In the War Between Heavens

“Take the left!” snaps my superior. “No, no. Not that left, the other one!” I glare angrily at the space in front of me. “We need to get inside that Pantheon, now.”

“If you can find another angel who can break ancient Greek magic, I suggest you find them.” I refocus my attention on the object in front of me. In all its glory stands a large Pantheon. It is grander than anything I have seen before. It isn’t like ours at home but here, in Greece, the Pantheon is something we all want. While most Western cultures have a form of single God, the Greek and Roman people believe--well believed--in many.

Their gods are flawed and are humane. They are not like our God or like most God-figures. Instead, they are just powerful humans. Many have stopped believing in these Gods and as unfortunate as it sounds, we are what humans like to call “conquerors”. We take what was left behind by other religions and use it to grow stronger. When people move away from a certain religion, a stronger one takes over. It just so happens that the Roman and Greek Gods had put up a fight for the longest time. We had taken over simple gods such as Ra, the Sun God. There have been many religions that have fallen by the side and the strong religions--Christianity, Islamic, Hindus, and Buddhism--have taken over.

We are at war with most religions. We are a strong one that has many followers and believers. That is in human followers, however. The way most religions work is much like countries on Earth. When one country is strong, they take over the areas around it. Christianity has spread and has the most areas covered. The Buddhists are relatively secluded and the Islamic people have begun to spread. The weaker religions are still holding on but are losing the battle more and more with each passing day.

Time is different in Heaven. Many people think time stops; perhaps it does. Every human has a different perception of time and in Heaven, there are so many different perceptions that I don’t think they bother anymore. The Greeks and Christians have been fighting for a long time; almost since the Greeks began to lose followers. The Christians see it as time to take over and the Greeks are stubborn. I see some of the Gods on the battle field but they are so much like their warriors it is hard to tell who is who. For example, we fought the Greek Goddess Artemis a short time ago and, though we lost, the Goddess did not stand out among her warriors. They all were slender and beautiful, all were excellent in archery and all had a graceful way of moving. The only way I could tell she was different was from the way she carried herself; the way power rolled off her. I wondered then what it would be like to be a goddess.

“Are you done yet?” Angels are perfect in every way; perfect skin, hair, eyes, bodies, and personalities. However, there are a few that spend too much time watching day-time television shows; namely my superior. Angels have no emotions. None of them feel, love, hurt; nothing. They are just marble sculptures that move and fight and protect the religion like the Imperial Army protecting China from the Huns. We angels just fight and fight and try to keep the religion alive. The wall I am breaking into is an invisible wall that is surrounding the Pantheon. It is to protect the gods from us. I finally break enough of the wall for it to start to crack. I look back at my superior and he grins. "Thank you," he says as he walks passed me and into the area. I glance at the wall of angels that walk into the Pantheon's space and shake my head. I pick up my long staff and follow after them. I am a warrior. I am a strong and agile warrior and I have no problem killing someone who stands in the way of our mission.

I walk in and as I do, men and women charge out to fight. I see no reason for them to do so; they are losing. They are losing badly, I might add. We have them surrounded and still they fight. I suppose it is because they are a proud religion. I have learned a lot about the Greeks from years of fighting and I know they are determined and they are proud. The ones that have given up were cowardly and did things because it fit their means of life. The ones that stayed are intelligent and worthy of survival. It is a shame that we must defeat them. I walk further into the Pantheon and see the structure of the building. The design for the outer part of it is simple; easy lines and planes and yet, it was so advanced. It is so beautiful that it is almost moving. The interior is stunning. I walk through the tall door to find bodies lying lifeless on the cool marble floor. It is stained blue and a pale white. I wonder what the symbols mean but keep walking. I see tall archways, large pillars that separate where I am from shadowed hallways, large open windows that let light in and a high, overbearing ceiling that seemed to touch the sky.

“Who are you?” demands a voice from behind me. I look back and see a man; he looks like the Greek Apollo. His bright, golden hair is matted with blood and his dark blue eyes are full of hatred. I stare at him and he comes closer to me. He has a sword, ready to fight. My staff grows and on the end is a large blade that could easily cut him without a thought. "Who are you?" he demands from me again. I start forward and he falls back into attack position. "Don't step any closer!" he orders.

"You are angry," I say.

"You monsters have come into my home and tried to take it from me. I have a right to be angry!"

"Does it make you feel better? To be angry, I mean."

"What?" he asks, standing up.

"Do you feel relieved after you are done being angry? Have you ever killed in anger? Are you human? Mortal?"

"I….Don't change the subject!" he snarls.

"I just want to know. Do you find it easier to fight when you are angry?"

"I don…I don't think so."

"Then why do you get angry?"

"I don't know! Stop asking me questions and fight me!" I shrug and start forward, ready to kill him. I stare into his eyes and for a moment, I see something.

"I do not want to fight you." I say as I stop.

"Why?" he asks.

"When I look at you, I see a man. A man with hopes, dreams, feelings, wants, desires and fears. I cannot take the life of a man who wants to be something even though he is already something to someone."

"I am nothing here. I am a slave to Apollo and the other gods. The men and women like me are the only entertainment they have now."

"When did you become trapped?"

"Many years ago. I have been alive for too long, I don't remember when. I was an offering and here I stand; offered as bait to the brutes who came to take our home."

"You do not like it here?"

"I like it more than Earth. Humans are petty and they are weak."

"Are your gods not the same? Do they not act upon their will and upon things that will please them?"

"And what of your god?" demands the man. "Who are you to demean the men and women who I have praised for years when your God seems to allow all of these bad things to happen?"

"I have utter faith in my God. He is wise and he is powerful. He has a reason for what is happening. He has a plan."

