Salty Gods There was once a kingdom long ago that was inhabited by a vast number of superhuman beings. With handsome, proud faces and strong, chiseled bodies, these gods had tremendous power and were very much aware of it. Many many miles below this kingdom of the gods was a narrow valley full of life on a planet called Earth. This precious valley was small and had a long winding river that was filled with the freshest, purest water available. Here lie Man, a race that looked similar enough to the gods if it wasn’t for their much smaller statures and weak bodies. They lived peaceful lives until the gods stumbled across their settlement. The humans were powerless against the strength of the gods. Thousands were enslaved, hundreds killed. They were forced to do whatever amused the gods. Not all gods were so ruthless. There were a few that pitied the humans. One such god by the name of Devoveo had a heart bigger than all the gods put together. One night, his heart was engulfed with sadness over the cruelty to humans. He cried on a rock near the river, his body convulsing with sobs. He cried big, salty tears that slipped down past his noble cheeks and into the flowing river. Nearby, one of the cruelest female gods who was bent over drinking from the river jerked back unexpectedly. Dark ichor, the golden blood of the gods, spurted out from her mouth. Confused, she knelt down to the stream and tried rinsing her mouth out with some more of the river water contaminated with Devoveo's tears. This only increased the amount of pain and ichor, until the goddess was destroyed. Devoveo, understanding what had happened, forced himself to cry harder until tears the size of melons were
