When Gods Descend

Whelp, I really screwed the pooch on this one. I have no doubt that, if you haven’t already, you will soon hear about, or quite possibly experience some serious happenings in the world. I’m writing this all down now to 1) give you fair warning and to give you a target for your likely ire, and 2) as a form or repentance I suppose. I know there will be those of you out there who will truly enjoy what is to come, but for the rest of you I am sorrier than you can ever possibly know or believe.

So where to begin with this? You see the beginning is a bit hard to nail down as many of the “mainline events” have been more recent, but I suppose it all really started when I was a child. Growing up I always felt off from everyone else around. I know what you’re thinking, “Great! Another angsty narcissistic prick looking for attention online!” I promise this isn’t true. See I was raised in a devoutly religious family. We attended church every week and on every holiday. My parents were so into it we they even got referrals from out pastor to excuse us from school during religious periods. It seemed great to have the days off, but I never felt anything special aside from that. I was a bit envious of my parents and my sister for the way they could see God in every facet of life, but I never saw it. I was a kid obsessed with Halloween, horror, and mythology, much to the chagrin of my parents. I read about gods and demons and heroes and felt far more connected to them than I ever did to my family’s God. This of course also led me to being an outcast, for the most part, in school. All the other kids either followed their parents’ faiths blindly, or were atheist like their parents and just had no comprehension of what I was trying to tell them. The one good thing, for a while at least, of all this was Janice. She too was an outcast. Even in elementary school she was the weird goth girl who rebelled against everyone and, as I later found out, a Wiccan. I found what solace I could in her, but sadly one ally against an army is still losing odds.

As we grew older she and I shared ideas and talked pretty regularly about many things people would most likely, and fairly often improperly, call occult. In middle school we became a couple, and by high school we were planning our marriage. Sadly that all went south fairly quickly. As I’m sure many of you know, high school is absolute hell when you are as different as we were. Between bullying in school and a rough home life, Janice decided to commit suicide. The worst part was I was there when it happened. It started off innocently enough as one of our regular bouts of “sex magic” but the twist came when she drew a dagger across her throat. You are probably wondering about now why I didn’t stop her right? Well our fun time almost always included restraints, and this time it was my turn to be tied down. My parents and sister weren’t home at the time so I was forced to lie there while the love of my life bled out and grew cold on top of me. You have no idea how bad that fucks someone up…

After that I was in and out of psych wards and therapists offices through college. I never dabbled in anything occult or religious from then on, no Ouija boards, no religious discussions, no Christmas dinners, nothing. At least until recently that is. After college I got a job working the back rooms of a museum, mostly cataloguing what we had as well as checking manifests of new exhibits against what we received. This was a perfect job for me really. I got to work with cool old stuff and very rarely had to deal with people.

“So why the hell are you boring us with all this nonsense?” I hear you asking. No need to fear dear reader, we’re getting to the important bits now. An exhibit we would be featuring in the fall was about ancient Greek art. One of the main pieces to be on display was a nearly flawless marble statue, veined with gold and copper, that was dug up on a beach in Cyprus by a dog. An odd note is that we also received the shipment two days early, at exactly 12 noon on Thursday, June 21st, 2018. I remember this because I was in the middle of my lunch break when the truck arrived and I was less than pleased. I had a meatball sub that day for those who are likely wondering. Now this is where the troubles really began. For those not versed in ancient Greek festivals or mythology, here is where the importance lies. The date? Well that was the summer solstice which just so happens to be when festivals were held in honor of the sex goddess. The beach where the statue was found? Near where it is said Aphrodite rose from the sea. Coincidence? Not so much…

So there I was checking the manifest, while my sub grew cold and soggy (rest in peace you poor delicious bastard), When I find that the statue to be missing! Needless to say my boss was not happy! That bastard assumed it was my fault and it was just overlooked it since it was the only piece missing, and it was of course the most important piece for the exhibit. I was told I wasn’t allowed to leave until the piece was found and accounted for. It may not seem like a big deal, but the museum was already about to close and I wasn’t pleased with the idea of possibly being there until 1 AM for something we weren’t even in a rush to start setting up yet. But I really don’t have a life outside of work, a fact my boss is keenly aware of, so I had no real excuses to get me out of it.

