She looked over the glowing map with scrutiny. She trails over the paths with her finger like a child trying to figure out the end of a coloring book's maze. "Okay. So it would be more effective if I would take this route." Hazel mumbled to herself and nodded in satisfaction.
With that, she continued her track up the snow covered mountain, her scarf blowing in the wind. Her grey outfit made out of granite material subtly glistened. Her boots were made out of the same material, but with completely granite toes. Mostly to keep her feet safe on this rough mountain terrain.
You never know what you could run into on a large mountain. Not to mention, Hacate said there was an animal problem. Hazel wasn't taking any chances. She had a diamond spear, of her own creation, hooked onto her back. It was the most conventional weapon Hazel had ever made.
Well, at first it was not supposed to be a weapon. It was meant to be a glorified walking stick just in case the winds got intense, or the path gets too thin. That's why she made it to extend and to penetrate through the snow. She also designed it to flare out it's barbs to hold itself in place and not slip. With all of that, why not call it a weapon? To Hazel however, it was more like a tool. So, that's what she called it.
She stuck the map into one of the compartments of her grey utility belt. She also was wearing gloves made out of limestone rock to help insulate her heat radiation. She would hate to come all this way to just drown in snow.
On top of that, her uncle Kristoff said that snow can get up to a hundred feet tall in some areas. Yeah...she was not risking sinking to the bottom of that! It would be ages before anyone would find her. She would be just like a kid at the bottom of a ball pit!
With all of that aside, Hazel had to admit that this was weird. Here she is, facing imminent death...and she was enjoying it. It was the oddest feeling ever.
She was alone. She was relying on herself. She's capable. She can handle it. She has her own. And she loves it. She should be afraid, but at this point, she really isn't. She just wants her questions answered and that's it. Skadi doesn't want her here, so she will make it quick.
She sees a large cliff come into her view, prompting her to tilt her head. Then she smirked and waved her hand, creating a staircase made of a variety of rocks. She smiled, and ran up the stairs as if she was racing someone.
Once she reached the top, she twirled around a bit before looking around. That's when she looked at the map once again. "Wow! That shortcut I just took saved me an hour's worth of time! I wonder if I can bend anymore rules on this mountain?" She smirked to herself.
"Finally!" She thought. "No annoying emotions getting on my nerves. No one breathing down my neck. No one telling me what not to do." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Finally, I am alone and free…" She closed her eyes and smiled to herself.
As soon as she said that there was a bright blue light a bit further up the path. The light cleared to reveal a figure in black with blue hair, a staff-like object in her hand that pulsed blue with her outfit. The woman's eyes seemed to be glowing a bit as she made no attempt to move.
After a few seconds, Hazel's eyes opened. Once they opened she was able to clearly see the figure. At first her eyes went up in shock, then confusion, then recognition, then anger. She didn't even have to look long to know who that was. "Of course. The one person I don't want to see. Is she secretly trying to make my life Hell?!" Hazel acted like she was going to walk right to her with guilt. Before her eyes hardened and she blasted into the forest, heading up the mountain.
Heidi looked up and her eyes narrowed as the lines on her suit turned purple. Sending her staff away, she let out a sigh before her suit blasted her into the air, allowing her to take off after the girl at near supersonic speeds.
Hazel already expected something of the sort. She has studied Heidi long enough to know she has some sort of special ability up her sleeve. Hazel was just tired of backing down. That's why she rubbed her fingers together, readying her light magic. Thus turning into pure light to continue her path without being bothered.
Heidi rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. "Time for plan, lights out." She muttered, sending a text to her teacher. She stopped flying as she got a "Wait, you are letting me do that? Okay, you are my favorite." text from Hecate. Not even a second later, a blanket of darkness suddenly washed over the mountain, blocking out all forms of light and making it near pitch black. The goddess smirked before hopping into a shadow and resuming the chase.
Hazel fell out of her light form and into the snow. She looked around in shock before glaring at anything in sight. "I'm not finished yet." She murmured to herself before pushing herself and using her magic to make the mountain terrain help her up. It actually increased her speed, like running on speed tiles. Because she couldn't see anything at the moment, she used clicks and sounds to activate her echolocation ability. She was like a bat in the night, but she was managing.
The blue-haired goddess chuckled, her voice echoing in the darkness as she caught up with the girl. "Normally I wouldn't be one to use Hecate for an advantage but she agrees with me. I am not letting you continue up this mountain alone; that's a suicide mission." She stated, staying hidden within the shadows as her eyes narrowed. "I get that you want to be this lone wolf, but like hell I am letting you go and get yourself killed by Skadi."
