Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real people are coincidental. If you are offended by homosexual material, please stop reading this and go somewhere your bigoted little mind can handle. If you're looking for sex, go someplace else. This is a Christmas special. Were it not for the back story needed to explain things, kids could read this - ok, older kids. It's PG, not G rated (I dont bump the rating up to PG-13 because I dont believe that a kiss is more adult oriented when it`s between two men instead of a man and a woman - only the homophobic censors believe that). The rest of you, please enjoy chapter sixteen of this tale.
----------------------- A Godsend Christmas
December 22nd
One month. Less, really. Twenty seven days since I had changed the human race, and I was already fielding love calls. I was glad that people already accepted me and my power as real. It was still definitely novel to them, but hopefully it would just become second nature for people to think of me when they had a crush.
I'd answered eleven love calls over the past month, and seven were good matches. I had a warm feeling inside, despite the gentle snow falling outside my car, that I had cause seven couples to fall deeply in love with each other.
I pulled through the gates of the mansion and drove up the drive, still smiling. I still lived there, with Dad, Grandpa, and Hektor. After all that had happened, we decided family was too important - more important than living on my own. Since the place was so large, we also now had two new additions to the family. Mike and Victor had balked at first, but when they saw how empty our home was, they agreed to move out of Viktor's apartment.
I had a pang of loss take me when I parked the car. I missed all of them. Mom, Angie, Kelly, Grandma, Cade, Jacob, Darren, all of them gone now. Hektor, bundled in snow pants and a thick coat ran to the house from playing in the snow. I pushed the tears back and forced a more pleasant expression for him, since I knew he was running in to greet me.
Closing the car door, I walked to the trunk to take out the Christmas gifts I had bought. Dad kept telling me that I didn't need to drive any more, but I wasn't ready to give up my human ways yet. It still felt right to drive from place to place instead of teleporting. Anyway, if I had teleported to the mall, I would have been mobbed by the shoppers, instead of inconspicuously buying presents.
I was almost in the door when I got a call. It was close, too. {Reverend Krake is breaking the covenant,} the call said. I rolled my eyes. I knew it wouldn't last. I was surprised he could go a month without breaking his word to me.
I sent a return message, {be there in a few,} then stepped inside. Hektor pounced on me and I smiled at him. I realized I didn't need to force it with him. "Heya, Hek."
"Whadja get me?" he asked, reaching for the plastic bags, which I promptly pulled back from his reach. I laughed. Kids.
"Something you'll have to wait two days to see," I told him. I patted him on the head. "I'd like to stay and play with you for a while, but I just got a call that I have to see to." I headed up the stairs and saw Hektor promptly putting his winter gear back on. His snowman was just a big snowball right now, from what I had seen driving in. I rarely ditched Hektor like this, so when I did, he knew it was important.
When I got to my room, I placed the bags on the floor of my closet, then turned the closet door into a wall so Hektor couldn't get in. There were definitely certain advantages to godhood. It was time to use another. I focused on the link with the caller I had waiting for me and shifted myself toward his position.
I was immediately glad I hadn't had time to take off my coat before leaving.
We were outside the reverend's church, which was the size of a small palace. The beautiful structure had to be as big as it was, since the reverend did a national broadcast of his weekly sermon. I wondered how popular it was now. Nevertheless, it was quite cold, and even though it couldn't hurt me, it would be damn uncomfortable without a coat.
The man who called me was young, about twenty, and skinny. He was very pale, but the dark eyebrows showed that he was probably a brunette beneath his wool cap. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked.
"The reverend won't let me go to church any more," he said. His voice was higher than I had expected, but not really effeminate. "I made the change last week and now he says I'm not welcome."
I felt my ire growing. "This church isn't for people like you," came a voice from close behind me. I jumped. When I teleported in, I hadn't seen the Reverend standing there. "You have made your choice, and now you have to go." He sounded resolute and slightly heartbroken.
"You're discriminating against gays after I expressly forbid you from it?" I asked him.
