A/N: Chapter Ten! I hope this makes up for the shortness of the previous chapter. Happy reading :-)
The unease I felt gradually increased as we went further along. We were nearly to Hel's Halls, having battled more than just giant spiders. A small band of skeletons had discovered us at one point, as well as lost souls who had never reached the gates. Still, in spite of it all, what terrified me more than any monster or creature of the dark was my current predicament. I felt utterly powerless, questioning how I was supposed to save us all.
All too soon, I had to depart from my sister. The doors to the halls of Hel were too frightening for words. Each one was a solid piece of iron, reliefs of processions of the dead in every inch. There were no handles and as we approached a ghostly guard seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was gaunt, his features seeming to have frozen mid-decay. Upon his head, he wore a typical viking helmet, his once great visage marred by death.
"We seek audience with Hel." Thor commanded.
"The Son of Asgard. Yes, she has been expecting you and your brother. Follow me."
I took a long, morose look at my sister. She smiled sadly, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm never going to see you again, am I?" I whispered.
"No. You won't."
We clung to each other as if the very world around us was crumbling to pieces. I savored and treasured every last detail of her presence, of the last time I would spend with my sister. "You need to go." She stated, her voice cracking.
"I know, but I don't want to."
Forlornly, I watched Thor and Loki begin to follow the guard. As Sif and the Warriors Three began to enter, the guard stopped. "You shall not enter."
"What do you mean we shall not enter?" Fandral inquired hotly.
"Hel seeks to meet with only three. The Sons of Asgard and the Daughter of Earth."
Daughter of Earth. That was me. I hugged my sister one last time, tears streaming down my cheeks. "What you are going to be is very brave, Olivia. You have to be." Claire stated, pushing me away.
"Her?" Fandral replied with disbelief. "We have made a vow to follow Thor-"
"Hel does not negotiate. She requires only the presence of three. You shall wait here until they return."
"Bye, Claire." I whispered, feeling my resolve begin to crumble. She waved in response, her form beginning to change to that same translucent blue she had appeared with. I worried my lip, slowly approaching the ghostly guard.
The doors closed shut behind us and I felt the slightest twinge of fear. No, I couldn't afford to be afraid. What had I said before? Shove your emotions in a drawer and lock away the key? I could do that. I had to. My mind decided, I drew in a breath and stood tall, preparing myself for the meeting that was to come. None of us spoke a word as we traveled down the grand hallway of white marble. Now and again, I took note of the decor and realized it was far less fearsome than the entrance had been.
The torchlight was no longer blue, a regular flame taking its place. Each step echoed around the stone hall, magnified hundreds of times. The guard stopped at a set of wooden doors, pushing them open before us. "My mistress, the three children are here."
Children. What an odd way to describe us. "Send them in." A raspy, hollow sounding voice replied. As we entered the chamber, three twisted, gigantic roots hung from the ceiling. A stone throne sat directly underneath them, a frightening figure sitting upon it.
She was nearly skeletal, her black hair hanging limply from her head. The skin of the woman was half black, half flesh colored and her black eyes glinted malevolently. Her sunken cheeks and sallow complexion gave her a sense of ancient evil and I felt my hairs stand on end when I noticed the sharpness of her teeth.
"At long last, the day has come." She croaked, clutching the black staff in her right hand tightly.
"Mistress Hel," Thor began boldly, his shoulders back in defiance. "We come seeking your aid."
"I know why you have come." Hel replied shortly, a tone of anger in her words. "But I shall not give you what you seek."
I watched Thor's face betray the slightest hint of confusion. "I beseech you to-"
"I desired your presence here. And I am the one who summoned you. You shall not speak unless spoken to!" She rose to her feet then, slowly stepping down from her throne. I realized how very small and wizened she was. Hel moved towards Loki, her arms outstretched in welcome.
"My dear, dear child of frost." She began happily, touching his face. I saw him flinch backwards. "It is good that you came. I have great need of you."
"What could you possibly need with me?"
"All in good time, dear boy. All in good time." Her black eyes found me then and I steeled myself as her sharp teeth erupted into a grin. "Olivia!" She exclaimed, as if we were old friends. "Come with me, dear girl. Come, come!"
My knees jerked with every step as I obeyed her orders. A sickening feeling descended upon me when she wrapped her bony fingers around my arm. "Let us walk together. I have much to show you."
I locked my jaw, too afraid that I would run in response. She led me behind her throne, through another set of oaken doors, and into a small chamber. A glass vessel sat upon a stone pedestal, an eerie blue light coming from it. Hel climbed the stairs to stand by the vessel and I knew she sought me to follow. Reluctantly, I climbed the stone steps, fighting the anxiety that filled my bones.
"The Daughter of Earth who became the Guardian of Time. Yes, yes! Let me look at you!" Guardian of Time? That was I had become? My sister's words echoed in my mind and I made it a point to observe everything.
"I'm afraid I'm a bit confused as to why I'm here, exactly." I stated finally, forcing each word out with innocence.
"Fret not, fret not! All will be revealed. You have many questions, do you not? About what you have become?"
I shrugged nonchalantly, hoping my appearance hid my true intentions. I trusted the woman as far as I could throw her, especially given her interest in Loki. My mind began to piece things together, making a rough model of what her plan was.
