greek gods in new york

01

Ashamed to say, this is the first time I have left New York since I grew up.

When I was young, Fernando would take me to the suburban parks, but I never went out with my classmates and friends, and I came to Los Angeles, the city of angels.

Sunlight!beach!Avenue of Stars!

Compared with the east coast, the cities on the west coast are as prosperous but completely different.

Look at the palm trees on the side of the road, look at the clear blue sky, look at the beach next to the road, and the blonde girls and handsome guys in bikinis basking in the sun on the beach.

As soon as we got out of the car, Pandora couldn't hold back anymore.

"The hotel is next to the beach," she was excited, "well done, heh... instructor!"

Hermes, who stepped out of the car in a high-order suit, took off his sunglasses proudly.

He threw a wink at me and Pandora.

"Small idea," Hermes gave us a smile, "I haven't been to Los Angeles for a long time, how can I not enjoy it once?"

No... you are worthy of being the god of business!

Recalling that when we first met, I still suspected Hermes, how ignorant!

I have seen so many old gods, especially Greek gods, but there are very few reliable ones.Besides Hephaestus, there is Hermes.

Although when we first met, he ran away for two thousand dollars, but after he decided to help, he cared more about the quiz than Rocky. If he won the game, he would invite us to eat pizza, not to mention the food and lodging expenses when he came to Los Angeles. under the package.

In his bragging words, "The god of business, how can he still lack this little money"?

It can be seen that he owed Rocky two thousand dollars, and he simply didn't want to pay it back.

"Go through the check-in procedures first," Hermes commanded familiarly. "At night, the girls can go for a walk on the beach, and maybe they may meet some big stars."

After speaking, he drove us to the hotel lobby like sheep.

Hermes went to the front desk to make an appointment. Loki walked behind the team and staggered forward to help collect the ID documents.

When he came in front of me, I couldn't help but look at him more.

Loki tilted his head and gave me a dazed and innocent look: "What's wrong?"

It's as if nothing happened these days.

Yesterday he stuffed the project book of the Lazarus Project into my arms, which can be said to have completely overturned my cognition.

But when the instigator met me again, he still had the attitude of indifference and the melancholy and uninhibited expression of Aragon, as if nothing had happened, and the project proposal was just my illusion.

"It's nothing."

I handed over my ID with a blank expression: "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Rocky gave me a big smile: "What are you talking about?"

Me: "Stop being stupid!"

Loki immediately raised his hands: "I swear to Odin, Nicole, I really don't know what you're talking about!"

Between the words, Hermes had already walked over from the front desk.

He looked at Loki and me with weird eyes for a while, and then pointed to the front desk: "Kainas, you go to check in; Nicole, you come with me."

Ok.

In public, there is nothing to ask.

So I withdrew my gaze from looking directly at Loki, turned around and followed Hermes.

"You have something to say to me?"

Until we reached the corner of the hotel lobby, there was no one around, so I asked in surprise, "So mysterious?"

Hermes gave me a deep look.

He flicked up his suit jacket, put one hand on his waist, and touched his nose with the other in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm your uncle too," Hermes said, "What's the matter with you and Loki?"

"what?"

"Did he cheat?"

"what??"

Hermes looked like he was going to stand up for me, but instead he said that I was taken aback.

I blinked, looked at Hermes, and then at Loki, who was deliberately being distracted by him...

Oh!

I suddenly realized.

The conversation we had just now was really like catching my boyfriend cheating on me.

This is a big misunderstanding!

I couldn't laugh or cry: "No, no, no, I didn't fall in love with him!"

Hermes: "Don't be shy - I'm not Ares, nor Fernando, I'm very enlightened! Besides, I also know Loki, and if I fall in love with him, I can't guarantee that it will go to the end, but at least I can gain a little bit of love." Very happy time."

I:"……"

It's over, it can't be washed.

The key point is that I can't say it directly. In fact, what I want to ask is the project document of the Lazarus Project.

"I really didn't fall in love with him," I said, "it was Rocky who stole the BB and went out."

"what?!"

Hermes was taken aback, this was a much bigger crime than falling in love.

I'm sorry, Loki, but my innocence is more important than yours.

"I'll talk to him alone later," I added, "He must have his reasons. BB was originally brought here by Loki."

I'm actually quite nervous.

Lying to deceive the god of deceit doesn't sound very reliable.

But it's probably because I seldom play with these little tricks, Hermes didn't think deeply.He looked at me twice, then patted me on the shoulder: "Anyway, it's fine if he didn't bully you. If he bullied you..."

"I have so many uncles."

I swear by it: "I can't afford it!"

Hermes nodded in satisfaction: "Go back."

