Thanks for all the kind words on chapter 1! It means a lot. Here's chapter 2, hope you enjoy it just as much-
Chapter 2: The Ibis
"And we are not friends," Kratos sternly affirmed.
The bird took a few paces inside, enough for Kratos to close the door to block out the biting cold and snow that had been breaching their home's entrance.
"Well I helped you once upon a time, surely that counts for something!" The bird chirped back. Freya suddenly wondered if it was as bizarre for others seeing her words come from the beak of her hawk form, as it was seeing words let loose from the clapping, thin beak of this bird.
"You did not help me, you offered puzzles and prattle of fate in the place of help. Help would have been aiding me in fighting those giant beasts that rose from the river."
She could see his nostrils flaring, and his eyes and brow that were moments ago raised in shock, had now sloped back down into their usual glare.
"Kratos," she finally chimed in, "who is this?"
"A god from a distant land to the south. I met him on my travels after I left Greece. I was lost and he…appeared in the form of various animals on my path. Preaching how destiny was not finished with me," the hulking god sighed as he turned his back to their guest and returned to his chair. Freya knew Kratos was incredibly strong, but even she was hesitant to return to their relaxation by the fire with a foreign god in their house. But, his instincts hadn't led them astray so far.
Mimir finally, and excitedly joined the discussion, "Thoth? Like the god of science, learning, and writing? Oh I'm a big fan of yours, milord!"
"Thank you, Mimir," the bird replied as it hopped up onto the couch with a quick flutter of its wings.
"You know this creature?" Freya exclaimed astonished, suddenly feeling like the odd one out in the room full of gods.
"I had met your former husband on a few occasions, my lady Freya. Did he not tell you of his travels or experiences in other lands?" The bird blinked as it turned around and looked up at her with a cocked head.
Finally letting her guard down a tick more, she rested her bow beside her chair and sighed as she sat , "No, sharing knowledge wasn't exactly something he excelled in." Her fingers rose to her eyes and massaged the upper bridge of her nose and brow in frustration.
I know other gods and lands exist but Odin never mentioned a breath of actually going to them and speaking with them. All that time he was gaining information and knowledge from other gods while keeping me and the rest in the dark..well besides Heimdall I imagine. Not that I should be surprised.
When her eyes opened once more and she gazed back at their guest, his form had changed drastically. The head and crooked neck of the bird remained but now it sat atop a human body and shoulders. A plain white robe blanketed the foreign god's figure with solid gold gauntlets and an intricately detailed golden plate wrapped around his shoulders and neck. Thoth looked even more out of place in this human hybrid form, as his adornments clearly looked not of this land, and his garb surely didn't seem a match for the northern cold.
The Egyptian god leaned forward, resting his new elbows on his knees and interlocking fingers. "Yes, he never seemed much interested in comradery with most of us. He would seek out my knowledge, Saraswati, Nabu, the others, but he never proved to be forthcoming with his own. Upon our…disinclination to work with him, he sent his son with his hammer down to try and..encourage us."
Freya looked from the bird man to Kratos, whose expression had remained unchanged since he sat down. Stern, golden eyes shimmering as they stared into the fire. Kratos' lips were pulled slightly down at the edges, he was clearly growing tired of their guest's presence already.
"But, that is why I am here. Your predecessor was growing to be quite a problem for the others before his end. With him gone, and well before that even, we have remained quite in the dark of the goings on of the various realms here. I have been sent as an envoy by my lord to see if I might be able to bring you into the fold, as it were."
The Greek god's tired eyes finally looked away from the fire to the wreath that hung above it. It was made up of slim branches of various pine trees wrapped together with twine into an infinite loop. Kratos had said it was the last thing his wife made before her death.
"It was my understanding that gods remained out of the affairs of other lands. Is your region at such a peace that it leaves you free to fly here and pry into our condition?," he posed to Thoth.
