Of Thorns and Lightning

by Fiona Price

  She realized that the more she faced adversity, the more one part of her wanted to be strong and be like the Thor she's supposed to be, but the other part of her wanted to scream the injustices out and let everyone know just how badly she was struggling. But it wasn't about her anymore. She knew that she was having a rough time really, truly acclimating with the group, and one thought became increasingly clear to her as she sat in silence.

  Fuck teamwork. It was quickly becoming every man for themselves. And with the group of so-called Gods-to-be, that would the kiss of death for them all, especially with their initiation night coming up. They would have to be a governing body together, a council of gods. Maize couldn’t envision that ever happening. Her mind was swimming with self-doubt. Was she even strong enough?

  The answers she would get to her questions would only be known after the ceremony.

  After she was immortal, and there was no going back.

  Initiation Night

  ♦️

  Maize woke up, presuming the day ahead of her would carry on as usual. She would get dressed, train, shower, do her schoolwork and nothing too out of the ordinary would happen. But then she remembered she was a Norse god, and nothing in her life as she knew it now was ever normal. She felt it when the air around her rested heavily on her shoulders. Something big was coming and her stomach turned instinctively as she walked into the common room for breakfast.

  All the gods and goddesses were congregated in the living space with Mr. Townsend, and that in itself was a rarity. She hadn’t seen them all collected together since the first day she arrived, and her world was spinning in her head. It didn’t take more than one step in the room to catch the attention of the Assembly in the living room, and she was summoned over to the couches immediately.

  “Maize, please, sit.” Thor invited. Maize didn’t know how to read the room. It looked like a very serious affair, but Thor’s tone was calm and warm, the exact opposite of what she expected to hear. Steadily but nervously, she crossed the floor and took a seat on one of the red cloth couches. It wasn’t long before she was joined by the rest of the group and they were instructed to sit down with her. Artemis led the discussion once the murmuring had ceased and all the attention was on her.

  “Good morning, young ones. As you can tell, today is a very special day, marking off the beginning of this three-days long ceremony.”

  She paused, and the young gods looked at each other with confused glances and raised eyebrows. Nobody had told them about this ceremony, or the days leading up to it. Artemis soon answered the question that lingered at the tip of their tongues.

  “In three days, you all will be initiated as gods and goddesses. During this ceremony, we will transfer the majority of our powers over to you, retaining only what we need to mentor you. Once your training is complete, that will be relinquished to you, and you all shall be immortal and the next Assembly of the Gods. But until then, you each shall spend three days in preparation by meditation, cleansing and finding the object that will act as the physical being to which our powers must act upon. For example, Angelina, my dear, since you will be taking my place as the goddess of the hunt, I may suggest you hunt a small animal to bring to the ceremony. Each of you will do the same, reflecting the god you shall become.”

  The ceremony was beginning to make sense to the group, but they didn’t think they had signed up for a ritual sacrifice. It hit Maize like a rock that this was her reality, and after the ceremony there was no going back to her mortal life. She had mostly accepted her fate, but it was a responsibility that startled her.

  She also had no idea what the hell she was going to bring to the ceremony.

  It wasn’t long before they were dismissed to begin the meditation, preparation and cleansing and Maize headed back to her room to let what she just heard sink in. How the fuck was she supposed to meditate on being Thor? She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what the “cleansing” was and if it was as weird as she thought it could definitely be. So, she did what she could think of and she drew herself a bath, tossed in a few rose petals, and sank underneath the bubbly, hot water to let her muscles relax. Hey, she thought. Maybe this counts as meditation and cleansing.

  Letting her eyes rest, she sunk further and further down into the hot bath water. She felt as if she were asleep, but she was still conscious as she was slipping into a dream-like state. Visions began to dance around in her head as she found herself floating in a world of black and gold, and mist on the mountains far into the distance. It was quiet and serene, but Maize could feel that there was an evil force lingering not too far off. It was far enough that she knew she was safe from it, but it was still there, never to leave her completely.

  When the bath water ran ice cold, she woke up from her trance and sat upright, splashing water over the side of the tub. She had no idea how much time had passed while she was in her trance-like state, but somehow it gave her clarity. She understood something she just couldn’t explain.

  She had completed her meditation and her cleansing, and she spent the rest of the day in quiet preparation, thinking of what she would bring to the ceremony.

  Peter had it easy. He was Arachne, he wandered into the woods and found just the right spider to bring for the sacrifice. He slid through the trees as he looked for the best web and gently captured the spider that made the structure of beauty. Meaghan had remembered that she had a gold bangle bracelet that was molded into the shape of the justice scale, and that was her offering. Angelina did as Artemis had suggested and she spent her three days camping in the woods, surviving off of nature and hunting a small rabbit that she would sacrifice.

  Once they all had their items, they had found a simple white linen sheath smock and simple sandals for them to wear during the initiation ceremony that would take place that night. They each dressed and readied themselves, gathered their ceremonial item before they were driven to the Gods Tower for the ceremony. They took the elevator to the top floor, the meeting place of the Assembly, the governing council that watched over humanity.

