05

4: The Gods Have Entered the Chat

I stood there, transfixed in horror, unsure of what I wanted to do next. Do I get a bucket of water and put the fire out? Do I jump in and save Shadow? But she didn’t look like a cat who needed or wanted to be saved. She had the same bored expression on her face.

Then I noticed it. The ropes were burning off and snapping away from the candles. The flames flickered, and slowly the wax that had dripped on the floor started to gather together to form a shape. Being used to Bhargavi’s tricks, I just waited for her to appear in the flesh.

But the person who materialized in front of me wasn’t Bhargavi. Like Bhargavi, she was dressed in modern clothes. But she wore a fitted golden dress and had a tiara in her hair. Her green eyes looked wildly around and then spotted me. Then she asked, annoyed, “Who are you? And why have you summoned me?”

Before I could answer, another figure appeared. But this time, it was a male! He was dressed in a suit, and his black eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene around him. He was rendered speechless by the scene in front of his eyes.

I braced my shoulders to answer their queries, but we were interrupted by yet another figure joining the group. Another man appeared dressed to the nines, but a deep sadness was evident in his eyes. There were lines on his otherwise youthful and handsome face.

Just when I thought it was over, another figure came into view. A young female. Looked younger than Bhargavi or the other woman in front of me. She was wearing a crocheted dress, with strings hanging from all sides, especially the tapered ends of her skirts.

She looked around and exclaimed happily, “Oh, brothers and sister! To what do we owe this happy reunion?”

The older of the two men jerked his head in my direction and said, “I don’t know. Ask her. She’s the one who summoned us.”

How to summon a deity – the spell never said I’d end up calling upon multiple deities! I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong.

Meow.

Of course. The cat.

“You’re not an ordinary cat, are you?” I whispered to Shadow, who just stood there, with the same bored expression on her face.

I sank weakly back on the sofa, burying my head in my hands, and said, “I am so sorry. I meant to summon Bhargavi. She hasn’t been answering me in ages. And I miss…my friend.”

“Bhargavi?” the younger woman asked, shocked. “Ohhhh. You’re friends with our other sister?” Suddenly, she sounded delighted. “Is that who you were trying to summon?”

“Yes,” I said, meekly, “We had met seven years ago. I just wanted to…you know… check in.”

“That’s so sweet,” she said, happily, “We hardly hear from our patrons once we’ve helped them.”

Help was a strong word for what Bhargavi had put me through seven years ago. Before I could check myself, I ended up snorting.

“How did you end up summoning a pantheon of deities?” the older man asked curiously, “I don’t think anyone has ever managed that.”

“Wasn’t me,” I said, weakly, finally raising my head to look at the four deities now standing in my living room, “It was Shadow.”

Meow.

The first woman who had appeared when I had cast the spell clapped her hands in happiness again. “Well, since we are here, why don’t you tell us what you need help with? Maybe we can put our heads together and help you out.”

“No,” I tried to protest, “I was genuinely just trying to find out what has been going on with Bhargavi…er…”

“Oh, where are my manners?” the deity in front of me said, shrugging, “I am Vayari. I am the Goddess of Luck,” She pointed to the well-dressed man who had appeared after her, “this Ishaan – God of Wealth & Prosperity,” she pointed to the other man, “and this is Eshvaar – God of War & Wisdom. And this,” she said, pointing to the other woman in the room, “is Nyara. She’s the Goddess of Fate & Secrets.”

I nodded, trying to make mental notes of everything this deity who had just appeared in my living room was telling me. As though it was normal for me to host celestial beings in my humble apartment daily!

“So why did you cross paths with Bhargavi seven years ago?” Vayari asked me, curiously now, “Were you trying to find your one true love? Do you need some luck in finding him or her?”

“I…I…” I was trying to find the right words to describe what had happened seven years ago. It had honestly felt like a blur to me at times. Half the time, I convinced myself that I had dreamed the whole thing up. The lack of evidence of Bhargavi's existence was on my side. Except when Shadow decided to barge into my life. Except when a group of deities was standing around in my living room, chitchatting about my life. As though this was something ordinary.

“She doesn’t need luck,” Eshvaar said, cutting me off even before I could begin my sentence, “She needs strategy.”

“For heaven’s sake, she’s trying to find love. She’s not going to war!” Vayari groaned, “C’mon, Eshvaar. We’ve talked about this before. Love isn’t war?”

“Oh, no?” he challenged, “Then tell me why I receive thousands of prayers every day asking me to help navigate relationships?”

