The point? She was connected to the gods. What affected them affected her and vice versa.
Deep breath. Because now, she had to serve justice. Zac and Cimil had done terrible, terrible things. This was not going to be easy.
Kinich, quite possibly the most beautiful male on the planet with his golden-streaked, honey-brown hair and trademark god-sized frame, beamed at her, his eyes flickering from blue to black. “You can do this, my wife.” He leaned forward and kissed her belly. “I love you, Penelope, and I cannot wait for this all to be over so we can spend our days making love, preparing for our child to come.”
Penelope melted.
She turned toward the room, which was abuzz with commotion.
Please, gods, give me strength.
She rapped her gavel on the desk. “Attention, everyone, I hereby call Zac, the God of Temptation, to answer for his crimes.”
Zac stood and moved toward the center of the room.
“Sorry,” she said, “Ashli took the chair, so you’ll have to stand.”
Zac didn’t bat an eyelash. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
Penelope didn’t know where to start. Zac had betrayed her in the worst kind of way. He had known he possessed the power of temptation, the power to make a person want something regardless of right or wrong. And with such power came great responsibility as it did with all of the gods. But what Zac did was unforgiveable. At her most vulnerable moment, pregnant, having believed she’d lost Kinich, Zac used his powers to make her believe she had feelings for him. Then when Kinich turned up and became a vampire—a long, long story—Zac made Kinich crave her blood. He thought she would never love a man, errr, ex-god, err, vampire, who was a threat to her and her unborn baby.
A-hole.
Penelope rapped her gavel on the table. “I hereby open proceedings against Zac, God of Temptation. Zac, you are accused of using your powers on another deity without permission—a violation of a sacred law. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Kinich didn’t flinch, but Penelope felt the anger radiate from his body. She knew Kinich wanted him dead. Dead dead. Not deity dead. But killing a deity wasn’t possible. In fact, punishment was rather limited: banishment, removal of one’s human shell, suspension of powers, and incarceration or entombment.
Zac’s turquoise eyes locked on Penelope, and she resisted squirming.
“Zac?” Penelope said. “This is your chance to be heard before we decide the punishment. Don’t you have anything to say?”
Dressed in a navy-blue shirt and blue jeans, he squared his shoulders. His messy dark hair fell around his ears. “I have no excuse, Penelope. I love you. I would do anything to keep you safe.”
Penelope’s blood boiled. “You… love me? Love! Is that what you call almost having me and my baby killed, you son of a bitch?”
Her words did nothing to rattle his cage.
“You have a right to be angry,” Zac stated calmly, “but my brother threw you away. He turned his back on you not once, but twice. You deserve better than that.”
She couldn’t believe him. “So you used your powers to get what you wanted?”
“I used them, yes, but never on you. I only told that asshole brother of mine to give in to his temptations, to be exactly who he was—a selfish, bloodthirsty prick.”
Kinich exploded. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
The Uchben soldiers, who’d been milling about the periphery of the room, quickly stepped in front of Zac, ready for Kinich’s pounce.
Zac’s eyes remained fixed on Penelope. “I never, ever used my powers on you, Penelope. Not once. Everything you felt for me was real.”
Crapola. She didn’t know what to say because she had felt something for Zac, but it wasn’t love. At least, not the romantic sort. In her darkest hour, he’d been there for her, kept her hair out of the toilet when she had morning sickness, held her when she felt so heartbroken that she didn’t know if she’d continue breathing. Kinich had abandoned her. Yes, she now knew why, and given the same choice, same situation, she would have done exactly what Kinich had. Kinich had bartered away his divinity to win a pivotal battle against the Maaskab and free his brother. But that didn’t mean her heart hadn’t ripped in two.
She sank into her chair and covered her face. “He’s right, Kinich. I let him in. You were gone—forever, I thought—and Zac was there for me, for us.” She rubbed her stomach.
Kinich nodded, and she knew what he was thinking: it had been his own damned fault. He would never blame her, not given all that he had once done to push her away. “But that does not excuse using his powers on me,” Kinich said quietly. “I could have killed you, Penelope.”