  They walked in near silence down the marble hall and they filed into the throne room, dimly lit by torches mounted to the marble walls. Each god was sitting at their thrown, and in front of them was a silver bowl, the ceremonial athame, and a cushion. Each of them stood before their god until they were all placed, and Artemis instructed them otherwise.

  “Good evening, young ones. I hope you have found helpful these three days of preparation for your initiation and the transference of our powers to you.” Artemis spoke with conviction and gentle but stern authority.

  “I see that you have all brought your item with you. Please, all place it in the bowl in front of you and kneel.”

  The initiates followed the order, and Maize was the last to place hers in. She made eye contact with Thor, worried that her sacrifice wouldn’t be meaningful or symbolic enough. In the silver bowl, she placed a freshly killed serpent. Its green and slender body coiled at the bottom of the bowl. Maize found it hard to read Thor’s face, so she whispered a quick explanation to the god before her.

  “Thor is bound to die by defeating the serpent during Ragnarök. It is Thor’s worst enemy, the battle I must fight in order to restore order to the world. I refuse to be easily tricked by the things that are not as they appear, such as the serpent.” Maize explained. Thor chuckled in amazement. He was hoping she’d bring him a beer.

  “Now,” Artemis continued. “Gods, raise the athame and prepare the sacrifice. Blood must be shed from the mortals into the silver bowl.”

  Each god picked up the knife, and though a blood sacrifice was required for the ritual, Thor carefully made a thin surface wound on Maize’s cheek. She immediately felt the sting, but it was better than getting the palm of her hand sliced like some of the others had to endure. A few drops of thick, crimson blood had dripped down her cheek and off her chin, into the bowl on top of the slain serpent.

  Artemis then instructed the gods to contribute their blood as
well, to which they added to the mix. The mortal, the immortal and the symbol had all been combined into the ritual bowl.

  Suddenly, a heavy gust of wind blew through the throne room and extinguished all the torches and they were all bathed in darkness. The smell of smoke wafted across the room before the bowls lit up on fire in front of them.

  “All rise.” Artemis instructed and the new gods followed. Maize rose slowly from her kneeling position in front of Thor, the bowl between them, and during that action Maize realized that she was adorned with traditional Norse clothing and a heavy red cloak. Each was given a gold crown of leaves before the initiates and the gods traded places. Maize sat upon the throne where Thor sat, and in that moment she felt powerful. She felt confident. Electricity crackled and snapped at her fingertips in excitement as her hair descended in loose waves, flowing from the crown on her head.

  Thor gave her a smile and a slow nod. He had believed in her all along, and she had seen it within herself for the first time.

  After the official ceremony was over, all the gods dined together at a feast in the celebration of the next generation. Though, their training did not cease there. After all, they were immortal and had a lot to learn in their infinite lifetime, before they were ready to save anyone.

  Harlem Hijinks

  "One part of her wanted to be strong like Thor, but the other part of her wanted to scream it out and show just how much she was struggling."

  ♦️

  Maize watched the sun set through the trees of the dense forest via the large windows in her bedroom. She eventually laid down on her bed, one arm behind her head while the other covered her eyes, the shadows cast from the woods creating silhouettes on the walls and floor that grew and eventually disappeared into darkness. Time seemed to float by, and she thought that she was feeling a little better after her period of isolation, but she was rudely reminded of her humiliation when she heard a familiar voice in the hallway. Down towards the elevators she heard Talia's immediately recognizable voice, with William's voice to follow suit. They were arguing as they entered into William's office, and the voices faded. She no longer could hear them speak, as the walls were an incredible sound barrier between them and her. It hurt so badly, and she didn't know what to do. When she got the courage to leave the room and escape her isolation, were the people she called friends going to defend her? Were they going to be there for her?

  That was a worry that quickly dispersed itself, because both Peter and Meaghan eventually found her. She was startled at the knock on the door and the jostle at the handle, accompanied by their soft but concerned voices. She was startled at their presence at first, assuming it was either William or Talia, neither of whom she wanted to see. She was pleasantly surprised at her friends' presence, but didn't know what she could possibly say to them, or what they would say to her.

  "Maize, are you in here? Can you let us in?" Peter asked through the door. Maize thought out her response.

  "Why do you want to come in?"

  "To check on you! We're worried." Meaghan answered.

  "Well, I'm fine. I'm feeling really betrayed and vulnerable, so I think I need to be alone." She spoke.

  "We just want to help, okay? Please let us in." Peter asked, trying to convince her. Maize couldn't seem to pull herself off the floor, so she muttered a command to Jason to unlock the door for her friends. The two of them walked in slowly, closing the door behind them.

  "Can we sit, hunny?" Meaghan asked.

  "You're going to even if I say no." Maize spoke. The two of them lowered to the ground to be with Maize.

