Have any of you out there ever encountered an indisputable fact? It's something that everyone knows is the truth. Well, everyone that isn't insane anyway. It's like looking at a pencil laying on a table. It's a pencil. It's not a feather. That's an indisputable fact.

The thing is, I spent my entire childhood in the same city, living in the same suburban neighborhood, attending the same elementary, junior high and high schools. I've been raised like most boys, just an average boy in an average life. These are all indisputable facts.

Here's another one of those facts. I'm changing.

I don't mean I'm going through puberty. I'm almost eighteen. Puberty is pretty much through with me. At five-eleven, the growing pains are over with. The hair sprouting in odd places has already come in. The voice lowering bit hit when I was thirteen, so that's way in the past. Those aren't the changes I'm talking about. It's the ones that make everything seem like they're going in reverse.

It all started with certain male type baggage disappearing.

I've played around with myself, exploring. What self-respecting boy hasn't? During those times I discovered that I can make my… baggage sort of disappear. Not really. I mean that I can push them up into me and the look like there's nothing in the suitcase, if you get my meaning. If you don't, then I'm not explaining any further.

Four days ago, I woke up and when I went to do my morning ablutions, they were gone. Since it was cold, I figured they were hiding. You've heard the thing about cold water making all men equal? That's how I reasoned it. They'd probably be back that afternoon when the day warmed.

Nope.

The length of my, ahem, also stayed the same as that morning, which was a little more than disconcerting. Why didn't I do anything about it at the time? Well, how do you approach your dad and tell him something like that? I just did what every guy does when put into an embarrassing situation -- I ignored it and hoped the problem went away on its own.

The second day was weirder. That's when I first noticed that I wasn't as tall as I normally was. At five-eleven I could easily reach the top shelf of the cabinet where the juice glasses were kept. On Friday, I could barely reach it, and that was standing on my tip-toes… uh, I meant the balls of my feet. Dad had already left for the morning, so I ran to the utility closet and pulled out the yardstick. After marking off my height against the wall, I measure it and came up with sixty-eight inches. That was five-eight.

I ignored it again.

Saturday came, and I was almost afraid to look.

I became hyper-aware of every little thing. My weight had dropped fifteen pounds, but I didn't look any different, just smaller. The only thing I could come up with was that I was shrinking. My weight was dropping in proportion to my height, so there wasn't any noticeable change unless I was really paying attention, and I was.

Sunday set in and I was near to panicking. My arms and legs were losing all the muscle definition that I'd worked so hard on over the previous two years. My arms were still firm, but not hard like before, and if felt like my thighs were fatter, cushier.

That's when I couldn't take anymore. I was losing myself.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, son?" He didn't even look up from the newspaper he was reading.

"I think I'm in trouble."

The paper crumpled; he didn't bother folding it. "Cassius?"

Yes, that's my name. Annoying isn't it? I usually just go by my middle name, Arthur. This time, I didn't even care. I just stood there in my shorts and tank top, not saying a word. He looked at me and then slightly cocked his head to the side.

"Are you… what's different about you?"

"I'm shrinking," I squeaked out.

"That's imposs…" His eyes widened. "Oh goddess. I remember."

The newspaper dropped to the floor when he stood. Within the brief span of a second of two he was hugging me. "Everything is going to be okay, Cass… Cassius. There's nothing wrong with you."

I tried to pull away, but he kept on holding me. "Dad, I shrunk like three inches already, dropped twenty pounds, and other stuff's, like gone."

He let me out of the hug, but didn't release my arms. "What stuff?"

My face heated and I kind of pointed down between my legs and whispered like it was a bad word. "My testicles."

If there was one thing I thought my dad would never do was to make fun of something, but there he was smiling like the Texans had won the Super Bowl. When he saw my reaction, I think he realized his error. "Son, son, it's not what it looks like. Here, sit down. I'll explain."

He led me over to the couch and sat pretty close, closer than he usually did. Most of the time he said it wasn't manly to sit close to other guys. Looking closer at me, he sighed, almost with contentment. "Where do I start? Goddess, it's been so long."

I just sat there, pressing my legs together and trying not to look more nervous than I already was. The empty space between my legs virtually mocked me. No, it wasn't all gone just yet, but it might as well have been with what was currently there.

"Nineteen years ago…" he stopped and shook his head. "No, that's too far."

I gave up trying to be patient. "Dad, what's wrong with me?"

Pressing his hand on my knee, he smiled. "Nothing. Actually everything is turning back to normal. Or it will be by…" he paused for a moment to think. "Wednesday's your eighteenth birthday. You'll wake up a new person, literally."

Before I had a chance to demand that he explain himself, he actually started to say something worthwhile. "We've been in hiding for the last eighteen years, Cassius. There is a very powerful man that was after you, but with the help of your, um, some relatives, we were able to disguise you."

That's it. My dad has gone insane.

I looked toward the door to see if I had enough of a lead to get out of the house and to a hospital where they could actually tell me what was going on. It was no good. He'd be able to cut me off. So, I tried to talk some sense into him. "This isn't makeup and a costume, Dad. I'm literally shrinking and I think I'm losing muscle mass too."

He just nodded. "That's to be expected. You'll be perfectly healthy, better than perfect, actually."

I frowned. "Do I need to call Aunt Missy?"

Dad chuckled and nodded. "That would be a good idea. Just tell her it's time."

Keeping an eye on my father, I leaned over and picked up the phone. Since I talked to Aunt Missy every other weekend, I already knew that she was five on the speed dial. While I waited to the call to connect, I pondered the likelihood of my father needing serious mental help and if I could still stay at the house while he got better. The line clicked and rang once. Aunt Missy has got to have her phone glued to her ear, because she always answers on the first ring.

"Hello Cassius, you're early today." Her voice was like warm honey poured down my neck, thick, slightly accented, and comforting all at the same time.

"Hi, Aunt Missy. Sorry about the timing."

"Nonsense. I always look forward to your calls. Never apologize for wanting to talk to family. That's what we're here for."

I gave a halfhearted grin to the phone. "Um, there is a reason I called early. See, Dad's acting weird." Dad flipped his hand and mouthed what I was supposed to convey to my aunt. "He says to tell you, it's time. Does that…"

"Time!" She snapped. "No, it's too early. Dammit."

Oh crap, it's family thing. Everyone's nuts.

"Cassius. I will be there momentarily. Stay in your home. Do not step one foot out of the house. Do you understand?"

"Uh, yeah."

The line went dead, and I looked at the phone before hanging up. "Was Aunt Missy supposed to be in town? She said she's coming over."

Dad leaned back and grinned. "Excellent. I can't wait to dress in something other than jeans for once. I can't tell you how much I missed… well I guess I didn't miss it at all, truth be told, but now that I know how long it's been."

This time it was me that collapsed into the couch. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes. Wishing for everything to just go away would be too much to expect. I tried my best to relax, but immediately gave up and crossed my arms.

"Oww!" My chest felt like it was on fire. Well, not exactly. It was more of a rubbed raw feeling and crossing my arms made it even worse.

"Sensitive nipples?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I replied in a pained voice. "Hold on, what? How did you know?"

He grinned to himself again. "No reason."

"Right."

He chose that moment to look down at something. I followed his eyes and noticed that my legs were crossed in a less than masculine fashion. I jerked my leg up and hung my foot off of my knee, like I normally did. Dad just raised his eyes and grinned again.

Asking him what he was so damn happy about was pointless. I wouldn't get a straight answer. It bothered me that he was acting so different. It was like he was another person altogether. Thank god the knock came.

We both jumped up, but I beat him to the door. I really didn't want to let him get away if I could help it. The men in the white coats that carried a special one around for those hard-to-tailor people with exceptionally long arms that tied in the back wouldn't appreciate having to track him down.

"Aunt Missy!"

She stood there, taking me in for a moment, then her lips turned to a beautiful smile. "Cassius. You do look a little different from the last time I saw you."

I had to make the same comment. "So do you."

Normally she wore an above the knee dress or loose skirt. In fact I didn't think I'd ever seen her in anything different. This time she was wearing a sheer white dress, sort of. It didn't have any sleeves and hung very loosely on her. Flat sandals with the strappy Greek look that was so popular recently adorned her feet and tiny straps wrapped around her calves, ending right under her knee. As always, she was gorgeous, but definitely dressed oddly. I'd say the whole outfit looked like she stepped out of an ancient Greek painting.

"Like it?" She spun around, making the skirt portion fly up a little, showing off her perfectly tan legs. I'm mentioning Greek a lot in her description because that's the blood flowing through her veins, and mine too for that matter.

"Very nice."

She held out her hand and cupped my face. "You are always so complementary to me, Cassius."

Her eyes, which seemed a different color for some reason, darted to my dad, who was standing behind me. "You may go."

"What about the Glamour?"

It must have been a trick of the light or something, because I could have sworn that Aunt Missy's eyes flashed. "You would do well to forget your familiarity with me. My father will see to your condition. Go now before I forget who is standing in front of me."

I turned back to look at my Dad and try to figure out why Aunt Missy was so pissed. He looked like he was about to lose control of his bodily functions. Before I knew it, he lowered his eyes and curtsied, then he almost left at a run, out the back way, through the kitchen.

My eyes tracked back to my aunt, who was now looking at me with what I could only call pride.

"Uh…"

She stepped inside. "Come Cassius, to the table and sit. I have quite a few revelations for you and I doubt you have eaten as of yet."

I let her lead me to the breakfast table, which also served as a dining room table. It wasn't that big of a house, but Dad and I never really needed much. She pulled out my chair and I dutifully sat down.

"Now, if you could have anything in the world for breakfast right now, what would it be?"

I started to stand again. "Aunt Missy. You don't need to make me breakfast. I can do it."

Without missing a beat, she looked down at me and wistfully smiled. "I asked you a question, Cassius."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry. Um, a bacon and cheese omelet, toast with blackberry preserves, two strips of bacon, and orange juice."

She nodded once. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." Then Aunt Missy disappeared into the kitchen for all of about three seconds before exiting. In her hand was a large plate that I didn't recognize and filling it was my order, to a tee, all steaming hot and perfect. The bacon was even perfectly flat, which in all of my years of cooking, I'd never been able to accomplish.

"There you go, eat up and I'll be the one who is talking. Save your questions until I am finished or I ask them of you."

"Yes ma'am."

She brushed her hand over my head. "Such good manners."

I started on the eggs first. Then I almost had a religious experience. Never in my life had I ever tasted anything like what was in my mouth. How in the world had she made everything so fast and so good. They were eggs for crying out loud.

When Aunt Missy took her seat she saw my enjoyment of her cooking. "I will begin with a few revelations and then ask you a few questions."

I paused with my meal but she made a gesture to me to continue eating.

"Cassius, I am not your aunt."

My eyebrows bunched and then I swallowed. A question formed on my lips, but I held back.

