Chapter Fifteen

After lazing in the sun, my head pillowed on a furry chest, I was drunk on relaxation and happiness. I strolled back to the palace hand-in-hand with Re while the others ran ahead—or slithered, as the case may be. Because of that, Re and I got home a good half an hour later than everyone else. I was hoping that meant lunch would be on the way—probably something grilled by my lions, and that the kids would be at the table, waiting to eat.

That is what I found, but there was also an angry Pan in attendance. And I don't mean the sort you cook in.

“Having fun?” Pan demanded, hands on his hips. He stood at the edge of the veranda, top of the stairs, glaring down at me.

“Yes,” I said without guilt. “Has there been a development?”

“Oh, only a bunch of beavers attacking people all over the United States,” he drawled. “And all while a bunch of dams are failing.”

“Including a few in Texas,” Azrael added as he stepped outside. “The storm hitting Lexington isn't localized. The continental United States is experiencing massive flooding. I've driven off the storm in Lexington, then followed the rain across the state. I'm drained, and I haven't even seen to all of Texas.”

“Holy hand grenades,” I whispered. “Are any other gods helping?”

“Yes, actually,” Pan said petulantly as Re and I climbed the steps. “My father has spread the word and a surprising amount of gods have stepped in to help.”

“And faeries,” Az added with a stern look at Pan.

“Yes, and faeries,” Pan agreed. “There are more faeries with Water Magic than there are gods with it. But even those without water-based magic are finding ways to help. Tsohanoai is burning away the storm clouds. That works really well.”

“I'd better get down there,” Re said. “Where should I go? What region needs the most assistance?”

“Torrent?” Azrael called.

“Is the Squad here?” I asked.

“No,” Az said. “Most are on Earth, helping to stop the floods. Torrent and Artemis came with Pan to fetch you.”

I hurried inside to find Torrent and Artemis eating with my kids.

“Oh, hey, V!” Torrent said brightly and tossed his head to get his platinum bangs out of his face. “Sorry, we're starved, and they offered us food.” He waved at his plate, then started to get up.

“Sit down,” I said. “I need to eat before we leave too. We won't be any good to anyone if we're not fueled up.”

“Can we help, Tima?” Lucian, one of my lions, asked.

“I imagine you could help people in the way of emergency workers,” I said as I grabbed a plate from a stack in the center of the table and started filling it.

“Mom, is everyone on Earth in trouble?” Lesya asked.

“No, baby,” I said. “There's just a lot of rain falling in the U.S., and we gotta go dry things up. My Fire Magic should help. ”

“We can help,” Vero said.

I paused, my thoughts instantly turning to the past, which had once been my son's future. I saw him fully grown again—a harder, more Godhunter version of Trevor. Vero would follow in my footsteps one day, and that made me very proud. But at the same time, I didn't want him to end up as he'd been in that other future—the cynical version that I had almost become. Hopefully, averting my death had changed that, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I had to raise him to be happy as well as protective.

“Yes, you can,” I said to him. “You can help me by protecting our home while most of us are gone. Can you do that?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Good boy.” I glanced at Trevor, who was sitting beside him. “You gonna stay this time?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Kirill can command the Intare while you go where you're needed.”

“Thanks, babe.” I sat down and started to eat.

“Really? You're gonna eat?” Pan asked.

“Yes, Pan. Join us. You're about to short circuit.”

“Vervain, you know this has something to do with that trickster,” Pan said. “I need you down there looking for that bastard, not starting fires.”

“I'm not going to start fires. I'm going to use the heat of my Fire Magic to evaporate water. Now, sit down. I won't be able to track the trickster. We have to look for Wishpoosh, remember? He will lead us to the trickster god.”

“I've been monitoring the attacks,” Torrent said. “It's wild. Literally. The floods are allowing beavers to swim right up to humans. People are distracted by the rain, trying to batten down the hatches, as it were, using sandbags and stuff like that. So they don't notice the animals until it's too late.”

“What exactly are the beavers doing?” Quetzalcoatl asked.

“They're violently attacking people,” Torrent said. “Biting, mainly, but also clawing. It turns out that beavers are very aggressive animals. They defend their territories mercilessly. That's why there are those legends I talked about. Like Wishpoosh defending his lake.”

“What happens in that legend?” I asked.

“Oh, Coyote fights him, because he doesn't like the way Wishpoosh treats the other animals. Wishpoosh drags him underwater and tries to drown Coyote. They have an epic battle that floods the lake and overflows it, creating other bodies of water. They keep going, flooding each new lake and moving on until they create the Columbia Gorge. Oh, yeah, and then Coyote kills Wishpoosh and makes people out of his corpse. You know, one of your basic creation myths.”

“Excuse me?” I gaped at Torrent.

