“And we have a weapon that can be used against the Morrigan,” I said confidently.
Arminius waved his hand. “The staff, yes, I’ve heard about that.”
I tried not to look surprised, but Arminius smiled. “Not much gets past my attention.”
“Right,” I said with a nod. “But you don’t think it’s enough?”
Arminius shook his head. “I know it’s not. The Morrigan isn’t just another fae, she’s a full goddess. You won’t win against her.”
“Then what are our other options?” I asked in frustration. Arminius was currently our best option to find someone powerful and knowledgeable to help us. If he wasn’t able or willing, then that left us in deep trouble.
Austin laid his hand over mine, but he looked to Arminius for his answer.
“I heard the Jaguar Goddess is also awake,” Arminius said softly. “And she’s gone in search of her brethren.”
“That’s true,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure she’s any better than the Morrigan. What she’s done in Colombia-”
Arminius shrugged and interrupted me. “We need her on our side to get rid of the Morrigan and the fae. Once they’re gone, then we can work something out. Gods prefer to have a small territory of devoted worshippers. She won’t be interested in leaving South America.”
I scowled. “And what happens to the people there?”
Arminius gave me a blank look. “They appease her with an occasional prayer and go about their lives.”
I inhaled a sharp breath to argue, but Austin gave my hand a squeeze, and I realized it was useless. Arminius was from a completely different world, and the idea of human rights for everyone hadn’t existed until only a few hundred years ago. Explaining how cruel and unfair it was to take away the choice of religion from an entire country of humans would be pointless. To him, the victors make those choices, and the conquered follow instructions.
It was at that moment that Len returned with the chocolate Arminius had promised us. Len presented us with a blue box with ‘Debauve & Gallais’ under a gold emblem. I’d never heard of it before, but it was probably expensive.
“Thank you,” I said with a genuine smile.
Chocolate was one of those things that were in short supply. You needed ingredients from all over the world to make it, and luxuries were in short supply. Most people were struggling just to survive. I tried not to feel guilty as I held the box in my arms, but it felt like an indulgence that I didn’t deserve.
We all waited until Len excused himself once more before picking up our discussion from where we had left off.
“The Jaguar Goddess may agree to help us,” Arminius continued. “But it may not be enough. We need more of the gods on our side.”
“More gods?” I asked doubtfully. “If the world is so full of them, then where are they?”
Arminius laughed out loud. “Some of them went into a deep sleep. Others gradually lost interest in humanity as the sacrifices and worship dwindled. Many of them moved on to different worlds, leaving this one to be ruled by emerging technology.”
“Huh,” I said in surprise. Different worlds? Sleeping gods? My mind was blown. There was so much that I was ignorant of. As a human race, we might think we knew what the old world was like from our archeology studies, but we clearly had no clue. I shook my head. Or not-so-human race, in my case.
“You think we should try to wake some of the sleeping gods?” I asked hesitantly.
“The gods of my people abandoned us long ago,” Arminius said softly. “I’m afraid this burden is going to rest on your shoulders.”
“In case you forgot,” I said drily. “I’m half-fae, probably more than that. They may see me as an enemy.”
“You may have inherited your ability to use magic from the fae, but you’re very strongly connected to this world. The gods will sense that and recognize you as one of theirs,” Arminius explained.
I looked at him doubtfully, but what other options did we have? I glanced over at Austin, only to see resignation in his eyes.
“We’ll make the decision as a pack,” I told Arminius. “But if we do decide to wake the gods, how would we do it?”
Arminius smiled and pulled a large coin from a pocket inside his suit jacket. “This is where you start,” he told me.
The coin was obviously ancient, with a thunderbolt and wings. “What is it?” I asked curiously.
“It was a gift to the Legio quarta decima Gemina while we were in