Disclaimer: Characters belong to MARVEL and Norse Mythology. Music composed by Patrick Doyle.

Music: Thor OST Track 10 – Crisis In Asgard (even though they aren't in Asgard)

Part 1: Chapter 9

The first thing Sif noticed was that it was nearly pitch dark. It could have been due to the fact that it was nighttime, but she had a feeling that this place was always in a state of constant darkness. Even the snow was dark. She scooped some into her hand, then immediately shook it off when it started to harden. It was so cold there that her body heat wasn't enough to melt the snow.

When Fandral sat up, he shook his head like a dog. He even had snow in his mustache. Volstagg was much worse off. You couldn't even see the red of his beard anymore.

"Well, it's plenty easy to guess where we are this time," Fandral said sarcastically. He twitched his nose to try and shake the snow from his mustache.

"This time? You mean you've been through one of those things before?" Volstagg asked. He tried to brush the ice from his beard, but most of the hair had already frozen solid.

"Yes. This is our second time."

"Third," Sif mumbled.

"Pardon me, Sif. I stand corrected." Sif shrugged, not completely sure what he was apologizing for.

They all jumped in unison when a large chunk of a cliff broke away and tumbled to the ground with a loud crash. They had to cover their faces to prevent dirt and more snow from getting into their eyes.

"What happened to this place?" Sif wondered aloud as she gazed at the jagged rocks and morbid atmosphere.

"Loki happened," Volstagg replied. "And the South has fared no better. Possibly worse. The Necromancer has inflicted more damage to the landscape than she has to the people."

"She's dead," Hogun finally spoke.

"What? Dead?" Volstagg rounded on him. "When? How?"

"I feel as if we've had this conversation before," Fandral mused. Sif rolled her eyes. She was starting to get really annoyed with the man's incessant sarcasm and inappropriately-timed japes.

"It is the reason why we were in Svartalfheim in the first place. She killed her, and now Loki is seeking revenge," Hogun explained.

"You?" Volstagg turned his attention to Sif, who bowed her head and suddenly found her shoes incredibly fascinating. Her ears were red again, but it was probably from the cold.

"We need to be extra cautious whilst we are here. It was dangerous in Svartalfheim because we were vulnerable and unprotected. But now we are in Loki's territory, which is the worst place we could possibly be," Hogun said, looking over his shoulders to see if anyone was watching them.

"Well, I really wish he would quit sending us through portals," Fandral griped. "I mean, it's not as if he has nothing better to d—AAHH!"

Splattered blood was absorbed into the snow from where a sharp rod of ice protruded through Fandral's torso. Hogun and Volstagg were immediately at his sides and each had an arm wrapped around him. Carefully, they pulled him forward, and the point gradually got smaller. When he was free, Fandral went to his knees and pressed a hand to his chest, but blood still dripped through his fingers.

As Sif watched helplessly, she chewed on her bottom lip and tightened her grip on her spear nervously. There was nothing she nor any of them could do. First Volstagg's arm had been broken, and now Fandral was going to...

She then heard a strange noise. It sounded like the fluttering of tiny wings. Then a black shape zipped past her, then another, followed by several more. They were surrounding her, and all she could see was black. The ground disappeared from underneath her.

A/N: Dude, if I kept going through all those portals I would have the worst jet lag in the history of ever.