Two gods sat in a car. More specifically, the God of Fire rode in a vehicle that rumbled and spat dangerously with the God of Peace in the driver's seat. This was the first time Maruble had ever ridden in a vehicle, and it was Hartley's first time, too. Which would have been fine—if he wasn't the one driving.

"For Alta's sake, stop hitting the brakes." Maruble squeezed the door so tight it left imprints on his hand. "And watch the damned road!"

"Everything's fine," said Hartley, a bead of sweat on his brow. "We should be arriving soon."

"If we make it," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry?"

He waved his hands in the air. "I can't attend a party if I'm dead in the street, Hartley."

Mirroring his gesture, Hartley threw his own hands in the air and said, "What would you have me do?"

"Gods alive!" Maruble grabbed the wheel and yanked the car back on the road. "Hands on the wheel, you idiot!"

"Noted."

Maruble sighed, massaging his temples. He was about to make another biting remark when the Beta house finally came into view. Yanking the door open, Maruble flung himself from the vehicle. He scrambled to the pavement as the car squealed to a halt, firing off a plume of smoke that spiraled into the air and disappeared. Incredulous, he cried out, "What's wrong with this blasted thing?"

"The engine, I believe," Hartley said with a frown. "I'll look into it."

He scowled. "Try not to get yourself killed on the way back."

"Fair," he said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. The god paused. "Before you go, there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Has anyone else visited you recently? Any other gods, I mean?"

He hesitated. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity," said Hartley, studying him carefully.

Maruble glanced at the flickering headlights, avoiding his gaze. Even though Peace had helped him get to the party, there was still so much he didn't know. So much he couldn't know. Skirting around the lie, he said, "I think you should worry more about the state of your driving."

"Right." This time, the God of Peace smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, until next time."

The car rumbled away and disappeared around the corner, still spitting out fumes. Maruble heaved a long sigh.

He was going to accept Death's offer soon. When he did, there was no telling what would happen to gods like Hartley, who would be standing on Balance's frontlines. There was a strong possibility that he would die. Even if it was the god's own fault for being on the wrong side of the war, it didn't stop the guilt from swirling in his stomach. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and straightened his jacket. Eager for a distraction, he looked around.

Music blasted inside the Beta house. Night had fallen quickly, and there were already lines of cars parked down the road. Groups of people, presumably other students, wandered the area: some passing around cigarettes, others already stumbling away, and a smaller group sitting on the porch with drinks in their hands. Maruble walked up, and a bearded man greeted him. "What's going on, man? I don't think we've met."

"I'm Ma-- Ruby."

"Maruby?"

"Ruby."

"Oh, you're Sarah's friend, right? I'm Garrett." When Maruble nodded, he continued, "They're inside. Enjoy the party, dude."

He thanked him and stepped inside.

Immediately, the music became almost deafening, but it clearly wasn't for dancing. Most people sat around in their own little corners, talking and drinking. Some of them, he noticed, looked rather worse for wear: they looked pale and were slumped on the couches by themselves.

"Ruby, over here!" Jacob waved to him from the other side of the room. He pointed at Sarah, seated across a large man at the table. "This is Matt, Lauren, and Ruth. Sarah was just kicking their asses at arm wrestling."

The man, Matt, rolled his eyes. "I need another drink."

"Shots?" asked Ruth hopefully.

"Leave it to me," said Lauren with a wink. She sauntered off, and when she returned, she set an array of small glasses on the table for each of them. "Here we go."

Maruble grabbed his drink, watching everyone else carefully. Although he had memories of parties, there was so much visual stimulation that it felt hard to keep up. So many sounds, humans, people coming and going.

Sarah counted down from three, and the group tossed back their drinks. Maruble sputtered, "Gods, that stuff is horrible. Why are we drinking this?"

"To get drunk, obviously," said Jacob, frowning at his own glass.

"Cheapest you can get," said Ruth pointing proudly at a clear bottle on the kitchen island. "I need a smoke. Anyone else?"

Matt and Lauren trailed behind her, leaving the three of them together at the table. Maruble took a moment to gaze around the room. There were many people at the party, but it was clear who actually lived in the house. The Beta members seemed to be popular, and everyone who entered took a moment to speak with them, especially Matt and Garrett.

Sarah patted her arm and said, "Easiest thirty bucks I've ever made."

"You're a freak of nature, you know that?"

Ignoring Jacob, she pulled on Maruble's sleeve. "Follow me. I'll introduce you to everyone."

