Oh it's so good to see you haven't abandoned me, my lovelies~ I was afraid that after such a long wait you'd all gotten bored and moved on. But I'm soooo happy to see you guys are still eager for the rest of this story. Thank you so very much for all the love you have all poured onto my story and on me. I've gotten so many messages of support from you wonderful people and I'm just so grateful to have readers and caring friends like you.
Oh just one mention... at the start-rant for the next chapter I'll finally reveal my third source of inspiration. So feel free to take guesses, darlings. I think I've dropped enough hints in the chapters you have so far, for you guys to at least get close to the literary epic that I'm referring to. Hoping to see what creative or wacky answers you guys come up with ;)
But enough ranting outta me, I'll let you get on with the chapter. Just don't forget to toss me a little review and let me know what you think :D
Enjoy, lovelies~ ;)
P.S. Every Thor/The Avengers/Thor: The Dark World character belongs to the wonderful Marvel. I only own my OCs :)
Entry #9
"No one can trick Death! Not even you..."
oOo
Location: Helheim
Date: Unknown
"My Lady..."
Raising her eye from the floor where she had been staring lost in thought, Hel tightened her lips whilst her stomach twisted in a knot at the sight of Frigga's teary expression. Though the dead queen's call had been but a strangled whisper, shaking like a leaf in the wind, the raven haired female had definitely heard it... and she found it impossible to withhold a heavy sigh. For a moment they stared at each other in utter silence, as if attempting to read the other's thoughts, until Hel was startled as Frigga climbed the stairs to the throne and fell to her knees at the half-dead ruler's feet.
"Don't kneel... you were a queen, and queens should not bend their knees." she said.
But upon taking hold of Frigga's arm to pull her to her feet, she was once again startled when the elder female took hold of her hands, wetting them with tears as she kissed both flesh and bone.
"I am no queen anymore... I am but a mother, and I beg you to release my sons. Don't turn a blind eye to their words; you know in your heart that they were truthful."
When Hel closed her eye and tried to turn away, Frigga only squeezed her hands tighter to regain her attention.
"I could not have known my son better, if he had been born of my own womb... so long as Kara would be returned to life, he would pay whatever price you ask of him. He would never try to steal his wife away from you; I cannot believe he, of all people, would ever make such a foolish mistake. Please... I beg you to release them and return Kara to my son."
The breath which left Hel's lips, as her mask began to crack, gave Frigga hope that not everything was lost yet; and her heart leapt in joy within her chest when the young Lady nodded.
"Very well..."
Truthfully, she had already decided to bring Kara back to her abode; she certainly didn't like the guilt she was feeling after so easily giving in to her anger and banishing the young woman's soul. Kara had been nothing but kind to her, yet she had so easily sent the woman away without a moment's hesitation.
Frigga had just opened her mouth to thank Hel for being merciful, a relieved smile flourishing on her lips, when shouts erupted outside the doors followed by the distinctive sounds of weapons clashing. Narrowing her eye, the young female stood and grasped Frigga's shoulders to move her aside just when the doors flew open in a blast from which thick smoke spilled into the throne room.
"We will speak later." she said, gesturing to a side door through which the elder queen could exit.
A sinister laugh echoed in the tall room, just before Vanya's slender figure emerged from the thick veil, a deathly glare in her dark eyes and an icy sneer upon her lips.
"I don't think so."
Her attempt to cast a spell at Frigga was thwarted by Hel, leaving the blast to hit the nearest wall instead, and the she-Elf's eyes widened at the sight of the scythe which the young ruler had conjured in the grasp of her skeletal fingers. It was said that no mortal had set eyes upon that weapon and lived to tell the tale, yet rumors abounded in the world of the living... stories said to have been passed on by those who could speak with the dead.
And there it was... its curved edge as long as one third of the staff... its sturdy wooden pole – said to have been carved from a piece of Yggdrasil itself – intricately decorated with scenes of battles long past and heroes now living only in myths... its power revealed in the ominous tendrils of dark aura swirling like snakes around the blade. As fearsome as the stories described it, and yet fascinating in its terrifying beauty – just like Death.
"Leave."
With that one word spoken to Frigga, the young woman once more turned her gaze to the foolish princess who was apparently trying to challenge her in her own domain.
"I believe I left someone to attend you." she said while Frigga took that chance to leave, making a beeline for the dungeons once outside.
"Oh, don't make me laugh... you really believed those pitiful excuses for guards could hold me?" Vanya snarled, turning her head to the side and spitting on the nearby fallen warrior.
The only hint of Hel's anger was revealed in the aura around the scythe, which now thickened and picked up the pace in its motions as the young woman descended the steps.
"If your desire is to reside here permanently, you need only say it. I shall think of some very special ways for you to serve me."