"What an honor it is. To meet the Lady of Time in the flesh." Hel gently bowed before me and I fought the desire to narrow my eyes. "Never before has such a gift been given. Not to even one."
"I'm afraid I still don't understand."
"My dear girl, do you not see the great power you possess?" I was beginning to understand alright. And I knew that she needed whatever power I had to accomplish her scheme.
"Not really." I replied blandly.
"Time itself kissed you, my dear. Bestowed upon you an incredible gift: to see and travel throughout time. Why, you could even alter time, if you so wished." There it was. Right there. She needed me to alter something. An outcome in her favor.
"Surely, you can't be offering this knowledge to me out of kindness?"
Hel laughed, a bloodcurdling sound emerging from her throat. "Of course, I am. Why, it would be my pleasure to educate the Lady of Time of who she is."
Liar. I thought to myself, keeping the innocent expression upon my face. "What is it you wanted to show me?"
She grinned, the sight of each razor sharp tooth visible. Hel motioned to the glass vessel, bidding me to look. "A choice." Hesitantly, I leaned over the glass, waiting for something to happen. Just when I had nearly decided to move, the water inside the bowl began to shift, changing into that same golden dust I had become all too familiar with.
In an instant, I could see all of time and space. Everything that ever was or could be. A moment later, a scene of Loki and Thor emerged. The two were laughed as they embraced one another. Countless similar images raced by and I saw not the broken man I had known. In his place was a happy and fulfilled person. There was no trace of anger or betrayal in Loki's eyes. Not even a hint of foul humor. The two were brothers, through and through.
I realized the choice she was offering me. I could alter past events, change Loki's upbringing. If I did that, I could change it all. Never would he have been jealous of Thor, which meant he never would have fallen through the cracks of the universe. He would never have attacked New York and he certainly would never hate his family so much. Which was the second point. Loki would be able to have a family, a place to call home. He would be surrounded by love and would love in return. He also, however, would never have met me.
Inwardly, I was willing to do what was needed. My love for him was great enough that I was willing to erase all traces of myself from his life if it meant giving him the one thing he had always desired. Very nearly, I almost responded. But a faint glimmering around the edges stopped me where I was. All is not as it seems.
The words resounded within me, bidding me to look closer at the edges. In an instant, the scene changed and I realized what I just witnessed was a lie. In its place, I saw what could only be Ragnarok. The way it had always been intended. Loki's rage had risen to new heights, leading him to attack Asgard. Many of the worlds had been consumed in fire, the natives of each battling one another as blood flooded the ground. Having defeated the Midgard Serpent, a monster of Loki's making, Thor, with great sadness, was forced to slay his brother, sending Loki's head flying.
When it was all said and done, the loss would be great. I saw that Hel's own family would be destroyed in the process. Yet, one thing remained. Asgard and its prince would be an easy target when all was finished. Thor would be easy to remove, having been loaded with grief for the loss of his family and friends. In spite of all the pain Hel herself would suffer, ultimately, it would give her what she wanted: ultimate control of the universe.
Time shifted and I saw why she needed me so badly. In the process of arranging fate, she had made a terrible error. My life, the one I should have lived, played before me. It was over nearly as quickly as it had begun. I should have died in the fire, my tiny body burning to nothing more than a charred pile of bones. My very existence was an anomaly, a paradox. Somewhere along the way, Hel had made the unfortunate visit to Earth to collect a group of the recently deceased. In transit, she had failed to keep watch over one. Just one.
This one person fled, having escaped from the rest and returned to their body. That one oversight had altered the course of everything. Upon re-entering their body, they had drawn the attention of a large crowd, given they had survived the force of a bus hitting them. A policeman in the area was drawn to the crowd to inspect what was happening. He should have been first on the call list to inspect the fire that recently broken out at suspected drug den. However, given the recent turn of events, he was unable to respond.
My father was never to have been called. However, he was the next, and when he agreed to investigate, he found me. The other man would never have noticed my cries and would never have gone in. It was incredibly strange to know that my entire life was due to a mistake of the woman standing behind me. This was what Hel sought from me: to fix her mistake. By removing myself from Loki's timeline, I would alleviate the consequences of his meeting me.
No longer was he such an easy pawn. He had the opportunity for change and she simply could not allow that to happen. I was standing in her way to victory. Me, a puny human, had managed to derail everything. Instinctively, I knew that paradoxes needed to be resolved; they needed to be repaired. And yet, somewhere, deep inside I also knew that time could have wiped me out the moment I touched that box.
I should have disappeared from history. Instead, I had been spared. Not only spared, but changed. It had given me the ability to be standing where I was and seeing what I had seen. The knowledge that I had been deemed worthy, that I was to be used, solidified my decision. I may be a paradox but I was needed by a power greater than Hel. And if I was needed to be present, then present I would stay.
Knowing that she would have a plan in the unlikely event of my refusal, I began to piece together a few of my own. I withdrew from the vessel and turned to face Hel, her every limb waiting in eager expectation of my response. "Well, that was interesting." I stated as I plastered an expression of disinterest on my features. Her smile faltered slightly and I smiled internally. I had her right where I wanted her.