Expatrianas Histories - In the Image of the Gods

“If it isn’t the Goddess of peace and love, Elyria.” Elyria immediately recognized the voice that had spoken as coming from the God Loki. The arrogant tone dripping with condensation always made her skin crawl and she scowled as she replied. “Hello Loki, God of fools and circus clowns. I am surprised to see you alone. If you have left your whorefriend Aphrodite to her own devices in your absence, you will want to pick up some new bed sheets for you will surely find your own fouled with a preponderance of manseed upon your return home. Just because Zeus commanded me to allow you to join us does not mean I must converse with you. Say what you will, then be gone from my presence.” “Now, now Elyria. You are certainly in a mood today. I was just talking with your favorite little mortal slave Baj Expatrianas, and he was telling me some very interesting stories about you. Well, not exactly telling me. I was pulling them from his puny human mind.” Elyria turned and stared directly in the eyes of Loki, her own eyes ablaze, a glow could be seen outlining her entire form. It flickered and crackled like blue fire. When she spoke, her words had an edge of steel and carried a real threat of violence. “If you hurt him Loki, you will meet one of my Elyrian spears up close and personal as the guest of honor at a recreation of one of Demon Drakula’s feasts.” Loki laughed at that, infuriating the Goddess even more. “You will not find life nearly as amusing with the tip of my spear inserted through your backside and protruding out of your mouth as you dangle over my breakfast.” she spat and the fire around her form grew even brighter. “Hold Goddess Elyria. I meant no offense and I laid not a finger on your manservant. He is uninjured. Besides I dare not have touched him with his two feline protectors lurking about. His familiars Mythos and Ethos are highly favored among their kind. I have no wish to find myself their enemy as to be an enemy of the cats is to not be long for this plane of existence.”

Elyria nodded and her flame dimmed as she recalled the time many centuries ago when she had made the mistake of trying to enslave a cat as her servant. In return she had received several long, deep gases in each arm and a nasty bite along with a pounding headache that had lasted for weeks. To cut a God at all, let alone deeply, was something Elyria did not think even possible. She would never attempt that again. It was a very powerful lesson and reinforced her notion that the use of cats as familiars was basically an illusion. At best one could hope that your goals aligned with theirs. Of course, she would never tell the human Baj any of this, and was happy to let him think they were her spies. She maintained with Baj that, even though she did not control them, they would act on her behalf if she so wished it. In truth she was unsure of even that. They had formed a bond with the human and favored him. They protected him for reasons of their own, not at her behest. He loved them deeply as traveling companions and sources of warmth as sleeping partners on cold nights but was ignorant of their powers and of the fact that they had saved his life many times in the past.

Elyria smiled to herself as she recalled the many nights either or both Mythos and Ethos had favored her with an overnight stay in her bed. She never felt more refreshed than those mornings after a nightly visit. Suddenly the war God of the Azteka Huitzilopochtli appeared, interrupting her reverie. She continued walking but looked at him as she spoke. “Hello Huitzilopochtli, Zeus indicated you would be joining us.” That appeared to anger the war God and he spat back. “Do not think I am here because of that old fool Zeus Goddess Elyria. He has no authority over me. I would listen to his counsel as I would that of any of the ancient Gods, but in the end my decisions on what to do, where to go, and how to spend my time are my own. I too am worried about the elemental DisKord’s intentions and had intended a visit well before I learned of your plan from Zeus. His message did nothing but cause me to accelerate my own plan. Elyria bowed her head “Forgive me war God. I meant no offense. Do not pull my still beating heart from my chest as punishment.” Huitzilopochtli laughed at that, surprising Elyria greatly. That was not the reaction she had expected. “You know I am not really the bloodthirsty God forever demanding human sacrifice that I am portrayed to be. In fact, I have no desire to see mortal suffering. The humans invented and propagated these myths based on foolish misinterpretations of my signs to them. Their so-called leaders have used my signs to further their own selfish ends and fulfill their desires for ever more power over their people. In the end I am afraid my Azteka people are not long for this world and are destined to self-destruct much like their arch enemies the Mayano.”

Elyria thought she understood as the humans were a very slow-witted race and often took the wrong meanings from the signs the Gods blessed upon them. Her curiosity was up though so she asked “But why not make your signs clearer or perhaps even communicate directly with your people in some fashion. Surely you could take a form they would accept.” “I have often traveled among the humans in the form of an eagle or hummingbird. Some of their people recognized me for what I was, but I have no desire for direct communication and my signs are as clear as the morning sun on a cloudless day. Their minds are just too puny and malformed to see them and, of course, their human desires, greed and lust for personal power greatly influence their interpretations. Huitzilopochtli paused there for a moment and slowed his pace to a slow walk from what had been very close to a jog or run as he adjusted his large green plumed headdress. After a few more moments of fidgeting, he seemed to finally have satisfied himself with its position atop his imposingly large head and continued speaking “This is one thing I will never understand about mortals. Those who profess the most adoration for me and are the loudest in their praise are almost always those who understand me the least and hold the least true reverence in their hearts. They seek only to use me as a lever of power over others they view as lesser. Meanwhile the meek ones who say their prayers and give their offerings in private and make no audacious displays of faith hold core values that align most closely with the principles I advocate. The real principles such as respect and reverence for all life, the importance of education and learning for all people regardless of class or caste, fairness and justice for all, and kindness in all your dealings with others.”

Loki appeared suddenly and snorted derisively. “You sound like that fool of a God Justinius and his human dog Rawlstonii. They are both always going on and on about the importance of justice and fairness. Rawlstonii has the audacity to suggest that justice is fairness. Can you imagine? He would likely have the Gods answering to mortals in a court of law if he could and Justinius would be right there behind him cheering him on. It is sickening and goes against the natural order of things. The superiority of the Gods over man is a thing which cannot be called into question and to suggest mortals may have some moral authority or moral equivalence with us is absurd in the extreme.” Elyria nodded her head in agreement as he spoke “Loki, I did not think it possible for you ever to say a thing which made sense, but it seems I was wrong. In this you are not mistaken. My own human servant Baj speaks of this nonsense on occasion. He was a student of Rawlstonii at the academy and admires his work. Rest assured he is punished severely whenever he dares voice such opinions.

Huitzilopochtli had looked on silently during their discussion. It was not clear he was even listening but when he raised his head and stared at Loki and Elyria they both took a step back. The power evident within his eyes could be felt by both Gods and the intensity of it took them by surprise. Elyria thought he might be the equal or better of Zeus in his prime, and that was a thing Zeus was surely well past. Loki trembled in fear and Elyria thought he might soil his white loin cloth. All the color had drained from his face, and she thought he would pass out and fall over, but he managed, just barely, to regain his composure. When Huitzilopochtli spoke, it sounded as if it came from everywhere at once. “What you both say is true. The Gods are the superior beings. However, you would be wise to remember that what is true now, is not always true in the future. Man was made in the image of the Gods. That means he has God like potential. None can say if he will meet that potential but eternity is a very long time and unless Chaos ends all things or humanity extinguishes itself, which I grant is a highly probable outcome, they will have all that time to catch up and perhaps even exceed us. Whose side do you want to be on then? Some humans have very long memories, and they will not forget who helped them and who hindered them if someday they take their place as Gods in their own right.