Chapter 9

Kara

The Chevy's air conditioning, radio, and speedometer all did not work. This sucked. It was hot, woefully lacking good music and I was very worried that Nyx had no idea how fast she was going. But, sitting next to Zack made it all better. Then Herman ruined it again.

"So, Kara, how do you think your parents will take you disappearing to be a goddess?" he asked me.

I was forced to wrench my eyes away from Zack to answer him. "My dad will probably worry like crazy." I told him.

"But not your mom?" he pressed. Gods! Why wouldn't he just let me stare at Zack in peace?

"She's in Panama. Working with the Red Cross." I said quickly switching my gaze to Zack once I was able to again. His arm was touching mine!

"That's cool." Herman said. "My parents work with the postal service."

"So they're mailmen?" Zack asked looking at him.

"Pretty much." Herman shrugged. "Not as exciting as having a mom in Panama though." He smiled.

"Trust me." I said. "There's nothing exciting about it. I haven't even heard from her since she left."

Zack looked at me. "No letters or phone calls?" he asked.

I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself able to respond to him. "None for me."

"That sucks." He said consolingly. AHHH! He felt sorry for me! This was better than learning I was going to be a god.

"Yeah it does." Herman exclaimed. "So, Z, what about your mommy and poppy?"

"Don't call me Z." Zack muttered. "My name's Zack… And my mom and dad are my business."

Me and Herman shared a look. "Ok. Sorry I brought it up." Herman whispered.

"I don't have a mother or a father." Nyx said without really being asked. "At least not in the way you view those terms."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I'm the goddess of night, fashioned from the darkness itself." Nyx replied. "I wasn't born in the traditional way."

"Fashioned from the darkness itself." I muttered. "That explains the skin tone."

"I didn't know there was a traditional way." Herman said. "I was of the understanding that everyone had to be born that way."

"Oh no!" Nyx said. "You just assume it's normal because that's how you were born. But as gods and goddess, you three will find that you deal with the untraditional ways more often now."

"Exactly how many untraditional ways are there?" I asked.

Nyx thought it over. "Many." She replied. "If you're going to go to the trouble of being born in a different way, why not go the whole ten yards and make it totally unique. At least that was Aphrodite thought. She was born from sea foam."

"I thought she was created when Uranus'…man parts…were flung into the ocean after…he lost them." I said.

"Whoa!" Herman shouted. "Losing man parts? That's not mandatory is it?"

Nyx looked as though she was rather uncomfortable. "Different example maybe? Ah! Athena was born from Zeus head!"

Herman frowned. "That probably wasn't a pleasant surgery. Could you imagine what his x-rays would have looked like?"

"We didn't have x-rays back then." Nyx said. "But I remember, before she came out, Athena was just a huge tumor on Zeus's temple." The goddess smiled. "Oh, he was so self-conscience about it."

"That's definitely not a traditional birth." I muttered. "In fact those are really disturbing."

Herman laughed. "He had a literal brain child." He burst out laughing. "Has anyone had a food baby?"

"No." Nyx muttered. "Are you mocking me?"

Herman stopped laughing and faked a small smile. "I'm laughing with you." He muttered.

Nyx had already shown us that it would be in our best interest not to piss her off. About an hour back she had been cut off by some jerk that was speeding down the highway. Instead of honking and flipping him off like most drivers would have done, Nyx killed him… well I'm not sure if he's dead or not. Nyx used her goddess-ness to envelop the driver and his car in a thick veil of black shadows. When the sunlight broke through the blackness there was no trace of life.

"Good." Nyx purred. She smiled. "You guys hungry?"

"I could eat." Zack shrugged. "But you don't have to stop if the others aren't."

"I'm hungry!" I shouted. All I knew was that I was with Zack right now. I was going to drag this out for as long as I could. "We should stop."

"Ok." Nyx muttered switching lanes. "I need to stretch my legs anyways."

Herman cleared his throat. "I didn't know shadows had legs." He said.

"And I didn't know gods could be so young." Nyx replied. "There is much you do not know. And even more which you will never know."

"Thank you?" Herman said after a brief silence. Nyx was rather had to talk to.

We got off the highway and made our way into one of those tiny towns with five gas stations and fast food places with nothing else. We pulled into the least crowded parking lot and all clambered out.