He looked into my eyes, and for the first time, I saw a defeated and saddened man. "The choice to have sexual relations with another man is a sin in the eyes of God," he said. "I am not discriminating against gays, only against the intercourse. Any man who leads a clean life may participate in church activities, no matter his desires. This man chooses to act in an unclean way for this church. I will not speak negatively to him or about him because of his choices, as I have agreed to, but he is defying church doctrine."
I was speechless. He had found a loophole in the covenant. The church was his, and run by his beliefs. Homosexual acts were against his beliefs, and were banned by church law. Though it was in my power to stop it, as I could see the Reverend expected, it wasn't my place to dictate his beliefs.
"I'm sorry," I said to the young man. "It pains me to say this, but you're going to have to find a new church. This church belongs to the Reverend, and is run on his beliefs. I am not going to change his church's laws. I can ask him to reconsider his position, but I am unwilling to extend my power to force the issue."
The young man looked at me with wide eyes. "But you're supposed to be the champion of the gays and all that," he said. "You're supposed to help us."
"Will you reconsider?" I asked the Reverend, who seemed just as shocked as the young man that I had chosen the way I had. "Is there any way this man can rejoin your church?"
The Reverend shook his head to clear it. "The church's position is inviolate. The only way for someone like him to get in is to renounce their ways and make the choice to never act on sinful impulses again. The church will forgive the repentant."
I sighed. I already knew the answer he'd give, but I had to ask it. I turned to the young man. "Any chance of that happening?" I asked.
He pleaded with me with his expression. "It's not fair," he whispered. "All I want is to enjoy my life."
"I know," I said to him softly, placing my hand on the side of his face. "But I have to be fair to everyone. There are other churches that will accept you. Why this one?"
"Cory's family has been coming here since before he was born," the Reverend said. "That's why it hurt me so much when he strayed."
"And you can't make an exception for someone who's like family to you?" I asked.
The Reverend looked directly at me, the pain evident in every feature of his face. "No," he said softly. "As much as it hurts, I can't make exceptions to church law, especially for someone I care for."
I understood. If he was going to break the rules for someone because of friendship, his word and his laws would mean nothing. "It is decided, then," I said, facing Cory. "Church law states that you may not remain a part of their fold. You must find another, Cory. I'm sorry."
Cory coughed out the beginnings of a sob and turned around, walking off quickly. "You didn't have to do that for me," the Reverend said. "Why did you take my side?"
"Contrary to what you may think," I said, "I'm not evil." With that, I faded out, returning home.
I had a system set up with the guys that I would teleport outside the front door and come in naturally, so people would have some sense of when I was home. When I walked through this time, Victor was putting on his coat. Strike that, he was mauling his coat trying to ram his fists through the sleeves.
"Vic?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, hey Stef," he said. He took a breath like he was going to say more, but he just went back to putting on his coat.
"OK, what's bugging you?" I said, placing my hand firmly on his shoulder to stop him.
"Nothing," he growled, and took his car keys off of their hook. The front door became a wall. The trick was good for more than just a child theft deterrent. "Fine, Mike's not talking to me, and I have no idea why. Now can I go? I'm going to be late for work."
"Want me to see what I can find out?" I asked.
"Good luck," Victor said. "He hasn't spoken to me since he got home today. He just sat down and started playing video games. Every time I speak to him, his jaw gets tight. I can't figure out what I did to piss him off so bad...," he paused and sighed. "If he'll listen to you, can you tell him I'm sorry?"
I nodded. "Take care," I told him. I started walking toward the stairs when Victor cleared his throat.
"Um, the door?" he said. I snorted and waved my hand dismissively at the wall and it turned back into a front door. "Good luck," Victor said.
I hiked up the stairs and down the hall to the set of suites Mike and Victor shared. The door to their living area was open so I stood in the threshold and knocked on the door next to me. Mike didn't look up from the TV as his thumbs did the motions for playing some football game or another.
"Hey Mike, what's up?" I said after a few seconds of him not speaking. Still nothing. "Mike, it's me, Stef. Can you please say something?"
"Something."