Well after the doors were locked and I was left to my own devices, what did I find? The fucking statue in the crate of ornamented shells I had checked earlier in the day… I was tempted the shatter the bitch, throw away the shards, and claim that I had never found it. Believe me; my boss never let me live it down… So as I held that statue, contemplating reenacting the printer scene from Office Space with her, and odd sensation washed over me. It felt a bit like nostalgia, but there was something else to it as well that I still can’t quite place. There was something about this statue that reminded me of Janice, but I could never quite place why. This of course brought up feelings and memories I would much rather forget. After signing off on the manifest and locking up behind me, I high-tailed it to the nearest liquor store. Unfortunately my line of work doesn’t pay terribly well so I buy cheap. In this case it happened to be a box of sweet red wine. Don’t fret, dear readers, I didn’t down the wine there, though I sorely wanted to. I did at least have sense enough to wait until I got to my apartment to do so.

Unfortunately for me the wine did little good in quelling the thoughts of my lost love, though it did help numb the pain to an extent. In fact it did the exact opposite. I began thinking about Janice more and more and the sorts of things we used to do together. In my drunken stupor I made the absolute worst decision of my life. Feeling weepy and sentimental about days gone, I cradled my box of wine (cups are for chumps), went outside to pluck a rose from the bush outside, and stumbled back to the museum. It is worth noting at this point that I only live roughly five blocks away from the museum. I knew security was going to be about, but generally they ignored me because again, I was that weird guy. Once inside I shambled my way to the back, poured some wine in a shell (not my brightest idea, but I was drunk), and placed the shell and the flower in front of the statue that reminded me so much of Janice. After toasting my lost love I drank until I blacked out.

As I’m sure you guessed, I was found the next morning passed out on the floor cradling the statue. My boss, much to my surprise, wasn’t pissed at all! In fact he found it rather humorous, wine box aside.

“So you’re not firing me?” I asked in utter shock.

“No David, I’m not. Even though I should,” my boss replied sternly. “Even though you were found with alcohol, and possibly molesting the antiquities,” he chuckled at himself a bit at this, “I’m just giving you a week’s suspension. You’re a good kid and good at what you do. You’ve never acted out before so I’m just taking this as a sign that you need a short break.”

“But what about the shell I ruined?” I asked still in disbelief of the whole situation.

“What shell do you mean? The only thing disturbed in there, aside from me that is, was the statue!” He was chuckling to himself again at this. Another thing he never let me live down.

“Well if you need anything…”

My boss gently cut me off with, “We won’t need anything. Just get yourself some rest and we’ll see you in a week!” And with that, the crazy shit started happening.

On my way home I noticed I was getting a lot of looks. Not the type of looks I’m accustomed to getting mind you. I was getting looks from women. Not the creeped out “what’s with that guy” looks. They were more like what you see in movies when a hot guy walks down the street and every woman looks like she’s about to rip her clothes off and jump his bone. Every guy’s fantasy, right? Not really, to be honest. To an extent I was afraid for my safety in all honesty. I’ve always been the weird guy, and I’m average looking at best. I might draw the occasional attention, but I’ve never been a piece of fresh meat to a pride of starving lionesses. I thought for sure I must just be hazy from the booze so I stopped at a Starbucks on my way home for some, hopefully, strong coffee (it wasn’t). And it weirdness escalated. I had to repeat my order three times because the cashier kept staring at me and biting her lip like some cliché high school girl. The barista that gave me my drink caressed my hand as I tried to take the damn cup! There were THREE NUMBERS WRITTEN ON THE SLEEVE! I decided I had had enough and powerwalked the rest of the way home. “So how is all this stuff bad?” you’re asking. “Sounds like you have a good thing going. Why claim you need to repent for trying to get laid?” you complain. I know this all seems great, but it’s not.