She nodded. No, there was no excuse for that.
She wiped her eyes and looked up at Zac. “Do you have anything else to say?”
“Only that I will never stop loving you, Penelope. You are truly the most remarkable, sexy, passionate woman I’ve ever known.”
Kinich growled.
“And I truly regret hurting you,” he added. “But what I did pales in comparison to the pain Kinich caused you. Yet you forgave him. I only hope you’ll forgive me, too.”
She bobbed her head, not in agreement, but to acknowledge she’d heard him. “You may go back to your seat until it’s time for sentencing.”
Damn, this sucked. And it would only get harder.
She blew out a breath. “I call Cimil, the Goddess of the Underworld.”
It took one hour and forty-five minutes to read the charges against Cimil who, by the way, looked utterly pleased with herself. She grinned like a madwoman the entire time in her bright red tango dress that matched her bright red hair, loose and wild, just like her mind.
The charges ranged from heinous to the downright unbelievable. The unjust imprisonment of generations of clowns—she hated their unnatural state of constant happiness—shoplifting Love Boat DVDs, tag switching at garage sales, operating a taxi without a permit, unlawful unicorn racing, switching Red Hot candies for suppositories at a retirement home, waterboarding sea turtles (looking for Nessy), spraying “Fucktard” on several ancient Egyptian ruins (she’d been fighting with Roberto that day), creating vampires, including the evil ones, aiding the Maaskab, entrapping her brethren, the invention of SPAM, and… well, the extinction of the dinosaurs. Hundreds and thousands of deaths of innocent humans along with millions of creatures.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Cimil?”
The room waited with bated breath.
Cimil shrugged. “Touchdown, baby!”
That was not what Penelope had hoped for. “Really? Touchdown. That’s it?”
“What can I say? I’m like those guys who scrape roadkill from the highway or clean out Porta-Potties. I do what I gotta to. And I leave the world a better place. Less stinky. You know.”
“But Cimil, that’s not an excuse.” Penelope had hoped with all her soul that there was some sort of logical explanation. Because despite everything, she liked the batshit crazy goddess. She’d saved Penelope’s life once. Not to mention her mother’s.
Cimil smiled. “Of course it is. I am the only one powerful enough, smart enough, and with balls big enough to make the hard choices.”
Un-frigging-believable. “But people died, Cimil, suffered, because of you. You broke Chaam’s soul, used him to murder hundreds of women. You created vampires! And the Maaskab!”
Cimil raised her index finger in the air. “Correction! The Maaskab created vampires. One of those bastard priests plucked out my heart to save Roberto and make him immortal.”
The room gasped.
Cimil glowed. “Well, the heart grew back. And I’d like to point out that the priest didn’t create evil vampires; he created plain old vampires. Vampires have free will just like humans. Bad apples are the result of an individual’s choice. Or hanging with Minky. In any case, their creation was not a crime.”
“How about aiding the evil vampires and Maaskab?” Penelope
argued.
“Ah! All true!” Cimil replied. “But look at the joy and life that rose from the ashes. The Maaskab brought us their dark magic, the black jade that has enabled us to physically be with humans, to have children, families! Now we have the Payals, the result of Chaam’s evil detour, including Emma, the love of our brother Votan’s life. As for vampires, they have become our friends, our lovers, and have served as a constant reminder to us all that change is possible. Every disaster, death, challenge, and tragedy we’ve faced has made us richer, braver, wiser. Because of this, some of us have been able to find eternal love. So had I not played my evil role, we would have gone mad and destroyed the planet.”
“I hope you understand,” said Kinich, “that when I say this, I mean it. Bullshit! You’ve already admitted that you can’t see the future. I think you got lucky. I think you sought to destroy us all, to terrorize us for your own amusement, and it was by the grace and mercy of the Universe that balance was restored, that good came out of it.”
