Lost in the heart of an Italian forest, there is a lake with clearer watersthan those of the most beautiful lagoons. In the centre of this lake forgotten by the majority, the tiny island that the few visitors join on fishing boats, seems almost unreal so much its vegetation of another age is green.

An ageless legend surrounds this unique place. It is said that even before the monotheistic gods appeared, the ancestral believers communicated here. Large procession of men and women would travel miles to pray to the huge fish that lurk at the bottom of the lake. For centuries, human beings begged him to grant them their dearest wishes.

This place, strange in many ways, over which time and man have never had any control, has remained the same as it was thousands of years ago. Some of those who still travel today to beg for a wish tell that when they finished their request, they saw something huge moving to the bottom of the lake.

Faced with clear waters, a little girl of about ten years old closes her eyes as hard as she can. She has heard about the fish god who grants wishes, but she doesn't really know the procedure to follow for hat he accepts her request.

In order to satisfy him, she manages to gather a few pieces of hard bread, which she throws into the water as an offering to the scaly god. Getting all this bread in these troubled times of war was not easy. However, in order for her wish to come true, she stubbornly managed to collect a quantity that she considered acceptable to a fish god.

Her small bag of fabrics is quickly empty and the little girl opens her eyes. She watches for a moment the peaceful waters that reflect her face and although she is a little afraid of a god with fins, she doesn't hesitate for a second.

"God fish, my daddy was taken somewhere by the Germans. Please take him home."

Deep in the waters, lives what men would call a monster. The gigantic fish with eyes similar to those of snakes and scales covered with sharper spikes than swords, sleeps peacefully.

While he enjoys a rest that he considers well deserved, a small voice come from above makes him open his eyes. Its long forked tail moves slightly and a small yawn that pushes back the few rocks that surround him, escapes from his oversized mouth.

[Ather, for committing this crime, we sentence you to satisfy the twenty million wishes that men will ask you to grant.]

This sentence comes back to him in his mind the moment he sees his scales shine like never before.

Finally, he was released from his water prison in which he was plunged for having approached the one that was not intended for him.

Like humans, the gods are extremely jealous and centuries ago, when the god Ather seduced the beautiful Aphrodite, he was deprived of all his powers before being exiled here.

In the early years, he didn't care too much about it. The faithful came in droves to pray to him, so he thought he would live two or three little centuries in these waters, and then he would be pardoned.

It was a serious mistake on his part to be too optimistic. A new current of thought suddenly arrived, claiming that a single god had created man. Ather, who was angry with his superiors, laughed at this stupidity at first, thinking of Zeus and the others who were probably angry. His smile quickly left his immense mouth when he saw that this so-called god named God was selfishly robbing his followers, thus delaying his release.

Besides this God, the so-called modern thinkers and the passing of time, men slowly forgot those who were the Gods of Olympus.

Fortunately, his own legend of benefactor never died. Nevertheless, the number of visitors he received had declined sharply. Thus, for more than 2200 years, he lived in the company of other fish, constantly thinking of the day when he would finally regain his freedom.

"God fish, my daddy was taken somewhere by the Germans. Please take him home."
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[Today, I will finally be able to win my freedom. To thank this child, I will allow this simple mortal to hear the melodious voice of the great god that I am.]

"Little human child, when you get home, you'll find your daddy there."

Proud of his superiority and voice, Ather, whose memories are a little fragmented, is very satisfied when he sees the child's reaction.

[That voice is awful!] When that throaty, cavernous sound that seems to come straight from the bowels of the earth attacks the little girl's ears, she panics and falls on her buttocks. Nevertheless, as frightening as a fish's voice may be, the little girl knows that this lake god performs miracles.

Her heart beats quickly when she hears the news of her father's return. She gets up quickly, then with a lovely smile on her lips, she tilts her head towards the lake. "Thank you for everything, Mr. God-fish."

This charming smile will never reach Ather, who was recalled to the palace of the King of the Gods when he was freed from his punishment. When he walks through a huge marble and gold door and discovers his former colleagues wallowing on sofas and enjoying the most delicious delicacies, he has great difficulty containing his rage towards them.

It is normal that men have preferred a new god to this bunch of lazy people whose character is not the best. Considering the uselessness of making a scandal now, he heads for the large throne in which lies a giant who is fed by two inferior goddesses.

"Oh, Ather, nice to have you back. Pour a glass of ambrosia to my good friend."

Is he hypocritical or does he have so much to drink from this wine that Zeus has forgotten their past disputes? "Yes, I'm back."

The Giant arranges the cushion under his head, then stretches his legs. "I'm not blind. Ather, I'm not going to go by four ways! A war god like you is a threat to our peace! Understand us, Ather. We do not want the powerful general de Ares to disturb our happiness and spoil our games? So we decided to send you away."

Ather serves the teeth as hard as he can. He has waited so long to come back here and as soon as he entered the palace doors, these selfish and unethical gods decided to get rid of him.

For Ather who turns around and stares at all the gods laughing at his sad destiny as a warrior, although he regrets it, he is aware that if he had to fight them all head-on, it would simply lead him to his downfall. His hatred for them knows no bounds, but despite this, he faces Zeus again, who seems to have fallen asleep on his oversized throne.

"Are you going to imprison me again at the bottom of this sinister lake?"

Zeus opens one eye. "Of course not, you're a free god. My friends, do you have any idea where Ather could enjoy a well-deserved peaceful life?"

At this request, a skinny god with a face like that of a woman raises his cup of wine. This god is Ather's worst enemy. Eros, this gringalet who spends his time contemplating himself in the mirrors, will do everything to harm him.

"I know, I know. 50 years ago, I was shopping with gods from other galaxies, when one of them told me about a charming and comfortable planet on which our mutual friend would be like a fish in water. Charmed by his description of it, in anticipation of the return of my friend, Ather, I therefore intelligently kept the coordinates of this little paradise. Behold, I post them on the marble of truth."

Ather opens his mouth to try to counterattack, but already all the gods are laughing and pointing their index fingers at the marble of truth. Lightning, fire, water..., beams of multiple colors meet to merge in the center of the imposing stone that stands in the center of the huge lounge of decadence.

"Enjoy this holiday we are offering you, my friend, and if the gods so desire, our paths will cross again."

After these mocking words of Zeus, to the sound of laughter bursting out from all sides, Ather feels her body being sucked into the door that has just formed before the marble of truth.

He tries to resist as much as he can and even deploys a wall of wind to avoid being swallowed, but the aspiration is too strong and soon his body disappears from the place where the gods peacefully pursue their rejoicing, as if nothing had happened.