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“She just…disappeared?” Sam asked for the second time as we made our way down the street. “Like, she faded into nothingness after Odin zapped her? Or was it more spectacular?”
Random Asgardians waved at me, so I waved back. “So much more spectacular. She exploded into a million little pieces. There were minuscule particles of Verdandi raining down all over. It was totally gross.”
It’d taken me some time to recover from it.
“I can’t believe I wasn’t there!” Sam complained. “How come no one thought to wake me up? I always miss the fun.”
“It wasn’t fun, it was scary,” I said seriously. “I had no idea if the plan would work. No one had any idea what the outcome would be. We were only going by what Mersmelda had told us an hour before. It was risky all around.”
“Not that risky if you had Odin on your side,” she pointed out.
“True,” I said. “But if the Norns hadn’t followed me to the Blue House, things could’ve gotten dicey. Fen was against it for that reason alone.”
“Well, it all worked out in the end,” she said. “Verdandi’s gone, and Urd and Skuld are locked up.”
“Yes,” I said. “But I don’t like having Skuld around. She will never accept that her sister is gone and Mersmelda has taken over. No matter what, I’ll always be the one to blame.”
“Isn’t Odin planning to exile them to another realm?”
“Yes,” I said. “But there’s always a chance they will escape.”
Sam glanced at the directions. “According to this, it’s down the next block. We’re looking for a yellow building. They sure like bright colors around here.”
We were on our way to an Asgardian doctor about Sam’s newfound smarts.
The rate at which her mind was changing had become alarming. “I’m sure the doctor will have good things to say and that you’re just fine.”
“Do you think Asgard has quacks?” she asked. “Like doctors who everyone thinks are talented, but they never even graduated from—do they even have the equivalent of high school here? Man, there’s so much we don’t know. I just hope this doctor knows what he’s doing.”
“I’m sure they don’t have quacks.” I laughed. The thought of it was absurd. “Everything’s going to be fine. Tyr insisted that we see this particular doctor, so I’m sure he or she is qualified.”
Sam stopped in the middle of the road, clutching my arm. “What if he tells me I’m dying? That this accelerated intelligence is just a brain tumor pushing down on my prefrontal cortex? Then what?”
“Sam, we’ve already been over this.” I sighed. “You’re not dying. It has to be something else. You’re getting smarter and stronger, not dumber and weaker. Come on, I see the building. It even has a cute sign out front that says Dr. Golden. I’m pretty sure that means that this experience will be golden.” I half dragged her the rest of the way down the street.
When we opened the door, we found Tyr standing inside. He nodded at us both. “The doctor has cleared his schedule for the day at my request.”
“Thanks for all your help,” I told him, shuffling Sam in front of me. “We’re happy to be here.”
I had mentioned Sam’s condition to him last night, and by this morning, we had an appointment. Sam scowled at Tyr. “Yeah, thanks for forcing this on me.”
A woman dressed in a crisp uniform with a clipboard stood behind Tyr. The interior of the building was surprisingly modern. “Samantha, we will see you now. Please step this way.”
Sam pulled me into a quick embrace. “Cross your fingers that once I head behind those doors you don’t hear a death knell.”
“You’re not dying!” I exclaimed exasperatedly. “Just get in there so we solve this once and for all.”
Sam put her head down, resolute, as she followed the nurse.
Just before she disappeared behind the door, she tossed a glance at Tyr and winked. “You better hope this comes out good, big guy. Or your next task will be picking out my coffin.”
Tyr turned to me, horrified. “What is she talking about? You told me she needed a doctor, so I arranged it.” His gaze shot back to the door as she disappeared behind it. “Did I make a mistake?”
I patted his arm. “She’s just nervous,” I reassured him. “Humor is a coping strategy.”
The front door opened, and Fen walked in. We all sat down in the chairs provided. “Everything clear?” I asked. I hadn’t been able to dissuade Fen from following us. He still wasn’t convinced I was out of danger.
“Yes,” he said. “All is well. For now.”
“Have you heard any news on where Odin is going to send Urd and Skuld?” I asked.
“The rumor is Muspelheim,” he answered.
Tyr nodded. “I heard that as well. If it was good enough to hold you”—he grinned at Fen—“it should be able to hold them.”
“I’ve asked Odin to send me to discuss matters with Surtr,” Fen said.
I leaned forward, my hand settling on his thigh. “What are you talking about? You can’t go back there. Surtr was furious with you for escaping.”
“I must,” he said, “as I will honor my word to the Jondi serpents. They are awaiting my arrival with the key to Jotunheim.”
“Won’t it be too dangerous?” I asked. “Surtr was ready to kill us before we left. He won’t suddenly be magnanimous upon your return.”
“I will accompany you,” Tyr said. “We will bring Odin’s guard along as well. It will be an official meeting to discuss terms.”
Fen nodded. “I accept.”
