#Mcga Odin | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tsarisfanfiction · 2 years

Text

The Stolen God: Chapter 28

Fandom: Trials of Apollo/Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Rating: Teen Genre: Adventure, Friendship Characters: Will Solace, Magnus Chase, Apollo, Nico di Angelo, Alex Fierro, Meg McCaffrey

Starting to wind down now. I still hate wrapping up fics, but this chapter wasn’t too bad, at least.

Reminder that there’s now a discord server for all my fics, including this one! If you wanna chat with me or with other readers about stuff I write (or just be social in general), hop on over and say hi!

<<<Chapter 27

MAGNUS (XXVIII) Magnus Willingly Signs Up For Powerpoints

Odin’s choice was not a choice at all. As soon as Magnus had heard the first option, he’d known that whatever the second one was, he would have to take it. Forgetting about the Greeks meant forgetting about Annabeth, his favourite – and arguably only – cousin, and while it was true he’d gone most of his life without having her in it, he had absolutely no designs to lose contact with her again now they were finally on the same page.

One look at his dad, Apollo, and even the auburn-haired goddess, told him that they all thought he should take the memory wipe. Apollo and the goddess he could understand, because he was pretty sure neither of them even knew about Annabeth, but Frey’s opinion left him feeling cold. It was almost entirely down to his father that he’d reconnected with her in the first place, so why the change of heart now?

Meg didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or the other, which Magnus suspected he should be offended by, but in reality understood. Despite going on a quest together, the girl hadn’t really interacted with him on a personal level. They certainly weren’t friends. Acquaintances, at best. Will and Nico, on the other hand, seemed to agree with him.

Then again, they were also friends with Annabeth, and they were pretty cool, despite the mess that had been Angrboda. Magnus knew that Alex liked them, too, even if she hadn’t said it in quite so many words, and Alex was pretty judgemental when it came down to it.

Magnus didn’t need anyone else to approve of his decision, but secretly he was quite glad that he was going to have at least two people in his corner.

“I’ll take the ambassador job,” he said bluntly. “There’s no way I’m forgetting everything that happened on this quest.”

He heard Apollo sigh deeply next to him, but to his credit the god didn’t try and talk him out of it.

“Even if Alex Fierro does?” Odin pressed, and Magnus stiffened. “Or will you sign her up for this dangerous position, too? Two ambassadors is better than one, I suppose.”

Magnus really wished Alex had made it to Asgard, not just because he’d been the lone einherjar amongst the other demigods, but because she hated other people making decisions for her. If given the choice, Magnus was certain that she’d take it – it was the exact sort of risk-taking danger she revelled in, and she also got on entirely too well with Annabeth’s boyfriend – but she’d also never forgive him for making the decision for her, no matter how well he knew her.

“Alex makes her own choices,” he said. “I’m not choosing either option for her. You’ll have to ask her what she wants.”

Odin glared at him, and Magnus immediately felt two inches tall. The All-Father didn’t even need to challenge him to a Flyting to have that effect, apparently. “Are you telling me what to do?” he demanded.

Self-preservation insisted that he back down, apologise, and make a decision. Frey and even Apollo were notably on edge, and it definitely made a nice change to have two gods undeniably on his side, but Magnus knew neither of them could actually do anything to oppose Odin – especially Apollo, given that it would likely re-incite the same war they’d just halted if he tried.

For the most part, Magnus had pretty good self-preservation instincts, or so he liked to think. It kept him alive a few seconds longer in the hotel battles, and before that had definitely kept him alive on the streets. He wasn’t generally one to poke a snake with a stick, but sometimes, sometimes, he did. Besides, the better self-preservation was keeping Alex happy.

“I’m not making Alex’s decision for her,” he said firmly, and braced himself for whatever retaliation Odin had planned for his disrespect.

Odin, being the unpredictable god that he was, threw back his head and laughed. “A wise decision!” he proclaimed. “Very well, I shall present the choice to her shortly. In the meantime, however, I will take your decision. You are certain you want the dangerous job of ambassador between pantheons, and not the safety of ignorance?”

For a god whose hobby was doing weird things in order to get as much knowledge as possible, Magnus thought it was pretty rich of him to call ignorance safety.