Hazel scoffed nearly laughing. "Don't act like you know me, because you don't." She said flatly, now continuing at normal speed. "I don't care what Hacate did or what "advantage" you have. All I know is that I am getting up that mountain, you're not gonna stop me, and I am going alone. Thanks...but no thanks." She shook her head still walking.
Heidi let out a sound like that of a growl as she continued hopping through the shadows. "Then let me say this. I don't give a damn if I know you, I don't. Perhaps you'll be happy knowing that I could care less about you, maybe it'll knock some sense into you. Maybe everything that happened in your world was nothing more than a figment of my psychotic mind, I don't know anymore. I do have something that every being fears to hear. I will be the one seeing you down into the Underworld if Skadi decides to put an arrow through you and toss you off to your death. I will be the one informing your family of your demise. I am the last face besides Skadi's you will see." Her voice grew angrier and angrier as her magic began to seep out of her. "You kids have drove me insane and I try to help you not die and this is what I get? This shit?" She let out a humorless laugh. "You need to get your head screwed on before the goddess at the top of this mountain takes it off for you. I am not here to stop you, I am not here to say something about what happened back whenever, I am here to save your soul from flying down into HELL!" She finished with a roar as her magic flooded the area and made the air thick.
Hazel screwed her eyes shut and barely managed to keep herself from exploding or turning that mountain into a volcano. She took a rugged breath, keeping herself together. "That's your problem. You think that you have eeeeeverything worse than everyone else and some people say you might, but I disagree. Everyone has their own limit. It is not to be compared with another's because everyone is different." She spat. "And you call me the kid. Try growing up with no family. In an orphanage where you had to sleep in the basement every night without even a blanket because they thought you were going to burn it down. Try growing up with a bunch of kids you beat you to a pulp everyday because you were "cursed". Then see them get praised for it even by the authorities. The same thing even at school." She glanced at her before turning back to the path. "Besides, if you don't "give a damn" then why are you even here? Go hang out with my sister that everyone likes."
Heidi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "If it were up to me, right now I'd be treating you as my father treats humans, as numbers. But guess what? I am here on behalf of the people that love you and care for you. Even if you think they don't they do. If I left right now and went out to hang with your sister she'd be devastated to know that I left you on a death march to a goddess. She would probably come after you herself, consequences be damned." The woman cleared her throat. "And don't even go on about a rough childhood, that does not make you who you are. I never tried to destroy Olympus when they allowed the king and queen to force my dad and I onto the Isle. I never tried to ruin their lives when they sent me back into Hell weeks after I came off the Isle. I don't even have much of a desire to accuse them of attempting to kill me on a daily basis! I don't let those experiences affect me, I grow from them. If I treated it like you treat yours I would be like you. Heading off to your death because of something going on in your head."
Hazel glanced at her, her eyes a somber silver color. She chuckled mirthlessly and said, "Hm, mom was right. You don't care. Gods are only selfish and crazy and loud and care about themselves. And to think I would have been willing to die for you." She shook her head. "That was a close call on my part." She mumbled.
The goddess was silent for a moment before her voice came out shakily. "I cared enough to listen to them. I cared enough to send two gods across the globe to look for you. I cared enough to drop everything and come here. I cared enough to put my own life on the line so that yours isn't." Heidi stopped and sighed. "...No, you're right. Us gods don't care about anyone except ourselves. We are just selfish, powerful idiots who yell and fight all day. We only cause problems, we don't fix them." With another sigh, the darkness suddenly lifted. "I should have never tried to interfere with a human that only thinks of us as trash. Dad was right about everyone in Auradon, you all...don't deserve us. And we do not deserve you. If you want me to leave, I will. I will fly away without a second thought. I will never talk about this and let you continue on your path up this mountain without nobody except for a handful of people knowing."
Hazel didn't respond. She didn't even look back. Honestly, she had to fight her legs to keep moving and to not turn back and cry on Heidi's shoulder and take it all back. That did not stop the amount of tears flowing down her cheeks. That also did not stop the feeling of her heart shattering and scattering like glass. "It is all necessary. Just keep going and leave her behind for good. I love her, but she hurts me and I don't need anymore pain." She didn't want to turn around because it would show how much of a wreck she really was.
Heidi leapt out of a shadow far behind the girl. Looking down at the snow, the goddess's eyes closed. "Then...this is goodbye. For good. I decided that it would be best to forget this ever happened. That whole other world thing, gone. I don't want to remember this and think back to a time where I met a group of people that only caused me pain after so much joy." She said, her voice barely louder than the howling wind.
