Introduction:

Some time ago, I created a little universe called Deity Arms. I created it because a number of fans asked for permission to write Ovid stories. Something I couldn't allow since many of the tales in the Ovid cycle are interconnected. I thought it would be easier for writers to tackle Deity Arms tales since the stories were completely independent of each other. I even encouraged writers to create new gods of their own.

Sadly, I failed. Although simple on the surface, Deity Arms proved to be more complex than first blush would indicate. Writers, at first enthusiastic about writing Deity Arms tales soon abandoned them due to lack of knowledge of the New York locale or concerns about how to handle the chaotic neighborhood of Deity Arms and its residents.

Finally, I gave up hope, resigning myself to writing my own Deity Arms stories when the mood struck me (or when I came up with a story idea that was a little too edgy for Ovid).

Then, a couple of weeks ago, Anne-Mal informed me that an enterprising author had written a Deity Arms tale and wanted to make sure it was all right to post it. With a certain amount of trepidation, I offered to review the story first. To be honest, since no one else had attempted a Deity Arms story, I didn't hold out much hope for a story written by a person who had never even posted a short, simple tale before.

Imagine my delight when I received Barbie Lee's story. I could tell just be reading just a few random paragraphs that this new author had captured the essence of Deity Arms better than I had ever dreamed possible. I was hooked!

Is this a great story? I'll have to let you decide that for yourself. I think so, though. Plus I had the additional treat of watching the strings of my own characters pulled by a master puppeteer.

I hope you enjoy this story, and I hope you take a moment to encourage Barbie to write additional stories in this genre. She has told me that she has no plans to write more TG tales, but maybe with the right encouragement, she'll change her mind. I, for one, certainly hope so.

The Professor