The meeting

(originally posted by YearEnds)

Emily sighed and said, to nobody in particular, "Well, it's great that she knows how to use her powers, but you'd think she could have let me know how to use mine!" Looking closely at where Mel and Amia had just been, Emily focused her mind in a certain way.

All of a sudden she felt herself rushing in some indescribable direction, squeezing through an impossibly small tunnel while relaxing in a luxurious bath the size of the universe. She was more aware of herself than ever before, even though she knew she didn't exist. The trip took an eternity, but as soon as it had begun, it ended, and Emily found herself in a huge meeting hall near the head of a long table.

"Looks like you win, Amia," said Melissa as she forked over five hundred dollars. God shook her head. "I had too much confidence in you, Em. I thought you'd take no more than three octillion years to get here, but I guess Amia's got more experience with new angels, because she said no way."

"Three octillion years?"

"Yeah, and then you actually took ten duodecillion. But whatever, you're here now so we can get started."

"Ten duodecillion?" said Emily, almost to herself.

"In Heaven Standard Time," said Amia. "Only a quintillionth of a second passed in the universe while you were teleporting yourself here."

"And how long did it take you two to get here, in Heaven Standard Time?"

"A quintillionth of a second," said Melissa and Amia simultaneously. "Of course, I was here a few billion years before she got here," added Melissa.

A hard-faced woman who looked to be about thirty-five, sitting to Emily's left--and looking rather angry about having to sit there--rapped her fingers on the table. "This meeting of the Council of Heaven is called to order, the first in the reign of the Goddess Melissa Goddess Rutherford, may it be everlasting. As is traditional in the first meeting with a new God, and because she has seen fit to add a new member to our ranks, we will briefly introduce ourselves. For my part, I am Dorothea, formerly second among the archangels and chief ruler of Hell."

The introductions proceeded clockwise.

"I am Gabriel, archangel responsible for prophecy."

"I'm Michael, archangel responsible for angelic visitations."

"I am Achré, second-in-command of Hell and chief of Purgatory." Amia gave him a warm smile.

"I'm Linda Simmons, the former God Jack Simmons's mother."

"I'm Cindy MacPherson, the former God Jack Simmons's girlfriend."

"I'm Mary MacPherson, Cindy's sister."

"I'm Sally Simmons, the former God Jack Simmons's sister." She and Mary exchanged lustful looks.

"I am Amia"--she paused for an instant--"Angel Divine, co-chief archangel."

"I am Melissa Goddess Rutherford, the new Goddess."

"I'm Emily Angel Davies"--she hesitated--"co-chief archangel and Mel's girlfriend."

Dorothea rapped the table again. "Before we move to our first order of business, God has the floor."

"I have little to say for now, except that I have no plans to alter your roles any further, and that you can all call me Mel." Dorothea, Gabriel, Michael and Achré looked relieved.

"For our first order of business," said Dorothea, "I, along with Gabriel, Michael and Achré, would like to officially complain about this profligate promotion of humans to our ranks. While almost all of us began our existences as mortals, it was only through long work and merit that we were granted the status of archangel and a seat on the Council of Heaven. Now, in the short span of a few days, by universal reckoning, our number has doubled, for no better reasons than familial bonds and sexual attraction. And even Jack Simmons, though he promoted four to our ranks shortly before passing on his position, did not have the audacity to promote a human to a role higher than all of ours!"

"I will not reverse these decisions, Dorothea," said Melissa firmly. "My predecessor knew well that this Council had become set in its ways and required new ideas, and so promoted those humans dearest to him, and as for Em, she is as dear to me as Jack's family was to him. I will not be without her and I will not have her outranked--is that clear?"

Dorothea bowed her head and said, almost muttering, "Your will be done, Mel."

"As it was, is and always shall be," intoned the other archangels, Emily knowing instinctively what to say.

"For our second order of business..." Dorothea continued with the agenda, which Emily found quite mundane, seeking Mel's approval for such matters as an expansion of Heaven to accommodate the ten billion new souls that had been found worthy in the previous universal year, which Mel approved, a comprehensive list of allowed punishments for those damned to Hell--Mel approved, item by item, the entire list of three trillion, nine hundred and sixteen billion, forty-two million, seven hundred and forty-five thousand, eight hundred and twenty-three, which was read in its entirety, but to Emily's relief added none of her own--and a proposal to increase the time differential between the Heavenly Realms--Heaven, Hell and Purgatory--and the universe by a thousandfold, to accommodate the accelerating **** rate and allow time for proper judgment of the dead, which Mel approved once it was changed to a billion rather than a thousand.

"That concludes the agenda," said Dorothea. "Do you have anything to add, Mel?"

"Yes, I do. I said I would not be changing your roles, but I will be changing you--specifically, Gabriel, Michael and Achré, and by extension Amia. As you all know, I am a lesbian, and a horndog." Dorothea looked a bit offended at Mel's language. "Consequently, while I do not mind men as such, I will not have anyone among my archangels who identifies primarily as male. Therefore, henceforth Gabriel, Michael and Achré shall identify as female and be Gabriella, Michelle and Ashley. As for you, Amia, you are now a lesbian." Dorothea opened her mouth to protest but Emily saw a bolt of power issue from Mel and silence the ruler of Hell. "And you're going to be a lot sexier from now on, Dorothea." With that, everyone around the table became amazingly attractive, appearing to be human women around twenty years of age.

"I am also going to be operating chiefly from my apartment and university. Therefore you will all need human identities as students at Orange State. You may choose your year and major, but your middle names shall be Angel, and for those of you without surnames, those shall be Divine. You will also have apartments in the same complex as mine. Linda, Sally, Cindy and Mary shall live together, and Dorothea, Gabriella and Michelle shall cohabit. Amia and Ashley will live with Em and I. While I have no objection to your using your powers while on Earth, including memory alteration to keep your true natures hidden, I will be angry if you return to the Realms and spend too long a time here. I would recommend that Dorothea and Ashley find angels among their ranks who can serve as deputy rulers of Hell and Purgatory in your absences."

"It is done, Mel," the two said after a second.

"Good," and with that the Council found themselves in Mel's apartment. "That concludes this meeting of the Council."

Dorothea bowed her head, and Emily did the same upon seeing all the other archangels do so. "We are sheltered in the light of our Goddess, and we bask in Her omnipotence. Her will is all will, and may Her reign be everlasting." With that the archangels vanished until only Melissa, Emily, Amia and Ashley were left in the apartment.

"So," said Mel, "it's my first night as God, and I feel like celebrating! Where do you think we should go? I'm open to suggestions."