Aaron Miller's Story

There was no way that she would ever manage to get this much drool and blood out of her sneakers. That was the primary thought Tahra had as she slid through the gore and mess between two of the three legs attached to the monster overhead. She could feel it sloshing around inside her sneakers, soaking through her socks. They had been her favorite sneakers too. It seemed that now was not the time to mourn them though, as the angry (now bleeding) giant roared its outrage at her. Wads of drool, thick and yellowed, dangled and swung from the creature's fanged mouth. The fangs were particularly disturbing, as she had never seen a horse's head with sharp teeth. Though, she'd also never seen a horse's head on a humanoid body with three legs, two overly muscular arms and several eyes covering its back and chest before either.

The creature had a friend with it, a second giant that (she could only assume) another demigod was busy with in his own way. She could see someone male and (hopefully) human flailing around the second giant's disgusting feet. The second giant was even taller than the horse-headed giant. He had blue skin, one enormous eye that rolled and rolled in his head and a mess of stringy white hair. He wore a suit of armor that appeared to not include pants...or underpants for that matter. If Tahra had been worried about maintaining some sense of her innocence, this would have shattered that ideal quickly.

Tahra had little time to worry about the survival rate of the other person though, while she tried to keep herself out of the horse-headed creature's claws. As it roared, a massive hand swung down at her, aiming to squash her flat she was sure. Tahra tucked and rolled quickly to the side, screaming in her fright. Behind her the hand crashed into the flat cemented ground, breaking the concrete into shattered fragments. She felt the concrete underneath her shudder with the impact, and roil as if it had become an unsteady ocean. Dust from the broken stone settled over her head, shoulders and back and she huddled in a ball to protect her face. She thanked the Gods that they were only on the bottom of a parking garage and not on one of the many floors above. Otherwise, they might be falling to their death. Though, they may die anyway.

Clutched in her hands she held the "gift" her "father" had given her before he send her on her mission to die. A short sword her called something..Beagle...something, it was in the Gaelic language. Languages had never been her strength. She knew it translated to Little Fury, and she knew it left quite a cut on the undercarriage of the horse-headed beast. Hence, all the blood. She never would have imagined this might be the way she'd die. Squashed flat by some creature that until just a few days ago she never would have imagined to exist. She never would have believed it either if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.


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Two days before, she had been living a mostly normal life. She was living in a small but cozy old apartment in the North End in Boston with her mother. They were lucky to have found it, since the places around that part of Boston were really expensive. It was small, and older--but it was just the right size for a family of two. They lived across the street from a family run bakery that was open 24 hours, and Tahra loved the way the sweet smell of bread, tinged slightly with almond, permeated the air. Their place hadn't been renovated for a long time though, it had dark wood paneling, and orange counter tops reminiscent of the 70's, but her mother slowly made it feel like a real home. Hanging photographs she'd taken from all over the world. Her mother's specialty was landscapes, and she often had her work featured in National Geographic. She traveled a lot of time for her work--and when she was smaller, Tahra often went with her. It was a great experience, but Boston always felt like home.

Her mother had never spoken much about who Tahra's father was, and Tahra in turn had never asked. He wasn't involved, so he didn't matter. That's what she had always thought. So naturally, when a strange man came to the door acting as if he knew her--she was not too thrilled. The man had wild auburn hair past his ears, a somewhat scruffy-looking, but well maintained beard and golden hooped earrings in both ears. Around his neck, he wore a strange gold choker that looked like twisted rope and was dressed in red flannel button-up and well-worn jeans. Spitefully, Tahra thought he looked like a flashier version of the brawny paper towel man.

"Can I help you?" Tahra asked, opening the door only enough so that her head and shoulders could fit through. The man ignored her obvious lack of enthusiasm and gave her a smile that would make starlets swoon.
"Yes, Tahra, you can." He said, voice thick with a brogue. She tensed at the man's use of her name. She hadn't given it. Was this guy a stalker? Her face twisted into a grimace, her malice and distrust immediately available for him to see as she started to close the door on him. But she found herself unable to do so.
"Creep! Stalker! Hey! GET OUTTA HERE!" Tahra shouted, attempting to force the door closed. She pushed with all her strength, hoping it would hurt the man's foot enough that he would pull it out, but it didn't budge. As she looked, she realized why. The door wasn't being held open by his foot at all..but by a thick branch that suddenly was growing between the frame of the door. Tahra stared at it, mouth agape. It wasn't possible. There wasn't any tree branch or anything growing anywhere near their apartment, never mind in the frame of the door.

"You won't close it that way." The man's voice seemed merry, as if he were laughing at her astonishment. And in fact, she could see his green eyes twinkling around the crack caused by the branch. He'd made no attempt to shove open the door on her--though he could have easily done so. Instead, he was watching her struggle and tire herself out, apparently to no avail. Tahra glowered at the man in return, pulling the door abruptly open again, just enough that her whole small frame was blocking it. The man actually laughed at her expression, startling her out of her outrage. "Is that really any way to look at your dear old Da?"

Now she was just plain dumbfounded. She gaped at the man, eyes wide, and taking advantage of her confusion, the man opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. As he crossed the threshold, the branch that had been blocking the door began to recede until it was like it was never there again. Tahra backed away from him, panicked. What the hell was going on? Was she hallucinating? Gently, the man closed the door behind him before turning back to Tahra with that same movie-star smile.

"Is Clara at home? I so have missed her." the man said, stepping around Tahra and toward their little kitchen as if he'd been there before. Tahra found herself answering him inexplicably.
"N-No, mom went on a shoot in Ireland."
Why did she tell him that? Her heart was racing. Was this man going to hurt her? Kill her? Why did he say he was her..."Da"? The man's large frame looked out of place in their tiny kitchen, his head nearly brushing the low ceiling. He sighed deeply at Tahra's answer, looking like a dejected school boy.
"Ah, that figures. That's poetry, there." He said in his baritone brogue. He clapped his large hands together momentarily, rubbing them together, making her jump. "Well! Right then. Sit down! Sit down!" He thundered at her, pulling out one of the antique metal chairs for her, and guiding her to the seat. Tahra, baffled, found herself sitting and staring at this stranger. He was having her sit--in her own house--as if she were HIS guest. Tahra felt her temper starting to boil at the edge of her thoughts, but somehow this man had managed to dumbfound her.

