All Is Fair In Love And War

Chapter 26

Jim flexed his fingers, absently staring off into the distance as Blinky prattled on to the trolls. Excalibur weighed heavy on his back. This... burden was getting to him. He hadn't really given it too much thought when Carter had first shown up, but now that he'd had time to process, he was beginning to realize just how far the world of magic extended. It was more than just wizards and trolls. It was gods and goddesses, beings of ancient power so terrifying the mere thought of them made your knees knock together. And with that, came the children of these primordial beings. Jim hadn't realized how... hard this was going to be.

"When Nimue told me to lead them, I didn't realize this was what she meant." Jim whispered to himself. On his back, Excalibur's gem pulsed like a heartbeat. Sometimes Jim wasn't so sure the sword wasn't sentient or something.

He pursed his lips, brain turning to the person suffering the most from this situation. Carter was... a complicated person. Jim had the good sense to know his sarcastic angry attitude was a defense mechanism. He was pretty sure he'd act that way if his siblings had been kidnapped. Well, pseudo-siblings at least. Jim shook his head, clearing his thought process from that particular track of emotions. He'd start crying if he thought about it for too long. He really loved his friends.

He sighed and leaned back against the rock. Carter needed their help. That much was obvious, even if the half-blood did tend to be more aloof about it. But besides that, learning of the existence of actual gods had come as a bit of a shock. Jim wondered for a moment what Carter had meant when he said, "My side of the cosmic shit-show". A poet if there ever was one. But... that got the Trollhunter thinking. If these gods existed... Did other gods exist too?

"Thinking?" Toby's voice broke him from his thoughts. The red-head sat next to him.

Jim gave him a sideways smile. "Always." Toby gave him a nod to continue. Jim sighed. "I'm just worried about... everything. I mean, this could go so wrong, so fast, Tobes."

Toby pursed his lips. "Yeah I know."

"And the only person capable of stopping the destruction of the world has been spiraling ever since Sarah and Marcy got taken."

"Jimbo," Toby said, voice slightly warning. "Play nice."

"It wasn't a jab, Toby." Jim shook his head. "It was an observation. I don't know if Carter can do this. At least not yet. He's vulnerable."

Toby gave him a look. "Well, that's why we do it together, right? Always together."

Jim laughed softly. "Yeah, you're right."

A few more people trickled into the room. Jim took notice that their entire team was there. The team, plus a few extra. The Order's children had been silently observing the dynamic of the Hunters for the last few hours.

Jim sucked in a breath and stood. "Guys?" He called, getting everyone's attention immediately. He steeled his nerves and walked towards his team. "I think it's time for a game plan."

"I quite agree." Archie said, seemingly forever perched on Fenris' back. "We do not want a repeat of... whatever the hell that was."

Douxie looked to Jim expectantly. "We're all ears."

Carter was looking at him, brown eyes burning with intensity. For a moment, Jim thought he might take the lead on coming up with a plan. But then something like respect flashed across his eyes, and he inclined his head towards him in a way that Jim could've sworn was a subtle bow. "Let's hear it."

*~*

"That's not going to work." Claire said, shaking her head. "From what we know, this guy is smart. And he has resources we don't know about."