Chapter 28: The Angel of Death
By the time it took a plan to be laid out and for the anti-final-plague-serum to get ready, Thor and Loki had followed Aaricia as she had managed to run far away from GAMA and into a small island patch that rested in the Potomac. It wasn't too difficult to find an island where ice was frozen cold in springtime and a heartbroken demigoddess was skipping rocks instead of pebbles, causing some big splashes.
"You should talk to her first." Loki quietly told Aaricia.
"Of course." Aaricia nodded to her uncle but didn't bother to glance once at her ancestor. While they stayed back, she calmly walked through the rock quarry and skated through the ice until she got to Kory. The demigoddess was in obvious emotional conflict due to the sight of her blue skin and tearful red eyes. "I thought you could use the company," she said casually. "Otherwise you might turn this small island into the baby of the iceberg that sank the Titanic."
Kory chuckled sadly. "My mother always said she'd never put her foot on a boat after that happened… Probably explains why she never had the guts to go to America and be the well-known artist she wanted to be. Instead, she stuck around Norway and got crushed by a wall while I lived."
Without even blinking, Aaricia reached out for Kory's hand and held it, the cold blue skin un-affecting her. "The stuff I saw Odin tell you… It doesn't matter to me."
"Spoken like your ancestor." Kory shook her head.
"I mean it." Aaricia tightened her grip. "We're more than that. I mean, if I could actually avoid getting killed by Jormugand on my birthday without killing him, I won't have to worry about becoming a Valkyrie or Queen of Asgard! I don't want to."
"Don't want to… Don't want to…" Kory's muttering turned into laughter that worsened. Aaricia had to let go so that Kory could stand up and keep laughing while holding her stomach. She kept laughing until she growled furiously and punched down a boulder into sand-sized chunks. "Do you not see where 'I don't want to' has led me? Do you not understand that in all my life, 'I don't want to' has just led me into doing things I never wanted to do? Can you not grasp that after Odin basically told me in a few sentences that I will be losing everything to some self-entitled god who wants rainbow pebbles and if a miraculous solution is found, I don't get back the same family I had and I could lose you to a crown? You could basically die a second time and be revived just so that Asgardians can finally shout 'Yippee Ki Yay, the Odinson line is back on the throne!'"
"Well we either stop the guy or I just don't do the last part if I come back. We'll just booze our hearts out to whatever sappy movie they'll rerun on TV."
Kory slightly smirked, her skin turning more flesh-colored. "Honestly, if it weren't for Thor, your optimism could make you pass as a female Captain America…"
"I'll skip the tight pants. You're lucky everyone's oblivious, otherwise you'd need sunglasses to hide where your eyes are going."
"Hah!"
"Come on." Aaricia held out her hand. "I don't know about you, but there's a bunch of lousy people I would very much like to destroy in Gibraltar."
Kory kept smiling and accepted Aaricia's hand. The sister started making their way back to Thor and Loki. "By the way, who was that gothic witch in your memories? The one you met just after Odin died?" Aaricia asked.
"Ah. Nico Minoru." Kory scratched her nose. "She's not much older than you but we got in touch weeks before, you know, my wallowing at the coffee shop. Nico and her friends were on the run from PRIDE, a group formed by their parents who sacrificed teenagers to rejuvenate an evil alien. Her mother studied at Kamar-Thaj, you know, where Doctor Strange learned magic. You're gonna laugh, but I knew Nico's mom back in the days where I took trips to enhance my magic. The Ancient One thought Tina Minoru would have a promising career as a guardian of the Hong Kong Sanctum Sanctorum but Tina chose to go to LA, where…" Kory sighed. "She used her magic and her technological skills to create a magi-tech scepter for the purposes of PRIDE. When Nico learned what her parents did… how they lied… how their involvements with the bad alien cost her sister's life, she stole the scepter. Nico and her friends formed a group called the Runaways, and one of the Masters of the Mystics who kept an eye on Tina's activities told me about Nico. Asked me to comfort her."
"Did it work?"