And just like that, the three of them wandered the party, talking and mingling with different groups. No matter how much the party shifted and changed, they orbited each other like moons. They had grown up together in his memories. As they laughed and talked and played games, he found himself strangely... content. All too soon, he would be marching in Death's warband, but for now, as the three finally settled into a couch of their own, it felt like none of it mattered.

Sarah sipped her drink. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. What took you so long to get here, Ruby? You're usually so punctual."

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"Bike thief," he grumbled.

"Someone stole your bike?" Jacob cursed. "Seriously?"

Matt, still smoking, sat down across from them. "They got you, too? I heard it's another fraternity taking them from the parking lot—the Kappa house."

Sarah scoffed. "Why would a fraternity steal bikes?"

"Have you seen those guys?" asked Matt, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. "They're in pretty deep. The school tried to shut them down earlier this year after a couple of overdoses."

Jacob muttered, "Bastards."

"Wait," said Sarah, turning to him. "If they stole your bike, how did you get home?"

"I walked."

She raised an eyebrow. "In the rain?"

"That's a long walk," said Jacob, seriously. "People fly down that road; you could have gotten hit. Especially in the rain."

Sarah stood up. "I need another drink."

The party continued. They took another shot, then another. At some point, the music grew louder and people started dancing. The three of them kept within their dizzying circle, stumbling more and more but still reaching for more drinks. After awhile, when the room started spinning, Maruble thought that cheap drinks didn't taste half bad. Maruble patted Jacob on the back. "You're a good friend," he said—remembering what Garrett had called him earlier— he added, "man."

"Hell yeah," said Jacob, slapping his chest. "Best friend I've ever had."

Sarah shouted above the music. "I can't believe you walked in the rain!"

"You think that's crazy?" Maruble laughed, his head spinning. "You don't know the half of it."

Jacob shouted, "What do you mean?"

"I'm a god!"

Sarah and Jacob looked at each other and then at him. All of a sudden, Sarah laughed and slammed her drink into his, covering them both in beer. When they could finally catch their breath, they plopped into the same couch as before, taking a break from the party.

"I just feel a little lost, you know?" said Jacob as the three of them talked. "I still haven't picked a major."

"I thought you wanted to go into physical therapy?" asked Sarah slowly.

"Yeah, right." He huffed a laugh.

Maruble took another drink and said, "What happened?"

"Orientation happened," he said, his drunken face somber. "They walked all the Physical Therapy majors into this room, and they had real body parts lying on the table—I'm talking a brain, heart, and a whole spinal column. The teacher picked up the brain and started talking about the different regions, and he was so bored that he yawned." He shuddered and took another drink. "Later, he told us that those body parts belonged to the previous teacher."

Sarah gasped, "No way."

Jacob nodded darkly. "I know the professor donated his body to science—it's probably what he would have wanted—but I couldn't stop thinking about that yawn."

"Unsettling," Maruble agreed.

"Is it?" Jacob murmured. "Maybe I just wasn't cut out for it."

The three of them sat quietly, sipping their drinks and ruminating. The more they talked, the more Maruble became interested in what they had to say. Even though they were useless humans and their view of the world was small, they seemed to think deeply about themselves and others. He pondered this until Jacob finally shook his head and nodded to the door. "Looks like the Kappa house made it."

Maruble froze. There—at the front of the group—was the student who stole his bike. Smiling like an idiot. Squeezing his empty drink can, he gritted his teeth together.

Sarah followed his gaze to the door. "What's wrong, Ruby?"

"He stole my bike."

"Wait, him?" She shifted, getting a better look. "That's Taylor, I've seen him at other parties. I'm surprised they let him in. He likes to get drunk and start fights."

Jacob nodded to the Beta members, eyeing him warily from the door. "They clearly don't want him here."

Sarah tapped the window. "Wait, isn't that your bike out there?"

Sure enough, his bicycle was chained to the side of the house. Instead of reacting, Maruble took a deep breath, fury seeping off him.

This party could be important to regaining his godship. If he were to act rashly, he might lose Jacob and Sarah's trust and only make things worse for himself in the end. Perhaps he'd never be allowed to return to Atla. The God of Fire balled his hand into a fist, imagining what he would do if he still had his power. The things he would burn. He muttered, "Yes, that's my bike."

"You should get it," said Jacob solemnly, setting his drink down on the coffee table. "It's yours, after all."

Maruble frowned. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

A smile danced on Sarah's lips. "I don't think you'll be the problem."

Matt eyed Garrett and the other Beta members, who nodded in return. "It sounds like you need a distraction."

