Chapter 7: Mommy Dearest

"Bullshit."

I absolutely meant it. Just who the hell did she think she was? This strange woman suddenly shows up right after I am about to get killed by some ass-ugly mutants and claims that she is my mother? The same mother that I had not seen for my whole life? Sure she just saved my ass, but to say that she is my mother? Seriously, what the Hell!

The woman seemed to almost read my mind. She sat there with her hands in her lap, looking at me with what seemed like honest worry. Just who was this "Skadi"? She said she was a goddess, and though I could not deny the fact she just diced one of those creatures, I had not seen anything to indicate some kind of divine being.

"What did you say your name was again?" I asked. It was the only thing I could think of right now.

"My name is Skadi. I am a goddess. And I am your mother," She replied in a low voice.

"You are my mother?"

"Yes."

"Oh...okay..."

The woman...Skadi...moved just a little closer. I started feeling really uncomfortable lying on this mat of fur. Yes, I now realized that I was lying on a mat made of animal fur. It was quite comfortable actually. But the woman near me was not really allowing me to have any room to enjoy it.

"Are you sure your my mother?" I asked her. I really was not convinced. She sighed and slowly shook her head.

"Yes Einar, I'm sure I'm your mother. I recall giving birth to you, if that proves anything."

"Not really..."

The woman suddenly grinned.

"You are a stubborn one. Most people would be thankful that I just saved them from some Jotnar. But you on the other hand start to question me."

"Well, most people do not have a strange woman that they just met say that she is their mother, whom they had never seen."

"Yes, that does make sense..."

She leaned back from me and studied me for a moment. Then she gave me another smile. She seemed to like doing that...

"I never thought you'd turn out this way..."

"What do you mean? lady, you had better be explaining yourself."

"I mean like this," she said, gesturing toward me. "You were so fragile when I first held you. Granted, most newborns are, but you were a very delicate thing."

I did not say anything. This woman who was apparently under the impression that she was my mother was lost in time about some distant event. A distant event that she likened to me being born. I had never seen this woman in my life. Just who was she to suddenly come out of nowhere and claim to be my mother?

"Are you serious? I have never seen you in my life."

"Because you were only a baby when I had to give you up, for the time being."

"Give me up?" I asked. What kind of mother would give up her offspring?

She sighed and licked her lips in a clear gesture of deep thought.

"I feel I had better explain some things."

"Yeah, that would be nice..."

She readjusted herself and leaned close to me.

"Do you know that the gods exist?"

"Yeah. I actually have been living at a camp where they are the children of gods. Camp Half-Blood they call it."

"Yes Einar, that is a camp for demi-gods. But it is for the children of those Greek gods. You are not one of them."

"You mean I'm not a half-blood?"

"No, you are very much a half-blood. But you are not the child of an Olympian, as those Greeks fancy themselves."

So I was not one of them. Yet I was still like them. So just what was I exactly...?

"If I am not one of them, yet still like them, then what am I?"

Skadi looked at me with eyes that seemed so vastly filled with time. As if she suddenly showed her years, if only through her eyes. I actually felt my heart quicken at the sudden gaze, and she then spoke with a firm, powerful voice.

"You are the son of the gods of the North. The gods of the Germanic tribes. The people that Lord Odin created, so long ago."

"Lord Odin?"

"Yes, Odin. He is our leader, our commander of sorts. And he is the most wisest being you will ever find."

Suddenly she grinned wider.

"Let's say that that Olympian goddess, Athena, who claims herself to be so wise. Lord Odin could outsmart her faster than my arrows could fly."

"Okay..."

She leaned back once more.

"I am assuming you don't know of the gods of the Germanic people's, do you?"

"Ummm...nope. Doesn't ring a bell. Hell, I needed to have half of the camp's gods explained to me."

She took a deep breathe.

"Well, sit back and relax, I think I may have to do some explaining. The people of mainland Europe, the Germanic peoples, were often seen as barbarians by the Greeks and the Romans. But they had quite a bit more morals and nobility than they ever did. And we, the gods, watched over them. Not as masters over servants, but as family."

She paused, and I nodded my understanding. She continued.

"You are a direct child of us, Einar. But we see all that are descended from the original tribes to be family to us. That is something that separates us from the Olympians."

I nodded once more. For some reason, I was already liking these "Germanic" gods over the Greeks.

"We are most often thought of as the Norse gods. And we are the gods of the Norse. But we were also the gods of many of the mainland tribes, not just Scandinavia. The Norse simply used different names than the other tribes."

That got me interested.

"So you are the gods of the Norse and the "Germanic" people?"

She grinned .

"Yes, we were the gods of both. The Norse were a Germanic people, just in Scandinavia and not the mainland area. They all had different names for us, but we were still the same for them all. Lord Odin was sometimes called 'Woden' or 'Wotan' by some groups. But we are still the same. We tend to go by our Norse names, as they are the most famous people that came from the first humans we created."

"So you guys are the ones who created mankind?"

"One of them. Those Greeks have their Titan that created the first humans for them. But the first people of the North were created by Odin."

