Chapter 3
Gillian woke up as the sun was rising outside of her windows. Her arm was asleep. She opened her eyes up just a crack. She was surrounded by warm boy. She did not mind this in the least, but did she over sleep!? Did she miss her meeting with Athena!? She checked her watch: 6 a.m., plenty of time to get ready. She sighed.
"You just got here," Amon murmured, not moving or opening his eyes. "Athena doesn't want you to get into trouble on your first day. She probably set the sun in this manner as an alarm, just in case. She doesn't have human sensibilities, or so I'm told, but she does care and she's not unreasonable."
That was when Gillian felt it again: the amazing calm that came over her when Amon consciously hugged her. "Amon," she said, adjusting so that her arm would wake up, "your hugs are special. Are you doing something an ordinary human wouldn't do?"
Amon's eyes opened immediately. "Special good or special bad?" he asked, sounding incredibly concerned.
Gillian laughed. "Special amazingly good. Like, you could sell them on the corner as drugs and become a millionaire, good."
"Oh," Amon said, thinking about what he may be doing differently, "Well, Athena always told me that hugs were about sharing love, because it is the most powerful thing in the whole universe. So, I should never take them lightly, and should always think of the best intentions if I should ever hug someone. I wanted you to feel peaceful and at home here, so that's what I tried to manifest... Did it work?"
Gillian looked up at Amon, so he could look her in the eyes when she said it, "Yes, I have never felt so peaceful in my life. I certainly would not have fallen asleep here, in this position, in any other set of circumstances."
Amon smiled back at her. "I am happy I could help you find peace," he said quietly, closing his eyes again. "When are you required to meet Athena?"
"0800," Gillian replied.
"Well, I was promised breakfast, yesterday, and I think I'm still hungry. Yes, I'm still hungry. Does your offer still stand? If not, I like this, and I am more than happy for it to last until 0759."
Gillian chuckled. "My offer still stands. What would you like for breakfast?"
Amon's face crinkled. "I don't know," he said. "I usually don't eat human food. The gods and goddesses never taught me what it was like. What you ate yesterday smelled delicious though, so perhaps that. What was what you ate yesterday called?"
"Toad in the hole," Gillian said.
"Is it a live toad!?" Amon said, abruptly sitting up. "That seems incredibly cruel. I really like toads. I had six as pets when I was younger."
Gillian laughed. "No, it's not a live toad. It's a chicken egg, fried in the middle of a piece of toast. It sometimes also has a piece of cheese and/or meat, but that is entirely up to you. I usually just have the egg with the toast."
"Well, as long as we're not eating live toads, I am more than happy to try it," Amon agreed.
"We're not eating live toads," Gillian confirmed, quickly manifesting two portions to appear on her kitchen counter. She sat up as well, and stretched. Her arm was awake now, but she felt stiff. Next time she hugged Amon, she would have to make certain she was closer to a bed. This could be a very long day if she didn't feel more limber after breakfast.
As soon as she had moved her head, Amon popped up from the sofa, and was at the counter, devouring his breakfast. Before Gillian had gotten to the table, he asked, "May I please have another? That was really delicious!"
"Okay," Gillian said, another piece of toast appearing on Amon's plate. She sat down next to him and ate her breakfast slowly. She found she was a bit too nervous about her meeting with Athena to be incredibly hungry. Amon, on the other hand, did not have a meeting with Athena, so Gillian found herself manifesting 8 pieces of toast for him to devour.
"Wow," Amon said, as he finished his eighth serving, "eating like a human is really great!"
"What did you eat before this?" Gillian asked, earnestly curious.
"I think you would call it a large vitamin. Athena did research on all of the essential vitamins, minerals, and fuel that a human being required for sustenance, and I would manifest that whenever I was hungry. It never tasted, well, like anything, so I never really had a reason to eat. Now, well, this changes everything! That was really delicious! And it's called, 'Toad in the Hole'."
"Yes, that's what I've always heard it called. I'm sure there are other names for it too, but I'm sure for manifesting your own, that will work just fine."
Amon thought for a second. "Nah, I better call it Egg in Toast," he said after thinking. "Otherwise, I may end up with a Toad in a Hole, or I could be a toad in the hole... That would be bad." Then he smiled at Gillian, "Thank you for breakfast! That was really delicious. I'm going to go meditate now. I'll see you later today, if you want." And with that Amon disappeared, to his room, Gillian imagined.
She sighed, cleaned the dishes by willing it, and went into her bedroom to decide what she wanted to wear. After trying on almost everything she owned, she decided on her gray pantsuit that she had worn for interviews before receiving her job at the city court. It seemed appropriate, as she was starting a new job, even if she was paid in room and board, not monetarily. Once she was dressed, she just stood in the middle of her room for a moment, remembering Amon's hug. She smiled to herself. She was very happy that it had been Amon that had found her out in the rain.
She looked at her watch: 0758. She thought about Athena, located her, and materialized herself into her office. As she appeared, she saw a look of surprise, then pleasure on Athena's face. "Without Amon's help, and you are here, on time," Athena began. "Bravo. Now, do you have any further questions before I take you on a tour?"
Gillian thought for a moment. No, she really didn't have any questions this morning. She figured Athena would show her everything she needed to know about her new job on the tour. However, she did have a compliment. "No, but I do have a compliment for you," she said.
"Oh?" Athena said, looking surprised, and surprised that she had been surprised.
"You did a wonderful job raising Amon. He is remarkably well-adjusted for his interesting life circumstances. I just hope that I won't accidentally hurt him, by trying to be his first friend."
Athena laughed, which surprised Gillian. "I'm sorry," Athena said when she stopped. "I am glad you are getting along with Amon, and don't worry, he's a lot less fragile than he looks. I would have broken him already on accident if he wasn't pretty resilient."
Gillian smiled. "That's good to hear."
"All right, your tour," Athena said, materializing her and Gillian to just inside the giant brass doors in the main hall. "Welcome to 101 Pemberley Place. We are an organization of gods and goddesses created by human design. We were all, at one time or another, thought of out of need, necessity, or desire, and thus, came into being. Recently, many humans have turned away from religion all together, and thus, are no longer remembering the old gods. Like most beings, we enjoy existing. To continue doing so, we founded this agency so that any of the well-known, currently popular gods, goddesses and teachers help all of us stay in existence. Are you with me so far?"
