Sól's Story

For Sól, time was not read on the screen of a phone or the hands of a watch. Instead Sól told time by the placement of the sun. Even through heavy storm clouds the goddess would always know the position of that celestial body, as certain of its location as she was of how many fingers she had on her hand, or toes on her feet. With the sun at its pinnacle even mortals could guess that it was midday, and the Norse Goddess merely had to use her eyes rather than her depleted powers to sense the time.

Midday in the central hub of San Francisco is busier than most times. People teem across Union Square, some seeking out shelter from the wind, while others idle outside cafes and shops as they wait for friends or chat with colleagues. Sol stands alone amongst the mass of humans, waiting below the Dewey Memorial with her face tilted up as if admiring the statue sitting atop the column of concrete. In fact Sol's sight is more critical than admiring as she gazes at the bronzed figure of Nike, the winged Greek Goddess of Victory. Having met Victory when Sol still claimed Scandinavia as her home, the Sun Goddess can tell anyone who wanted to know that the bronzed figure atop the pedestal looked vastly different to the real Nike. The wings were about right, but the serene look on the statue’s face was nothing like the competitive, strained expression Sol remembered. Still, if the statue offered even an ounce of the victory the goddess once promised her followers, then Sol could live with the inaccuracy.

Turning her attention from the statue Sol casts her gaze around the square, pale green eyes warmed with flecks of gold searching for any sign of a familiar face or a sense of a nearing god. With their powers as limited as they are, it's almost impossible to sense another god as they were once able to do. Now deities can pass within feet of another, their powers sufficiently suppressed that neither will know their neighbour's true identity until one accidentally brushes against the other. Even then all the contact tells the gods is that the other being is no mortal. It does not reveal who they may be, where they're from, or what they reign over. With the slumbering gods even this trick is lost, which is one of the factors that makes waking them that much harder. To have to search through millions of humans in the quest for a handful of gods is a tremendous undertaking.

"Kemst þó hægt fari." Sol thinks to herself, "You will reach your destination even though you travel slowly." The rough English translation forming in her mind a second after the Icelandic. It has some bearing on the current situation, calling for patience in the face of such a large task. But patience is not always conducive to victory, not when Loki has gathered a group of strong defectors to his side, intent on reaping chaos and unfolding carefully laid plans. His plans, whatever they may be, seek to create an imbalance amongst the gods. When they should be teaming together for their own survival, he is manipulating others for his own purposes. It does not do to dwell on such thoughts. Sol well knows the danger of getting caught up them. The seemingly perpetually optimistic goddess shakes her head to clear her mind of the worrying thoughts, golden curls bouncing around her shoulders at the movement.

She takes a seat on an empty bench, brushing invisible speaks of dust from her white skirt with delicate fingers. As she waits to be joined by her companions, Sol lets her mind wander across the collection of people gathering and crossing the public plaza. A mother and her new born daughter pass within metres of the goddess, the small baby earning a warm smile from the Scandinavian native. Next a group of young children's shouting calls her to the left, her eyes alighting on three siblings playing make believe while their parents follow at a statelier pace. Sol watches them play as they leap across the square's pavement, their game shifting between playing wizards and witches, to cops and robbers as their attention flows. Even as she watches she sees the trouble coming, observing as the oldest child’s face twists up in anger and his foot is thrust out to trip his younger brother. A cry rings out in the square, the youngest child clutching his scraped knee as tears threaten. Sol is there in a second, before his parents have even registered the sound. Her gentle smile has the child sniffing back his tears in a moment, his anxiety disappearing as her hand comes to rest over his knee. A flickering warmth spreads from her hand to the young boy’s knee, transforming his expression into one of wonder as his tiny wound heals before his eyes. It's all she can do nowadays, little cuts and scraps that would heal naturally in no time at all.

Then Sol is stepping back, making way for his caregivers as they fuss at him. Sol makes eye contact with the parents, offering them a genuine smile which they return almost instinctively, before taking her leave of the family. As the family move off the youngest son glances back, his eyes as wide as saucepans as he stares at the Sun goddess. Sol merely smiles back, knowing that within the hour she will be but a distant, fading memory. Once he and his family have disappeared back into the crowds Sol settles back on her bench, content to watch the passing mortals as she waits for the arrival of her fellow gods.

Had just one god beside herself turned up at the meeting, Sol would have been happy, but to have three other deities appear in support of their cause was enough to have Sol beaming from the first to the last. She welcomes Aonghus with a smile just as warm as what she used to greet Andres and Eopsin, though before she can verbally offer a greeting Sol's attention is caught by the South American god standing beside her.

