"Gods, I wish I knew what was going on," Anya groaned, as she busied
herself straightening up the makeshift temple that she had erected in
Cordelia's name.  Actually it was more like a small store in the mall.
The owners of the mall had given her the space once they had discovered what
it would be used for.  They considered it good luck to have a temple to the
Goddess of Shopping and Retail in their mall, especially since so many
people seemed to buy more, including offerings to the new Goddess.  Anya was
busy sorting through those offerings now.
"I'm sure everything is going fine," Graham tried to reassure the former
demon.  He was trying to help Anya get everything ready for when it was
announced that the Goddess had her children.  The couple knew that offerings
would just come pouring in then, having been told that the sale of
children's things, everything from toys to clothes to diapers to books have
been selling at a pace that even outdid Christmas, all for the Goddess that
was currently in labor.  "Didn't Willow promise to come and tell you as
soon as the twins were born?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I can't be nervous, does it?"  Anya
asked.  She looked over at the two growing piles that were in front of her.
One pile was for Cordelia and Wesley and consisted of things that Anya knew
the couple would need, and that the former cheerleader would like.  The
other, much larger pile, was for the homeless shelter that would be by to
pick them up later.  It had been Cordelia's idea to give away some of her
offerings to the various shelters and charities that so needed donations.
She knew that she wasn't going to use everything and the seer in her
didn't like the idea of them going to waste.  So she had Anya set up a
program with some of the other temple workers, Cordelia currently had five
temples in various cities, to hand out the things that they thought would
best be used by others.  It was one of the reasons why she was quickly
becoming one of the most loved Goddesses.  She was proving that the old
stories that the Gods were selfish and cared nothing for mortals was nothing
more than stories told by people who didn't understand them.
"No, but," Graham took Anya into his arms, silencing her with a small
kiss, "that doesn't mean that you should go all freaky, as Willow would
say."  Anya smiled at her new boyfriend.  Not lover.  At least, not yet.
They were both taking things very slowly.  Graham knew that Anya was still
hurt over losing Xander to Spike, even though she had moved on and even
became friends with the two new Gods.
"You always do know the right thing to say, don't you?"  Graham smiled
as he nodded his head.  "Show off."  Anya reluctantly separated herself
from Graham's arms and went back to the task of sorting packages.  "I
thought you were going to hang out with Riley tonight.  DO that whole male
bonding thing."
"I am," Graham answered, handing her some things.  "He's going to met
me here."
"Well, I hope you can help cheer him up," Anya said, as she picked up
something from one of the piles.  It was a black lace teddy with a matching
sheer robe.  She held it up to her.  "What do you think?  Me?"
"Definitely," Graham murmured, already envisioning his girlfriend in the
ensemble.  He felt himself harden at the image and had to will himself to
calm down.
"You think Cordelia would mind?"
"I think she would love to let you have it," came a female voice out of
nowhere, causing both Anya and Graham to jump.
"Damn it, Willow, I hate when you do that," Graham swore as a laughing
Willow appeared.
"But its so much fun," the red head teased.  She looked over at Anya, who
was still holding the teddy.  "Go ahead and take it.  I'm sure Cordelia
won't mind, especially since I'm thinking she isn't feeling to in the
sexy mood right now."
"She had the babies?"  Anya asked excitedly.
"A boy and girl, just as we knew," Willow nodded.  "And mom and kids are
doing just fine. Although I think dad was ready to pass out there for a bit.
  He just couldn't stand hearing his wife cry out like that."
"How's she doing," Graham inquired.
"According to the proud grandmother, also known as Aphrodite, Cordelia and
kids are doing fine," Willow answered.  The red head looked around the
temple, taking in the numerous gifts that had been left for her friend.
"Wow, seems Cordy sure had a lot of worshippers."
"Among women, but you know the men are cussing her out," Graham joked.
It was a running game between Anya and him, seeing how many men could
possibly glare into the window as their girlfriends or wives left a token of
their worship.  SO far the count was up to ten, but it was still early.
Hell, most people didn't even know there was a Goddess of Shopping yet, let
alone her name.  Just wait until the word truly got out, then there would be
some trouble.
"Yeah, well, deal with it," Anya ordered, playfully jabbing Graham in the
ribs.  The former commando wrapped his arm around Anya's waist and placed a
kiss on her forehead.
