“You can say that again. I love my family, but I can’t deal with politics. I’m tired of fighting. I just want to live a good life from here on out.”
“Is that why you turned your dad down about taking his place?”
“Some of it,” Thor responded. “Unlike you, I don’t have a devoted family member who will follow me throughout time and assist me in every endeavor I can think of.”
“You sound jealous,” Anubis said, knowing that Thor was talking about Sobek.
Although Set and Neith had other children, Anubis and Sobek were the closest, who he trusted his life with.
“A bit,” Thor said, gritting his teeth. “He’s quite loyal to you. I doubt he will ever leave your side, even when you find a mate or new lover.”
“You’re overthinking things,” Anubis said. “Sobek can do anything he wants, and he doesn’t have to stay by my side all his life.”
Thor looked at him dubiously. “Does he know that?”
“Of course he does. I have no hold on Sobek.” Anubis wasn’t sure how they got off their earlier conversation, but it always seemed to happen when he and Thor got together. They talked about this and that, as if they were trying to pack more than one topic into their meeting. “Stop trying to change the topic, and tell me why you turned Odin down.”
“Truthfully, I didn’t want that kind of responsibility, and like I said, I’m tired of fighting. It doesn’t matter to the others that Odin will never step down. If I really wanted to be the next Odin, I’d be waiting in vain.”
“Do you think Scottland feels the same way you do?”
“I think so,” Thor smirked. “He said he’s not banking on being the next Odin. He knows it's all in name to shut the others up for a while.”
“What a smart man,” Anubis commented. “You’re probably right about Odin not stepping down anytime soon.”
“None of the head gods plan on stepping down. They’ve set things up that way.”
Anubis furrowed his brows. “What are you trying to say?”
“Out of all the worlds to choose from, why settle for this one?”
“Isn’t it because the number of worshipers is decreasing? More mortals doubt our existence.” Honestly, Anubis never put much thought into things. He simply liked how strong and comforting the magic was in this world. He’d traveled many galaxies, and this one suited him perfectly, and he made this world his home, like many other deities.
“In some of the other worlds, but not this one. Sure, some mortals have no clue who or what we are. Or that our kind exists, but they know something isn’t right. We have our steady worshipers, and magic is embedded in every part of the earth’s soil, so there’s no way we will lose our powers.”
Anubis got up and grabbed a bottle of vodka, not caring where it came from. Sitting back down next to Thor, he opened the bottle, pouring some into both their glasses.
“Dude, what’s your point?” Anubis gulped down his drink, listening to his friend's babbling. Somehow, their conversation had gotten off track again.
“With so many powerful beings living in one world, what if we take it all away, use it all up?” he slurred.
“Easy, we simply move to another world,” Anubis answered. “But who’s to say we aren’t nourishing this world's magic by being here?”
“Is it that easy?”
“I think so,” Anubis said.
Thor was silent for a few minutes, and then he started laughing. “Fuck, I think I’m wasted.”
“Ya think?” Anubis joined in with the laughter. “Look, stop overthinking things. We’ll figure out a solution if this world loses its magic. We are the protectors, not the destroyers.”
“You make it sound like we’re superheroes.” Thor laughed.
“That was a different lifetime.” Anubis smiled. “But be happy for now, and I’m sure the others are already thinking of something.” He took another large gulp of his drink before pouring a second drink, already feeling his irritation fading away.
“Shouldn’t you be following your own advice?” Thor said. “You’re worried about winning an award when you don’t even know if you really want it.”
“That’s the thing, I do want it, which is why I’m thinking of switching to acting,” he stated.
