“Arthur needs America,” Mordred said. “It’s too wealthy to lose. He’ll have a plan to make sure he doesn’t lose control.”
Persephone nodded. “Yes, he needs America, not just for its riches but also because of the amount of military here. He can’t risk that falling into the hands of anyone else. Same with Russia. He’s lost Germany and the UK already, and western Europe is removing Avalon influence. Canada, Mexico, large chunks of North Africa and South America aren’t under Avalon influence either.”
“China, Japan, and South Korea aren’t far behind,” Brynhildr said. “Arthur can’t risk losing anyone else with the military clout he needs. If he controls America, Russia, eastern Europe, and big chunks of Africa and Asia still, he’ll have enough to spread back out across the world. Just Russia and America under his control would be enough to cause serious problems worldwide.”
“We beat him once; we can do it again,” I said.
“I get the feeling that’s why he’s so keen on controlling the Earth realm,” Isis said. “He wants the one thing he’s been told he can’t have. Like some spoiled little child.”
“We have to trust that our allies across the globe are still fighting back,” Mordred said. “We need to find Arthur and stop him from making things worse.”
“So I guess we need to go to DC?” I said as the lift stopped.
“I’ll get ready,” Mordred said as we left the lift, heading toward the tramlines.
“It’s not that simple,” my mum said. “Right now we have the White House contained, but we can’t have the king running off over there, helping to drag out the president of a country. We’ll just be swapping one dictator for another. In fact, none of our people can do the dragging.”
“So who does?” Isis asked as we entered one of the trams that traveled above the city of Solomon.
“The humans have to,” Persephone said as the tram started.
I looked outside the window as the tram moved up the rails until it was at its peak height, a hundred feet above the city. Solomon had grown constantly in the years since I’d come back from the dead, so to speak. There had been a lot of refugees from Asgard and Valhalla and a lot more from the human cities in the Earth realm who had been driven from their homes by Avalon.
“You listening?” Persephone asked me.
I shook my head. “Sorry, the humans have to take President Reed alive and drag him out with all the rest of his cockroach friends in front of the world’s cameras, yes?”
Persephone nodded.
“Human law enforcement, backed up by the government, yes?”
Another nod.
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “I’ll go to DC and get people inside the building. It’ll be up to the humans to sort it out from there.”
“You need to see the council first,” Persephone said.
“Sure thing,” I said with a sigh. I’d been building up to a question I’d asked a hundred times in the last year, and a hundred times I’d heard nothing of any use. “Any idea about Tommy?”
Thomas Carpenter was my best friend, and a year ago he’d been taken by Merlin and Arthur before they’d destroyed Asgard. No one knew where he was or whether he was even alive. There had been neither hide nor hair of him in twelve months, and the only thing I could do was find Arthur and ask him personally.
“No,” Persephone said.
“Gawain might know something,” Isis said.
“And he’s in DC,” Mordred continued.
“Mordred, how would you feel about me asking your brother a few questions?” I asked him.
“My brother is a psychopath and mass murderer,” Mordred said. “You can cut his fucking head off and use it as a football for all I care.”
“There’s an image I could have done without,” Isis said as the tram stopped and we all got out before making the short journey to the palace.
I was halfway up the steps when I heard Mordred sigh.
“Still find it weird you live here?” I asked him.
“I have people who cook for me, Nate,” he said. “I am not accustomed to the luxuries of having someone come make my bed for me. I had to stop that one. And also stop them from pouring my wine and opening doors for me. I can open my own damn doors.”
“Do they announce your entrance?” Isis asked with a grin.
“Oh gods, what’s that about?” Mordred exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
“When I was revered as a god, people would do things for me all the time,” Isis said. “I once had a man burn my bed and carve me a new one from some wood I’d found. Just to see if he would do it. We were all assholes, drunk on our own power and believing our own mythologies. Don’t do that. Don’t act like you’re above everyone else, or you will start to believe it. I was told from birth that I was better than everyone, and it took me a long time to realize it wasn’t true.”
“Well, I was pretty much ignored from birth,” Mordred said. “It may have had an effect on me; who’s to know?”
Isis smiled. “The best rulers are those who have it thrust upon them. People who seek power are usually not people you want having it.”
We reached the top of the stairs, and two guards pulled open the doors, bowing to Mordred as we entered.
“I can’t get them to stop doing that,” Mordred complained. “I’ve asked nicely several times.”
“I think that’s one of those things you’ll just have to get used to,” I told him.
The five of us walked through the busy palace, with everyone bowing toward a frowning Mordred as he passed them, until we eventually reached the main hall, where two more guards opened the door and bellowed an announcement for King Mordred.
King Mordred sighed.
I tried very hard not to smile.
The main hall was full of people, and the sounds of their chatter stopped as Mordred walked into the room. A large wooden oval table sat in the middle of the room, and as Mordred entered, people began to take their seats on the multiple chairs that surrounded it.
“Your Majesty,” an elderly woman said, taking his hand in hers. “It’s good to see you unharmed.”
“I got a bit wet,” Mordred said. “But nothing too awful.”
“Have you heard about DC?” Loki asked him. Loki was Hel’s father, and he sat in the corner eating an apple.
Mordred walked over to Hel and kissed her hello before turning to Loki. “Yes,” Mordred said. “Sorry, just happy that everyone got off the ship in one piece.”
“We’re all fine,” Hel said. “We’ve got a few thousand new refugees to sort out. A lot of political prisoners that Avalon have taken.”
“Avalon is responsible for so many deaths,” Hades said from his seat. “Sometimes I wonder how we’re ever going to heal the realms even when we’ve won.”
Persephone walked over to her husband and kissed him on his bald head.
“Before we even think about winning, I’m going to need a team,” I said. “To take to DC.”
A few people shared nervous glances.
“Are you really the best person for the job?” a dwarf asked as he rubbed his large ginger beard. “No offense, but trouble appears to follow you.”