“It goes without saying this is all in fun,” Nemain explained. “We take turns with our allies and friends stealing cattle. If we get caught, there’s a mock battle. If we get away with it, the side that lost the cattle is at our mercy until they steal or win back the animals.”
“Gods need better hobbies,” Jasper mumbled.
Nemain snorted and shrugged. “Most of us are very old, Jasper. We’ve spent most of our lives without the sort of constant stimulation you humans and demigods expect now. For thousands of years, people had little to entertain them. They told stories and made music. And they played games that often sharpened skills they needed in their lives. The Greeks’ games emphasized skills related to close combat: running, throwing, wrestling. They gave the world the Olympics to celebrate those skills. For us, it has always been about stealth and cunning.”
Jasper slowed down and blinked at the Irish goddess. “Um… are the Greek gods around?”
Nemain laughed, a beautiful, bell-like sound, and shrugged at him again. “Maybe. But don’t worry, Jasper. I won’t let Athena kill you.”
Selena laughed, too, and Jasper stopped and put on a pouting expression far worse than Cameron’s. “You both think you’re so funny. Did I give you a hard time for being scared of Ukko?”
“That’s hardly the same,” Anita pointed out. “Ukko has tried to abduct Selena multiple times. He’s ruined her life. What has Athena done to you?”
Jasper unfolded his arms and waved them around the serene setting surrounding them. “Look at where I am! Do you really think I want to be here?”
“No,” Anita answered quietly. “I know you don’t.”
Jasper’s cheeks flushed slightly but he kept his eyes on the hill in front of them. Selena glanced between them, wondering again what secret Anita kept for this young demigod and why he’d become so attached to the psychic. Nemain didn’t seem particularly interested either way. She motioned for them to start walking again, and the group ascended the hill. Nemain paused at the top and pointed to a herd of cattle below them.
Selena grabbed Anita’s arm and gasped, “Their ears!”
Anita nodded. The stark white coats and red ears of the cattle seemed ripped from the pages of a book on Irish mythology. Against the pale blue sky and long rows of apple orchards in the distance, Selena felt like she’d stepped into The Book of Leinster.
Nemain nodded toward a woman’s figure walking by the edge of the herd. Selena immediately recognized her as the third sister of the Mòrrìgna. Macha’s blonde head would occasionally turn over her shoulder, as if anticipating the surprise assault that had to be coming.
“Who did she steal the cattle from?” Selena whispered.
“Thoth and Osiris,” Nemain whispered back.
“Osiris?” Selena squeaked.
“Sh,” Nemain reprimanded. “Besides, we’re in the Otherworld, Selena. Why wouldn’t the Egyptian god of the dead be hanging out here?”
“Cool,” Jasper said.
“Not cool,” Selena insisted. “And besides. It’s not like we have a god of the dead just walking around.”
“Oh, Donn is around here somewhere,” Nemain answered, never taking her eyes off her sister below her.
“Donn?” Selena squeaked again.
“Sh!” both Nemain and Jasper warned.
“You’re going to blow her raid,” Jasper added.
Selena couldn’t tell if he was just messing with her or not. She turned her attention back to the characteristic red-eared animals of the Otherworld and watched as Macha twisted around, searching for a sound or some sort of disturbance Selena hadn’t noticed. Anita wrapped her fingers around Selena’s arm, her green eyes dancing with the excitement of the mock battle about to erupt.
Nemain tossed her head back and laughed again then smiled at the demigods. “Gotta run,” she told them. The Irish war goddess ran down the hill to join her sister who held what looked like a very real sword.
“This is a pretend fight?” Selena asked no one in particular.
Jasper shrugged. “I’m kinda digging Nemain. Hope no one impales her.”
“You really are obnoxious,” Selena sighed.
Jasper nodded but watched the field below them. A flash of white and yellow behind a tree betrayed the hiding place of one of the Egyptian gods. Selena had just pointed to the tree in the apple orchard to show Anita when a high-pitched yell startled the cattle and sent the herd stampeding away from the fruitful trees. A god carrying a long spear, dressed in a short white robe with long black hair flowing behind him, charged the war goddesses who gripped their swords and prepared for the battle with their allies. A second figure emerged from the apple trees and ran toward the two members of the Mòrrìgna.
