Eye of the Beholder

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Yes.”

  “My father is?”

  “Thor.”

  Jeff busted out laughing. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

  “No.”

  “So who’s Jordan’s father? Tyr?” Jamie and Jeff had the same mother as Jordan, but Jordan’s father was Adam Grey. Or at least that’s what they’d been told. Travis made a face. “Hell, no.”

  “Oh, well that’s good.”

  “Her father is really Adam Grey, but he’s also known as Frey.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re missing a hand. Does that make you Tyr?”

  “Yes.”

  Jeff growled and turned. He grabbed Jamie’s hand and pulled her from the couch, ignoring her painful moan. “That’s it. I’m done. We’re leaving.”

  A deep, multi-choral voice sounded from behind them. It was Travis, but echoed and magnified to be nearly unbearable. “Let her go, Jeff.”

  Jamie looked back and gasped. Travis was glowing. Not turn-the-lights-out-and-you-can-barely-see-by-it type glowing, either. She could hardly make out his features in the painfully blinding light he exuded.

  She pulled free of Jeff’s hold and waved her hands in front of her in an instinctive pattern, willing the light to die down a little. To her utter shock Travis’s glow dimmed.

  “Holy fuck. Where’d you learn to do that?” The stunned look on Logan’s face would have been priceless at any other time.

  “Learn what?”

  Travis smiled and opened his eyes. They were completely white, the blue she’d come to know and love completely covered over. They glowed with the same intensity as his body had earlier, making it nearly impossible to stare into them. “It is instinctive to you. You are your father’s daughter.”

  “Her father isn’t Jotun.”

  Travis smiled enigmatically. “Ask your questions, Jamie.”

  Where do I start? “What’s a Jotun?”

  “Mistakenly called giants by humans, they are a race of elementals that existed in this world long before humans walked it. Fire, Ice, Light and Dark, they assisted in the creation of mankind and crafted some of the greatest artifacts ever wielded by the gods.”

  “Light and Dark?”

  Travis ignored Logan’s question. It was as if… “Light and Dark?”

  “The Jotuns of Light and Dark you know as Alfar and Dvergar, or Lios Alfar and Dökk Alfar.”

  “Light elves and dark elves?”

  He ignored Jordan’s question, his unseeing gaze focused on Jamie.

  She stepped closer to him, fascinated now that her eyes weren’t watering. It was as if he couldn’t even hear anyone other than her and Jeff. “Light elves and dark elves?”

  “That is one way they are described.” His hand reached out and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking the cheekbone in a soft caress. His gaze was still directed over her head, but the expression on his face was one of fierce tenderness.

  He can’t really see me. “Are you really Tyr?”

  Travis nodded once. “Yes.”

  She went with her gut. “You’re Lios Alfar, aren’t you?”

  He closed his eyes briefly. “Yes, and no.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I was the leader of the Vanir, who were once the gods of the Jotun.”

  “Whoa.” Magnus was watching them with a dazed expression. Morgan didn’t look much better. Logan looked positively sick. “Guess he’s not related to the Old Man, then.”

  “Jamie.” Travis’s hand moved and buried itself in her hair, his voice still otherworldly but full of yearning. His head tilted down, his broad, powerful shoulders moving over her protectively. The stroke of his fingers against her scalp was intoxicating. She closed her eyes, unconsciously leaning into him, jumping slightly when their bodies touched.

  “Is Ragnarrok coming?”

  Ragnarrok was the end of the world and the beginning of paradise, at least in Norse mythology. Jamie didn’t know much about it other than most of the gods died and Baldur wound up ruling paradise, something that would please her sister but scared Jamie to death. Jamie started as Jeff asked his question, the seriousness of his voice registering. Travis stiffened against her.

  “Yes, and no.”

  “Explain it.” Jeff’s voice was hard.

  Travis tilted his head, frowning.

  Jamie pulled back slightly, surprised when Travis’s hand tightened in her hair. She eased back into his hold and his fingers relaxed. “What did you mean when you said yes and no?”

  “The Ragnarrok you’ve heard of is part fiction, part fact. This is the prophecy most people know:

  “High blows Heimdallr, the horn is aloft.