He stood over her for a moment, his giant calloused hands suddenly gently on either of her shoulders as if he were admiring her at arms length. (And in fact, he was) "Ah, let me look at ya. Just like her. Just like Clara, though a bit pale. What, you don't like to go outside every once and a while?"
"Like YOU can talk!" Tahra finally managed to retort, her anger lashing out hot and quick. He was as pale as she was! The big man looked momentarily stunned before breaking into a belly laugh.
"You're mine too, I see. My temper. I see it now." That cooled her pretty quick. She watched as the big man settled himself precariously into the chair beside her. Tahra scowled nervously.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" She growled, folding her arms across her chest. The man smiled at her impishly, scratching his shaggy head.
"Oh, I already said--didn't I? I'm your Da. Though, last I saw you were no bigger than a sapling..." Tahra felt her temper again. This man was really claiming to be her father? She desperately wished her mother were here to help her.
"Boy, you got a lot of nerve huh? Coming here--after all these years." Tahra growled, shaking her head. "How did I let you in? Get the hell out. You're no father of mine." With some effort, she stood, pushing the chair out behind her. Even standing over him, he was still a head taller than her. Still, she didn't back down. "Get OUT! Before I call the cops."
The man looked a little hurt for a moment, his smile faltering. He made a thoughtful sound in his chest and rubbed a large hand over his beard.
"Well, I can't blame you for feeling that way. We Gods do get busy though, you know. Time is different for us." He said, still un-moving. Did he say, Gods? Oh great, she let in a crazy person!
"What the hell are you talking about?" She hissed, scowling. She momentarily eyed the knife block on the counter behind the man. If she could reach it, she could defend herself long enough to call the cops. Or at least make enough noise for the upstairs neighbors to complain. The man had the gall to look suddenly confused..perhaps even a little devastated.
"Did she never tell you? She never told you what you were..." He ran his hands through his shaggy hair with a massive sigh.
"What? What I am?" Tahra asked, still eyeing the knives.
"Yes, Lass. What you are. A demigod. I'm Cernunnos--God of nature, and wild things. You might have heard of me--though usually they show me with horns...I thought this look might be less..intimidating for you." He explained, brows raised. "She never told you? Truly?"

Now it was Tahra's turn to laugh. This man was insane--though...there was still the minor issue of that mysterious branch that had stopped her from closing the door.
"You're insane." Tahra said with a chuckle. "No wonder Mom never talks about you."
"Insane, am I?" the man called Cernunnos suddenly looked a little more intimidating. "Watch." And as she watched, horns as if from a deer began to sprout from his forehead. Tahra wanted to scream, but it felt stuck in her throat. Soon the kitchen was also sprouting greenery, the table sprung to life as a growing tree, the floor sprouted flowers, and the walls became jungle-like as if Tahra had suddenly fallen into Jumanji. The room spun and tilted in her vision and the next thing she knew she was waking up, staring at the kitchen ceiling and the man's shaggy face.

He looked worried, and she nearly punched him in the face in her fright. Instead she screamed and inched away across the floor.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're ok!" He called after her, following. "Temper. I have a terrible temper. I didn't mean to scare you so badly."
Tahra had no other explanation for what she saw. He was a God. (And if he really was her father, she was a demigod) Over the next few hours, Tahra listened as Cernunnos (or Cern as he liked to be called these days) explained why he had come. The Gods had drawn together for one purpose--save the bridge between worlds. Apparently, it was an actual item. And Gods that were already on the mortal plain were stranded, while less friendly creatures had started to wreak havoc. Apparently, mortals couldn't see them--and instead thought they were witnessing terrible acts of violence or natural disasters. But the Gods knew better. He then explained that Gods couldn't really get involved...for despite all their powers mortals COULD see them. Apparently, they needed to be believed but not seen...some weird rule she didn't completely understand. Tahra suspected they were just lazy, since he didn't mind her mother seeing him. He then gifted her with a sword and explained she needed to go to San Francisco right away, where lately some especially suspect events were occurring. What the hell would she do with a sword?--she had asked. He'd insisted she would need it. Somehow, she couldn't seem to turn him down. If what he said was true, and monsters would take over if she didn't do this--she couldn't say no. Cern promised she wouldn't be alone--that the Gods were working together on this one and she would be meeting her partner there. She would know him when she saw him, Cern told her.

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So here she was--getting drooled on by a horse-headed monster. And she knew she saw someone else taking on another one--hopefully that guy was the "partner" Cern had mentioned. If not, both of them were probably doomed. Bracing herself, Tahra hopped to her feet, turned and flashing her Little Fury, charged the monster. With a cry, she thrust the blade at the creature's nearest foot, and as if by magic--the blade sliced through the foot completely, severing it. Tahra screamed, something between a war cry and horror as the monster topped backward. Its balance thrown off by its newly missing appendage.

Double Post - LOOK AWAY PEASANT!

The ball bounced off the wall in his small flat. He’d been living there for a while now. Sometimes his mother would come and visit him. Aaron enjoyed the independency and the silence. He missed his dog a lot though. He had everything he needed in this apartment. A small TV, a bed, a small kitchen and a laptop. And his books. A lot of books. The place was quiet too, except for one thing. Since a couple of days after he moved in to the flat, this raven appeared outside his window and pecked at it. It would fly away only if he opened it and swatted at it. It was a curious behavior. Even for a raven – or so Aaron thought. It would stay gone for long though, and he often had to get up and shoo the bird away. For some reason, he got the strange feeling that this bird was the same bird he had seen before when he had taken Saga for a walk. The bird he thought had talked to him.

Shrieeeek

It had made him drop the ball. Aaron had been startled by the sound and sat up quickly, staring at the bird outside the window. It had stopped pecking at the glass and it was watching him intensely with its beady black eyes. There was complete silence and Aaron felt his heart beating in his chest. The bird shrieked again and tilted its head to the side. Aaron stood and walked toward it, feeling drawn toward it. He levelled himself with the window.

“Aaron.”

The bird had a raspy voice. And it seemed like it was inside his own head. Aaron had of course fallen backward in surprise. He was so startled that he merely looked at the animal in disbelief. It had happened again! It was talking to him!

“Y… You’re a bird!” Was the only thing he could come up with.

“Well… Now we have a firm grasp of the obvious, at least.”

The bird’s voice was raw and raspy and it spoke slowly, taking pauses in between words. As if it wasn’t used to speaking at all.

‘Of course it’s not used to speaking, it’s a bird!’

“Aaron.” The bird repeated. “You are needed. Your father must see you.”

“You.. You’re a bird! Are you jok-Have I gone insane?” Aaron shook his head and got on his feet. The bird merely watched him.

He touched his head as if to make sure it was still attached, seemingly unable to understand what was going on. After a few minutes of frantic gestures and heavy breathing, he was forced to relax.

“Aaron!” The bird shouted with its raw and raspy voice and it rang inside his head, reverberating off the inside of his skull.

Aaron snapped out of it only to be startled again by a knock on the door. He froze completely. The raven announced its departure with another shriek and then fluttered away from the window. There was another knock. Aaron stood and stepped slowly toward the door, heart pounding in his chest. Instinctively, he grabbed for Saga. When he was younger, he’d answer the door and have Saga in his collar if he felt unsafe.
His hand met the cold doorknob and he opened the door.

“Aaron!”

“Why does everyone know my name?! It’s maddening!” He started. “No! Who are you? What? The bird talked to me, you-“

“Aaron…”

“I mean, it’s one thing to be a little different than other people but to straight up lose your mind just like this, is something else!” He snapped his finger for emphasis.

