The goddess took a deep breath and continued.

  “Dagda was—and had always been—the annunaki of Tuatha Dé Danann. But since he was a hermit who hated bureaucracy, he had abandoned his duties and placed Nuada on the throne. But this battle was too important; he needed to intervene. He was the most powerful god of Tuatha Dé Danann, so he made a condition.”

  Ana swallowed hard again.

  “He wanted me… to copulate with him, and take part in the battle,” Ana said.

  Rodrigo remained silent.

  “I didn’t usually live with my Irish siblings either. And even though I was a war goddess, I was always a solitary person. I lived with my two sisters outside the kingdom, and I used to descend to the human world to have fun and fight strong enemies. I can’t say that my actions—or those of my sisters—were right, but still, I…”

  Ana fell silent for a moment and swallowed again.

  “Dagda made me uncomfortable. He harassed me constantly. He told me filthy things when he saw me. His presence always bothered me. He was seen as a wise and virtuous god, perfect even… but I hated him.

  “A large part of why I isolated myself was because of him. Now Dagda wanted to copulate with me and force me into the battle. And since it wasn’t a problem for my siblings in Tuatha Dé Danann… they agreed.”

  “It was around the time humans celebrate ‘All Saints’ Day.’ Dagda spied on me while I was bathing with my sisters, and took advantage of the moment I was alone. He approached me and began… saying things… I told him to leave, but he threatened me. He said it was… my duty to my kingdom of Tuatha Dé Danann. He touched me, he…”

  Ana started sobbing. Rodrigo stood up and hugged her. They sat together on the couch, still embracing.

  “Thank you, Rui,” Ana whispered.

  “I was scared. I was terrified he would kill me or my sisters. My strength couldn’t compare to his. So I agreed to help them in the war,” she said.

  “Dagda presented me before Tuatha Dé Danann as his wife, and declared that date a sacred holiday for humans—that they must perform human sacrifices in our honor. So that first All Saints’ Day was a massacre on Earth. Enough to give the gods of Tuatha Dé Danann an enormous surge of faith.

  “It’s no exaggeration to say we won the battle and expelled the Fomorians. Our king died, replaced by Lugh, who was nothing more than Dagda’s puppet.

  “I became Dagda’s imprisoned wife. He raped me every night, he tortured me… But as a war goddess, I had to be strong—always wear the face of victory. Showing weakness was for losers. I was the wild, powerful goddess.

  “Wars went on… until one day I couldn’t take it anymore, and I escaped. I escaped… and took refuge with the former enemies of Tuatha Dé Danann: the Fomorians. I convinced them to fight my siblings again. I wanted revenge. I wanted death. I hated everything, Rui; I wanted to burn Tuatha Dé Danann with my own hands.

  “But without my sisters, I wasn’t Morrigan. We couldn’t do anything, and it was a massacre.

  “Dagda grabbed me by the neck and started strangling me. He said he would torture me and my sisters for my betrayal, but I escaped, Rui… I ran and left my sisters behind… I hid in the human world.”

  The goddess fell into heavy sobs.

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  “I’m the worst, Rui. I abandoned my sisters. I don’t know what became of them. I don’t know what happened to them, but I fear the worst,” she cried.

  Rodrigo tried to calm her.

  “I met Athena in the human world, and she helped me cope with my past. When I parted from her, I contacted Lel to find work. They assigned me Ireland as part of their staff, but since I have no contact with Tuatha Dé Danann, I use a malak as an intermediary,” Ana continued.

  “Later, I learned that despite the immense power of Tuatha Dé Danann, Lel had taken Ireland using a group of warriors called the Milesians. They defeated Dagda, Lugh, and all my siblings. So they agreed to Christianize their humans. And I am the one assigned to supervise that, but I don’t have direct contact with them; in fact, I don’t want to.

  “That’s why I hate being in Ireland—especially near that All Saints’ Day date. I hate it, Rui. I hate it.”

