Visitation
Chapter 88
My father and I returned to the wine bar, where my mother and Gabriel had relocated to a corner table and were enjoying a bottle of Napa Valley Merlot from a top vineyard, along with grilled steaks.
“The pieces of the puzzle are almost all in place,” my mother said.
“We knew you could do it,” Gabriel said.
“I know that Chronos is God of the universe, and that he had Rhea - a primary manifestation of Mana - design a Game to entertain his mistress, who is Gaia,” my father said.
“That is Earth,” I said, opening a second bottle of wine. “And it worked splendidly. Chronos boasted that anyone who could win the game would receive three wishes. And that’s what happened, in the end.”
“When Chronos freed Rhea from their marriage, that liberated Mana to shift fully into Venus as her primary self,” Gabriel continued.
“Our secret marriage became public knowledge, and I could claim maternity over Amber Victoria,” Venus said. “We were absolved of any wrongdoing, and Feldar gained access to the Temple of the Gods. Gaia and Chronos married in a massive ceremony, and we were honored guests at 1000 Castles. It really did have a happy ending.”
“Because my stories have no antagonists, no conflicts, and villainy of any kinds,” my father said, taking a sip of Merlot and smiling.
“You are the storyteller, and I am the story,” my mother said. “Your wishes I make realities. That is my power as the matter of the cosmos.”
“Mana bent but never broke the rules governing her relationship with Chronos - my grandfather,” Gabriel said. “She withdrew gradually from her Rhea self and invested more and more energy into her Venus self.”
“It was clear that Mana no longer wished the serve Chronos,” I said.
“One night, I dematerialized as Rhea and fully embraced my Venus self,” Venus said. “I have never felt so happy in my life.”
“The nature of the Game shifted after your gentlemen’s agreement with Chronos,” I said.
“He gave Rhea a separation in exchange for permanent God mode within his universe,” I continued. “He granted my three wishes for public viewing: a wedding for Venus and me at 1,000 Castles; admission for me into the Temple of the Gods men’s club; and permission for Vic to marry Gabriel. Everyone saved face.”
“Dad, the Game made you famous. You were the first Player ever to win it at zero transparency. You used social media to share your experience with viewers, who also had access to your innermost thoughts,” I said.
“My grandfather tried unsuccessfully to prevent your victory, which is a violation of the rules,” Gabriel said. “No one knew that Mana was intervening to help you as the Camelia avatar. She did it surreptitiously. But she played her role perfectly. She registered as a Helper at the Halo Game Center - as Venus. Helpers can provide material and emotional support, but they are forbidden from revealing details of the Game itself or the nature of reality. If they do, Players are assessed a penalty and lose Game Points. That never happened with Venus. She was pitch perfect the entire time.”
“Dad, Venus hid subtle clues in the game space to encourage you, but she did so in a way that violated no Game rules. You learned to read them, and in that way you learned to communicate telepathically with me, as your support team. That had never happened before in the Game’s long history.”
“Chronos declared your victory once it was clear that his misdeeds would be forgiven and forgotten.” Venus said. “He accepted the departure of Rhea (my former embodied immortal self), extended a hand in friendship, and pledged to keep the Game active so that other Players could emulate our strategies.”
“You granted Chronos and Gaia God mode access to the old reality, so that they could rule it together,” my father said to Venus.
“Yes, I did,” Venus said. “I cloned myself and made myself immanent, so that they can access Mana any time they wish. My original self is here with you, in the immortal form of Venus von Honig. I rather like this set up, don’t you?”
“Isn’t it too limiting?” My father asked.
“Not at all,” Venus answered. “Being the unloved wife of Chronos was far more limiting. Here, I am with the ones I love all the time, and I am still everywhere all at once. That doesn’t change. I have separated my self into two halves, each of which will occupy different realities. I’ve left my old world behind, but not with regret or rancor. I cared for Chronos for many years, until he stopped caring for me, and until I could not tolerate his abuses of power. If this is the price of separation, then so be it.”
“Chronos has promised to reform his ways, and with guidance from Gaia, he will,” My father said, suddenly recovering an additional cache of his memories. “Gaia was in on this from the start. It was an intervention in the name of love.”
“Yes, Gaia is an ally in all this,” I said.
“We’ve had many allies,” Venus added. “Even Chronos, once he saw the light and backed our plans.”
“That’s the thing, dad,” I continued. “There are no antagonists in your story. Once Mana transferred storytelling authority to you, you controlled the narrative. Chronos came to see the reasonable nature of your plan and endorsed it wholeheartedly. We all did. Dad, mom will do anything for you. She has that power, and she knows that you will not abuse that power as Chronos once did. Even he won’t, because his mind has been changed. Once he lost the role as master storyteller, he became a manipulable mind like everyone else. You offered him an honorable exit strategy, and he accepted after the fact Mana’s departure. He became more virtuous over night, thanks to you.”
“Once I made you my master storyteller - which I did only after offering Chronos ample opportunities to correct his wayward behavior - you were in complete control over reality,” Venus said. “Your solution - to create an alternate reality to design as you wished, while leaving the old reality behind to repair itself - was innovative and kind. It won me over, as did you. I had to play your wife in the Game to be sure that you were in fact as genuine as you seemed. I did not switch masters easily, but I pledged my loyalty to you while in the Game and never looked back. As our daughter often reminds you, this is the best story ever told with the happiest ending possible.”
My father smiled and took a sip of whiskey.
“What happened while we were in the Game?” He asked.
“I left Chronos and dissolved my Rhea self,” Venus said. “We changed his Mind, so that he became amenable to your requests for the first time. We recruited Gaia as an ally. We removed the broadcast ban on the Game, so that the universe could watch it again. Surely, you knew about the ban?”
“I displaced that memory, because it was so traumatic,” my father said. “But I am strong enough to face it now.”
“Chronos tried multiple times to destroy your avatar,” Venus continued. “He saw that you were capable of winning, and he attempted to use unethical and unlawful means to thwart you. That was the authorization I needed to transfer my loyalty fully to you. Chronos has since mended his ways, under my tutelage, and he regards you as a hero and a friend now. Do you now recall our wedding ceremony at 1000 Castles?”
“Dad, Chronos presided over the ceremony. No one but your inner circle knows who mom really is. Even Zeus and Hera think that she is their daughter. The inner circle is sworn to secrecy,” I said. “We liked that storyline better than full transparency.”
“So, who knows where we are going?” My father asked.
“Chronos and Gaia do,” I said. “Athena, Thor, Jesus, and Mary Magdalene know, as do Mercury and Freyja. And Gabriel, of course. That’s it, so far. The rest of the universe thinks that we all disappeared under mysterious circumstances, like Rhea.”
“The universe isn’t ready to handle the truth,” Venus said softly, pausing to sip her cocktail. “And they would overwhelm Tépë if they ever knew how perfect it is. I used your writings from Earth to build the basic infrastructure for our new world. There is a beautiful beachfront villa awaiting us when we arrive, and an equally luxurious beach house for Vic and Gabriel a short walk away. We all need a long vacation after the Game’s challenges. And we need to plan Vic’s marriage to Gabriel.”
“Dad, I want mom to preside over it,” I said.
“I agree with that,” my father replied, smiling.
“We’ve made good progress,” my mother said. “Let’s take a break and let your father parse his next set of memories.”
“Gabe and I will be in the shops,” I said.
“Let me join you,” my mother said.
“Gladly,” I replied.
“Whatever you remember, dictate them to your MindScreen diary,” my mother instructed my father.
“I’ll get started right away,” he said.