"Hela… what have you done?"

The Goddess of Death did not cower under the Allfather's venomous gaze. One hand lifted and settled on the round curve of her stomach, feeling the gentle fluttering movements of the little one within her. It was not long until the birth. Hela stood before her father, King of Asgard, proud and tall and unafraid in the castle she once called home. She would no longer live under the thumb of his vicious tyranny.

"I have married Laufey," Hela declared, her voice as strong as her power. "Laufey is my true love, King of the Jotuns, and his son grows strong inside of me. The only reason I bothered to inform you is because you so rudely summoned me here as you would your own horse."

Odin stared at his daughter's belly with obvious disdain, his fingers gripping tightly to Gungnir until his knuckles turned white. He warred with himself about whether he should destroy Hela and the child right here, right now, before either had the chance to do any more damage. In his mind's eye, however, he could see a war with Jotunheim unlike any that had come before, if he were to murder their Queen and future Prince.

"And what of the child?" he asked. "He will be a half-breed Prince of a realm of monsters. Do you expect Asgard to honor any claim he would have to the throne, once I'm gone? What makes you think he will be welcome among the Jotnar savages? Do you have any idea of the consequences of what you have chosen!?" Odin was trying to stay calm but by his last statement he was on his feet, his booming voice making the guards reach for their weapons.

Hela threw her head back and laughed, a razor sharp sound that was anything but amused. "Who is the monster, father, the one who is considered to be one by no other reason than an accident of birth, or the one who believes himself to be superior to every other creature in the universe and seeks to destroy them all to prove it?"

"I will not be spoken to in such a manner," Odin bellowed. "You are my daughter and I am still your king!" He struck the ground with Gungnir and it made the throne room quake and the guards stumble, but Hela refused to flinch. His fury was nothing new to her.

"You don't deserve the title," Hela spat at him. "You're supposed to be the protector of the Nine Realms, not their executioner. You were supposed to protect me, Asgard's only true heir, and you used me, wielded me as your weapon, conditioned me to believe it was my destiny to rule a kingdom of corpses because you knew I was stronger than you and you couldn't control me any other way." She swung her right arm out to her side and a jagged sword the length of her arm appeared in her hand.

Pointing the sword at Odin, Hela took a slow, calculating step toward the throne. The King narrowed his eyes at her but otherwise did not move. She cast her eyes around briefly to locate a shadow.

"You think I would believe you have changed just because you found a new wife and put your wretched seed in her? You did nothing more than to birth a replacement for me. One you can groom as you wish! To make him as blind as I once was!" Hela began to gather her power and ready it for her quick escape. "Guess what, Odin Allfather, I am the only one who knows you, and I see you now for what you are. An old man, and a fool!"

Odin raised the spear and aimed it at Hela. "Hold your tongue, traitor, or you shall return to Jotunheim without it!"

That was exactly the cue Hela needed. Grinning fiercely, she swung her sword back over her shoulder and swiftly spun around, releasing the deadly weapon aimed at Odin as she stepped into the shadow of a column. Darkness swallowed her whole and Hela vanished into the portal. The blast of energy that Odin had fired at her hit the opposite wall and he roared as Hela's necrosword grazed his shoulder, bringing the head of his spear down on the steps in his frustration and pain.

He had to act fast. Trying to gather his wits, Odin paced around the throne room. He had enough power to command an attack on Jotunheim right away. March to war. War against his own daughter and her offspring. That prospect was a somber one. But he had to put sentiment aside.

Hela had grown out of his control, turned savage and dangerous. Her marriage to King Laufey put not only Asgard, but the Nine Realms at risk. Their child would have claim to the Asgard and the Jotun thrones. His family's long line of power would be severed by the monsters he took an oath to fight against. That child cannot and will not be born! If war was the answer to that, so be it. He would lay waste to Jotunheim if that's what it took.

Calmer now that a decision was made, Odin went back to his chambers. The soft laughter of his young son could be heard before he opened the door. Somehow it eased the weight on his heart and the doubts in his mind. Thor was the very reason why Odin would have to march to war. To secure his future he had no other choice but to destroy his own past.

Odin entered the room. A running toddler came to a halt on his leg.

"Dada!"

"My boy!" Odin said, taking the boy in his arms.

"Dada, I has a hamma'!" Little Thor said, showing Odin his wooden toy hammer.

"It is a mighty hammer for a mighty prince!" Odin put the boy back on the floor and watched him flail the hammer around, fighting invisible enemies.

Odin fell on his armchair, worn out after his audience with Hela. Frigga noticed his weariness, but said nothing, waiting for him to speak. Odin kept in silence, watching his young son play around and show him all the things he had learned that day. It only cemented his decision to stop Hela for good.

It wasn't until the maids took little Thor for his nightly bath that finally Odin spoke to Frigga.

"It is true." He sighed. "Hela has married Laufey, and she is pregnant with his son."

Frigga took a deep breath and stood by her husband. "Are you certain?" Odin simply nodded.

"I have no doubts that she will come back with an army."

"She would only be fighting for what is rightfully hers." Frigga said.

"So I should let her just take it?" Odin said, disgusted by the sole thought of having Hela and her offspring take over his throne.

"I'm just saying that she wouldn't be doing anything politically wrong." Frigga soothed the king. "She is your daughter."

"A daughter who will not obey and respect her own father." He scoffed. "One that ran away and betrayed her kingdom. Her own people!" Odin put his head between his hands and rubbed his temples. "If I do nothing I might as well just give the Jotuns the keys to Asgard myself!"

Frigga put her hands on the king's shoulders. "There must be a way you can avoid confrontation."

Odin shook his head. "I wish there was, but the only way around this is to attack before she has the chance to give birth, to gather her armies."

"War." Frigga muttered, with a slight breath of resignation.

Odin looked up at her and took her hand. "War." He kissed Frigga's palm. "To protect you, to protect our son. Our future."

.-

Next morning, Odin summoned his generals to the war room. The men stood stoic in front of their king, waiting for instruction.

"It pains me to give such orders." Odin started. "But the army must assemble at once." A thick silence filled the room. "Hela, the Goddess of Death has betrayed Asgard," he added.

"It cannot be…" Bjarke, the Hersir, muttered, disbelieving. The rest silently agreed. They had followed Hela into war themselves more than once.

"It shouldn't be, but it is." Odin continued. "She has married King Laufey of Jotunheim in secret. She has consorted with him and right now she's close to giving birth to his offspring. Once she does, she will march on Asgard. This cannot happen."

The men grew restless. Some were still fighting their disbelief, the others were angry at their former leader. Treason was something the people of Asgard did not take lightly. Odin gave them a moment to deal with this revelation.

"What are your orders, my king?" Bjarke asked, the other men standing at attention by his side.

"We march for Jotunheim in two days."