“You must think you’re pretty powerful to make demands of gods,” Kitty snapped.

“Exactly what you both plan to do,” I snapped back.

“I plan,” Kitty rose like unfolding origami, “to kill the Prince.”

“But that’s impossible, so we’re just aiming to change his mind," Ethel added.

“About what?” I asked.

“Humanity.”

“Are you saying the only reason they’re killing us like cattle is because the Prince wants them to?” Mercy jumped to her feet, “I say we go with Kitty’s plan and kill him.”

“That’s impossible,” Ethel repeated.

“Not if you have someone to take his place,” Kitty drawled.

I was starting to lose the thread of the conversation again.

Ethel seemed to realize we were getting off topic, “In order to change his views we must show them that humans are not weak and can stand up for their lives and the lives they create. To that end we have to get him alone, capture him and convince him.”

“And you think that will be more possible than killing him?” Toni gaped.

“I do now,” she looked right at me.

Something about the way she said that had warning bells ringing in my head--but why?

Instead I turned to Kitty, “And you’re okay with that?”

She quirked an eyebrow, “Ethel has nothing to worry about, if I can’t kill him he will kill me and her plan can proceed uninterrupted.”

Capture the Prince? I thought of all the time I’ve spent with him. Except for what he did to me, I've never personally seen him hurt anyone.

But this might be the only chance we get to end everything. I nodded my acceptance.

After the meeting the suspicious looks stopped, no more smart-ass remarks or questions about my loyalty. I haven’t seen this much obedience to gods among Worshippers; it nagged at me like a pin pricking the same spot over and over.

A week later I could walk without discomfort. I found clothes on a chair by the bed and my door unlocked. Apparently I was free to go as I pleased.

My first instinct was to run as far away from here as I could and never look back. Maybe Cuba, or Puerto Rico. As I walked down one hallway to another, I ticked off countries in my head. The ones with the highest populations had the highest number of gods. Islands were the best option. Or the Midwest, the only gods to come through there were nomadic and could be avoided.

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I found a staircase that led up and followed it.

Europe was in shambles; the death toll in China and India so high they stopped counting. Antarctica was always an option.

How many floors have I passed? Where was this place?

As I stood confused in front of a door, wondering if I should find a different staircase, the door opened and Mercy sneered at me. “Did you think you would get out that easily?” She turned and started to walk away, “Told you so,” she said to someone I couldn’t see.

Brad stood with a frown, “You don’t have to run away, if you’re trying to leave we can point you to a door.”

“I want to leave,” I didn’t hesitate.

He led me to a door, it opened to a touch and sunlight flew in like a dream blinding me. I walked out onto a grassy field, where the heck was this place? Nothing around as far as I could see, except for green, green grass.

I turned, half expecting for Mercy and Brad to be gone and be stuck in the middle of nowhere, by myself. The door to the compound was nothing but a shed stuck out of the ground.

“Ethel made this place for us, in case you’re wondering how we live underground in Florida,” Brad smiled.

Of course, I thought, a god’s handiwork. I walked away from them, wondering if running away was an option.

“We’re going down to practice,” Brad hesitated, “will you be coming with us?”

No amount of practice will make you stronger than a god, I thought, but I nodded again and followed them back into the compound.

We went down an indeterminable number of floors again. This time we entered a large gymnasium--complete with bleachers and basketball hoops--but the walls were metal. At least it can take a beating.

The rest of the team was already there--fully geared like a team of Marines about to go on mission. Toni handed Mercy and Brad an arsenal each. “We’re waiting on our opponent,” she said to me.

Opponent? I looked around, all the Warriors were here. Did that mean…?

My question was answered as Kitty walked through the door. Literally through the door like a ghost.

I rolled my eyes at the theatrics but turned to Toni, “You practice against a god?”

“Who else?” Mercy snapped, “That’s who we’re fighting out there,” she pointed vaguely at a wall.

A chair drew itself behind Kitty so she could sit. “Okay,” a magazine appeared in her hand, “You can start anytime.”

Toni attacked first, which was redundant considering Kitty could control her actions like a puppet on a string.

Kitty didn’t look up as Toni hit an invisible shield around the god. Of course the servant will never be stronger than the master.

Heala sent electricity through the light bulbs trying to make an opening in the shield closely followed by Mercy and Brad with machine guns putting a tirade of bullets into the walls.

The strategy may have accomplished something if Heala’s charge made a dent in the shield. I looked at Heala--there was no anger--no motivation--she was doing the bare minimum, not trying to kill her opponent.

Shadow came out with a rocket launcher. I glued myself to the wall.

“Really?” Kitty looked over the magazine.

Oh God, Shadow fired. The rocket hit the shield, the building shook but thankfully Kitty of all people seemed to have neutralized the explosion so we were still alive. Needless to say Kitty's shield remained intact.

Kitty stood with hands on hips, “Is that all?” she turned to me, “You won’t give it a try?”

I wouldn’t break through the shield, retaining it was a matter of pride for Kitty. No matter what she said about helping them train, she had no intention of losing.

Still I peeled myself from the wall and walked around the shield. It was invisible.

I reached out and touched it. My fingers tingled, no blood or wounds appeared on my fingers. So the shield was purely defensive.

Kitty rolled her eyes, “That’s enough of that,” and flicked her fingers.

“Oomph,” I flew against the wall.

One by one, she flicked each of the Warriors, “You lose, again.” Before any of them could react, she walked through the wall and was gone.