Chapter 14

Ephus - A demigod possessing the power to repower the gods
Quinn Markov - human wife of Ephus
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Odin - War god, main god of the Norse gods
Frigg - Wife of Odin, promoter of marriage and fertility
Freya - a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr.
Thor - a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of mankind, hallowing, and fertility- son of Odin
Loki - a mischievous god who can shape-shift and can take up animalistic forms.
Vali - son of the god Odin, the god of eternal light
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Egyptian Deities

Bast - Goddess of cats, protection, joy, dance, music, family, and love
Serket - Goddess of scorpions, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites
Thoth - God of knowledge
Sekhmet- Goddess of fire, war, and dance
Hathor - Goddess of the sky, dance, love, beauty, joy, motherhood, foreign lands, mining, music and fertility.
Maat - Goddess of Truth and Justice
Tefnut - Goddess of Rain, Air, Moisture, Weather, Dew, Fertility, and Water
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Greek Deities

Hera - Queen of the Greek gods, sister and wife of Zeus
Aphrodite - Daughter of Zeus and Dione, Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality
Artemis - Daughter of Zeus and Leto, goddess of the hunt, the moon, and chastity
Athena - Daughter of Zeus and Metis, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Enyo - Daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of war and destruction, sister of Ares
Eris - Daughter of Zeus and Hera, sister of Ares - minor goddess of discord and strife
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Titans

Cronus - The King of the Titan, and the god of destructive time--time which devours all.
Iapetus - The Titan god of mortality and the allotment of the mortal lifespan.
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Bast looked suspiciously at her brother, it wasn’t like him not to have a come back to her, after one of her burrs. She walked up to stare into his eyes, trying to see if he was all there. Seeing nothing wrong, she looked at Serket, who nodded, then moved to Thoth.

She started to move around him with her hands out feeling all of him.

Thoth’s eyes opened wide, “what are you doing?” He asked.

“As your sisters, we are worried something is wrong with you,” Serket said.

Thoth could only shake his head as he stared first at Bast, then Serket. What in th hell was their problem now?

As both his sisters moved around him examining him, he again thought that they were only using a trick on him. Narrowing his eyes at them, he was going through all that he knew to figure out what they were up to.

He watched even closer as Serket’s power started to make him itch. Damn if she wasn’t going far deeper than he’d ever felt her go.

“Enough!” Thoth shouted, Serket’s power was now starting to become annoying. “Still, I don’t know what the two of you are up to.”

“You aren’t acting as you usually do. Never have you not had something to say after I insulted you. We are both afraid that something has happened to you,” Bast said.

Clarity then came to Thoth’s eyes, “You might say that I have actually learned something. My brother has suggested that I listen more. I have seen more than just merit from it,” Thoth said.

Both Bast and Serket looked at each other with their mouths hanging open.

“Perhaps,” started Bast, “it truly was a new era when I discovered our Ephus.”

Both Thoth and Serket could only nod their agreement.

Odin, Thor, Freya, Frigg, Vali and the now numbering twenty Valkyries were gathered around Ephus. Odin was shaking his head in disbelief, though that was all he was doing. The wrath of his wife and Freya was something he had no desire to face again.

Odin moved to Thor, whispering, “for as powerful as he is, you’d think he’d not succumb.”

“I can still hear you husband, after saving Gungnir, going into the past, powering us up, you still don’t believe. I might take a few of the suggestions to deny you everything!” Frigg growled at her husband.

“We both doubt that you could do as much. Remember HE gave you back your power, plus several others,” Freya said.

A moment later, both Goddesses started to growl at Odin, then to his shock, so did Thor and Vali.

“As long as I have been guarding our realm, you know I trust no one. Even with all that he has done in the other realms, I can not trust him. Though the return of Gungnir has helped, I need more,” Odin said in his defense.

Ephus sat there a moment trying to think of something to change his mind. Ephus arose, snapping his fingers and walking to Odin.

“If I was not trustworthy, then I would have done this long before now,” Ephus said as he started to lay a hand on Odin’s shoulder. Gungnir started to move between the two, then backed up. Almost immediately, Odin gasped, then fell to the floor.