“My cousin is the daughter of Athena,” he said stubbornly. Apollo’s eyes flickered with recognition, and Frey sighed in resignation. “I’ll take the job.”

Odin grinned broadly. “I’m pleased to hear it!” he boomed. “Very well, I shall hear Alex’s decision, and then you shall begin your lessons on ambassadorship.”

Magnus realised he had just signed himself up for Odin’s infamous powerpoints and did his best not to wilt. It was worth it, he told himself. This way, he could even visit Annabeth’s beloved camp at last and see it for his own eyes.

The All-Father morphed into a raven, and took flight in the direction of Valhalla. Magnus hoped Alex had revived already, otherwise she was going to get an unpleasant shock when she woke to find Odin in her room. Frigg, who had remained silent the entire time, offered him a small smile – one he couldn’t work out if it was supposed to be reassuring or pitiful – before turning and walking away, leaving Frey the only Norse god still in the courtyard.

“Magnus,” his father said quietly. “That-”

“I wasn’t taking the memory wipe,” he interrupted. “Not a chance.”

Frey sighed. “I didn’t expect you to,” he admitted, “but I had hoped you would. It won’t be easy, Magnus. Your cousin is mortal; you will watch her and your other Greco-Roman friends age and die, and outlast them all. Forgetting would have been the easier option.”

Annoyingly, Magnus could see where he was coming from. T.J. had said something similar to him, back when he first arrived in Valhalla. Mortals and immortals weren’t designed to interact; it only ended in heartbreak.

Still, he wasn’t changing his mind.

“But for it’s worth,” Frey continued, resting his hands gently on Magnus’ shoulders. He was no bigger on touch than he’d been before he died, but with his dad it was always different, mostly because he only saw him once in a blue moon. Also, he reminded Magnus of Mom, of the hikes they’d taken together, of everything from before his life fell apart. A little rush of strength ran through him, too, which didn’t hurt. “I’m proud of you, Magnus. I already was, but working with another pantheon is something not even gods – most gods,” he corrected himself, glancing up at Apollo, “can do. As you saw.”

Apollo laughed hollowly. “Demigods are amazing creatures,” he said, coming up to stand next to Magnus. He still had his arm around Will’s shoulders, and Magnus got the feeling he wasn’t going to let go of his son until he absolutely had to. From the good-natured grimace Will gave when their fathers weren’t looking at him, the other blond was aware of that fact, and while appearing resigned was probably actually very okay about it. He certainly still needed help standing, even though the injury itself was closed up. “If I hadn’t spent the past six months as a mortal, thanks to my father…” He trailed off, but the implication was clear.

“Apollo,” the auburn-haired goddess said sharply. “Don’t anger him any more than you already have.” Magnus really wished he’d paid more attention to Annabeth’s explanation about the Greek pantheon, because he didn’t have a clue who she was.

That was something he was going to have to learn, he realised. He could hardly be an ambassador when he only knew a handful of names, and could only put faces to a selection of those. If Hades, Athena and Poseidon hadn’t looked so much like the offspring he knew, he wouldn’t have had a clue.

Well, okay, maybe Hades’ all-black regalia might have clued him in without his similarities to Nico.

“What’s he going to do?” Apollo retorted, sulkily. “Make me spend another six months as a mortal? Because that ended up so well this time.” Despite his words, though, he’d pulled Will even closer to his side and Magnus got the feeling that he was genuinely scared of whatever Zeus had in store for him – a feeling he would have dismissed if not for that one prophecy line. Who would ever have thought that the ‘abused child’ would be a literal god? Come to think of it, Angrboda had said something similar about Lester, hadn’t she?

The goddess’ eyes softened slightly. “Apollo,” she sighed.

“I’m fine, sis,” he insisted, turning away from her to face Frey as Magnus frantically tried to remember if Annabeth had said anything about Apollo’s sister. Oh, who was he kidding, it was less of an if and more of a what. “Before we leave,” the god continued, “I want to thank you, Frey.” He rubbed a hand up and down Will’s upper arm. “Thanks for saving my son.”