"Nico and I exchange letters, spells, and emails, but don't get your hopes up. There's no way I can call her to help us on an Avenger-scale problem!"
"Nah, I get it. Some heroes would prefer to stay under the radar."
They finally got to Thor and Loki. "I'm sorry I intruded your memories…" Loki spoke up.
Kory merely raised her hand to stop him. "We'll just say that this will be the last and only time you do."
"We must hurry." Thor adjusted his eye-patch. "Once Stark and the others complete the serum, we must all split into teams to block the final plague from spreading all over the world. The main problem will be how to stop the final plague itself and Seth."
"Maybe the kid could eat Seth?" Loki humorously suggested.
"We are NOT encouraging Reptil to eat Seth." Thor shook his head.
"Uh, what's that?" Aaricia pointed at the other side of the river. Well shrouded from the eyes of civilians but hard to be ignored by the group, a monster the size of a great white shark napped by the bridge. Curious, they crossed the river and cautiously approached the monster. The massive beast had the head of a crocodile, the upper body of a lion, and the lower body of a hippopotamus. Its teeth were of solid gold, its mane messy despite the golden headpieces, and hieroglyph tattoos glowed in orange lights on its lower body as if to synchronize with its subtle breathing.
"Ammit." Loki said.
"Dammit alright… I don't think Jormugand could swallow this…" Kory was shocked.
"Not dammit. Ammit." Loki's response was met by the confused glances of Kory and Aaricia. "The devourer of souls?" He rolled his eyes after they failed to connect the dots. "Anubis' pet monster."
"That's Ammit?" Thor pointed at the sleeping chimera. "How did she even get here? And more importantly, how is Anubis unaware that his giant pet is sleeping by a river near his workplace?"
"I still don't know why I never heard of Anubis owning a pet that devours souls," Kory cut in.
"Kory, do you know anything about the rites when Anubis had to ferry souls to the Rapharion underworld?" Loki couldn't believe his own daughter didn't know it. "The section where there's the scales, the gods, and the whole ordeal where they rip out the soul's heart to compare its wait to the feather of Maat? Do you even know what happens when the weight of the heart is heavier than the feather?"
"Ammit was tasked to eat the hearts of the souls unworthy to go into the underworld," Thor gave a direct description. "It's believed that once Ammit devours a heart and digests it, her stomach transports the soul to the very center of Celestial existence within the universe, where they are trapped in a barren wasteland where time is never constant."
"So she's a big carnivore and a portal?" Aaricia grinned. "I think I have an idea."
The day came
After the mishap where Anubis had beaten up Quetzalcoatl due to his distress of his pet's unknown whereabouts, Anubis and Marion were sedated so that they wouldn't interfere. By the time the effects had worn off, they were unhappy to see that they were no longer underground in Egypt but at the border of Morocco and Spain-Portugal. At first glance, it would seem like the Straits of Gibraltar would have a serene atmosphere, with the Atlantic and Mediterranean blue waters crossing together and splashing onto the white cliffs' beaches. The sun was showing off rainbow colors in the horizon, making it clear that sunset was approaching. The sarcophagus holding Nephtys was placed just by the edge of the cliff. Marion couldn't budge with the cuff bracelet threatening to burn her ankle as Seth forced Anubis up and to come stand by him in front of the sarcophagus.
"Nephtys will be joining us and humanity can do nothing but be mostly purged." Seth tightened his grip on Anubis' hands. "I complete my quest, I marked the lands that will spread the final judgment, and mortals will fall as the breath of firstborns are stolen. We give birth to thee, Nephtys, goddess of mourning and the final plague, the angel of death! Rise and smite them all!" With the grasp he had on Anubis, Seth felt the glowing pulses of the Eye of Ra as it went through their veins and struck the sarcophagus. The waves got restless and the beautiful rainbow sky suddenly turned into various shades of orange. The sarcophagus broke open and the winged humanoid, the final plague and goddess emerged. As the winds intensified, Nephtys grew into a giantess that wailed at the sky.
