Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The views, opinions, and religions described here are not the author’s. They are only here because the author believes they work in this story. This is not meant to insult anybody’s view, opinions, or religion. Be the adults we are.

The Grand Masquerade
By Quadhouse

Somewhere in the aether, beings once known as gods gathered. They were from multiple pantheons.

“Our time comes once again,” Tyr said.

“It’s about time,” roared Zeus. “I can’t wait to get back to the mortal realm.”

“And do what, Zeus,” Ra asked. “Impregnate every attractive mortal female you see? What would Hera say to that?”

“They should be honored I would visit them so,” spat Zeus.

“Peace,” Enki said. “There is no need to fight as we have yet to return.” He scanned the gathered gods. “We seem to be all here. Shall we discuss what our plans will be when the way is opened?”

The gathered gods agreed and settled in. There were some grumbles from the more hot headed of the group, but nothing serious. As they talked, the gods didn’t notice that there were few of the goddesses with them.

* *

Elsewhere in the aether, the goddess gathered.

“The males are already talking like they own the mortal world,” one said.

“That is true, Gaia,” another replied. “They are ignoring the fact that the mortals have changed.”

“Most of the males do not appreciate the ingenuity of the mortals,” Gaia said. “They choose to believe that things haven’t changed since we were in power. But, we know better.” She looked around at the gathered goddesses. She hid a smile when she noticed a few gods as well.

Athena stepped up. “I trust you have a plan,” she said.

Gaia nodded. “I do. We need an emissary,” she said. “Someone to gently re-introduce us to the world. Someone to convince the mortals that we don’t want to take over, like so many of the males want to do.”

“What of Jehovah,” Wadjet, Egyptian goddess of protection asked. “Do you know what his plans are?”

“He is with us,” Gaia said. “But he also said not to count on him. His hands will be full sorting out his followers. He is thinking about going back to the Old Testament way of doing things.”

Most of the attending goddesses winced. Jehovah was very wrathful in those days. Only the war and death goddesses nodded their approval. But, even they did not want a full return to those days.

“It’s about time he did something about his followers,” Pakhet said. “I approve of war. But, even I, a war goddess, believe they have gone too far.”

“Vengeance has its place,” a voice hissed. Out of the nowhere a darkly beautiful female appeared. “But the mortals don’t know when to stop.”

“Nemesis,” Gaia said. “Do you want to join our group?”

Nemesis looked at the others. “I will watch from the shadows,” she said. “Whoever you choose to be the emissary, will need protection. Nothing escapes my sight.” With that, she turned and vanished.

“I do not feel comfortable with her watching our emissary.”

“Do not worry Ma’at. I will be watching over the emissary.

“Perhaps, Kali, we should pick our emissary,” Gaia said. “It would make things easier.”

“There are billions of mortals,” Wadjet said. “How do we pick one?”

One goddess made her presence known. “Cerridwen, do you have a suggestion,” Gaia asked.

“Yes,” Cerridwen said. “I have a possible suggestion. One who has great potential. They only need to be, changed, a little to achieve this potential.”

* * *

Matthew stared listlessly at the television. It was the worst time of the year for him. Halloween. The day his parents died. Eight years ago, they were ran over by a drunk driver while taking him trick-or-treating. He hasn’t celebrated the holiday since. His girlfriend wanted to stay with him, but he told her to go and have fun. He appreciated her concern, but didn’t want to ruin her night. Besides, his aunt and uncle needed somebody to watch the house. Being openly practicing Wiccans was not easy. The neighbors still looked at them funny. And complained to the police constantly. Luckily, the chief of police knew the details and didn’t take the complaints seriously.

A commercial started showing and Matthew stood up. The movie marathon was okay, but he really didn’t see why ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ was supposed to be scary. Maybe, when it first came out it was. But, now, with all the better special effects, it wasn’t. But it was the best he could find. Most of the other channels were showing family friendly movies. He really wasn’t in the mood for those. He went into the kitchen to get himself a snack.

Matthew thought about what his Aunt Carol and Uncle Donald did for him earlier. They held a memorial service for his dead parents. It was held in front of the small stand in the corner of the den. It really helped him looking at the pictures and some of the personal belongings of his parents. But he would never celebrate Halloween again. He didn’t have anything against Halloween. He just couldn’t celebrate on the anniversary of his parents’ death. No matter the manner of the celebration. Which is why he was alone on this night.

Snack and drink in hand, Matthew went back to the television. Maybe the movies got better latter on. Without realizing it, he drifted off to sleep. Once he was sound asleep, his body slowly started to glow.

* *

Carol Bridges relaxed as the rhythm of the ceremony washed over her. She really needed this. This last month has been very stressful. With her family being openly Wiccan, all the so called Christian groups were all over them. Very few of them wanted to understand that Wicca was a spiritual religion. It was not about worshiping demons. And the anniversary of her sister’s death wasn’t helping.

The death of Carol’s sister and her husband weighed heavily on her family. But not more than for her nephew. Unfortunately, he witnessed the drunk driver running over his parents. She didn’t blame him for not wanting to celebrate the season. But it wasn’t healthy for him to not be with his friends. She needed to get with Donald to see how and if they should start to encourage him to spend more time with his friends this year.

The sudden commotion stopped Carol’s thoughts. Instead, she focused on the high priestess. Instead of leading the ritual, she was ramrod straight. Every muscle was tensed to the point where Carol feared she’d tear something. After a moment of shock, those closest to her rushed to her side. No matter what they tried, they could not get her to leave her rigid stance.

“Call an ambulance,” somebody called from the crowd.

“That’s just great,” somebody else said. “No matter what we say, people will think she OD’d on some drugs.”

“Who cares about that,” a third person spat. “As long as Rebecca is okay.”

Carol couldn’t believe what the second speaker said. And she was glad she didn’t recognize the person. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the third speaker either. It didn’t matter any way. Somebody should call for an ambulance. Looking around, she didn’t see anybody on a phone. Carol started to turn to where she left her purse when things changed.

Rebecca suddenly threw off the people who were trying to aid her. Her body then stretched. Growing both taller and wider. Her toned body grew softer. Her curves filling out. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. Revealing softly glowing white orbs. Her right arm raised and pointed a finger at Carol.

“Carol Bridges,” she intoned. Her voice quiet, but carrying to all present. It was Rebecca’s voice, yet, not. Somehow it was deeper, richer. “Wife of Donald Bridges. Stand and attend.”

Carol stiffened as she turned to face the priestess. Somehow, she knew that this wasn’t the woman she knew. Impossible as it seemed, she knew that a god had possessed the woman. She was vaguely aware of everybody moving away from her. She could feel her husband and two children approaching from behind.

“The time has come for magic to return to the world,” the god possessed woman intoned. Excitement flashed through Carol and the watching crowd. “But the world is not yet ready for magic. To prepare the world, an emissary has been chosen. You, Carol Bridges, have been chosen to protect and teach the emissary.”

Carol gasped when she heard this. She had been chosen by the gods! She was going to help change the world. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down. The goddess, she was sure it was a goddess, was still speaking.

“Even now,” the possessed woman continued. “The emissary is being placed in your home. You must not fail in your task. The future of the world rests on how well you teach the emissary. I, Cerridwen, have spoken.” With that, Rebecca’s body returned to its normal size and proportions and started to collapse. Several people rushed up to catch her.

Carol stared at the unconscious woman in shock. She couldn’t believe it. Cerridwen had chosen her. The goddess of prophecy had chosen her. She was going to guide the gods’ emissary in the world. It was an unbelievable honor. She had to. . . Her eyes widened in shock. She had to get home. Now!

Frantically, Carol looked for her husband. “Donald,” she shouted when she saw him. “Grab the kids. We need to get home now!”

“But, Rebecca,” Donald said.

“The others will take care of her,” Carol insisted as she struggled to put her shoes on. She was very thankful that they no longer went sky clad during the ceremonies, only barefoot. “We need to get home right now.”

Seeing that he didn’t understand, Carol stopped and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Cerridwen said that the emissary was our responsibility,” she said. “She also said that the emissary was being placed in our house. We left Matthew at home. Now, I love Matthew like he was my own son. But I know the boy. How do you think he’d react to some strange person just appearing in our house?”

Donald stared at her for a moment. “Kids let’s go,” he said. “Grab your shoes. You can put them on in the car.”

Startled, some of the more self-important members stepped forward to stop the Bridges from leaving. They had heard what the Goddess Cerridwen said and couldn’t let such an opportunity pass them. A weak voice called out them. Stopping them.

“Stop,” Rebecca repeated herself, stronger this time. “Let them go. They have an important job to do.”

“High Priestess, are you all right,” one asked. As if that was a signal, everybody near started asking her questions.

Rebecca raised her hand to stop the flood. “I’m okay,” she said. “Cerridwen is a powerful goddess. She just overwhelmed me when she possessed my body. She didn’t mean me any harm. She just had an important message to give. Now. I want all of you to go home. We all have things we need to do to prepare for the coming events. I don’t know when they’ll happen. Just that they WILL happen. And we need to be prepared for this.”

She took a breath. “We are not the only ones to have gotten this message,” she said. “Not all will be welcoming of magic. Those may target the emissary in order to stop magic from returning to the world. It doesn’t matter if they succeed or not. Magic will be returning. How it’s accepted will be determined by us and others like us. And she will lead the way. Just not how she thinks.”

* *

Matthew slowly woke up. He had a vague memory about the dream he just had. Something about being chosen by a lot of strange people to do something important. It was the first time he had a dream like that. He wasn’t sure if he dreamed that because of his parent’s death or for some other reason. Either way, it couldn’t have been important. He would have remembered it, otherwise.

Putting the dream aside, for the moment, Matthew blinked, clearing his eyes. He realized that he had fallen onto his side in his sleep. And, somehow, there was a massive weight sitting on his chest. He started to sit up, only to freeze as he felt his chest shift. His chest shouldn’t have shifted. He may not be the most fit guy out there, but wasn’t fat. He wasn’t even plump. He looked at his chest to see what was sitting on him.

Matthew found himself gaping at the cleavage of what appeared to be two very large, if not huge, breasts. But they couldn’t be breasts. He was a guy. He shook his head, ignoring how his oddly long hair brushed his shoulders. He raised a hand to poke his chest only freeze, again, at the sight.

That was not his hand. The hand he was staring at was small with long delicate fingers. The rounded, glossy nails were longer than what he let his get. The skin was not skin. Instead, it was small delicate looking bronze colored scales. He followed the hand to the small wrist. Which led to a slim arm. That was lying on a second arm?

He had two right arms. He looked to his left. He had two arms there as well.

Now he knew he what was going on. He was dreaming. It was the only explanation. Why he was dreaming he was an incredibly endowed girl with four arms, he didn’t know. But he did know how to wake himself up. He raised one left arm and one right arm. He then moved that left hand to pinch his right arm.

All four hands slapped over his mouth. They were too late to stop the yelp of pain from escaping. But that wasn’t what occupied his thoughts. He was thinking about the impossible thing that has happened. Somehow, he had been turned into some scaly-skinned girl. His lower hands prodded his chest. With very big, if not enormous, chest. He was not going to call them breasts. Not yet, anyway.

“Think,” he told himself. “Things like this don’t just happen. There had to be some rational explanation.” Try as he might, Matthew couldn’t come up with an explanation. But he did decide that he couldn’t think with his chest pressing down on him. He put his left hands on the back of the couch and his right ones on the cushion. Grimacing at the resulting massive jiggle, he started to raise his upper body.

It was then that he saw the snake. The giant snake. The giant snake that was swallowing his legs.

With a shriek, Matthew pushed away from the snake. Trying to release his legs form its mouth. The snake followed, seemingly not willing to let its prey escape.

Matthew continued to push away from the snake. He didn’t notice as he went over the arm of the couch and crashed to the floor. That didn’t loosen the snake’s grip on his lower body. He started to kick his legs as he pushed away from the snake. This only made the snake more active. He kept going until he hit the wall hard enough to see stars.

