I looked up at the gates leading to the Gods realm. It was everything I had imagined, large golden gates on a white, fluffy cloud. What I did not expect was the stairs. There had to be at least two thousand steps. Not something I wanted to climb after four days of travelling through a forest, especially considering that the stairs looked steep, very steep.

“It’s two hundred and forty-nine thousand steps.”

“Excuse me.”

“Your face was asking how many steps there were and if we really have to climb them?”

“Do we?”

“Lucky for you no.”

She stepped onto the bottom step and waited for me to follow. I stepped forward and she pushed a small red button that was hidden on the corner of the step. The step suddenly began moving forward, bringing us closer to the gates.

“One good thing about gods being lazy is that they hate walking up and down so many steps. So, this was the creation of that problem.  Ah, look we nearly there.”

I looked up and had to look away quickly. The sun reflected off the gates blinding anyone who looked to long directly at it. Fer seeing my mistake, covered my eyes with her hand only to removed it a second later.

“You can look up now.”

I did and saw that I could stare at the gates. “Thank you.”

Fer looked away and walked up the last few steps. When I got to the top, I found Fer talking to a man. No, a god. He had fair skin, blue eyes and brown hair. An average looking man. However, the normality stopped there. He had two faces, one on the front of his head, the other on the back.

“Fer, you’re messing with humans again.” The god laughed when he saw me walking towards them. “Didn’t you learn the first time. Or did you forget what happened last time.”

Fer flinched and glared at the god. “Janus, meet Cal. He’s a storyteller that will be travelling with me to write down my adventures for the humans. It will be my last gift before leaving the human realm forever.”

Silence rang through the forest. Fer was leaving the Human realm forever. I could not believe it. She had been part of human stories since the beginning of time. It was like all magic was going to leave the Human realm if she left. Even Janus looked shocked at what she said. How could she just drop that in a causal conversation.

The silence ended as quickly as it had begun when she continued, “Cal, this is Janus. God of gateways, doors, new beginnings and two-faced people.”

Janus coughed. “You still haven’t gotten that have you? It’s been 400 years.”

Fer just kept glaring at him saying nothing. I made a mental note to ask her about it and as well as what she meant by leaving the Human realm forever. Janus looked back at me. “Well, little human you must be a great storyteller to have caught Fer’s eye. She hasn’t taken a personally interest in a human for the past fifty years.”

His head turned to the side so that I could see back face. “It’s actually seventy years. You never were the smart side.”

“Oh, shut up. As least I’m the better looking side.” Janus turned his head back so I could see his front face. “Don’t you think so, human?”

“Umm….” How could I tell him that his face was the same on either side.

Fer sighed putting her head in her hand. “It’s been sixty years, okay, and both of your faces look the same.”

Janus huffed loudly taking offence to what Fer said. He turned to me and said, “Well, human, when you are finished travelling and writing stories for Fer, came back here so that you may be blessed with the stories of the gods.”

Fer murmured to me, “Not that it is really a blessing, more that the gods just want someone to listen to them as they boast about their ‘greatest’.”

Janus frowned at the comment. “Anyway, Cal, I am happy to welcome you to the realm of the gods. As for you, Fer, I hope you fail at whatever you’re up too. And when you do, think of it as my divine punishment for offending me.”

With that the gates swung open and Janus disappeared. Fer turned to me and said, “Well, Cal welcome to the Gods realm. Keep close and your mouth shut. As you saw, gods are easily offended, because most are complete morons.”