“Okay. And?”
“If it's still working, she hasn't completed the machine,” Odin declared. “If she had, the mirror’s connection to the jewel would be broken.”
“She said she did. Maybe the bond is strong enough to surmount the machine.”
Odin gave me histhink-about-what-you-just-saidlook.
“Yes, I know she could have lied, Odin,” I huffed. “But I don't think we can assume the machine isn't complete just because the bond is still active. One bond shouldn't negate another.”
Azrael pulled out his phone. “I'm texting Jesus.”
“Shango, what does your axe do?” Torrent asked.
“It summons thunder and lightning to punish evildoers. It is a tool of justice.” Shango lifted his chin.
“Justice.” Torrent looked at me. “Hephaestus's core for power, Ereshkigal's keys for judgment, Ma'at's feather for truth, Thoth's tablets for computation, Amaterasu's mirror for . . . what does the mirror do?”
“Transformation,” I murmured. Then I spun to look at Shango. “The mirror can't be the only relic with a bond.”
Shango lifted an eyebrow.
“Shango, it'syouraxe. You are connected to it. Even if the machine is on, you should still have that connection.”
Right on cue, Azrael said, “Jesus says there have been no new souls.”
I looked at Odin, who cursed. “So, she wasn't lying. The machine is running. But it doesn't matter. That proves that even with relics attached to the machine, they keep their previous bonds. And that means we have a chance.”
“What chance?” Viper asked.
“The machine contains stolen parts. Maybe the owners of those parts can separate them from the machine.”
“How?” Shango asked.
“Through your bonds.” I pulled out my cellphone. “I'm texting the others.” As I sent out the mass text, I muttered, “It's going to be a long night.”
Chapter Twenty
Looking around at the mix of gods filling the VIP balcony, I was glad we had Moonshine. I wouldn't want all of them in my territory with my children. Anubis and Ma'at were allies, and I trusted Amaterasu, Hachiman, and Athena. But I didn't know Shango, Hephaestus, or Ereshkigal well enough yet, and as much as I wanted to trust Ninkasi, people change, and it had been a while. As for Thoth, well, I don't think I have to explain why I don't trust him.
Torrent still had the jewel even though Amaterasu was present. Since he was leading the way through the Aether, he needed to hold the jewel. I was hoping Agwusi hadn't repaired her ward. As I said, I didn't trust these gods, and I didn't want them to know about Torrent's Unmaking Magic. If the wrong god learned about what Torr could do, it would put a target on his back.
“Hades should be here,” Athena, the new Queen of Olympus, declared.
“Hades doesn't have a relic in the machine,” Odin said. “We've already got too many people here. It stresses Torrent's power.” He looked pointedly at her.
“I'm the head of the Greek Pantheon.” Athena lifted her chin. “I'm going.”
“And I go where Amaterasu goes,” Hachiman added.
Before any of the other tag-alongs spoke up, I held up my hands. “You can all come, but while we are in the Internet, you will listen to Torrent.”
“Fine,” Ninkasi said. “We listen to Torrent and go after our relics alone.”
“That's not what I said.” I took a deep breath to calm myself. There were too many gods in this operation. Gods only listen when they want to, and sometimes they only half-listen. “We go in, and those of you who have relics in the machine will connect with your items. If you focus on what your relic means to you, I believe that through the magic, you will find your bond. Shango has said his axe punishes the wicked. Punishment will be his path. Ma'at, what does your feather represent?”
“Truth,” Ma'at said. “It reveals the true nature of a soul when weighed against it.”
“All right, so you focus on truth. And Thoth, your tablets represent wisdom?”
