"I wouldn't know. This is my first time at a Jinx event."
"There's a distinct lack of mead behind it, which I must talk to Aine about when I see her," Hel said.
"I didn't realise that mead was an issue."
"Lack of mead is an issue, especially when hosting an event connected to the Norse gods. My uncle is particularly partial to it." She looked over to where Thor was standing with Daisy, making all of the pieces slot together properly for me beyond the shock of discovering that she was here. And that she was a Norse goddess.
"Thor is your uncle," I said again.
She raised an eyebrow. "You already said that. But yes, he is. What about it?"
"I suppose I'm just coming to terms with the fact that we..."
"Had sex?" she asked, her pale eyes boring into me.
"Yes. But you know my cousin. I've had dinner with your uncle." My eyes widened. "We're going to have to act as if we haven't slept together."
"I don't think it's going to be much of an issue," Hel responded. "They've been together for over a year and we've never met before."
"I suppose that's true." I relaxed a little. "Maybe I do need a drink."
"They have a good selection of mocktails..."
"No. I need something stronger today," I muttered.
An amused look danced over Hel's beautiful features. "All right. What can I get you?" She gestured for us to approach the bar, which was a lot calmer than the one at The Pomegranate.
"Wine would be good," I murmured.
"Any preference?"
"Whatever you're drinking," I said. "I have no idea about anything like that."
She gave me a genuine smile and caught the attention of the bartender. "Two glasses of Rålund."
He disappeared and came back with two glasses, setting them down in front of us.
"Thanks," Hel said with a winning smile before sliding one of the glasses across to me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Rålund," she responded. "It's a blueberry wine that they make in Sweden."
"I don't think I've ever had it."
"It's good," she responded. "But hard to get here. They only make a limited number of bottles a year." She picked up her glass and took a sip.
I did the same, surprised by the explosion of blueberries mixed with the tartness of wine in my mouth. "Oh, that is good."
"It is. Jinx always has the best things behind the bar, you just have to know what to ask for," Hel said. "If your cousin continues to have events sponsored by them, then it'll be a good tip for you to know."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said. "Though surely, if I were sitting here talking to another god, then I'd be having a different recommendation," she said.
"Mmm. Some of the Greek pantheon take their dedication to ouzo seriously."
"If I were drinking that with someone, then I definitely wouldn't be invited back," I joked. "Even one glass of wine is a lot for me."
"I think that depends on how you were invited in the first place," she said. "Everyone keeps inviting Zeus to these events and he's always making a fool out of himself."
