“Yeah, except some of us did go after him and he still got away,” Ares pointed out. “Once he dropped his overcompensated horse disguise, he became impossible to track. Not even Nemain could follow him.”
Nemain made a noise that sounded suspiciously like growling so Cameron shot her a funny look, which she returned.
“They shouldn’t be able to run from me,” she complained.
“Were the Mórrígna born with egos bigger than all of Ireland?” London asked.
“Yes,” Cameron immediately answered.
“We’re unable to capture Loki because Huitzilopochtli is using him,” Badb explained. “And Huitzilopochtli isn’t stupid. He knows he can’t defeat Cameron, so he’s keeping him busy elsewhere while he continues to strengthen himself.”
Selena grimaced and squeezed Cameron’s hand. “You think he’s still harvesting hearts?”
“I think he’s murdering demigods and gods faster than ever in preparation for a potential showdown with the world’s most powerful god,” Badb responded. “We haven’t seen him since Seattle, but he’s obviously in the Basin because he’s used his dead warriors to attack us. And gods like Loki have no reservations about bringing him the demigods and gods he demands in order to make himself more powerful.”
“You got your brother out of Austin, didn’t you?” Ares asked Cameron.
“Yeah,” Cameron sighed. “He was just as happy about it as my dad. He refused to go to Murias so I brought him somewhere neither Selena nor I have any affiliation with. If things get too much worse here, though, I’ve already told him he’s going to the Otherworld whether he wants to or not.”
“You’re a good brother,” Athena assured him.
Cameron tried to smile at her, but at the moment, he didn’t feel like a good brother or son at all. He felt like he’d stabbed his own family in the back.
“Any guesses on where Loki could be going next?” Jasper asked. “Should we go to Austin anyway? I’m betting he doesn’t know Logan’s no longer there.”
“I really wish we’d just killed him instead of binding him in that cave,” Thor sighed.
“That was definitely poor judgment on your part,” Cameron agreed.
Thor lifted a sagging shoulder and sighed again. “Seemed like a better punishment since death is over with so quickly.”
“I’m really not sure what to say to that,” Cameron admitted.
“Well, he’s not wrong,” London said. “If you think about it, killing a god who has no shot of entering his pantheon’s realm of the dead means he ceases to exist, so if they’d just killed him, Loki would have never really had the chance to think, ‘Gee, maybe having Baldr murdered wasn’t such a good idea.’”
“The god’s insane!” Cameron exclaimed. “He wasn’t spending all that time in his cave reflecting on his past. He was admiring the stalactites and wishing a giant venomous snake would appear above him to put him out of his misery!”
Nearby diners turned toward the gods’ table so Cameron flashed a sheepish grin in their direction. Now that the government had broken its silence about the existence of gods and demigods and had declared them all terrorists, they had to be far more careful about allowing humans to overhear their conversations.
“Sorry,” he called to the nearby table. “We’re just speculating about who’s causing all the trouble in Baton Rouge.”
One of the women at the table blinked at him and slowly lowered her fork onto her plate. “You look familiar…”
Cameron tried to keep his smile in place as he shrugged at her. “I get that a lot.”
Her eyes drifted to Selena then back to him and recognition slowly transformed her expression from confusion to horror.
“Ok, guess we’ll be taking our drinks to go,” Cameron whispered.
“Where are we?” London asked.
“Did you seriously just take us to Ellesmere Island?” Badb snapped.
“Well, yeah,” Cameron explained. “There’s nothing out here except reindeer! Figured we’d be safe.”
“We can’t save Baton Rouge if we’re stuck on a frozen island!” Nemain cried.
“They’ve completely cut off the city,” Cameron retorted. “We can mask ourselves, and Selena can go from room to room in the ICU to heal people, but the rest of us? We’d be better off going back to the Basin and luring that bird bastard out of hiding.”
“We’ve tried that numerous times,” Thor countered. “And each time, we just end up confronting his allies who force us to leave before one of us gets hurt.”
“Last time I killed Tlaloc,” Cameron reminded him. “Even if we’re only killing one of his gods at a time, he’ll eventually run out.”