"YES!" Seth let go of Anubis. "I will succeed! In a matter of seconds, she will be sucking in all the souls she needs!" Nephtys kept screaming and wailing like a tornado for minutes, but nothing happened. An earthquake shook the Strait of Gibraltar. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Seth demanded.
"Maybe she's taking her time in consumption?" Kali guessed.
"No! The firstborn souls should be pulled towards her! We should hear the wailing of souls by now!" Seth sensed something and moved out of the way before a blast could hit him. From the Atlantic Ocean, a floating surface approached the Strait, carrying Iron Man, Captain America, the currently dysfunctional Asgardian family, and Reptil.
"Check your radars again, Walking Dead!" Iron Man declared when the group finally got on land.
"What have you done to my work?" Seth growled while Nephtys continued to wail.
"Easy. After some serious calculating, we located where you'd geyser the plague on the pinpoints, and with the help of a special serum, the other Avengers clogged them. Which means that if you want your final plague to feast on firstborns, you'll have to go through us first."
Seth snarled. "You all repulse me!"
"I don't think they care." Anubis pulled out his ankh scepter and slashed Seth on the face with it. As Seth clutched onto his wound, Anubis pushed him and the two landed in the Mediterranean. Iron Man and Thor engaged in confronting Quetzalcoatl, Kory, Loki, and Reptil pitted against Kali, and while Captain America went towards Nephtys, Aaricia used her sword to rip off the cuff bracelet off Marion.
"What's with your getup?" Aaricia asked. "You look like a Wikipedia picture."
"Uh, excuse me, I'm not the one who shows up looking like She-Ra." Marion gestured at Aaricia's new getup.
Flashback to when Aaricia had explained her plan
"Anybody got advice on how to suit up for battle?" Aaricia asked once she was done explaining her plan. "I'd rather not go back in that NU uniform."
"Bummer, blue and black are a good combo for you." Loki pondered. "You know if we have any Asgardian armor in stock, brother?"
"I think I might know someone who happens to have a suit big enough for Aaricia," Thor smirked. "And I think my old helmet might come in handy."
Back to the present
"So the only real Valkyrie left in the universe let you borrow her uniform, which happens to now have your favorite color palette, and Thor gave you his winged helmet that he never uses?" Marion asked as Aaricia handed her a crossbow. "So what's the plan?"
"I got a plan, but I got to know if you and Anubis have one as well," Aaricia said. "I might have a plan that can expel the final plague out of this dimension. What's yours?"
"Um, Anubis and I managed to practice on a spell that can awaken Ra in order to untether Anubis from the Soul Stone without killing him. Problem is that we only have until sundown, so we got a few minutes left! Oh, and Seth used the soul of his wife to possess Sharon Carter and turn her into the final plague!"
"Dude, that's messed up!" Quetzalcoatl was easily using his feathers to cloak himself from his foes, Kali easily crushed through the ice and seemed to entertain herself with talking to Reptil, Captain America looked like he was trying to talk things out with the final plague (which worked and didn't surprise Aaricia), and Seth and Anubis did the strangest thing ever: they grew into massive humanoid creatures with gold and amber-colored armors and animal heads matching their legends and were basically wrestling each other, causing a series of tidal waves in the Mediterranean. "OK, hide behind a rock and recite that spell! I'm going to occupy the bad guys!"
Aaricia repositioned the helmet onto her head and ran at the fight. She got just in time to throw a rainbow bolt at Quetzalcoatl at the same time as her ancestor. "Miss me?" She teased.
"Good timing, Rainbow Dash!" Iron Man prepared to shoot a blast, but Quetzalcoatl blew him aside, causing Iron Man to crash onto Thor.
"This fight is between me and the descendant of Thor!" Quetzalcoatl snarled. Aaricia pointed her sword at him.
"You hurt my sister's brother…" Aaricia growled.
"And you failed your own destiny." Quetzalcoatl sneered as he drew out a giant blade. "Killing Jormugand would mean being able to kill me, which would have given you the strength to kill Thanos. You chose a loophole. It's going to bite you big time."
"I'm not a killer." Aaricia shook her head and drew her sword back in.
