The city of Chaco had been built into the rocky walls of the canyon. Houses jutted out from those stone structures, connected by stairways made of brick and rock.
However, in front of the gigantic wall that jealously guarded the vast city—its surface painted with bird motifs—there were guards protecting the settlement. Clearly, getting inside would not be easy, and the last thing the gods wanted was to anger the population, because doing so would invite the rejection of their gods. The guards carried curious colorful masks and enormous spears.
“What do we do?” Menrva asked in frustration.
Freyja began to laugh.
“It’s men guarding the entrance, and we all know men only ever have one thing on their minds,” the goddess said with an amused look.
“Well, good thing you told me earlier you weren’t a whore,” Loki replied.
“It’s not about being a whore. It’s about knowing how to use the weapons we have, Loki,” the Norse goddess huffed at the dark god.
Then Freyja lifted her breasts to make them show more through her cleavage and removed the great cloak she was wearing. The goddess began walking toward the guards with a distressed expression, as though the desert heat were suffocating her.
When the guards saw her, they approached and began questioning her. Freyja had no idea what they were saying, but she started making drinking gestures while trying to get the soldiers to notice her breasts and admire them, all while putting on the look of a helpless, thirsty woman.
The guards grew nervous and started arguing among themselves. Freyja quickly figured out which one was the easiest to manipulate and touched his hand.
“Water?” the goddess said, looking at him pleadingly. Even though his face was hidden behind the mask, it was obvious he was thrilled.
At last, the men hurried to open the gate for the goddess. Then, suddenly, she straightened up and began slowly, sensually caressing her own body.
“My friends are thirsty too,” the goddess said, gesturing for the other girls to approach.
Loki was about to go in as well, but Menrva stopped him.
“I do not think you will catch their interest,” she said.
Loki burst into laughter and transformed his body into that of a very voluptuous woman.
“I am a trickster, dear. I can turn into a woman whenever it suits my tastes,” he said.
Loki wore the same clothes in female form, but for some reason, his skirt was now even shorter and his shirt had a much deeper neckline. It was obvious Loki knew exactly what he was doing.
“Did you really have to make your breasts that huge? Deviant!” Menrva said, making a disapproving gesture.
The goddesses then walked over to Freyja, and the soldiers became even more excited. They were five very beautiful women in the desert, and naturally, the guards could not allow them to die of thirst. The soldiers rushed into the city and brought buckets of water for the women to drink.
As the goddesses drank, the soldiers watched them with lovestruck eyes. As goddesses, their beauty was obviously far beyond that of ordinary women. Freyja even made sure that droplets of water slipped down into her cleavage while she drank.
Once the bucket was empty, the goddess approached the guard she had identified as the weakest, took him by the hand, and said, “Gogyeng Sowuhti?”
The soldiers understood that word perfectly. It was the name they used for Grandmother Spider.
The soldiers immediately turned serious and denied the goddesses’ request. However, Freyja sat down on the desert ground in a way that nearly revealed her charms. The soldiers were so flustered that they finally agreed to take them there—under escort, of course.
Freyja then rose, took the soldier’s mask off in a sensual motion, pressed her breasts lightly against his body, and breathed into his ear, “Thank you, darling.”
At that moment, the man felt as though he were in paradise, though his companions were plainly jealous.
The troop of guards escorted the goddesses through the city of Chaco. Without question, up to that point, it was the most impressive city they had seen in the New World: built of colored brick, with houses carved into the walls of the great canyon, corridors full of markets and life, and countless doors and stairways. In the end, they reached a vast plaza where an elderly woman sat, protected by several soldiers wearing dark masks and colorful feathers.
The soldiers approached the woman and said a few words to her in their language. She greeted them, then asked in clear divine speech, “I am the one you seek—Grandmother Spider. What do deities from distant lands want in my territory?”
The goddesses felt relieved to know she truly was Grandmother Spider. Ana then stepped forward before Menrva could and prostrated herself with her face to the ground.
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“My friend saw a being of death, and we wish to know whether you can heal her of her fears,” the goddess said.
The old woman looked at Epona and realized that was the girl Ana meant. Then she rose from her throne, approached Ana, and lifted her back to her feet.
“We do not allow such degradation here. Stand up!” said the old woman, then moved to Epona’s side.
The old woman examined her eyes, her ears, listened to her heart, made her raise her arms, opened her mouth, and inspected her tongue. After that, the woman returned to her throne and sat down again.
The elderly woman wore a long white robe that reached her feet. Her gray hair was styled in two spiral braids, and on her chest she wore a handmade circular ornament bearing the image of a spider. Beneath her robe, she wore a dark skirt with colorful adornments on the belt.
“Yes, I can help her,” the old woman said. “Your friend has suffered a terrible trauma caused by evil spirits similar to Coyote.”
“Really? Thank you!” Ana said brightly.
“But in exchange, we want you to do something for us,” the old woman replied.
The goddesses swallowed hard, hoping it would not be some difficult mission.