“What about my idea?” Jasper suggested. “Chances are, somebody’s going to show up in Austin. They’re obviously targeting you and Selena.”
Badb tapped her fingers against her chin then shrugged. “I’ll go with Selena to Baton Rouge. I’m sure everyone who’s showing signs of plague is being treated so we’ll just be careful. Maybe don’t completely heal those who would die without you but make them well enough that the antibiotics will actually work.”
Selena nodded. “That’s a good idea. I can get to a lot more people if we can hold off on anyone becoming suspicious for a while.”
“Do you want extra help protecting Selena?” Athena offered.
Badb glanced at Cameron who gave her a look he hoped she interpreted as, “What is wrong with you and why are you even asking?”
His look either conveyed that message or she just used her ability to read minds because she rolled her eyes at him and told Athena, “The Sun God here thinks I’m an idiot for even considering asking him if he wanted you with me or them. He’d send his own army with Selena if he could.”
“Totally true,” Cameron interrupted.
Selena snickered and grabbed his arm, standing on her toes to kiss him before leaving for Baton Rouge with two of the most celebrated war goddesses in history. “We’ll be fine. You are the one who needs to be careful. After all, what is Rogue without Gambit?”
“Um… I still don’t get this reference,” Cameron admitted with a mischievous grin.
“Go,” Selena laughed. “And keep these other gods out of trouble.”
“Did she seriously just tell Cameron to keep us out of trouble?” London asked.
“Yeah, the god who seems to be a magnet for trouble,” Jasper teased.
Cameron snorted and told the demigod, “You were in charge of the New Pantheon for all of two weeks and now it’s dissolved. Not one to talk.”
“Conceded,” Jasper agreed.
“Not Jasper’s fault,” Ukko said.
Cameron blinked at the Finnish thunder god’s sudden appearance on a frozen island that seemed to have little else than reindeer and a handful of smartass gods. “Again?” Cameron finally asked. “Did somebody summon you, or do you just enjoy tormenting me?”
Ukko rolled his eyes then squinted at the herd of reindeer in the distance. “What the hell are you doing here anyway? You really do have a weird fetish thing for reindeer, don’t you?”
“I will smite you,” Cameron warned.
“For once, I wouldn’t even try to stop you,” Ukko said. “Except I can protect Anita far better as a living god than I could as a spirit.”
“How did you get the job of bad-news delivery god?” London asked.
“That is an excellent question,” Ukko muttered.
“Just deliver it,” Badb sighed.
“The government has released names,” Ukko explained. “Every single god and demigod who worked for the New Pantheon is now being broadcast all over the world. Humans seem to think that by making us targets they can force us out of what they consider their world.”
“They’ve lost their minds!” Badb exclaimed. “How do they propose forcing gods to do anything?”
“I don’t know, Badb,” Ukko answered. “Few humans seem to understand this world has always been ours, too. We’ve been aro
und as long as they have, but we’ve never seen gods behaving like Huitzilopochtli and his allies are now. I suppose I can’t blame them for their reactions.”
“Wait,” Cameron interrupted. “This really is the apocalypse if Ukko is the one being considerate and reasonable.”
“I don’t care what you call it,” Ukko responded. “But these mortals will create their own Armageddon by waging wars against beings they don’t even understand and can’t possibly fight. Most gods aren’t going to be as patient or understanding about being labeled as their enemies.”
“I still can’t believe you’re being patient and understanding about this,” Cameron told him.
He was only mildly surprised when Ukko flipped him off.
“Um, we might have a bigger problem right now,” Thor interjected.
“Bigger than the apocalypse?” Cameron asked.
“Bigger than Ukko being the harbinger of the apocalypse,” Thor clarified. “Or the fact that humans now want to somehow force us into different realms permanently.”
“Ok, I give up,” Cameron decided. “If there’s a bigger problem than the destruction of Earth, I don’t want any part of it.”
Thor pointed to the sky and told him, “Valkyries found me on your reindeer island. This can’t be good news.”
