Disclaimer: The Almighty Johnsons (and all their characters) are not owned by me, I'm just borrowing them from South Pacific Pictures. Just wanted to play in their sandbox for a while.

Spring

Dark.

Dark and cold.

Dark, cold and too fucking early to be standing alone on the edge of what was once a forest, instead of being at home in bed.

Mike glared out at the ruin before him. The ash was long gone, but the broken, burned remnants of the forest remained. Nature would take time reclaiming it, and whether it would ever be a forest again in his lifetime was doubtful.

Damn Loki! Always felt he was superior. Felt he knew better than them. Felt he was more of a god than anyone else. He felt entitled.

The fact they had no proof, only suspicion he was responsible for the destruction gnawed at him.

It wasn't the fact he most likely killed Freyja against Odin's judgment wasn't the point. The fact that he went against Odin's judgment and got away with it was what rankled.

It had been almost a year since the folkmoot. Over and done. So - why was he here now? If he followed his better judgment, he would still be in bed, not here.

On the point of leaving, Mike hesitated, sensing movement to his right. There was a figure moving in the shadows. Definitely human. The person stopped just outside the burn area, not far from where he stood. The person appeared to be oblivious to his presence. With the removal of a long dark hooded cloak, he realized it was a woman.

Mike watched as the woman carefully folded the cloak and placed it at the foot of a nearby tree. She turned to face the dead forest, and walked into the centre of it.

She stopped, and looked skyward. He hears what sounds like singing. He can't make out the words, but part of him understands, this is not a mortal he's watching. He moved back, into the shadows, edging closer to where the woman (goddess?) has left her cloak.

She gives no sign of noticing him, intent on her work.

Mike notices a shimmer around her. She slowly raises her arms, outstretched and begins to rise. The shimmer becomes a glow as he ascends. With the first slivers of light from the rising sun, her glow intensifies and now bathes the area traumatized by fire.

Within the glow, shapes start changing. Even the air smells different, almost fresh or new. The debris is gone, leaving behind what appears to be a dark rich soil. Something was rising from beneath the surface, pushing its way to meet the dawn.

The something that had been rising was becoming clearer. Plants of some sort, springing up like an army, covering the area. Grass too was growing. It was like Mother Nature had taken time and put it on fast forward.

The plants were now more than saplings. He found himself standing at the edge of a young forest. It would be interesting to see how this would be received by anyone stumbling upon it. How long until it hit the news reports?

By this time, he lost sight of the woman, but not her glow, or was that the sun now partially risen?

"Hello, Ullr."

The voice came from behind him. He turned and at first glance he noticed she was barefoot and wearing a long pale dress of some sort of rough spun fabric. Wisps of her long dark hair danced around her face in the early morning breeze. When their eyes met, she smiled.

Reaching down, he picked up her dark green cloak. "It's a bit unfair, you know my name, but I don't know yours."

She extended her hand, offering him what looked like a business card. Where that came from, he could only guess. Accepting the card, he passed her the cloak, which she quickly pulled on.

"Tara Bourne? You're a florist?"

"Turn it over. The other side will answer a few of your questions. The others, I'm wiling to try and answer over breakfast, if you care to join me. The address is on the card. I have a flat over the shop. Meet me there and we can talk, or not."

She turned and started towards the elder forest. She looked back at Mike, smiled again, and then continued to approach two trees whose branches framed her path. Passing under the branches, she vanished from sight.

Looking down at the card again, he reread the front of the card:

Toujour le printemps
Innovative Professional Florists located in central Auckland.
Corporate specialists, Weddings, Birthdays, New Baby & Funerals.
Quality Flowers, Plants & Gift Baskets. Delivery Auckland Wide.
Tara Bourne, Proprietor

Flipping the card over, he read the card and shook his head.

Ēostre of the Dawn
(also known as Ëastre or Ostara)
Goddess of Spring
Specializing in:
Renewal, Rebirth, Reincarnation
Love, Fertility and (something that he couldn't quite make out)

"Breakfast it is then." Mike muttered as he put the card in his pocket and headed to his truck. The shop was on Victoria Street, not far from the bar. How long had she been practically under his nose, and he hadn't known it?

"Come in." Ēostre invited, as she opened the door to the shop.

Mike entered, noticing the riot of colour and scents in the shop to his right.

