“Odin,” Selena whispered. “He’s been reunited with his father, whom he thought was dead. This thunder god is going to want revenge.”
“Yes,” Badb agreed. “And he’s going to demand it from each of us.”
Chapter Ten
The surface of Lake Waco rippled in the breeze that kept whipping Selena’s hair around her face. She pushed it out of her eyes and slipped her fingers around Cameron’s arm. “This is the best idea you and Badb could come up with? Draw the water horses out and if y’all can’t combat them, disappear again?”
“Do you have a better idea?” Cameron asked.
“No, but you two are the warrior gods!” Selena protested. “I’m just here to heal people!”
“Besides,” Cameron added, “I’m partly sticking to my original plan to use Jasper as bait.”
“Obnoxious asshole,” Jasper reminded him.
“Um, I think we have a bigger problem,” Badb said.
Selena sighed and leaned her head against Cameron’s arm. “What? Is Thor riding one of the horses?”
“No. Mithra has followed you here.”
Selena lifted her head and turned around, but the shore of the lake was just as abandoned as before. “I don’t see him,” Selena whispered then immediately felt ridiculous for pointing out the obvious: there was no soul-stealing Persian god among them.
Badb pointed across the lake to the opposite shore. “He’s watching. He most likely doesn’t want Cameron getting killed by the water horses because then he won’t be able to subsume his power.”
“I don’t like this whole having a stalker thing,” Cameron said.
The sound of a car approaching caused the gods and demigods to turn away from the lake. Everyone watched as a red Dodge Ram slowly approached the group then its engine cut off. From her angle, Selena couldn’t see who was driving the truck. “What now?” she groaned.
Anita’s lips spread into a smile. “We’re fine. It’s Doug.”
Badb grunted and mumbled, “That doesn’t mean we’re fine.”
“We can trust him, Badb.”
“What is he doing here then?” Badb shot back.
“Helping us find the Norse… which is why we’re here, remember?”
The door to the truck opened and Doug’s large frame unfolded as he climbed out. He looked down at the assembled deities and lifted a hand. Anita waved back.
Selena watched him carefully as he approached then nudged Badb gently. “I trust him, too. I know he’s Norse and worked for Ukko, but he just seems like a trustworthy man. If you know something I don’t…”
“I still don’t,” Badb insisted. “I would never jeopardize your safety, Selena. How can you not know that by now?”
Doug stopped in front of them and quickly looked over the Irish war goddess. He jerked a thumb in her direction and asked Anita, “This is Badb? She sounded so… old on the phone.”
Cameron snickered and told him, “She is old. Like five thousand years old or something.”
“What are you all doing here?” Doug asked. “I thought you needed my help in tracking down the Norse, but it looks like you beat me to it.”
“Uh… we may have gotten the help of a totally sketchy god you used to work for,” Cameron answered.
“Ukko? Why would he help you?” Doug asked. His eyes immediately flickered to Anita then he quickly added, “Oh.”
Anita blushed and faced the lake again.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Doug continued. “I told you I was working on it. That couldn’t have been easy for Anita.”
“It wasn’t,” Selena said. “But we’re running out of time, Doug. And I know you’re doing your best, but the Norse don’t trust you and standing here conversing with us now isn’t going to help that.”
“True,” Doug conceded. “But if they’re watching and ask me about it, I’ll tell them I was vastly outnumbered and was trying to negotiate with Cameron like they wanted me to.”
“Did you know this lake is guarded by a dozen water horses?” Cameron asked.
Doug crossed his arms and glared at the surface of the lake. “No. I hate those damn things.”
“You’ve fought them before?”
“Fought them? Hell no. I’m not suicidal.”
Cameron sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “So we still have no idea how to defeat them.”
“You’re a sun god,” Doug pointed out. “Can’t you just… burn them?”
“Doesn’t work that way,” Badb responded. “Water horses are extraordinarily fast. Cameron and I discussed creating a circle of fire around them then closing in on them, but they can leap over the flames no matter how high Cameron makes them.”
“Like I said,” Doug muttered. “I hate those things.”
“There has to be a way to injure them though,” Cameron insisted. “And if I can injure them, I can get them into my fire.”
“No weapon I know of will hurt a water horse,” Doug said. “But Badb probably already explained that.”
Cameron nodded and glanced out over the lake. “That either of you know of. They’re working for the Norse for some reason though, which is why we think the entrance to New Asgard is around this lake.”
“Try under it,” Doug responded. “This isn’t a natural lake. It’s a reservoir the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created to supply the city with water from the Brazos River. The entrance wasn’t always under a lake, but even after the construction of the new dam began, the Norse decided not to move, thinking it would provide the perfect cover for their hideout.”
“How do they get in?” Jasper asked, gesturing toward the large lake in front of them.
“They’re gods, Jasper,” Doug answered. “Gods can manipulate the natural world, you know. They just part the water and walk in.”
“And nobody notices…”
Doug shrugged at him but Badb explained, “Remember how I told Cameron to cloak the car at the motel? Most gods can also manipulate the way humans interpret their surroundings, making them think they are seeing things that aren’t there or not seeing things that really are.”
