The next morning, Ana had bathed Epona to clean her in the waters near the forest, and had left her sleeping in the improvised tent, now with clean sheets.
The Irish goddess went to speak with Odin, who was already awake and sitting on the bed. The god was dressed in a large wide-brimmed hat and a dark robe, which made Ana think he looked very similar to Myrddin.
“I would like to personally thank you for supporting my children in their journey through these lands to find me,” said the god with such a calm and soothing voice that Ana felt a sense of relief for a moment.
“Unfortunately, things did not turn out well, because of what happened to your son,” Ana replied apologetically.
“Thor made a decision and placed his faith in you, so, as painful as it may be, I will accept his sacrifice as an act of courage and faith for the future,” Odin responded, though a trace of melancholy could be seen in his eyes.
A silence followed. Ana wanted to ask him about the art of bringing the dead back to life and about what was happening to Epona, but Odin spoke first.
“Freyja told me what happened to your friend,” the god finally said.
“I… she seems disturbed. I have never seen her like this,” Ana replied. “It’s as if she experienced something she was never meant to experience.”
“Freyja also told me that she spoke to you about my ability to retrieve souls from Hel, or as you call it, Sheol,” the wise god continued.
“Yes, in fact, I thought you had brought my friend back to life,” Ana answered, embarrassed.
“No, unfortunately I could not. However, it is possible that I could not do it here because of the barrier. Your friend resurrected on her own—something I have never witnessed in all my thousands of years,” Odin replied.
“Epona… resurrected herself?” Ana asked.
“So it seems. However, there is something you must understand, young one,” Odin continued, standing up.
The god was very tall, much taller than Anpiel. He was likely over two meters in height.
With his hands behind his back, the god began to speak about his son Balder. Ana understood that those memories caused him great pain, even more now that he had also lost Thor.
“When Loki killed my son Balder, I was not near him,” the Norse god continued. “However, when I stood before his corpse, I did what any father would do—I tried to bring him back to life, even though hours had already passed since his death.”
“And did Balder return like my friend?” Ana asked nervously.
“No. My son returned to life, but he had no consciousness. His heart was beating, but his mind had been destroyed—it was as if he were an empty shell,” Odin said. “His mother and I then decided to turn him into an idol rather than keep him in such a pitiful state.”
Ana remained thoughtful for a moment.
“Young one,” Odin continued, “no one truly knows what happens when we die. Our souls are separated from our bodies and stored in Hel, or Sheol, or Hell—whatever you wish to call it. Both humans and gods follow the same laws of existence.”
“I know,” Ana said.
“If the soul so desires, it can become an idol and be carried by its loved ones. But what happens to its consciousness is something no one understands,” Odin explained.
“Are you telling me that Epona came back only seconds before her consciousness was destroyed by something she saw in the afterlife?” Ana asked.
“Once in my life, I heard of a man—human, to be precise—who nearly died. He claimed he saw a monstrous creature on the other side. However, his sanity never recovered afterward. I believe your friend saw the same thing,” Odin concluded.
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“A creature? Yes… she mentioned something that was speaking to her, but I could not hear anything,” Ana said, worried.
“When I return to Asgard, I will drink from Mimir’s well to seek a cure for your friend’s condition. But in the meantime, I advise you not to leave her side and to support her in whatever she needs,” Odin said as he looked at the sunrise from the entrance of the tent.
“I think I will go see my friend now. Thank you for everything,” Ana said with a bow as she prepared to leave, but she was interrupted by the father of the Norse gods.
“Wait, young one. I heard that in Orniskem there is a man who has died twice—I believe his name was Asclepius,” the god said.
Ana then remembered that this man was Rodrigo’s master. At that moment, the goddess grew even sadder.
“Thank you, Lord Odin, but Palas no longer exists, and I do not know the whereabouts of its members,” Ana replied with a sorrowful expression, also thinking about her teacher Athena.
“That is unfortunate, Ana, just when we had formed an alliance with you,” Odin said melancholically. “I hope that with Anat’s capture, we will have time to reorganize.”
“Did I tell you my name?” the goddess asked.
“I know many things, goddess Anand. And if you need Asgard’s help in your war against Lel, you may ask me,” the god replied.
