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Everything is upon a great scale upon this continent. The rivers are immense, the climate violent in heat and cold, the prospects magnificent, the thunder and lightning tremendous. The disorders incident to the country make every constitution tremble. Our own blunders here, our misconduct, our losses, our disgraces, our ruin, are on a great scale.

–Lord Carlisle, to George Selwyn, 1778

Chapter Seventeen details the gathering of the Old Gods and New Gods at Rock City in preparation for their war. Laura meets up with Mr. Town while Mr. World and Technical Boy discuss strategy.

Plot[]

On the top of Lookout Mountain, is one of the biggest tourist attractions known as Rock City. It is here where the Old and New Gods gather from all across America waiting for the oncoming conflict.

After Laura leaves Shadow's vigil on the tree, she goes to the farmhouse in search of water for her unquenchable thirst. Three women are seated on a couch. She tells them that Shadow said to ask them for water. The smallest of the three retrieves a jug of water for Laura and sits back down. Laura finishes the entire jug before collapsing as the Water of Time rush over her. When she wakes up rejuvenated, she knows she has to get to Rock City.

The gods continue gathering at the Mountain and start preparing for the upcoming war. Technical Boy roams among them, searching for Mr. World.

Mr. Town drives around the back roads of Virginia searching for the Ashtree Farm. Mr. World has ordered him to cut off a stick from the World Tree but to leave Shadow alone and not turn him into a martyr. Town finds the tree and takes a piss on it before grabbing a ladder and climbing up the tree. He hacks off a small branch for Mr. World and starts to climb back down. He jabs the stick at Shadow and imagines twisting it in his guts before he finishes climbing down the tree. He returns the ladder to the farmhouse and briefly imagines he sees the Norns seated there before returning to his Ford Explorer. He discovers he was up the tree for eight hours just as Shadow's side begins to bleed black.

Easter watches the crowd of gods who have gathered at Lookout Mountain. Macha of the Morrigans approaches her and tells her that she can smell in the air that the battle will start soon. A hawk circles overhead before dropping down to the grass and appearing as Horus. He asks Easter to come with him to the Tree to help Shadow who has been stabbed. Easter tells him she can't abandon the battle but Horus insists that if Shadow is gone forever then it won't matter who wins the battle.

Mr. Town gets lost trying to leave the ASH farm and keeps ending up right back at the farm. He eventually spots a woman walking along the side of the road and stops to ask her for directions. Laura offers to show him and climbs in, throwing the stick from the tree into the back seat.

Technical Boy finds Mr. World in the Rainbow Room of Rock City. Technical Boy has found himself troubled after having killed Bilquis and asks why they need to fight the Old Gods when they can just wait around for them to die out anyway. Mr. World tells him it is because he doesn't have all the information as his mouth twists into Loki's. He explains to Technical Boy that he is waiting for the stick from the World Tree so he can throw it over the battle, turning it into a spear as he dedicates the battle to Odin in order to gain power. He proceeds to show Technical Boy what he means by stabbing Technical Boy through his chin to his brain as he says, "I dedicate this death to Odin." He hides the body and a little while later, a voice from the shadows tells him it's a "good start."

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