Gods and Monsters

## Chapter 1

Kimaya Deva shot out of her bed, excited to begin her day. Despite having attended Monster High for a considerable amount of time, she still had the energy she had her very first day. However, this was not without reason. Kimaya, or Kimmy, as she preferred, had begged her father, Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love, to allow her to attend Monster High for some time. Kama was a respectable deity, proud of his divine heritage, so much so that he named his daughter Kimaya, which meant "divine". He had difficulty understanding her desire. She was not a monster, she was a goddess. Well, demigoddess, as she was still quite young, and therefore only a minor goddess, and not nearly as powerful as most would expect. It would be a while before she received complete divinity. This was how it worked for most demigods. Still, Kama didn't know why Kimmy had her heart set on attending a school for monsters.

"Father, please! I simply don't understand why this is such an issue!" she said. Kimmy was not a formal person, and usually just called her father "dad", like any other teenager. But when she wanted to make a point, "father" just seemed more appropriate.

"Kimaya" Kama said, addressing her by her real name, "why do you think of us as monsters? Are we not divine? Are you not aware of the history between gods and monsters? We do not get along, and certainly do not attend the same school" he said, making his stance on her request quite clear.

"Father" she persisted, "those are old beliefs. Not all monsters are like that. I wouldn't be the only demigod there, either. Kara goes to Monster High!" Kara Devi was the daughter of Kali and Shiva, and Kimmy's best friend. Kama had a history with her father, but still approved of the friendship for his daughter's sake. Kimmy remembered this, and realized that if she could change his mind about their friendship, this shouldn't be any different.

"Dad, gods are immortal. They witness many changes. Not only that, they cause them too. Why not do that now?" Kimmy asked her father.

Kama looked at his precious daughter, right into her brown eyes. He sighed. He knew very well that Kimmy was a determined child, and so he told her "If you truly believe all of what you are saying, then I must have faith in your judgment. You may attend this *Monster* High." he said, bitterly emphasizing the word "monster".

"Yay! Thank you daddy!" She shrieked, the way she always does when she's happy, which is most of the time.

Kimmy reminisced, then realized that she was going to be late! Although demigods, like their parents, could teleport, Kimmy wasn't experienced enough, and teleporting could take her to dangerous places. So she traveled every morning to Monster High, always on time, except for possibly today.That would not do. She quickly dressed herself and hurriedly ate the breakfast that her mother, the goddess Rati, had made for her. She then told both her parents goodbye, and climbed onto her father's titanic parrot, Suka, whom she used to make the journey from India to America, and set off.

## Chapter 2

Kimmy arrived at Monster High, and climbed off Suka, who flew away and would come back to get her at the end of the school day. She made her way through the entrance, and to her first period.

Classes went by, and soon the lunch/break time students receive at the middle of each day arrived. Kimmy got her lunch, saw Kara, and walked over and sat down right next to her. Now, the two demigoddesses' relationship was, to many, an odd one. Not just because Kara's father had incinerated Kimmy's dad (long story, but he recovered), but also because they were absolutely nothing alike. Kimmy was bubbly, energetic, and simply a happy person. Kara was, at best, mildly bloodthirsty. She enjoyed combat, and, like her mother, was a fearsome goddess. Still, something about the friendship simply worked, and so they hung out often.

Kimmy, being a love demigoddess, enjoyed pairing people up, even if her "clients" objected. She did have love arrows, like her father, but she also held the belief that love can't be forced, so she refused to use them. Kimmy did, however, have her own talk show about love, called *On The Air With Kimmy Deva*, where monsters could call in and ask Kimmy love-related questions.

"Hey" Kimmy said to Kara, excited to tell her about her most recent, albeit somewhat reluctant match. "So" she said, "Scaron called in to my radio show and asked how to get this girl's attention. I knew he was talking about Vampyra, so I told him to leave it to me. I had him give her a letter from me, which was actually an invitation to a date! He didn't know, but she said yes! Isn't that soooo romantic! Don't you just love love?"

Kara wasn't the type to talk mushy-gushy, so, in an attempt to distance the conversation from all that, she asked Kimmy "Hey, wanna come over to my mountain after school?" Kimmy knew Kara's family lived at Mt. Kailash, so this was Kara inviting Kimmy to her house. Kimmy loved going to friends' houses, so she of course said yes. They continued to talk, and the bell rang, and the demigoddesses separated and went to their classes.

