- Summer is finally upon us and the best part is that Spider-Man: Far from Home will be released in a month. I'm already excited for the film. E3 2019 is almost here too and I'm hoping there will be some good titles out for next year. Other than Spider-Man by Insomniac and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, there weren't a lot of fun games released last year.

- Just a heads up, this chapter begins about a week after Hela has taken the throne.

...

"Stay close to your sister, Amora. We're almost out of the city."

Amora nodded and held Lorelei's hand as they followed their mother. The once bustling streets of Asgard were now eerily silent and devoid of any activity. Ever since Hela took the throne, very few of their people dared to venture outside. Her undead Berserkers now roamed the city...hunting down those who dared to try and sneak out of Asgard.

Of course, they paled in comparison to the giant wolf that was prowling around. Just the sheer size of the creature was enough to make anyone cower before it.

They reached a long forgotten wall of the city and Hilde helped her daughters climb over it first. Once Amora and Lorelei were over, their mother immediately moved to follow...but stopped just as she was on top of the wall when the sound of clinking armor was heard.

"Mother..." Amora whispered, her eyes widening out of horror at what she saw.

A group of four Berserkers came from around the corner. Their sickening glowing green eyes honed in on the Asgardians before they let out a disturbing cry and ran towards them.

"Go!" Hilde screamed. She quickly jumped over and gathered Lorelei into her arms.

Amora ran with her mother through the woods. The Berserkers were hot on their tails, their rusted swords and spears raised over their heads. They did their best to avoid the trees and any debris in their way, running as fast as they can. Hilde jumped over a fallen tree but in her hastiness to continue running, she accidentally tripped over a rock hidden behind it. She did her best to cushion Lorelei from the impact as they fell to the ground. Amora double backed to them and helped her sister up. She tried to help her mother too but Hilde quickly pushed her back.

"Run! Get out of here!" She yelled, seeing the undead soldiers approaching.

Amora and Lorelei frantically shook their heads. "No, we won't leave you!"

"You have to! Go!"

Hilde looked back and froze...one of the undead abominations was already standing over her with a raised sword. Her daughters could only watch in horror as the blade descended down on their mother. Hilde closed her eyes and waited for the killing blow, praying for the Allfathers to protect her daughters.

"Yoink!"

A strand of webbing suddenly came from out of nowhere and pulled the sword out of the zombie's hand before it could strike Hilde.

The Berserker looked up just in time to be struck in the head by a hard kick. Thanks to the long decayed state of the neck, it's head easily snapped off from the blow and the headless body dropped to the ground.

Spider-Man landed on his feet and knelt down beside Hilde. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

"Behind you!"

Peter looked back and saw the remaining three undead Asgardians run towards him. Before they could get close though, a hooded figure leapt down from one of the trees and bisected them all with one swing of his giant sword.

Spider-Man smirked at the hooded figure as he approached them. "You sure took your time."

"Sorry about that." Heimdall said, removing his hood. "I had to make sure there weren't any more coming."

The young Spider nodded before he checked Hilde's leg for any injuries. "Looks like you sprained your left ankle. Think you can stand?"

"...Who are you?" She asked, staring at the masked face before her with a bit of apprehension.

Spider-Man's mask receded back into his suit, revealing a tired but kind young face beneath. Hilde's eldest daughter gasped as she quickly recognized who it was.

"Peter?"

"Hey, Amora." He greeted with a small smile. "I'm glad to see you and your family are alive."

"Amora, you know this young man?"

She nodded. "I do, mother. He's the one who helped me get a fresh batch of bread and fruit last week."

Hilde's eyes widened before she gave Spider-Man an apologetic look. "I see. My apologies, sir Peter. I didn't mean to suspect you."

"No, it's okay. I get it...It's been a troubling week for all of us. Are you able to stand?"

Hilde tried to get up on her feet but felt sharp pain shoot through her left leg as soon as she put pressure on it. "I-I don't think so."

"I'll carry her." Heimdall offered, sheathing the Bifrost sword on his back. "You pick up the little ones."

The Gatekeeper carried the middle aged woman in his arms and led the way to an ancient hidden stronghold. Amora got on Peter's back while Lorelei held herself tight against his chest, understandably frightened from everything that's happened. He could feel the young redhead shaking in his arms.

