Author's Note: This chapter has a bit of gore. I'm just warning you. The setting would be best understood if you have seen 'Thor'. Excuse spelling/grammar mistakes. This way typed late a night so I'm tired.


Chapter 2: Shattered Ice

Nero's POV

12 Earth Hours Ago

There was a deafening popping noise drumming in my ears. Immediately, frigid air overloaded my senses. Coldness never disturbed me a great deal. My frosty sapphire eyes sprung open to take in my latest surroundings. Ice and mountains that towered above all, cast shadows that blanketed the world in gloom. They call it Jotunheim.

I had landed on the tip of a cliff edge. Not one of my finest landings, but it could have been worse. Much worse. I gulped as I stared down the dizzying height.

Wait! There was something down there. My eyes were squinted to attempt to make out the object. What was it? It surely wasn't rock or ice. There seemed to be immense ivory arched beams that formed a tunnel like a cave for at least ¼ a mile. It continued getting smaller and smaller as it went. It was like a cage. The rib cage of a beast.

"Crunch! A skull shattered under my foot. I stepped backward in terror. As I did, I tripped over another and fell to the packed ground. I opened my eyes. The face of a dead man with bulging eyes, flesh peeling off and oozing blood from the mouth was the first thing I saw. Arggh! I leapt back to feet and spirited away from this hell…"

Stop it! The past already happened and there was nothing I could do to wipe it from my memory. I spun away from the carcass and bad memories it brought up. In the opposing direction of the cliff were the remains of a castle.

Sinister storm clouds hung low in the sky, hiding the peaks of the grand mountains. They looked vicious enough to tear this whole miserable realm apart. Just on cue, a great gust of wind came from behind me. My cloak threatened to rip away and my helmet my knocked out of my grasp. It slid on the ice for a few feet. Tiny snow crystals began to fall from the heavens. The clouds had finally given way. Another gust of wind whistled in the valley below and came up beneath my armor, causing goose bumps to form.

I felt my bare skin start to sting. I looked down at my hands. They were raw and covered in microscopic cuts. The same was with the rest of my body. Some were deep enough to form beads of dark navy blood on the surface of my skin. It wasn't snow falling from the clouds, it was ice. The ice was as sharp as shattered glass. My body would be in no condition to carry out the task I must do once I made it to the fortress.

I wrapped the thick black cloak on my back around my exposed neck, arms, shoulders, and most of my long legs. What was I thinking when I wore this here of all places? My calves and ankles still had to brave the ice.

To shield my delicate face, I needed my helmet. It was still on the ground where the wind had blown it. I took my hand out from under the safety of my cloak and bent downwards to retrieve the silver helmet. On contact, the tips of my fingers became fused to the frozen metal.

"Get off!" I screamed frantically as I shook my arm back and forth. With one last down shake, it flew of my hand along with the tips of my fingers. The turn in weather had already turned my mood sour. Now this? This day couldn't get any worse. It landed near the edge of the cliff leading to the abyss and started sliding. The speed was leaving, but not soon enough.

Chang! Cling! Dong! The helmet bounced against rocks on the decent down. The sound echoed through the valley. The noise faded away and the howling wind covered up any remaining noise.

I deeply filled my lungs with air and exhaled gradually. Calm down, at least I had others. I pulled the cloak over my head to protect my face, but in doing so, I further exposed my legs to the elements.

The wind picked up as did the amount of razor-sharp ice shards. This storm was just going to get worse. Now, I could barely see my feet. I had to make it to the ruins. The best way to get there was teleportation, which my always my last resort. Crashing face first into things like asteroids and mountains was all too common. But now, it was my only chance.

I closed my eyes, blocking out the nasty situation. My mind blocked out all the surrounding wind and the sting of the ice shredding my skin. "The ruin, ruins, ruins," I muttered repetitively in an ancient language long forgotten. The uncomfortable feeling of being crushed into a box came next. The moment the feeling became unbearable, "Pop!"

As the sound faded out of my ears, I noticed the lack of noise. I wasn't being shredded either. I made it to the castle. Or, what was left of it. The ceiling had long ago caved, leaving large stone slabs littering the floor like a maze. The three remaining walls sheltered me from the outside. Any rustic defining features were incarcerated in a tomb of ice. It was truly an eerie sight. There was not a living soul in sight. There was not a breath or heart beat besides my own. Now where would the Casket be?

The Casket was just a piece in my game. But a game cannot be played if it's missing a piece. This game was to attempt the subjugation of a place so omnipotent that none of these puny realms could even come close to its power. As I always say, the bigger they are the harder they fall.

While my mind was off plotting more devious plans, I had started walking around in search of the Casket. "Crunch!" There came a sickening sound from underneath my foot. I looked down and to my horror, it was a corpse. The tissue had rotted away long ago and the bone shad turned brittle and yellowed with age. This was smaller than the beast I had seen at the bottom of the abyss. It was Frost Giant sized.

I leapt away. I scanned my surroundings. This time, I searched more in-depth. There was another one! And another! There must have been a battle. Skeletons were everywhere! My hands trembled uncontrollably and my heart raced.

"…The stench of decaying flesh wafted from under doorways. Putrid bloated carcasses hung from their necks on lampposts, with bulging eyes and flesh tissue falling right off the bones. Thick matted blood spurted from wounds, sores, and eye sockets…"

"Who dare enters the palace of the Jotunheim king?" cut in a chilling voice. It came from seemingly nowhere. I let out a gasp and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I resisted the urge to scream. A giant blue figure with distinguishing markings and piercing crimson eyes protruded from behind a fallen slab. It was undoubtedly a Frost Giant. He stood there staring. He awaited my answer.

"I am Nero."

"The?" he questioned with a chilling tone.

"The one and only," I replied with a bit too much confidence.

"What is the great Nero doing in my humble little realm?" he slithered mockingly.

"It is none of your concern."

"You have built an entire empire and nobody has ever lived to tell the tale of your appearance," he stated. "That is highly admirable. And yes, it is all my concern," he finished.

"If you must know, I have come to borrow the Casket," I answered truthfully. It was always better to tell the truth. Lies just come back to bite you. Of course, me being myself, I often choose to twist the truth. This was one of those times.

"I believe you haven't been kept up to date," he said bitterly. "Odin of Asgard," he spit the name out with hatred, "stole it many years ago." This was news to me.

"Well that's a shame. I best be leaving now," I said feeling uncomfortable. This place was really getting to me. I turned around to leave.

"Oh, but wait!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun back in his direction. I bit my lip to disguise my fear.

"It sounded like you were here to steal the Casket for yourself," he deducted. I didn't argue. "And that is punishable by death. In your case, you being immortal, punishment would be ever-lasting torture," he finished.

"I really must be going," I stammered. My voice quavered. My heart was beating wildly and my head was spinning.

"No, you must stay." As he said that, Frost Giants appeared from the shadows. They continued appearing and came closer and closer until I was surrounded by a tight circle. Spears of ice formed at their fists and all seventy pairs of red glaring eyes were focused on me. No sword of mine would win this battle. It was times like these that I wished I had a silver tongue.

"For your troubles, I offer you anything in exchange for letting me leave without harm," I offered. "Anything." It was worth a try. Even though I'm immortal, it still hurts to be injured. I wasn't really in the mood to be impaled with ice today.

"Midgard," he said after a long pause. My surrounding Frost Giants backed away into the shadow with the response of their leader.

"Of course you may have that," I responded after a sigh of relief.

"In a year's time, it shall be mine."

"Well I wish you luck with your conquest," I said. He nodded and disappeared back into the shadows. Time to get out of here.

"To er…," I hesitated. "Tha." Tha was the best place I could think to go. I realized my mistake all too late. It sounded like I said 'Earth'! My body was already being compressed into the darkness. There was nothing I could do to stop.

My body was flying through the stars faster than the speed of light. A numb tingle was all I could feel. Wham! My body lost the sensation of movement. There was no pop in my ears as usual. After the first shock, pain coursed through my veins as I rebounded off whatever I had just collided with. I faded into darkness.


Phew! That felt long. Don't worry, the Avengers will return soon and Loki will come in time. I've got it all planned out. Tell me what you think!

-Pandora