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The spidery god of love, beauty, and sex had been summoned. Most gods didn’t have to see their leader often, but Angel found his was different than most. He found Valentino lounging in the fruit garden, open only to gods of the highest status. He knelt in the grass in front of the other god, making sure to keep his eyes downcast.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes, Angel.” Valentino let a snake curl around his arm, lifting the reptile to admire it. “I have exciting news for you. You’re to be married.”
“Married?!” Angel stared at the lord of the gods. “What – but – to who?” If he had to marry Valentino, he would throw himself into a volcano and become god of that. His thoughts immediately fled to Alastor. He and he war god had been seeing each other secretly for millennia. Could he be so lucky…?
“Pentious,” Valentino answered, letting the snake back to the ground and picking up a fig to take a bite out of instead.
Angel kept the abject disappointment out of his face. Of course, he would never be so lucky as to be able to keep his relationship with Alastor in the open.
Pentious was the god of fire and in charge of forging weapons for the rest of the gods. Other than Alastor singing praises over Pentious’ handiwork, Angel barely thought about the fire god. And now he was to be married to him?
“But… why?”
“You know I don’t like you questioning me,” Valentino said. “Everything I do is for the good of us, and for your own good too. If you must know, I arranged it as part of a deal I have with Pentious. That’s all you need to know.”
“I can’t,” Angel said softly. “Please, Valentino. I can’t marry him.”
Valentino’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t ask if you could, or if you wanted to. The only thing you need to know is you will. And you’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Please –“
But Valentino waved a hand, and Angel knew the discussion was over.
-
The pond was deserted. Concealed by rosebushes and dense foliage, deserted and empty of humans was just how Angel liked it.
A butterfly fluttered past, and Angel reached up a finger for it to settle on. He liked the little creatures, so delicate and so beautiful, bearing secrets from one god to another.
Footsteps scraped on paving stones behind where Angel sat, and he tensed. The last thing he needed was for some human to come and bother him, bowing and scraping and asking for favors or love potions or other nonsense that they could clearly deal with themselves. Just because Angel represented love, beauty and sexuality in the pantheon of the gods didn’t mean he needed to be at the beck and call of sexually frustrated humans all the time.
“My Angel.” The bushes split apart to reveal Alastor, still clad as if going to war, a helmet under his arm. “I hope you didn’t wait long for me.”
Angel’s face split into a grin. His secret lover appearing was far more preferable than some human.
“Alastor!” He leapt up to fling his arms around the other god. “Is the war over?”
“The battles rage on, my love, as they do,” Alastor said. “But I’ve had my fill of stirring up the battle pitch. I missed you.”
Angel nuzzled his face into Alastor’s shoulder. God of war, and yet so gentle when they were together. He had been the one to give the nickname ‘Angel’ to him, instead of any of his many godly names. “I missed you too.”
Alastor led him to a small stone bench in the shade. They sat in silence for a bit, holding hands, just enjoying each other’s presence.
“I have to go soon,” Angel finally said. “Valentino doesn’t like if I’m gone from his sight too long.”
“He will most likely want to hear news of the battle from me as well,” Alastor agreed.
Angel stroked his hand. “I have some news for you…”
“I know,” Alastor said. “You are to marry Pentious tomorrow.”
Angel stared in surprise. “You know?!”
“Yes. I have my messengers, my ways of hearing of things.”
Angel folded his arms against his body, his eyes downcast. “I don’t want to. I can’t. I want to be with you…”
“And you will,” Alastor agreed.
“Someday,” Angel snorted.
Alastor shook his head, “No, my dear.” He took Angel’s hand in his, tilting the spider god’s head up so they were eye to eye. “Very soon we will be together as long as time lasts. As soon as I heard of the impending marriage, I put my plan in place. I am very clever, you know.”
Angel snickered, pulling Alastor’s hand up to rest it against his cheek. “And so very humble.”
“Do you trust me?”
“With all my heart.”
“We’ll meet again tonight,” Alastor answered, rising to his feet. “Here.”
Angel smiled wide. “Can’t wait.”
---
Time is a funny thing. So is love. Most would throw away everything just to have more of both. Angel hesitated to go with Alastor’s plan at first, but Alastor was sure there would come a time when gods would no longer have the power they once did. All they needed to do was wait for that time to come, hidden from the watchful eye of Valentino.
They couldn’t become statues of their true forms, or even of the human forms they took when they went to make mischief in the mortal cities. Valentino would find them immediately. They had to be more cunning, more subtle than that.
Angel decided to take the form of a spider. He enjoyed the creatures, spinning their webs and creating silks. Alastor chose a stag, the giant rack of horns an homage to his warlike nature. With the help of a mortal that owed a favor, both took the form of their animals to be sealed in granite together, the statue of the spider tucked gently in at the base of the stag’s horn. Neither noticed the passage of time while immobile. It was rather like sleeping, warm, and pleasant.
Until the day a thin crack appeared on the stag’s belly.
More and more cracks spiderwebbed over the statue for the next few days. Finally, with a crack that sounded like thunder, Alastor was freed. Immediately he took his human shape, cradling the spider statue in his hand.
“Come now, darling. It’s time to wake up.” It didn’t take much more prompting than that – Alastor barely got a look at Angel’s spider form before the other god was all over him, showering him with hugs and kisses.
“I missed you so much,” Angel said when he finally came up for air. “How long has it been?”
Alastor tilted his head, then looked up. Towering above their secluded grove of trees was an impressive building of glass and steel. He had no idea what it was, or who built it, but he had the idea it had been there for some time.
“I believe it has been quite a long while, my dear,” Alastor said. “But… I cannot feel the presence of the pantheon anymore. Can you?”
Angel paused, then shook his head.
“Then my plan has worked. We are beyond the ruling age of the gods. We are free.”
That put a beautiful smile on Angel’s face, one that melted Alastor’s heart when he saw it. The gorgeous smile was quickly replaced with a mischievous one. “Well then… let’s go and have some fun.”