Change Part Two of the Brandt Family SeriesChapter 11
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“Athena? Why the hell does Athena want to come with us?” I asked out loud.
“Ask her, she merely informed me that she wishes to go,” Hilda shrugged.
Simon looked at Hilda, clearly decided she wasn’t telling him everything (as did I) then shrugged as we all made our way to the Council bar, where Athena was known to hang out.
Athena is ... or rather was a Greek Goddess or Higher Power. When she lost her followers and worshippers during the rise of the big monotheistic religions she resorted to becoming an entertainer in order to get the necessary adulation to keep herself from dwindling away. Currently she has her own show in Las Vegas and on Monday’s does a very, very popular set in the Council bar where she, also, as do the Mages and other guests get free drinks due to the magical creatures called Kikimora who staffed it and could create any drink perfectly and on the spot in return for protection, food and lodgings. Since discovering the bar she and Hilda, after a rocky start are now best female friends and until Hilda’s relationship with Simon developed were the scourge of any single (and not so single) male Mages. Add to this Hilda’s tendency to remove the normal Mage nullification of the effects of alcohol and starting bar room brawls and you had some very lively evenings at the bar ... for given values of lively ... naturally. Even when not in Vegas, Athena could usually be found in the bar talking to all and sundry and made the atmosphere very friendly as she and the other visiting Theurgists who now had an open invite to the bar got along famously as the world was put to rights ... or at least gone over in scandalous detail.
“Ah, Simon, come to finally sort out that threesome that Hilda so desires?” Athena greeted us as we strolled into the bar.
“In your dreams Athena,” Simon chuckled as Hilda and I both grinned. “Hilda’s more than enough woman for me and taking on anyone else would probably kill me, Mage powers notwithstanding.”
“This is true,” murmured Hilda with her grin getting broader.
“So, you want to join our secret mission to observe the Orcs? And left me wondering just how the hell you knew about it?” Simon asked.
“Oh Hilda told me, we don’t keep secrets from each other and no, I haven’t told anyone else who didn’t know, just discussed it with the Vatican mob when they were here yesterday.”
“Hilda!” Simon sighed exasperatedly.
“Had to be,” Hilda shrugged.
“You mean she has to come?”
“Don’t know, one of those weird feelings that I’ve come to trust and confirmed by Marcus too,” she replied, referring to Marcus Antonelli, the senior Vatican Theurgist.
“So why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“What? And pass up a chance to go to the bar? Get real my love,” she giggled.
“You don’t need an excuse,” he snorted, clearly amused now.
“True, but I always feel better when I do have one.”
Simon shrugged then turned his attention back to Athena. “So, apart from certain powers you may or may not have in another universe, why do you think your presence on the Orc worlds will be of benefit to us?”
“Marcus passed on information that the Orcs are under the control of a powerful Thaumaturge and that he, Judas and Thaddeus will not be permitted to assist. I can cover that missing link in the equation as a Power.”
“What about your own ... limitations?”
“Got it covered by the energy drain I took from shutting down Pandora’s box,” she replied referring to the incident that got her an invite to the bar to perform.
“And what will it cost us?” I asked, knowing Athena never did anything for nothing in the way of favours.
“Well ... I need at least one follower, as an anchor.”
“And what does being a follower of yours entail?” Simon asked.
“Worship, they would have to offer a prayer a day to me for the protection I’d give to their people.”
“No problem, there’s a small internet group that still worships you,” I replied.
“There is?”
“Yes, part of the Neopaganism movement. We can no doubt borrow one to come with us and be your Theurgist,” I replied.
“Works for me,” Simon added, looking at Hilda.
“We have an agreement with Athena and owe her a few favours, so no biggie,” she replied with a grin. “Besides, it’s not like she’s poaching one of ours.”
“Then we have an agreement?” Athena asked.
“We do, subject to us getting you a Theurgist,” Simon affirmed.
“Never considered that angle really,” I commented to Simon as I headed to the portal to take me home whilst Hilda remained with Athena for a drink and a chat.
“Me either, I was just hoping we could remain under their radar, but, this works out a lot better.”
“I suspect Athena has a bigger game plan.”
“Such as becoming the goddess of the Orcs? Yes, that occurred to me too.”
“Well she’d likely be a better goddess,” I nodded.
“And friendly to us as well, though she’d be a big miss in the bar,” he chuckled.
“That’s true, your idea of allowing open Mondays in the bar went down well amongst the Mage community as they get to meet a good few Council members and Theurgists in person.”
“I thought so myself, though not all Council members choose to attend.”
