=========================== CHAPTER IX =============================









"What I don't understand is why Zeus didn't just lightning bolt your ass. I would expect something that childish from 'O Great Zeus of Olympus'," said Cristopher jokingly to David. We all sat around the huge copper table in Freya's giant living room. A fire at least eighty feet high crackled loudly in a ten story fireplace at least a quarter of a mile away across the marble floor.

"Well if Athena hadn't showed up when she did and yelled at Zeus to let her general go, my ass would have been lightning bolted," replied David loudly.

"Ah, I can just picture it now. Athena marching in, her dome-tent- sized breast swelling at the sight of you, screaming 'let my Great Davideus go, or I shall swart yours heart!'." Him and April both let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, something like that." David grabbed for more bread. He had already eaten twice his own body weight, as had April.

"Actually, Athena was very brief," said April matter-of-factly. "She came in and saw me and David hanging by our ankles and started yelling in some weird language." I dropped my spoon. This wasn't right.

"She...she talked a different language. Like not English?" I said.

"Yeah, I know. It didn't sound like Greek, or at least not the Greek I know. It was more like Latin and Portugese rolled into one. Eventually I started to get it..."

"You didn't understand it, April?" asked David.

"You did?"

"Yeah. She kept saying that we would not disobey. Loyalty to a god is not easily swayed. We are there to offer, not to obliterate. Things like that. You were probably just out of it."

"Maybe, but I still usually catch the gist of things, even if I am out of it. Maybe my ears we weren't working considering I was being hung by my ankles."

"Maybe."

"Okay so we have to go back to the dwarves?" I interjected.

"Yeah," said David. "April explained mass production. She was pretty brief, but they were already starting to make a conveyer belt by the time we had finished speaking. We need to go back and help him with a few things..."

"Like a gattling gun!" yelled Christopher.

"Er, yeah," said David. "Well anyway the Slepinir's have been waiting outside. Are you guys aware that we've been waiting here for about twelve hours. Supposedly the Sennites are getting pretty close to Fairy Land. We can't really risk anymore time." He was right of course. We also needed to propose the plan of attack on the Sennites.

"My sirs of the Folkvang shall ride to the lands," said a loud voice. Freya. She wasn't in an actual shouting distance, instead the voice reverberated in my head. "Odin All-Seer has shown that we are to meet battle along the paths."

"Who, the Sennites?" yelled Christopher towards nothing at all.

"He shan't say, for it will bring about the fury of Yggdrasil. The battle shall be mine to fight also. No fight of my sirs will be fought without my utility."

"Can we still ride to the dwarves?" I asked. We couldn't waste time fighting a battle!

"Some shall. One of you will be captured. My men will suffer casualties. Two shall come who should not. Three gods of the four that fly will prevail. One shall die." Oh great.

"Why don't you just keep them back? I mean, that way they will not die."

"Fate works it's wonders on us all. No matter in what manner it is done, it will still happen. You must take fate with caution. Destiny will weave it pattern and we shall follow it. No stray of the pattern will happen. The needle will find the tapestry and we will succumb to it's glory." She was speaking in limericks again.

"Well than, maybe we should ride fast," said David simply.

"And indeed you shall. By fact you will be there in hours time. Odin will show you the way." Freya waved her hand. The damned mist again! It was swirling around. Enveloping my eyes and body. My little sphere of clearity. The familiar yanking in my midsection like I had just been lassoed. The hushed swoosh of passing air. Wind fluttering.

CLUNK! Feet, ground, high-speeds, not a good combo. We all stood around the Slepinirs. Odin, Tyr, Loki, Freya, and Aegir stood before us. Odin's brimmed hat now had gold rings around it. He still looked like a Clockwork Orange gang-member. Aegir stood tall, very tall over the others. His skin had a waxy blue coat to it, like he was part of the Blue Man Group. Freya looked the same as before, big feather coat, huge silver necklace. She almost looked like a movie star walking out of Gucci or Saks Fifth Avenue. She didn't seem to match the common Norse attire.

The Slepinirs pawed the ground nervously or excitedly, I couldn't quite tell. April and David were staring at their feet and bodies, obviously they hadn't traveled by mist yet. Christopher was staring at Aegir muttering about drums and streamers. This was the first time either of us had seen him up close, and last time he was behind a cloak and it was dark.

"Come," cried Odin. "You shall ride swift and sure." I walked up to my Slepinir and pulled the briddle towards me. I climbed up. In a few seconds I was in the air again.