Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“Well, even the gods must like entertainment,” I said, shrugging. Television was one of the things I loved most when I joined the human plane.
“Maybe,” she agreed, finding what she was looking for—a petite woman with short brown hair who looked like she hadn’t slept in a week—and turning up the volume.
If anything, it seemed like everything had only gotten worse. More fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and the expected famine and fighting.
“And it’s not just here,” Nox told me. “It’s the same across the globe. Except there are already wars starting to break out in the smaller countries where people are more on top of one another and competing for resources.”
“What the fuck is their plan here? Don’t they want to be worshipped and shit?”
“My best guess is they want to show them all how bad it can get. Then swoop in and offer aid. Then they get all the credit, admiration, and gratitude.”
“I can see that,” I agreed. “And, I imagine, it is going to take some time for people to accept that the old gods existed at all, let alone that they are back and want to be worshipped and obeyed.”
“Yeah, I don’t see any talk about that yet. The only scuttlebutt I’ve heard about less-than-human beings has been attributed to aliens. Which, valid,” Nox said. “But no one has really drawn the lines yet. I think that is only going to bring its own kind of chaos.
“What did Lucy have to say?” I asked, running my fingers up and down her arm, loving the softness of her skin.
“You mean…”
“The Morning Star, yeah,” I said, smiling.
“I actually haven’t met—Jesus!” she shrieked when the door flew open. And there was the man in question.
“Have I been summoned?” he asked, walking in with all his casual cockiness and good looks.
“No,” Nox grumbled, trying to burrow deeper into the covers.
“I’m wounded,” Lucy said, pressing a hand to his chest. “I heard you snuck into the Underworld and stole some flowers from that wannabe.”
“He sicced his three-headed dog on us.”
“Dramatic,” Lucy said with an eye roll. “What’s wrong with some good, old-fashioned demons?”
“You mean except for them eating and decapitating people?” Nox shot back.
“To be fair, they decapitate before eating them.”
“How is that better?”
“Well, would you want to be eaten alive?”
“You’re—“
“Wicked? Evil? The Devil himself?” Lucy asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I mean, even you aren’t pure evil, though. You were a fallen angel.”
“Indeed,” Lucy said, glancing up at the sky. “How’s it going up there, Dad?” he called. “What are you going to do when clipping wings isn’t cutting it anymore?”
“Wow,” Nox said, snorting. “A therapist would have a field day with you.”
“You know, I fucked three last week,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Funnily enough, the last thing they wanted to do was talk…”
“Three?” I asked, brows raising.
“Well, with you out of commission, someone had to pick up the slack,” Lucy shot back.
“Right. Because what womankind needs during the apocalypse is some guy trying to screw her,” Nox said, rolling her eyes.
“We all need stress relief,” Lucy said. “Did I not just overhear you two engaging in some… stress relief as well?”
“Can you… go?” Nox asked, uncharacteristically surly.
I gave Lucy a nod. “Can you tell everyone I’ll be down in a few to talk to everyone?”
“It was a pleasure,” Lucy said, looking at Nox, then disappearing.
“I can’t say the same,” she grumbled, sitting up against the headboard, clutching the sheets to her chest.
“Not a fan of the Morning Star?” I asked, sitting up with her.
“He’s just so… cocky and, and…”
“Devilish?” I filled in for her.
To that, she let out a little laugh. “I guess that’s it,” she agreed.
“You’ll learn to like him. He’s a cocky prick, but he’s also got this Achilles’ Heel.”
“That phrase has a lot more meaning nowadays, doesn’t it?” she asked, but she was speaking to herself. “What is his?”
“He’s real butt-hurt about Hades taking over Hell. He’d never admit it, but he’s not happy about it.”
“That’s kind of sad. And, hey, at least when he was in charge, his demons stayed down there where they belonged.”
“Dale and her demonslayers are going to be busy as fuck in the coming years.”
“Dale and her demonslayers and Aggy and her witches and warlocks. I guess it’s nice to know that there are people with powers who are going to put up some sort of resistance, since the humans have no hope of standing up against the gods.”
“There’s always someone willing to do the hard work. You included,” I said, thinking of her little one-woman army. Despite her powers draining her, despite it being fruitless for weeks. She wouldn’t give up.
“What do we do now?” she asked, looking over at me.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Brainstorm. Prepare. Stick together. What else can we do?”
“I’m definitely down with sticking together,” she said, pressing her head to mine.