The Valkyrie (25 page)

There had been heavy bombardment in the
night and the casualties had begun to build up on both sides.
Valhalla was all abuzz with activity for 2am in the morning.
Liberty had a queue 3,000 deep to process. She’d stormed through a
further 1,500 already. The girl was on fire. Liberty didn’t mind
these sorts of monotonous admin tasks because she could see the end
in sight. She did not envy Glory having to write all those reports
ready for Freya and Odin to read over their morning ambrosia.
Liberty would take a break every couple of hours or so for a quick
shot or snort and every time she went over to offer the sober Glory
some she had been typing like a maniac.

“When was the
last time you had either a drink or a fag?” Liberty asked as
Glory’s fingers tapped furiously.

“About 1am
yesterday morning when Honour and I were finishing up with the
bridesmaid dresses.” Glory said focussing on her screen.

“That’s out of
character.”

“Yes it is,
isn’t it?”

“What’s wrong
with you?”

“That’s such a
big question. This place needs some music.” Glory said putting
Classic FM on. “I can’t believe you got engaged less than a week
ago and you’re getting married in two days.”

“I know it’s
too much. I can’t fathom it all.”

“Are you and
Bea an item then?”

“Yes.”

Glory and
Liberty were at a weird standoff. Liberty was making all sorts of
wild assumptions about Glory and Ares. Why was Glory not drinking
and smoking all of a sudden? What did Glory think was going on
between her and Bea? Glory was also making bizarre guesses about
Liberty’s actions. Why was she going through with the marriage to
Apollo? What did team Prometheus know about what was going on that
she didn’t? Glory had added assumptions about Athena and Ares, the
two Olympian war gods who had both confessed to her that they too
could feel that a war was coming. Plus what the Hell was Apollo’s
grand plan? Glory and Liberty were kidding themselves if they
thought they were still best friends. Deep down Liberty knew that
they’d be on opposing sides even if she couldn’t articulate this
sense to herself. Liberty had been trying hard all of yesterday to
predict Glory’s future and all she could see was Glory asleep.

***

It was 9am in
the morning and Glory was outside Freya’s bedroom ready to brief
her on the tea party and KW2. She’d changed out of her tartan get
up from yesterday and was wearing a pair of navy cigarette trousers
and a white shirt. She was still wearing her pearls as she’d become
even more attached to them of late and she threw on a pair of
crippling heels for good measure. Glory was leaning against the
wall waiting for Sigyn to let her in. She checked her phone for the
first time since she left the pub to see that over the course of
the evening she had received texts from practically everyone. Glory
had responded positively to Hera’s text from yesterday and now Hera
endeavoured to engage her in a meaningful conversation about
drapery. She was actually beginning to enjoy talking about
homeware. Honour had sent some lovely drunk texts telling Glory how
awesome she was. Thor had tried it on and so had Loki. Glory sent
both of them texts saying that she didn’t want to see them again
and deleted their numbers and their contact history on her phone
just in case her phone fell into the wrong hands. Ares had rung her
twice and left a voicemail asking for an audience with her at some
point in the day. Apollo had rung once at 4am. Glory was just about
to go on YouTube and watch videos of kittens when Sigyn and
Amethyst appeared from a side door. Glory was not happy to see
her.

“Yesterday was
fun wasn’t it?” Sigyn said padding into the middle of the room.
“What lovely tea was to be had. I liked Hera’s china, very fine.
What happened to you by the way? You were playing the piano ever so
nicely and then the next thing I knew you disappeared. I was
flummoxed.”

“Yes, well. I
take it Freya is ready to receive me.” Glory said walking past
Sigyn.

“Oh yes.”
Amethyst said as she got back to organising nail varnishes by
shade.

This was the
first time that Glory had ever been granted the pleasure of Freya’s
private quarters. Freya’s bedroom was very plush and Glory’s heels
sank into the shag pile carpet. There were vases of fresh flowers
on nearly every free surface and as Glory approached the bed she
could see that the sheets were made of silk. The room smelt like
sex. Freya was sitting at her dressing table painting on her
foundation. Freya beckoned Glory over to take a nearby seat.

“How awful was
the tea party?” Freya asked mixing shades on a pallet.