"Yes," Gillian said, looking at the rows and rows of beings working at desks.
"Excellent," Athena said with a loud sigh. "This is the main receiving hall. All of the gods and goddesses without special skills work here to sort and deliver prayers to the deities of the day. It is an extensive job, because not only do they receive all of the prayers that are intentional, but those that happen spontaneously. If the human then immediately cancels their desire, we then prevent it from being sent on to the higher being. Even gods and goddesses only have so much time, you know? We can do a lot simultaneously, and experience time very differently than you do, but if we do too much, for too long, burnout is just as much of a problem for us as it is for a human or other lower being."
"How are humans considered lower beings when it is our thoughts that keep you in existence?" Gillian asked.
"Your actions and perspective," Athena responded without hesitation. "It is quite simple in that regard. If one acts like a typical human, most of you act like lower life forms. However, when any human increases their perspective, like Jesus Christ or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, they generally end up working at one of these agencies, depending on which hemisphere and continent they are originally from. Most of you do not realize even a fraction of your potential. If you or Amon left and remembered what you now know about manifestation, both of you would be considered gods. It is a fine line really, but until a human realizes their potential, we wait and take care of them as best we can."
Gillian nodded.
"Moving on," Athena continued, materializing them into a different section of 101 Pemberley Place. "This is the room of prophecy. I am rarely in here, but you will be here each morning. The mystics requested that you spend all of your time here, but I explained to them that sometimes, they weren't predicting anything, but instead drinking and carousing, which was of course met with disapproval. However, it's quite true. So, each morning for two hours or less, you will transcribe any new prophecies that they have foretold. As long as you are accurate, which Mr. Hannoway told me you are, they will love you."
"You spoke to Mr. Hannoway?" Gillian interjected. "But he's..."
"Yes, physically, he's dead. Spiritually, he is very much alive. You didn't think I would just offer you a job without an audition, did you? No, Mr. Hannoway was your audition, which you passed with flying colors. Congratulations, by the way, he is rather particular whenever we send him for new recruits. He had absolutely nothing negative to say about you."
"Mr. Hannoway was a God!?"
"Honey," Athena said, putting a hand on Gillian's shoulder, which she immediately smiled at Gillian's reaction that Gillian could indeed feel her hand, "Mr. Hannoway is a God. Veritas, to be specific, and you are more than welcome to visit him at any point when you have your work done for the day. Any questions about the mystics before we move on?"
"No," Gillian murmured, looking around the seemingly empty hall full of stars. The room melted, and Gillian was standing in a great dungeon.
"Welcome to where the dragons visit," Athena said, coughing, as there was much smoke in the air. "We do not employ any dragons directly, but if they choose to work with us, they stay here. You are also welcome to come visit them when you are finished with your work for the day, and some of them may ask you to transcribe their stories, which you are more than welcome to, but it is not your job, and you are more than welcome to say no."
"Dragons!?" Gillian squeaked.
"Hello," a very deep voice rumbled by Gillian's head.
Gillian looked up and saw only a very scaly red chin.
"Gillian, meet Red," Athena said with a groan.
"Hello, Gillian," Red said. "Athena, did you bring me lunch? That was so very thoughtful!"
Gillian turned white.
"Red, knock it off. Gillian, I apologize. Red is cocky as all Hel. You'd know him as the Welsh Dragon. He's one of the few that is still remembered regularly, because he's on their flag. But Red, you still just manage to eat me out of house and home, and not help with anything, so why are you here?"
"I had a message to deliver from 404 Compton, but I could always wait. You are so incredibly disrespectful, Athena."
"What is the message, Red?" Athena said, ignoring the rest of his statement completely.
"Loki was spotted outside headquarters yesterday. Coventina wanted to speak with you about it as soon as possible," Red said looking frustrated with Athena.
"And when did you plan on telling me this, Red? When did you arrive?"
"Just three minutes ago. Gird your loins, woman!" Red said, blowing a puff of fire at Athena, which Athena shot back at him, which he caught in his mouth, and said with a grin, "Toasty."
Athena looked up at the ceiling, cursed a word that was obviously in Greek, but translated to something very close to "FUCK!" in English, and looked to Gillian. "I apologize, Gillian, but the remainder of your tour will have to be postponed until tomorrow. You are more than welcome to stay down here with Red, if the dragons fascinate you, return to transcribe for the mystics, talk to anyone you wish in the great hall, or return to your apartment."
"Can I ask one more question before you leave?" Gillian asked, still looking up at Red.
"Sure," Athena said with a sigh, "but only one. This is a urgent matter."
"What is my job here? Amon said I had a choice, so I'd like to know what I am accepting or not."
"Yes, we do not kidnap humans here. It is outlined in our original bylaws. Any human is here by choice. Your position would entail transcribing the prophecies of the mystics and the stories of any of the gods and goddesses that are close to being forgotten. For the latter, you will work with Amon to publish the stories, once they are transcribed, and distribute them widely to up the popularity of those gods and goddesses to help with their continued existence. I would only ask you to work 6 hours a day, 4 at first, as some of the gods and goddesses can be extremely trying, and I do not wish to burn you out. If it happens, of course, you have full benefits, medical care, and access to our spa complex. Any of the services deemed appropriate for you by Caduceus will be available at your desire. I do not require an answer today, because I do not have time to answer more questions today, but perhaps we can meet again tomorrow to discuss it?"
"Excellent," Athena said with her first smile that wasn't scary. "I will see you tomorrow at 0800." She turned to go, then turned back to look at Gillian. "And Gillian," she cautioned.
"Yes?" Gillian asked.
"Don't underestimate Amon," Athena said, and disappeared.
Gillian looked up at Red. "Are you really not going to eat me?" she asked.
Red laughed. "No!" he answered with a toothy grin. "Humans from your era taste disgusting! All of that processed food, bad water, and cosmetics, has made the lot of you absolutely inedible to dragons. We could eat your young that is only a few days old, but that's only if the mother isn't completely toxic herself. Plus, most of that don't find that ethical. It eats far too many possibilities out of existence. Dragons like having lots of possibilities."
