You're not insane and it's not the baby! Damn it; I knew it was going to be harder this time around. The voice went on. Look, I'm just going to lay it all out for you so you can process it. You're in the wrong timeline; a god and a goddess teamed up to change your history and fuck with you and your loved ones. The first change didn't work out so well for them so they had to try again. We're on the second go, Vervain, and that means that your memories will be harder to regain. You must try to remember. I can't tell you everything, or it will hinder your progress, but if you don't remember, that time could lose its hold on you and disappear forever.
A chill went down my spine.
“Vervain?” Odin had his hand on my arm.
“Yes?” I looked up at him.
“Are you with us?” Odin crouched down to look over my face. “You seem distracted.”
“No; I'm here,” I protested.
“You didn't hear a word I said.” Thor hovered over his father; his face set into the same lines of concern.
The resemblance between father and son became achingly apparent while they were in such close proximity to each other.
“Sorry; I've been having dizzy spells this morning,” I said.
“See?” Odin stood to face Thor. “She can't go with you; she's pregnant and having dizzy spells, Thor. I'm shocked that you would even ask.”
“Ask me what?”
“There's a big protest happening in New Mexico,” Thor said. “They want to put an oil pipeline near the water source for the Navajo Nation. If it were to ever leak, it would contaminate the water.”
“That's horrible,” I said. “Haven't the Native Americans suffered enough? The Government gives them the worst land and now they may end up poisoning their water?”
“And that's exactly why there are protesters coming in from all over the US,” Thor said.
“There isn't anything that Vervain can do about it, Thor,” Odin growled.
“I believe there's a god behind this,” Thor said to me. “The protests are peaceful, but the response to them have been extremely violent. They oil company has hired security that has brought in attack dogs, water cannons, and riot gear. People are going to get hurt, and a god is going to benefit from it.”
“I've already stopped manipulating humans,” Odin said. “And Vervain isn't hunting anymore.”
“But your name and your magic could help us, Godhunter,” Thor said. “You scare them, and you have that ability to take god magic.”
“An ability that she used only once, by accident, on me,” Odin said. “We haven't tested it properly.”
“Odin, people are being hurt because they want clean water,” I said as I stood. “That's not right.”
“You're pregnant, Vervain,” Odin growled. “You can't be putting yourself in harm's way.”
“I'm still in my first trimester,” I said. “The baby will be fine.”
“I promise to look after her,” Thor vowed. “I just want Vervain to make an appearance and scare whoever is behind this. The twins are already there, but they're more inclined to incite their people to war than peace.”
Thor and his friends had been fighting on behalf of humans for years. Two of his rebels were Navajo gods—a married couple—and they had twin sons that were what I'd term “chaotic good.” The twins weren't fighting for the humans as their parents were, but they weren't against them either. They simply held to their original contracts with humans; to protect and guide their followers in exchange for worship. A lot of Native Americans still believed in the old Gods, and the boys got by without having to resort to underhanded techniques. But Nayenezgani was the God of the Sun and War, and even though his brother, Tobadzistsini, was the God of Water and Darkness, Tobadzistsini followed Nayenezgani's lead. They would probably aggravate the situation; seeing an opportunity to lead their people to glory through battle. But they'd do it believing it was the right thing for the Navajo.
Most gods were like Odin had been; they found devious ways to get the sacrifice that used to be given to them freely. This often included manipulating humans into violent acts; the more deadly, the better. Because the goal was to get blood from humans; a lot of blood. Blood held the magic that fueled the Gods and extended their lives. I had fought against them once, and Thor told me he had even watched over me for awhile, but then Odin had found me, and my life had changed. I left the hunting behind and left Thor to handle the war. But every once in awhile, Thor came to me and asked for my help. I always said yes.
And Odin knew that.
“Odin, I'm not a goddess, not really,” I started my usual argument.
“No, Vervain!” Odin slashed his hand through the air. “I forbid it.”
“I'll wait for you in the tracing room,” Thor said to me; already knowing how this would end.
I waited for Thor to leave the room before I turned on my husband.
“You what?” I growled as I narrowed my stare at him. “What F-word did you just use?”
Odin sighed and rubbed a hand over his face; he knew that he'd lost the argument with that single word.
“Please don't go, Vervain,” he whispered. “I have a horrible feeling about it.”
“What do you mean?” I took his hand. “Is this about what Munin showed you?”
Odin swallowed roughly and nodded. “He showed me a vision of you romantically involved with other men; one of them was Tobadzistsini. I wouldn't have given it credence—it didn't have the clarity of something he'd actually seen—except now, Thor has come—”
“Asking me to help Tobadzistsini's people,” I finished. “It's a strange coincidence.”
“Indeed.”
“But that's all it is,” I said gently. “I'm pregnant with
