There are some boys, maybe 15-16-17, going on infinity or maybe going on dead. Their pulses tell them they'll live forever. The feelings they get when they're dancing on the edge tell them it's the other way.
These boys are very religious. They follow the up-and-coming gods with polytheistic and heartfelt belief. They worship the God of Strength, who fills them with rage and shifting emotions and power. The Dream God, who shows them what they want to see – Through the Dream God they witness other gods, along with stranger things. There is a God of Peace, who is the opposite of the Strength God. This god is relaxed and loving and wants nothing more than to sit, thinking such big important thoughts. An especially dangerous but very popular god is the God of Sex, the Aphrodite of America. This god makes touch alone a supernova of feeling, any sensation rattles through your spine and makes colors dance until they melt. People die talking to this god. Her exuberance and utter excitement are too much for a simple human body, they boil blood and burn hearts, blast electric surges down the spine. To the worshippers, it is always worth the danger to have the feelings.
There is a god missing from this lineup. It's odd, because the very existence of the others makes his presence mandatory. Not only that, his name is taboo among worshippers. Speak it and he becomes real. Never admit this god exists, even if he's right in front of you.
Don't ask his name. Maybe, when someone is following God in front of you and their eyes start to roll back in their head, when they begin to sweat as the Sex God fills them, when they fall down in an epiphany of religion, maybe then you will know the name of this forbidden and ever-present god. No – You will know it with utter certainity, but you'll be far to scared to say it. You will try to help the follower, but because you can't tell anyone about your special secret gods, they will, most likely, follow that unnamed god.
The priests of this religion are intriguing. They are dark and mysterious men, who know everything there is to know about their gods and new ways to worship them. These men create altars for their gods, nests lined with money, pills, powders, trinkets, broken promises and lost love. The priests are rich men who live in poor places, holy money given to them by true believers seeking God.
People ask, Why do you give your gods so much power over you? They own you, they control you, and you lose everything for them willingly. The answer is – Because when a god is looking through your eyes, possessing you and riding your soul, it is the best feeling in the world. All the gods feel different and separate when they are in control of you. Some people favour one over another, it's true. Try it once, though. Try just once worshipping them and giving them the wheel, allowing them to act through you. Just once, become your god's avatar, and see how hard it is to let go of the American Gods, the shining, silver, sly gods that are sometimes known as drugs.