Blood of the Ancient Gods: The Beginning (4 page)

After reading the last article on Veronica, Loki was convinced these girls were the ones. But he still wanted to do a bit more research since they only had one shot at the transformation. He printed out Veronica's article and then looked over the first one again. It revealed the girls were living at the home of an Edna Jones. Loki wrote her name down and then deleted his search history before leaving the library. His next stop was the social services office. He wouldn't be able to search properly until after hours. He needed to get those girls' files.

Loki spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the social services office so that he could easily break in and grab the files he needed. He waited until everyone had left for the night before he made his move. Being a god he was able to render himself invisible and stay behind as everyone left. There were two security guards on duty but he wasn't worried. Making his way into one of the offices, he hacked the computer system and searched Tala's, Veronica's, and Lilia's names. Loki quickly printed out every piece of information he could find and also looked through the file cabinets making copies of everything he came across that would possibly be useful.

Quietly placing the files back in the cabinet, he then used the computer to find the last home address known for the girls to check things out. Although the girls had lived in Maryland for the last several years, they were now away at college in Missouri. However, their foster mother still lived here. Once Loki had all the information he needed, he teleported himself back to his room on Domus to look over the information he'd printed out. He needed to learn every word that had been written about the girls in these files. He'd like to know what their home lives were like before they were put in the state system but he didn't have much time. The social services files would have to do.

Back in his room, Loki arranged the papers in three piles. Making one for each girl, he started with Tala's files. As he read, he made notes. The more he read up on her, the more he was convinced she'd be perfect for Fenrir's vessel. She possessed all the qualities he wanted and then some. Tala didn't have it easy, but she still managed to defy the odds against her. Loki still wanted to know how she could have survived the attack that killed her parents but he'd have to figure that out later.

Next he searched through Veronica's files. Why her parents felt the need to perform an exorcism on her was beyond him. He didn't think people did that anymore and surely they couldn't have believed their six year-old daughter was possessed by a demon. None of it made sense, but the fact was she would be perfect for Oberon's vessel. She was everything he'd hoped to find. Veronica was pretty much as close to perfection as one could get aside from the gods themselves.

Lastly were Lilia's files. There was an innocence about her that Loki wasn't sure about. She had the look Hecate was going for but he wasn't sure she'd have the right temperament. Maybe the face she showed the world wasn't her true self. He'd know for sure once he found a way to introduce himself to all of the girls. Then he could get a feel for them and look into their souls. He wasn't as good at it as that bitch, Psyche, but he wasn't useless either. He just needed to get close to them.

With the paperwork part out of the way, Loki did a search on Edna Jones. He needed to make sure she wouldn't be a problem if the girls disappeared. If she would be, he'd have to take her out permanently. He wasn't about to let a mere mortal get in the way of saving the gods. Using his god powers he looked in on Ms. Jones. She was a do-gooder, that was evident. She currently had four children in varying ages in her home. There were pictures from the last four years with her and the girls all around. They looked like a little family. She had their diplomas proudly displayed along with their scholarship letters. Great. Just what he didn't need. She was attached to all three of them. Their sudden disappearance would cause problems. No matter, they'd been in the system for years and maybe they wanted to just disappear. The fact that they were adults now wouldn't warrant immediate investigation into their disappearances.

Loki may not have to kill the human after all, but that didn't mean he wouldn't. If she became too much of a burden once the girls were kidnapped and brought to Domus, he'd just kill her and be done with it. It wasn't like anyone would be able to find the girls anyway and by the time they'd come back to earth they'd be much changed. Now he needed to plan the next step. It looked like Loki was going to college for a day. This should be a load of fun and mischief. Already he could feel his power growing in anticipation to the destruction he could cause while on campus. He couldn't wait.

Chapter 3

Thanatos, the God of Death, stood in Tartarus and slowly took it all in. He hated this fucking place. Why was he regulated to live in the depths of hell where no other gods wanted to venture? He should be in Domus with everyone else. Thanatos turned at the barely heard footsteps of Janus, the God of the Future. What did he want now?

"Thanatos, we need to speak immediately," Janus said.

"What have you seen that can't wait until I'm in a better mood?" Thanatos asked.

"You're never in a better mood and this is important. We cannot afford to delay any further. Death is coming for us all."

"Always with the dramatics. Get on with it then."

"Hecate, Fenrir, and Oberon have decided something that's caused the future to shift in their favor. If they succeed in their plans, it could mean the end for us and a new beginning for them."

"Death is an everyday occurrence. I'm not worried about my end…you on the other hand."

Thanatos watched as Janus just shook his head back and forth franticly.

"NO. This is different. They are trying to amass armies strong enough to kill even you."

"Impossible!"

"I've seen it."

Thanatos started to pace. What Janus suggested was ridiculous. He was the God of Death. He could never be killed or weakened. Nothing in the world existed that could control or contain him. Every death made him stronger and there wasn't a day that went by when someone wasn't praying for death to claim them.