"Where are we going?" Amora asked.

Peter picked his pace as he followed Heimdall. "Someplace safe."

...

It was a long trek back to the mountains. When they arrived at a large gate, Heimdall set Hilde down for a moment before he pressed a combination of runes on the keystone. The doors slowly opened...and on the other side was hundreds, perhaps thousands of their fellow Asgardians waiting for them. A few of them went out immediately to help Hilde inside. Once everyone was inside, the gates automatically closed. Heimdall informed one of the healers what the extent of Hilde's injuries were.

Peter knelt down so Amora could safely slide off of his back but her younger sister didn't let go of him.

"Lorelei? It's okay...you're safe now. Nothing's gonna happen to you or your family." Spidey whispered soothingly. "I promise."

The little redhead slowly pulled back and looked at Peter. There was still a bit of fear in her green eyes but she managed to give a small nod.

"Thank you for saving us." She said in a quiet voice.

Peter ruffled her hair. "Anytime, Lorelei. Why don't you and Amora go rest with your mother for a bit? I'm sure you're all tired after what happened today."

"...Will you still be here?"

"Of course. Just call out my name if you need me. I won't be far."

Lorelei gave Peter a firm hug before she went to join her mother. A grateful smile was on Amora's face as she hugged Peter too.

"You've saved me again...not only me but my family as well. Thank you."

"Did you expect any less? It's what heroes do after all."

Amora giggled at that before her face turned serious for a moment. "Do you think we'll be able to beat Hela?"

"...I don't know." He said truthfully. The Goddess of death was perhaps the most powerful being they've ever fought against. "But we're going to do everything we can to get Asgard back."

It wasn't exactly the most reassuring thing to hear but it was honest and Amora appreciated him giving a realistic answer. A yawn suddenly escaped her lips, making the blonde girl feel a little embarrassed as she tried to suppress the blush on her face.

Peter chuckled. "Get some rest. You've had a long day."

She nodded and went to go join her sister and mother, who was having her left foot bandaged by another Asgardian. Peter made his way back to the area where he, Maria, and Wanda slept. The Scarlet Witch was in the midst of healing a deep cut on a guard's arm with her powers. She was steadily improving when it came to using her abilities to heal...now she was able to fix major cuts and repair minor fractures in bones. With so many Asgardians needing medical aid, the healers had their hands full and Wanda was doing everything she can to help. Peter had kindly offered the first aid kit from his bag and the young Sokovian woman used it to treat those with minor wounds.

"There you are." Wanda said, the red glow in her hands fading away. "You're all fixed up."

"Thank you, milady." The guard nodded gratefully before he left to see his family.

Peter sat down beside her. "Hey...how are you holding up?"

Wanda gave Peter a loving kiss. "I'm fine. The last of the injured have been tended to by the other healers. How about you?"

"Heimdall and I saved another family who were trying to escape from more of those damn zombies...I may have kicked one of their heads clean off."

"Really?"

"Didn't mean to but I guess they've been rotting for so long, all it takes is a well delivered punch to break them down."

The Scarlet Witch nodded. "Well, that's good to know. I just wish the same could be said for Hela...I've never fought anyone like her before."

"Me neither." Spider-Man muttered before he smirked. "We'll find a way to beat Hela though. We just have to hold out until Thor gets back."

"...You think he'll make it back in time?"

"I do. Thor's not the kind of person to turn his back on his people."

Wanda smiled at the amount of faith Peter had in the God of thunder before she let herself relax for a moment. Peter put his arm around her shoulders as he closed his eyes too. For the last week, they had been working nonstop to help the Asgardians as best as they could. Heimdall and Sif led a lot of hit and run missions to reduce the number of Berserkers under Hela's command and they all joined them on each one. Sometimes they had to go back to the city and scavenge for some much needed supplies...which wasn't so bad as the undead abominations were rather easy to avoid. It was the giant wolf that proved to be a problem.

With her sharp nose, there wasn't a lot of time for the Asgardians to grab what they needed before it detected them by smell. That was why Peter volunteered to do most of the supply runs with a small group...his suit was capable of masking his scent and the fewer people there were, the less chance there was of being caught.

"Where's Maria?"

"She and Lady Sif are somewhere in the back. I think they're trying to determine the best spots to get supplies from."

Peter rose up from his seat. "I should go check on her."

