Welcome to Valhalla
After the introduction, the Allfather of the Norse pantheon simply turned around and started walking, not caring at all about the group's shocked expressions.
They looked at each other for a moment, not knowing whether to follow the most powerful god of the Norse pantheon or just stay there. Grover and Malcolm looked toward Percy, while Bianca and Clarisse looked at Thalia. After all, the two of them were technically the leaders of each team.
Percy looked at the old man's back for a moment, watching him walk calmly, and simply shrugged before casually walking after him, storing his black sword inside his bag.
"Wait," Thalia said instantly. "Aren't you worried he's leading us into a trap?" she asked distrustfully.
"And why would he? If he's a god as powerful as Zeus, he could just kill us instantly. Setting up a trap would be a waste of time and resources. Besides, I already knew my master knows the Norse gods. After all, he has a weird friendship with some giant guy I've spent all this time suspecting is Thor, the Norse god of thunder. This just confirms it," Percy said calmly before walking forward, gesturing for Grover and Malcolm to follow him.
Grover and Malcolm looked at each other before quickly walking after Percy, though they couldn't stop feeling a little nervous. If what this man said was true, his rank was equal to Zeus, and not even in their wildest dreams would they casually approach Zeus like this.
"Well, it's probably best to follow them. Even if Jackson acts like an idiot sometimes, he never does anything that puts his friends in danger," Clarisse said, reassuring Thalia, who still had her brow furrowed while looking toward Percy and the others.
Thalia gave her a look for a moment and let out a light snort before walking together with Clarisse and Bianca behind the others.
…
As the group walked behind the Allfather, who moved through the crowd like nothing more than an old man taking a stroll, they noticed how people unknowingly stepped aside while lowering their heads respectfully as Odin passed by them. After he walked past, people would put on slightly confused expressions, like they didn't realize what they had just done before continuing on like nothing happened.
That only made it even clearer that this man wasn't just some eccentric old man, but truly a god. And if the legends were true, one of the powerful gods.
"So… Mr. Odin… you said you were taking us somewhere to rest. Can I ask where?" Percy asked, unable to help himself.
"Well, I own a large hotel around here. You'll be able to eat something there and rest while you wait for your message, which, by the way, is already on its way," Odin said calmly.
"How do you know about the message?" Percy asked, narrowing his eyes.
Odin gave him a look for a moment with a soft smile while lightly pointing above his own head.
Percy looked there for a moment. His ability activated for an instant, but the same thing always happened whenever he looked at gods. Unlike humans or demigods, where he could see small threads that sometimes showed him certain images, with gods he only saw what looked like an enormous sun above their heads. That made Percy immediately look away.
"Truly quite a powerful ability. Not many gods possess it, and those who do are usually responsible for prophecies within their pantheons. It's interesting how what should have been simple knowledge transformed into that… unless someone interfered," Odin said with interest.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked in confusion.
"That you're not truly seeing only the future. What you're actually seeing is fate itself. It's very different. That's why both you and your master are rather interesting errors in this world. Not only can you alter your own destinies, but also the destinies of those around you," Odin added. "That's why I can understand Zeus' plan to start this trial in order to expel your master from this plane," he added, though there was a faint amused smile on his face.
"Do you believe the same thing?" Percy asked, staring directly at him.
"Unlike Zeus, the first thing I did before succeeding my father as king of Asgard was sacrifice my eye for wisdom. It's true that someone capable of altering fate is dangerous… but isn't that exactly what every god would wish for? Since even we are bound by fate. Though I wouldn't mind dying while fulfilling mine. After all, I am a father. Besides, I can't help feeling a slight interest in what the future will bring," Odin said calmly.
Percy kept staring at the Norse god, as if trying to see through his words to know whether he was lying or telling the truth. But of course, that was difficult. After all, Odin wasn't known as the god of wisdom and a great strategist for nothing.
"Well… we've arrived," Odin said calmly, slowing to a stop while raising his arms slightly for a moment.
Everyone looked at him for a moment before looking toward where Odin was staring, across the street. They hadn't realized it, but at some point they had crossed most of the distance, something they only noticed now.
But that confusion quickly turned into surprise when they saw the enormous hotel now standing before them. Its size could easily be compared to the Empire State Building.
And yet they hadn't even seen such a building before until they were literally standing in front of it.
"Welcome to Hotel Valhalla," Odin continued with a smile while motioning for them to enter through the glass doors, where inside they could see a large reception area, with receptionists speaking calmly with men and women, directing them to their rooms and answering questions.
Creating a strange impression on Percy and the others, because at moments the disguises seemed to fade, letting them see the receptionists in silver armor and the guests wearing massive ancient armor.
"Come, you arrived just in time for the buffet. I'm sure you'll be able to find something to eat. It would be impossible not to," Odin said with a smile as he invited them inside.
The group hesitated for a second, but the word buffet seemed to attract them quite a lot. After all, they really were quite hungry.
Though the name of the hotel definitely made them hesitate. But like Percy had said before, if Odin truly wanted to do something to them, he would've already done it instead of bringing them to his hotel. So Percy walked through the glass doors, followed by the others.
Meanwhile, Odin, who watched them enter for a moment, stopped and turned his gaze toward the direction he had come from with the young demigods, where a man in an elegant suit stood staring directly at him. His face was filled with annoyance, while smoke seemed to lightly rise from his skin.
The man gestured toward Odin for a moment before his body started to blur, disappearing into a strange mist.
"Better luck next time," Odin said with a faint amused smile as he turned around and calmly entered the hotel.