"Non-killers are the ones who get sacrificed, blood of Thor! Either I kill you or you kill me!"
"It's not 'blood of Thor'. It's Aaricia Thorsdottir… and meet Ammit."
The mode of transportation the Avengers had used suddenly flew into the sky and Ammit rose from the waters. Aaricia made a run for it while Ammit opened her mouth and took a deep breath, inhaling rocks, grass, seagulls, and a screaming Quetzalcoatl into her stomach. The death of the serpent god caught Kali off guard and Reptil, in a Triceratops form, impaled Kali on the chest with his horns. Though she was horrified at her own death, Kali couldn't help but give a smug grin at Reptil and pat his head with one of her hands before dying. Reptil converted back into his human form, unhappy as to what occurred. He didn't like to see his dying foe acting like she was proud of him.
Meanwhile, the fight between Seth and Anubis worsened.
"I WILL MAKE YOU PHARAOH! WE WILL RULE THE WORLD TOGETHER!" Seth howled.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT REIGNS! I HAD A LIFE AND YOU CHOSE TO RUIN IT FOR ME!"
"OSIRIS ALREADY DID THAT TO US! BUT IF THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL, MAYBE DICING YOU UP AND THROWING YOUR REMAINS ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER PERSPECTIVE!"
"Please!" Steve tried to reason with the final plague. "Can't you release Sharon?"
"I want to, mortal! I really do!" The plague shouted. "But unless the Eye of Ra is untethered from Seth's blood, we will be doomed to feast on firstborns!"
The Avengers were running low on ideas on how to stop the clash between Seth and Anubis, who were on the brink of creating a hurricane. The sun was dangerously getting close to setting.
Ra, morning and evening star
The work of your guardian has gone too far.
We summon thee to end what you started.
Though we know you have long departed,
The Eye of Ra must be broken through untethering
So bring out what's within and keep the sun shining.
And just like that, the sun froze just before it could properly set. Seth and Anubis were about to brawl again until they suddenly froze like statues and shrank. Iron Man flew and caught Anubis while Loki and Kory trapped Seth in an iceberg. The sky's orange coloring darkened, but not in the sense where it suddenly became a starry night but in the sense where they might as well be surrounded by the darkest of all darkness. In the heart of the darkness, a glowing form emerged from the darkness. It did not have a concrete form, but based on its movements, it looked humanoid.
"Ra himself…" Thor dropped on his knees.
Kory and Loki rechecked their iceberg. For a moment, they could have sworn that Seth's anguished screams were shaking the ice.
"Seth Gebson, you shame me." A condescending voice came from the glowing form that was Ra before he moved to Iron Man, who still held Anubis as the latter managed to regain his senses just in time to witness the one thing he never thought he'd have the honor to witness.
"Lord Ra…" Anubis felt like crying. Iron Man let him down so that Anubis could kneel before Ra.
"Anubis Sethson," Ra said in a proud tone. "The worthiest guardian. I award you your freedom."
The father of all Rapharions sank his glowing fingers into the Eye of Ra and ripped the jewel off the necklace. Orange sparks flew everywhere as Anubis screamed in anguish. Aaricia had to hold Marion back before she could run for Anubis, but the young god managed to survive the pain and choked for some air. As he ripped off the golden necklace off him, they watched Ra as he crushed the jewel in his bare hands. The final plague stopped its wailing and reduced itself into an unconscious, perfectly normal Sharon Carter who fell in Captain America's arms. Once the crumbling dust fell out of his fingers, he reached down and opened up his hand in front of Anubis. On the glowing palm, the Soul Stone shined brightest.
"Expel it from the Earth as you please. But know that by surrendering the Soul Stone, it comes with its generous reward of returning the soul of something beloved." Ra let the Soul Stone slip in Anubis' hand before pointing a glowing finger at the frozen Seth. "Your last punishment was far too generous! For your crimes against my people and mortals, I banish you, Seth Gebson, to die upon arrival in Jotunheim!" A golden portal opened underneath the iceberg and dragged the god of deserts right through it, making it officially the last time Anubis would ever have to see his father again. Without even saying a word, Ra vanished, possibly to return to his endless slumber. The darkness disappeared and the starry night reappeared.