  "Yeah. But we just want to let you know that we're here for you, babe. We're on your side, we have your back." Meaghan reassured, though Maize felt differently.

  "But you've both been so distant. Peter, you won't even talk to me. Meaghan, you're so smitten with Dike I feel like I'm being pushed to the furthest back burner possible. I feel like I'm losing you two; my two best friends. And no one here likes me, that much is obvious. I just don't know how much more of this I can take."

  "I'm sorry I'm being a bad friend. I know how distant I've been, and I wanted to say I'm sorry for that, Maize. I miss the three of us hanging out together after school, and I miss all those fun times we had together, honestly. This is just such a big thing, you know? It's pushing us apart when we need to be a team the most." Peter explained.

  "Yeah, I agree. It's not just you that's having a hard time assimilating with the group, Maize. I've seen that none of us are working together, and it's starting to hurt all of us. And I want to try and fix it, starting with the three of us."

  "Well, I'm not feeling very chummy right now, in case you haven't noticed. I'm just feeling so shot down by all of this. I don't feel very much like an ultra-powerful god."

  "Okay. Just tell us what you need, and we'll help you." Meaghan offered.

  "I think I just need to get a good night's sleep, guys. I've gotten my distance, I've worked it through. I'm not so shocked by Talia's words anymore. I've stopped thinking about my dad. I'm going to go back to my room, take a long shower and get into bed, and I'll try not to remember all the times where things were better." Maize responded. "Then, maybe the three of us can hang out again."

  "Hey, when you're ready, why don't we go back to our old stomping grounds! Let's go back to all our favorite places in Queens and then hit up that club in Harlem where we used to occasionally party." Peter suggested, bright-eyed. "I know how much you miss how things were, and I'm not sure if it'll make it better or worse going back and seeing our old home, but I think we all need to get back to our roots. What do you think?"

  "Peter, that sounds like a great idea." Meaghan said, and Maize agreed with a nod.

  "Come on, Maize. Let's get you to bed."

  The three of them stood up and exited the room, stepping out in the hallway at the exact same time as William and Talia. Talia breezed her way in a fury to the elevator, whose doors closed swiftly and left the four of them in the hallway together. William turned to the three of them, his eyes tired, face forlorn and his hands stuffed in his pockets. The three kids didn't look much better, and there was a moment of silence between them before William found the right words he wanted to say to them. Maize didn't want to hear it.

  "William, please save it. I'm done, okay?" She said simply, but her message was painfully clear. He understood and nodded, respecting Maize's wishes. Though, he still didn't want to go into his office; he still felt like there was some sort of requirement he had to fulfill before leaving. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

  Peter reached out and pressed the down button for the elevator, and they waited for it to return to their floor. Maize felt so dejected that there was nothing she could think of that she would even want William to say. She didn't know what she needed to hear from him, or from anybody. She didn't feel like she needed an apology. Closure wasn't what she needed. She just wished that some of her key life events had gone differently; her dad wasn't so mean and cold to her, changing her childhood. She didn't need a different life; she knew that this was her only one and there was no possible way to run from it, but she just wished things had been different. She knew that no one could ever give that to her. There was not one single person that could change the events of the past, or make up for then in any way. She didn't expect that of William, Meaghan, Peter, Thor... whoever. She just wished it was different. She longed for a change in her life that wouldn't leave her broken and scarred. She wished that maybe, just once, she could finally be treated better by life than it had been.

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened, the three kids stepping on. Meaghan and Peter escorted Maize to her room and gently checked that she was alright and if there was anything they could do for her. She was alright, but declined any further help from them. They closed her bedroom door and made their way to their own respective rooms to settle in as well.

  Maize did exactly what she said she was going to do. She took a long, cleansing shower that r
elaxed her and made her ready for bed, and she cozied up among her pillows and blankets. She felt better, but she still couldn't resist the urge to reach under her bed and pull out her cigar box that was filled to the brim with memories she scribbled on pieces of paper, movie ticket stubs, concert admission wristbands and old Polaroid pictures of her, Peter and Meaghan. Each picture had a date and a location on it, bringing her back to all those places she had gone. They walked on top of the baseball dugouts at ten at night, they balanced and swung on playground equipment. They had picnics, went to the lake in the summer and watched the stars, and Maize was reminded of the times where things weren't so bad. She dwelled within her happy memories; they took her to a safe place in her mind where she couldn't think of anything that did her harm. She felt nostalgic, as anyone would feel, but it provided her with a temporary sense of security and that's all she ended up needing. Maize fell asleep peacefully.

  The next morning, Maize woke up feeling almost like a different person. She had completely left the previous day in the past, completely behind her, and she felt refreshed. She sat with Peter and Meaghan at a round table for breakfast, Maize munching on an orange and some Greek yogurt. They sensed that Maize was alright, and were delightfully pleased that she was. They had individually prepared for all different types of situations when they saw her that morning, but they had encountered the best-case scenario.