oOoOoOo
He walked back to his room sulkily, muttering darkly about 'too many customers' and 'lazy servants'. His mood had been sourer than ever, and even his wife wasn't there to comfort him. She had gone to visit her mother, taking their son and daughters with her. He didn't want her to leave him here with the family dog and the maids. But alas, she persisted as she had promised to visit her mother once every year and had left him in their dark and gloomy home.
It had been three years since he married his wonderful wife- his sweet, kind, and stubborn wife- and he couldn't bring himself to regret it no matter how many disadvantages it brought along. Her mother disapprove of their relationship and his siblings did not like the growing rift it causes between the whole family. Of course, they never really counted them as his family until he married Despoina. They never cared about him ever since their father's "death". At least his father-in-law approved of their relationship- for he was the one who gave him his daughter's hand. His younger brother and youngest sister do not speak much of the matter- and he doesn't know of their thoughts on his relationship with Despoina- which is one of the most frustrating and maddening things his "family" could ever do. It shouldn't bother him. However, the thought of his family's disapproval continues to clench his heart tighter than it should. He doesn't even want to refer to those horrible beings as his family, but he continues to do so time and time again.
He chances a glance outside his window, expecting the dour landscape to ruin his mood further, but was shocked to see that wasn't the case. The landscape was still as wiltingly depressing as he expected it to be: the strangely thick fog surrounding the Styx and the Lethe seemed even more prominent than before- and the daemons that walked around with a thirst for death continued to be just as strange as they always were. The souls of the dead still banged at the gates in an attempt to get out of the Underworld, and some of the older resident Gods and Goddesses left their little houses to curse someone that dared to disrupt them. But that wasn't what had changed- it was something that he wasn't expecting until late October.
His Persephone was back home.
oOoOoOo
Devi Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge, Music, Arts, Speech and Learning, one of the members of the Tridevi, one of the oldest goddesses to ever exist- stood in front of the entire Divine Council dripping wet. Her hair and clothes were soaking wet- which was quite a downside, seeing as she was wearing a plain white sari- and her face felt as though it was being mushed by something. Drops of water fell on her head every few seconds and her eyes instinctively turned to Varuna Dev, God of Water and Sky, who shrugged helplessly as if to say I-didn't-do-this! Indra was wearing a similar yet apologetic expression himself. Before the Devi could open her mouth and say something, a voice floated through the air, loud and crystal-clear. The voice of a Bhakt.
"My English Language exam is tomorrow," the voice whispered urgently, and a sense of annoyance filled her- for she was used to such prayers by now. "I need at least a 90% to please my parents and I forgot to revise- or study."
The voice belonged to a girl, young maybe- near fourteen, and Saraswati could feel a migraine coming just from the thought of what she knew would come next. "Oh, no," she muttered under her breath. A few gods sniggered behind their far-too-many hands. She glared at them.
"I know you're probably really annoyed by now and you'd probably get this often," she said sheepishly, and Saraswati tried not to groan because the girl had absolutely no idea- "I didn't think I'd get your attention until I did something big. So, I just started to clean the shrine I have of you in my home. It looked a bit dusty. I could've sworn that I saw a spider on it." She stiffened, a look of horror on her face.
"Um..." The voice started to say unsurely. Which- by the way- flawless grammar. "Can you please do me this one favor? Please, please, please! I promise I'll study for the next time."
If Saraswati could have her way, she would have made sure that the girl forgot all of her knowledge during the exam. But seeing as the girl herself didn't know much on the subject, she'd have to do something else. An idea struck Saraswati and her fingers twitched once. Suddenly, hiccups filled the room.
"I-," hiccup "know tha-," hiccup "this is you-," hiccup.
She had no doubt that the Bhakt knew, but merely sniffed and turned back to her throne. As soon as she sat down, her clothes and hair dried. She was no longer wet.
oOoOoOo
I tell them that I believe in the Gods,
and sing prayers that I remember despite all odds.
I light my diya, the light blinding and loving,
and start to wonder what I'm actually doing.
I go to church every Sunday,
but sitting in a mosque is how I spend my Friday.
I sit in my home to pray to the Hindu gods,
because I have their shrines in a box so broad.
I spend time learning History,
and get dragged into learning Mythology.
I am fascinated by them, fascinated by gods- and also science.
Science is a passion,
it is one I plan to pursue.
I believe in science,
but I believe in gods too.
What do I do?
What can I say?
Am I an atheist?
Or do I practice Omnism?
I do not know,
I cannot say,
I shall keep wondering,
but I'll hide my prayers anyway.