"Everything'sfine. Just scolded my daughter for her prank," Nana lied smoothly.
"Remindme never to get scolded by you." She leaned over to me and whispered, "Thankyou." And then she kissed me on my head. It didn't go unnoticed by Nana,either. She smiled as Marge stood up. "So, keep the chop steak?"
"No.Give it to another customer," I told her.
"Can'tdo that. I'll chuck it," she answered.
"Healthcode?"
"Yeah.They get pissy when they find spit in people's food. Refills?"
Nanaand I stared at our plates, shaking our heads.
"Oh,don't worry. I like you two." She cackled and wandered off.
"Thatwoman scares me," Nana said deadpan.
"Youand me both."
∞∞ ∞
"So,what did you wish to talk about, Dorothea?" Nana took my arm as we exitedthe diner and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. After the incidentwith Mother, I had gotten sulky. I wasn't feeling guilty, but I regrettedstarting a fight. It had put me in an untalkative mood, and we'd never gottenaround to discussing why I had asked them to lunch in the first place.
Oneof the diner patrons walked out of the diner and practically shouldered me outof the way. "Fucking witches," he muttered under his breath.
Igripped Nana's outstretched hand and lowered it. He wasn't worth it, and afterthe show we put on in the diner, we didn't need to stand out any more than wealready had.
"Iwas just going to give him a pig tail."
"Saveit for the crowds bearing pitchforks."
Nanasighed but nodded. "Fine. So, what is it?"
"Comeon. Let's take a walk."
Armin arm, I lead her to the park in Central Square and finally parked us on aworn green park bench facing city hall. Staring at the stone architecture andbroken clock, I gathered my thoughts.
"Yousaw him."
"Who?"I asked out of reflex.
"Yourfather. I can see it on your face."
"You'repretty smart for an old bat."
"Dumbbats don't live long. How?"
"Heshowed up in my kitchen."
"Whatdid he say?"
"ThatI was a moron for even thinking about coming to rescue him. Then he forbade itand said goodbye. It felt, I don't know. Final?"
"Andyou sought our counsel on the feasibility of your plan?"
"Doyou think I should go through with it?"
"IfI thought you had a bat's ass chance in Hades of convincing Belenus to get youthere, I would. But she put him there, Granddaughter. I thought maybe we couldfind another guide to cross you through the Ethereum, but there isn't a god orgoddess that would or could."
"She'sright, Sister."
Nanaand I both froze. My grandmother might not have recognized Candace's voice, butshe could feel the power of the goddess behind us. And we both stared as shewalked around the park bench and settled down between us. Nana looked at me inwild shock over Candace's head.
Wesat for a moment as she lifted her head to the sun, smiled. And sniffed thecold air around us. We'd hit a warm patch, and had a snow melt, but it wasstill winter in Upstate New York. What she was smelling, I didn't have a clue.The snot was frozen inside my head and I wouldn't have been able to smell aburger under my nose.
"Thereare times that I do miss walking this world." The goddess smiled up at me.
Withoutthinking about it, I returned her smile with a gentle pat on the leg. Powerflowed through the touch and almost shocked me, numbing the tips of my alreadyfrozen fingers. She, however, was sitting on the park bench without somuch as a jacket.
"So…uh…whatbrings you to the mortal realm?"
"Itis not every day that a new god is born. I thought I would come pay myrespects."
"Huh?"
"Didyou think you could come into your power and think that the whole universewouldn't feel it, Sister? Your tryst with all of your spheres broke yourseventh seal, the one imparting godhood."
"Uh…thatwas just some freaky shit with my father's spheres and some…uh…intercourse gonewrong."
"Thatwasn't your father's power, Dorothea. It was yours."
"Excuseme?" I blinked down at her doe-like eyes, confusion warring with fear.
"Whatare gods, Dorothea?"
"Sheskipped that day in class," Nana quipped.
Ishot her a dirty look over Candace's head. "It was just yesterday that Ifound out where little witches came from. I haven't got a clue where gods comefrom, Lady." I bowed my head in a little respect.
"Theelder gods aren't born. They're made. Forces of nature, creatures and people ofimmense power, even weapons have become gods. The only thing they need ispeople worshiping them."
"Likemovie stars?" I blinked in confusion.
"No.Humans, for the most part, stopped worshipping and believing in gods a longtime ago. They worship their gold, their coins, and ideals that give them thebelief they are better than their neighbor. They don't want to believe in gods.They want to believe they are right."
"Theywant to fear and believe in their righteousness," I added sadly. All toofamiliar with the issue.
"Exactly."
"Well,nobody worships me. I can't be a god."
Boththe goddess and my grandmother laughed.
"What?"
"Child,you collect people who believe in you and love you with all the power of theirpeople behind them."
"Huh?"
"Thinkof a god as a pentagram." She drew one in the air in front of us with herfingers. Glowing golden trails followed her fingers until the encircledfive-pointed star hovered and stayed. People passing by did a doubletake andhurried away. I fought the urge to rub the bridge of my nose. "The fourpoints below are the spheres. The apex is the god. The quintessence. That isyou."
Asinking feeling welled up inside me. "And my four spheres are the darkelves, the demons, the shadows, and the vampires."
"Yes.Just like your father."
"Howdo you know it wasn't just his powers reacting with my lovers?"
"Becausehis powers are gone."
"Gone?"
"Nolonger inside you."
"Where'dthey go?"
"Ido not know. If I had to wager a guess, they went exactly where youwanted them to go."
"Backto him?"
Shelooked at me like I was stupid. I knew, because I got that look a lot. "No.You would've had to have given them to him personally to do that. What was yourplan?"
"Toput them into the gem."
"Exactly."
Therewas a glowing red ruby in the jewelry box on my dresser that I reallyneeded to put in a safety deposit box. In Fort Knox. Staring at her inamazement,
