Part 3, Chapter 1
Part 3: Prove to Me that You're Divine
Chapter 1
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Judas waited at the bus stop, putting up a calm front he didn't feel. Leaving like he had, he'd burned bridges that he hadn't wanted to, but the alternative...the alternative was breaking a much more important promise.
In a few hours, I'll be gone. I'll go home, I'll pick up Fenrir, I'll disappear again. Despite what he'd said in his note, he knew damn well that there was next to no chance of rebuilding his life, not after a months-long disappearance, not when he could neither lie nor give a satisfactory explanation for where he'd been. He'd still go, if only so he could give closure to his friends and colleagues, and take his dog with him. Abba had, thankfully, left him enough scars to tell a partial truth, pretend he didn't remember details, and let others draw their own conclusions, so closure was something he could give. Assuming anyone actually wanted it.
He leaned back, closing his eyes and squelching this newest layer of pain and guilt down as far as he could. I'm so sorry...
"Hello, Judas."
He jumped and looked up, spotting a familiar dark-haired, blue-eyed man. "Hermes!" he said, smiling despite himself. "It's been..."
"Too long," Hermes said, grinning back and offering a hug. Judas accepted, warmly.
"What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were back in Athens."
"I was, until a few days ago," Hermes said, joining Judas on the bench. "How have you been?"
"I...get by," Judas hedged. "What about you, and the others?"
"I'm good. Hathor, too. We had coffee together the other day, she sends her love. Loki I haven't heard from since...well, Prague." Hermes smiled sheepishly. "Plus, I figure you'd know better than me, yeah?"
"I suppose," Judas said. "What about Kali?"
Hermes winced a little. "That's...actually why I came looking for you."
He tensed. "Did something happen?"
"Not yet," he said. "Kali called a meeting. Tomorrow night."
Judas blinked. "Of us? Why?"
Hermes shook his head. "No, not us. Hathor didn't know anything about it when we talked, and as for Loki...well, given how that ended..."
Judas winced. "I remember."
"We all remember."
"So...what meeting, then? Of whom?"
"Baldur will be there, obviously," Hermes said. "I heard rumors about Baron Samedi and Zao Shen. Mercury will be there, so I'm staying the hell away. Things get...weird, when we're in the same room."
"I remember." He bit his lip. "So...a global meeting. How's she pulling that off?"
"It's about your Apocalypse," he said, as gently as possible.
"...oh."
"Look, Judas...I don't blame you for our downfall." Hermes smiled. "None of us do, not even Kali. Like Loki always said, your own pantheon doesn't want anything to do with you. I've never regretted listening to him about you. None of it's your fault."
Judas could hardly agree with that, so he just looked away.
"But...Kali's angry, and I think a little scared, and when push comes to shove..."
"She destroys things."
"She is the Destroyer," Hermes agreed. "She likes you--maybe not as much as the rest of us do, but she does. As much as she likes anything that isn't either bloody or on fire and at her mercy, anyway. But if you end up anywhere near that meeting..."
"She'll crush me," Judas finished for him. "You're...sure Loki won't be there?"
Hermes shrugged. "I'm not sure of anything, at this point, other than when and where and what it's about. So...stay out of Indiana for the next couple days, okay?"
"Where in Indiana?"
The god stared at him. "Seriously, Judas, get as far away from there as you can. I can take you to Arcadia, if you want--you always liked Arcadia."
Judas forced a little smile. "Hermes, if Kali wants me there, she'll find a way to bend chance and make it happen. Where in Indiana? If I know..."
"You can avoid her traps." He sighed. "Muncie."
"Muncie," Judas repeated.
"I mean it. Let me take you to Arcadia. Or Samos, or Crete, or...just...far away from her."
"You're kind to worry about me, but I can handle myself. You all taught me well."
Hermes sighed, and shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid, please?"
He smiled again. "I was always the smart one."
"Yeah." Hermes hugged him again. "Take care of yourself, okay? I still owe you and Loki for Prague. I don't forget debts, whether I owe them or own them."
Judas hugged back. "You, too, my friend."
Hermes was gone in an instant, and Judas slumped a little, giving up on his mask of casual calm.
This was bad. This was bad. He needed to get there, and that meant...
The bridges he'd burned, the promise he'd made, none of that mattered now.
As fast as he could, he slipped out of the bus station, practically running all the way back to Bobby Singer's house.