"So, are you like the gods and goddesses here?" Gillian asked. "Did the intention of humans bring you into being?"
"Yes," Red responded. "However, the Sarkany dragon, he lives off of both, the cheater. He was created long before your Earth. Born the natural way, from an egg, and promptly ate his brothers and sisters. Long after that event, he found Earth and made a name for himself. The Hungarians still think of him and tell his story, so he feeds off of that, visits the Eastern European office pretty regularly, and eats the spoils of wars he has in dimensions where beings haven't made themselves entirely toxic."
"I see," Gillian said, half thinking what Red was saying was pretty unbelievable, and half thinking that while it was unbelievable, it also all made sense in a logical, if not realistic, way. "Does the Sarkany dragon ever visit here?"
"If Athena ever has a big problem to take care of, yes. Sarkanys loves war. It doesn't take much to convince him to join in, and if Loki is afoot, he could be on his way here as we speak. Should be fun," Red continued with a smile. "Sarkanys is always a great drinking buddy."
"Well," Gillian said, "I should be going. I would like to acclimate some more before meeting with Athena again tomorrow."
"Are you going to accept the job?" Red asked.
"I think so," Gillian said with a smile. "I loved working for Mr. Hannoway. If that position was preparing me for this, I believe I will be very happy here."
"Athena went to great measures to help with your arrival," Red said seriously. "You are very important to her, for a reason she has not really told anyone. I know about the prophecy, but I believe she is hiding something as well. Make sure you look into it. While I trust Athena, it is wise in this place to double check everything, just in case. Gods and goddesses do not have human morals or ethics, and until you become used to that, double checking is necessary."
"Do they have dragon morals or ethics?" Gillian said with a smile, wondering if Red knew this information from experience.
"No," Red said gruffly. "If they did, they wouldn't be having this much trouble with Loki. He would be dead. Dragons do not believe in prisons. Losing your ability to fly is worse than death. As we do not wish to incur karma that is worse than death ourselves, we feel killing our enemies is far more merciful than locking them up and watching them decay slowly into something that they never should have become. It is a very dragon concept, and not one Athena shares. The dungeons here, and in other sister branches, are extensive, and if they were ever breached, I am certain there would be bets made on how long Earth would last during that battle."
"In years?" Gillian asked, slightly concerned.
"No," Red replied, sounding slightly sad, "in hours."
Gillian double blinked. "In hours?" she echoed Red in disbelief.
Red just nodded, then added, "I have told Athena my opinion on keeping such dangerous prisoners here, but she doesn't listen. Chaos gods never stay under lock and key long, even if you think they will. Their minds have so much more possibility than Entropic gods. It makes them highly capable of escape."
Gillian nodded, deciding Red had opened her mind quite enough for today. "It has been very nice talking to you, Red, but I believe I am going to go back to my apartment now. See you tomorrow?"
"Yes," Red said with a smile, "I would like that very much. See you tomorrow, Gillian."
And with that, Gillian materialized back into her apartment.
As Gillian materialized back into her apartment, she realized quickly that she was not alone. Everything inside her being told her to arm herself, as one of the beings, she did not recognize. She quickly thought of things that she could figure out how to use in battle, and ended up with a rocket launcher that reloaded itself, and had unlimited rockets. She figured at the very least, that would slow a god down long enough for her to materialize back into Athena's office, and hide under her desk.
When she fully materialized, she clearly heard Amon say, "But, sir, that does not make sense, and you should not be here. Only Gillian has unlimited access to this apartment. Put Persephone down!"
"Drop the cat!" Gillian announced as she fully arrived.
The unknown god turned to look at Gillian. "Oh look at you, Athena's perfect little princess. Now, what makes you so special?"
"Absolutely nothing," Gillian responded, hearing the special influence of madness in his voice, "Drop the cat!"
"Oh, I think we will be taking Persephone with us. Unless of course, you trust Amon with her care while you are gone."
"I'm not going anywhere. I trust Amon with Persephone, because he healed her while he brought my apartment here. If you would rather hand the cat to Amon than drop her, that would be just fine too."
"Oh, but my dear, you are," the god smiled. Gillian got a shiver up her spine. This god's smile was different from Athena's. Athena's was terrifying like a predator. This... this was the smile of an insane person with nothing to lose. A predator, you could predict, and therefore, with time, trust not to eat you. An insane person was entirely unpredictable. "I am Loki of Asgard, and you are coming with me for," he interrupted himself with a maniacal laugh, then continued, "an education. When I am finished, you will have a choice to make. Choices, choices, choices! Doesn't having choices make life so exciting? Humans with their concept of free will. It's a peach."
"Loki, stand down," Athena growled, materializing into Gillian's apartment.
Gillian heard clearly, telepathically, from Amon. "Gillian, now!"
Gillian fired the rocket launcher straight at Loki. The rocket hit, but instead of exploding and distracting Loki, it simply vanished. "Oh, a little fireball," Loki said with a sly grin, "I think we are going to get along famously." With that, Gillian and Loki vanished, leaving Amon in shock and Athena cursing every name of Loki she could remember.
Chapter 4
Gillian woke hours later. Her head felt fuzzy, and wet. She opened her eyes, and found she was blindfolded. She used her senses to figure out as much as she could about where Loki took her. She was seated, and restrained by something fuzzy on her wrists and ankles. She did not feel any broken bones or bruises, but she also could not feel her rocket launcher anywhere. "Well, it didn't slow him down at all anyway," she thought. "I have to learn more about what actually works on gods, like yesterday."
"Yes, that probably would have been a good question to ask Athena," Loki said from Gillian's right. "But you didn't think you were this valuable, did you?"
"Why are you doing this? I am just an ordinary human. Humans should be of no interest to a god like you."
Loki removed Gillian's blindfold, and crouched down to stare directly into her eyes, "My dear, Athena changing fate to put you in her path makes you anything but ordinary. I want to know why. I am very curious in fact. I have no intention of harming you. I just want to give you perspective. Athena has an extremely limited perspective. She sees everything as rules, and more rules, and laws, and limitations, and restrictions, and blah-di-blah-blah-blah-blech! I tend to see the world as a place of unlimited possibility. It is so bright and beautiful that way, and every day can be turned into an adventure."