## Chapter 3

The end of the school day had arrived, and so when Suka came for Kimmy, she had him take her to Mt. Kailash. When they arrived, Kimmy took a look up at the mountain, and followed Kara to the entrance. Kimmy, despite her friendship with Kara, still felt uncomfortable around her parents, especially her mother. So, on their way up the mountain, she practiced simply saying "hello" to Kara's parents, as they would likely be there.

Once they got to the entrance, they entered and, to both Kimmy and Kara's shock, it wasn't just Kali and Shiva. The entirety of the Hindu pantheon seemed to all be gathered at her best friend's house, Kimmy thought. They all seemed to be arguing. Kara attempted to find her mother in what was a huge mass of collective divine power. Eventually, she managed, and was surprised to find Kimmy's father, Kama, seemingly shouting at Kali.

"Well, who else would have taken it! Vishnu, Ganesh, Durga?"

"Look, Kama!" Kali said, gesturing with her many arms and hands, "I know how you feel about us, but I didn't take your arrows! What use could I have for them, they're love items, it's not like they can be used for demon-slaying!" Kali was a famous-slayer in their community.

"Mom?" Kara asked, wondering why so many gods were at her house, "what's going on?"

"Yeah, dad, why are youhere? What happened to your arrows?" Kimmy added.

Kama looked at his daughter, then said "Your friend's mother is a thief! I won't have you here, Kimmy, we are leaving."

"But dad, we wanted t..", Kimmy's voice trailed off. She knew to listen to her elders (it was dangerous not to, especially when they were powerful gods), and decided to obey her father. She gave Kara a confused look before leaving with her dad.

"Hmm" Kimmy thought, in her head "why was dad so mad? What did Kali and the other gods do?" For now, all she could do was wonder, as they headed back to their temple in India.

And that ended it. For now.

## Chapter 4

The next day, at school, Kimmy still had no idea what had happened at Kara's house, and why there was more tension between her father and Kali than usual. Her dad had refused to talk about it, and Kimmy didn't dare argue. He also forbade her to her to associate with Kara. So as her classes went by, the young demigoddess found herself distracted and alone. When lunchtime came, she sat at a different table. However, this didn't seem to deter Kara at all. Kali apparently didn't have Kara follow that rule. Or Kara didn't care, which seemed more likely, as she sat herself next to her friend.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you" said Kimmy, not looking up from her tray.

"That's what my mom told me" said Kara, "but she also said that the reason your dad and the other gods were there was because, apparently, things have been stolen from them. She told me your dad blamed her for stealing his bow and arrows."

Kimmy looked up at her friend with shock. "What? That can't be!"

"That's what it looks like, Kim. And it's not just our pantheon. Gods all over the world are missing sacred objects, and they're blaming each other. And my mom didn't take your fathers arrows, you have to believe me!"

"Don't worry, I do" reassured Kimmy, "but whoever's doing this, they can't be alone. There're millions of gods, and to take things from most of them would require multiple people."

"Yeah" replied Kara, "and I doubt mortals could do this, it has to be other gods."

"Well, what gods would do this?" asked Kimmy, "I hope someone finds out, because my dad's pretty mad."

"So's my mom" added Kara, "and whenever my mom's mad, there's hell to pay. Same with dad, remember when he got mad at your dad?"

Kimmy shuddered. Last time her dad angered one of Kara's parents, he got incinerated. "How could I forget?"

That's when the full realization of the situation hit Kimmy. When gods get angered, the effects are catastrophic. And with nearly every god missing something and making accusations, that would mean an all-out war between gods of every pantheon. What's currently a feud between deities could mean the destruction of the mortal and monster world!

"This isn't good" Kimmy worried, "if our parents and the other gods battle, we are at their mercy! A war could mean the end of the world!"

"Right" agreed Kara, "we have to do something!"

"What could *we* possibly do?" asked Kimmy, "we're just demigods, were not as powerful as our parents!"

"I don't know" admitted Kara, "but I do think we'll need more demigods!"

"Like who?" asked Kimmy.

"I think I see someone. Follow me" said Kara, as she stood up from the lunch table, Kimmy following behind. They walked across the cafeteria until they stopped at a table, which sat a group of students. One girl stood out particularly, with giant, white feathered wings on her back. Kara went up to her and said:

"Hey, Lily, we need your help."

