Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Peace Offering

        The barn door slams shut as soon as the group steps outside. Koji sighs, his head hanging forward on his neck and shoulders slumped. Melody starts walking back towards the farmhouse, but only makes it three steps before Marcus speaks, making her stop dead.

"Are you two insane? You could have ruined everything!" He hisses, glaring at Koji. Melody grits her teeth, wheeling around on him with an equally annoyed look.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we talking about it now!?" She snaps, stomping back up to him. "And here I thought you were going to do whatever you wanted, no matter what we thought!" Marcus recoils from her, but quickly composes himself, his lips set in a hard line.

"Well, I was hoping to handle it myself, but you cut in and messed it up! I was trying to keep you out of it if you hadn't noticed!" Melody turns away, crossing her arms with a huff.

"If you didn't want me involved, you shouldn't have done it. We're a team now, remember?" She glares at him over her shoulder, and he looks away. "And don't give me that I caused this so I should be the one to fix it crap. We've been through that enough that you should know better by now."

"And you should know how stubborn I am," Marcus grumbles. Koji steps in, forcing his arms between them and gently pushing them apart.

"Fighting each other isn't going to help anyone," he says, stepping between them once there's enough room. Marcus and Melody keep glaring at each other around him. "What we need to do now is make a plan. I know those two well enough that I can tell you what they're going to pick for their challenge. All we need to do is-"

"While we're on the subject, why did you get involved?" Marcus grunts, shifting his attention to Koji. "She's stubborn as a mule and has to be a part of everything. That I get." Melody scoffs, but Marcus ignores her. "Why would you of all people get involved with a fight? I thought you were a pacifist." Koji shivers, his eyes sinking to the dirt. His stomach churns at the thought of having to fight someone. But he swallows his fear, lifting his head proudly.

"We've only known each other for a few days, but I know you're not actually like that. I know an act when I see one." He jerks a thumb back to the barn for emphasis. "Which means you were doing that on purpose. Probably to get their focus on you and away from the other Pantheons, so they won't go on a rampage when Oliver comes back with Apollo." Marcus's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Yes, it was that obvious," Melody adds, leaning around Koji.

"I just wish you guys had told me that you're Loki before...a lot of this," Koji says, shaking his head. "I get why you didn't, but still. A bit more heads up would have been nice." He offers a weak smile to Marcus. "Own up to your mistakes, right?"

"Our mistakes," Melody says, looking down sheepishly. "There's a bit more to the story that you should probably know."

"Later," Koji says, waving his hand. "The point is, I'm not just going to stand by and let you solve all of our problems, even if you caused them. This is my Pantheon - my family. Now that I know what's going on, I've got to do something to help." Melody smiles at him, and Marcus chuckles, slapping his back affectionately.

"I definitely like this version of you better than your Susanoo act," she says warmly.

"Same here," Marcus adds. "What now then? Do you guys have a training field or something?"

"In general, the Kami are pretty peaceful. It's just Fujin and Raijin who like to fight because they're technically part Oni. That's also a long story." He adds, seeing the confusion on both of their faces. "We should make a battle plan first. There's no way they're going to pick anything other than a fight - it's what they're best at. I can tell you all about their powers and fighting style."