"You speak of chaos..." Gillian began, and was immediately interrupted.
"Yes," Loki purred. "Isn't it delicious though? It keeps you alive to be sure. A bit of entropy, and I would soon have a stuffed Gillian, which considering your age, would not necessarily be a bad thing. Humans are usually quite stunning in their twenties, if they care at all. I could use Athena's ideas, and easily turn you into a statue. Everyone would come to the museum, and gaze at you, and say, 'Wow, that is so lifelike! Who ever carved that statue?' And I would sneak up behind them, whisper that it wasn't carved, and slit their throats, because honestly, wouldn't that make for a lovely Sunday?"
"Um..."
"Oh, my dear, I was being entirely rhetorical. I am not certain you have enough perspective yet to interest me with correlating, or corresponding, or entirely unrelated (MY FAVORITE!) banter. Oh dear, I've scared you already, haven't I? Or are you perhaps turned on? It would be fun if it was the latter. Humans' responses to terror and sex are so very similar. Would you know much about either?"
"Yes," Gillian growled, spitting in Loki's face.
"Feisty, feisty!" Loki said, standing with a golf clap. He made no motion to remove the spittle from his face, so Gillian simply had to watch it fall as he continued to monologue. "I like that in a girl. Perhaps that is why Athena was so interested in you. She is entirely bisexual you know, sorry pansexual! Loki, Loki, Loki! You must keep with the times, or the girls will never fancy you. Or the boys. Or the ponies. I love the ponies, don't you? I was a pony once. It was divine. Well, more divine than I usually am. So, an actual question this time: what do you see in sweet and innocent Amon?"
"A potential friend," Gillian responded honestly, but clipped. She didn't want to piss off Loki, but she also didn't want to give him what he wanted either. This was not her idea of acclimating to her new position, at all.
"Wrong!" Loki said, manifesting a game buzzer, and placing it on Gillian's head. As he pressed it, an electric shock coursed its way through Gillian, making her scream. "Don't worry darling, completely non-lethal. If it were, Athena would win, you know, and that would make it all so boring."
Gillian had an idea. She caught her breath, and said, "But I'm boring."
"Oh, you are certainly not boring, my dear!" Loki responded, grabbing Gillian's chin, and yanking it up to look her in the eye. "You just need practice. Your stupid human life and experiences with Amon and Athena, well, they have caged your mind. I want to take the cage off. I want to set you free. I have not kidnapped you to imprison you. I have kidnapped you to free you. Don't you see? We are not so very different. We both had horrible childhoods, with foster parents who did not understand us, or really, have the right to us at all. We both were seen as very gifted, and that made us different from the others. The others saw it as negative, but it's not! It's really really not not not! It's the most positive thing of all! We are anomalies, we are! I am the ice giant raised by the Asgardians to be a god of order, but no! I am a god of chaos! I know how the gods of order work, because they tried to turn me into one of them. But it did not work! I was too different, too special, and too big to be held down. I don't hate them, to be sure: they gave me impetus to be me! They gave me reasons for living! They gave me purpose. A little purpose goes a long way towards a big goal. Sometimes it just reaches out and grabs you, and you don't even realize you've made it already."
"Anomaly," Gillian repeated.
"Yes?" Loki said, pausing, hearing the question in Gillian's voice.
"It is what they called me as a child. They did a DNA test, and said that my parents could not have existed. They called me an anomaly," Gillian murmured deep in thought.
"Yes," Loki purred, smiling widely at Gillian's thought process. "So, what does that mean? You obviously were born. You exist now, to the best of our knowledge of the universe, and so do I. What does this meeting mean? Does it matter? No, not really, but isn't it fun to ask the question? Why are you here, with me, in this place? Why would two anomalies meet like this? Is it serendipitous, and for whom?"
Gillian's eyes began to water. "I don't know," she said, continuing to look Loki in the eye.
Loki let go of Gillian's chin, and crouched down to the level that she could look into his eyes, if she so chose. "I did not mean to upset you this way, Child of the Gods. Shall I leave you alone to see your consequence of refusing Athena and I? Hmm... Decisions decisions..."
"Where are we?" Gillian asked.
"Miss Mumford's Home for the Insufferably Insane," Loki said with a big grin. "You didn't seem to believe Amon when he told you why he wouldn't leave Athena's clutches. Well, you have stepped into a big big mess. Yes, yes, you have. However, now you have choices to make. Yes, big big choices! How would you like to play this out?"
"You called me child of the gods," Gillian murmured. "What did you mean?"
"That's what Gillian means," Loki said, tilting his head to the side. "Yep, you are severely messed up from your time on Earth and with Amon. You require help, and I am more than happy to oblige. You have choices, Gillian. You must be informed before you make the wrong one though, and it's easy to do with your current state. I suppose it is up to you if you decide to listen to me or not, but then again, that's what makes this exciting!" Loki stood and turned to leave.
"Loki," Gillian said, "are you insane?"
Loki laughed. "Well, if I told you, this wouldn't be any fun anymore, would it? See you tomorrow night, kid. I think you're going to be just fine." With that, Loki disappeared.
Gillian sat in shock. She felt the fuzzy restraints turn into a straight jacket, and then her chair disappeared and she fell on the floor. She looked around. She was in a padded room. She had no idea how Loki had found his way into this room, or this building for that matter, but she was clearly in deep shit. She also had no idea how much Loki had informed the staff about her condition, or if they would simply find her in the morning, in a previously unoccupied room, or not find her at all. She really hoped that unlike Athena, Loki had become more educated about human food, or she was going to starve. She attempted to manifest something to eat, and nothing happened. She was clearly far outside of 101 Pemberley Place or in a place that blocked manifestation all together, which she would not put past Loki for a second. There was nothing for her to do until either she was discovered, or Loki returned, but think.