I nodded. It made sense. The Olympians created some humans, the Germanic gods created some others.

Wait a minute...did they call themselves the Germanic gods? The Greek gods called themselves Olympians. Did this group have a name for itself?

"Do you guys have a name for your group? Like the Olympians?"

"Yes actually. We are called the Aseir."

"The Aseir?"

"Yes, the Aseir."

I shrugged.

"What?" She asked, seeing my gesture.

"Nothing, it's just a lot cooler sounding than 'Olympian'".

She chuckled.

"I suppose so."

"Though I am still finding it hard to believe that you are my mother..."

She looked at me with suddenly sad eyes. Once more, I was taken back by the power her eyes held. It was as if she were looking right into my very soul. She sighed again and licked her lips. She seemed troubled by my words. Actually, a true mother probably would...

"I am sorry Einar. I honestly wish I could have been there for you. Please, let me explain."

She readjusted herself. She clearly seemed uncomfortable with what she was about to tell me.

"Einar, our children are among the most volatile of demi-gods. We are much more passionate about certain things then the children of the Greeks, or even the Roman demi-gods."

There were Roman Demi-gods? Hell, did the whole damned world have pantheons that got jiggy with mortals?

"They are much more prone to battle rages, and bloodlust. The Germanic people were combat incarnate. Battle was something they could never pass up. If you have ever read history, you would see that the Romans had the hardest time trying to subdue them. And they never did. In fact, it was the Germanic people that destroyed the Roman empire."

She leaned back for a moment, pausing in thought.

"I just hope that those Olympians remember that, when they take their roman forms..."

"Huh?" I asked, honestly confused. She shook her head and grinned at me.

"Nothing. Let's just say that the Olympian gods would not be very intelligent if they were to do anything to harm you. I have some very powerful family. And they would make short work of them."

"Short work of them?"

She grinned even wider.

"Some of them, Thor for example, could fight half of them at once, with only one hand gripping his hammer. And Tyr would raise some hell as well. And Ullr would hunt each of them down as they fled, allowing them to feel their end approaching."

I shuddered at the sudden darkness she seemed to throw out.

"Okay then..."

She shook her head again and grinned once more.

"Sorry. As I said, I have very powerful friends. So do not worry about being at the camp for the Olympians."

She sighed.

"And back to what I was originally saying. We are a very passionate group Einar. Because of this, you are much more prone tro moments of lust or rage, especially battle rage."

Battle rage. So that answered it. That strange bloodlust I got whenever I was cornered or attacked, whether physically or verbally. How I was able to finally defeat Clarisse. How I was able to cut my way through a whole team of fighters, without even feeling my efforts. But I had to confirm it.

"Skadi...er...mom," I began. She beamed at the first time I ever called her 'mom'. "There is this...thing...that sometimes happens. When I get pissed off. Is this that "rage" you were talking about?"

She nodded.

"Yes Einar. It is called the Beserker Rage".

Well, at least I had a name for it now...

She opened her mouth to say more but at that instant there was a loud caw. I looked up to see that on one of the trees, a large, black raven was perched there. It stared down at us, and I had the feeling that it was no ordinary raven that was just sitting there examining us with curiosity. Ity was there for a reason, and I felt it's gaze pierce me with an incredibly powerful force, as if the eyes it had were no the eyes of a raven, but of something so much more wiser, and so much more powerful than anything upon this Earth.

Skadi saw it too, and she looked at me with a sorrowful expression. She reached forward and placed her hand upon my forehead. There was a moment of numbness, and then all remaining pain was gone from my body. I audibly gasped with the sudden relief. My ribs felt as good as new, and not one muscle was still sore. She withdrew her hand gazed at me for a moment.

"I am afraid that that raven was a call. I must leave you for now."

Wait a minute? She was now going to just leave? She had answers about what I was! All my life, I had wondered just why I was different from so many others, and even at this camp for 'different' people, I was still a stranger. This woman showed herself to be my mother, and whether I really believed her was irrelevant right now. I wanted answers! I wanted some goddamn answers!

"But you can't just leave! I mean, I just now found someone that might be able to answer the questions that I have had for years! You just show up here, save my ass, and then reveal that your my mother! And then you tell me all this shit about the gods of the Germanic tribes and then tell me what this ability I have is, and then you say your going to just up and leave! Bullshit, do you hear me! Bullshit!"

Throughout my whole tirade, she held my gaze, and to my incredible annoyance, she even allowed a grin to spread wide across her face. I ran out of breathe and panted for a moment, glaring up at her. She reached forward and tenderly stroked my cheek. My rage that began to burn when she said she was going to leave vanished within a second. I gasped and stared at her. My emotions had gone through so much ups and downs by this point I was effectively burned out. She smiled visibly now, and I was shocked by just how much love showed in that smile.

This strange woman had just showed herself to me no more than several hours ago, by my estimates. She had revealed so much about me, that I would have to take at least several days to process all of it. But with the touch she gave me, I suddenly knew one thing for sure, without the least mental reservation. This woman was my mother. This goddess, Skadi, ruler of the night and the winter. And the huntress of the north...was my mother.

