On the western coast of a vast land of ice and sparse vegetation, known as Greenland, Norse settlers from Iceland—under the command of the Viking explorer Erik the Red—had established two small camps.

  The Norse people were in a natural transition toward Christian conversion, but many of them, like Erik the Red, remained pagan. That is why this Greenland settlement contained both a Christian chapel and a temple dedicated to Odin—a massive wooden structure with an inverted V-shaped roof.

  Temples consecrated to the gods served as portals between the divine world and Earth. Since this temple was active, the Norse gods no longer had to make the long and dangerous journey from Iceland to what was now being considered the lands of Vinland. In fact, the native people living in Greenland belonged to the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Adlivun, in northern Vinland.

  Lel was unaware of this temple’s existence, so the Norse gods had begun using it to form alliances with Sedna, the Anunnaki of Adlivun. Greenland had become, so to speak, a land beyond Lel’s supervision—since sending malakim there would provoke conflict with the gods of the New Continent.

  Six days after the feast in Ibiza, Rodrigo, Tania, Ana, Epona, Anpiel, and Susanoo—under Menrva’s command—presented themselves before Athena and Horus in the conference hall.

  “We have excellent news,” Athena said while seated, holding a bunch of grapes.

  “What is it, Master?” Ana asked curiously.

  “Thff nft anf opfbemmm bbrgbbbg to Grffmmlanmmd,” Athena mumbled with her mouth full.

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Horus scolded her.

  Rodrigo glanced at his companions. They were all stunned to see Athena behaving so casually. The only one unfazed was Menrva, who seemed to drink in Athena’s every word with near-romantic devotion.

  “There’s now an open bridge to Greenland, so your journey will be shorter. Do you understand?” Athena said loudly after swallowing.

  “So we don’t have to travel to Iceland anymore?” Tania asked.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “No, but you’ll need to go to Asgard first and use a teleporter from there to Greenland. I’ve already spoken with the Asgardians—they’ll help you,” Athena replied.

  “Thank you, my beautiful and beloved Lady Athena… and the other one,” Menrva said, bowing deeply to Athena while completely ignoring Horus.

  “I could spend all day admiring your lovely face, your sensual lips, your beautiful legs—”

  “The ‘other one’ believes there are better moments for love confessions,” Horus interrupted irritably, glaring at Menrva.

  “Forgive me, ‘individual sitting next to my goddess Athena,’ but when I stand before her, my heart and mouth work in perfect harmony to praise her,” Menrva continued without even looking at him.

  “Don’t be jealous, Horus. You have your devoted followers too,” Athena laughed, lightly punching his arm.

  Horus scoffed and resumed his serious demeanor.

  “What a crazy leader we ended up with,” Epona thought, shocked by the Etruscan goddess’s behavior.

  “Lady Athena, we shall take our leave if you no longer require our humble and insignificant presence,” Menrva said, still bowing.

  “No, thank you. Rest, eat, sleep. We’ll meet tomorrow at this time in the garden to depart Palas,” Athena said.

  “One important thing,” Horus added. “Vinland lies outside Lel’s jurisdiction, so its laws are enforced by the ruling divine kingdoms. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. Be careful—we don’t know how far Lel’s influence extends there.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Tania replied, and everyone nodded.

  “Remember, you must locate Thor, Loki, and the others. They may already know Odin’s whereabouts. And find Bellona—we lost contact with her after she entered Vinland,” Athena added.

  Rodrigo and the others bowed lightly and left the hall, leaving Athena and Horus alone.

  “Don’t you think Vinland will be more dangerous for them than the battle against Ares? The Toltec and Mississippi kingdoms still use human sacrifices to increase their power,” Horus said.

  “I know,” Athena replied calmly, still eating grapes.

  “Then shouldn’t I go with them?” Horus asked, rising from his seat.

  “No,” Athena said firmly.

  “But they could die,” Horus insisted. “They’re strong, but impulsive. Tania tore off her own legs to win a fight, and Epona kissed a tannin knowing it could kill her—”

  “That’s why I trust them,” Athena said, popping another grape into her mouth.

  Horus looked worried.

  “Besides, I’m certain Lel is spying on us. When we returned, I noticed something strange about the Labrys,” Athena added seriously.

  Horus frowned.

  “I have a feeling Lel will invade this planet soon. If those youths faced Lel directly, they wouldn’t stand a chance. This mission will make them stronger… or it will kill them.”

  “Do you think Lel has spies in Palas?” Horus asked.

  “It would be strange if they didn’t. But someone accessed the Labrys—and may have deciphered the labyrinth’s code,” Athena replied, standing up.

  “This is serious! I’ll alert everyone to defend Palas!” Horus shouted.

  “Don’t worry. These are just my suspicions. Besides, we’ll soon eliminate a spy within Vinland,” Athena said.

  Vinland is the name Viking explorers used to refer to the New World. It is the present-day region of Newfoundland in Canada.

  Adlivun is the name of the realm of the gods for the Inuit people, who live in northern Canada.

  The Toltec Empire was an ancient empire that existed in central Mexico from 650 AD to 1168 AD. Although it is unknown what they called themselves, I will use the name the Aztecs gave them.

  The Mississippian culture was a culture that flourished in the central and southern United States, east of the Mississippi River. As with the Toltecs, we do not know what they called themselves, so I will use the name Mississippi for the sake of familiarity.

  If you’d like to support the story, a follow or rating helps a lot.

  The next part will be released at 8 PM (GMT 6).