Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

A New Mission

        Melody steps into the sun, raising her hand to shield her eyes from its light. The sun is high in the sky, at the peak of its climb. The jade courtyard stares back at her from the bottom of the long staircase, and she sucks in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh, clean mountain air. This is it; the first steps of her new journey.

"Are you sure about this?" Marcus says, his voice low. Melody spins in place to face her friends, beaming at them. "We're seriously just going to leave the treaty with him? After everything he did?" Marcus adds, jerking his thumb back towards the throne room. Melody nods, crossing her arms.

"He won't betray us," she says confidently. Marcus scowls at her, and she steps forward, smiling at him gently. "You saw it too, right? How much he regrets everything?"

"I don't think regret is the right word. Besides, he doesn't care about us, or the other Pantheons. He just wants to find the Gods of Old," Marcus says stubbornly.

"Either way, I'm with Mel," Emelia says, gazing over the castle grounds. "We can trust him."

"He had the same look you did when we were fighting Fenrir," Oliver adds timidly. Marcus huffs, jerking his head to the side.

"If only I had earned your trust that quickly." The Buddha steps up behind him, his hands folded in the long sleeves of his robes. He chuckles, closing his eyes.

"I can assure you, Yudi is a good person. He gave his word to help you finish your mission, and he will see it through," he says calmly. "If you have any reservations, you can always keep an eye on his progress." He gestures to Melody's bag. She pats the flap, feeling the familiar lump in the inside pocket.

"We've got a copy of the treaty, so whenever he gets a new signature, we'll know," she agrees. "We just need to focus on what's ahead."

"Finding the Gods of Old," Koji confirms, crossing his arms. "How exactly are we going to do that, again?"

"With this." Buddha pulls a small stone from the folds of his robe. He holds it up to show the group, turning it slowly in his fingers. It's half the size of a baseball, oval-shaped, and completely smooth. He places the black rock in Melody's palm carefully. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help - I have my own duties I must see to. But this should help you find my sister's kingdom."

"Ereshkigal, right?" Emelia hums thoughtfully. "What about the others?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what's become of them," Buddha sighs, his shoulders slumping. "As I said before, over the millennia, we each went our separate ways. It's possible they go by different names or have given up their primordial aspect. Some may even be dead." His face seems to age a hundred years as his eyes sink to the ground, revealing heavy bags. But they're gone just as fast as they appeared, and he picks himself up, raising his head. "Ereshkigal is the only one I can be sure of. It's against her nature to change."

"But I'm assuming that's not going to make her any easier to find," Melody confirms, rolling the stone in her palm. It's cool to the touch, and as she looks closer, she can see small grains shining just under the surface. Some catch the light of the sun, shining like tiny stars.

"I suspect she's going to be the most difficult of all. Her domain is not one that was ever meant to be found - by mortals and gods alike," Buddha says with a nod. "The waystone will help you find your way. When you get close to her domain, it will begin to clear." Melody's eyes drop back to the stone, black as night.

"So, we're just meant to wander around until it reacts?" Koji says, his eyes fixed on it as well. "You can't even give us a hint of where to start?"