  Odin communes with Mimir’s head.

  Trembles Yggdrasill’s towering Ash.

  The old tree wails when the Ettin is loosed.

  “What of the Aesir? What of the Elf-folk?

  All Jötunheim echoes, the Aesir are at council.

  The dwarves are groaning before their stone doors,

  Wise in rock-walls; wit ye yet, or what?

  “Hrymr sails from the east, the sea floods onward.

  The monstrous Beast twists in mighty wrath.

  The Snake beats the waves, the Eagle is screaming.

  The gold-neb tears corpses, Naglfar is loosed.

  “From the east sails the keel; come now Múspell’s folk

  Over the sea-waves, and Loki steereth.

  There are the warlocks all with the Wolf,

  With them is the brother of Býleistr faring.

  “Surtr fares from southward with switch-eating flame.

  On his sword shimmers the sun of the war-gods.

  The rocks are falling, and fiends are reeling,

  Heroes tread Hel-way, heaven is cloven.

  “Then to the Goddess a second grief cometh,

  When Odin fares to fight with the Wolf,

  And Beli’s slayer, the bright god, with Surtr.

  There must fall Frigg’s beloved.

  “Odin’s son goeth to strife with the Wolf,

  Vídarr, speeding to meet the slaughter-beast.

  The sword in his hand to the heart he thrusteth

  Of the fiend’s offspring; avenged is his Father.

  “Now goeth Hlödyn’s glorious son

  Not in flight from the Serpent, of fear unheeding.

  All the earth's offspring must empty the homesteads,

  When furiously smiteth Midgard’s defender.

  “The sun shall be darkened, earth sinks in the sea,—

  Glide from the heaven the glittering stars.

  Smoke-reek rages and reddening fire:

  The high heat licks against heaven itself.”

  “Or so says the Poetic Edda. I’m not certain how much is fact, and how much fiction. What I do know is, Odin was terrified enough to have Fenris and Loki chained, Hel banished, Jörmungandr tossed into the sea, and Baldur killed. None of the living Vanir or Aesir know the truth of the prophecy, as it was Odin who delivered it to us.”

  “Wait a minute.” Jeff stepped up next to Travis, his gaze locked on the man’s face. “Wouldn’t killing Baldur be like one of those self-fulfilling prophecies? If one of the signs of Ragnarrok is Baldur’s death, what does killing him accomplish other than to start the whole thing?”

  “Baldur and Hodr are meant to rule, with Baldur ascendant, over the remaining Aesir. If Baldur is to rule, that means that Odin is dead. All of the gods loved Baldur, much more so than Odin. So he came up with a plan whereby Baldur would die. How he planned on keeping him from returning, I do not know. It is possible part of the true prophecy was Baldur’s death, but with a different ending.”

  “So you think he was motivated by fear and jealousy?”

  “I believe so. He might have thought he could stop Ragnarrok and maintain his place.”

  “Wait.” Jeff shook his head quickly, like he was shaking something off. “Weren’t you there when Loki supposedly killed Baldur? I mean, you’re the God of Justic
e, right? If everything you’re telling us is true, then isn’t that the ultimate injustice?”

  Travis winced, regret lining his face. “He’d sent me away on what turned out to be a fool’s errand. I’d been sent to speak with Njord, to see if he’d join us in some silly celebration I don’t even remember now. Of course he chose not to attend, and everything was over and done with by the time I got back. I…” Travis bit his lip. “I wanted to speak to Loki, to find out why he’d done what he’d done, but Odin convinced me not to.”

  “You mean he plied you with apple wine and whispered sweet nothings in your ear.” Logan huffed out a breath. “Thanks for the thought, though.”

  Travis ignored him.

  Jamie felt a tug on her arm. She turned to find Jordan by her side, a worried frown on her face. “Ask him what the true prophecy is.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if this whole thing is true, Logan dies.”

  “Why would Logan die?”

  “Because he’s Loki.”

  Her head whipped up to stare at Travis. “What?”

  Jeff snorted out a laugh. “This keeps getting better and better. Who are Magnus and Morgan?”

  Their brothers looked at Jeff in horror.

  “Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor and the Jotun Járnsaxa, meant to carry Mjölnir after their father dies at Ragnarrok.”