"What can we do to counter this future? How can we change it back to benefit us?"

"The dead."

"The dead? What about them?"

"We must have them rise."

Thanatos closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Sometimes Janus made no fucking sense. Zombies? Really? That was their best option. There had to be something else…something better. He needed a second option on this before he agreed to hear anything else Janus had to say.

"I'm going for a walk. We will discuss this rising of the dead later."

Thanatos left before Janus could even get a word out. He'd heard enough for the moment. Walking deeper into Tartarus, into the shadows he searched for his father. He found him barely corporal thirty minutes later and waited to be addressed.

"What can I do for you, my son?" Erebus, the God of Shadow, Mist, and Darkness, asked.

"Changes are coming, Father and I'm no longer sure if I'm safe from them. Janus wants to raise the dead and use them to our advantage but I'm not on board with that plan as of yet," Thanatos said.

"Why ever would he want you to do that? What could be so bad that you need the dead to fight your battles?" Erebus asked.

"Hecate, Fenrir, and Oberon are trying to create armies. He doesn't know when or how yet but he's seen it."

"I see, come I will teach you how to use the mists. You are my son after all and I'm sure you will be able to manipulate them to some extent. It's better than nothing."

For the next two hours Thanatos listened as his father taught him as much as he could on how to travel with the mists. He wasn't an expert by any stretch but he was slowly getting the hang of it. A few more practice sessions and he would be good enough. It was one surprise the other gods wouldn't see coming.

"Thank you, Father. I shall come down again tomorrow if you're up to it."

"Yes of course. I'll be here. I'll try to help any way I can."

With his father's support still ringing in his ears, Thanatos left happier than when he first arrived. Now he just needed to call his daughter to him. He had a job for her to do.

Thanatos ascended to the Underworld before he called Psyche to him. She hated Tartarus and wouldn't answer his calls from there. Such insolence. She was too headstrong for him sometimes but it was his own fault. He indulged her most of the time. Clearing his mind, Thanatos connected to Psyche's mind and told her to come to him at once. He could feel her irritation but he insisted she come right away and stressed how important her immediate arrival was.

A few minutes later he felt her presence behind him. Thanatos turned around and grimaced at the sight before him. Psyche could have at least dropped her human appearance before coming to him.

"Must you look like that in my presence?" Thanatos asked.

"Well you did want me to come immediately. No time to change and thanks by the way for dragging me out of what could be the biggest party of the year," Psyche bitched.

"You are not on Earth to party. You are there to gather information and keep watch over what the other gods are doing. Must I remind you the hard way?"

"What are you going to do? Take my credit cards away? I don't have time for a lecture right now. What is it you want exactly? I'm at the stupid college you wanted me to go to."

"I need you there for a purpose."

"Such as…come on, old man. Stop keeping me in the dark. I can't do my job if you only tell me bits and pieces of it when it suits you."

"All you need to know is you're there for a purpose. You'll know it when it happens. I can't tell you what it is because Janus didn't see that far. He just knows something important is going to take place there and I want you to be front and center so you can give a proper report. Stop fighting me on every little thing and do as you're told."

Someone save him from parenthood. Thanatos was sick of the back and forth with his daughter about any and everything he told her to do. She should be lucky he'd not killed her like the Titan Cronus tried to do with all his children. Psyche lived and breathed by his good grace. Maybe a demonstration of his power and willingness to remove her from the world was in order. He'd been too lenient with her over the centuries. More and more she wasn't taking him seriously. The loathing was evident in her voice and in the way she conducted herself around him. He should be granted respect at all times. It was only a matter of time before she pushed him too far, then she'd learn the error of her ways.

"Now tell me what you've learned so far," Thanatos said.

"Nothing really. I'm rooming with three mortals but something about them has my senses on alert. They all lost their parents in tragic accidents but somehow survived. It's very unsettling."

"Are you sure they are mortal?"

"I'd bet my life on it…but that doesn't mean something isn't on the up and up."

"All you can do for the moment is keep an eye on them. Make sure there isn't any funny business. Do you think perhaps they could be practicing witches? Under the power of Hecate even? Maybe even have some sort of hexes on them or their family?"

"I've thought of all those possibilities but I don't know anything for certain at this point. I'll just keep watching them for now."

"Good, have you sensed the presence of any other gods?"

"No, not yet. But with some of these gods it's only a matter of time. I need to get back before the girls start wondering where I went off to. I'll keep you posted."

Thanatos grimaced at Psyche's abrupt departure. He wasn't quite finished talking to her. That girl was digging a hole she wasn't going to be able to get out of with him. Why wasn't she taking him seriously? He would hate to punish her, but if she didn't get her act together soon he might have to do just that. Then she'd start looking at him with reverence in her eyes instead of annoyance.