“What?” I hissed.
“Excuse me?” Odin asked.
“Oh... I think we're out of Spam,” I said.
“Spam?” Odin made a face. “Thank goodness for that.”
He went back to rifling through the fridge.
You are meant to marry Odin, not Thor,Al went on.And don't interrupt. Make some coffee or something.
I glanced at Odin as a tingle of rightness flowed through me. I felt the truth in what this person was saying.
Consciousness, not person,he corrected.I'm the Consciousness of the Void, but never mind that for now. You're lucky you have me and Faerie, or this would have been way more confusing for you.
Faerie?I asked as I began chopping vegetables for an omelet.
Never mind her either,he said.There's not much we can do right now. Faerie and I are trying to figure out a way to get you back. Just know that this—all of this confusing crap that you're feeling—is your real life trying to remind you of who you are. Let it, Vervain. You must remember on your own; it will keep your true path alive. Forget, and it will be lost forever.
I don't like the sound of that.
Neither do I, V,Al said grimly.Neither do I.
Chapter Eight
After breakfast, we contacted the rest of the God Squad and met them in Hell. Well, not Hell exactly; the Greek Underworld, aka Hades. I've always thought that was odd; the whole place and man being called by the same name. But then, I've probably mentioned that before.
I was still reeling from Odin's kiss and the revelations of the disembodied voice calling himself Alaric. I wasn't living my real life? How was that even possible? He had tried to explain it to me; something about vengeance and a god of time, but I couldn't understand how a life already lived could just be taken away and replaced by another.
But I didn't have the time to worry about it, and there was nothing I could do either way. Alaric said that I could try to hunt down a goddess named Nyx and her cohort, Aion, but what would I tell Thor? Hey, I'm not supposed to be living this life, can you help me find these gods so I can get back to being married to your father?
Odin. Every time I looked at him, more memories returned, and not all of them were from my life as Sabine. I believed Al, even though it seemed dumb to blindly trust some random voice that just popped into my head. My mother had warned me about witches hearing voices, but what this voice was saying felt true, and it jived with what was happening.
Maybe I could track down the gods on my own when I wasn't with my husband or the Squad. But for now, all I could do was as Al suggested; let the memories come. So, as we walked through the hallways of Hades' home, I glanced at Odin and Ull often; using them as triggers for the memories that would help to keep my true path alive.
Around us, the palace seemed abandoned; no wildlife roamed the gardens, and no gods roamed the halls. Persephone and Hades had a staff that had looked after the grounds and palace for them, but they were gone. The gardens were overgrown, dust covered the furniture, and spider webs hung from the ceilings. And this was the Underworld so it wasn't your average spiders in those webs.
“Watch out, darling.” Thor angled me away from a hanging spider the size of my head.
“How did I miss that?” I muttered as I gave it a wide berth.
“You seem a little distracted,” Thor said with concern. But then his face shifted into an expression of fury, and he shouted, “I stopped her from killing you, and you turned around and executed her.”
“What?” I asked in horror.
Thor's face went back to its normal self; albeit worried. “I said you seem distracted. Vervain, are you all right?”
Pull it together, that was just a memory.
A memory of what?I asked Al just before I said to Thor, “Sorry; I'm fine. I thought you said something else.”
Thor took my hand; giving me a skeptical look as we continued down the hallway.
That was your break-up,Al explained.A pivotal moment for you and Thor. Look; if something seems weird like that again, don't react right away. Give it a chance to distinguish itself as either a memory or reality.
Okay. I really broke up with Thor?
He ended it, honey.
