In the halls of Asgard, Thor was having a meeting with the other Aesir. He had heard that his sons and brother were being sent by Odin to track down a tattooed man traveling with a boy. Word was, he was somehow connected to the Frost Giants. Those big, towering, drooling imbeciles and their dumb luck and crafty magics. He had not heard word from his sons and brother for some time now.

Some time later, Baldur returned. "Ah, brother," Thor said. "How goes the hunt?"

"Badly. Your sons keep blundering everything in their attempt to please you."

Thor snorted. "Damn Magni and Modi. I swear I need to teach Magni that competing with his brother is not worth the time."

"Everyone knows he's the one who will inherit the hammer," Baldur said. "I don't know why Modi is even trying."

"Indeed, I don't."

"Father..." Both Aesir turned to find Modi, beaten and bloody and missing his weapons. "The pale, tattooed man and his pipsqueak...they're at Tyr's temple and..."

"Modi?" Thor said approaching his son. "What happened to your weapons?"

"It was those two! They're..." He stopped when Thor grabbed him by the shoulder's and said in a very hushed tone, "Where's Magni?"

"I...I...father, they were too strong! They killed him and..." POW! Thor punched Modi in the face and brought him down to his hands and knees.

"You killed him! Don't lie to me! No mortal can kill anyone with Aesir blood!"

"But they did," pleaded Modi as he crawled away from his enraged father. "That tattooed man! He killed him with a frost axe!"

"Then you left him to die, you coward!" Thor rushed to him and grabbed him by the throat. "You left him to die so you can get Mjolnir, didn't you?!"

"Father," he choked. "They're leaving Tyr's temple! I broke the boy! I can..." Thor slammed him onto the ground and kicked him in the stomach. "Father! Stop, stop, please! I can make this right!"

"You'll continue to disappoint!" Thor then proceeded to beat his unfavored son over and over again, ignoring his pleas for help and mercy. The other Aesir just watched, not expressing any emotion. Odin just looked away, not wanting to see the pitiful look on his grandson's face. Baldur just continued to watch.

When he was spent, Thor slowly got up and looked down at Modi, who was weeping at this point. "Stop that sniveling, you worthless slug." He grabbed Modi by the collar and brought him to his face. "Get out there. Find the ones who killed Magni. Kill them. If you can't do that, don't come back to Asgard!" He threw his son to the ground and Modi hurriedly left the halls and returned to Midgard.

"Such a disappointment," Odin said.

(!)

He had not heard from Modi or Baldur for some time now. Thor was about to leave Asgard to investigate when a squirrel came to him. "Ratatoskr," the god of thunder acknowledged. "What news do you bring?"

"Er..." the messenger of the gods said. "It's Modi. He's dead. The tattooed man's child did him in."

"Do you have any news worth listening to?"

"Well, it's Baldur. He's dead, too."

There was a hushed silence. Then Thor started laughing. "I must be going deaf. For a minute, I thought you said Baldur's dead. Nothing can kill Baldur."

"But he did. A mistletoe arrow destroyed his invincibility and the tattooed man broke his neck. Freya is devastated."

Thor said nothing. He turned away from Ratatoskr and said, "Get out."

"Yes, my lord." As soon as the squirrel left, Thor took out his hammer and sparks of electricity shot out of it. He needed to take his anger out on something before he came after the ones who killed his favorite son and brother. They will pay. Come Helheim or high water.