Chapter 4 The Pantheon of the gods

PANTHEON OF THE GODS

As a young Asian American, I never thought the fate of the world would rest on my shoulders. My mind flashed back to when things were still normal even though there had been cries and warning to destruction of earth. No one thought it would happen; it was more as if Earth would repair itself. Most animals were extinct and I had never even seen an elephant, a polar bear or a giraffe except on the internet because it had been extinct years before I was born. Most plants had also been killed but we were still living, ignoring warnings from scientists and enjoying our vain life, as the gods said.

Tossing on the bed, Kitana appeared once again,

"Agatha, your quest has begun. It is time to do what you have destined for. Close your eyes and feel the forces of good and evil around you. Tap into the astral energy and hold on to this silver cord''.

She handed a silver cord to me and I tied it round my wrists .Suddenly, I felt a shift in the energy around me. I became stronger and could feel my body floating in the air. They dreygo force in me was climaxing; I passed through the walls, invisible to naked eyes. I was leaving the Melaroid planet and heading towards what was once my home.

Approaching earth, it was in the beginning stages of self-destruction. This is why I was sent to this era, to prevent further damage from happening.

Drifting through the clouds, I felt a sense of belonging; this was my home even though it was from the past.

" I must not fail, gods of the air, sea and land, help me successfully complete this mission.

"Hocus Pocus, tontus talontus, vade celertier juebeo, Hocus Pocus, Tontus Talontus, Vade Celertier Juebeo''

Summoning the powers of the air, sea and land through the king Majesties seemed like the most natural thing to do. I was no longer the timid Agatha; I was the dreygo of the millennium appearing in a physical form.

Apparating in the pantheon of ancient Rome, this was the first step, reconnecting with the ancient gods and goddesses of nature, combining their forces to making a reversible change concerning Earth.

"Welcome, the gods have been expecting you''. Papsukkal, the messenger god of the Akkadian Pantheon appeared and took my hand, leading me into the pantheon.

We glided through the flight of stairs, leading to the entrance of the pantheon; Papsukkal began talking about the Pantheon, trying to ease my nerve, which I was grateful for.

Stepping into the pantheon, I felt the power of various gods present and there were other messenger gods such as Hermod, the messenger god of the Norse mythology, the son of Odin; Hermes, the divine messenger of the Olympian gods, Zaqar , messenger of the god.

Sin, from Mesopotamia as well as Iris, goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the god; the link between gods and humanity.

"The pantheon porch right here," gesturing to the area we were standing, "It was designed with shafts; about 10 tons, the oculus over there, and the entry door are the only source of light inside this building. I must say humans are also smart when they want to be. This room over there -"

"Welcome Agatha, we have all been waiting for you. This is the first time all gods and goddesses are gathered and it is for no other reason but for humanity.'' Isis said, walking up to me, subsequently interrupting Papsukkal.

"You can leave now Papsukkal, your work is done here''. He left and she continued talking while we walked down the aisle that led to the room the gods waited.

"It is an honour to be here ma'am. I have read so much about gods and this is so surreal to me.''

"Why, thank you. At least humankind still has something to offer, they show respect for us and continue teaching their young ones about our myths, even though most do not believe we exist. They never forgot who we are which is why Zeus, in his infinite mercies gave the Macedonian High Priest, Pericles the power to bless one human per millennium because he knew mankind could not be left without help.''

"I am sorry we turned out to be a disappointment. We really ruined everything due to our stubbornness and obstinate behaviour." My head, hung low with shame.

Turning over to me, ``Truth be told, it is not only the fault of humans but the gods too. They have a fair share of the blame as well. You will not hear it from me, better from the horse's mouth.

"Quick, hurry we do not want to keep them waiting too long''.

The door opened and there they were, in all their mystical glory sat on the golden thrones, all ten of them, ready to receive me, with only the gods of nature present.

"Mortal, welcome, we have been expecting you.''.

One of them, with golden skin and long hair that reached her feet glided across the room to me. She smiled and I could feel all the love.

"I am Jacheongbi, the Korean goddess of earth and love'' Turning to Iris, "Iris, let Zeus know she has arrived and he can stop beating himself over such trivial matter''.

"Yes, your Majesty. I hope you save the world, Agatha,''. Iris walked through the walls, accompanied by a chimera I did not notice was standing close to the door. My attention was drawn back to the deities in the room.

"This is Sosamshin, Korean goddess of birth and cattle.'' she pointed at the goddess with cowbells on her neck. She was clearly the biggest and most intimidating. She smiled mechanically at me and I replied weakly.

