Andrew woke to hear tiny voices whispering, and a soft, tiny leafy hand caressing his cheek.  He was soaked from head to toe in sweat - and it took a moment to realize he was resting in a bed, and was stripped to his underwear.  What the hell?   Where am I?  He thought for a moment, and slowly remembered - Billy.  Billy must have got him and Stephanie here.  Andrew looked over to his side, and saw Stephanie there asleep.  She too had been stripped, and was tucked under the covers next to him.   She seemed comfortable.

 

Come to think of it, I feel pretty good too!  Didn’t I get knifed?  Andrew looked at his shoulder where he’d been slashed, and it seemed Billy had bandaged it fairly well.  It stung a bit, but that was all.  Nice, Andrew thought. I’m not too thrilled that he stripped us - but it’s nice to know he can patch us up!   I wonder what the hell happened to us?

 

“Master Andrew?”  A soft, feminine voice asked.  “Are you all right, master?”  Andrew could tell by the tone that it was Petal, one of his wood-sprites; each one was unique.  

 

“Yeah, I’m okay, Petal.  How are you and the others - and how did you get out of the bag?”

 

“Were fine, master - just guarding you while you rest.  We should have told you symptoms to watch for – we’re very sorry.”  Petal looked distraught.   “Let me call the others.”   Petal flitted off, and within seconds all five wood-sprites were sitting next to, or on top of, Andrew. 

 

Thorn spoke first.  “Billy let us out of the bag - he needed us to guard you while he went to get food and more bandages.  He said he’d be back soon - and to take down anyone that came in that wasn’t him.  It seemed like good advice.”

 

Andrew nodded.  “What happened to Stephanie and I - that hot feverish thing that knocked us out?”

 

“It was you ichor awakening, master Andrew.”  Rose said.   “Gods are made entirely of ichor - the divine stuff that makes them gods.  Unlike them, master, you have a mortal body - but their ichor flows in your veins.  It responds to deeds of legend and renown, and grows stronger as you gain in strength and skill.  Eventually, should you survive, your ichor will eventually be so strong it will overcome your mortal body and you will rise to become a Demigod, not a Scion.”

 

Stump continued in his deep James earl Jones voice.  “What Rose means is that as you reach ummm.... plateaus of strength, your ichor becomes stronger.  You were sick because when your mom Danu visited you, the shock of her being around you resonated with your ichor and woke it up.   It just took a few days to really kick in.  Sorry.”

 

“So this is normal?”  Andrew asked

 

“Yeah.”  Stump replied.  “It’ll happen again, once or twice - when you become a Demigod, and then again later.  It’s like your body has a normal to superhuman switch, and yours just got flipped.  No one expected it to happen till you fought the wolf.”  Stump looked a little abashed, like he was in trouble.  “Are you mad with us for not telling you about this?  We didn’t know it would happen yet.”

 

“Nah.”  Andrew laughed.  “At least we’re not sick.”  He turned to look at Stephanie - and saw that Petal was helping Thistle braid Stephanie’s hair.  Thistle was doing a really good job of it...  “Is it safe to wake her, guys?”

 

“Should be.”  Said Rose.   “She’s not hurt - but she might be hungry.”

 

I’m hungry too...  No, I’m more than hungry.  Ravenous was a better term.  Andrew thought as he gently shook Stephanie.  “Wakey, wakey sleepyhead.”

 

Stephanie groaned as she slowly woke.  As she sat up, she pulled Thistle off balance and lifted her into the air on the end of the braid she had been weaving, giving Stephanie’s hair a yank.  “Owww!  Hey!”

 

“Sorry, Stephanie.”  Thistle said shyly.  “You said I could do your hair.”

 

“I did, I did - it just caught me by surprise, Thistle.   Why don’t you and Petal keep going once I get back from the bathroom?”   Stephanie turned to give Andrew a hug - and then realized where they were.  “Ummm...  How did we get here?  And why am I undressed?”

 

Andrew sighed.  “Billy got us here after we passed out – we’re in a hotel somewhere.  He’s the one who undressed us - I think it was because we were sweating so much, but I’m not sure.”  He watched Stephanie walk over to the bathroom, admiring her figure, such as it was.  “He’s out getting bandages and food – he’s supposed to be back soon.”

 

“Okay.   Hey!  Are you alright?  You got cut!”  Stephanie called from the bathroom.

 

“Yeah, actually.  Billy bandaged me right up.  It feels okay too.”  Andrew said.

