Isn't it funny how ridiculous the truth is?
“Maybe you're right,” I conceded. “It's far better to live with the title than to be killed by the man who last bore the magic.”
“Exactly.” Thor's Caribbean Quartz eyes went soft and a little sad.
“Hades,” I said; knowing exactly where Thor's thoughts had turned; or rather, who they had turned to.
“I think we should visit him today.” Thor nodded.
“It's been years since Persephone was murdered,” I said. “How long do you think he'll mourn her?”
“My father mourned Sabine for centuries,” he said grimly. “I don't doubt that Hades loves Persephone just as strongly.”
“Of course, he does.” I immediately felt horrible. “She was an amazing person, and I'll miss her for as long as I live.”
A soft meow interrupted us as Nick, my gray tabby, jumped up on the bed.
“Hey, baby,” I said as Nick found a spot between Thor and me and started kneading the blankets.
“This cat always comes between us,” Thor said teasingly as he scratched Nick's head. “But I suppose he's better than another man.”
“Why would you say that?” I looked at Thor in surprise.
“I have no idea,” he said with the same amount of surprise. “I'm sorry, darling; I didn't mean anything by it.”
“It's okay,” I said brightly. “I feel kind of strange this morning too.”
“Perhaps we need some breakfast,” Thor suggested.
“First, I need a bath,” I declared before I kissed Nick and then Thor.
I headed toward the bathroom; my gaze wandering out over Asgard as I did. Across the lake from us was Valhalla; the golden shields that adorned its walls were catching the sunlight and magnifying it. I blinked against the glare and a flash of Odin's face filled my mind. I stumbled and caught myself against the door frame.
What the fuck? Odin? Why was I thinking about Odin? As soon as I wondered it, I began to get more images; whole episodes that seemed like memories. It was Odin and me, except I wasn't me—not this me—and Odin wasn't his current self either. For one thing, he had both of his eyes.
“Vervain?” Thor asked with concern.
“I'm fine. It's fine; everything is fine.” I sent a shaky smile over my shoulder before I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door.
I leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. Sensual tingles were running over my skin as more images filled my head; Odin wrapped around me, Odin above and inside me, Odin's magic stroking and filling me; they went on and on. I slid to the cool floor and closed my eyes as I gave in to the visions and the pleasure they brought.
They poured through me, and by the time they were over, I was certain of two things; I had once been Sabine, Odin's dead wife, and my soul—Sabine's soul—loved Odin as much as he had loved me. As much as he might love me still.
“Oh, fuck me,” I whispered. “This is not good.”
Chapter Seven
When I joined Thor in Bilskinir's dining hall, I found him talking to Morpheus. Morph was the God Squad's newest member. We'd had a rocky start, but he turned out to be a damn good guy. He was a god of dreams in the Greek Pantheon, and even though he'd joined us, his brothers and his parents are still our enemies.
Morpheus and his family had been killing humans in their dreams because Zeus, head of the Greek Pantheon, controlled Ambrosia—the Greek immortality food, and would only distribute it to gods who obeyed him. Morpheus and his family didn't want to be slaves to Zeus, so they found another way to get their immortality. I found out about it after Morpheus mistook me for a regular human and attacked me in a dream. I convinced Morpheus to stop killing and join us, but now, I had to do something about Zeus. Morpheus needed Ambrosia, and the other Greek gods needed to be freed from Zeus' control.
Unfortunately, with Hades drunk half the time and comatose the other half, we couldn't gather enough support with the Greeks to rally them against Zeus. Morpheus had been working with Pan to change that, but they simply didn't have the influence that Hades did.
I figured that Morpheus was here to talk to us about going at Zeus from another angle. I was wrong.
“Hey, V,” Morpheus said in a tired tone. “How's it fanging?”
“How's it what?” I scrunched my face at him.
“You know; fanging, instead of hanging,” he explained. “I thought it would be funny because of the whole vampire thing. Never mind; I'm tired. Sorry.”
“What's going on, Morph?” I asked.
“Hades is neglecting his duties,” Morpheus said.
“Tell me something I don't know,” I said as I accepted a cup of coffee from Thor.
“Zeus is taking advantage of it.” Morpheus clenched his jaw before continuing. “He's calling for a vote from the Twelve Olympians to have Hades cast out of the Underworld.”
“He can't do that,” I huffed. “Hades built that place; his magic is entwined with the territory.”
“It's a collective territory, and Zeus has always wanted to expand his control to Hades,” Morpheus said. “Hades, as in