“Aaron!” The voice of the man seemed to fill the room and his head. It seemed to have struck something within Aaron that calmed him. Either way, he relaxed and let his guard drop and looked at the man.
He had black hair with gray streaks in it. He didn’t look OLD, but not young either. He was very difficult to describe, now that he thought about it. And Aaron was good at this. But he had been so busy being startled, confused and angry to ask questions or wonder the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Who are you?” He finally asked, having calmed himself. Aaron was still not over the fact that the raven had spoken to him.

The man hesitated but stepped inside uninvited. “May we sit? I should like to talk.”

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He sat with a part serious, part confused expression on his face.

“Sorry, I… What?” it was a lot of information to digest all at once. “So, according to you, I’m a demigod, you’re my dad and you’re Odin?!”

Aaron was just about to throw his head back and laugh and throw the man out, but then he remembered talking ravens. But it was so ridiculous. None of it made any sense.

“Ah, you must be thinking that I’m too old for your mother!” Odin said amused. “Well, I don’t look like this all the time.” He winked at Aaron.

And at that moment, he noticed that one of his eyes was a slightly different color than the other. Aaron watched this man for a moment, having found his rational and curious self instead of the frantic, panicked and confused one he’d been for the past hour. He finally relaxed.

“While this does explain some things about my life. My name, the way I excel at certain things more than anyone else for example, it does not excuse or forgive.” Aaron said finally and shook his head. For a long time he had forgotten about his father. Now that was kind of impossible. At that moment he felt a stab of anger he hadn’t felt before. He remained calm though.

“After everything you have shown me, it’s hard to doubt you anymore.” He said defeated. The man. Odin. Dad? Had convinced Aaron with several demonstrations of his divinity. Things no human could do, at least. Rune magic. Conjuring. Speaking to animals. Regular magic. Revealing his true form. And planting a vision in his head. That last one had really knocked the wind out of Aaron.

“But why me?”

“You’re a demigod, Arnór. And you are mine, and you have your mother’s heart.” The last part seemed to make the man frown. It affected him. He paused. “And all of us need your help. You and one other.”
Even though he’d just spoken to a raven, been told that he was the son of Odin and he’d witnessed magic and other incredible things, they spoke very little of his mother. It seemed to be an unpleasant topic for both of them.

But his interest was piqued and Aaron was sure that this man knew that his curiosity was his weakness.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one.


While he had been informed that there was going to be another one helping him out, he hadn’t expected whoever this was. Not because it was a girl. It was a girl right? She was far away and he was busy being stomped to death, so it was difficult to be sure. Maybe it was because he hadn’t expected any of this, or that he simply had no idea what to expect that it seemed so surreal.

Before he had left, his father had given him a black raven’s feather. He’d let him know that this was a very powerful weapon. Aaron was clutching the feather in his hand, but was becoming more and more desperate as it wasn’t particularly helpful. The great giant above him shifted and moved to crush him with one of its enormous feet. Aaron made the mistake of looking up. The beast was… Scantily clad. Aaron swung himself out of the way. Smirking confidently to himself, he looked up at the giant. His foot hit something hard behind him and he went over backwards.

Panic set in, shadow fell upon him and another foot of the giant came toward him. Aaron clutched the feather and in sheer panic shouted a word. A word he hadn’t know before. Something made a sickening, slick and metallic noise. A louder noise followed. The giant was roaring as it reeled backward, clutching its foot.
In Aaron’s hand was a spear. A black-shafted and black-bladed spear. It had runes engraved on them, and the edge was razor sharp. It was as long as himself. In the midst of all this, Aaron laughed and swung the spear a few times. Odin had been right. Before he had time to admire the weapon more, the giant had recovered. Feeling more prepared, he grabbed the spear tight and prepared. He shot one glance over to the other demigod and watched them for a second. They weren’t dead yet, at least?
His attention was brought back as the giant roared and prepared a charge. If he made it out alive he was going to have words with his father.

Tahra just kept being amazed she was still alive. She also wondered at her sanity. Maybe she was in a coma this whole time, Cern coming and revealing himself to be a god, her flight to San Francisco where a sword didn't set off the metal detectors (though, they did search her bag and pull the sword out. The TSA officer looked at it, then at her, and laughing asked, "Why do you have a big stick in here?" before returning it to her bag. Apparently,mortals saw it as something else...) and where somehow fighting an enormous horse-headed monster came as second-nature. As natural as breathing.

The parking garage echoed with the roars of pissed off beasts. Tahra was gasping for breath, watching as the horse-head monster struggled on its back. Tahra had taken the opportunity to lop off all of its feet when it tripped, and effectively put the thing into a turtle on its back position. Unless it figured out how to grow new feet (which Tahra seriously hoped wasn't one of its abilities) the fight on her end was over. She knew she should put it out of its misery, but was a little unsure how to do so. Was it like a zombie-thing? Would she have to remove its head to end it? Or more like a vampire--and had to stab its heart or feed it garlic or something? Tahra wished Cern had been more instructive on these types of things. As it was, she was pissed she didn't realize this thing was a monster until it was too late.

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At the airport when she landed, she hailed a cab. She was supposed to meet her "partner" at The Hollywood Cafe, a famous spot, easy to find and probably very populated. Safe to meet a stranger. Safe to blend in. Easy to talk without being overheard. She trundled her red and white striped duffle into the back of the cab that pulled up and plopped in. She only looked up from her phone when the driver spoke, his voice thick with a brogue.

"Where to miss?"

Tahra was used to taxi drivers being from the middle east--at least most of them were back in Boston. She liked them. They asked very few questions, usually played angry rap music for some reason, and often smelled of a clean-smelling cologne. They only asked two questions: where are you going? and how will you be paying? Still, Tahra had never been to California. Maybe the taxi drivers here were all from Europe instead. Maybe she just got the one random guy who drove a cab for fun. Whatever. Their life was theirs. She gave him the address she found on Google for the cafe, and tucked her cell phone in her pocket as the car lurched into motion. The cabbie turned out to be chatty, much to Tahra's misery. She just wanted this trip to be over with, and though she could muster up charming conversation and wasn't what most people would call "Shy" she wasn't exactly filled with the urge to spill her guts to some stranger either.