As his vision started to clear, Matthew noticed something strange. Through all of this, he never once felt any pain in his legs or hips. He knew he didn’t know much about snakes, but he knew they had some teeth. So, why wasn’t he feeling any pain from the teeth digging in and holding his legs? He opened his eyes and took a good look at the snake.

Matthew couldn’t see the snake’s eyes. Nor, could he see any part of the snake’s head. If fact, it looked as if the snake’s neck merged seamlessly with his body. Shakily, Matthew raised one hand and rubbed where the snake met his body. He couldn’t find a seam.

His screaming didn’t stop until the front door opened and his aunt came roaring in.

To be continued.

Carol burst through the front door of her home. When she heard the screams, she had barely taken the time to unlock the door. Once inside, she frantically looked for her nephew and the one who was screaming. She didn’t see her nephew. But she did find the screamer. And her jaw dropped.

The screamer was a Naga. Or, maybe she was a Lamia. Carol couldn’t tell. The being had the upper body of a woman and her lower body was a snake’s. But she had four arms. None of the myths or legends said they had more than two. She took a quick look around the room, but couldn’t see anything. Since she couldn’t see any threats, Carol decided to try to calm the screamer down. She slowly approached the strange female, all the while making calming noises.

“Calm down,” Carol said when she got within arm’s reach. “You’re alright. There’s nobody here that will hurt you.” Her words seemed to do the trick. Slowly the female calmed down.

Carol looked around as her husband and kids entered the house. “I didn’t see anybody else inside,” she said. “Did you?”

“I didn’t,” Donald answered. He looked around for a moment. “Where’s Matthew?”

“I didn’t see him when I got here,” Carol answered. “Did you see him outside?”

Donald shook his head. “No. Do you think. . .” he couldn’t finish the question.

“A-aunt Carol.”

Both Carol’s and Donald’s heads snapped toward the female. “How do you know my name,” Carol asked.

“She also called you ‘aunt,’” Donald said.

“It’s me, Matthew,” the female said.

The adults shared a look. “You can’t be Matthew,” Donald said. “Matthew is a boy.” Carol didn’t say anything, but she did look thoughtful.

“I swear it’s me,” the girl said. “I’m Matthew.”

“Can you tell us how you got here,” Donald asked. “That way, we can tell if you’re telling the truth.”

“I’m not lying," the female insisted. “I’m really Matthew. I don’t know what happened. I fell asleep on the couch, had some weird dream, then woke up like this.”

Carol attention spiked. She held up her hand to stop her husband from speaking. “Weird dream,” she asked. “What happened in this dream?”

“Just some voices telling me I was chosen for something,” the girl asked. “For what, I didn’t catch. When I woke up, I looked like this.”

Donald stared at his wife for a moment. “Do you believe her,” he finally asked. “That story is a bit hard to swallow.”

“Donald,” Carol said seriously. “Before coming home, we witnessed our high priestess get possessed by our goddess. She told us that Their emissary was being placed in our home. Is Their fault that we thought they meant something different?” She sighed. “Besides, how else can you explain Matthew’s disappearance?”

Donald rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know what to say. On one hand, their god spoke to them. Which he had to admit, was pretty convincing. On the other, people just don’t transform like this without offending the gods in some manner. And he couldn’t see how Matthew could have offended them. The situation was beyond him.

“Whatever we do,” Carol said. “We need to get the kids inside. It seems safe enough in here.” As her husband walked off, Carol turned to, what she was beginning to suspect, her nephew, now her niece. She opened her mouth. But froze as her eyes dropped to Matthew’s massive breasts. “Um, do you mind if I cover those up?” The female looked down and blushed as her four hands came up and tried to cover her breasts. Those hands looked very small against the flesh of her chest. She nodded, and Carol turned away to get a blanket.

Carol couldn’t help but compare those with her own. She felt a little self-conscious over the size difference. She reminded herself that nobody would take her seriously if she had breasts that size. She also would never be able to convince people that that Wiccans, or, at least her group of Wiccans, didn’t go sky clad during religious ceremonies. She had enough of a problem with that as it was. It didn’t take her long to find a blanket and return to the young female.

“Here you go, um, Matthew,” Carol said as she handed her the blanket.

“Thank you,” Matthew quietly said. She quickly wrapped the blanket around herself. Her four arms clutching it close to her body. “Do you know what happened to me?”

Carol winced. She was not ready to answer that question. Matthew was not a religious person. Understandable considering what happened to his parents. She did not think that her new niece would appreciate being changed by the gods. She really didn’t think Matthew would want to prepare the world for their return. But she also had never lied to him before. And she wasn’t going to start now. Especially since the changed boy would need to trust as never before.

“Well,” Carol began. “I do know what happened. But, you’re not going to like it.”

Matthew gave her a look. “I already don’t like what happened,” she said. “How can it be any worse?”

“Don’t tempt the gods,” Carol said with a wince. “They can always make it worse.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Donald returned with their children. “I’ll call a Timothy to fix the door,” he said as he entered the room. Their children stared curiously at the snake woman.

“Kids,” Carol began. “You know we left the ceremony early, right?” she waited for their nods. “Well, the reason was because the gods have chosen us for a very special task. We are to guard and help their chosen emissary to prepare the world for their return.”

“Is that who that is,” her son William asked. He was a tall fourteen-year-old. Like his father, he had brown hair and eyes.

“Yes,” Carol answered. “She is the emissary.” Matthew couldn’t help the wince when his aunt called him a she. “She’ll be living with us now.”

“What about Matthew,” her daughter, Briana, asked. She was eight, had white blonde hair and very blue eyes. Carol had high hopes that she would be a powerful magic user when she grew up. “Where’s he going to live?”

“We need to talk about that.” Carol swallowed. This wasn’t going to be easy. She believed that William would understand what happened. She wasn’t so sure about Briana. She glanced at Matthew. “You see, when the gods chose the emissary. They didn’t just make her out of nothing. They chose a living person to become their emissary. They chose Matthew.”

Briana tilted her head to the side. “They can’t have picked Matthew,” she said. “Matthew is a boy. The emississary is a girl.” She pointed at Matthew. “See, she has real big boobies.”

Both Carol and Matthew blushed. “Briana, honey,” Carol said. “While it is true, that’s not a polite thing to say.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Briana said as she looked down.

“I’m not mad. This is just something you need to remember for the future. Some people do not like having their differences pointed out.”

“That’s Matthew,” blurted out William. “How can that be?”

“The gods did it,” answered Carol. “They chose Matthew to be their emissary. Why they chose to change him into this, I don’t know.” She looked at Matthew. She shook her head. “And neither does Matthew. They may tell us in the future, but that’s then. Right now, we need to help Matthew get used to his, um, her new body.” She looked at her husband. “We also need to see who we need to contact about this. No matter what, Matthew still needs an education.”

“Aunt Carol,” Matthew said, surprising her cousins with her soft voice. “Who’d believe this?” She waved two hands at her body. “Who would believe that the gods, changed me?”

“You’d be surprised,” Donald said. He held up his phone. “From what the internet says, if you chose to believe it, this is was a world-wide event. Religious leaders from around the world received visions from their gods.”

“Well,” Carol said. “We should prepare for visitors. Some of them won’t be friendly. They’ll probably be hostile.”

“And that mean’s getting the door fixed,” Donald said.

“Sorry,” blushed Carol. “I heard a scream and just reacted.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Donald said as he gave his wife a hug. “I would have done the same thing.” He looked at their broken door. “I guess I’ll call Steve in the morning.” He turned back to his wife. “He should be able to fix it tomorrow. Especially if I tell him it’s emergency.”

“What’s an emergency,” a voice called from their open front door.

The family turned toward the door to see a tall, blonde man standing there. He was wearing a red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of old sneakers. “Steve,” Donald said. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”

“Ask the wife,” Steve said. “I was just minding my own business, when, suddenly, she told me to grab my tools and to be here at this time. You know how she gets, sometimes.” His voice grew quiet as he finally saw Matthew.

A sudden slithering sound filled the room. Everybody stared as Matthew’s tail curled protectively around her. Carol had a sinking feeling as she a light appear in her daughter’s eyes.

Donald scratched the back of his head. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s a long story. I’ll you as you work on the door?”

Steve nodded, not taking his eyes off Matthew. “Raven did say I’d find something different here.”

Carol grabbed Briana’s arm as she tried to sneak past. “Alright kids,” she said. “It’s time for bed.”

“Mom,” William said. “It’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

“If you go to bed now,” bargained Carol. “I’ll buy you both three large bags of candy next time I go shopping.” Briana gasped then turned her head to look at her mother. After a moment, she darted off to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. Carol looked at her son.

“Fine,” he said. “I’m going.” He followed his sister.

“What about me,” Matthew asked as she uncurled her tail from around her body. “Do I need to go to bed now?”

Carol and Donald looked at each other. Donald tilted his head toward Carol. She rolled her eyes in response. “Might as well,” she said. “It’ll probably take time to make a space large enough for you.” Bothe men watched as the two females left the room. It took a minute for the last of Matthew’s tail to vanish from view.

“You had your eyes on her tits, didn’t you,” Donald suddenly asked Steve.

“I couldn’t not look,” Steve said. “They’re so huge! I could still see them even though her back was to us.”

Donald grimaced. He too, couldn’t keep his eyes from returning to her chest. “You know she’s only 16, right?”

Steve hung his head. “I’m going to hell,” he moaned. “Please don’t tell Raven. I’d like to delay my trip to hell for as long as possible.”

Donald winced. “Don’t joke about those things now,” he said as the two turned toward the door. “Haven’t you been watching the tv?”

* *

Carol walked beside her new niece. She tried to keep from looking at her breasts. But they were just so big. It was like there was some force pulling her gaze there. “I’m not doing this to punish you,” Carol said. “I think that the gods didn’t, or couldn’t, tell you everything when they first spoke to you.”

Matthew looked at the older woman. “You think they’ll speak to me when I go back to sleep,” she asked. She shifted her second set of arms in an effort to minimize the jiggling her new breasts were doing.

“It’s possible. But I don’t speak for them. I’d be crazy to say that with the recent evidence.”

Matthew grimaced. She knew that she was the evidence her aunt was talking about. She sighed. She really wished this hadn’t happened to her. “Why me,” she asked. “What did I do to make them choose me?”

Even though she believed it was a rhetorical question, Carol answered it anyway. “I wish I knew, Matthew. Knowing that would make this a whole lot easier.” She winced as she saw Matthew’s shoulders slump. “What I’d like to know,” she said brightly, “is how do you know how to move? A few hours ago, you had legs. Now you have a tail and you’re moving like you were born like that.”

Matthew twisted to look over her shoulder. She studied her tail for a moment. “I don’t know,” she said softly as she twisted back around. “Maybe the gods gave me the ability,” she said bitterly.

Carol didn’t know what to say. While she believed in the gods, she knew Matthew did not. He hadn’t really believed in them since his parents were killed. And she couldn’t blame him. No child should be forced to watch their own parents killed. Whether it was an accident or not. They came upon Matthew’s room before she could think of anything to say. With a relieved sigh, Carol opened the door then froze in shock. Matthew’s room had changed.

No longer was Matthew’s room a mid-sized bedroom. It was now forty feet to a side. The bed, now in the middle of the room, had changed from a full sized to a custom circular one with a ten-foot diameter. In the opposite wall was the window. The curtains were still the same. Next to that, was a huge vanity. In the west wall Carol could see a set of double doors and regular door. She assumed they led to the closet and bathroom, respectively. After staring at the room for a moment, she looked down the hall to the next room. The distance hadn’t changed. She chose to believe that the gods had changed the room and house.

“Well,” Carol said weakly. “I don’t think I need to make room for you. I think the gods already did it.”

Matthew pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “I’m not sure I like this,” she said.

