Phobos's eyes were wide as he understood what was running through Stephanie's mind when he threw her on to his bed. Her past had caught up to her and she was terrified that the demons would kidnap her to throw her into the bed of the man she thought was her father. And instead, he flung her over his shoulder to throw her into his bed… walking right into a recreation of her worst fears. What kind of a sorry excuse for a god of fear was he that he could not see that?

"Stephanie, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to." Phobos said.

"You didn't know." Stef said.

Deimos asked. "But, how did they find you? You could have been any where."

"Justin." Essie answered.

Stef's jaw went slack and her eyes were wide. "He wouldn't have called Kol, would he?"

"I don't know, but the investigators might have."

Stef covered her mouth as everything came around full circle.

Deimos scowled. "Want to clue us in?"

Essie answered for Stef as she was obviously too overwhelmed at the moment. "Stef has had a hard life. When she went on the run from Kol, she had no support system or knowledge of the world outside of the compound. Since the police wanted to return her to Kol, she learned to avoid the social system and police at all costs. That meant living on the streets. Life for a young girl who does not know how to defend herself and has no money is not easy. She was abused, she starved, she stole, she prostituted, and she got hooked on to drugs."

Stef withdrew into herself and wrapped her arms tightly around her as she heard Essie talk about her life. She didn't want anyone to know about her past. Especially Phobos. But, she knew that they were her only hope at this point. Still she could not help cringing at the words. At the reminders.

"It was not until she was 19 that she found her way into a program to help women get cleaned up and off of the streets. They helped her build a new identity, get a job, get her GED and start college. She was even able to get student loans to go to medical school later on. She has worked really hard just to survive."

Essie gave Stef a comforting hug. "Unfortunately, she trusted the wrong man. Justin was another med student. He built up her trust over time and they dated a little. She told him bits and pieces of her past. But, when it looked like he would get cut from the internship program, he threw Stef under the bus to have her cut from the program. He told them about her drug and prostitution history and that she was entered into the school under a false identity and now she is being investigated for the intent to commit medical fraud. That opened up a spot for him to continue into the internship. Once I found out about it all, I managed to get Bill and one of his friends on the case pro-bono. Now it is all tied up in legal hands."

"Damn. That is cold." Deimos said.

Ash sat on the ottoman next to Jenna. "Listen to me." He reached up to cup Stef's face with both of his hands. "No one here will judge you for your past. We have all done things to survive that we would rather not remember. As for your career, I am quite confident in Bill Laurens' ability to vindicate you."

"So, hate to ask the obvious here." Thorn jumped in. "But, how are these guys hoping to ensure that their children are the ones that survive?"

"The impression that I get from Stef's memories is that they are hoping to force Ragnarok to happen on their terms. And in the mythology taught to the women, the cult is the secret guardians of the Hoddmimis Holt where the two survivors hide through the destruction of the world." Jenna was trying to piece it all together as quickly as possible.

"The question at hand is how?"

"Well, the signs that lead up to Ragnarok include three winters marked by great battles across the world, followed by three winters that are so severe that there are no summers in between. Then the wolf will swallow the sun and the moon."

Jenna looked around at the silence. "Seriously? You are not all following?"

Thorn finally played ball. "So these winters. There are lots of winters with wars across the world. How could we figure out which ones they are aiming for?"

"Well, the Ice Giants, once they are at full strength from the worship, could control nature enough to create the three brutal winters without summers. That is something they can do whenever they are ready to force things. As for the first three. I seem to remember some freaky shit happening in December 2011 and 2012 with the whole Time Untime thing going on." Jenna responded.

Ash laughed. "Yeah, I was there for most of that. I would say that it would count. But, that was only two winters."

"The prophecy does not specify all three have to be in a row." Jenna added.

Acheron frowned. "You should work for the oracles. You make a lot more sense, but damn you hurt my head just a much."

Jenna rolled her eyes and continued. "As for the sun and moon thing. Skoll and Hati were supposed to chase the goddesses Sol and Mani who drove the chariots of the sun and the moon until eventually they could catch them and swallow them whole. The problem is that your Greek solar and lunar twins already killed Sol and Mani and took their powers. So, now Skoll and Hati need to kill Apollo and Artemis. This info is a little outdated, so I don't know what their more recent plans are regarding Apollo. But, that is why they need Stef. She would birth a Key of Olympus to at least get to Artemis and the other Greeks they hate."