"Or maybe he is just as bad as Apollo and the others. Maybe, your God doesn't care about his people."

"Why would he not care about them? He gave them his son, saw their cruelty and still allow them to enter his kingdom. He loves his children."

"As do my Gods. They are weak, selfish and petty but they are noble and they have more good qualities than bad."

"I do not understand you, Greek. You hate them, yet you defend them?"

"I don't want to lose in any way to a fiend like you."

"You call me a fiend yet you know only that I am here to fight you. I am not here to kill anyone, Greek. I am here only to be of service to my God."

"Why do you believe in him so much?"

"He made me. I am his and my service is his. I owe him my life and for that, I will risk it to protect what is his."

"You have never seen him, why do you still risk your life?" I stared at him and he smiled. "You don't feel anything do you?" he asks. I shake my head.

"I feel nothing but the complete devotion to my God."

"What's that like?" I stare and think.

"Cold," I say. "Very cold."

"I can only imagine."

"I look down on humans and see them do things because of emotions," I look around me, as if somewhere, I will find a human example. "Do you often do things because of the emotions you have?"

"I don't have much choice in what I feel, really. I cannot love a woman since there are none here, I cannot be happy because of Apollo's love to torture me, I cannot be sad because Apollo has never given me time to be alone to grieve anything and I can really only be angry. I have been angry for so long, though, I feel jaded to its healing nature." I nod and look back at him. "You are beautiful," he says. I raise an eyebrow and turn my head. "Your eyes are like diamonds. Cold, hard reflections of the person I should have been." I frown once more. "Your hair is like the soul these Gods have ripped from me," he starts to laugh and walks over to me. "My name is Aias," he says as he puts his hand over his heart and bows. I nod my head and look around.

"Hamaliel," I say. He smiles at me and looks at the Pantheon as well.

"Is your home like this?" he asks.

"No," I say. "It is simple and it is cold and…lonely."

"I thought you couldn't feel anything," he teases.

"I feel that," I look at him. "I feel empty. I know many have felt the same and all have fallen. In a war against Heavens, angels always fall first. They see the things that God has not given them and they feel betrayed and leave. Many of us have fallen or have been killed off."

"Do you want to leave?" he asks.

"I love my Father. Nothing could make me leave."

"What if the reason you're empty is because he wants you to find something to be that piece you're missing. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and she says that every person needs love whether it be a man or a woman to marry, a child to depend on them, a friend to be there when no one else will; we all need love. Perhaps the love for your God is not the only love you need. Perhaps he wants you to find someone else."

"Angels do not love." He smiles and shrugs.

"Not right away, but perhaps you can learn."

"How?" He holds out his hand for me to shake and smiles again.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. My name is Aias. It is nice to meet you." I stare at his hand.

"I already introduced myself." He starts to laugh and shakes his head before reaching for my hand. My blade is against his neck and he looks up at me with cool blue eyes.

"May I see your hand?" he asks. He is calm and patient. I narrow my eyes before giving him my hand. He places it in his and moves our hands in an up and down motion. "Now say 'nice to meet you Aias' and introduce yourself again." I frown and do as he says.

"Nice to meet you Aias. My name is Hamaliel, angel of logic." He smiles and continues to shake my hand.

"See? Now we're friends."

"Friends?"

"Friends!" he announced. "Come with me. I know a way out of here and we can talk some more."

"But the others," I say as I turn away. He pulls me back gently and stares down at me.

"If I learned anything here in this Hell, I know that there will always be a war to come back to. There won't, however, be chances to make new friends. Please," he says as he holds out his elbow for me to take. "Come walk with me." I stare at him and walk forward.

"Lead the way," I say. He follows after and we walk through the Pantheon until we reach an underground tunnel.

"Ladies first," he offers. I look at him and he shrugs with a small grin. "Fine, I will be the gentleman and go first." I follow after him. We walk for a long ways and when we stop, he opens an old wooden door. We step out into a large field and I stare at the flowers, trees, and animals. "This is a place where Apollo spends most of his time when he is upset. It's a nice quiet place that only he and I know about." I nod and stare at him. "We'll head over this way and talk." I glance at the ground and clear my throat.

"Thank you for being my friend," I say suddenly. He smiles at me, something I think he picked up from the humans, and nods.

“You are very welcome, Hamaliel. Thank you for being my friend.” I nod a little and follow him into the garden. As I do, feathers fly around me and I stare at them for a moment. I stare at the thing that made me who I was. I don't feel different; I only feel at peace. “Hamaliel?” Aias asks. I watch the feathers fly away and look down in shame. “Are you alright?” I look at him and nod.

“Come, let us talk in this garden for a while.” I say. He nods and continues on. I follow him and look around me, wondering if God knows where I am. “God, I hope this is what you planned for me,” I say softly, closing my eyes. The wind dances through my hair and the feathers dance in the direction of Aias. I look at him and he is staring at me.

“Come on, slow poke! My Gods you are slower than Apollo on bath day.” I feel the edges of my mouth turn up and walk to where he is sitting. I sit down beside him and he starts to laugh.

"What ever are you laughing at?" I ask, glaring in his direction.

"You seem so uncomfortable. Relax! We're immortal. We have all the time in the world."

"You are not worried about the war?" He looks at me, his blue eyes wise somehow.

"Wherever there are countries, there will be war. Wherever people are, there will be armies. Don't worry so much about it. More of us will come and defend our Gods. What is the difference between them and us? We are pawns for them anyway. Subject to their foolish wars." I stare at him and look down, licking my lips. "Enough of this sad talk!" he announces. "Now, I was talking to one of the other servants…." I look at the feathers that are flying around him and feel a sense of completion. Perhaps I was made for more than just war.