How to Be a God [ManXMan]

Epilogue

~Epilogue~

"Exactly seven hours and ten minutes after taking the Were girl back to her people, Ullr will return and complete the final part of the plan. I just have to wait."

~

And wait. And wait. And wait.

The morning passes, mostly uneventful. Zeus returns shortly after having left with a goddess I actually recognize – Athena. Dionysus leaves almost immediately after, claiming that his business here is finished and that he has a party to attend. Zeus did not as much as glance at him before his son teleported away; his eyes were solely on his daughter. But not in the lustful way I was expecting to witness. Rather, he looks quite fond of her, in a purely paternal way.

For – what I assume to be – the first few hours, Athena tests the wards with normal weapons, from daggers to swords, and little bursts of magic. I suspect she was looking for a weakness, but since she found none, she moved onto the stones. Surprisingly, that is where she finds her first real challenge.

"I can't read the runes," Athena sighs, standing up and brushing dirt off her pale pink dress. "There is a magic in them that blurs them from sight."

And yet I was able to read them easily...tricky, Loki.

Zeus finally looks at me, or rather, the statue. "We will find a way," he promises, knowing I am listening, before he and his daughter disappear. A few minutes later, Dionysus returns, looking thoroughly disheveled and more than a little drunk. There appears to be confetti in his hair and he starts to sway drunkenly until he takes a seat on a bench facing the statue.

The sun has already risen at this point and people are starting to walk through the area. A few more hours pass and the area becomes incredibly busy. Some people are taking pictures while others are gathered in touring groups. Plenty of people are on their own, but the crowd is mainly made up of large groups of seven to ten people with tour guides showing them around.

Noon comes and goes, and I start to grow anxious. The plan was for Ullr to arrive shortly after one and I am almost certain that time has already passed. I cannot be sure, though, as I am not facing a clock and the sun is not the best way to tell exact times. However, I am almost certain Ullr is late.

Athena returns, Dionysus leaves, and then Athena leaves and Dionysus returns, this time looking even worse than before; it looks like someone drew on his face with different color paints. As soon as his behind hits the bench, he passes out. This would have been the perfect time for Ullr to make his move, but he never shows. The sun is setting and I am still here.

The burden seems to grow heavier and with every passing minute, my hope plummets further. Even if this all goes as planned, I will likely remain in the statue for a long time-

~

"How does he plan to free you?" Atlas asks, noticing the flaw in the plan. After all, to free me, Ullr would have to take my place or find someone else to do it.

"I will not be freed," I answer. His eyes widen in horror and I can tell he is about to object, so I quickly add, "Not right away. The final phase of the plan is for Ullr to take me far away, where the Greeks are unable to touch the statue. Once I am safe, he will enlist some help to destroy the enchantments. It could take a few weeks to a few years, but I will eventually be free and no one will have to take my place to do it."

~

-but at least I will be out of the hands of the Greeks, who would lock me in Tartarus forever. However, if Ullr never shows, it is only a matter of time before the Greek goddess manages to find a way around Loki's tricks. Or, if not find a way around it, then force a way through it. The wards are strong, but if Zeus puts the full force of his power behind it, they may not hold; they have not been tested against a king god, after all.

If it were possible, I would be sweating and my hands would be shaking. Since I cannot move, though, the only change is the sinking feel in my gut and the slowly returning emptiness – of the heart and mind – I thought I had forgotten. It covers up the fear and doubt, replacing them with apathy.

Forever is a long time.

Suddenly, the scenery blacks out for less than a second before it is replaced with a lush garden that goes on for longer than I can see. If they could, my eyes would have widened. This garden looks familiar, but I cannot remember where I last saw it. Please, not Mount Olympus...

Someone moves into view and, to my great joy, it is Ullr in his god form. I want to breathe a sigh of relief when he crouches so that our eyes are on the same level. "Sorry I took so long. Loki had to put some more spells on the replacement statue," he says, referring to the fake statue he replaced me with to keep the Greek gods from looking for the real one. "But you're here now, and you're safe. Loki and Odin are going to start working on the enchantments in the morning."

He pauses and moves out of sight. "Until then, you have this awesome view of Queen Frigg's garden," he says, before moving back into sight, "and me, your incredible brother from another mother who will tell you plenty of stories so you don't get bored. Let's start with the time I bravely fought a whole horde of draugr all by myself. Seven hundred years ago, I was on a hunting trip with Thor..."

I mentally snort. Brat.

[AN: The fourth book (How to Save a Hero) is up! There wasn't any definite end to Ainmire's story, nor a set relationship, because this is not the end of Ainmire; it's more of a long prologue to his future. However, it will be a while before he gets free, so the next book is about someone else. I hope everyone is doing well!]

[EXTRA: If you want to know what was on Ainmire's letter to Heather as well as what Maelgwyn is up to, check out the third chapter of How to Deal with War.]

[EXTRA: If you want to see a bit more of Ullr talking to Ainmire's statue, go read the third chapter of Come and Get it (One-shots).]