“It could be,” Cameron argued. “Maybe they’re coming to tell you they found Loki and stuck him back in his cave.”
“And maybe my dead father has invaded Murias again,” Thor retorted.
“Well, he was a big enough asshole to try something like that,” Cameron pretend-agreed.
Thor just nodded as he watched the Valkyries descend and land on the frozen ground near the group of gods who stood shivering and waiting for more devastating news. Even though the Valkyries all looked remarkably similar, Cameron could identify Gunnr now by the different emblem on her belt. He’d been meaning to ask Thor if she were the leader of the Valkyries, but they always seemed to have more pressing issues to deal with, like giant mutant horses destroying towns or the entire U.S. government throwing all of their former employees under the bus.
As always, Gunnr nodded respectfully at the head of her pantheon before addressing him. “We found her body. I’m so sorry, Thor.”
Thor’s shoulders sagged even more as he lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes. “And there’s no sign of her spirit?”
“No,” Gunnr confirmed. “She’s beyond our reach now.”
“Who?” Selena asked. “Do you think I can bring her back?”
“Sigyn,” Gunnr responded. “And not even you can retrieve her spirit from Hel.”
Thor shook his head slowly. “Poor Sigyn. This was never meant to be her fate.”
“It may not have to be her fate,” Gunnr corrected. “Hermod once traveled to Hel to ask her to return Baldr. It can be done.”
Thor lifted his head and blinked at the spirit who was suggesting such a dangerous expedition to the Norse underworld to save one goddess. “Hermod himself is there now. And what chance would anyone stand of retrieving Sigyn when Loki’s own daughter rules over her there?”
“That’s exactly why we must,” Gunnr insisted. “Sigyn took on a great burden for our entire pantheon. We can’t abandon her to the will of a goddess like Hel who will seek revenge on behalf of her father!”
“And who among us would be willing to undertake this journey?” Thor demanded. “Who among is strong enough to fight Hel and all of her warriors if she decides to slaughter those who approach her gate?”
“There are none among us,” Gunnr replied, her light blue eyes finally shifting away from Thor to settle on Cameron.
Cameron backed away from the Valkyrie and shook his head quickly. “No way,” he said. “I am not going to Hel.”
“You wouldn’t go alone,” Gunnr pleaded. “Thor would accompany you.”
“I’m not going to Hel!” Cameron repeated.
“Um…” Jasper stammered. “All those times I told you to go to Hell? Never thought that was an actual possibility.”
“It’s not a possibility,” Selena immediately insisted. “Cameron’s not going. This isn’t even up for discussion anymore. I’m sorry about Sigyn… honestly. You know I’d do whatever I can to save her if it were possible but not this.”
“But Cameron is powerful enough to defeat her if he must,” Gunnr persisted. “Even in a world that isn’t one of his. He’s the only god who can enter a realm that doesn’t belong to him yet retain all of his strength.”
“You don’t even know that,” Ukko argued. “You’re just hoping he doesn’t lose any of his power. That’s an incredible risk for not only him and Selena but all of us. We need him here. Without him, we can’t possibly defeat Huitzilopochtli.”
“I do know he will be the same god in her world as he is in this one,” Gunnr snapped. “I may not have the strongest gift of prophecy, but that much I can see.”
“No,” Selena reiterated. She grabbed Cameron’s hand and stood between him and the Valkyrie who expected him to travel to the Norse realm of the dead for one goddess he hardly knew. “And in case you’re forgetting, I’m every bit as powerful as he is, and if you don’t leave now, I’ll smite you myself. Don’t believe me? Go to Villa Rica and see what’s left of Volkh.”
“Selena,” Cameron whispered, but Selena’s sharp rebuke in his mind to keep his mouth shut for once made him press his lips together and keep his mouth shut for once.
“I haven’t forgotten, Selena,” Gunnr responded. “And I’m not trying to anger you. But you of all people should be willing to allow your husband to take this risk.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Selena demanded. “And he’s not my husband yet.”
