[ WP ] Instead of Christianity , Judaism , and Islam , the three major religions to make it to the 21st century were the Greek , Roman , and Norse pantheons .

The barefoot traveller shook off his cloak as he entered the Centre for Worship, trying hard to blend in and failing spectacularly. 
 
 People stared and giggled at his plain clothes, dressed as they were in the gaudy outfits and accessories that signified their belief in the dizzying array of gods to choose from. 
 
 He kept his eyes averted and made his way through the crowds, listening intently to the conversation and taking in their... costumes. 
 
 One young woman wore a colourful, decorated bangle for every Greek god she worshipped, making jarring music as she walked. A heavily tattooed man was debating the benefits of Valhalla versus Nirvana with a gentle-looking boy who wore nothing but a loincloth. 
 
 `` Does this matter, though?'' another interjected, chugging down a beer and slapping the other two on the backs. `` It's all true, people, that's what we need to remember. The gods would never be so cruel to make us choose between them.'' 
 
 The traveller stopped in his tracks and wheeled around to face the group. 
 
 `` What if there were?'' he asked. `` What if *everyone* here is wrong about what is waiting on the other side? What if there's only one god overlooked by you all, aggrieved and angry to see what has happened to his world? To the lack of worship for him?'' 
 
 They stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. 
 
 `` Aggrieved about not being worshipped!'' the tattooed man said, his wild mane of red hair shaking as he laughed. `` The gods would n't be angry if someone does n't worship them, man, that's why they're *gods*. They just *are*. And where is this mystery god of yours, if he's so pissed off? Should n't he be down here, trying to convince us, if he cares so much?'' 
 
 `` Do n't mind Eric,'' the woman with the bangles smiled at him. `` Look, we gather here to talk all this stuff through, so say what you like, my friend. What's your name?'' 
 
 `` Er. Yeshua,'' the traveller said. `` Is that familiar to any of you?'' 
 
 They shuffled their feet awkwardly and gave strained smiles. He felt a pit in his stomach and hastily left the group. It was worse to face them because they were right. 
 
 Their gods did exist. 
 
 Anything powered by such whole-hearted belief did. And because these people did n't particularly care whether their gods walked around on Earth, he was currently the only deity in the room. Well, former deity. He could feel his power ebbing away with the growing proof of his utter irrelevance in this world. 
 
 He'd hoped it would be a relief to return to Earth: the empty space he labelled'heaven' in his mind was overrun with an unbelievably noisy, petulant gaggle of gods. Not to mention spiteful. Zeus had been particularly amused to hear his story, and had zapped his sandals with a lightning bolt. Accident, his ass. So he'd come to Earth. Home. But far from relief, he had sunk into depression. No-one believed in him. 
 
 How should he even start building it up again? When he'd last seen Earth, he'd left it up to his disciples to tend the small flame of belief he'd woken in his followers, until his return. He did n't even know what had happened to his friends. 
 
 He wandered dispiritedly outside again, into a nearby bar that was almost deserted: the Hug-and-Mun Inn. The barman nodded to him in a friendly fashion. The symbol of Odin winked at Yeshua from a chain around the man's neck. Well, that explained the bar's name, at least. 
 
 `` Happy Worship Day, brother,'' he said, and pushed a glass of wine across the counter. `` On the house.'' 
 
 `` Thanks,'' Yeshua said, sipping the drink and glancing at the only other customer, sitting next to him, moodily drinking a beer. 
 
 `` Bad day?'' he asked. 
 
 `` Worship Day is always so *noisy*,'' the guy sighed. `` I'm an atheist. It gets old.'' 
 
 `` How many atheists are there, would you say?'' Yeshua asked in what he hoped was a casual voice. 
 
 The young man raised an eyebrow at the odd question, but answered with a shrug. `` Oh, a few million or so, probably. We keep to ourselves, mostly.'' 
 
 Yeshua pondered this as he took another sip. He should be depressed about that too, but really, this man and everyone like him was at least a dozen gods closer to the number they *should* be worshipping. It was a start. He could build something from this. 
 
 He hoped desperately he still had the juice to pull off a trick or two, and beamed at the man. 
 
 `` Well, I do n't like Worship Day either. It seems all wrong somehow,'' he said. `` I have something to cheer you up.'' 
 
 He tapped the glass and groped for the majestic, booming voice he had once been able to pull off without any trouble. 
 
 `` Want to see what I can do with this wine?'' 
 
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 Hope you liked my story! You can find more of my work on /r/Inkfinger/.
