Page 41 of Outcast

Even I had a hard time arguing with her when she seemed so certain.

“What do you mean? Do you know how I close the portal? Can you tell me more about it?” I begged. It was likely beneath my title, but I’d do anything to fix things. They’d gone too far already.

“Didn’t I tell you that?” she questioned, raising one eyebrow. I let out a laugh at the boldness and sass there. She truly was healing; her personality was coming through stronger.

“If you call that riddle telling me,” I deadpanned. “Prophecies are never clear.”

“Prophecies are meant to be figured out by the person they’re meant for.” Her words echoed what the God of Gods told me.

“I’d say Odin agrees with you.” I sighed. Again, I was no closer to having any real answers and no idea how to move forward. At least it was reassuring to know it would work out... eventually. Somehow.

The prophecy replayed in my head.

An even exchange. It sounded so simple like I could send someone through from Helheim, swap places with someone here, but I knew that was it. We’d done that countless times between the gargoyles, our deaths, and Hel’s escape.

No, there was something more to it, a big piece I was missing.

A loud knock on the door had Drake standing and pulling it open. Roman was standing there with a fanged grin and a stack of pizza boxes in his hand.

“Obviously no stores are open, but the kitchen had the ingredients and Layne helped me find a recipe. Her and Stravos are fairly good in the kitchen so don’t give me the credit,” he explained as Drake took them. “The ingredients were still fresh.”

“Thank you,” Drake said as he clapped the gargoyle on the shoulder. Honestly, he had impeccable timing. The tension was gone from the room despite us getting nowhere in the conversations with Sarah.

The smell of cheese and spiced sauce filled the air, and I could almost hear the phantom echo of my stomach growling. I missed food.

“Pizza!” Sarah exclaimed, clapping her hands. At least she was fairly unaffected by the stress the rest of us were dealing with.

Drake and Hiro helped her get to the table and set up, but she didn’t hesitate to dig in, her pizza slice half gone before they’d even stepped back.

It looked amazing, the gargoyles and Layne hadn’t done a bad job. But now it made me want it even more.

Hiro picked up a slice and turned to Drake. “Is taking a bit even worth it?” I picked one up and sniffed, it smelled the same and my mouth watered on instinct.

“Are you two ever not dramatic?” Drake questioned. “It won’t do the same as it did in Helheim, but food is food.”

With that, we tapped our slices together and took a bite. I wasn’t sure what I expected but the burst of flavor over my tongue, the gooey hot cheese, and the perfectly seasoned sauce was definitely not it. I groaned as I chewed, swallowed it, and then took another slice. Thank the gods Roman made more than one.

“Is it supposed to taste this good?” I questioned with my mouth full. Drake chuckled and took one of his own, downing half the piece in one bite.

“You’re right, it’s just as good as always,” he agreed. “Monty said that we don’t eat now, not that we couldn’t eat. I guess now we just get to appreciate it and our bodies burn it off without much effort.”

“And not gain weight from the calories? Sign me up.” I hummed as I ate the rest of my piece. It wasn’t as fulfilling as eating as a human. I didn’t have a hunger it satiated. But it was no less satisfying in the end.

Honestly, it made this whole strange afterlife a little bit better. Giving up everything that made life worth living on Earth was hard. There were amazing things, like pizza and ice cream, and now that I knew I could enjoy them without consequence, it made it seem less daunting.

Hiro didn’t get a boost of power from his pizza but he seemed just as content and happy as I was as he nibbled on his slice of cheesy goodness.

“You three are good together.” I’d almost forgotten about Sarah. She’d been quiet as she ate, and I was enthralled with eating as well.

She dabbed a bit of sauce from her mouth and leaned back, studying us with a proud smile on her face.

“Thanks, Mom,” Drake said. I swear the demon blushed at the praise.

“I mean it. You guys really brought Drake to life, and I know this isn’t the path I wanted or expected for my child, or for any of you, but you embraced it. You didn’t let go of what was important. I’m proud of you.”

I’d never had anyone say those words to me. It filled me with unexpected emotion and had a lump rising in my throat and tears burning at my eyes. I thought that leaving my humanity behind would take the intense emotions that went along with being human, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

I was a queen now, something more than human, but I was still a human first. That hadn’t changed. And honestly, it was nice to be a mix of both worlds, to still hold onto the parts of myself I enjoyed.

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