“Sorry, honey,” said Carol. “But there’s nothing I can do about it. If the gods speak to you tonight, you should take it up with them. They may be willing to make some changes to the room. After all, you are their chosen emissary. It would make sense to keep you happy.”

“I’d be happier if I could have kept my original body,” Matthew grumbled.

“That’s between you and the gods,” Carol sighed. “They do things for their own reasons. If we’re lucky, they’ll tell us what they are.” She sighed and studied the bed. The lines were obvious, which she was happy about. She didn’t know where she could get lines for a circular bed. It even had pillows stacked on one side. It looked very comfortable. Even if the person was, mostly, covered in scales.

“I’ll leave you to get ready for bed,” Carol told her niece. “Unless you need me for anything, that is.”

Matthew shook her head and shifted her arms. She grimaced at the movement this caused in her breasts. “I should be okay, she said. “It’s not like I have much to do to get ready, anyway.”

“I really hope the gods talk to you again,” Carol said as she turned to leave. “This is confusing enough as it is.”

Matthew watched her aunt as she left the room. She stared at the older woman as she stood by the door. It took a moment for Matthew to realize that her aunt was waiting for her to pull in the rest of her tail. Sheepishly, Matthew pulled in her tail. The question of how she knew how to move her new body arose. Again, Matthew couldn’t answer it.

Once the door was closed, Matthew stared at the bed. The circular shaped confused her until she looked at her tail. Then she understood the shape. “I guess it’ll be easier to sleep on a bed shaped like that,” she told herself. But she couldn’t figure out why a bed. A circular pad on the floor would have been enough. Especially since she didn’t think she’d be able to stay on the bed while asleep.

With a sigh, Matthew let the blanket drop and moved toward the bed. She found that the bed was waist high. She looked down at her lag of legs and wondered if that matter to her anymore. With her tail, she could easily adjust how high her waist was. Climbing into the bed was easier than she thought it would be. Once she got a loop of her tail up, the rest just flowed onto the bed. She had decided to stay over the covers this time as she didn’t notice any changes in temperature with her tail. She didn’t know if she was coldblooded or not. She made herself comfortable and tried to get some sleep. She doubted the gods would speak to her when she was awake. If they chose to speak with her at all. She did wonder what they would tell her, if they did speak with her. With that last thought, she drifted off to sleep.

Brooklyn Park was a quiet place. It had several jogging paths along with areas for young children to play. It also boasted several sports fields where many a game of football or baseball had been played. It even had a large lake. It was on the south side of the park and was fed by the Forest River. Many couples had picnics on the shores of the lake. Also, grandfathers enjoyed themselves teaching their grandkids how to fish there. But tonight, something else was happening.

The crickets quieted as over the center of the lake, a cloud was forming. The was dark and swirling. Multi colored flashes of light were appearing in its depths. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the cloud. It was hazy, but one thing was obvious. It wasn’t human. The long fish like tail made sure any witnesses knew that. The figure quickly cleared, and the cloud disappeared. With a large splash, the figure dropped into the water and sank beneath the surface.

For several minutes, all was quiet at the lake. The ripples spread out and vanished. Nothing stirred. The crickets started up again. If one had excellent eyesight, a shape could be seen rising out of the water of the lake.

Ardaniahna slowly looked around. She didn’t see anybody on water or the shore. That was good. She did not want any humans witnessing her arrival. She sank back beneath the waves and, once she was deep enough, flipped and dove for the bottom. There, she searched for a suitable place to make a temporary home. While she knew she was close to her target, she did not know how long it would take to find her. She needed a safe place to sleep until then. And, maybe take the emissary to.

After 30 minutes of searching, Ardaniahna found a suitable place. It was a small cave near the bottom of the lake on the shore opposite the river. It was too small for her to fit in, but she could dig it out. She placed the few belongings she had brought with her where she could see them and started digging.

“I don’t see why it had to be me,” Ardaniahna complained to herself as she dug. “Any one of my sisters could have done this. I do have 10 of them after all.” She continued to grumble to herself as she dug. It took her an hour, but she was able to enlarge the cave enough for her to fit comfortably. After scrapping what little mud that stuck to her hands and arms off, she went to her belongings.

Ardaniahna stopped as she saw something moving near her stuff. With a quick flip of her tail, she darted forward and grabbed the object. It was a fish. One she had never seen before. It was grayish black with two long tendrils coming from the sides of its mouth. The mermaid kept a tight grip on the fish as it struggled to be free. It was not one she recognized, but a fish was a fish and she could use a snack anyway. With a quick twist, she separated the head from the body. She let the head drop as she took a bite from the body.

The mermaid’s face screwed up in distaste. This fish did not taste like the ones from home. It had almost none of the salty tang she was used to. Now, she remembered why none of her sisters were chosen. She was the only one that could survive in fresh water. Ardaniahna studied the rest of the fish. She could hear her father: since she killed it, she’d have to eat it. Even if it was bland.

After finishing the fish, Ardaniahna picked up her belongings and went back to the cave. Once there, she picked out a crystal half the size of her fist and placed it on the cave’s floor. She made sure the area around it was clear. Opening her mouth, she started to sing. As she sung, she watched the crystal. Once it began to glow, she stopped. Now all she had to do was wait. She could begin searching for the emissary in the morning, after they sent her some supplies.

* *

Matthew found himself floating in a dark void. He immediately knew he was dreaming. His dreams normally weren’t like this. He quickly looked down, then sighed. Even in a dream he had that freaky female thing’s body. He could see his snake like tail coiled around him with his upper body in a seated position. It was surprisingly comfortable. After a moment, he started looking around. There was nothing to see. He was alone.

“Oh, you’re not alone, Matthew,” a feminine voice came from the darkness.

“Who are you,” Matthew called out. “Are you the one who did this to me?”

“I’m one of the ones responsible for your current appearance,” the voice replied. “As for who I am, let me show you.” In front of Matthew, a tall full-figured woman stepped from the darkness. She came with the scent of dark rich earth and green growing things. Somehow, this woman remined him of his mother.

Matthew stared. For some reason, he felt he should be kneeling. How he was supposed to kneel now, he did not know. He’d curtsey, but he didn’t know how to do that. And he was naked anyway.

“I am Gaia,” the woman said after watching him for a moment.

“That name sounds familiar,” Matthew said.

“It should,” Gaia said. “I’m one of the few Titans the Zeus let live. Even if most of my worshippers were not Greeks.”

“You were a Greek god,” Matthew asked.

“Yes and no,” Gaia answered. “The Greek gods are my children.” She studied the snake-girl for a moment. “I know mortals study the Greeks and other peoples of that time. So, why don’t you know this?”

“I’m not really fond of religion,” Matthew. “Even the ones I wasn’t raised to believe.”

“And that is why you’re the perfect emissary for us,” Gaia said. “You don’t hold with any religion. You won’t favor one over the other.” She paused for a moment. “Now let’s get down to business. Prolonged contact with a god’s mind is not a good thing.

“As I just said, your neutrality toward religions is why you’ve been chosen as our emissary. We need an emissary because we’re coming back to the world. An old foe is returning soon, and we need to prepare. You are essential for that. You need to prepare the world for our return.”

Matthew opened his mouth, but the goddess continued over him.

“Bur it’s not just humans you need to prepare,” Gaia said. “There are several non-human races still living on the planet. And some will return as the level of magic rises. You need to convince these beings that they will be safe. The best way to do that is for you to not have a human appearance. That is why you look the way you do.”

Matthew blinked. He had wondered why his body had changed the way it had. Now he knew. But it didn’t make him feel any better. Now, if he only knew what he was. He opened his mouth to speak. Again, the goddess cut him off.

“We, the gods,” Gaia said, “know that humans are reluctant to accept things that are different or too strange. You have to admit; your body is both different and strange. So, it has been arranged for you to have a guardian. She has been chosen and should be at your home soon.”

The goddess paused as if listening to something. She nodded once sharply. “Okay,” she said. “That’s all the time we have now. We do not want to damage your mind. One of Us will be speaking to again soon. For now, you need to WAKE UP!!”

Matthew startled awake. His body jerking upright. Even though he knew he was in his bedroom, he couldn’t help looking around. Even though his room had changed, he recognized that nothing was wrong with it. He laid back down, grimacing as his massive breasts settled against his body. He though about what the goddess, Gaia, had told him.

It was a relief to know that his body’s changes had a reason. Not so much to find out that it literally was an act of God, or gods. Then there was what they wanted. They wanted him to prepare the world for their return. Both the humans and the non-humans. Then there was that fact that some humans would not accept him because he no longer looked human. He was going to need some body guards. Probably several. And they had better be very good at their job. Or he was toast.

There was a knock on his door. Before he could answer, it swung open to reveal his cousin, Briana, standing there. “Yes,” he said. “Do you need something?”

“Can I sleep with you,” Briana asked.

Matthew blinked. He had not expected that. “You want to sleep with me?”

Briana nodded. “Yes, please,” she said.

“Why?” a puzzled Matthew asked. “I’m not exactly cuddly, you know.” He really wanted to know why Briana wanted to sleep with him. Usually, when she had trouble sleeping, she slept with her parents.

“You have a nice tail,” the girl answered.

Matthew could have groaned. He had forgotten about Briana’s fascination with snakes. “Does Aunt Carol know you’re here?”

Briana just stared at him.

Matthew sighed. “Okay,” he said. “You can sleep with me.” Briana ran excitedly toward him. ‘But, you have to be careful. I’m not sure, but I think this body is very heavy. I could crush you if we’re not careful.”

“I’ll be careful,” Briana said as she climbed into Matthew’s bed. She quickly crawled across the covers and the coils of his tail. Once she was next to his chest, she got under the covers with him and snuggled up to him.

Matthew could barely hold back a gasp as Briana rubbed against his breast. ‘Were breasts supposed to be this sensitive,’ he wondered. “Comfortable,” he asked.

Briana nodded causing Matthew to wince. “Yes,” she said.

“Good,” Matthew replied. “Now go to sleep. I think we’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.” He watched as Briana’s breathing slowed. Soon, she was asleep. Once he was sure Briana wouldn’t wake, Matthew let himself relax. Thanks to Gaia’s visit, he now had information he needed to give his aunt. With that though, he fell asleep.

* *

Ardaniahna looked up as the crystal flashed. They had finally sent her supplies. They had even sent them earlier than expected. Which surprised the mermaid. Even though she lived in the underwater city humans called Atlantis at the West Pole, magic still was rationed. She sighed. Humans had forgotten about the East and West Poles. Even if they recognized their affects. They were the causes of the Dragon’s and Bermuda Triangles. She knew another group of merfolk lived there. Why couldn’t they have been chosen to guard the emissary?

Probably because she had been closer, Ardaniahna answered herself. She didn’t think a mermaid would have been chosen if she hadn’t said anything. She was Chalchiuhtlicue, Aztec goddess. She was a goddess of water. All water. Which meant she had the merfolk’s attention. She was also the protector of women and children. As the emissary was supposed to be a young female, that explains why she was interested in her. She was also a lot meaner and nastier than Poseidon, the god the merfolk followed.

Chalchiuhtlicue just appeared in their temple and demanded they send someone to guard the emissary. She said that some humans and others would either try to control or kill the emissary. She was not going to allow that to happen. And if the merfolk wanted to continue living her ocean, they’d better send someone to guard her. All of the priests could feel her power, and none doubted a word she said. Soon after, Ardaniahna found herself being sent to land. Even if it wasn’t as dry as she feared.

Not that she was going to tell the scary goddess no. She was not an idiot. She was going to do her best to protect the emissary and hope it would be enough. She looked at her surprise. She might as well get started. As much as she wanted to wait until morning, she wasn’t sure if the Chalchiuhtlicue would wait. The Aztec gods were not known for their patience. She started to gather the things she needed to cast a divination spell.

