Sharalyn stood next to her husband with her arms folded across her chest. “Where has Loki taken Emma and Ares?” she asked pointedly, looking down at him.
“Where else would they be? Asgard.” He answered, but refused to look at her. He would only converse with Thanatos, not the woman playing goddess.
“No shit, asshole! Why?” Thanatos asked jerking Tykir up from his seat. He saw the slight the short little shit had given his wife and was none too happy. No one disrespected her, not in front of him!
Tykir took a breath and tried to remove Thanatos’ hands from his collar, but the God of Death was much stronger than he looked. “You can push me around all night long, but I can’t answer that question. Take it up with Loki!” He spewed, then broke out into a fit of coughing and Thanatos dropped him to floor. “Worthless!”
“What’s taking Poseidon so long?” Sharalyn asked Thanatos, not paying attention to Tykir rolling around on the floor. He was still coughing. She hoped he choked. They were no closer to answers than before they grabbed the pint-sized bastard from the front lawn.
All at once she saw a strange powder-looking substance wafting toward her husband’s face. “Thanatos!” she screamed, attempting to push him away from whatever the hell that was, but it was too late. Her husband fell to floor in a matter of seconds. He still had a pulse and appeared to be sleeping. “Son of a bitch!”
Sharalyn jumped to her feet and pulled on her power. Fuck it! She was going to kill the bastard! “What did you do to him?” she demanded. The floors shook and the windows rattled. She hadn’t noticed when Tykir stopped coughing or when he’d gotten up from the floor. He was standing near the patio doors. She stalked toward him with one purpose in mind—death.
“He’ll awake with a headache, but I’m afraid it’s time for me to take my leave.” Tykir threw his golden transportation charm to floor. “We shall see one another again, goddess,” he promised and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Sharalyn looked toward her sleeping husband one more time, then ghosted into the garage. “Poseidon! What the fuck?”
He was on the phone with his wife and turned toward Sharalyn and shushed her. He actually shushed her! She snatched the phone from his hand and said, “My husband is out cold. Ares and Emma are missing and your husband has to go. Sorry Arora.” Then she ended the call and thought about smashing the phone over his stupid head.
“Damn it, Sharalyn! What was that all about? Wait, Thanatos is out cold? How?” Poseidon asked, his eyebrows reaching his hairline. He knew he’d screwed up and Sharalyn was pissed. The goddess was glowing again. Not a good sign.
“If you wouldn’t have been taking your sweet ass time, then you would know. Come on! We have to wake him up and get to Asgard! Loki’s minion escaped after he put Thanatos to sleep with some kind of powder. The mother fucker.” She grabbed Poseidon’s arm and ghosted him back to where Thanatos lie sleeping.
“Well, this is interesting.” Poseidon said, stroking his beard looking down at Thanatos’ still form. Sharalyn punched him in the face, just because she could.
He worked his jaw. “Guess I deserved that. I’ll take him to the patio and try to wake him up.”
After about twenty minutes of what could be considered waterboarding, Thanatos came up swinging. “What the fuck, man!” he was soaking wet from head toe and glared at a laughing Poseidon. Sharalyn was standing beside him.
“Good, you’re awake. Conjure some dry clothes. We’re going to Asgard,” She told him.
Once Loki had Ares on Asgard, he ghosted straight to the altar room where Freya waited for him. “Goddess, as promised, the God of War,” Loki said, dumping Ares’s body onto the stone floor. His head smacked against the stone with a thud and might have even bounced once.
“I do love presents,” Freya said with a sadistic smile. “Does he live?”
“Of course,” Loki assured her. “I wouldn’t dream of taking that prize from you.”
"And I will have my prize," Freya nodded. "All in good time. First, I would like to ask him a few questions." She waved her hand and heavy, metal shackles appeared around Ares's wrists and ankles. A six-foot long, thick chain secured him to the stone wall behind him. "That will hold him until I've gotten what I want from him."
When Loki looked at her quizzically, she continued. "Those chains are reinforced with my magic. No being, immortal or otherwise, can break free of them. You should remember, Loki. Those are the same chains that bound you for so long."