Andres' words prove unsettling, and Sol listens with avid attention, catching his eye as he informs the company of the find of a dead man who once claimed to be Chernobog. Sol doubts very much that the man in question was the infamous Slavic god himself. Though she has never met Chernobog she knows Belobog, the light to his dark, well. From all she has heard of the Slavic God of Evil he would not be easy to kill. His worshippers used to fear even speaking his name, so she doesn't believe that the man found dead was Chernobog at all. Of course, that still begs the question of who this mysterious cage fighter is. The style of the killing doesn't bode well and Sol can imagine by the sound of Andres' news that the fighter would be just the type of recruit that Loki would be interested in.

Sol thanks Andres for his information with an appreciative look and a smile before shifting her gaze to Eopsin. The Korean goddess offers a tantalising hope of a mysterious god, Asian in origin. No matter how vague, it is a promising lead, and Sol has faith that if they can reach this god before Loki and his collaborators, they might have a chance of gaining the advantage.

It's the thought of Loki and his gang that has Sol eager to begin their search. "Welcome Aonghus, I'm grateful that you made it today." Sol begins, finally verbally greeting the newest addition to their group. Then her warm eyes turn to Andres, "If your contacts pick up any more information on this fighter I would be interested in hearing it. They could prove a valuable asset to our side if we can find them..." What goes unsaid is the fact that the god could also be a dangerous enemy if found first by Loki. Sol shudders at the very thought of such an alliance.

"Eopsin," Sol begins, turning her mind to more immediate matters, "Is there an area of the city where you've felt this god's presence more than the others?" She asks, her voice hopeful. If they could somehow narrow down the area they could make shorter work of finding the deity. Already a plan is forming in Sol's head, albeit a very rudimentary plan. "We should split into pairs and comb the city, starting with the places where you have sensed this god, Eopsin." Sol says. addressing the whole group as she bounces her idea around, "That way we can cover more ground as we search. Andres, perhaps you and Eopsin can search together, and Aonghus and I will take the other half of the city."

Even to her own ears the plan sounds weak, but there's no way their limited powers will let them search the city any faster. Footing it through the streets has proved effective in the past few months, so Sol can only cross her fingers and pray to whatever being answers the prayers of gods that it works this time. "Make sure to keep everyone updated. If you find your god I'm only a cell phone call away." Sol remarks, patting her pocket where her slim cellphone currently resides. It's then that Sol's eyes catch on two people balanced on a bicycle. Despite the distance between them that's a spark of recognition, at least in regards to the male at the front of the bike. Having spent so long walking this earth Sol's mind is a library of faces and names, yet the longer she stares at the couple the more sure she is that the man is a god she's met before. The name is at the tip of her tongue when it suddenly vanishes, and she's left questioning whether it is merely her hopes and the distance playing tricks on her mind. With a shake of her head Sol turns her attention back to the gods immediately in front of her, smiling at them as she waits for their answers to her proposed plan.

Morrigan. The name draws images of bloody wars, ruthless strategies, and the figure of an intimidating woman with victory in her veins. If the Celt of the Cages is truly the war goddess, and Sol has no reason to doubt Andres' information nor Aonghus' knowledge of his own pantheon, than Sol can only hope that Loki Laufeyson does not find her. What he could do with a goddess of her talents frightens Sol, enough that she almost misses Aonghus' next words. Just catching the end of his statement she nods, letting her excitment at the potential lead bury the worry that spiked through her only seconds prior.

"He might be some sort of water divinity." Sol remarks, "Perhaps we should begin our search by the harbour." The Sun goddess glances at the other two gods gathered, smiling as she prepares to bid them farewell for now, "Oshun, a goddess of plants, has offered her home as a base while we're in the city. We will meet there at nightfall if we haven't found any leads, I'll send a text message with the address." The African goddess, for reasons not fully explained to Sol, refused her plea to join the hunt for the sleeping gods. Despite this Sol still considers the goddess an ally, not least because she has given her home over to the cause, offering a roof, a comfortable bed, and a warm meal to any god or goddess who needs one.

With a final nod at Eopsin and Andres, Sol turns towards Aonghus, "Shall we begin?"

