Stronger Together chapter 147 (Patreon)

The beer was...beer. I don't drink beer and have never enjoyed the  taste of the stuff, but Mac's beer was slightly less horrible than most  beer so he clearly had the skills people credited him with. I tried not  to grimace at the taste even so, because it would be a huge knock to my  reputation to wince at the taste of beer. I suspect Odin saw through me  anyway because I could swear the one eyed god had a smirk teasing the  corner of his lips. Still, this wasn't a test of sobriety, it was a  negotiation, and unfortunately for Odin I had access to the mentorship  of the greatest negotiator that never lived.

I took  another sip, enjoying it slightly more and looked Odin in the eye. There  was no soulgaze luckily because the god didn't have a soul like normal  humans. I nursed my beer and stared, unwilling to talk first. Gard  looked annoyed but Odin smirked a bit harder and started talking. "Well,  you have access to Fenrir and the skills to take care of him for me. I  realize there will be some danger but I believe you can handle it, and  engaging the twins directly would result in a multipantheon incident,  which I think we all want to avoid."

I took a long sip of  my beer and shrugged casually. I kept my face blank as I did so,  channeling the fictional negotiation advice of a man who used his  position at NBC to become the CEO of a fortune 500 company. Odin wasn't  arguing against me, he was negotiating with Jack Donaghy. I took another  sip of beer, remaining silent. Odin frowned "I can see how you might  feel like us helping with the twins would be quid pro quo of a sort, but  I assure you, that isn't how this works. The amount of risk undertaken  here isn't commensurate. Loki will already consider you one of mine, if  that's what you're worried about."

I sipped even longer  this time. He was realizing that this could be his only chance to take  care of the wolf outside the normal chain of events. As beings from  another multiverse the normal predictions and prophecies didn't apply to  us. He stared me down, but knowing I was using TV negotiating tactics  on an elder god was too funny, it under cut every ounce of intimidation  and gravitas. I looked him in the eye and took a long deep sip before  putting the mug down "So what you wanna do?" Odin looked at me with an  annoyed expression but I just kept staring him down.

Finally  he burst out laughing. "Whoever taught you to negotiate was a sadistic  bastard, boy. Fine, I'll help you with your problem." He turned to Gard.  "Sigrun, inform Mr. Marcone you'll be working another contract. If he  feels unsafe I can dispatch one of your sisters to cover your post.  You're to share our knowledge on the twins and aid in both their defeat  and the destruction of the Mutt. Is that understood?" Gard was clearly  as intimidated as Odin had expected me to be and didn't dare utter a  word of argument. Odin turned his eye to me "Are those terms acceptable,  assistance with the twins in exchange for your best attempt to kill  that rabid dog?"

It sounded like  a pretty fair deal to me so I indicated my assent, but I wanted to make  sure we got the best information and that meant going to the source "As  long as that includes the information we wanted. No offense to Gard but  you're a god of wisdom, I doubt there's a better source for information  than you. So if you don't mind spilling the details in person can you  tell us what we're going to be up against?" I expected Gard to argue but  she honestly looked like she kind of agreed with me on this one.

Old  one eye chuckled "Fair enough. The twins are, as you may have guessed,  demigods. What the myths don't even hint at is that Lupa wasn't just  their guardian, she was their actual mother. Mars lay with her as a  wolf, and the pups assumed a divine shape upon birth. Since the greeks  mainly resemble humans those are the forms they wear. Though they look  human they are brutal and ruthless men, with the savagery and cunning of  the wolves whose blood flows in their veins. Their magic has much in  common with the wolf king of the greeks and they can assume a half man  shape in dire circumstances."

Great,  I had been hoping they were mostly casters, but apparently spells just  meant they weren't bothering to get serious. "What about their weird  four dimensional god perception. Even at my fastest I couldn't touch the  bastards. We were going to have Kara try to fight them hand to hand  with her speed, can they completely stop time? She can move faster than  bullets will that be enough?" If they could shift into a stronger and  faster form I was even more determined to get that armor done, and this  wasn't even taking into account the fucking god wolf we had to somehow  kill to even get this information.

Odin  shook his head "Not completely. A normal being would be unable to  affect them no matter their speed, but your sun maiden has a sliver of  divine blood in her veins. It won't allow her to match them but it  should weaken their hold on the time around her enough that her superior  speed would put her at around their level. of course she would still  need to combat both of them at once. Remus and Romulus possess not just  the animal cunning and ferocity of wolves but the skill and discipline  of the soldier for which their empire was justly famed. They are  powerful and dangerous enemies. Warn your maiden to have a care, they've  felled many foes in their time."

