Votan ran his hands through his long hair. “Gods, what is happening?” And why was no one calling in? This was the fifth day in a row. Granted, everyone was out in the field, helping to round up flipped immortals, but they still needed to set aside two minutes to touch base.
We’re never going to win this war. He sank down into his chair and whooshed out a long breath. He didn’t care one little bit about himself, but his children deserved better. His wife deserved better. Humans deserved better. But immortals were going mad, burning down buildings, going on killing sprees, shoplifting. In the south, a group of vampires had wiped out entire cities of red wine. A very mean thing to do. The incubi, though there weren’t very many left in this plane of existence, had been poking tiny holes in condoms at every drugstore they could find. And just this morning, there were reports that the sex fairies had taken over Twitter and started a negative campaign against the gods. The worst part was, all that negativity was overflowing and catching on in the human world. People were growing more and more agitated by the day. Overnight, the world had turned into a vat of rage.
How did this happen? In his mind, looking back over seventy thousand years, humankind had been on the verge of a major breakthrough. In the last hundred years, incredible progress and change had been made—medicine, access to education, equality in the laws, equality in people’s hearts, the quality of life, personal transportation. People were waking up and finally beginning to understand that the only thing that could save them was love, respect, and compassion. But those alone weren’t enough. Self-determination, the ability to carve out one’s place in the world, was paramount. Being free to make your own destiny was…was…well, it was fucking fantastic!
How did he know this?
Because the gods had been evolving, too, forced to keep up with the flock they were meant to protect. This very recent chapter of enlightenment in humankind’s story had sparked a massive revolution among him and his brethren. For the first time ever, they were sharing powers with mortals, opening their hearts to love, and having families. They themselves had begun to see that the gods were not put on this earth to be obeyed and worshipped for their beauty and perfection, though they were beautiful and he was perfect. The gods were here to prevent certain evil humans from destroying the world while they went through their ideological childhood. That was, after all, where humans were in the grand scheme of things. It had taken millions of years to get them out of the caves and to form societies. It would take tens of thousands of years for them to evolve and reach their full potential. If they survive the transition to adolescence.
In a matter of weeks, love had been replaced by hate. Fear had replaced hope. People were suddenly focused on the past instead of the future. They were blind to all the good in the world.
But alas, he could do little now, other than stand back and allow destiny to play out. His plan of rounding up the afflicted immortals was failing. Fact was, his small group of mated “soldiers” were no match for the hordes of vampires, demigods, and other creatures provoking mayhem.
We’re finished. And the sad part was, the Universe was behind it.
“Votan?” A sweet soft voice spoke behind him. He turned his head to see his red-haired beauty wearing an emerald green dress. His favorite dress. “Emma? What are you doing here? Where are the children?”
She beamed up at him. “With the sitter.”
“You left them in New York?” That was their usual home base. Emma grew up there.
“No. They’re in your bungalow here in the compound.” She toggled her head. “My big strong deity needed us, so here we are.” She stared up at him with her dark green eyes. “I could sense your turmoil.”
He nodded solemnly. There were no secrets between them, their bond was too strong. He should have known he wasn’t going to be able to spare her from this.
“It’s bad, isn’t it? The plague is getting worse,” she asked quietly.
“Worse than bad. I see no way to win.” Which was why he wanted to say so many things to her, starting with all of the regrets and pain he’d caused when they first met. Along with most of his brethren, he had been trapped in a cenote by those evil Mayan priests, the Maaskab. Decades went by, and then one day, from the watery depths of his prison, he heard a baby cry. A freakin’ baby.
Why? he’d asked. Why was he able to hear this child who was of no use to him or his brethren in terms of being freed? He figured it was just another of the Universe’s sick jokes. Until the day he heard the child’s first laugh. It was a special magic that luminated his soul. Then he heard her first words, felt her first crush and heartbreak, and experienced everything else in between. And when she became a woman, he began to sense who she truly was. Not a child. Not a weak human. But his mate. Okay, it actually took him a while to accept it because she was so feisty, and he really didn’t like her smart mouth. Eventually, though, he fell in love.
Since then, he and Emma had been through so much. Wars, near deaths, breakups, makeups, loss, and the joy of children. Emma always said that she’d never meant to fall for him, that it was an accident, but he knew; they were destined to be together.
“I love you, woman.”
Emma’s pale cheeks blushed. “Oh, stop it. You know I hate it when you call me that.” She grinned.
“But you are, you know. My woman. Now and forever. No matter what.”
She frowned with confusion. “Why are you talking like that?”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Like this is the end.”
He swallowed down the truth, the cold hard reality that had been rearing its ugly head deep inside his gut. He was talking like this because it very well might be the end, and there was nothing the gods could do.
Perhaps humans and immortal-kind would continue on. Perhaps not. But deep inside he knew that the gods had outlived their usefulness. And, as anyone who knew the Universe would tell you, everything in existence must have a purpose. A place.
The gods were about to be retired. For good. They’d served their purpose.
Which meant the path the world and humans were on was their own. War. Hate. Rage. Destruction. The end. Or they could choose something else. To fight for love. To see the goodness in life and foster every speck of joy they could find. Whatever they chose, it was up to them. The gods had merely been a seventy-thousand-year-old set of training wheels, and those wheels were coming off.
That’s what this plague is about. The Universe was forcing the issue. People had to choose. Love or hate. Survival or destruction. And it was up to them. Free will and all that.
“Guy? I don’t like that look on your face. You’re scaring me,” Emma said. Guy was the name she’d given him long ago when she could hear his voice in her head and thought she was going mad. He’d refused to tell her his true name for fear she might research him and find out he was nothing but a poor forgotten god trapped somewhere in the Mayan jungle by a bunch of evil priests. He had not wanted to appear weak in front of her.
Votan hugged her tightly. “No need for worry, my sweet. All will be well.”
“You promise?” She pulled away and stared up at him with the same adoration he’d witnessed when they met. Did she have any idea how special she made him feel?