"Okay. I'll get started on dinner. It shouldn't take too long." Wanda said before she went to grab some ingredients.

Spider-Man walked to the back of the stronghold, where Lady Sif and Maria were studying a map of Asgard on a makeshift table. There were numerous circles drawn on the map. The ones coloured in red marked key spots in the city for them to ambush the Berserkers from. The other circles were coloured blue and they highlighted the areas that likely held the supplies the Asgardians needed.

"Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting." Spidey said, approaching them from behind.

Maria shook her head and pecked a kiss on Peter's face. "Of course not. We're just about done."

"Welcome back, Peter." Sif greeted with a nod. "I've heard you and Heimdall brought another family to safety. Well done."

"It was nothing, Lady Sif. Have you decided when we should make another raid for supplies?"

"Tomorrow. I will tell you all the details later...for now, let us relax with our friends."

Peter nodded before he and Hill followed her as she led the way. They returned to the Scarlet Witch, who was stirring away at a steaming pot. Beside her was Volstagg and his family. Their daughters were playing a little game amongst themselves while Erika was applying some healing salve on Volstagg's wounds. The portly man thankfully survived his encounter with Hela but the severity of his wounds would take weeks to recover from. He was stubborn though and had insisted on joining Peter and Heimdall whenever they left the stronghold...only to meekly back down when Lady Sif and his wife gave him a stern scary glare.

Their own food was almost cooked: a simple dinner of fried fish and heated bread. Their family hadn't brought much with them when they were forced to flee but one of the things they did take was a good amount of bread and dried fish.

Volstagg gave a friendly wave when he saw them return. "Good to see you back, Man of Spiders, Lady Maria, and you as well, Sif. You've been working too hard lately."

"With all the chaos that's happened, someone has to take charge."

"True but that doesn't mean you have to shoulder this burden alone. Remember, you have all of us to help you."

Lady Sif gently smiled as she set her blade to the side. "I know. Thank you...so what are we having for dinner?"

"Beef and potato stew." Wanda replied, taking a small taste with her spoon. "It's a simple kind of dish we make on Earth. I know it isn't much but-"

She shook her head. "No, it's perfect. Your stew smells delectable and I can't wait to try it."

The other Asgardians were beginning to eat supper too with their respective friends and families. The bonfires from each little area shone a comfortable warm light throughout the stronghold.

"Excuse me..."

Lady Sif and the others turned around to see Hilde approaching with her daughters. Amora and Lorelei were doing their best to help hold their mother steady while she walked. Spider-Man and Hill immediately got up and helped support Hilde from both sides.

"Ma'am, what are you doing moving around?" He asked. "You should be resting."

"I know but my daughters wanted to come see you. We wondered if it would be alright for us to join you for dinner?"

Lady Sif nodded without hesitation. "Of course. There's plenty to go around. Please make yourself comfortable."

Peter and Maria helped Hilde sit down first before her daughters joined her. Once the stew was ready, the young Sokovian woman handed a bowl to each of them.

Wanda served a portion of stew to everybody, giving a little extra to Amora and Lorelei. Putting a bit into her own bowl, Wanda sat down next to Peter before she began to eat. The rich smooth taste of the beef and potato stew made everyone smile as they happily ate away. Erika offered them some bread from their own dinner. Not wanting to be greedy, Lady Sif and Hill took enough bread for everyone to have a piece before they gave the plate back to Erika.

Peter was the first to finish eating and patted his stomach as he relaxed. "Your beef and potato stew was delicious, Wanda."

"I'm glad you liked it. It's an old recipe my mother taught me."

Lorelei finished her bowl not long after and the little redhead thanked Wanda for the wonderful meal before she moved over next to Spider-Man.

"What's up, Lorelei?"

"Sir Volstagg said you're from Midgard. Is that true?" She asked curiously.

Spidey nodded. "Yeah. Wanda and Maria are from Earth too. Why do you ask?"

"What's it like there?"

He turned to Hilde for a second, who gave him the go ahead with a nod. Lorelei sat down on Peter's lap before he started to talk about how life was in New York. The little redhead listened with excitement as he described some of the technology they had on Earth like cars, TVs, and cellphones. Amora quickly finished eating and climbed onto Peter's lap too, much to the amusement of her mother and the others. Volstagg's kids sat closer so they could hear about Midgard as well. Wanda added her two cents in every now and then. She mentioned some of the food and beverages they had on Earth, which peaked the curiosity of Volstagg. He was particularly interested in the dish called pizza.

