In the morning, Odin arrived to trace me to Bali. The Four Seasons Resort at Sayan; dear Gods. I have never been so wowed by a hotel before. In the middle of a lush jungle, we entered the hotel through a covered bridge that spanned the treetops and deposited us on the top of the hotel. We stood on a platform in the center of the circular roof with a pond full of lily pads filling the rest of it and the most amazing view of the verdant mountains surrounding us. We headed downstairs into the hotel, checked in, and were taken to our private villa; entirely hidden in the forest. The rooms were all white and golden wood, with mosquito netting enclosing the massive bed and slatted doors making up most of the outer walls. Opening them turned the villa into a pavilion. A very luxurious pavilion.
We had the Royal Villa with one of those unique, through the roof entrances similar to the main portion of the hotel. It rose a proud two-stories with a private dining room, staff quarters, outdoor showers, a bathroom with a tub that might as well have been outside, and it's own pool overlooking its private gardens and the Ayung River. A Balinese masterpiece.
The hotel offered unique activities like cooking and wood-carving classes as well as private temple tours and hiking. I wanted to bring Kirill back sometime just so he could take one of the carving classes. But Odin and I weren't interested in taking classes, we opted for exploring on our own. We could get around a lot faster without humans hampering us.
Odin and I wandered through temples and jungles for hours hand-in-hand and sometimes much closer than that. Yes, I kissed my Norse-God husband in an Indonesian temple—it somehow seemed appropriate—and had sex with him pressed up against a tree in the jungle. We had a fabulous time and were heading back to our villa through the gardens when Odin spotted someone neither of us had seen in years; over four years, to be exact. I knew this because the last time I'd seen her was at Ull's funeral.
“Thrud?” Odin called out.
Thrud was strolling down one of the paths as we had been, looking as stunningly beautiful as the last time I'd seen her, though a bit more relaxed. She had Thor's golden red hair and Sif's icy eyes, and both were shown off to perfection. Her hair hung loosely down her back in soft waves, her eyes brightened by a soft application of sienna liner, and a flowing, cotton dress revealed just enough of her curvy body to tease without being tasteless. Thrud tensed when she saw me, and I knew exactly why; she blamed me for Ull's death.
Not only that; Thrud also blamed me for placing his soul in my son's body. She either hadn't believed me when I told her of Ull's wishes or didn't agree with her brother's choice to start fresh in a new life. She hadn't contacted me once since he'd been reborn. I'd thought she'd at least want to meet Brevyn, but it seemed as if she was still a bit bitter. And really, four years is nothing to a goddess.
“Grandfather.” Thrud nodded respectfully to Odin. “Godhunter.” Her look was far less respectful when she slapped it on me. But then, she had more than Ull to blame me for, I had also killed her mother. “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you, I expect,” Odin said. “We came to enjoy the hotel.”
“It's lovely,” her tone softened as she looked around.
“Have you seen your father recently?” Odin asked.
Thrud sighed heavily.
“I know he misses you,” Odin went on. “If you could spare a few minutes to trace over to Bilskinir, he'd be delighted to see you.”
“I'll think about it.”
“All right. It was good to see you, Granddaughter.” Odin hugged her.
Thrud stiffened but then awkwardly hugged him back. We started to leave, but I paused.
“If you'd ever like to see Brevyn, I'd be happy to take you into Faerie,” I offered.
“Does he even know who he is?” She asked angrily.
“He's starting to remember, yes.” I nodded. “He remembers Kaitlin so I'm sure he'll remember you.”
She looked surprised. “Oh. Maybe I will stop by.”
“It's his birthday soon,” I said. “If you'd like to attend the party, let your father know. Thor will be joining us in Faerie; just tell him I invited you.”
“All right.” She nodded stiffly and turned away.
“You're welcome,” I muttered.
Odin laughed and steered me back toward our villa. “How about a couple's massage on our private veranda to ease those muscles my granddaughter just tensed?”
“That sounds wonderful,” I agreed as I watched the gleaming goddess glide away.
As much as she annoyed me, I hoped she would accept the invitation. Brevyn would be thrilled to meet another sister, and I had a feeling that it would be good for Thrud too.
Chapter Thirty
After making love to Re all night in a Scottish castle, I finally returned to my normal life. I took a nap with Re before I faced it but my sleep was interrupted by a dream god. This time, he wasn't in my dreams.
“V!” Morpheus shouted as he rushed into my bedroom.
“Huh?” I groggily opened my eyes.
