Page 2 of Competing Against Thor

A small squeak escaped me as I read the words, then read them again just to make sure that I was understanding them correctly.

"What is it?" Danny asked, taking a sip of his coffee despite the fact it was far too hot for that. Probably the result of all the time spent in the forge, he was used to the heat.

"Remember when I said I applied to take part in that sculpting competition?"

"No."

I rolled my eyes. "It was when we went out with your sister last month. When we got back here, you made me fill out the application in front of you."

"I don't remember that at all," he murmured. "Sorry."

I shrugged, he must have been drunker than I'd realised when it happened. "I guess it doesn't matter much. I got in. I need to be at the studio on...Eurgh."

"What is it?"

"I'm supposed to be there at eleven on Friday. And I just made a commission appointment for midday."

"Ouch. I mean, I could do that for you. What do you need to know from them?"

I sighed. "Everything. It's fine, I'll reschedule. It's a returning client, so they'll know what they want." Which was lucky for me. If it had been a potential new client then I'd have had to choose between the commission I had a meeting for, and the chance to get my work in front of some of the richest and most influentialpeople in the world. If you could call the gods people. In reality, they were a lot more than that.

"Is it worth it for a competition?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "It's a risk. But the winner of the competition gets a commission for Jinx. Both the money and the exposure that would bring could make a huge difference to me."

"Jinx as in the dating app?"

I gave him an unimpressed look. "You know it's a dating app, you've been swiping guys on there for months. But the headquarters is for the dating agency itself, I think. They're sponsoring."

"And that's better than getting the other commission?"

I grimaced. "Hard to say. If I can get a piece in Jinx HQ, it could open me up to a lot of potential clients. Everyone knows the gods are loaded."

"Which is fair. I'd be pretty depressed if I'd been alive for centuries and still had no money. Being a struggling artist for five hundred years would be no fun."

"If you'd been alive five hundred years ago, you'd just be a blacksmith, you'd probably find it easier to get clients, not harder," I pointed out.

"Hmm, true. But you know what? The gods would definitely appreciate a good sword..."

"Oh no. I know what you're thinking."

"What? If you win, they'll be coming here, and we can make them my clients too. It's win-win."

I sighed. "I have to win first. And deal with the meeting I just arranged."

"Hope that they're done with you by midday?" he suggested.

"Seems a bit risky. I'll figure it out." And if it came to it, maybe I'd take him up on his offer to do the meeting for me. He might not know exactly what I needed to ask, but he couldprobably guess, especially if I gave him a list of questions. And it wasn't like Violet Shaw was a new client either.

The alternative was missing out on this opportunity, and I wasn't about to do that, especially considering what it could mean for me as an artist. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of being on TV, but there was nothing that could be done about that if I wanted to win. And at least it would be going out on an all-paranormal channel. It meant the chances of someone who knew me seeing were higher, but fewer people overall.

But if I won, it would be worth it. And I was going to do everything I could in order to win.

Chapter 2

THOR

I headed inside the studio, looking forward to whatever the competition had in store for me. It was a long time since I'd done something like this, and I was raring to meet the challenge head-on.

---