That was it. That's when she finally broke. All of her pent up emotions where released in one outburst. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T AND YOU NEVER WILL!" Her body lost all of it's will power and finally succumbed to the gravity that's been pulling at it all this time. Then the tears came. She cried so hard that every wail sounded like she was being stabbed by many swords. She curled up, making a ball while she continued to sob in pain. At this moment, she could care less if Skadi showed up and blew her off of the face of the earth.
Heidi didn't make an attempt to move as she decided to sit down in the snowy terrain. Her face was emotionless as she began to drag her gloved finger through the snow. She didn't say a single word to the girl and instead looked elsewhere before muttering something in an ancient language.
After a while, the ruby haired girl finally calmed down, but it's not like she felt better. Her head throbbed and she felt sick. She tried to get back up, but everytime she tried she would meet the snow again. Not because she was physically tired, but mentally and emotionally tired and magically tired. In the meantime, she just decided on turning on her back and looking at the snow rain down on her, thinking about her mother. It reminded her of her mother.
Heidi tilted her head before freezing as she heard the slightest movement nearby. In one swift move, she was on her feet while her ember turned into a bow. The woman murmured something in the same ancient language as before and fell into a defensive stance while her eyes flew around erratically for the unseen foe.
Hazel saw her, but didn't see her. Her mind was foggy; her head hurt badly. Because of this, her body ached from the magic She held back, the stress of crying that hard. As much as she blinked her eyes, it didn't feel like she was awake. Sometimes one eye would blink before the other. She fought the urge not to fall asleep in the mix of all of this. The only thing she could focus on was this one snowflake, floating down to her. She hummed to herself a familiar song that came from her mind spontaneously. "The snow glows white on the...tonight. Not a footstep to be seen. A kingdom of isolation and it looks like...I'm the queen…" She murmured as her eyes closed.
The goddess glanced back when she heard this, and this ended up being her first mistake. Without warning, an arrow flew out of the near white-out conditions and hit her in the arm. Heidi let out a soft hiss and looked at the arrow that hadn't completely gone through her arm before glaring. "Skadi. It is an honor to meet you, I wish it had been under different circumstances."
An incredibly tall figure clothed in all white stepped into the clearing, her face mostly concealed by a white scarf-like hood. Her icy blue lips turned upwards as she looked at the younger goddess. "Daughter of Hades, I did not expect to see you on my mountain." She said, her accented voice carrying over the howling wind that seemed to speed up at her presence.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to be up here." Heidi said with a shake of her head before taking a deep breath. "I don't mean you any harm, I'm not here on behalf on any other god. Nobody sent me."
Skadi turned her head upwards, her ice blue eyes nearly glowing under the darkness under the hood. "Then leave, before the next arrow lands somewhere else." Her calm voice was tinted with darkness as she lifted her bow.
Heidi sighed and held up her hands as she let the bow in her hand disappear. "I do not wish to fight you. I am not here for that reason, Skadi."
The norse goddess stayed the same as her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The woman in white seemed to be looking over the younger goddess in what could only be annoyance before her eyes snapped up to meet Heidi's. "Leave."
"No. Not yet." Heidi stated back, her frown deepening as the two began staring each other down.
Skadi let out a deep grumble as the blizzard around them picked up. "Do I have to throw you off myself? There is a place waiting down there for stubborn people such as yourself."
"My death, I know, not like you could exactly take me out, though. We gods over in greek land don't stay dead for long." Heidi said dryly, trying to hide the fact that she was summoning a bit of her magic. If I can just use a bit of charm I might be able to win her over. She thought, lacing her magic into her voice as she remembered a spell she had learned recently.
Skadi frowned and shook her head. "No, that is what makes you such a pain." She stated stiffly, obviously trying to intimidate the other woman to no avail.
Heidi shrugged. "That's our dealio. I'm such a pain I'm surprised they even let me into Asgard anymore. Hermes and I cause quite a few fights during our time there."
Skadi blinked when she heard that, almost as if it had caught her off guard. "You...visit Asgard?"
Heidi nodded with a laidback expression. "Yep, just about every other week. I always come out with a new scar or bruise from a random god hitting me. I can see why you'd live out here." She said, looking at her surroundings. "It's pretty peaceful. Unlike that crazy moshpit in Asgard."
Skadi looked at her before slowly lowering her bow. "It is, isn't it?" She asked, her gaze still locked onto Heidi's.
"Very much so. Tranquil even." Heidi responded, waving her hand through the air. "Not to mention how clear the air is up here. Man, if I wasn't prone to melting stuff I'd live up on one of these. Nature at its finest."
By now the norse goddess was completely confused, her hood blowing a bit more in the wind as a few locks of silver hair escaped. "...What are you playing at?"
