Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Casting Off

        Oliver spends the night in his room, running through the recent revelations in his mind. Melody's adopted family being the head of the Aesir was hard enough to accept. Her being friends with Marcus on top of that felt like some kind of cosmic joke. Finding out that she's also the daughter of a Greek goddess pushed it over the edge. He spends a few hours debating back and forth if she's just messing with him. He spends a few more after that fearing what would happen if she ended up turning on him now that Marcus has been freed. In the end, he forces himself to fall asleep, wondering how he ended up in a situation like this for the second time.

The next morning Melody barely says a word beyond a morning greeting. They eat in silence, collect Marcus from the room across the hall, and head to the docks. Oliver feels his stomach twist with every step, watching Marcus and Melody blatantly ignoring each other. He thought she would at least comment on Marcus's change of clothes; a pair of brown cargo shorts, a black shirt with a flame pattern around the bottom, and a pair of hiking boots to match hers. He doesn't look as pale and seems to have even regained a bit of the weight he lost. His hair is neatly combed and trimmed, and the raw patches on his ankles are all but healed. Despite that, his face still looks like a melted mess of scars, his eyes are cloudy, and it looks like his new bracelets dig into his wrists as much as his bindings did.

Melody leads them down the docks, towards the mouth of the river. The sun hangs high in the sky, and as Oliver stares up at it, he can't help but worry about how long it's been since leaving Empire. Ra's warning rings through his mind, as if he just heard it. Nobody has heard from the Shinto since the night of the rebellion. It's like they've disappeared completely. He shivers at the thought. Was it wrong to come to Asgard first? What if, by the time they get there, they're too late to help?

"Hey!" A man calls from the end of the dock, making Oliver jump. He recognizes the man from all the meetings he's had with the Aesir; Frey, the god of peace, rain, sunshine, and basically everything good. He jogs up to them, flashing a grin with teeth so white that Oliver looks back at the sun for relief. "Morning to you all, how's it going?"

"Good morning," Melody says with a polite nod. Marcus grunts and tilts his head upward in response. Oliver looks down awkwardly, feeling the tension in the air. Frey, however, seems to ignore it completely.

"I'm sure you're anxious to head out, so I'll keep the explanation brief." He digs into his pocket, pulling out a wooden cube on a string. He grins as he hands it over to Melody. "Here's your boat. It basically sails itself; you just need to hold the rudder while setting your course, and it will get you there. Though, you may want to take the reins if you hit a storm or something." Oliver stares at the cube, his jaw slack.

"Seriously, we can have this!?" Melody exclaims, her eyes lighting up. "I thought you said I wasn't allowed on board!"

"Sure, when you were younger! What if you accidentally sailed off to who knows where?" He ruffles her hair, and Melody quickly slaps his hand away.

"Please don't touch my hair," She hisses in a tone that makes it clear this isn't the first time she's asked. Frey giggles and nods, crossing his arms.

"It's easy enough to unfold. Just toss it in the water, step back, and boom! Instant ship." He throws his arms up to demonstrate. "Folding it up is a bit harder. There's a switch on the inside you need to hit, third room on the left once you get below deck. Can't miss it. Pull that, and make sure it clicks into place. Then, once everyone is off the boat, take one of the ropes leading to the mast and pull. Any rope should work, but make sure you're all out first. Anything you store on it will fold with it, but people..." He wiggles his hand and sucks on his teeth. "I've never tried it, but I'd rather not find out."