"What does it look like?"

"Try to think of a circular flatbread with tomato sauce, cheese, and spices on it." Maria explained, trying her best to describe the pasta meal. "We tend to add things like pepperoni, ham, bacon, or even pineapples as toppings."

Volstagg's mouth nearly watered...despite having just ate dinner. "It sounds tasty. I would like to try this pizza for myself should I get the chance."

"I'm sure you will in time. For now though, you need to sleep." Erika advised her husband. "Your wounds will heal much faster while you rest. It's almost time for the girls to go to bed too."

Sure enough, their daughters were doing their best to keep their eyes open. Their parents wished them a good night before they gathered their children to put them to bed. Amora and Lorelei were already snoozing with their heads resting on Peter's chest.

"I think we should get some rest too." Hilde whispered before she smiled gratefully at Peter. "Thank you for dinner...and for saving our lives."

The young Spider smiled back and stood up with her daughters in his arms. He gently laid Amora and Lorelei down onto an empty makeshift bed, taking care not to wake them by accident. Hilde covered her daughters with a blanket before she laid down and fell fast asleep.

"I'll go check on the guards and make sure they're at their posts. You should all get some rest...it'll be a busy day tomorrow." Sif said quietly before she got up and left.

Peter helped Wanda clean up the bowls and pot while Maria threw in a bit more wood into the fire. Once the two youngest Avengers washed their hands, Peter got into the middle of their bed first before Hill and the young Sokovian woman laid down next to him. The Scarlet Witch used her jacket as a blanket to cover the three of them. Lady Sif had offered them some blankets but they declined...her own people needed it more than they did. Wanda's long coat was more than enough to keep them warm.

"That beef and potato stew was really good, Wanda." Maria whispered. "You should make it again sometime when we get back to Earth."

Wanda smiled as she laid her head on Peter's chest. "I will. First we have to get through this first though...it's only a matter of time before Hela find out where we are."

Peter wrapped his arms around them both. "If that happens, we'll just have to fight her off so the Asgardians can get away."

"You two think you can beat her?" Hill asked.

Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch looked at each other with a bit of uncertainty. Even if they fought Hela without holding back...there was a good chance that wouldn't be enough to put her down. At best, they might be able to hold her off.

"I don't know..." Wanda muttered. "But if we have to fight Hela again, we'll do everything we can."

...

The young Spider woke up a few hours later, feeling fully rested. Everyone else was still asleep though. The only ones that were awake were the guards who had night watch duty. Peter pecked a gentle kiss on Maria's and Wanda's faces before he carefully got up from the bed. Despite wearing his sleeveless Asgardian shirt, it wasn't cold at all. Most of the bonfires had already been put out but there were still a few torches burning along the walls that gave enough light for him to see.

Spidey spotted Heimdall sitting by one of the few bonfires still burning, staring into the flames. He made sure not to bump into anyone by accident as he walked over to him.

"You're up early, Spider-Man." The Gatekeeper looked his way and greeted him with a nod.

Peter sat down beside him. "Yeah, I slept pretty good though so I don't feel tired. How about you? You get any sleep?"

"Enough. I've always been an early riser. One doesn't require much rest when you're tasked with keeping a vigilant watch over all of Asgard."

"I guess so. Any news from Thor?"

"None...but he is alive." Heimdall said. Hearing that gave Spidey a sense of relief. "This universe is vast so it took me some time to locate him. He's currently stuck on a faraway planet with an old friend of his."

"Old friend?"

"I believe your people call him the Hulk."

Peter thought he was joking at first...Thor somehow ended up on a unknown planet with Dr. Banner? Now it made sense why no one was able to locate him for the last two years. You can't really find a guy on Earth if he wasn't even on the planet to begin with. He'd really like to know how the Hulk arrived on such a faraway planet in the first place though.

"Huh...so that's where Dr. Banner's been." He muttered. "You think Thor will be able to find a way back here?"

Heimdall nodded. "I do. Rest assured he is doing everything in his power to return to Asgard. Until then though, we must hold out as best as we can against Hela and her forces."