* *

Matthew found herself floating in the void again. She looked around trying to figure out why she was here again so soon. From what Gaia had said last time, she didn’t think she’d be back here so quickly. Especially since the gods had a task for her. Matthew blinked. She just realized she’d been referring to herself as a girl. That was new. She looked down at her body. Of course, it was female, but she’d been born male. It should have taken much longer than this for her to change how she though of herself.

“That would be our fault,” a masculine voice said. There was something off about that voice.

Matthew turned to face the voice and blinked. Before her stood ten men and one woman. The woman was holding a baby. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

“There is no time,” they people said as one. “Your mind has been tasked enough this night. We are Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Christ, Mary and her son Jesus. As you may have guessed, we have a bone to pick with the Jews, Catholics, Christians, and everybody else who worships Us.”

Matthew opened her mouth.

“Allah as the Moslems,” they said. “He has a list of atrocities he wants to cover.” Mathew shuddered at the quiet menace in their voice.

“But we don’t have time for that,” they continued. “We are sorry for the death of your parents. If We could have, We would have prevented their deaths. No child should be without their parents. We know Gaia informed you of your body’s changes. You are now a member of and extinct race. The Titanobocca, the ancestors of the Naga and Lamia. In a few years, you will be fertile and able to give birth to young.

“Be wary of those who approach you. Not all will be friendly. Some may even try to kill you. Others may try to control you. Eventually, you will be taught how to tell your friends from your foes using magic. For now, rely on your mother and the guards coming to you.”

Guards? Gaia only mentioned one guard. But then, the other gods may have decided that one wasn’t enough. Matthew began to fell a pain in her head.

“Rest now,” they said. They had noticed her pain. “We will provide healing while you sleep. Again, we are sorry for not protecting you better when you were younger.”

Before Matthew could say anything, she passed into a deep and restful sleep.

* *

A dark figured appeared in the darkened room. Huge, bat like wings flared to help keep the figure upright as it stumbled. The figure snarled as it slowly straightened. It folded its wings as it looked around. There wasn’t anybody in the room and nobody appeared. All was quiet. It settled on the couch to wait. It would meet the emissary in the morning.

Things would get interesting then.

Carol yawned as she walked down the hall. She needed to start a pot of coffee. She and her husband had many things to do today. They needed to contact the high priestess and tell her what happened. They needed to find out what Matthew could and couldn’t eat now. Set up magic lessons. See if he could go to school as he was or if he should be home schooled. And how were they going to keep him safe. She could just imagine all the ‘demon’ hunters that would be coming after him.

“Hello.”

Carol jumped and gasped at the voice. There shouldn’t be anybody else here. Her family was still in bed and her wards hadn’t been breached. She spun to face the couch where the voice had come from. Now she was regretting not studying any offensive spells. “Who are you and how did you get in my house,” she demanded.

A woman stood from the couch and Carol’s breath caught at her beauty. She had long raven black hair that fell in waves to her waist. It perfectly framed her heart shaped face. She had large dark almond shaped eyes over high cheekbones. Her nose was a little large, but it fit her face somehow. Her lips were full and very red. “I mean you no harm,” she said. Carol shivered as the woman’s voice seemed to caress her. “My name is Callingenia and I was sent to protect the emissary.”

Carol shook the effects of Callingenia’s voice off. “Who sent you,” she asked. “Nobody told us you were coming.”

“Of course not,” Callingenia said. “The emissary was only chosen last night. But Nyx sent me.”

Carol blinked. “Nyx sent you,” she confirmed. Callingenia nodded and Carol swallowed. Nyx wasn’t one of the goddesses she worshipped, but she knew of her all the same. According to the Greeks, Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night. She literally was the night. Even Zeus was wary of her.

Carol shook her head. “It’s too early for this,” she muttered. “Especially without my coffee.”

“If you like,” Callingenia said. “I could make breakfast for you and your family. Seeing as I’m going to be here a lot, I should make myself useful. And, after a cup or two of coffee, could you get the rest of your family? There are things I need to tell you. It will be easier to tell you all at the same time.”

Carol didn’t know what to do. There was too much going on for her. With the god’s announcement, Matthew’s transformation, and now this strange woman saying that Nyx sent her, Carol felt her life was in a spin. The only thing she did know was that she was promised coffee. In a daze, Carol followed the other woman into the kitchen. She felt a vague sense of jealousy at Callingenia’s curvy figure, but she brushed that aside. Coffee beckoned.

After she had her second cup of coffee, Carol felt better. The smell of breakfast cooking helped. She watched Callingenia for a moment before deciding to get her husband and the kids. This was too big for her to decide alone. Especially since it involved Matthew in his role as the emissary. She got up and went to get her family.

Matthew suddenly found herself staring at the ceiling. She felt the weight of her gigantic breasts pushing her down into the bed. She brought her arms up and held them. They felt nice. Sure, they could be smaller, but she was enjoying having them. Yesterday, she wouldn’t have believed she would enjoy having breasts. Holding them? Yes, please and thank you!

“When did I start thinking of myself as a girl,” she asked herself.

Before Matthew could answer her question, there was a knock on his bedroom door. “Matthew, honey,” her Aunt Carol called. “Are you awake?”

“I’m up, Aunt Carol” Matthew answered as she pushed herself erect.

Her bedroom door opened, and her aunt walked in. “You need to get dressed,” she said. “We have company. It seems that the gods have sent you a bodyguard. She’s in the kitchen cooking breakfast.”

Matthew blinked. She wasn’t expecting that. But then, with what happened yesterday and last night, it fit. “Okay,” she slowly said. “And you have her cooking breakfast?”

“She offered,” Carol said. “And when she told me who had sent her, I wasn’t in any condition to cook.”

“Oh.” Matthew thought about that. Then she decided not to comment on it. It seemed to be safer. A length of Matthew’s tail suddenly moved. “I’m not doing that,” Matthew said as she stared at her tail. The coil moved more then a child’s hand appeared.

“Briana,” Carol snapped. “What are you doing in there?”

“Morning, Mommy,” Briana sleepily said.

“Don’t you ‘morning’ me, young lady,” Carol said. “What are you doing in here? I know I put you in your room.”

“I wanted to sleep with Matthew,” Briana answered. “She’s pretty.” Matthew could feel her cheeks heat up. “And her tail is really nice.”

Matthew decided that she should put in a few words. “Um, she came into my room after you left, Aunt Carol. I did ask if you knew she was here.”

“And?”

Matthew sighed. “She just looked at me. So, I decided to let her stay. When she went to sleep, she was lying beside me on a pillow. I don’t know how she got down there.”

Carol sighed. “She wiggles around in her sleep,” she said. “She always had. But right now, you both need to get dressed. We need to decide what to do with your bodyguard.” Briana climbed out of Matthew’s bed. Then Matthew slithered out. Briana left with her mother.

As the mother and daughter left the room, Matthew went to her closet. She opened it and looked at the contents. There was only shirts, skirts and dresses in it. She stared at the clothes. The colors overwhelmed here. There was different shades of reds, blues, and greens. There was yellow, copper, and gray. Not knowing which color would look best on her, she grabbed a simply white blouse and a white skirt. Through it all, Matthew used her two lower hands to steady her breasts. Even though she was new at being a girl, she knew that she couldn’t go around holding her breasts still. She needed a bra. Matthew looked around her room. She spied her vanity. Surely her bras would be in there.

Matthew made her way to her vanity. While holding her clothes in one hand, she used the other three to open the shelves. Even then it took her a moment to find them. She picked one out and stared it. She had seen a bra before. She had seen Lisa’s. This bra did not look anything like Lisa’s. It had two straps across the back.

“So it’s different,” Matthew said. “It can’t be to hard to put on.”

Fifteen minutes later, Matthew, somehow, had tied three of her hands behind her back. Her fourth hand was struggling to untie the other three when her bedroom door opened. She looked up and saw her Aunt Carol standing there. “Help,” she said pitifully. Solemnly, her aunt entered the room to help her.

Ten minutes later, a furiously blushing Matthew and her Aunt entered the kitchen. “Now that we’re all here,” Carol said. She started fixing plates of food for the kids. “Can you explain, exactly, why you’re here, Callingenia.”

“As I said before,” Callingenia began. “The Goddess Nyx sent me to protect the emissary.” She turned toward Matthew. “That would be you, obviously.” Matthew nodded. “The reason why you need a bodyguard is that not everybody will be accepting of the gods’ return. Or, that you’re their emissary. Some of these beings, and not all of them will be human, will try to ‘correct’ that matter. Most likely by killing you.”

“What did I do,” Matthew cried as his two cousins gasped.

“Nothing,” Callingenia said. “People like that just believe nobody but those they approve of should be in your position.”

Matthew had to think about what she had just learned. But she didn’t want to do that now. To distract herself, she looked down at the plate her Aunt set before her. It had bacon, eggs, and a couple of pancakes. Her normal breakfast. Then Callingenia place a second plate beside it. This one was piled high with bacon, eggs, sausages, and hash browns. She, along with everybody else in her family, stared at the second plate. “Um, thanks, but I already have a plate.” Matthew even pointed at her fist plate.

“I know. But that won’t be enough. I don’t know what you looked like before, but I’m willing to bet that your body is now larger. That means you need more food. Also, you’re a Titanobocca. Titanobocca were primarily carnivores. While you can get some nutrition from the other food groups, meat is what you’ll crave.”

Donald and Carol looked at each other. If Matthew now ate mostly meat, their grocery bill was going to be horrifying. Carol blinked then looked at all the food in the kitchen. “Callingenia,” she said. “Where did all this meat come from? This is more than what was in the fridge.”

“Oh, that,” Callingenia said. “I knew that wouldn’t be enough to feed the emissary. Nyx told me she was a Titanobocca before she sent me here. So, as I was cooking, I used my magic to get more meat and eggs. Don’t worry. I got them from volunteers.”

“Volunteers,” Donald asked. “What volunteers?”

“From different religious groups from around the world,” came the surprising answer. “Remember, the gods made a world-wide announcement. Several groups have already sent representatives or money or supplies here. They just haven’t arrived yet. I just sped up some of the supply deliveries.”

It was becoming apparent to the family that this was going to be more complicated than they had realized. People from around the world were already sending things to Matthew. They haven’t even met her yet. And what would her detractors say? And then there was those who would want to either control or kill her. The thought prompted Donald.

“You said Nyx sent you to be Matthew’s bodyguard,” Donald said. Callingenia nodded. “How can you protect him, er, her? What qualifies you to be a bodyguard?”

“Simple,” Callingenia answered. Suddenly she transformed. Her eyes became black as her skin paled to a milk whit complexion. Large bat-like wings erupted from her back as small fangs grew from her mouth. “I’m a succubus.”

Ardaniahna looked around as she climbed out of the water. This was the part that she hated, but she couldn’t see any way of avoiding it. She took a deep, calming breath, then let it out. Slowly, she could feel magic begin to gather around her. It wasn’t like home. There, magic was plentiful. Here, magic was thin and almost absent. She couldn’t blame the area. The level of magic had been lowering for far longer than humans realized. Since long before the birth of the one known as Jesus Christ. Now, besides scattered locations around the globe, only the East and West poles have large supplies of magic. Even the ley lines barely have any left to keep them open.

Once she had gathered enough magic, Ardaniahna cast her spell. Her tail began to glow. Her fins began to thicken and shorten, and an indentation formed in the middle of her tail. It lengthened until it stretched from her fins to just shy of her crotch. Then it started to deepen, separating her tail into two. While it wasn’t painful, it was uncomfortable. It wasn’t long before her tail had separated into two segments. Soon after that, the segments were recognizable as legs.

Slowly Ardaniahna stood on her newly formed legs. At first, she was unsteady. But she quickly gained her balance. After a moment to make sure she was steady, the mermaid took her first step. After a couple of minutes of practice, Ardaniahna was walking smoothly. She was even managed to run a few feet. She then walked back to the lake shore where her belongings were hidden.

