"The monster - she came - she came and grabbed an advisor - ran off - towards the lake -" The terrified handmaiden could barely string words together, even by the time she was found, cowering, in a side room next to the kitchens.
"What did it look like? How big was it?" Beowulf asked.
"Her two arms were - each the size of a girl's trunk, sir. Green skin. Scaly - oh!"
"It sounds like a smaller version of the monster," said Thor.
"The monster's mother, I'm afraid, seeking revenge," said Beowulf. "Let us not waste time, let us go to the lake. Where is it?"
The horses which Thor had called for were just now led up to them. "We shall go with you, Beowulf," said Thor, mounting his steed.
"And we shall go with Thor," said Hogun, mounting his. The Warriors Three and Sif were there. Loki silently got on his horse. Frigga, in the meantime, had rushed back to watch over Odin while her sons were sorting out this new threat.
Beowulf said nothing in response, but mounted his steed and spurred it into the distance as Thor led the way. They sped out of the palace gates and towards the lake where Heimdall had last seen Grendel. The blood had not been cleaned up in many places; they were essentially following the last steps of the first monster.
The land grew wilder and more difficult to ride on as they went along. When they reached the steep stone slopes, the path grew so tight that they had no choice but to dismount and continue on foot in single file, leading the horses carefully behind them. At last they reached a cluster of trees hanging over a precipitous cliff, shading a lake far below. The water was rust-coloured and frothy.
"His head," said Sif grimly.
They looked where she was pointing. The advisor's head lay like a small, misshapen, hairy boulder on the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, Sif shot an arrow into the water. As they looked into the water, they realised that she had shot a giant water-serpent, which was now thrashing about, coiling and uncoiling its long, muscled body in agony. Eventually it ceased to struggle and disappeared below the surface.
The Asgardians heard the clink of armour being pulled on behind them. They turned around. Beowulf was fastening his byrnie.
"You're mad," said Fandral. He strode up to Beowulf, frowning. "Here, take this," he said, and thrust his sword into the Geat's hand. "You will need it for the water-monsters on the way down."
"Thank you," said Beowulf. With a running leap, he plunged into the churning lake and disappeared from view.
"You're not supposed to encourage him, Fandral," said Loki, staring down at the lake, which was churning due to the movement of various strange creatures.
"And why not?" said Thor, who was swinging Mjolnir and standing at the edge of the cliff. "I'm going to help."
Loki grabbed Thor by the back of his belt just in time. "Stop, you fool! Do you even know how to swim?"
Thor shook him off. "Fool, am I?" he growled at Loki. "This could all have been over in a moment if you hadn't kept stopping me from fighting the monster for three days while our men were dying!"
"Yes, you are a fool!" Loki exploded. Somewhere behind them a tree spontaneously combusted in a flash of yellow light. "All you fools who seek glory - always so predictable, and always thinking so highly of yourselves. If I hadn't stopped you, and talked to the advisors, and to your gang - you would have gotten yourself killed, Thor. As for Beowulf - we would have been sending back his bloodstained byrnie if I hadn't helped him against Grendel!" His voice, so used to whispers and mutters and discreet instructions, cracked with the strain of shouting, but instead of suppressing it, he embraced the loss of control, feeling a rush of satisfaction at finally being able to speak his mind. "When will someone realise that a king needs as much common sense as he needs coins and courage?"
Thor was so angry and stunned at being yelled at that he was speechless for a moment. "I am the prince regent, Loki, not you!" he finally shouted back.
They stared at each other, one red in the face, the other white as a sheet. Loki marched off and swung himself onto his horse. "Then, my lord, I wish you all the best when you meet Hygelac to return his thane's byrnie… and explain how it came to that." He dug his spurs into the horse's sides and took off into the distance, as smoke curled into the air from the remains of the stricken tree.