Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Marcus's Wager

        Marcus stomps through the hall, scrunching his face up to focus his vision. He tries to remember the route they took to get to Amaterasu's room, keeping his pace even. As he walks, he goes through everything in his head. Akari plans to step down as Amaterasu. Akimoto is refusing to take an apprentice. Fujin and Raijin want him dead. And the rest of the Kami are scrambling to pick up the pieces. He grits his teeth, letting out a low rumble.

I don't know what I expected. I shouldn't be surprised, He tells himself. I tried to tear the Pantheons apart. If Oliver hadn't stopped me, it would be like this everywhere. Probably worse. As he passes, he squints at a dark shape, and it lets out a small squeak of surprise. His best guess is that it's Kaito. I should have known that Akimoto was a scumbag when he tried to join me. This is all my fault. So, I've got to fix it.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be okay," Melody says behind him. He glances back, watching her and Koji's blurry shapes trudging along. "She and Julien are adorable together. Like, so cute it makes you want to puke. If anyone can cheer her up, it's him." The blurs connect, and Marcus strains his eyes to clear his vision again. Either she's patting Koji's arm, or she stabbed him in the rubs.

"Are you sure? She's never even mentioned this guy. How important could he be if she didn't even tell her brother?" Koji replies, his voice still thick with emotion. Marcus sighs, looking forward. As much as he wants to snap at them for focusing on something they can't fix, he can't bring himself to do it. Even without seeing her clearly, Marcus could tell Akari isn't okay. She smelled like stale chips and musty blankets. She sounded absolutely heartbroken. And worst of all, it was all because of something he did.

"Where are Fujin and Raijin?" He says offhandedly, not addressing anyone in particular.

"In the caves, most likely," Koji replies after a few seconds. "There are a lot of legends in Japanese mythology that include caves - so many that it's become a part of our home."

"How do we get there?"

"Through the barn."

"Good." Marcus rounds another corner, flinching away from the light shining through the large doors. He throws them open, stepping out onto the gravel road of the farm once again. He looks around, searching for a blob that might resemble a barn. But it's like he's looking at the world through clouds of colour.

"This way," Koji says when he and Melody catch up. Marcus focuses on his silhouette as Koji takes the lead. "I should probably warn you, Fujin and Raijin are kind of...difficult." He says, choosing his words carefully. "They like to act like they're part of the Yakuza - the Japanese mob."

"Good, this should be easy then," Marcus replies with a smirk. Melody bumps into him again, sticking to his side like glue. He uncurls his fists in case she needs to take his hand. From how much she was trembling last time, he's sure she's dreading what's about to happen.

"Marcus, what are you doing?" She hisses darkly, a far cry from the fear he was expecting. "You heard what they said, right? Fujin wants to-"

"I know," Marcus says coldly. He sees Koji's form shift and assumes he's turned around to listen in. "But we can't do anything about Akari until Oliver gets back with her boyfriend, and something tells me I'm the last person Akimoto wants to see. At least this we can do something about."

"Do something?" She snorts angrily. "That's exactly what I'm worried about! Why can't you just-" She stops, glancing at Koji before continuing. "I'll show them the treaty, like Akari said. Maybe it will get them to back off. Then, once things have calmed down a bit-"