She held her hand there for a while longer, and I felt warmth enter my body. usually that would be uncomfortable, due to my seemingly natural inclination for icy cold feelings. But this was a different kind of warmth. It was the warmth only mother could give. SHe slowly removed her hand, and slowly stood up. She pointed to her right.

"The camp will be found in that direction. Hurry son, the night is fading fast, and you might want to be back before they find you.."

She lowered her arm.

"Einar, I know what I have told you will take some time for you to come to grips with. But know this. I am indeed your mother. And I love you. I love you just as any honest mother would. I must get back to Asgard. Odin granted me time to get away and save you, but my time is now up. But before I leave, I must inform you of something. Something you must remember, for it might come to pass very quickly."

"What, what is it?"

"You will be tested Einar. Children of ours are very carefully watched, more than any other demi-gods. We are a prideful group, and so you must prove yourself worthy of being a child of us. I do not yet know what this test may be, or what you may have to do, but you will be tested very soon."

I was helpless to do anything more. Skadi smiled one more time.

"I will be watching you Einar. Remember, I am all around you, all the time. And I will not give up on you. Ever..."

She began to gradually fade. Startled I jumped up and watched her slowly fade from view. The last thing from her I saw was her blue eyes, so powerful and piercing, and yet at the same time so loving...

"I love you my son..."

And then she was gone. Back to wherever she came from before she got here.

I stood there in shock for a moment. The reality of what had just been revealed to me was beginning to have it's effect. My own mother had just shown herself and then disappeared within hours. What...why...how?

I felt a different kind of anger rise in me, but this one was not like the battle rage that had so arisen within me recently. This one was different. This one felt deep, and it hurt, badly. I was fighting to hold back tears. Tears? I had not cried for so long now. Ever since I began to live in the wilds, and fend only for myself. So why was I suddenly feeling like crying? Did finally meeting my mother, my mother by blood, have such an effect upon me? What were these goddamn emotions running through me so viciously, and tearing down the barriers I had established for survival's sake!

And then I heard a different voice, a man's. Like my...mother's...it was very powerful. but there was a sense in it, a sense of might that was not present in my mother's. But it still felt rather comforting, if also rather terrifying.

"Tears are not something to be ashamed of, young one..."

I whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice, but as usual, there was no one in the area. Did the gods just have a thing for talking to people without actually appearing to them? It was rather strange.

"Who are you!" I called out. But the voice continued it's train of thought.

"You are feeling extreme emotion at the sudden appearance and disappearance of your mother. And now you feel saddened by her sudden vanishing. This is not something to be ashamed of, young warrior. A true warrior knows that crying at the appropriate time shows your nobility, and your heart. Both of which are needed if you ever wish to succeed in your endeavors."

He was right, whoever this was. I really was on the verge of tears, even with this strange voice speaking to me. For whatever reason, this whole night had left an impression on me, and my mother's appearance...who I now felt really was my mother, I could not deny it anymore...had seemed to finally fill some strange void within me. And that void's filling was now filling my eyes with tears. Despite the alarm that this new presence presented, I was still about to cry.

"Your mother is right, Einar. Soon, you will be tested, in a way that no one knows, save the fates and my wife. But I have observed you Einar, and I will say that you are indeed an extremely resourceful warrior, even if you may not know it for yourself. I will be watching you for sure..."

The first tear was beginning to form...

"I will leave you to your emotions now. Until next time..."

And with that, the voice was gone.

I fell to my knees. Tears flowed from my eyes as my throat uttered the same cries that would have been heard from that of a wounded beast. I shuddered as my body was tracked with emotional wave after wave. Just how many of these bouts was I going to experience? These mood swings, all because of my newly discovered heritage? Apparently that was the reason that I now was here, pn all fours, weeping my poor, pathetic guts out...

I felt a fresh wave of tears coming when I felt a warm something on my cheek. I looked up to see what it was, but there was nothing there. I tilted my head in confusion, when a second breeze was felt. But now it did not feel like a touch of wind, but like the stroke of a hand. I saw nothing there though. But then I realized what it was.

Mother...now I knew. The warmth I was now feeling, now chasing away the tears and fear within me. It was her. I had never knew she was there. I had fought through so much. Hunger, close calls, fights for survival. And I had always thought that it was me alone that got me through such ordeals.

But I knew it right then and there. She had been with me from the moment I first opened my eyes. I had wondered the world alone. Alone only in my own mind though. She had been at my back all the time, as she was now, drying the tears and anger and fear that was breifly flaring up within me. I let out a shaky smile.

"Thank...mom..."

It was a lot to take in in so short a time...but that was how I had always done it...

Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, as I needed several days to gather my thoughts and even more time to get into the groove of writing. But I hope you all enjoyed the whole talk and new found revelation. I'm pretty sure some of you will get which god was talking to him after his mother left, but if you don't get it, don;t fret. All questions will be answered in due time.

For a completely random not, it was Alexandra Daddario, the girl who played Annabeth in the movie, that I envisioned as Skadi.

Until we meet again...Happy Hunting!