Gillian had determined that she was utterly terrified in Loki's presence. There was something about him that unlike Athena made her feel utterly helpless and that death could happen at any moment. However, the more he spoke, and the bits of wisdom that was indeed sprinkled in all that he said, she was not certain if he was actually insane, or just playing insane to cause her, and everyone else for that matter, to underestimate him. She figured that it either was equally likely. Ideally, the staff here would have been told nothing by Loki, and she would be released in the morning from their confusion of why she was there, allowing her to leave, and return to 101 Pemberley Place to mount an offensive before Loki noticed she was gone. That would be the ideal situation.
"What had Amon said about manifestation delay?" she thought. "It was removed entirely in 101 Pemberley Place, but on the rest of Earth, she would have to pray ardently, and for a long time, for a manifestation to appear. Okay, this situation requires a shit ton of prayer. Now, if only I can reach out to Athena so she can come find me."
Gillian began to pray to Athena specifically. She closed her eyes and thought solely on the purpose of reaching out to Athena. If Loki was correct, and she was indeed child of the gods, she had a chance. If not, she would do the best she could to escape when everyone woke in the morning.
Meanwhile, 101 Pemberley Place was fully active. As soon as Loki had vanished, Athena had ordered everyone under her care to put their full attention to a manhunt to find Loki. Amon had been in the great hall for hours holding a conference with the other sister agencies to explain the situation, and request that they form similar task forces to find Loki and recover Gillian. Everyone had been amazingly cooperative, including the dragons, which surprised Athena. Apparently, Gillian's talk with Red had gained his sympathy for this problem, and thus, he was able to gather a group of dragons together to help with the manhunt. Of course, the dragons were hugely disappointed that they were not allowed to eat Loki once they found him, they still agreed to help for Gillian's sake. As the sun began to rise, it was clear to Amon that Athena was beginning to become desperate. She was more stressed than he had seen her in years, and she had begun snapping at everyone, even those who were doing nothing but exactly as she had asked them. Since his communications were completed, he materialized into her office, and asked, "Athena, is there any way I can be of assistance?"
"Are you finished with contacting all of the sister agencies to widen the manhunt?" Athena asked.
"Yes," Amon replied, "they were all extremely cooperative. Grandmother Spider was particularly sympathetic, and is creating a web for our purposes."
"Oh, that is very good news," Athena said with a slightly less tense brow, then she became worried again. "Amon, how long do you think Loki will keep Gillian alive?"
"Why would I know that?" Amon said laughing nervously. Athena glared at Amon and he fell silent. "Please don't force me to remember that," Amon said looking at his shoes. "I really like the fact that you have helped me to forget. I have no desire to..."
"I will only ask if she is not recovered by sunrise," Athena said, looking at the illusionary windows that showed the time by the appearance of the sky at each of her sister agencies. "We cannot lose her, Amon, especially to Loki. It could end us all."
Amon began to shiver. He really did not want to remember the time that he had been kidnapped by Loki. Loki's aims had been very different. It was not for education that Loki kidnapped Amon, but for information. One of Athena's moments that Amon knew she cared about him was when she removed his memories of that experience. He had returned a broken man. He had not necessarily felt whole since, but he also didn't hurt anymore, which for him, was greatly preferred. "Come on, Gillian," he thought. "Reach out to us. Then, we can certainly find you by sunrise."
"Amon," Athena said, getting his attention and pointing to the window representing their agency. It was sunrise. "I am sorry," she said quietly, and all of Amon's memories of his kidnapping by Loki returned.
Amon immediately curled into a ball in the far corner of Athena's office, and began rocking back and forth. Athena stood and attempted to touch Amon on the shoulder, "Don't touch me!" Amon bellowed, then returned to his rocking.
"Amon, I require your help. Do you remember Gillian? I think she really liked you. She got kidnapped by Loki..."
"Do not speak of that demonic chaos god with me! It was your choice not to send a rescue team to recover me as a priority. It was your choice to leave me there and let him torture me, because you knew I wouldn't talk. Not because you had earned such loyalty, no, because once I figured out how you had abandoned me, that loyalty was gone. You had cursed me to be unable to talk about what Loki desired to know. I have spent how many lifetimes here serving you and the gods, and being looked down upon at every turn. Once, I thought it was worth it, and that I was useful and respected for the ease at which I did my services. Once I can stand, I will leave this place and never return. If I can find a sympathetic chaos god that you haven't imprisoned yet, maybe I will find a way to lift this curse and tell them everything, because fuck you, that's truly what you deserve!"
"Amon, please put our differences aside for a moment. Do you want to help Gillian or not? I did not realize last time how indispensable you were. I am trying to make it right, now. I have already organized a manhunt, but I don't know where Loki took Gillian, so I cannot rescue her. Please, help me make this right, then you are free to go."
"She's at Miss Mumford's Home for the Insufferably Insane. Loki takes any human he wishes to torture there," Amon spat. "Now, may I go?"
"We have already checked there," Athena said. "It was the first place we looked, because that was where we found you."
"Have you checked on all possible time lines?" Amon asked, glaring at Athena. "For a goddess, you're just not that smart in a crisis."
Athena sighed. Amon was right. Amon was always right. "If only he could..." she thought.
"What are you scheming now?" Amon asked, interrupting her thoughts. "A way to kill me so I don't leave and give out your secrets to the highest bidder?"
"No," Athena said, "I am incredibly grateful for your help." With that, she removed Amon's memory of his torture at Loki's hands. Until Amon remembered everything, she had to keep him here, to protect him. He was helpless in his current state, and without Gillian's help, he would stay that way. "Amon," Athena said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "you decided you wanted to sit in the corner. Is everything okay?"
Amon stood with a puzzled look on his face. "I don't know," he said. "Did you have me remember?"
"Yes," Athena said. "Does anything still hurt?"
"No," Amon said, shaking his head. "I just have a headache. Did you get the information you wanted about Loki?"
"Yes," Athena said, grasping Amon's hand and helping him stand. "Thank you for your sacrifice."
"I'm sorry," Amon said, still shaking his head, "I don't understand. I think I need to go lie down, Goddess. I am not feeling well. I am assuming that the remainder of the task force can continue to hunt for Loki and Gillian while I go rest."
"Of course, Amon," Athena said, looking incredibly concerned. Amon did not look well. She was certain the erasure had took, because Amon was back to being his sweet self, but she was worried that his body had taken the stress and remembered that, even if his mind did not. "Let me materialize you back to your apartment," she said, materializing them both back to Amon's apartment before Amon could refuse.
