The old ways just were not working. You can pay or even make people worship but true belief, true worship, that's harder. With no true worshipers gods were still fading. So when I asked for a meeting with the board to discuss a new idea to preserve and empower old gods they were skeptical but, gave me an opening.

My concept was simple, steal a concept from fallen Hollywood has beens, 'rebranding'. A simple concept really. Take an old god, take their old specialty and rebrand it to work in the modern age along with a new name that modern people can easily grasp. The board was skeptical but gave me the opportunity to test my theory and gave me my choice of those endangered of disappearing. Honestly, I took the easy win. Abeona, the Roman goddess of outward Journeys with safe passage. She was just unable to keep a good hold in the modern world so, time for a 'rebranding'. She didn't mind a name change as well and so, Asphalta was reborn. Goddess of roads and safe passage. Skin as dark as asphalt, hair grey like concrete with streaks of yellow and white. Add a few catchy phrasings like "Why call out to a busy Jesus to take the wheel with millions of others when Asphalta has been safely guiding those who ask since before Jesus was born?" or "Aphalta for the traffic light you need." and we just needed to let it catch. Sire, people might laugh at the billboards but they would remember and talk among their friends. Even if just making jokes to start.

And that along with one lucky video of an out of control car suddenly straightening out and coming to a safe stop was actually all it took. Suddenly 'Our lady of the roads' was on the lips of every overworked hourly worker running late for their second job, every kid trying to make curfew, every idiot who forgot to fill up was praying to make it to the next gas station, every bad driver praying not to wreck in the rain or on the ice...Asphalta went from fading to brilliantly radiant with the power of worshipers prayers. Shrines even started being erected at rest stops and the DMV.

That was all it took and now, my life sucks. Minor cog of the organization to a department head with a schedule around the clock, dang night time deities. Assigning PR managers to gods and making sure they do their jobs; rebranding the near forgotten, bringing those on the borders to the main stream and even getting some into movies playing themselves to revitalize old brands. Ha, rather than competing with all the other goddesses of marriage and childbirth I rebranded Hera as the goddess of cheated on wives and being your own woman. She has her own talk show a counseling organization and a mansion/women's recovery center now that apparently would rival the temples of Olympus.

That's the least of my worries though. Turns out when Gods beg your favor, when Gods give even the smallest prayers of thanks...you take on a glow of your own.