“Dad-” Will started, but Nico interrupted his boyfriend to offer his own inclined head to Frey, complete with thanks in a shaking voice.

From what he knew of Nico, that seemed like a huge gesture of respect.

“It was the least I could do,” Frey replied. “You had the far harder job, and I’m sorry I was unable to help restore the peace.”

The goddess snorted. “With our lot all on the warpath, no alf seidr would have been enough, Frey,” she said.

Magnus’ Dad grimaced in agreement. “Let’s hope we don’t end up in that situation again, Lady Artemis.” That was her name. Goddess of the moon, man-hating virgin goddess who recruited girls to join her eternal hunt. Magnus remembered now.

“I’m sure your son will do his best to prevent it.” Her eyes, silver like the full moon, focused on him, and he tensed. “I will be interested to see how well he manages.” That wasn’t at all ominous.

Apollo poked her in the side. “Don’t scare him, Arty,” he scolded. “He’s a good kid.” His twin glared at him, which went ignored. Magnus supposed that was a sibling thing, although it would never not be weird seeing immortal beings acting human. “Unfortunately, we should be going now.” Apollo didn’t sound pleased about that in the slightest. “If Alex takes the ambassador position… ask her to come see me? I want to thank her for her help.”

“And to come see us,” Will chipped in. He was still pale, and Magnus was aware that while he and his dad had healed the physical wound, the mental impact of his near-death and probably the entire shit show that had been their quest was still taking its toll on the son of Apollo. “I’d really like to replace that last memory of her with something a little less fatal. Even if she doesn’t, come visit soon. I’d love to compare healing techniques with you when we’re not fighting for our lives.”

Magnus nodded, already looking forwards to that. He got on with the einherjar just fine – well, those his own age, anyway – but being the only healer in a group of warrior-minded individuals did leave him a little out on the edge, sometimes.

“Will do,” he agreed. “I’ll come visit as soon as Odin’s done with his ‘training’.” He really hoped the powerpoints wouldn’t be too long and arduous, although he was pretty sure that was a hope in vain. “Alex or no Alex.”

Will smiled at him. “See you soon, then.” He nudged Nico, who rolled his eyes.

“What he said.”

“Nico.”

“Will.”

Apollo chuckled at the pair of them, and turned to Meg, who was lurking on the edge. “Going to say goodbye, Meg?”

She shrugged. “Why? I’ll see him soon, apparently.”

“If you’re sure.” Apollo let the silence hang meaningfully for a few moments, but the girl didn’t say anything more. Magnus wasn’t particularly surprised, and nor, from the fond look on his face, was Apollo. “Well then,” the god said after the silence began to stretch. “We should probably go before we start another war. Don’t be a stranger.”

The smile he gave was genuine, and stayed on his face as he started to glow golden. Beside him, Artemis’s form shimmered silver.

Frey’s hand clamped over his eyes suddenly.

“Don’t look,” his dad warned. Even through his hand, the light reached blinding levels, before suddenly they vanished, plunging Magnus’ vision into darkness. A heartbeat later, Frey moved his hand. “The Greco-Roman gods’ true forms will immolate anyone who sees them,” his father explained. “If you’re going to be interacting with them regularly, you need to remember to close your eyes if they ever start glowing like that.”

“Right,” Magnus muttered. “Noted.” The courtyard was empty of everyone except them, now. “I guess that’s my cue to go back to Valhalla?”

Frey gave him a sad smile. “I suppose so,” he agreed. “Come, I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Did they really forget to say goodbye to me?” Jack asked suddenly, making Magnus jump. The sword had been silent since Frey had joined him in healing Will, even going as far as to return to pendant form after a few moments rather than give Frey so much as the time of day. “The cheek of it! I had a message for Riptide, too.”

Magnus winced. “We’ll see them soon,” he promised his sword. “Maybe we’ll even see Riptide so you can pass on the message in person.”

“Humph,” Jack sulked. “I’ve half a mind to ignore them next time, see how they like it.” Magnus decided not to point out that if he hadn’t disappeared back into a pendant, they might have remembered to say goodbye to him, too.

“Why didn’t you take much energy when you reverted?” he asked instead. Thanks to Frey giving him a burst of energy or few, he wasn’t entirely dead on his feet, but he suspected that he was going to need a nap sooner rather than later.

