A Divine Intervention
"Hey there." Krissy smiles, leaning back against the bar beside a handsom man at the bar. "Buy you a drink?"
"Hey there." He smiles back, turning to get a better look. "Didn't I see you around town?"
"Probably. Not in this though." She nods down to the black t-shirt with 'daddy's little slut' in sparkly pink letters. "And where were you hiding?"
"Not hiding. Working.You're... some kind of law enforcement right?"
"Something like that, but right this second I am a lonely lady in a strange town just trying to make freinds. Will you be my freind?" Krissy makes eyes at him. "Unless of course you have enough on your plate already."
"I could always use more freinds. I'm Jason. And you are?"
"Marge. Well, Maggie." She shrugs. "It's nice to meet you Josh."
"Jason." He doesn't seem phased by the mistake.
"So how about that drink then Jason? My treat." She takes out a twenty from her bra.
"I never let a lady pay for drinks. "He motions the bartender over.
"Well, your're in luck, because I'm no lady."
Jason's not a bad kisser, though whiskey breath's not her favorite odor. She looks over to the parking lot for Nat as she gets the key card in the door.
"You malakas gamiola!" Krissy nearly jumps out of her skin when they open the door and turn on a light to reveal Thanatos sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Shit!" Jason breaks away.
"What are you doing with my woman, vlaka koloboras." He grabs Jason by the arma nd shoves him out into the parking lot.
"Nat! What are you doing here? We're over. It's over. I told you I never wanted to see you again." Krissy pulls at his arm, just long enough for Jason to get to his feet and stupidly takea swing at the greek god of death. Of course one punch is all it takes to knock him back down.
"You are mine, woman. and you will always be mine." He kicks the fallen man. "If you ever try to cuckold me again I will baptise our child in the mortal's blood."
"Stop." Krissy takes out her gun and aims it at him. "Get out of here and leave me alone or I swear I will shoot you."
"Shoot me?" He laughs turning back towards her. "You'll shoot me?" Thanatos strides back and knocks the gun from her hands before backhanding her across the face. "You do not ddeserve the child in your womb." When he takes her by the throat he's tackled by a lioness coming from the bushes. Krissy quickly throws herself on the animal's backand slips a silver and gold noose around it's neck. The lioness beneath her screams in rage and contorts into a dark skinned woman with painted eyes.
"You ungrateful slut." She hisses looking back at Krissy as Thanatos pulls himself out from under them.
"I'm sorry, but we need to talk and I'm mortal pregnant and easily damaged, while you're a goddess. I needed an advantage." Krissy apologizes.
"You wish to talk." Bastet raises an eyebrow, "Not kill me? You're a hunter."
"Yeah, I know. Weird, huh, but you're protecting pregnant women from abusive assholes so I'm not especially inclined to kill you for that. Look, you have to stop killing these men. Other hunters will come and you'd either die or just as likely if not more so humanity will loose protectors we desperately need. Surely there's something else you can do to keep these women safe. Just like... maiming the bastards? Paralyzing them? Biting off hands? Something less... final."
"All very pleasing ideas but unfortunately I have no choice in the matter. All who lay hands on the bearers of my tokens of protection must die. I was, I admit, excited at the prospect of taking out one of those Grecian upstarts but I have been avoiding hunters for centuries. I have better things to do." She examines her long nails and licks the blood off them smiling at Thanatos. "You taste divine." Bastet teases.
"You don't feed off humans normally?"
"Ugh, what a thought. Omnivores taste horrible." She makes a face, "And mortals are so common, and ill fed and diseased, no. No. I thrive off of worship and fortunately cats are often still given their proper reverence in some circles, at least enough to keep me satisfied. And where there are desperate pregnant women it's not too hard to find willing supplicants. Much to my dismay my last host discovered me and forced this petty pointless nonsense on me."
"Petty and pointless?" Krissy exclaims feeling the urge to just kill her anyway.
