selene’s before she got her own. “Not true. She’s unique in every way. She doesn’t have to pretend anything.”
Meg made a gagging noise and flopped upside down on the couch beside Dani. Kera laughed with the others, the surrealness of the situation not lost on her.
Tis wrapped a wing around Kera and winked at her. “So, let’s start. Any ideas?”
“First, let’s lay out the exact problem so
we’re all clear what premise we’re working under,” Selene said. “And I’d like to discuss the political element we’ve just witnessed as well.”
Tis ticked the points off on her fingers. “One. Chaos is behind the black spaghetti in people’s heads, as well as the violent destruction going off like bombs all over the world. Some humans lack the capacity to withstand gods in their midst, and consequently, Chaos takes over. Two. There’s general unrest among believers. Humanity First has people questioning their gods and what they get from them like never before in history. As people question, they fail to get answers, and they revolt.”
When she stopped, Kera continued. “Three. The gods are useless asshats who answer prayer by email and can’t help people with the most difficult parts of life. That pisses people off.”
There was an uncomfortable silence before Meg burst out laughing. “I’d love to see you call Osiris an asshat.”
Kera smiled at her. “Give me the chance.”
“I’m fairly certain name-calling wouldn’t get us anywhere,” Selene said with a grin. “But I think Kera has raised a valid point, and one we need to add to the mix.”
Kera raised her beer in salute. She’d expected more resistance and was relieved to see they were looking at the problem openly.
They ate contemplatively for a while, and when Kera moved to get another helping of pad thai, Alec pushed it toward her. In that instant, Kera started to formulate a plan. “Okay. So, let’s set aside the Chaos thing. The woman gives me the creeps, and it sounds like all we can do is deal with her messes after they’ve happened. Right?”
“Entropy is the natural state of things, so she’ll always be closer than we’d like her to be. While we may dislike her place among us, her existence is as constant as our own. Fortunately, she only comes to the fore when there’s extreme change.” Selene opened a soda and shared it with Alec.
“Like the plague,” Kera said.
“I wonder what she’d be like in bed?” said Meg from her upside down position on the couch. “Would she be all airy fairy, or hot and electric?”
