Celeste: The Books of Insanity, book one

It was so bitingly cold the night of the Bacchanal, I had thought about canceling the evening, but then realized that only the most dedicated would venture out that night, and those were the people I was looking for. So I had the servants erect three huge bonfires, their flames reaching to the stars and their heat giving some respite from the cold.

I dressed in a fire red gown, with holly berries in my hair and crimson coloring on my lips and cheeks. Then, with a sigh, I made myself invisible, left my nice, warm manor, climbed up a hill, and sat on a chair in a small marble temple. From that position I could see the bonfires and all of those that danced around them. Talia, Lysander, Iodine, Dymas and Vanity were walking through the crowds, scouting women for those that would be the 'chosen few'. Marco stood at the bottom of the hill, making sure none of the revelers trespassed on my 'Holy Ground'. I sat all alone, glad that I had fed beforehand to keep myself warm.

Let me tell you, in case I haven’t mentioned it before, being a goddess isn’t all fun and games. While my worshippers danced around fires and drank wine, while couples and groups pleasured each other among the bushes, I sat very still and quiet in the darkness. I glanced down at Marco in frustration and wondered how he could bear the doldrums of guard duty while everyone else celebrated.

About a half an hour later I decided that I had enough. Talia was supposed to have performed a ritual to call me forth and I was to have waited until then to appear, but screw it! I’m a goddess; I could appear whenever I wanted.