Aside from the (mostly) unwanted advances by the local female populace, the rest of the oddities started slowly. At first there were internet articles about membership and matches on dating sites skyrocketing across the country. Then fishermen were getting larger hauls than they had been in recent. Some were even claiming they were able to find bountiful fishing in fisheries that had long been exhausted. Reports were coming in of and, and of all things, dolphins actively assaulting Japanese whaling ships. Worldwide headlines were buzzing (no pun intended) about and sudden surge in bee populations. And strangest of all, the number of reports of mermaids went through the roof, as did compelling video and picture evidence that was impossible to debunk, though many tried their damnedest.

After my “vacation” was over and I returned to work, the dreams began. I’m certain at this point this phase had to do with my proximity to the statue on such a regular basis now. They began rather hazy with me waking feeling both pleased and exhausted, as well as me desperately needing a new pair of underwear I hate to admit. Shortly after though they dreams took a more defined form, and I was able to remember the details better. Almost every night, with growing clarity, I would approach a gorgeous brunette wearing a fishnet body sock who would lead me to a bed held aloft by swans and doves and covered in roses. The thorns would piece my skin as we did our damnedest to explore every inch of each other’s bodies. Instead of pain though I felt unbridled euphoria. I thought they were pleasant dreams at first until I started to wake with bleeding holes and scrapes all over (and I mean all over) my body. The first few I took as me scratching myself at night or possible bedbugs or some such, but I knew eventually that there was no way that either of these possibilities were true.

Then it happened. One day when I came home from work I found the woman from my dreams sleeping on my couch. I tried calling the police but my phone couldn’t get a signal. When I tried to leave my door lead me back to my apartment instead of the hallway. Upon opening the window to call for help from the street I was swarmed by sparrows. The birds flocked to my mystery guest, perching on and about here, then started singing. This wasn’t a bird song either; it was like a whole choir was singing in my apartment. The woman stirred, slowly rose from the couch, and stretched while sleepily smiling at me and displaying all her… glory… After her stretch she sauntered toward in the most seductive manner I had ever seen. It took me a long, loooong moment to realize my blinds were open so I quickly shut them before someone called the cops on this woman, and me, for indecent exposure.

Upon turning back around I found she was nearly face-to-face with me. I of course panicked and jumped back against the wall. She didn’t cease her advance though. She pressed herself against be, caressed my check and whispered… something… in my ear. To be honest I have no idea what she was saying but I know I liked the sound of it.

“Uh-uhh-hh…. Wh-who are you?” I barely stammered out. Again she murmured something unintelligible to me. Cautiously I grabbed her should to push her back enough for me to escape and make my way to the couch. This was a feat in and of itself because to be honest my legs felt like jelly and my pants were a smidge tight at that moment. “How did you get in here? What do you want from me? What the hell are you saying?!” I tried to sound tough but the quivering in my voice was unmistakable. She smiled at me in a playful way that I really wish she hadn’t and approached the couch while jabbering her nonsense again. Then, heaven help me, she sat cross-legged on the couch next to me. She gave me a questioning look as if waiting for a reply. I could only look at her confused for a moment before she leaned in for a kiss, and that’s all I remember before blacking out.

The next thing I know I’m eating my lunch at work. I lost sixteen hours! I panicked and tracked down my boss. “How long have I been here?!”

Looking confused, “Um, 4 years or so?” my boss replied.

“No I mean today!” nearly shouting my reply.

“Since 9… Are you feeling alright? You seem… frazzled…” My boss was looking very concerned at this point. He then began to smirk “Did you and your girlfriend have a fight?”

“How do you know about her? Who is she?!” I was becoming almost panicked at this point.

“You uh, you didn’t really… y’know… with the statue?” My boss looked at me with both concern and mild amusement.

“No! What are you talking about? No! I just… y’know what, can I take the rest of the day, I’m not feeling quite right…” I did my best to sound casual, but based on the look I was now getting I know I fail miserably.

