"Thanks," he said. "Diana, I've got some questions to ask you, and I hope I'll get the answers." She touched the rim of her cup to his. Her voice was very soft, but she didn't hesitate in the least. "I'll answer any questions I have to. Sit down." They found chairs along the walls of the room and sat facing one another. Forrester took a sip of his drink, settled back, and tried to think where to begin. Well, God or no God, Zeus had the key to that one. He had said it years ago, and it had passed almost into legend: "Begin at the beginning, go on until you reach the end, and then stop." Very well, Forrester thought. He cleared his throat. Diana looked at him inquiringly. "I don't know how far into the noose I'm putting my head with this one, Diana," he said. "But I trust you--and I've got to ask somebody." "Go ahead," she said quietly. "First question. The original Dionysus is dead, isn't he?" She paused for a moment before answering. "Yes, he is." "And I was scheduled to take his place." "That's right." "As a full God," Forrester said. Diana nodded. There was a little silence. "Diana," Forrester said, "what are the Gods?" She got up and crossed to the window. Looking out, she said: "Before I answer that, I want you to tell me what you think we are." "Men and women," he said. "More or less human, like myself. Except you've somehow managed to get so far ahead of any kind of science Earth knows that, even today, your effects can only be explained as 'magic' or 'miracle.'" "How could we get that far ahead of you?" Forrester took a leap in the dark to the only conclusion he could see. "You're not from Earth," he said. "You're from another planet." The words sounded strange in his own ears--but Diana didn't even act surprised. "That's right," she said. "We're from another planet--or, rather, from several other planets." "_Several?_" Forrester exclaimed. "But--oh. I see. Pan, for instance--" Diana nodded. "Pan isn't even really humanoid. His home is a planet where his type of goatlike life evolved. Neither Pluto nor Neptune is humanoid, either; they're a little closer than Pan, but not really very close when you get a good look. The rest of the Gods are humanoid--but not human." "Wait a minute," Forrester said. "Venus is human. Or, anyhow, she's a replacement, just the way I was slated to be a replacement for Dionysus." Diana drained her cup and clapped her hands together on it. The cup vanished. Forrester did the same to his own. "Correct," she said. "Venus just--just disappeared once. They got an Etruscan girl to replace her. She's not the only replacement, either." Forrester stared. "Who else?" "You tell me." He thought the list of Gods over. "Zeus," he said.