Chapter 11 Thomas

We decided to stay in Kansas an extra day, trying not to get burnt out in our trip to Canada, or whatever Canada was becoming with this war. Charlie hung out with me in the morning, but went off to speak to Adam and Ivy. I had breakfast alone, until Raven came up to me.

“Seat taken?” She asked, gesturing to the one across from me.

“Nah.” I replied, continuing on my waffle.

“How long have you known Charlie?” She asked, not eating at the moment, I saw her dump her plate before sitting with me. I took the last bite of my waffle and answered shortly.

“She’s been in Mythos for what like 6 or so years? But I was 14, she was 13 when we met.” I chuckled, “She saved my ass from a hellhound when i joined.”

Raven nodded slightly, still looking at me with her green eyes. “What do you think about all this?” She finally relaxed and leaned back in the chair.

“Odd. It’s also odd we haven't received any messages from the gods since we left.”

“Yeah, I haven't heard anything from the Norse gods either.” Then a look of realization popped on her face. “We haven't attempted to contact them at all have we?”

“Now that I realize it, no we haven't.” I stood up, “Give me a minute, and we will reconvene.”

“Iris goddess of rainbows, accept my offering.” I spoke aloud as I tossed a coin through the rainbow a nearby fountain made.

Nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing. “Fuck.”

Nova walked up behind me, silently, and startled me when she spoke. “Something is horribly wrong.”

I turned and looked at her, half her face skeletal and ghostly. “What do you mean?”

“It feels wrong. Like you are attempting to call a number that is off the hook.” She said, and charlie and raven came up soon after.

“We can't send messages through Iris anymore.”

“Shit.” Charlie said.

“Yeah shit.” I replied. “We have no way of reaching anyone, and Nova says it feels wrong.”

“Like calling a phone that's off the hook.”

“Shit.” Adam said behind us. “Shit what do we do now? I guess we could try sending an airplane via wind nymphs.”

“Too risky, could get intercepted.” Raven replied.

A man on a bike with an oddly green set of clothes, hopped off his bike and walked up to us. “You kids need help?”

“No sir, I appreciate it.” I nodded curtly.

“Are you sure?” He asked again, smiling slightly. His eyes were also a dark green. His helmet had, it had a caduceus.

I bowed, as did Adam when he noticed. “Lord Hermes.”

The rest followed suit. Barring Raven and Nova. Hermes raised an eyebrow at them and spoke. “Rise.”

“Sir, we can't connect with Iris.” Charlie said, worried. It soothed all of us to have the messenger god with us.

“Yeah. You won't be. There's something greater going on, she’s uhh. She’s not well at the moment. Boreas too. And i’m going insane trying to deal with all the intercepts Zeus has me doing. Following up on every instance of contact to Boreas and Iris. I can't stay long but here's some supplies, Boreas’s palace is right across the border.”

“Thank you lord Hermes.” I said appreciatively.

“Always kids. Call on me if you need me, but there is always a wait.” he hopped back onto his bike. In an instant he sped off, leaving behind a crack as he broke the sound barrier.

“Sounds like we are in over our heads.” Nova commented.

Later Charlie and I were walking through the park, just enjoying the setting sun. We picked out a nice spot on the hillside, and Charlie pulled out a blanket, a couple knives, crackers and cheese.

The soft orange glow of the sun stretched across the Kansas plains, casting long shadows from the trees around us. The air was cool but not cold, the kind of evening that almost made you forget there was a war just north of us, threatening to consume everything.

Charlie was quiet for a while, slicing a block of sharp cheddar into neat pieces with one of her knives. It always amazed me how she could make even the most mundane tasks seem deliberate, almost like a ritual.

"You think we’re ready for this?" she asked suddenly, her voice low.

I leaned back, resting on my elbows as I looked out over the hills. "Ready for what?"

"All of it." She waved the knife vaguely in the air. "This quest to Canada, whatever's going on with the gods, everything."

"Does it matter if we’re ready?" I shrugged. "We don’t really have a choice. It’s either do or die at this point."

Charlie frowned, staring at the knife in her hand as though it held all the answers. "You’re not wrong, but it feels like every time we get close to catching a break, something else gets thrown at us."

"You mean like today?" I smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

She didn’t laugh, just handed me a cracker topped with cheese. "You ever wonder if we’re even making a difference?"

Her words hung in the air, heavy and unshakable. I didn’t have an answer for that, at least not one that felt honest.

Instead, I looked out over the hills again, the horizon now painted in deep purples and golds. "I don’t know if we’re making a difference," I admitted. "But I know that stopping isn’t an option. If we don’t try, who will?"

Charlie nodded slightly, though her expression didn’t soften. "Yeah, you’re right. It just... sucks, you know? Always feeling like the weight of the world’s on your shoulders."

"Maybe it is," I said, "but at least we’ve got each other. That counts for something, right?"

For the first time that evening, she smiled—just a small one, but it felt real. "Yeah, it does."

We sat in silence after that, sharing the food as the last of the sunlight faded. The stars came out one by one, a gentle reminder of how vast everything was compared to us.

When we finally headed back to the motel, the streets were eerily quiet. Kansas felt like a ghost town at night, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching us.

Charlie seemed to sense it too, her posture tense as we walked. "You feel that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," I muttered. My hand drifted toward the dagger at my side, just in case. My other hand over her shoulder.

The shadows seemed deeper than they should have been, the air colder than it had been on the hillside. But nothing jumped out at us, no monsters or gods. By the time we reached the motel, I felt foolish for being so paranoid.

Back in the room, Adam and Raven were already waiting for us. Adam was pacing, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, while Raven leaned against the wall, her expression unreadable.

"You’re late," Adam said, though there wasn’t any real anger in his voice.

"Sorry," Charlie replied, tossing the blanket and empty food wrappers onto the bed. "Needed some air."

Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We’ve been talking about what Hermes said. It doesn’t make sense. If Iris and Boreas are out of commission, what’s stopping the rest of the Olympians from falling too?"

"That’s the million-dollar question," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Raven finally spoke, her tone sharp and clear. "It’s more than just the gods being cut off. It feels like something bigger is at play here—something none of us can see yet."

"Great," Charlie muttered, flopping onto the other bed. "More mysteries. Just what we need."

Adam stopped pacing, his gaze fixed on a map spread across the table. "We need to make a plan. If Boreas’s palace is across the border, that’s our best shot at getting answers. But we can’t go in blind."

"Agreed," Raven said. "We’ll need to be careful. If the gods are struggling, whatever’s causing it won’t hesitate to come after us too."

"Then it’s settled," I said, looking around at the others. "We head north tomorrow. Whatever’s waiting for us, we face it together."

No one argued. We all knew there was no turning back now.