Heidi blinked as a dumbfounded look entered her eyes. "Me? I'm just complimenting your mountain. I...uh, heard you like mountains." She said, putting the most confused look on her face as possible. "And your mountain is nice, beautiful and it is an honor to be standing on it."
Skadi opened her mouth to say something when she stopped and looked at the passed out girl. "Who is she?"
Heidi looked at Hazel then back at the goddess. "Someone who needed to talk to you. I'm not sure why but she was so determined that she came her on her own."
Skadi stared at the girl for a minute or so before she attached the bow to her back. "Bring her."
Heidi blinked and tilted her head. "Really?"
"Yes, do it now or you'll both be facing the same fate." Skadi said with a glare before beginning to walk up the path.
Heidi quickly nodded before pondering on how she was going to "bring" the girl until an idea hit her upside the head. Waving her hand through the air, she summoned a golden cloud out of her magic and levitated the girl onto it before waving it to follow her. Heidi chuckled and looked up at the sky. "I believe I just stole your spell, Apollo." She said with a snicker before continuing to follow Skadi up the mountain.
….
She tried to move...and heard something pop. That is how Hazel woke up. Unfortunately, that was followed by a terrible amount of main in the specific area. "What a wonderful thing to wake up to…" She thought sarcastically.
"Now I remembered why I quit holding in my magic. It's like swallowing a lit stick of dynamite." She grumbled to herself. She decided to wait about ten more minutes until her healing magic repaired itself and began to work on the rest of her body. That would help with the pain.
Hazel sighed as she felt her magic begin to work again. That is when she decided to sit up and look around. To her great confusion, she was on a...cloud? A golden cloud…
Hazel looked at the cloud in irritation before hopping off of it. She looked at it with halved eyes before looking around at her surroundings. It seemed to be a guest room of some sort. "So. I'm not dead yet. Yay…" She shrugged before heading out of the room, prepared to leave...wherever she was.
To her surprise, the place was actually pretty big. "What is this? Some type of facility?" She thought, finding the stairs and making her way down them. Thankfully, most of the pain disappeared, now she had to wait for her magic to get rid of that pesky migraine.
When she made it down the stairs, her first instinct was to find an exit. She was a very busy girl with very little time to waste. Before something else crazy happens in her life, she wants to get a head start. So when she sees the front door, she sighed in relief. Then, she walked to it, ready to leave that place.
Without warning, the door was suddenly covered in a thick layer of ice. Small snowflakes blooming across the door as a small layer of snow covered the area. The walls nearby also froze as ice crept across the surface, the temperature dropping ever so slightly.
Hazel skidded to a stop and her mouth hung agape. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, thinking that it could be mind games. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The ice stayed, and Hazel blinked. "Did I go to the school? Was I sent to the resort? Am I back in my own world?" She thought, looking to see if her mother was around.
When she did, she did not see her mother, but another woman. She also saw Heidi (oh great) with an...arrow in her arm? Oh well, she's fine. Hazel just looked at them with a dumbfounded expression.
The two were sitting across from each other and wear dressed very formally. Heidi was wearing a sleeveless black dress that faded into the shadows at the bottom. The woman was currently messing with the pure white arrow that was currently stuck in her arm in a childlike manner. "So, I really can't get this out right now?"
The tall silver haired woman sitting across from her shook her head. She was dressed in a long ice blue dress that seemed to sparkle under the light, snowflakes decorating it and ice shards scattered around. She also had on a long blue cloak with snowflakes imprinted on it that glowed against the material. "No, if you attempt to remove it now you will only cause yourself more harm. Leave it." She said in her accented voice before taking a sip of her drink.
Heidi frowned before reluctantly leaving it alone and picking up her own black mug. "I guess it will be a souvenir." She mumbled before sipping at whatever drink was in her mug.
Hazel really wanted to leave...yet she was sure whatever exit she would find would be coated in ice. Heidi seemed calm around that woman, but who knows when it comes to Heidi. Someone that she knows well could easily kill Hazel. So Hazel took a deep breath and headed over in a wary manner.
The silver-haired woman noticed her immediately and turned to gaze at her with a hint of curiosity in her ice blue eyes. Heidi, on the other hand, seemed preoccupied with her drink as the goddess just kept drinking...almost as if there was an endless amount of whatever it was inside the mug.
When the ruby haired girl had gotten close enough, she had glanced at the two women before saying, "Hello. Um, where am I?" She asked with confusion.
Heidi placed the mug down with a grin before her eyes widened when she saw it fill up again. "Oh, that is cool."
The other woman shook her head before looking at the girl. "You are in my home, your friend brought you up here." She informed her, no emotion on her face as she studied her.
Hazel blinked before nodding, "Oh, well, thank you for your hospitality, but I really must be going. I have some serious errands to run." She explained, looking to the other woman before tilting her head in confusion.
The silver-haired being raised an eyebrow. "Your friend mentioned that you needed to ask me something. Do you not need to?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink before returning her icy gaze.
Hazel looked at the woman in confusion before something clicked. "You..? You're..? Oh, I am very sorry." She looked to the side, humored with herself before remembering her question. "I wanted to ask you about...about…" She zoned out going into her thoughts as she realized something.
She had sworn she knew that woman, or knew someone that looked like her. It's at the tip of her tongue, but it's barely out of reach. That was until she paid closer attention to her dress. "Those patterns...they looks just like mom's." Then her eyes went to the cloak. "That would definitely be something that mom would wear, and with that pale hair...and those eyes. They stare through your soul." For a split second she saw her mother looking at her and she stated at the woman with her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "You have to be my grandma…" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn't help it. This was too shocking.
Heidi nearly choked on her drink and began coughing while the other woman froze. Skadi's eyes seemed to glow a bit while her tinted blue lips were open ever so slightly. "No...I cannot be." She murmured, seeming equally as shocked.
Hazel didn't even blink. "My mother...she has really, really, really, really light blonde hair. She is super pale and has icy blue eyes. She has ice magic which is why I have magic." She quickly went into her utility belt and ripped her phone out from it. She hurriedly typed in the password and pulled up a picture her aunt took of her and Elsa together. "Please tell me if you know her? I came here to know if you know her." She asked, offering the phone to the goddess.
Skadi appeared even more haunted as she looked at the picture. "No...No." She mumbled, beginning to scoot away. "I only had one daughter and she is gone." She stated with shaking eyes before standing up.
Heidi, who had finally recovered from her coughing fit, held up her hands as a calming orange glow emitted from them. "Skadi, it is alright. You are okay. This is a safe place." She said as calmly as possible, looking quite similar to her aunt at the moment.
Skadi looked at her, fear etching into her face as she looked back down at the picture. Her eyes met the picture and she shook her head once more.
Hazel looked crestfallen eyes, glowing before took a deep breath and chuckled nervously. "Well, sorry...about that. I really thought...Nah. I was just being an idiot again. Don't mind me." She held out her hand to take her phone back and said, "That's all I wanted. Sorry to waste your time." She looked to the side.
Heidi looked at the two before looking at Skadi. "You are safe, tell us, please." She said gently, taking a step forward towards the shaking goddess.
Skadi looked at her, the trembling of her body calming before she slowly sat down. "I...I did have a daughter. Her name was Sigrun. I sent her off with Njord, my ex-husband, days after she was born. Then he lost her...That man lost her in the woods, leaving her for any creature." She told them, her voice shaking as she spoke. "I never found out what happened to my Sigrun, he never found her."
Hazel pondered her words. "That doesn't mean she's dead." She said in a small voice, as if she was afraid to talk to the goddess. "My mom lost me as a baby and here I am." She gave her a small smile.
"No...but she is gone. She is lost and I cannot find her. No matter the help the others granted me I never could locate Sigrun." Skadi whispered, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. "Even as a baby she was strong, I should have never trusted Njord with her."
Hazel tilted her head before asking, "Did you...ever check Arendelle? The castle in particular?" She looked at her with curiosity.
"Njord did, he said he found nothing. Just a king and queen celebrating their new baby girl." Skadi murmured, looking sadder and sadder with each word.
Hazel's features were full of confusion at this point. She shook her head before asking, "The King and Queen only had two baby girls and one was older than the other. When Njord went to check the castle, would Sigrun had still been a baby?" She asked, in deep thought.
"He arrived two days after losing her. He was not allowed to see the baby and he did not catch a name, so he left to look elsewhere." Skadi replied, looking at her tinted white hands that were becoming covered in small snowflakes.
Hazel smirked before going back into her thoughts. "There were two princesses of Arendelle. The oldest, Elsa whom is my mother, was born with ice magic so powerful that it could create life. As for the youngest, Anna, she was completely ordinary." Hazel explained. "Sigrun went missing for two days. Njord saw everyone celebrating the king and queens new baby, but Anna couldn't have been born yet. She's the youngest."
Skadi looked up and shook her head. "They wouldn't dare take a child of the gods. I wrapped her in a glowing blue blanket with a snowflake...and the symbol of the gods. They would have provoked the gods anger if they passed her off as their own." She said, clearly in denial about the information.
Hazel's eyes widened in shock. Then she tilted her head. "What symbol did you put on her blanket? The snowflake. Can I see it?" She begged the goddess.
Skadi nodded and waved a hand through the air before a very familiar snowflake materialized. It flew around the goddess before flying around the girl. "That is the snowflake."