The bird head lightly nodded, "In most cases yes, but some of us do convene on occasion and share events and pressing matters with those others fit to join us. The pantheon that you so swiftly dispatched was not among them. Zeus was an arrogant, contemptuous being that swatted away any branches for peace and brotherhood that were sent. Then to further doom relations, the former war god Ares found his way down to our lands and wreaked havoc for years. The gods of your homeland were not well loved among the rest of us. 'Olympus stands above all,' I believe is how your father put it, and Odin… The people of Asgard too thought they were above the rest of us. That their fortress in the sky was impregnable and unconcerned with the gods or people of other lands. The only reason Odin spoke to any of us at all on rare occurrences was to see what insight or knowledge he could glean from us to stave off the foretold Ragnarok doomed to bring about his end. Quite quickly we perceived his true and selfish intentions and cut off contact. Which brings me to you…"
The bird leaned further forward, unwavering his gaze from the ash colored god who dropped his eyes from the wreath to finally meet their guest's stare.
"I'm here to invite you to our next convene, Kratos. We wish for you to stand as one of us, and share what you know with the rest of us."
Freya's eyes grew wide with amazement. The foreign god had listed off several names she did not recognize, nor did she know the name Thoth. Let alone that all of these gods of other regions met and, worked together? Something seemed amiss.
"Why now?," she sternly asked. "And I thought that is what Tyr had been doing? We haven't seen him in nearly two years, and he told us that he was off to begin the rounds again to meet with the other gods of war in other lands to rebuild that which had been lost."
The bird nodded once more, "Yes, he has been to see us and others, but he was imprisoned for such a long time. He is making great strides at reestablishing the bridges that had been built before his disappearance, but he does not know much to the current events here. In fact, he was one of the main voices supporting my presence here and asking you to join. Many of the gods we are in contact with were…weary, to invite the presence of the Ghost of Sparta to our meeting. Tyr voiced nothing but support for the decision, as did my lord, and a few others. I'm sure you can understand their hesitance. You have now toppled two pantheons of deities, a feat no other being living, or not, has ever achieved since the dawn of time. I would know, recording the history of humans and before is the chief task among my many duties. Your god of war has a powerful voice in our court, but even amongst the other war gods, Bast, Hachiman, Chiyou..they are quite concerned about inviting a god of war that slayed his predecessor especially."
Tyr suggested this? Knowing Kratos' opinion of gods and his past. Tyr even knew him before, when he was the rage filled, brutal killer in Greece. Kratos is a natural leader, yes, but working with OTHER gods? I just…
Freya's thoughts were disrupted as Kratos stood with a grunt. She knew a decline was coming, but was beginning to see the merit and reasoning in the southern god's proposal.
"Why me? I was the god of war in Greece, but no longer. I am no god here, I merely ended their rule. I have no wisdom, nothing to give, I am a god of nothing," Kratos muttered, not moving from his spot.
"You saw the prophecy, yes? The one in the cabinet the giants left behind? As I told you all those years ago, destiny has a plan for you, Kratos, and that remains unchanged. You may hate the notion, you may hate fate, destiny, whichever title you choose to call it, but its plan remains unwavering. You gave the people of Greece Hope rather than keeping it for yourself or giving it back to Athena. You saved the nine realms here and freed them from the twisted grip of Odin and his family. You slayed the Allfather, and as the prophecy foretold, the people welcomed you with grateful, open arms. Like it or not Kratos, you have taken over the role of deity protector of these lands. Even flying above the small fishing villages and towns on my way here I heard the prayers echo in my ears as those mortals worshiped you and opened their hearts and souls to you. You've spent the ensuing years after Ragnarok helping mortals, slaying monsters, trying to make the lands a safer, more prosperous place. Which, and this may be a surprise to you, is what an actual good god should do. Hate the fact or accept it, you've taken on Odin's roles in more ways than one, and that has been to the benefit of your realms' people."
The bird hybrid sat, unmoving, staring up at the standing Kratos awaiting a reply. Freya noticed the bird's expression had not changed thus far in his visit. The eyes never slimmed or widened, no shock, fear, nothing. If he was indeed the god of recording history and wisdom in his homeland, and was as in tune with the nature of destiny as he seemed, then Kratos' forthcoming refusal shouldn't come as a surprise.
