ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ through the years - all gods must die [Original Story]

01

For the next two hours, Natalia had all the time in the world and, above all, she had peace and quiet. Not a single visitor far and wide. Which meant there were no guided tours; no people coming up to her to ask questions, nor did she have to go up to the visitors looking at anything to say anything about the exhibits. Just her and the museum. And, the one or other colleague, but she did not count them.

A few days ago, the loan had arrived from a collector obsessed with maritime history and in possession of a wide variety of objects from the last centuries. From maps, log and notebooks, letters to old weapons, such as pistols and swords, and all kinds of antiques.

As the boxes arrived and Natalia skimmed the list of contents, one name immediately caught her eye. Amerigo Vespucci.

The Italian Amerigo Vespucci was a merchant, navigator and explorer, known for having explored much of the eastern coast of South America. Born in 1451 and died in 1512. What Vespucci was still known for was his inaccurate records and information during his travels. It was not an advantage that there were hardly any logbooks of the explorer. Whether, barely written or lost with time, was not known. Much of what is known today comes from letters sent by Mann and verified by historians as genuine.

A letter from Punta Gallinas to his home, to his family, caught Natalia's attention as she looked through her belongings. 'A path, to a new world, unknown to me. Not to be compared, with ours. Riches in abundance,' it said.

"About a hundred years too soon," at the voice, Natalia looked up from the writing and to the man standing at the edge of the wooden box containing the loan items, placing his hands on it, "Damian Parker."

"I almost thought so," Natalia replied, a slight smile tugging at her lips, "A human found Nanau. Before anyone else. Him and his kingdom."

"So you remember," Damian began to smile, nodding, "Who knows if he was really the first but yes, he found 'The City of Gold'."

"Do you know if El Dorado sank?" hoping Natalia would get an answer that said otherwise, "Or, if Nanau is still alive?"

"Hard to say," Damian shrugged his shoulders and looked to Natalia, "When the Spanish found it, he was still alive. All I know is that thirteen are dead."

Thirteen that they know of. By now, more gods could be dead.