"Shit!" Deimos exclaimed.

"What is a Key of Olympus?" Stef asked quietly.

"That is supposed to be your children." Jenna smiled weakly. "Technically, a Key of Olympus is a genetic blending of the four Greek races; Greek gods, humans, Apollites who were created by Apollo, and Were-hunters that were created from Apollites through dark magic. Their blood would allow Olympus's enemies entrance to their realm. It is a dangerous proposition. Since Were-hunters are made from Apollites, Skoll and Hati already have half of that combo. Stef, as a Greek demigod, you have the other half."

Ash jumped in. "Were-hunters usually can not choose who they mate with, as a precaution from the gods to prevent such a blending. However, as Fenrir and his sons were born in a different pantheon, the Greek Fates have no control over them."

Stef was seriously overwhelmed. "How did I end up being pulled into all of this?"

Phobos wanted to comfort her. It was so strange for him. The only person he had comforted before was Jenna and she was different. With Stef, he wanted to melt her fears away. Despite how much she hurt him. He didn't want to see her hurting so much.

What is wrong with him? He is the god of Fear, he is supposed to create fear. He revels in the cries of anguish. But, around Stef, he wants to protect her from the fear. Phobos shook his head as he tried to refocus.

"So, lump assessment is that Skoll needs Stef so that he can rape her and use the blood of any child that she conceives to break into Olympus try to kill Apollo and Artemis around the time that another great winter battle happens around the world, and from that, they can force Ragnarok to start. A time that is called the 'Fate of the Gods' as it leads to the deaths of so many gods and ultimately destroys the world in it's entirety." Deimos grumbled. "Gee isn't this fun?"

"And let's not forget that the original prophecy was based on the idea of this all being a cycle of death and rebirth, where the daughter of Sol would take over as the sun in order to keep the world alive for another cycle. But, Sol died before she could have any children. So, if Apollo and Artemis die, that is it. There are no survivors. There is no rebirth."

"So, it looks like our priority is keeping Stef out of Skoll's hands." Ash nodded.

Jenna looked at Deimos. "My dread god, would you mind terribly if Stef moved in here?"

Deimos looked at Phobos. "Are you good?"

"It is the safest option right now." Phobos agreed.

"Oh, I couldn't impose." Stef started to argue.

Jenna looked at her with a warm smile. "Sweety. This house has more protection in it than you can imagine. It really is one of the safest places for you here on earth. And given your current challenges with legal battles and such, I am sure you could use some time away from paying rent."

Stef didn't know what to say. This was all too much. She just nodded her head and agreed.

"Right then, I will let the Hellchasers know to be on the lookout for these Ice Giants. And, I will put out some feelers, see if I can't dig up more info from the Norse side." Thorn said and then headed for the back door to leave.

Jenna called after him. "Thank you Thorn. And if you catch anyone, perhaps I can draw out more current information. Let me know."

"Next time, why don't you call to offer a guy some tea or something. This whole end of the world shit is getting old."

Then he left.

Deimos scowled at him. "That guy is seriously off."

Ash laughed as he stood up. "You have no idea. But, he is right. The end of the world stuff is getting exhausting. I will do what I can to put the word out for your tag team Stef. Stay here and get some rest." She gave him a small smile and then he flashed out of the room.

"At some point, you are going to have to explain all of this disappearing crap to me. But, not tonight. My head hurts too much already."

Deimos took Essie home while Phobos and Jenna took Stef upstairs to pick out one of the two empty guest rooms. Jenna helped her get settled with a few things and made sure she had a nightgown and a supply of soaps and shampoos in the bathroom for when she was ready for a shower.

Phobos agreed to take Stef back to her apartment in the morning to pack her things and move out.

Jenna walked out of the room first. Phobos started to follow.

But, Stef called after him. "Phobos. Please don't leave."

"Stephanie. I am sorry that what I did reminded you of the horrors that you were trying to escape. I did not know what it triggered for you. But, it does not change the fact that you thought I could do that to you."

"I know. And I am really sorry for that. I won't make excuses. Just, please know that it wasn't really you that I was reacting to."

There was so much that she wanted to say. But, she was so exhausted and her mind just could not keep up with everything. The words just would not come together in her mind. So, he left without her having a chance to really tell him how she felt. She didn't even know how she really felt. She had just learned that he was a god, a real living god, and a killer. Yet, so much of her wanted to seek his comfort. But, he pushed her away first. And his rejection still hurt her.