Selena caught her breath and murmured, “They really need to get Netflix here.”
The loud thundering of the hooves of the cattle stopped abruptly and Selena looked to the edge of the field where another familiar figure stood. The Dagda folded his arms over his thick chest and the cattle stilled as if waiting for directions from the master of the Otherworld. Selena glanced toward the mock battle again. Osiris and Thoth had reached the war goddesses and each feinted and attempted to outmaneuver the other. Their weapons stayed well out of reach of the gods’ bodies as they fought over the right to control the cattle of the Otherworld.
Macha suddenly stepped back and lifted her sword above her head, bringing it down swiftly toward Thoth’s neck. She stopped before the blade could touch him. The Egyptian god paused then stood straighter, dropping his spear to the ground in admission of defeat. Osiris’s body sagged and Selena could hear him complaining in his native language. The Dagda laughed and answered, “Not today, old friend! They’re coming with me. You’ll have to find them!”
Selena grinned at the camaraderie and light-hearted teasing of the gods below. So much of the mythology she’d studied portrayed the gods as humorless and vindictive, yet here, they seemed as ordinary as the humans and demigods she’d known on Earth. But the nightmares of her recent past, her abductions by Quetzalcoatl and Ninurta, the threat on Cameron’s life by Mithra, all reminded her the gods were as complex and different as humans, too.
And in a short amount of time, the god she’d feared for so long, the god she’d hated for so long, had confused her more than any other deity. Ukko had warned them about Ninurta’s invasion, and she already suspected if she asked Badb about why he would do something to benefit the gods he claimed not to care about, she would insist she didn’t know. And Selena knew she would be lying.
Selena glanced at Anita and realized the psychic was staring at her, perhaps sensing her thoughts had turned to the god she still loved. And if Selena wanted answers about the Finnish thunder god, there was only one woman she was going to get them from.
Chapter Nine
Selena picked up a handful of the brightly colored stones in the glass bowl by the bed in her room in the Dagda’s palace then let them slip through her fingers. She watched the stones that could pass for rubies and emeralds and sapphires as they clacked against each other then smoothed the surface flat. Cameron sat beside her and watched her.
“I made one comment to Badb about how much you liked those and the next thing I know, she’s got a bowl full of them by your bed,” he said.
Selena smiled at him and handed him one of the blue stones. “It matches the flames on your spear.”
Cameron turned the rock over in his palm then tucked it into a pocket. “I wish you’d stay here with her.”
Selena shook her head. He’d already tried to convince her to stay in the Otherworld with Badb while he returned to Waco to confront the water horses and try to find the entrance to the new Asgard. She’d refused to consider it then and she refused to consider it now. “You aren’t going anywhere without me, Cameron. Just because you’re a god now doesn’t mean you’re immortal.”
Cameron sighed and put an arm around her. “I know. But neither are you. And the thought of not being able to prote
ct you drives me crazy.”
“Hey,” Selena said affectionately, “you are the descendant of the great Cú Chulainn, the unparalleled in all gifts Lugh. If you can’t defend me, no one can and I’m certainly not safer here without you. “
“The Norse aren’t here,” Cameron pointed out. “Ukko isn’t here.”
Selena reached into the bowl and pulled out a brilliant green stone. She held it up to the light and inhaled slowly. “Do you think Ukko is as dangerous as we’ve always thought?”
Cameron pulled her hand down away from the light and blinked at her. “Of course he’s dangerous. He’s been chasing you for three years. Your Aunt Tara is in hiding because of him. People die because of him. The only reason he’s somewhat cooperating with us now is because of Anita and because of how badly he wants you. Dude probably has some irrational belief that if he somewhat plays along, you’ll eventually give in.”
Selena tilted her head at her boyfriend and despite the gravity of their conversation, smiled. She couldn’t help smiling whenever she was near him. She reached up to his face and let her fingers graze along his jaw. That feeling of familiarity, no longer surprising, flitted beneath her skin and she watched her hand as it came to a rest on his shoulder. “Badb knows,” she said.
