"Settle down, Big Guy," Emma told him. "She's not hurting me."
"No, I'm not," Athena agreed. "We were just agreeing on not liking each other."
"What's going on?" Sharalyn asked, ghosting into the room ready to fight. Her brown eyes were lit like molten caramel and her dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her hands were out in front of her, prepared to smite whatever had threatened her family.
"They don't like each other," Thanatos told his wife.
"I heard shouting," she said. She had been outside watching the perimeter for anything that looked out of the ordinary.
"That was my idiot brother," Athena said, walking away from Emma. She didn't like standing that close to her anyway. Her eyes were drawn to her belly. Why was that unborn child so damned fascinating? She wanted to ask about it, to figure out why it held such interest, but she couldn't do that. She didn't care, right?
"What the hell is wrong with your fingers, anyway?" Athena finally asked Sharalyn. The tips of the first two fingers on one hand were black. "What did you put them in?"
"That is a result of Thanatos touching me when I died," Sharalyn told her.
"I didn't know you died," Athena said, suddenly curious how someone was touched by the cursed God of Death and survived. "How are you alive now?"
Sharalyn shrugged. "I don't play by the rules," she replied.
"Well don't touch me," Athena said. "That's gross." When she saw the frown appear on Sharalyn's face, Athena knew that the goddess was contemplating the benefits of killing her. So instead of pushing her further, she asked Ares, "Did you warn them?"
"No," he said. "They're gone."
"What do you mean, gone?" Thanatos asked.
"I mean there is no one there. Olympus is empty."
"Damn it, he killed them all," Athena said. What was that feeling in her chest? It was heavy and there was too much moisture in her eyes. The back of her throat burned and felt as if it may close up. She struggled to draw in air. She sat down on the sofa to concentrate on her breathing.
"No," Ares continued, unaware of Athena's problem. "If they were dead, I would have found at least one body. But no. There is nothing. It's as if everyone just disappeared. And, the damnedest thing is, Fluffy is out cold."
"The dragon?" Emma asked.
“Yes,” Ares told her. “It’s like a ghost mountain. There’s uneaten meals on the tables and forgotten items everywhere.”
“They escaped,” Athena whispered. A part of her was happy for them, the other part was worried what a dozen gods running rampant on Earth, smiting indiscriminately, would do to the ecosystem.
“Is that how you got down?” Ares demanded.
Athena nodded. “And how Thor got in. I don’t know how, but he put the dragon to sleep. I saw it and jumped.”
“But you didn’t tell anyone,” Ares accused.
“No, I didn’t. They must have gone looking and figured it out.”
“You should have told me sooner,” Ares boomed. “I could have stopped this. Now I have to find all of the gods and ghost them back to the mountain!”
Chapter Eleven
“Oh, and what would you have done?” Athena growled back at him.
Before Ares could answer, the doorbell rang. “Who the hell could that be?” he ground out, stomping toward the front door.
He opened the door to find a young blonde man, dressed in a designer suit. He wondered if the man was lost. “Can I help you?” he asked.
“Um, hi. My name is Cody and I need to speak with Ares.”
“Why?”
“I’d rather not talk outside if that’s okay with you. It’s about…war.” Cody said the last part in a whisper.
Ares wondered why a human would come to his home talking about war. His identity was secret and who was this well-dressed man anyway?
“I’m Ares and you have five minutes. We’re in the middle of something right now,” he held the door open for Cody to enter.
“Thank you and I’m sorry for the intrusion. I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”
Ares led Cody into the living room where everyone was still going over what happened on Mount Olympus. Athena was beginning to shout when Thanatos accused her of putting Fluffy to sleep and leaving all of Olympus unprotected.
“Shut the fuck up, Thanatos.” Athena growled, balling her fists. “That is precisely why I’ve sought out my brother. I wanted him to go back and warn them of an attack, but now that they’re gone, I don’t see how it’s my fault that they left.”
Ares cleared his throat. “We have a visitor,” he interrupted, then continued, “He says he has news of a war. Isn’t that right, Cody?” he asked, looking down at him.