"What brings you to California?" he asked, his brogue thick. Tahra forced a small smile, looking out the window at the passing scenery.
"Oh, family stuff." Tahra glossed over, trying to give short answers to make it clear talking wasn't something she felt like doing. The guy didn't seem to notice though.
"Oh, nice! You have family here? Are you meeting them at the cafe for lunch?"
"Erm..no, not exactly."
"Just sightseeing then? Been here before?"
Gods! What was this guy's problem? What was with the third degree?
"No." She gave him in reply. How dense could someone be? She hoped her lack of enthusiasm would key him off to leave her alone. That was when she saw the sign for the Hollywood Cafe pass by the window They were going right by it! This jerk was just trying to distract her to run up her fare!
"Hey! That was the place. Hey, guy--just stop here. I'm not paying extra because you took me all over creation!" She growled, sitting up straight. That was when she heard the doors lock.
"Oh, you'll be paying extra all right. But my fee is blood..."
Tahra's mouth went dry.
"W-What did you say?" She murmured, her blood turned to ice in her veins. In the rearview mirror, she could see the driver's eyes for first time. She really hadn't looked at the guy. His eyes were round...and horse-like. She screamed as the driver jerked the wheel into a turn, turning so hard that the car was whipping around on two wheels. Was he trying to crash it? Flip them and kill her? The taxi flew into the bottom of a concrete parking garage, and indeed, it did flip, skidding across the concrete on its side. Tahra was glad she had buckled up. And that she somehow was conscious still. In the front seat, she could hear a gurgling sound, like someone trying to laugh with water in their throat Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the seatbelt and thankfully managed to unclick it.
"Oh...still awake little Demi-god? You're awfully old for your kind, ya know? Shouldn't you just die?" The driver's voice was thick with his brogue, but also with that gurgling. Drool. Tahra gasped in fear, and nearly ripped the zipper off her duffle to get to her sword. Her hands shook as she held it in front of her, her clothes and things spilling across the tilted floor.
"Don't come closer! You just stay right there you--you--whatever you are!" The laughter increased. And wasthe taxi suddenly getting smaller? No...the monster was getting bigger, filling the car with its girth and gurgling. The frame of the vehicle creaked as it bent, and luckily, the back window exploded--Tahra threw herself out of it, her arms getting small cuts from the jagged glass before the monster completely exploded from the shell of the former taxi. The other monster soon loomed out of the shadows too, along with whoever that man was. Friend or fore--they were in a similar boat.


-------

No time to waste here--Tahra figured she'd try to go for the kill. Hopefully, it wasn't going to be a Greek Myth situation where if she cut off its head, more grew back. With another war cry--in a voice much bolder than she felt should belong to her--she lunged forward, coming around to the giant horse head and with a jump and a downward slice, the sword sluiced through the front of the monster's thick hairy neck. Blood exploded upward, coating her, splattering on her glasses, and after a few initial twitches, the creature lay very still. Tahra panted, stepping away from its corpse, taking the moment to wipe her glasses clean so she could see again. It was tough finding a surface on her clothing that wasn't coated in gore. As she did so, the corpse of the monster began to glow, a golden dusty light. Tahra blinked and the creature had exploded into golden dust--drifting away on the wind. As if it were never there. Well, she thought ruefully, at least it didn't sprout more heads. She replaced her glasses and looked to the other monster. It seemed the other person was holding their own--but Tahra wasn't a jerk. She wouldn't just leave them to it if she could help. Mustering up the last of her energy, she sprinted over to where the other person seemed stunned, holding what appeared to be a long spear-like weapon. She skid to a squishy stop beside the man, holding her sword before her like she'd seen samurai do in the movies.

"So--I hope you're the partner I'm looking for?" She gasped, looking to the man briefly before looking back to the blue monster ahead of them. "If not, then I'm sorry you've gotten involved."

While he felt a little safer that he was now standing with a spear in his hand, Aaron was still entirely uncertain about the while situation. It wasn’t something he’d done before, to be fair. Sure, when he’d been a kid, he’d been running around his backyard or in the woods with a sword, pretending as kids do. But it was real. That fact donned on him in with rude suddenness. Aaron froze, looking at the blue monstrosity in front of him without really looking. So many scenarios flashed through his mind in the matter of a few seconds. Everything around him brimmed with life and time seemed to slow. The runes on the spear danced before his eyes, and Aaron understood them.

"I AM HRAFNIR
BROTHER TO GUNGNIR
WIELDED BY THE SON
MY NAME SETS ME FREE"

With no discernable transition, he was suddenly standing in the clearing in a forest. Aaron grabbed the spear tight and looked around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. He was sure this was some trick by the monster he’d been fighting moments earlier in the parking garage.

“Arnór”

He spun around so fast his eyes couldn’t follow.

“Wha… You?” He said with accusation in his voice.

Odin stepped forward, leaning on a walking stick. He looked older this time, than he had when they had first met. During their last conversation, they’d talked. He’d been instructed to go California, in search of his partner. Someone like him. Well, not entirely like him. It was a she. And presumable not one of Odin’s. Aaron couldn’t really know.

“You know, following your advice seems like a pretty shit idea, so far.”

“Arnór.” He repeated.

“What’s with saying my god damn name all the time!” He shouted. It was infuriating beyond measure.

“It holds more power than you think. And so does the spear.” Odin nodded toward the weapon in his hands. “It is the brother of Gungnir.” He tapped his walking stick on the ground and it quickly became a spear similar to Aaron’s own.
Aaron stood and watched, stunned. Both spears gave off a low humming sound, as if the power within them was ready to burst out.

“How d-“

“Trust the spear. And trust yourself.” Odin interrupted. “You think too much. Trust the girl.” His voice seemed to reverberate from in between the trees and fill the clearing around them. “Go.”

Although the meeting had felt slow and time seemed to slow, Aaron had sensed a sort of urgency in Odin’s tone. Was he trying to help? He was, but.. Was it concern?

Another roar filled his ears. Aaron realized that he was back in the parking garage. A second had not passed it seemed. The blue monster in front of him was getting back up. Hrafnir had gone clean through its foot.
Someone nearly bumped into his left shoulder and Aaron took a step back. It was her. The girl who’d been fighting the other monster. The monster that was apparently dead. Already. Great. She’d already killed hers. She was probably used to all this. Aaron sighed with irritation.

“Wh… I guess I am.” Aaron replied to the girl.

He found himself smiling at her. His “conversation” with Odin seconds before had reassured him about his weapon, and the fact that he was not alone in this was helping too. He was slightly annoyed that she had already dispatched of her foe so quickly, as he didn’t want to come off as incompetent. But at least it improved their chances of surviving.

“I’m Aaron. Nice to meet you. I’d be happy to talk and make some sense out of this, but if we could do that when our lives aren’t in immediate danger, that’d be just perfect.” He looked at the girl with a smirk and then focused at the blue monster.

It was getting back up and getting ready to charge. Although he’d wounded it and made it slower and more unsure on its footing, Aaron had also pissed it off.

Tahra felt herself grinning stupidly at the boy beside her, a response to his smile and small talk that was just so perfectly out place. She also liked that he didn't seem stupid. Good head on his shoulders, despite the insanity of the situation.

"I'm Tahra, and that seems fair."

She gave her Little Fury a practice swing in the direction of the (now clearly furious) blue monster. His one eye seemed to spin in his head, torn between two different opponents at his feet. The creature was like a real live Legend of Zelda villain. His eye was his weakness! Well...that and his...low hanging fruit...

Tahra chuckled, as an idea came over her.

"Aaron! I have an idea!" She readied herself, seeking the energy she would need for a short sprinting burst of speed. "I'm going to get him to bend low--when I do, go for the eye!" And with that, Tahra charged again, sword high above her head, aiming for the monsters exposed nethers.