“I didn’t get to do much,” Jack complained. “None of us did, well, except for him.”

Magnus shouldn’t ask, he knew it, but, “us? Him?”

“Us weapons,” Jack said, as though he was stupid. “Or did you not notice the lack of arrows? The lack of swordplay? Stygian was the only one that got any exercise!”

They reached the door to Valhalla – the front door, which looked identical to the front door in Midgard, although as Valhalla was actually in Asgard, this was probably the actual front door, and Magnus was going to stop thinking about that before he gave himself a headache.

“Well,” Frey said, “this is goodbye for the moment.” He smiled at Magnus. “Try not to get obliterated by the Olympians.”

What exactly could he say to that? “I’ll do my best, Dad,” he muttered, letting the god pull him in for a quick hug. “See you around?”

“Of course,” Frey promised. “You know where to find me.”

Alfheim was not high on Magnus’ list of worlds to visit, but he nodded anyway.

There was no point hanging around. He stepped forwards, the wolf-emblazoned doors soundlessly opening to admit him, and with only a single glance back at his dad, who offered a wave, he returned to the halls of Valhalla.

The daily battle had to still be ongoing, because the hallways were deserted. The elevator arrived immediately, almost mockingly fast compared to the last time he’d tried to call it, and he and Jack were alone with the repetitive drone of Norwegian Frank Sinatra as they travelled up to floor nineteen.

Alex was waiting for him outside her door. She’d changed from her quest outfit into a green and pink tartan miniskirt, striped knee-high socks of the same colours, and a hot pink spaghetti-strap top, complete with plaid green neckerchief.

“I hear we’re Odin’s new Greco-Norse ambassadors,” she commented. “I take it that means all gods are back where they belong?” Alex raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me that bitch got what was coming to her.”

“We are,” Magnus sighed, unsurprised that she’d taken the same decision he had, before giving her the brief run-down of Asgardian events. “Will got kebabbed, but Dad was there to help while Apollo yelled at both pantheons.” And hadn’t that been a sight, Apollo still in Lester’s wrecked, blood-stained Hotel Valhalla t-shirt going head-to-head with both pantheon rulers simultaneously. Magnus hadn’t envied him that in the slightest. “Turns out it was your mom orchestrating it all, and Carrie was working for him because she wanted to, so as appeasement, Carrie got handed over to Zeus to do whatever he wanted with.”

“Please tell me he made her death slow and painful.” Alex joined him as he walked past her room, making a beeline for his own.

“She disappeared in a ball of lightning, so I think he zapped her back to Olympus,” Magnus told her. He glanced around at all the closed doors. “The others still resurrecting?”

“Yup,” she said. “I would have joined the battle, but it’s not the same without you to watch die.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly, reaching his own room and shutting the door. “I’m gonna go crash out for a bit. Try not to get too bored without me.”

She scoffed. “Magnus, you are not my only method of entertainment, even if you’re usually the most amusing.” He received a shove in the back that sent him stumbling forwards into his bedroom. “Go and get your beauty sleep. I’ll interrogate you for the rest of the details later. I’m sure the others want to hear all about it, anyway.”

He groaned, remembering that Halfborn had apparently figured out about the Greek pantheon being real and would no doubt be after the full explanation, and gladly faceplanted his bed.

After a few days sleeping under bridges and in Jotunheim, his bed was heavenly. “Wake me up never,” he told Alex, or rather the pillow.

The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was Alex’s amused laughter.

Chapter 29>>>

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #magnus chase fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfic #magnus chase #pjo apollo #will solace #nico di angelo #meg mccaffrey #alex fierro #mcga jack #mcga odin #mcga frey #pjo artemis #mcga frigg #tsari writes fanfiction #the stolen god

30 notes · View notes

tsarisfanfiction · 2 years

Text

The Stolen God: Chapter 27

Fandom: Trials of Apollo/Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Rating: Teen Genre: Adventure, Friendship Characters: Will Solace, Magnus Chase, Apollo, Nico di Angelo, Alex Fierro, Meg McCaffrey

Well, we're getting near the end of the fic now, and I'm being reminded how much I hate wrapping storylines up...

<<<Chapter 26

APOLLO (XXVII) Hostage Negotiations Are Had

Thank Olympus for Thor, Zeus’ counterpart where it mattered. It was unlikely that the single bolt would have killed either Apollo or Odin, but they certainly wouldn’t have escaped unharmed. Memories of every molecule of his existence being seared more than once told Apollo that. Hammer raised high, the Norse god of lightning caught it on Mjolnir, redirecting it from its intended target and channelling it down harmlessly to the ground.

“Father!” Artemis protested. On his knees, Apollo found himself looking up at her, still looking seventeen but unmistakable with her auburn ponytail and silver bow.

“I said if he touches him,” Zeus rumbled.

Odin released the first wrist and snatched up Apollo’s left wrist, repeating the process. It took Athena and Artemis combined to stop Zeus from hurling another thunderbolt as Apollo cried out again.

“Look at his wrist, father,” Athena said. Apollo raised the wrist in question up, taking in the unblemished skin as the rune on his other wrist burned. “Odin is removing the bindings.”

Another surge of magic later, and the All-Father dropped Apollo’s other wrist, leaving him breathing heavily but unmistakably intact. It was a relief to no longer feel any power inside him except for his own, finally settling him into who he should be in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time; long before the punishment.

Those had been a long six and a half months, and he was under no illusions that he didn’t want to risk it happening to him again. Unfortunately, Zeus was clearly not pacified by Odin’s actions, and as much as Apollo appreciated Athena and Artemis doing their best to persuade him, he knew that they wouldn’t be enough.

The abused child must stand tall.

He wanted to have words with his Oracle for describing him quite like that, ruthlessly forcing him to confront his relationship with Zeus once again. Had his admittance at Temple Hill, when he’d stared up at the looming statue of his father and caved enough to call him an abuser in the safety of his own mind not been enough? Unlike Meg, whose abusive step-father had been defeated and would never trouble her again outside of memories and dreams, his father was going nowhere, and he had millennia more to spend with him. It was just safer to roll with the punches he couldn’t outright avoid.

But no, apparently he wasn’t allowed to do that anymore.

“He should never have placed them in the first place,” Zeus boomed against the common sense of his daughters. Apollo grabbed his twin’s elbow and used her to pull himself back to his feet, planting himself directly between the two pantheon rulers.

“He was deceived, just as you’re being manipulated,” he said firmly, forcing himself to stand his ground and not back down as eyes the colour of sparking lightning focused directly on him. The last time Zeus had looked at him like that, he’d lost six months and then regained awareness rudely as a mortal falling into a dumpster. It was not an encouraging thought.

“None of us benefit from a battle between the pantheons,” he continued, gesturing to both pantheons with wide sweeps of his arms. “None of us benefit from Ragnarok. Most of the Aesir and Vanir are fated to die when that rolls around, and where will we stand when Midgard is destroyed and those that believe in us are wiped out as collateral damage?”

Their children would be the first to go, and as a mortal one of the things he had quickly realised was how little weight the name Apollo held amongst non-demigods. Helios had faded when people stopped believing in him. Pan had faded when the wild was destroyed.

Unlike the Aesir and Vanir, whose lives were tied to golden apples and the unchangeable fates set aside for them, the Olympians had nothing so tangible holding them in place. Maybe they’d survive Ragnarok, maybe they wouldn’t, but Apollo was in no hurry to find out.

Athena had a thoughtful look on her face, and Apollo hoped the goddess of wisdom was drawing the same connections he was.

“The only one who benefits from this is Loki,” he pointed out. “Not the Olympians. Not the Aesir and Vanir.”

“You would have me let this insult pass unpunished?” Zeus demanded, still towering over Apollo and casting a shadow that never felt right. The sun was the ultimate source of light; nothing should cast a shadow over it, but that was Zeus for you, a law unto himself. “Show the other pantheons that we are weak and willing to retreat at the first sign of war?”

Some of the gods murmured quietly in assent – Ares, Poseidon, Dionysus, even Athena. Artemis placed a hand on his arm, gripping tightly, and Apollo knew that his sister was torn, too.

“I would have you find a solution that isn’t the apocalypse,” he snapped, unable to soften his tone at all. Maybe, just maybe, bluntness would get through to Zeus this time. “A solution that doesn’t condemn our children to death, or destroy the world more thoroughly than the titans and giants ever managed.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realised he’d struck a nerve. Zeus stormed forwards, crackling with power, and despite his intentions to stand his ground, Apollo stumbled back a half-step, millennia of learned fear rising up his throat.

“You go too far, Apollo!” the king of the gods roared. He raised his hand, the Master Bolt lashing out at the air, and Apollo flinched at the sight of it.

“No.”

Darkness shimmered in front of him, between Apollo and Zeus, and Apollo’s eyes widened.

“Apollo is right, brother,” Hades said. “More war is not the answer. More death is not the answer. The Underworld is already overcrowded. I do not wish to see my domain expand any further than it must.”

“And yet you came because you feared that Odin was planning to steal your owed dead,” Poseidon pointed out. The seas were temperamental at the best of time – Apollo saw it every day, as he flew the sun chariot across his uncle’s vast domain – and while in recent years Poseidon had showed a mostly mellower side, no doubt in large thanks to his demigod son, the rage of the sea had never left him. Right then, even with all his powers of prophecy, Apollo didn’t know which way Poseidon’s mood was going to fall. Which brother he was going to side with.

“A fear that has since been proven unfounded,” Hades answered. “If it was Loki, not Odin, who took Apollo, then Odin has continued to operate only within his own bounds.”

“Loki is still Aesir,” Athena interjected. “Father is correct that there is a responsibility on Odin’s behalf.”

The Norse gods, who had mostly stayed silent to watch barring the occasional quiet comment to each other, bristled at his words.

“Loki is bound,” one of them snapped, stepping forwards. He had only one hand, Apollo noticed, and immediately recalled what he – what Lester – had read in Valhalla on the Norse gods. That hand had been lost to Fenris, Angrboda’s eldest son. “We no longer associate with the trickster in any capacity.”

“Peace, Tyr,” Odin interrupted, raising a hand for silence amongst his fellows. “Athena is correct that an insult has been dealt to the Olympians.”

“And their uninvited crossing of the Bifrost was not an insult to us?” the same god – Tyr, god of justice amongst other things – returned. “They are the invaders.”

“No.” Apollo found his voice again, and moved away from his uncle’s shadow. “Both sides have been insulted, but the root of both was Loki.”

Neither pantheon seemed to be impressed by his words; immediately Norse voices accused him of siding with his father, while the majority of the Olympians pointed out that it was Odin who had kept him bound in Valhalla.

Zeus was the loudest of all, and Apollo almost hid behind Hades again as his father’s fury focused on him once more.

Once he got back to Olympus, he was staying out of Zeus’ way for at least a century. Possibly longer. He’d work out what to do about the solstices later.

“Enough!” For a change, it wasn’t Apollo saying it. Instead, it was a woman, with startlingly red hair and faint scars running down her cheeks. Frigg, Apollo remembered from Lester’s readings, the wife of Odin and queen of Asgard. Unless he missed his guess, she was also the mother of Mallory Keen. “This fighting will get us nowhere,” she said firmly, standing by her husband’s side. “Apollo is right; a compromise must be reached. Odin, my love, what are your thoughts?”

It sounded less like a question, and more like an instruction, Apollo thought wryly. He didn’t know much about Frigg, beyond what he’d read; she kept herself to herself, and certainly didn’t go socialising across pantheons. Still, he got the impression he’d rather have her as a step-mother than Hera.

“Loki is not the only guilty party that I can see,” Odin announced. He met Zeus’ eyes without flinching, and Apollo wished he had his self-assuredness in the face of the furious god of the skies. “We cannot turn Loki over to the Olympians in appeasement without releasing him, but the other guilty party there is no such restrictions upon.”

He spoke a word that Apollo wasn’t familiar with, although from context he assumed it was a runeword, and the demigods all appeared in the midst of the gods. Apollo immediately placed himself beside them, delighted that they were all on their feet – even if in the case of Will and Magnus, it was barely.