He could see the human was nervous, shifting from foot to foot, most likely due to being in the presence of gods and goddesses and one angry pregnant woman.
“Yes, hello Goddess Athena. It’s great to see you again,” he said and bowed low at the waist. Thanatos chuckled beside her and she glared back at him with her hands folded across her chest.
“I thought I told Thor to go to hell and how did you find my brother? Is that misogynistic pig with you?” Athena demanded.
“No, Goddess. You see, that’s why I’m here. It’s about Thor and the war of the gods,” he cleared his throat.
“Oh, for god’s sake, someone offer the man a drink!” Emma shouted from her perch on the couch. “You don’t have to stand around, Cody. Take a seat.”
Ares suppressed his laughter at his wife’s outburst and asked Cody if he would like a beer. Apparently, their discussion about Mount Olympus would have to take a backseat, because Thor was up to something and this man seemed to have answers.
“Sure, whatever you have is fine,” Cody replied, then took a seat in the recliner.
Athena followed Cody and sat on the couch next to him. “What about the war?” she asked leaning forward to look him in the eye. She was seething at this point. She knew Thor was up to no good and definitely behind putting Fluffy to sleep.
Cody felt like he was wasting too much time and just blurted it out. “Thor wants to kill Ares because his brother told him Ares insulted and challenged him,” Cody said, quickly taking a sip of the beer Ares had brought him.
“He what?” Ares yelled, jumping from the couch where he was seated next to Emma.
“I know. It’s stupid.” Cody said, throwing out his arm. “I told him as much, but he believes killing you will somehow settle the ongoing feud between the Greek and Norse gods.”
“Wait,” Athena interrupted. “You said his brother told him? As in Loki?”
“He only said his brother. I don’t know his name.”
“That lying son of bitch! Fuck it! I’ll smite them both!” Ares growled as he paced the living room.
Emma didn’t want to hear another word about war or killing. She pushed herself up from the couch, dropping her ice cream on to the floor. “Damn it, Ares! Now you’ll have to go out and buy more ice cream,” She waddled toward him, glaring. “I’m sick and tired of all this war talk and smiting. I’m fucking pregnant and all you seem to want to do is fight. Need I remind you this child needs a father?” she demanded with both hands on her hips.
Athena, Thanatos and Sharalyn didn’t dare utter a word. Emma wasn’t aware that her eyes were glowing and she looked like she was ready for war herself if not for the growing god or goddess in her belly.
Cody sat shock-still as he watched Emma march or waddle rather, toward Ares. He knew he was in a house full of gods, but that woman was terrifying. He would wait to speak until he was spoken to.
“But Emma.” Ares started.
“Don’t “But Emma”, me.” she growled pushing her finger into his chest. “There will be no more smiting and no killing! You will not leave me here to raise this baby alone and that’s final.”
“Thor’s set out to kill me and Loki’s behind it. Remember, the one who called you a hellhound?” he asked, trying to sway her to his side.
“Well, smite that bastard again. I don’t care, but no war.” She turned and shuffled back to the couch. “Someone clean up this damn ice cream. It’s not like I can do it. I can’t even see my feet!”
When Thanatos stood up to offer a suggestion, both Athena and Emma glared at him. “Shut the fuck up,” they cut him off in unison, rolling their eyes. He couldn’t win for losing, so he did as he was told and sat back down next to Sharalyn who just looked at him and shook her head. She left her husband to sulk and went to the kitchen to gather cleaning supplies for the spilled ice cream.
“So, what are we going to do about Thor?” Athena asked no one in particular.
“I have a suggestion, if it’s okay to speak?” Cody looked around nervously.
“Speak, human,” Athena demanded.
“Damn it, Athena. He has a name. Stop being such a bitch,” Emma told her, propping her feet back up on the coffee table.
Cody continued, attempting to dissolve whatever what was about to happen between Athena and Emma. “I know all of you believe Thor to be an arrogant asshole, but after spending some time with him, I’ve learned he has good intentions and his heart is in the right place,” he stood from his seat and was cut off by Ares.