Cimil swiped her hand through the air. “Oh, pashaaaw! Do you not see? That is my role. That’s who I am! My job is to burn it all down! Burn it to the ground. So the Universe can build something new. I am winter. I am Sam. I like green eggs and ham.”
Roberto moved to Cimil’s side. “She speaks the truth, though not about the green eggs, obviously. However, I have witnessed the invisible force that compels her to destroy, even when her intensions are pure. I watched her for thousands of years as she refused to play her role, tried to do the opposite of anything her instincts dictated. It only made things worse, moved us one step closer toward annihilation.”
“I don’t understand. How do you know all of this?” Penelope asked.
Cimil took an accomplished breath. “The dead exist in a place beyond the confines of time. You all came to me from the future—one that no longer exists—but you, me… everyone was dead. My own self came to me and has been my constant companion for thousands of years, guiding me, telling how things ended so that I could try to change course. Apparently, that particular version of me was Roberto-less, extremely naughty, and did end the world. Of course, she saw the error of her ways—a testament to my good-hearted nature. She came to help me, put me on another path.”
“Is she here now?” Penelope asked.
“No. She’s been gone since the party,” Cimil said. “But it took me finding my true calling. I was not born to create harmony or peace, I’m much better at creating havoc. Which, ironically, creates harmony and peace. Damned. I do sound batshit crazy.”
“Slightly. Are you done?” Penelope said.
“Not quite! I’d like to have the opportunity to highlight all of the good that has come from my actions.” Cimil pulled out a scroll that unwound to the floor and rolled four feet in front of her. “Ready? The Super Bowl and anything related to the phrase ‘Touchdown, baby.’ Speaking of babies, there’s your little bun in oven, Penelope. Reminder: Maaskab, black jade, drunken night with Kinich, midgets… say no more. Emma, Guy, and their baby on the way. Vampires, aka our BFFs. Let’s not forget that I positioned Niccolo DiConti, the nicest, meanest vampire in the world—besides Roberto—to be in charge of the vampire army along with his sweet wife, Helena. The Uchben, aka our other BFFs (my evil made them necessary, and they’ve really helped us manage the exploding human population so we can get a day off). Ixtab’s mate Antonio: Had I not saved his father, the last remaining incubus, by hiding him in my secret Spanish villa, Antonio would never have been born. And let’s face it, Ixtab is a tricky, tricky girl to match up. Ouch! Don’t stand too close. Top Ramen, someone had to ensure nourishment for the college-aged human masses. Platform shoes. Disco. Weeble Wobles—they don’t fall down. How cool is that? Soap operas. Mojitos. Pig Latin—ix-nayy on the unishment-pay for imil-cey. American Idol… so, so evil. Those little umbrellas you put into drinks. Okay, that one was really Minky’s idea, but I thought up the part about it being important to protect the little people from the harmful rays of the sun. Tang. The wheel, and…” She sighed. “Our big bright future.” Cimil bowed. “Oh! And I’d also like to highlight that I did send Máax into the past to save all of the Payals who will play a very important role in the future (ssshhh, it’s a secret) so that Chaam could live a free and happy life with his mate, Maggie.”
“Are you done yet?” Penelope asked.
She looked up at the ceiling. “Um… I would once again like to highlight that I orchestrated the demise of evil vampires, and I had Roberto and his men completely wipe out the Maaskab—all part of the master plan. Couldn’t have us gods locked up and the bad guys free to roam, now could we? Besides, the Maaskab served their purpose. Now it’s time to move on and find newer, shinier, more evil challenges. Bring on round two!” She did a little dance, then abruptly stopped once she noticed no one joined in the celebration. “Fine. Be that way. But as you see, I have undone all my sins and left behind nothing but the good stuff. Kind of like when you boil a chicken to make soup. You pick out all of the bones and those slimy bits of skin, leaving behind the savory broth and juicy meat. Gods, I’m hungry. Must be the baby.”
Roberto was suddenly gripping her by the shoulders. “Please tell me you are not joking, Cimil.”