I felt better about Fen being accompanied by Tyr and a battalion. I had no desire to ever set eyes upon Surtr again. “Okay,” I said. “I guess if it’s sanctioned by Odin, it should be okay. While you’re gone, I think I’ll take my mother home to Wisconsin to meet my parents.”
Fen took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “If you do, give them my apologies for running out the last time.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m going to have to do some serious smoothing.”
“Once we get back from Muspelheim,” Tyr said, “I’ve agreed to help Sam find her father.”
I nodded. “I told Sam I’d help her, too—”
The interior door banged open, and Sam burst through.
We all jumped to our feet.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s going on? Why are you out so soon?”
Sam stopped in front of us. She was dressed in some kind of gown, not unlike the ones we had in Midgard, but this one was longer and brightly colored. She was suddenly at a loss for words. “I…I’m…”
“What is it?” I urged, taking her by the shoulders. “Are you okay? You’re freaking us out. You’ve only been back there for five minutes.”
She slowly met my concerned gaze. “That’s all the time they needed to tell me…that I’m becoming immortal.”
I brought her in for a hug. “Sam, that’s fantastic! That means your father is a god and explains why you’re so smart.”
“That’s not everything,” she said, her breath beginning to come in short bursts. “They said…according to my blood…that I might be a goddess. Or at least becoming one.”
“Do you mean to say that both of your parents are gods?” Tyr asked.
“That’s what they think.” She nodded. “They said that my living on Midgard all my life kept my DNA in check, just like I thought. But now that I’m here, I’m changing.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s incredible news, Sam!”
“Yeah,” she said, glancing at me, her eyes a little unfocused. “I’m not sure what to do with this news. I mean, how do I even begin to wrap my brain around this?”
I hugged her again. “It’s going to be fine. I promise. This is really, really good news. It just means that you not only have to find your father, but you have to find your mother as well.” I leaned back, smoothing her hair. “And don’t worry about wrapping your mind around this, your brain is already ahead of the game. You just need to catch up, which will happen in no time. I can’t believe they were able to tell you all this in five minutes.”
Her eyes brightened. “It’s so cool! They have all this ridiculously technical stuff back there. They can test blood in seconds. There’s no waiting around or anything. I’m actually going back in. They’re going to run more tests. I’ll probably be here all day. I just wanted to tell you guys the news. And you don’t have to wait for me. I can find my way back by myself, no problem.”
“Okay,” I said, embracing her one last time. “It’s going to be fine.” She started back toward the door. “And, Sam—”
“Yes?” she said, spinning around.
“We’ll be with you every step of the way. You have my word.”
“I’m grateful for that. You know,” she said wistfully, “I think I might become a doctor here.”
“I’m not sure goddesses hold real jobs in Asgard.” I laughed.
She jabbed her thumb at her chest. “Well, this one will.”
“In that case,” I said, “you’ll have learned everything there is to know in less than a week.”
She winked. “Try three days.” Then she disappeared behind the door.
* * *
“Hi, Mom!” I called, opening the front door of my childhood home.
“Phoebe? Is that you?” Janette Meadows wiped her hands on an apron as she walked out of the kitchen. It was almost the exact same mental image I’d had of her the last time we parted ways.
“It is,” I said. “Ta-da!” I spread my arms. “Oh, and I brought a friend with me. I hope you don’t mind.”
My mother rushed to embrace me, tears in her eyes. “You said you’d give us warning the next time you came into town,” my mother scolded. Then she yelled, “Frank! Phoebe’s home!”
“She is?” he called from upstairs. “I’ll be right down.”
“I know I did,” I said, hugging her tightly. “But I just couldn’t resist surprising you one more time.” I stepped back. “I’d like to introduce you to my friend Leela.”
My real mother stepped forward, extending her hand. “It’s delightful to meet you, Janette. I’ve heard so much about you.” We were both dressed as regular Midgardians after stopping at my New York apartment before coming here.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Janette said. “Any friend of Phoebe’s is a friend of ours. Won’t you girls come in?” My mother ushered us into the living room as my father came down from upstairs.
“Phoebe! Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?” My father’s tone was jovial, as always. He came into the room and gave me a bear hug. After we both stepped back, he said, “Introduce me to your friend.”
“This is Leela,” I said. “I met her in New York, and we’ve become fast friends.”
My dad pulled Leela into a warm embrace, much to her surprise. “Glad to have you here, Leela.” He stepped back, beaming. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Speaking of which,” Janette said. “How long can you stay with us this time?” Her tone held a wary note, as though she expected me to say an hour.
“I was thinking a day or two, if that’s okay with you,” I said. “I’m waiting to hear from my friend Sam. She’s due back into town very soon, and we’re planning on meeting her as soon as she arrives.”
“Stay as long as you like. Are you talking about the girl you did all that traveling with?” my dad asked.
“That’s the one,” I said.
“Are you planning on taking any more trips?” he asked.
“Yes, we are,” I said. “It seems our adventures are just beginning.”
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