Goddess, Worm by Cassandra Khaw, published in Uncanny Magazine.
A goddess tries to get justice.
Wowsa. It took me a second read before I really understood what was happening, but it was worth the reading. The main character is all burning hate - mixed with memories of horrible torment. But she's still someone. All the other gods and goddesses are not. They have no reality, no depth - and that's how they prefer it.
I've spent a great deal of time thinking about ancient pantheons of gods and wondering about how they are structured and so forth. This story takes that to its natural conclusion. How does one punish a god who committed an act that a human found horrible, but the gods just found normal?
The ending is sharp but perfect. She cannot change the past, cannot get justice - but she can be the goddess that she herself hoped for but didn't find. Instead of a story just about revenge, which this could have been, it becomes a story of progression, of dealing with the problem and moving past it and becoming something greater both despite and because of the pain that came before.
Conclusion: Yeah, I liked it.
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