It was when she spoke that Hel felt something she had never before experienced... a cold shiver running down her spine and her heart cringing within her... the first time she had ever been afraid. Her mind futilely tried to grasp onto a reason for such a reaction, but then her thoughts stopped when she realized her mistake much too late.
"I believe it's time for your abdication... my Lady..."
The mocking whisper in her ear seemed to stop time itself, and Hel turned to look over her shoulder as if in slow motion... a momentary glimpse of the hooded figure behind her was all she could catch, before her senses were thrown off by the new sensation flooding her. Was this... was this what mortals called pain? It felt like liquid, searing fire coursing through her veins, and she glanced down to see the tip of a dagger sticking out of her stomach, the powerful curse enveloping the blade now revealed in crackling sparks. The sight of her own blood dripping onto the marble floor was alien to her, as was the novelty of the weakness creeping up on her, darkening the edges of her eyesight.
"My Lady!"
Odysseus' voice echoed in her head as though he was miles away, though her dimming vision caught sight of him entering the throne room, sword in hand and a horde of Greek warriors at his back. The last thing she recalled was her confusion when a bolt of lightning sprung out from behind them, and thunder shook the hall... where had that come from? But she had no time to ponder an answer as the floor pulled her to its cold embrace and she fell into darkness.
OoOoO
~ Earlier ~
"This is bad... this can't possibly be any worse..." Fandral complained, pacing about in the cell.
"Yes it could." Volstagg argued. "What if we go hungry?"
Halting his stride, the swordsman stared in disbelief at his friend.
"Is your stomach really all you can think about at a time like this? We're locked up in the dungeons, in the land of the dead... and Kara was whisked off to heaven knows where... and Hel is furious and will likely kill us!"
"Well... I was just saying... I'd be no use to her anyway, if I was starving."
"Arguing among ourselves isn't going to help." Sif interrupted with an annoyed sigh, rubbing her temples in an attempt at driving away an aggravating headache.
"Why is the Elf princess here, anyway?" Hogun inquired.
"Isn't it obvious?"
The hoarse growl coming from a corner of their cell drew their attention to the young Allfather; ever since they had been brought there he hadn't spoken nor even moved, simply sitting against the wall, his face hidden behind his slender hands. And none of them – not even Thor – had dared to disturb him in his statuesque state.
"She is the bane of my existence... an unscrupulous, manipulative, cunning she-devil!" he spat out, a feral tone laced in his icy voice and a murderous spark in his emerald glare.
"If I can't have you, what makes you think I'll let her?"
The words rang out in everyone's mind... they had all heard them clear as day, when Vanya had uttered the statement as she was being led away from the throne room. The only thing that held them from lashing out at her for that, was their desire to not die until they at least tried once more to make Hel see reason.
"She thinks she can challenge me, after I gave her the chance to redeem herself. Only because I refused her even after Kara's death... very well, I will thoroughly enjoy destroying her." he growled through gritting teeth.
Thor had been about to speak, whilst Loki glanced to his hands clenched together so hard that the knuckles had turned white, but a faint tremor coursing the building caused them all to perk up. It wasn't too long after, that a familiar figure came rushing down the hallway, revealing the Ithacan king.
"What happened?" Thor asked.
"Do you still wish to prove your innocence?" Odysseus replied, seemingly ignoring the Thunder God's inquiry in favor of locking gazes with Loki. "Do you wish to have the Lady's gratitude and ensure she turns a merciful ear to you?"
Stepping forth, the dark haired Æsir nodded.
"That much should be obvious." he replied.
Producing a key from within his tunic, the Greek warrior hurried to unlock the cell.
"The woman we had under guard has escaped, destroying her sentinels. Kara told me you are familiar with the power she uses."
His gaze darkening at those words, Loki again nodded whilst flexing his long fingers; apparently he would get his revenge after all.
"Yes... take me to her."
As the others were now emerging from the cell, two other warriors approached bearing Gungnir and Mjölnir – much to Thor's surprise that someone else could lift the hammer.
"My good friends... Achilles and Heracles." Odysseus spoke whilst the two returned the weapons to the Æsir siblings.
Upon taking hold of the golden spear, Loki's armor shimmered along his slender form leaving only his helmet missing. While two warriors were returning the weapons taken from Sif and the others, another blast sent a tremor rumbling through the floor. Following Odysseus and the other Greek heroes toward the upper level, they were soon met with the sight of Frigga who was apparently heading to the dungeons.
"She is attacking the throne room..." the queen spoke before either of her sons could say anything.
Leaving Thor and Odysseus to lead the others onwards, Loki now reached out to gently grasp Frigga's arm.
"Find somewhere safe, mother."
"Be careful..." she replied, briefly touching his cheek in return. "The kind of power she has amassed is not normal."
