Lacerta laid back on the roof of the castle, a bored expression on his face. Today had been completely uneventful so far. His father was gone taking care of another anomaly in Tartarus, the rest of the Crew were busy with their parents, and there were no missions or even errands for him to take care of. Well, at least none that he knew of anyway.

It irked him. He knew that somewhere out there some rebel or raider needed to be taken down, or there were some kind of beasts harassing a village. But he was sitting here in a castle doing nothing. He sat up and grit his teeth. Dorado and his team had been sent to go deal with some disputes between two neighboring tribes, and while he would have loved the look on his face when he showed up, he wasn't interested.

Settling arguments wasn't something he couldn't do, but Dorado was more than capable of it, and it was just going to be him sitting there being bored while he did all the talking.

It wasn't like he was hoping for something bad to happen or anything. But he just wished there was something to do. He would have even settled for doing a supply run for his mother or something like that. Or hell, even training with Cetus. That would have at least given him a few laughs. Not that the baby would have been up for it.

He jumped up to his feet and then shot a blast of flames into the air. "Crap, why does everything have to be so boring!" he said annoyed.

As if one cue, he saw a bright light suddenly go off in the distance. He looked off towards the direction it came from, a curious expression on his face. What in the hell was that? It looked like… a bright light? Flames? Yeah, he could feel the head from here. Which was pretty impressive.

He could also feel a really strange magic coming from there. Almost the same kind he usually felt coming off of that Makaria chick his brother hung around sometimes. But it was slightly different. "Well, looks like I'm not gonna be bored after all," he said before spreading his wings and taking off toward whatever it was.

With his father away and his brother halfway across mewni, naturally it fell to him to find out and deal with whatever this was. He shot flames from his feet, boosting himself forward towards the source of the light and power. It didn't take him long to close the distance. When it came to traveling speed, he was the fastest flyer out there. Save for Dagon anyway.

As he got closer, he saw what looked like a pillar of fire rising up into the air. He landed down in front of it, making his way forward raising his hand. He tried to disperse the flames and see whatever it was making this thing, but he couldn't. Which was weird. Usually he had no problem manipulating flames, even ones that weren't his own.

The flames suddenly began to swirl around, then slowly shrunk down and were pulled into a single source. The palm of a hand that had been raised in the air.

Said hand belonged to a young woman, who looked like she was about sixteen years old. The girl had short messy red hair, with two small braids on the side of it. She had black scleras with dark red eyes. She was on the slim side, but Lacerta could see that she was strong. If the red armor, battle ace, and shield she carried weren't enough of a giveaway, her muscles were a clear sign she was a warrior.

She looked up towards him with a glare, and Lacerta immediately went on guard. There was something off about this girl, and his instincts were going nuts.

She wasn't a titan, that much was clear. But… she wasn't a god either. At least not a full blooded one. It felt almost… like that old dude Argus or something. But that couldn't have been possible. The only other one like him was supposed to be Glossaryck. "The fuck are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

The girl kept staring at him for a bit, and then frowned. "You're not Asterossa…"

Lacerta grunted. "You looking for my old man huh? You some earth deity from back in the day or something?" he asked. "If so, you came a long way for nothing. He's not here. But if it's an asskicking you're looking for I'm happy to do it in his place."

She tightened her grip on her axe. "I came here on a mission looking for the strongest of titans. Not his brood. When will he be returning?" she asked.

"Don't know, and even if I did I don't have any reason to tell you. Now I'm gonna ask you again, who the fuck are you."

"I will answer to Asterossa, and Asterossa only," she said simply. She looked over towards the castle. "You're his son, are you not? And you came from that castle? It must be his then. I will wait there for him to return."

Lacerta walked forward, stepping in front of her. He had nearly a foot on the girl, so he had to look down to meet her eyes. "Since you're not from around here, let me fill you in one something. We don't just let strangers walk up in the castle without knowing who they are," he said, a dangerous look in his eye.

