We Were Gods: Oleander: Book One

The DJS

Work. Just the thought of that word makes my skin crawl. I can't help but let out a grumble whenever Ra says it. But at least it'll be doing something new and exciting. I mean, how hard can a God's work be?

My eyes widen once Ra takes me to the Death Justice System building. He had to plunge both of us in darkness to get here so I can only imagine where the place truly is. There are many halls and room, and far too many cubicles. Everything seems so bright and almost unreal in this world.

"Anubis?" Another handsome man steps forward. He has a very broad chest and has enough muscles to squash me in an instant. I can't help but wonder if all Gods are beautiful. It makes me wonder what I'm doing here; I am far from beautiful. The man crosses his arms over his chest, white robes swishing against him. "It's about time your lazy ass decides to show."

"Come now, Minos." Ra chuckles, placing a large hand on my shoulder. "I just got my son to wake up. He's been in the human world. Anubis, this is Minos. He's one of our judges."

Minos stares me up and down before letting out a huff of frustrated air. "Well, get him on the right page and working as soon as possible. Death takes no vacations." And just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.

"So..." I start, shifting from one foot to the other. "Are like... all Gods real?"

Ra starts laughing; it's that warm laugh that can fill an entire room. "Of course! Did you think the mortals just imagined us? I mean, who do you think created them? All of us, Gods and Goddesses alike, came first and all of us helped to create the world around the mortals. We're all responsible for the universe, whether the humans want to believe in us or not."

"So is like God real?" I ask, making Ra blink in confusion.

"God? Which God?"

"You know... God. The big man upstairs. G-O-D." I try to explain but feel my cheeks burning.

"The big man upstairs is Freyja. And she's actually a woman. Don't let her size or her looks deceive you; she'll knock your block off." Ra chuckles as he points directly above us at the ceiling. "At least I think her office is still there."

"No I mean-" I am cut off by another chortle of laughter from Ra as he slaps my back. I nearly fall over from the sheer force.

"Yes. Of course the Christian God is real. I just got done telling you all Gods and Goddesses are real, son. Even that one. You see, nearly every religion has a main God and those main Gods tend to work together and oversee the smaller Gods. I am a main God, the Christian God is a main God, Zeus is a main God, Odin is a main God; the list just goes on really. Things would be really hectic and crazy if all of us didn't work together."

"What about... the evil ones?" I ask, my voice just barely above a whisper. I'm almost afraid to know the answer.

"Of course." Ra nods. "Like I said, humans aren't as inventive as they'd like to be. Did you know that even in their dreams they can't make up faces? Every face in their dream is from someone they've seen in real life."

"So like... Lucifer is real? Hades? All of those guys?" I continue, making Ra look bored with our discussion.

"Do me a favor and don't go talking to Hades. At the last meeting of the Gods you attended you hit on his wife, Persephone, and really ticked him off. He's been looking to make things even with you ever since." I can feel my face go pale as he explains this to me.

"What's a meeting of the Gods?" I wonder as he starts leading me down the blindingly bright hallway.

"Every month all of the Gods and Goddesses everywhere have meetings that we hold in this building or another one. We talk, dance, eat, and argue. Those meetings are not mandatory, but there is one held once a year that is mandatory. Even if you choose not to show we will find some way to get you there. This one year, about five lives ago, you decided not to show and Xipe Totec had to come get you. I don't think I've ever seen you more afraid and you haven't missed one since, so long as your Anubis spirit has been awakened." A chill went through my spine at the mention of the God's name. I didn't know them in this life but something within me recognized the Aztec name, and something deep within me feared them.

"So is Jesus real?" I am trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Do we really have to go over this again? If you've heard of the God or Goddess, or if they have some kind of book and or true legend surrounding them, chances are they are real." Ra mumbles.

"But he's not a God." Ra shoots me a warning look and instantly I know to stop arguing with him. "Soooo... I had this memory earlier about my brother... Osiris... is he around?"

A sad look flashes across Ra's face. "Yes." He nods, his lips drawn into a solid line.

"Can I meet him?" I know I shouldn't push the issue. I know something bad is tied to my brother; I can feel it at my very core.

"Soon enough you will meet him, Anubis." Ra promises, though there is dull emotion behind his voice.

"Anubis? Anubis is here?!" I can hear someone; a woman I am assuming, talking to someone. She seems overly joyed with my presence. And then suddenly I see her; she has white hair and a gorgeous body that I would think could turn anyone's head. I let out a small gasp as she runs and ensnares me in a hug. I can't help but hug her back... tightly. "Oh, Anubis! You've been missed so much! The office is so dull when you go away!" She has buried her perfect face in the crook of my neck and I can feel my knees go weak.

"Hecate, our Anubis here doesn't have all of his memories back, but I am certain he'll have them back soon enough." Ra chuckles; the atmosphere lightened almost instantly from earlier.

"Wait a minute, Hecate?" She pulls away to stare at me and I can feel my breath catch when our eyes meet. Her eyes are green and blue and look exactly like miniature Earths. "I-I read about you in high school... you're a Greek God... and worshipped in the Wiccan religion, right?"

Full lips pull into a wide smile as she nods, white hair curling and falling around her heart-shaped face. "That's me." She beams. "I can't wait for you to be back full time, Anubis." She places a hand on my arm and I feel myself melting once more. If all the Goddesses were this beautiful I was going to have a lovely time working here. "Let me know when you get back to being yourself... and not so mortal. Oh! And say 'hi' to Kebechet and Ammit for me!" She pats my arm and walks away, and I can't help but stare.

"Control yourself, son." Ra laughs, slapping my back. "She's not even the cutest one here. If you can't handle Hecate you're never going to be able to handle half the Goddesses here... Here we are. This is your office." He opens the door and suddenly we are in a very dark and hot room. I can't see anything but I can feel a warmth to the air that hadn't been there before. Ra claps twice and instantly the room is cast in gold. "You forced us to install a clap on before you left for this new life as Oleander."

I can feel my mouth drop as I look around. It is clear we are in some very large building now, made of rock and sand; the walls golden and cool, though the air isn't. His voice echoes, as do our footsteps, and I know that this hallway goes on for a long way. He leads me through a network of tunnels; some doorways hidden from plain sight.

"Every God that has chosen to have an office and not a cubicle has their office built and catered to their own needs and religion. Some doors lead to places that don't really exist, or the office is another building entirely. The door serves as almost a... portal, if you will." Ra explains as we walk; torches light alongside the hallway walls as we pass them. "This is your main room. You judge the souls that come to you and then you decide what happens to them, based on your findings." We stop in a large room; there's a desk surrounded by pneumatic tubes that you'd typically see at a bank. There is also a larger than life golden scale with a very beautiful colored feather placed on one scale; yet it is balanced. "I'll give you a book so that you can fully understand everything."