“His heart is in the right place? The idiot wants to kill me!”
“I understand, but maybe you can reason with him. He’s not what he seems. If you would only give him a chance,” Cody walked toward Ares, but was interrupted by the doorbell.
“I’ve got it,” Sharalyn jumped up as everyone else looked around wondering who the hell was at the door this time.
Before Sharalyn had completely opened the door, Thor barged in past her like he owned the place.
“Oh shit,” she muttered under her breath and followed.
“Ares!” Thor boomed, storming into the living room, Mjolnir in hand. All of the gods in the house, except for Athena, stood, forming a barrier between Thor and Emma.
Cody jumped in front of Ares and went straight to Thor. “Stop this. These are nice people and you might have been tricked by your brother,” he put his hand on Thor’s chest in an attempt to calm him.
Thor looked down at the hand on his chest, tempted to swat it away, but Cody was his friend. “I believe nothing these maggots have to say. We have a score to settle and I will have my pound of flesh. This is war!” he snarled, glaring at Ares.
Ares wanted to protect Emma at all costs. “Sharalyn, take Emma somewhere safe,” he demanded, willing his sword of fire and battle gear.
“Oh hell no! I don’t know who you think you are, Thor, but you will not start this shit in my house!” Emma shouted, after Sharalyn had helped her up from the couch. She kept walking until she was as close to Thor as possible, her belly against his, pushing both Ares and Cody out of her way.
“Woman, you are with child.” Thor retorted, looking at her very pregnant belly, then back to her face. There was no way he would touch her and everyone knew it. This was war, yes, but even the most violent of warriors had a code of conduct. A pregnant woman was never to be injured. “This is between men and you need to stand aside.”
Cody sighed heavily and Thanatos snickered. “Oh no, you didn’t just go there,” the God of Death said.
Emma slapped him across the face, causing him to see stars. “Just, fuck you! Get out of my house, asshole or I will allow my husband to smite your sorry ass,” Emma growled, taking a step back, then punched him in the jaw for good measure. The windows rattled and the floor vibrated with tiny little tremors.
Ares finally stepped in. “Okay sweetheart. Please calm down,” he gently grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her back to the couch.
“Piece of shit! Talk to me like that in my house? I don’t think so,” Emma muttered, glaring back at Thor every few steps until she sat back down throwing her hands over her belly.
Athena couldn’t help but laugh at the entire situation. She watched the whole scene play out in front of her while sitting comfortably on the sofa. She was beginning to like Emma just a little, if only because she knocked the hell out of Thor. What made it even better was that Athena saw Emma’s eyes during her little outburst. They glowed if only for a second, a bright sapphire that rivaled any god’s. That baby was going to be powerful. No wonder Emma was having such a hard pregnancy. She was carrying power that she wasn’t meant to wield. Of course, Athena wouldn’t be saying anything about it. Better to let her brother figure it out on his own.
Thor was still rubbing his jaw wondering how a pregnant human woman could hit like a man. “That is one powerful punch you have there, woman.”
“My name is Emma,” she grumbled.
Ares ran his hand over his head. “Look,” he said to Thor, “I don’t know what you’re doing here but I don’t have time for this. My wife, as you can plainly see, is very pregnant. I have been living here on Earth peacefully for years and last year, I broke my curse. I want nothing more to do with the war.”
Thor couldn’t wrap his mind around the words coming from Ares’ mouth. The God of War didn’t want war? That was absurd! “Then why did you insult and challenge me?” he asked.
“I didn’t,” Ares told him. “Loki was stalking me. He insulted my wife. I warned your brother away and when he didn’t go, I knocked him on his ass. That was the last time I saw him. I didn’t say anything about you.”
Thor nodded. The God of War was many things, but a liar was not one of them. Ares had always been very transparent of his intentions and he always owned his actions. But then, why would Loki lie to him? Because, that was what Loki did. He lied. He cheated. He tricked. “I’m afraid that I have been tricked by my brother,” Thor reluctantly said. “I fear that I have done you an injustice.” He tucked Mjolnir back into his belt.
“But why would Loki lie?” Emma asked.
