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I feel the energy rise inside me, but there's nothing tangible for it to rest on. I turn angry. "But we don't know how to fight. We don't know where the missing angels are. We've been here for a full day, and you've taught us nothing," I say.
Odin's face scrunches, guided by the same anger. "The angels have been imprisoned. Existing as stone structures, they are gawked at and made to be a mockery. If you cannot find them, what makes you think you deserve to be gods?"
"I can't stand this," I mutter. "You know where they are, yet you won't give us a single hint."
Raven is as angry as I am. "Are you not a god of old? How is it possible that you lost the angels?"
Odin wipes a tear from his eye. "I failed. I was supposed to be their protector. In the end, I took the easy way out. I left and became a recluse."
Loki comes to his aid. "Don't say that, father. You did all you could."
His dad silently nods. "Perhaps. Lots of men and women died fighting for the freedom of light to rein across the land. But I should have known that peace could not last forever. I should have remained vigilant, keeping our army together. Instead, I left. Our numbers dwindled, as did our strength. I came here and let the past fade away."
"This is bullshit," I say. "We're just wasting time. We should have never come here."
Odin suddenly looks weak and feeble. A part of me wants to reach out and tell him that everything will be okay. That, at the end of this journey, we will save and restore the kingdom that he once came from.
But I can't. He's right - he failed. All of the old gods lost their way. And now, it's up to us to make up for his mistakes.
"You know nothing," Odin argues. "Many of us were killed in the last holy wars. Shiva and the gods of the East. Quetzalcoatl and the gods of North America. After all that death, I couldn't fight anymore. I did what I could to survive."
All I can do is swallow my pride and hope I can be strong enough to lead the group to the lost angels. If I can do that, I can save the world from peril.
Yet, I feel weak. I am lost in a swath of darkness, and the light at the other side of the tunnel seems far out of reach.
I bite my tongue and take a deep breath. I find forgiveness for him.
"No," I say. "You came here because that cycle ended with glory. It's our turn to save the freedom that has since been eroded."
Suddenly, I understand the purpose of us being here. We have been summoned by an unknown source. An electricity or energy more powerful than any God. Like lightning.
It is the glue that holds the universe together.
A pure energy. A clandestine force that is impenetrable. It is more than life itself. It is the holy energy that guides both light and dark.
Therefore, it chooses no sides in this fight, sitting dormant until one finds the power inside themselves to act. I believe that is why we came here to speak with Odin; to find that which holds the energy. Maybe that has something to do with the angels.
"I'm ready to fight," I say.
Loki stands tall, right there with me. "I'm ready, too."
Heimdall winks and nods. "You know I'll be there, every step of the way."
All of us are now looking at Raven. She doesn't hesitate one bit. "Fuck yeah. Let's burn these devils to the ground."
We can do this. We can find the angels without any help. Together, we can bring evil down.
The energy in the room is palpable. Even Odin seems to derive some semblance of comfort from it, despite his age-old pessimism.
He says, "My visions will disrupt the Hellhounds scent. When they show their faces, I will give my last hurrah. And I will fight to the death."
It is the first time I have seen him so resolute and strong, and it might be the last. I don't want this to be his end, but it's an honorable gesture of the highest accord, and I can't do anything to talk him out of it. Even Loki seems to know that it is the only way we can survive this.
There is a general understanding that the world's fate is in our hands. We are possibly not quite strong enough, but that won't stop us from trying.
"Darkness is coming," Odin repeats. "It is time for you to awaken the angels. Leave this place at once, and make the world right once more."
Loki takes his father into his arms. There are no tears. No sad expressions. There is only strength in this exile.
