Well, it was past time already, and Pater could see certain members growing bored with the small talk.

            “…Was there a particular reason we were all called?”

            “It was probably the Wanderer, and she is late.” 

            “I can see why though, things have been getting a little more interesting...”

            A faint ripple at the Teller’s words, a few of the cosmics sitting nearby perking up at the bit of news. While most of them were eschewed in a city, Teller and Wanderer were among the few that still traveled regularly, like everyone did before Olympus, and the war. Perhaps there was something that the elder goddess could tell them.

            “Well, I don’t have specifics, but…” Teller paused, a chin briefly cupped in a parchment-wrapped hand as she considered. “…I can think of a few things, for sure.”

            “Such as?” This from Hades, the death god’s expression more polite but there was definitely a keen look in his eye. And, though Pater would have put the god off from pushing Teller too hard, he would say that Hades’s interest stemmed more from a desire to get ahead of whatever fresh change might be coming rather than any real malice. Such things did seem to hit hard and fast around here…

            “More new cosmics, for one. Some are botched regenerations from the war, but seeing as they’re mentally new as a result, I still count them. But, among them are new ones entirely. I don’t find many that are from a pantheon, either. Almost all of them are some form of Unaligned.”

            “Unaligned…?” One of Orochi’s heads echoed, seemingly more for the benefit of the rest as it quickly drew back up to converse with the other seven in rumbles and hissing. For the others, the news was something of an attention-grabber all its own, those in like pantheons looking between each other with something close to a mutual wariness, and others sitting up in interest. The four-limbed, shoddily clothed Drove was one, his table-mate Rush, the devil-may-care gentleman in the bomber jacket, giving each other quiet, almost amused glances.

            “How the tables have turned…” Though Drove probably wasn’t trying to make it heard, his voice still carried anyway, drawing the attention of Hades to Orochi, even Kur and the Hunter still sitting in the corner watching the proceedings with calm detachment.

            “And what could you mean by that, exactly?” Ogoun spoke up, Pater feeling a slight bit of irritation bubbling its way into a burgeoning headache. The last thing he wanted was for the more impulsive of the lot to destroy his bar…

            “I mean…well, think about it. The only reason that you all,” Drove indicated the Teller, the Mother, the Maiden, and the Hunter, “And the rest of the Old Pantheon are considered a pantheon is because they all arrived together, but looking through the ‘Verses does not show them venerated the same way you, the Greeks, or any of the other ‘known’ pantheons are.

“Even though, let’s be honest, a lot of them got diminished something fierce during the war, they’re still considered a pantheon even if they lack the numbers. Still have the family connections and all that…” Drove explained, voice calm though he was quietly watching Ogoun over the lip of his scarf, like the metal-working Loa might very well leap across the table if he took his eyes off him for more than an instant. “Folks like me, the Unaligned, we were outliers, but now, there’s probably enough of us to make a pantheon all our own. Just bears thinking about, that’s all I’m saying.”

            It did seem to satisfy Ogoun, at least begrudgingly, the fiery Loa leaning back with a steam-exuding sniff. The aloud thoughts seemed to trigger Teller’s mind, the elder goddess quietly clearing her throat before she spoke up.

            “Perhaps there is a reason for it. There was, many did not make it through the war, maybe this is the ‘Verses’ way of balancing it out, bringing more cosmics into the world.”

            “Since when did the ‘Verses care for our struggles…?” Someone murmured, soft enough that it was hard to say who had spoken, but loud enough that it could be heard. And given that after a moment it became clear that the speaker was not about to make himself or herself known or add any more to their thought, someone else picked up the conversation.

            “Besides, if I remember right, aren’t there quite a few particular types showing up nowadays?” Simbi stated from where he had tucked himself down, stirring the conversation back to dialogue and away from a simmering boil.

            “Anything specific that you’re noticing?” Hephaestus asked, the question causing Simbi to lean back for a moment in consideration, the dark skin of the spirit shimmering in a manner that reminded Pater of a snake’s skin. Rustling bluish robes, the water Loa seemed to internally toy with his answer before giving it voice.

            “Hmm, apart from the variations we saw in Muses before the war, there are also now the various…other cosmics that are running around, though I have been seeing only a few nature-based ones as of late. I hear the more technologically inclined ones started their own sort of group, much like this one.”

            “Where’d you hear that from?” One of Orochi’s heads asked, leaning back into the conversation to satisfy its curiosity.

            “I still keep in contact with the young Shore Hermit. She and Davey were both approached by one of the technological gods, or tech gods as they’re calling themselves now, who had made her a communicator that would not be destroyed by water. Apparently, they’re trying to…network, I think was the word that was used,” Simbi explained, Hades jumping in as the meaning became clear.