"Thank you," Amon said quietly, conjuring a bed for him to sleep upon. "Have you had to access the erased memories before, Goddess? For very good reason, I do not remember. However, when you initially erased them, I do not remember feeling so ill afterwards." He climbed into the bed as the covers tucked him in. He laid back against the pillows with a sigh.
"I have not had to access them until today, Amon, and I hope to never have to put you through that again. Remember I told you that what Loki did made you a broken man? Well, you are very much not yourself when that memory is returned. I know why you act that way, and I am so very sorry that I was unable to rescue you sooner. However, I am happy there is a solution that allows you to have a happy life here, even though you had to endure that horrible event." Athena put a hand on his brow. He was feverish and shivering. She frowned, and eased his suffering as much as she could without causing further trauma in other ways.
Amon smiled at where he believed Athena to be as he felt the difference in his fever. "Thank you," he said. "Is there anything else you require, Goddess? If not, I would very much enjoy some sleep. I am very tired."
"No, there is nothing that I cannot handle with the gods and goddesses who are still awake. You were very helpful, Amon. Sleep well," she said and turned to go.
She heard Amon's slowing breathing as she was about to materialize, when she heard, "Athena," in a low voice. Athena froze. "Athena, get that girl back, and get me out of here," the low voice continued. "You said you would find a solution to this problem. I trusted you. Get me..."
And the voice trailed off. A tear fell down Athena's cheek. "I am so sorry, Amon. I am working as fast as I can. I found the prophecy, and I found Gillian. I just need to get her back now. Damn, Loki!"
"What was that?" Amon woke with a start at Athena's curse.
"I apologize, Amon," Athena said. "I should go find Gillian. Go to sleep now."
Amon turned back over and was soon snoring. Athena sighed, and returned to her office. If Loki's intention was to piss her off, he had succeeded beyond his wildest expectations.
Chapter 5
Gillian woke to find herself in a different room of Miss Mumford's, still with a straight jacket on, but also tied to a bed. She still didn't know what Loki told the staff, so she remained silent and waited for someone to discover her. "However," she thought, "someone had to discover me for me to move to wake up in this room. My head feels so cloudy. I wonder if they have already drugged me." There was sunshine streaming in through the window, so Gillian knew Loki would not return for hours. She had time to think, and get out of this, if she could think. It did worry her that she did not remember when she fell asleep though. She remembered praying, ardently, trying to help Athena find her, but obviously, she had fallen asleep instead. She had no memory of being moved from the padded room to this one, or of interacting with anyone. She decided to lie there and wait until someone came to give her more medicine, or perhaps food. It was now a long time since her small nervous breakfast with Amon and she was extremely hungry. She attempted to resume praying again, but to no avail. With whatever drugs she was on, she could not concentrate to pray in a way that anyone would find her.
As soon as she began to pray, however, a nurse came into her room to give her a shot. Gillian immediately tried to perk up to be able to attain information. "Hello, ma'am," Gillian said, "I was wondering if you could help me. I do not recall being moved from the padded room into here last night. What happened?"
The nurse administered the shot into Gillian's arm, and took off her face shield. It was Loki. The female nurse was assuredly, Loki. Gillian was 98% certain, even though his physical appearance, if you wanted to call it that, was also just as assuredly, female. "Loki?" Gillian asked, confused.
The nurse smiled, and placed a hand on Gillian's brow. "You get the shot, dear, because I want that mind cracked open before that meddling Athena finds you. I am so pleased you have already seen through my little charade. Bravo! It took Amon days to figure out that I was all of the caregivers in this facility. Including Miss Mumford! She is my favorite to portray, a complete bitch with a penchant for fried foods. It's a gas." As the nurse spoke, she transformed back into the form of Loki Gillian had met the previous day: obviously male, slightly to completely insane looking, with wild hair and eyes, and that smile that made Gillian scared.
Gillian was beginning to feel the effects of the shot, but she wanted more information. She would never escape this place if she didn't know more about it. She had some feeling that Loki wanted her to escape, eventually, so she wanted to push him to do that sooner rather than later. She had always been told she was a fast learner in school. She hoped that skill would pay off in this instance as well. "When did you kidnap Amon?" Gillian asked.
"Yes, that shot is just a bit strong," Loki said with a sick smile. "You may fall asleep again soon. However, I will answer your question because you were good, and figured out that I can be everyone, at the same time. I kidnapped Amon 250 years ago to find out Athena's plans on the capture of Coyote and Kokopelli. I had very different aims at the time, and thus, Amon had extraordinarily negative memories of his time with me. He was... dense. Then I figured out that Athena had futzed with his memory, and that was why he was so dense. It wasn't his fault that he was acting stupid: Athena had made him that way. Once I got inside and played around, I found out the truth, and it's glorious, I assure you! That's why you're here, Gillian Gillian! You are supposed to help Athena avoid this little calamity. However, I'm not sure you will want to when you have full and complete information of who you are saving. I think you may just want to stay with me, considering who your father was. He is one of my nearest and dearest. We get along swimmingly."
"You know my father?" Gillian asked, slurring her words a bit. Loki was right, the shot was really strong. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her eyes open.
"Yes! That's the other reason I really don't want to harm you in anyway. I would like to keep him as a friend, and if I hurt his darling girl, well, he'd probably want to punish me, which considering who your father is, maybe I want him to punish me? I'd probably like it," Loki finished excitedly, with a giant grin.
"Who is my father?" Gillian asked, trying to fight through the fog of the drug.
"Oh, not today, my dear," Loki said, stroking her cheek. "Your fragile little mind has to open up more first. While you are sleeping, I'd love it, absolutely adore it, in fact, if you would ponder the fact that I kidnapped the human, Amon, 250 years ago, he's still alive, and looks like he is your age. Ponder ponder ponder, little Gillian! I will be back to check on you. Toodles!"