Loki bristled and turned his face away from the God of War in his restraints. His captivity wasn't something he wanted to think about. Hell, he could still feel the cold metal that was made from his dead son’s entrails clamped against his skin and the unforgiving poison as it blistered his face. Nope, not going there. Not today. "I think they suit him perfectly," he finally said.
Thor saw Loki returning from Earth with Ares draped over his shoulder. The God of War was immortal, just as he was, but for a moment Thor wasn't sure. What was Loki up to? Thor crept along behind his brother on silent feet, waiting and watching for the time to strike. At one point in time, Thor had been the kind of warrior to rush in headlong, consequences be damned. Ironically, it was Loki who had taught him the advantages of patience. Before, Thor did not care who might have been affected by his rash actions, it was all a consequence of war. But now, things were different. He was different. If he acted rashly, two people he cared very much about would be in danger. If he made a mistake, Athena and Emma's life would be forfeit. That price was much too high.
Funny, he thought as he watched Loki drop Ares in Freya's altar room, the Olympian gods were cursed until they learned what the Creator wanted them to learn, but Thor had learned a hard lesson as well. He learned what love truly was.
It wasn't just the hearts and flowers feeling that he'd thought. It was hard. It was painful. It was a sacrifice. Thor now knew that he would sacrifice everything he had, even the air in his lungs and the beating of his heart, for her.
Everything he would ever do from this point forward would be for her.
Watching from the shadows as Athena put herself in front of Emma and the human woman moved back out again, Thor felt something he was not familiar with. His feet itched to run to Athena, to grab her and run as far away as possible. His heart thundered in his chest and ears. His stomach was tied up knots and his palms were sweaty. Fear. This is what fear felt like. Thor shook his head. The God of Thunder did not fear. Did he?
"Where is Odin's eye?" Freya demanded from Ares as soon as he opened his eyes. "You took it from me and I want it back."
Thor leaned in to pay closer attention.
"Fuck you, Freya," Ares grumbled, sitting up. He rubbed the back of his head and that was when he realized that he was chained. "What in the—mother fucker!" He yanked on his chains but it was useless. "First the pixie from hell attacks me and now this!"
"Pixie?" Emma asked, drawing Ares's attention to her.
"Emma!" He stood and went to her, as much as his chain would allow. "Are you hurt? Is the baby ok?"
"We're fine," Emma told him. "Did you take this woman's eye? I'm not even gonna get into how gross that is to say out loud."
Ares turned to glare at Loki and Freya. "Is that what this is about? How dare you touch my wife? I’m going to kill you when I'm free." He spoke deliberately and without raising his voice.
"You will return what you have taken from our goddess," Loki said with a smirk. "Then she will take her pound of flesh."
"I will be taking more than that," Freya corrected him. "I'll be taking everything you love away from you, starting with your sister." She grabbed Athena by her long hair and yanked her to her side. "It's hardly worth the effort now, with her being human." Freya turned her face to Athena and smelled her hair. "She is a lovely human. So frail, so fragile."
Freya conjured a blade and held it to Athena's throat. Thor could watch no more. He roared as he charged into the room, Mjolnir raised and ready to fight. The thre
e warriors in the room looked up, prepared to fight for their goddess. Rankor turned to him, his horrible wings rotating like a huge band saw. Thor threw his hammer into the wretched wings, hitting his target. The wings bent and turned in on themselves, shattering like broken clock gears, shrieking and screaming as they met their demise.
"Mjilnor!" Thor called and his hammer returned to his hand. As soon as it touched his skin, his fingers wrapped around the handle and Thor turned, bringing it down on Lor's fist as he tried to sucker punch the god. Lor grunted in pain as the hammer shattered all the bones in his massive hand. Thor ducked to avoid his other hand and kicked his leg out, connecting with Lor's knee. The joint buckled and Thor stood, driving an elbow into the massive beast's temple. He fell at Thor's feet, unconscious.
Thor spun to face the other warrior, Tykir, but he did not see him. "Where is the other?" Thor demanded, "Are you too afraid to face me?"