A scream issued from Odin’s lips as he gasped out hard, from an unknown feeling, pain, massive pain. “Now if I wanted to take this realm? You would already be no more,” Ephus said.

Ephus could see that all there were extremely tense. Gungnir was begging him in his mind to restore Odin.

Ephus went to a knee by Odin, “as I said that is if I wanted this realm, I do not. I know not what more I can do to prove this. Here enough, I think you can see what my point was,” Ephus said, touching Odin’s shoulder again.

Odin drew in a deep breath, then sat up with a look of pure hatred.

Ephus shook his head looking at Freya and Frigg. “I am sorry that you came to me with a leader like this one.” Ephus bowed to all the Valkyries, the Freya and Frigg. “I can not and will not go against ther leader of the realm.” Here Ephus turned a sad face toward Odin, “may those I freed find another realm to live in.”

Both Freya and Frigg rushed to Ephus, “Please, Ephus, we need you here, Loki still has far more power than we can defeat,” both said.

Ephus sadly shook his head, “I can do no more. I can not help nor stay where I am not wanted,” kissing both Goddesses, he vanished.

Twenty-four sets of eyes turned slowly to stare at Odin. “Good, he is gone, now, I can set out to retake the realm.” The same twenty-four sets of eyes then stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“You know what? Have fun, father. This is a battle neither Vali nor I wish to participate in. Betrayal does not sit well with either of us,” Thor said with an agreeing Vali, then they both vanished.

“I and the Valkyries will also not betray he who saved us,” Freya said as she and the twenty Valkyries vanished.

A deep sigh sounded behind Odin. “I have seen you stubborn before this? It is by far the most un-godlike thing you have ever done. I will not help you to lose what of the realm we have regained. I will be here after you are beaten, though I will not fight with you,” Frigg said, as a chair appeared on which she sat to glare at him.

“Frigg, you have to understand,” Odin started, ‘til Frigg held up a hand.

“No, I do not wish to hear you make another fool of yourself. Now, go since you think you can do this alone as no one is going to help you,” Frigg growled.

Odin’s mouth dropped open, not believing that everyone had left him.

Ephus appeared outside his home, his anger far greater than he’d thought it was.

Within moments, Ephus felt quite a few amounts of godly power approaching him. A moment later, Thoth, Bast and Serket appeared. Even more surprising was when his Greek Goddess’s wife appeared.

First was Aphrodite, then Athena, Artemis, then Enyo. All six females were quite pregnant, each had a weapon and appeared to be furious.

Ephus sighed. He forgot just how attuned to him they were. He then started to feel quite a few gods as they were rushing to him. All is well, my brothers, besides, I have six of your sisters here. Ephus thought and was shocked when his other Egyptian goddess wives appeared.

First was Sekhmet, then Hathor. Followed by Maat and Tefnut, like the others, they were all very pregnant. Make that all ten of them. He felt the male Gods retreat, though the females were not that easily swayed.

Ephus was still trying to convince them that all was well when an almost full-term Eris appeared. She stumbled towards Ephus, breathing hard.

“I didn’t want you out there so close to your time,” A concerned Ephus said.

“Mast---, husband,” Eris said with a lowered head. “I do not want to fail you, on what I have gained and the little one,” here she indicated her swollen belly.

Eris touched Ephus’ head, letting all that she’d seen and heard flow to him. “Thank you,” he said, then turned to Serket. “Serket, please help her. I know hardly any of you trust her. Trust me ok? Please help her.”

Serket looked at Eris, a look of hate on her face that melted when she looked at Ephus. “I will do everything I can,” Serket started when another huge god power appeared.

Hera looked around seeing her daughter Eris in distress. “I believe that you will need help,” Hera told a shocked Serket. All the other Goddesses’ eyes were wide as Serket nodded to Hera as they both nodded to Ephus and vanished.

All his other wives moved to comfort him as concern dominated his features. “I do not remember any of you having this much trouble,” a worried Ephus said.

She will be fine, several of his Egyptian and Greek Goddess’ wives said.

It was therefore the scene that Odin was confronted with when he appeared outside. Odin’s eyes were large as he felt at least eleven fully powered god powers. Then there was what felt like two extremely powerful demigods.