Seeing his son mostly conscious and no longer on the brink of death did wonders for his emotions, and uncaring of what the other gods thought, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders, tugging him close against his side. Nico pressed up against Will’s other side, with Meg next to him, Magnus’ arm over her shoulders.

In front of them, on the golden paving and covered in blood, was the defiant form of Carrie.

Frey was nowhere to be seen, and Apollo made a mental note to track him down as soon as possible to thank him for saving Will.

“Carrie, daughter of Loki,” Odin boomed. “After the success of Samirah and Alex, I had thought that the children of Loki might be changing in modern times. That, it seems, was my mistake.” He stepped closer to her, and she snarled, trying to scramble her way to her feet.

Meg kicked her back down, while Nico trained the point of his sword on her. Both of them were covered in wounds that hadn’t been there when Apollo had left them, but they had the unmistakable air of assured victory around them.

“Zeus,” the All-Father continued, “Loki was the brains, but Carrie was the willing body that carried out this task. She is dismissed from the Valkyries.” He made a sharp movement with his spear and the girl screamed as her uniform and weapons disappeared, leaving her in tattered jeans and a t-shirt that said Team Loki in snake green letters. Above it was the face of a handsome man that Apollo knew from his forays into modern cinema. Not the real Loki, but given her parentage, it was a damning statement regardless. “Beyond that, I relinquish the rights to her punishment to you, to do with as you wish.”

Children should not be punished for the sin of the parent. Angrboda had been adamant on that, and despite everything else about her, Apollo had agreed with that stance, but as he looked at the furious yet tearful girl, even with his newfound hatred of pushing demigods around like toys, he struggled to find pity for her. Alex was proof that children of Loki were no more bound to obey their parents than any other demigods, and with her actions, Carrie’s sins were as much her own as her father’s.

“Your peace offering is a mortal girl?” Zeus demanded, sounding incredulous.

“The girl who would see us trigger the end of the world,” Athena corrected. “Even now, I sense no remorse for her actions, Father. It is a sound offering.”

“Humph.” Apollo shifted out of the way, pulling Will with him protectively and tightening his grip further as his son stumbled at the movement, as his father approached Carrie. She spat in his direction, and the god’s face seized. For a moment, Apollo was convinced that he’d need to shield the rest of the demigods from Zeus’ wrath, but almost impossibly, Zeus didn’t smite her then and there.

Instead, he snapped his fingers and she disappeared in a flash of lightning.

“Very well,” he said, fury still lacing every word he spoke. “I will accept the girl, Odin, but do not allow this to happen again. Next time, I will not be so lenient.”

“I will endeavour to prevent a next time,” Odin agreed. Zeus, with all the manners Apollo expected him to possess, simply turned his back on the All-Father and addressed the rest of the Olympians.

“Leave,” he ordered bluntly. “I will see you all on Olympus.” There was no argument from most of the gods, and Apollo gathered the demigods to him as the Olympians one by one turned into their true forms before vanishing, until only four of his brethren remained.

Hades was the first to approach, running worried eyes over Nico’s many wounds for several silent moments before being seemingly satisfied that his son was not about to drop dead. Frey quietly stepping forwards and placing his glowing hands on both injured demigods, closing up their wounds soundlessly, probably had a lot to do with that. Demeter was behind him, running her own critical eye over Meg, although her daughter scoffed and refused to acknowledge her.

The goddess pursed her lips, before disappearing. Hades, however, was less inclined to leave in silence.

“I’m proud of you,” he told his son. “If you have any questions about what you’ve seen on this quest, you know where to find me.”

“Hades-” Zeus growled, but the lord of the Underworld waved him off.

Likewise ignoring the lord of the skies, Nico almost glowed with the praise, although he kept a tight hold on Will which broadcasted to Apollo, at least, that he wasn’t going to be leaving his boyfriend’s side any time soon. “I know,” he said simply. “Thanks, father.”

Hades seemed content enough with the response, nodded serenely before turning to Apollo. “I will see you on Olympus,” he said, before disappearing himself.

That left Apollo and the demigod children with only Zeus, Artemis, and the Norse pantheon.

