His mother sighed and walked over to stand in front of him, placing her delicate hand over his chest, which glowed faintly before a single word emerged and floated around her.
The moment that word left her body, Ikki felt free. It was a feeling hard to put into mere words, but it was like a caterpillar breaking free from its cocoon to become a butterfly.
"So, you've figured it out. Indeed, that's the reason why you haven't been able to properly use the divine powers inherited from both of us," Sophia said, raising her hand where the word floated above.
Ikki frowned upon hearing what his mother said. Indeed, his other abilities seemed confined to a place to which he didn't have the keys. It was a strange analogy, but it was precisely what the rune his mother had used to seal his divine part represented.
The word "Lock" in Norse, a simple rune used to seal parts of someone. For example, writing it on someone's arm would prevent them from feeling or using it, although the arm would still be there.
He had never thought such a rune could be used this way. Well, the one his mother used seemed to have been altered by her.
Anyway, now that he knew the cause of his inability to use his demigod powers was the seal his mother had placed on him, he felt tense and asked:
"You know that if I weren't strong enough, I would've died, right? So why did you seal me?"
Sophia shivered slightly at her son's words. She sighed, an expression of pain crossing her face as she began to explain her reasons.
"If you didn't have powers, you wouldn't be in danger and could live like any normal person. That was my thought at the time when I found out I was carrying you in my womb. So, I locked your divine part a little before you were born, but I never imagined it would be so strong that parts of it would occasionally escape."
"Specifically, it was as if your divine part was so powerful that it cracked the metaphysical space created for your seal. And its energy leaked through those cracks, which attracted the Satyr and made him realize you were a demigod…"
Ikki finally understood his mother's reasons for lying about this. He was relieved it was for good intentions, but something still nagged at him.
"If that's true, then… how did my father know who I was? If you sealed my divine part, there was no way he could sense I was his son, right?"
Sophia dissipated the rune with a snap of her fingers, looking at him sadly.
"You know I was an actress, don't you? Your father offered me a role during my career in the mortal world. I accepted the role. During filming, we got closer—actually, I started to like him. The shoot lasted several months, and after spending a lot of time with your father, we started dating. At the time, I already knew he was a god, but I didn't know which one, and I didn't care. Eventually, I got pregnant with you. When I told your father, he revealed his true identity and that he could no longer see me. At first, I felt betrayed because I thought he cared for me, but he was married…"
"I loved your father… Alongside that revelation, I was desperate. I knew what a child between him and me meant. You have Greek and Norse blood running through your veins. If both Pantheons knew about this… I don't even want to think about what could happen. I was ready to flee and hide your existence, even from him. But to my surprise, Zeus appeared before me when I made that decision and helped me, even knowing what your existence meant. He said I brought out the best side of him and reminded him of his first love. Isn't it strange that he knew about you? He was always watching and caring for you in his own way…"
"I see…" Ikki looked at his mother silently, surprised by the fact that Zeus truly loved her. This was the most shocking news he'd received today, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind and asked: "Where did you learn about runes? And as a Valkyrie, weren't you supposed to be immortal?"
"Well, I learned about runes and magic from my mother, the goddess Freya. As for my current mortality…"
"Norse gods, like the Greek ones, can have demigod children. But unlike their counterparts, they don't have a camp to train them. They also maintain their youth with golden apples rather than by willpower, like a Greek god."
"When I retired and left my post as a Valkyrie with Odin's permission, I lost the right to eat the golden apples, thus losing immortality."
Norse gods are grand figures of power. As a result, many imagine them as immortal beings. But in truth, they become immortal only after eating the longevity fruit provided by Idunn.
The goddess Idunn, also called Iduna, whose name means "the rejuvenator," is the guardian of the sacred orchard where the apples granting eternal youth to the Aesir gods are found. Without this fruit, the gods would be mere mortals. Therefore, she can be seen as the one responsible for protecting the immortality of all gods.
Moreover, Idunn is a very beautiful goddess, as expected of the goddess of spring and eternal youth. She was so adored that a common tradition among the ancient Scandinavian peoples was to bury their dead surrounded by apples so they could be reborn, referencing Idunn's apples of immortality.
Rituals can also be performed for the goddess to ask for fresh winds in life, with wishes for renewal, rejuvenation, and rebirth.