"I'm your sister. Your half-sister to be exact. You have a different mother, but our father is the same. It was easier to explain the age difference by my accepting the role of aunt at Father's request."

She paused to watch me strain from holding back the barrage of questions that were flooding my head, like 'Hold on. What the hell?'

"When you were born, my brother found out about you and basically wanted you dead. Half-brother really, and your half-brother as well." She looked disturbed. "All the same father."

Thank god I didn't shove a fork full of eggs in my mouth at that moment. I probably would have choked. Why on earth would anyone want me dead?

"So, we had to disguise you and put you into hiding, along with some reasonable protection, just in case."

Okay, I'm sorry, but there we were back to the crazy talk again. I was forced to interrupt. "Aunt Missy."

She raised her hand and gave me the naughty finger. No, not that one. The index finger waggling that tells a child that they're doing something they aren't supposed to. "Not yet. Finish your meal first."

Truth be told, I was almost full and I hadn't eaten half of my regular breakfast, but I forced myself to continue.

"On your eighteenth birthday, your disguise would fade and within the week you would be as you were meant to be from the beginning. Except something went wrong."

I played along with fairy-tale time and gave her an inquiring look.

"My brother found a way to erase the disguise before its time so that he could deal with you."

I swallowed the last bit of toast almost whole. That bit wasn't so nice sounding.

"You see, when you reach adulthood, something special is going to happen to you, but until that time, you are vulnerable."

She looked at my plate and then at me, to see I was bulging at the seams. "Finished?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry. This is my usual breakfast, but I'm full already."

"No need to be sorry, Cassius. Your stomach is smaller to match your body."

A wince played at my face.

Aunt Missy stood and whisked away the plate and the empty juice glass to the kitchen. Again, three seconds later she had returned, gesturing for me to join her in the living room. On the way, she started up with the questions.

"What do you know of the Greek Pantheon?"

I wasn't really expecting to be quizzed about ancient mythology at the moment. "Uh, you mean like the gods and stuff?"

"Yes." She sat in my father's armchair and crossed her legs. No matter how much I love my aunt… or my sister, I guess, watching her move was distracting as hell.

I took a breath and tried to recall some of the stuff they taught us in school, which wasn't much -- lots of jealousy, incest, smiting of mortals. "Zeus was the father of the gods and the one in charge after he beat the Titan Kronos. His wife was Hera. Zeus wasn't exactly faithful, or they had different standards of morality back then. A lot of the other gods and goddesses were his children through other women."

Aunt Missy nodded. "Go on."

I shrugged. "Um, the twelve Olympians, the strongest of the gods were, Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, uh… Aphrodite, Hermes, Heph -- Hepha…"

"Hephaestus," she corrected me.

"Right. That one always trips me up." I stopped and counted on my fingers. "One more, um… oh, Dionysus."

"Very good. I'm pleased that you remember their names."

I felt a sense of accomplishment like I always did when she complimented me. It was like I passed an important exam and her simply noticing was my reward, which seemed like it was all I ever wanted, as intangible and unlikely as that sounds. I always wanted to please her when I was growing up.

Dad wasn't mean or anything like that, but he always seemed distracted, if that makes sense.

There I was basking in her praise, all but forgetting the dire topic of our brother wanting me dead.

"Tell me of Zeus."

I shrugged. "Well, Father of the Gods, I said that. Every god is supposed to have their own specialty or region of command. His was the sky and thunder. That's about all I remember about his duties. Then there was the sleeping around thing. He had a lot of kids. Heracles, and Perseus were a couple."

She nodded. "And Artemis?"

I smiled. The goddesses were my specialty. They were hot after all. I went into detail about Artemis, and her alternate names, her various domains, exactly how she was related to the other gods, and even a short story about her turning this guy into a deer for perving on her while she was taking a bath.

"It was a stag he was turned into. It wouldn't do to have him unable to defend himself as a simple deer. How else would he have learned his lesson?"

The absurdity of the situation started to hit me. "Aunt Missy?"

She raised her eyebrows at me. "Call me Missy, Cassius. I'm your sister."

"Yes, ma'am."

She smiled at me with mirth present on her lips. "What is it you wanted to ask me?"

My head cleared a little and I remembered the situation I was in. I thought it was odd that I hadn't felt the desire to ask her the most pertinent question since she started her story, but now that I had the chance I'd take advantage of it. "You said that we have the same father, but you told Dad that your father would take care of something. Does that mean…?" I let it trail off, not really knowing if I wanted the answer to that specific question or not.

"Yes, that means the person who has been in charge of your care while I am not present is not your actual father."

I looked down at the coffee table and thought about that little fact for a moment. The odd thing was that I wasn't all that upset for some reason. "Why am I not mad?"

Just as matter-of-fact as she'd been during the entire conversation, she told me straight forward. "Because I'm currently erasing your emotional attachment to him. You'll still remember everything, but it isn't proper that you view at one of my Hunters as a father figure."

"Hunters?"

"Have you not solved the riddle of your life as of yet, Cassius?"

I shook my head. "Actually, my brain is kind of fuzzy at the moment."

"Hmm." She looked disappointed, but understanding. "I suppose that is my fault. It's a common side-effect of interfering with your memory."

Missy uncrossed her legs, which really distracted me. How messed up was it that I was severely attracted to my sister? Then she leaned forward. "A month after you were born, your mother was killed by agents of our brother called The Scourge. Their victim was supposed to be you, however my Hunters arrived in time to save you and kill those that would have sought you harm."

"Oh." I blinked. My head was clearing up, but I still wasn't a hundred percent and oddly enough I just treated that information as fact instead of putting too much feeling behind it.

"Our father charged me personally with your protection. One of my Hunters volunteered and she was Glamoured to appear as a blood relative, the person that you thought of as your father."

Now I was starting to catch up. "My dad was a girl?"

Missy nodded. "She had a Geas set upon her to forget her past as a Hunter and to treat you as she would her own child. There was a minor fault there that I hadn't taken into account. My Hunters are very young maidens and have never actually taken care of children before." She looked thoughtful for a moment before waving her hand. "Eh, what's done is done."

Something, again, didn't sound right. "Hold on. They were your Hunters, they are young maidens, Galmours, Geas'… you're not saying…"

Missy's eyebrows raised again with interest. "You've finally seen the truth?"

I was suddenly extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah. Everyone's freaking nuts. You and my dad, both."

A scowl dropped over her face. "Tell me then, young Cassius. Why is your body changing?"

I looked down at myself and noticed that I was again crossing my legs in a feminine fashion. After uncrossing them, I shrugged. "Virus', bacteria, weird DNA, nanobots, um… lots of different things could…"

"No, it is my Glamour fading due to Ares' interference."

"Ares?" Yeah, I heard that that right. Making a few deductions I realized number of things. "Your saying that you're Artemis?"

Missy nodded. "Yes, and I must also say that I am quite honored that you know so much about me."

I almost swooned again at the effect of her praise. "Then that means I'm a god?"

She shook her head. "Your mother was mortal. You are referred to in the mortal world as a demi-god or in Olympus as a Godling. However that is not all."

I swallowed. "Right."

She waved her hand at me. "Try to move, Cassius."

What was she playing at? Of course I could move. I went to raise my hand and wave it at her, but was unable. In fact, I couldn't even so much as blink. With another wave of her hand I was free from my temporary paralysis.

I jerked and stood from the couch, scrambling away, like it was going to do any good. "You're real?"

A hurt looked dropped over Missy's face. "I would never harm you, Cassius. You are the child I never bore."

Keeping the other armchair in the room firmly between us, I wasn't so sure.

"At first I protected you out of duty to our father, however it did not take so very long before I thought of you as my own. Which was quite an accomplishment considering your Glamoured appearance."

It was then I remembered Artemis' fabled dislike of males. She was a virgin goddess and never had children of her own. The tension in my shoulders eased a little when I saw her loving face. "I'm a guy. You still liked me even though I'm a guy."

She shook her head. "I loved you because of your heart, Cassius. However you are mistaken on one point."

I was clueless as to what that could have been, but I didn't let it get to me because I had been lost for the entire morning anyway.

"You are not male. You never were."

Oh hell.

I left Missy to pace in the kitchen in peace. Not only was my father not really my father, but my aunt was my sister and she was a goddess, I was a Godling, whatever that meant, and by her own admission, we had the same father. The father of the goddess Artemis was also the Father of the Gods, Zeus.

I didn't know whether to be seriously pissed at being abandoned or happy that I was different, special, not just one of the crowd. What I was definitely not happy about was being lied to all of these years about something as important and simple as my gender. I'd spent all of eighteen years as a guy and I kind of liked being one.

I liked girls. I liked being able to go shirtless when I mowed the lawn. I liked being tall and strong. I liked having sex as a guy. It wasn't an all the time thing. Since I'd lost my virginity two days before my sixteenth birthday with Sally Perkinson -- it was my birthday gift from her -- I'd had sex a grand total of fourteen times. Each time was commemorated in code on my Facebook page with coded details of each encounter. It wasn't so much of a score card as it was a memorial of how much I enjoyed each time. I wanted to remember it forever, not taking any girl for granted. Not that there were a lot of girls, three actually.

I am so far off topic that it's pathetic. I'm a girl. Giving up on my isolation, I tried to storm back into the living room, but my heart wasn't into being mean to Missy. No matter what, I still loved her. She was still the one I could always go to that would never put me off for something more important. Whether I wanted to be mad or not, she'd protected me from a psychotic god of a half-brother for eighteen years.

Receiving her compassionate gaze drained all that was remaining of my ire. "How are you holding up?"

I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my overly loose pants that I had to cinch tighter with my belt only a few minutes previously. I'd run out of holes which meant I'd either had to find some more clothes or break out the sewing punch to make new holes.

Missy stood and moved up behind me. Her hands slid around my thinning waist and she set her head on my shoulder. It was a move of hers that I was familiar with. Whenever I was sad, she would do the exact same thing and then she'd make me feel better some how. Now that I knew she was a goddess, the cat was out of the bag as to how it was accomplished.

"You were a very beautiful baby, and with your mother's beauty and our father's strength, you will be a formidable young woman, Cassius."

I sighed and looked at an old picture of my mom on the shelf below the LCD television hanging on the wall. "Is that even my name?" I asked in a hushed tone. "Cassius is a guy's name."

Missy's lips were very close to my ear, so close I could feel the heat and humidity of her breath which sent shivers down my spine. "The name your mother gave you was Cassandra. Father chose Artemis as your second name and you took your mother's maiden name of Sandsmark since they were never married.

My hands covered hers and I squeezed. "I'm glad I was named after you, Missy."

"Me too, sweetheart." I heard a slight laugh from her. "Father thought if he named you after me that I would bond with you better. I took it as an affront. But when I first saw your beautiful blue eyes staring up at me from your crib all innocent and carefree, I fell in love with you. Then you tried to pee on me. I let your mother take you after that."

