The wind buffeted Eris about as she wrapped her jacket tighter around her shoulders. In the distance, gray clouds were amassing, bringing the Fire island lighthouse into sharp relief. A light rain had started to fall. The guide at the front of the crowd looked up at the sky.

"We'd better wrap up the tour and get back on the bus."

Eris stepped in line as the guide, a middle-aged man dressed in a three piece suit and sporting dark sunglasses, gestured to the bus driver to open the doors. In a week, they would return to the site to depart for Asgard. Eris slunk into the seat as the bus roared to life. She took her cell from her pocket and started to scroll through the messages. Alex had told her she wouldn't last a day in Asgard without all the modern conveniences and the reality depressed her. Maybe she was going to attempt the impossible but it certainly wouldn't be the first time. The rain outside had built to a downpour.

She'd always been resilient, a direct result of bouncing from foster home to foster home. She'd seen other foster kids crumble beneath the stress, the abuse, the constant need to adapt to survive. Whenever someone would ask her if being in a foster home was better than being with her real parents, she'd laugh, if she was in a good mood. More often she'd tell them to fuck off. A flash of lightning outside the bus window drew her attention. She watched a bolt streak into the ocean at the edge of the horizon.

"Looks like we're in for a good one." muttered the woman in the seat beside her.

Eris drew her legs beneath her, resting her forehead on the window. The last foster home she ever entered had been the best even though by then she'd been too far gone to appreciate it. At fifteen, she'd had enough of rules and restrictions. Melissa Burns, a middle-aged widowed grandmother with a large heart, had tried her hardest to give Eris what she'd never had, a true home. Eris was sure this was the source of her happiest memories though they were faded with time and tragedy.

Mrs. Burns had used the money she received for foster care on Eris instead of buying fancy clothes or expensive electronics, beer, cigarettes for herself as Eris had seen happen in countless other homes. She bought Eris her first piece of jewelry, a gold necklace, the pendant, a scrollworked word "LOVED". She bought new clothes, gave her a tablet, her own bedroom with a bed to herself and a door with a working deadbolt on it because Eris had told her about the abuse she'd been through in other homes and Mrs. Burns knew she'd feel safer behind locked doors. They would sit down to dinner each night at the table and Mrs. Burns would ask about her day at school. She'd tried to love Eris, told her each night she was special, beautiful, smart, yet all Eris could do in response was to rebel against her efforts.

If she was expected to be home by four in the afternoon, she'd come home at five, maybe six. Still Mrs. Burns would have supper waiting. If she wanted to go somewhere, she went without telling anyone where she was headed. Mrs. Burns would be waiting in her chair before the TV, crocheting. She never yelled, never accused. She would simply tell Eris good night as she retired for the evening. Finally, after hooking up with a man she'd met at a party, Eris had run away. On occasion, she would allow herself to revisit the memories, mostly when she was feeling like shit. Sometimes they would make her feel worse.

Another flash of lightning lit the sky and the thunder rumbled closer now as they headed back to the city. Eris closed her eyes. Sleep was preferable to being alone with her thoughts.

A half eaten sandwich and a bag of potato chips lay forgotten on the bed cover beside Eris. She preferred to eat alone. It saved having to pretend she was interested in what her fellow teammates had to say.

She flopped over onto her stomach across the bed and opened the old book. As she transcribed the words into English, she'd begun to learn the language and now was able to read it, albeit slowly, without having to write it out first. She smoothed the brittle page with her hand, feeling the ancient nib marks, the ornate scroll work. She was determined to cram as much information as she could into her head before she made the trip and so she began to read where she'd left off the night before...

The Legend of the Protector and the Rune Elementals

In the time of the Ancients, before man became man, when the young gods and the humans co-existed in peace and harmony, the Bifrost was a bridge in the truest sense of the word. The humans would come to worship at the gods' feet and the gods would visit harmony and blessings upon them but as humans bred and grew in numbers, they began to fight amongst themselves. They became petty, jealous creature, greedy, only interested in tyranny over their equals. One night a small band of men entered the Reliquary and stole the four Rune Elemental stones which would give any one, be he human or god, untold power were he to hold all four in his possession. One of the royal guards, Volundr Denari, vowed to travel to Midgard to find the Runes and return them to Asgard.

Traveling with him were three of his closest friends, the dwarves Melos and Zola and the fire Jotunn Bantr. Together they crossed the Bifrost, scouring Midgard for the stones. The men who had stolen them, meanwhile, started to fight amongst themselves over the Runes and war soon broke out between the clans for possession of the magical stones. They were spirited away to the four points of the compass and Volundr charged each companion to search, Bantr to the south, Melos to the east, Zola to the west and himself to the north. After many seasons, through rain, snow, blistering heat and countless skirmishes the four friends were re-united together with the Runes.

