Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Calm Before the Storm

        Marcus steps outside, looking at the orange glow over the horizon. He spent the rest of the day relaxing, trying to mentally prepare himself for the coming battle. He went on jogs around the Shinto, practiced his shapeshifting, and worked on holding more complex illusions for several minutes at a time. Every time he returned to the guest rooms, Koji and Melody were huddled around the table with dozens of books strewn around them.

Rolling his shoulders, Marcus breaks into a light jog, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him. He tries to focus his vision, but as always, everything is an indistinct blur. He keeps his breathing slow and even, making sure not to waste too much energy. In a few short hours, he'll be fighting both Fujin and Raijin. He'll need his strength.

As easy as it was to pass his plan off as a good idea to Melody and Koji, he can't help but feel anxious. Part of his godly training was learning how to fight in preparation for Ragnarok. He learned how to combat gods before. But the Norse gods of the Aesir are far different from the Kami. Not to mention, facing two of them at once would be a challenge for anyone.

"I see you're up early," A familiar voice says, making Marcus pause. He glances around for the source of the voice but finds nothing. He's near the smaller buildings towards the front of the farm now. As he squints around, a smaller shape peels away from one of them, approaching slowly. He squints harder to try to make out who it is but just fuzzes the image more.

"Who are you?" He says, trying to not sound suspicious.

"Hinata," She replies with a chuckle. "I suppose those scars are worse than they look?"

"You could say that," he says with a shrug. "Why are you up so early? Aren't you filling in as the sun?"

"I'm covering Amaterasu's duties, but Apollo is acting as the sun today," She replies smoothly. Marcus nods, turning to look at the orange sky again. That means Oliver is on his way back. "Is there anything you need?" She adds politely. Marcus shakes his head, squeezing his eyes closed.

"Thanks, but...actually," he says, turning back to her. "I'm sure you've heard about what's going to happen today. Did Fujin and Raijin ask you to join their side?" Hinata chuckles, and Marcus can almost make out a thin smirk on her face.

"Yes, they did. Supposedly, they asked every single one of the Kami. I even had to have them removed when they tried to recruit Akari to their cause."

"Any idea who joined them in the end?" He says, trying to sound casual. If he knew who their third would be, he could figure out a way to mess with them during the challenge.

"Looking to cheat already, Loki?" She replies, her voice suddenly cold.

"No, they're going to want to fight me for sure. We think their third is going to go against Mel. She's still an apprentice, so-"

"You don't trust her to take care of herself?" Hinata interrupts with a giggle. "From what I heard, every single one of the Kami refused to help them fight you." Marcus blinks, trying to wrap his head around her words. He never considered that - he expected them all to want a piece of him after finding out his identity.

"You mean, none of you are mad at me for what I did? I'm the one that-"

"You don't need to remind me," She snaps, her voice growing cold again. She takes a deep breath, shaking her head. "But we also see that you're here trying to make things right. And like me, most of the Kami have decided to give you a chance to prove that you're actually here to help us." Marcus stares at her, feeling his jaw go slack. He recollects himself quickly, turning to the side.