"If it means that I get to spend time with you, I will more than happily
deal with it."
"Geez, what's with all the love going on around here," Willow groaned.
"I thought the Gods were bad, but you two just about match them at times."
"Hey, there is a reason I work for Aphrodite down here, thank you very
much," Graham retorted.
"Yeah and it has nothing to do with the fact that you're a romantic at
heart, does it," Anya teased.  "That's one of the reasons you're so
willing to listen to Riley pour his heart out over Buffy.  Because you
don't want him to give up on love just because the bitch broke his heart."
"Exactly," Graham answered.  "Riley felt big time betrayed by Buffy's
reluctance to accept the fact that Willow and Angel are together.  He felt
that she was just stringing him along, waiting for Angel to come to his
senses and go back to her."  This caused a snort from Willow's direction.
"Yeah, I know.  The girl's in her own little dream world, but she was
trying to take Riley there with her and I was glad when he finally broke it
off with her, telling her that he wasn't willing to play second fiddle to
her desire for Angel any longer.  Now I just have to make him see that not
every woman out there is like that."
"Well, here comes your chosen assignment now," Willow pointed towards the
window, where Graham saw Riley.  Riley's shoulders were slumped and his
body just scream "DEPRESSED".  Willow felt sorry for him, knowing how much
it must have hurt to have Buffy constantly remind him of her obsession with
Angel and hoped that Graham would be able to get him back on his feet and
into the dating pool again.  Now that he was no longer under Buffy's
influence, Willow found that she actually liked the former commando and
hoped that he would find someone to give him the kind of love he deserved.
"Well, I'm outta here," Graham said, giving Anya another soft kiss.
"I'll call you later," he whispered to her.  "Talk to you later Willow.
Tell everyone I said hi."  The two girls watched as Graham left to join his
friend.
"I'm glad to see that you and Graham are getting along," Willow teased
Anya.  "You deserve to be happy.  Both of you."
"Thanks," Anya muttered.  "I mean, after Xander left all I could do was
think of ways to try and get him back.  But now I've accepted that he and
Spike belong together and I have to admit, they do make a good couple.  And
Graham is a great guy and he's willing to take it slow and give me the time
I need to truly get over Xander.  What more could I ask for?"
"Not much, Anya," Willow told her.  "Not much6 at all."

Meanwhile, in London, a meeting was being held to discuss the arrival of
the Gods of Olympus.  Present were the highest members of the Watcher's
Council, including Jonathan Wyndham-Price, father of Wesley, the new God of
the Undead and Demons.  Although this was still a secret to the older man.
He hadn't spoken to his wayward son in over a year, angry at Wesley's
failure to control the rogue Slayer Faith and then his turning his back on
the Council in favor of protecting the vampire Angelus.  He just considered
it another, in a long line, of disappointments.
"I'm telling you, something has to be done about these so-called Gods,"
Quentin Travers argued.  "They are everywhere.  People are turning away
from conventional religions and going back to worshipping long dead Gods.
It isn't right."
"Well, do we have any information on them?"  Frederick Smythe asked.
"They first appeared to the Slayer, Buffy Summers.  Have we tried to
contact her and find out anything.  Or even her old Watcher?"
"Rupert Giles has disappeared," Travers sneered.  He hated the man that
he saw as having replaced him as the rightful Watcher over Buffy Summers.
His dismissal was just proof that Travers would have indeed been more
suitable than Giles.  "He has not been seen or heard from since the
reappearance of the Gods.  And, unfortunately, all attempts to contact the
Slayer have been unsuccessful.  She refuses to answer any of our calls."
"What about your son, Price," another man asked Jonathan.  "Isn't he
close to the group in Sunnydale.  Has he heard anything?"
"I haven't talked to my son recently," Jonathan replied.  "Nor do I
plan to, but my wife has tried to contact him and it seems he too has
disappeared.  As have the rogue Slayer Faith and the demon Angelus.
According to my sources no one has been in the building that they had used
as a headquarters for over two months."
"DO you think that it might have something to do with these supposed
Gods?"
"When it comes to my son, I wouldn't put anything past him.  The bastard
is more trouble than he's worth," Price growled.  "Certainly no son of
mine would be as worthless as he is."