“So their Asgard is beneath an artificial lake in Waco, Texas,” Selena confirmed.
“Are you sure it’s not in a cornfield?” Cameron asked.
Doug blinked at him then sighed, “What?”
“Cornfield. Farmland… where they grow corn,” Cameron supplied helpfully.
“Anita,” Doug sighed again, “are the Tuatha Dé just letting anyone become gods now?”
“Hey,” Badb warned. “I’m one of the original Tuatha Dé and I’m awfully damn proud to have Cameron among us. Watch it.”
Doug laughed and held up his hands. “I was kidding, Morrigan. I like the kid.”
“It’s Badb,” the war goddess muttered. “Morrigan is my sister.”
“You have another sister?” Cameron asked.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Badb groaned.
“Macha,” Selena supplied. “She’s sometimes called the Morrigan.”
“I was joking,” Cameron responded with a smile. “I’m not a complete idiot.”
“Perhaps,” Doug said slowly, “you guys should get out of here. I think someone… or something… is coming.”
Jasper and the Irish turned to face the lake again and watched the ripples grow larger, arcing into wider and wider circles around an ambiguous form that remained submerged beneath the surface. “A water horse?” Jasper asked.
“No,” Badb whispered. “Not this time.”
Cameron pulled Selena farther from the lake and told Jasper to stay beside her.
“What is it?” Jasper asked again, his voice rising as he positioned himself in front of the only demigoddess capable of bringing anyone back from death.
“Thor,” Cameron answered. “He’s come for Mjölnir.”
At the mention of his name, the water of the lake erupted into a spiraling tower and the giant thunder god stepped onto the surface of the lake. Anita shr
ank back from the fearsome god and cowered by Selena’s side who put her arm around the older woman’s shoulders. Selena’s eyes darted between Cameron and Badb. Even as a demigod, Cameron had captured the Norse god’s weapon and hurt him with it, but Odin’s return had changed everything, including the power of the gods who served him.
She chewed nervously on her lip as the large frame of Thor’s massive body reached the shore and he stepped onto the grassy bank. Selena wasn’t sure if it was only in her imagination or if the ground actually shook beneath his feet. She pulled Anita farther away from the angry thunder god.
Thor lifted a hand and pointed to Cameron. “Give me Mjölnir.”
“Give me the Unbreakable Sword,” Cameron retorted.
Thor’s eyes skirted over Badb and Jasper then settled on Doug. He tilted his head and stared at the Norse demigod. “Explain.”
“You’re a god of few words, aren’t you?” Cameron interjected.
But Doug hadn’t spent three decades in the New Pantheon simply because he was fast and strong. He sighed heavily and gestured toward the Irish gods. “You wanted me to get your hammer, but you didn’t give me anything to negotiate with. He doesn’t want the other spears, and you refused to budge on this sword. What else was I supposed to do? When he told me he’d found out where you were and would come looking for you himself, I got him to compromise: give me a chance to at least try to moderate an exchange between you two.”
Thor blinked at the Norse demigod and scratched at his chin through his long, red-brown beard. “There’s nothing to moderate. I have Lugh’s spears and nothing else.” Thor turned his eyes back to Cameron. “You can have them both in exchange for Mjölnir.”
“Dude, I have a spear,” Cameron said. He held out his hand and his Spear, bright blue flames flickering from the tip, appeared. “See?”
Thor inhaled sharply and stepped back, his eyes narrowing at Cameron’s Spear. “I came to talk,” Thor hissed.
“You came to lie to us,” Cameron corrected. “You have our Sword. And what the hell is up with all the water horses?”
“I don’t have your sword!” Thor yelled. This time, Selena was sure it wasn’t just her imagination when the ground rumbled beneath her feet. She gripped Anita’s arm to keep them both upright.
Cameron lowered his hand and his Spear vanished. “Then who does have our Sword?”
Thor ran his thick fingers through his ruddy hair and sighed. “I don’t have it. If you belonged to my family, who would you trust with something so valuable?”
Cameron and Badb glanced at each other but it was Selena who answered. “Tyr.”
Thor looked between the Irish gods and her and sighed again. “I just… you’ve had your Spear a few days, Cameron. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to be separated from your weapon you’ve had for thousands of years. But they insist I don’t need it, that I can go into battle with any sword or…” Thor paused and actually wrinkled his nose as he thought about the alternatives to his beloved hammer.
Selena put a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and pressed between him and Badb. Cameron tried to stand in front of her again, but she pushed him aside so she could see the Norse god. “You’re in a dangerous situation, Thor. Your enemies have discovered the new Asgard and are at your gate and you are still without your weapon. Before you had Mjölnir, you fought with other weapons, but we all know that enchanted hammer changed what you were capable of doing against the frost giants who threatened the original Asgard. You alone protected your family from them, and it was because of Mjölnir. The truth is, Tyr and your family aren’t with you now to negotiate with Cameron because they think they can win this war without you.”
Thor inhaled slowly and shook his large head, his red beard brushing against his thick chest. “No,” he said quietly. “All-Father has returned. He’s said it’s my destiny…”
“To do what?” Selena asked. “Die on the battlefield of the Otherworld? Die so they can revel in the glory of victory without you?”