"The flat is just upstairs, shall we?" Mike nodded, and noticed her hair was still damp from a shower. She was no longer wearing the long dress, but a snug t-shirt and jeans, which left nothing to the imagination.

Ēostre ushered him up the stairs through the open door at the top. "Make yourself comfortable, while I check what's on the menu for breakfast."

Mike settled himself at the table not far from where she was checking cupboards and refrigerator. From her furrowed brow and frown, he suspected things weren't quite what she wanted to find.

"I noticed there's a coffee shop just up the street, instead of going to the trouble of fixing breakfast, why don't we go there?" he offered.

"You're kind, but our discussion is one that shouldn't be held in such a public place. And since you've already figured out my larders are empty, I know of another place we can go and talk in privacy over some breakfast. There, I know the kitchen is well stocked, its quiet and pretty much interruption free. It will only take a few moments to get there."

She went over to what appeared to be a closet and opened the door, "After you."

Mike looked at her in disbelief, "Is this some kind of game, or are you telling me you've got a secret room hidden in that closet?"

"If it were a game, you should have no fear, since you're the god of games, and you're not supposed to be able to lose. As for a secret room in the closet, not exactly. Let's just say, it's a doorway to some place else. It's the same way I left the forest earlier. I was home before you would have even made it back to your truck. Any doorway, or even something forming an arch, like the two trees I walked between, allow me to use them as a portal to wherever I want to go."

"Nice trick. Can you teach it to me?"

"Breakfast first, then we can talk business," she promised. She held out her hand.

Mike hesitated, then got up from the chair and joined her, taking her hand. "You first."

Ēostre smiled and winked and walked through the closet door, still holding his hand.

There was no weird feeling. Just like walking from one room to another. Mike stopped beside Ēostre, releasing his breath when he realized he'd been holding it.

Looking around the room and realized it wasn't just a room, it was a proper hall. There were what appeared to be rooms running off the hall, with groups of chairs and other types of seating near a fireplace at one end of the room, with large tables with bench seating in another. What left him speechless was the far end of the hall, which instead of an expected wall or doorway, appeared to be a forest.

"Welcome to my hall. Make yourself comfortable, and this time, I promise I'll have something on the table shortly for us. If you like, take a seat in one of the conversation pits, maybe near the fireplace over there? Or take a seat on one of the benches at the tables. Wherever you'd feel comfortable."

Instead of finding a place to sit, he followed her into the huge kitchen. "If this is your hall, where you appear to live, then what is the flat above the shop for?" he asked as she reached into the fridge for the milk, cream, juice and some fresh fruit.

"Appearances mainly, and of course, a local address for anything to do with the shop. We don't exactly have postal service here, unless you count messenger gods like Hermes," Ēostre replied as she started to make a small pot of coffee.

"Where exactly is here? I mean, I'm pretty sure we're not in Auckland, are we?"

"No, definitely not in Auckland. The way its been explained to me is that it's like a pocket in the universe. The creator gods made it, and they're the ones who ensure each of us has our own hall. Each pantheon generally has a Great Hall, with the gods and goddesses of that pantheon having halls off the Great Hall. Each individual hall reflects the god or goddess who lives there. Beyond that, their explanations make my head hurt."

"So, why the forest?"

"You might say it's a piece of home. It's a connection to where I grew up, and spent most of my life. There's a forest in Germany where this grove exists, but it's protected against entry by those who are not welcome."

Opening a cupboard, she asked, "Pancakes, eggs and bacon, hot or cold cereal, pastries? There's fresh fruit for the pancakes or cereal, and juice, coffee or tea to drink if you'd like. What's your pleasure?"

Mike bit back the first response that came to mind as he forced his lingering gaze from her well endowed figure to the cupbord, feining interest in the variety of cereals presented. Ēostre opened another cupboard and brought out bowls, glasses and mugs for both of them, then moved on to the cutlery drawer. Together they drifted around the kitchen, pulling their breakfast together.

"Have we got everything?" she asked looking at the tray on the counter.

"Think so," offered Mike.

"Okay, lets sit by the fireplace. That cluster over there with the sofa and two chairs. It's one of my favourite spots in the main part of the hall."

Settling in, they ate in silence for a few minutes. "So, German? You don't sound German."