Ardaniahna looked in puzzlement at the human clothes that had been gathered for her. She recognized the skirt and blouse. She had seen pictures of humans wearing those before. She didn’t know what the foot coverings were called, but she did know they were for her feet. But what was the white cloth with one large hole on one end and two smaller holes on the other end for? She didn’t even want to think about the triangular bowls with all the straps.

After some thought, Ardaniahna decided that the white garment was meant for her legs. She pulled those on then looked at the, maybe, garment with the straps. She quickly decided that she did not know what that was for and she didn’t want to know. It didn’t take her long to finish after that. She reached back into her supplies and brought out a crystal. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment, the crystal began to glow. The glow brightened then dimmed and focused on a spot on the crystal.

The mermaid opened her eyes and studied the changes in the crystal. “I’m ready,” she told herself. “Hopefully I’ll find the emissary before anything happens.” With that, she started walking in the direction the glow was pointing.

* * *

“A succubus,” cried Carol. She jumped up, grabbed her daughter, and immediately ran from the table. Her husband reacted the same as he grabbed their son. The only one who was left at the table with the demon was Matthew. She did not know what a succubus was, but with the way her aunt and uncle reacted, it wasn’t good. Unfortunately, snakes can not move backwards. Matthew found herself raising her upper body as she tried to jump back.

The supposed succubus did nothing. She just watched them all with a weary expression on her face. “Are you done,” she asked. “Honestly, if I was going to do something to you, I would have done it while you were asleep. It would have been much easier then.”

Matthew found he had to agree with that. It would have been easier to kill them in their sleep. She quickly lowered her upper body back to the ground. Two of her hands grabbed her breasts to stop the resulting bounce and jiggle. She now realized why women with large breasts did not like energetic physical activities. She hoped her mother knew where to find some really good bras. Or, at least some really good bra makers since she doubted anybody made bras for a four-armed woman.

“But you’re a succubus,” Matthew’s aunt said.

“And your point is?”

“We’ve been told that succubae are evil,” Carol said.

“By who,” Callingenia asked. Carol blinked. “The Catholic Church, that’s who. The very same people who declared you and yours to be devil worshipers. You are not devil worshipers. I know this. Are you going to let those people tell you who is and who is not evil?”

Callingenia sighed. “The Council of Nicaea was the first effort to organize all the different sects of Christianity from all over the world. It met in 325 AD and, primarily, dealt with the question of Christ the Son and his relationship to God the Father.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Donald said. “The council decided which books would and would not be in the bible?”

“Common misconception,” the succubus said. “The selection of the books had begun well before then. The council only brought the different sects to the same page, so to speak. The Catholic Church had decided that everything they deemed not of God, was evil. And they had a very broad definition of for what they deemed not of God. The Council of Nicaea let the various sects around the world.”

“Then there’s all the information they have stored away in their archives,” Callingenia continued. “That includes not only the public and the not so secret archives. But the really secret one that only certain members of the Church know about. And those, like me, who are old enough to have lived through the things the Church would rather not the public know about.”

Carol and Donald stared at the female. They had not expected a history lesson. Especially one they didn’t need. They knew Christianity marked them as devil worshipers. They knew they weren’t so, they should have, at least, guessed, that they may have been wrong about other things. “So, you’re not going to try to take my husband’s soul,” Carol finally asked.

“Gods, no” Callingenia said. “Souls can only be given, not taken. Besides, all of the gods would be pissed at me if I tried to do anything like that. You don’t want to know how many humans found that out.”

“So those who sacrificed people’s souls,” Carol began.

“Killed those people for nothing,” Callingenia finished. “When they died, the gods punished them for their actions.”

“What about necromancers,” Donald blurted.

“Those killed people to raise power. There is a lot of power released in death. Even with a normal person.”

Matthew couldn’t help herself she asked, “What about Voodoo and their making of zombies?”

“That’s something different,” the demonic looking woman said. “They aren’t taking the souls out of the people’s bodies. Instead, they’re imprisoning them. All of their effects are through that. The dolls and soul jars are just representatives of their traps.”

Callingenia clapped her hands. “Now that’s enough of that. You need to finish your breakfast.” She pointed at Matthew. “Especially you. Your body needs more fuel than you’re used to. The only problem is, you’re primarily a carnivore. Fruits and vegetables won’t do anything but change the flavor and texture of your food.”

Donald frowned when he heard this. Feeding a family of five was not cheap. Especially in today’s market. His job was the best paying one, but it kept the bills paid. Now that Matthew will be eating mostly meat, that will put a strain on the budget. Even with what Carol brings in, it will be tough.

“After you finish eating,” Callingenia continued as the family came back to the table. “I’ll test you to see what magic are capable of.”

“Magic,” Matthew asked.

“I can handle that,” Carol said. “I have been trained.”

“You can teach the magic of the Wiccans,” Callingenia said. “I’ll teach her the other magics she proves capable of.” She studied Matthew for a moment. “I really hope she’s can shape shift. Otherwise, hiding those will be, difficult.”

Matthew blushed and tried to hide her breasts with her arms. “I didn’t ask for these,” she said.”

“The gods will have their amusements,” Callingenia sighed. “But this time, I don’t think that’s what happened. I think most of the goddesses had a hand in making your body. Several of them are sex or fertility goddesses after all. Not to mention the ones who are the goddesses of children.”

This made sense to Matthew. If the goddesses each tried to influence how her body turned out, it was a wonder that she hadn’t turned out worse than she had. “So, do you think I can ask them to alter my body,” she asked. “These will get in the way.”

“I’m sorry, but no. Once they changed your body, they can’t do it again. For one, there’s not enough magic for them to do it. And that’s if they all agreed that your body needed changing in the first place.”

“Oh.”

Carol’s heart went out to her new niece. With what had happened last night, the girl did not need to hear that. She made sure her daughter was sitting and eating her breakfast. Then she went to Matthew. The snake girl looked up as she approached. Carol wrapped her arms around Matthew and looked at Callingenia. “Is there anything we can do,” she asked.

Before the succubus could answer, the doorbell rang. Callingenia suddenly turned back into a beautiful, but normal, woman. They all looked at each other. “Are you expecting anybody this morning,” Callingenia asked.

“Not really,” Donald answered as Carol shook her head. “Steve did say he’d come by to replace the door today.”

Callingenia’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mind if I answer it?” When neither Carol or Donald said anything against her, she started walking toward the door. She got to the door as the doorbell rang again. “How may I help you,” she said as she opened the door.

Standing in the door was a Best Buy delivery man. He was tall and the succubus considered him above average in looks. He was staring dumbly at her. Held loosely in is hand was an electronic clipboard. After a long moment, the man shook himself. “Is this the Bridges residence,” he asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“I have a delivery for a Matthew Stout.”

Making sure she kept her senses on the delivery man, Callingenia looked back toward the kitchen. In the door stood Carol, Donald, and Matthew. All of them shook their heads. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Are you sure this is the right address?”

He looked at the clipboard. He then looked at the address written on the house. “This is the right place,” he said. “I have a refrigerator and a deep freezer for a Matthew to be delivered to the Bridges residence.”

Again, Callingenia looked back. The three shrugged. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But nobody here knows what you’re talking about.”

“Perhaps I can be of service,” an accented cultured voice said. The succubus and the delivery man turned toward the voice.

Standing before them was tall thin man. He was well dressed in khakis, an off-white button shirt, and tan loafers. He had a swarthy complexion and thick, slightly wavy black hair. His facial features suggested that he was from India.

“My name is Hazen Acharya,” he said. “I represent the Kashi Vishwanath in the holy city of Varanasi in India.”

Callingenia blinked. “You flew all the way from India o here? The gods only made their announcement last night.”

“Oh no,” laughed Hazen. “I was nearby. I was visiting my younger brother. He is here studying to be a doctor. I was called by my mother. She told me what the temple was doing and suggested that I make sure you would accept this and other gifts to come.”

“Other gifts,” Mrs. Bridges asked her husband.

“So, it begins,” whispered Callingenia. “I’m not sure we have to floor space for another refrigerator and freezer.”

“That is not a problem. I have made arrangements for a small crew to come here. With your permission, we could add onto the house.”

“We’ll have to think about this. We were not expecting anything like this.”

Hazen smiled. “How could you have expected this? No one can predict what the gods will do. We can only pray for guidance.” Both looked up as delivery van pulled up. They could see two more in the street behind that one. “Perhaps we should pray for more time? After all, the gods should be listening to you.”

* * *

Ardaniahna was tired and miserable. Her new appendages throbbed and ached. Even the things on the ends ached. What was those things called? Feet! That’s it. Her feet ached. She had been walking for hours, following the light on her crystal. Although she did not know how far she had walked, she did know it was the furthest she had ever walked. Before, all she did was walk from the water, up the beach to gather the few items the merfolk could not grow underwater.

The crystal had led her along a strange path. In the park, the path was stone. But it was unlike any stone she had seen before. It was flat and smooth. The segments all exactly the same size. It was almost as if it had been poured. After she left the park, the path changed. It got wider and changed from grey to black. It also got spongy, but yet remained hard. It was also like with the same stone-like material that was in the park. She couldn’t explain it. The elders hadn’t said anything about this. But then, they hardly say anything about the surface world as it was.

Ardaniahna stopped walking and looked around. The buildings had changed. Those near the park were tall. Taller than anything she had seen before. Even taller than what she thought could be built without the support of water. Now the buildings were much smaller. She could see people coming out of and going into some of them. She thought they could have been homes for some of the humans. Even if they didn’t look like any she had seen in pictures. They didn’t have small sections of grass in front of them. Hopefully, she’d get to the emissary’s home soon.

From the position of the sun, it was a little past noon and Ardaniahna was finally getting close to the emissary. At least, that’s what her crystal indicated. The mermaid was happy about that fact. Some of the looks the humans were giving her were making her nervous. She just wanted to get to the emissary. The crystal suddenly flashed. Ardaniahna looked at it then looked around.

The buildings here looked more like the homes she had seen. Small sections of grass in front of the buildings. Some of them had vehicles on more of the stone-like material. A few of them were even separated by fences. Unfortunately, not wooden picket fences. Instead, the fences were made of metal. But only one house had several vehicles in front of it. There were also several big human males there. They looked like they had been doing work of some kind. After studying the scene for a moment, the mermaid checked her crystal. The brightly shining light was pointing directly at the building with all the humans.

Ardaniahna sighed. She did not want to do this with a bunch of humans watching. She wasn’t even sure which human was the emissary. Chalchiuhtlicue did not tell them what the emissary looked like. The only way Ardaniahna could find the emissary was to use magic. With a cautious look around, the mermaid extended her senses toward the building. Inside, she could feel several humans and one that was and was not human. That one felt like the priests and priestess back home. That was most likely the emissary.

Ardaniahna eyes suddenly widened. She felt one that was definitely not human. It was there with the humans. Very close to the emissary. She didn’t know if the humans knew it was there or not. And she couldn’t take the chance. She did not want to get on a god’s bad side. She started walking toward the building. She needed a way to get that non-human away from the emissary. Before she could make a plan, she sensed the non-human move. It was coming for her! The mermaid quickly readied the few battle spells she knew. Hopefully she could at least stun it so the humans could do something to it. And hopefully they’ll wait until she could explain what was going on.

As she prepared herself, Ardaniahna studied the other. Something about that one was starting to feel familiar. If she didn’t know better, she would have said the other was a nymph. But that was impossible. Why would a naiad, a water nymph, be sent here when she had been sent? But it wasn’t a naiad. But it was nymph-like.

That was all Ardaniahna had time for. The nymph-like creature appeared in directly in front of her. She stared at the beautiful female. Her dark, mysterious eyes stared back, then suddenly widened. Like a bolt of lightning, she knew exactly what the female was. Together, they both raised a hand and pointed at each other.

“What is a succubus/mermaid doing here?”