"Look out!" Ares shouted, trying to warn Thor, but it was too late. The bite of an arrow lanced his buttock and caused his leg to buckle.
"That shit shot me," Thor said with amazement, as if the idea was preposterous.
"I tried to warn you," Ares said.
Thor looked to Athena, seeing her blur out of his vision. He expected to see her laughing at his misfortune, but instead, he saw her anger and fear. It made Thor smile to know that she cared for him too. He didn't get to dwell on it for long because the poisoned arrow was doing its job and Thor's vision went black just as he felt his face kiss the hard floor.
Chapter Nineteen
Thor could feel his heartbeat in his temples. It was a steady thump-thump, thump-thump that reverberated in his ears. He forced his eyelids open and squinted against the bright light. Where was he? What happened?
He attempted to stand only to be stopped by the feel of cold steel around his wrists and ankles. The fog in his head cleared up quickly and Thor yanked on his chains. "What sorcery is this?" He demanded when he realized the chains would hold against his strength. "Mjolnir," he called for his hammer, but his hand remained empty.
"Call for that hunk of metal all you want," Freya said on a laugh. "It will do no good. Your chains not only bind you, but your power as well."
"I've tried too," Ares said from next to Thor. "It's pointless."
"What do you want, woman?" Thor roared at Freya.
"I want my eye back, you traitor!" She screeched.
"I am no traitor," Thor assured her, looking to Athena and Emma to ensure they were still safe. To his surprise, neither woman was secured. They were allowed to sit and watch this insanity in chairs that looked much more comfortable than the stone floor.
"You have taken up with the Olympian gods, one of which stole Odin's eye from my seeing pond! The same who broke into our realm so long ago and made promises to me!"
"You mean Ares broke your heart," Thor said.
"Nonsense," Freya retorted. "My heart is impervious to the likes of him!"
"This is getting good, I wish I had a nail file," Athena said from her perch on the chair. She was watching the whole scene playout with amusement and Emma's expression mirrored that of the goddess. Thor had never been so proud of her. On the side of her chair she noticed his hammer, remembering its inscription. Any man who held it he would wield the power of Thor. How about a woman? She had lifted it several times without so much as a thought. She returned her glance to the commotion around her as to not raise suspicion. Hell, she was human now and no one other than Thor and Cody knew she had the power to move Mjolnir.
Freya glared at Athena. “No one gave you permission to speak. You are not a goddess here. In fact, you are a goddess no longer,” she glowered, then changed her expression to one of a menacing smile, then walked toward her.
She leaned down, eye to eye with Athena, but was cut off. “I wasn’t aware I needed your permission to speak. You sit up here in your little seeing room believing yourself to be powerless without a disgusting eyeball in that pond,” Athena pointed then continued, “Did you need it for your visions before? Or your powers for that matter?” she asked, staring deep into Freya’s eyes. She knew the truth. She’d spent too much time on earth relying on her powers and now that they were gone, it was if her own eyes had been opened for the first time.
“How dare you speak to me in such a manner? You know nothing!” Freya shouted, then slapped Athena across the face. Athena felt pain radiate in her jaw, moving upward toward her cheek bone, but refused to show any outward signs of discomfort, she only started back at the goddess before her.
“Strike a nerve?” she asked with a sweet smile. Damn her face hurt. Being human sucked!
Freya knew that Athena was right, but would never admit it. She wanted her damn eye back and would kill Ares not only for his betrayal, but for stealing what belonged to her. No, she would hit him where it hurt the most. “Loki, kill the pregnant one.” she demanded, then turned on her heel and sat back down on her throne to watch in delight as Ares lost everything he held dear.
Athena blanched in horror at Freya’s command. Loki was standing by with his spear in hand ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Although Emma grated on her last nerve, there was no way in hell she could allow her brother’s wife and unborn child to be murdered. Could she? No, she couldn’t. She had to protect them.