"Funny," I said. "Can I play?" He paused the game and held up the second controller for me, without turning or speaking. I took that as a yes and pulled a second chair over. Sports games weren't really my style, and Mike trounced me severely in several games. He even spoke here and there to give me pointers. I finally had to bring it up, though. "Mike, Victor doesn't know what's going on, but he says he's sorry for whatever he did to make you so mad at him."
"I'm not mad at him," he breathed.
"Then why aren't you talking to him?" I asked.
"I really don't want to talk about it," Mike said. He stood up then, turned of the game and the TV, and walked into his room and closed the door. The lock clicked. It couldn't stop me, as we both knew, but it was a symbolic gesture. The case was closed. For now.
December 23rd
The sun was shining through my window when I woke up, but I still had a slight headache. I wasn't fond of the choice I had had to make yesterday, nor with the way things ended with Mike. Today, though, I could do something good to make things better, and see if I could find some way to fix the Mike and Victor thing.
A few minutes later, I got a call that shattered all of that. {I need help.
Didn`t know who to call. I'm desperate.}
So much for doing things the human way. I magically cleaned, clothed, and bundled myself for the elements, then focused on the link and pulled myself over to him. I was now a few hundred miles to the south of where I had been. In front of me stood a boy who looked to be about sixteen, dark skinned, and slightly frantic. He was clutching a white baby in the entryway of a grocery store.
"What's going on?" I asked, concerned.
"I've been trying to find someone to help, but no one will listen to me," the boy said. "I need help."
"With what?"
He looked at the baby. "With the babies," he said. I stopped for a moment.
"Babies?" I asked. "Plural?"
"Yeah," he said. "My little brother's watching the others while I'm here trying to get some food. My mom worked in a day care center for single mothers. We have four babies with no parents now. We're doing what we can, but we don't have any money left."
My heart broke on the spot. This boy and his brother were taking care of four babies who weren't theirs, just because that was their mother's job. Now that they had taken the responsibility, it had become theirs /de facto/, and there was no one willing to lift a finger to help them. If it weren't for the babies, the two of them could probably have gotten on for a while pretty decently, but babies took resources that a pair of children just didn't have. Now they were begging. Well, this one was praying now.
"What's your name?"
"Paul," he said. "Paul Jones."
"You called the right person, Paul," I said. "I...ack!" I flew backward ten feet and hit a wall. I looked to Paul, who was staring with terror in his eyes to match that which I felt. The world went blurry, and the sound of a supermarket was replaced with the sound of the winds blowing.
I was up on a mountain outcropping. Below me was a jungle canopy. In front of me stood an older man, about sixty, in a flowing white robe. His hair was golden and flowed just past his shoulders, and his beard reached the middle of his chest.
"Zeus. Why did you pull me away? That boy needed my help." I was more curious than anything, since I could easily teleport back to him when Zeus was done with me.
"The help was the reason you were pulled away," he told me. "You are not to assist those children in any way."
I stopped and gaped at the king. "You're joking with me, right?" He shook his head and lifted an eyebrow. Zeus didn't joke around with orders. "Why not?" I asked. "Did He give you the order?"
"He doesn't need to," Zeus told me. "In this, I know His will more than most others. Your job is love, not saving lives. You're to perform your duties and live your personal life, nothing else. You have been overstepping your bounds recently, especially with the churches."
"But they were impeding my job," I protested.
"No, you job is to change those who wish it, and bring love to those who ask you. Those who oppose them, or you, are to be ignored. The world can run itself better without us meddling, or have you forgotten all of the Greek history and mythology your parents taught you?" Zeus asked.
I did remember. All of the transformations, the dangerous quests, the wars - all of it because the gods couldn't keep their noses out of mortal affairs. The gods finally learned that their place was to work within their spheres and not interfere with man's decision making. I hadn't realized I'd been going down that road.
"Then what of those children?" I asked, now even more heartbroken.
"Their fates are up to the humans." He softened and added, "all we can do is pray to Him that he will guide the humans to make the right decisions."
