The doors to the room slammed open and forcefully buried themselves into the walls. Bob looked at the gathered gods and growled, “Who wants to go first?”

Arinna timidly raised her hand, “I finally chose my champion.”

Bob blinked at her and sighed as the anger suddenly left his body. “That’s not what I was talking about, but you did a good job. Kate seems like a decent choice.”

Perun, the Slavic god of the sky and thunder, who was leaning against the wall with a number of other gods spoke up. “I’ve been wondering about that, why is everyone choosing their champions from people around Charles?” He was one of the many gods who had yet to begin playing their own game and were merely observing everything. They were all eagerly waiting for the culmination of the game before beginning to play.

Bob raised an eyebrow at the gods seated at the table, waiting for one of them to answer.

Odin didn’t disappoint him. “We’re choosing our champions from the people around him because that is where the game is currently focused. He is the turning point for everything that is happening, his powers and abilities forces the people closest to him to grow. There’s no reason to scan the entire world for someone better when the people nearest him are already so strong.”

Bob waited for him to finish speaking before taking control of the conversation once more. The question had been answered and now he needed answers to his original question. “Now let’s try this again, who wants to tell me about the rogue gods that went down to Earth a little while ago?” The glint in his eyes made each of them hesitate, realizing for the first time just how serious he was.

Before anyone could answer Zeus stood from his spot at the table and looked towards where Bob’s eyes were hidden by the cowl of his cloak. “I have one question I would like answered before we get to that.” He waited for a heartbeat to see if Bob would object before continuing. “I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but Bob are you a High-God?”

The entire room burst into noise at that question. This was not the first time the gods had entertained this idea; it had been a popular theory when he had first appeared years before. At the time they had all decided it wasn’t true when he made no move to take control of them or order them about.

Alaria had been a High-Goddess, and they had witnessed her might firsthand when Hel had been erased from existence.

A few of the gods began to sweat heavily as they thought of how they had treated Bob in the past. His unknown origins had left many of them with the feeling that he didn’t quite belong with them. His sudden appearance had also created many questions in each of their minds that he had never answered.

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“I am,” Bob answered him calmly, not seeming to care about the effect his words would have on the group. Only the goddess Brigit was unsurprised as she had discovered the truth days earlier.

The mutterings abruptly ceased, and the room descended into still silence.

“The leaders were the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness Apep and the spirit of misery and sadness Akhlys. They led a group of minor gods down in a bid for freedom.”

Bob’s voice was emotionlessly flat and even as he spoke. “Why are gods who are not part of either the light or shadow games getting involved? Everyone knew how we were going about the games!” The news that Apep was involved was the most annoying; he had deliberately chosen Set for the shadow game instead of Apep.

Strictly speaking, they were both Egyptian gods of chaos, but where Set was mostly neutral in the ways he worked, Apep was decidedly not. Apep was a twisted and dark god that had worked with a number of the more evil and sacrifice inclined temples in his day. He was not a god that Bob wanted on Earth at this particular time.

He was unfamiliar of the spirit they had mentioned and for that reason he was willing to be lenient with her. As a spirit, she had more freedom than the gods in what she was allowed to do. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t be punished, she should have come and spoken with him before doing something as foolish as she had.

It was time to send another quest to Charles, it would be up to his group to deal with this nuisance before he could fully regain his powers.

“Where is Alaria?” Brigit asked, her melodic voice dispelling the silence that had covered the room for several minutes.

“Hmm?” Bob started, he had been lost in his own thoughts and plans and had forgotten that the other gods were even there. “Oh, she went back to her world for the time being, although we are still in touch with one another. We need to keep an eye on the dungeon for her as well. The construct is still growing and changing until it settles down. She was worried because of how everything has played out that this dungeon will be different.” He closed his hidden eyes and muttered in a soft voice that only those closest to him heard. “Honestly, what was Hel thinking barging in like that in the first place?”

Bob looked up, his unseen eyes focused on Zeus and Shiva, causing them to shiver slightly. “It is time for you two to choose your champions. You have one week to find them, or I will choose for you. With Apep and his little horde of idiots acting on Earth, we can no longer afford to take a step back. We must be part of the driving force that stabilizes the world!”

“Well said God who I do not know.” A female voice he didn’t recognize echoed throughout the room, causing many of the gods to flinch. “I made a deal with the lesser-gods many years ago. They were never to set foot on my surface again. In return, I was to enter deep slumber and not interfere with the humans again. The accord has been broken, any gods that come down to my surface from here on out will be dealt with harshly. Moreover, you have introduced a foreign element to the people of this world. I believe I will have fun making it my own.” Her words resounded through the room and then disappeared as quickly as they had come. They could feel her presence hovering over their shoulders, waiting for them to speak. “Don’t worry about those that have touched my surface, they are mine to play with now!”

“Prithvi has returned,” Shiva whispered reverently.

“Call me Gaia,” The voice returned before leaving fully.