“Since my rebirth, I’d gotten used to a lot of weird stuff. I’d traveled the Nine Worlds meeting Norse gods, elves, dwarves, and a bunch of monsters with names I couldn’t pronounce. I’d scored a magical sword that presently hung around my neck in the form of a rune stone pendant. I’d even had a mind-melting conversation with my cousin Annabeth about the Greek gods who hung out in New York and made her life difficult. Apparently North America was lousy with ancient gods. We had a full-blown infestation.

All of that I’d learned to accept.

But being back in Boston on a nice spring day, hanging out like a regular mortal kid? That felt strange.”

Magnus muses about divinity and mortality while he sits at the coffee shop, waiting for Sam and just enjoying a spring day in Boston. Prior to being reborn as an einherji, Magnus lived without a home in the city, and his thoughts here reflect both how grateful and how odd he feels after three years of fending for himself. Though being reborn as an honored warrior of ancient mythical deities might be the strangest thing that ever happened to some people, it comes naturally to Magnus. Adjusting to his new life feels simple compared to what he went through before; feeling “normal” and being able to just exist without the stereotypes associated with living without a home is more difficult, partly because he wondered if he’d ever get to this point and partly because he feels a little guilty that his situation changed so quickly.

“‘Hey, guys.’ I handed them Otis’s trench coat and hat, along with all the mortal money I had on me—about twenty-four bucks. ‘Have a good day.’

The guys were too startled to respond. I kept walking, feeling like I had an ax sticking out of my sternum. Just because I’d been killed by a fire giant two months ago, I got to live in luxury. Meanwhile, these guys and their terrier ate from garbage bins. It wasn’t fair.”

After Magnus ponders “normality” in the first chapter, he sees some men who are in a similar situation to his old one. The men don’t know how to react to Magnus’s kindness because it’s such an uncommon reaction. People without homes are often stereotyped as irresponsible, as having substance use disorders, or other qualities that are frowned upon by society.