Ēostre chuckled. "Saxon actually. Apart from a handful of years about 70 or 80 years ago, I haven't actually lived in Germany for more than a century. I do go back and visit, every March for a few weeks."

Mike nearly choked on his cereal. Clearing his throat, he reached for a glass of juice. More than a century? From the recesses of his mind came, more like 140 years. Where the hell had that come from? "So you've lived here most of that time?"

"Yes, when I wasn't on assignment like I am now. Which brings us to some of the answers I owe you. The first one being, how I knew who you were this morning. The Norse Pantheon is my current assignment. The assignment was to find you, watch you and then try to bring the pantheon into our Collective. That's the community we have here. So, I've been watching all of you for a few years. I've witnessed most of the more important ceremonies you've had during that time. Axl becoming Odin. The signing of the marriage contract between your family and Gunderson's. The folkmoot "

"The folkmoot, that's why you were in the forest this morning?"

"Yes. I was there the whole time. I watched Loki stalk off in anger. I actually wanted to talk to Freyja and ask her, when she finished her sentence, to find me and I'd try to help her."

"Freyja was a tree, how could you talk to her?"

"A tree is a living thing. If you know how to communicate with it, you can both talk and hear the response. The unfortunate thing is, Loki came back and laid waste to the area before I could talk with her. If I weren't able to fly, I would never have been able to get out of there without being caught in the conflagration. "

"So you're actually a witness to Loki killing Freyja?"

Ēostre nodded solemnly. "I'm more concerned about the loss of two goddesses and a god in less than a year, along with the appearance of the god hunter. The arrival of the god hunter is of greater concern, since it goes back to how and why the Collective came to be."

"What do you mean?"

"The Collective was created because of the flight of your ancestors from Norway. That danger appears to have remained over time and not faded away. And now that they're aware you're here, it's even more important to try to restore the pantheon to its former strength by finding all of its members, and yes, eventually reuniting Odin with Frigg."

"And why would you, or the Collective be concerned about us? Why would you want to help us?"

"God-kind is a small community world wide compared to the mortals who populate the world we come from. We're small in number, generally older than most countries in the world, and no longer revered as we once were. Times have changed. Mortals have changed. Unfortunately, with a group like the god hunters, if they deem the rest of us the affront to their religion as they have the Norse Pantheon, the god hunter's ultimate solution would be genocide. It would not only threaten all of us, but also cause an international uproar for the followers of some of the pantheons that are still worshipped. And that, is not acceptable."

"And that's why the Collective wants us to join?"

"Yes. There's strength in numbers, so to bring you on board gives you allies, and helps strengthen the Collective itself. It will be a decision that needs to be made by the whole pantheon, so it will eventually be presented to the members and offered. It will be their choice whether they join or not." Ēostre stopped and checked her watch. "It's getting close to 9 a.m., do you need to get back?"

"No, I'm okay, why?"

"I was just thinking, maybe a tour of the community? I can introduce you to a few friends. I've got staff minding the shop today. They know this is a holiday for me, so I'm not expected in."

Mike wasn't sure what he was expecting. While it appeared to be one set of halls leading to yet another set of halls, the weird part was, there was no ceiling. There was light, but not the sun, or the moon, or even a light bulb. Every hall Ēostre took him to was different from the last.

There was an even larger forest in Cernunnos' hall. But there, the bigger surprise was the antlers. Ēostre never warned him about the antlers. But Cernunnos was not alone. With him were two other visiting gods, Oxossi of the Yoruba and Kedes from the Philippines. All were telling tales of great hunts they'd been on. Mike was fascinated by their stories.

If he thought the grove was unexpected in Ēostre's hall, the smell of salt and the sight of a seashore in Poseidon's hall was something else. Amphirite and her sisters welcomed them but Poseidon, ever the wanderer, was not there.

They also visited the Council Hall, which was currently not in session. And the Gathering Place. It was a large open area, where the largest gatherings were held. Elections, celebrations, and when necessary, disagreements between pantheons would be mediated.

Their last stop before returning to Ēostre's hall was one of her favourite places to visit. Hephaestus was like a gruff old uncle she explained. They heard hammer against metal before they'd even reached his hall. Hard at work, crafting another masterpiece.

"Hello!" she called out. There was no reply.