“I appreciate it, Father Odin,” Ana said, and left for the improvised tent where Epona slept and Menrva was watching over her.
“Did he tell you anything?” the Etruscan goddess asked.
“Yes… but it seems we will have to take care of her for now,” Ana said, then fell silent.
Ana then recounted everything Odin had told her about life and death.
“Listen, Menrva,” Ana said after finishing the story. “I will not go to Tula. I will stay with Epona to take care of her.”
“I understand,” Menrva replied, but quickly added, “Why don’t we look for help here? It’s possible that in these lands someone has discovered a way to erase traumatic memories or repair consciousness.”
At that moment, Epona woke up, saw the goddesses, and smiled with a melancholic expression.
“Epona, are you feeling better?” Ana asked, but then noticed that the goddess began to cry.
“I’m very scared, Ana, Menrva… please don’t abandon me,” the goddess sobbed, and Ana immediately embraced her.
“I will stay by your side, Epona. Always,” she said.
“Please, Ana, I don’t want to die. I’m so afraid of that creature. Don’t die either,” Epona continued, clinging to Ana as tears streamed down her face. The goddess of horses was devastated and had lost all fighting spirit.
“We will find a cure, I swear it,” Ana said with a gentle smile.
“Please, stop Rodrigo, Anpiel, and Tania… if they die, I… I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t want to see Rodrigo like that. Please… don’t leave me,” Epona continued sobbing.
“It’s okay, Epona. Try to rest,” Ana said as she gently laid her back down.
“Don’t worry, Epona. No one will die,” Menrva said, standing up and smiling at the Celtic goddess.
Epona closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
“Ana,” Menrva said, “you stay with her. I will go speak with the Haida gods to see if they know of a cure for Epona. And don’t worry, I will go alone to Tula to meet Rodrigo and Tania.”
“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone,” the Irish goddess replied.
“Now that we have lost Palas, only we remain—and we must support each other,” Menrva said sadly.
“So… do you really believe Palas was destroyed?” Ana asked.
“Athena told me they would likely invade Palas and sent us here to protect us, but… I couldn’t even protect Epona,” Menrva said, her eyes filling with tears, though she held them back.
“No one knew Bitchanat would come,” Ana replied.
“No… there must still be spies within Lel, ones even my teacher did not know about. They were the ones who knew we would come here, along with the gods of Asgard,” Menrva said.
“I’m sorry it happened right when you joined,” Ana said.
“Don’t worry, Ana. We are warriors—we must be strong,” Menrva replied, then left the tent.
Ana held Epona’s hand as she knelt beside her.
“Now it’s just the two of us,” the Irish goddess said, looking at her friend with melancholy, holding her hand with both of hers.
“Unfortunately, we are a warrior people, and we do not specialize in medicine,” said Y’aahl, who was on the island of Haida Gwaii overseeing reconstruction alongside Dzelarhons.
Menrva thanked them with a discouraged tone, thinking of returning to Adlivun to seek help there.
“However, to the south there is a very wise people—the Hisatsinom,” Dzelarhons said.
“They build massive structures and possess considerable power. They are led by a very wise woman skilled in medicine. They call her Gogyeng Sowuhti, or Grandmother Spider,” he concluded.
“To the south? Isn’t that Mississippi territory?” the Etruscan goddess asked.
“The Mississippi kingdom lies to the east. The Hisatsinom are to the west. But be warned, that land is surrounded by warrior tribes such as the Diné and Aztlán. They may not be willing to negotiate. And I doubt the three of you alone will get very far,” the Haida goddess admitted.
At that moment, Freyja approached Menrva from behind and knelt before her.
“You will not travel alone. I, Freyja, will wield my spear against your enemies,” said the Viking goddess.
“But Freyja, won’t you accompany Odin to Asgard?” Menrva asked.
“My brother and Tyr are enough,” Freyja replied. “And I have decided to join your group, temporarily, to support you however I can.”
“Th… thank you,” Menrva said.
“Besides,” the blonde goddess added, “Loki has nowhere else to go, so he will come with us as well.”
Loki then appeared behind Freyja, crossing his arms and looking away.
“But remember, this is only temporary,” the god said.
Menrva smiled and expressed her gratitude.
“With them, we will reach this Grandmother Spider… and we will save Epona,” she thought.