Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

The True Enemy

        Oliver sits in the dining hall, fiddling with Caduceus in his lap. He rubs the all too familiar handle as he looks around the small room anxiously. The walls are made of the same smooth wood as the rest of the ship, while the floor is made of pale tiles. Two round tables sit on either side of the entrance, with four chairs tucked under each. The third table that Oliver is sitting at is long and rectangular, with half a dozen chairs on either side. It's made of dark, solid-looking wood, while the others are the same colour as the walls.

"Stop freaking out, she'll be here soon," Marcus sighs, leaning his chin in his hand. He emerged from Melody's room just over twenty minutes ago, promising that she would meet them soon. But as the minutes drag on, Oliver can't help but squirm in the presence of his former enemy. The way he always squints his eyes makes it seem like he's angry at everything around him.

"Y-You're sure she's not mad anymore?" Oliver mutters, half to himself. Marcus nods, leaning into his high-backed chair.

"I didn't say she's not mad. I said we talked. At the very least, you don't have to worry about us always snapping at each other." He half turns to the side, staring into the corner blankly. "Probably."

"Probably?" Oliver echoes with a gulp. "But she said she's coming?"

"Do you want to go get her? As far as I know, she wasn't upset with you." Oliver tenses, sinking lower in his seat. He's more than halfway under the table by now, and if he leaned forward, he could rest his nose on the edge. He sits in silence, rubbing his thumb up and down Caduceus to calm himself down. Another three minutes pass before he can't take the silence.

"...B-but you're sure she's not mad at you?" He squeaks. Marcus groans, dropping his head down on the table with a thump.

Before he can reply, the door creaks open, and Melody slips through. She's wearing a fresh green dress with frills at the bottom, a black leather jacket, and her usual combat boots. Oliver looks down at himself, still wearing the same clothes he has been for the last three days. Suddenly he feels greasy and dirty, making him wiggle in his seat even more. Melody walks across the room, pauses next to Marcus, and moves a few chairs away before sitting down. Marcus offers her a quick nod, which she returns silently.

"So, what's the plan?" She says bluntly. "What did you want to talk about?" She clarifies when Oliver doesn't answer. He picks himself up, craning his neck to try to look official.

"We need to talk about the Jade Palace," he says as clearly as he can. "And what we're going to do about them."

"That's the Pantheon Li Jing belongs to, isn't it?" Melody says, leaning forward on her elbows. "You mentioned the Jade Emperor too. Is that their head god?" Oliver nods, his head involuntarily retreating into his shoulders.

"In a sense, yeah. If Li Jing was sent to take the treaty from us, then the Jade Emperor ordered it. He's the only one Li Jing serves."

"Alright, we know who we're up against," Marcus says, crossing his arms. "But the real question is why? If they know about what you're doing, why would they want to stop us?" Melody nods in agreement, turning to Oliver for the answer.

"I only studied the Ennead, the Aesir, and the Grecian gods. I was just about to start researching the Kami before we left." She explains. "But you know about the Jade Emperor, right?"

"I-I know what the original Hermes did," Oliver explains, glancing under the table at his staff. The snake heads stare back, letting off a gentle glow. "The Jade Emperor is like Ra. He's never taken on an apprentice, and probably never will. As far as I know, they're the only two gods that are actually immortal. Ra because he's the sun, and the Jade Emperor because of how big a role immortality plays in Taoist belief."