She felt the metal connect with something somewhat soft as she jabbed upwards while darting between the beast's legs. The scream of agony, and sudden looming shadow and girth of monster told her she'd hit her mark. Roaring and clutching his wounded manhood, the monster reached for Tahra as she attempted to clear out behind him.

"Now!" Tahra shouted, just as the creature's massive hand closed around her. Tahra became suddenly very aware if how frail and small her shoulder bones and ribs were as the hand began to squeeze her. Twisting her wrists uncomfortably, she gouged the offending hand for her freedom and hoped Aaron would hit his mark too. Dying seemed really uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the two of them seemed to be on the same page. And Tahra even smiled back at him. The two of them watched the monster for a moment, seemingly both trying to decide what to do about the situation. Tahra was first to act though. Aaron had been busy being revolted.

“Why does it have to be nak-“ He started, but Tahra interrupted. He snapped out of it and looked at her.

“Alright!” He replied, wondering how she was going to do that exactly, but she seemed like she had a plan.

Aaron twirled the spear in his hand a few times, waiting to see what she was going to do. His eyes widened as she actually charged right at the monster. Aaron almost shouted out, but she had seemed so secure in what she was doing. With part surprise and part horror did he watch as she swung her blade and cut the monster in its manhood. For once Aaron did not allow himself to linger, resisting the urge to mimic the monster’s actions on his own body. It looked so painful.

A chill went up his spine as Tahra was caught by their foe. If he didn’t act, she would be crushed like a bug in a matter of seconds. He couldn’t let that happen. With a deep breath and a burst of adrenaline, Aaron rushed forward and drove the spear with both hands deep into the monster’s eye. It had been so focused on Tahra that it had momentarily forgotten about him, which proved to be a grave mistake.

Blood and other fluids poured from the monster’s eye, and it howled in pain. It tried to jerk its head back to get away, but the spear was lodged so firmly in place that it couldn’t. Aaron seized the opportunity and gave the spear another hard push. With a sickening sharp noise and a crack, the monster stopped moving instantly and went limp.

Aaron clung to the spear and pulled it loose before the monster landed on it. He found himself out of breath. He rushed over to Tahra and pushed the monster’s fingers out of the way. His hand went out to help her up. She looked okay and the monster hadn’t squeezed its fingers around her.

“When you’re done impressing me, I suppose we can say hi properly?” He said with a smirk.

He often made quips and jokes in situations that brought him out of his comfort zone. And despite having been told that he was the son of a God, this was very much out of his comfort zone.

“Are you okay?”

Just as Tahra started to become worried that her shoulders were bruising, a slick fleshy sound pierced the air and the monster's grip went slack. She wasn't sure if the dead weight was better or worse. Tahra shifted, trying to kick the hand off her to little result. Just when she had decided it was worse...the weight began to lift from her and Aaron stood over her, offering her help up.

Aaron's hand was extended to her and he was still smiling, quipping that she had impressed him. She felt herself flush bashfully, but she was very much coated in a sticky layer of blood, so she hoped it wasn't as noticible as it felt. Tahra took the offered hand, pulling herself with a tug to her feet. His hands were much bigger than hers (not blue monster sized, thankfully!) and for a moment she frowned, feeling displeased by her smallness.

She quickly took her hand back, brushing blood and unfortunately sweat soaked hair behind her ear.

"T-thanks." She grumbled, feeling uncharacteristically shy at the moment. (Probably because she was covered in gore) She had always had all the things that usually made someone "popular": an outgoing personality, some decent athletic skills, wit, charisma and a not completely unattractive appearance..just never the friends that went with it.

People were never really cruel to her, per say. But no one ever got close. She'd go to parties and be the center of attention, the life blood and surrounded by happy faces. But no one ever bothered with her one on one, or seemed to want to actually get to know her as a person. Few tried. Any who did, never stayed long. Tahra tried not to dwell on it, but she was no stranger to loneliness. This boy had that same feel to him..that look of smiling because something felt wrong on the inside. Maybe she was just overthinking it.

Tahra could feel her upper arms aching. She had shed her hoodie on the plane, jamming it into her duffle. Hot weather wasn't her thing. But in her need for less clothing, she'd exposed her bare arms, poking from a red tank top, to what had become the heat of battle. When her new "partner" asked if she was ok, she peeked at first her left, then right arm. Already, the skin was yellowing and greening into bruises from the struggle.

"Yeah, mostly ok." She said frowning at her arms. She looked back to him with a smile. "Better than him, anyway." She said nodding to the slowly disappearing corpse of the blue giant. "I'm glad you made that shot. Lucky us, we're already a good team."

She shook her head, as if dissapointed in herself. "Don't be impressed. I got lucky. Video games are apparently more realistic than we think. I'm lucky, is all." Tahra frowned at Aaron, squinting to check him for any obvious wounds. "How about you, kid? You okay?" Relaxing a bit, she couldn't help but go a little Boston in her speech.

She took his hand but quickly resumed with brushing gore off her person. Tahra didn’t seem very pleased with the situation, which Aaron couldn’t quite understand. They had managed to kill two huge monsters, after all. But her action made him aware of what he looked like himself. The spear had returned to its feather form, but his arms and hands were covered in gooey, sticky blood and viscera. All of a sudden, the smell hit his nostrils and Aaron had too control himself so as not to gag. He shook his hands and tried to get as much off as he could.

Aaron had indeed never been one to make great first impressions, but at least this time he wasn’t the only one with a disadvantage. They were both covered in gore.

When she’d regained her composure somewhat, she answered him. Her words drew his attention to the giant. It was disappearing. Aaron hadn’t noticed this about the giant Tahra had killed. His eyes went wide for a moment as he watched the entire corpse turn to dust and disappear on the wind. When he looked back at Tahra he smiled, though.

“Yeah he’s not looking that good. And I think we’re going to make a good team, actually.” Aaron said with honesty. He smirked and nodded to himself – he was actually considering their performance.

He raised his eyebrows and nodded at her next words. Video games really were more realistic than they thought. Which filled him with dread for a moment, and then he relaxed. They had managed this after all. Perhaps with more training they would handle what came next as well. But all the things and monsters he had seen in video games still lingered at the back of his mind. Or in movies for that matter. Things could turn out really bad, really quickly.

“I don’t know. I think you were pretty cool.” Aaron shrugged and then looked up. “Oh, I’m fine. Adrenaline is fading. I can’t wait to get this off me, though. Maybe in a couple of hours I’ll have digested all this.” He said the last sentence indicating his arms, the feather in his hand and gesturing toward the place where the giant had been a few seconds earlier.

Kid? Do I look that young? Aaron briefly wondered. Maybe it’s just something she said?

“What do you say, wanna get our stuff and find a hotel? For some reason, I really don’t want to take a taxi.” Aaron was not in the mood for and neither did he have the energy for another bout of monster-fighting.

Tahra watched as Aaron's expression became pale and nauseous for a moment. She braced herself to back up in case he needed room to puke his guts out. She didn't blame him, but she also was never great with her bedside manner either. Thankfully, he seemed to pull himself together though and managed another smile. She could get used to this seemingly happy-go-lucky kind of guy.