“Lately, warriors from the west known as the Diné have begun migrating here. We want you to massacre every last one of them,” the old woman said. “Unlike us, they are nomads who do nothing but steal and wage war, so they are causing many problems for our kingdom.”
Ana did not like the thought of getting involved in affairs that concerned only the peoples they visited—especially not to carry out genocide. But she was so desperate that she was willing to accept almost any proposal.
However, before she could say yes, Menrva spoke first.
“Great Grandmother Spider, before making any agreement, we would like a guarantee that you can help our friend. We should also say that we are deities who come in peace, and we do not wish to involve ourselves in armed conflict with your neighbors, when our final aim is always the peace of society,” she said.
Then Menrva also prostrated herself and pressed her face to the ground.
“Ask anything of us—anything but violence against your neighbors,” she said.
Grandmother Spider then began to laugh.
“I thought you would be like the other gods who passed through these lands before, but I must admit, I like you,” she said.
At that moment, a man appeared behind the old woman’s throne. He wore a completely white mask topped with colorful feathers. The mask bore a very minimalist representation of a human face with an open mouth, and he also wore a huge white robe. His skin was painted entirely white as well, and light shone from his back.
“In truth, the Diné and we are allies at present. If you had agreed to attack a people you did not even know, I would have expelled you from here,” the old woman confessed.
Ana was shaken. If she had said yes, as she had intended to, then every chance of saving Epona would have been thrown away. The Irish goddess felt deeply grateful that Menrva had spoken first.
“I am the Talking God, though you may call me Haashchʼééłtiʼí, and I am the protective deity of the Diné,” said the masked man.
“I think... I will call you Talking God,” Menrva replied awkwardly.
Grandmother Spider then began speaking with the masked man. After exchanging a few words incomprehensible to the goddesses, the old woman finally looked back at them and said, “The ritual will take eight days to prepare and eight days to perform. During that time, you will be honored guests in the city of Chaco.”
“We are grateful,” Ana said, but at that moment Menrva and Freyja stepped toward the Irish goddess.
“Ana,” Menrva said, “I believe this place is safe. You stay here with Epona and Loki. We will continue south to meet up with Tania and Susanoo.”
“Yes, I understand,” Ana replied.
Menrva then turned toward the old woman and bowed.
“Grandmother Spider,” she said, “I thank you for your hospitality, but both I and my blonde-haired companion must continue south. I beg you, please take care of my friends.”
Grandmother Spider looked at her in surprise.
“You intend to cross the desert, just the two of you? The lands to the south are lawless, inhabited by an evil god called Coyote,” the goddess replied.
Menrva blushed.
“You see, we lied when we said we were not warrior goddesses, but we truly did not wish to provoke conflict with you or your neighbors,” she said.
“I do not think you understand the danger you are facing,” the old woman said.
“Even if you were somehow to avoid Coyote, you would enter a group of kingdoms known as the Chichimecas, realms ruled by warrior gods from lands of the dead. They serve as a natural barrier before the southern kingdom called Tula. It is a militarized realm where the most powerful gods of the region dwell.”
“That is exactly where we are headed. Friends of ours are already on their way there, and we have to help them,” Menrva replied.
“Well, if that is your decision, I will not stop you, though I would have preferred to offer you more of Hisatsinom hospitality,” said the goddess.
“Helping our friend is more than enough,” Menrva replied, and both she and Freyja gave a slight bow.
Ana then embraced both goddesses emotionally.
“Thank you for everything. I am truly grateful,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“It is the least I can do as the disciple of my master,” Menrva replied while still being hugged by the Irish goddess.
“And I, too, am grateful to you for helping Father Odin, and for protecting Gungnir from that wretched Anat,” Freyja said.
The three goddesses ended their embrace, and Ana looked at them with gratitude.
“Please be careful,” she said.
Both goddesses nodded.
Menrva stepped over to Epona and hugged her.
“Epona,” she said, “thank you for trusting me. This is the least I can do for you. I swear I will bring Rodrigo back here safe and sound.”
“Get well soon, girl,” Freyja said with a smile. Epona nodded nervously as the Etruscan goddess let go of her.
“Loki,” Freyja said, looking at the god who still appeared as a woman, “take good care of them, all right?”
“I will do whatever I please!” Loki said, folding his arms.
“I do not know what in the world these girls did to you, but you have changed so much that I have even grown fond of you these past few days...” Freyja said, then turned to Ana.
“Though you are married, and you should not try to seduce that girl. Her heart is far too pure for the likes of you,” the goddess added with a wicked smile.
“What in the world are you talking about?” Loki asked, and Freyja laughed with a smug smile.
“I have seen the way you look at her. But do not do it—you would be a bad influence on her,” Freyja said, then bid farewell to the dark god, while he looked away with his arms still crossed.
Menrva also said goodbye to Loki and thanked him for his support during this mission.
At the exit, the soldier Freyja had seduced was saying goodbye to the goddess with great enthusiasm. She gave him an awkward smile.
Then both goddesses left Chaco and continued on their path south, into Coyote’s desert.