He came forward and placed his hand on my shoulder. "It's hard," he said. "Now that Hera's gone, it hurts me for the both of us. She was a childbirth goddess, and knowing of all the children out there who will die because there's no one to watch them any more...it would have killed her inside. But she would have endured it, so I must as well." Tears were running down his cheeks, but he didn't sniffle or show any other signs of sadness.
He took his hand from my shoulder. "Do you understand that you may not help in this?" Zeus asked. I sniffled as I nodded, and I realized I wasn't quite as stoic as the king with my crying. "Then why don't you go home and go to bed? I've sped things up around us so you'll get home in the late evening. Trust me, a night's sleep will help you more than you know."
He stepped back and started to fade. "Remember, He hears our prayers. Talk to Him and He'll listen, just as he wants you to listen. You work with love, so work with it, and it will work for you."
I didn't really understand that last part. What I did understand, however, was that there were a bunch of kids out there suffering and I couldn't do anything about it. I teleported straight into my room, disregarding the arrangement. I had no desire to talk to anyone.
"Fine, don't talk to me!" I heard Victor yell, then rapid steps down the hallway and to the front door. When the door slammed, I burst into tears.
December 24th
The few hours of sleep I was able to get didn't help. I woke up tired and feeling helpless. I didn't know what to do for Mike and Victor, but I did know that I wasn't allowed to help the children. Walking out of my room, I nearly ran into Mike.
"Oh, hey," I said.
Mike let out a soft chuckle and mussed my hair. "So gods wake up looking like hell, too," he said.
"Feeling better about whatever it is?" I asked.
"Not a bit," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I've just had a chance to deal with my side of it. I'll talk to Victor when he gets home tonight. Now I'll have to go find a new place to live for when he throws me out."
"Oh come on," I said, punching his arm lightly. "It can't be that bad, whatever it is. Want to run it by me?"
He looked away, down the hall. "I'd rather not," he told me. "This is between him and I, and I'd like to keep it that way until he knows what's going on."
"Alright," I said. "Just keep in mind who I am, as a god and as a friend. I have the power to help in love matters, and the desire to help you two out."
"Thank you," he said, looking over his shoulder at me, "but please don't. I need to know that his reaction is all him. I don't want him hating me even more for trying to manipulate him."
"OK," I said with a smile, "but if it does go south after you tell him, I still have the right as your friend to meddle the old-fashioned, human way."
He laughed as he walked back to his room and shook his head. I was feeling a bit lighter as well, knowing that at least Mike was out of his funk. I just hoped that Mike's news wasn't too horrible.
I saw Hektor in the kitchen ten minutes later and my thoughts went right back to the children.
I decided to take a walk through town to clear my thoughts. People were sending messages, but I wasn't in the mood. I connected to all of them and filed the connections for later. They'd be alright. It wasn't like love was immediately needed by anyone. Those who were asking were used to waiting for it.
I drove out to town and parked at a supermarket. Part of me was hoping Paul or his brother would be there, even though I couldn't help, just so I could apologize to them. I knew I couldn't, though. It would hurt too much to see them and not be able to help them.
I walked for hours through the streets. No one bothered me. It was calm and peaceful, with the shops decorated for the holidays. The smell of apple pie wafted out of a bakery. Bells jingled on the corners and in shop doors as I walked down the carefully shoveled and salted sidewalks. Colors danced everywhere as children bounced gleefully around frantic last minute shopping parents. It brought a bittersweet smile to my face.
"You don't look very happy for a Christmas Eve," said a familiar, but unexpected, voice behind me as I stopped next to a toy store. Reverend Krake stood next to me, looking into the window as well. "If this is because of what happened..."
"It isn't," I interrupted. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"Need to talk about it?" he asked. I turned to look at him with my eyebrow raised. "Don't give me that look. It's Christmas Eve. God doesn't like sad faces on the day of his Son's birth."
"Ah," I said. "Another church rule?"
"No," he replied with a warm smile. "Just a personal one."
"I'd rather not talk about it," I said softly, "but thank you."
"If not to me, then maybe you should talk to God. Remember, He hears our prayers. Talk to Him and He'll listen, just as he wants you to listen."