She shrugged and grinned. "He's engrossed in his work. Let's go in."

"Are you sure he won't mind?"

"He'll shoo us out if we're not wanted. Though, I've yet to see that happen."

They wandered through the hall in the direction of the clanging sound of metal on metal, admiring the work on display, waiting for the owner to claim it. Finally entering an area of intense heat.

"At least you're dressed better for coming in here this time, child. So, you've taken pity on me and decided to visit?"

"Heph, you old bear, I've brought a friend to meet you. We've been admiring your work. Love the work on the sword and scabbard. Another for your brother?"

"You know my brother Ares well," he said as he put down his hammer to greet his guests properly. "So who's this you've dragged in here to meet me?"

"Hephaestus, I'd like to introduce you to Ullr of the Norse pantheon. Ullr, this is Hephaestus one of Zeus' sons and he is the definition of a master craftsman."

"Lad, if you've got any sense, you'll run now. I'm married to a goddess of love myself. Has she told you about the time she accepted an invitation to one of Dionysus' fabled feasts?"

"Heph, no, please," she begged.

"Oh, I'd love to hear about it," Mike prompted with a grin. He was rewarded with a mortified look from Ēostre.

"It was early one evening, the feast had only just begun. The way Dionysus tells it, Ēostre was enjoying the company of a handsome young man. They found a quiet spot for a bit of fun and the next thing you know, everyone is overcome by passion out of nowhere. Apparently the young man took the old saying seriously, and decided to please the goddess."

"Old saying?"

"Ēostre?" Hephaestus prodded.

"Please the goddess. If you want your crops to grow, your livestock to breed, and your family to grow and flourish, you must please the goddess. It was what mothers, wives and girlfriends would tell their sons, husbands and boyfriends, when I would return for the first day of spring. All of them looking for my blessings. I haven't heard that in years. I still cringe at the memory."

"You haven't told him have you?"

"No. And I wasn't going to."

"Tell me what?" Mike asked, wondering Hephaestus was alluding to.

"Child, you can't hide who you are, you know he'll find out one way or another that you're the goddess of carnal pleasure."

Mike tried to take that statement in, all the while Hephaestus chuckled and Ēostre groaned.

"The goddess of?" Mike started to ask, looking to Ēostre for confirmation.

"Do you still have the business card? Look at it again," she suggested with a resigned sigh.

Pulling the card out, he looked at it. Okay, nothing different on the front. Flipping the card over, he realized the part of the last line he couldn't make out before now read 'carnal pleasure'.

"You can only read it, if you already know or I want you to know." There was an awkward silence.

"I think we should be going. I don't want to keep you from your work Heph. I'm sure that I've kept Ullr here longer than he expected."

"Ēostre, Dionysus is still pestering me to get you to go to another of his feasts. Don't worry, I keep telling him you're not interested. Hopefully one of these days he'll give up." Hephaestus called out as they left.

The walk back to her hall was accompanied by a long awkward silence. Mike felt helpless, because he knew she must feel uncomfortable about him learning about that last attribute, since she hadn't intended him finding out.

"If you want to take me back to the flat, I'll head home, " Mike offered when they reached her hall.

Instead of agreeing, Ēostre leaned forward and kissed him, catching him by surprise. Her kiss was like a question searching for an answer. She broke the kiss and stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked, when he saw the disappointment in her eyes which she quickly lowered as she moved further away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I was looking for something that just isn't there. Mike, you're not the only Ullr I've met. I was looking for some sign of recognition or remembrance."

Kiss her you fool!

Mike closed the distance between them, and put a hand on her shoulder. "There must be something there, or else I wouldn't have been there to witness your handiwork this morning. I was wondering why I was standing alone in a forest in the dark, instead of being at home asleep." His hand moved from her shoulder to her chin. He raised her chin so she'd look at him, and then he returned the kiss.

Let me loose, and I'll introduce you to a passion you've never experienced before!

Mike hesitated for a moment, and then let Ullr take the lead. He was intrigued by the both Ullr's intensity and Ēostre's response. He felt like a voyeur in his own body as Ullr's passion sparked Ēostre to a similar passion. Mike realized that Ullr and Ēostre were lovers reunited, rediscovering the familiar, exploring the new.