“As I said, it's a creation myth. Each piece of the beaver's body became a different tribe with traits of the piece. So the head became the Nez Perces, who were known for their good council, and the legs became the Klickitats, known to be great runners.”

“A corpse making life,” I murmured. “All right, I can see where they were going with that.”

“And I can see why Wishpoosh, if he's still alive, would be upset by that legend,” Que said. “It's insulting. And believe me, I'm familiar with offensive legends.”

With all the guile of a little boy, Torrent said, “But all the myths about you are good. They say you created the calendar and all of humanity. ”

“All of it?” I asked Que.

“It's just a myth,” Que said. “And if you read further, you'll find that my people were conquered and created new myths about me. They said I was conquered too, and that I immolated myself. Or sailed off on a boat of snakes.”

I snorted. “I'm sorry. Humans come up with some bizarre stories. But I have to say that Aztec myths are right up at the top with Norse.”

“Norse myths are strange?” Que asked.

Trevor chuckled. “You may have sailed off on a snake boat, but there's an entire building made of poisonous snakes in my aunt's territory. People are tortured in it, the venom constantly dripping onto them.”

Quetzalcoatl blinked. “Well, yes, that's odd.”

“Okay, let's go boat to boat. There's a boat made of fingernails.”

Que's jaw dropped.

“Those are just a couple of the many weird things in Helheim,” I said. “The weirdest being Hel herself.”

“I'd rather talk about the fingernail boat.” Trevor, who'd once been held captive by his dear Aunt Hel, grimaced.

To be supportive, I changed the subject. “So, where are we needed most, Torr?”

Torrent's eyes went distant, then they went wide and shifted to me. “Oh, V.”

I swallowed, and the bite turned to lead in my stomach. “What? Tell me.”

“Oregon. There's a huge beaver population there. ”

I jumped up. “Oh, fuck!” I cried out, forgetting about minding my language around the kids. “My mom! They have beavers in their river!”

“Grandma?” Lesya asked, her eyes gone wide.

“And the cats!” I shrieked.

My mom, stepdad, and brother had moved to Oregon a few years back and bought a wonderful property that had a river running through it. They loved the wildlife there, especially the deer. But there were also beavers in their river. The animals had built a dam right in the middle of my mom's river. My mom thought that was wonderful. They all loved watching the beavers.

It wouldn't be so wonderful now. The only bit of good news was that the property was on a steep incline with the river at the bottom. Her house would hopefully be fine, but she had a catio near the river with several cats living in it. Why not keep them in the house? Because she had a sick cat in the house that couldn't be around the others. I know, I know. Crazy cat lady. And I had inherited the gene.

I yanked out my phone and called my mother. She didn't pick up. “Son of a bitch!” I ran for the door as my children began to cry. I couldn't comfort them. Their daddies would do that. I had to save my mommy.

I ran into the tracing chamber and barreled into the wall, my mind firmly set on my mother's house. I came out of the Aether and into a torrential downpour. Blinking, I tried to see past it. My body responded to the cold instinctively, turning up the heat to the point that I steamed.

“Mom!” I shouted. “Mom!”

“Vervain?” I heard her call from somewhere ahead.

The driveway down to the river was gravel, and I nearly took a tumble in it that would have torn up my face. But a strong hand steadied me.

“I've got you, La-la,” Re said. Then he waved his hand above us.

The gray day turned bright, clouds parting above my mother's property and peeling back like curtains. Re pushed out with both arms and closed his eyes as his entire body began to glow.

“Re,” I whispered in awe.

“Go!” he said. “I'll clear what I can.”

I hurried down the driveway. “Mom?”

“Oh, thank God,” my mother cried. “It's stopping.” She turned and saw me. “Vervain! The river started rising. The catio is starting to flood!”

“I know, Mom. You need to get the cats up to the house. Can you put them in the garage?”

“Yeah, that's what we were trying to do. But they're terrified.” She waved at her husband, Richard, who was chasing cats through an inch of water.

“I can help.” I went into the catio and gestured Richard back as I turned up the heat.

I didn't summon flames, but the heat that blasted out of me was akin to what Re could generate. Water evaporated around my feet and a ring of it grew. A meow came, and I turned it down until it was just a comfortable warmth. More kitty cries. Cats love warmth, especially when they're wet. The kitties flocked to me, and I bent down to stroke them, using my Fire Magic with precision to dry their fur. They started purring.

“That's a good kitty,” I cooed as I picked one up and put it in a carrier. I kept going until they were all safe, and then my mom, Richard, my brother Danny, and I carried the kitties up the road.

I kept looking back at the river, and I saw a few brown heads break the surface of the water, but I didn't want to panic my mom. I had to get them inside first.

“Re?” my mom said as he came into sight. “What are you . . . oh, my.”

“Yeah, he's the one who cleared the storm,” I said.