Tahra watched in fascination as Aaron's weapon shrank, becoming a feather. That was way more magical than hers. She wished Cec had thought of a neat cloaking device for Little Fury too, but at least it seemed to require little effort on her end for slicing..dicing...mincing...and the like.

Tahra wiped the blade of her short sword on her pant leg..where it seemed comparatively cleaner. Once she was satisfied the blade was clean enough not to rust (did magic swords even still rust?) she jammed it through her back belt loop for safekeeping. If anyone normal saw them, like the TSA guy, they'd think she was awkwardly carrying around a stick.

She nodded in understanding when Aaron explained he wss ok, just still trying to process their situation. That she could definitely relate to.

"Yeah, I hear ya on that. This whole..being a demi god thing...it's pretty fucked up so far."

She agreed, relaxing a little around him. He seemed cool enough. She could be more normal. Less fake. All Boston. She often tried to be mindful of her pronunciation outside of Massachusetts. Otherwise people would start asking her to say, "park the car in Harvard yard" which seriously just exasperated the way her accent worked. She knew though that what she said sounded more like, " I heyah yaaa on that. This whole bee yin a demi god thing..is pretty fahcked up."

She gave a bright, infectious laugh when he mentioned not wanting to take another taxi.

"Dude!" She cried, chuckling, eyes crinkling merrily. "Was your cabbie a monster too?" (Sounding like monstah) "Kid, my guy like exploded. I'm wicked surprised that no one heard me screaming my guts out and called the cops. But yeah, I'm all about heading to the hotel. Mostly, I'm all about a shower right now."

She grinned at him and headed over to the husk that used to be the taxi she arrived in. Though spilled all over what used to be the back seat, her belongingsand duffle bag were otherwise unharmed. As she swung the bag over her shoulder and hopped back out of the wreck, she looked to Aaron with a charming smile.

"I have a room already booked. My mom hooked me up with her milage points. You can crash in mine if you don't already have one set up. If that's not weird for you." Her grin grew wider and somewhat impish. "Though, I mean, we just gutted some giant creatures with magical weapons so...I don't know how much weirder this can really get. Comparatively, sharing a room with some chick you just met is almost normal." She joked, chuckling at the whole insanity of their situation.

Aaron watched as Tahra sheathed her weapon. Or stuck it through the belt loop. They weren’t exactly equipped like knights here, with armor and sheaths and what not.

Which is probably for the better.

He looked at Tahra when she spoke up and focused. “Fucked up seems to cover it.” He replied and nodded. He stuck Hrafnir in his pocket and sighed, silently hoping that they wouldn’t be faced with any more challenges before he’d had a shower and a nap.

The girl in front of him seemed to relax a bit. She seemed nice. Straight forward and to the point. Something Aaron was sure he’d enjoy, but something he knew for a fact was going to confuse him at times. Most people were not like that. Most people told little lies and changed their behavior and personalities according to their company. Aaron disliked that a lot, but it was also fascinating. Over many years he’d practiced the ability to look past all that, becoming better and better at guessing what people really thought and really wanted.

When she laughed Aaron smiled his crooked smile and tilted his head slightly. He nodded and dared a chuckle. “Yeah. I think cabs are ruined for me.” He paused and thought for a moment. “I’m surprised that no one has come down here, actually.” Aaron gestured to their surroundings. “Someone must have heard all of this. Unless, you know… Magic.” He slowly looked at Tahra and then shrugged. “Whatever, shower sounds nice.”

When she proposed that he could crash in her room he shifted his weight on his feet and considered for a moment. It wasn’t that he hadn’t slept in the same room as girl before, it was more the fact that he didn’t know this particular girl at all. But Tahra quickly put that in perspective for him. His mouth opened and closed as he considered, after which he shrugged in agreement.

“I mean, if it’s not too much trouble? If it’s okay with you.” Aaron said and smiled. “And I think this monster-slaying might be a pretty good bonding experience.”

Aaron looked around and spotted his backpack which had gone flying through the air earlier. His water bottle had a dent in it but otherwise the contents were fint. They were mostly clothes since he carried his phone, wallet – and oh yeah – sword on his person at all times. He walked over and picked it up. When he came back to Tahra he looked her over, then at his own arms that were covered in now dried crust of blood and gore.

“Maybe clothes shopping wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He wrinkled his nose as the smell hit his nostrils. “Fuck me. Is the hotel far?”

Tahra nodded as Aaron agreed cabs were ruined for him. Made sense to her. Probably for the best anyway, save some money, get some exercise, don't watch your cabbie explode into a monster.

She paused, looking thoughtful as she absorbed what he said about other people not hearing their fight. It was a good point.
"Yeah, I'm sure someone heard. Just probably not what we would hear." She shifted her duffle over her shoulder and began to walk toward the exit. "Just in case someone heard, I don't know, an explosion or something, we should get outta here."

She did her best not to laugh at Aaron's impression of a fish, opening and closing his mouth as he processed her invitation. She made a muffled, SNRK, sound instead, putting a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't hurt his feelings. He was surprisingly an open book, and Tahra liked that she could watch his gears turning as he decided she was right and her offer was less weird than it could be. She nodded a bit when he agreed yo her offer as she kept heading out of the now fairly destroyed basement of the parking garage.

"A weird bonding, expirience. But yeah, can't say you're wrong." She agreed. " And I wouldn't offer, if I wasn't cool with it, kid."

At his question of the whereabouts of the hotel, she dug her hand into her pocket for her phone. Though the screen had a small crack in the glass, she was surprised after all that happened that it even turned on now. Probably not a good idea to fight monsters with your cell on your pocket.

Cec had warned her though that she wouldn't be able to rely on technology much during her "mission." Apparently, different pantheons of demigods had varying problems with technology: either not working completely, being magically manipulated to lure demigods into a trap or becoming a becon for any tech-savy monsters to track them. Tahra had never really had too much trouble with technology before, aside from phone batteries dying faster than was normal. Cec had explained that now that he was "accepting" her, that her demi god magic was more likely to awaken, strengthen, and cause technology to backfire. She had only not been attacked and killed by monsters this long, because of his lack of intetest in her, supposedly. Tahra felt that was a lot of crap, and defiantly had brought her trusty cell phone anyway.

As she passed through the entrance to the parking garage she pulled up Google maps, well tried to. It were as if all possible signal had vanished. No bars, no 4G internet. She clicked her tongue in irritation.

"Well, Mom booked at The Palace Hotel. She said it was too beautiful an example of 19th century architecture for me to miss. Something about a glass dome ceiling and a historical landmark." Tahra shrugged a little as if in explaination that a much less swanky hotel would have been fine with her. " Mom takes photographs for a living, so she sees the world with different eyes."

Tahra reached her arm up with the phone to try to get service, but no amount of service yoga seemed to work. She sighed and looked to Aaron.