Matthew rubbed her head. She, her aunt, Callingenia, and Ardaniahna were in her room. They were talking about what had happened between Callingenia and Ardaniahna. Mathew thought about giving those two nicknames. Otherwise, she might tie a knot in her tongue. Especially with the mermaid. “Let me get this straight,” she said. “The both of you were sent to be my bodyguard, but, by different gods?”

“Yes,” Callingenia answered. “The Greek goddess Nyx sent me.”

“And Chalchiuhtlicue sent me,” Ardaniahna said. “It wasn’t a request I could refuse.”

“I can understand that,” Callingenia said.

“Indeed,” Carol said. “It’s really hard to say ‘no’ to a goddess of water.”

“Don’t forget children,” the mermaid said. “She’s also the Aztec goddess of children. That was another reason why she wanted one of use to come here.”

“I’m not exactly a child,” Matthew said.

“But you’re not an adult yet either,” Carol said. “In the eyes of the law, you are considered a child. As far as your uncle and I are concerned, you are in transition. We treat you how you act.”

“Oh,” Matthew said. She had not noticed that her aunt and uncle had been treating her like that. But it did explain a lot of things. “Very sneaky.”

Carol shrugged. “It helped you grow up to be a responsible young man, uh, woman,” she said. “I just wished more parents treated their children the same. We’d probably have less stupid adults now.”

“Never underestimate the stupidity of humans,” Callingenia intoned. “Then you will never be surprised at how stupid people can be.”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right,” Carol sighed.

“Aunt Carol,” Matthew said. “What about them? What are they going to do?”

“Be your bodyguards,” Carol said. “I thought it was obvious. There were sent here by two goddesses. Neither of which I want to cross. Especially since I know they’re coming back.” Both of the non-human women nodded.

Matthew studied the two strange women. She wasn’t sure she needed bodyguards at the moment. Those who wouldn’t believe she had been chosen by the gods would take some time to organize themselves. And, unless the various gods told their followers where she was, they would take time to find her. Then she remembered all the gifts she and her family received today. Some of the gods had told them where she was. “So, how are we going to do this,” she finally asked.

“We can’t really make any plans until we know of your status,” Callingenia said.

“I’m working on that,” Carol said. “The first thing we need to do is establish her identity. I have a friend in the DMV who should be able to help us. She’s only a clerk, but she does know all the correct forms. Or, at least, who we should ask about the correct forms.”

“That’s good,” Callingenia said. “Is she coming here?”

Carol nodded. “Yes. I believe she’ll be easier to convince once she sees Matthew.” She studied Matthew for a moment. “I just hope she doesn’t have a fear of snakes.” Everybody nodded at that. “Ardaniahna, do you have any special needs?”

“No,” the mermaid said with a shake of her head. “I can naturally change my tail into legs.” She held up her legs. “Otherwise, I’d need to submerse myself in water every so often.”

“Okay,” Carol said. “But if you think of anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell us.” She turned to Callingenia.

The succubus was ahead of her. “I have everything I need,” she said. “If something comes up, I’ll tell you. But I should be able to provide for myself. And that includes any ‘meals’ I may need.”

“I didn’t want to bring it up,” Carol said with a grimace. “But since you mentioned it, what do you eat?”

“The same foods as you do,” the succubus answered. “The sex my kind did, all nymphs actually, was to clean a person’s soul of sin before marriage.”

Carol and Mathew blinked.

Callingenia sighed. “You’ve never heard of that before,” she asked. “Of course not. Where do you think the ‘bachelor party’ came from? Or the ‘bachelorette party?’ Before the Church got involved, nymphs were summoned the night before a wedding to cleanse a man’s soul of sin. The same for women. But that was kept a lot quieter than those for men. The Church has kept that fact from public knowledge for centuries.”

“I never thought about it,” Carol said. “Now that I think about it, I know that tradition had to come from somewhere. It never occurred to me to think about it. It was just one of those things that seemed to always be there.”

“Not many people think about it,” Callingenia said with a shrug. “But that’s not what we should be focusing on. We need to focus on Matthew here.” She stopped for a moment. “The first thing she should do is pick a new name.”

Carol shot a worried look at Matthew. While she knew her new niece would need a new name, she wasn’t going to push it. She had been a boy just a few hours ago after all. She had planned on using her friend to get Matthew to start thinking about a new name. One more appropriate to her new body. But his name was the last thing he had from his parents. She did not know how he will react to changing her name.

“Yeah,” Mathew said without looking at anybody. “I was thinking about that. I know I don’t look like I did before. I also know that people will be expecting a girl’s name. So, I thought I’d pick the name my Mom would have used if I had been born a girl.” She turned to her aunt. “Do you think that would be okay?”

“I think that would be wonderful,” Carol said with tears in her eyes. “Mary is a wonderful name for you.”

Matthew, now Mary, started twisting all four of her hands. “I’d also like to take her name for my middle name.”

Carol couldn’t stop herself from crying. “She would be proud for you to do that.”

“So,” Callingenia said once Carol had straitened herself up. “Now that we have a name, what else do we need to take care of?”

“School,” Carol firmly said. “Emissary or not, she is still only 16 years old. She needs to finish her education.”

“While I do agree with you,” the succubus said. “I can’t guard her when she’s in class.” At Carol’s puzzled face, she continued. “Not all things about us, and nymphs in general, are true. But some are. Putting me in a building full of hormonally charged teens is not a good idea.”

“I was hoping that wasn’t true,” Carol admitted. “But we still need a bodyguard for her.” Carol and Callingenia looked at each other for a moment before turning to stare at Ardaniahna. The mermaid did not like how they were looking at her. She suddenly thought she’d be safer swimming with sharks while they were in a feeding frenzy.

“Shouldn’t we make sure I can actually go back to school,” Mary asked. “None of this matters, if I can’t.”

“That is a good point,” Carol said. “No use in making plans if you can’t attend school.”

“I can see the problem,” Callingenia said. “Do you think we can get around it?”

“Maybe,” Carol said. “If nothing else, we can ask the gods to influence their followers.”

“Why would there be a problem,” Ardaniahna asked. “Don’t humans follow their gods?”

“Their gods,” Carol said. “Not other peoples’ gods. As far as most people, um, humans, are concerned, their religion is the only true religion.”

The succubus nodded. “And a lot of them will see Mary as a demon,” she added. “They won’t listen to anything she has to say. Instead, they’ll try to kill her. Just because she’s alive. In fact, if they knew that you are a mermaid and I was a succubus, some would try to kill us.”

Ardaniahna stared in shock. She knew that humans were dangerous, but this? She wanted to think that the succubus was joking, or mistaken. But her face was serious. She turned to the humans and saw that they agreed with Callingenia. She truly did not know the dangers of this when she was told to do this.

“In your case, things may be different,” Carol said. “Government scientist may capture you for study.”

“Is that supposed to be better,” the mermaid asked.

“No,” Callingenia said. “Because they may dissect you. Unless you’re unlucky, then they’ll vivisect you.”

“Vivisection involves cutting the creature open and studying how their body works while they’re still alive,” Mary said with a shudder. “That may happen to me to. But with me, it won’t be the government. It’ll most likely be some religious group bound and determined to prove that I’m not the emissary of the gods.”

The four fell silent. None of them wanted to think of the all too likely possibility of the gods’ announcement. Every few moments, one would open her mouth to say something, but then change her mind. They were saved when the doorbell rang.

“Were you expecting any more deliveries,” the succubus asked Carol.

“I wasn’t expecting any deliveries,” Carol answered. “None of what happened last night and today was expected.”

“Well,” Callingenia said as she stood. “I guess my job starts now. Let me show you a way to check the door without looking through a peephole. Later, I’ll have you extend your wards beyond the house. It’s best to know who’s on your property before they get to your door.” Carol quickly stood and followed the other out the room. Ardaniahna and Mary looked at each other for a moment before following themselves.

“Here’s a spell I found useful over the years,” Callingenia said as they approached the front door. She formed a couple of hand gestures at the door. The door then shimmered then became transparent. Standing on the other side of the door was a sixteen-year old girl. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a pull-over shirt. Her long brown hair was in a loose braid.

“One way,” Carol asked.

“Of course,” Callingenia said. “You can’t have the people snaking up on you know that you know they’re there.”

“That’s Meagan,” blurted Mary when she saw the door. “What’s she doing here?”

* * *

Somewhere under the Vatican

A group of priests were gathered together. They were standing in the secret vaults under the Vatican. Not many had access to this section. None of them were among this group. But not a single one would have voiced any complaints about them being here. “Stephano,” one said. “What do you make of this ‘announcement?’ This emissary they say is from God.”

“I do not know, Cardinal Lucca,” answered Stephano. “There is much talk but nothing of substance. All that anybody can say is that the emissary is supposed to be in America.”

“Bah! Americans,” another scoffed. “If this truly is an emissary of God, then he would have been chosen among the faithful!”

“Careful, Emesto,” another warned. “And there are good, Catholic people in America,” another said. “They spread the word of God. It’s not their fault they’re surrounded by pagans and heretics.”

“Arnaldo is correct,” one said. “And the Pope himself accepts this emissary. He said God revealed the emissary to him in a vision.”

“But how can we know that the witches have not tricked us all,” Emesto asked.

“Emesto has a point,” Cardinal Lucca said. “We can not tell if the pagans have fooled us. At least, not without examining the emissary ourselves.” He looked at the others. “I have suggested, and the Pope agrees, that one our priests should meet this emissary. I have taken steps to have one of our order be chosen.” He touched his lapel where a pin of a crimson Fleur-de-lis was.

The others saw his gesture and smiled. They all had the same pin on their lapels. One way or another, they would know the truth of the emissary.

Meagan Stickly stood in front of her boyfriend’s door. Ever since that announcement last night, she wanted to come over and get his take on this. Her mother didn’t say anything, but Meagan suspected she wanted his aunt’s and uncle’s opinions. Meagan knew they weren’t Christian, even if they didn’t advertise that fact. She hoped that whatever god they worshipped wasn’t one that wanted human sacrifices.

Meagan raised her hand to knock again. She knew Matthew and his relatives were inside. She could see their cars in the garage. In fact, the more she looked around, the more it looked like they had done some remodeling. But that was impossible, she had visited just a few days ago. Whatever it was, she decided she’d ask about it later. The thing with the gods comes first.

The door suddenly opened, and Meagan couldn’t help taking a step back. In the now open door stood a stunningly beautiful brunette. The teen was instantly struck with envy. There was plenty to be envious of. The woman had a narrow waist sandwiched between wide hips and large breasts. Her eyes were dark and mysterious, and her hair was full and lustrous. She wasn’t surprised by the envy she felt. It was the small bit of lust that surprised her.

“Yes,” the woman said. “What do you want?”

Meagan felt a shiver go down her back when the woman spoke. “This is the Bridges house, right,” she asked.

“Yes, it is,” the woman confirmed.

Again, Meagan felt that shiver. What was wrong with her? The only time she felt shivers like this was when she was with Matthew. “Are they home?”

“And who’s asking?”

“Meagan Sticky,” Meagan said. “I’m Matthew’s girlfriend. Is he home?”

“You can let her in, Callingenia,” Meagan heard Mrs. Bridges say. “She’ll find out soon enough. And she should hear this from us and not the television.”

Meagan frowned. She had been watching the news last night, so she already knew about the gods’ returning. Maybe it was about who they worshipped. They never denied being Pagans. But they hadn’t claimed to be that either. What if they were something else? Last night she discovered that there were a lot more religions out there than she thought.

“As you mean no harm,” the woman, Callingenia said. “Enter and be welcomed.”

While she thought that was a strange way to invite someone in their house, she still entered. And immediately stopped. Standing in the room were two women and a female, thing. She recognized Carol Bridges, Matthew’s aunt. But she didn’t recognize the other woman. She looked to be about her age, maybe a little older. She had long, dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her face was triangular shape with high cheekbones. She wore a loose-fitting blouse and skirt. A slight frown crossed Meagan’s face as she noticed this woman wasn’t wearing a bra.