“It's nice to have gods on your side,” Richard said. “You got here in the nick of time.”

“I'm sorry,” I said. “We would have been here sooner, but I only just found out about the storms.”

“Storms? There are multiple storms?” my mom asked.

“You haven't seen the news?” I countered.

My mom was a news junkie. She's only happy when it rains. Okay, bad choice of adage.

“No, it started to flood, and we had to get the cats to safety,” Mom said.

We went around the house to the front, and Richard opened the garage door for us. The kitties would have to live in there for the time being. Re and I stood guard near the opening until the door rolled closed again.

“Vervain?” my mom prompted.

“There are storms all over the country,” I said. “And there's another thing. Beavers are attacking people. They come in with the floodwaters.”

“The beavers?” She lifted her brows.

“I'm not joking,” I said. “They're going crazy all over the U.S., and we think a god is behind it.”

“We also think a god is behind the storms,” Re said. “I encountered some resistance when I pushed the rain back.”

“What do we need to do?” my brother Danny asked.

“Barricade the doors and windows,” I said. “I don't think they'll break through the glass, but I don't know. Re and I will help you secure the house. Then we have to help others.”

“Oh, the poor wild animals,” my mother said. “And all the strays.”

“The animals will go to higher ground,” Re said. “They'll be fine. You are the ones in danger.”

“Re!” I snapped.

“What? We're not barricading the windows because it's playtime.”

“I'll set a stronger ward around the house,” my mom, who was also a witch, said.

Then someone shouted, “Vervain?!”

“Is that Trevor?” Mom asked. “Sounds as if he's at the front door.”

“I'll start gathering plywood,” Richard said.

“I'll get the door,” Danny offered.

“Nope.” Richard waved him deeper into the garage. “You're going to help me. Mom can get the door.”

Danny grimaced but followed his father.

“Come inside, you two,” my mom said to Re and me.

We followed her into the house just as Trevor called for me again and knocked on the front door .

“Grandma!” Lesya called next.

“Lesya?!” My mom raced to the door and flung it open.

“Grandma!” Lesya and Vero shouted together and launched themselves at my mom.

“What are you doing here with them?” I growled at Trevor. “Are you insane?”

“They'll be fine,” Trevor said as he bounced the twins in his arms.

“Grandma!” the twins cried.

“Oh, babies!” my mom exclaimed and stood up to kiss their cheeks. “You've gotten so big. Come in. You want some cookies? I just made some yesterday.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “You see? Now she's going to be dealing with them instead of helping us secure the house.”

“Your mom can't be lifting heavy things anyway,” Trevor said. He paused to lean in and kiss her cheek. “Hi, Mom.” He put the twins down, and they grabbed her legs.

“Hello, Trevor. I'll make some coffee to go with our cookies. Come with me, kids.” She led them away.

“What the fuck?” I whispered.

Meanwhile, I saw Re helping Richard secure plywood against the windows.

“Why don't we just bring them to Pride Palace?” Trevor asked.

“They have a bunch of cats we'd have to bring too,” I said. “Through the Aether. And they've already been traumatized by the rain.”

“Ah. Well, I figured I was staying behind anyway, so I might as well stay here and guard the family. I was watching the kids, so I decided to bring them. They'll be fine, Minn Elska. Have you forgotten that I'm the God of Night Creatures?”

“No, but how is that going to help?”

“Beavers are primarily nocturnal.” Trevor grinned. “Those barricades are probably going to be unnecessary.”

I gaped at him. Then I cursed. “Damn it! I want you here, but with that magic, you should be out helping more than one family.”

“Oh,” Trevor said. “Maybe you're right.”

“Zen it's good zat I came,” Kirill said.

I shrieked, startled by his sudden appearance. He had traced onto the front porch, but I'd been so focused on Trevor and his revelation that I hadn't heard the door open behind me.

“Sorry.” Kirill chuckled. “I zought you might need more help. I vill stay vith zem and Trevor can go vith you.”

I chewed at my lip. Leave my kids and human family under the protection of one god? I seriously considered carrying a bunch of cats through the Aether.

“Ve vill be fine, Vervain,” Kirill said and kissed my cheek. “Now, go.” He headed for the kitchen. “I am here to help.”

“Daddy!” Lesya shouted.

“I gotta go, Mom!” I called out to her. “Re, come on. We're heading out with Trevor.”

“Okay, Vervain,” my mom called back. “Don't worry about us. We'll be all right.”

“Yeah, sure.” I sighed.

“Do you want me to take the kids home?” Trevor asked as Re came around the corner. “I could have Sam watch them.”

“No. They'll be okay here. Those kids are far more dangerous than a bunch of rabid beavers.”

Trevor chuckled. “There's my girl.”

“It's only funny because it's true,” Re said.