My statement seemed to anger Thor as he yelled a deafening "How dare you!" I didn't understand why he was so angry in the first place, and I almost gathered enough audacity to ask him why when Freya held up her hand to silence the brute.
"Do try to be quiet, Thor." I had never seen the god of thunder calm himself so quickly. I couldn't quite explain the power that she held over these men, but I could understand its intensity. She turned her attention back to me. "Is that the issue? You find having to see so many gods sharing the same role problematic."
"The truth, goddess, is that I prayed to every
god out there to save my father's life when he was sick and none heard me. I watched him die when I was a child. Even with all of you here before me, it will still be hard for me to truly believe."
Thor let out a scoff. "Are we to pity you just because you lost a father?"
"I do not ask for pity, only that you see reason with me. A lot of people have suffered terrible tragedies in this life, and while we suffered these things, we all prayed. We always revert to a place of prayer with our backs against the wall, and no god answers. The few ones that did are the few ones that are still being worshipped even now in
the 21st century."
Odin leaned forward in his chair, hands folded.
under his chin. "What are you trying to say, human?" "If you miss being worshipped that badly, then do something to make people worship you again as their gods. Answer a prayer every once in a while." I turned my attention to Baldur. "And you were wrong, by the way; you do not have a few faithfuls on earth."
'We have none." He sounded alarmed.
"That was not what I meant, my lord."
He seemed to be relaxing now. "But you did say we did not have a few faithful on earth."
I nodded. "Yes, I did."
It was a bit difficult to tell if he was annoyed at me or curious as to what I had to say, but he waved me, "Broaden that statement."
I was all too happy to. " Back on earth, the mythology of Thor, Odin, and Loki
are a major hit in the entertainment industry. Only a few other mythologies are that popular." I felt a lot more confident with the subtle changes in their expression. They seemed to be finally interested in hearing what I had to say: "People still worship you, even if unconsciously. The tales of Thor's hammer and Ragnarok fill people of all ages with wonder. Children run around telling their friends and family they want to be as
amazing as Thor." I personally didn't share the same sentiments as the children towards Thor, but he seemed to take pleasure in it. It didn't matter as long as it was working in my favor. I leaned forward and made a point to look everyone in my line of sight in the eye. "People still worship the old gods. Regardless of whether or not I do"
Baldur was wearing a smile that I hoped, if I ever got to receive the gift of one, my child would have. He looked at Freya and gave her a look that said he needed her to try convincing his father into rethinking his decision.
"People still worship us, you say?" Odin's voice
seemed to take a much lighter tone each time that he spoke, and it put me more and more at ease, but it was still a good idea to not get too comfortable. I nodded my head in response to his question. The old god leaned back, took a deep breath, and cast a glance at Freya, who only smiled back at him. Watching them made me miss Azul more. I wondered what she was up to now. Was she at the hotel? Was she dealing with her fair share of angry gods, as I was? I hoped not.
"Valkyries," Odin summoned three tall women clad in golden helmets and shields; their beauty and almost blinding brightness
complimenting each other, "Escort the human to the garden," he looked down at me and added with all sense of arrogance, "It's never a good idea to have mortals in the presence of gods for too long."
I rose to my feet before the Valkyries could come over to where I sat, a lot more eager to leave the room than they were to escort me out. I bowed low enough to be seen as respectful to each and every one of the gods and followed the imposing, winged women out of the dining area and toward the garden area.
Valaskjalf was a lot
better than how it had been as described in the books that I had read in my mother's library. The
A vast understatement was as disrespectful as being slapped across the face by one's child in public.
It was a grand and imposing structure, built with the finest materials available in all nine realms. It was covered with and coated in shimmering silver. Mere words of praise hardly did it any justice. Inside the hall, Odin had his throne, which I had never been offered the privilege of beholding, but I had read it was a glorious sight and the place where other Scandinavian gods meet to discuss matters of great importance. If the books had described it as amazing, then it was sure to be beyond that.
I had come to learn that books of mythology were prone to downplaying the glory of the habitations of gods.
The valkyries walked me to the garden in utter silence. They were so similar to the Amazons, except the Amazons didn't mind a little friendly chatter if they could spare the time, and the Valkyries didn't seem to be keen to join in on conversations. The garden was exceptionally beautiful. They were flowers that I did not recognize but stood in complete awe of; the ones that I did recognize from earth looked and smelled a lot better than they did back at home.
I had seen my fair share of exquisite flowers.
habitations, but this was beyond mind-blowing, and I could have sworn that I heard the flowers singing faintly. Putting the description of the place into words may prove a tad difficult, but it really was a garden fit for the gods. I wondered if I was allowed to take some home for Azul.
My escorts, with their work complete, left me to wander the area by myself under the assurance that I wouldn't try to steal anything. I didn't know that plucking a flower was considered stealing, but it didn't matter as long as they left me to my thoughts. I walked around the place and let my mind travel back home to
where the love of my life was. It was hard to
describe just how much I needed Azul here with me; I was exhausted from having to cater to the tantrums of all powerful beings and needed to be near a sense of normalcy. I was worried about not having talked to her in a few days. She must have been worried sick—that much I was certain of. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't notice the presence of another, not until they spoke up.
"Penny, what are your thoughts, Mr. Zenin?" The familiar maternal voice of the goddess Freya pulled him back to reality as gently as a surgeon pulled out an external object from the body of
their patient. She walked over to my side as
As soon as I turned and bowed the moment I saw her, "Isn't that how the phrase goes in your home world?"
"Yes, it is a goddess. I didn't realize that you were familiar with human sayings. I thought you fond us unsavoury."
Freya chuckled. "I do not, contrary to what you might think, dislike humans. All humans are my children, you know."
I nodded, even though I found it hard to believe, but it was polite to agree. "Odin is going to destroy the world. Are you fine with all your children dying?"
"About as fine as you were with your father
dying"
Her words brought back a flash of unwelcome, depressing memories. I had been very close to my father. He was the one who taught me to do almost all the things that I could do today, including holding my tongue when provoked, just as I found myself doing in this moment. Freya had no right to bring up my father's passing, but I did set myself up for it when I brought up his illness earlier. Most gods weren't known for their ability to be considerate of the feelings of anyone, especially the feelings of those that they felt were beneath them. But then again, she meant no harm by what she said; it just stung.
"Whatever you say, goddess," was the best retort I could offer that wouldn't lead to me getting struck by lightning.