When they returned to Midgard, the King deemed the stones much too dangerous to remain together and so disguising the stones, he bestowed each one upon the companions who had found them, The Rune Laguz to Melos, the Rune Ingwaz to Zola, the Rune Kenaz to Bantr and the Rune Uruz to Volundr. He bade them and their seed protect the Runes until they were again needed.

The four companions bade each other farewell, taking with them their Runes. Volundr had the dwarves fashion out of enchanted silver, a Protector to guard the Reliquary and he returned to Alfheim to live out his days...

Eris's head dropped to the page as she jerked awake. She yawned, closed the book and hefted it to the floor beside the bed. She'd long ago decided the book contained more fairy tale than fact but if it only helped her to decipher the language then that was a plus in her eyes. She turned onto her back to stare at the ceiling. This party had better get started soon before she died of boredom.

Simon watched Tony pace up and down the ramp, mumbling to himself. He'd sent Pepper back home the day before and he'd been agitated ever since. They'd stood at the portal entrance forehead to forehead, whispering to each other before she'd wiped tears from her cheeks and stepped through to New York. Tony had then proceeded to lock himself in his office for an hour, re-emerging with a renewed energy Simon felt was merely another wall he'd erected to shield himself from the pain of being alone again.

"I think we should run more tests don't you?"

Simon looked up from the monitor, "Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want...," Tony had twisted at the waist to stare down at him, "So you don't think it's a good idea?"

Simon groaned inwardly, "Yes I do."

Tony squatted and peered over the edge of the ramp, "Why?"

He could always tell when Simon was distracted or indifferent and Simon had to be quick to the draw or Tony would keep them at the portal for the rest of the day.

"For consistency, and to ferret out any discrepancies with the data, establish a baseline."

"What textbook are you reading that from?" Tony jumped down to the longhouse floor. "What's on your mind, Foster? Whatever it is, it certainly isn't work."

What had he been thinking of? Oh yes, the same thing he had been for the last week.

"Nothing," he lied, "Except perhaps a cup of tea and a good book."

Tony leaned over, eye level with him for a few moments, then stood up, "Fine, you tell me when you're ready. We've got a few days left until our next batch of guinea pigs arrive. Let's run another battery of tests and then we'll call it quits for the day."

Simon assessed the items he'd laid out in a row on his cot, saying them aloud as he put them in his pockets, "GPS tracker, torch, field glasses, chocolate bars, better put them in the jacket pocket...," he paused. The switchblade Tony had given to him lay alone beside his pillow. He reached for it once, twice, grabbed it and shoved it under his coverlet.

"I'm not going to go around half cocked with a dagger in my trousers. No need, no need."

He wiped his palms on his pants and clapped his hands together. The sun was heading for the horizon as he stepped from his tent. If he were going to break the rules without being caught, he would have a limited time in which to do it.

Faintly across the clearing came the clink rattle of dishes as the workers at the mess tent cleaned the supper dishes. Simon kept his footsteps even, unhurried until he reached the edge of the clearing where he'd entered the forest a week ago. With one last look at the encampment, he parted the brush and disappeared through the trees.

Eidra stopped outside the twins bedchamber door, smiling, a basket of bed linen on her hip. Inside she could hear Loki singing with Astrid, Cait and Brynn. His mellow tone blended sweetly with the breathy lisps interspersed with laughter as they warbled their children's song. She hated to interrupt them but the basket had become heavy. She pushed the door open gently and Loki was at her side lifting the basket from her arms.

"You need not have stopped singing." Eidra knelt down into the semicircle the children had formed on the floor.

"Papa," Brynn tugged at Loki's breeches, "Mama said we can sing some more."

Loki shook his head, "Because Mama does not know you promised to go to bed after the last song."

Sorry, Eidra mouthed to him, "Then you must do as promised. Tomorrow is a new day. You may sing then."

A knock on the door gave Eidra to turn her head, "Enter."

Ingrid strode in, followed by Edie who made a bee line for the children on the floor.

"I should have known. Eidra, I said I would bring up the basket. How can I do my work when you will not let me?"

Ingrid walked to the basket sitting on one of the beds and started to take the linens out.

"I was retiring for the evening in any case. Why make you trudge upstairs for no reason?" Eidra took another stack from the basket.

Ingrid tilted her head to Loki, "Will you make her see sense?"