I sighed. Being in her arms had always felt right. I imagined it was just like what having a mother would feel like. Even if she was my half-sister, Missy would probably have taken that place in my heart for a long time to come.

"Can we just get this over with?"

With a final squeeze she released me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. Being in some halfway state was driving me nuts. If it was inevitable then I wanted it over so I could start dealing with who I was meant to be all along. Wallowing in self-pity was never my strong suit. "I just want it finished."

She nodded once, solemnly. "Very well. The change I laid upon you is called a Transmogrification Glamour. Unlike simple disguises, which are illusion, this actually changes your body. It's usually used to punish those that offend us such as the tale of the mortal that spied on me while I bathed."

I looked at her uncertainly, wondering why she was telling me. "Do I need to remember this?"

Missy grinned knowingly. "I am not privy to what powers you will acquire upon your ascension three days hence. Even if you possess no ability to perform such feats, it is always best to understand what weapons your opponents have in their arsenal."

"You're right, of course." Never question someone that's lived for thousands of years. You'll always look stupid in the end.

"As I was saying, it is a simple feat to change mortals from one form to another, however there is wisdom and knowledge that one must have in order to flawlessly coexist with others of the same species."

I think I understood. "You mean since I've been a guy all my life, I'd have no clue how to be a turtle."

"Exactly."

"What do you have to do differently?"

"Pass on the needed knowledge, of course."

"Of course," I agreed.

"Except those that possess a mind that is self-aware, something more is needed. You must trust me, Cassandra."

I blinked at her use of my birth name, but I nodded afterward. Get used to it Cassandra Artemis Sandsmark. It's your name, I told myself.

"I do."

Her arms opened. "Then come to me and embrace your true self."

I stepped into her arms and she hugged me. My body tingled, not unpleasantly. From the feeling of my clothes shifting slightly, I knew I was changing. Gone forever more was my old life as Cassius Sandsmark, a guy that was destined to follow in his father's footsteps to become a fast food restaurant manager, and in his place was a sister of one of the most compassionate persons he had ever known.

When the tingling came to a stop, Missy eased up and I pulled away, not completely out of her arms. Then she kissed me. Don't worry it wasn't anything gross. Just her lips pressed to mine. It was an act that opened my mind to new experiences, not the least of which being my first girl-girl kiss. The act planted things in my head. Things I would have to know to operate my body properly, to not give notice to others that I was anything but an young adult girl, and that I had been for my entire life.

Missy drew back and I was lightheaded for a moment, swaying in place, letting whatever it was she did have a chance to settle. When I opened my eyes, I looked up at her. I was even shorter. A lot shorter. It used to be that I was a little taller than Missy was. That day I was just a tad bit shorter. At that particular moment, I topped off at her chin.

At first I was afraid to look down and see what else had changed. Missy saw my trepidation and took the chance to distract me. "Cassandra, you are even more beautiful than your mother." It was nice to hear her compliment even if she was just trying to make me feel better. She looked toward the rear of the house and to the side. A sweep of her arm and I felt something change.

"What was that?" I asked and then froze at the sound of my much higher pitched voice. "Oh wow. That's sounds a lot different."

Missy nodded. "Did you sense what I did?"

"Sort of. I felt something happen, just not what, exactly."

"This is good. It's your father's blood coming out in you. You'll have a sense for things, but that will change on your birthday. Now, go to your room and explore your new body. I have altered your possessions, your clothes, and the furniture in your room. You'll have need for nothing at this time."

My mouth opened a little at the thought of actually having clothes that fit. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Cassandra. I shall work on the rest of the house in your absence."

I grinned and it felt odd, like my lips were different, which I guess they probably were. "Don't go too girlie on me."

"Scoot."

Missy hadn't gone overboard with my room. The music posters that adorned my walls were the same, but a fresh coat of paint had been applied and my bed linens were different. Instead of the solid dark blue comforter that I had hanging half on and half off the bed, it was perfectly made with yellow color I somehow knew was cornsilk, and my pillow count had increased from one to seven. That was something that I didn't get. Two pillows in the back were covered with the same material that the comforter was made of. In front of them were two regular pillows with little decorative waves of cornsilk on the open end. A single, smaller square pillow was on the left, a single square white in the middle, and a canister looking pillow to the right. I had to admit, it looked good. It may not be practical for a double bed, but it was pretty.

The carpet was the same color but it was new and soft on my bare feet. My dresser now had a large mirror on the back and there was a full length oval stand-alone mirror in the corner.

In a way it felt like someone else's room, but in a way I knew it was still mine. I looked back at the door and closed it before letting go of the legs on my jeans that I had to hold up the entire way there. Luckily my belt was tight enough that they didn't fall off altogether.

Up to that time, I resisted the urge to look down, but I'd reached the moment of truth. After undoing my belt buckle, I popped the button on my jeans and this time they did fall off of me.

"Well, there I am."

The guy's underwear looked baggy and ridiculous, so they were next. Lo and behold, apparently I haven't started puberty yet. I was as bald below as a newborn babe. It wasn't bad looking but it just felt odd. I sighed and then pulled off my tee-shirt. At least I was in good shape.

I could see muscle definition in my abdomen, but my thighs were a lot more shapely, not to mention my calves, sleek and smooth. The breasts weren't gargantuan, thank god… literally, a god anyway. Not being an aficionado of breast size, I noticed they were more athletic looking, if that made sense. They were okay for breasts, I guess.

A look in the mirror and I saw that my old self was totally gone. Missy was right. I looked like my mom, but prettier, blonde instead of my old brown, and blue eyes instead of my hazel green. My skin was flawless, not a mole or birthmark in sight. Then I turned around. That was a mistake. Yeah, my butt was pretty nice, for a girl's butt. However I had a stupid tramp stamp. What the hell? It looked like a messed up number four. After I looked at it for a second. I realized it was a Z where the lower part is longer and curly-cued, and there was an additional vertical line going through that. That's what made it look like a four. It looked like Zeus marked me.

I wasn't digging the absentee father branding me as his.

Not being able to take it any longer, I opened up the drawer that used to have my underwear inside to find a large selection of panties. Picking a generic style that kind of looked like a bikini I slid those on and moved to the next drawer. Bras. I was officially a thirty-four and a B-cup. I guess that answered that.

I accomplished the whole bra-putting-on thing without even thinking about it, on my way to the closet. From the looks of the jeans that were available, I was a size two, for the most part. I saw a couple of size zeroes which I didn't know what to think about. Taking the most comfortable looking pair, I slid them on and buttoned them up. Of course they were form fitting with several little silver rivets adorning the pockets. A black tank top joined the montage. At least I could tuck it in. I wasn't in the mood to show off my belly and tramp stamp.

Sliding on the first pair of black sandals I could find was the last thing I did before leaving the room. They were flats. I may have been short, but I wasn't going to make it worse by trying to act taller.

The whole house was changed. Where before it was definitely male oriented, it now looked like Martha Stewart and the Queer Eye crew got in a big cat fight. Rachel Ray had obviously been thought of when the kitchen was remodeled.

"What do you think?"

I almost laughed, but tried to hold it in. It was the thought that counted, and it was all new stuff. "Thank you, Missy."

She took in what I was wearing. "Decided to stay close to your former clothing, I see."

I looked down at my jeans and tank. "Uh yeah. I don't really see me being a dress and high heels kind of girl. Not to mention make up."

Missy shook her head. "All gods and godlings possess the minor ability of self-glamour. You can alter your appearance as you wish, though usually in minor cosmetic ways: color changes, blurring, and so forth."

"Blurring?"

"If someone happens upon you in the forest while you are bathing. You'll be about to blur portions of your anatomy from their view."

"Oh." I wouldn't be doing that anytime soon, since I had a perfectly good bathtub at my house. But it was a nice power to have anyway. "Kind of like an automatic PG rating that follows you around."

She nodded. "If you desire. The Blurring Glamour is used mostly for our interactions with mortals, so they won't be able to properly recall exactly what we look like."

My face brightened. "That's neat. So, I won't have to disguise myself if I accidentally do something that's out of the ordinary."

"Correct."

I thought on that for a moment while Missy led me back to the breakfast table. We sat adjacent to each other and she took one of my hands in hers.

"Will it work on cameras too?"

"In a sense," she explained. "While your face will be clear and identifiable to the gods or another godling, those that look upon the picture or video will see you as they imagine you to be and not as you actually are. Some might see you with a different color hair and a smaller nose, with almond shaped eyes, while others will see these traits in their own way."

Missy touched one of my fingernails and I watched as it lengthened slightly, rounded, and turned a very glossy blue color. She frowned and touched it again, changing it to black, then again to red. "Yes, red would be your color. I see you in primary colors mostly. Then gold or silver accents. Don't intermix the two." Leaning back she examined me once more. "No, that isn't right. How about gold instead of yellow. Yes, I think that will work."

I was clueless, for the most part. While I understood the concepts of color coordination, I didn't understand exactly what she was looking for. "What are you doing"

When her eyes focused on mine, she answered. "You'll need to present symbols of your rank and status. Colors are something that people focus on and associate with you. I would suggest that when you are seen in public that you Glamour yourself in specific clothing. Like this."

She held her hands out and showed me what she was wearing. "White and gold are the colors of Olympus. Every god looks thusly while they are there. However, when I leave my home and present in public, I am dressed in earth tones: green, brown, tan. Your colors should be blue, red, and gold… black if you must."

Taking my hand back up she touched the rest of my nails and they followed suit. I'd been manicured in less than thirty seconds. The nails weren't long at all, but longer than I normally had them, and much neater.

"You will always be in perfect health, Cassandra, and though you are not immortal, you will live and grow old at a much slower rate than mortals."

She motioned for my feet. I slid off my sandals she performed the same touching, shaping, and polishing on each of the nails. "This will last until you change them, so you have no need to concern yourself with upkeep."

There was something very intimate about having someone else touch my feet. They were clean, don't get me wrong. But Missy was a goddess and I was me. "You don't have to do this, Missy."

She flicked her eyes up at me. "You are my sister, Cassandra, and my daughter in a way. I will be your liaison to the immortal world. I will never have children of my own blood. Will you deny me the simple pleasures of caring for you?"

At that moment I felt ashamed for suggesting such. "No," I almost whispered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Standing abruptly, she looked off at a point on the wall where I knew nothing was. It was almost like she was looking elsewhere. "We must go. I have duties to attend to and I cannot leave you to your own devices until your ascension."

"Why not?"

Her head swiveled to me. "While you are in my presence, Ares cannot sense you. While you are all but powerless, if I leave, you would be dead in mere minutes."

"I don't get it." I replied in frustration. "If Zeus is the king then how can Ares hurt me?"

Missy sighed and shook her head. "It is an archaic law among the gods. Mortals are subject to the gods' will without direct interference from the others unless a specific god has been insulted. While you are in-between worlds at the moment, you are still subject to this law. When you come into your own on your birthday, no god may challenge you unless you have done something to earn their ire." She looked at me with a slight amount of pity. "Even Zeus must hold to this. That is why he trusted your care to me."

