Vengeance of Orion by Ben Bova Page B

not certain that your way is the best method," Zeus said.
    "I'm certain it's not ," said the woman.
    "I'm going ahead with it whether you approve or not," the Golden One retorted. "These are my creatures and I will bring them to the point where they can be of true assistance to us."
    The others in the circle murmured and nodded or shook their heads. There was no unanimity among them. As I watched, they began to fade away, to blur and dissolve until only the Golden One and I stood facing each other against the all-pervasive glow of a place that had no location, no time, in any world that I knew.
    "Well, Orion, you have met the others. Some of them, at least."
    "You spoke of us as your creatures," I said. "Do the others have creatures of their own, as well?"
    "Some do. Others seem more interested in meddling with my creatures than in creating their own."
    "Then . . . the men and women of Earth—you created them?"
    "You were one of the first of them, Orion," he answered. "And, in a sense, you then created us."
    "What? I don't understand."
    "How could you?"
    "You created the human race so that we can help you," I said, repeating what I had heard.
    "Ultimately, yes."
    "But while the others think you will bring us humans to their aid, you actually plan to have us help you against them ," I realized.
    He stared at me.
    "And that will make you the mightiest of all the gods, won't it?"
    He hesitated for a moment before replying. "I am the mightiest of all the Creators, Orion. The others may not recognize that fact, but it is so."
    Now I felt my lips twisting into a sardonic smile.
    He knew my thought. "You think I do this out of egomania? Out of lust for worship by creatures I myself created?" He shook his head sadly. "How little you understand. Do you have any great desire for your sandals to adore you, Orion? Is it necessary for your happiness to have your sword or the knife hidden under your kilt to proclaim you as the greatest master they have ever known?"
    "I don't understand . . ."
    "How could you? How could you dream of the consequences that I am dealing with? Orion, I created the human race out of necessity, truly—but not the necessity to be adored! The universes are wide, Orion, and filled with dangers. I seek to protect the continuum, to keep it from being torn apart by forces that you could not even imagine. While the others dither and bicker, I act. I create. I command!"
    "And to accomplish your goal it is necessary for Troy to win this war?"
    "Yes!"
    "And it was necessary to destroy the starship we were riding? Necessary to kill the woman I loved? The woman who loved me?"
    For a moment he looked almost startled. "You recall that?"
    "I remember the starship. The explosion. She died in my arms. We both died."
    "I revived you. I returned you to life."
    "And her?"
    "She was a goddess, Orion. I can only revive creatures whom I myself have created."
    "If she was a goddess, how could she die?"
    "Gods and goddesses can die, Orion. Tales of our immortality are rather exaggerated. As are the pious recitations of our goodness and mercy."
    I felt my heart thudding in my chest, the blood roaring in my ears. My head swam. I could barely breathe. I hated this man, this golden self-styled god, this murderer. Hated him with every fiber of my being. He claims to have created me, I told myself. Yet I will destroy him.
    "I did not want to kill her, Orion," he said, and it almost sounded sincere. "It was beyond my control. She chose to make herself human. For your sake, Orion. She knew the risks and she accepted them for your sake."
    "And died." A murderous rage was burning inside me. Yet when I tried to take a step toward him, I found I could not move. I was frozen, immobilized, unable even to clench my fists at my sides.
    "Orion," said the object of my hatred, "you cannot blame me for what she did to herself."
    How wrong he was!
    "You must serve me whether you like it or not," he insisted. "There is no way for you to avoid your destiny,