Chapter 17 Seven Great Gods

Chapter 17 Seven Great Gods

It must have been conspiracy by the Gods because just as Sedna was about to reply, they appeared from a vortex.
Out stepped three Gods and three Goddesses. I didn't know any of them but Sedna appeared to be relieved by their appearance. The largest of these Gods was spoke in a thundering voice and I recognized him to be the one from Sedna's conversation earlier. His name was Zeus.
"Forgive our lateness, Great One! We had to take a detour along the way."
The female Goddess who had red hair glared at Zeus. However before she could say anything, the God who had his face covered by an oversize hood placed his boney (?) hand on Zeus' shoulder. "Stop it Zeus. It wasn't Freya's fault. Eros is to blame. We've spoiled him too much and now he's out of control."
The hand on Zeus shoulder was nothing more than bones and for a moment I wondered what this God did to be reduced to such a state.
The green Goddess stared at me. Yes, green with brown eyes, I'm not exaggerating. This large Goddess who reached the height of Zeus' chest bent down and I could now see little leaves growing from her.
"Forgive the Gods here, Great One. They have no manners. Please let me introduce everyone. I'm sure you've met Sedna the Goddess of the Sea. I'm Gaia, the Goddess of Nature and Sedna's sister. To my left is Isis the Goddess of time. The Goddess with red hair is Freya, she represents love and beauty. This big God here with the loud voice is Zeus, you probably heard him over the communicator. Although he looks likes like this, he is gentle by nature unless provoked and rules over the sky. His brother is the God wearing the black cloak. His name is Hades and is the overseer of souls in the cycle of rebirth. Last but not least, we have Buddha. He is the quietest of us all and he is one of the Sage Gods of enlightenment. Originally he was man but he attained the ranks of God through knowledge like the other Sage Gods. Unfortunately, his previous world was destroyed and now he has nowhere to go. He helps Zeus and Hades at the moment."
That was a very long introduction but it was exactly what I needed. I could understand the existence of Gods but Buddha was a man who became a God? How did that happen?
"To answer Great One, man becoming a God is not unheard of. However, it is very difficult. Not only must a man be wise, he must be remembered by the generations for over a thousand years and his teachings to be passed on before he can become a Sage God. A Sage God does not have the powers of a God. In fact, the only power a Sage God possess is the power of influence to listen to man's wishes, troubles and offer a sense of comfort with their blessing. Even though I am an insignificant existence in this vast world, I hope to be of use to Great One."
For a man who was known to be the quietest of the lot, he sure spoke a lot. Regardless, the explanation made me curious. Does that mean that there were more Gods? Were there more Sage Gods? Wouldn't that mean that Sage Gods were rarer than Gods?
Isis smiled for the first time. Her mysterious dark eyes sparkled. "All Gods were created by Great One. We are limited and become fewer by the day as man grows stronger. My brother Osiris has fallen into eternal slumber after man has waged war and defeated him. Man has found a way to access the magic of Gods and are using it to hunt us down. Earth is no longer as we know it, they managed to replicate the destroyed Earth and are preparing to wage war against us. We know that Great One has intentions to find out more about humans and we cannot help but worry. As such, the Great Gods will now give you our blessings. May this be your shield in times of need."
After Isis bowed, the seven Gods placed their hand on top of me and a warm light tingled pleasantly.