The diaper change relay race had just got underway, and the teams’ laughing made me smile. I figured while they were busy, I’d get started on the next game, really just getting things ready for it. Because I Said So was the one I chose to host since it was the easiest to research for me. I’d never been to a shower before, and I didn’t feel very comfortable hosting or even participating in many of the others. I had brought a large bowl with pens and paper and smiled as the relay seemed to be finishing up.
I watched Dion out of the corner of my eye as he made his way around the room, his pirate costume outrageous and authentic. It was perfectly him. Our respective trips had mostly gone according to plan, and part of me was still reconciling my feelings for both Dion and Poseidon. But that wasn’t the point of tonight. The point was to give Clio and Eros a spectacular baby shower because they deserved it by the gods.
I wandered around, asking people if they wanted to play. Almost everyone said no, but three said yes. Eris, Nike, and…I gulped, Dion all wanted to play. Okay, this could get interesting, just between Eris and Dion. Each of them took a piece of paper and a pen, then looked at me. Eris was already chomping at the bit to write down her advice. “Okay…so write down something you associate with your parents or parent and drop it in the bin.” I looked over at Eris and smiled sweetly. “Everything is fair game. We’re talking about Clio and Eros here, so let’s go wild.”
She smirked back at me and began writing. “Now what?”
I knew hers would be quick, and I laughed. “Fold it in half and drop it back in the bowl. Once everyone is done, we’ll pick out of the bowl, read them out loud and try to guess whose was whose.”
“I shoulda made mine harder then,” Eris commented as she got up and dropped it in the bowl.
I rolled my eyes and smiled, pulling out a piece of paper and writing my advice on it. Something I’d heard from Doris many times growing up. Don’t be afraid to fail. I folded it up and watched as Dion and Nike put theirs in as well.
I took a deep breath, shook the bowl, and passed it around. “Alright, pick one out, and hope it isn’t yours.” I passed the bowl to my left. Nike took a paper out and clutched it in her hand before giving it to her left to Dion. Dion winked playfully at her, pulled out a paper, and then passed it to Eris, who pulled a piece out with a dramatic flourish. She gave the bowl back to me, and I took the last piece. When I opened it, I nearly snorted wine out of my nose.
Don’t dip the binky in the wine more than five times. Dionysos…If everyone was this predictable, it was going to be a short game.
“Eris, why don’t you go first? Read out the advice and try to guess who it is. If you guess wrong, then we’ll all have a turn.”
Eris winked at me, and I smiled. Eris was a handful; however, they chose to present themselves, and I found myself missing my sisters all of a sudden. We could get into a boatload of trouble when we were younger. “Allow them to try something risky. Like falling out of a tree, they will only learn to fly higher that way. Hmm…flying has to be Nike!”
Nike giggled softly and nodded, pulling out the piece she had. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Well…this almost sounds like mine. But I’d have to go with Dion?”
The God of Wine shook his head and smirked. “Not mine, dear Victory, although I’m never afraid to fail. I win at failing, and I fail at winning!” That time I did snort, and Dion stared at me, his deep brown eyes piercing into me. “I’d guess that it was Amphitrite’s.” I nodded and blushed softly. The way he said my name washed over me like warm honey, and I just wanted to sink into it. I shook my head out of my daydream and nodded back to him. “So I got: Cages, leashes, spray bottles.” Nike coughed, I snorted, Eris cackled, and I could hear Eros in the background howling with laughter. “This has to have come from Eris.”
“None other, my fine sir.” She stood up with a bow and sat back down. “So that leaves the paper that dear Amphy has.”
I smirked at her. “And if we can’t figure out whose it is by process of elimination, the advice is crystal clear. Don’t dip the binky in the wine more than five times.” I chuckled softly as Nike brought her hand up to cover a laugh, and Eris doubled over.
“Yes, that has to be Dion. Let’s get the kids liquored…it’s perfect!” She roared with laughter, and Dion just looked pleased with himself.
“It always worked with my kids,” Dion commented offhand, and we all laughed.
“Alright, put the name of the god or goddess whose advice it was on the paper, and we’ll give them to Clio and Eros so that they can keep this epic information at hand. I’m sure they’ll need it,” I offered as I wrote Dion’s name down on the paper. Everyone else did the same and passed them back to me.
I smiled softly down at the little advice pieces and made my way over to Clio and Eros. “Here, from the misfits over there with love.” I placed a soft kiss on Clio’s head and passed the notes to her. I held out my hand to Eros. I may not like him on the best of days, but to the best of my knowledge, he’d never shot me, so there was that. “I wish you both the best of luck with the twins. You’re going to have your hands full.”
With that, I made my way back to where my wine was sitting and tried not to overthink about the future.
Natalie Bartley is a Canadian Adult-Fantasy author. Natalie has been writing for most of her teenage and adult life but started publishing those stories in December 2019 with her first book, Love and Pain in Zion. Natalie’s faith as a polytheistic witch leads her to many storylines involving the gods which surround her. She lives with her partner and stepson in Bowmanville, Ontario and is also completing her clergy status with the Correllian Nativist Tradition. They hope to one day open their own Pagan store together.
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