"I was hoping Google maps could tell us how far it is, but I can't get service. I've never been to Sanfran before though..so otherwise I'm not sure how far we are. Maybe it's a famous enough place that we can ask someone for directions? Though..yeah..you're right..." she looked herself and him over. "We should probably at least change somewhere first so we don't look like axe murderers."

She scanned the area, looking for a convienience store or fast good place so they could use their bathroom. Thankfully, a McDonald's was in eye shot.

"Let's go get some fries and a bathroom key from Mickey-D's." She said, nodding toward the giant M.

Had it been any other person or any other normal day, Aaron might have found it annoying. The way she called him 'kid'. But when she did so as they walked, he smirked and looked down to hide it. It was a friendly thing. It wasn't said to talk down to him. And that was something Aaron hated more than most things. He was glad that she was okay with it. He didn't know anyone who'd offer to share a hotel room right after they'd met.

But the influence of circumstance is considerable in this particular case, I suppose.

Aaron went quiet as he watched her fumble around with her phone. It seemed like she couldn't get any signal anywhere - not even when they went out from the garage. He found it a little bit odd that they would have no connection in the middle of the city. When Tahra looked at him and spoke, he realized that he should check his own phone. He reached into his pocket and fished it out. No cracks, not a scratch in fact. Quickly, Aaron went into Google Maps and was hopeful.

"She's a photographer?" Was the only thing he could manage when Tahra said that her mother took photographs for a living.

He'd been wondering how irrelevant 19th century architecture seemed, considering what they had just experienced. And for a moment it made him smile. It was silly. Aaron looked at his phone again and realized he was faced with the same problem. No service. At all. He couldn't even send a message to anyone. He locked eyes with Tahra and shook his head defeatedly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry as well, actually." Aaron realized his hunger as he said it. Fighting that hulking beast had left a hole in his stomach and it roared as he thought of a burger. McDonald's had never been his favorite place to eat, but right now it would do the trick. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked up. A smile appeared on his face.

"We could also just follow that sign." Aaron said and pointed at a big sign that had the McDonald's logo and an arrow which indicated a distance of 500 ft.

He rested a hand on Tahra's shoulder for a moment and smiled. Aaron was really looking forward to eating something. And he felt somewhat renewed in their mission now that they had food and rest to look forward to. For the moment they were out of danger - he hoped. If their phones weren't going to work during this whole mission, then they'd have to find some other way of communicating if they wanted to contact their respective mothers. Pen and paper would do the trick of course. This lead Aaron to wonder if there was some way of concealing their movement to enemies, and make their journey easier and not so prone to attacks from... Well, from over-sized cabbies.

As they walked along the street, he couldn't help but think that all these people around them knew nothing about what they had just done. Or did they? Aaron wondered how many people were like them? How many people knew about the existence of not God, but Gods? He began to feel the questions he had overwhelm him and shook his head, deciding to let that rest for now. He hoped that all their questions would be answered in time.

Tahra snorted as Aaron pointed out the sign reading "McDonald's 500 ft", laughing at her lack of perception.

"Yeah, that would help."

She gave him a playful little hip bump as he put his hand on her shoulder before they started toward the golden arches.


As they walked, she answered his question about her mother.

"Yeah she's mostly a landscape photographer," Tahra said, gingerly shifting her duffle bag from one shoulder to the other. The bruises were making carrying the damn thing annoying. " A lot of her work ends up in National Geographic. She's amazing." Tahra said this last bit as casually as if she were talking about the weather. It was clear that to her, her mother's talents were fact, not opinion. " Anyway, she's probably only cool with me just picking up and leaving on my own like this thanks to what she does."

Tahra smiled over her shoulder at Aaron. "What about you? Is your mom or dad the reason you're stuck with me now?"

As they walked, Tahra did her best to focus on her new partner's attentions, rather than the stares she felt on them. She wasn't sure how they must look to mortal eyes. Some pale chick wandering around with a branch sticking out of her belt loop and a tall guy with her, both covered in...goo...? Or would they just look homeless to others? Hard to say. It was almost tempting to stop someone and ask. In Boston that might sometimes fly. People would think you were weird as shit, but more than likely they'd still give you an honest answer. Probably too honest. Here though? It was probably a bad idea.

He listened carefully this time. Before he’d been focused on other things so he had not heard all of what she said. Aaron did not mean to offend her. Then again, she didn’t seem to be the type of person who’d be easily offended. On the other hand, he hadn’t known her for very long. Aaron decided to trust his social skills were adequate for him to behave and not get on Tahra’s bad side.

“Oh, really?” He said, genuinely surprised.

Him and his mother had watched countless hours of Discovery, Animal Planet and National Geographic and even kept magazines as well. One of his greatest interests had always been animals. Even those that made his skin crawl.

“That’s really cool. Good she didn’t force you to stay at home – I might not have been alive right now.” Aaron said, realizing that very fact as he said the words. Tahra had been instrumental in bringing down the giant monster, whose blood and gore they were now both covered in.

“Hmm?” He looked at her as she asked him a question. “Oh, uh, dad.” Aaron stopped dead in his tracks. “Fuck me, I’ve completely forgotten to ask who your… Your… Divine influence is.” He chose his words carefully.

With all they had been through the last couple of hours, he had completely forgotten to ask Tahra – or even give it a thought – about who her godly parent was. Then Aaron looked around and watched the McDonald’s come closer. “But maybe that should wait until we’re back at the hotel?” He suggested. He was pretty sure that any normal person would just think them a little peculiar, but if someone heard who had ill intent (and was not entirely human perhaps), they could be in danger again.

Aaron shrugged and continued walking. Maybe whoever wanted to attack them wouldn’t do so in the middle of a city, but they could follow them and find out where they live. Aaron didn’t want that and he was sure Tahra didn’t either.

Tahra loudly laughed at Aaron's cursing. He was so abrupt about it that it seemed almost unnatural for him.

"Nah, kid," she chuckled, "don't even worry about it. The guys an Irish bum, just like most Boston dads. Just with freaky abilities on top of it." She paused, considering Aaron's suggestion to wait until they were at the hotel to talk more about their godly baggage. She shrugged indifferently. " But yeah, we have plenty of time to talk later. Doesn't matter."

Tahra wondered if maybe she was making him uncomfortable. She knew she could be pretty...much...for some folks. On the off chance that this was his polite way of telling her to shut up, she considerately went quiet for the rest of their walk to McDonalds.

It was already starting to get pink overhead, dinner time was fast approaching, if not completely present. Tahras stomach knawed at itself softly as they opened the glass doors and were struck with the intoxicating aroma of fry oil and grilled onions. Though fast food wasn't her favorite, she was past the point of being picky on her hungry meter. She waded her way into the small line, staring at the lit up sign boards for the menu until her turn. She hasn't been much paying attention to the cashier until she was about to order, but when she locked eyes with the worker in all his McDonald's uniform finery, she found herself a bit taken aback.

