Reminders of choices

"Oh, come on, that's just being petty," Eris shoved the folder back into her valise and slung it over one shoulder.

"No, that's being cautionary," Zeus smiled. "You can't make exceptions. Once word gets out that a god has gone soft, people start to think they can write better rules, and then you have to wipe out a few economies before people take you seriously again."

Zeus began placing the papers on his desk back into a drawer.

"Ok, fine... you wanna be petty, I'll be petty," Eris walked to the foot of the desk and confidently placed her hands on her hips. "You want me to tell Penelope here how she managed to completely keep you at bay for ten years? How she tied up your forces in petty squabbling over one little island..."

"That's a lie," Zeus slammed his hand down on the desk.

"A lie? Only technically. What name were you going under? Antinous? Wasn't it?" Eris smirked. "Even got a whole cult in Rome and everything... you're always usually so happy to take credit... I mean there was that one time you tried to date me pretending to be your own son..."

"Get out of here," Zeus pointed at the door which now flew open to reveal... nothing beyond. "You two are done. You are out. Completely out. Your little gag cult is OVER. It's a joke, and it stays a joke, you little shit. This is how you repay my generosity and hospitality? GET OUT!"

"So, it IS our move then..." Eris inquired.

"I don't care, get out of my sight. OUT!" He pointed again towards the door. "You've got ten seconds. Nine..."

"Uh, that's our cue..." Eris grabbed my arm as Zeus stared at the two of us with electricity beginning to swirl around him. His voice intoned "SIX" as a roll of thunder seemed to echo in the word he spoke.

The doorway hung open, leading to a blank space of nothing. The blankness stood in front of me, a void of existence that terrified me beyond all conception.

"But it IS our move..." Eris inquired again, as a slight wind began to rise, crackling through the room. She tugged on me, and dragged me another step closer to the portal.

"GET OUT! FOUR!" The voice crashed again, the thunder nearly deafening with its closeness as outside a huge flash illuminated the interior of the office with a nearly blinding radiance.

"Uh, but how are we supposed to..." My mind whirled trying to think of what I could do with... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"THREE!" The crack of lighting followed by another roll of thunder, smashing one of the windows in a shower of glass and metal. Zeus stood in the middle of the shower, untouched as the pieces rained down.

"Normally this is the point when I say something Inspiring... but I got nothing..." Eris pulled me towards the door which slapped against the wall occasionally, the light sound a strange contrast to the whipping wind and sounding of storms.

My hand found the doorframe, and I placed one foot inside. I could stand at least. Stand in this... nothing. The thought of this, nothing but blankness forever was horrifying, but behind me the psycho with lightning seemed just as bad.

"ONE!" Zeus' hair had come free from the ponytail and it was now rising, the currents flowing through him like...

Eris kissed me. Her lips were full and pleasant, and she giggled a little as she pressed against me in a hug.

"For Luck." She grinned. "Always wanted to do that."

I stepped forward, pulling Eris with me, and as we crossed the Threshold the door closed behind us without a sound.

The first thought that I had was the distinct lack of sound. Nothing. Just the white room, with no real substance anywhere else. Eris was crushed against me, her arms around me, and her wings fluttering quietly. The grey suit she was wearing was an interesting texture under my fingers, I had to admit, feeling almost like extremely finely spun wool. It was a nice reminder of other times for some reason.

"Ugh..." Eris exhaled roughly, releasing her grip on me. She took a step backwards and brought her hands to her face, rubbing her temples carefully. "Ugh..." She repeated again, with no words. Just expressing all of her feelings in an exhale of pure disgust. "Baby boomers... they just can't take a fucking joke, can they7"

"Where... where are we?" I asked.

"Nowhere," Eris sighed. "Absolutely nowhere. Nothing here."

"So..."

I looked around the blank featureless room. Nothing here. Not even walls to mark a room. The door we had entered from wasn't there anymore, as I knew it wouldn't be. I was starting to get a feel for this. Not much of a feel, to be honest, but at least I had somebody to talk to.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news," Eris smiled again.

"Just give me the bad news," I sighed. "Might as well obey the formalities."

"Well, the bad news is that we're stuck in a blank room of nothing, with no exits, in a game that everybody knows can't be won, with no access to anything outside. No electricity, no food, no water, so, you know, you'll probably die of thirst before you die of starvation, no corner to use for facilities..."

I closed my eyes, but the white seemed to penetrate even there. Only now I couldn't see Eris, which was somehow even worse, and opened them again to find her dressed in her her old leather vest and split skirt outfit, complete with leather boots and smokes.

"... pretty much... nada. Zip, zilch, diddly, niente, tipota, and we have to figure out how to get you to the ball on time, Cinderella."

"So what's the good news?" I waited for the expected "We've got a lot of nothing." That almost always accompanied that joke, or some variation therof.

"It's our move, and effectively... Time in." Eris grinned. "And we're in a comedy. I already established the transitive rule of comedy was present, so... what can you think of that starts in a blank room?"

My mind flashed to dozens of movies that I'd seen, all of which began in the blank featureless room, or some minor variation therof.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I looked at Eris, who snapped a flaming 8-ball lighter closed in response after taking a drag from her cigarette.

"I'd like to take the credit, but it wasn't me alone," Eris smiled. "You've got a hell of a team on your side, Penny."