Ammit approached Anubis, who gave a smile at his pet. "Open wide, big girl." He raised the Soul Stone in the air and threw it right into the monster's mouth. For a moment, they thought the Soul Stone would react and get clogged, but after Ammit let out a burp, it was pretty evident that the Infinity Stone was sent through time and space into another part of the universe. Something glowed and appeared by Anubis' feet, a woman shuddering under the grey sheet that covered her wings.
"Well done, Anubis!" Thor proudly patted Anubis on the back. "We saved the world! You're a hero!"
"Yeah… and this is the part where we split."
Iron Man's comment startled everyone besides Captain America.
"What do you mean?" Reptil asked. "We got to go see if the other Avengers are…"
"Don't you get it, kid?" Iron Man snapped. "This was a one-time reunion! The Sokovia Accords were put on hold for this ONE global crisis! Did you think that because we teamed up again, it was going to stick?"
"We all did…" Thor shook his head.
"Ross will be expecting a signature from you."
"No signature will come from me because Loki and I are leaving Earth with Banner and Heimdall." Thor shook his head.
"Really? You're going to leave Earth again?" Iron Man couldn't believe it.
"Yep." Aaricia nodded. "Just about now, Tiresias and the other divine immigration organizations are working on mind wiping all involved mortals on the event, and to make sure that it doesn't become a problem, my ancestor and uncle are leaving to find any other Asgardians remaining in the universe."
"Was this part of your plan?" Marion asked.
"You want the mortals to start throwing the Sokovia Accords on us? To pester Anubis as to why he threw an Infinity Stone in the inter-dimensional portal that lives within his pet? To persecute the Asgardians remaining on Earth because my uncle is among them? To begin a bounty list of all non-humans on Earth?"
"So you think that brainwashing thousands is your best solution? I don't believe this! Can you, Cap? Cap?" Iron Man looked around and saw that Captain America had vanished with Sharon Carter. "Son of a bitch."
"Look on the bright side, Stark," Anubis shrugged. "They're right. By the time the mind wipe comes, it will be as if you two weren't friends again for a few weeks. Exactly how you want it."
Iron Man said nothing and just flew away. Based on the direction he took, it looked like he was going to cross the Atlantic to reach home. "I did hope that this quest would have reunited them," Thor said sadly.
"You'll get to see it one day, brother." Loki reassured him. "It worked on us."
Nephtys was struggling to regain consciousness, so Marion and Anubis helped her stand up.
"Where am I?" She gasped.
"Um, judging by where we're standing, we're technically near Morocco…" Marion said.
"Who…" Nephtys paused and blinked when she saw Anubis. After her blinking ceased, her golden eyes were revealed to be exactly like his. "Are you…?" A smile cried its way through her lips. "My baby." Either it was exhaustion or emotion, but regardless, she fell into Anubis' arms.
"I still can't believe I got to fight with the best heroes ever and now I'm going to forget everything…" Reptil rubbed his hands as he stared at the stars reflecting in the ocean while Aaricia stood next to him. "I don't want to forget… I don't want to lose control again."
"You won't." Aaricia shook her head. "I had Tiresias swear on the River Styx that you wouldn't be mind wiped."
"Really?" Reptil was surprised. "Why?"
"You need help, and frankly I'm still spooked by how you literally ate a half-Jotun. I know a place in the middle of nowhere in the US, known strictly to two friends and me. When I pull the right strings, your folks will be taking you to regular weekend trips in the West so you can practice on how to control your powers."
"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" Reptil hugged Aaricia, scaring her a bit until he made it clear that it was out of joy than of hunger. He still had a goofy grin on him when he pulled back. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Humberto Lopez."
Aaricia smiled in amusement. "I had at least 24 hours to pass introductions and it totally slipped me." Aaricia shook hands with him. "Aaricia Thorsdottir."