Hazel looked at the snowflake in so much awe that her eyes watered. She almost reached for it, but out of fear of melting it she didn't touch it. "Oh my gods…" She murmured. "Heidi, are you seeing this?" She asked the other goddess in the room.
Heidi nodded, eyes wide as well. "That's...that's her snowflake." She looked at Skadi. "Skadi, I know that snowflake!"
Skadi looked confused and glanced at both of them. "That is a snowflake I created for my Sigrun...it never once fell from the sky after I lost her. You couldn't have seen it." She said with a shake of her head.
Hazel shook her head, a large grin forming on her face. "No...No..No…" She starts, barely able to speak. "My mother makes this. Every time she sneezes. Every time she laughed. Every time she freezes me into an ice block as a punishment, she makes this snowflake!" Hazel began to search around before she pulled out something. It seemed to be a purple snowflake necklace. "This is my lucky charm. My mother made it for me on family day right after we found each other again. I just don't wear it much due to magic reasons. Look at it, and tell me it doesn't look familiar." She said, holding it out for the goddess.
Skadi's eyes shook as soon as she looked at it. "No...Only my Sigrun and I can make that snowflake. I made sure of it. I went to every kingdom that Njord didn't and made sure that snowflake never fell...or never seen again." She looked up at the girl. "It can't be possible...she's lost."
Hazel thought for a moment before an idea came to mind. "Have you ever been to the...North Mountain lately?"
"No, I have not left this mountain range since I made sure that snowflake would never fall in any land." Skadi said with a shake of her head.
Hazel smiled and said, "My mom likes hiding out on mountains too. In fact, she made something extravagant the last time she was there." She looked at the goddess before saying, "I would love it if you just stopped by and took a look." She said with pleading eyes.
Skadi looked at her before she looked at the other goddess. With a glow of her eyes, she rose and pointed at the bluenette. "You will take me to this mountain, immediately."
Heidi blinked a few times as the orange glow left her hands. "Uh...Sure?"
Hazel did a mental summersalt. She grinned brightly and rested her hands behind her back. "Trust me. You won't be disappointed." She looked out a nearby window. "The sun is nearly in the perfect position too. We don't want to be late." She said excitedly.
Skadi strode over to Heidi and placed an icy cold hand on the bluenette's shoulder that resulted in steam to rise. "If you cannot teleport touch her."
"That sounded very...wrong." Heidi mumbled, shaking her head at the other goddess's choice of words.
Hazel's eyes halved at Heidi's statement. "It's okay. I can manage. I will meet you there, Skadi." She said, purposely not mentioning Heidi before teleporting in a brief flash of light.
"Let us go." The older goddess practically demanded, clearly impatient with waiting for even a second.
"Right, right, I better do it before you give me the cold shoulder." Heidi said before grinning, prompting Skadi to shoot her a warning glare. "No?" The glare seemed to double in power as frost managed to cover the goddess's shoulder. The bluenette immediately frowned and shook her head, giving up at her antics. "Fine. I'm going, sheesh…" She muttered before the two disappeared in a blue flash.
…..
Hazel, as expected was the first one to arrive at the peak of the North Mountain, a little ways away from the iridescent ice palace. Hazel looked at the palace with pride, confident that Skadi would believe her if they showed her this.
She placed her hands on her hips, grinning at the sculpted masterpiece. "She will have to believe me after this." She said, looking at the necklace in her gloved hands before placing it into the safety of her pockets.
Heidi and Skadi appeared a few seconds later. The two stared at the castle in amazement as Skadi slowly strode towards it. Heidi shook her head. "That is...I have never been able to get a closer look at it." She mumbled, beginning to take a step forward as she ignored the fact that the snow was already beginning to melt around her.
Skadi whipped around and rose her hand sharply, the action causing ice to begin creeping up the other goddess's legs before stopping at her torso. The ice hardened and barely reacted to the body heat of the being it was frozen to as small snowflakes covered it. Skadi looked at her with a glare. "No, I will not have you melting it, child."
The look on Heidi's face was comical as she looked herself over. "What?" She tried to heat herself up only to fail as the ice turned a dark blue. "H-Hey, I wasn't going to melt it. If you would just let me-"
The norse goddess waved her hand again, this time freezing the womans arms to her body. "Quiet. You Greeks talk too much." She stated before turning away, ignoring the pout on the bluenette's face.
Hazel looked at the scene with amusement, as a smirk formed on her face. "Shall we go in?" She said to Skadi, gesturing to the grand display.
Skadi gave her a nod as she looked up at the castle in front of her. "We shall."
