Page 57 of Lies Among Gods

She pushed herself up from the chair; the exhaustion overwhelming her ability to feign interest. She offered him a polite, final smile. “I hope you have a great day, Asmodeus."

“You really are trying to get rid of me,” he murmured lightly.

“That obvious?” She laughed.

He seemed like he wanted to say more, a word caught in his throat, but then the mask snapped back into place. He gave a slight, acknowledging nod, a subtle dip of his head. “Until very soon, little goddess.” He turned and melted away, the red velvet suit disappearing through the pale wooden door, leaving Lyra alone in the sterile silence.

Chapter forty-seven

CHAPTER 41

We were wrong. Ink trembles when history is about to change—and somewhere beneath the watchful gods, a mortal pressed parchment to her chest, unaware that she had already been chosen to ascend.

Snippet from “The Book of Natural History” By Priestess Antonella Killoran—

The following pages are unattributed to High Priest Aurelius Venn

Lyra jolted awake, her breath ragged from a restless sleep. The nightmare-fueled dreamscape, a vivid tapestry of unsettling sights and sounds, was slowly dissolving like mist in the morning sun. She sat up and shook her head, a phantom chill clinging to her as she tried to shake off the last icy tendrils of the terrifying dream.

She knew she would get no more sleep, so she rubbed her tired eyes and wondered what to do as she opened the closet door. Inside the walk-in closet, the faint scent of her perfume. She saw an assortment of new clothes hanging neatly alongside some of her own, the colors and textures softly illuminated by the warmcloset light. She wondered who had set this up for her. Her fingers trailed over the clothes, stopping on a soft, green cotton sundress.

The pale green cotton felt familiar and comforting against her skin, a soft shield against the overwhelming newness of her world. As she zipped it up, she caught her reflection in the full-length mirror. The mossy green of the fabric echoed the color of her eyes, and the simple style felt like a rebellion against the heavy silks and opulent velvets that seemed to be the standard uniform for the other gods. She was still Lyra, even if she was now the Goddess of Rain.

A soft knock on the door brought her out of the closet. A priestess walked in and bowed to Lyra. The priestess was the epitome of temple refinement, a sharp contrast to the earthy chaos Lyra seemed to embody. She was slender, dressed in the pale, dove-gray robes of the Peace Temple. Her dark hair was pulled back into a severe, elegant knot, emphasizing the sharp angles of her face and her focused, almost unnervingly clear hazel eyes. There was a faint, professional chill about her, a silent promise of meticulous efficiency.

Lyra offered the priestess a small, tired smile. “Good morning, priestess…”

“Good morning, Goddess Lyra,” the priestess replied smoothly. “I have been assigned to assist you during your transition.”

Lyra exhaled softly. “That sounds both helpful and mildly terrifying.”

The priestess paused, looking slightly uncertain. “Terrifying, goddess?”

“All this bowing and formal addressing,” Lyra said with a weary gesture. “I’d at least like to know your name while my entire existence is being reorganized.”

“I am Amelisse Roen,” she replied before dipping into another practiced bow.

Lyra immediately held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Amelisse. And really, there’s no need to bow. We do not need such formalities.”

Amelisse smiled and replied, “I pride myself on knowing the proper protocol.”

Proper protocol? Is this the stuffy that Asmodeus spoke of?

“I am happy to be working with you, Goddess Lyra,” she said, her back straightening and her smile tight.

Lyra frowned at the term.Will it ever feel normal to have goddess spoken before my name?

Amelisse pulled out a clipboard from her satchel; her hazel eyes, sharp and focused, darted over the papers clipped to it. “First, I have scheduled breakfast with your mortal family. Your parents and two brothers are eager to see you. I have them waiting in the small dining hall now. Given the…transition… would you like me to cancel that audience?"

Lyra shook her head; she wanted to see them. “No. I’m sure they are worried,” she murmured, a flicker of genuine concern softening her gaze. “And I need to see their faces to believe I’m actually back.”Maybe one of them will genuinely be happy to see me,she hoped.

Amelisse made a quick note on the clipboard. “Very well, Goddess. Following that, your schedule is quite demanding. At ten a.m., you have an initial meeting with the lead Celestial Architect, Archon Theron. He is prepared to brief you on the initial concepts for your temple’s tower and some concept sketches he has made for you. We need to finalize the location and approve the general aesthetic at this meeting. Then, at eleven a.m., there is a session with the Chief Registrar to set up your official divine registration. This will open the channel for mortal worshippers to apply for your domain—the beginningof your proper congregation. We will need to set up the types of followers you want, so we can weed out those who are not appropriate."

Lyra felt a wave of dizziness at the sheer weight of the responsibilities as Amelisse listed them off.Temple tower? Congregation? Who should she allow to worship her?It sounded like a corporate merger, not destiny.

Amelisse continued, oblivious to the internal pressure building in Lyra’s chest. “Finally, the afternoon is reserved for an initial briefing on Celestial Law and Protocol with High Priestess Seren of the Peace Temple. It’s an essential, if tedious, session to ensure smooth integration into the pantheon’s structure."

Lyra smiled brightly, forcing a curve of her lips that didn’t reach her eyes. The thought of all the administrative work—the law, the architecture, the worshippers, the endless listening to lectures—was suffocating. The need to see Alaios, to confront the icy wall he had put up, was a physical ache that overshadowed every appointment.Can I have her delete something so I can sneak off to see Alaios? Maybe he didn’t want our first meeting to be in front of everyone.