by Brey Willows
Whatever was to transpire, Dis was fine with the outcome. She wanted to bathe in the destruction and chaos, and then she’d leave them to do whatever it was they would do with the remaining humans. She’d likely be called back repeatedly, but that wasn’t at all problematic. It would keep things interesting for a little while, anyway.
Angie strode up beside her, her coat pulled tight against the early morning chill. Though her expression was determined, Dis could sense her simmering fear and concern for those following her.
“There’s been a development. Last night I got a call to meet a train. There were a hundred more people who wanted to join us. It’s a weird mix of believers who are disgruntled and want to see the gods suffer, believers who think they’re fighting for the gods they believe in, and a few more non-believers who are more in line with Humanity First’s ethos and just want to see the gods gone.”
Dis considered the information. “That means we have enough people to enter the Vatican today.”
Angie squinted at the gods lining the porticoes. “Looks like you got a few more recruits too.”
“Indeed. It seems we’re ready to begin. We’ve dealt with the police force here as well as with the Swiss Guard. They’re currently…immobilized by the power of the gods, and they won’t be there to stop you. Our gods will break the doors so your people can enter. As I said before, we can’t go straight in, but once our believers outnumber their believers, we have right of entry. Have your people remove any obstacles in their way until they reach the inner sanctum. Particularly with regard to the believers. Take the Pope hostage and bring him to the roof. When you’ve cleared the majority of the believers, open the doors and invite us in. From there, we’ll see how things play out.”
Angie looked at her incredulously. “That’s a pretty shit plan. I was going to ask if your gods would protect my people when things go sideways, but I think I know the answer.” She turned and walked away, her shoulders hunched.
Dis smiled when the sounds of destruction began a short time later. Angie’s people, all armed, ran in and the shouts started seconds later. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the fear emanating from the building. And it begins.
She raised her arms and addressed the gods surrounding her, her voice echoing off the ostentatious marble all around them. “Today is the day you say no more. No more kowtowing to your sky gods. No more bowing and scraping, no more waiting for your place at the front. Today you fight back and take what is yours by right. When the others arrive, the world will change. When the sun shows its face once more, be sure you are the ones it shines on. Fight well, and show your worshippers you are the gods they need, the gods they’ll follow into the fire. Make the world bow to you.”
A roar of support greeted her words and various powers lit the sky. Too easy. Made in the image of man, they share man’s propensity for jealousy and destruction. She shook her head and went to find a place where she could watch things unfold.
* * *
“This has to be the weirdest shit ever.” Kera sat beside Tis on the private plane and looked around.
Meg grinned, following her line of thought. Gods of every color and shape were arrayed throughout the cabin. Some with animal heads, some with several limbs, a few with tails that were occasionally in the aisle and getting stepped on. Confucius was busy writing his new texts, constantly crossing through things and struggling for simplicity. He’d come along to provide wisdom, should they need it, since he wasn’t technically a god. Durga and her eight arms took up two seats, and Hades sat beside her talking about a new restaurant he’d set up in the underworld. Azrael and Jesus were involved in an intense game of chess. Yama and Buddha were discussing a new philosophy text, and Fin and Freya kept sneaking off to the bathroom together. Although she knew Kera was seeing it from the human point of view, she agreed it was weird to see so many religious leaders gathered together outside the office. Italy was nearing, and everyone was getting geared up for the coming confrontation, though no one was certain what it would entail. Some primary gods had chosen to stay with their followers, wanting to be in place to protect them should things go badly. Assistant gods, like Zeus’s kids, had stayed behind for similar reasons. Though it was doubtful anything would happen to their dad, he wasn’t taking chances on leaving the leadership empty. Ares had been particularly unhappy about it, and as the god of war, he would have been useful, but war was what they were trying to avoid, and he had a tendency to push things into explosive territory.
She and Dani had spent a glorious night together, fucking into the early hours of the morning and making use of several of the toys Meg had forgotten she owned. When Meg had left to catch her flight with the others, Dani had headed back to the Deadlands to talk to Idona about her conversation with Poseidon and to plan for potential casualties in Italy. Although Meg wished she was on the plane, she understood that Dani had responsibilities Meg could barely comprehend. Dani would meet them in Rome as soon as possible.
Selene looked tired and distracted as she leaned against Alec.
Once again, Meg’s intuition told her that Kera and Selene shouldn’t be there, but she couldn’t voice why, and she knew neither of them would listen to her anyway, not with the stakes so high. Something about the solar eclipse made it feel extra important Selene should be home in bed, curled up with one of her wordy books. She looked at Alec when she nudged her with boot.
“You’re awfully quiet, worm face,” Alec said to Meg with a concerned smile. “Don’t tell me Dani actually exhausted you into silence.”
Meg threw a peanut at her. “Did you know Reef and Poseidon are still together? And is it possible for a fury to have an allergy to rubber? Because let me tell you, that new toy has made me itch—”
Tis stuck her fingers in her ears. “Way too early for that kind of information, Sis.”