Hazel snapped, turning the bottom of her boots into rugged basalt. "There. The basalt should keep the heat from escaping and melting the ground." She smiled at Skadi and said, "Oh, and be prepared to face the snowgies." After that, she ran up the stairs and waited for the winter goddess.
Skadi raised an eyebrow at the word. "Snow...gies?" She said slowly, taking her time up the stairs as she scanned everything with a scrutinizing look.
Hazel took a deep breath before placing her hands on the large, freezing doors. Then she bit her lip and pushed them open. Without much effort, the doors slid and making a slight grinding sound as the hinges worked. This displayed the crystalline exterior of the main plaza. Some places where transparent while others were not. The most eye-catching things were the frozen fountain, the lavish chandelier, and the familiar, grandiose snowflake marking on the sparkling floor. Almost like it was built inside of the floor itself.
Hazel smiled and stepped into the palace. "Hmm, the snowgies aren't here today. Neither is Marshmallow…" She shrugged. "It must be a holiday." She stood right in the middle of the snowflake before saying, "Welcome to the Ice Palace of the North Mountain." She said, gesturing to their surroundings.
Skadi's eyes were looking everywhere and couldn't seem to stay on one thing. "This is...nothing like I have seen. Not in a long time." She breathed out, staying near the entrance in pure shock.
Hazel nodded and said, "I know. It's...unique." She turned to the goddess and said, "My mother ran here after she accidentally cursed Arendelle with an eternal winter...by accident of course. She made this place so she couldn't hurt the people she cared about." She explained while looking about.
Skadi nodded silently, taking a few steps in before looking down at the snowflake etched into the floor. Her face slowly morphing into surprise as she continued to stare at it.
Hazel smiled and stepped off of the significant pattern. "That mark is everywhere in this palace. It's her mark and I've never seen any other like it." She said as she looked at it herself.
The goddess lowered and frowned. "If it does belong to my Sigrun it shall tell me." She stated, looking up at the girl with glowing blue eyes. "Only if the mountain knows it is hers."
Hazel blinked. Then she nodded. "It is hers, and I think the mountain will agree with me." She said confidently, while looking the goddess in her glowing eyes.
Skadi tilted her head ever so slightly before looking at her hand. With a whisper in an ancient language, she placed it on the snowflake. For a moment or so nothing happened, not until the snowflake suddenly glowed gold and ancient looking symbols shot out, covering the walls and every last object all the way up to the ceiling. The symbols glowed and hummed with energy, causing the goddess to gasp and quickly stand up.
Hazel's eyes bounced from one place to another. She turned to see symbols in every corner of the once dormant palace. "What is all of this?" She asked in awe and confusion.
"Her name…" Skadi murmured before stepping back and looking at the snowflake, seeing the different symbols. "Only Njord and I know her full name." She breathed, her eyes running over and over the symbols.
When she heard this, Hazel looked around with a smile. Then, she turned to look at the goddess, keeping her smile. "Do you believe me now?"
Skadi nodded, before looking at the walls and saying something in the same ancient language as before. Whatever she said suddenly caused the symbols to morph into letters. The letters on the walls spelled out one name. Sigrun. "I...I...She's alive?" She asked, her tone almost fearful before looking at the snowflake. The symbols morphed in three words. Sigrun Ingrid Saga. "Oh...my…"
Curious, Hazel tilts her head. "Sigrun Ingrid Saga? Is that your child's full name?" She asked, with a hint of amazement on her features.
"Yes, that is. My victory…" Skadi mumbled out the last words before closing her eyes. "More beautiful than even Ing and destined to go on an amazing journey. My Sigrun."
Hazel chuckled, "Now I know we are talking about the same person." Her smile fell. "That fits my mother to a "T"...my mom's a goddess…" She mumbled, in shock at the sudden realization.
Skadi opened her eyes and looked up at the name glowing back at her. Saying nothing, she fought the icy tears that threatened to fall. The woman closed her eyes once more, silently asking the mountain what it had remembered.
Hazel had to process this for a moment. Time and time again, she was just as shocked as she was before. Her mind was going in circles! In the end, she just decided to save it for later to ponder on.
Turning her attention back to the goddess, she asked, "What are you doing?" in a quiet tone, so she wouldn't disturb her concentration.
"Watching. The mountain has lent me the memory of when this was created…" Skadi whispered back, icy tears now streaking down her cheeks and freezing as soon as they hit the floor.
Hazel blinked and frowned at the display before her. This is when she stepped up beside the goddess, nearly scared to talk to her about such matters. Her mouth opened and closed in an attempt to find the right words. "Skadi?" She called.
The silver-haired woman opened her eyes and looked down at her. "Yes?" She asked, wiping away the last few tears before shaking her head.
