"Ah, yes, I forgot about the rules there for a moment," he laughed, his
countenance returning to its former gleeful appearance.

"A foolish law, no doubt, and from whom?" I said, availing of the
apparent intra-personal deja vu, that is, the converging of the presents
of our two minds into one idea, between Wagner and myself to cultivate a
bit of sympathy in my difficult situation. But there would be no
harvest, for Wagner checked his mirth and said:

"It was necessary, and the Council of the Gods did well to govern
themselves more strictly."

"How so?"

"Well, during the Homeric period the gods really went at it, using
humanity as players in their battles, like a game of chess, actually.
Come to think of it, chess did originate in the realm of the gods after
the laws. Things were quite a mess back then, though, with a whole horde
of demi-gods walking the earth, and it ended up snuffing out the first
flames of democracy and leaving monarchies for the longest time."

"Homer's stories were true, then?" I asked.

"Very much so, but after the laws of physical abstinence were adopted
things mellowed out considerably, and men went back to their self-
obsession, their material minds weren't yet weaned from the physical
realm."

"So the very men who claimed mental superiority because they were free