Previous: Part 2, Chapter 6 Next: Part 3, Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Judas waited at the bus stop, putting up a calm front he didn't feel. Leaving like he had, he'd burned bridges that he hadn't wanted to, but the alternative...the alternative was breaking a much more important promise.
In a few hours, I'll be gone. I'll go home, I'll pick up Fenrir, I'll disappear again. Despite what he'd said in his note, he knew damn well that there was next to no chance of rebuilding his life, not after a months-long disappearance, not when he could neither lie nor give a satisfactory explanation for where he'd been. He'd still go, if only so he could give closure to his friends and colleagues, and take his dog with him. Abba had, thankfully, left him enough scars to tell a partial truth, pretend he didn't remember details, and let others draw their own conclusions, so closure was something he could give. Assuming anyone actually wanted it.
He leaned back, closing his eyes and squelching this newest layer of pain and guilt down as far as he could. I'm so sorry...
"Hello, Judas."
He jumped and looked up, spotting a familiar dark-haired, blue-eyed man. "Hermes!" he said, smiling despite himself. "It's been..."
"Too long," Hermes said, grinning back and offering a hug. Judas accepted, warmly.
"What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were back in Athens."
"I was, until a few days ago," Hermes said, joining Judas on the bench. "How have you been?"
"I...get by," Judas hedged. "What about you, and the others?"
"I'm good. Hathor, too. We had coffee together the other day, she sends her love. Loki I haven't heard from since...well, Prague." Hermes smiled sheepishly. "Plus, I figure you'd know better than me, yeah?"
"I suppose," Judas said. "What about Kali?"
Hermes winced a little. "That's...actually why I came looking for you."
He tensed. "Did something happen?"
"Not yet," he said. "Kali called a meeting. Tomorrow night."
Judas blinked. "Of us? Why?"
Hermes shook his head. "No, not us. Hathor didn't know anything about it when we talked, and as for Loki...well, given how that ended..."
Judas winced. "I remember."
"We all remember."
"So...what meeting, then? Of whom?"
"Baldur will be there, obviously," Hermes said. "I heard rumors about Baron Samedi and Zao Shen. Mercury will be there, so I'm staying the hell away. Things get...weird, when we're in the same room."
"I remember." He bit his lip. "So...a global meeting. How's she pulling that off?"
"It's about your Apocalypse," he said, as gently as possible.
"...oh."
"Look, Judas...I don't blame you for our downfall." Hermes smiled. "None of us do, not even Kali. Like Loki always said, your own pantheon doesn't want anything to do with you. I've never regretted listening to him about you. None of it's your fault."
Judas could hardly agree with that, so he just looked away.
"But...Kali's angry, and I think a little scared, and when push comes to shove..."
"She destroys things."
"She is the Destroyer," Hermes agreed. "She likes you--maybe not as much as the rest of us do, but she does. As much as she likes anything that isn't either bloody or on fire and at her mercy, anyway. But if you end up anywhere near that meeting..."
"She'll crush me," Judas finished for him. "You're...sure Loki won't be there?"
Hermes shrugged. "I'm not sure of anything, at this point, other than when and where and what it's about. So...stay out of Indiana for the next couple days, okay?"
"Where in Indiana?"
The god stared at him. "Seriously, Judas, get as far away from there as you can. I can take you to Arcadia, if you want--you always liked Arcadia."
Judas forced a little smile. "Hermes, if Kali wants me there, she'll find a way to bend chance and make it happen. Where in Indiana? If I know..."
"You can avoid her traps." He sighed. "Muncie."
"Muncie," Judas repeated.
"I mean it. Let me take you to Arcadia. Or Samos, or Crete, or...just...far away from her."
"You're kind to worry about me, but I can handle myself. You all taught me well."
Hermes sighed, and shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid, please?"
He smiled again. "I was always the smart one."
"Yeah." Hermes hugged him again. "Take care of yourself, okay? I still owe you and Loki for Prague. I don't forget debts, whether I owe them or own them."
Judas hugged back. "You, too, my friend."
Hermes was gone in an instant, and Judas slumped a little, giving up on his mask of casual calm.
This was bad. This was bad. He needed to get there, and that meant...
The bridges he'd burned, the promise he'd made, none of that mattered now.
As fast as he could, he slipped out of the bus station, practically running all the way back to Bobby Singer's house.
Previous: Part 2, Chapter 6 Next: Part 3, Chapter 2