A hush fell over the lobby as Chang'e walked into the studio. Her appearance in the world was still mostly under wraps, but the word about her had traveled throughout the label. As soon as Bragi became a thing, the heads knew that they needed to capitalize on it. They tracked him down easily enough, since all of his social media accounts were still listed under "Kurt Hummel". But any attempt to contact him with regards to signing a contract or even coming in for a meeting totally failed. They briefly thought that maybe another label had beaten them to the punch, but corporate spies informed them otherwise.

When Chang'e called her manager to tell him what had happened to her, he was doubtful. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted her to be real - Lord knows, having a god on his resume would keep him sitting pretty until he died - but the fact of the matter was that in the forty-eight hours between Bragi's emergence and now, there had been enough imposters popping up to fill three pantheons. "Fake Hades" was already an internet meme. It was the price of that age - new acts only remained new for so long.

So when Chang'e called him to her apartment and greeted him at the door with her hair wrapped up in bunny-ear buns, draped in a silver and jade dress, and wearing jade jewelry, he thought she was just jumping on the bandwagon.

"No, it's legit Joey. I am a goddess." She spread her arms so that Joey could take in the whole package. Admittedly, there was something different about her. An air of power that was always present whenever they were in the studio, but now it had been magnified a thousandfold.

"I wanna believe you Mercedes -"

"Chang'e," she corrected. "Chinese moon goddess."

"Right. Chang'e, you're great, but I need more proof than just some fancy new duds."

She cocked her hips to the side and crossed her arms. "What, you don't see it? You can't feel the magic in me? Do you not see the bigass green crater in the middle of my apartment floor?" She pointed, and Joey glanced at the pale green dent she spoke of. He had no clue how that got there. "But you want something real. A'ight, fine, I can do that." She held her hands up, pressing together her thumb, index, and middle fingers.

"1-" She closed her eyes. "-2-" The air in the apartment grew cold. "-3-" Joey tensed up as he felt something in the room change. "-4."

Chang'e snapped her fingers and there was a small flash of green light. Joey covered his eyes. When he looked towards her, he saw he cradling something in her arms. It was green and so innocent. She walked towards him and he realized it was a rabbit - a jade rabbit. The critter's nose twitched as it swiveled its head around, but all of its body was smooth stone. Joey stared at it.

"That's amazing." He whispered after a few moments of silence.

"Hell yeah it is!" Chang'e replied, placing the rabbit on the ground. It took a few hops, a small thud coming from its feet whenever they hit the ground. "Y'all said you wanted a god, well let's go show 'em a goddess!"

Everyone at the label had been told what to expect when Ms. Jones walked in that door. That she had changed her look, that she had changed her name, that she had a new pet that she was not comfortable leaving at home. She was to be treated with the utmost respect, more than anybody else they had signed. The lower people worked on the totem pole, the less serious they took it. Interns made jokes about being fired for blasphemy, and occasional covers of the Sailor Moon theme could be heard coming from the break room.

And then they saw her. She walked in like she owned the place, holding her rabbit in her arms. Joey followed behind her, talking rapidly on his cell. Chang'e greeted everyone who she passed with a "morning!" or a "hey boo!" or a "holla!" depending on how well she new them. The way she acted was exactly the way she acted everyday, but everyone commented on how amazing she looked once she had passed by.

It's one thing to hear about a goddess. It's another to hear one.

It's one thing to act like a goddess. It's another to be one.

Chang'e and Joey climbed into the elevator, and as they ascended she felt herself become lighter, brighter, and more beautiful. She had never heard her own story before Ananke's visit, but now she remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. She remembered her beloved Hou Yi shooting the extra Suns out of the sky. She remembered the elixir of immortality being rewarded to him by the Emperor (or did he make it himself?). She remembered drinking it (by accident) (on purpose) (forced to) and floating into the sky. She remembered landing on the moon, her only companions being the jade rabbits that made more elixirs. Or rice cakes.

All of these versions were true, and she remembered them all clear as crystal, even when they conflicted with each other. The nature of her story had changed over the years, but it's meaning was strong enough even after all these years. She belonged in the sky.

The doors opened and Chang'e strode into the conference room, Joey right behind her. She took her seat at one end of the table, with the president of the label at the other end She set the rabbit on the floor, where it flopped around on the carpet. Every executive there was smiling, but they were uneasy smiles, as if they were all concerned that somebody was linking them. They needed her, but they'd be lying if they said that they had any idea who or what she really was. To them she was a trend, and she needed to be capitalized on.

"Thank you for meeting with us, miss...Chang'e," the president began. "I see you've had quite the Chang'e recently."

Chang'e smiled. "Nothing major. Just a new look, new powers, and an expiration date. Speaking of which, I'm hoping we can make this quick so I can start spreading my word."

"Of course." He consulted his notes. "Now, obviously we have to finish your current album, but I'm sure we can hasten that along -"

"No," the goddess replied.

The older man raised an eyebrow. "No? Sweetie, I'm afraid that isn't your call."

"It sure as hell is. My voice goes where I want it to go. An album is just wasting your time."

The president pushed his notes away - he new when the talent didn't want to follow the script, and he hadn't gotten to where he was today without learning how to get them back on track. "Miss Chang'e, or whatever it is your calling yourself these days, I feel like you are forgetting one of the most important aspects of the record industry: the record. Without something to sell we can't make a profit, which means you don't have a career." He leaned forward. "The only thing that has changed here is that you're able to tick one more box in the list of demographics."

"Oh hell to the no, that is not what this is." She stood up. "I am not just some recent high school graduate with a great voice and sweet style any more. I am the voice of a generation. My presence is just as important part of the package as the rest of it. If they can't see me, then they're not really hearing me." She put her hands on her hips. "And I am not down with that."

The executives murmured amongst themselves. One of them whispered something to the president, who then turned back to Mercedes. "Miss Jones, I implore you to drop this Lady GaGa alter-ego claptrap. You are not magic, you are not divine, you are an employee, and I will terminate your contract if you continue with this attitude."

"1-2-3-4"

She wasn't just about the bunnies.

Chang'e rose. Her feet left the ground, her dress dangled off her body, shifting slightly in the breeze of the air system. The executives gaped. Joey did too, but it was more in reverence. That was his client. So cool. The president had lost all of his former bravado, instead trying to pick his jaw off the floor as the girl strutted across the air above the table and approached him. When she was right in front of his seat she snapped again and landed, the clack of her heels echoing through the now-silent office. She leaned down.

"This is how it's gonna work. You're gonna get me gigs. Concerts. Find me a public space where I can gather my fans and let me sing. No albums, that's just a waste of our time. Live and in person: that's how you pray."

"I-I-I-I-" replied the president. He stopped trying to speak, as it was a lost cause now, and instead ruffled through his notes. "How does Central Park sound?"

Chang'e smirked. "It sounds divine." She spun around and walked across that table like it was a runway because for her it was. She floated off the end and into the waiting elevator. "Joey, grab my bunny."

Her agent quickly scooped bundle of stone fluff off the ground and dashed after her.