For all he knew this chick could be here to assassinate him or something. She didn't exactly look friendly, and she was giving off some really suspicious vibes. She didn't back down from him however, her gaze just as threatening as his own. "I need to see Asterossa…" she said simply.

"Why?"

"That's not of your concern."

"The hell it isn't." She moved around and tried to walk past him, but Lacerta reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hey, didn't you hear what I said?! Until you start giving some answers then you're not going anywhere near-!"

The girl suddenly raised her other hand towards him. "Don't touch me. Burn."

A blast of fire shot from her hands, the flames coming from her so intense they could once again be seen all the way from the castle. Everything in front of her had been torched. The grass, the tree, the bushes. Even the ground itself was scorched.

The only thing that had been left standing was her intended target, Lacerta.

The prince scowled as he lowered his arms, and the girl looked mildly surprised. She had intended to turn him to ashes, and yet here he was, with nothing more than a few mild burns which were quickly beginning to heal. "Interesting…" she muttered.

Lacerta narrowed his eyes. She burned him. She had actually managed to burn him. That… just felt plain wrong. Lacerta's fire magic was second to none, and so was his invulnerability to it. The only one who had been able to burn him was his father, and even then that was when he was really turning up the heat and using his black flames.

How the hell had this girl done it?

Well, he'd find out sooner or later. Whether she fessed up now, or he beat it out of her later. "My turn, bitch." He raised his hand and fired back, sending a massive wave of flames towards her. Not one to be outdone, he had made sure his flames were much larger than the ones she'd sent at him.

Just as she was about to be engulfed by them however, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Lacerta went wide eyed as his flames suddenly dispersed, vanishing right into thin air. "What the-?" She was already in front of him before he could finish the question.

Her fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying back. He tried to spread his wings and stop himself, but she leapt forward and then punched him, knocking him into the ground. The air left Lacerta's lungs, and before he could even think about reclaiming it, the girl swung her axe and slashed him across the chest.

The cut was deep, and blood spilled from his torso. The girl hummed and looked down at him curiously. "I meant to cleave you in half," she said standing back up. "I guess titans are really durable." Still, she doubted he was getting up anytime soon with an injury like that. She turned around and prepared to head for the castle.

But then suddenly a hand grabbed the back of her head. Her eyes widened as Lacerta slammed her face to the ground, letting out a feral growled. He started to run, dragging her against the ground as he did. "Don't go turning your back on me, you dumb bitch!" he yelled furiously.

This chick was pissing him off, so holding back was out of the window now. He didn't care who she was or why she was here, all he cared about was making her regret crossing him. He kept going, ready to drag her halfway through mewni, but then she reached up and caught his wrist. She twisted her body, yanking him downward and raising her foot.

Her heel connected with his nose, sending him spinning back. She rolled back up to her feet and then charged at him with a growl. Lacerta braced himself for another attack by her axe, only for her to bash him in the chest with her shield. He slid back, wincing at the pain left by the blow.

"You're annoying me…" she said, gritting her teeth.

"Feeling fucking mutual!"

She raised her hand again and shot more flames, and Lacerts quickly did the same. Their attacks clashed, spiraling together and shooting up into the air. Lacerta growled as he kept turning up the heat. But, despite how much he was pouring into it, her flames seemed to be overpowering his.

This was insane. Nobody, mewman, titans, or god, could hold a candle to him when it came to firepower. So just who in the heck was this girl?

The girl looked equally annoyed. Why was it taking her so long to overpower him? He should have been nothing but a pile of ashes by now. He claimed he was Asterossa's son, but she should have been able to take on anyone but the King of Titans himself.

As the flames kept on rising, the two prepared to turn up the heat even more. But then suddenly a chilling wave of air passed over the area. Lacerta and the girl both looked confused as the spiraling pillar of flame they had made was suddenly frozen solid. The girl looked stunned, while Lacerta scowled.

"What the hell is going on here…?"