Hazel let out a visible breath before saying, "You know what this means, right?" Then, her smile returned. "This means she is still out there, waiting for you." She made eye contact with her before saying, "This means you can see her again."
Surprise entered the goddess's eyes before a saddened expression replaced it. "Why would she wish to meet the one who gave her away? Who gave her to a man who couldn't even keep track of her for a day?" She looked away, eyes downcast at her words.
Hazel shook her head. "I am sure she will understand. Believe it or not, you two have more in common in that department than you think." She smirked while gesturing to herself. Then she looked to the ground. "When she sees you, all of that won't matter. Because...when you lost someone...all you know is that you miss them. You really miss them...and in that moment...all you care about is holding them in your arms again." She looked up at the goddess, her eyes watered as she remembered her reunion with her own mother.
Skadi looked at her before slowly nodding. "That is true." She said quietly, looking at the glowing name in the snowflake beneath her.
Hazel thought for a moment. "So...what do you want to do? Between the two of us, you are already considered family to me." She said as she linked her hands behind her back.
Skadi paused when she heard that, surprise flickering in her eyes before she looked away. "I...I want to see her." She said, her voice barely audible as the ice beneath her turned dark blue with her words.
The red haired girl blinked in surprise. "You want to see my mom?" She looked to the side before asking, "When?"
The goddess looked at her ice covered hands. "...As soon as possible. I don't want to spend anymore time up in these mountains knowing she is out there." She said, watching as the ice turned blue.
Hazel grinned brightly before saying, "Well, we are wasting daylight, aren't we?" She turned in the direction of the exit. "I can take you to her. She's in Auradon City."
Skadi followed her and watched as the symbols all faded, etching themselves into the ice until they were barely noticeable. "Yes, but first I must unfreeze that Greek. If I do not, she shall be stuck there for years." She said, her voice tinted with a bit of annoyance at the thought of unfreezing the rather annoying goddess.
Hazel nodded briefly. She began to continue their path before she paused for a moment. "Um...well...if my mom is actually your daughter...that makes me your granddaughter…" She trailed off for a moment. "Do you mind if I call you grandmother...only sometimes?" She asked shyly.
Skadi blinked owlishly for a moment before she regained her composure. "Yes...I suppose that would suffice." Her gaze going elsewhere for a moment before looking back down at her.
Hazel looked up at her in surprise before playing with her hands. "Alright. My name is Hazel by the way." She looked up at the goddess while continuing to push open the grand doors of the palace.
"Hazel?" The goddess repeated, testing out the name before nodding. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She said, her expression unchanging while her eyes softened ever so slightly.
Hazel began to walk down the stairs, nearly tripping since she wasn't paying much attention to them. "Umm...the pleasure is all mine...grandmother." She said, the word feeling foreign on her tongue.
Skadi seemed just as caught off guard by the word, but she hid it well and nodded. Looking at the blue-haired goddess in the distance, she shook her head before causing the ice to melt. "We are done here." She said to the other goddess.
Heidi blinked and tilted her head. "You are? Huh, that was fast. You heading back to your mountain?" She asked, shaking her hand in an attempt to wake it up.
"You do not need to know that." Skadi replied with a frown on her face.
Heidi sighed and looked at her with halved eyes. "Why did I even bother asking?"
Hazel chuckled. "Who are you going to use to teleport? If you use her, she needs to know where we're going, grandmother." She explained with humor.
Heidi blinked and before she could say anything the woman found darkened ice covering her mouth, causing her to facepalm and look at the goddess as if to say "Seriously?"
Skadi looked impassive at the irritated look on the bluenette. "I am going to Auradon City, do not question me or I will freeze you again."
Heidi looked even more exasperated at that and shook her head. She clapped her hands together before a blue portal opened up beside her. The goddess jerked her head at it before folding her arms.
Skadi's eyebrow rose and she looked at the other woman quizzically. "Where does that go?" She asked, prompting Heidi to facepalm once more.
Hazel stepped up while pointing at the portal. "This will take us to Auradon. It will be just like walking through a door." She explained with a smile.
Skadi looked down at her before looking at Heidi. "Is that the truth?" The bluenette nodded, pointing at it again before stomping towards it and jumping in without hesitance.
Hazel glanced from the portal to Skadi. Then she held out her hand for the goddess to take. "Come on. We will go through together." She smiled brightly.
Skadi looked down at the girl's hand before looking at her own. Closing her eyes, she willed it to go back to its normal white hue before opening her eyes and taking the girl's hand.
This resulted in a bit off steam, but Skadi's chilled fingers were soothing in a way, compared to Hazel's solar enhanced temperatures. Hazel's smile widened, then lead them both through the portal with no worries.