He  must have seen the panic in my eyes because he laughed and slapped Gard  on the back "Do not worry. My Valkyries may not be a match for a  Demigod alone, but Sigrun will aid your maiden and train her for the  battle beforehand. Valkyries are divine messengers and she will be  immune to their tricks. It still won't be easy but with her aid it will  be more than possible to overcome the challenge." His joviality  vanished. "That said. you will face a much greater enemy. Fenrir is a  monster the likes of which even your group will find a challenge."

He  exhaled heavily, taking a long pull of beer. "The beast has no tricks  or mystical gifts. Only ferocity and power. The god wolf is a monster  the likes of which has hardly been seen on this earth in any other form.  Typhon, Yamata-no-Orochi, Jormungandr, even the dragon king Fafnir  himself, all of these considered Fenrir their equal. He does not use  tricks, he does not use plans. He will not ambush you, and may even  accept a delay should you give him a reason. But make no mistake, that  beast is a monster. It kills with no compunction or honor, with no care  for life or family. It seeks only battle."

He  stared past me, his one remaining eye focused on nothing as he spoke in  a low tone. "The monster knows no fear, no hesitation. He comes for  what he wants and anything that stands between him and his goal is  destroyed. Contrary to what many think, the animal is not evil, it is a  force of nature. It is an oncoming storm, an implacable tide. You will  need your every wit, your very sinew to even survive what destruction it  will wreak on you just for being in the way of its goal." His eye  flicked back to me "But should you survive and triumph. It will be  time."

I  raised a brow in question "Time for what? Time to party? Time to cut  loose? Not to be obtuse here Dino but 'it's time' is a bit cryptic. Not  that I'm not sure whatever you have planned is thrilling to the extreme  but things are kind of non stope crazy here we don't really have time to  take on extra jobs right now." I was exhausted just thinking about any  extra responsibility. Especially after Raven had just helped me set my  own overloaded sense of self importance aside. Though admittedly it was  pretty funny watching Gard turn red when I called her god Dino, so I  didn't mind him making the attempt since I got a laugh.

His  eye was blazing with intensity as he shook his head. "It will be time,  boy, for your emergence in society. For your ascension to the ranks of  the powerful. It will be time, oh prodigal son of Chicago, for you to  sign The Accords. You have shown your capability on many occasions, you  have demonstrated power and wisdom and fire. I will personally sponsor  your addition to the rolls of the unseelie accords as a freeholding lord  of this city. Far from giving you more to do this status will confer  upon you legitimacy in an office you already occupy. You patrol this  city, protect it's people. Now the weight of a ruler will add its power  to your edicts. We will gather the members of the accorded nations and  have them bear witness to your addition to our ranks."

My  eyes were wide and I was gaping "But...I didn't do that stuff. The  girls did everything. Raven should be signing, and Cinder. Powerful  immortal beings who can sink a city or catch a meteor." Hell Kara would  be a perfect fit for the council if she had a bit of magic in her. But  me? Odin had told me I would be a fulcrum but I didn't belong on the  unseelie accords. I was just...me. I wasn't able or ready for that. Sure  I had enough power to be comfortable coming out into the light of the  supernatural but becoming a freeholding lord of the accords was  cannonballing into the deep end of a very deep dark pool.

Raven  was the one who answered "We believe in you. We follow and care about  you. I may disagree with your from time to time but I would do anything  for you Cameron. Cinder feels the same I know it. Kara and Yang and  Barb" she nodded at our until now silent redhead who returned the  gesture "Every one of us follows your lead. If someone is going to sign  the accord for our crazy little island of misfit toys it should be you  and every person in the house will agree a hundred percent. You are  definitely a Lord, so own it." She winked at me "Besides we don't want  to put up with all that politicking. Sorry honey but you're the guy."

I  exhaled, all the air rushing out of my lungs as I slumped back against  my chair "Ok well as intimidating as that thought is it's not the most  important thing right now. This little event will have to wait to see if  I can survive the fight with the unstoppable super wold, or the serial  killing werewolf cannibal, or the twin demigod wolf babies who can alter  the flow of time. I'm not going to count my chickens before the wolves  get into my hen house. So I suppose we should head out to search for our  canines, just wish that armor was done already for Kara."

Odin  grinned again "Well I'm much too busy to personally craft for you, but I  could introduce you to some craftsmen who may be able to aid you in  your preparations, you can tell them to, as they say 'put it on my  tab'." My heart beat accelerated, hoping he meant the craftsmen I  thought he did, they were ones I'd wanted to meet most in this last year  but getting in good with them was god awful difficult unless you were a  faerie queen who did them a favor. He chuckled knowingly "Tell me, have  you ever heard of svartalves?"