“What the fuck?” I whispered.
Tommy bounded toward me and picked me up in a bear hug.
“Bones—fragile, human-powered bones,” I whispered.
He put me down and grinned. “It’s good to see you. Mordred said you were essentially human now. I’m sorry you’ve lost your magic.”
“It’ll come back. But it’s a little weird knowing it’ll be a while.”
I looked beyond him to Olivia and Kasey, both of whom waved. Several other young men and women stood beside them, and I knew that they were members of Tommy’s ultrasecret task force, which he’d put together before Arthur had taken over.
“How bad is it?” I asked Sky, who kissed me on the cheek.
“It’s not good,” she said.
“What’s going on?” I asked Elaine as she walked toward me with Mordred, Nabu, Irkalla, Hades, and Zamek.
“We need to talk,” she told me and motioned for me to follow her into a nearby room. She turned to Mordred as we entered. “Get it finished.”
Mordred nodded and walked off.
“Get what finished?” I asked, taking a seat on the table in the middle of the room. “Selene said you were doing something with blood curse marks.”
“Everyone here has agreed to take part in a ritual,” Hades said from the doorway.
“What kind of ritual?” I asked.
“The kind where we all think you’re dead,” Irkalla said. “Everyone but Hades, Sky, Mordred, and Elaine, yes.”
“Why not those four?”
“Hades and Sky because you need a contact in case something goes wrong during your time of healing, Mordred because he was never going to agree to have anything close to a blood curse mark put on him again, and Elaine because she used to be in charge of everything. This is the kind of thing you’ll need someone keeping an eye on you for.”
“And where am I going that I need to be kept an eye on?”
“A small town in Oregon,” Nabu said. “It’s very quaint.”
“No,” I replied.
“You have no powers, and Avalon thinks you’re dead,” Sky said. “You aren’t helpful until you’re healed, and if Arthur ever finds out you’re alive, he will burn a country down to find you. We need to put you somewhere remote but with people we trust. So you’re going to Clockwork, Oregon. Called that because its founder used to make clocks and was really happy about it.”
“And do what while I’m there?”
“Read, write, learn how to whittle—I don’t think it matters,” Irkalla said. “Just stay safe, and don’t bring attention to yourself.”
“Why there?”
“I have people there I trust,” Hades said. “A doctor by the name of Daniel Kuro. I met him in Korea a few decades ago. He’s a good man. I’ve used the town a few times to let friends of mine heal in peace. Or avoid detection.”
“Okay, tell me more about this blood curse ritual.”
“Mordred, Nabu, and I worked together on this,” Zamek said. “Essentially everyone in this facility will think you’re dead. We considered just having them forget you existed, but that’s too hard. Thinking you died on a field in Wisconsin is a lot easier.”
“Essentially we managed to figure out a way to create the blood curse so that everyone affected will believe you dead,” Nabu said. “They will believe they’ve grieved and have moved on. No one here will be caused any pain by your passing. That was integral to our plan. If anyone decided to dig too deep into your death or go after Atlas for revenge, it would break the curse.”
“How does the curse break normally?” I asked.
“If any of them see you once the curse has been implemented, they will immediately remember that you didn’t die,” Elaine explained. “Each of them signed a document stating that they agreed to this. We couldn’t do it any other way.”
I walked past them all and out into the hangar, where I found Tommy, Olivia, and Selene. “You all agreed to this?” I asked. “All of you?”
“We need to keep you safe,” Selene said. “This is the best way.”
“Why can’t you come with me?” I asked her.
“Because my father and sister would tear the world apart looking for whoever killed me. The smaller the number, the better.”
“They offered me and Selene a chance to avoid the curse,” Tommy said. “But I couldn’t do that to Kasey and Olivia. I couldn’t lie like that to any of the people who helped get us here. I’m not a spy anymore. Deception isn’t something I want to do.”
“What about those who aren’t already here?” I asked.
“They already think you’re dead,” Diana said. “It won’t be hard to keep that going.”
“So it’s sorted? I’ll be dead to all of you. What happens now?” I asked.
“Right now we’re in no position to fight Avalon,” Remy said. “Arthur has started taking control of governments the world over. He’s still in the process of removing those who are against him. A lot of ex–Avalon employees are in hiding. We’re trying to help them as best we can. That’s our main focus at the moment. We can’t go after Arthur until we know who is and isn’t working with him.”
“Saving lives is the best we’ve got until we can organize some sort of resistance,” Olivia said.
“A rebel force, if you will,” Tommy said, making me laugh.
“How long have you wanted to use that one?” I asked him.
“Years,” Tommy said, hugging me again. “I’m sorry this is a fleeting moment, but you need to go. You need to be safe, and when you’re healed, we’ll fight Arthur. We could do with finding those other four weapons like you.”
“We’re fighting a war on several fronts,” Diana said. “The Norse and Japanese gods contacted Mordred, asking for help. It looks like the Norse went to the Japanese pantheon a while ago looking for allies. They agreed, but Arthur’s forces have broken into Asgard through the dwarven realm. Until we’re a united force, we’ll always be one step behind. We need you back, Nate.”
“But at full strength, not as human Nate,” Remy said. “Human Nate sucks.”
“Really?” I asked. “It’s good that you’re so supportive.”
“Would you prefer if I gave you a back rub and told you you were a special little boy who just needs to try real hard?”
“That’s the creepiest thing you’ve ever said,” Tommy said.
Remy thought for a second. “Yeah, I’m going to pretend I didn’t say that.”
“We’re all going to be doing that,” Diana said.
“While you’re gone, Wei told me she’ll try and help me see if I have any other powers,” Remy said, rapidly changing the subject. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Hades placed a hand on my shoulder. “We have to go,” he said.
I said my goodbyes to everyone before kissing Selene. “When I’m healed, I’ll come find you,” I said.
“You’d better,” she told me. “I’m going to be particularly angry otherwise. I wish I could come with you. But the fewer who know where you are, the safer you’ll be.”