“She needs to find wealth and prosperity in what she has right now,” Ishaan said grimly. He looked directly at me and asked, “Raashi, do you feel abundant?”

“Er…” I said, trying to find words to explain to these quarrelling deities how bizarre the whole thing seemed.

“You are all wrong,” Nyara said, her tone clipped, “Only Fate can decide what she wants, and Raashi’s Fate says…”

I clapped my hands over my ears and said, “No, no, no, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know! I want it to be a surprise. For the love of all deities, do not tell me!”

“Fine, I won’t tell you,” Nyara said, amused, “But you know I can steer you in the right direction.”

“Please don’t,” I said weakly, “I had a similar deal with Bhargavi. It did not go so well.”

“That’s because you only had the Goddess of Love steering you,” Vayari said, gleefully, “This time, it’s going to be all of us. Twice the fun. Twice the help.”

Twice the mess, I couldn’t help but think to myself. I sighed. There was no talking these celestial beings out of this. They were treating my life as their project. There was little I could do, besides take a backseat and watch it all play it.

Then it happened.

The candle flickered. At first, it was just a crackle, then it roared to life, and spat out the woman I had been on a desperate hunt for for the last seven years. Bhargavi’s cold eyes found mine. I expected an explanation. I knew she wouldn’t apologize.

“Hello, Raashi,” she said coldly. “I see you have found a way to summon almost all the deities.”

I should have said something snarky. I should have said something mean. Instead, I found myself gasping, “There’s more of you guys?”

Bhargavi acted as though she hadn’t heard me. She turned to her siblings and asked, “What are we discussing?”

“We are trying to figure out how to get Raashi back on a winning streak,” Vayari explained, happily, “And we all think the others’ strategies are wrong.”

“Care to make a wager?” Bhargavi asked lightly.

Immediately, everyone’s ears perked up. Even Shadows. Bhargavi continued in the same bored tone, “Whoever wins at finding Raashi what she’s looking for, gets to be in charge for the next year. No challenges will be issued against them.”

“No veto by calling in The Council?” Eshvaar asked sceptically, “Right?”

“You have my word,” Bhargavi said, “The word of a deity.”

“Fine,” Ishaan agreed, and then pointed quite rudely at me, “But if this is what we’re wagering on, she has to really step up her game!”

“Don’t worry,” Bhargavi said, in the same lofty tone, “She will. Raashi knows what’s at stake for her, too. Especially because this is the second time, she’s asked celestial beings for help. She knows the consequences.”

“Hey, I was just trying to check in with you!” I protested, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple really,” Nyara said, pulling at one of the strings of her crochet dress, “You’ve already tried to mess with your Fate once. Do it enough times, the strings will begin breaking…”

“Does listening to you mean I’m already messing with my Fate?” I asked, horrified. I didn’t want to know what happened when the last string broke. Having grown up on a diet of fairy tales and myths, I knew how the story might end. And didn’t want any part of it.

“Sweetheart,” Vayari said, gently, “You kind of set the ball rolling when you cast the summoning spell. Let’s just hope with our help, you can find what you’re looking for as quickly as possible.”

I sighed. There was no way out of this. Just as there had been no way out of it seven years ago. History was repeating itself. Somehow in a five times worse manner.

Meow.

I looked down to see Shadow rubbing her little body against Bhargavi’s ankles, purring. For a second, the coldness lifted, and she laughed.

“At least someone in this house knows how to properly greet me!” she said. Then she looked straight into my eyes and asked, “Let’s start the clock on finding what you’re looking for, then, shall we?”


📌Author's Note

Since in this chapter we are introduced to a plethora of deities at once, here's a quick glossary to help you keep track of who's who in this world.

The Five Celestials

🌟 Bhargavi – Goddess of Love: The first deity Raashi ever invoked, Bhargavi is the keeper of love in all its forms—passionate, unrequited, destined, and doomed.

💰 Ishaan – God of Wealth & Prosperity: A celestial trader with a golden aura, Ishaan walks the world disguised as a wandering merchant, testing mortals on their understanding of true wealth.

🎲 Vayari – Goddess of Luck: A mischievous shapeshifter, Vayari is neither kind nor cruel—she simply plays the game of fate.

⚔️ Eshvaar – God of War and Wisdom: A battle-scarred scholar, Eshvar is not a god of bloodshed but of strategy.

⏳ Nyara – Goddess of Fate & Secrets: The silent observer, Nyara is the keeper of the cosmic loom, weaving and unraveling destinies as she pleases. She is neither merciful nor cruel—only inevitable.


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