Kera leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her hands under her chin. “I disagree completely. Do tell.”
The ding of the seat belt sign coming on stopped the conversation, and Meg winked at Kera. “Remind me later.”
Zed stood at the front of the plane and motioned for attention. “Listen up, everyone. We’re not sure what we’ll face when we get to the Vatican, but we know it won’t be good. Be on your guard, and watch one another’s backs. Any information you get, pass on.” He looked at Meg and then at her sisters. “We all know what might need to happen, and if it comes to that, stay out of the way, and let them do what they need to.”
Suddenly, God stood, hitting his head against the ceiling but not seeming to notice. “They’re in the Vatican. They’ve already killed several Cardinals. I’m trying to tell the others to get out, but they can’t hear me over their fear.”
Meg could tell he was watching the action play out even though he was there with them, and he looked truly distraught. The plane bumped down on the runway, and as soon as it stopped, the gods leapt from both exits, not bothering with stairs. Meg was one of the first to get off, and her relief at seeing Dani waiting on the tarmac was instant.
Dani raised her hand and shouted loud enough for everyone to hear her. “I’m opening a road to just outside the Vatican. There are a large number of dead inside and more dying. I don’t know where the gods on the other side are positioned, but I can tell you there are more than we expected. When you come off my road, be prepared for anything.” She waved, the road opened, and the plethora of Pantone gods made their way toward the unknown.
“Go team!” Meg murmured and took Dani’s hand as they walked behind the other gods. The road was short, and she could see the strangely dimmed light at the end of it already. The eclipse was in progress. She stopped and turned to Dani. “Whatever happens—”
Dani put her finger over Meg’s lips. “Whatever happens, we’ll be there together at the end.”
Meg swallowed the confession. Emotional outpourings during climactic scenes were so clichéd. She’d save it for a less tense moment, like while eating a salad on a random Tuesday. “
I was just going to say that no matter what happens, I still want to try having sex on a hammock again.”
Dani’s smile was gentle, and Meg didn’t think she was fooled.
“Perfect.”
They turned at the same time when a thunderous crash sounded ahead of them as the first gods emerged from the road. Meg leapt into the air and flew over the gods still making their way to the opening. Below her, the gods had their weapons of choice ready, some glowing, some not, all looking deadly. At the entrance, she landed and spread her wings to block the others from coming out. A massive piece of the stone wall surrounding the Vatican lay in front of her, and all she could see sticking out from beneath it was a pair of hooves. She looked to her left and saw several gods using the entryway of an apartment building for cover from more debris hurtling through the air at them. Stone crashed against stone, and the screams from the humans around them permeated the air. She saw a herd of humans running down the side street, but some fell as yet more stone hurtled from the sky.
Zed pushed aside her wings and looked out. “Bastards. All of them. They deserve to stew in oil in every hell ever created.”
Meg took a deep breath and felt her intuition rise. “We need to get to that building, over there.” She pointed at a particularly tall apartment building facing the Basilica. “We’ll empty it of humans and use it as a base. From the top, we should be able to see inside without trapping ourselves within the city itself.”
Zed turned and told the rest what to do while Meg flew to the gods who’d taken shelter and told them where to go. She flew into the darkening sky and did her best to hide them from view as they ran down the street and into the building. She looked down at the road and saw Kera, Selene, Dani, Alec, and Tis waiting in the doorway. She landed in front of them.
“I don’t know why, but I can’t open another road into the building. It could be that one of the gods has managed to put up blocks of some kind.” Dani shrugged, looking frustrated.
“Then we carry Kera and Selene and fly hell for leather to the building. I’ll take you,” Meg said.
Without any further discussion, Selene climbed onto Alec’s back, Kera climbed onto Tis’s, and Dani wrapped herself around Meg.
“Stay low and try to stay near the wall. Cross over at the last second.” Meg pushed off the ground and heard her sisters do the same. They made it to the building just as a massive stone crashed into the pavement beside them. Two gods inside opened the doors to let them in and quickly shut them again behind them.
Kera brushed herself off. “No offense, babe, but the next time I ride your back like that, I hope it’s under different circumstances.”
Meg followed the rest of the group up the stairs to the rooftop, where the rest of the gods were waiting after having sent mental messages throughout the building to evacuate. Dani stood beside her but looked a million miles away.
Suddenly, God turned and sprinted back into the building without a word.
Dani said, “The Pope and a few Cardinals made it through some old underground escape tunnels to the back of the city. He’s going to get them.”
“Not alone.” Ama turned and went after him, quickly followed by Mohammed.
Meg looked out over the Vatican wall. “Who are those gods? Why don’t I recognize them? And why haven’t they ever come to one of my parties?”
