Modern Goddess: Trapped by Thor (Book One) (29 page)

The last statement was at odds with the
dramatic end-of-the-gods talk that had preceded it, and Thor's tone
had lifted. Yet the whole sentiment behind it remained. I fancied
Mjollnir was still managing to sing a silent, mournful note into
the room.

I slowly looked up at Thor. Technically,
the threat of Ragnarok would be the kind of reason that would allow
me to grant three simultaneous working visas to Thor, and to wipe
away the records of all past transgressions. Due to the complicated
interconnected way that the pantheons worked, the threat of
Ragnarok was not just a threat for the Nordic Gods. Not this time.
In the past, before the Integration Office had established the
clear connections between the pantheons to enable a smooth and
efficient immigration process, Ragnarok would have just involved
Odin and his kin. Not anymore.

The gods were connected, which meant their
myths intertwined.

Ragnorak, if allowed to happen, could kill
not just Nordic gods, but all gods....

Thor looked over me, stopping time with his
gaze.

I couldn't deny that he was serious and
that the situation was serious to boot.

He kept holding my gaze, and it was clear
from his demeanor that he was in victory mode. There was no way he
was going to accept no as an answer. I could tell from the endless
expanse behind those eyes that he would shift stars to get his
way.

...
I caved.

I took an enormous sigh and rolled my eyes –
hoping he could see how much of a burden this was.

He cracked a grin, snapping from serious,
I'm-going-to-die-at-Ragnarok mode in an instant. Except it wasn’t
true, because there was a reserve of tension underneath his eyes
that made them fall into shadows.

“
You do me a service, Details.”
He clapped his hands together with such a great big whoop that
several unsecured papers fluttered off my desk.

He didn't follow up his admission with
something nice like “I'll buy you whatever you want,” or “I'll
protect you rather than ditching you for more booze and broads.”
Nope, he clapped once – somewhat like he was catching a fly between
his giant palms (and that fly was me).

He then reached for the drawer where he
knew – from experience – I kept the blank contracts that a god had
to sign once their application was accepted.

I watched him like you might a full-speed
train as it headed towards your broken-down car on the tracks –
with a total inability to stop the crash I knew was about to
happen. With Thor/Zeus/Jupiter bounding around Earth all at once,
things were bound to get loud and destructive.

He flicked me a glance as he grabbed the pen
in my inkwell and signed his name to the contract. “Cheer up,
Details,” he said as he finished signing the contracts and dumped
my still inky pen back on my desk, “This is the first step in
something—“

“
Divinely terrifying,” I
finished for him.

The end. Thank you for reading
Modern Goddess: Trapped by Thor (Book One). The conclusion to this
story – Modern Goddess: Trapped by Thor (Book Two) – is currently
available.

Odette C. Bell has written over 60 books
from sci-fi adventure to magical realism. Her full catalogue is
available
here.