Moving faster than she knew she could, Athena reached down to her ankle and grasped Mjolnir’s handle in her hand. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she stood, bringing the hammer with her, noticing the inscription glowing as she raised it above her head. She took two steps and turned, slamming the hammer into the wall where Ares and Thor were secured. Thunder shook the building as a spider web crack split across the marble wall. She spun around, using the weight of the hammer to propel her, smashing it into the chain that secured Ares and then Thor.
The chains broke apart, freeing the two gods.
At the same time, Freya gasped in surprise.
“No!” Ares roared. “Touch my wife, Loki, and you will die today!” Ares snapped. He stood and his powers came forth as he conjured his fiery sword.
Athena watched her brother lunge for Loki, but he was too far away and Loki was too close to Emma. In that split second, time ceased to exist. Athena knew what she had to do. She spared a glance at Thor who was breaking free of his shackles and her heart broke in her chest. Not for herself, but for him. She would go into the afterlife never knowing his touch. Never knowing his kiss. He would never know how much she truly loved him.
As Loki shoved his spear forward, aiming for the unborn child in Emma’s belly, Athena screamed and threw her body between them. Time sped back up just as Loki’s spear sank between Athena’s breasts, slicing through her human bone and tissues, straight into her heart, and exited her body between her shoulder blades mere inches from its intended target.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Ares scooping Emma up and taking her to safety. She heard Thor’s roar of fury and saw him pick up Mjolnir. Athena looked down and saw Loki’s spear protruding from her body. Funny, it didn’t hurt. She thought it would. The only thing she felt was cold. As her heart beat one final time, Athena saw Thor’s hammer come down to the side of Loki’s head, and then there was nothingness.
Chapter Twenty
Poseidon heard Thor’s painful roar from the entrance to Asgard. He didn’t have time to dwell on the awesomeness of that rainbow bridge because from the sound of it, shit was going down inside and it was going down now.
Sharalyn heard it too and ghosted herself inside without waiting for Thanatos or Poseidon. “We better get in there,” Thanatos said.
“It’s been too long since I’ve fought a proper battle!” Poseidon announced, conjuring his battle gear. With his fighting armor in place, his helmet on his head and trident in hand, the two ghosted inside where the fighting was happening.
There was so much blood.
Poseidon looked to the floor where Loki was lying, or at least he thought it was Loki, with his head smash
ed in on one side. His brains and blood were leaking out on to the floor. Three feet away from him, Athena lie limp, a gaping hole in her chest and a discarded bloody spear next to her.
Three dead warriors were strewn about the room, their heads smashed into puddles of mush.
“What the hell?” Sharalyn gasped, taking in the scene before her.
“Don’t look,” Thanatos told her, knowing she wasn’t going to listen.
“Where’s Ares?” Poseidon demanded. A crash from the next room had all three gods rushing in. Thor had Freya pinned to the wall, his massive arm over her throat.
“You want your precious eye?” Thor growled at her, “You can have it. Maybe if you used it properly, you would have seen this coming. Loki took your eye. Loki blamed this on Ares. Loki did this! And because of you, I’ve killed my brother! My woman is dead and now you’ll join her!”
He shoved a box at Freya’s face but it fell to the floor. It opened on impact and what looked like a human eye rolled across the floor.
“Gross,” Sharalyn said, already moving to Thor. “Thor! Did this bitch kill Athena?”
“No, she told Loki to do it,” Thor ground out.
“I’ll kill her myself,” Sharalyn promised.
“No!” Poseidon shouted, causing the floors and walls to rumble. “Thor you can’t!”
“But I can,” he promised.
The gleam in his eyes told Poseidon and Thanatos that he had went over the deep end. Thor was insane with grief and fury. “If you kill her, you will start a war. A real war.” Thanatos told him. “We can’t do that. Not here. Not this day.”
“Athena,” Thor said. “She’s gone.”
“I’m sorry man, I truly am. Let’s get this woman secured and then we can figure out what to do,” Poseidon suggested, placing a careful hand on Thor’s shoulder. “Athena would not have wanted a war,” he reminded him.
“She’s a goddess,” Thor said, “We can’t restrain her.”
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