So, Zoey had finally managed an audience with her patron goddess. Unfortunately, she wasn’t prepared for it. Could she ever be? Even holding eye contact with the divine being turned her thoughts sluggish. If she’d had an airtight battle plan for this meeting, even then she might have struggled through it.

Had she really turned down an opportunity to be pleasured by a goddess of sex?

Some of Zoey’s questions were obvious, so she led with those. Hopefully as she talked, she’d organize herself.

“When we first met, you told me I couldn’t tell anyone about this. You and me, and … everything.” She didn’t remember the exact wording, to be honest. “But what if I wanted to? Tell someone?”

Ephy gave her a flat look. “You’re supposed to be saving the world,” she said, “and you finally luck into a meeting with me. But the first thing you ask is if you can tell your girlfriend the truth. You are gross, you know that?”

Embarrassingly, Zoey blushed. She hadn’t expected to be chided by Ephy.

The goddess continued, “Romantics. You all are the worst.” She waved her hand. “You took that warning too literally. It was a friendly suggestion. You haven’t had many problems down in the Fractures, but it’s a brutal labyrinth filled with brutal people, let me assure you. Babbling on about being chosen by a goddess, coming from another world, and shouting out your incredible, so easy to exploit abilities … I didn’t think you were an idiot, but it was a necessary warning.” She rolled her eyes. “You can tell your girlfriend, if you want, even if I don’t condone it, necessarily. I certainly wouldn’t punish you. I wouldn’t break the Compact for something so pointless. For that matter, there’s little I can do, to either help or hurt.”

That announcement came as a surprise. “You can’t? Does that mean it wasn’t you who … ?”

Ephy quirked an eyebrow.

“Well,” Zoey said. “I figured you’d been meddling. It feels like things have lined up too perfectly, too often.”

“Such as?”

“Well,” Zoey said. “My skill, to name the biggest. Growth? Where we get bonus experience for waiting between shards.” It’d been given shortly after the dilemma with Rosalie wanting to push harder for advancement, giving them an excuse to slow down. It had smoothed over a rather unsolvable problem with almost divine timing. Zoey had been highly suspicious of it.

“That sounds useful,” Ephy said. “No. My actions in Ezariel’s world are limited. I picked your runes, and organized your first meeting with that delightful little pervert, but that was it.”

“Delightful little pervert?” That was an interesting way to describe Rosalie, and Ephy smirked. Zoey supposed it was somewhat of an accurate description.

The reminder of their ‘first meeting’ also had Zoey’s heart rate picking up. When she’d been introduced to Rosalie, it had been crammed together, naked, in the coffin of the first shard.

The forceful arrangement of that didn’t sit perfectly with Zoey, but she had bigger things to concern herself with. “Ezariel?” Zoey asked. “Who’s that? And you mentioned something about a Compact?”

“Heavenly politics,” Ephy said. “I could speak of it, but it’s mostly irrelevant. Ezariel in specific, with me having sent you to his world, is off limits. As I said, there’s much I can’t answer.”

“Can’t,” Zoey said.

“Can’t.”

Huh. Not wouldn’t.

“But I can tell them, then?” Zoey asked. “Whoever I want? About you? Earth, the danger they’re in, whatever?”

“Do as you please,” Ephy said. “Though I suggest discretion.”

Zoey considered that. One of the larger motivations behind her secrecy had been Ephy’s command not to tell others her origin and task. But it hadn’t been an order, apparently. With those restrictions lifted, who would she tell? Rosalie, certainly. Delta? Zoey trusted her, but telling her that the world was ending? And that she’d been chosen by a goddess? It would be a hard sell. And Zoey still knew too little about all of it, anyway.

“Why Rosalie?” Zoey asked.

“Did I arrange your meeting?”

“Yeah.”

“For convenience’s sake. A head start.”

“How so?”

Ephy quirked an eyebrow.

“Just because of her skill in wayfaring?” Zoey clarified. “Or other reasons?”

“Are you sure you want me to tell you?” Ephy asked.

Zoey hesitated. No, actually. She didn’t. To answer that, Ephy would have to explain who Rosalie was. Zoey had some suspicions—as did Delta, just by Rosalie’s behaviors—but she’d rather get confirmations from Rosalie herself.

“No,” Zoey said. “I’ll ask myself. It wouldn’t be right.”

Ephy rolled her eyes, though, oddly, she didn’t seem disapproving. Just exasperated.

“So. The threat to the world. What is it?”

Ephy smiled. “Finally, we get to the relevant material.” She took a deep breath, as if about to go on a monologue, then said: “I can’t tell you.” Another smile. “Obviously.”

Zoey had suspected as much. She couldn’t imagine a reason for Ephy having kept her in the dark from the start except because she either had to, or because it furthered her goals, somehow. It seemed it was the former.

“Why do you care, anyway?” Zoey asked.

“About the peril of a world?” Ephy seemed amused. “My, you do have a low opinion of me.”

“This one isn’t yours, though,” Zoey said. “It’s Ezariel’s world, you said.” Whoever that was. “So why do you care?”

Simple altruism? Or some other reason? Zoey didn’t actually think Ephy was … what, genocidal, or something … but she suspected ulterior motivations. This woman seemed conniving, to say the least.

“You’re mostly correct,” Ephy said, but didn’t expand on what she meant.