"You have that right," came a booming voice.  Everyone present looked
around the room, searching for the speaker.
"Who said that," Travers ordered.  "Show yourself."
"Oh if I must."  With a flashy show of black sparks, Wesley appeared in
the center of the room.  But this wasn't a Wesley that the others would
have recognized.  Gone was the stuttering, shy Wesley of the past, who
couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag and who dressed in extremely
conservative clothes.  This was a Wesley who had lived among the Gods for
the past two months.  Who was now a God himself.  And not just any God, but
the son of Hades, God of the Underworld.
"Wesley, what is the meaning of this?" Jonathan demanded upon seeing his
son.  "Since when have you learned that kind of magick."
"That wasn't magick, father," Wesley sneered the title.  "That was just
a show of power.  My power."
"What do you mean, power.  *You have no power," the elder Price state,
moving from his seat and going to stand in front of his son.  "You're
nothing but a worthless use of space."
"To you, maybe, but I have found my place in this world.  A place that has
no room for you or this council," Wesley calmly told the man that had
raised him, in a sense.  The man that he had thought was his father. The man
that had constantly berated him his whole life, ridiculing him, causing him
to doubt himself.
"What do you mean, no room for the Council," Travers asked, joining
Price.  "Who are you to decide anything for this Council."
"I am Wes, God of the Undead and Demons and proud son of Hades and
Persophone."  There were shocked gasps from quite a few members of the
Council that were present.  It was one thing to hear about the Gods of
Olympus, but it was quite another to be presented by one of their own who
claimed to be one.  Any conversation that might have started at this
announcement was stopped instantly by the sound of a smack echoing through
the room.  Wesley looked at his father in shock, while the elder Price just
glared at his son.
"How dare you strike a God, mortal," another voice yelled, causing the
room to shake.  Hades appeared by Wesley's side, his face a mask of fury
and it was easy to see why this man was in charge of Tartarus, because he
resembled someone who could come up with some of the most heinous tortures
one could think of.
"Father, I thought you were going to let me take care of this," Wesley
stated, glancing over at the God.
"I was, but your mother made me check up on you and you know I can never
say no to her," Hades reminded his son.  "Besides, no one lays a hand on
my son, especially not some mortal son of a bitch who thinks he's better
than everyone else.  If I didn't' do something, I'd never hear the end of
it from Persophone."
"You know, she is entirely to overprotective of me," Wes sighed.
"She just got you back, let her be a mother.  Speaking of which, I believe
you have a wife and kids to get back too," Hades pointed out.  "Go and
take care of Cordelia and let me handle these fools."
"Fine."  And in a flash of sparks, Wes disappeared.  Hades turned hard
cold eyes back to the man that had stricken his son.
"So you are the bastard that raised my son.  Let me say, I'm not
impressed."
"So you're Hades," Jonathan sneered.  "Let me say, I'm not exactly
impressed either."
"Oh, but you will be."  Hades took in the room, looking at each member of
the Council who had to force themselves not to shrink form his glare.  "The
Watchers were made so that you could probably guide the Slayers in their
duties.  TO help them prepare for any battles that they might come up
against in their quest to help the world.  But, over time, you've seemed to
have forgotten that.  You have grown power hungry.  Getting rid of those
that don't do exactly as you please, as you did with not only my son, but
also with Rupert Giles.  That ends now.  The Council of Watcher's is
disbanded."
"You can't do that," Travers yelled.  "You have no control over
anything this Council does."
"Oh, I have all the control," Hades calmly stated.  "I started this
Council so that means I can decide when it is no longer needed.  One Watcher
will be kept to help the current Slayer.  And before any of you ask, it is
not Buffy or Faith.  Buffy because she is no longer stable enough to
continue as a Slayer and Faith because she is no longer eligible."
"Why?"
"she is now a Goddess as are the others that she worked for, including
Angelus and Spike."  Gasps were once more heard throughout the room.  Hades
had to admit, he enjoyed shocking the pompous asses that ruled his Council.
He hadn't had this much fun since the last time Iolaus had been killed.
"You have one week to pack up everything and get your affairs in order.
That should be more than sufficient time."  With that pronouncement, Hades
disappeared, leaving behind a group of confused and angry former Watchers.
 

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