We gather under her branches and ask for her help. We have power, but I don’t know if it’s enough or if we can wield it. I feel her power flow into us, and it promises the fight can be won. She offers us guidance, and we begin to practice calling on the gifts we have been given. A storm blows in from nowhere as Emma releases her magic.

Cora’s head tips back, and her eyes light up like a bolt of white hot lightning, her gift flying from her to reach across the world. The sheer magnitude draws everyone’s attention. Loki pushes to his feet as his emotions batter at me. So much sadness. My brows draw down as despair washes over me. Under all of that is his love for Cora, a light shining bright in the darkness of his tormented soul.

I want to comfort him but I know he won’t appreciate the intrusion. I can’t help myself as a sliver of magic winds around him. His gray eyes turn slowly my way. They hold neither anger or accusation, just knowledge. Smiling, I move to his side and place my hand on his arm as we both watch Cora.

“She’s calling them to us,” I whisper. His arm tenses, and I look over at him. “What?”

“We don’t know who’s on our side.” The muscle in his jaw flexes. He’s right. What if we just told Odin’s army exactly where we are? I chew at my bottom lip. Shit!

“Only those who will fight with us can hear the call.” Cora’s voice sounds weird, layered almost. Chills race over my skin. Thunder rumbles and hail falls around us. Emma’s face is tense as she changes the weather, cycling through rain, snow, and wind. I’m amazed at my friend’s power and maybe a little jealous.

I still have no idea how I’m supposed to help during this war. My train of thought is derailed when Kai arrives, being tossed around by Emma’s storms. He shifts, hitting the ground on his feet. Morrigan and Danu arrive moments after. Soon, another huge dragon fills the now calming sky, a beautiful woman sitting on its back. Asger and Ylva.

My eyes widen as something from a movie comes into view, and Kai follows my gaze and smiles. “The Guardians are ready to go to war.” Pride is thick in his voice.

“Damn, a whole herd of them.” Emma is watching as they circle above us.

“Thunder.”

“What?” She looks at Kai after he speaks.

“A group of dragons is a thunder.” I grin at her as she mouths ‘okay’ at him. She and I stand gaping up at them all until others begin to arrive.

Persephone is first, bringing the hellhounds with her, and Jason and Emma join them. The eerie hounds circle their bodies, red eyes glowing. Next is Freya with her warriors, and they move to stand near Fenrir, close to Loki. Nestor appears with Mimi and a beautiful older woman.

“Hecate.” Danu strides across to the new woman.

“Danu. I couldn’t let Nestor come alone.” She looks at the man in question with love.

“Mother.” Nestor sounds exasperated.

Loki glances their way sharply. Emma looks at me, and I shrug. Jason leans down and whispers in Emma’s ear, and her lips part, making an O, as she peers at the woman. When she finally looks back at me, I mouth ‘what?’ She shakes her head as Jason and Kai smirk at us.

I stand watching as Danu speaks to her, my curiosity eating away at me. I can’t take it anymore. I draw on every party of grandmother’s I was ever forced to attend. Making my way over to them, I stop and wait.

They look at me, and Danu smiles. “Hecate, this is Aislin. She is the destined mate to our Guardian Kai, and Yggdrasil has blessed her.” I hold out my hand, and the woman looks at it for a moment before she takes it in hers.

“It’s so lovely to meet Nestor’s mother.” I glance at him, then back at her. She looks exactly like what I’d imagine an Egyptian Goddess would look like. Like Aaliyah as Akasha in Queen of the Damned, but with more everything.

“Blessed by Yggdrasil. That must mean you are very special indeed.” I suddenly feel like a bug under a microscope. My magic flares to life, and I don’t mean to but I reach for her. Her eyes widen before narrowing. I only sense worry for her son. “Find what you need?” Her voice is tight.

“Sorry, I haven’t had this long.” I wave my hands at myself.

“Mother, maybe if you didn’t act like you do.” She looks at him before looking around. Her face changes, and I look behind me. All of my friends are tense, ready to fight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t leave my home very often. I’m out of practice dealing with people.” She smiles, and I grin at her.

“It’s fine. I think we are all just a little wound up.” I force a laugh out, inwardly cringing at how fake it sounds. Turning, I walk back to Kai, and he draws me in under his shoulder.

We are all just watching each other when a man appears. Dark. Everything about him is dark. “Hades?” Emma steps forward. His head swivels toward her, and I watch as he relaxes slightly when he sees Persephone.

“Emma. Jason.” He nods as he makes his way to his wife’s side. I can’t wait to talk to Emma. He is gorgeous. “I couldn’t let you come alone.” He cups her face in his hands, staring at her for a moment before kissing her deeply. He is just breaking away when a woman joins us. I can guess who she is by his sudden change in demeanor. Demeter.