Cameron kissed her forehead and asked, “Knows what? What we’re about to do? Don’t think that’s a supernatural secret.”
Selena laughed and shook her head. “She knows more about Ukko than she’s ever told us. I agree with her that he’s conniving and isn’t necessarily trustworthy, but all of the gods here have tolerated Ukko and the New Pantheon for decades. Why? They could have stopped him in the beginning. She’ll claim now that he’s too powerful for them to put an end to the New Pantheon, but they allowed him to build the agency in the first place. Why would they do that?”
Cameron shrugged and sat back from her, his dark brown eyes contemplating the endless possibilities of the gods’ games. “We can ask her, but she’ll tell us some bullshit like ‘We didn’t think he’d get so powerful,’ or ‘In the beginning, it seemed like a good idea to combat a real threat in the world.’”
“Maybe both of those answers would contain some truth,” Selena argued. “But we both know there’s more to it. And I think there’s only one way we can find out the truth.”
Cameron’s eyebrows pulled together momentarily then smoothed out as understanding hit him. He groaned and pulled her hand off his shoulder. “Selena, don’t make me talk to Anita about their… past. It’s bad enough knowing Ukko has a past.”
Selena snickered and told him it could be worse: they could ask Badb about how she was related to Anita. Cameron groaned again then stood up. “Come on. We might as well go find Anita since you just ensured nothing else is going to happen anytime soon.”
Selena slipped her hand inside his and pulled a reluctant sun god toward the heavy wooden door. He scowled at it for a moment before sighing and informing Selena, “If the word sex or any form of that word comes out of her mouth, I’m bolting.”
“Another deal breaker?” Selena teased.
Cameron pretended to think about it as he pulled the door open. “The biggest deal breaker. I’ll fight another snake before listening to… that.”
“You are such a baby,” Selena joked.
“True,” Badb called from the hall.
“Shut up, old woman. Nobody asked you,” Cameron called back.
She heard Badb giggling, joined by two other laughs that sounded almost identical to hers. The Mòrrìgna must have convened a war council. Selena led Cameron down the long, dark hallway and stopped in front of another heavy, oaken door. She listened for any sound from within, but the room was quiet. Anita’s light was still on so Selena knocked. A shuffling noise approached the door then stopped on the other side and a man’s voice grunted, “Who is it?”
“Is that…?” Selena started but Cameron was already pulling on her hand to try to get her back to their own room.
“Jasper?” Selena asked.
“No,” Cameron moaned. “Why did you do that?”
Selena lifted a shoulder at him and mouthed, “I have no idea.”
The door creaked open and Jasper stood on the other side, looking them both over quickly then stepping aside. “It’s not what you think, you pervs.”
Selena arched an eyebrow at him as if to ask, “What the hell else would it be then?”
Anita just smiled at them. The older woman sat on her bed, only her shoes off and lined neatly on the floor by the nightstand. She patted the mattress next to her and Selena let go of Cameron’s hand to sit next to her. She glanced at Jasper again then turned to the Irish psychic. “Um… ok, come clean. What is going on with you two?”
Anita tossed her head back and laughed. Selena couldn’t help smiling. She hadn’t heard Anita laugh like that since Ukko had shown up in their motel room in Waco. “Sometimes, Jasper just needs some advice. That’s all.”
Cameron crossed his arms and glared at his old nemesis. “Advice? Is that what you kids are calling it now?”
“Cameron,” Anita scolded. “Don’t be silly. He’s half my age.”
“And you’re too good for him,” Cameron added.
Jasper rolled his eyes and muttered, “Obnoxious asshole.”
Cameron just shrugged. “It’s true. The part about Anita, not about me.”
“Look,” Jasper snapped. “I’d tell you but you would never shut up about it and you give me enough shit already, so just leave it alone, ok?”
“He won’t,” Selena promised. “If I ask him not to, he won’t. And I’m asking him not to.”