"Next to Sosamshin is Enki, the Sumerian god of water and next to him is Ninmah, the Sumerian goddess of the moutains''.

"Welcome to the pantheon Agatha, May the water and mountains guide you to the right path once your quest begins'', they spoke simultaneously.

"Thank you'', I smiled and nodded.

Moving to the next gods, I noticed they were darker than the rest, their hair; braided into cornrows with different Colors and they held a long staff each.

"This is Aja, the Yoruba orisha, Patron of the forest and herbal healer. Next is Osanyin, also an Orisha and the patron of forest and a healer''.

The god next to the Orishas held a Thyrsus; a glass of wine was in front of him and wore a grape-like earring.

"You must have read on this god, he is particularly famous, he is –",

"Oh no darling, let me introduce myself since no one can give me the accolades better than myself," he interrupted , stood up and brought out grapes from his pockets, handed it over to me.

I was star struck at how he moved graciously, he almost did not act like a god though I had no idea who he was.

"I am Dionysus, son of Zeus and Persephone so please put a lot of respect in my name''. Leaning on his thyrsus, he smiled at everyone, dropping a fruit in his mouth.

"Oh Dionysus, you do this every time, just introduce and let us continue'', Sosamshin exclaimed, with the others nodding with approval.

"Okay, Okay, I am the god of grape harvest, wine making, fertility, ritual madness, theatre, religious ecstasy and I have been worshipped for a long time, longer than some of the gods present here''. There were coughs in the room but he ignored and continued.

"I have 25 siblings since father did not know how to act. The Greeks refer to me as Zagreus while the Romans refer to me as Bacchus, Cute, but Dionysus sounds better, Don't you agree?''

I nodded, having no clue of what was happening.

"Very well then, my thyrsus is a beneficent wand and is a weapon used to punish those that oppose my followers as well as the freedom i represent. I AM THE DYING AND RISING GOD.'' He boomed, drinking from his sceptre, he continued

"I gave Michelangelo, you know him? The power to make a sculpture of me, as well as Hendrik Goltzius, Diego Velazquez and many others. I even had early 21st century singers pay homage to me. No other god here can claim that record. Dead Can Dance, an Australian band released their album with my name as the title, amazing isn't it? I repaid them and it sold more than they expected. Ever heard of BTS? They were the leading band in the 21st century and I must say I enjoyed their songs, especially the one titled .... Dionysus. They paid homage to me and I showed appreciation to them. In conclusion, I need the love from humankind once again, i need them back.''

He solemnly said, in contrast to how ecstatic he was initially.

"Well, that was dramatic, expected nothing less from a drunken god anyway. Next up are the Nymphs, Greek spirits of the rivers, and lastly we have Viracocha, the god of the sky, creator of all things from the Incan, mythology''.

"My dear, we have a lot of work to do. Zeus sent only the nature gods down here from Olympus since it is our responsibility. In all my one million years of existence, I have never seen him livid as he is. Persephone had to calm him down before his anger could ruin half of Olympus. First-''

"Hello! I am Hinkon, god of hunting and animal life, sorry for interrupting but I had to hitch a ride from the only available Chimera since everyone were with Zeus, trying to pacify him''. , the last god walked in, with a bow and arrow at his back, it was obvious he was a warrior.

Standing tall among other gods, Viracocha, the god of the sky, in all his glory, clouds and thunder enveloping his frame.

"Mortals have always been a concern for us. We have, from inception guided your kind. The moment we decide to hand over the reins, what happens? You destroy your home. Earth has been in existence for billions of years, yet as soon as you discovered technology; I still blame Hermes every time, you felt untouchable. You killed animals, destroyed their habitat, destroyed the trees and had no sympathy for yourselves.

You became power drunk and focused on trivial events rather than what was currently happening. Yes, there were people that created awareness but majority ignored it and continued their useless mortal life. What a shame to Olympus."

One by one, they began to speak,

"As a result of man's stiff-necked behaviour, I, Jacheongbi, goddess of earth and love, removed my love from the hearts of mortals as my punishment to them.

I, Sosamshin, stopped cows from producing milk and eventually I took my animals back to Olympus.

I, Enki, god of water caused hurricanes, flooding, and tsunami to reach a record high.

We, in all our glory stopped trees from growing, prevented our herbs from healing the sick'', Aja and Osanyin said, simultaneously.

