Jax wrapped his arms around Annie and rested his chin on her shoulder. He stared at the ship that the girl on stage had just revealed.

“She is something, isn’t she?” he asked Annie quietly.

Annie didn’t reply. He lifted his head and turned her to face him.

“Annie, you alright?” he asked, concern causing his brows to knit together.

Annie cocked her head to the side then replied, “I can’t quite seem to shake the feeling that I’ve seen that ship before.”

His brows knit further, in confusion this time. As he went to reply, another voice drowned his out.

“Akira!” it called.

Annie’s head snapped up at the sound of the voice, her eyes widening in recognition, even as she froze.

“Asena!” the girl onstage called back. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”

Annie broke away from his embrace as a third person joined the girl and the woman onstage.

“Who are you calling old, sister?” a man taunted the woman standing next to the girl.

Annie spun around so quickly, Jax didn’t have time to avoid her long hair as it fanned out behind her.

“Annie?” he asked reaching for her but she was already gone and his hand was clutching air.

For a moment, Annie was lost in the crowd. Jax very nearly paniced. He’d been reluctant to bring her with her mind so damaged from whatever was her last memory but his father insisted. And when the Admiral insists on something, you can’t say no. Unless of course you’re Annie, who could say no to just about anything the Admiral asked or insisted or, heaven forbid, demanded. She’d finally caved when he mentioned the name of the ship saying it would be nice to see her ship again. So here he was, hastening after his runaway wife, who had run towards the stage at an alarmingly fast pace for a woman in heels.

He made it to the stage just as all the figures on it turned to stare at his wife in shock and some recognition. While most everyone’s eyes were on his wife, Jax could see the girl who’d given the speech staring at him, her brows knit in confusion and her eyes widening slightly in surprise. She appeared to be lost deep in thought, so deep in fact that she didn’t hear the others in her group talking to her until the woman said; “Hello, earth to Kira!” And poked her in the forehead.

The girl rubbed the spot the woman had poked and gave her a playful glare.

“Sorry, I was thinking,” she told them.

They all raised their brows at her. She returned their looks with a deadpan look of her own as she went to speak. Before she could even get a word out, arms snaked around her waist and lifted her into the air. They spun her around, making her squeal like a child.

“Put me down!” she shrieked.

The man who was spinning her around chuckled in her ear. Jax watched as she stiffened in his arms. When he finally set her down she immediately retreated between the man and the woman Annie had recognized. The large, blood-red dog had now moved in front of her and was growling at the man menacingly.

“What do you want Keir?” the girl asked.

Jax started. Keir was one of the men who’d been captured nine or so years ago. Lord knows what had happened to him since. But if the man was Keir, then the girl he’d spun around had to be his girl, Akira. Even so, it didn’t make sense to Jax why she’d distance herself from him. As he watched, Keir advanced on Akira. This caused the dog in front of her to growl even more and knash his teeth.

“Did you not understand me last year?” Akira snapped. “Was I not speaking English?”

“No, you were perfectly clear but so was I,” he growled. “I told you, I wouldn’t give up without a fight.”

“Bloody fucking hell, do you never listen or learn for that matter?”

Before Keir could reply, a howl broke the silence. The entire room slowly started to panic until the king reassured them. Suddenly, an even larger, black dog made his way onto the stage. Akira seemed startled to see him.

“Kairos?” she said to the dog. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

The dog, of course, didn’t reply but began to push her off the stage.

“Askel!” she gasped before breaking into a full on sprint in the direction the boy had disappeared in some time ago, though no one had seen him go.

The others onstage watched her go, sadness lurking in their eyes.

“How long do you think she can keep doing this?” the woman asked the man at her side.

The man sighed, “She won’t survive losing him, too. Losing him will destroy her and this time not even Prince Ehren could bring her back.”

He scrubbed his face with his hands.

“I need Scotch,” he grumbled.

The woman smacked him before scolding him, “You promised her you’d be sober for this!”

The man grumbled something unintelligable but Annie heard it.

“Mavi Eames!” she snapped. “You do not break promises once you make them!”

The man turned to her, his eyes narrowed and almost ferral.

“I’ll have you know, woman, that I’ve kept that promise for over a year!” he growled. “Ever since we had to get that bastard Loki to remove his curse from the lash marks on her back and trust me, anyone would’ve wanted to be drunk for that.”

“Loki?” Jax spoke for the first time. “The Norse god of chaos and mischief?”

Keir was the first to turn to him.

“Leiutennent McAlister?” he asked confused.

“Good to see you again, Xanthior,” Jax replied.

Keir gave him a salute but Jax waved his hand.

“We’re not here in official capacity,” he told him.

“Then why are you here?” Keir asked.

“The Admiral insisted we come in hopes it would trigger some memories for Anwen,” Jax answered. “But that doesn’t answer my earlier question.”

“To answer your question, I must ask a question,” the girl who’d run offstage earlier replied coming to stand in front of him on the stage. “Do you believe gods are real?”

“I believe God is real,” he replied.

“HA! God!” she spat with venom. “God is an intangible concept created to instill fear and control the masses. He is never present in person but sends his son to save humanity from itself. His message is one of love and tolerance. Yet, all over the world people twist his words to suit their ideas and beliefs. They pervert the message to say only what they want others to hear and believe. They are rich in money yet, poor in spirit and mind and body. No, the gods I speak of are the gods of old. The ones who fought epic battles for their people. The ones who protect their followers, no matter the consequences. Those are the gods of which I speak and if you believe in God, your mind is too narrow to embrace the possibility of my gods. Besides, where was your God when one of his most devoted followers whipped me within an inch of my life as a child? Nowhere. It was my goddess, Frejya, who saved me from Valhalla.”

Her words were bitter and laced with more venom than a girl her age should have. Jax stared at her in mute shock.

“Kira!” a voice called.

She turned to the voice and as she did, her hair slipped over her shoulder revealing the back of her neck. Normally, Jax wouldn’t have paid any mind to the back of a woman’s neck but he paid attention to this one. Scars ran from her hairline down her neck and beneath the collar of her shirt.