"Hey, you! The ugly one in the coat!" Jacob yelled suddenly. "Are you going to hold that beer all day, or are you going to drink it?"

A laugh bubbled out of Sarah. She shouted, "Who wants shots?"

Everything happened at once. One moment, they were casually talking on the couch, the next—chaos. Everyone moved, taking in the spectacle of Taylor chugging his drink. Jacob pulled him aside, bouncing on his heels. "You go out the front, and I'll go through the back. I'll look for something to get the chain off."

"Good luck," said Sarah, winking at them.

When she ran to join the crowd, Maruble calmly walked to the door. He stepped out and discretely closed it behind him—just as the Beta members started arguing with Taylor. Even though Maruble was a god, even though he had experienced both horrible and miraculous things, his heart pounded mercilessly. It was just the alcohol, he told himself.

Maruble jogged over to the bike and fell to his knees in front of it. He pulled and pulled at the chain, but it was useless. Peering through the window, he got a glimpse of the Beta members keeping Taylor distracted. Even still, he could tell the Kappa members were growing restless.

Footsteps sounded, and Jacob rounded the corner, wielding—Maruble squinted—an... axe? It was the most vile and rusted thing that the God of Fire had ever seen. Jacob held the axe and said, "Back up."

He swung down and missed.

"Again!" whispered Maruble. "But slow down."

Jacob took the time to steady his hands and swung again. This time, the axe collided with the lock. Again and again he swung, but the lock wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, and Sarah hollered, "He's coming!"

"Out of my way." On cue, Taylor rushed passed her, his face red and furious. He pointed a finger at Maruble and spat, "You!"

Jacob swung the axe again. By some miracle, the lock clattered to the ground. Both of them stared at it stupidly. Sarah shouted, "Get out of here, you idiots!"

Maruble hopped on the bike—drunkenly wobbling—and Jacob ran at his heels, trying to keep the bike upright. Taylor screamed at them from the porch, but the Beta members intercepted him first. There were shouts, and then a brawl broke out. Jacob nearly toppled over as he ran—laughing and yelling indiscernible insults. They cut into an alleyway and ducked down with the bike.

Suddenly, a laugh burst from Maruble, too. He breathed, "I can't believe it really worked."

"He's so pissed," said Jacob, leaning his head against the fence behind them. "He had some nerve to ride around on your bike right after stealing it."

Maruble searched his memories for the right term and said, "I believe the correct term is loser."

"Damn right, it is."

The two of them waited in the alley until sounds of the party died down in the distance. When everything got quiet, they sat in silence for a long time, drunk and processing what had happened. After a long time, Maruble asked, "Jacob, do you remember how we became friends?"

"Why do you ask?" Jacob scrunched his face. "I don't know, probably at school."

"School? You think?"

"Probably."

Maruble pursed his lips. He knew that the Court of Balance had planted memories of their friendship inside Jacob and Sarah's heads, just as they had done him, but something about it felt off—a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"We've known each other forever, you know?" Jacob shrugged. "And who cares? We're here now, and that's all that matters."

"Perhaps you're right," said Maruble quietly.

"Let's get back to the party," said Jacob, offering a hand. He helped him to his feet. "Taylor should be long gone by now."

The street was much quieter now that the party had thinned out. The moon was high overhead, casting a soft glow on their surroundings and on the people who talked outside the Beta house. Sarah, Matt, and Ruth were only a handful of them who hadn't left yet.

Upon seeing them, Sarah waved. "There you guys are!"

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" fumed Matt, sporting a new bruise on his eye. "Glad you got your bike back, Ruby."

Garrett held up a clear bottle, already opened, and said, "Bring that bike in—let's drink to it!"

They piled back inside. Even though there had been a fight, everyone seemed to be in good spirits—all because something good had happened to him. It was a strange feeling indeed.

Placing the bike on the table, Jacob yelled, "Here's to taking back what's ours!"

All but Sarah drank in honor of the bike, and everyone took turns riding it around the house. The three of them lingered until Sarah was fully sober and then tossed his bike into the back of Jacob's truck. She drove them, Maruble in the back with his bike and Jacob in the passenger seat fiddling with the radio. As he turned up the music, Maruble looked up to the sky.

It was a shame—a real shame—that their two worlds could only be connected through war. He felt sorry for humans and, if he was being honest, a little sorry for himself, too. People like Jacob and Sarah would never get to see his home. Even if they could, he wasn't even sure how much of Alta would be left when it was all over.