He pushed through a cloud of smoke and collided with someone.
“Watch it, you idiot!” growled Worthington.
Each man waited for the other to make the first move. Phil put his hands up, closed them into fists, and then flinched when he thought Worthington was going to attack. But he realized that Worthington was doing the exact same series of gestures.
A grand piano came crashing through a wall and nearly hit both men. They both decided, without saying a word, that they were just a pair of mere mortals trying to survive. Worthington ran, and Phil, trusting Worthington knew the way around his own crumbling house, followed.
They found the garage. The roof had collapsed, crushing the Mercedes and the Hummer. Worthington jumped into the Jag, and Phil climbed into the passenger seat. The car started up, and Worthington peeled out of the garage just as it collapsed into a pile of rubble.
There was a blinding flash and a sonic boom. A giant piece of flaming debris fell from the sky, landing directly in the Jag’s path. Worthington jerked the wheel, losing control. The vehicle tore up his manicured lawn, flattening several bushes. He slammed on the brakes. The Jag spun out, sideswiping a tree. He hit his head on the steering wheel, which rattled him.
Phil’s seat belt had prevented any serious injury. He had a few bruises, and his side hurt whenever he took a deep breath. He climbed out of the vehicle on unsteady legs.
The flaming mound of debris thrashed about in a painful twitch. It was Quick, back in his rainbow serpent shape. He shrank, writhing and groaning as the flames went out. Phil knelt beside the charred, withered god. He didn’t dare touch Quick, who looked as if he might crumble into ash at any moment.
Quick raised his head and smiled painfully. “I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, yes, he’ll be fine,” said Gorgoz from behind Phil.
The god strode toward Phil. Gorgoz dragged Syph, bloody and battered, by the hair. The goddess had been beaten to a pulp. Bruises and cuts covered every inch of her pale skin. Gorgoz wasn’t without his own wounds. Lacerations oozed putrid bile and half his face had been torn away. Still, he was the only god walking at the moment.
“Sad, really. Are there no real powers left?” He tossed Syph away like a piece of refuse.
Quick rose. One of his wings broke off, and he winced. He slithered between Gorgoz and Phil.
“Do we really have to keep doing this?” asked Gorgoz. “Take a look at yourself. You’re no match for me. Maybe in your prime.” He laughed. “No, let’s be honest. Not even then.
“Don’t you see? Quick, you’re a shadow of everything you once stood for. Oblivion and chaos are the only constant. The mortals may deny it, but you should know better. We all should know better. And if I have to destroy every single man, woman, and child on Earth to free us of their weakness, then so be it.” He leered at Phil. “And this one is just as good a start as any.”
Teri’s coupe, horn blasting, came crashing through the front gate. The indestructible car zoomed toward Gorgoz. It collided with him. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve bounced harmlessly off the god, but he was still weakened from his recent battle. The power of a Hephaestus-driven motor carried him forward. The coupe smashed into Worthington’s Jag, pinning the god between the two vehicles.
Gorgoz strained to free himself. The car’s wheels spun in the lawn, pushing back.
Teri jumped out of her car. The vehicle’s navigation charm kept the wheels turning.
“I thought I told you to stay home,” said Quick.
“You’re not my god.”
Phil and Teri hugged. He winced as she squeezed a bit too tight.
“You are such an idiot,” she said.
“I missed you, too.”
Syph had recovered enough to stand. She studied the two embracing mortals from a distance, both physical and metaphorical. It’d been a long time since she’d seen anything of the sort. It wasn’t that mortal affection was difficult to find, but her own influence made it a rarity for her.
Quick peeled away his ashen skin to reveal fresh scales. “See? Not all romance is doomed.”
She shrugged. “Eh, give it a few years.”
Gorgoz flipped the coupe into the air. The vehicle bounced several times, landing on its side.
Roaring, he hefted the Jag with Worthington still inside and hurled it. Quick and Syph deflected the vehicle.
“Oh, shit,” said Worthington, just before crashing into his crumbling mansion. The entire building collapsed, burying him and his ambitions in one unceremonious instant.
“Whoops,” said Gorgoz. He hadn’t meant to kill Worthington. While he wasn’t the kind of god to regret the loss of one insignificant mortal life, he also preferred to kill his disciples on purpose. Otherwise, it just didn’t seem as enjoyable. Like eating a particularly tasty potato chip and only realizing afterward.
Quick and Syph braced themselves for Gorgoz’s charge. He batted them aside like paper dolls. Phil and Teri cowered before the furious god.
A globe of light shot from the sky, engulfed the mortals, and swept them out of the way. Lucky and his globe of light soared over the raging Gorgoz.
“You came back,” said Teri.
“Did you ever doubt I would?” asked Lucky. He followed that up with a hasty, “Don’t answer that.”
Gorgoz expanded. He fired a few blasts of shadow at the globe, which Lucky dodged.
“Face me like a true god, you coward,” said Gorgoz.
Lucky touched down in front of the enormous deity. He stood between Phil and Teri and the furious Gorgoz.
“Okay,” said Lucky. “This ends now.”
“You’re braver than I gave you credit for. Now watch, foolish mortals, as I rend your pathetic god limb from limb and set his bones to bleach in immortal agony until the end of time itself. Steal my girlfriend, will you?”
“I knew it!” said Syph. “You did start this vendetta because of me!”
“You? No, it was never about you. It was about me. No one takes what is rightfully mine. No one.” Gorgoz growled. “And now you will finally pay.”
“Ain’t gonna happen,” said Lucky.
“Your arrogance is only matched by your-”
Lucky pointed his finger at Gorgoz and winked.
“Bang.”
Gorgoz exploded in a small mushroom cloud. Lucky’s power kept Teri and Phil from being disintegrated, but the rest of the area was engulfed in righteous atomic fire. The blast shook the ground and scorched the earth bare. It took thirty seconds for the sound of the explosion to fade and a full minute for Teri and Phil’s vision to clear enough for them to see Gorgoz standing there, seared but otherwise unharmed.
Gorgoz chuckled.
“Nice try.”
Lucky shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
“Anything else?” asked Gorgoz. “Anything at all?”
“No, that’s it from me. Almost every ounce of saved power I had in me.” He turned to Phil and Teri and lowered his sunglasses. “Don’t worry, kids. I have enough left over to protect you from what’s coming.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong,” said Gorgoz.
“I hate to break it to you, buddy, but this isn’t going to play out the way you expect. I know you were looking forward to beating the ever-living crap out of me in front of these two lovely mortals. But did you take a moment to ask yourself what that will really accomplish? Other than giving you a sick thrill?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
Lucky sighed.
“You really are an asshole.”
Gorgoz shrugged. “It’s my nature.”
The skies rumbled. The startled Gorgoz raised his eyes heavenward as a thunderbolt struck beside Lucky. Zeus, towering King of Olympus in all his golden-tracksuit, tanned, silver-bearded glory, materialized.
Mut, in the form of a white vulture, settled on the other side of Lucky. The bird transformed into the striking goddess, wearing a red dress, carrying a staff topped with a golden ankh.