The young Spider nodded back before he heard what sounded like metal clanging against something. The sound seemed to be coming from the back.

"Heimdall, is someone training in the back?" He asked.

"Lady Sif. She always warms up with a few exercises in the early hours of the morning." The Gatekeeper explained. "It helps her get ready for the day. You should go talk to her...as I understand it, she's taken quite a liking to you."

Peter sheepishly smiled and stood up to go check on Lady Sif. As he was about to head to the back, Heimdall called out to him from behind.

"Young Parker...my deepest gratitude to you and your friends for all that you've done to help us. Our people are in your debt."

He shook his head. "There's no need to thank us, Heimdall. We're just glad to help."

Spidey made his way to the back, where Lady Sif was sitting on a stone block. She had just finished doing her exercises and was now taking a breather. Being held in both of Sif's hands was her sword. The blade looked like it was in the midst of being cleaned as there was water on the metal. When Peter stepped closer though...it turned out Lady Sif wasn't cleaning her sword.

Tears were flowing down from Sif's eyes and dripping on to the metal. The Asgardian woman wasn't sobbing uncontrollably...her expression was full of sorrow but calm as her tears fell. Spidey felt like he was intruding on something private and he turned to leave, only to bump his foot against the wall by accident.

"Peter?"

He winced at his careless mistake. "Sorry...I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything."

Lady Sif shook her head as she wiped her eyes. "It's okay. Come, sit with me."

Peter was a little hesitant but he nodded and took a seat beside her on the stone block. For a while, they just sat together in silence. Lady Sif gazed at her sword while Spider-Man awkwardly looked around the room.

"...I was thinking about them." Sif said softly. "Fandral and Hogun. We'd known each other since we were kids. Fandral had always been a womanizer even when he was younger. His attempted advances on me was always annoying. Hogun was more disciplined than him but there were times when he took things too seriously."

Spidey didn't interrupt and listened to her talk with respect. With everything being so hectic lately, Sif had been forced to set aside her own grief so she could help her people. Now she was taking a moment to properly mourn the loss of her two oldest friends.

"Fandral and Hogun used to frustrate me at times but now...I just miss them."

Peter saw her lower lip quivering and her eyes twitching...Sif was obviously trying to hold herself back from crying in front of him. As a warrior of Asgard, they were taught to keep their emotions in check. Sif never liked it when she had to shed tears though. Doing so reminded her of all the men who doubted her abilities to be a warrior just because they mistakenly believed women were too emotionally weak. When the need came to do so, Sif always made sure she was alone first.

"Lady Sif?" Peter whispered, putting his hand on top of hers. "It's okay. Let it out...trust me, keeping your grief bottled inside will only make it harder to deal with."

When Uncle Ben died, May did her best to hide her pain for his sake. It didn't really work out well though as Peter always heard her sobbing uncontrollably each night after they had gone to bed. After the third night, Peter couldn't bear to hear his aunt grieve alone anymore and he had gone to her room. He hugged May as they mourned the loss of Ben together and cried until exhaustion finally took hold.

It was tough but they managed to heal in the long run because they had each other and right now, Sif simply needed someone to be there for her.

Lady Sif pulled Peter in for a gentle hug and held on as she let her tears flow freely. Her heart had been hurting terribly from the deaths of Fandral and Hogun. Now she was finally letting herself grieve for them. Peter wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close in silence. There weren't really any words that could be said to help comfort her. Just being here for Sif was the best thing he could do at the moment.

"...Thank you, Peter." She whispered, pulling back and giving him a grateful smile.

"Anytime." Spider-Man said before his stomach suddenly growled.

Sif giggled before she helped Peter up to his feet. "Let's get some breakfast. We'll need you at full strength for the supply run today."

"I take it this means I'm going on this mission today?"

"Yes. I'll be going with you. We'll be leading a small group to procure some medical necessities."

Peter nodded and walked beside the Asgardian woman back to the others so they could get some food. Lady Sif gazed at Spider-Man with fond eyes...they only met a few days ago but she already felt so attached to him. No matter what happens out there today, Sif vowed to keep Peter safe.

...

- The Berserkers are technically undead, hence why Peter decides to just call them zombies for convenience. Fenris is too but she doesn't look like a rotting corpse.

- I hope this was alright. Till next time, everyone.