Nodding in reply, the young king watched as she left and only when she was out of sight did he move to follow the others. By the time he had arrived at the throne room, however, he was met with the sight of the broken doors and the two guards lying unconscious on the floor. From the doorway the first thing his eyes settled upon was Hel's unmoving form lying before her throne, and his heart cringed... but the flood of thoughts stopped as abruptly as it had begun when he saw the figure standing over her.
A shaky breath left him, his chest quivering in a sudden rush of anger, and Gungnir crackled and sparked in tune with his fury. And his ever cunning mind quickly realized that this was beyond just Vanya's jealousy... that the she-Elf had been merely a distraction from what apparently had been a plot to destroy Hel herself. But then the hooded figure raised its head, and smiled a grin of bloody teeth from behind that familiar cage-like helmet; and he raised an arm as if to present the ornate dagger in his grasp, still dripping with Hel's blood.
"Here at last... Asgardian..."
The mere sound of that voice made Loki feel as if his ire would suffocate him, and he stepped inside ignoring the others who were caught up in fighting the demonic entities summoned by the she-Elf. Halting but a few steps away from the hooded male and the woman lying at his feet, the Allfather narrowed his eyes with a murderous glare when his opponent again grinned. And yet when he spoke, his voice was eerily calm and cold as the most unmerciful winter – giving him a much more terrible aura than any display of rage ever could – only one word leaving his lips... one word in which he seemed to pour all of the venom and hatred swirling inside of him.
"Chthon..."
Sooo today's replies for my lovely reviewers :D
1. americanlatinajapanesegirl - Haha well sorry for this new plot twist, it was kind of a last-minute idea, but I'm glad it worked well into the story I'd originally planned out. It only gets better from here on out ;)
2. Guest (Bookworm2605) - Well, regarding Jojo... there's a bit of a thing where Mark never finished the second DLC. I've read the wiki and I know the synopsis of that DLC. At the very end there's supposed to be a scene where Kidman wakes up (kinda like Sebastian did at the end of the main game when he saw Kidman standing over him) and sees two of the "scientists" dragging Jojo away, which means he's actually alive. Because they only leave the dead bodies in the tubs at the end of a STEM session, that's why in the main game Kidman told them to leave Sebastian there, because she had him pretend that he was dead so she could maybe help him escape Mobius. So I'm fairly sure Jojo isn't actually dead, but I could be wrong... like I said, Mark never finished playing that second DLC, he moved on to other games then came back and did the third DLC (which I thoroughly enjoyed, btw) where he ripped my heart out at the scene where he had to fight Jojo xD
As for the series you asked about... I don't really watch many shows anymore, simply because I don't have the time. I have a long list of series that I need to watch, but I just don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. And usually when I sit down to watch a series I gorge on it... like, I'll watch at least 5-6 episodes in one sitting, if not even more than that. So you can see where my problem lies. I've just barely had time to finally watch The Tudors after years and years of trying to do it. And given that I more often than not dedicate almost all my free time to writing, I don't know how soon I'll be able to sit down and watch another show. And sadly I haven't watched any of the three you mentioned, so sorry. I'm better at fangirling about movies, because I watch those more often than series, again for lack of time.
But back to Loki... if you want a nice book to read about Norse mythology, I wholeheartedly suggest Joanne M. Harris' The Gospel of Loki. It's so epic and so incredibly funny and so easy to understand. Basically it's a retelling of the Norse myths, from Loki's POV, which can only be wholly entertaining given his snarky comments and witty humor.
And as always I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter. Y'all knew Vanya was coming again, don't play innocent xD
I'm hoping the other antagonist, who helped Vanya, was a nice surprise and not too predictable. I'll get into the details of what the hell actually happened in the next chapter, so stay tuned ;)
3. RandomFandoms14 - Hahaha oh I doubt anyone could take that crown from Loki, but thank you for the vote of confidence, love :D
But seriously, I never actively try to troll anyone. I just love plot twists, so I use them whenever they fit the story. I'm the kind of reader that simply adores being surprised by good plot twists, so I tried to do that as a writer for my own readers. I'm happy to see it seems to be working.
Also, that would have been hilarious if was poor Orpheus finally deciding to make his second attempt at getting his wife back. But sadly, no... it's someone you've seen before. I don't think Vanya will be much of a surprise for anyone, but I am hoping her acolyte will be ;)
And yes, Odysseus always was my most favorite ancient hero, because what he lacked in brawn (unlike Achilles or Hercules) he made up for with brain power. I always was very fond of intelligent characters and Odysseus fits that label perfectly. And it won't be the last you've seen of him, I promise ;)
4. tcountryman1990 - Aww yay new reader. Welcome to the club, darling! I am so happy that you enjoyed the prequel and that you're still along for the ride with this story. Thank you so very much for all the love and compliments. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from you :D
So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤
