Chapter 2

THOR

I headed inside the studio, looking forward to whatever the competition had in store for me. It was a long time since I'd done something like this, and I was raring to meet the challenge head-on.

"Hey, Thor," someone said.

I turned around, smiling at the muse standing in front of me. "Hi, Mel. I didn't expect you to be down here."

"Mmm, I don't normally visit the studio for reality shows," she admitted. "I prefer dramas."

I chuckled. "Well, you are the Muse of Tragedy."

"Exactly, see, you get it. The others don't. But nothing beats the Greek tragedies, we should air more of them sometime."

"Not really my speed."

"No, I guess not. You're more of a comedy guy, I can tell," Mel responded. "But we're supposed to be getting you set up. I was surprised when my assistant producer said you were taking part, you don't normally do this kind of thing."

I shrugged. "I've felt like I needed a bit of a challenge lately."

"Well, the judges aren't going to go lightly on you just because you're a god yourself. Did you hear that Calliope managed to convince Persephone to come judge? Something about telling her that there would be flowers made out of metal."

"I'd have been more surprised if that hadn't worked," I admitted. "What about the others?"

"Oh, well Aine is coming herself to represent Jinx, I think she just wants to be able to talk about the agency on TV." Mel gestured for us to go through a door. "Have you been briefed on what the show entails?"

I nodded. "Ten rounds, and at the end, the winner will have a commission made that'll be displayed at Jinx HQ."

"Exactly. The judging will be completely blind, so you won't have the advantage of your name to help you there. The judges won't even be in the same room as you until closer to the end, so they won't recognise you."

"I wouldn't want them to," I assured her, starting to wonder whether this was a good idea or not. I'd wanted a challenge, but if everyone thought that I was just here to skate by on my name, then maybe it wasn't a good thing.

"Good. Right, this is you." She gestured to a set-up with a plaque labelled Thor. "I'll let you get settled in."

"Thanks." I took in the set-up. It wasn't as elaborate as what I was used to, but that was part of the challenge. I'd be working with a lot less equipment than usual, though really I only needed my hammer.

I touched my belt to make sure I still had Mjolnir with me. Not that it was really possible for me to lose it. Not with the recall spell that had been cast on it when it had been forged.

I whistled an old sailing song to myself as I moved around my workstation to put things in position for where I wanted them to be. On my left, another artist was doing the same, and I could tell from the set of his jaw that he wasn't happy about something. On my right, the workstation was still empty. Curious, I looked at the plaque to see the name Daisy Chains written on it.

Why did the name sound familiar?

I pulled out my phone and typed it in, a series of sculptures popping up straightaway, including one I recognised from a show a while back. I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting the artist, but I'd been blown away by the attention to detail in their work.

Whoever Daisy Chains was, they were going to be stiff competition. No one made sculptures this good without natural talent and a lot of dedication.

But that was going to make this interesting.

I turned my attention back to prepping my station, putting the tools I'd need the most in easier-to-reach places. It was hard to judge what I'd actually need when I didn't know what the challenge was, but there were some things I was sure I'd use.

About half an hour passed by the time a surprisingly sleight woman appeared with light strawberry blonde hair tied up in a bun. She took a step into the Daisy Chains station and started moving around with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what they were doing.

I stopped to admire her for a moment. Even without knowing anything about her, I was enraptured.

After a few minutes, she turned around, her gaze meeting mine. "Can I help you?"

I cleared my throat and jumped down from my platform, heading over to her. "Hi." I held out my hand.

She eyed me warily, but still took it, letting me feel the callouses on her hands from the work she did.

"I'm Thor."

She raised an eyebrow. "Thor?"

"Yes."

"As in, the god of thunder?"

"Storms in general, fertility, the protection of mankind, and another one that I'm forgetting," I mused. "It's a lot of work."

"You're really going to pretend that you're Thor?" She pulled her hand back, and I immediately regretted the loss of contact.

"Well, I am Thor. So yes?"

"Good to meet you, Thor ." The way she said my name made it clear that she didn't believe I was who I said I was. Which was probably fair. I wouldn't believe me either if the circumstances were reversed.

"Good to meet you too," I said. "I saw one of your sculptures at the Studio Furious show."

Surprise flitted over her face and she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh."

"It was beautiful. It really looked as if the grass was swaying in the breeze."

"Erm, thanks, I guess. I'm sorry I don't know any of your work. Unless you count thunderstorms."

I chuckled. "I don't really have much to do with those." It had mostly been my ability to conjure lightning-like sparks that had meant I'd gained the association with storms. Which wasn't something many people knew. Other than the rest of the gods who also weren't able to do some of the great feats associated with them.

"Well, then I look forward to seeing what you create. I have to set up now." She waved over to her station and went back to set up. Though not without looking over her shoulder to see if I was still watching.

Which I realised I shouldn't be, even if I did find her captivating.