Godhunter

Chapter 7

"Brahma"-Thor nodded slightly—"thanks for coming."

Humph. I knew a little about Brahma. Hindu God of Knowledge; four heads, four arms, red skin, thought himself into existence. He gave new meaning to the term I think therefore I am. I counted his head again. Yep; still only one and a measly two arms. I was a little disappointed.

"Of course."Brahma nodded back but then dismissed the Viking entirely and focused on me. "You have a human with you?"He pulled out a chair across from us and slid into it as he inspected me. "She has power too."He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and then shivered. "Delicious power."

Okay; that was creepy. I stiffened and looked around me; trying to find the nearest way out. I had no intentions of being this guy's next combo meal. I was keeping all of my energy, thank you. Before I could bolt, Thor's hand came off the chair and settled on my shoulder. He rubbed gently and then clamped down firmly. I was starting to worry about his so called protection.

"Remember; I gave you a blood oath,"he whispered. "You've nothing to fear when I'm with you."

"You gave her blood?"Brahma sat back as his dark eyes rounded. "Who is this woman?"

"She's the Godhunter,"Persephone piped up merrily.

"You?"Brahma leaned in again; turning his head from side to side as if he could catch some previously missed detail if he just got a better angle.

"I'm rather unremarkable no matter how you look at me,"I said.

I knew I was no great beauty. I'd call myself passing pretty if I had to label it; pretty enough to pass by without gagging. Sitting next to a goddess didn't help. Then there was that whole lack of muscles thing so I didn't even have the warrior babe look going for me. I told you; angry Poodle. Especially with my humidity-frizzed hair.

"I wouldn't say that,"Thor's whisper was so close to my ear that it tickled and made me jump at the same time.

Brahma laughed and leaned his face into one palm. "I wouldn't either. You don't have the perfection of a goddess but perfection can be tiring. Your looks are unique even for a human. I see a charming mix of ethnicity in your face."

"Yep; I'm a mutt."

"I'd wondered about your people."Thor looked down at me intently.

"I'm human."I smiled sweetly. "They're all my people."

Brahma chuckled. "Oh, I like her."

"You've already got your hands full, Brahma."Thor narrowed his eyes at the Hindu god. "Are you still cheating on Sarasvati?"

"I'm a god."Brahma drew himself up. "I must attend to my followers."

"I'm sure that your wife finds that comforting."Thor snorted.

"We've gotten off subject."Brahma spread his hands in a let's not fight gesture. "I'd still like to know which people you're descended from, Godhunter."

"Call me Vervain, or V if you prefer."I squirmed. Why were we talking about me? "I'm Irish, English, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Cherokee, and Blackfoot."

Thor's eyes widened. "All of those?"

"I like to think of myself as a preview of what the world will be like someday,"I said. "In the future, we'll all be so mixed up that there will be only one race; Human."

"Very noble."Brahma grunted. "But it will never happen. You people take too much pride in what separates you. Look at me for example."He waved a hand over himself. "Do you think that I was born this way? No. Humans are so egotistical that they want their gods to look like them. Man was made in God's image, my ass! Man made the Gods in their own image. It's why Christ appears to be a white man even though history says that he was Jewish. Actually, he's neither; he's Atlantean. But when Christ first became a god, he looked Jewish because those were the people he chose to align himself with. However, the Jews didn't want him, and when Christianity spread, the white people wanted Jesus to look more like them. With the change in belief, Christ's appearance changed. It was kinda funny. We used to tease him about how he looked whiter every time we saw him. 'My but you're looking awful white this morning,' we'd say."Brahma chuckled as I gaped at him. "Kind of like Michael Jackson, but that's a different story entirely. What I'm trying to say is; your pride in your differences is your people's greatest weakness. It's what the other gods use to their advantage. There will always be one race who thinks they're better than another."

"There's still hope for us."I didn't like the bizarre but truthful ring to his words. "I'm living proof."

"That you are."Thor played with the baby hairs around the nape of my neck, and it sent tingles over my scalp. "You're also the best mix of all of your ancestors. I like the blending of you."

"Ah; that's precisely what I was trying to say."Brahma smiled widely, showing off even white teeth.

"Well, aw shucks, boys."I smirked.

I wasn't entirely sure if they were just messing with me so I felt safer to go with my old standby sarcasm. Both of the "boys"seemed equally baffled and amused by my attitude, but we were once again interrupted by an arrival. This time, they just used the stairs.

A Native American couple strode in hand in hand. I guess Thor wanted to represent both types of Indians. Maybe it was because of my heritage, but I preferred them to Brahma instantly. The Hindu god was just a little too slick for my taste.

The man had on a crisp, white, dress shirt tucked into dark blue jeans which were in turn tucked into cowboy boots. His long, black hair was pulled back tightly in a ponytail that caught the light with blue shimmers. He had golden brown skin that practically glowed, high cheekbones, and a generous mouth. Almond shaped eyes, rimmed thickly in long lashes, glittered like chipped obsidian as they settled on us, and the man smiled.

"You found the Godhunter."He bowed slightly at the waist, and I was shocked to realize that he was bowing to me. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, little warrior. I'm Tsohanoai of the Navajos. This is my consort, Estsanatlehi."

The woman moved forward and with her came a warm breeze smelling of rain. She smiled and her long, black hair flowed around her hips in a sudden breeze. She was slightly darker than her husband, or maybe it was just that his skin was so bright that it made her look darker. Her cheekbones were just as high as his, but her lips were fuller and were a deep red as if she'd just gorged herself on blackberries. She was dressed as simply as Tsohanoai; in a cotton dress of light blue.

"I'm sorry that our son will not be joining us,"her voice was as sweet as her face, but there was an underlying strength to it. "Nayenezgani receives the prayers of the warriors before battle, and he believes that his power is only in war."

Tsohanoai came up behind Estsanatlehi and pulled out a chair. She sank into it gracefully; slipping her long hair over the back so she wouldn't sit on it. I was mesmerized and silently hoped that she would be the end of the beauty parade. I didn't think my ego could take much more.

"Nice to meet you both,"I stammered. What was the correct greeting for a god anyway? Where was Miss Manners when you needed her?

They smiled at me warmly, and Tsohanoai put his arm over the back of his consort's chair; mimicking Thor and I. The reminder of how intimate I must look with Thor made me wince and sit straighter. I could practically feel Thor frowning at my movement so I turned and looked over my shoulder… yep; big Viking frown. I think I preferred it to all the smiling he'd been doing anyway.

"Is this everyone?"I was still a little ticked off at being so out of the loop and having to blunder my way through all of the surprises.

These were beings who I hunted for the good of humanity; I didn't expect to be having tea with them, and I still wasn't convinced that they weren't all evil. The only thing that kept me from bolting was the power of Thor's blood. I could still feel it zipping through my body. I knew, deep down, that he'd made a real oath, and he wouldn't harm me. That didn't prevent others from attempting it, though.

"We're waiting on two more."Thor had a little crease between his eyes, and I was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "Ah, here they are."