“Mother?” Persephone asks. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m not going to let you go to war without me. I also refuse to stand by and let that asshole Odin try to rule me.” I like her.

Cora stands, her magic calming. “This is all that will help us.”

We all glance around. Not as many as we had hoped, that’s for sure, but better than nothing. Cora looks defeated and exhausted. Loki reaches his hand out, and she takes it. He pulls her to him, wrapping her in his arms and murmuring against her hair. I liked him before but now I love him. He holds her gently until she calms. I hear her tell him she thought there would be more.

After a few more moments, Loki turns her in his arms but keeps them around her. “My brother has made his first open attacks. The first was on Cora, and the second was directed at me. We know for sure all of my clan besides those of us here are with Odin. It was Balor who attacked in New Orleans.”

“Fuck.” Morrigan’s anger vibrates through the air. “That bastard.” She looks at Danu, whose face has fallen. I’ve never heard the Goddess cuss before so I know this is bad.

“After I saved him, helped him, made it so he could still be around people?!” Danu looks at Loki, shaking her head. “How could I be so wrong about so many people?”

Releasing Cora, he walks to Danu, stopping in front of her and gripping her shoulders. “This is not your fault, Danu. You see the best in people, and they have taken advantage of it. That’s not your fault; that is theirs. They showed you the face they knew you needed to see.”

“I know but I brought them here. I wanted it to be different here. He knew that.” Her voice raises, and her hands curl into fists. She looks around at those of us that have gathered. Pacing away, she stops at the trunk of the tree, but we can hear her mumbling to herself. Emma catches my eye, and I shrug slightly. I have no idea what to do.

She whips around, her face twisted in anger. “He planned it from the moment I told him what I wanted to do.” She looks at Loki and then Hecate. “Think about the ones he suggested, invited to join us. None of them are here. Aphrodite and Set have already been killed. I know others haven’t joined simply because they don’t care about the outcome, and some have grown weary of life. But he handpicked his followers all those years ago on our home world.”

Hecate looks at her, and anger darkens her face as she then glances at Nestor. “Go. Find your father and bring him here.” Power flows from her, and a dark foreboding mist swirls about us, screams echoing within it. Jason pulls Emma to our side as Nestor disappears.

“Cora,” I whisper, drawing her attention, and she backs up until she bumps into us. Jason leans close.

“She is the Goddess of many things, but the crossroads and nightmares are two of her major powers. Do not touch the mist.” His voice can barely be called a whisper, but her eyes turn to us and they are black entirely. I feel Cora shiver and wrap my arm around her.

‘Who is his father?’ I mouth, not wanting to even whisper. Jason shrugs. Great. We are still frozen in silence when moments later, Nestor reappears, walking to Mimi’s side. His mother pins him with a hard look, and he nods. A man arrives soon after.

Hecate turns to the newcomer. “Khonsu. Why did you stay away before?”

“The moon is constant, and nothing here changes that. Odin will not change that.” I don’t like him instantly.

“You fool. You have let yourself believe their ideas of you. You are not the moon, have never been the moon. Just as I have never been exactly what they believed of me. That moon was here long before we arrived here. Balor is trying to release his plague. Do you remember Egypt when he did it there or Europe in the Middle Ages? So much death and not just humans.” She glares at him. “You would watch as the blood pours from our son’s body? From my body?”

He turns toward Danu. “This is true?” She nods. “These are all that have chosen to fight?” She nods again.

“We could use your help, Father. If Balor does release the disease, the poison, you could heal people. Yggdrasil and Gaia have both blessed these women.” His hand waves toward us. “Mimi is a strong witch, descended from Circe’s line of witches.”

Loki turns to Khonsu. “It’s true we are most likely outnumbered, but Yggdrasil will channel extra power from the soul of this planet to her chosen ones if we need aid.” He walks away, and Khonsu follows. They move through the dispersing mist, talking, but we can’t hear what they are saying now. Cora looks at Jason, and he shakes his head.

“Danu?” Her eyebrows furrow. “What doesn’t he want us to hear?” Before the Goddess can answer, Loki is making his way back to Cora to stop in front of her.

“Hey, beautiful.” He smiles at her, and I can’t look away. He was handsome in that mysterious way before, always slightly standoffish, but when he smiles… It is something off the charts. Emma’s finger pokes my side, and I glance at her. She’s grinning like a fool, and I mouth ‘so hot.’

A clearing throat makes me look up over my shoulder. Kai is smiling, one eyebrow raised. “Don’t blame us,” Emma gripes, laughing.