Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Marcus's Wager

"Hey Koji, do you remember what I said to you after you beached our ship?" Marcus says calmly.

"What? I - yeah, of course." Koji says, thoroughly confused. "You said I'm the reason I'm in this mess, and I should own up to my mistakes." His blur shrinks into itself. "Look, I get it, I messed up. But I-"

"This isn't about you," Marcus interrupts, turning his attention back to Melody. "I'm not going to run from this, Mel. I messed up, and now I have to fix things." Marcus blinks as they pass under a wide shadow, and he squints to make out the large red building before them.

"You said I could trust you," Melody says, her voice soft. She touches his hand again, her fingers trembling. "You promised you would help."

"I will help." He says, turning to face her directly. Koji approaches the massive double doors and heaves them open. "But that doesn't mean you're going to like it."

"You also promised you'd tell me before you do something stupid." She says sharply. Marcus hums and nods.

"Yeah, I did." He says, taking a deep breath. He turns back to the barn as the doors open, letting out a powerful gust of wind. "Hey, Mel? I'm about to do something stupid. Really stupid."

The inside of the barn is dark, and Marcus has to draw on some of his divine power to make out anything inside. To his surprise, from what he can tell, the building looks exactly as it should - a simple barn, the floor strewn with hay and mud. The walls are lined with cubicles, the insides of which are dark and ominous. A hay loft hangs over them, with dozens of wooden crates like a wall at the edge. In the center of the room is more crates, piled high like a dragon's treasure hoard. Some of them shine, making Marcus wonder if they really are full of gold.

"Who dares enter our domain!?" A man growls, his voice echoing through the building. It certainly sounds like they're in a cave. Marcus narrows his eyes and leans forward, making out two shapes against the shine of the treasure. One is a large man in red, with some sort of giant club hanging off his shoulder. The other is a man in green, shorter but just as muscular, his hands in his pockets.

"Susanoo," Koji declares, raising his head high. Marcus can't help but groan at the obviously fake pride. Koji stomps forward, planting his hands on his hips. "I've returned from my training, and at Amaterasu's command, I've come to deal with you idiots."

"Oh, little Koji's come home?" The man in red sneers, leaning forward with a chuckle. "Took you long enough - I guess you're not as tough as you think!"

"Who are they?" The other snaps, pointing at Melody and Marcus. "They don't look like Kami."

"They're here to help. They have a new treaty that will repair the damage Akimoto caused." Koji replies. "This is Mel, an apprentice from Mt. Olympus, and Marcus-"

"But you can call me Loki," Marcus says, stepping forward. He raises his head high and digs his hands into his pockets, relishing in the silence that follows. He doesn't need to see to know what's happening. Koji's staring at him, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Melody's probably losing her mind behind him but looks calm and collected as ever. And the two gods before him are trying to work out if he's telling the truth or not.

"You're Loki?" The man in green says dumbly. Marcus flashes a smirk, throwing his arms out dramatically.

"Indeed! The Aesir's resident trickster god, father to Fenrir, the beast that nearly took your life!" He says. The green man recoils, and the red steps up to his side. "I heard a couple of simple-minded idiots are going around swearing vengeance against me. So, I came to see what all the fuss is about."