Chapter 7
Freya
I walked blindly into... a wooden wall? I ran my hand up and down until eventually knocked. Was this how the key was supposed to work?
"Hey!"
There was nowhere else for me to go I couldn't go back. I banged on the door again until my rage built up inside of me. In one quick jab to the door it came flying off its hinges,"Patience was never your forte was it? I was coming".
I walked over the door and onto a large stone balcony. Jace sat with his back to me over looking when I can only imagine was his palace. The palace stood proudly high upon a lush green hill overlooking the a grey blue river, it's many pointed towers gave it the look of an eccentric crown. The sculptures in front of the palace had been made long ago by masters of the craft. They were set on pedestals amid the water of the fountains and the perfectly manicured hedges that looked like different animals. Somehow the song saying to only touch the property leaving everything else in an ugly mixture of Grey, black and white.
"It looks like you're doing a lot of sitting", I said coming up behind him. Jace sat at a beautifully set, golden plated, white linen table sipping on a flute of champagne. The chair he sat in was carved of a fine oak, crested with several jewels and decorative metals forming an elegant coat of arms. Came up beside him to see someone clearly had a rough night or day? Jace's hair hung low and unkept, physically he looked perfect but his eyes told a different story. He was shirtless in leather pants slouched,"What happened to you?"
"Marriage", he said Downing the rest of his champagne only for the cup to automatically refill on its own.
"You're married?"
"It's a long story, I was young, she was beautiful. Not the best foundation for lifelong partner for all eternity", he sighed and took another flute shot of his endless glass.
"Maybe you and Hephaestus should talk; I don't think he's very happy with Aphrodite".
Jace stood up and stretched with a grin he simply stated,"Noted. As much as I love about talking about my younger self indiscretions that's not why you came here. What's happening up there?"
"Same shit different day. I need to use my last favor".
"That was quick. Has it even been a day", he laughed.
"I know it's hilarious how helpless I am. I know there are shortcuts around this whole godkiller thing. Poseidon wasn't just doing what he was doing to me for shits and giggles. I don't have years or months to spend training to be this badass warrior who can hold their own. I need that now", I blurred out.
"Let me get this right, you want power?"
"Yes, but like Superman. You get it?" I asked.
"No", Jace said somewhat confused. It was almost as if he were looking for the answer somewhere in the ground.
"You know who Superman is right? Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! I want to do that but modern. I want neck snapping, 'lets fight the Batman'---no one wants that; nevermind", I was just talking for talking's sake now.
"I'm confused".
"So, am I", I rubbed the temples in my head,"I want to be the Achilles of God-Killer without the elbow stuff".
"I believe it was his heel", Jace corrected.
"You get what I'm saying though. Imma need all of them skills now".
"You're going to have to be more specific", he stated.
"You know make me everything I could have been if I had years of training. Umm I don't really know any of the greats. Shazam me", Jace shook his head with wise not knowing what I was saying.
"I didn't know you were so into... cartoons?"
"Comics. My God you're showing your age. If we live through this, movie night. DC then Marvel, then Scott Pilgrim versus the---. Wait a second I'm getting off track. Make me more powerful than Zeus, more threatening than Poseidon, smarter than..."
"You got this", he smiled.
"Is it Apollo?"
"O so close, its Athena", he corrected.
"And throw in some Nike action".
"Okay, I could do that I can give you a whole concoction that would make you basically a god".
I clapped my hands," Awesome, let's do this".
"It would be extremely painful if I just snap my fingers and made you into this otherworldly being", not a fan of that.
"Am I about to hear a but?"
"But, if you gave me more than two seconds I think I could help you".
"I'll allow it", I nodded.
"How do you feel about being set on fire?"
"Like emotionally?" I said reaching for that flute of champagne. I took a quick swig.
"Literally set on fire. For those that survived it, the Flames of the underworld can give you supernatural abilities".
"Let's spit balls some other ideas. What if I get dunked into the river or something like a baptism?" I suggested.
"Beggars can't be choosers", he reminded me.
"This is supposed to be my forgive me wish. Can you make it happen or not?"
Jace threatened his fingers as if he were throwing out a Hail Mary,"Can you give me a month?"
"Does it look like I have a month? The population down here is about to quadruple", I stated.
" I don't think the world's going to end in a month. Okay how about a week and a half?"
"It's not ideal but I'll work with it", I confessed.
Jace took the champagne flute from me and snapped his hands cause a attorney explosion to poof up through the glass and turn the golden liquid into a solid black," Bottoms up".
He held the glass back out to me. I couldn't place the tardy, bitter charcoal smell,"And you swear this is going to do everything I want. And not have to pay for it with your life blood or some other God awful thing that I'm going to regret in the future".
"This is me repairing our relationship Freya. Give it a week and a half, and you'll be all those things and more".
I pinched my nose and guzzled down the thick liquid that made me want to puke. I reluctantly finish the entire glass. With a violent shutter I gave the glass back and asked,"All right, when is this bad boy going to start working".
"Hold on, Alice. You'll know when it's working", Jace said with a tight smile.
"Okay, I'm feeling kind of confident about this. You know other than the horrible taste. This is way better than getting set on fire", was Jace always that tall or was I... "O no".
"O yes", Jace said becoming a giant is every part of me became smaller my voice became younger until eventually all semblance of real thought left my head.
