by Brey Willows
The building they were standing on began to rock and tremble, and those who could took to the air, while the others braced themselves against the earthquake.
“Rūaumoko. It figures he’d find a way to join that group. He’s been on the edge of fading from the Maori system for years.” Zed’s skin was crackling with electricity.
Meg looked around, energized by the drama unfolding around them and ready to jump in somehow. It felt like the eclipse was lasting forever, and she wondered if Dis could actually slow the movement of the cosmos, given that was where she’d spent most of her time. The building rumbled harder, and this time there were more screams and terror as the buildings beside and behind them began to crumble.
“Look!” Alec pointed at the street.
Humans were being ushered out a well-hidden door in the side of the wall, flanked by the gods who had gone to save them. The cameras were turned their way, and reporters began shouting questions as soon as everyone was within range.
The ground shook harder this time, and the gods on the street quickly rejoined the gods on the rooftop.
“There are many dead. I think we reached all those who aren’t already on the road to the afterlife.” God sounded deeply grieved, and Ama gently put her arm around his shoulders.
Dani turned to Meg. “We need to do something quickly. Humans are dying all around us.”
“Maybe I can help?” Poseidon and Reef made their way onto the rooftop, looking utterly out of place with their shiny scales and gills.
“Do it,” Zed said, clearly not bothered how his brother planned to do so.
“I’ll burst all the pipes and cause the underground rivers and wells to surge into the building. No self-respecting cloud god, secondary or not, wants to rule from the water.”
Meg heard the slight bitterness in his voice and hoped it wouldn’t be a thing now. Later, she’d gladly sit back and watch that particular fight, but for now, they needed to work together. “I’m not sure that will work. Not while we have humans in there, even if they’re the ones working for Dis. There are already plenty of dead in there, and more are going to die. We shouldn’t go full force until we don’t have a choice. We need to keep them safe, while disabling their gods. And we need to do it before the eclipse is over.”
“Easy, right?” Selene rolled her eyes and pushed deeper against Alec’s wing, wrapped around her to keep the rain off.
“In the old days, we wouldn’t have cared about casualties. We’d have done what we needed to do and let the humans clean up the mess.” Poseidon crossed his arms and looked out at the Vatican.
“I’m afraid it’s no longer the old days, my friend,” Dani said as she moved to stand beside him. “We’re lucky Dis didn’t think through the fact that most of the gods’ weapons are handheld. Swords and hammers aren’t going to do much good from a distance.”
“No, but the spears and arrows can. We saw them in action when empires were busy rising and falling, and they’re no joke.” Meg stared down at the reporters below, an idea forming.
Dis appeared on the remains of the wall across from them. “You should simply step down, you know. Let us do what we want to do. Then pick up the pieces. That’s what humans have come to expect from you anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Selene asked in her usual calm, contemplative way.
Dis barely glanced at her. “Humans pray, and few get answered the way they’re hoping to. Bad things happen, and there’s usually a god to give some semblance of hope or consolation, though it’s almost always after the fact.” She looked pointedly at Jesus, who just glowered back at her. “And since you can’t help them with the big stuff like disease, weather issues, or war, they’ve come to rely on you more out of habit than true belief.”
“Your seeds of doubt won’t work here, Chaos.” Alec moved in front of Selene, and Tis and Meg moved up beside her. “You’ve started a war you can’t finish.”
Dis’s laughter was harsh and loud. Meg wanted to punch her, hard.
“You think I care who wins? Look around you. Gods are fighting gods, and it’s being broadcast all over the world. Who will humans follow when this is over? When the eclipse is done, and the building is in ruins with new gods inside, all they’ll see is how weak the old gods were, and they’ll turn to the ones who have taken what they wanted. The sun will shine on the victors and highlight the weak. And the best part is that humans are going to die regardless. Fight, and they’ll die. Don’t fight, and they’ll still die. I’ve rid the planet of some of the excess, and they’ll turn on each other once they’ve watched their chosen gods perish or flee. You lose no matter which way you turn, and the planet gets to breathe a little easier. Isn’t it delicious?”
Her laughter echoed in the darkness as she disappeared once again.
* * *
Dani felt the deaths of the humans around her. She felt their fear, their cries for help, and most of all, their desire for life. If more humans were going to die because they were standing on this rooftop, then they needed to move. But if they moved, and Dis’s crew targeted this area anyway, they wouldn’t be able to shield the humans at all. “What if we take the fight inside?”
“Go on?” Zed said.
“If we lessen the reach of the target, there will be fewer casualties around us. Make them focus on us right in front of them, and maybe they won’t have a chance to get to the humans. The media will see us moving in, actively trying to help, instead of standing by and waiting.”
“It’s not a bad idea. And when the three of us get close enough, we can work to stop the gods who are misbehaving.” Tis shook her wings free of water and gave Kera an apologetic look when she accidently showered her.
“I want to try something before we do that.” Meg took Dani’s hand and looked at Poseidon. “Come with me?”
She led them down the stairs and out onto the street. She marched straight to a female reporter with long blond hair and intense blue eyes. She looked vaguely familiar, but Dani couldn’t place her. When the three of them stopped in front of her, Dani was impressed she didn’t step back, though no one would have blamed her if she had; it wasn’t every day the god of the sea, the god of death, and a fury in full form came over to talk to you. Cameras kept rolling all around them, and the tension in the air was heavy.
“Madison Ford. It’s nice to meet you.” Meg stuck out her hand and Madison shook it, though now she did look slightly bemused. “How would you feel about exclusive access to this story? We’d like you to come to the rooftop with us.”
There were some grumbles and protests from the other reporters around them, but no one dared step forward to voice them clearly. Now Dani recognized the reporter. She’d won major prizes for her work on human rights in other countries, and the fact that she was covering this story made Dani incredibly sad.
“Lead the way,” she said and motioned for her cameraman to follow. He didn’t look nearly as enthused as she did.
“Great. But first, I have something to say.” Every camera focused on Meg as she turned to the bevy of reporters. “The gods who have taken over the Vatican do not represent you, nor are they representative of the rest of us. The Pope is alive and with God, and they’re discussing a way forward. But know this…” She looked into each of the cameras individually. “We are not here to fight. We want peace, which is what we’ve always wanted, and what your gods have been talking to you about over the past year.” She gave one of her sweetest smiles, one that hid her fangs. “Please don’t come down here. I know it seems exciting, and there’s something very Marvel versus DC about it all, but we’re begging you to stay where you are until we announce that it’s over.”
She turned away and headed back into the building. Poseidon followed, then the reporter and cameraman, then Dani. She wondered why Meg had asked her and Poseidon to accompany her, rather than Zed or her sisters. Or even Kera, who, as a well-known human, might have carried some weight. But she trusted Meg’s instincts, and she’d follow her right to t
he end of the line if need be. More distressing were the souls left waiting in the buildings around her. They were confused and frightened. But Dani didn’t want her Sundo caught between gods lobbing their powers at one another like angry toddlers with grenades. Mentally, she contacted Idona and told her to help with evacuation the moment she and the others had entered the Vatican. Death didn’t wait for anyone, but maybe this time it could be actively delayed by death’s workers.
Meg led them all back to the roof, and Madison stumbled a bit when faced with the group of multi-limbed, colorful-skinned gods waiting in the heavy rain. Dani placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to steady her and was gratified when instead of pulling away in fear, Madison gave her a grateful smile. When she turned back to face the rest, Dani saw the expression of determination on her face and knew Meg had chosen well. Big surprise there.
“Everyone, Madison Ford, journalist extraordinaire. Madison, everyone not on the other team.” Meg waved in both directions to indicate who she was talking about. “Madison is going to show people what we’re doing up here, and why.” She turned to Dani and smiled. “I can’t think of a better god to start with than Death.”
Dani winced inwardly. She’d have liked to watch the other gods talk first, but she wasn’t going to balk at the first hurdle. She nodded and moved to Madison’s side.
“What’s going on here? What do I call you, first?”
Dani let the powers Kanaloa had helped her refine flow through her and felt the cool spread of them run through her. She lifted her chin and looked at Madison. “You can call me Dani, but officially I’m known as Death. I’m goddess to some, but I’m caretaker of everyone when their time comes.”
Madison stared at her for a moment but cleared her throat and carried on. “Okay. Dani it is. What’s going on? What’s happened inside the Vatican?”
God rumbled, and Madison looked toward him. When she seemed to realize who he was she swallowed almost audibly, and Dani felt her fear rising. She touched her shoulder to get her to focus. “There’s a being inside who has been making trouble for pretty much the entire world. Her ancient name is Dis, though most people would recognize her as Chaos. She’s been the source of many people’s angst and frustration about their belief systems, and today she’s gathered several gods who feel underappreciated, or who want more power, to stand against the gods who are well known and beloved.” It sounded strangely succinct and far too simple, but that really was the gist of it. Except for the bits about humans’ brains turning to mush and doubts causing the gods to fade…
“Gods fighting gods. Does this mean some kind of deity-based civil war?”
As if in answer, a flash of silver flew through the sky, only to separate into individual arrows when they hit the building, causing yet more of it to disintegrate around them. The humans on the roof were thrown to their knees, though the gods kept their footing. Dani reached out to help Madison and her cameraman up, though she noticed him flinch away from her touch.
Meg moved to her side, as did Alec and Tis. Selene and Kera moved forward as well, while Zed, Poseidon, and Ama hovered behind them. The rest of the gods created an outward facing ring around them, watching for incoming attacks. Meg took over talking.
“Sadly, it appears that way. But here’s the thing.” She pointed over her shoulder at the gods behind her. “They’re fighting for the humans. For their choice. For their lives. For their freedom to move freely through the world. The gods on this rooftop, as well as those who are out taking care of their communities right now, care about the humans who pray to them.” She pointed dramatically at the Vatican, which was now partially illuminated by the returning sun. “Those gods care about being worshipped. They want you to fear them, they want to control where you go and who you pray to. They don’t care about you as people. They want to go back to the old ways, where people in particular locations didn’t have the right to choose who they wanted to pray to. They want your fear, not your respect.”
