Chapter 11: Godly Power-Ups

I feel like I've just walked into the British Museum, crossed with a power-up armory straight out of my favorite MMORPGs and fantasy or superhero games.

White walls surround me. They're not the brick walls of the basement. I can feel the difference. You can tell metal walls when you see them. Rows upon rows of shelves and glass cases surround me, filled with magical and historical memorabilia and artifacts of every kind. I'm expecting to see Excalibur, the One Ring, Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, and the Infinity Stones any minute.

The artifacts glitter and glow. The otherworldly hum would probably set off every dog within a three-mile radius. Strange display panels line the front of the cases, and I have no doubt you have to enter a security code and provide ten forms of ID to open them.

"It looks like the Starship Enterprise in here," I say.

Athena nods, her lip curling. "I didn't care for the way the Original Series treated us as gods in that one episode with Apollo."

I do a double take. "'Who Mourns For Adonais'? You've got to be kidding me! You love Wonder Woman, but you hate that episode? It's a classic! The fans made a sequel. It's so compelling. When Captain Kirk wonders at the end if it would have kills the crew to gather a few olive leaves, it hits you in the solar plexus. Kirk, the guy who fought godlike beings every week and shredded the Prime Directive."

She huffs. "Kirk or no Kirk, we gods would never just abandon you because you stopped believing. Yes, you mortals are incredibly blind, but not THAT blind."

I sigh. "I'm mortal, and I have to disagree. We have a short attention span, and it's getting shorter every day. That was the point of the episode. That we forgot our roots because of technology, and because we think we know better than to believe in gods. It was like your Greek tragedies. Oh, sure, Kirk didn't gouge his eyeballs out or wind up dead, but the episode was more poignant because the crew, and humanity, lost something precious. It was a sacrifice the heroes made. Isn't that the whole essence of Aristotle's POETICS?"

"YOU didn't even believe in gods when they were right in front of you."

I love matching wits with her. "Okay, fair point. But I believe now, and I'm gathering those olive and laurel leaves. It's because I watched the episode."

She sniffs, folding her arms, and I know I've won a point of logic. "Then there was that farce in the series where telepathic so-called Greek aliens acted like idiots, worse than any comedy the ancients wrote."

Athena is a "Star Trek" watcher and a Wonder Woman fangirl. The gods must hate me. They send me a kindred spirit who's unattainable, romantically.

"But at least somebody on staff might have read those comedies. And that episode featured the first interracial kiss on television. It's a classic, too. I could geek out all day, but I want to inspect the collection."

I move toward the nearest display case and study the artifacts. The case looks like it's made of ordinary glass, but what's inside is far from commonplace. A blue crystal egg glows brightly. It's one of several gorgeous crystal eggs in the display case, in a variety of colors. Energy radiates from them, and I can hear a buzzing all around me.

"I know power-ups when I see them," I say to Athena.

She nods, giving me a stern look. "Just remember, anything you use, you have to replace."

"What do these do?" I ask.

She smiles mysteriously. "Why don't you find out?"

"Isn't that a little dangerous?"

Shrugging, she says, "It may be, but you need to learn."

Running my fingers over one of the display panels, I watch the screen come to life. It shows some sort of riddle. "What has 88 keys, but no door?"

I select the correct answer. "A piano, of course."

CLICK. The display case opens, and all the crystal eggs are within reach. The blue one fits in my two hands, and I nearly drop it. It's HOT.

"Lapis lazuli," Athena says. "Excellent choice."

Daji's sulky voice makes me jump. "I was supposed to show him the collection!"

Athena responds, logically. "It's been three months. What were you waiting for?"

I whirl around, the egg in my hands, and I feel a surge of confidence. But my mouth drops open. "DAJI?"

My secretary has fox ears, like a Japanese kitsune, and sharp teeth. Her eyes are fox eyes, but she looks like a stunningly beautiful woman. When I first arrived, she looked plain. Ordinary. Now, I can't look away from her. Not out of any kind of attraction or passion, but because I'm really seeing her for the first time.

My perception seems clearer. It's as if someone lifted a veil and I can see for the first time. Like changing to full color from black and white.

Daji smirks, and there's something in her gaze that makes me hold the lapis lazuli in front of me protectively, like a weapon. "So, you finally can see beyond the blindingly obvious."

"REALLY, Daji. Stop toying with him," Athena snaps.

Daji just laughed. "And what are you going to do with him, oh, Virgin Goddess? Sit him down and lecture him for hours?"

I lift my head and puff out my chest. "Daji! That's uncalled-for. Did you forget who the boss is around here?"

"And whatever I do with him, it's a better than the abuse your playthings usually take," Athena shoots back.

Daji's laugh sounds like a fox barking. She turns to me in fascination. "So, you've discovered the Cosmic Eggs. The question is, are you willing to use them to save the inn? To harness ultimate power—no matter what the cost is? Even if it's your life?"