But it was third one that drew Meagan’s attention. First, she wasn’t human. From the waist down, she was a snake. A very long snake. Her tail extended from under the skirt she was wearing to about 25 feet. At least, Meagan guessed it was that long. It was hard to tell with it bending like that. Her tail was covered in red scales with silver and gold highlights. While she wasn’t afraid of snakes, she did not want to get wrapped up in that powerful looking tail. And, if her colors were like a snake’s, Meagan did not want to get bitten by her either.

The second thing that drew Meagan’s attention, was her arms. The woman thing had four of them. The second pair were not connected to her body at the shoulder. Instead, they were several inches below the upper pair. Meagan could not imagine why a body would need another pair of arms. She thought that having that many arms would be awkward, but the woman’s movements were smooth and graceful. Those, and the tail, argued against this being an elaborate prank. Not that the Bridges were known for pranks. And who would pull a prank like this on this day anyway.

It was the third thing that really drew Meagan’s attention. This snake woman thing had enormous breasts. So big that even a porn start would blush. They were easily larger than her head. As much as Meagan loved Matthew, she knew he would stare. She was staring. And she didn’t even like girls like that. She quickly squashed a stray thought about how they would look naked. She really needed to make sure this woman stayed away from Matthew. And speaking of.

“Where’s Matthew,” Meagan asked as she looked around. “With the Emissary,” she gave the snake woman thing a cautious look, “around, wouldn’t he be here?”

“About that,” Mrs. Bridges said.

“He’s been in an accident,” Meagan asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the emissary cringe.

“No,” Mrs. Bridges firmly said. “He was not involved in any kind of accident. What happened to him is hard to explain.” She took a deep, slow breath then let it out just a slowly. “Okay. By now, you should know that the gods announced their imminent return last night. You also know that they selected an emissary as well.” Meagan took a quick look at the emissary.

“What you don’t know,” Mrs. Bridges continued, drawing Meagan’s attention back to her. “is that she appeared in the house last night.”

Meagan gasped. She had not known how the emissary had arrived. She had only heard that the emissary was somewhere in the States. Exactly where was being argued all over the net. Her mother had told her that religious leaders the world over, had been told by the gods where the emissary was staying. Her mother would definitely like to know that the emissary was here. But that still didn’t explain where Matthew was.

“I guess Matthew was surprised when she appeared,” Meagan said.

“More than you can possible know,” the snake woman thing muttered.

“It was the biggest surprise of his life,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Possibly the biggest surprise he’ll ever receive.”

“Understatement of the millennium,” the snake woman muttered again. Both Mrs. Bridges and Meagan glanced at her.

“Maybe I should introduce the two of you,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Meagan, meet Mary, the emissary of the gods. Mary, meet Meagan.”

Meagan stared at the emissary as she gave a small wave and a sick looking smile. “You’re the emissary,” Meagan gasped.

“I didn’t ask for it,” scowled Mary. “They didn’t even ask me if I wanted the job.”

“The gods rarely ask mortals what they want,” the darkly beautiful woman said. “And when they do, it’s not good.”

Meagan was sure the woman did not know God. But she was not going to say so. She was a guest in this house, and she was going to act like it. Besides, there was so many things she wanted to ask the emissary. Starting with what was the god’s plans for the world. But she wanted to know about Matthew first. They still haven’t told her. “As much as I’d like to hear how you became the emissary, I’d rather find out about Matthew,” Meagan said.

“Just tell her,” the emissary said. “Beating around the bush like this is just a waste of time.”

“Tell me what,” Meagan asked cautiously.

“I wasn’t beating around the bush,” Mrs. Bridges said to the emissary. “I was building up to it.” She turned to Meagan. “Meagan, the reason, you haven’t found Mathew is that he’s the emissary.”

For one moment, Meagan stared at the older woman. She couldn’t believe what she had been told. There was no way Matthew could be the emissary. For one thing, Matthew was a boy. The emissary was female. Obviously so. The emissary was also not human. Meagan did not know what she was, but she knew she wasn’t human. The last time she had checked, Matthew was human. “What,” she finally managed to say. “You’re joking, right?”

“I’m afraid not,” Mrs. Bridges said.

Meagan noticed that the dark-haired woman was looking at her strangely. The emissary, however, looked worried. Of course, she would, if what Mrs. Bridges said was true. “There’s no way that can be Matthew,” Meagan exclaimed. She pointed at the emissary. “I mean look at her! Her boobs are enormous. And she’s part snake. How can you stand there and tell me that’s Matthew?”

“Because it is,” Mrs. Bridges insisted. “How do you think I feel? I rushed home after the Goddess Cerridwen told me the emissary was in my home. I was worried how Matthew would react to her just appearing here. When I got here, I found her and only her. She had to convince me that she was my nephew.”

“But that can’t be,” Meagan said. “People can’t just change like that. It’s impossible.”

“Anything is possible when you’re talking about the gods,” Callingenia said. “You have to remember; the gods rarely ask mortals for permission before assigning them tasks or roles. And didn’t the emissary say she wasn’t asked?”

“That doesn’t prove that she is Matthew,” Meagan pointed out.

“What if we could?”

“Could what?”

“Prove that is Matthew,” Callingenia said.

“If you can do that, then I’ll believe that is Matthew,” Meagan said. “But it has to be something that only he and I know. Everything else you could have found out somehow.”

“Or I could ask Nyx,” Callingenia said. “She’d know.”

“Who’s Nyx?”

“Primordial goddess of the night,” Mrs. Bridges said. “She is part of the Greek pantheon. Not one of the well-known gods and goddesses, of course. She is also the goddess of secrets.”

Meagan blinked. She had never heard of a god that knew secrets. God knew all, but that was because he made everything. Of course, he would know everything. “Okay,” she said with a shake of her head. “Not something I wanted to know. Are you going to ask her?”

“No,” Callingenia said. “That would be cheating. Besides, she’d punish me just for asking. She gathers secrets. She does not hand them out.”

“And we don’t need to ask her,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Mary knows the answer. Before you ask, Mary was the name we would have given Matthew if he had been born a girl.” She turned to the snake woman. “Go ahead, Mary. Tell her something only the two of you know.”

Meagan watched as Mary slithered forward a couple of feet. “Well, the only thing I can think of,” she said, “is about a mole.”

Meagan tensed. “What mole?”

“A small one,” Mary answered. “On your back. Just above. . .”

Meagan found herself pressing against Mary’s giant breast as she held a hand over the snake woman’s mouth. “I told you not to mention that,” she hissed.

Behind Meagan, the young woman, who hadn’t said a word this whole time, leaned over to Callingenia. “I thought Mary was the one who was part snake,” she whispered.

“Human’s are strange creatures,” Callingenia whispered back. “Never assume you know everything they can do.”

“Matthew, is that really you?”

“Yes,” Mary answered. “But it’s Mary now. I don’t my old name fits now.” With two of her arms, she gently pushed Meagan off her chest. “Sorry, but they’re sensitive.”

Part of Meagan didn’t like that she was no longer pressing against Mary’s breasts and wanted to go back. Meagan started to frown as she thought about that. She suddenly gasped as she realized that she now found the snake woman attractive. In fact, she found her very sexy. But that should be impossible. Before, she was straight. Very straight. Sure, she could admit other girls and women were attractive. Even sexy. But she had never felt attracted to one. Until now.

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her head. Meagan found her head being turned to face the dark-haired woman. For a long moment, they stared into each others’ eyes. “Oh that’s just great,” the beauty snarled. “Mary isn’t the only one the gods had touched last night.”

“What,” Meagan said. She staggered a little as the woman let her go.

“The gods touched you last night. They made you attracted to women. Specifically, Mary.”

Meagan stared at the woman for a moment. At first, she couldn’t believe it. But she thought about the sudden shift in the way she viewed Mary. Then she didn’t want to believe it. Faced with this, she did the only thing she could think of. She fainted.

Mary looked down at Meagan as one of her hands stroked her hair. She was worried when Meagan collapsed. But everybody told her she had just fainted. Which was understandable. Everything that’s happened since last night is a lot to take in. And then, to be told that the gods had changed her. Well, who wouldn’t have fainted?

Meagan shifted and put more of her weight on Mary’s breasts. Mary grimaced and gently moved her back to her original position. Whatever the gods changed in Meagan, they did a thorough job. She looked at the others in the room. There was her mom, Callingenia, and Ardaniahna. Her cousins had been sent to watch television or play video games. Neither needed to be here for this. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be here for this.

“So,” Mary said. “The gods changed Meagan so that we’d stay together?”

“Yes,” answered Callingenia. “Remember, the gods do not ‘play fair.’ They will do whatever they feel they need to, to get what they want.”

“Surely not all of them,” Mrs. Bridges asked.

“All of the ones that are most interested in humanity,” Callingenia said. “They never deal straight. Remember that.”

“But yet, here you are, guarding the emissary at the behest of a goddess,” Ardaniahna stated.

“Because Nyx is one scary bitch,” the succubus said. “She is a primordial goddess. That means she’s been around since the universe began. Not a lot of gods can say that and mean it.”

“But what does that mean,” the mermaid asked.

“It means that none of the other gods are willing to mess with her,” Callingenia replied. “Not unless it’s very important.”

“That’s why Zeus is afraid of her,” Carol said.

Callingenia nodded. “Yes. Nyx was around when the war against the Great Old Ones . . . oh.”

“’Oh’ what,” Carol asked. “And why does that title sound familiar?”

“Because the author H.P. Lovecraft wrote about them,” Callingenia said with a shudder. “The Time Lost Prophet scared a lot of beings with his writings.”

“What does a human author have to do with anything,” Ardaniahna asked.

“I agree with the mermaid,” Mary said. “He’s been dead for years.”

“No,” Callingenia said firmly. “He’s still alive. He’s the Time Lost Prophet. To him, his death has not occurred.”

“That explains so much,” Carol said. “I always felt a damp chill whenever I was near one of his books. And he did have a closed casket funeral.”

Mary was puzzled. She looked at Ardaniahna and could see that she was as well. “Why would that matter? A lot of people have closed casket funerals. All that means is that how they died did not leave the body in a good condition.”

“You’re right that his body was in no way viewable by those not prepared,” Callingenia said. “That was why he had two burials. One in secret and one for the public. His secret burial was in a non-disclosed location, surrounded by various charms, runes, and sigils. And that’s not counting what was carved into a blessed lead coffin.”

“Why would he have needed to be buried like that,” Ardaniahna asked. “What could a human have done to warrant that?”

“He was, is, the prophet for the Great Old Ones,” Carol quietly said. “In order for that to have happened, he would have come into contact with one of them, or one of their relics. A mortal mind is not capable of experiencing either without going mad. Those that don’t go mad are protected because they’ve invited a piece of a Great Old One to come into them. Insanity is the least of their problems then.”

Both Ardaniahna and Mary had puzzled looks on their faces.

“Their bodies start changing,” the succubus said. “Changing in ways not suitable to sustaining life.”

Both the teens’ faces grew sickly as they realized what they had been told. “Okay, I can see why they had a secret funeral for Lovecraft now,” Mary said. “But why would he do anything like that?”

“Nobody knows,” Carol said. “He started writing books well before he showed any sign of corruption.”

“But what does he have to do with now,” the mermaid asked.

“Simple,” Callingenia said. “I believe the Great Old Ones may be coming back.”

Undisclosed location in Rome

Cardinal Lucca studied the men in front of him. They were good, devout men. Men that would follow the orders of the Church without question. None of them were ranked high in the priesthood, but that was a good thing. With what was happening in the world right now, eyes were on all high ranking members of any organized religion. Everybody wanted to know what they would do regarding the so-called emissary.

“Do you understand what I am asking of you,” he finally said.

“Yes, Cardinal,” their leader said. “You want us to go to America and study this emissary. If it is pure, we come back and tell you. If it is not pure, we are then to purify it.”