“Gosh, I wonder who won’t,” I replied with a grin.
“I suspect you know, John, the Council’s own bête noire Mage Clarence.”
“Following on in the grand tradition of Amity that was in trying to keep what the Council does as a secret.”
“Very much so, though much of what we do and how we do it is a secret, allowing the Mage community to meet us under less than official circumstances has increased our popularity greatly. The inclusion of friends from the other Earths as well as the Theurgists and demi humans has raised awareness and lowered a lot of suspicions and hostilities amongst us all. Athena’s show was a big help in this, to be honest.”
“Need to find a new singer, of the Minor Power type,” I replied with a wry smile.
“Would be handy, but I suspect not easy,” he replied before we bade each other farewell as I stepped through the portal home.
“Hi John, how did it go?” Jukar greeted me from the Null circle where she was going through various exercises to do with self-defence and muscle memory.
“Very well indeed my Lady, though I’m going to need to talk to you all tonight.”
“Ooh, sounds interesting.”
“Might be,” I replied as I made my way up to the villa where I could sense my other wives ... all of them.
“So you want to go hunting down a minor power to do a cabaret in the Mage bar?” Brianna asked with a bemused expression.
“Succinct but yes,” I chuckled.
“What makes you think any of them might?” Imelda asked.
“Well a lot of them were either hunted down as far as we know or went into hiding save those in various areas where the big religions don’t have a major foothold. We suspect the Æsir gods moved en-masse from the Norse culture here to the Æsir worlds and fought it out with the local deities until a new equilibrium was reached. Though we know the Theurgists took down Loki at least. So, there’s a possibility that one of the ones that are left struggling along, having seen what a success Athena has made, might like to try to come up with a similar deal.”
“Any idea who or where John?” Róisín asked, looking intrigued.
“The Muses and no,” I replied with a wry smile.
“Okay ... and how would we find them bearing in mind the Theurgists took years tracking Athena down?” Brianna asked, also looking intrigued.
“Well the Theurgists were looking for an ex higher power who had damned good reason to fear them, or rather thought she had. We have the Seer group and a few clues as to what to look for with regards to what the Muses can do.”
“Clues, John?” Abi asked, her forehead crinkling slightly in thought.
“They’re Muses, inspirers as it were and will be attached to the entertainment/publishing industry. Probably not running them, but definitely thereabouts.”
“How many? Legends have it at either nine or three,” Róisín queried.
“Does it matter?”
“Well no ... I guess not,” she nodded.
“So, can the Seers help Abi?”
“We’re checking a few things, hang on, John.”
“Won’t these Minor Powers be dangerous to approach, John?” Jukar asked.
“Possibly, though they tend to be more wary of Mages these days than they used to be.”
“Can’t think why,” Róisín murmured with a sly grin.
“Well shooting one with a Null bullet helped,” I chuckled.
“Yes, though that only appeared to make the more active ones a bit more cautious, the ones who work in the background ... not so much as we usually take no notice of them unless asked anyway.”
“That’s true my love,” I nodded.
“Los Angeles,” Abi finally said. “Probably associated with United Talent Agencies.”
“Seems like as good a place to start as any. Fancy a Muse hunt my Ladies? We can bring Mark along with us.”
“I’m game,” Róisín announced as the rest of my wives nodded.
United talent Agency is one of the biggest if not the biggest talent agency on the planet. They represent actors, writers, directors, producers, recording artists along with various ‘below the line’ talent such as the film and recording crews along with diversity into emerging technology and corporate brands. Hence it was also the ideal place to go looking for Minor Powers representing or inspiring the artists and feeding off the adulation they got.
Detecting a Minor Power though was another thing entirely. Sure, they weren’t as outright dangerous to Mages as a Major Power, but they were just as capricious and unpredictable if not approached right and approaching one usually meant not sneaking up on them. However not sneaking up meant they could detect us and keep out of our way. That in essence was why I had my wives and my son Mark with me, it’s called protective colouration and was to lull the Muses, if they were there, into a false sense of security ... not that we had any plans to irritate them, if I thought it would be dangerous, I’d have been there alone.
We’d been in contact with Mage Helen, head of the American bureau to let her know where we were and to borrow the Seer group via Abi, so long as we didn’t interfere with their normal activities. After that, we portalled in via a ‘safe house’ and made our way as a group to the headquarters of the group and began a detailed passive scan.
“There’s this area that’s utterly opaque to my scans,” Róisín finally announced, being the most sensitive amongst us, save for Abi who was in a class of her own as a journeywoman Seer.
Cathalina
- 25.09.2021
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