He waved at me.

During the few steps back to the team, Hermes did not forget to tell me: "The day after tomorrow I will make a show, so don't worry too much. There are a total of twelve teams coming to Los Angeles, and it will be our turn to play sooner rather than later." Well. You finally left New York, and you were traveling—"

The following words came to an abrupt end when Hermes inadvertently glanced at the main entrance of the hotel.

I:?

We just walked back to the group, and when we saw Hermes' expression changed, everyone turned their heads.

Walking in from the main entrance of the hotel was a team of about the same size and age as us.

Seven people, one adult and six teenagers.The boys and girls looked about our age, laughing and laughing as they walked.

The only difference is that these six students are wearing high-end school uniforms that even I can tell at a glance.

Is a student of a private school.

And the leading adult—

I quickly looked at Hermes.

Hermes' face turned as black as the bottom of a pot in an instant.

I:? ?

what happened?

Especially when I observed Hermes in a daze, the adult leader who entered the door saw Hermes immediately.

The other party paused, then took a step forward and walked towards us.

what happened? !

I looked at Pandora, then at Meryl, and the other two were also at a loss.

I saw the adult team leader of the opponent, who looked about 40 to [-] years old, with a stately appearance and an elite appearance.He was a little taller than Hermes, stopped three steps away, lowered his eyes, and put on a contemptuous expression when he looked at the angel of Greek mythology.

No, it can't be another cheap relative of mine, right?

I looked at him carefully for a while, but I didn't think he looked like a Greek. If I had to say it, his facial features were profound and his face was chiseled, but he looked more like someone from Northern Europe.

"Mr. Johnson," the man smiled, "Long time no see."

"Mr. Johnson."

Hermes had a dark face: "I didn't expect you to start teaching students."

Mr. Johnson was indifferent: "It's a pity that you were not convicted of theft ten years ago."

Hermes: "..."

Mr. Johnson: "Stealing is not a habit, Mr. Johnson. Golden apples in the 21st century are not worth as much as they are in mythology."

Hermes: "..."

Golden apple?

In Greek mythology, golden apples are famous treasures.

Is he talking metaphorically?What does this have to do with golden apples?

I was still a little confused, but Meryl suddenly realized.

She slapped her forehead suddenly: "I know!"

Me: "What?"

Meryl helped her frame, and said solemnly: "In youth campus movies, you will always encounter heavyweight enemies at the last moment!"

Me: "Uh."

Meryl: "It was too easy for us to win before. If it were a movie, the plot would be hard to push."

It actually makes sense!

If it were a youth campus movie, at the juncture of competitions and dances, there must always be a strong competitor to appear.

Judging by the number of people on the other side, most of the school uniforms of this elite private school are also here to participate in the knowledge competition for middle school students.

The uniform uniform alone is much better than our motley crew!

Then this Mr. Johnson... probably is not an ordinary person.

He said theft, and what golden apples, and I guess he's an Old God too.

Also had a feud with Hermes.

"Golden Apple," I secretly tugged at Pandora, "is it related to Hermes?"

"But it wasn't Hermes who stole the golden apple."

Pandora thought about it: "I didn't hear that you have any relatives related to the golden apple. Those Greek heroes died long ago—ah!"

Me: "Who?"

Pandora suddenly recovered.

"I remember."

She came close to my ear and whispered to me: "The myth of the golden apple is not just a Greek myth! Hephaestus said that ten years ago, when Hermes was idle and bored, he stole the Nordic goddess of youth. Deng's golden apple was caught immediately."

I:"……"

Pandora: "Hephaestus still spent a lot of money to hire a lawyer, and then paid for him to release him on bail."

I:"…………"

The golden apples of Greek mythology are not enough for you to blame, so go to blame the Norse gods? !

The man leading the team...

"I think this looks," Pandora concluded, "it should be Eden's husband, Braki, the god of poetry, wisdom and eloquence in Norse mythology."

Another god of eloquence.

There are still grievances and grudges, and as Meryl said, everyone who should be matched has been matched, and now the difference is——

"So lively?"

Before I could start thinking, Loki's voice suddenly sounded from behind.

After checking in, he arrived late.

With the face of Aragorn, Loki bypassed everyone and walked to me.

Braki's expression changed visibly when he appeared.

As for Loki, he still maintained a casual smile, his dark blue eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was pleasantly surprised to see an old friend: "So it's Mr. Jones!"

Just a word, the tone changed instantly.

"If you don't guard your hypocritical rotten good wife," Loki sneered, "do you have time to take care of the children?"

"..."

I have forgotten that no matter how much the Norse gods have grievances with the old gods of other gods, they are no match for all of their enemies.

