Somewhere far away...
Two brothers walked side by side out of a great hall. One could tell they were awakened gods by their auras; one glowed a deep ocean blue, while the younger was a pale, ghost-like azure. The former was muscular, but dressed casually, with an open Hawaiian shirt and shorts. His brother was a bit scrawnier, but dressed nicely. His dark shoes clicked loudly with every step he took on the white marble.
As they began to descend a staircase lined by unlit torches and crumbling pillars, the pale brother suddenly stopped. His companion paused as well. “What now?” He asked, slightly annoyed.
“Something’s not right,” he said, looking around. “There’s something else here - some powerful presence.”
His dark brother snorted. “You just walked out of the council of the gods,” he pointed out. “I don’t know how much more power you’re looking for.”
The pale god shook his head. “No, it’s one singular presence. One really powerful god, or other divine...” he trailed off as he looked up at a pillar. His brother followed his gaze, and was a little surprised to find someone sitting atop the pillar. Someone he hadn’t seen in a very long time.
The goddess smiled down at them, her fiery aura almost blinding to look at because of how powerful she was. “Ah, I was wondering when someone would notice me,” she said airily, swinging her black hair over her shoulder. Her bronzed skin and exotic features shone brightly with reflected sunlight, making her that much harder to see. For a moment, she leaned forward, trying to get a good look at the two. “Although I must say, I was hoping for your brother... your other brother, that is.”
Both gods were unsure how to react. The darker one eventually cleared his throat. “So, uh, what brings you to Olympus? Don’t see you around here often... or ever, really.”
Instead of responding immediately, the goddess suddenly moved forward and slid off the pillar, falling gracefully through the air. A moment before hitting the ground, she spread her arms, revealing two shining wings, and slowed to the point where she was able to make a picture perfect landing. “If you miss me so much, you’re welcome to come visit,” she said instead of giving a straight answer. “It gets lonely.”
The dark god shifted on his feet uncomfortably. “How’s your son?” He asked awkwardly, trying to avoid a long silence.
“Oh, he’s doing wonderfully. His training is coming along nicely, all things considered.” She examined the two gods in front of her before settling on the dark one. “How about your wife?”
“She’s, uh...” he gulped. “Fine, I’m sure...”
His brother took this moment to butt into the conversation. “My wife is doing great,” He said while giving his brother a pointed look. “And I know because I pay attention to her. I actually care about her, unlike some people.” The dark brother glared at him.
The goddess, on the other hand, smiled at the ghost-like being. “Glad to hear it,” she said. For no apparent reason, she left it at that, instead taking a moment to admire her surroundings.
The dark brother crossed his arms. “Alright, spit it out,” he said, getting more and more irritated by the tricky goddess every second. “You didn’t come here for small talk, I’m sure.”
“No, I didn’t.” Her expression became more serious, and she crossed her feathered arms to match the ocean god. “I came here for help.”
The pale god’s eyes widened in shock, and his brother scoffed. “You, come to us for help! What is this, a joke?”
“Quite the opposite.” She straightened and gave the ocean god a stern look. “The gods of Idavoll have spoken again.”
This time, both brothers stood in stunned silence. “You’re sure?” The pale one asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
The goddess threw her arms in the air. “Why are you scared?” She asked almost angrily. “You Olympians can’t die!”
“Do you know how flooded the underworld was last time?!” He snapped. “Almost every soul on Earth was killed, and I had to give them a place to stay! To top it all off, they killed Garm! Do you know how hard it is to find guard dogs for the underworld? I had to settle for your demon snake, and he hardly does half the job of Cerberus.”
She raised her eyebrows a bit. “First of all, Apep is a god,” she corrected him. “Second, is devouring the souls not more efficient than keeping them all, and having them take up space?”
The god of the dead crossed his arms as well. “It’s my job to protect souls, not destroy them,” he said sourly. “Since most end up in Asphodel anyway, feeding the wicked to your snake god isn’t doing much to help the space situation. Not to mention that Apep is huge in himself...”
The goddess waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Regardless, I’m sure that you can agree that whatever is coming from Idavoll cannot be good. Correct?” Both gods nodded. “Exactly. Which is why I need your help. Not only do we have word from Idavoll, but to top it all off, their message was heralding the arrival of new gods. I need you to take care of them.”
The brothers stood in silence for a moment, their arms falling limply to their sides. “Just to be clear,” the ocean god began, “you want us to kill other gods?”
“Mmm... not exactly. I just want you to find a way to keep them out of trouble. Lock them up, or whatever petty punishments you Olympians do nowadays. Hang them from the sky with golden chains for all I care. If you must, then yes, kill them.”
The pale brother held a hand up. “Wait just a minute,” he said sternly. “It’s very difficult to keep gods in the underworld - hence why these... newcomers have managed to come back. And you want to put me in charge of even more? Containing them will be nearly impossible.”
“You’ve done a fine job of ‘containing’ my husband,” the goddess replied spitefully, anger lighting up her eyes. After taking a deep breath, she calmed down. “Look, I just want them kept out of the way before they destroy the world a second time. Is that too much for an old friend to ask?”
The ocean god paused. “Maybe,” he noted. “Shouldn’t you call a full council of the gods before deciding this?”
She clicked her tongue. “Desperate times, Poseidon,” she reminded him. “I’ve already consulted Ryujin and his eastern companions, and many agree that we need to nip the problem in the bud. I came here in hopes of gaining your brother’s approval, but perhaps you two will suffice.”
Poseidon and Hades exchanged a glance. “Alright,” the god of the sea decided after a moment, his brother nodding along with him. “We’ll do it.”
The goddess smiled, revealing her perfectly white teeth. “Perfect.”
“Cities including Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt showed a reduction in average levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide over March 5-25, compared with the same period last year, according to the Sentinel-5 satellite images. That coincides with lockdowns in many European countries which have curbed road transport – the largest source of nitrogen oxides - and slowed output at gas-emitting factories...”
Friday hardly registered the news coming over the TV as she flipped a pancake. Per usual, she was the one cooking breakfast on this fine morning, but she didn’t mind. She enjoyed cooking, and was quite good at it. This morning, she was making extra large batches of pancakes and sausage, hopefully enough to feed the entire household.
The sun was streaming brightly through a window. It was a two story house, but Friday spent most of her time downstairs, where an entire wall was made of windows overlooking the sea. Downstairs was where the kitchen was, along with the rooms devoted to things she might actually find herself doing. The only thing she did upstairs was sleep.
It was by no means early, but very few other gods were in or near the kitchen. Most were outside, watching various TVs, still sleeping, or who knows where. Since she had no idea what everyone was doing at the moment, Friday wondered how she would round everyone up once breakfast was ready.
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