 

“That’s not just Billy, Master Andrew.”  Thorn interjected.   “You have divine ichor in your blood.  It means that, for one thing, you will be highly resistant to disease, and heal at about four times the normal rate that a human being heals at.  There are other advantages as well - as long as you have some strength left, your wounds will seal - so you will never bleed out.  You can jump higher and farther than normal people, and will be in general incrementally better than everyone you meet.   Once your powers are fully bestowed upon you, you’ll become even stronger.”

 

“Is Thorn serious?”  Stephanie’s voice called from the bathroom.  “Thorn, are you serious?”

 

Thorn grinned.  “Yes, ma’am.  An experienced Scion is capable of taking on an entire elite special ops team and winning, if they are trained properly.  A demigod can change the world in ways that have to be seen to be believed - changes that can resonate forever, if they really try.   You both are in for a world of change, if you can survive your trials.”

 

Stephanie came out of the bathroom, and went to get dressed.  Ick, she thought. All my clothes are soaked with sweat.  I’ll get a new set from the suitcase.   She looked for the suitcases, and grabbed some jeans and a sweater, and began to get dressed.  “You gonna stay in bed all day, honey?”  She asked Andrew.

 

“Nope, getting up now.”  Andrew said, climbing out of bed and getting dressed.   “Does every Scion have to go on a trial like we’re doing?   Mom said she didn’t know if I was worthy - is that because of something I did, or another reason.  Is it because I’m fat and sick?”

 

“Too many questions at once, master Andrew!”  Rose scolded.  “I don’t know the mind of your mother, but no, most Scions don’t have a trial – they’re just met by their parents, and accepted into the family.  You two are both special cases.”  Rose explained.  “First, most Scions are visited when they’re between 16 and 20 years old.  You both are far past your prime, and you, Master Andrew are in poor health and rather unfit.  Your mother may be worried you will not survive the rigors of the responsibility she is hoping to bestow upon you.  If I had to guess, she may figure if you can’t survive the wolf Grayfang, then you would not have survived the life of a Scion.”

 

Petal continued, while helping Thistle with Stephanie’s hair.  “I’m sure your mother loves you very much, master Andrew.  Just be aware that Scions live in almost constant danger - from either humans that think they’re threats, like many governments do - to monsters that hunt young Scions for sport.  Just as you can gain in strength by doing acts of heroism and legend, the monsters can grow in power by performing acts of villainy and monstrousness.”

 

Just as the tree-sprites were about to continue, the bedroom door opened and Billy walked in.  The scent of hot food followed him like perfume, and in seconds both Stephanie’s and Andrews’s mouths were watering.   “Sup, boss?”  Billy asked

 

“Hey!” Steph called out.  “Thanks for getting us here, Billy.  Did you have any trouble?”

 

“Well, when the concierge saw blood on Andrews coat I had to tip him an extra 100$ to not call the police, but otherwise, it should be fine.  I took 500$ from your cash, and paid 250$ of it to the concierge, and bought 100$ of food and medical supplies.  You need the change back?”

 

“Nah - sounds like you figured about right.  How much is the room here?”  Steph asked.

 

“About 250$ a night in USD.  I could have found cheaper - but you both needed it.”  Billy put the food down on the table, and the medical supplies he tossed on the bed.  “You two hungry?”

 

“Hell, yeah!”  Andrew exclaimed.  “What did you get?”

 

“Schnitzel with potato salad, and Apple Strudel.  And I got a small pack of local sodas - I don’t know what they are - to wash it down.”

 

It sounded great.  Andrew came over and sat down to eat - followed momentarily by Stephanie.  Billy handed out the food - there were five take out packages of it - and sat down to eat with them.  The next little while passed in relative silence as food was shovelled into the two newbie adventurers.  Billy ate more sparingly - he was obviously not as hungry as Andrew and Stephanie.  

 

When the three were finished, Billy leaned back in his chair, and talked to Thorn.  “Hey Thorn!   How far did you guys get in telling them what’s going on?”

 

“About to the part where we talk about the war and the monsters.”  Thorn said.

 

Steph and Andrew sat up straight, in surprise.  “War!?”  They both asked.

 

“I got this part, Thorn.”  Billy said.  “Yeah.  The gods and the titans have been at war for, well forever.  The titans hate humanity, and want to destroy human civilization and start over.  The gods consider us humans as their children, and don’t want their creepy grandparents killing off their kids - so they fight.  A long time ago, the gods got the edge over the titans, and locked them in a magical prison dimension called Tarterus - but the titans are really, really strong - and the prison might not hold them forever.”  Billy explained.  “If the rumor is to be believed, the Valkyries are on high alert because they expect a jailbreak, or at least an attempt - and that means people will die.”

 

“But if they were locked away, how can there be a war?  There’s no one left to fight!”  Stephanie asked.