Holding out her hand to me, she brought herself up into a regal stance. "Now come, Cassandra. There are places to go and things to do."

A burst of light robbed me of my vision for a moment. When it faded back in, I noticed that we were somewhere else and my legs were cold. Looking down I saw that I was wearing something very similar to what Missy had on. The clothing she said she everyone was supposed to wear when…

Snapping my head back up I saw marble columns and walls, and greenery growing out of the floor without any containers or pots. Artwork, statues of woodland creatures, paintings of Missy and people I didn't recognize. There was even one of me dressed as I was right then.

"Are we…?'

"Welcome to my home, Cassandra. This is your home as well, at Olympus. I'm sure your father also has additional quarters for you. However you are always welcome here."

"It's beautiful!"

She nodded sagely. "As befit a goddess." She spun on her heel and strode toward one of three doorways, not doors since there wasn't an actual door to close or open. "Do not go outside. In here you are safe. I shall return momentarily."

A warm breeze blew in from the window openings, again no actual windows, and blew the skirt portion of my toga or whatever it was around my legs. Right then I decided that I definitely didn't like dresses.

"Mistress Cassandra?"

I nearly jumped right out of my sandals, which would have been a feat since mine were just like Missy's and secured by some golden leather thongs that wrapped around my calves. There was a young girl at the doorway, dressed in tight brown leathers and her sun-drenched brown hair back in a ponytail.

"Um… yeah?"

"Lady Artemis assigned me to your service. If you require anything while you are at Olympus, my name is Aesara. I am yours to command."

I looked to the side, halfway expecting someone to pop out and tell me it was a joke. "Uh… okay. Thanks."

"Would you like a refreshment or libation, Mistress Cassandra?"

I shook my head. "Just Cassandra is fine, Aesara. Um, something to drink would be great."

She bowed slightly and turned away. There were several comfortable looking seats, I suppose they were called. They looked like a cross between those round wicker chairs and a gigantic pillow filled with down, but I didn't really want to sit at the moment. A glance outside the window showed nothing but a small open glade surrounded by a thick lush forest. I could see wildlife, small dear bounding behind one another, rabbits chewing on the grass, squirrels chasing each other through the trees. It was a wild kingdom in the sky, or the mountain or wherever we were.

"Your libation, Lady Cassandra. I also took the initiative to provide something to curb your hunger if you so desire."

There on a sparkling silver-colored serving platter was an equally sparkling silver goblet. "Thank you, Aesara. I've eaten recently."

She nodded and set the tray on a table beside the funky chairs. I didn't exactly know how to go about telling her not to bother with the title of Lady thing, seeing as how I just became one.

Sipping at the goblet, I almost swooned at the contents. It was like warm liquid honey schnapps or something similar. It definitely had a kick to it and judging how my throat was burning I knew it was alcoholic. I wasn't a babe in the woods when it came to sampling liquor. Only three week previous saw me at Brian Jacobson's eighteenth birthday party in his parent's basement, along with his parent's liquor cabinet… unsupervised. It was a good night.

Another couple of sips and I felt the heat radiating out from my stomach. Whatever the drink was, I wanted like seven bottles of it for my own.

"If I may, Lady Cassandra?"

Breaking my train of thought, I looked up at Aesara. "Yes?"

She looked embarrassed, but courageous at the same time. "Is it true, that you are the daughter of our Lord Zeus such as our Lady Artemis?"

I nodded, which made my head swim slightly. Whoa, strong drink. Nothing was that strong where on a few sips and a minute later you were tipsy. "Uh yeah. Zeus is my dad, Missy is my sister, Ares is my brother. The gang's all here."

She looked back at the serving platter. "Then I should bring you something more befitting to your station. I shall return momentarily."

I was sure I told her I wasn't hungry, or was I? Taking another drink or the honey schnapps, I shuffled over to the chair things and almost fell into the downy softness. I wondered if they washed the down covers in Downy so they were Downy soft. I snorted and tried to straighten out my dress that had gotten tangled between my legs and bunched under my butt.

Dresses suck.

Finishing off the drink I tried to set it on the table, but it fell sideways. I caught it before it tumbled off and stood it back up. Holding my hands in front of it for a moment, I made sure it wasn't going to leap off the table again. Weird glasses they had in Olympus. Then I fell back into the soft cushion.

I loved the drinks they had at Missy's place.

"Lady Cassandra?"

Opening my eyes, I saw a small serving platter being held in front me, holding what looked like a single light brown wafer. Wow, they were kind of chintzy with the snacks. Maybe Missy was on a diet or something.

"Thanks, Aesara. I'm going to take a nap now." I picked it up and popped it in my mouth. It dissolved on my tongue and within a few moments I was out like a light.

"Help me." Julie Harkness, 304 Remnant Place.

"Don't hurt me!" Kyle Reynolds, Alleyway 1700 block of Martin Street.

"You ripped me off. I hope you die!" Bertie Moss, Comic Emporium 5th street.

"Kill the geek!" "No!" Cary Underwood, San Diego Convention Center 111 West Harbor Drive.

"I'm a girl. God, somebody help me. Please." Stephen Downs, 2534 Houston Street.

"Cassandra! Wake up!" A familiar female voice yelled at me. "Aesara! What have you done?"

That didn't sound very nice. In fact Missy sounded really mad. It wasn't something that I'd heard since I'd been beaten up by Martin Dominguez for my Supergirl comics in the third grade. My eyes cracked open. "Missy?"

"Cassandra?" her voice sounded worried. "Open your eyes. Look at me," she nearly cooed in my ear.

I smacked and licked my lips. Considering the alcohol level of the honey schnapps I expect to be severally hung over, but surprisingly I wasn't. Though it tasted like something shit in my mouth. Open windows in the middle of some heavenly forest. Great, something actually shit in my mouth while I was asleep. Only me; this could only happen to me.

"Is there something to drink?" I mumbled.

"Dorcas, a goblet, water. Quickly."

I was finally able to open my eyes, and at that moment I regretted that motion. It wasn't because it was too bright or my eyes hurt, or anything so mundane, it was because I saw everything, all at once.

Every dust mote that hung in the air, every ray of sunlight shining through the window, the tiny pores on Aesara face as she stood in the corner, shaking in fear. And finally the look of astonishment and trepidation from Missy. It was too much.

A girl returned holding another goblet. "That's not the schnapps again is it?"

Missy sighed and grabbed the goblet, tilting it to my lips. "Drink, Cassandra. Drink and prepare yourself. It won't be long before our father arrives."

The water was gone in seconds and I felt a lot better. Really good as a matter of fact. "He's coming?"

That concerned look appeared on Missy's face again. "What happened? What's wrong?" I looked over to the girl that served me earlier. "Why is Aesara a statue?"

There she was, frozen in white marble, in the corner, with a look of intense pain on her face.

"It is her punishment for now, until father deals with her."

I shook my head, clearing the confusion in my mind, while still trying to deal with the new trick my eyes were doing. Missy had said that I might develop minor powers before I ascended. I guessed that was one of them. She helped me up and I straightened out my dress.

"She was really nice to me. What did she do?"

Missy's eyes tracked to the statue and then back to me. "There is only one answer to that question, however it will take the rest of your existence to truly explain. By the look of your eyes and the things you were saying in your sleep, you have consumed something that is only meant for those of a divine nature."

She sighed and palmed her face. "The ramifications…"

That's when the world exploded. Or maybe it was a lightning strike outside somewhere really close.

"Stand," Missy urged me. "The rest of you out and do not show your face unless I call, you if you value your very existence." She fingered my hair and smiled at me with pride and pity. It was all very confusing.

He was exceptionally tall and wide and not in a fat way. His curly hair was the whitest white I'd ever seen and his beard was close cropped across his strong jaw. What was almost funny about the situation was that he was wearing a dress just like mine. It had a different, wider belt but it was still a dress. I would have laughed or giggled, whatever I did now, but the look on his face wasn't pleasant.

It changed slightly when he saw me. I watched him blink and then the faintest grin appeared on his face. "Cassandra."

I looked at Missy and she smiled at me, giving me a slight nod. When peered back at the man before me I gave him a weak grin. "Dad?"

Great, Cassandra, call the Father of the Gods, not to mention a guy that could conceivably turn you into a bug, Dad, I thought.

He opened his arms and I took my cue to not be bug-like. A moment later I was wrapped up in possibly the largest and hardest arms I'd ever felt. Energy, power, divine omnipotence, whatever made up the immortal gods of Olympus radiated off of him in waves. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the strongest thing in existence.

"You are just as beautiful as your mother." It was like being in an echo chamber with a tuba player that could make his instrument speak in English. "Tell me, child. Has your sister been a good protector these last eighteen years?"

I nodded against his chest. "She's the best."

"Come then. We must speak of serious matters. Artemis, destroy the Hunter."

I tried to back out of his arms. "What? No! She didn't do anything wrong."

"Cassandra." The power of his voice brooked no argument, making me cringe.

"Cassandra," called Missy. "She fed you Ambrosia, the food of the gods. It is not meant for mortals for a reason. Do not argue with our father."

I looked back in my memory, and surprisingly enough, I had perfect recollection. "She gave me some honey schnapps and brought some sort of sponge cake."

My father looked over to Missy with an inquiring eye.

"It was pound cake. That's the only thing that matches your description that I have here."

I nodded. "That sounds right. Then she asked me if it was true that I was your daughter, Dad, like Missy was. It wasn't her fault. It was mine. I didn't understand. She must have thought I was one of you. She didn't poison me on purpose."

My father looked down at me and raised his eyebrow. "You think she poisoned you and you are defending her?"

Looking up at him, I stood my ground. "It was an accident. She shouldn't be punished because of an accident, and definitely not because of me. I'm not anyone special like you guys."

His lips pressed together firmly. "You are my daughter, Cassandra. The last of my formally mortal daughters. Because of the Ambrosia you consumed, you are now a goddess in your own right. So you see, you are someone special, just like us."

I blinked. Then I blinked again. "Oh. Okay. Can I sit down please?"

Missy led me back over to the chair thing where I collapsed and closed my eyes. The second they shut, I heard my dreams again.

"I don't know what I did, but I'll make it up. I promise. Just make these feelings go away." Christopher Evans, 5427 Moss Point Circle.

"Just five more dollars, that's all I need." Jamie Kadrey, 999 Lakeview Drive.

My eyes snapped open. "I think I'm going crazy."

My father stood there, hovering over me, with his arms crossed. "Voices? Addresses?"

I nodded.

"Those are the people that worship you, Cassandra."

"But…" He held up his hand, cutting me off.

"Even if they do not know it. They are praying to someone, something that is in your purview. Just as those that are close to childbirth pray to your sister and those that occupy the sky pray to me. These are your subjects. How you deal with them is up to you, for you are their goddess now." He turned and scowled at the statue of Aesara. "This was not meant to be, not this soon."