The one who has the greatest grievances with the gods is Loki, who is from the same pantheon.

02

At first, I only had a rough idea of ​​Nordic mythology, and most of my impressions came from Fernando's story and superhero movies.

Otherwise, there would be no joke about misremembering the Rocky brothers.

But when this guy transferred to my school with a high profile in the face of Aragorn, I still read relevant books and looked up information seriously.

After in-depth reading, I realized that although there are many similarities between Norse mythology and Greek mythology, there are also many differences.

For example, the Greek gods on Mount Olympus are immortal, but the gods in Norse mythology are mortal.

Not only will she die, but also the prophesied "Twilight of the Gods".

The instigator was Loki.

He is a shit-stirring stick in the true sense, either trying to die, or on the way to die.

Moreover, relying on his eloquent tongue, Loki even created a big scene where one person scolded the gods.

Blaki, as Pandora calls it, is one of the "victims".

As soon as she reminded me, I remembered everything.

Braki is the son of Odin, who is indeed the god of poetry, wisdom and eloquence. In the poem "Ada", he was scolded by Loki bloody.

Obviously, entering the 21st century, even if Hephaestus can sit at the same table with Ares and eat peacefully, the Norse gods and Loki still have no reconciliation.

"Who am I?"

Blaki looked at Loki.

The god of eloquence in mythology is kind by nature, but Braki in reality is not polite to Loki: "You were kicked out of Denmark by your righteous brother again?"

Oh!

I was eating melons on the sidelines, and it suddenly dawned on me: it turned out that Loki was driven out of Denmark by Odin.

Loki smiled when he heard that.

Strictly speaking, Blaki is still his step-nephew.

It's just the two of them "confronting each other" in the hotel, the image of a middle-aged man in his 40s and 15s, and the image of a [-]-year-old boy version of a Nordic star, and they can't treat each other with their true identities and seniority no matter what.

Loki just caught on to this.

He brushed his hair, pulling back all the long black curly hair, revealing his beautiful cheekbones and handsome facial features.He blinked his dark blue eyes, and the arc of his lips just happened to reveal arrogance.

No matter what Rocky's body looks like, he used a fake appearance to fully display his youthful spirit.

"Mr. Jones," he said politely, "how is your book of poetry getting on?"

Blaki's expression changed.

He maintained his middle-aged demeanor, and continued to speak: "I didn't expect you to accept Mr. Johnson's guidance. It's not your style to endure humiliation, 'boy'—but, you were forced to bow your head many times."

Between the words, it is implied that Loki admits at the speed of light every time he dies.

But Loki didn't back down either.

He still curled his mouth, tilted his head, thinking: "How much did Mr. Jones' poetry collection sell last time?"

Without waiting for Braki to respond, he clapped his hands innocently.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Loki said with a smile, "They were all sold as waste paper by bookstores to recycle bins!"

Brakey: "..."

Pandora and I both gasped.

As the saying goes, a snake hits seven inches, and a person kicks the vitals. Now I know why Rocky can talk to the crowd.

As long as I don't get hurt, and I grab your vital points and attack repeatedly, I'm definitely not the one who breaks the defense in the end.

——The ultimate secret of winning a war of words is: shameless enough!

Anyway, Loki dies every day, he has a lot of black history, whatever you want to say.

But the gods are different, other gods need face.

For example, Blaki at this moment.

As the god of poetry, how could his poetry ability be poor?

however……

In this day and age, few people can seriously read poetry.

I have just been "educated" by Nietzsche and Dionysus, and I have also read some theoretical knowledge common to literature and art.

Generally speaking, the poetry of the clan era is definitely not suitable for contemporary society, and now it is the world of novels.Even if there is something about Blakey's collection of poems, and it is sought after by the literary world, it has nothing to do with the general public.

Can't sell it, it's normal.

After a simple confrontation, Blaki settled down.

Luo Ji was so proud that he didn't even want to accept it as soon as he saw it. Instead, he asked with concern: "You can't make money, so you come to teach students? Even your wife, the Holy Mother, can't bear it? It seems that no matter how loving a couple is, Turn your face for a meal."

Brakey: "You—"

Woohoo, this is too much!

I remember that in Norse mythology, Blaki's wife Eden was one of the few gods who believed in Loki and was saved.

It seemed that Rocky himself was rather dismissive.

I tugged on his sleeve and lowered my voice: "It's almost done!"

Blaki took a few steps back.

He took another look at Loki, Hermes, and others.

"You're here for the quiz, too," he said. "I think it's H...Mr. Johnson?"