"They chose their men, they will choose such men again. Most of them did not even try to escape nor were many grateful for the assistance, not that mortals often are unless we press the issue. They and their children will find themselves in such danger again. Indeed some of the babes may grow to be hunters who know nothing of their father's crimes and come after me. It is petty, pointless nonsense." She insists. "I have been here a long time and see many such things. It is not worth my time. Now, in the house of the physician encroaching upon my domain, is an altar. Destroy it and I shall be free."
"Alright." Krissy nods, "Nat, take her into the hotel room. I'll go take care of the altar."
"Why not take me with you. I'm bound to protect you after all." Bastet purrs giving Krissy a smile.
"Yeah, right up until I drop the coin or destroy the altar. I'd rather keep you far behind me. I'll be back soon, Nat." Krissy gives him a kiss as she hands him the end of the leash. "Thank you."
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asks, touching her cheek.
"No, you did great. Claire slapped me harder." She reassures him.
"She what?"
"Never mind. I'll be back soon. Remember to be hospitable." Krissy reminds him, opening the hotel room door. "The food is in the mini fridge. Go sparing on the time when heating it in the microwave."
"I will. Be careful."
"Well, well, well, a lover for Thanatos. It only took you a few thousand years, too." Bastet mocks him.
"Wait, was I your first?" Krissy widens her eyes at him. "If so you can't tell at all."
"No." He blushes as Bastet just laughs at him, "I will see you soon."
The obstetrician's house isn't far from his office. And oddly enough the door is unlocked. There are no dogs, only a cat or two who don't seem very interested in Krissy's presence. One even rubs up against her leg. She pats it's head and starts gently checking doors. There's nothing in the study or the living room, dining room, pantry, kitchen, but there is a locked door behind the stairs near the back, likely leading to the basement. As she concentrates on picking the padlock, there's a creak behind her. Krissy turns, drawing her gun to see the doctor's sister-in-law, what was her name? Akila Jensen, standing behind her holding a whiffle bat.
"Agent Gunderson?" She puts the bat down, surprised. "W-what are you doing here? Wearing that." Krissy briefly glances down at her shirt. She knew she should have changed first.
"I'm here to destroy your altar, Akila, Mrs. Jensen." Krissy says calmly. "You can't kill people, even violent abusers, well... okay, I can't argue too hard on that point, but using an Egyptian goddess as a weapon can backfire horribly for everyone involved. You have to know that." Mrs. Jensen just tilts her head, with an odd expression on her face.
"What are you talking about? Are you in..." She cuts off the last remark, in case the woman before her is in fact violently insane.
"I found the talismans in the bear, Akila." Krissy holds her up, taking it from her pocket, keeping her gun trained on the woman.
"I didn't put any medallions in the bears. And that's a simple plea for protection. The gods don't personally answer that way. A... a saint Christopher medallion doesn't summon angels." Which Krissy has to admit is true enough. But beside the point. "Are you alright? Where's your partner?" The woman asks soothingly.
"You didn't harness Bastet to protect your brother in law's patients?" Krissy asks, a bit hesitantly. She was sure it was her.
"You can't force a god to do anything. Who would even be foolish and disrespectful enough to try? Especially with one associated with cats." Akila attempts to reason, forgetting that human beings do many foolish and disrespectful things, one of which the goddess was invoked to stop.
"Prove it. Open this door and let me see what's in the basement." She steps back and motions to it with her gun.
"That's where my brother in law keeps his confidential patient files. There's nothing there. No altar.... If I show you, will you put the gun away?"
"Sure." Krissy smiles. Akila takes a key from a small creamer on a shelf nearby and unlocks the door. "You first." She ushers her down the stairs.
"You know, sometimes, the chemical hormonal changes in your body for things like, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, they can flip switches in your brain, and make it think things it wouldn't if everything was right." Akila says gently and reaches for the light. "It may make things seem like they're... ibn il al-ibn! "She quickly steps back, tripping on the steps behind her. and looks up at Krissy in astonishment. " I.. I am sorry... I thought you..." She quickly moves out of Krissy's way.
"That I was crazy? It's okay. I wish I was just crazy sometimes." Krissy pats the woman's shoulder and helps her to her feet, holstering her gun. There's an alter in a cleared corner of the basement, where some file cabinets have been shoved aside. There's lambs blood, symbols, a silver bowl with some short fuzzy black hairs in it on top of an ornate tapestry. "Help me destroy this so Bastet's not bound to kill people anymore."