Zoey could intuit they’d bumped up on the edges of what Ephy was willing, or could, tell her about. “So I have to figure it out myself.”

“You’re an enterprising young woman,” Ephy said. “And with some enormous advantages in place. So I have the utmost faith in you.”

“I’ve learned pretty much nothing,” Zoey said, embarrassed at admitting it. “Barely further than where I started.” At least when it came to discovering … whatever. The threat.

“I would suggest a more diligent pace, when it comes to your primary mission,” Ephy agreed. She tapped Zoey on the nose, then said, “You’ve been a bit lackadaisical on the whole ‘end of the world’ business, I do admit. While I highly approve of your determination to cum inside every friend you make, remember this is only half a vacation. You have a purpose, here.”

Zoey blushed at the crude phrasing, which Ephy of course delighted in. Then, a mortifying thought hit her. “You haven’t been watching, have you?”

Ephy’s lips curled, an amused glint appearing in her eye. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Did she? Ephy was a goddess. Maybe by her aspect alone, she was aware of any lewd interactions, between anyone, anywhere. Zoey didn’t fully comprehend what divinity meant.

Either way, she figured she’d rather not know. “You said you wanted me to ascend,” Zoey said. “To join you, after all this.”

“A secondary goal,” Ephy said. “You caught my eye as a candidate. Such things aren’t so simple, though. Even this initial task will be difficult, much less ascension into lesser divinity—as my true disciple.”

Zoey eyed the woman, digesting the words. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to be a subordinate to Ephy. Beyond her obvious maneuvering, Zoey was still hung up on the whole, ‘sensuality cares little for consent’ part of Ephy’s divine aspect.

Ephy watched her, quirking a knowing eyebrow. Could she read her thoughts? Zoey didn’t think so, but again, the details behind godhood were not so much hazy as entirely opaque.

“Wondering if I’d make a good boss, come the day you rise up to meet me?” Ephy asked. She stepped forward, pressing her chest back into Zoey’s. “I promise, working under me would come with such wonderful benefits. I don’t think you’d complain. There’d be some days with long, sweaty hours, though. I’d really, really put you to work, underneath me.”

Zoey cleared her throat, taking a step back. “How does it work? Ascending.”

Rather than be offended, Ephy continued to pleased at Zoey’s restraint—that she’d stepped away.

“Oh, you’ll figure it out. Or you won’t.”

“You aren’t being very helpful.”

“I can’t act so directly,” Ephy said. “I told you. That includes spelling out what, when, and how I need you to handle things in Ezariel’s world.” She waved her hand. “Besides, for all you’ve been a bit too occupied with entertaining yourself, you haven’t done anything wrong. You need to get stronger. In that regard, you’ve set an adequate pace.”

“But?”

“But information is the key to overcoming any meaningful problem,” Ephy said pointedly. “So, yes. Enjoy using my blessing to its highest potential,” she gave a pointed look to Zoey’s crotch, “and by all means, fuck your girlfriends mindless until they worship at an altar of your cock. In fact, I insist you do.”

Ephy really had a knack for colorful phrasing.

“But keep focused,” Ephy said. “I’ll remind you, this is a world you live in. Moreover, your friends. Letting this threat fester is a poor idea, if you care about their, and your, wellbeing.”

Zoey’s alarm rose. It was an obvious point, but still, the danger laid out so plainly induced some justified panic. If she failed, then what? Rosalie was doomed? Delta, Maddy, Sabina? Somehow the gravity of that situation hadn’t set in.

“How long do I have?” Ephy couldn’t answer that, obviously, but the concerned question slipped out by instinct. “And there’s nothing you can do to help? Not even give me a hint?”

“Perhaps I could do something,” Ephy said. “I’d have to be roundabout, though. Circumspect.” She tapped her lips with a slim pointer finger. “There’s some happenings going on right now that would make it easier to nudge you in the right direction. Hm. But circumspect. Let’s say … an old acquaintance of yours needs help.”

“An old acquaintance?”

“Indeed,” Ephy said. “And the window to do so grows short, since she’s not someone who sleeps often.” Ephy gave her an up-and-down. “Before you go, though, let me warn you I won’t allow this barging-in to my consciousness again. Goddesses have important things to be doing, you know, and don’t appreciate intrusion. Even by favored champions.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow at that.

Ephy pouted. “I do! Super important machinations. Plus, I prefer more typical communion. This was too easy. If you want to talk, reach me the normal way.”

“And the normal way is?”

“And show some team pride,” Ephy scolded. “It’s not often we pick champions. At least identify as a priestess of mine. Maybe we don’t align on all our virtues, but some of them,” she poked Zoey’s chest, “we clearly do.”

Zoey didn’t have a response for that, and Ephy didn’t give her time to find one.

“But as I said, the clock is ticking. So,“ Ephy placed both hands on her stomach, “go save the world.”

Zoey staggered back as Ephy pushed her. Except, not physically, but in some stranger way. The world shattered like a pane of glass, and Zoey tipped, arms careening, and then she fell, sinking into darkness. The shards of bright colors—the shattered pieces of glass—that had seconds ago made up the world faded into the distance as she plummeted. Wind rushed through her hair, then she slammed to a stop—

—back into the dream world, just in time to see Ephy’s dream orb flicker once, twice, then disappear.