Usually, these sorts of places were full of half-conscious tennagers or unlucky adults with soulless eyes. Instead, she found her cashier to be a little person...very little...with red hair and a long red beard. His eyes were merry and mischievous and he appeared to only be able to reach the counter with the help of a stool behind the counter. Was this guy...like a little person? Tahra tried not to stare, worried she would offend him but as she looked past him she saw the grills, the fryalator and even the drive through worker all looked very much like her cashier. No one around her seemed to notice, and in fact, a glance beside her to the second cashier showed the person beside her ordering while apparently looking over his cashier's head.

Tahra desperately tried not to gape in horror. The place was completely run by leprechauns! The cashier in front of her cleared his throat, "ahem, are you ready to order, miss?" Tahra was torn. She wanted a small cheese burger and fries and a coke...but were leprechauns bad? Should she start swinging? "We are all out of shamrock shakes, so don't even ask, demigod." The little man before her said with a chuckle.
"Y-you?" Tahra managed to squeak softly. Not wanting the people behind them to overhear.
"Don't worry. They don't hear or see anything out of the ordinary right now. They never do." The little man rumbled, seeming to read her mind. "Never seen anything til now either huh? Don't worry. We're just making a little coin. None of that pot of gold, shoe making stuff for us modern leprechauns!" Tahra nodded, dumbfounded.
"I see...so...can I still have a cheeseburger then?" She asked, feeling lost. The little man laughed heartily. "Of course! Of course!" And started punching in her order on the screen before him. Feeling flabberghasted shw turned to Aaron. "W..what would you like?"

Aaron followed Tahra the rest of their way to the fast food place. For the last couple of hours his mind had been processing a million thoughts and questions a minute. He had so many things he was absolutely dying to know about. So many questions unanswered and so many impossible things experienced. First off he'd been shaken and surprised. Now, alongside the hunger, a gnawing want for knowledge was beginning to take its place. It made Aaron smile for a second - it was a familiar feeling. It was usually followed by hard work to study and getting to know about the subject he was concerned with. In this case, it would be thousands of years of mythology and folklore, but that was beside the point. Aaron was more than willing to put in the work he needed, to get to know more about their whole situation.

He didn't snap out of his thoughts before he was at the door to the McDonald's. The pictures and the smell of food made his stomach growl. He was so hungry. He approached the counter along with Tahra and waited a moment. The atmosphere sort of changed. Aaron looked up and was equally as surprised as Tahra.

"Wha..." He tried, but couldn't really get anything else out.

He'd been sort of listening to the conversation between Tahra and the... Well, leprechaun who took their order. He supposed they would have to get used to weird shit happening to them, until it was no longer weird shit anymore. That might take a while. Aaron shrugged and sighed, deciding to ponder how surreal and strange all of this was in the morning. Maybe tonight. Over a glas of wine. Or an ice cold beer. He was past being shocked and surprised at that moment.

Sure. Leprechauns. Why the fuck not...

He looked at Tahra for a second and then back at the leprechaun.
"Uh, a coke, a large fries and the biggest cheeseburger you have. And the key to the bathroom, maybe?" Aaron did his best to pretend he was not shocked. He also contemplated explaining why they looked the way they did, but the only thing he could come up with was something about them having been filming for a school project, but he was fairly certain that the leprechaun was not going to buy that.

I'm talking.. To a fucking leprechaun...

Aaron looked at Tahra as the leprechaun punched his order in. "Do we pay with gold or...?" He asked in a low voice. Aaron sure as hell did not have any gold in his pocket.

Tahra felt her brows raise at Aaron's impressively relaxed reaction to the little man before them, a man she would have previously thought was a fictional creature. The McDonald's clad leprechaun chuckled at Aaron's question.

"Like I said, we are modern men. We won't say no to gold, mind ya, but modern money does the job just as well."

"Ok..can I also get a small fry and a coke then?" She asked. The cashier nodded and announced their total, casual as couls be. Tahra, feeling overwhelmed, reached into her bag, withdrawing a hand full of crumpled bills and presented them to the cashier. Unphased, the little man took the bills, straightening them as he counted and dutifully returned her change. He also tossed Aaron the restroom key, which was attached to an overly large gold McDonald's M.

Their meals arrived promptly on the usual small brown serving tray.

"Thank you little demigods! Do return that key when you're done. And enjoy your meal!"

Tahra nodded numbly and carefully balancing their tray headed to a neaby table. "You..clean up first, I guess?" She said, settling into the seat and jamming fries into her mouth. She always did eat her feelings.

Aaron caught the key awkwardly but managed not to drop it. He nodded when Tahra let him go clean himself up first. She seemed shook up. But that wasn't so strange, was it? What, with all that had been going on for the past few hours. Before he turned and left for the restroom, Aaron grabbed a handful of fries and jammed them into his mouth. He was so hungry. With the first taste of potato and salt, his stomach growled and cramped. He rushed to the restroom and quickly unlocked the door.

He took a few minutes getting all the gore and dirt off his skin. Some of the smell still lingered though, and he was convinced that it was going to take a shower to get rid of it entirely. It probably clung to his nostrils as well. But Aaron cleaned up as best he could and came back outside. Even though the restroom sink wasn't optimal for the job, he felt considerably refreshed now.

"Here you go." He said to Tahra with a brief smile and handed her the key to the restroom. "Go, quick. You'll feel better."

Aaron sat down and quickly took a bite of his burger and a sip of his drink. He'd been waiting for this for what felt like ages, though it actually wasn't. He would never take food for granted again. The amount of energy he'd used today had taken its toll on him. Even though it wasn't the most rejuvenating meal, it served its purpose.

Tahra ate through her fries as if they were her last meal. Maybe they would be. This shit was all getting pretty real. And they had only just started. Her father hadn't even specified what the "bridge" they were looking to recover looked like..or who they might be taking it from. She sloshed far too much ketchup on the remainder of her fries and jammed them into her mouth: chipmunk-style. Just in time for Aaron to return with the bathroom key.

She flushed, wiping her mouth hastily on a paper napkin and mumbling a thanks from a mostly full mouth. Totally uncute. She took the key and her duffle then headed to the bathroom stiff with awkwardness.

This bathroom had seen cleaner days; but, then again, so had she. Tahra clicked the door to locked and wadding up paper towels, washed the gore from her face, neck, and hands as best she could. The change of clothes came next. She unceremoniously dumped her soiled clothes in the trash..except her red sneakers. They were the only shoes she brought. Who knew that demi-godding would require more accessories? She really wanted to wash her hair, but knew that doing it in this sink might do more harm than good. For now, this was clean enough.

Tahra slung her duffle back over her shoulder and headed back toward the counter. She placed the key beside the register, thanking the leprechaun for it's use, and shuffled back to Aaron and her cheeseburger. She plopped into the bench with a sigh.

"You were right. A bit better." She admitted, digging into her burger. She chewed thoughtfully, questions tumbling through her head like dead leaves. Aaron was probably right, ears would be everywhere. They couldn't talk aboit God stuff here. She mentally noted them for later.

"So..you work back home?" She asked instrad, playing it safe.