I had not processed all what they were saying and I was still in a state of shock. One thing I could understand was that the gods were angry at humanity and punished them.

"Dionysus had to intercede on humanity's behalf, because his followers had prayed fervently to him and he has always been a passionate god". Viracocha said, still basking in the euphoria of his glory.

Taking a deep breathe,

"I am deeply sorry for the pain humanity has caused. There is a reason why you are rulers over man. We can never be compared to you and yes, humanity has acted foolish over the last century but you should not turn your backs on us when we need you the most."

Seeing their side-glances at each other, I knew my words were meaningful and i was gaining momentum so I got more courage to speak again.

"I know humanity is so vain and self-conceited. I am human too, so I understand. They need you more and are like sheep with no shepherd. Goddess Jacheongbi, please do not remove your love from their hearts; it has caused a lot of damage. There is increased rate of racism, islamaphobia, homophobia, murder and lots of other havoc. There is no love in their hearts anymore. Bless them and you will feel at peace once again." I concluded, proceeding to bow before sitting.

"Well, she has spoken well, hasn't she?" Enki asked. Everyone nodded and Dionysus gave me a thumb up. I beamed, knowing I had pleased the gods.

"We would restore earth to its original phase but it is left to the Dreygo in you to complete the mission." He continued.

"Whatever you want my lords, I will do it for humanity, for my mother," I cracked at the end.

"First, you will go to the underworld, meet with Hades and appeal to him. Now we are sending you to him because he would not want to release the dead and only you can find a way to make him set them free. You will be given a Familiar to help you through this journey It is common knowledge that Hades 'home' is always filed with guests and he never lets them out''. Viracocha said, solemnly. I gaped, mouth wide open. The Underworld? How did they expect me to 'talk' to Hades? If it was that easy, why did they not do it themselves?

"You have to climb the tallest mountain and talk to her. Tell her Ninmah, mother of all mountains, rocks and stones sent you,'' Ninmah stated and I just nodded.

"I have just one task. Find a headless horse with unicorn horns. Last I checked, it was somewhere between ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia," Hinkon smirked, challenging me to say no.

How could I do all these alone in an attempt to save humankind? Fear had shrivelled own my spine and there was nothing else I could do but wait for their instructions. I had gone pale, my blood as cold as a glacier and I was hoping it was a joke but the looks on their faces told me all I needed to know.

"Do not listen to Ninmah and Hinkon. They are trying to scare you, which, from the obvious point, it is working because your face says it all." Dionysus interjected, clearly having a fun time at the expense of my reaction.

Relief washed down my face like the morning dew in a tropical country. Their sense of humour was darker than I imagined but then again they are not human so I did not expect them to have the same level of humour we had.

"You know deep down it is not a joke. If we had our way, we would make her do that. Someone has to pay for their sins and you all know."

"She would pay for it in no time, one way or another." Viracocha silently spoke.

"Find the Garden of Eden, which is technically impossible and most of us do not know where it is. It will not be easy but you are left with no choice". Aja and Osanyin spoke simultaneously.

"How do you expect me to find what most of you cannot even find?"

"Quiet." Hinkon silenced.

"Sorry." It was one thing to be in the presence of the gods, it was another thing to annoy them.

It was as quiet as the graveyard for some seconds; all eyes were on me, daring me to back out of the task given to me.

Realizing they wanted me to speak, took a deep breath.

"And If I do this, would Earth come back to normal?''

"Like nothing ever happened. We would continue our guidance over humanity. You have our word.''

"May the higher gods be with you,'' they all said, vanishing into thin air except Dionysus.

Strutting closer, he raised one brow,

"Now darling, they did not tell you one thing about Hades. He does not like smart ones only because he is not that smart. Oh and he has a Cerberus as his guard. Tame the dog first and you have your wish granted." He smirked.

"You are telling me this because?'' I asked, suspicious of his overly bubbly nature. It was not every day a god snitched on his fellow god.

"Oh you know as humans says, I may in fact be a cover name for Hades, seeing we have so much in common, they forget we are related.'' He scoffed.

"You are telling me the weak point of your uncle, Dionysus.'' I said, cockily, feeling more comfortable with him than the other gods.

"Oh darling, I want humanity to worship me again, do not be flatter yourself. Enjoy your time in the underworld. My regards to Hades. Tell him he should visit sometime.'' resting his hands on my shoulder, he patted my shoulder and disappeared.

The door opened and Iris entered.

"They told you, didn't they?"

"Yes they did."

She led me out of the room and we walked in a comfortable silence.