"Yes, of course." Akila hurries over to the altar and helps Krissy overturn it and destroy all the pieces they can, Krissy burns the hair in the bowl.
"What are you doing?!" They hear Dr. Jensen exclaim, racing down the stairs. "She'll kill us!"
"No, she won't. She may try to kill you maybe, if I can't talk her out of it, but I'd start groveling and begging for mercy right about now." Krissy grabs him by the arm. "Come on, we're going to have a little chat back at my hotel room." Krissy handcuffs him and leads him up the stairs. "If you know how to petition Bastet and curry favor, Akila, I'd start doing so. Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep him safe." She reassures the woman who frowns at her brother in law and nods.
"Does she know?" Bastet gives Thanatos a laughing smile as she eats the lobster salad. He just continues to ignore her. "Would you like me to tell her for you?" She offers with mock sympathy.
"Do as you please." He responds looking away. "It's what you do regardless."
"So true." She licks her fingers. "Mmm, what a sweet girl. So thoughtful. Respectful, too, for a hunter. I do have to confess that I always liked these things even when they peasant food. What's a reject like you doing with a hunter anyway? Is that what you have in common? Despised by gods and men alike all for doing a necessary beneficial service. Poor things."
"Would you like anything to drink?" He offers courteously.
"What does your brother think of this development? You two are so very close after all." Her question is still ignored. "You know, I never understood why you're not an arrogant power hungry dick like all the others in your pantheon. You hold the power of death and yet you never rub it in anyone's faces. Death is the ultimate power after all. And don't suggest you simply have enough power. No god ever has enough power. that's part of being a god."
"Death is not the ultimate power. Love is. It can't be taken or stolen from you, only given. Nothing is more powerful than that."
" A romantic greek." Bastet laughs derisively as Thanatos tightens his lips at the comment. "Oh, and, she's even bringing me tribute." She sits up excitedly. I tell you, Thanatos, this mortal is a rare breed." She reaches over to take a lobster tail and dip it in warm butter. "Mmm."
"Good evening." Krissy opens the door to the hotel room, ushering him the obstetrician. "I trust you've been enjoying yourselves?"
"Immensely. Your lover is a most entertaining host." She looks over at the trembling man. "Howard." She smiles at him. "Oh, he's frightened. I like that in a man. Thank you, huntress, your service will be remembered. I'll try not to leave too much of a mess. Now..." She motions to the collar.
"I didn't bring him here for you to kill him." Krissy has him sit in a chair and opens one cuff, attaching it to the heavy table leg. "I brought him here to beg forgiveness and see what it will take for us all to walk out of here alive. Me, him, you two."
"Really." Is her dry response.
"Yes. I can't let you kill him. Not only was he just trying to protect his patients and honestly, there aren't enough obstetricians as it is. There's a real shortage so if there's any way we could, you know, let him live and keep helping pregnant women now that women are getting pregnant again?" Krissy takes a small back of peppermint flavored lindt truffles out of her pocket and hands them to her.
"I'm going to be honest. I can't see how it could happen. I can't possibly allow a man who bound me and know how to bind me that way to live. It's too humiliating."
"What if we took that knowledge away from him?" Thanatos asks. Bastet gives an interested noise.
"If having the knowledge was his only crime, perhaps. But I have lost so much, so, so very much. Servants, worshipers, priestesses catering to my every whim. If word were to get around that I allowed something like this to go unpunished? No. My reputation is all I have. No. Better to nip this problem at the bud. Either you accept his death or you must kill me." Bastet holds her empty glass out towards Thanatos. "My drink?"
"No. We're not doing that." Krissy states firmly and takes a piece of lobster. "Mmm. Now, we are going to stay here until this is resolved."
"Hey, Kri..." The door opens and Claire, stops mid sentence as she sees the leashed egyptian woman eating lobster and drinking champagne on the bed with a middle aged man handcuffed to a chair. "Okay? What'd I miss? Hi, Nat." She waves to Thanatos and closes the door behind her.