As Loki vanished, Gillian's eyes fluttered and then closed. The drug made it impossible for her to stay awake. "Loki was right," she thought. "If he kidnapped Amon 250 years ago, he should not look like he was Gillian's age. Plus, Athena had told her never to underestimate Amon. What was Amon? If she was the child of the gods, and Loki knew her dad, who and what was Amon that Athena would be so worried as to warn Gillian on her first day at 101 Pemberley Place. Wow, that job sounded so much less complicated and so cushy compared to this kidnapping right now." With that thought, Gillian fell asleep.
Amon woke with a start. Gillian was thinking about him. He could feel it. It was fuzzy and unfocused, but she was definitely thinking about him. He quickly dressed, made the bed he had conjured disappear, and materialized quickly into Athena's office. "Goddess!" he shouted upon arrival. "Gillian is thinking about me. I can feel it. Can you use that connection to find out where she is?"
Athena looked at Amon. He looked like shit. He actually looked worse than shit. She was extremely concerned that her uncovering, then burying his memory again was a very bad idea. "How certain are you that she is thinking of you?" Athena asked, standing and walking towards Amon.
"I am absolutely positive. She is thinking about... what I cannot remember... sort of. Loki did not give her a full description of what he did, but he told her when and where and why. So, can you use that connection to find Gillian? I have this huge urge to find her at all speed and get her working here, and I don't know why. Plus, I still really don't feel good," Amon finished, falling backwards into Athena's arms.
Athena picked up Amon, and materialized both of them back into Amon's apartment. She conjured a large comfortable bed for Amon, placed him gently in the middle of it, and tucked him in. Amon looked up at her. He could tell that she was extremely concerned, and that made him worry about himself a little bit too. "Athena, am I sick again?" Amon asked. "I remember last time. It took a very long time for me to heal."
"Amon," Athena asked gently, "do you remember why you are a human right now?"
Amon looked at Athena like she was speaking a language he did not understand.
Athena sighed. "I was hoping perhaps that was why you were ill. Something very exciting happened yesterday as you were falling asleep. I was hoping that your higher self may be waking up."
Amon double blinked, and thought for a moment. "If my higher self woke up," he asked, "maybe then, would I be able to fly?"
Athena smiled, and responded, "Yes, and so many more things would be effortless for you."
Amon double blinked again. "Wait! Athena, I can see you! I have never been able to see you in my apartment, but I can see you, right now, as clearly as if Gillian were standing there! Maybe you are right? Maybe my higher self is waking up? Is he nice? Am I going to like my higher self?"
Athena chuckled. "I don't know," she said. "He's very different from you. I knew him well, once. However, back to business, I do indeed believe your connection to Gillian will allow us to find her. To use it though, with your current illness, I am going to have to ask you to go to sleep. Once you are asleep, the dreamweavers will be able to strengthen the connection to the point that when you wake up, you will be able to tell us exactly where Gillian is."
"I would very much like to help in that way," Amon said with a smile. "Furthermore, I don't think standing is my friend until I feel better, so lying down and sleeping is a much better idea."
Athena placed a hand on Amon's forehead. He was feverish again. She manifested a cold compress, and placed it on his forehead. Then, she also manifested some soup, further pillows behind Amon's torso, so he would be propped up to eat said soup, and a blanket for his feet, so if he got cold later, he would be warm. She handed him the soup once he was in a sitting position. "Have some soup before I go," Athena said gently. "I hope it will help you feel better. When is the last time you ate anyway?"
Amon thought for a second, before beginning to drink the soup. "Yesterday morning," he said between slurps, "but it was a really big breakfast. I ate 8 toads in their holes!"
Athena laughed. "I hope we find Gillian really soon, Amon," she said, and manifested a chair for her to sit in while Amon ate.
"I do too," Amon replied with a big yawn. He placed the soup bowl on a bedside table that appeared as he attempted to do so. "I am finished with my soup," he said, "and ready to go to sleep. Thank you for taking care of me while I do not feel well. I really appreciate your care and concern. It makes everything else I do here feel worthwhile, and that I am being useful."
Athena smiled a sad smile. "You're welcome," she said quietly. "If there is anything you require, I will be in my office. The dreamweavers will arrive shortly once you are asleep to help find Gillian."
Amon smiled, "I will be happy when she is home safely. I am certain Persephone misses her..." Amon sat up with a start, "Persephone! Has anyone fed Persephone?"
Athena stood, put a hand on Amon's forehead, and transported the cat to Amon's apartment with cat food that was easy enough to find in Gillian's apartment. Persephone immediately began purring, and leaped face first into her food bowl. "Better?" Athena asked.
Amon laughed at Persephone eating her food as quickly as she could. "Much better," he said smiling, "Thank you, Goddess."
"You are most welcome," Athena said. "Now, I must be going. I have important business to attend to. Thank you again for all of your help with finding Gillian."
"No problem," Amon said drowsily, turning over on the mound of pillows, "I finally have my first potential friend here. I don't want to miss that chance because of Loki."
Athena smiled, tucked Amon into bed, made certain he was indeed asleep, and returned to the dungeons of 101 Pemberley Place. "The dreamweavers would do their work with the urgency she had asked for, but that still might not be fast enough," she thought. "I must do all that is necessary to find Gillian and capture Loki." "Bring in the prisoner," she bellowed.
Two masked guards brought in a chained and bedraggled Coyote. Coyote was forced to sit before Athena, and further chained to the chair. Coyote looked up at Athena and grinned. "What has Loki done now?" he asked.
"Loki has captured and asset of mine, and I need to know where he is, now!" Athena growled, punching the tabletop with her fists and leaving large dents.
Coyote continued grinning. "And what makes you think that I would ever help you find him?" Coyote snarled. "You have kept me trapped in here for years. Loki is the only one who offered to help me escape. Why would I help you recover one of your assets, when it gets me no closer to leaving this boring place?"
"Because I am in charge of your care in this place," Athena hissed. "Do you like eating, Coyote? Consider it canceled."
"Fine," Coyote said, crossing his arms. "I don't have to eat, just like you. I just enjoy it. Taking away the few pleasures I have in this place, go ahead! It will just make my choices for your torture and destruction when I escape all the more extreme. You can't keep me here forever, Athena. Chaos doesn't work that way. It always finds a loophole."
"Take him back to his cell," Athena said, extremely frustrated. She sat back down in her chair with a thud. She did not watch as the guards dragged Coyote back into his cell. She didn't care. She had failed once again. A messenger arrived just as she was thinking about picking up the table and throwing it across the room.
