Chapter 36

As I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself feeling slightly disoriented, which was unusual. As my vision cleared, I looked around at where I was. I saw that I was on a bed, but it wasn’t the one from our quarters at the amphitheater, nor was it the four-post bed that Freyja had. Katie was nowhere to be seen, meaning that she hadn’t been brought here with me. The walls were stark of any adornments, though there were two dimly lit sconces that illuminated the room. I rose from the bed and looked down to see myself clothed. They seemed to be reminiscent of the clothes I wore when I first arrived on Eden. I walked over to the door and tried the handle. I wasn’t surprised to find that it was locked, and I banged on the door. A few seconds later, I heard the clicking of a lock and the door opened, revealing the last person I expected to see.

“At long last we can finally talk,” Jupiter said in a dry and even tone. “We have much to discuss, you and I, and I felt it was best done one on one.”

He gestured for me to leave the room, which I grudgingly did, and then he guided me through a few corridors to a small room. The area was again sparsely furnished, though there were two chairs in front of a softly lit hearth. There were no other tables or furniture of any kind. I think this was a quickly cobbled together dreamscape that had only what he deemed necessary. It was a stark contrast to Freyja’s dreamscape which was made to perfectly resemble her sleeping quarters and balcony in the capital. Where she cared about comfort and enjoyment in the area I was in, Jupiter only cared about what was needed to facilitate this discussion. He moved and took one of the seats, gesturing to me to take the other. I eyed him warily but did as he suggested.

“I will admit that you, young Pathios, have been a particular pain in my ass,” Jupiter stated, steepling his fingers in front of him. “That said, you seem to be in the middle of everything that is happening of late, and that cannot be ignored. I am sure you must think I have it in for you and that I am working to destroy what you’re building since you arrived here. That isn’t the case, I can assure you, though I am sure you don’t fully trust me at this moment. My issue with you stems with the dramatic changes you are creating in our world. Now, understand that my problems are not for the changes themselves, but the instability created in their wake. Normally change, when applied to something in Eden, is done gradually so that we can deal with issues that arise. It allows us to limit the fallout of any negative repercussions. After all, we have been overseeing this world for an awfully long time and past experiences have shown that is the best approach. This applies to how gear is made or sold, how Pact Houses work with one another and how people become members of Pact Houses.

“I will admit that my push to ensure you received the harshest punishment for the death of a fellow Pact member was rash and unnecessary. It was something that hadn’t happened in millennia, and I just saw you as a rebirth that didn’t need to be here. You had just arrived and were already causing trouble. The punishment was meant to deter others, which was why it was shown to all of Eden. I also understand that these changes you have made in the Pact House were approved, by Tyr and the Council, to make up for what had happened. Be that as it may, your changes are causing some rifts to build between houses that have not existed for millennia. Most are due to those angered due to not liking change and lashing out at the source of that change. I believe some are due to the manipulations that you’ve uncovered. The most recent was, I believe, an attempt to implicate me with this group. I can assure you that I am not behind any of this. Though I am a traditionalist, I would not risk all that we have built. Despite that, I expect that they will find more proof, enough to have me removed from the Council.”

My eyes widened and I asked, “Why would someone want you off the Council? Didn’t the five pantheons that are on it create this world?”

Jupiter shook his head. “No, that is incorrect. All of the various pantheons that reside on Eden helped Odin make it happen. Odin chose the initial Council, and he will be the one to remove me. There are many pantheon heads who would love to take my place, though I don’t think any would go as far as to create this clandestine organization. One of the members of the pantheons might, and that’s why you are here.”

“I don’t understand,” I quickly replied. “I don’t exactly seek them out, I just let Tyr know when I come across them.”

Jupiter nodded. “I understand, and I wish for you to continue to do so. However, I wish for you to also tell Freyja. I wish to work with her to figure out who here could be helping or even running this shadow group.”

“You’re talking of the Oracle that is missing?” I asked, leaning forward. “I noticed that there was a different one at Kat’ilth’ana’s hearing.”

He nodded. “You must understand that was simply due to her not going through the choosing like all other adventurers. I was frustrated that you seemed to be getting what I saw as overly special treatment, but yes, that is it exactly. However, she isn’t missing. She is dead. Someone filled her with godly energy in a way that literally vaporized everything in her body but left the bone and skin intact. All of her organs were all turned to ash inside of her. The sad fact is that any God can do it and there are a lot of them. Both in the capital and who can visit from one of the twelve cities.”

His explanation of what happened to her gave answers to what I witnessed in the dreamscape that night. That had to have meant that while she was with me, someone had entered where her body was and killed her. I wondered what methods these divine beings used to detect who did it, but it sounds like the culprit covered their tracks well.

“I will relay what I can, but I will not put Freyja or any of those close to me at risk,” I answered, with an unexpected edge to my voice.

Jupiter nearly smiled, “I would expect no less from you. Despite how much you have frustrated or irritated me with your actions, you are a principled young man. I can see why Freyja manipulated things to get you where you are, though I wonder what other motives she must have had.”

I would be lying if I denied that I had not thought of the same thing. Still I was wary of him and planned to keep on my guard. He could have killed me right here and now. When asked, he could possibly hide it, or come off with some reason to justify my death and yet he wanted to talk.

“Is that all?” I asked Jupiter, not hiding my frustration. “You can understand me being uncomfortable being here with you. Alone.”