“Yeah, sure. No worries. Just uh, wind down a bit? Maybe hit up a strip club. I think you need to relieve some tension…” He of course gave me a big grin as I tried to walk away. “Oh and one more thing!” he called after me. “First one’s on me!” My boss chuckled to himself again, slipped a folded up $20 bill in my shirt pocket at patted my chest. As he walked away I could see him shaking his head and hear him chuckling to himself.

Once I returned home I again found the fishnet-clad woman lounging on my couch. “Is this how it’s going to be now? Are you kicking me out or do you plan on paying rent?” I sighed to her.

She giggled at me and said to me, “Welcome home me sweet. I am glad to see you again. I have a surprise for you!”

My jaw hit to floor! This woman who was speaking gibberish just yesterday was speaking so eloquently now! Her voice had a slight sultry husk to it and a hint of an accent I couldn’t quite place. “And you being here isn’t surprise enough?!” My frustration was plain to here I’m sure. She simply wrinkled her nose and giggled at me while opening my closet, out of which came two more women, and blond and a redhead, clad the same has her. “I don’t know what game you’re playing here, but I don’t want any part of it!” Again I tried to sound tough, but I again failed miserably. And in all honesty I did want to play, but a man has to stand his ground right? She’s the intruder here!

The woman merely shrugged, snapped her fingers, and the other two women were gone without a trace. “O…kay….. Who are you?” The woman struck her best Vanna White pose and a bottle of Venus shampoo appeared in her hand. “Sooo…. You are the shampoo fairy…?” I asked puzzled.

“Of course not!” she teased as the bottle vanished before my eyes. “Some called me Venus, though I preferred my original name. Aphrodite!”

“Right… And I’m Kind Richard the Lionheart!” I did nothing to try to hide my frustration at this point.

“A pleasure to meet you, your grace,” she intoned politely and she bowed. “I have oft wondered at what it would be like to be a queen!” She began to approach me, as she had the evening before.

“Whoa, whoa there miss. Pump the brakes a moment!” She looked at me quizzically. “I need some time to process here. I knew this was absurd, but something was gnawing at me inside. I felt like I needed to trust this woman for some odd reason. Absent mindedly I sat on the couch and flipped on the TV and I tried to wrap my head around what was going on. I hardly even noticed this woman had sat behind me and wrapped her arms around me.

“Is this a common happening?” I could hear the anger in her voice but I didn’t know what she was on about. I just looked at her, first in confusion, then in terror. There was a fury in her eye the likes of which I had never seen before. She stared into my soul and I couldn’t break her eye contact. “Is. This. A common. Happening?” Heat began to shimmer off her body as an almost golden glow began to radiate off of her.

“Ye-yes. Seems like a couple times a week,” I stammered. It dawned on me she was referring to the news story about a woman found raped and dismembered in a park. And with that she was gone. A few moments later she returned as if out of thin air, covered in blood and holding some man’s head. “Why do you allow such things to persist, my king?!” I nearly shat myself from her rage.

“Allow what?!” I squeaked. “And why are you calling me king?! My name is David!”

“So you are no king then. How did you conjure me here then?” The asked noticeably confused and dropping the head. “You must be a powerful priest if you are no king,” she said, sliding onto the couch next to me.

“Can you uh… can you do something about that head? I’m pretty sure blood stains would void my security deposit…” I had no idea how I was able to be so nonchalant about the gore. It was something about this woman’s presence. “And what do you mean conjurer? I haven’t messed with anything like that since I was a kid.”

“You must have made some sort of sacrifice to me my dear David. Else wise my true idle would not have come to you and I would not be here.” She explained this to me as though I were a child, complete with a pinch of my cheek. “We are bound together my dear David. I have long yearned to walk this world in the body of a mortal, and you have given me that gift. How do you feel about the man whose head I brought you?”

“Well, without his body he was definitely gross, I joked. “That aside I couldn’t say. I never met the guy.”

“But you know of what he did yes?” From the way she asked I knew she already knew what my answer was.

“I’m assuming he was responsible for the death of that young woman from the news?”

“Yes. What do you think of him?”

“Obviously he was a piece of shit.” She giggled at this. “I guess he got what he deserved?”

“Indeed he did. Would it please you to see it again?” The smile she gave me was as devious as if she were Satan himself.