She lovingly patted his cheek. “No, my sweet pharaoh. I have kept my promise to you. It will be a little girl. And a little boy. And another little boy. And a girl.” She shrugged. “I kinda over did it on the fertility spell with Akna. Whoops!”
Roberto hugged her, and she genuinely looked pleased. It almost made Penelope want to forgive Cimil. She was crazy and wild, but she had pulled off the impossible; she’d created a new future for everyone. She’d probably been the only one insane enough to see the possibilities and take the risks. And if she truly was compelled to do evil, how could they punish her? That was her role. But it also made her dangerous. Or did it?
Damn. So confusing.
Kinich rose from his seat next to Penelope. “Cimil, I know I speak for us all when I say that we are all grateful for every blessing in our lives.” He looked directly at Penelope. “I can’t imagine a world without our mates, our friends who have become our family, and for every gift you’ve helped bestowed upon us. Excluding American Idol and SPAM. But I agree with Penelope; the suffering, lies, and games you played seemed to be more than simply playing your role. You enjoyed watching us run through your labyrinth of despair. You reveled in our suffering and enjoyed our pain. I think you could have accomplished much of what you did without enjoying it so damned much. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Cimil grinned, her smile stretching from ear to ear. “Guilty as charged!”
“Tell them you do not mean that, my little sweet-and-sour pork bun. Tell them you are sorry.” Roberto looked troubled. That was a first.
“But I cannot, my pharaoh-licious vampire. I do not regret a single moment. And don’t you think, given that I was the one condemned to being Ms. Mageddon, there needed to be one teeny tiny consolation? Something in it for me?” She shrugged. “I happen to enjoy watching them squirm.”
Penelope didn’t know what to do. It was all so complicated. “Cimil? Do you have anything else to say?”
Cimil looked at her and said, “Whatever you decide, I ask only that you take mercy on my unicorn, Minky. She didn’t mean to kill everyone inside that male strip club, but the leather thongs really riled her up!”
“Okaaaay.” Penelope sighed. “I call a recess so that we may decide sentencing.”
“Tootles!” Cimil wiggled her fingers. “Come on, Roberto, I gotta pee like a leprechaun.”
“Cimil,” said Roberto who followed closely behind her, “why are you so happy? This is very serious.” He halted abruptly. “Wait. You’ve got something planned, don’t you?”
She winked. “You’ll never know.”
Five hours later
The deities filed into the crowded courtroom. Everyone fell into an instant hush as the gods took their seats.
Penelope
had lived through the hardest afternoon of her life. She’d wanted to remain objective, but given her personal involvement with both deities, it had not been easy. That said, she’d come to realize the entire situation was one of puts and takes, bitter and sweet, tragedy and joy.
Just like life.
And just like life, one could choose to focus on the ugliness, which some of the deities certainly had, or focus on the good. In the end, people and gods simply chose what they wanted to see, which is why it took them five entire hours to come to a decision.
“Zac and Cimil, please rise before us for sentencing.”
The two moved to the middle of the floor.
Penelope took a regret-filled breath. “Zac, we recognize that you were ruled by emotions, and that love can make us do crazy things. But your deceit and betrayal of your brother, and of me, cannot be ignored. I only hope that your punishment helps you see that love isn’t about getting what you want at all costs, but giving everything of yourself for the happiness of the other. Love is selfless and hard, but it is never selfish and never justifies risking the life of an innocent child. Zac, for your crimes, we sentence you to banishment. Your powers will be neutralized, and you will live in the human world until we see you’ve truly learned the meaning of love.”
Zac stared straight ahead without the slightest reaction. Penelope wasn’t at all surprised. He was too proud to show any sign of weakness.
“Cimil, your acts of cruelty and disregard for the feelings of others are unspeakable. Yet we are also grateful to you for all that you have done for everyone. I hope you fully appreciate how gracious we are being because of this.” She paused for a moment. “You are also, hereby, stripped of your powers and sentenced to live in the human world.”
Penelope looked at them both. “It seems you both need to learn a lesson about empathy and selflessness. You will remain in the human world until we feel that you’ve evolved.”
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