  “So they knew all of this, all along?” Jeff was glaring at them.

  “Yes and no. Odin used the power of the apples of Idunn to blanket their minds, as he did with all of the Aesir and their living children.”

  “Can you tone it down, glowbug? You’re giving me a headache.” Jeff rubbed his eyes wearily.

  “Yes.” Travis’s glow dimmed even further, his features once more clear. “Better?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Jamie was still reeling, but she had to know. “I thought the apples granted immortality?”

  “No. I believe Kir and Logan were the first to deduce that they did not, as they were cut off from the source of the apples.”

  “Actually, I knew first.” Val stood. “Before you ask, I’m Vali, the slayer of Hodr and the son of Odin and the Jotun Rindr.”

  Jamie sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m getting a headache.”

  Travis’s eyes immediately cleared, the gorgeous blue returning, his glow dying away completely. “You need to lie down. This is a lot to absorb in a small amount of time, and you’re still recuperating.” His voice had lost most of the echo, going back to the same old Travis she thought she’d known.

  He bent to pick her up, but she stepped away from him. She ignored his fierce frown at her withdrawal. “No. We need to finish this. I need to know why.”

  “Why what, sweetheart?”

  She ignored the endearment and focused on the facts. “Why did my grandfather torture me? Who are Logan and Kir? Loki and Baldur, right? And why wasn’t I told any of this?”

  “Jordan didn’t know either, not until Logan and Kir revealed themselves to her in her office.”

  “Why?”

  “They needed help proving that Grimm had been lying to the Aesir and Vanir for centuries, and they wanted Jordan to be the one providing it.”

  “Because she’s a good detective?”

  “Because she’s the daughter of Frey, the step-granddaughter of Grimm and has the reputation of a woman of honor.” Kir stood, tugging on a chain around his neck. He pulled and twisted, and suddenly a six foot spear, complete with glowing tip, rested in his hand. Suddenly he seemed much, much more than the easy-going man she’d known. He radiated a confidence and power that called to her on a level she’d never felt before. If this Kir asked her to jump off a bridge she’d seriously consider it. “Gungnir, the Godspear, the prize Odin covets above all others. Now that I possess it, I am ruler of the Aesir and Vanir.”

  “Then where are the other gods? Man, I can’t believe I’m asking that.” Jamie collapsed suddenly, her bad leg giving out on her.

  Travis caught her. How he moved that fast she had no idea. “Careful, sweetheart.” He settled her on the chaise, putting her feet up and a cushion behind her head. He then settled in next to her, warning Jeff off with a hot look, and claimed her hand. His other arm went behind her head, encasing her in his warmth. She tried to ignore the stump where his hand should have been. She’d always believed he’d lost it in an accident. Instead, he’d lost it in the jaws of a giant wolf centuries ago.

  Centuries. How the hell was she supposed to wrap her brain around centuries?

  “Some have remained loyal to Grimm, others to Frigg. Njord has stayed in the sea, as expected.”

  She eyed Val wearily as he sat on the sofa in the spot she’d vacated to go to Travis. Tyr. His name is Tyr. He’s a freaking god. “Okay, who’s Frigg?”

  “Grandmother.” Jeff sat down on the floor and ruffled his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. “Frigg is Frederica, Odin’s wife and co-ruler of the gods.”

  “Ex co-ruler now.” Logan was watching them warily, like he didn’t know which way they’d jump next.

  Travis nodded. “Yes.”

  “Sydney Saeter?” Jeff glanced at Logan. “Sigyn, right? Your ex-wife? The one who held the bowl and caught the acid the snake dripped on you when you were chained to the mountain for killing Baldur?” Jeff blinked, his gaze darting to Kir as if just making that connection.

  Logan nodded. “Sigyn”

  “Sybil Donnar?”

  “Sif, your father’s ex-wife and the goddess of marriage, of all things.” Logan settled down into the chair Jordan had been sitting in, pulling his wife onto his lap in the process. He started ticking on his fingers. “Frey is Adam Grey, Thor is Fred Grimm, Frieda Grey is Freyja. Who am I missing?”

