Odin turned his gaze toward the time-frozen John Winchester and delivered the answer: "The reason John disappeared was to give his children time to prepare. His body is failing. Cancer. Terminal. He has, at most, a little more than half a year left. Miss Swan, do you know what he intended to ask of you today?"
It wasn't hard to guess. Bella glanced toward the youngest son, still swinging his sword in the distance.
"He probably wants me to help look after that one..."
She didn't even know the boy's name.
"Adam. Adam Winchester." Odin supplied it on cue.
Bella shook her head. "If someone's in trouble, I'll do what I can. But my help isn't unlimited. Right now, I don't see a reason to take responsibility for this Adam Winchester. Watching him around the clock like a babysitter? I can't do that. That should be his parents' job, not mine."
There was a thought she kept to herself: John Winchester has cancer? You're Odin. You could cure it with a wave of your hand, couldn't you?
Odin's single eye fixed on her. "Do you know what John was prepared to offer in exchange for your protection of his youngest son?"
"No."
"He has nothing. Nothing except his life. He was prepared to make a deal with a crossroads demon, using his own life as the bargaining chip, so that your subordinate would regain his senses."
Bella's icy expression cracked, just slightly. The sacrifice was real, and it landed precisely on the edge of what she could accept.
Her brow furrowed deeply. "Since you've already told me about this, it won't happen. I'll stop him. Mr. Trevelyan's situation is a nuisance at worst. Give me time, and I can handle it myself. There's no need for him to make that kind of sacrifice.
"Besides, I don't believe demons would resolve this cleanly. They'd twist the wording of the deal, and John would have died for nothing."
Bella watched Odin's expression from the corner of her eye, probing cautiously. "Honestly, the simplest solution would be to cure John's cancer and let him look after his own son. Wouldn't it?"
Odin put on a show of sudden realization, his tone rising a full note. "Oh? What a splendid idea. Tell me, can you cure cancer?"
Whether I can or can't is beside the point! You're standing right here!
Bella was thoroughly confused. Even in her Mind Lake state, she couldn't read Odin's intentions.
Odin gave her a casual glance. "Miss Isabella Swan, if Kronos hadn't shattered the timeline, you would have become the greatest Sorcerer Supreme Kamar-Taj has ever produced, second only to Agamotto himself. Even the Ancient One's brilliance would pale in your shadow.
"Ninety-two years from now, you would have developed a life-extension spell entirely your own. At the age of five hundred and twenty-two, you would have taken the risk of casting it. Your will and intellect are both worthy of praise. The spell would have succeeded beautifully, extending your lifespan to sixteen hundred years. Very few mortals ever live that long."
Was that supposed to be an insult? Bella kept her face perfectly still and said nothing.
Odin paused. "Do you believe that the future version of yourself would try to hold onto the important people in your life? Your lover, for instance?"
"I would. I'd do everything in my power to keep her." The answer came without a heartbeat's hesitation.
"Your parents?"
This time Bella hesitated. Claiming she shared some deep, unbreakable bond with her parents in this life would be a lie, and she was beginning to understand what Odin was driving at. "...I'd do my best to let them live out their natural lives in peace."
Odin pressed further. "And your friends? Those little creatures you rescued to Vanaheim, the ones you call friends. How much would you be willing to pay for them?"
"There are so many people who pass through your life. Would you try to save every single one?"
Bella fell silent. In her Mind Lake state, she knew with brutal clarity that the people around her were ranked by importance in her heart.
Natasha and their unborn child were in the first tier. Charlie, Heather, Shaw, 006, Yinglong, and Bumblebee occupied the second. Samantha, Root, Mustache, Sam, and Dean were essentially in the third.
"More often than not, helping our friends find peace when it's time to go is the truest form of help. Don't you agree, Miss Swan?"
The message was that explicit. Bella knew she had to take a position. She looked toward John Winchester's youngest son. "There's no need for any deals. As long as this Adam Winchester stays out of Heaven and Hell's affairs, I believe Mr. Trevelyan's resources are more than sufficient to keep him safe."
An old park bench materialized behind Odin. He sat down and patted the spot to his right. Bella sat beside him.
Odin gazed into the distance. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Bella nodded. "You are the King of the Gods of Asgard. According to the texts, your divine portfolios include prophecy, sovereignty, wisdom, healing, magic, poetry, war, and death."
"Then you should also know that I am a father. When it comes to love for one's children, I understand exactly what John feels. It seems that this King of the Gods isn't so different from you mortals after all. Don't you find that interesting?"
What the hell is interesting about that? Bella didn't dare entertain a single stray thought. She could only use something close to self-hypnosis to tell herself very interesting, very interesting, absolutely fascinating...
"My son made a terrible mistake. He listened to the wrong counsel and released Kronos, bringing catastrophe upon all of Midgard and the timeline itself. He bears fault. So do I." Odin's voice was heavy, weighed down by what seemed like genuine frustration at having sired such an unfilial son.
Bella had absolutely no idea that Odin himself had orchestrated the situation, that Thor had been set up to jump into that particular pit. In her mind, Thor was still the overgrown infant who punched demons, kicked angels, and would charge at God Almighty with an axe if He dared show His face. Listening to bad advice and then accidentally freeing Kronos fit her mental image of Thor perfectly. Nothing unusual there.
"What are you saying, exactly?" she asked.
Odin, more formidable than every power broker Bella had ever encountered combined, never stated his purpose directly. He simply let you figure it out on your own: "Thor should learn a few things. Things beyond combat. Responsibility, perhaps? Purpose?"
Bella chewed on that. Nothing clicked. What does any of this have to do with me?
By the time she looked up, she was back in normal time. Only a second had passed for her. The space to her left was empty, as though Odin had never been there at all.
Old John Winchester's mind was still stuck in the previous moment, still working out how to steer the conversation, how to ask Bella to look after his youngest boy.
Ten minutes later, he stared at Bella with profound gratitude.
"Thank you. I know my request is unreasonable, but this child shouldn't have to end up like Dean and Sam..."
Bella flatly refused John's crossroads demon deal, but she also made a promise: within her power, she would help Adam Winchester.