Ullr steered her over to the spot where they'd had breakfast earlier. At some point clothing had literally disappeared. Ullr seemed to be in no hurry, enjoying the way she filled his senses.

Then Mike then found out why.

Ēostre gasped and shuddered, then a wave of passion swept over Mike. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before.

"Ullr," she purred softly.

That spurred Ullr on further, repeating the process again and again. Each time the wave was more intense, overwhelming all of them.

"Please, no more play. I want you," she pleaded.

Ullr receded, leaving Mike alone, more than ready and willing to comply with her plea.

Ēostre listened to the rapid beat of Mike's heart as she lay with her head on his chest, while he held her close.

"So, any questions about the carnal pleasure attribute?" she asked with a grin.

"Ah, that would be no," he replied, feeling both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. "What was that?"

"That, was what I call, 'the wave', not to be confused with that thing they do at sporting events. It's triggered by my partner. I can count on one hand, then number of mortal men and gods who've been able to trigger it. And you triggered it not once. Not twice, but three times. I am going to be hearing about this from my neighbours."

"What is, 'the wave'?"

"Think of it as a sort of an emotional EMP, electro magnetic pulse. Instead of causing electronics to fail, it's a wave of passion, which heightens my partner's pleasure, and carries on and shares my passion with anyone around us. That is why Dionysus wants me to join his feasts All it took that time was one. You triggered it three times and each one was stronger than the last. Only one other has done that, and we were alone in the woods when it happened. That was over a century ago, his name was Ullr just before your pantheon left Norway."

"Ēostre!" an annoyed male voice cried out.

She cursed under her breath in a language he didn't recognize.

Mike braced himself; aware he was about to be caught in the act by someone. Another lover? Her husband?

"Really, Father?" she demanded, rising to confront him. Mike rose beside her, feeling more than a little self conscious about his state of undress, unlike Ēostre.

"I've started getting complaints from your neighbours."

"Father, as a goddess of spring I have every right to celebrate the first day of spring however I want. It's not like this happens every day!"

"The first day of spring? Its September, not March!"

"And I've been working in the Southern Hemisphere for the last four years. In New Zealand, the first day of spring IS in September. One of my favourite things is being able to double dip by celebrating in both hemispheres!"

"So, who is this? This "guest" you've brought here to celebrate with?" her father demanded, staring at Mike. "A mortal?"

"My name is Ullr..."

"Norse pantheon?" her father asked, growing almost pale when he realized just who his daughter had brought into the Collective.

"Yes," answered Mike uneasily.

"What can I say? He caught me, red handed, well green thumbed, this morning during my revelry at dawn." Ēostre explained. "He had questions and I felt it was time to answer those questions, and actually start talking with a members of the pantheon, instead of just watching them. I figured we'd talk over breakfast, since we were both up so early this morning."

Turning to Mike, "I'm sorry, introductions should have come first, but that didn't quite happen for some reason, giving her father a side long glance Father, this is Ullr, Norse god of the hunt. Ullr, this is Saxnôt, my father, divine ancestor of the Saxons, god of family and current head of the Collective's Council." The two men quickly gave each other an awkward nod.

"We will discuss this further at another time, daughter. I'm needed elsewhere. Ullr, I hope we meet again, under different circumstances."

"I should leave as well", Mike suggested after her father left. "I have a few things to do before the bar opens."

"I'll get you back to the shop," she promised as she reached down to pick up his shirt. They gathered their clothing and dressed in silence. The return to the flat had been just as quiet. Ēostre followed Mike down the stairs to the shop. She peeked in and gave a quick sign to her staff to say nothing. Their curious stares followed the two of them out the door.

Stopping beside the truck, Mike turned to Ēostre. "It has been an interesting morning. The walk in the woods, breakfast, the tour "

"And I'm sorry it ended the way it did. It could have been a pleasurable day together," she said wistfully.

"Am I going to see you again?" Mike asked, moving closer.

"Anything is possible. You have my card," she reminded him.

Mike hesitated. He wanted to close the distance between them, to kiss her again. He knew if he did that, he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. "I'll be in touch," he promised.

Would that have been so bad?

Shut the fuck up.

Mike needed time to think about what he'd learned about the Collective and the fact they've been watched for the last four years. Being around Ēostre would not allow him to do that.

Ēostre smiled at his choice of words, as he drove away.