“Hello?” Alex picks up the room phone as it rings.
“Hey, Alex.” Claire says in that faux casual tone that means she wants something. “How are you feeling?”
“Well given that I was in a car accident just yesterday, and am having trouble falling asleep, not so great.”Alex replies. “How are you?” in other words get to the point.
“Well, we’re in a situation that requires diplomatic intervention or we’ll have to kill someone and we kind of don’t want to do that and neither of us is the most diplomatic person.”
“And I am?”
“Comparatively. At the very least you’re a neutral party,” Claire explains the situation.
“What exactly do you expect me to do about it?!” Alex exclaims looking to the ceiling in exasperation. “I’m in the hospital.”
“Well, remember that whole ghost therapy thing in michigan last year?” Claire suggests sheepishly.
“Are you kidding me? Fine. Fine. Put me on speakerphone.” Alex sighs. “Hi, everybody.”
“Hi, Dr Nick!” Claire and Krissy respond cheerfully and in perfect harmony.
“Hello?” A scared sounding older man speaks.
“Who is this? Another huntress?” A woman with an odd accent scoffs.
“No. My name is Alex, I’ll be your mediator today.” Alex says calmly, donning her newly practiced therapist voice. “Now, Ms. Novak tells me you’re having a problem reaching an agreement. Doctor, you don’t want to be killed by a vengeful pagan goddess and Ba…”
“Why is there a discussion?” Raphael exclaims incredulously at this. “Why do they not just kill the pagan!”
“Nobody asked you, wonder wings!” Claire snaps.
“She was protecting pregnant women and the doctor was making her do it. She wasn’t responsible for their deaths.” Krissy expounds, “We don’t want to kill an innocent goddess.”
“She is a pagan god. I’m sure she was done things worth killing her for.”Raphael retorts. Alex just curses softly under her breath and rubs her eyes.
“Yeah, we’ll so has your sister. Bastet, how well do you know Loki?” Claire asks in an aside. “Like, were you friends?”
“With benefits.” The goddess purrs. Raphael winces at this.
“Oh, well, was it a bad break up?”
“We just got bored. There were no hard feelings. That’s right I heard he was really an angel, and a female one at that. No wonder he was such a good lover. Is that an angel with the mediator? Is she as interesting as her sister?”
“No.” Raphael snaps. “I do not care who has associated with Gabriel in that way or not if she is killing humans she must be destroyed.”
“Again, nobody fucking asked you!”
“Hey!” Alex yells. “Can we focus here?” The nurse opens the door and gives her a significant look with her finger to her lips. “Sorry.” Alex turns red.
“Sure. Fine. As you were saying before we were so rudely interrupted, by nosy nancy there.” Claire continues. “OB doesn’t want to die and Bastet would rather die than let him live after what he did to her.”
“Okay. Bastet, Ma’am,” Alex speaks into the phone. “I understand your greivence. Being controlled and imprisoned, forced to do things against your will is a horrible thing to experience. I agree he deserves to be punished no matter why he did it.”
“Yes. I shall put him to death. I shall be merciful though and simply snap his neck.” the woman states clearly believing fully in her own benevolence.
“And we will immediately kill you if you try.” Claire informs her.
“Then kill me now as I will not budge in my position.” The response makes Alex pause.
“Can I talk to Bastet alone a moment?”
“Not really. We have her leashed...”Claire’s voice trails off.
“Jesus, Claire.” Alex covers her eyes. “How long is the leash? If she went into the bathroom could you close the door on it?”
“I think so, hold on.” The phone goes silent a moment.
“What do you want?” The sudden volume of her voice shows it’s off speaker phone now.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you privately because It sounds as if you actually want to die.”
“Don’t be absurd. Because I refuse to compromise my principles and demand respect I have a death wish?” She sounds offended, maybe a little too offended.
“Well, it’s not a great way to die. It seems kind of petty when you get down to it. Besides why not just say what they wanted and kill the man before making a run for it. Why tell them this flat out when they have you in their power? Is it a lasso of truth or something?”