“In one life he was,” Gunnr answered. “And in that life, your fates were sealed for all eternity. From the moment your souls were first bound together, Fate chose you. I can also see that you carry a child whose power will rival your own. But she’ll fail to achieve what Fate has asked of her without help, and there is only one god who can help her.”
“Don’t even say it,” Cameron warned.
Selena’s fingers twitched around his hand as her anger mixed with fear that this Valkyrie had received a vision about their daughter’s future that not even their own wise man could see.
“How can a Norse god help her?” Selena asked weakly even though she already knew the answer.
“A Norse god can’t,” Gunnr answered. “But one of your gods is held prisoner by Hel and has been since he was brought to her over five hundred years ago.”
“No,” Badb gasped.
Cameron glanced at the Irish war goddess whose hands rose to her mouth.
“I’ll go,” she said through her fingers.
“Badb,” Nemain hissed. “Have you lost your mind?”
Badb’s gray eyes blazed with a hatred that made Cameron’s stomach turn. His friend was serious. And she would die trying to save the god she still loved.
“They have Lugh!” Badb yelled. “How can I not try to rescue him?”
“Because you’ll only die, too!” Nemain yelled back.
“I’ll still go and help her,” Thor decided. “This must have been the work of my father. Only he would have known how to capture a spirit and cast him off to our underworld. I owe this to the Tuatha Dé.”
Badb swallowed and blinked back tears but finally whispered, “Thank you, Thor.” She took a deep breath and turned to Selena. “You and Cameron should stay in Murias. There’s nothing you can do for a world that resents your existence. Protect your home. If Thor and I succeed…”
“Oh, God,” Cameron groaned again, interrupting Badb’s instructions he had no intention of following. “I finally am going to Hell, aren’t I? All those people who kept telling me to go should have placed bets.”
“Cameron, I’m not trying to make you feel guilty,” Badb insisted. “I owe this to Lugh.” She forced a small smile and reminded him, “And besides. You did tell me to go to Hell wh
en you thought I’d hidden something from you and Selena about your daughter.”
“Well, I never thought you would take that literally!” Cameron exclaimed.
“You don’t owe Lugh anything,” Nemain interrupted. “This wasn’t your fault. I was there, Sister. I saw him ask you to leave his side because he insisted he could handle Freyr on his own.”
The tears Badb had attempted to hold back finally spilled down her cheeks as she cried, “He knew! He knew one of us would die by Freyr’s hand, and he chose himself! Tell me again how I don’t owe him now?”
“He saved you because he loves you!” Nemain shouted, her panic that she would be unable to save her sister finally breaking her self-control. She wiped hastily at her cheeks and grabbed Badb’s arms. “You can’t leave me!”
“She’s not,” Cameron said firmly. “And she’s not leaving Selena. You promised me, Badb. Twice now, you’ve pledged your life to protect hers.”
“Cameron,” Badb begged, “you have to let me out of this agreement! I would do it for you if it were Selena’s spirit at stake.”
“I won’t let you out,” Cameron insisted. “But you’re right. If it were Selena, I’d expect your help. You gave it to me once, and I’m returning the favor now.”
“Cameron,” Selena whimpered.
“We need him, too, love,” Cameron reminded her. “Our daughter needs him. Have faith in me.”
Selena’s blue eyes looked up at him, filled with so many conflicting emotions that if Cameron didn’t share her feelings, he’d be lost as to what she was thinking now. But unlike the war goddesses, she didn’t cry. Her faith in him ran deeper than any fears she carried. “Bring our giant friend here home, too,” she said. “Nemain owes you both a rematch with those po-boys.”
Thor smiled sheepishly at the Irish war goddess who still clung desperately to her sister. “When we return, Nemain.”
Nemain nodded and swallowed before she could speak. “When you return, Jötunn.”
“Ok, Jasper,” Cameron sighed. “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Go ahead and tell me one last time.”
Jasper let out a nervous laugh but wouldn’t disappoint the young sun god. “For the last time, Cameron… go to Hell.”
The Battle Cry (The Guardians of Tara Book 2) Page 15