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“I volunteered to become an avatar because I thought I could do good in the world. They told me I would have the power to change lives.”
I sighed. “And then they saddled you with the goddess of envy.”
She nodded. “They wanted me to change lives, but not in the way I envisioned.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Doesn’t Invidia fully inhabit you? Why am I talking to the original person?”
“We’re failed experiments,” the former wild boar interrupted.
“You’re a god of wrath, right?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’m Pakhet.”
I looked at the Aztec god. “You’re Macuilcozcacuauhtli.”
His face brightened at the mention of his name.
Pakhet pointed to each of the remaining vices. “The donkey is Aergia, goddess of sloth. The lion is Tengu, and Rati is the goat.”
“Rati is a god of lust,” Aergia said, “but I think you already know that.”
I suddenly found the grain in the floorboard fascinating.
“None of us ended up working out the way the higher ups intended,” Pakhet explained. “The Corporation doesn’t like to lose money, though, so they kept tweaking us. Eventually, they figured out they could control us better in animal forms thanks to the collars.”
“Then they earmarked us for occasional use,” Invidia added.
The Aztec god pumped my hand repeatedly, speaking enthusiastically in his language. I still didn’t understand a word.
Invidia smiled. “He says he’s grateful you interceded. He’s from a small village in Mexico. The Corporation promised to save his people from starvation if he agreed to work for them.”
The Aztec god spoke again.
“And he says he would have found another way to save his village if he’d known the price,” Invidia added.
Pakhet scrutinized me. “You have decided to let us go, knowing what we are?”
“You’re misfit gods,” I said. “Find an island somewhere that you can settle down and live happily until your mortal bodies expire.”
Kane looked at me. “Expire? They’re not cartons of milk.”
“It’s a euphemism.” In my experience, nobody liked to talk about death, and certainly not immortal beings in mortal bodies.
“The Corporation won’t let us go that easily,” Pakhet said. “They’ll hunt us down.”
“First, they’ll need to figure out what happened to you, and I have confidence Aite won’t be telling that story anytime soon.”
“And it’s why we’re taking you to the crossroads,” Kane added. “You’ll have your choice of realms. Even if they do discover the truth, at that point The Corporation might decide you aren’t worth any further investment.”
Matilda continued to ogle the Aztec god. “Do you still need me to teleport them?”
Although it wasn’t strictly necessary now, I still thought it was a good idea. With my luck, Chief Garcia would choose this moment to stop by for a chat.
We couldn’t all fit in the circle at once, so Matilda organized us into two groups. I traveled with the first group that included Veles, Pakhet, Ratia, and Invidia. Kane accompanied the second group.
Veles looked down at the ground. “Sorry about all the snow. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“The kids have enjoyed it,” I said. “They love snow days.”