Now that he had been designated a particular task, and not simply as a dock worker or some other menial mortal job he had taken, Aonghus felt a sense of his own purpose as divinity returning to him again. He looked at his fellow divinities gathered here in the midst of crowds upon crowds of mortals and felt somehow thankful that he had come and met with them even with so little time to engage in conversation. It had been, after all, far too long since he interacted with someone outside his pantheon.

"Yeah," he nodded in assent, hitching the strap of his guitar case up a bit higher and leaving with Sól.

As they left, he couldn't help the feeling that something amorous was watching them, but that could've easily been the floral perfume wafting from a young woman. Freshly sprayed on, perhaps meeting someone.

He had noticed the trouble expression on Sól's face at the information he gave and let out a sigh as he decided to strike up conversation when they were some distance away from Union Square.

"I assume you've caught wind of her rep," he started sombrely. "Even if you haven't, the beheading's more than enough to put anyone off, really."

Though her pace does not slacken as the two head off to begin their search, Sol’s face gives a hint at the worry this news of Morrigan induces. She finds herself agreeing with what Aonghus says, nodding as their feet take them in the general direction of the harbour. Though she cannot claim to know the San Francisco streets well, one only has to follow your nose to find the sea. All it takes is a glimpse of the wide expanse of water lapping at the city’s shores to tell you you’re on the right track, though Sol is confident that should she take a wrong turn, Aonghus would be able to set them straight.

“Her rep and the cold-blooded nature of the killing chill me.” Sol admits, seeing no reason to keep her fear a secret, “Especially because I know what Loki would do should he gain her allegiance.” The Norse goddess turns a worried smile on the Celt, desiring to put the topic behind them in favour of something lighter, “But perhaps he has yet to find her. Loki is not all-seeing, merely all-infuriating.”

Aonghus chuckled softly at her comment. "We do have a trickster god on our hands, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if he threw a practical joke or illusion our way. Let's hope that's the most he can do, and on his own."

He paused after a moment, watching the stretch of harbour ahead of them and closing his eyes to take in the sea breeze. Carried with the breeze was a signature that he recognised as that he could faintly recognise.

"I can sense some level of attachment here." He opened his eyes and turned to Sól with an apologetic look. "It may be a bit hard to discern whether or not it was him with how weak my powers are, but give me a bit of time and I'll try to isolate any traces of him from here."

Sol nods empathetically, knowing that if all they get are a few practical jokes and illusions from her Norse compatriot, than they would have gotten away lightly. From past experiences she knows how malicious Loki can be. It doesn’t do to forget that while he’s a trickster god, chaos is also his realm and he creates more than enough to wreak havoc wherever he goes. She doesn’t need to explain this to Aonghus though, not when he clearly knows just as well as her what Loki is capable of.

She waits as Aonghus pauses, intuitively knowing – though she can’t sense it – that he’s calling on his powers to help in their search. Sol waits with baited breath, hoping that he can sense something more than her limited abilities allow her too. When he speaks Sol nods, expecting no more of her current partner than what he has provided. “I miss the days when you could feel another deity a mile off.” She admits. She could barely sense the presence of Eopsin and Andres behind her, and only then because she knew what she was familiar with their particular frequencies now. Finding a foreign god whose aura was barely larger than a normal human’s was like finding a needle in a haystack.

"It wasn't always the best thing, though. If you knew where they were, they knew where you were."

“Perhaps we will have a stroke of luck and this god will cross our path.” Sol adds a moment later, punctuating it with a smile as the seemingly eternal optimist in her appears.

Aonghus was not averse to this part of her nature. Reminded of the pleasantness of the sun when the clouds allowed its rays to spread over the vast expanse of lands he and the other divinities in his pantheon he had domain over, he allowed her warmth to seep into him, shaking off some of the gloom that had remained since his awakening. "Yes. Perhaps we will," he said with a nod of the head and a short bow. He held out his arm for her to take and walked with her along the harbour.

There wasn't much to work with as the signatures remained faint and almost indistinguishable from that of humans, so he got to work. Mentally, he divided each part of the path into quadrats and studied them carefully, separating the distinctly human signatures—assigned white markers—whilst trying to identify which ones were of the deity he had sensed—assigned blue markers. These traces, despite being faint and easily mixed with the flurry of white markers, were more easily identifiable to Aonghus as they contained a consistent strain of a particular feeling of longing and nostalgia. It was almost as if the very thing he was attached to was being kept from him.

"A deity was here," he told Sól, lightly squeezing her arm. "It's a start. We should inform the others."