## Chapter 5

"Need help with what?" Lily responded to Kara's vague statement.

"I probably shouldn't tell you here. Is anyone else here a demigod besides Lily?" asked Kara. Only one hand went up. It belonged to Thomas, a handsome Indian demigod whom Kimmy secretly had a secret crush on.

"Okay then. Lily, Thomas, you two follow me" she told them, as she led the three other demigods to the hallway, which was pretty empty as most students were enjoying their lunch.

"Do either of you know what's going on?" asked Kara.

"Are you talking about the thefts?" answered Lily. Kara and Kimmy nodded. "Of course I do" Lily continued, "they're happening all over Olympus. Zeus's thunderbolt, Aphrodite's girdle, and it's not just small items. Apollo's entire sun chariot was stolen! Now everyone's paranoid, and my dad's having me and my siblings taking turns at night guarding his arrows!" Lily remembered what Kara had asked earlier, "and why do you need my help?"

"Because" Kara answered, "we want to find out who's doing all this and why. If we don't stop this, a war between the gods could start, if the real culprit isn't found. Are you interested?"

"Of course I am! Anything to get dad off our backs."

"And what about you, Thomas?" asked Kimmy, turning to her crush. "Will you help us?"

"I wish I could, but it sounds too dangerous. I suggest you all let this go, before someone gets hurt. But if you must do this, than I wish you the best of luck." Kimmy's green face blushed. He was so charming, she thought.

"Suit yourself." said Kara dismissively.

Kimmy noticed it was almost time for classes. "I think we should get to our lockers. Maybe we could meet after school?" she asked.

"Fine with me. How 'bout you?" asked Kara, who was facing towards Lily.

"I have nothing better to do" she answered.

"Great. That's settled. We'll meet in the foyer. Agreed?"

"Agreed" said Kimmy and Lily simultaneously. The three demigoddesses left for their lockers as the bell rang.

## Chapter 6

As planned, Kimmy, Kara, and Lily met each other after school. Kara was the first to say something:

"So, does anyone know who else who could help us?"

"I think I do! And I know where he is." Lily said, and gestured to the girls to follow her. She led them down Monster High's many hallways until they got to the school's band room, where they heard the loud beat of a set of drums. Lily pushed the door open, and there sat the source of the drumming, a young Egyptian demigod with reptile-like eyes and fangs. He wasn't alone, however, as a girl with fire in place of hair stood next to the drum set, arguing with him.

"HEY!" she said, trying to yell over the drumming, "I don't know why your mom thinks that, but my mom's the goddess of volcanoes, she doesn't need your mommy's precious coals!"

The boy seemed to pay no mind to the girl, which seemed to anger her. She was about to add to her argument when she seemed to notice the other demigoddesses. "WHO ARE YO-" she stopped talking for a second and took the boy's drumsticks, throwing them across the room. The boy looked agitated.

"Who are you?" she completed, at a normal volume.

"Um, hi!" Kimmy answered, "I'm Kimmy, and that's Kara, and that's Lily" she said, gesturing to each girl. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lani" she answered, "do you need something?"

"Actually" Kara said, "we do. I assume you know what's happening, with all the gods."

"Yep" Lani said, "everyone's missing something." she glared at the boy, "and some people are blaming my mom. She's pretty mad about it, and that never ends well. My mom's Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. His mom" she pointed at the boy, "Ummit-"

"Ammit" he corrected.

"*Ammit*" she said, not really caring, "her coals are stolen, and she thinks my mom did it. I was just telling Lio over here that's complete bull-"

"Fascinating" Kara interrupted, "but we don't have much time. We're trying to find out who *is* doing this, and we want your guy's help. If we can't stop this, the gods will go to war with each other, and like you said, Lani, it never ends well."

"I'm in!" Lani said excitedly.

"I'm not." Lio scoffed, "Why would I help you people?" he said to everyone, though he glared at Lani when he did, "and my mom's a demoness, not a goddess, so it's not my problem."

"Close enough" Kara remarked, "and it *is* your problem, because a divine war means the destruction of the monster and mortal world, and whether you like it or not, that includes *you*!"