“Why are you still here?” Zeus demanded of him. “Your time with the mortals is over, Apollo. Return to Olympus at once, where we shall discuss your new attitude.”

Apollo couldn’t suppress the flinch, and didn’t fail to notice the worried look Will sent him, apparently aware enough of his surroundings to notice things like that. In answer, he squeezed his his son further against his side, hoping he wasn’t going to have to suddenly push him away from the danger zone if Zeus lashed out.

Artemis, his beloved, amazing, sister, intervened. “We have to ensure the heroes are returned home safely, first,” she said. “We shall return to Olympus as soon as that is done.”

Zeus huffed. “If you must,” he said, turning away. “Do not take too long, or I will reconsider my decision.”

With those ominous words, he disappeared in a ball of lightning, and Apollo’s knees almost gave out. Artemis gripped his arm tightly.

“Decision?” he asked her weakly. “What decision?”

The look on her face was one of equal bafflement, which didn’t reassure Apollo at all.

“Speaking of decisions,” Odin interjected. Apollo supposed it was too much to ask for that the Norse gods also disappeared, although with the departure of the majority of the Olympians, it seemed most of them had dispersed. The only ones still standing in the courtyard were the All-Father, his wife, and Frey. “Magnus Chase.”

The einherjar jerked upright as though he’d been zapped by Zeus’ lightning.

“Yes?” he asked, caution palatable. Apollo couldn’t really blame him, when he’d misused Valhalla’s doors to bypass Yggdrasil and bring in outsiders to Valhalla.

“I should punish you for your treatment of my wolves,” the All-Father mused, “and for bringing Greeks into Valhalla and Asgard.”

“Can I say please don’t?” the einherjar asked nervously. “I’m not too fond of punishment.”

“As it happens, your actions resulted in helping to delay Ragnarok once again,” Odin continued, “so, I shall give you a choice.”

“What if I don’t like either option?” Apparently, it was not just the children of the Big Three who had a compulsion to run their mouths at powerful gods. Apollo wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not; it shouldn’t be, but this generation of demigods were amazing in ways he hadn’t seen in centuries. Or maybe he just hadn’t noticed, a thought that caused his stomach to sink unpleasantly.

Odin laughed, a deep, belly laugh that did nothing to reassure Magnus, from the look on his face. Apollo wasn’t particularly reassured either, and the look Frey was giving the Aesir suggested he felt much the same way.

“Well, we shall see,” the All-Father said, several moments later once his amusement was sated. “Your first option, Magnus Chase, is to have all your memories of the Greek pantheon removed. The pantheons are not designed to mix, as I think we all just saw.”

As far as punishments went, that was mild – and also smart, on Odin’s part. No doubt the rest of floor nineteen would be subjected to the same mind-wipe, thereby tying up any loose ends and minimising the risk of what had happened repeating itself again.

Magnus, however, looked absolutely horrified at the suggestion, as though it was the worst thing he could possibly imagine. A glance at Will and Nico showed that the pair of them were likewise not happy at the idea, which Apollo could understand – they probably didn’t want to lose a new friend. Nico, in particular, had very few of those.

“What’s my other option?” Magnus asked warily, and also a little desperately.

The satisfied look on Odin’s face had Apollo wanting to snatch Magnus away and hide him in Camp Half-Blood, even though it would be a supremely bad idea.

“Or,” the Aesir said, “you will work for me as a liaison between the Norse and Greco-Roman pantheons, as required. It would be a dangerous position – as you have no doubt realised, Zeus’ temper is legendary and he does not hesitate to smite those who upset him. There is a high chance that you will find yourself vapourised at some point.”

“Just between the pantheons?” Magnus asked, sounding a little suspicious – and even hopeful, which had Apollo wanting to scream at him that Zeus’ temper really was no joke and he’d be better off taking the mind-wipe, “or between the demigods, too?”

“Magnus-” Frey started, the first time Apollo had heard him since that night in Stockholm. His voice instantly brought back memories that Apollo probably should not be having while he had his son tucked under his arm.

Odin laughed again. “My ambassador would be able to visit the camps, yes,” he clarified. “So, Magnus Chase, which will it be?”

Chapter 28>>>

27 notes · View notes