Selene stepped forward. “The gods on this roof are fighting for you. All of you, whether you believe or not. Because for them, that’s what belief and faith are about. Taking care of humans who pray is something they all have to do. The ones in the Vatican have gone against those sacred tenets, and the gods who care for you can’t allow that to happen.” She spoke clearly and firmly in front of the camera. She was a well-known face on TV, and her word on this would be invaluable.
This time the sky lit up, and as the ground shook beneath them, arrows and spears came flying through the air like deadly slivers of brutal rain. Rock and mortar flew to pieces, dust filled the air, and cries of pain and terror bounced off twisted metal and rock as massive chunks of the building exploded around them. The eclipse was nearing its end, and the gods were no nearer to stopping Dis and her desperate disciples. Dani knelt and stared at the returning sun, wondering how they were going to make it in time. Everything around her felt like it was in slow motion, the people she cared most about in the world lost in a haze of dust and smoke.
“Fight back!” Zed yelled.
The world turned right again, sound roaring back in, the shouts of those around her filling the air. The lights were too bright to look at as the fighting gods did exactly as Zed told them to. The pacifist gods, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and Fin, formed a protective barrier in front of the humans. There were going to be casualties inside the Vatican, and Dani could only hope those humans with Humanity First, as well as those who had joined them in a strange coalition, had gone in knowing they wouldn’t come back out. Lightning bolts, waves of water, and their own sets of arrows and bolts of power were pounding against the Vatican. The Dome began to buckle, and with a last furious throw of lightning, Zed managed to collapse it. Vatican City fell to rubble and ruin, the limbs of marble statues sticking out grotesquely beside the bodies of those who’d chosen the wrong side. The gods who’d fought against their primaries had lost, and there was no trace of them through the clouds of dust.
Dani let the tears fall as she felt the death count rising. But when she heard Alec’s scream, followed by Tis’s howl, bile rose in her throat. She knew before she turned around what she would find.
Alec knelt in the dust and rubble, cradling Selene’s limp, bloody body in her arms. She screamed her agony and fury, her pain radiating out from her in waves of anguish, her body heaving with sobs as her tears fell onto Selene’s still chest.
Tis, too, knelt beside Kera, who had an ugly piece of metal sticking out of her leg, though she was still unmercifully conscious. The stream of inventive profanity coming from her would have been funny in a situation less life and death. Ama rushed over and placed her hand over Kera’s eyes, putting her to sleep before she pulled the metal from Kera’s leg and quickly placed her hands over the pumping wound. Within moments, the bleeding had stopped, and the wound had closed.
Meg stood beside Dani, her shock evident. “I knew they shouldn’t have come. I should’ve made them stay behind.”
Dani wrapped her arm around Meg’s shoulders and pulled her close. “You know as well as I do the Fates have a hand in every life, especially those involved with Afterlife. They came because they were meant to.”
Meg turned to Dani with flames in her eyes, her snakes hissing in her feathers, and her fangs fully extended. “We need to end this. Now.” She turned to the other gods on the roof. “Find any gods who might be in the rubble and see if there are any humans you can help. Call in your secondaries if you can. Send paramedics to the wounded.” She turned to Dani. “Ready?”
Dani nodded, understanding. She let her full power flow through her, drawing it into her like a tsunami hitting shore. She wrapped her arms around Meg from behind and held on as Meg flew into the ruins of Vatican City.
Chapter Twenty-three
Meg did her best to block off her sister’s pain, though it pounded against her head and heart. Rage like she’d never experienced suffused every inch of her being, and she was going to put the bitch down any way she could.
They landed at the edge of the rubble, and Dani let go of her, only to take her hand once she was beside her. Her cool touch grounded her, at least a little bit, and she was grateful for it. When someone appeared at her shoulder, she started.
Tis looked as serious and grim as she felt. “Kera’s with Ama. You two aren’t doing this alone.”
Alec landed beside Dani. Her eyes were pools of wet tar, and she was trembling. Her snakes were wrapped around her arms, awake and hissing, fangs bared. “And you’re sure as fuck not doing it without me.”
Meg’s snakes hissed along with those of her sisters as they entered the building. Frescoes once stunning and colorful lay in muted shards. Religious relics lay in mangled pieces beside equally mangled bodies. They stepped over and around them, searching.
“Are we sure she’s here?” Tis asked.
“I can feel her. She’s here.” Meg was certain, and she wasn’t about to question where the knowledge came from. Not now, not ever again.
Everyone followed Meg down long, empty corridors that were usually filled to the brim with tourists. Now they echoed with the hissing of snakes and the sounds of rubble under their feet. It was a silence Meg knew she’d never forget.
Meg focused and knew exactly where to go. Down a set of stone stairs and yet another, they reached the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, which, probably thanks to its special place below the palace, was largely untouched. Meg had watched Michelangelo and Botticelli paint the Sistine Chapel, and to see it here, untouched among the ruins but housing the foulest creature in existence, made her skin crawl.
Dis sat alone on one of the far benches, staring up at the ceiling, looking calm and contemplative. Meg wanted to rip her throat out but stopped when Dani took her hand.