"You guys meet me back out here when you're done." Nyx muttered walking in the opposite direction.

"You're not coming with us?" I asked.

"I'd draw too much attention. Plus, I told you I need to stretch my legs." Nyx replied. With that we walked away.

"Bye." Herman shouted after her. "Come on guys lets go." We entered the building and ordered our food. Thankfully I got a seat next to Zack.

"How much longer do you guys think we'll be in the car?" Zack asked opening his meal. "We've been in that truck forever." He complained.

"I know, it's been a long time." Herman said. He always had to add his voice to the conversation I had noticed.

"I just want this car ride to end. "Zack continued. I was crushed, he didn't enjoy sitting in a hot, uncomfortable car with me.

"I know." Herman said. "Once we get there, we become gods…and goddess." He added smiling at me.

"That's what I'm waiting for." Zack muttered tearing into his fries. "I better be a strong god." He said. "Otherwise what's the point?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "I can see you as an all-powerful god." I said, I also saw him in my dreams, but I didn't say that.

Zack looked at me. "Yeah." He said. "Thanks, I guess."

"What about me?" Herman asked. "What kind of god do you see me as?" he insisted on being included.

"An annoying one." I muttered to myself. "I don't see you as a god." I told him.

"Ouch." Zack muttered smiling. He smiled at what I said!

"I get it!" Herman shouted. "You didn't see me because I'm the god of invisibility!" Herman said excitedly.

I was taken aback. I had meant to insult him. "Not what I was getting at." I told him. Herman just ignored me and continued reveling in his imaginary invisible god powers.

"Come on." Zack said standing up. "We are going to become gods by sitting here." He muttered.

"You're so right." I said following him. We ventured back to the Chevy and found Nyx waiting inside. She gazed silently at us as we approached.

"We were wondering if you could speed this up." Zack said.

"Speed this up?" Nyx asked. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, do whatever you do to get us there faster?" I suggested. I was torn between backing up Zack and spending more time with Zack.

"Ok," Nyx muttered, "get in the car." We obeyed. "Close your mouths." Again we obeyed. "Keep them closed." Nyx warned. "Eating shadows is not pleasant." Nyx closed her eyes and lifted her hands. She let out a few sharp quick breaths. My mouth was closed but my eyes were not. I watched as Nyx breathed out shadows from her mouth and nose. The shadows then surrounded the truck with us inside. They proceeded to close in on us until I couldn't see anything anymore. I desperately resisted the urge to scream.

Then the sun was shining again, and the shadows disappeared. I gasped for breath. "You breathed darknessed!" I shouted.

"Yeah." Nyx said. "I do that."

"Cool." Herman muttered.

"If it wasn't noon I would have summoned shadows to transport us, but alas…curse you 12:00 p.m."

"Wait, did you say transport us?" Zack asked. Looking around I saw we had into been transported. Transported right into a dump.

"Phew! It stinks." Herman muttered.

"Yeah, well it's a landfill…" Zack muttered.

"Nyx?" a voice called out. "About time."

Nyx looked at us. "Get out of the truck." We obeyed.

"Nyx. I'm surprised, you're the first one here." I saw the voice belonged to an old woman. The woman was walking towards us with three children following closely behind, two girls and a boy.

"I cheated." Nyx admitted. "I took the shortcut." Nyx led us to the elderly woman. "Hestia, you would have us meet in a landfill."

The old woman, I guess her name was Hestia smiled. "We're gathering twelve of the most powerful gods and goddesses in existence. I don't want anybody interrupting us."

Nyx eyed the younger of the two girls that was following Hestia. "Oh my, I thought mine were young."

Hestia gazed at the child. "Her heart is mature enough for the task, even if her body isn't."

Nyx shook her head. "Hestia, this is Herman, Zack, and Kara." She said pointing us out. "I think the will perform decently."

Hestia eyed us. "So young, all of you." She gazed at the children with her. "Demi, Deon, and Adele go mingle with your new coworkers."

The three kids drew near us. We all stood quietly, none of us knowing what to say. Except Herman of course.

"You guys ready to be GODS!" He shouted loudly.

The girl named Adele smiled. "I think it will be an honor to be gods by your sides."

"Yeah, likewise." I said smiling. These people seemed nice enough.