My head snapped over to him. "What did you just say?"
"I said God wants you to talk to Him," the reverend said, still looking forward into the window. "Just as much as He wants you to listen to Him, He wants to listen to you."
"It's what Zeus said to me yesterday."
"I'd say that he's pretty wise," he replied, a bit of smugness entering his voice. "I'm guessing he said more to you, and that's why you're in a bad mood."
I looked back into the window. "He said that mankind won't be self reliant if I keep stepping beyond my job with my powers."
The Reverend chuckled. "So he told you to stop meddling. Same thing I tell the busybody mothers who come to me asking for help straightening out teenagers who are acting like teenagers."
"You? Preach leniency?" I asked skeptically.
He sighed a bit, but didn't answer. Instead he returned to me. "Let me guess, you want to meddle in something that's outside your appointment, and Zeus won't let you." I nodded and gave a noncommittal grunt. "I won't say that I agree with this, but many people say that holy men are the mouthpiece of God, so maybe it will help you. May I ask what it was Zeus stopped you from doing, or is it too personal?"
"Not personal, no," I said. Maybe it was what he had said about being the mouthpiece of God, or maybe I was just out of hope, but I decided to answer his question. "There's a daycare for single moms in the next county south of here. The owner's two boys are now taking care of all the children who don't have parents any more. I was about to zap them up some help when Zeus called me away."
"Was the boy named Paul?" the Reverend asked.
I turned to face him faster than my brain could register. "You know him?"
"His family were parishioners here before the disaster. I had assumed some other relative had taken custody." His gaze became distant. "I had no idea."
I spent a few moments in silence. I felt a little better now that I had unburdened my troubles from my soul. Perhaps talking to a holy man was like talking to God in a way.
"Stefanos," the Reverend said finally, turning to me with a fire in his eyes, "did Zeus say anything about humans meddling?"
"No I said," starting to catch his drift immediately. "In fact, as long as I stay out of it, things should be more than OK."
"Good, because I wouldn't have listened if it was forbidden anyway," he said with a chuckle. "Although, what I'm about to do is for you, for bringing this to my attention." He picked up his cell phone. "Is this Cory?...Cory, this is Reverend Krake...Slow down there and let me talk, and you might not be so angry...Cory, I've thought of a way to make an exception, if you're willing to help me with something."
He proceeded to tell Cory what I had told him about Paul and his brother. There was a short pause while Cory spoke. "Oh my," the Reverend said. "You're so generous. I apologize for trying to guilt you into this...Meet me at the church in fifteen minutes?...Alright, bye."
"You're going to let Cory come back to church?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, "and he said I didn't need to let him back in, since he had found a new church, but he was going to help me with the children anyway."
"Good for him," I said. "And I'm impressed that he's recovered so quickly."
"Well," the Reverend said, "I have to get back to the church. We have a long drive ahead of us. Take care." He started to walk away.
"Reverend?" I said. He stopped and half turned. "Thank you for being so nice to me."
He smiled and shook his head. "Contrary to what you think," he said, "I'm not evil." He took off again while I stood in stunned silence.
Perhaps I hadn't been giving the Reverend enough credit. Despite his stance on gays, the rest of him seemed to be decent. I came to the realization he really deeply felt homosexuality was wrong, and that he was trying to save people from it. He was off base, to be sure, but his heart was in the right place. Homosexuality was saving the human race; the human race didn't need saving from homosexuality.
I started the walk back to my car. It wasn't too far off, since I had made a rather large loop through the city. I was nearly back where I had begun.
For the time being, it didn't matter. The children were being saved, and that was what was important. I had a feeling deep down that this was an appropriate way to handle the situation. I hadn't flexed my powers at all, only acting as a human would, with human means.
I remembered as I was walking, that I had put all those people on hold. Sorting through them, I weeded out all the men who wanted to be changed. Those were the easy ones, like flipping on a light switch only I could find, and I finished them in under five minutes as I walked.
