~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty Three

   “That you could be one of my beloved creations?” God cut him off.

   Once again God had their full attention. But this time he looked as ageless as he was. Gone was the indifference, the anger, the resentment over being here. Now he looked forlorn, heartbroken.

   “Yes,” Gage said with a hitch in his throat, never in a million years would he have seen that coming. Pity for God.

   “Why not?” God asked simply as he rounded the furniture to stand before them again.

   “Because everything I did on earth I had to do with impediment from you. You sent your lackey Michael for me every single time, to warn me of the consequences of my actions. If I was one of yours then it wouldn’t have been necessary because I wouldn’t have acted as I did.”

   “Yes you would, because I made one mistake when I created you, I gave you the gift of deceit, defiance.”

   Gage wasn’t believing it, “that’s ridiculous; why the hell would you want one of your angels to be able to lie, to stand up to you?”

   “Gage,” God said shortly, “your name means a token of defiance. The name I gave you.”

   “Bullshit!” Gage threw his hand in the air, “you’re too full of yourself to create someone like me. All you have is yes men in your court!”

   “I’m not a yes man,” Death threw in, “or a man at all.”

   “Me either,” Josephine shook her head, “and neither was Sera in her time here.”

   “He didn’t create you Death the Titans did, and you,” he pointed at Josephine, “will still obey him when ordered.”

   “Gage I left heaven for earth so I could save my sister from God’s spite,” Josephine said firmly.

   “Did he tell you not to go to earth?”

   “Well…no.”

   “Then that doesn’t count,” He shook his head at her, “It wasn’t for yourself, you just said it was for your sister. Sacrifice and selflessness are embed into your system, hers too,” he shot a chin to Sera, “that’s why the both of you came to earth.”

   “So…then why did you go?”

   “Go where?” he returned Sera’s question.

   “Why did you leave heaven, who did you want to save?”

   “Beauty I keep telling you I’m not an-”

   “All of mankind,” God cut him off for the second time, “he thought I was going to destroy the race.”

   “What?” Gage looked to him in total disbelief.

   But God didn’t acknowledge him, he spoke to Sera instead, “The turmoil on Olympus had nearly peaked and he feared it would spread to earth. He warned me I needed to do something about it before us, as Gods, wiped the mortals out. He assured me all it would take to calm ill will was for me to, ahem,” he cleared his throat, “apologize to the other Gods I had offended. I, of course, refused.” He said cockily.

   Gage grabbed at his temples as his sight dimmed, again that vision he had in hell danced in front of him, but this time clearer. It was the familiarity of the situation, like Gage had been here once before arguing with God over his discretions.

   This time he could see clearly God in those same blue fucking robes standing before him, heaven’s light shining from behind him as he stood on some sort of raised platform. Column after gold column surrounded them; a gilded throne perched at the exact center. There used to be more, a distant memory told Gage there used to be a dozen thrones in this room…