“Well, it was
alright.” Glory said shifting uncomfortably on her chair having
heard the shower turn on in the adjoining the bathroom. Evidently
Freya’s guest hadn’t left yet. Glory gestured to Freya whether she
wanted her to leave. Freya just waved her hand, she didn’t care one
jot what Glory saw.

“I find that
hard to believe. You look different today.” Freya said. Glory
didn’t really want to talk about it but as Freya was her employer
she really didn’t have much choice in the matter.

“Well Aphrodite
has lost her marbles.”

“Oh excellent,
I’m really enjoying your little love triangle with Aphrodite and
Ares. Do continue.”

“It’s more of
an octagon than a triangle. Basically I ended up jumping out of a
window.” The shower had stopped running.

“Absolutely
brilliant. Could you pass me that polyfilla over there?”

Glory handed
Freya the tube. “So I’m afraid I missed the rest of it and went to
the pub instead.” Glory didn’t want to be there when Freya’s lover
reappeared so she tried to hurry the conversation along “Do you
want me to debrief you on the first four days of the Second Korean
War?”

“No that’s
quite alright.” Freya said. The bathroom door opened and there
stood Thor in a towel.

“I’d like to
debrief. You missed one heck of a party last night.” Thor said as
his towel fell off. She could tell he was weighing up the prospect
of a threesome.

Glory swivelled
on her chair “It’s going well. I’ve got a shit tonne of dead to
process if you would excuse me.”

“You’re
excused.” Freya said.

***

Glory got back
to her desk and rifled around her draw for some ambrosia but she
couldn’t find any. She was absolutely starving; she didn’t think
she’d ever been this hungry before. Then she remembered that Valour
always used to have a mini fridge with some under her desk and
Honour hadn’t cleared it out for Bea yet. Glory deeply missed
Valour. She ached for her. She walked over to the next cubicle and
found that Valour’s ambrosia stash was still there. Glory sat cross
legged on Valour’s chair and chowed down. She looked forlornly at
the items on the organised desk. There was a piece of paper under
the conch shell that Valour used as a paperweight. Glory picked it
up and read it:

Hey guys, why
am I in work with a hangover this early in the morning? Can I have
a pay rise pretty please with a cherry and sprinkles on top? My
phone has died and I have no idea what anyone’s phone number is so
I can’t ring you. I also can’t get the computer to turn on to email
you because the computer confuses me. In my defence I am four
hundred years old. Athena rang Glory’s desk phone and asked for Big
G to come and collect some plans for border skirmishes in Kashmir
but I said I’d go and get them. See you later at the pub quiz if
I’m not back before then.

Glory felt
sick. Valour hadn’t disappeared after going home with an elf. She
went and met Athena. It was Valour who she had spoken to but she
probably had a gun to her head when she was talking and Glory
hadn’t realised. What did Athena have to do with Valour? That
sodding Daphne vase still freaked Glory out and Athena had already
admitted that it wasn’t even meant for Liberty but for her. Why did
Athena give a shit about what she does? Why did she care about
Glory’s chaotic love life? What does Athena even have to gain by
killing Valour? The only one who gained from Valour’s death in any
way was Bea and what did Athena have to do with Bea? A spark of
voluptuous clarity hit her and she could have kicked herself. She
had half seen it earlier. She thought Bea was too familiar and was
using advanced magic at the engagement party. Glory remembered
Metis’s prophecy. Zeus had assumed that Metis was only just
pregnant with Athena but if she’d been pregnant with twins and
Athena was just the first born then the whole Athena jumping out of
Zeus’s skull was just an elaborate diversion. Fuck, Bea isn’t even
girl then. Glory had another thought niggle in her head: but what
about Apollo? Athena was warning Glory not to get involved with
Apollo but Apollo had warned Glory not to tell anyone about Valour
being dead and he was going to silence Hermes on the subject. The
next day her voicemail changed. Apollo was in on it too. But why
did Apollo need to marry Liberty? But of course, Apollo needs to be
at liberty to challenge Zeus, without true freedom to act it’s
nearly impossible to disrupt the established order. But why did Bea
and Athena care so much about Glory to mess with her head like
that?

Glory paced
down a corridor in Valhalla and dialled Bea’s number “I know all
about you.”