Hermes then said lazily: "Do you want to exchange business cards, Mr. Jones?"

Blakey smiled: "No, my lawyer has your detailed contact information."

I:"……"

Isn't the golden apple of Greek mythology enough, you have to steal the Nordic gods!

"Mr. Johnson is not easy either."

Blakey sighed: "I'm afraid it is because I have experienced the hardships of the bottom that I am willing to guide students? It is also very good to give them hope that they can enter the society and live a positive life."

I:"…………"

Good guy, the implication is that people, uh, God scum Hermes brought a group of future scum and gangsters.

This is a blatant provocation!

According to the idea of ​​Meryl's youth school drama, we ordinary protagonists from ordinary community middle schools should be immediately provoked, and all of us should be filled with righteous indignation.

however--

Pandora: "Hehe."

Meryl: "Whatever."

I can't bring up any excited emotions.

After all, Braki didn't expect that a team of six students could have three camps of old gods, right?

As for Meryl and the other two contestants, they didn't care at all.

Hermes: "Hey."

Loki: "Let's go."

I grabbed Meryl: "Let's put down our luggage and go buy a swimsuit."

Under Braki's shocked gaze, the seven of us left the hotel lobby with a tourist-like leisurely pace.

It wasn't until he entered the elevator that Hermes restrained his indifferent expression.

"I'm furious!"

The envoy was very angry: "It happened ten years ago, and he is still brooding?"

Pandora: "Who made you cheap."

Hermes touched the bridge of his nose: "No, we must defeat them!"

Meryl nodded seriously: "Although I don't know what kind of trouble you have with him, this gesture is too villainous."

"Isn't it a private school? I know where he teaches."

Hermes said angrily: "San Francisco's Tianen Middle School is indeed a noble private school. Although they are in the West Coast Division, they will meet sooner or later."

The finals held in Los Angeles will first be divided into two divisions, East and West.

There are a total of sixteen teams, and each division advances to two.

To beat Blakey's team, it will have to reach the semi-finals.

So sure that Tian En Middle School can advance to the semi-finals...

Meryl and I looked at each other secretly: It seems that the opponent is really a strong competitor like a movie script!

"OK OK."

Hermes comforted in time: "Don't be too stressed, take a good rest first, and go out to play at night!"

As his voice fell, the elevator door just opened.

As the titular "big guy", Hermes is really good to the quiz team.

Not only did he cover the hotel expenses, but since the team consisted of six people, three men and three women, it was not easy to allocate, so he simply waved his hand and opened a double room for each of us.

My room is right in the middle of Meryl and Pandora's room.

After putting away the clothes, I didn't forget to take out the BB and project book, and hid them in a corner.

After finishing everything, I pushed open the door, and Pandora and Meryl were already waiting for me in the corridor.

"Hurry up," Pandora said impatiently, "we'll-"

Just as I was about to step out of the guest room, the door to the opposite room suddenly opened, and Loki walked out.

He strode up to me: "You two go shopping first, Nicole and I will talk alone."

Me: "Huh?"

Pandora: "Kanas!"

Rocky put his hands together above his head to make an apology: "I'm sorry, sorry, it's very important!"

After he finished speaking, he gave me a slight push.

How I opened the door, how Loki closed the door.He entered my guest room, raised his head, and said bluntly, "Did you bring the project book?"

I:"……"

Well, it can be regarded as a decision to give me an explanation.

"Before you gave me the project book," I asked, "did you read it yourself?"

Loki raised his eyebrows: "Have you seen it?"

I hesitated to speak.

That phrase I caught a glimpse of last night still haunts me.

— There are traitors among the old gods.

What does it mean?

By traitor, does it mean that the old gods have turned to the new gods, or have they turned to... "that thing"?

Have the New Gods identified who the traitor is?

If there was a traitor, would it be Loki?He is an old shit stick, and he has done a lot of things like jumping around repeatedly.

"Of course I've seen it," Loki replied without saying a word, "The distance from Boston to New York is enough for me to know everything."

I stared at Loki's magnanimous expression in silence for a while, and quickly cleared my mind.

Shouldn't be him.

Now that I have read the contents of the project book, if it was him, he could just tear off that page of the project book, or replace it with something that won't make me think too much.

I felt relieved: "Then you..."

Loki: "Shh."

Loki, who was standing by the door, stretched out his slender index finger in front of his lips.

"Dear Nicole," there was a sly look in his blue eyes, "my advice is that you don't trust anyone."

"..."

"You brought BB here," Loki said, "come with me."

"where to?"

"Since you said 'that thing' was trying to communicate with you."

He raised the corner of his mouth.

"It's better to go to him and 'ask' to clarify."