Sol links arms with the god, keeping pace with him as the two continue their search. Her own powers do not enable her to sense anything beyond what is related to the sun and light. Gods’ auras are usually visible to her as shifting, coloured lights bathing in the all-encompassing glow of the sun’s rays, their colours becoming weaker over the centuries as her own powers diminished. It is one reason why Sol is so thankful to have gods like Aonghus, whose powers enable them to have a slightly better idea where other deities might be than her own skills. Even as Sol watches the passing faces, seeking any familiar feature that might stir her memory, Aonghus draws her attention with a squeeze of her arm. His words gift her with a glimpse of hope. Finally something solid.

“Can you sense how recently the deity has been here or where they might have gone?” Sol asks Aonghus, even as she’s retrieving her phone from her pocket. Opening the screen Sol taps open the messages, bringing up the contacts Eopsin and Andres and quickly typing them out Aonghus’ message. “Could he or she still be in the area?” She asks, her thumb hitting the send button as she briefly closes her eyes and attempts to see if her own powers can sense something. She gets nothing and her eyes flutter open a moment later, glancing up at Aonghus in the hopes that he’s having better luck.

Aonghus merely shrugged. "I'm not sure. I suppose I could venture a guess and say that the stronger signatures left behind mean that they've been here recently, but that's just a theory." He thought for a moment. "You can only see light and sun, correct?"

Sol nods affirmation, turning a rolling gaze across the scattering of mortals roaming the area as she and Aonghus walk together. The humans might not see it, but Sol can feel the rippling sunlight that ebbs around them. “Yes, I can see sunlight the way most mortals see solid objects, or in the way you can sense affection." She answers, knowing that her vague answer might not satisfy a mortal with no concept of divine powers, but that Aonghus should understand. Casting light green eyes up at the Celt, Sol waits for him to explain his sudden interest in her abilities.

"Then, there are things you can't see." He stared a moment at the look of confusion on her face, and anyone else privy to that conversation, if there were any, would have laughed at how comical their stances were. "Right. Not clear. There are things you can't see. In a way, what you can't see makes an impression of a person. A shadow." He looked at the railing ahead of them and back to her. "We can use this shadow to have a general idea of the deity's movements."

Sol nods as understanding dawns. Aonghus is quite right, though Sol can see all the light touches in front of her just as any human can, revealing colours, textures, facial features and so on, her sense of the light is vastly different. It may be minute and unintelligible to anyone other than herself, but her sense does, as Aonghus explained, create shadows wherever the light does not reach. “You want to track this deity by his shadow?" She asks, slowly garnering on to what Aonghus might be suggesting.

Aonghus nodded. "It would be an interesting way to find them," he grinned. "Wait. Let me try something." He took her hand and held it firmly. "I need you to concentrate. You can use the sort of map I made as a guide. The deity's signature will appear blue. If you have any difficulty trying to tap in, I'll try to help."

Sol turns into Aonghus, gripping his hand as he does hers. She'd done this sort of thing before, though each time it grew harder and harder as their powers waned. Melding their powers together took concentration and a connection. Their hands provided the connection and as Sol focused on the map Aonghus had created earlier she was able to see blurs of blue and white. It wasn't a perfect art, her vision was hazy and the shadows she gave to their power combination did not always meet with Aonghus' guide, but as the two put in their collective will the picture began to illuminate more of what they wished to see. “It's... almost." Sol says, concentrating harder on their connection as she fights to link their powers.

Aonghus tried to focus all of his attention on simultaneously giving Sól a better image of his vision and seeing what Sól didn't. Slowly, silhouettes of people started to form, walking listlessly as if they were wandering ghosts in limbo. Despite the faintness and flickering of their images they at least managed to lock onto the deity's shadowy image. He saw him stood by the railings, not moving much for a while before wandering away from them, presumably to go elsewhere. Once he left the path, all trace of him disappeared.

He sucked in a breath. "Did you see it? Did you see him?" he said rather excitedly despite knowing that this lead could possibly take them nowhere.

Sol sees it too, the momentary vision of a shadowey figure who, thanks to the combination of their powers, she can sense must be a god. She watches as the deity moves, feeling only a passing disappointment as the last hint of him vanishes beyond their senses. Still, it is a hope and Sol can only return Aonghus' excitement with a smile as she nods, "I saw him." The Sun goddess gives his hand a happy squeeze, pleased beyond measure with this brief glimpse. "Now all we need to do is find him." Her words are spoken as if there is every possibility that they can find the deity, this solid proof of his existance making her optimistic that their efforts will not be in vain.