After hearing his mother, Ikki didn't underestimate the Norse gods' powers just because they needed the golden apples of immortality. He was sure they were as strong or even stronger than the Olympian gods.
What intrigued him, though, was one fact.
"So, how do Norse demigods live?"
"Well, unlike Greek and Roman demigods, they don't have a formal training camp. They're neither dyslexic nor have ADHD, and they aren't claimed by their parents in the same way as the Olympian gods. Instead, their parentage is revealed in Valhalla or by their parents directly."
"In fact, it's not uncommon for uninformed Norse demigods to believe they're simply hallucinating. They receive medication and sometimes end up on the streets."
Sophia shuddered at the thought of how much harder life was for a Norse demigod than a Greek one in normal cases. She looked at her son, seeing the surprise on his face after hearing this.
"And I thought being a Greek demigod was tough."
Ikki spoke, letting out a sigh.
Sophia nodded but added with a faint smile, "Yes, but after their death, most train at the Hotel Valhalla to prepare for Ragnarok. And us, well… I'm no longer one. Valkyries have the duty to serve them at their banquets and be their companions."
"So, life there isn't bad at all, which compensates for the life they had in Midgard."
Ikki smiled faintly as well. That was good, right? He still had many questions in his mind but asked the one he was most curious about.
"Why did you leave all that behind and choose to become a mortal?"
"I was tired…" Sophia said in a melancholic tone. "I wanted a normal life, so I gave up everything and came here, starting my career as a movie actress. After all, I'd always been interested in becoming a famous actress."
"Any more questions…?"
"How did you discover you were a Norse demigod?" Ikki asked slowly.
"It was during my teenage years at the orphanage. My mother appeared and took me to Asgard."
As she spoke, his mother returned to the table and continued preparing the pizza dough and ingredients.
"I have another question. Don't you still have your powers as a Valkyrie and Freya's daughter?"
Ikki went to help her and asked.
"Hm? About that… Well, to make the rune I used to seal your divine side stronger, I had to sacrifice my powers through a ritual, which made me a complete mortal!"
"You did that for me? So I could have a normal life?" To say Ikki was surprised by this was an understatement. He also understood why his mother now seemed different.
"Yes, but I suppose not everything goes as planned. Don't worry. I'm currently regaining my powers, especially now that I've removed the seal I placed on you," his mother replied, moving to the stove to prepare the sauce.
Ikki remained silent, looking at his mother and noticing she seemed a bit downcast.
"Mom, I don't think I'd want a normal life. I like my life as it is now…" he said softly to the former Valkyrie.
His mother looked at him, slightly surprised by his words, but a smile appeared on her lips.
"That's good. As long as you're happy, that's enough for me."
The two continued their conversation while preparing dinner.
Their discussion became much lighter without lies hiding anything from one another. His mother answered practically everything as honestly as she could.
He learned many facts that sparked a desire to learn more about the Norse in his heart.
For instance, he found out that Norse half-bloods weren't titled young heroes. They were called Einherjar, just like in Norse mythology.
They don't age after being taken to Valhalla and cannot be permanently killed while inside the Hotel Valhalla his mother had mentioned earlier, as they are resurrected hours after being slain, as long as they remain within the hotel's boundaries.
However, if they die outside the Hotel Valhalla, they will not resurrect. Einherjar are also prone to disappearing.
Mortals could also go to Valhalla, provided they performed a great act. They could become honorary Einherjar if the manager deemed them worthy. In such cases, they could enter and leave the hotel as they pleased, but as they were only Einherjar in name, they wouldn't have separate rooms and couldn't be resurrected if killed.
As for demigods of other Pantheons, his mother said she hadn't heard of any cases where they became part of Odin's army. Well, the reason could be guessed: other Pantheons presumably had a more direct claim over their souls than the Norse gods.
His mother also asked him about what had happened during the summer, to which he recounted all the events of his days at camp and the mission that led him to meet his father.
This brought laughter, concern, pride, and a mix of other emotions in Sophia, who, in the end, teased him by calling him "My little King of Heroes."
During their conversation, the two finished preparing dinner. They ate and then watched a good horror movie together, laughing and enjoying themselves as they always did.