What Kratos said next however, shocked Freya, but not Thoth.
"I'll give you my answer tomorrow."
It had been some hours since the discussion. Freya had whipped together a quick stew and they sat silently at the table. Kratos had offered his bed to the visiting god, saying he would sleep on the floor beside the fire. Freya was clearing the table of their bowls but left his untouched, just as Kratos had for the last hour. The stew turned cold now, and Kratos did nothing but stare ahead, resting his chin on his fist in deep thought.
"What of Freya? If I am to consider joining you, she will be there as well. Where I go, she goes," the spartan had asked before Thoth retired for the night to Kratos' room.
"Oh but of course lady Freya is welcome to attend. She was not the one I thought would have difficulty convincing," the Egyptian cheerily chirped with what could almost be described as a smile on its beak, before closing the door for the night.
"Ya know, it only hurts a small bit that I wasn't invited outright or asked about my attendance," Mimir half heartedly japed from his spot on the table to Kratos' left. Freya resumed her seat to the god's right and sighed, "Don't worry Mimir, you're more of an accessory. I'm sure Kratos will have no trouble slipping you in without much contest from the other gods." The corner of her mouth turned up into a small smirk at the little jab. "Oh har har, funny your majesty. Kratos, so what do you think?"
Kratos however remained unchanged in expression or position. The light from the fireplace behind them gave his back, shoulders, and bald head a faint orange glow. The fire from the candle on the table made his golden eyes come alive and dance, despite the lack of a single muscle of his body moving. It was as if he hadn't heard the head call his name a foot from him.
"Kratos," Freya spoke gently as she reached to give a small shake to the gauntlet strapped to his right forearm. He blinked at the contact, dragged back to their reality from whatever corner of his mind he had been dwelling. "I'm surprised you were so open to his invitation. I was anticipating a swift refusal honestly," she continued.
"Aye as was I, I thought we had had our fill of gods for a lifetime, especially you, brother," the head echoed shared sentiment.
Kratos rose from his seat, just staring into the fire of the candle. "I am tired, I will retire for the night. I suggest you two both do the same."
And there he is. Man of few words, sometimes too few.
She respected Kratos, clearly, but sometimes she would enjoy just a scrap more of what his thoughts or feelings of certain things were.
Where I go, she goes.
Kratos' words echoed in her head as she lay in bed unable to sleep. Should she even go? If Kratos ended up declining, perhaps her presence would still be a smart move. That way she can report back on whatever conclusions or events transpired.
Then, a distant crash came from outside. It wasn't very loud, but enough that her ears pricked up at the unexpected thud against the calm of the night. Upon opening her door she saw Kratos' resting spot beside the dying fire was bare. Mimir still sat asleep upon his pillow on the shelf. She quickly donned her outer coat and grabbed her bow, sneaking out the door without more than a light creak.
The storm from earlier had subsided, and now the snow covered landscape was bathed in glowing blue light from a mostly full moon. The shadows from the many trees slashed across the pale white snow like marks from a blade. As her eyes traced around the serene environment she found the large footprints of Kratos' boots leading back behind the house. With the quietness of an owl stalking its prey and barely a fogged exhale from her lips, she crept along the same path Kratos had. Eyes trailed from side to side, every creak of the tree, drop of a dead leaf to the ground, her gaze was on it immediately. Her eyes kept darting back to the footsteps, to see if there was any change in pace or gait, anything that would denote a rush forward to attack or side roll to avoid danger. As she reached the corner of the home she braced tight to the corner and peered around. All she saw was Kratos, feeding the wolves yet another slab of deer meat as he pet Speki on his dark gray fluffy head. There was no danger, just Kratos once again spoiling the dogs.
She slung her bow over her shoulder and proceeded forward to see if she could gain anymore thoughts on what had transpired tonight from the tight lipped god.
Kratos heard her footsteps and wheeled around.