Cameron blinked at her but quickly backed down. “Fine,” he sighed. “You can tell us. If it’s this important that you keep needing to talk to Anita about it, then you may end up needing our help anyway because we’ve already learned the Norse and the New Pantheon can be merciless.”
Selena noticed Jasper flinch but he nodded slowly. “Yeah, and that’s why she’s been urging me to tell you.”
“Tell us what?” Selena asked gently.
Jasper exhaled slowly and pulled a chair away from a desk by the wall. He sat down and addressed Selena, unwilling to look in Cameron’s direction even though everyone knew Cameron was the only one who would ultimately be able to protect them all.
“My… unfinished business in Baton Rouge. Why we went back after leaving Nebraska… guys, I’m engaged.”
“Holy shit,” Cameron interrupted.
Jasper glanced up at him then immediately turned his eyes back to Selena. “I flirt. I know. And I know I was flirting with you when I first met you, but it’s harmless, I swear. I’ve never cheated on her. Half the time, I don’t even realize I’m doing it, and the other half, it’s because I don’t want anyone to know about my fiancée. She’s human and before all this, I had every intention of leaving Quinn’s group for good because she wanted me out. I was just trying to figure out how without raising any questions. And then Athena showed up and dragged me to Nebraska and I didn’t even have a chance to tell Elise.”
“Elise,” Selena repeated. “What a beautiful name.”
Jasper sat a little straighter and smiled at her. “You would like her.” Jasper’s smile faded and he slouched back into his seat. “I was able to tell her I didn’t have a choice about this… assignment, but I don’t know… I think it’s really freaking her out and she might be reconsidering what a future with me really means.”
“And I’ve told you,” Anita said, “that I’ve met this girl and she loves you, Jasper. She’s scared, but she’s not going to leave you.”
“Holy shit,” Cameron repeated.
Selena shot her boyfriend a shut-up-now look then got off the bed and crossed the room, kneeling by Jasper’s chair. “Did you warn her to get out of town for a while?”
The Greek demigod nodded but wouldn’t lift his head again. Admitting the truth to the rest of the group had apparently taken what energy and willpower he had left in him.
“She’s stubborn though,” Jasper sighed. “I didn’t have a chance to make sure she actually left. I did my best to keep her a secret and not even Quinn knew about her, but if they get their hands on her…”
“Then you’ll know exactly how I’ve felt,” Cameron finished.
Jasper just nodded again.
“And we’ll get her back,” Selena added. “I promise.”
Jasper smiled weakly at her and swallowed before he could speak. “She’s human, Selena. She’s not like us. What if…?”
“Selena can heal her,” Cameron interjected. “You’ve seen what she can do. But you kept a secret from Quinn, too. Why?”
Jasper finally looked up at Cameron and inhaled another slow, deep breath. “When I first met him, I liked the guy. He’s hard not to like. And Elise and I were only dating at the time anyway. There wasn’t really anything to tell. But after a while, I just had this… feeling that I should keep everything most important to me a secret from the group. And I’m a demigod. I haven’t met one of us yet who isn’t a little superstitious at least.”
Cameron looked at Selena as he tried to piece together Jasper’s mistrust of their former group leader with his own. When Selena first met Quinn, Cameron had told her he’d always liked him, but he had never trusted anyone with the knowledge that he could heal. Quinn had never given him a reason not to trust him, and as far as any of the demigods knew, the Norse and Irish had no reason not to be friends and allies.
“It’s instinct,” Selena finally decided. “Something in our DNA… I don’t know. But Quinn is Norse and something drove you both to protect what was most important to you.” She paused and smiled at Jasper again. “The love of your life.” She paused again and turned her pale blue eyes to the love of her life. “And your anonymity. This secret that you knew in the wrong hands could ruin not only your life but your family’s as well.”
“Powerful demigods can have strong instincts,” Anita agreed. “One of the first things I noticed about each of you is your power and strength. It’s no accident the fates chose you both to replace Irish gods or that the Greeks selected Jasper to help us.”
Treasures of the Gods (The Unbreakable Sword Series Book 3) Page 8