 

“I wish.”  Billy laughed.  “The gods may have locked the generals away, but the rank and file soldiers - the villains you see in horror movies - those guys keep trying to free their bosses - and if people like you and Andrew don’t stop them, one day they’ll succeed.  And then everything will be pretty much screwed.   The Aesir have a word for it - they call it Ragnarok.  Others call it the Apocalypse.  Every culture in the world pretty much as a name for it - but basically what it means is that there will be war in Heaven, and it can’t help but spill over onto the Earth.”

 

Andrew looked afraid.  “Jesus Christ!  Is there anything we can do?”

 

“Yeah.”  Billy said.  ‘You can stop saying that - he doesn’t like it, or so I hear - and you can hunt and kill monsters, hopefully before they hunt and kill you.”

 

“Is... is Jesus real?”  Stephanie asked.

 

“I don’t know for sure.”  Billy said.  “I’ve heard other spirits talk about him - but it’s not like he comes to Asgard very much.   If I had to guess I’d say pretty much every religion ever is real, or was at one point.  Even gods can die, you know.”

 

“No, I didn’t know.”  Stephanie looked troubled. If gods can die, is there any permanence to anything? She thought.

 

“Well, it doesn’t happen very often, nowadays.”  Billy said.  “But if the titans break out, it’ll be a disaster for everyone, gods included.  Part of what me, Thorn and the rest of the sprites are trying to do is get you up to speed so that you both can start taking part in the war, wherever you can.   They tend not to act in person on Earth - so Scions get to be their instruments on Earth.”

 

“What happens if a Scion doesn’t want to take part in the war?”  Andrew asked.  “I’m not saying I don’t - I don’t know what I want yet - but what if some kid says hell no, dad – I’m not doing it?”

 

Petal spoke up in her breathy voice.  “Well, master Andrew, if it was done when the Scions parent had visited him, the parent might see it as being disavowed and take their gifts back, and basically cast him out.   That means he would have little in the way of divine protection or backing, and certain monsters could corrupt him and turn him to the side of the enemies.  Some go into hiding, and some try to live normal lives - and usually fail.  Greatness finds Scions no matter what they attempt – it’s in their nature.  If he decided to abandon the war after several months or years, his fate would depend on his parent’s reaction.”

 

“Yeah - some parents don’t like their kids to be cowards, and some pretty much don’t care.”  Said Rose.  “It all depends.  Some parents would rather have their kids do nothing than get turned and work against them.  It all depends.  If you decided against the war, Master Andrew, I know your mom Danu would be disappointed, but as long as you tried to help people in your own way, she’d probably be okay with it.  Not happy - but she would accept it.”

 

“I take it Sif not so much?”  Stephanie asked Billy.

 

“No, not so much.  Sif is a goddess of fertility, and beauty - but she’s a mom who’s into tough love when needed.  I don’t think she’d strike you dead - but I don’t imagine you and she would get along well.  There’s also something you should know... now that you’ve been adopted into the family, Steph, you need to realize that the Aesir expect their children to be heroes who fight to the last breath - people who die of illness, disease, or in bed of old age, die what they call a straw death - a useless death - and go directly to Hel - the Norse version of Hell.  If you have to die, then die fighting, for your own sake.”

 

“Um... That blows.”  Stephanie said.

 

“Maybe, but that’s the way it is, boss.”  Billy said, getting up and tossing his food wrappers in the trash.  “So I guess the big question is do we stay here the night, or do we head out to Biederbach?  I asked the concierge and it’s about a two-hour drive from here - or about 200$ USD for a cab.  We’ve already paid for the room, so I guess it’s up to you.”

 

Andrew looked at the room - there were two smallish double beds - enough to sleep in, but not roomy.  “We could use the time to bone up on this stunting stuff Billy was talking about, Stephanie.  Plus the sprites and Billy could take a few hours and give us the basics of how to fight.  It might be a good idea to wait.”

 

Stephanie considered it as well.  It probably would be a good idea, she thought.  We have no idea how fast things are going to go into motion once we get to Biederbach.  Better to be prepared.  “Yeah, let’s wait.   A few hours or even a day or two of training would go a long way to helping us survive.”

 

“Fair enough, then.”  Said Billy.  “We’ll need to go to a park or a gym, and practice a bit of stretching - and then I can start training you how to fight.  Well also need to find you weapons.”

 

“And when you get back here,” Thorn said.  “We can teach you how to use your abilities, when you get them - and how to channel your energy to power those abilities.”

 

Billy smiled.  “I’d get ready for two or three days of hell, ladies and gentlemen.  We six intend to work you hard.”  The sprites chorused in agreement.

 

“What have we just agreed to?”  Thought Stephanie with a worried laugh.  “Oh my God.”