blondehairedknowitall: Glad you're intrigued. Hope you like this next chapter.

anastacianott: I wrote more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Thor. I only own my plot and OCs.

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Chapter 2: Preparations

On Midgard, in the brightly lit kitchen of a large country house, five females went about the task of fixing breakfast.

The eldest of the girls present looked about nineteen. Her curly, dark-brown hair was tied in a ponytail to keep it out of both her face and the scrambled eggs she was making. Green-brown hazel eyes gazed down at the pan, concentrating only on the task before her. She wore a simple blue T-shirt and denim jeans with nothing on her feet.

Next to her stood a young woman of about sixteen flipping pancakes. Light blue eyes were lit up with smiles as she bounced her head in rhythm with the music she was listening to, her blond braid thumping against her back with each movement. Her earbuds managed to stay in, connected to the IPod in her pocket. A rumpled, turquoise tank top and grey sweat pants were her choice of clothing. She wore fuzzy black socks, however, for sliding around on the kitchen floor; 'cause who doesn't love doing that?

And next to her stood a thirteen year old cooking bacon on a large skillet. Dark red hair piled on top of her head in a bun while her dark brown eyes kept glancing over to a book that lay open on the counter. Her pajamas were bright red, the bottoms decorated with pink and white hearts. Pink slippers covered her feet.

Working at the bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room was a ten year old slicing fruit. Her dirty-blond hair was pulled back into a loose, low ponytail, as if it had been done in a hurry and without much thought. Her midnight-blue eyes were intensely focused on the task in front of her, as she did not wish to accidently cut herself. She was barefoot, wearing a white, cotton nightgown with pictures of different flowers.

And last, a seven year old was pulling plates, knives, and forks out of the drawers and cupboards to set on the table. She was a bit behind as she had, once again, gone to collect eggs from the chicken coup in her pjs and slipped in a small puddle on her way back. She had to be sent back to her room to wash up and change. Now she wore her favorite pink T-shirt with a white kitten on the front, decorated with sparkles, and a pink, knee-length skirt, even though she would only have to change again to do chores later that day. Her light brown hair, which matched her eyes, was not held back like the others.

As the girls finished preparing the food and began to set it all on the table, they paused to turn and glance at the staircase. The eldest of their group had not come down yet. She was the one in charge of making smoothies and juices, as no one could make them like she could. It was not like her to be the last one down. In fact, she was usually up and working long before any of the others had gotten out of bed. Something serious must have happened to delay her. As curious and worried as the others were, they knew it was unwise to disturb her. They had all learned that lesson the hard way, despite the many warnings from others. They decided that the best course of action would be to continue breakfast as normal and wait for her.

They had all just sat down in their seats and were beginning to pile food on their plates when they heard the familiar sound of someone descending the staircase. They turned, and stood up as one when they saw her.

The young woman who had woken up in the middle of the night by something frightening stood before them. She looked to be about 22. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight braid, appearing darker due to the black shirt, pants, and boots she was wearing. Her black belt was not the normal kind. This one held a variety of weapons that seemed more fitting for medieval times than modern. The other five girls knew that she had more weapons hidden on her person. The gem around her neck stood out against her dark clothing and continued to glow, even though it was daylight. Her dark green eyes were fierce, telling everyone who saw them that this was a girl on a mission and it would be wise to stay out of her way. The bags under them were the only evidence of how tired she was, and she hid those well.

"What's happened, Mackensie?" asked the sixteen-year-old.

"Much, Calandra," was Mackensie's answer. "My sisters," she said, addressing all the girls, "the last curse has struck its victim." Five voices gasped in unison. "We do not have much time. Prepare yourselves for our trip to Asgard. We may be there a while."

The girls finished filling up their plates and took them upstairs with them to their rooms. They changed into their battle clothes while pausing to take bites of food. While they normally wouldn't have bothered with it, they knew that the task before them would be more difficult than any others they had faced, and they needed all the strength they could get.

As soon as they were properly dressed for the job and had finished their meal, they ran downstairs to find Mackensie finishing her own breakfast. She turned to her sisters and saw them wearing outfits similar to her own. The only difference was the colors. The nineteen-year-old wore dark brown. Calandra was in dark green. The thirteen-year-old wore a deep red outfit. The ten-year-old was in a midnight-blue that matched her eyes. And, finally, the little seven-year-old wore dark purple. She would have gone with pink, except that a bright color would stand out more than a dark color would and they usually kept in the shadows.

Mackensie examined her sisters with a critical eye to make sure they were properly prepared. She turned to the one dressed in brown.

"Zelda, have you kept up with your training?"

"I have," was the answer. Zelda carried with her a long staff that was her favorite weapon, and the one she handled best.

"Calandra, how's your voice?"

"No signs that I'm losing it."

"Darshana, how are your eyes?"

"They haven't failed me yet," answered the one in red.

"Alcina, keeping your brain in shape?"

"I should hope everyone does," replied the girl in midnight blue.

Mackensie turned to the last girl, the youngest, dressed in purple. She knelt down in front of her and spoke in a soft voice.

"Keitha, we'll be inside most of the time and we'll be surrounded by a lot of people who will try to stop us. If you don't think you're up to the task, you don't have to go."

"I can handle it," the little girl said. "I want to help. Besides, you guys are hopeless without me."

Everyone laughed at that, despite the urgency of what they were about to do. Keitha always lit a spark of life in the dark times. Mackensie was proud to call Keitha her sister.

Mackensie stood up and examined her sisters once again. Aside from Zelda, none of them appeared to carry weapons of any kind. While she knew that appearances could be deceiving, and that all of them had weapons of some kind for when they needed them, they all had their own individual skills. They lived up to their names.

Mackensie just hoped that she could prove herself worthy of her own.

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Zelda: Warrior woman

Calandra: Skylark

Darshana: Seeing; sight

Alcina: Strong minded

Keitha: Forest; wood

"Mackensie" will be revealed later.

So now you know who the girls are, somewhat. Any other plot clues you can spot? Review and let me know. And keep reading.