            “They are connecting with one another.”

            “That is the gist of it, yes. But they have their own, portable means of speaking.”

            “The Network, you mean.” Rush broke in, finding himself explaining as the attention of the other, older cosmics redirected to him. “It’s like writing a letter, but the other people get the letter right away, and can respond right away. Instant messaging, and you can do it pretty much in any major city. Think Net’s trying to work on doing it outside of that, not much luck there though…”

            “And Net is…?” Hades asked, his question being answered by Hina, who had been mostly a wallflower up until that point. Though, in retrospect, Pater couldn’t be too surprised, the moon goddess had a way of either knowing or taking the majority of the younger cosmics under her wing.

            “He calls himself the god of the Internet, or Network. He runs the whole of…what Rush just mentioned. Him and another god, mostly.”

            “If he can get messages sent out from the Inbetween, that could be very useful. Especially in some cases…” Orochi’s little jab regarding proper communication did not go unnoticed, though the nudge was bringing something to mind for one of the other attendants. Straightening up at the mention of messages, the Maiden looked between everyone for her opening before simply blurting out what was on her mind.

            “What about the coins?”

            The question got the attention of nearly everyone in the room, both directly participating in the conversation and not, so it was no surprise that the goddess shrank down a little at the sudden influx of eyes riveted to her, long hair drifting over her face despite a wreath of flowers crowning it. Though, at a gentle nudge from the Mother, she shakily tried again.

            “Th-The coins, isn’t using them a form of sending a message to others, that’s how we knew to meet for our meeting here…”

            “I can answer that, actually,” The Librarian jumped in, eyes mostly turning to him with courtesy though there were definitely a few that were more than a little wary at the once-Sentinel speaking. Old wounds did run deep, after all. “Wanderer had the idea, Scribe was the one who mainly put it together. The coins are specially linked, though the message can be delayed depending on where exactly the sender is. In order for this to work on whatever…Net is planning, every form of communication that would need to be linked, which can be hard if there are multiple kinds of communicators that he and any others might be using. Generally, that sort of spell needs…sameness to work properly. Hence the coins.”

            The explanation did get comprehension, though the few that had been looking at the Librarian with wary caution seemed more relieved that the order god had stopped talking. Not to mention that those Pater had noticed seemed a little quick to move the conversation onward, not that the Librarian appeared to notice. Or, if he did, he didn’t pay it any mind.

            “It’s good that they are reaching out to each other, though. Maybe it can help us overall, in finding new cosmics when they awaken,” Hades said. Pater’s attention turned to the Greek death god as he spoke, and though the idea was a sound one there were a few unenthusiastic, more irritated looks floating around the room, particularly from figures such as Ogoun, Kur, and the Hunter.

            Though, in the Hunter’s case, the sharper edge lasted for a moment before the nature god spoke up, more of an undertone but loud enough that he could easily be heard.

            “Perhaps it is time they start pulling their own weight.”

            “And how are they supposed to do that?” Rush asked, the question both somewhat pertinent, and made Pater briefly sit up and take notice of the more minute details of the interaction. He was acutely aware of the generational gap at play, with the Hunter being the older, by now more powerful and settled, and Rush being the younger, inventive but less experienced. It had been a dichotomy at work for a good while now, and partly why Rush was admitted as a member of this little club. But, given that there were still these differences, it made certain conversations a little dicey, to say the least. Especially when they got on this particular topic.

            Though for the moment, it seemed like things would not need his direct intervention, given that Teller had noticed the friction and sought to address it.

            “It would be good for the new ones, at any rate, to have this sort of a safety net given that our initial method did not work.”

            “Putting it mildly,” Hunter replied, his unimpressed stare now turning to his fellow elder cosmic. Teller, to her credit, took the faint annoyance in stride, not rising to the bait.

            “Either way, maybe this will be a better way to handle it overall. Especially considering that one is more likely to trust a peer than someone who has put themselves as a superior.”

            Perhaps the goddess hadn’t quite taken the remark with as much grace as Pater had initially thought, though it seemed that the words were the extent of the parchment-wrapped goddess’s anger, Teller’s attention turning to other topics. She might’ve been ready to continue talking, but the goddess’s voice abruptly caught, her words choking off in a gurgling croak before a wet cough erupted from underneath the script-inlaid bandages. Moving quickly to the elder goddess’s side, Pater handed Teller a glass of water that he’d grabbed from the refreshments. Shakily the parchment-wrapped cosmic lifted it to the lower half of her face, taking a long draught before lowering the cup to the table with a deep breath. Thankfully, Teller did not cough again, instead settling back into the chair as she continued to bring in a clear lungful of air. It did not completely escape Pater’s notice though that there was a small bit of black on the rim of the cup.