Chapter 43

"So, tell me about the real Thor."
We were at a corner table in Peppino's; an Italian restaurant with great food made by a real Sicilian mama. Sigh.
"You know the real Thor."He got that little wrinkle going between his brows.
"No, I know myths, and I have a sense about the kind of man you are."I paused to smile at him. "But I don't know about you. Like for instance; where were you born?"
"Atlantis,"he lowered his voice and glanced around the crowded restaurant. It was a little hole in the wall, and we were pretty close to other diners.
"Oh."I blinked. "You're one of the originals."
"I was a young man at the time of the diaspora."His stare went distant. "It was frightening. The world I knew had fallen apart, and my family was forced to find a new home amid a culture we knew little about. Up until that point, we had nothing to do with the people who lived on the other continents."
"What happened?"I was completely engrossed. Here was my chance to hear about a historical event from someone who'd actually been there. I'd never even considered the Gods as sources for factual history. "I've read about the fall of Atlantis in Ku's book, but it wasn't very descriptive; more of a bland recounting. Tell me what it was like."
"The High Council."His lips twisted as he focused back on me. "Twenty men and women, our brightest minds and most talented magic wielders, ruled Atlantis. They were brilliant, but maybe that was their downfall. Ever unsatisfied, they constantly experimented with powers that should have been left alone."
His hand shook a little as he reached for his beer. He took a hefty swallow and when he replaced it on the table, I took his hand. The haunted look in his eyes eased up a bit but it lingered. I was starting to feel bad for asking.
"I don't know what they did exactly,"he continued. "As I said, I was just a young man and not privy to the decisions of the High Twenty. I just remember my father's face when he came for me. I'd never seen him scared before. His fear terrified me the most. More than the earthquakes or the blue flames that engulfed the Council Temple."
"You don't have to tell me any more."I rubbed his hand. "I didn't mean to bring back such horrible memories."
"It's fine, I want you to hear about this,"he said. "My mother had already passed away and part of me was grateful she didn't live to see Atlantis fall. But I remember Frigg, my father's second wife, holding Balder so tightly that he cried out for me to take him. I had to wrench him from her arms."
"Balder is your brother?"I asked gently.
"Yes, he was two-years-old at the time."His other hand fisted on the table. "We made it to our boat and took as many people with us as we could. Teharon was there, and Horus with his parents, but I don't remember who else. It was so long ago."
"So, the three of you have been friends since then?"
"Yeah."He gave me a half grin. "That was before Horus gained the power to shift. He was just a wild teenager then."Thor's smile faded as he went on, "I don't think he ever fully recovered from the horror of it. You know, he really is a good man. I hope you don't hold his haughtiness against him. I think it's his way of protecting himself. He lost three sisters and his first love along with them that day. Now, it's especially hard for him to get close to women."
"I can understand that,"I said gently.
Horus kinda made sense now.
"You've been good for him, I think. You ruffle his feathers like Pan does."Thor squeezed my hand before resuming his story, "Anyway, we made it to the new continent and stood on the shore to watch as Atlantis crumbled into the ocean; lighting the night with blue fire."
"How many of you made it?"
"Not a lot."He looked away. "Less than a thousand out of hundreds of thousands."
"Then you just left?"
"We had managed to salvage a few things,"he said. "We made camp on the beach, took stock of our supplies, and planned our next move."
"Very sensible."I smiled; thinking that was just like Thor.
"Yes."Thor made a self-mocking sniff. "We were all very sensible back then. We knew that the humans inhabiting the other continents were inferior to us in both intelligence and magical talent."
"So, you decided to become their Gods?"I raised a brow.
"No, that was never the plan."He glanced over as Claudio, the owner/waiter, trudged by, yelling back at his mother in the kitchen. He waited a moment and then continued. "We planned on simply ruling them. No one suspected what their magic would do to us, what their adoration would change. Your people made mine Gods. We found our divinity—our immortality—through you."
"Well, I happen to know that already, but it's nice to hear you acknowledge it."I winked; trying to lighten his mood.
Thor rewarded me with a grin. "My father took us North; where it was cold but very beautiful. The harsh conditions bred strong men, and we inherited their strength. It was a good decision. Eventually, we gained enough power to build the God Realm, but it took us all working together to accomplish it."
"Is Balder your only brother? I thought I'd read that you had more siblings,"I mused.
"Odin's called the Allfather and so people got confused. There are a few gods whom humans say are his sons when they aren't, but Dad was married a couple of times after Mom died. I have two more brothers; Vali and Vidar,"Thor said.
"Good for him."I swallowed past a strange lump in my throat and ignored the shiver that coasted down my spine. I cleared my throat and continued, "It's nice that your father was able to find love again."The words seemed to pour cold water all over Thor's improved mood. "What did I say?"
"No, it's nothing."He smiled, but it was bitter. "It's just that his last wife was human and when she died, it nearly killed him. It was worse than when he lost Mom. He's let it turn him bitter. It's very difficult to be around him now. Only Balder visits anymore. Vali's disappeared into his beloved forest and no one knows where Vidar is. Sabine's death has destroyed my family. The only time I see Father anymore is at Yule."
"And yet, here you sit, on a date with a human."I felt that lump in my throat constrict harder. I guess it was my intuition; warning me that Odin had failed in the same way I knew I'd fail with his son. "Are you sure you want to make the same mistake your father did?"
"There's more to the story than I can tell you now."Thor kissed my hand. "Just know that it could be very different for us."
"It will be different."I took a deep breath and lifted my glass.
Thor's eyes widened, but he lifted his glass to mine and clicked it with a smile. I just didn't mention that I knew it would be different because I wasn't going to stay with him. This may not be a one night stand, but it wasn't going to be a lifetime commitment either. I'd just have to deal with that bridge when I reached it.
"You change your tune fast,"Thor said after he swallowed.
"Maybe it was my brush with death,"I offered.
"Whatever it was, I'm glad for it."
"Me too."I smiled past the knot of anxiety my thoughts were tying. "Now, eat your pasta, I want to go for a walk on the beach."
"Yes ma'am!"Thor started eating with gusto.