Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Izzy
I’ve never been on a plane before. But the second I start asking questions, Van reminds me of our newfound power to transport.
It’s strange, it feels like we’re learning so much, like a crash course where our lives hang in the balance, but it still doesn’t feel like…
me. Like I was supposed to be a god. Even as the guys continue talking throughout the meal, I feel a little lost. Let’s say we defeat my sister and the “bad” gods.
What then? We live a life pretending we don’t have these powers? We become…superheroes?
The truth is, I don’t have a clue. And that makes me more nervous than anything else.
I hear a chair scrape against the floor, and my gaze jerks to Mr. Time. He looks like he’s ready to go. Hell, all of them are finished eating, and I’ve just been here staring at my plate.
“W--wait,” I sputter, and all eyes are on me. “So we teleport to a whole new country and--?”
Mr. Time’s eyes are gentle. “We won’t do anything until we know more. For now, just keep learning your powers.”
Suddenly, Mr. Time staggers and grabs his head.
I rise in an instant and stand at his side. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
He looks pale as he slowly stands. “One of the other gods…he’s at the gate.”
“Why?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but we can’t let him in until we do.”
“So we go see what he wants,” Van says, and there’s a darkness to his words that makes me stiffen. But when I turn to tell him that’s a bad idea, he’s already gone.
“Hell,” Aiden mutters, and then he disappears in the blink of an eye.
Wilder and Reid look at me for a second, and then they’re gone too. I don’t wait another second; I close my eyes and picture the gates around the school. A rush of air comes around me, and the smell of our delicious meal is gone. My eyes open, and we’re facing an unfamiliar man.
He looks to be about our age with light brown hair and light brown eyes.
His hair is messy. There’s a slight bump on his nose, probably from a break that didn’t heal quite right, and a few pale scars on his face.
He wears a loose grey sweater and dark jeans.
His shoes are expensive runners, with the company’s logo easily visible on both sides.
There’s a strange quality to him. I don’t know if it’s because I know there’s a god inside of him, or if there’s something truly wrong with him. But I see a normal-looking man in front of me, and yet I sense something beneath his surface.
“Hi,” he says, and the word comes out awkward.
“Hi,” I say.
Van shoots me an irritated look, but what else was I supposed to say? “What are you doing here?”
He sighs like he’s really tired. “So we all know we’re gods.
And that you’re supposed to be so good, and I’m supposed to be so bad.
We can all accept that, right? Except, maybe we’re all bad and good.
Maybe just like everyone thought you guys would be so awful, and got it wrong, they got it wrong with me too. ”
“What are you saying?” I ask in disbelief.
“I’m…I guess…wondering if I could join your side.”
“And why the hell would we do that?” Aiden shoots me a look that says to let him answer, before I answer for him
He shrugs. “I guess because I can help you find the others. And because I can help you win this fight.”
“And which god are you?” Reid asks, studying him.
The guys draw his small frame up taller. “Gullveig.”
We all stare.
He sighs again, like this is all too much work for him.
“I guess you big gods don’t really know about the smaller ones.
Hell, the gods inside of you probably don’t even remember Gullveig.
” He kicks at the dirt with the toe of his expensive shoes.
“She’s a goddess who likes…the finer things.
But some asshole gods you might be familiar with burned her alive…
three times, actually, but they didn’t kill her. ”
My stomach turns. I knew the gods inside of us had done some bad things to humans and supernaturals. I guess it made sense that they’d do some bad things to the other gods too.
“So, sorry, what does that mean you can do?” Reid looks uncomfortable.
His gaze slides to Reid, and there’s an emotion I can’t name for a powerful moment before it’s gone. “I can bring wealth to me in just about any way, and I’m immune to fire.”
“That doesn’t sound very useful,” Van says.
I look at him in annoyance.
“What?” he says, giving that look right back at him. “How is gold-boy going to help us in this fight?”
“His information alone should be useful,” Reid begins slowly.
I take a deep breath. “I don’t care about the information or his powers. If he isn’t bad, he should get a chance to prove it. At least as much of a chance as we had.”
Suddenly, the gate slowly begins to open behind us. Mr. Time is standing still, watching us as if he’s heard everything.
Wilder directs his gaze at my grandfather. “What should we do?”
Mr. Time takes a long minute to answer, and then he looks at the man. “What’s your name?”
“Oliver.”
“And where are the other gods?”
The man frowns. “If I tell you that before you let me in, then what will keep you from just sending me away?”
“If you don’t tell us, you aren’t coming in,” Mr. Time counters.
Oliver clenches his fists. “I want a deal.”
“No deal until we know what you know.”
Oliver’s gaze flashes with anger, then relaxes. “They’re in a castle in Scotland.”
“We already know that,” Mr. Time says.
The man crosses his arms over his chest. “They’re in Aberdeenshire.”
Tension sizzles between all of us, and I hold my breath. I don’t know what to hope for. We don’t know anything about this man. He could be dangerous to all of us. But he also might be the thing we need to win this fight and save the world.
“Come in,” Mr. Time says slowly. “It won’t be long before they know you’re here.”