"No more than you shall," he chuckled, "Eidra, see the children to bed. Let Ingrid finish her chore."

Eidra sighed, handing the linens to Ingrid, "I must help or I shall feel woefully inadequate." She lifted Astrid to her hip, "Come my little ones, it is time you were abed."

The collective moans made her smile as Loki scooped Brynn up from the floor while Cait scrambled to her feet, running from the room with Edie close behind.

"It shall be a long night by my estimate." Loki sat Brynn down on his bed.

"Indeed it shall." Eidra kissed Astrid's cheek.

The sun had dipped below the mountains as Simon stepped out of the forest onto the road along the field. At first he thought he'd gotten turned around again, then he saw the cottage in the distance, candles blazing in the windows and realized the difference. They'd begun to harvest the barley. The field before him was half gone and the ruts in the road were much deeper, muddier than they had been before. Keeping in the grass along the road, he started for the cottage.

A few minutes later, he stood on the doorstep listening to the voices within, trying to swallow down his apprehension. Why had he returned to the little farm? It wasn't as if he believed any part of what Vargas had observed about him. Was it the need to see whose lives they were mucking up with the creation of the portal? Maybe it was the pretty redheaded daughter, perhaps it was simple morbid curiosity.

Simon balled his hand into a fist, paused, then knocked.

The hoofbeats awoke Fen because his bedchamber window faced the front dooryard. At first he thought he'd been dreaming but as he lay in the dark staring up at the ceiling, he noticed a faint flicker of light begin to dance on the plaster. He arose and walked to the window where three men holding torches had just reined in their horses at the front door. When one of them dismounted, Fen caught the glint of gold on his armor. He raced out of his room.

"Bren! Wake up!" Fen's loud whisper rasped in her ear. She felt him shake her.

"Bren!"

"Gods," She moaned, "I hope you have a good reason for waking me."

A distant rap on the front door made her sit up, nearly knocking Fen backwards.

"There are royal guards at the door!" Fen tugged at her arm, "Quickly!"

Brenna took the stairs two by two, narrowly avoiding a twisted ankle at the bottom. The knocking came again just as she reached for the handle. She opened the door, felt Fen shoving her aside to see.

The guardsman bowed deeply, "The King requests the presence of his brother, Prince Loki at the palace. He is to travel with all due haste..."

"What has happened?" Fen interrupted him.

"It is a matter for the Prince."

Brenna shoved Fen back, "Wait here. I will fetch him."

With a glance at Fen, she headed up the stairs.

The tart scent of hard cider wafted up from the jug as Vargas tilted it over Simon's mug even though he had put his hand up when offered another drink.

" 'Tis good for yer constitution."

"I have to be able to see to find my way back to the site, however.."

Vargas laughed aloud, clapping his hands, "Yer right of course. Now continue on wi' what ye were saying..."

Simon cleared his throat, unnerved. Three pairs of eyes peered at him from the opposite end of the table. No matter how many times Claire shooed the children away, they would drift back to stare at him, silent. Even Davan, helping his mother with the evening meal, was distracted, staring until Claire would nudge him and he'd return to his chore.

"Ah, yes well...you mentioned my birthmark...you said it was some sort of family tattoo or something...how..why do you say that?"

Vargas turned in his chair, "Claire! Fetch me the Guild tome!"

Claire waved at Davan, "I've the evening meal to tend to. Fetch the tome for yer Da."

Davan groaned but soon he was placing a heavy leather bound book on the table between them. Vargas opened the book, leafing through thick parchment pages. Simon looked over his shoulder at the strange language, irritated yet again that though they'd been transplanted here for an indeterminate period of time, they'd only been given ground rules.

"Because we were never expected to travel.." he muttered to himself.

"Eh?" Vargas glanced up at him.

"Thinking out loud, pay me no mind."

Vargas turned a few more pages until he found what he was looking for, his calloused fingers skimming down the page. Simon saw a few large symbols with more writing beneath them and felt Vargas's hand atop his head, turning him to get a closer look at the mark behind his ear.

"The marks change with the tribes," Vargas turned another page, "Ah..."

Simon wanted to pull away from his grasp but he kept still, his manners holding together.

"Yer symbol is old..." Vargas turned the book toward him and pointed to a inscription below a dark blue sketch of what looked to Simon like a hammer hitting an anvil, "The first tribes founded by Melos, keeper of the Rune Laguz. They were masters of their craft. They fashioned the Protector, guardian of the Royal Reliquary."

Simon put a hand to the birthmark, "I don't see it..."

Vargas rubbed his forehead, "Claire, looking glass!"

"Ye'll not eat this night if I've nothing to do save be at yer beck and call!" Claire barked, "Meridia cease yer gawking and get me glass!"

The young girl at the end of the table trotted off. Simon shook his head as she placed a mirror in Vargas's hand, " 'Ere now. Get a good look."

Simon canted his eyes to the right to look at the mark in the glass. It was a polished silver plate, the reflected image wavy, slightly distorted but as his eyes focused, he looked away.

"I..." his throat tightened, "It doesn't make sense.."

Vargas brushed the page with his hand, "Ye say yer a Midgardian. I've no doubt ye speak the truth but I'm talking of yer heritage. Ages ago, our people traveled the realms freely and some stayed far from where they started out."

Simon could only shake his head again.

"I'm traveling to Alfheim to see kin in a few days. Not far from the ancestral home live descendants of yer tribe. Mayhap I can convince them to pay ye a visit.."

Simon almost knocked the mug of cider from the table, so swiftly did he stand up.

"NO!...no...uh...Forgive me, please. This was so silly of me to come here...," his hands were starting to shake, "If Stark...if someone came to the camp looking for me, there'd be questions," he laughed once, hoped he could stop, "So many questions..."

He steadied himself on the back of his chair as Vargas stood up, "I..you'll have to excuse me...I have to be getting back.." he'd been wanting to ask after Lelia but even that thought had been driven from his mind.

"The food is near to ready, ye must stay on for the meal." Claire put a hand on her hip, the other brandishing a dripping spoon.

"They'll be looking for me..." Simon edged toward the door.

"Ye don't believe in destiny do ye." It was a statement not a question and Simon stopped, felt a chill shoot down his spine as he sought a response to Vargas.

Vargas walked over to him but before he could say anything more, the front door swung wide and Lelia burst into the room, breathless.

Brenna knocked on the door again, a little harder, her hand inches from the door handle when she heard muffled footsteps and the door slowly creaked open, her father's pale face emerging from the darkness into the light of her candle.

"Bren?" He scanned the hallway, "What is wrong? Is it Brynn..?"

Brenna found her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth, she swallowed, "Royal guards, at the door for you, Papa."

He sailed past her to the balcony overlooking the foyer. She joined him. Fen stood in the doorway, silhouetted by torchlight, the guard she'd spoken to standing on the stone step outside. She turned to speak, finding her father already halfway down the stairs. She raced to catch up with him, hitting the bottom step as the guard bowed to him.

They started to step outside and Brenna made to follow but Loki held up his hand, "Stay inside with Fen."

He shut the door behind him as Fen rushed to the window, trying to see outside. Brenna took the lantern from the table beside the door and lit it.

"What are they saying?" she whispered, "Can you hear them?"

Fen frowned, "No, they are too quiet...here comes Papa!"

Brenna backed away from the door as it opened and Loki took her by the arm, "Take your brother and saddle the horses for your mother and myself with all haste."

"Papa, is something wrong?" Fen called as he started up the stairs.

"Tend to the horses, quickly!" He shouted.

Brenna and Fen exchanged glances, then looked out the door to where the guards stood waiting.

"Come, you heard Papa." Brenna put her hand at Fen's back, pushing him ahead of her into the dooryard.

Eidra met him halfway across the bedchamber, a newly lit lantern in her hand, following him as he strode to the wardrobe.

"Loki, what is it? Who is here?"

He took the lantern from her hand, setting it on the floor then reaching into the wardrobe and lifting a dress from one of the hooks, "Go change out of your robe. Hurry."

She lifted the robe over her head, tossing onto the bed, watching him yank a pair of breeches up to his waist as she slid the simple shift over her head. He was still struggling to tie his breeches when she walked over to him, moving his trembling hands aside and finishing the task for him.

"Loki, what is wrong?"

Loki paused, a tunic clutched in his hands, "The Allfather is dying."

Eidra stepped back, "The gods wept!"

He pulled the tunic over his head, Eidra lifting his hair from underneath, "Thor has summoned us to the palace."

Suddenly he began to shiver beneath her hands and she wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling violent tremors course through his body as he held her to him.

A light knock on the door brought her head up to see Fen just inside the door, "The horses are ready, Papa."

Loki took Lightning's reins from Brenna and leaned close to her, "You are the eldest. Watch over your siblings until we return. Ingrid shall be here in the morning."

Brenna looked up into his face, alarmed, "Papa, please tell me what has happened."

"The Allfather is at the end of his journey..,"his jaw tightened convulsively, "The King has sent for us."

Brenna threw her arms around his neck, "Oh no!"

