Read Online Thor's Serpents by K.L. Armstrong, M.A. Marr - Free Book Online

Matt wanted to be. In some ways, fighting the final battle of Ragnarök seemed easier than facing his parents.
    “So what’s the deal with your folks?” Reyna asked as they skirted the edges of town, heading toward his neighborhood.
    He shrugged and said nothing.
    “Are they
okay
with the apocalypse thing?”
    Another shrug.
    “She’s not prying, Matt,” Ray said. “It’ll help if we know what we’re up against here.”
    “We’re not up
against
anything,” he said. “It’s my family.I’ll handle it. You guys are just standing watch in case of trouble.”
    “And if the trouble comes from them?” Reyna said.
    “My family would never—”
    He stopped. He’d thought the same thing about Granddad once.
    “I’ll handle it,” he said. “Whatever happens.”
    “We’ll be right outside,” Ray said. “If there’s any trouble, shout.”
    After a few more steps, Reyna came up beside him, her voice lowered as she said, “You don’t need to handle this alone, Matt.”
    “Yep,” he said. “I do.”

    Returning to Blackwell was much easier in the dark. There was electricity here. Whatever the monsters’ plan, they clearly weren’t going to attack the town run by the guy leading them.
    There were still only a few lights. All the Thorsens knew what was happening, and they wouldn’t panic and throw on every light to fend off the darkness. That was a blessing as they crept through yards, Matt making his way home.
    Home.
    He could see it ahead. Just an ordinary house on a street of ordinary houses. Inside was his room. With a bed andclean clothing and an iPod and a laptop, and all the things he’d taken for granted. A week ago, he’d have longed to sneak in, to sleep on a real mattress and take a hot shower and put on clean clothes. He’d have fantasized about going back to school. Yes, school. Where he understood what was expected of him. Where he knew he could succeed, with the right effort. Where he was normal, like a million other kids. Not the smartest thirteen-year-old boy. Not the most athletic or the most popular. But smart enough, athletic enough, and popular enough that no one picked on him and some looked up to him. A good life for a kid. A really, really good life.
    Now, looking at his house, he couldn’t imagine that life. He couldn’t foresee a time when he’d be back in his bedroom, trying to sleep and worrying about the next science fair project.
    If he defeated the Midgard Serpent, would things just go back to normal? Would
he
go back to normal?
Could
he?
    “Is this it?” Reyna asked, and he realized he was in his neighbor’s yard, perched on the top of the fence, and staring at his house.
    “Yep. Not quite like yours, huh?” He’d seen Ray and Reyna’s house. You could fit five of his inside it.
    “It’s very…” she began.
    “Small?” he said.
    “I was going to say normal.”
    He choked back a laugh, and she glanced over, not getting the joke. He shook his head and jumped over the fence. As soon as his feet touched ground, he heard Reyna shout and suddenly he wasn’t touching ground anymore. He was whipping through the air.
    Mjölnir fell from his hand and struck the ground with a thump. Matt hit the ground next, flat on his face. He tried to scramble up, but a foot stomped the small of his back.
    The air whooshed from his lungs. Ray shouted. Matt twisted to see the twins running toward him. Then whoever had him pinned caught Ray by the arm, throwing him aside. Reyna had been running to Matt’s aid, but when she saw her brother go flying, she tore after him instead.
    “Tell your new friends to back off, Matt,” said a voice above him.
“Now.”
    It was a voice Matt knew very well. Jake. His brother.
    Before all this started, Matt would have said the person he got along best with in his family was Josh, his other brother. Matt had a decent enough relationship with his parents. They were disappointed by him—always had been—but they loved him. Jake, though? Jake