  “Quite a few, but that will do.” Travis rubbed Jamie’s hand absently, his gaze focused inward. “We have other things to worry about now that the truth is out.”

  “Like?” Jamie tried to ignore the liquid heat in her belly, but Travis wasn’t helping.

  “Like how Grimm lived through the fatal wounds Val gave him, and what he’s got planned next.”

  “Oh. That.”

  “And how to free Hel, Fenris and Jörmungandr.”

  “What?”

  “No way!”

  Magnus and Morgan leapt to their feet, their outrage clear in their voices and faces.

  Travis looked at them and sighed. “You two are fated to wield Mjölner after your father passes. Which means you both survive Ragnarrok. In this, you’re on Baldur’s side. Right?”

  They stared at one another before nodding briefly, reluctantly. Jamie shuddered at the thought of her big, gruff father dying. He might be under Grimm’s thumb but he’d done nothing but love his children. She frowned again. At least as far as she knew. Did Mom know all of this?

  “Knowing that Odin is the bad guy, and has been from the beginning…”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean that Loki’s children will automatically be good guys.” Jeff bit his lip. Jamie knew her brother was working something out in his mind, but she couldn’t tell what it was. “They were imprisoned for a reason.”

  “That reason was prophecy. Especially in Fenris’s case.” Travis stared at Logan, sorrow chasing across his face. “Trust me, I know.”

  Jamie saw the look Travis and Logan exchanged, and it was not good. “Then we free them.” Everyone turned to her. “I know what it’s like to be tortured by Grimm.” She stared at Magnus and Morgan willing them to understand what she was saying. “How do we know he’s left them alone all this time?”

  “He’s left Hel alone. Even he doesn’t dare piss off my daughter.” Logan shook his head. “As for my sons, he’s already proven what he’s capable of there.” His hand moved over Jordan’ stomach. “I want this finished before Jordan gives birth.” His fingers curled, making a fist. Flame danced in his eyes. “I won’t lose another child.”

  “You won’t. Not if I can help it.”

  Jamie smiled a
t the determination in Travis’s voice. “Count me in too.”

  She listened to the inevitable protests. Oddly enough, Travis wasn’t one of the protestors. Neither was Jeff. “I mean it. You are not leaving me out of this.”

  Travis’s voice was the only calm one. “Fine. But there will be some ground rules. Understand?”

  She looked up at Travis and nodded. She wanted to help, but she wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t a god like the others. She was just…Jamie.

  “I’m in too, don’t fight me on it, you won’t win, fuck off if you even bother trying.” Jeff stood. “I need beer.” He headed into the kitchen. Everyone could hear him rattling around in the refrigerator. “Jesus, Logan, can’t you buy decent beer? This stuff is goat piss.”

  “Then don’t drink it, asshole.” Logan gently pushed Jordan off his lap and went into the kitchen, grumbling about pushy dickheads who were too cheap to buy their own beer.

  “And that concludes the mythology portion of tonight’s entertainment.” Jordan grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. “Who wants to watch football?”

  “Ugh.” Jamie nudged Travis until he stood. “I’ll be in the den surfing the internet.”

  “What for?”

  She lied. “I need to check my e-mail.”

  She ignored Travis’s narrow-eyed stare as she hobbled into the den. She shut the door gently behind her and booted up the computer. Smooth move, James, lying to a god of Justice. Hopefully he’d take the hint and let her be to process everything. Not that she had any intention of thinking about anything to do with the mess her family was currently in. No, sirree.

  Time for a little R and R. She typed in her favorite URL and booted up her program, making sure the sound was low enough that none of the others would be able to hear it. She waited until the cheers of the game filtered through the doorway before starting, and was soon engrossed by what she saw.

  Jordan was going to kill her if she checked her browser history. But what the fuck. After that little family purge, Jamie could use a little normal.

  Whatever that was.

  Chapter Six

  Travis stared at the closed office door and wondered what Jamie was lying about. He knew every expression on that beautiful face of hers, including the one she used when trying to snow him. He’d seen it most often when she’d been dating that cheating jerk ex-boyfriend and trying to make it seem like everything was fine between them. He still had the occasional urge to go find the guy and put the fear of god into him.