Lio thought for a moment. The destruction of the world meant no more meals, and he *did* like food. "Fine" he said, "I'll help, but I'm not doing this for you."

"Good enough." said Kara, "Well, I think this is enough demigods, now we need a plan."

"What?" Lio said, "You don't have a plan already?"

"Shut up, Lio." said Lani.

"Actually..." said Lily, "I think I have an idea. Are you all free for tonight?"

Everyone murmured until it was clear they were.

"Great! Meet me at Mt. Olympus tonight. Tell your parents we're having a sleepover. I think this just might work."

## Chapter 7

Later that day, the demis met at Lily's house on Mount Olympus, Greece. They got there by teleportation, an ability most demigods have (they weren't very good, but after a few collective attempts they got there). Lily talked to her father and volunteered to guard his bow and arrows. Then they got to work setting a trap. Lily explained her plan:

"Okay, so this is what we're going to do. My dad's pretty much the only god on Mount Olympus who hasn't been stolen from, so, the thieves will likely be here tonight. Over there are my dad's arrows-" she pointed to a pedestal resembling a Grecian pillar, and on top were Eros's famous bow and arrows, proudly displayed. "If you look below, right next to it, you won't see anything, but actually there's a chain-link net, so small and fine you can barely see it. Made by Hephaestus himself, I got Donny, his son, my..." she hesitated, family on Olympus was complicated, "relative, to let me borrow it. We'll attach a rope to it, and if the culprits show up, we'll pull it and trap them in the suspended net."

"Sounds good" Kara agreed, "let's get to it."

The team assembled the trap, and as soon as Eros and his other children went to sleep, they hid and waited.

"So" Kara whispered to Kimmy, "who do you think is doing all this?"

Kimmy shrugged.

"I know we're assuming the thieves are other gods, but what if they're not. They could be... monsters."

Kimmy gasped, "Kara, that's a terrible thing to say!"

One of the other demis shushed Kimmy, as she was being rather loud.

"Well" Kara whispered, "it's not that far fetched. Gods and monsters are enemies. They hate the gods."

Kimmy thought. Even though Kara was beginning to sound like her father, what if she was right? She hoped she was wrong, Kimmy had grown to love the monster community. Her thinking was interrupted by some light footsteps. Everyone hushed up and crouched down, sneaking peaks at what seemed to be a figure in a dark robe. The only part of the figure that was exposed was the face, which seemed to be glowing. He approached the pedestal, preparing to steal the bow and arrows, when the trap activated, suspending the net and taking the figure with him. When that happened, his cloak fell, revealing more of the person. Although the demis were almost blinded by the man's glowing skin, they could make out some features. It was a man, handsome, but with supernatural features, like golden skin that shone brightly, and gave the illusion that it was day, although it was night. He had dark red hair, parts of which were actually on fire, like Lani's hair. He had a beard with sparks, but his most striking feature, still, were his eyes. They were red, and filled with what looked like wrath and vengeance. It was almost difficult to look at him They couldn't tell if he was a god or a monster. The man struggled in the net, and began shouting in what Lily recognized as ancient Greek. She realized that the yelling would probably wake her parents and siblings, and soon her prediction came true, with Eros and his other children, Lily's siblings Trevor and Phoebe, ending up in the chambers. He spoke:

"What is wrong, who is yelling?" As soon as he saw the man with the shining skin, his face fell, in shock. "It cannot be..." he uttered, his eyes wide.

"Dad" Lily spoke, "do you know who this is?"

Eros couldn't bring himself to speak. Suddenly, flashes of bright light surrounded them, and they turned into the other Olympians, likely wanting to see what was happening, so they teleported. Some of their demigod children were with them, including Donny with his parents Hephaestus and Aphrodite. When they laid their eyes on the man, they seemed just as shocked as Eros, especially a god with blonde hair who also glowed, who Lily recognized as Apollo, driver of the sun chariot, who was with his son, Paul.

"Uh..." Eros couldn't seem to form words, quite unusual for a god, "this is, uh-"

"Please" the glowing man said, "you have already taken so much from me. Let me tell my story."

Eros nodded slightly, still not bothering to look the man in the eye. The man spoke up:

"I am Helios, god of the sun, and original driver of the sun chariot."

## Characters

From left to right:

Row 1: Kimmy, Kara, Lani

Row 2: Lily, Lio