“Because he is a trickster,” Thor told her. “It is what he does. What I don’t understand is, why would he help me to put the dragon to sleep and gain access to Mount Olympus? Why would he send me after Ares in the first place?”
“Loki knocked out Fluffy?” Ares asked. When Thor nodded, he continued. “Son of a bitch. We gotta call Poseidon. This involves all of us.”
“What are you thinking?” Athena asked. “Do you know something we don’t?”
Ares shook his head. “All I know is that Loki made sure that Thor sought me out. Now, as far as Loki knows, we’re busy fighting each other and Olympus is left unprotected. We need a plan and fast.”
Chapter Twelve
The Goddess Freya lounged in her chaise, eating fruit from a tray one of her handmaidens prepared for her. Asgard had been especially quiet lately and things were peaceful. In her experience, peace like that didn’t last for long. In the back of her mind, the goddess knew that the other shoe would drop, it was just a matter of when. She brushed her long, dark braid over her shoulder and lifted her golden goblet to her lips, taking a long drink of sweet wine. It had been brewed especially for her with a drop from the seeing pond to enhance her gift of sight.
Echoing footsteps alerted her to the impending arrival of a visitor. It was likely Odin, coming to beg her for a vision of grandeur or some such nonsense. The giants were properly stuck on their worlds as were the Jotnor, the frost giants, on Jötunheimr. Fenrir was secured in the Underworld on Tartarus. There just weren’t any foes left to best anymore.
When the door to her chamber slammed open, Freya bit back the urge to chastise her visitor. Loki burst through, panting and raving, and sweating like a pig. “My Goddess,” he beseeched her, coming to kneel in front of her legs, “I have terrible news.”
Freya gently placed her goblet on the silver tray next to her and sat up. “What is it, Loki?” She was hesitant to believe anything the god said, as he was prone to misdirection for his own purposes. Although, he had not been in the thick of trouble in some time, whatever it was caused him severe angst that seemed genuine.
“All knowing goddess, I’m afraid the worst is upon us. Ares, th
e Olympian, has not only broken his curse and is running free on Midgard, but he has taken a wife!”
Freya bit the inside of her cheek to conceal her anger. A goddess did not allow her emotions to run free, no matter how strong. She hated Ares and that was no secret, but he was no longer her concern. So many years ago, he had snuck into her realm and promised her things that… well it didn’t matter. He made promises that he couldn’t keep. “While I feel sorry for this wife, Ares is none of my concern anymore,” she finally said evenly.
“I know how he hurt you,” Loki said, placing his hand on her knee in a comforting gesture. “But that is not why I have come to you. The God of War has become love sick and stupid. He has once again broken into the palace here on Asgard, but not to take advantage of you. He came to steal from you.”
Freya leaned forward and stood, forcing Loki’s hand to drop like a forgotten grape that had fallen from her lap. “Why would he steal from me? And what would he want? He is war and I am not. He is brute force and I am kindness. I have nothing that would benefit him.” she said, pacing her chambers.
“But you do have something of great value,” Loki said, rising to his feet. “The eye.”
Freya spun to stare at Loki in disbelief. “It isn’t possible,” she started, but then ran to her altar room to see for herself. “Show me,” she demanded of the pond, dipping her finger into its waters. The water rippled around her finger, but no visions appeared. All Freya saw was crisp, clean water. She leaned forward to see the bottom of the pond and her heart shuddered in her chest. “It’s gone!” she cried out. “The eye, it’s gone!”
“He stole it from you,” Loki said again. “I saw him on Midgard and he said he was looking for the perfect gift for his wife. I told Thor about it too.”
“And why has Thor not beaten this thief into dust?” she demanded. “Get the God of Thunder in here now! We are at war!”
Loki shook his head. “I wish I could. He is gone. When I told him as much, Thor left immediately to do exactly that. Only, once he entered Mount Olympus, he saw Athena again and was taken with her immediately. Now, as far as I know, Thor is gallivanting around on Midgard, chasing Ares’ sister like a two-coin prostitute and a dog in heat.”
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