  Rodrigo tried again to calm her.

  “I’m pathetic, Rui. I abandoned my sisters. I can’t get over this even though centuries have passed. A war goddess like me—pathetic. I’m weak, useless, a coward, a loser. I only lose and lose. I can’t even protect you, and I pushed you away when I learned what you are. I want to die, Rui!” she sobbed.

  “No, Ana. None of that is your fault. That’s something incredibly hard to overcome,” Rodrigo said gently.

  “I want to kill Dagda, Rui. That’s what I want. But I need to be stronger. Would you hate me for being a hypocrite—telling you to let go of your revenge when I’m just like you?” she asked.

  “No, Ana. I could never hate you,” Rodrigo replied.

  Ana’s expression changed sharply—her eyes bloodshot, her sweet gaze twisting into something dark and grim.

  “Kill that Moor bastard, Rui… avenge yourself,” she said.

  “But isn’t it forbidden?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Is it a crime to seek justice?” Ana replied with another question.

  “They tell us not to take revenge, they tell us to forgive. No. We must make justice ourselves if no one else will. Why should we let that scum live and torture thousands more?” Ana said, her face twisted with a macabre expression.

  Rodrigo could feel the hatred in her words.

  “After seeing a bit of the world—after watching a war begin because of an intolerant king,” Rodrigo said, “I realized humans and even gods are the same. Beings full of emotions and conflicts who want to shape the world according to themselves, no matter whom they crush.

  “Those who gather power do it to free themselves from the rules of civilization, and to satisfy their vile, earthly desires. That’s why—even though I still hate Almanzor—I can’t desire his death anymore. He’s just another monster created by this sad, competitive world,” Rodrigo concluded.

  Ana stared at him in surprise.

  “I’ve never heard you speak so eloquently, Rui,” she said.

  “I just thought about it… or maybe I tell myself that so I don’t continue down a path of hatred. But I won’t oppose you or hate you if you choose to kill that man you mentioned,” Rodrigo replied.

  Ana smiled, closed her eyes, and wiped her tears.

  “Thank you, Rui. I needed to get that out of my chest,” she said, standing immediately.

  “Are you okay with all this, Epona?” Ana asked the horse goddess, who was still lying on the couch.

  The goddess, who had only been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes and sat up.

  “Oh, I was waiting for you two to start cuddling,” Epona said with a sarcastic look.

  “He’s my disciple, pervert,” Ana said with a haughty smile.

  Rodrigo felt relieved seeing Ana finally calmer.

  “Well, as I told you earlier, facing a group of fallen gods who now disguise themselves as vile fairies just to keep draining the Irish people and continue being worshiped indirectly… it’s sad and pathetic,” Epona said.

  “Disguised as fairies? What’s a fairy?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Oh, you’ve surely heard of them. In Iberia they call them anjanas or janas,” Epona answered.

  “Oh right, malevolent spirits that kidnap children and play tricks,” Rodrigo replied.

  “Fairies in Ireland, pixies in Britain, elves in Scandinavia, nymphs in southern Europe. Usually referring to spirits from the gods’ realms called ruah,” Ana explained.

  “Yes. Those siblings of Ana, to keep their worship alive, have used their ruah—their fairies—to meddle in the human world, frighten people, and make them see Earth mounds as their palaces. Since they’re so insignificant, Lel simply ignores it,” Epona added.

  “So they’re technically still causing harm in Ireland?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Technically,” Ana replied. “But beyond revenge and wanting to know what happened to my sisters, I’m also interested in one of the treasures my siblings guarded.”

  “A treasure?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Yes. There were four legendary treasures in Tuatha Dé Danann. But there’s one in particular I’m interested in as a weapon collector. It’s the legendary sword of our former king Nuada—the sword Claíomh Solais. If I’m going to avenge myself against Dagda, I’ll need that weapon to defeat him,” the dark-haired goddess said with a determined look.