“Do you now?”
Bea asked. He couldn’t be bothered to pretend to be a girl for
Glory anymore now she had finally worked it out “Only roughly I
imagine. Now sister, I have a piece of brotherly advice for you:
keep your head down and play along with Apollo for the time being.
I’m going to get you, Liberty and Honour out of this mess.”

“You’re
underestimating Apollo.” Glory said.

“That was a
very matter of fact statement.”

“What’s your
actual name?”

“Gravitas, but
you can continue calling me Bea for ease.”

“How very
considerate of you.”

“Why do you
think I’m underestimating Apollo. He’s just a poet.”

“Why are you
going to ‘get me out of this mess’? What’s in it for you?”

“Brotherly
affection.”

“Well that
would make you your father’s son.”

“Have you
considered that I am actually trying to do the right thing here?
Our father is a despotic tyrant, he needs to be overthrown.”

“I hadn’t
considered that. Hang on a moment and I’ll see whether Valour
thinks you are just trying to do the right thing. Um no, she said
you’re a cunt.”

“Utilitarianism. Please don’t tell Liberty just yet.”

“Or what? Oh I
see you’re in
love
with Liberty.”

“Or I’ll let
Apollo have you.”

“Ah now there
we have it, I’m a fucking bartered bride. What are you planning on
doing, placating Apollo with me? Or were you going to try and bribe
Ares instead after you’ve killed Apollo because he’s no longer
useful? I take it that the wedding is a fixed point in time that
starts the war, but I doubt the victor is settled.”

“May I suggest
that we stop this conversation before either of us says anything
the other regrets. I do not mean to fight with you sister. I am
your only chance of being rescued from an eternity with a
psychopathic poet. Right now it is safer for everyone to continue
as if nothing is wrong with the world.”

Glory weighed
it up tactically in her head for a moment “Alright, not that I
trust you.” She threw her phone at the wall. It pissed her off that
he didn’t seem to think she was capable of getting herself out of
this mess. Did she really give off that strong a ‘damsel in
distress’ vibe? But all she wanted to do was to speak to Apollo;
she wanted him to tell her what to do. Athena’s words niggled at
the back of her mind.

“You’ve really
grown into your name over the last week.” Loki said from
behind.

“Shit, you
scared me.” Glory said gasping “Why do you look so sad?”

“Why won’t you
see me anymore? I’ve been trying to ring you. You dashed out on me
the other night.” Loki sighed heavily.

“Because it’s
over.”

Loki leaned
into Glory and put his weight on her. “I’ve just had the order.” he
said.

“What order?”
she asked.

“To go over the
top.”

“When?”

“In two days.”
Loki said hugging Glory’s waist.

“Who gave the
order?”

“Surtr.”

“He’s a fire
giant right?” Glory asked Loki who just nodded. The biggest ball of
fire that Glory could think of was ringing her on her phone. Glory
picked up the device from the spot where it had landed and stared
at it as Apollo was sent through to her voicemail. “Apollo’s your
father isn’t he? Fuck. Does he know about us? Don’t tell him.
Whatever you do don’t tell him or he’ll do to me what he did to
your mother.” Loki, Asclepius or whatever he was called pulled
himself from Glory, kissed her forehead goodbye and walked away.
She went back to her desk to get her handbag. Liberty had already
gone home for the day so she’d have to crack her wings out and fly
to Hackney. Glory stopped and stared at her desk. On it was a pair
of vases one depicting Cassandra and the other Coronis. Glory got
the message: don’t change your mind once you’ve agreed something
with Apollo and don’t cheat on him.

When Glory got home from her shift at 11am, she
went straight to the fridge, emptied it of ambrosia and crawled
upstairs. She was knackered from overthinking. The house was a mess
and there were Valkyries draped all over the furniture in varying
states of drunkenness and undress. She’d checked that the
bridesmaid dresses were all intact still, which they were
mercifully. Hermes was curled up asleep in the bath tub so she
couldn’t have a soak. She didn’t want to wake him up as he looked
peaceful, so she went and got a blanket out of the airing cupboard
and put it on him. Glory proceeded to her room which thankfully was
free of unwanted Valkyries but she had another visitor. Ares was
sitting on her chaise longue reviewing the reports Glory had sent
him that morning on KW2.