Thor swallowed and his beard bobbed with the movement.
“You’re dispensable now,” Selena continued. “They figure as long as they can keep us from getting the Sword, they’re assured a victory. But they’re wrong. The Treasure the Tuatha Dé needed the most was never stolen from them, and the god you all should fear the most is standing before you. And there’s nothing you can do about it now. We’ll go back to the Otherworld and destroy Mjölnir if you keep playing games with us. And when the battlefield is littered with the corpses of your pantheon, we’ll return and retrieve the Treasure of the Gods ourselves.”
Thor’s large, round fingers extended then curled as if remembering the way they used to wrap around the short handle of his beloved hammer. His nostrils flared as he stared at the young demigoddess whose words had both stunned and angered the god. And maybe, Selena thought, had begun to convince him that his family considered him disposable and would never help him retrieve his most prized possession.
“I can’t get it for you,” Thor finally said quietly.
“Then tell us how to get it,” Cameron said. “Be honest, lead us to it, and if you don’t lie to us or try to trick us, I’ll personally return Mjölnir to you.”
Thor’s gray eyes lit up as he considered Cameron’s proposal. He inhaled another slow deep breath then nodded toward the lake. “The water horses. If you can’t get past them, you can’t get to the Sword. Take them out and you can walk into Asgard in three days. Most of us will be in Sintashta.”
“Where?” Jasper asked.
Thor looked at him curiously as if realizing for the first time the Greek demigod was there. “Ancient city in Russia. It’s where we’re meeting with the Slavs.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s just a Netflix and chill thing, right?” Cameron asked. Selena punched his arm and he scowled at her. “What? They can’t date outside their pantheons?”
Thor rolled his eyes and motioned toward the lake again. “You want to know how to get past the water horses or not?”
“Yes,” Selena answered quickly.
“Come back in three days and conjure Echthge. Kill their mother, and you’ll weaken them enough to destroy them.”
Badb gasped and her hand rose to her throat. “She’s alive,” she whispered.
Thor nodded and backed up toward the lake. “Yes. Nuada’s daughter is alive. And she’s been working for us for centuries.”
Chapter Eleven
Cameron waited until Thor’s body had disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Waco before spinning around and accosting Badb.
“Who the hell is…” he stopped to look at Selena because the old Gaelic name Thor had used must have evaded his memory already.
“Echthge,” Selena provided.
“Yeah, who the hell is that? And why didn’t you tell us Nuada had some backstabbing daughter who might be working for the Norse?”
Badb stamped her foot on the ground and put her hands on her hips. “Because we thought she was dead!”
“Still don’t know who this is,” Jasper interjected.
“I don’t know much about her either, actually,” Anita admitted. “I remember reading the name but not much was known about her… or what was known has been lost.”
“It’s the latter,” Badb mumbled. “Humans feared Echthge for hundreds of years before she disappeared. We thought the Milesians had killed her.”
“And who the hell are they?” Jasper sighed.
“Humans,” Selena offered. “Probably the Celts because there was a group of pre-Celtic humans that lived in Ireland and some of the surviving mythology blends elements of continental Celtic mythology with something uniquely Irish.”
“Fascinating history lecture,” Jasper interrupted, “but Nuada has a daughter whose name only Selena and Badb can pronounce and for some reason, she’s given birth to water horses. Which sounds more like the Norse, but whatever. Why did the Irish fear her and what do we need to do to kill her?”
Selena stared
at Badb now, too, because there were virtually no myths involving this evil daughter of Nuada’s other than she supposedly ate her own children. Selena found herself thinking they must not have been water horses then and reminded herself to tell Cameron that later; he was the only one who would have appreciated her morbid sense of humor.
“If Echthge is really out here, then let’s go back to the motel and I’ll tell you her story. We’ll deal with her in a few days. But Jasper, I don’t think Thor meant the water horses were literally her children. I think he meant she created them. She’s a powerful goddess and we shouldn’t take this threat lightly.”
Cameron rolled his eyes and grabbed Selena’s hand. “People are always telling us that. When have we ever blown off gods wanting to kill us?”
“You act like you are all the time,” Badb pointed out.
Cameron waved her off as he climbed the rocky embankment back to the Malibu. “I’m only pretending though. Mostly. And never when Selena is involved.”
“That was actually really impressive, Selena,” Doug said. “We all know Thor isn’t terribly bright, but he’s not necessarily stupid. But you knew exactly how to play on his greatest fear: being separated from Mjölnir in this upcoming war.”
Selena felt her cheeks warming under the demigod’s praise but Cameron beamed with pride. She thought at the moment, he looked as radiant as a sun god. “That’s because she is brilliant. And I’m convinced it’s not just her healing power that’s going to save the Tuatha Dé.”
“You see, Cameron?” Badb said with a genuine smile. “We can agree sometimes.”
Selena kicked at a patch of grass growing through the sandy soil where they’d parked their cars and told everyone to knock it off: they were each here because of extraordinary abilities and she was no more special than the next demigod.
Treasures of the Gods (The Unbreakable Sword Series Book 3) Page 10