"I'm sorry, Svanna got excited and knocked over part of the lumber pile as I arrived," the god uttered as his eyes sank down to the left where one of the lumber columns lay scattered in the snow beside the other upright ones.
Feya sighed as she rubbed her brow. It was rather endearing that such a large, intimidating killer of gods with general disdain for most things at first outward appearance, had such a deep love for wolves, truly. A memory sprang to mind of a certain Greek god rolling the summoning bell along the wide, bowl-like shrine's rim to bring forth Skoll and Hati, the wolves that brought with them the sun and moon, multiple times in quick succession. His reasoning had simply been because he "Wished to see the wolves again" as he had put it. There were unexpected, small cracks in his defense of grunts and stoicism if one looked hard and long enough.
"It's fine," she said with a warm smile, "now, care to share more of what you're thinking after Thoth's invitation?" She crossed her arms, the cold didn't bother her overly much, she had experienced far worse, but she wanted to signify the spartan wasn't returning indoors until he spoke.
"I… Atreus. During Ragnarok, he made allies with gods and other beings that, were it left to me, we wouldn't have aligned ourselves with. Even now he is out there, making new allies and friends in his quest for the future of the giants. If it weren't for him, I don't think I could have ever changed into who I am now. His mother helped me find the path, but it was through him I decided, learned, to walk it."
Freya shifted, taking a few steps closer until they were within arms reach of each other and she could better look into his eyes.
"And because of this new path, you want to try making allies with ones you would have vehemently been against before?"
Kratos nodded in reply with a small grunt. "Hrrnh. His words are true. As much as I dislike it, I have chosen this path, to rebuild, try to create something new. I have fallen into the role that Odin should have played. Every time I deny or fight against destiny it always brings me back to it. I still don't believe that fate is so clear cut as he makes it sound, but I cannot argue that that prophecy from Groa I saw when Atreus left, of me standing before mortals, being worshiped… The past few years have played out as such. Years ago I tried to rid myself of the blades. Every time I woke they'd reappear. I threw them into the ocean, left them in the sands, buried them, they'd always be there when I awoke. My entire life I've tried to shrug off and battle destiny, and each time I throw a blow, it's as if my fist slides perfectly into a glove fate has waiting for me."
Freya grew a bit more daring now, taking another step forward with an outstretched hand, reaching for his arm and gently wrapping fingers around. His arms were truly massive, even more so with the metal gauntlet latched on, but her fingertips were able to make it around the armor and feel the small exposed space underneath of bare skin. Her fingertips tenderly traced over the scarred skin where the chains had bound themself to the spartan's forearms.
"You are not the same person from when you first came here, first found your wife, or first had your son. You have done so much good here, Kratos, and I know you are not one for receiving compliments, but it's true. In the few short years since you and Atreus first ventured into this world, you have done more for these people than any of the Aesir had in centuries. Whether it is fate or not is irrelevant to me. Here, now, we are doing this good, together. It bothers me not whether some prophecy foretold us doing this, changing things like this. What matters is it's happening, and lives are being helped and saved," she assured, her fingers continuing to gently stroke the ash colored skin of his underarm.
"Kratos, look at me," she softly ordered.
The god's yellow eyes shifted from the ground to meet the Vanir goddess' gaze. His breath fogged out from his beard like a dragon's smoke, his eyelids looked heavy, and the eyes themselves looked tired and confused.
"I will go to the meeting, alone if I must, because I think it's important for us to have a presence there. If you do not wish to go I will not force you, or even ask it of you. You have far more experiences with far more gods of lands far beyond our borders. So I do not fault you in the slightest should you choose not to go. It's your decision, not mine, not fate's, yours."
Kratos continued to look into her eyes for a few moments more, before stepping back and pulling his arm from her hand's embrace. He turned to his wolves, looking up at him with round, golden eyes, much like his own, excitedly waiting for more surprise meat. A deep exhale escaped the tired spartan as his back slumped for a moment, seemingly unloading a mountain's worth of stress which would surely be built back up in short time. "We will go, together."