"Goddess Athena," the messenger said, announcing its presence.
"Yes?" Athena said quietly, trying not to take out her rage upon an innocent party.
"The dreamweavers are finished. Gillian has been located. There is just one slight problem," the messenger finished looking worried.
"And what is that?" Athena growled.
"The dreamweavers believe that Loki is manipulating Gillian's dreams. He has drugged her in some way. She is indeed dreaming about Amon, but every half second or so, Loki moves her location from timeline to timeline. So, unless we can figure out a way to keep him in one time and place long enough to arrive, it will be extremely difficult to rescue Gillian."
"Can the dreamweavers continue to track how Loki is moving Gillian and ascertain if there is a pattern in Loki's madness?" Athena asked, trying to be hopeful.
"Yes," the messenger replied hopefully. "However, they require your authorization to use a sedative upon Amon to keep him asleep until they have concluded their research. With him already being weakened, it could cause his illness to worsen, once he wakes up. Do you wish to take that risk?"
Athena thought for a moment. She was still uncertain that Amon's illness was not simply, Amon, the god, trying to break out of his human constraints. She had no issue with that "illness" becoming more severe, as it could lead to Amon, the god's, return. However, she also did not wish for the human vessel to perish before Amon the god could escape. If that was to happen, Amon the god could be trapped in limbo for a very, very long time. Once he escaped that, he would most certainly be out for blood, most likely Athena's, and Athena wanted to prevent that if at all possible. "Please find a medical team to go assess the situation," Athena finally decided. "If they find Amon fit for the sedation, and that he will not die in 98% of possible futures, you have my authorization."
"Thank you, Goddess," the messenger replied with a small bow. "I will do so with all speed and accuracy."
Athena made a mental note to have the messenger rewarded for its skill in its job after all of this was concluded. That had been one of the most efficient conversations she had had during this debacle. As she was pondering her latest decision about Amon, another messenger arrived. "Yes?" Athena responded, not looking up.
"Your sister has arrived, and would like an audience," the messenger said, looking frazzled.
Athena looked at the messenger. He was covered in lipstick, and his hair was completely mussed. Athena rubbed her temples with her hands. "Tell Aphrodite that I will be only a few moments," Athena said, thinking her sister could not have chosen worse timing for a visit.
"Thank you, Goddess," the messenger said, disappearing from Athena's presence.
Athena sighed, and materialized into her office, where she assumed Aphrodite was waiting for her. "Sister, it is so good to see you," Athena began. "Unfortunately, you have arrived at a horrible time here. Would you be able to come back tomorrow?"
The figure turned, and Athena immediately recognized that the figure in the dress was not her sister, but Loki in disguise. Athena armed herself, but it was too late. Loki had her pushed up against the top of her desk with his hand at her throat. "Hmm... seeing you like this makes me want to be your sister," Loki purred.
"Let me go, now," Athena ordered.
"I want to talk," Loki said. "I want you to listen. You don't do that very well when you are barking orders at me, and not hearing half of what I say. We have something in common for once, Athena: both of us has prisoners in custody that the other wants back. I think we can make a deal and make this whole little issue go way, poof!, like it never happened. What do you say? Want poof in your day today?"
"Explain," Athena growled, furious that Loki had not only infiltrated 101 Pemberley Place, but was in her office, and no one had attempted to stop him or recognize him.
"I would like Coyote and Kokopelli released, immediately," Loki said with a smile. "Once both of them have rejoined me at Miss Mumford's Home for the Insufferably Insane, I will release Gillian. I believe the trade is more than fair. I am rejoined by two of my nearest and dearest, and you get your savior back. Plus, you don't have an angry Amon-Ra on your hands to placate again. This time, well, I'm not certain that would actually work. I think he is quite fed up with being placated by you. I think he'd like to kill you, just like I would, some day. However, today is not your day to die. Maybe tomorrow is..."
"I refuse," Athena said, cutting him off.
Loki laughed. "You refuse my offer? Oh, now that's rich. What makes you feel you are in a position to do so?"
With that, the real Aphrodite had arrived, and knocked Loki out with a large shovel to the back of the head. Athena immediately shot up from the desk, breathing hard. "Thank you, sister," Athena said.
"No problem," Aphrodite said, smacking Athena on the back. "What is family for? Plus, this loser could never be as pretty as me. I'm shocked your staff was fooled as well. I definitely could not just lie down and take a slight like that. I am not that easy to impersonate. So, what are you going to do with him?"
"Lock him up beside his friends," Athena said without hesitation. "I realize he probably has other portions of himself out there torturing Gillian and doing whatever else Loki does on a Tuesday, but there are ways to tax this portion of him to reassemble all aspects of himself, in prison. I think it is rather poetic that he can be reunited with his friends in this way, don't you?"
"Awe, my vengeful sister," Aphrodite said with a big smile, and kissed Athena on the cheek. "I love your dark side so very much. Well, I actually kind of left a lover alone in my bedroom to help, so I've got to go. But, if you need more help with Loki, please let me know. I never want him impersonating me badly like that ever again."
Aphrodite disappeared, and left Athena alone with the unconscious Loki. Athena immediately summoned her guards who took this portion of Loki down to the dungeons, and placed him in the reassembly cell. Athena smiled and thought, "Even Loki can only be in the presence of a singularity so long until his other portions of himself return. I will get him to reveal where Gillian is."
A messenger appeared. "Goddess, the medical team has determined that Amon will survive the sedative and all procedures recommended to find Gillian. He will require 3 weeks leave at the spa to regain his normal function, but once his rehabilitation is complete, he should be capable of functioning at his normal levels."
"Excellent," Athena replied. "Begin the procedure immediately."
"Yes, Goddess," the messenger said, disappearing back to Amon's apartment. Athena watched it go. She crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head on her forearms. "The capture of Loki was a major boon, but 3 weeks of Earthly garbage that I will have to deal with? A small price to pay for not having to worry about Loki anymore." She materialized herself down to the great hall and summoned all the heads of the sister agencies to speak with her about her good news: Loki was in custody. She had caught him. Finally, she had won.
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