“That is correct,” the cardinal smiled. “Please be careful not to let anybody know why you’re there. If it is evil, it will have numerous guards to keep away the faithful. Only the gullible and wicked will be allowed near. It won’t do for you to fail in this task.”

“We will not fail,” the man said. “We will make sure all is as it should be.”

“I know you will,” the cardinal said. “Now, time is short. Go with God.” The men bowed and left the room. Cardinal Lucca sat for a few minutes after the men left. He was sure the matter of this fake emissary would be solved soon. Then the real emissary can reveal himself. When God returned to reclaim the world, He would surely reward the cardinal. For now, he must wait for that glorious time. But he knew how the make the time pass faster.

The door opened and two men wearing dark cloaks entered the room. Between them was a smaller figure. The Cardinal smiled. Yes, he knew how to make the time pass faster.

Helmi woke with a gasp. Panting, she flailed around until she found the light switch. She tuned it on and turned to sit on the edge of her bed. As she calmed herself, she made plans. She had to call the others. She grabbed her cell phone from its charger and called her friend.

“Älä viitsi, Kaarina. Nosta puhelin.” [Come on, Kaarina. Pick up the phone.]

“Moi,” a groggy voice answered. [Hello.]

“Lopuksi,” Helmi said. “Kaarina, ala soittaa muille. Meidän on ehdittävä ensimmäiselle lennolle Amerikkaan.” [Finally. Kaarinna, call the others. We need to catch the first available flight to America.]

“Mikä? Miksi?” [What? Why?]

“Freya on antanut meille tehtävän,” Helmi explained as she started gathering her clothes. “Meidän on suojeltava lähettilästä. Hän uskoo olevansa vaarassa!” [Freya has given us a mission. We must protect the emissary. She believes she is in danger!]

“Todella!” Kaarina exclaimed. Now fully awake. [Truly!]

“En valehtelisi tästä.” Helmi assured her friend. [I would not lie about this.]

“Jumalia ylistetään.” Kaarina cheered. “Alan soittaa muille. Sitten voimme tehdä suunnitelmia.” [The gods be praised. I will start calling the others. Then we can make plans.]

Meagan yawned and snuggled closer to her pillow. It was big and warm. There was a pleasant scent that she couldn’t quite place. And it seemed to be moving? She opened her eyes and stared at her pillow. Only, it wasn’t a pillow. It was a breast. Bigger than her head. She looked up into the owner’s amber oval eyes.

“Could you please stop doing that,” the owner asked. “They’re sensitive.”

With a squeak of surprise, Meagan jumped up. Only to trip. Meagan looked to see what she had tipped over. It was the coils of a gigantic snake. Frantically, she followed the body looking for the head. Hopefully the snake had already eaten and wasn’t hungry for more. She was surprised when the snake’s body turned into a girl’s hips. Those hips lead to a small waist. Which in turn lead to a pair of impossibly huge but incredibly magnificent breasts.

It was the breasts that jogged her memory. They were so big and full. Despite their size, there was little sag. Meagan knew that the larger breasts grew, the more they sagged. At least, that is what her mother told her. And she only told her after Meagan admitted to being jealous of the more developed girls at school. But there was not hint of jealousy within her. There admiration and a huge desire to play with them.

“Could you stop staring at my breasts,” the owner asked again.

Blushing furiously, Meagan jerked her gaze up. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Wait a minute,” she shouted as she studied the very feminine face in front of her. “Matthew, is that you?”

A faint blush appeared on the girl’s cheeks. “Yes, Meagan,” she answered. “It’s me. My name is Mary now.”

“Oh,” Meagan said. She honestly didn’t know what else to say. She had only came here to find out his and his aunt’s opinion on last night’s announcement. She did not expect to find the emissary. Suddenly realizing that she was still leaning against Mary’s body, Meagan awkwardly pushed herself up. Once she was upright, Meagan didn’t know what to do. And, for some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off Mary’s lower body. She was finding it strangely sexy.

“Is this something I should get used to,” Mary asked. “People staring at my tail, I mean. I know there will be people staring at my breasts. But my tail as well?”

The words caused Meagan to jerk her head up. What was wrong with her, she wondered. She needed to stop staring at Mary. To distract herself, Meagan started looking around the room. She saw that she was in the Bridges’ sitting room. The two sofas and three chairs were in the same position she remembered. She was sitting in one sofa with Mat-, uh, Mary. Mary’s tail occupying most of the cushions.

A beautiful teen girl was sitting awkwardly in one of the chairs. She was wearing a peasant blouse, skirt, and shoes. Somehow, she looked uncomfortable wearing them. How that could be, she didn’t know. The clothes looked comfortable enough. She did not want to look at the darkly beautiful woman. But she had no other choice. She had looked at everything else in the room. Reluctantly she looked at the last person in the room.

She was a darkly beautiful woman. The type of woman that mothers warn their sons from. And watch their husbands around. The type of woman that you know is bad for you, but you’d still get with her anyway. The type of woman boys went crazy over. The type of woman Meagan wasn’t. She knew her boyfriend would be staring at her. But that was the problem. Her boyfriend was no longer her boyfriend. He was now a she. And not even human. How was she supposed to deal with that.

Meagan looked away from the woman. She looked upon her former boyfriend, the emissary. Again, she felt a swelling in her chest. Even knowing the love she felt was fake didn’t stop her from feeling it. As her gaze passed over Mary’s arms and tail, ideas popped into her mind. Her face turned red and she looked away.

“Are you mad at me,” Mary asked.

“No, I’m not mad at you,” Meagan said. “How can I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything.” She took one of the snake woman’s four hands. She paused when she felt how soft and smooth the skin was. “You’re the most beautiful creature in the world. How can anyone be made at you?”

Mary blushed. “I know it’s the gods making you say that,” she said.

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Meagan countered.

Mary’s blush darkened. She looked helplessly toward the beautiful woman.

“I know what she meant to say,” the woman said. “My name is Callingenia. And what Mary meant was that you should wait until you’re no longer near her. Then see if you still love her. A relationship founded on false love will not last.”

Meagan wanted to argue. But she knew Callingenia spoke the truth. A relationship full of lies will not work. She sighed. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I still love her, even if it’s because of the gods.” She shuddered. “That just feels weird.”

“How is your mom going to take this,” Mary suddenly asked.

Meagan’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought about that. How was her mom going to take it? She was a very devout woman. Something like this may not go well with her. She didn’t think her mom would abandon her. Especially now.

“Don’t worry,” Mary said. “I can tell her you love me because of the gods. She can’t blame you if the gods change you, right?”

Meagan blushed at Mary’s words. The sudden rush of emotions they caused made her giddy. “Thank you,” she shyly said. “But I should be okay. Mom isn’t like that.”

“Excuse me,” Ardaniahna said. “But why is she worried about what her mother thinks?”

“Human mothers are sometimes strange,” Mary said after a moment. “While most do love their children, some of them put conditions on that love. In this case, we’re afraid that Meagan’s mother may be one of them. That she won’t love Meagan if Meagan is a lover of women.” Mary looked at her tail. “Well, female.”

“Are they mad,” the mermaid asked. “How could they turn their backs on their children for such a petty reason?”

The snake girl and human girl both shrugged their shoulders. They didn’t have an answer for that.

Callingenia cleared her throat. “Humans are fickle and strange,” she said once she had their attention. “They will change their minds for the silliest of reasons. For some parents, they care more for what their child can do than they care for the child itself.”

“That’s horrible! Why doesn’t somebody stop it?”

“We’re trying,” Mary said. “Unfortunately, too many ‘leading’ members of society think like that. And they don’t want anybody interfering with how they raise their children.”

“Not to mention the politicians,” Meagan said.

“Oh, yeah,” Mary said. “Can’t forget about them.”

“Politicians,” the mermaid asked. “Who are they?”

“They’re the people who officially run this country,” Callingenia said. “In reality, they maintain the status quo and line their pockets with money. Changes are made. But they’re cosmetic. Once you get past the surface, nothing’s changed.”

Meagan and Mary stared at the succubus. “Okay,” Mary said. “Meagan and I live here. So, why are you so upset with the politicians?”

“Did you know,” Callingenia began, “that this nation is the only one still using imperial measurements? Every other nation has switched to the metric system. That includes little tin pot dictators! And that’s because the politicians don’t want to change the school systems!”

“That sounds bad,” Ardaniahna said.

“It is,” Mary said. “But change is coming. They are starting to change the school system, slowly.”

“By change, you mean standardizing,” Meagan put in. “And by standardizing, you mean removing the things they don’t like.”

“I’d argue,” Mary said. “But you’re right.”

“What do you mean by that,” Callingenia asked.

“Well,” Mary said. “In history, they didn’t mention the Tuskegee Airmen. The only all black fighter squadron ever. They’re also the most decorated fighter squadron in U.S. history. And they only squadron to not lose a plane they were escorting.”

“Don’t forget the Wind Talkers,” Meagan said. “The Navaho Indians played a key part in World War II. They provided an unbreakable code for our forces in the Pacific. The Japanese could not decipher their native language.”

“Those are just two examples of things the government forgot to teach,” Mary said. “There are others. Some good, and some bad. Either way, we need to remember them.”

Callingenia smiled. “And that’s why you’ll make a great emissary. You’ll do everything in your power to make sure all are treated fairly. Including bringing up past mistakes and triumphs.”

“I thought my job was to get humanity ready for the return of the gods,” Mary said.

“But they’re not the only ones returning,” the succubus said. “Beings like me and Ardaniahna are also returning. Some never left. They just hid from humans. The Catholic Church declared every thinking being that wasn’t human an affront unto God.”

“That can’t be right,” Meagan said. “The Church couldn’t have done that. It represents God. Doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Callingenia said. “While people believe it does, the Church hasn’t represented God’s words for centuries. Too many greedy men have held positions of power in the Church. Don’t get me wrong, the Catholic Church has done many great deeds. But it has done some horrific ones as well.” She studied the teen girl for a moment. “I’ll tell you those later, if you wish it. For now, let us talk of something more pleasant.”

“We’re going to have to do something about your names,” Mary said after a moment.”

The succubus and mermaid looked at each other. Then turned toward Mary. “What about our names,” Ardaniahna asked.

“I’m going to tie my tongue in knots if I keep saying them,” Mary replied.

“Our names are not that hard to say,” Callingenia said flatly. “And I don’t think your tongue is that long. Most human tongues aren’t.”

“Well, I’m not human anymore,” Mary said. “And my tongue is that long. See?” She stuck her tongue out. Eighteen inches of muscle extended from Mary’s mouth. It was flatter than a normal human tongue and the last three inches were split into a fork. Callingenia blinked at the sight. Ardaniahna just looked. Meagan had a more surprising reaction.

Meagan slammed her legs together with a squeak. Her face turned red as she stared at Mary’s tongue. Suddenly she closed her eyes and shuddered. A low moan could be heard. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at the three females staring at her. Her face became even redder. “Excuse me,” she said. “But I think I’ll be going home now.”

Meagan stood up, keeping her legs together with her hands in front of her crotch. She carefully moved so that she didn’t show her back to any of the three. “I need to tell my mom what I heard,” she said. “I’ll come back when she’s decided what to do.” As soon as she cleared the door, she turned and hurried out the house.

“What got into her,” Mary asked.

“The gods really messed her up,” Callingenia said. “You two need to sit down and talk about this. You really need to discover all that they did to you.”

“Okay,” Mary slowly said. “But why did she rush off?”

The succubus stared at the half snake girl. “You can’t be that naïve,” she said. “If you really don’t know, ask your mother. Better yet, ask Meagan. That should get you two talking.”

~ * ~

The team arrived in America with no problems. Nor were they expecting any. They were from the Church. No one would dare purposely inconvenience them. They gathered their bags and gear, bypassed customs and entered two black SUVs. It was a pity there wasn’t an airport closer to their target. Even so, they expected to be on their way back to Rome in 72 hours.