“No.” She replies, ignoring the first question.
“Because that really sounds a lot like a form of suicide by cop. Suicide by hunter, ending your life by putting others in a position to have to kill you.” Alex says gently. Bastet doesn’t say anything, “Do you have any family left? Any friends?” Further silence says it all. “I see…”
“A goddess has no need of friends.” Bastet does respond to the pity in Alex’s voice.
“Everyone needs friends.”
“No, you do. Humans do. Do you think I am so weak? Do you think I am some little slobbering dog looking for a pack?”
“I think you’re tired and lonely and sad. I think you’ve felt helpless in a way that must be as intolerable to you as poverty to a millionaire. I think you feel as if you have no place in the world any more. Am I wrong?” Alex says gently.
“You are not wrong. It’s true, I have no place in the world. Humanity has no need for… for gods or goddesses. The arrogant little upstarts.” Though the insult reeks of sour grapes.
“True. We’re ungrateful brats. And fickle. But just because you can’t be what you once were, doesn’t mean you have no place in the world. I know you lost your stature and your purpose, but you’ve gained freedom. Now that you’re free of your responsibilities, you’re free to find yourself, try new things, use new skills, search for a purpose of your own choosing. It’s scary and it’s new but what exactly do you have to loose?” Alex says gently.
“There is truth in what you say.” Bastet says grudgingly.
“There are other gods out there, there are people who feel the same way as you do, too, even though they haven’t lost as much. Se what they’re doing, how they handle it. You know who the goddess Bastet was, now you get to see who the woman Bastet can be. And you get to do it with really cool powers and thousands and thousands of years of knowledge and experience. And, you know, as long as you don’t kill or hurt humans unless it’s absolutely unavoidable, you won’t have to worry about hunters. And you know, if you’re feeling lonely, I know of two young, handsome, very eligible african gods looking for a woman of your quality to marry. Bia and Tano, sons of Asase Ya. They’re in west Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. Anansi is their younger brother, but if you could handle Loki, you should be able to put up with him tangently.” Alex suggests. “Though to be warned they fight and compete over everything, especially women.” she says it as a warning though she’s fairly sure it only sweetens the deal.
“Hmmm. That does sound promising. Suitors…. I haven’t considered that in a long time.” Bastet muses as Raphael gives an amused smile at Alex’s suggestion.
“And if you ever need to just talk, you can call me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” This gets a laugh from Bastet.
“No. Thank you. I am not so low that I must confide in some little human girl. Very well, I shall let this man live. I cannot fault his cause, however dispicable his methods, but there must be restitution made. I am still a goddess.” The phone call ends abruptly, and Alex puts the phone back before giving a tired yawn and rubbing her eyes again. Raphael is giving her a thoughtful look.
“You should tell Michael such things.” Raphael says after a minute.
“I will. You know, you should talk to him about accepting Sam and Bree’s relationship. You know if he doesn’t come to terms with it, it’ll only drive a huge wedge between them. More so that it has already.” Alex ventures. He doesn’t shut down her attempt to talk to him this time.
“I cannot tell Michael what to do or how to feel about things.” Raphael responds slightly testily, but he’s still responding.
“No, but you’re but you can tell him what you’re doing and how you feel and why.” She carefully clarifies. “At the very least it’ll give him something to consider. You never know, your point of view might make sense to him and he’ll come around.”
“Or she might convince me to change my position.” He counters a bit contrarily.
“Well, that’s the risk you take in engaging in open and honest discourse, hearing something that changes your worldview.” Alex smiles at him.
“That’s assuming it’s an open and honest discourse on both ends.” Now he’s just clearly being contrary for the sake of being contrary.
“Are you planning on being secretive and deceitful?” She counters. “Or do you think he is?”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“You brought it up.” She shrugs. “I can’t sleep. Care to play another game of chess?”
“No, you need your rest. I can put you to sleep.” He walks back over to her and pauses as if thinking of something to say. “You are far more intelligent than your choice in entertainment implies.” This just makes Alex laugh a little as he touches her forehead sending her into a deep healing sleep.