My next task was more difficult. I would have fixed things for these men if I had gotten their calls two days ago. These were calls to help with issues that weren't love related. I sent both of these men messages telling them that I was no longer allowed to fix non love-related problems. While I sent those, three more switch requests came in. Apparently, turning gay for a loved one was the `in' gift this year.
The next call was from a computer programmer, who had gone through the change, and who now had a crush on his coworker. My first test was to determine if the object of affection had gone through the change. He hadn't. I had to tell the requestor that, while it was within my power to forcibly switch someone, it was not a nice thing for me to do. I cut contact when the string of curses came through to me, starting with calling me a noob and moving on to more vile insults. Long before I had ever learned that I was anything besides human, I had had to deal with these `leet' computer types, who acted like they were ten to twenty years younger than they really were because they felt that their computer skills were superior to mere humans. As much as I wanted to blast him with something nasty, I knew I'd get in trouble for it, so I had to stick with ignoring him.
I then moved on to a man who wanted me to find out if his boyfriend was cheating on him. I asked him what proof he had, and he said that his boyfriend had become distant and wouldn't speak with him. I zeroed in on the man's boyfriend and looked at his love ties. Most people had several, like beams of light, leading to all of their loved ones. There were pale white ones for friends, getting brighter the more intense the friendship. Family members were usually more intense white, but not always. Romantic ties were red, ranging from the pale pink of a crush, to the deep crimson of true love. This boyfriend's tie to his man was white, moderate strength, and tinged with the yellow of guilt. He had a semi-dark pink thread leading to someone else, though, and several deep purple ties of lust leading to other people. The red tie from the man who was asking my help was only one way.
I checked the man's ties and they were all white except for the one going to his boyfriend. I was about to pity him until I checked the incoming ties. There were several people who ranged from having mild to complete crushes on him, to lusting after him. {I have some bad news,} I told him, {which will be followed by some news I think is pretty good. Ready?}
{Uh, yeah, I guess,} was his response. {He's cheating on me, isn't he?}
{Yeah,} I said, not sugar coating it, {with lots of people, most of his coworkers, in fact.}
I watched as the tie went from red to the blue of regret and sadness. {I know,} I told him. {It hurts. But you have other options. Most of your single coworkers are interested in you in one way or another, as are a good deal of you friends.}
{Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I'm not like him,} the man told me, referring to his boyfriend. {I can't do what he does. I'll just be on my own for a while.}
{Not completely,} I reminded him. {Most of his ties are lust, but most of yours are romantic. These guys will be more than happy to be your friend if you let them.}
I felt a warm glow coming from the man. {I may just do that. Thank you.}
{You're welcome,} I replied, closing the link. As soon as I did, I opened my mind to my power. It wasn't that I didn't trust Mike, I just had to know for sure. He was acting the same as that man's boyfriend, so my suspicions were raised. I did a quick ties check on him and saw that he wasn't. He still had a red tie to Victor, though it was looking a little sickly at the moment, as if something were inhibiting his love, and a pink tie to me. That tie to me would always be there, just as Victor's pink tie to me would be. I had already let them know that any guy I let close enough to me to be my friend would develop feelings for me, just because of my aura. They'd been sketchy about it at first but they finally had had a heart to heart with each other and accepted it as part of living with a love god.
As I was watching, and just as I was about to answer another call, Mike's tie to Victor flared bright red, almost crystalline in its beauty. I checked Victor's and it did the same. Apparently, they made up, but I didn't know of anything that could make love flare up like that. I zeroed in on my car and teleported it and myself back home.
I got in and ran up the stairs, leaving my coat on. "Mike, Victor," I called. "I just got a major love vibe coming from you two, what's going on?" I reached their door and was about to knock when it flew open with Mike standing there. Both of them were crying and smiling at the same time.
"What's going on, you two?" I asked.
Victor looked up to me from where he was sitting...and glowing. "Mike's pregnant," he said. "I'm gonna be a Daddy."
Mike shot him a look. "If you use the M word with me, I'll kill you. I'll be a Daddy too."
