Chapter Ten: The Valkyrie

Zillah

Zillah wasn't sure how many of the Valkyrie were actually at Camp Asgard. She wasn't even sure if they were a hundred percent friendly. Some ate with their full armor on, some had on their breastplates, but their combat Xena looking leg armor and boots were off. Then there were a couple of them that just had on the long sleeved green t-shirt and the same type of jeans that Jerri was wearing. The non-lethal looking ones were the easiest to keep track of. On the back of their t-shirt were their name and a number, kind of like a football jersey.

"You're positive, my sister isn't dead?" Trent asked with a mouth full of potatoes.

Brenda placed down her fork, as if her patients were running thin.

Selma, the Valkyrie that was sitting across from Brenda, replied, "For the third time, we have not sensed your sister's demise. If we had, we would have been able to locate her before she would reach the river Gjoll."

"That's like the river Styx, right?" Roxie asked.

Brenda shrugged, "I suppose so. Though do be careful when you try to translate the archetypes between our different worlds. There are some gods that are only in the Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Norse states that never cross over, and then there are gods that travel between all of the different states. They may change forms, personalities and sometimes genders to suit the needs of the culture that worshiped them."

"Like Apollo and Artemis! They are Sol and Mani in this world, right?" Roxie looked so pleased with herself.

Several of the Valkyrie exchanged looks as they silently ate. Apparently Brenda was not only their guide, but the leader of the Valkyrie.

Selma snorted.

Brenda tilted her head to the side, "Perhaps at one time. However, Sol and Mani are dead as are most of the Norse gods you may be able to identify."

"Wait, gods can't die, their gods, immortal, that means no dying," Lyra's scowl was back as was her black hair.

"Is not your President Washington an immortal; or perhaps Christopher Columbus, Mozart, or any number of political or military leaders?" Selma brushed her honey blond braid over her shoulder before sipping from her cup.

"No, they're dead, that's for sure," Zillah stated.

"Maybe," Brenda shrugged, "maybe not. Their names will live on forever, and people will tell their stories for centuries to come. In a sense they are immortal, their memory will live on. Just like your Greek and Roman gods. People remember them, they read about them, they think of them and in those thoughts and in those myths they live on."

"Isn't it the same for the Norse gods? Everyone has heard of Odin and Thor," Trent pointed out.

Selma rolled her eyes.

"That's only recently. The difference is that the gods of the south had their stories written down; whereas the gods of the north did not. All that you know of the Norse gods comes from a hand full of stories that were written down from Iceland hundreds of years after they had disappeared from the European continent or from Roman records." She popped a piece of an apple into her mouth.

"You told us that the demigods used to eat and sleep here, is that why this camp has been abandoned, because there are no gods to make new demigods?" Kayla joined the conversation. Up until this point she looked pretty much out of it.

"Yes and no, some of the Valkyrie are Norse demigoddesses. Just like there are a couple amongst the Hunters of Artemis, the Amazons and the Vestal Virgins." Brenda ate another piece of an apple. "That brings me to the question of all of you. How is it that you were able to draw the attention of the Gagana? They normally don't appear this far west."

Zillah looked toward Lyra who was looking at Trent who was looking over toward the sleeping Skylar about fifty yards away. They then switched and looked at each other.

"Ummm… we smell? My mom thinks that our sent attracts monsters. She has my sisters and me sow," Trent pulled off Skylar's oversized sweatshirt and then he unzipped his blue hoodie. He unsnapped a few buttons and pulled out an air freshener. "These things into our clothes to mask our sent." He shrugged, "I guess we're just too clean right now. Normally Meredith, Zillah and I go swimming at the YMCA every day to get that nasty chlorine smell stick to our sink as well."

"Or we fabreeze the shit out of our clothes," Zillah shrugged.

Kayla visibly counted everyone that was there, "five half-bloods in one car with the Oracle of Delphi driving, you were a monster magnate. Especially if you had any weapons on you."

"I don't have any weapons," Trent looked to Lyra and then Zillah.

"Skylar and I normally just use our fists. It gets so nasty at times, especially when we have to rip the heads off of the snake monsters." Lyra shrugged and then she looked at her half eaten plate of food. She pushed it away as if the thought of eating anything else made her sick.

Zillah unclipped her hair. "I have this." She stood and backed up away from everyone. She didn't think it was too wise to show them, but if they found out later that she had a concealed weapon on her than it might make things a bit more complicated. She straightened the clip and it turned into a short silver sword.

Brenda stood and approached Zillah. "May I?"

Zillah handed her the sword. She shifted her eyes to find that all of the Valkyrie had stopped eating. Even Selma looked kind of impressed.

Brenda studied the blade for a moment before looking down at Zillah, "where did you acquire this weapon?"

"Umm… my mom gave it to me," Zillah took it back and folded it back into a clip.

"And where did she get it?"

"I don't know." She put it back into her hair.

Brenda looked lost in thought for a moment, "that is a dwarf's blade. It was once called, Ridill."

Zillah sat back down, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Why don't you tell me everything you know up until today?"

Zillah didn't like telling Brenda and the Valkyrie all of their business, but she didn't feel like she had much of a choice. So, she started at the beginning when she first found the clip. Trent and then Lyra went next.

Brenda listened to everything they had to say. Several of the Valkyrie cleared away their plates and refilled their cups.

By the time they were done, the ghosts known as the Einherjar entered the hall. As they walked in they spoke loudly in their own languages. Some were reassembling their bodies, while others were pulling pranks on their friends by hiding their arms or their heads.

"My sisters and I need to discuss what we have learned here today. Please feel free to converse with the Einherjar, eat some more, or rest. Several of my sisters will remain in this hall if you are in need of anything else." With that Brenda and all of the lethal looking Valkyrie, including Selma disappeared. Those that remained moved about so quickly that Zillah had a hard time keeping track of where they were at any given moment.

Kayla stood, "I should get back to Skylar." She stretched her arms over her head as if she were going to run a mile. She then turned her gaze on Roxie, "you should be heading home. You've been a big help, but I think I can handle it from here."

Roxie was about to say something when a loud moaning broke her concentration.

Zillah turned toward the sound to find Skylar sitting up in his cot.