Jupiter smiled. “Of course. I would feel the same way in your shoes, given all that has already transpired between us. I will leave you to think on what we have said, and I hope that you understand that I am not your enemy, unless you make me one.”

I nodded silently, as I began to feel the signs of being pulled out of the dreamscape, wondering what would happen next. As the room faded and I fell asleep, I swore I heard someone talking softly before I lost all consciousness.

A few minutes later, I found myself waking in our quarters at the amphitheater and a bit agitated from the experience. Katie sat up and turned to me with a confused look on her face.

“Are you okay, Pathios?” she asked, placing a hand on my cheek. “I can’t recall you ever waking up in the middle of the night, other than when you said the Oracle died.”

I smiled and leaned into her hand, “I have never had an unexpected conversation that has rattled me before.”

I spent the next few minutes explaining where I had been, who I had been talking to and what was discussed. By the end of it, I didn’t feel any better, and Katie had an equally confused look on her face.

“Do you think that he was being honest?” Katie asked. “It seemed to be convenient and could be nothing more than a smoke screen to divert attention away from him.”

I nodded, “I thought the same thing, but I still won’t discount that he could be telling the truth. Despite the issues that I have with him, there is some possible truth to what he said.”

We talked a bit more, before Katie suggested that we should rest. We had a busy few days still, at least four that I could count, before this would be done. I got comfortable with Katie in my arms and let sleep come to me once again.

I wasn’t surprised to awaken in more familiar surroundings this time. I saw the drapery and the posts of Freyja’s large bed. We were no longer alone in bed, and it was nice to feel the presence of those for whom I care. I felt my stress begin to dissipate with them near and I basked in the closeness for a few minutes longer. I felt a soft kiss on my lips and opened my eyes to see Amenthia’s smiling face. We shared another kiss, this time longer and more sensual. Once our lips broke, my head was turned, and I had Entivala bringing her lips to mine. I shared a long, sensuous kiss with her and felt my body reacting to the stimulus. As our lips parted my head was turned again to find a smiling, though nervous, Freyja. I smiled and pulled her towards me, sharing an equal kiss as I had just shared with Amenthia and Entivala.

“Thank you, my loves,” I said softly with a smile. “I really needed that after the way that my night started.”

The three of them gave me a confused look, until I told them of where I had been before and what had been discussed. They were shocked, though I could see something hidden on Freyja’s face. It looked as if she knew more of what I was talking about than I did.

“Well, I am surprised that he reached out to you like that,” Freyja said with a frown. “The fact that he reached out to you is a bit of a shock, especially given his animosity towards you since you arrived.”

I nodded, “Well, he alluded that a good chunk of that was based on what he saw as your manipulation of their processes to get me where you wanted me.”

I saw her skin flush with embarrassment and her features softened a bit from the look it had a few minutes before.

“He was merely trying to tip the scales and, as he alluded, make me like everyone else. He still thinks that there is more to what is going on than you have mentioned. He also thinks that someone who runs the shadow group resides here, and that has me worried.”

Freyja sighed. “You are right, there is a bit more than what I said. I just am tired of being a goddess, tired of this life. Other than the times where a possible rebirth is to arrive, or when we train groups to be rebirth supporters, I have little to do. I saw this as a chance to have something I haven’t had in a long time. A family. Someone to love and have children with, even if it meant sharing him. Odin had many dalliances over our time together which hurt me and our relationship. During the millennia training supporters, my thoughts changed and evolved. I realized that if it were a bigger family, with more than one woman, perhaps things would be different. Partially because there would be variety at home and partially because I was starting to like and yearn for the female form as well.”

“I guess I could understand that,” I replied with a slight nod of my head. “Still, why me? I’m human, with a finite lifespan. I am sure that you would be happier with someone who would live as long as you will.”

Freyja smiled, “I can see how you would think that, but you need to remember that I have been with these various gods for millennia as well. With the long life that we lead, thanks to the power faith in us gives, it creates a jadedness. There is a lack of the lust for life that you mortals have that is missing from us. It was what drew me to this choice of action. Seeing the passion you have, knowing that any day could be your last, that made me long for that. The love and passion I have seen in the people who have retired here has made me envious.”

“If that is what you want, I won’t keep it from you,” I said, trying to give a reassuring smile. “Still, I hate the heartache that will come when our time on this beautiful planet ends.”

A tear came to her eye, “If I could, I would not live without you. My lifeforce is tied to this very world, like the other gods and goddesses that reside here. I don’t want to dwell on something that is far in our future. For now, I want to concentrate on what is growing between us as well as growing inside of me.”

We tabled the talk for now and instead enjoyed the company of one another. It was less wild and more tender. We expressed our love to one another and reinforced the bonds between us. When we were done, we cuddled together in the bliss we had enjoyed together. As I closed my eyes, I wondered what else would happen during the Challenge. I knew that I wouldn’t have long to wait before I would receive my answer. I just hoped it wouldn’t end up being a risk to me or those that I cared about. Only time would tell, and I tried to push those darker thoughts out of my mind as I surrendered to the call of sleep and the day that would be before us.

I awoke again to find that I was alone in bed, which was rare. I looked about the room and didn’t see Katie anywhere. I activated my bracer, wondering if she had gone to shower or to the dining area, but I couldn’t see her. I started to get worried and jumped out of bed, scrambling to get dressed when a door opened, and Katie walked in. It took me a minute to realize that she had come in from the door that led to our armory. I felt my fear dissipate as I remembered that the armory was in a small pocket dimension that wouldn’t show up on the map.