Selene stood on a chair to see what the non-humans saw. “They’re almost all lesser gods belonging to the various pantheons. Although I see an angel or two in there as well, and I think a few of the Vodun variety are playing. Horus and Osiris are there, and Anubis is guarding the gate.”
“And that explains why they don’t go to your parties, and why we don’t know them. Lesser gods are usually left behind to do the bulk of the work, but they never get credit. And the Egyptian gods have always kept mostly to themselves.” Tis sheltered Kera with her wing when a blue bolt of energy sizzled a bit of the rooftop in front of them.
Zed’s thunder shook the building, and his lightning bolt electrified the air. “I won’t stand for it. The hierarchy is there for a reason. This happened before, when my own kids tried to tell me I was outdated. I showed them, and I’ll show these bastards too.”
“Look.” Selene pointed at the ground far below, where several news vans had pulled up. Within moments, reporters were swarming the area, their cameras pointed at the rooftops. Police sirens wailed and military vehicles poured into the area. When the Vatican walls shattered in front of them, even the heavily armed guards took cover. Screams of pain and fear filled the air.
The God, Ama, Mohammed, and the Pope joined them on the rooftop. The Pope’s white frock was covered in dirt, and a long cut on the side of his face dripped blood onto the front. Meg wondered how it felt to be rescued by the god you prayed to in such a literal fashion. That his mind hadn’t melted into Dis’s little black strings suggested his faith was absolute. Maybe he’d even expected it.
Tis turned to him, and Meg nearly laughed out loud when he took a step back. They were all in their natural forms, and although he’d just been saved by not one, but three different deities, the sight of a full-blown fury was obviously more terrifying. She didn’t bother to analyze why she liked it.
“Have they taken control?” Tis asked him.
“I was in the last vault, leading to the tunnels, when I saw them come in. They weren’t shooting at everyone, though. They seemed only to aim for religious leaders. Some lay people have been spared, though they remain trapped inside.” He bowed his head. “Thanks to God.”
God patted his shoulder in acknowledgment.
“We’re out of time,” Zed said.
They all turned toward the Vatican, where the tops of the walls had all been crushed or blown to bits, allowing them a direct view into the city. The moon covered the sun completely, and the gangrene sky looked like it was holding its breath.
Dis stood on the Dome, an array of multicolored gods around her. She waved like she was greeting someone at a picnic. “Nice of you to come!” Her voice carried across the distance easily, echoing against the stone and marble around her, reflecting the empty feeling of the blocked sun. “Feel free to join us!”
Thunder rumbled, and the sky darkened. Zed raised his thunderbolt. “We’ll send you back to where you belong, and we’ll deal with those who dared join you.”
Dani touched his arm to stop him. “She’ll be gone from that space before your bolt gets there, and you’ll just end up destroying the building.”
Her laughter reached across the space like an oil slick leading to an inferno. “I’ll have to finish this conversation later. It seems I’ve been invited to lunch.” She disappeared from the Dome, only to reappear at the huge gold doors of the Basilica, which were slowly being pushed open from the inside. Armed people stood aside as a woman strode out to meet Dis.
She appeared to say something. Dis turned to the gods following her. “Why yes, I believe we’d love to come in.”
Rain fell from the sky in sheets and lightning cracked the black clouds above them as Meg and the others watched the gods below file into the venerated building.
“That’s mine!” God grew and glowed, looking like the all-powerful being he was meant to be. He raised his hands as though to throw his power at the building.
Meg looked down and saw the multitude of cameras pointed their way. “Stop! Do anything that brings down the building and you’ll kill the innocents they haven’t. You’ll play right into their hands.”
“Not to mention kill your own believers, which won’t do much for our cause. They want you to attack your own building and have the world see you as a monster.” Dani was glowing, her eyes dark pools.
He shifted back into his normal godly size, his expression showing his rage. “Then what do we do?”
“Go get them.” Confucius stood staring at the building. “Quickly and as quietly as you can. A few of us can go with you. We’ll get the innocents out ourselves, right now.”
Meg nod
ded, glad they’d brought him along for this quick thoughtfulness devoid of normal godly ego. “They’re expecting a visible assault. But if you go in and get the ones you can, and leave them on the sidewalk with the media before you come back up here, it will serve two purposes.”
God didn’t need to be told twice. Ama, Jesus, Buddha, and Fin followed him down the stairs.
When Meg saw them on the sidewalk, she turned to Zed and Hades. “Let’s provide a distraction.”
Zed grinned and threw a bolt of lightning into the air that exploded like a firework, raining down smaller bolts on the Basilica. Durga raised her bow and let fly several arrows, while Azrael sent flames climbing over the porticoes. Hades raised his hands, and screaming shadows threw themselves against St. Peter’s doors.
Meg’s pulse raced and her heart beat so hard she thought it might pop out of her chest. Although she and her sisters could send their mists and snakes into the building, without being able to see, they couldn’t be certain they’d avoid innocents.