“I guess so. The world would be better off without pricks like that. But why do it? I thought you were the goddess of love?”

She roared with laughter at this. “You foolish mortals. Have you never seen the wrath of a woman scorned? Have you not spurned any lovers in your time?”

“I suppose so, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“The love I give is deeper than any of your kind can begin to comprehend. As such my wrath is just as deep.” The look she gave after this turned my bowels to water. “So let us be off then!”

In an instant I was in some run-down shit hole watching a man beat the hell out of a woman I assumed to be his girlfriend. Aphrodite whispered something to him. He stopped and stared at here dumbstruck. I imagine it must be how I looked the first time I saw her. She approached similar to how she did me, but there was something different. There was something predatory in her movements this time. She pressed her body against him and stroked his right arm. When she reached his wrist I saw a flash of movement and a spray of red. The man stared in horror at where is arm once was before she ripped of his other. He fell to the floor and she began to pummel him with his own arms. By the time she was done nothing was left of his face or arms but red pulp. When she was done with her gruesome work she gently lifted the poor beaten woman from the ground, kissed her gingerly and walked her out the door. When the door closed we were back in my apartment, incredibly devoid of blood stains.

“That was a bit… excessive… don’t you think?”

“I believe you mortals have a saying, ‘You reap what you have sewn’. I was merely helping him reap his crop.” She wrinkled her nose and smiled at me again. She then leaned in to kiss me and again all went to black.

I awoke in bed feeling worn, but blissful. Through the morning head fog I looked to the woman tangled in my arms, and for a moment thought I was with Janice again. The pain of loss quickly set in though as recollection came, but it was undeniable there was something about this Aphrodite that reminded me of her. As I tried to disentangle myself, I felt a sharp pain in the side of my neck. I turned my head slowly to see an armored man standing beside my bed with a spear pressed against my throat. He began shouting at me in the same strange tongue Aphrodite and for spoken to me in. She awoke with a start and started yelling back at him in a rather panicked tone. Needless to say I was literally shitting myself at this point. What felt like an eternity later the man withdrew his spear, gave me a scowl that quite literally nearly stopped my heart, and he disappeared.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?” I shrieked at her.

“He is a former lover. Be glad I was here, else wise he would be presenting your head to me.” She grinned nervously.

“Your ex eh? Anyone else I should know about?” I asked halfway teasingly. She merely chuckled and slapped my arm playfully.

“You should ward yourself though my dear David. Ares is never up to any good. Especially when he is as wroth as he is now.”

“A-Ares? Oh… Oh my….”

She was certainly right about him being up to no good. Reports of gruesome murders of gang bangers, pimps, and racists became commonplace in the nightly news. To top it all, Aphrodite had to make a morning routine of vanishing severed head from the foot of our bed on the daily.

I wish I could say that Ares’ dick waving was the only concern at this point. Sadly I worry that there will soon be more bloodshed, and it is all my fault. There are now reports of freak electrical storms during clear skies and troops of Viking re-enactors being slaughtered. Their cause of death has always been either electric shock or extreme blunt force trauma. There have also been reports and a winged man with the head of a falcon perching atop the pyramids in Giza. Some conspiracy theorists are claiming it’s the moth man come again, but I think I know better. In Mexico there have been reports of huge winged serpents, in Nevada reports of birds so large their winds sound like a thunder storm, and in India there have been a few reports of beings that have multiple sets of arms. And through it all, there has been death and destruction.

So now you see dear readers, the world may soon be coming to an end, and I think I played a large roll in that. There are hundreds, if not thousands of other gods there, and if you haven’t noticed paganism has been becoming more popular recently, so those gods may very well heed the calls now. I fear too that there are worse things that people worship than these blood-soaked and petty gods. What I fear most though, is the Christian God real? I recall in the Old Testament he was jealous and wrathful. What do you think he would do to us if he could walk among us, see the kinds of people we have become, and see all the pagan gods running free?

Submitted March 09, 2019 at 08:55PM by kobalomancer https://ift.tt/2CbmrMs