The two both turned and watched as Astro approached, a frown on his face. He had come back ready to relax and decompress after his trip to Tartarus, but the moment he stepped through the portal he felt an insultingly absurd amount of magic clashing. And he had felt the heat all the way from the courtyard.

Lacerta nodded towards the girl. "Ask the psycho chick over here. She showed up looking for you and tried to get into the castle. She wouldn't tell me who she was or what she wanted," he said glaring at her.

Astro hummed, looking over at the mysterious redhead. "And who exactly are you?"

"My name is Bergljot. I hail from the Norse Pantheon of Earth gods. I was sent by Oden to find the King of the titans. I have a special message to deliver," she said. She was honestly still a bit shocked by anyone, even him could stop her flames. Let along freeze them. But she would worry about that later.

Astro raised an eyebrow. Odin? The last time he had checked Thor was supposed to be the one leading the Norse Pantheon now. Had something happened? Lacerta on the other hand growled. He knew his family had issues with the earth gods. Most of the grudge was between them and the Greek Pantheon, but they didn't have much love for or from the other either.

"Okay, so how did you end up getting into a fight with my son," Astro asked.

"I attempted to wait for you to return to the castle, he got in my way. I acted accordingly."

"You could have just explained yourself…"

"My mission was to deliver the message to you, and you only."

Astro sighed. So she was the straight laced type. He knew there were a few gods in the Norse Pantheon like that. "Well, here I am. What's the message?" he asked.

"Thor would like an audience with you. To talk about something of great importance."

Astro and Lacerta stood and waited for her to continue. But after a very long moment of silence, they realized she wasn't planning to. "Is… is that it?" Astro asked.

"Yes."

Lacerta frowned. "What the hell? You came here and did all this shit just to say that? You could have just told me that," he said angrily.

"I was told to give the message to-"

"Asterossa, yeah! I got it!"

Astro looked confused. "I'm confused. Thor wants an audience, but Odin was the one who sent you here? What's happening in Asgard right now?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I just follow orders," Bergljot said simply. "And with that, I shall take my leave. I hope to see you in Asgard soon." She nodded towards him and then raised her axe into the air. Flames started to form around her, signalling she was about to vanish.

Lacerta narrowed his eyes before stepping forward. "Hey Red!" he yelled. Bergljot turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "Next time I see you, we finish the fight."

Bergljot hummed. "I hope your flames are a little stronger, for you sake…"

The flames around her shot up, engulfing her and then dispersing into thin air. There were nothing but scorch marks left behind in her place. Lacerta grit his teeth, balling his fist up angrily. "Are you alright?" Astro asked, looking towards his son.

"I'm fine," Lacerta said, clearly irritated.

Astro recognized that look in his face. It was clear that the girl had put up quite a fight, and he was holding a grudge over it. He would have to make sure that he kept an idea on him so he didn't try to sneak off to earth and do something reckless.

"You going to Asgard, old man?"

"I am. And before you ask, no, you can't come." Lacerta cursed under his breath. "Thor and I are old acquaintances, so I wouldn't fret over this. I just wonder why his father sent that girl of all people… I'm also wondering just who she really is."

Lacerta grunted. "You sensed something was off too?"

Astro nodded. The girl was odd, and not just in terms of personality. He had been in the presence of gods before, and they all gave off a similar aura. Even ones from different pantheons tended to have a… divine energy, or something like that. But hers felt different. It was more akin to Argus or… no, that wasn't possible.

Still, he would make sure to ask Thor about it when he met up with him.

"Old man, since you're back already I want you to train with me and-"

"Later Lacerta. Where's your mother?"

"Which one?"

"Either. It's been a long trip and I'm tired."

"So go to bed. Why do you need mom to… oh… c'mon man!"

"You're sixteen. I'm too tired to keep pretending in front of you…"

A/N: A new character introduced! One who's packing even more firepower than Lacerta! I wanted to give this character a more Norse/Viking aesthetic. Planting some seeds for some future AU plots... hope you guys enjoyed!