I was frozen where I stood, taking this all in. I knew I was the one who made the changes, but they were almost an abstract for me. I wasn't expecting them to hit in my own home. I paused for a moment longer, then grinned, a warm chill filling my body as my eyes began to water as well. "Wow," was all I could choke out before I started blubbering as well. It wasn't more than ten minutes before the entire household was in Mike and Victor's room celebrating.
We all went out to dinner and, of course, announced to everyone in the restaurant that Mike and Victor were having a baby, which was met first with a stunned silence, and then applause, which grew to a cheer. I then announced that I was buying dessert for everyone to celebrate, which met with more applause. Throughout our dinner, we had most of the patrons come by to congratulate Mike and Victor. A few also stopped by me and gave me their numbers, which was flattering.
We all got home stuffed and happy, and bid each other a good night. When I reached my room, I promptly threw the numbers into the fireplace and took off my tie. With a happy sigh, I fell back onto my bed. The children were going to be saved, Mike and Victor were stronger than ever, even the Reverend turned out to be OK. Despite our recent losses, I had to put this Christmas high on my list. I looked over at the clock. Alright, so it was still a few minutes until Christmas. I could still count it, right?
I took a deep breath and relaxed, closing my eyes and opening my mind. I sent out waves of love out over the world. Not romantic love, just pure white love, enough to give everyone a warm glow inside. God had listened to me after all, and now it was my turn. People wanted love, and that's what they were getting. I opened my mind and my heart to everyone and sent a feeling of peace.
There were so many voices in my head that I barely heard the quietest one. It was faint and distant, but also scared and alone. "May I?" I asked the air.
"Please do," said a voice from my standing mirror. Zeus was standing there, smiling in his robes. "You've finally begun to understand your role in the world, and that everyone has good in them. That call you just heard is our gift to you, Stefan. Answer it." I noticed the rest of the remaining gods standing behind him.
I raised my eyebrow and focused on the quietest call. It was a call for help, but it was faint. I connected with it and sent some warmth through the bond. {What can I help you with?} I asked.
{I'm cold,} the voice said. {I'm cold and alone and scared. I used an object I shouldn't have, and it's lost in the snow. I'm going to freeze to death and I'll never see Stef again.}
My breath caught in my throat. It couldn't be. I threw all formality aside and teleported directly to the voice. The man was dressed in a gauzy, light sheet, lying in the snow, half buried. His chest was bared to the elements, and there was a yellow stripe, starting at a point on his right breast and arcing across this left to disappear in a broad stroke behind his left arm. On his stomach was the same mark, but going from left to right. The skin would be tough and almost rubbery. I knew Vaneel skin anywhere. But the face was full of fear. He didn't see me, through the snow, but I could see him clearly.
Cade.
Breaking out of my stunned silence, I rushed to his freezing body and scooped him up, teleporting us both back to my room. He was shivering on my bed, but I saw him soaking up his surroundings. I was still in disbelief, but I could feel my eyes getting misty and a lump forming in my throat.
"Stef?" he asked, uncertainly as he looked at me. "You're a full god now?"
I cried and laughed at the same time as I nodded and rushed to him. He sat up and I wrapped myself around his cold body. I had so many emotions going through me I didn't know where to start. "I thought I'd never see you again," I said.
"Min told me about the silver ball, and told me how dangerous it was, but I took it and used it," he muttered. "Has it really been a year?"
I shook my head. "I think there was some divine intervention on our behalf," I said, smiling at the mirror, which now showed only Cade and I. "It's been about a month since you were taken." I held him tighter, rubbing warmth into his arms.
"I had to come back," he said. "I found out where we were going and I couldn't stand to be away from you for the rest of my life. I know you don't feel the same about me, but..."
I placed my finger on his lips. "Things have changed," I told him. I leaned in and placed my lips against his. I felt the warmth of my love for him grow beyond what I had ever known. This wasn't friendship, either. I was really in love with Cade.
"You...you changed yourself," he said. "Why?"
I did a quick internal check to make sure before I said anything. "No," I said. "I didn't change that, and I'm not going to. If I changed I would be attracted to men. If I don't change, I'm just attracted to you." I kissed him again.
"I love you, Cade."
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