His movements felt wooden to him as he rubbed her back, "It is the way of all things."

"Let me come with you," she pleaded into his ear but he shook his head.

"Stay with the children until dawn. Come ahead when Ingrid arrives. Helgi is in no health to take care of the brood," he kissed her cheek, "Please do this for me."

Brenna backed away as he mounted Lightning, "I will. Give grandmother my love."

Loki looked at Eidra who nodded, "I am ready."

The thunder of hooves shook the ground as they followed the soldiers down the lane to the road leaving Brenna and Fen standing in the moonlight.

"I rode as fast as I could, Da!" Lelia cried, tears streaking her face, "The King fell to his knees prostrate with grief outside the Allfather's chambers! They say he will soon be in Valhalla!"

Simon held up his hands, "Hold it, Odin is...he's dying? Is that possible?"

Vargas whirled about, "What tripe do they feed ye on Midgard? Does death no' visit ye as well?"

Simon felt as if he was watching a scene play out before him, detached from consciousness, "But...the books, myths...," he paused, slapping his hands atop his head, "Good lord, I've got to tell Stark!"

"Claire! Pack me a roast potato a hunk of good bread and a slice a mutton. I'll be riding with Lelia back to Asgard!"

Simon stared out the open door into the evening, then looked back at Vargas.

"And I'll be leading Simon back to camp.."

Colin tightened the strap around Agathon's belly, swearing as he fumbled to loop it under.

"Here let me help," Brenna pushed him aside, reaching under the horse.

When he'd stepped out into the hallway to ask Brenna what was going on and she'd delivered the news to him, he'd broken out in a cold sweat, so nervous it took him twice the time to get dressed.

"I do not see why you must leave right now. Can you not wait until morning?"

Colin had considered it. The household consisted at the moment of himself, Brenna, the children and Helgi. Hal, Vesta and Ingrid wouldn't arrive until dawn but the encampment needed a heads up just in case. Thor had been willing to let the portals be built but what if he were to change his mind when Odin passed on and roust the whole project back to Earth? He at least had to tell Tony.

"I've a job to do and one aspect of it is telling Stark when something big has happened in Asgard. I consider this a bit epic, don't you?"

Brenna stood up, "No I consider it a tragedy."

Colin shut his eyes, "Fergive me. It is tragic, yes but also is it very important. I'll ride out and back, alright?"

Brenna nodded, "I will put on a kettle for tea and wait for you. I think I have slept as much as I am going to for the evening."

On impulse Colin reached out and hugged her, a gesture she promptly returned.

"I'll be as quick as I can." He mounted Agathon, spurring the horse into a gallop, thankful for the full moon as he headed down the road toward the longhouses.

Tony was sitting at his desk, chin in his hand as he hunched over his tablet, the other hand occupied with a glass of brandy when Colin knocked on the door and he looked up.

"Come in," Tony glanced at the tablet again, "It's kinda late for you to be out and about isn't it?"

Colin nodded, taking a moment to catch his breath, "I was asleep until about a half hour ago but I thought you should know what's going on."

Tony sat up in his chair, "Why do I not like the sound of this?"

Colin leaned over the desk, "There were royal guards at the manor door tonight. It seems Odin is on his deathbed."

Tony took the glass of brandy and drained it, "Hasn't he been for a while?"

"I guess tonight might be the night he succeeds."

Tony stood up, "Well then we'd better tell the encampment to be on their toes. Do you think we need to step up the watch?"

Colin followed him out into the longhouse, "I don't foresee any trouble but it wouldn't hurt to cover yer arse."

"And in that, I am an expert."

As they reached the perimeter of the camp, Simon heard the bullhorn. "ATTENTION PLEASE! ATTENTION PLEASE! ALL PERSONNEL ARE TO ASSEMBLE IN THE STAGING AREA BEHIND LONGHOUSE ONE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

" 'Twould seem yer people have already heard of the news." Vargas whispered.

People started to emerge from their tents, the longhouses and make their way to the large staging area lit by solar floodlights.

"Tony does things in a big way all the time. It doesn't necessarily mean they know about the Allfather."

"Aye and it doesn'a mean they don't."

Simon stepped out of the brush onto the encampment road, "Thank you for guiding me back."

Vargas smiled, stroked his beard, "Not at all. Yer welcome ta visit any time."

A voice rose from the darkness, "Foster! Come on!"

"I'll be right with you!" Simon replied, turning back to Vargas intending to ask him why Lelia had been at the palace but the great man had melted into the forest.

"Damn." Simon took off at a trot down the row of tents, "Damn."