I looked to Missy seeing her concerned face. "Cassandra, a godling comes into their power. They learn how to use it for years. Trials, tests, battles, these are what strengthen us. It is how we learn. To become a god before you've even learned what it means is…" She sighed. "It has only occurred once before."

Watching my father pace wasn't making me any calmer. "What happened?"

"He was lost in his power and had to be destroyed."

I swallowed somewhat hard. Shaking my head, I looked over to Aesara. "It's still not her fault."

Missy rose. "Father, since it was your daughter that was subjected to my Hunter's thoughtlessness, shouldn't her punishment be dealt with by her?"

He stopped and looked at Missy then at me. Pressing his lips together he nodded once. "Cassandra come to me."

I rose from the chair thing and approached him. "Artemis will provide you with accouterments for your position. I will arrange for your temple. You will remember who you are and not fall into the trappings of power and worship. If you do, it will be I as your father that will deal with you."

Bending over, he placed a kiss on my forehead. "Go with my blessing, daughter. If you seek guidance or just an ear to talk to then come to me. I will always be available to you."

With that he was gone.

"Eighteen years of nothing and five minutes of lording around? That's my father?"

Missy's hands were on my shoulders from behind. "Zeus is many things, Cassandra, a good family man is not one of them."

I turned around and caught sight of Aesara again. "Can you unzap her or whatever you did?"

She shook her head. "You have the power now. Her life is in your hands, sister."

"I wasn't the one who zapped her," I complained and accused at the same time.

"No, however you were the one that she wronged. Because of her carelessness in not coming to me with her inquiries she has put your life in danger. It would be justice if permanent disfigurement or death is the end result."

I really didn't agree with that mode of thought, but I sat it aside in order to get her back to normal. "What do I have to do?"

Missy clasped her hands behind her back and explained. "A god's power is simple will. You have to want it to happen. Something slight like your nail color was nothing, a mere thought of the color red. Transmogrification needs much more willpower. You will have to concentrate on returning her back to her original form. See it in your mind, will it into existence. It's as simple and as difficult as that."

I nodded once. "Just will her back to her original form."

"Yes. Concentrate, Cassandra. A partial transformation would be quite painful. So make sure you include all of her body parts. If you wish to be successful."

Crap. "Right."

After taking a couple of breaths, I remembered what Aesara looked like when I first saw her. Her sun-kissed brown hair, her leathers, the lack of color on her nails, the smell of the forest, her nervousness at seeing a new face, all of it. My memory had improved exponentially to the point where I could almost experience the entire scene in my head again and again.

Holding my hand out, I pointed my fingers at her and threw that picture out at the statue. The color of the white marble changed, becoming darker, softening. Her brown hair returned and fell limp, much like Aesara did seconds after. She hit the floor and shuddered until I heard a ragged breath being taken in.

"I did it."

Missy looked proudly at me. "Yes you did. Aesara, to your feet."

The young Hunter scrambled stiffly to a standing position. She was pale from the ordeal and sweating profusely, but she looked healthy. Her eyes darted to me and cringed. "Lady Cassandra…"

"Silence, Aesara." Missy wasn't in the mood. I could tell she wanted the girl to hurt for inadvertently making me into a goddess, and was only holding back on my account. "You owe your life to my sister. She is under watch by Zeus himself because of your carelessness."

I lightly set my hand on Missy's forearm and she eased up. After a breath she continued. "Lady Cassandra pleaded for your life to be spared implying that it was an accident and nothing more. If I thought for a single moment that the act was premeditated I would erase you from existence entirely."

Aesara paled even more.

"You will serve my sister until such time as you can return the favor she presented you. Your life is hers. You are no longer my Hunter. Gather your things. Go."

After the ex-Hunter left Missy looked at me. "You are a goddess now, Cassandra. You must lead with a strong hand and brook no insolence no matter how inadvertent."

I stared her down, even from my lessened height. "I always thought gods were supposed to be compassionate."

She spun on her heels and exited the left most doorway. "A common misconception. Come Cassandra, I have gifts to bestow as per Father's orders."

Missy set a brisk pace through her home that I kept up with. I only caught glimpses of a larger room and a fairly big hall before we stopped in front of the first closed door I'd seen since we'd arrived. Her hand slid across the face and it opened inward.

Three shelves surrounded the small ten by ten room, and on each shelf were oddities of which I had never seen and some that I had. There were a few weapons, various pieces of armor, a golden rope that looked like a lasso, and jewelry. There were other trinkets that I hadn't a clue as to purpose or function.

"You will have a closed room in your temple such as this. In your travels during the coming millennia you will naturally acquire items that cannot belong in the realm of man. Store these in your room. No other god, even Zeus himself, can break the protections. They are your spoils, and their protection is your duty."

I watched as she perused the shelves for something that would catch her eye until she stopped and reached to the upper most shelf to withdraw a clear box. It almost look like it was made of glass, but when the contents shifted I knew it wasn't anything that I was familiar with: glass, plastic, or otherwise.

"Hold out your hands."

Two bracelets were withdrawn, barely bigger than a large wristwatch. She snapped one to each wrist. "Gold will be your accessory color since these need to stay on you until you master your powers. They are the Gauntlets of Atlas. When you have need, will them into being and they will encase your hands in a flexible metal, increasing your strength, and protecting your hands."

I could see her anger at Aesara had already ran its course and she was back to worrying about me.

"You will be nearly impossible to kill, except by another god and Zeus has forbidden us to do battle amongst ourselves. Wounds, if they occur, will heal almost instantly. Your strength will vary upon need. There is no end to your endurance. Reflexes will be unmatched except by another god. Speed is relative with the ability to teleport. Beyond that you are limited by your own imagination and will to accomplish something."

She turned. "You'll need a weapon. Every god has their own. Do you have a preference?"

"Uh… I've never really needed anything like that."

Missy turned her head and smiled at me. "Since you are my sister, Aesara will teach you the bow, and I think, considering your size, the falcata is a nice instrument." She brought down a large bent knife looking thing. It was somewhere between that and a sword. "Think of it like an axe."

When she handed it to me hilt first she said, "Grasp this with two hands. And then pull them apart."

I did so and as I pulled, the weapon separated into two identical blades.

"You'll have two if you need them, and pressing them back together will produce one for less cumbersome carrying."

With a wave of her hand a sturdier belt replaced my old one and this one had a sheath where I stored the blade.

"It will cut through virtually anything. I've only witnessed it held back by the metal used in Athena's aegis shield. Even then it scratched the surface, which is unheard of. She was pissed for decades until Hephaestus relented and made repairs just to stop her incessant whining. One of my Hunters made the kill and retrieved the weapon for me. She still hasn't forgiven me to this day."

With a prideful smile she added, "Use it well."

We spent hours going over little things. How to answer prayers and what payment to demand in return. Proper homage to the gods. What not to do under any circumstances and a whole host of other things.

Somewhere along the line I asked, "What about Ares?" Wasn't he supposed to want me dead?"

Missy shrugged. "You're safe now. Though he'll be angry, but when isn't he angry. Remember, he cannot harm you directly anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't use mortals to annoy you or thwart any plans you have for your followers. If he steps out of bounds, pushes things too far, then go to our father and let him deal with our brother. That's what he does.

"Just be wary of him until you are sure he's diverted his attention elsewhere. War usually keeps him busy."

"Uh-huh." I looked at her with curiosity. "Why does he want me dead in the first place." Yeah, I know. It was a little late in the game to be asking that particular question.

"One of his seers made a prophesy about you and Ares. There will be a conflict in the future that you will take part in, resulting in the diminishing of his powers. That is more than enough reason for him to kill you in a most horrific fashion."

"A prophesy?"

She shook her head. "He alone is privy to the contents, so it doesn't do for you to worry on its meaning."

When we left the room-of-many-spoils, Missy led me to the really large chamber I had spied before. There by the main doors leading out of the home was Aesara, looking like a kicked puppy. The girl didn't look more than thirteen years old out of her leathers, wearing a simple white dress with no frills, and no sleeves.

"She knows how to tend a house, however during your time in the mortal world she will have to be watched over or secluded in your home as with any young teenager."

I hadn't thought of that. Apparently if I brought her with me to my house, I'd have what amounted to a little sister for a servant. Lovely.

"Do you know where my home is here?"

Missy smiled with amusement. "Just will yourself there, Cassandra. You're a goddess now. You have that power. Father should be finished with it by now."

My ears heated with embarrassment. "Duh."

I was about to do just that, but then I remembered I had someone I was now responsible for. "Aesara."

The skinny brown-haired girl looked up at me, glanced at Artemis for a second and then acknowledged me. "Yes, Lady Cassandra?"

"Grab your stuff. Let's go."

Her belongings consisted of a single makeshift duffle that looked like it was once a bed sheet. She hitched it over he shoulder and hurried to my side.

"I'll see you soon, Missy."

My sister nodded. "Probably sooner than your think. I'm sure you'll have questions, so I'll be watching over you."

That didn't sound ominous. However, I really didn't expect anything less. It's not like I'd just let a child go running around with the power to set off a nuclear device in her grasp and not watch over her. "Okay."

Setting a hand on Aesara's shoulder I concentrated on transporting home. This time I did it without closing my eyes. What normally would have been a blinding flash went off all around us, and I found myself in the living room of my house. Whoops. Wrong home.

Aesara looked around with curiosity and a lot of disappointment. To cover my mistake, I made it look like I meant to do just that. "This is my house in the mortal world. We'll be here from time to time, okay?'

She looked up at me and nodded.

"Okay, lets go check out the new digs." This time I concentrated on the home that Zeus built me, or had built. I still didn't know how things went as far as construction goes at Olympus. A flash of light later and we were standing out in front of another white marble building. Oh crap, was this Missy's place?

I took a quick scan of the area and only saw trees in the back of the building and a couple for decorations sake. It wasn't the same place. The entrance was like Missy's place, wide open, no doors. I guessed that they didn't have much in the way of crime, which was good I suppose. There was a sigil or possibly just a symbol over the door. It kind of looked like a wide-stretched bird without a head. I'd figure it out later.

"It's nice," Aesara said to herself, since I could barely hear her voice.

"Seeing as it's just you and me. I guess that puts you in charge of the place for now. Find yourself a room and unpack, while I look around."

She took off at a brisk pace, stopped at the entrance to look around and then she disappeared into the home. When she didn't explode into flames or turn into a bug I figured it was safe enough for me.

The large hall in front was very reminiscent of Missy's, but it was decorated differently, more… normal, mortal, I suppose. Where Missy had paintings of landscapes and forests, gods and people she knew, I had had paintings of action scenes from comic books and of beautiful women and handsome men. I wasn't so sure about the paintings of the guys, but whatever. There were some cityscapes as well.

Neat.

Behind the throne-like seat at the head of the hall were sculptures of a nude man and a nude women relaxing against the throne and above it was that bird sigil again. All very weird. Not that I was against nude art, but it's wasn't like I was a big fan either.

The rest of the rooms were very similar to Missy's. Even the chair things were there. The private room with the only door in the place was empty, but it had the wall-lining shelves as well.

I was beginning to think all those places were like prefab homes, Olympus style. I wondered if the walls were actually cheap pressboard that would fall apart in a strong storm. But then again they probably didn't have strong storms around here with the weathing being controlled by Zeus and all.

"Lady Cassandra?"

I turned to see Aesara standing at the doorway, looking kind of sheepish. "Yes, Aesara?"

"When would you prefer to assign my duties?"

Uh… servant, right. "What did you do for Mi… Artemis?"

"I was her Hunter, Lady. I did whatever she told me."

Yeah, I didn't get that. "What does a Hunter do?"

"We protected the wild creatures of the forests around the mortal realm, and punished those that deface the hills and wildlife for the most part. When Lady Artemis was at her temple we busied ourselves with household duties."

"Uh-huh. Well, I'm supposed to go do… god-stuff. So, uh, I guess check out what's around here and tell me if you need anything to make the place run right: food, clothes, whatever."

He eyes lit at the mention of clothes. "Do you have a preference for my clothing, Lady?"

I shrugged. "What do you like to wear?"

Aesara's face shown with her desire. "I prefer the leathers I've worn for centuries, Lady."

"Centuries? Exactly how old are you?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I was born, by the mortal calendar, in the summer of three."

I blinked. "You mean like 1803, 1703?"

"No, Lady. Just three."

"Three. Huh." The little thirteen or fourteen year old girl standing in front of me was just over two thousand years old. "Wow, um, okay. Well I guess you can still wear leathers if you want. But they better be in different colors. I don't want Artemis to think that you're copying her outfits. Let's see." I did the thinking pose with a single finger tapping my lips. "My colors are supposed to be blue, red, gold, and black. Which one do you think?"

Aesara seemed to be surprised that she was given a choice. "Blue and red, Lady?"

I nodded. "Good enough." With that I concentrated on blue leather pants and a red top that matched the design she had before, and I waved my hand at her."

Excellent. I was thinking that I was getting used to this whole god thing. "Okay, well, you do your thing and I'll be back a little later. If you want to visit your Hunter friends go ahead if you don't have anything to do."

"As you wish, Lady."

Teleporting back to my house was easier the second time, now that I knew what to do. I switched back to my jeans and black tank. There was one thing that was different this time around. That sigil above my throne and on the front of my home at Olympus was emblazoned across my tank where my breasts were. It was like I couldn't get away from it.

Sigh. It was already like I'd accepted everything. Only that morning I was a guy… well, a guy that was changing into a girl. Okay, it was only three days ago that I was a guy, and here I am now, the daughter of Zeus, sister to Artemis, my name was Cassandra and I had breasts, not to mention a furniture change downstairs between my legs. To top it all off, I was a goddess now. A goddess of what, I had no idea. Missy said that it would be something that I was intimately familiar with, which wasn't much.

I was like every other teenager in the States. I went to high school and I studied general subjects. I hadn't even gone to college yet… could I still go to college? With the new and improved memory I could probably just buy the books and read them once. Poof, instant education. I'd probably save a lot of money. Oh! I could just poof the books into existence, but there might be copyright issues to deal with.

I could be the goddess of illegal downloads and not know it.

Truth be told, I was a geek. I liked comics, I liked reading science fiction and fantasy books. I liked playing with computers and drooling at the latest and greatest laptops just out on the market. I liked gaming, and role playing.

I snorted at those thoughts as I walked into the kitchen and set some water to boil for some tea. Role Playing. I was experiencing the ultimate in role playing at the moment. I was living it.

I hated waiting for water to boil. It always took forever. But if I went to the restroom, it would start boiling the second I'd left the kitchen.

"Boil dammit!"

The pot immediately started to whistle. Oh yeah. "You're a goddess, dumbass. Man, this is going to take some getting used to."

With tea in hand, I sat down on Dad's… I sighed again. I sat down in my chair and tried to sort through things. What I needed to do was figure out my purview, my sphere of influence where no other god was more powerful than I was. According to Missy, to do that I need to figure out who my supplicants were, and what they were praying for. It's really not as easy as it sounds. From my two previous experiences, there weren't a whole lot of clues.

Someone wanted money, a few people were getting their butts kicked and were probably praying for help -- been there, experienced that, knitted the shirt myself. Someone had self-esteem issues. Not really a lot of evidence to go on. What I needed was maybe some practical experience. I was a hands-on kind of guy -- girl -- goddess, whatever.

"Okay, I need some prayers to go off of, maybe talk to some people. That should do it." I finished off the tea and whisked it clean and back into the cupboard. Handy powers. "Now, what did I do before to tune in. Oh, I had my eyes closed and was trying to relax."

Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes and opened my mind to my subjects or whatever they were called.

"… and if I don't get it, I won't believe in you anymore." Sean McIntire, 713 East 23rd Street.

"Oh please, let Power Girl make it. I can't believe that they left it at a cliffhanger. God, I wish I knew what happens next." Silvia Connors, Bart's Comix, Willowstand Mall.

"Ah, perfect, a public setting." I snapped my eyes open and concentrated on the location. It probably wouldn't do to have people see me pop out of the middle of nowhere, so I did the Blur Glamour thing and made it where people would overlook where I was popping at. With focus on the address and the name of the store, I saw the flash of light and appeared in Generic Mall America, one of a thousand that looked almost exactly alike in every city. With a quick look around I saw that nobody noticed me teleporting into one of those little recesses where the employee only doors were.

I dropped the overlooking cloak and just left the Blur Glamour on my face. It wouldn't actually make it blurry, it would just make it confusing when people remembered. It wasn't that busy, but since it was summer, the comics store was semi-crowded with comic geeks like me, or like I was rather.

I sighed at the smell when I walked in. There's nothing like the smell of comics. There kind of is. Books are similar, but not exactly. And anyway, there are posters, and action figures, and arguing over who was going to kick who's butt, and postulating theories about whether or not Mr. Fantastic's penis could stretch like the rest of his body, or if Superman and Lois Lane could ever really have sex because he'd probably make her uterus explode with his super-orgasm.

Okay, I'm a major geek. Leave me alone.

Looking around the store, I spotted a handful of girls. which while not out of the question, was definitely odd. Any one of them could have been Silvia Connors. I frowned. Short of going around and asking them, I… "You're a goddess dumbass," I whispered to myself.

Focusing on possessing the ability to read minds I reached out to hunt her down.

"God, she's so fucking hot. Look at that tight ass. What's she doing here?"

"I'd bend her over those boxes of comics and Bam!"

"Ugh, they rule the stupid school. Barbies don't have to come into the one place that's mine."

It was then that I noticed a lot of people were looking straight at me. Oh god. They were thinking about me when they were thinking those things. The last thought was from the girl I was looking for and the face she was wearing at the moment wasn't endearing me to her. Hopefully, I would get everyone to go back to normal if I just browsed, which I promptly did.

"Oh look at her, I'd give anything to look like that. She has such a tight little body. So cute. I wouldn't waste it like she's doing. I'd be in a cute summer dress and high heels flirting with the boys."

I glanced up to see who was thinking that about me only to find an older teen boy looking at me wistfully. I shook my head. That had to be wrong.

"Can I help you find something?"

Turning to the guy that was asking me a question, I saw it was the cashier I spotted on the way in. He was in his mid-thirties, greasy hair, but otherwise unremarkable. A comic geek gone pro. "Uh, no thanks, just browsing." Yeah, I'd fallen back to my standard line when approached by any salesperson. Then I had a thought. "Oh, Power Girl. Where…?"

He pointed over toward Silvia Connors. Perfect. "I'll show you."

"Yeah, I'll show you where the back room is and close down the store for a couple of hours. I'd show you something, baby. And you'd like it."

Oh brother. Was all comic guys thought about? Sex? As an afterthought I shrugged. Well, yeah. Comics and sex, that pretty much covered it well enough. Sex after reading comics, reading comics after sex, reading comics concerning sex. The trifecta of every comic geek guy in existence was, having sex with a super hot girl dressed up in their favorite super-heroine costume while eating pizza and drinking beer. If you could accomplish that then you were pretty much a god among men and would go down in the annals of geekdom forever and ever.

"This box here. They're only on issue twelve at the moment, new writers, penciler…"

I cut him off. "Yeah, I know. Basri's good enough, but Winrick… please. Let's just say I'm not a fan. Anyway, thanks."

He shuffled off, but kept an eye on me the whole way to the counter.

"You read Power Girl?" Silvia asked. I could probably cut the annoyance with a knife.

"Yeah, well, I read a friend's copies. I wanted to start collecting myself, especially now while it's still at the beginning of her series." Which was true enough.

"Ultra-Humanite." Silvia was testing me. Any poser could come in and act like they follow comics, but only a true fan knows the storylines.

I eyed her and smiled. "Took Manhattan hostage, captured Power Girl so he could put his brain in her body, but forgot about her super-breath which shattered his containment device and she kicked his butt. Terra three helped with the clean up and became Peej's sidekick."

Silvia sniffed and looked reluctantly impressed.

"Damn, she knows her stuff, and she's hot. I hate her already."

Holding my hand out, I introduced myself. "Cassandra, I'm new in town."

"Silvia." The handshake was weak and kind of damp.

Pulling out all twelve issues, I cupped them protectively in my arms. "I spotted a Smoothie King out there. Want to get one with me? My treat."

She looked to the side.

"Damn, she's nice too!"

"I guess," she replied.

"Cool. Let me just pay for these and we can go."

"At least I'm taller than her."

I smiled at that when I got in line and my back was too her.

"Look at that; her freaking butt is perfect, and Jeffery Wilson is checking her out. If I looked like her he would have asked me out for junior prom. Asshole."

I think I was staring to understand Silvia's problems.

"That's one-oh-three-fifty-seven."

Whoops. I forgot my money. With a quick magical withdraw from my bank account, I reached into my pocket and took out a few folded bills.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said as I turned around and saw Silvia looking with longing at the aforementioned Jeffery Wilson.

We left Bart's Comix and headed to the Smoothie King at the end of the main corridor of stores. Banana and strawberry for me, banana and peach for Silvia. When we found a table I sat across from her to make sure she could see me well, and set the bag in-between.

"Do you really think that Jeffery would have asked you out if you looked like me?"

Silvia's eye's were on the verge of actually falling out of her sockets. That and she choked on her smoothie. I cleared the blockage with a wave of my hand.

"How?" she gasped.

"I'm a goddess."

Her jaw worked once and then her eyes narrowed. "Cheryl told you."

I concentrated on her mind to find out who Cheryl was. "No. I really am new to this town. You're my first supplicant."

She sighed, angrily.

"Who could have told her. It had to be Cheryl. She's the only one I talk to about my lack of a body."

I crossed my legs. "Cheryl didn't tell me. It's because I can read your mind. You prayed to me and here I am, answering your prayer."

Her face dropped into a smug façade. "Fine, if you can read my mind, what number am I thinking of right now."

"Six."

"Six."

"Thousand-five hundred and eighty-two point seven."

I grinned a little and repeated when she thought in her head. "And now you're really freaked out that I know you called me a Barbie, and that you hated me back at Bart's." Watching her go white as a ghost was pretty funny. "Don't worry, I don't hold it against you. There's a reason we think things and don't say them."

"This is a joke. This is a joke. Please God, let this be a joke," she rambled in her mind, on the verge of panicking.

"It's not a joke."

Her pale face started going green. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Focusing on calming her down, I watched as her panic eased a little. "Are you okay now?"

She looked around trying to find a clear avenue to run and then panicked again because she knew that I knew she wanted to run.

"Silvia, calm down. Up until this morning I was just like you… well, not exactly like you, but pretty close."

Her welled up eyes dropped a couple of tears down her face. "Really?"

I nodded. "I was just another comic geek, except it turns out that the person I thought was my dad wasn't really my dad. My real dad is a god."

She swallowed and blinked a few times. "So you're like a girl-Jesus?"

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "No. Not that kind of god. You're familiar with the Greek ones?"

She nodded.

"Good. He's Zeus."

"Oh."

I shrugged. "Yeah, that was my thought too."

"So now you answer comic geeks prayers?"

The word yes, was right on my lips then I paused. Cassandra, patron goddess of comic geeks. This could only happen to me. "I suppose so."

"That explains the unearthly beauty."

That brought a grin to my face. "Thank you." It was the first time I had been complimented from anyone other than a family member, and family usually just say those things to make you feel better about how homely you look. "So, your wish." She reminded me so much of me when I was twelve it was pathetic. But she was sixteen.

"I get a wish?"

I looked at her. "I'm not here to make you a millionaire or give you superpowers, Silvia. However, I believe you mentioned looking a certain way for a certain boy, or perhaps finding out what happened to Power Girl in issue thirteen. Your choice."

"Are you serious?"

"Well yeah. Issue thirteen is already printed. I could pop a copy right here on the table right now."

Silvia looked horrified. "No!" she screamed. Then she looked around, embarrassed at her outburst.

"Don't worry, nobody listening can hear what we're talking about. It just sounds like the inane rambling of two girls to them." I hoped.

"You can do the body thing?"

I stared at her with sorrowful compassion. "I can."

"Please?"

I reached out. "Give me your hand."

It was trembling when she held it out to me. "Silvia Connor. Do you pledge that if you receive the body you so desire that you will worship me with a sacrifice each new moon. A sacrifice of," I paused for a moment, "sports equipment burned in your back yard barbeque pit."

She looked at me like I was insane. "Sport's equipment?"

I shrugged. "Can you think of a better use for them? I don't want you to sacrifice anything of actual value, and I think the smell of a burning football would be kind of nice in a purely aesthetic sense. Practical too. Hopefully, there'll be one less jock in the world to annoy us when he doesn't get what he wants for Christmas. Maybe a nice jockstrap as well."

Her genuine laughter was well worth the silliness.

"I so pledge," she said very formal like.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on her body and the image she most desired of herself. It wasn't so far off from where she was already at. Larger breasts, firmer belly, curvier butt, longer legs, and straight white teeth. When I opened my eyes again, I smiled. "It's done."

She looked down at her breasts and then back up at me. "But…"

"Silvia, I can't change you over night. But I promise, by the end of the summer, you will look exactly how you want. So what… a couple of months is too long to wait?"

Her face dropped into a frown. "I guess not."

"Trust me, it's better this way. Every day, you will gradually change just a little, so it will look like you blossomed over the summer. How else would you explain that to your parents?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

I picked up my bag of comics. "Don't forget. Every new moon. I want to smell something safely burning. And make sure you always wear your necklace. If you see someone else with that symbol around their neck it means that I've touched them."

"What necklace? I…" She reached up and fingered the gold chain that was hanging around her neck with my sigil hanging as a token.

"Don't hurt Jeffery too much when he sees you at school in August. Bye Silvia."

"Bye."

If there was any doubt in her mind as to my legitimacy it was lost with a blinding flash of light.

Missy said it was okay. There were thousands of people that knew the gods existed. They worshiped us. It's how we got our powers. I was on what amounted to a probationary period. I had a certain amount of time to acquire a few thousand followers that would sustain my powers.

Silvia would tell her best friend about me and after the summer was over, she'd believe. That was two. I had a lot of work to do.

"It'll be better this way. I won't be a freak, God. Even if I go to Hell, it would have to be better than this," Christopher Evans, 5427 Moss Point Circle.

Night had fully fallen when I answered the overwhelming pain that had come from the name I remembered from before. It was the second time in a day that Christopher Evans unknowingly prayed to me.

When I appeared, he was in his bathtub. Both of his wrists were vertically cut down his arms and they were under water. I think the flash of light was what made him open his eyes, and when he did, he smiled. "An angel," he whispered before passing out.

I assessed the situation and knelt beside the tub. Reaching out my will, I halted the flow of blood and restored what was in his body. After sealing the wounds, I vanished the drain plug and the water that was in the tub.

"What am I supposed to do with a suicide?"

Reaching out with my senses, I knew the house was empty. I threw a towel over his luggage and lifted him from the tub with ease. What I saw in the mirror was comical. A little girl carrying a guy, twice her size out of the bathroom and into his bedroom.

After I dumped Christopher off in his bed and threw the covers over him, I looked around the room. This kid was seriously messed up. I've seen the goth scene. I can identify with it a little bit, but he had gone entirely over the edge and into stupidity. The walls of his room were black, and some seriously sick posters were plastered on almost every available space. I sensed something that was important to him coming from the closet which I regretfully entered.

Behind his hanging clothing, all black, and under a pile of blankets was a box. Inside was something that at first I didn't understand. I'd have to wake him to get the full story.

He wasn't dirty, he was just the opposite, yet clearly disturbed, so I sat on the bed and thumped him on the forehead. "Hey, stupid, wake up."

He jerked, saw me, and almost rolled off the other side of the bed trying to get away. "Gah!"

I rolled my eyes. "If I was going to hurt you I think I probably would have done it while you were asleep, or maybe I would have just let you die in your bathtub like an idiot."

That put him on the defensive immediately, which was basically what I wanted in the first place. I seriously can't stand whiney people.

"I'm not an idiot!"

I mimed his voice in a insulting way. "Even if I go you Hell, it would have to be better than this." Turning back to my regular voice, I looked annoyed at him. "Sound familiar? Well here's a heads up, monkey boy -- Hell's worse." Did I know that as a fact? No, but who really cares? "And since you're one of mine, I have to do something about it."

"Your's?"

I nodded and stood. "Your goddess has come a callin', Christopher Evans."

He sat there looking at me like I just farted in his room. "Nonbeliever, huh?"

I tapped my lips for a moment. "Ah, I know." With a swipe of my hand, all the posters covering the walls in the room disappeared, and the paint changed to white. "There, much better. No more doom and gloom."

He still hadn't moved, but he was much more pliant for this round. "Now, tell me your troubles." I looked down. "And what's up with girls undies in the box? Panty raids?"

Again, the pale and green look that I was coming to associate with major, earth-shattering, revelations. "Uh… yeah," he said.

I still hadn't turned off the mind-reading thing.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god. Don't let her find out I'm a crossdresser."

I was shocked at first, but who am I to judge. I was a guy for eighteen years and now I'm wearing panties myself. "Okay, first tip. You really don't want to think about god and crossdresser in the same thought. Being your goddess, it brings it immediately to my attention. Second, who cares?"

"But…"

"But what?"

"I thought…"

Looking at him inquiringly, I asked, "You thought what?"

"You don't care?"

I snorted and then sat down. "Christopher…"

"Just Chris."

"Okay. Hi, I'm Cassandra."

He tried to smile, but it came out kind of nauseated looking "I'll let you in on a little secret, Chris."

He raised a single eyebrow.

Leaning in I cupped my mouth and stage whispered. "I used to be a guy. Now I'm a hot goddess type chick."

All of the green and pale looked faded away in an instant. "I'm going to be a goddess?"

"What? No."

His shoulders slumped. "Oh."

I sighed. He wasn't just a crossdresser. "Believe me, it's not for everyone."

Sadness overwhelmed him again. "Look, I'll turn you into a girl. How about that?"

The smile came, but with it came something else. "Can you make it so that nobody ever thought I was a guy?"

I mulled it over in my head. That was a lot of reality warping: government agencies, schools, family, friends, teachers. "Probably not right now. I'm still kind of new at this."

Looking down at the box of panties, I tried to puzzle out the problem. "How about something temporary, so you can experience it whenever you want, but it's at your discretion."

He cocked his head at me. "What do you mean?"

I looked around the room. "Where's all your emo bracelets?"

"I'm goth not emo."

"Whatever."

He frowned. "On my dresser."

Holding out my hand I called them to me. Whoops! Apparently he had a lot of emo bracelets. I took the sturdiest looking metal one and poured a little power into it, strengthening the metal, and making the hinges sturdy so nothing would break for quite a while. When I was done, it was gold colored and my sigil was stamped on the outside.

"Okay, here's the deal. This bracelet when worn by you and only you will transform your body temporarily into the girl version of you. Nothing fancy. You'll have to buy your own clothes, so that means losing the piercings and getting a real job, making something of yourself, savvy?"

He reached out, but I held it back. "I'm not done. Nothing comes for free, Chris."

I was holding his truest desire in the palm of my hand. At that moment I knew exactly why the power I possessed could make someone go crazy. Christopher Evans' soul was mine if I wanted it. The bracelet was all he was focused on.

Snapping my fingers in front of his face, I broke the spell. "Chris."

He looked up to me. "Please. I'll do anything."

I also knew for a fact that I couldn't demand a thing from him. This one would have to be pro bono. "Give me your wrist." I closed the bracelet around his wrist and watched as my power went to work. His black hair lengthened until it was around his shoulders. Small breasts rose on his chest. His waist thinned, but not by much and I couldn't see the change below the waist as he was covered by the blanket. His arms thinned and his face softened. Christopher Evans was a girl version of himself.

He wasn't a bombshell by any sense of the imagination, but to feel the excitement and sheer joy that was now in his heart made me smile. Conjuring a mirror out of thin air, I held it out for her.

She took it and stared at herself, touching her face. "I still look like me."

"For the most part. I saw the change. Your eyes may be the same, but your jaw is smaller, and your nose is a little more pert. Don't waste this chance to be the real you Chris. What are you, fifteen?"

He nodded.

"Here's the deal. On your eighteenth birthday, if you wear that bracelet from dawn until dusk, your change will be permanent, and you are not permitted to have sex in that form until then. If you do then it will lose its power. Masturbate all you want, but you will not…"

"I won't. I promise."

"It was never about the sex."

In her mind she was like a totally different person. This girl was rational, and clear-headed, the total opposite of Christopher the male, so I didn't feel like I was taking advantage of her when I imposed my condition.

"I'm your goddess, Chris. From now on, you are mine. Harm no living creature, but worship me how you feel fit to do so. I prefer new moons for this."

She looked at me with curiosity on her face. "Why the new moon?"

I shrugged. "My sister's the goddess of the moon, plus the full moon is so cliché."

My necklace appeared around her neck. "Never take that off. Other's will know you are mine when they see it and you will know others when you see it on them."

I left her in to experience freedom for the first time since she'd realized that she was a girl in her soul and that it was being confined in an iron maiden-like container of a male body.

When I returned to my house, the lights were out. I didn't know whether to stay there or go to Olympus. Everything seemed so surreal then. Like my former life was a shadow, but still a strong part of who I was. Taking a final look in the female Christopher's mind before I left, I found out one important thing. He didn't read comics. He wasn't a geek in the traditional sense of the word.

This led me to the conclusion that my purview was possibly something else. Either I was the patron goddess of comic geeks and the transgendered, or I was the patron goddess of people with low self-esteem, which would really suck. I went with the first one. Hey, they need something to believe in too, you know?

Missy was waiting for me when I arrived at my home in Olympus. I was feeling a little drained. It wasn't like being tired in the traditional sense, more like I needed an energy drink. Guess what was sitting beside her, on the table?

The same things that got me in this mess to begin with.

"Sit, eat, drink. You'll feel better."

The chair thing was very comfortable, and Missy looked relaxed and somewhat eager to see what I was going to do next. Tentatively, I reached out and picked up one of the three wafers on the tray.

"This isn't going to do anything else to me, is it?"

She smiled softly. "No, while you can eat or drink anything, you must consume the ambrosia regularly. This is where you will find your nutrition. The nectar will keep you relaxed."

Since Missy said it was okay, I popped the wafer in my mouth and sighed at the feeling I received as it dissolved. The other two followed, one after the other, all washed down with a swallow of nectar, which was the honey schnapps from earlier.

"I've been watching you, Cassandra, as I said I would."

My looked over the rim of my goblet at her and then pulled it away. "And?"

"I really think you get too involved with these mortals' lives. My suggestion to you would be to grant or not grant their desires and then move on. If you waste too much time with every one of your supplicants then you will never have enough to sustain your power.

I nodded thoughtfully. "So, pop in zap them and pop out."

"Exactly."

Thoughts ran through my head that Missy only really cared about her family, nobody else. I was wondering why I never saw any clue of this while growing up.

"Then I suppose I'll be powerless. I can't just do that and feel good about myself."

It looked as if she was expecting that answer, because she barely reacted. "Really, Cassandra? You would walk through your immortality almost as weak as a mortal? Thousands of years, unable to travel to Olympus, hearing the pain of your supplicants and unable to do anything to help? That isn't the person I've come to know over your life."

Unsure about my decision, I looked at the darkened sky outside my window. "I can't just ignore them. Up until this morning I was one of them."

Missy set her goblet on the tray. "Then you'll have to find another way to gather more followers. Perhaps something will come to you." She stood and straightened the skirt of her dress. "I have duties to attend to. Be well, sister."

Looking up at her, I grunted in mock pain. "Don't you ever sleep? It's nighttime."

With a wry grin, she answered. "We are gods, Cassandra. There is no sleep as we are always needed. If you feel drained then return and refresh yourself with the ambrosia and nectar then return to your duties. Your supplicants have gone many years without representation among the gods. Don't you think they deserve a little hard work on your part?"

With a roll of my eyes I looked suspiciously at her. "If I didn't know any better I'd think that you set this whole situation up."

"Me? Arrange for my sister, whom I deeply love, to ascend to godhood so that Ares would have no chance to directly harm her? Would I arrange for her to have a domain directly adjacent to mine so I would see her daily." She looked somewhat contemplative and then shrugged it off. "Good plan, if I could pull it off without Zeus' knowledge since he is the one that chooses who will ascend to godhood. If any other god dared to give ambrosia to a mortal or godling then it would mean their death or worse. But accidents do happen, and you are his daughter."

I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Had she arranged the whole thing?

"It's best not to talk about it, Cassandra. Safer. Buh-bye."

I groaned. "Oh god, it's going to be a really long life."

"Lady Cassandra?"

I looked over and Aesara was standing at the doorway. "Come on in, Aesara. Join the party." She was holding some parchment in her hands. "What's that?"

"A list, Lady, of your household requirements."

I looked it over. "Okay, uh, do we need to go shopping or something, because I don't know where I left my American Express God card."

She didn't laugh or even smile at my joke. Rough crowd.

"Lady Artemis usually conjured these items."

Focusing on the list, I waved a hand and hopefully everything appeared in its proper place. "There you go."

"Thank you, Lady."

She turned to exit, but I stopped her. "Aesara, did Artemis let you visit with your Hunter friends?"

"Yes, Lady. She's created a pathway through the forest to her domain where I may come and go at my leisure."

I nodded. "Good. And your friends are welcome here also."

Aesara smiled and curtsied. "Thank you, Lady Cassandra."

"Uh-huh."

The next few minute saw me finishing off the nectar and a serene feeling flowing through me, which was much better than the drunken stupor I was in earlier. "Back to work."

The majority of my transgender supplicants seemed to be in New York, San Francisco, Houston, London, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Tokyo. The comic geeks were everywhere. Let's just say I got a good workout. By the next day, on Olympus, I was beginning to think about the pop in and pop out strategy that Missy suggested. I wasn't cut out to be a psychiatrist, and that's what the majority of my supplicants needed.

I had some more ambrosia and nectar while I watched Aesara playing around with her friends at the edge of the forest. They seemed so carefree for the longest time until all the Hunters stood abruptly and I heard one of them tell Aesara, "Artemis calls," before running off down the path to her domain.

Aesara looked crestfallen at their departure. She made her way back inside with her head hung. It wasn't until she saw me that her attitude changed and she seemed more like the girl I knew from the day previous.

"Lady Cassandra! Is there anything I can do for you?"

It was then that I'd realized that she was bored. "Um, I don't know. What did you do when you weren't tending house for Artemis?"

"I hunted."

Okay, it was a stupid question. "Well, I'm not really the hunting type." Racking my mind for something for her to keep busy with wasn't proving fruitful. Everything I thought of seemed like busy work.

"How about if I talk to her and see if you can go back and be with your friends. It's not like I need a servant."

Her eyes lit, but darkened soon after. "I owe you a debt, Lady Cassandra."

Shaking my head. "Which you'll never be able to repay. I know about the games gods play. I've read enough about their punishments and you'll wind up hating it here." Making a decision of my own I set my goblet down. "Stick around, I'll be right back."

In a flash, I was gone, teleporting to the entrance of Missy's temple. There were Hunters all around and Missy was on her throne handing out duties to the girls who were then gathering in groups and departing.

"Cassandra? Hunters give me a moment alone with my sister." The rest of them emptied from the room. "What's wrong?"

I got straight to the point. "Can Aesara come back and be one of your Hunters again?"

Missy raised an eyebrow at me. "Did she ask this of you?"

I shook my head. "No, she's miserable, and misses her friends."

"You require servants, Cassandra."

I almost laughed. "When I can wave my hand and make anything that I want appear? No. I'll gather my own people that can help me with my duties. I don't need a Hunter that can't hunt."

Her gaze measured me for a moment. "You could always return her to the mortal world."

"She's two thousand years old. It would kill her to be a simple mortal. Even I know that and I've only been here a day."

Missy stood and stepped down from her throne. "Zeus will be angry when he hears of this."

"Then I'll take the heat."

With a nod, Artemis waved her hand and Aesara appeared before us. "Go be with your sisters."

She was wearing her earth colors again and my heart felt better after seeing her smile brightly and scamper off at a full run.

"Your heart is too soft, Cassandra."

I grinned back at her. "True, but it's a good thing."

Two more weeks passed, and I was growing seriously bored. There was only so much of Psychiatrist Cassandra I could take. If immortality was all this amounted to then I didn't want it. While it felt great to help people, I wanted something more in my life than granting wishes. That was about the time that I was at Rick's Comic Shop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and saw the news on a little thirteen inch television behind the counter.

A guy was bending over a lady and she was bleeding to death. He picked up a sword and transformed into a girl on national TV. They had to blur out certain portions for modesty's sake, but there she was fighting these fury things.

"Is that for real?" the guy behind the counter said to himself.

A casual glance around and I saw that everyone's eyes were not on me, so I flashed out of there and appeared atop the store overseeing the street. Cloaking myself, so I would go unnoticed, I watched as the battle ended and the bodies were taken away.

There was something familiar about the power that radiated off of the girl who was once a boy.

Two days later all hell broke out on Olympus.

Missy was laughing her butt off when I appeared on her doorstep. When she saw me she ran over. "Have you heard?"

I looked at her eager for something exciting. "What?"

Her eyes sparkled. "My Amazons have risen again! Ares is pissed! His Scourge are falling in waves. I don't think you have anything more to worry about as far as he goes. All of his attention is focused on my Veronica as she decimates his stinky followers."

"She's a mortal?"

"Ha! She's an Amazon. More than a match for the Scourge. Even now she gathers more to her breast. Ares' time has come to an end and once again I will rise above him. This exposure is bringing in supplicants by the dozen as word circulates."

Missy seemed a little drunk on power at the moment. "Ookay."

She grabbed me by the shoulders. "Don't you see, Cassandra. We've been exposed again. That means we can go public, show ourselves to the mortal plane. Before, we could only show ourselves to a select few, but now…"

After releasing me she spun in place. "Go girl, show yourself to your public. Be what you truly want to be since you were twelve."

I blinked. "What?"

Missy's hand came up to her mouth. "Oops." She shrugged. "What's done is done. I regularly read your thoughts as a child, Cassandra. I know what's in your heart. Now go do some good. Solidify your power base while you have the chance."

My evening was spent at my mortal home. It was quickly becoming a place where I went to think and that was about it. Missy had suggested something that I really hadn't thought about for a few years, back when my fantasy life was ruled by comic books. What child hasn't thought of what it would be like to possess superpowers? Movies, books, television, the media was full of what-if's constantly being ingrained in the psyche of children and adults.

I didn't really have those kinds of powers. Mine were along the scale of super big leagues. There wasn't much that could give me a challenge except against another being like me.

However, considering what I'd been seeing over the last year, that might be coming to an end. Fairies had come out of hiding in California, some girl, another godling, was swapping the sexes of a number of people and I had heard a rumor that it was the daughter of Poseidon. That was starting to tick me off, since that was my purview. Now the Amazons were announcing themselves.

Perhaps there was room for a person like myself out there fighting against those that would take advantage of others. Perhaps…

End

Manipulation Credit: Catohnines