HIIII! I'M BACKKK. HERE'S THE NEW UPDATE. THANK YOU GRINCH AND GUEST FOR THE REVIEWS AGAIN! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND I WILL NEVER FORGET IT. THANK YOU ALSO TO Flightdealer FOR ADDING ME TO THEIR AUTHOR SUBSCRIPTIONS! IT MEANS A LOT! ANYWAY, PLEASE DO ENJOY AND IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, PLEASE DROP A REVIEW. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS. STAY SAFE!

One step at a time. That's what Rory repeated to herself as she struggled to walk, even with Apollo's help. The weight of the baby had taken a great toll on her. Her ankles hurt which didn't do her any favours with the amount of walking they had to do. The lower muscles of her back were sore as if she had slept in the wrong position the entire night.

Apollo glanced at her, worry clearly seen in his eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," she muttered, but she was clearly not. The cold wasn't any good either but Apollo's body heat provided some comfort.

"Are you sure?" her boyfriend pressed on.

"DO I LOOK OK? MY BACK HURTS AND SO DO MY FEET! OF COURSE I'M NOT OK!" she suddenly snapped, taking the sun god by surprise. Apollo pursed his lips, scolding himself for asking such a stupid question. He knew it was her hormones acting up so he couldn't really blame her.

"Maybe we should take a break." Achilles suggested from the front. "There's a town within the next few miles. We can get some new clothes to help stay warm."

Rory gave her a weak nod, stopping while Apollo helped her sit and lean against a rock. They sat just on the bank of a river, the clear waters flowing smoothly. Rory gave a pained groan as she clutched her stomach while Apollo rushed to her side immediately.

"What's wrong with her?" Achilles asked, his eyes wide and heavy with alarm.

"Cramps." Rory managed to get out before she shut her eyes tightly clearly suppressing another groan.

"Yea, maybe we should call it a day. The sun's beginning to set anyway." Achilles said before he scrunched his brow in thought. He turned to Apollo before asking, "Who drives the sun now that you're not there?"

Apollo looked at him with an expression that said "really?" before answering, "It goes on autopilot when I don't drive it."

"So why don't you just leave it on auto-pilot forever? More free time for yourself" his brother suggested.

Apollo deadpanned. "I'd like to have a purpose in life, thank you very much. Plus, it still needs to be managed."

"So what about the moon? How is it that we still see it at night even if Artemis' chariot crashed?" Achilles asked.

Apollo threw his arms up in exasperation. "I don't know! She probably has a spare!"

The war god gave him a weird look before shrugging and pulling out his dagger, probably to catch some food.

The sun god turned back to Rory, wiping a clean rag over her forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm going to explode." The underworld goddess muttered.

Apollo winced before getting up and gathering sticks to build a fire.

After an hour, Achilles came back, three dead rabbits clutched in his fist. They were all out of Ambrosia and Nectar so they had to live off the land and what it had to offer. He walked up to the fire, Apollo preparing skewers, using his arrows as a substitute. Using his knife, Achilles began to skin their dinner, crimson fluid staining his hands and arms.

Rory, taking notice, widened her eyes before they started to shine with tears. She began to sniffle, before her lip curled outwards.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Apollo asked softly.

She pointed at Achilles who had his knife midway through the last rabbit and was staring back at her with confusion and awkwardness.

"What did I do?" Achilles asked.

"You killed them." Rory sputtered out.

Achilles didn't know what to say, his eyes wide and his lips held in a thin line as he looked at his brother.

"We have to eat, Rory. Especially you. You need your strength." Apollo reminded her gently.

"Did you think about their families?!" Rory asked in an accusatory tone towards the war god.

"I...uh...I'm sure they understand," he said, still confused on why a goddess from the underworld was so peeved about skinning dead rabbits.

"How do you know? Did they tell you? What about their babies?!" she continued on.

Apollo turned away, his eyes focussing on the river and his teeth bit on his bottom lip while he tried to suppress his laughter.

Achilles squirmed, not really having anything to say before he turned the other direction and continued his work.

Apollo patted Rory on the shoulder before sitting next to his brother. "It's the hormones," he whispered.

"You could have told me that earlier. I'm the war god for Hades' sake. I'm not supposed to feel guilty about killing rabbits." Achilles hissed.

Apollo chuckled, grabbing the first rabbit and skewering it before placing it over the fire to cook.

"I'm never having children." his younger brother muttered as he finished with the last rabbit.

"Never say never." Apollo sang. "Callista might want some babies." he teased, earning himself a smack to the head.

"Shut it."

"You need to talk to her. You love each other! It's quite obvious, you know." Apollo advised.

"It's complicated."

Apollo scoffed. "Excuses."

Achilles turned to him, his eyes dangerously dark. "She hasn't said a word to me since we crashed. I even forgot she was there when we were planning!"

"Now that you say it, you're right. She took off with Artemis and Katlyn without a word."

"I wonder how they're doing." Achilles said.

Ω

"Keep running!" Artemis yelled before vaulting over a log and firing an arrow. Satisfied to see that the arrow found its mark, she turned on her heels and ran.

Katlyn and Callista were a few paces ahead, both of them running with all they could muster. A group of elves had picked up their tracks and had been chasing them for the past hour. They would have stayed and fought but it was actually more of a small army rather than a group.

Callista felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand before instinctively turning and parrying an arrow away with her sword. Katlyn stopped, drawing her spear, and began to deflect arrows. Artemis reached them, standing between the two other goddesses before firing arrows at the foreign monsters that came running towards them.

"Go. I'll cover you!" Artemis said as she ducked her head to avoid an arrow.

Katlyn and Callista nodded at each other before releasing battle cries and charging the enemy.

Callista leaped over a rock, using her momentum to spin before bringing her sword down on the terrified elf. Getting back up on her feet, she raised her sword just in time to block a spear that would have run through her stomach. Grabbing the weapon with her left hand, Callista pulled the elf towards her before bringing her sword down on its arm before separating its head from its shoulders.

Katlyn hurled her spear at the elf in front of her, pinning it to a tree before drawing her daggers. Dodging an arrow, she turned one-eighty before slashing upwards and killing the next one. A sword made its way towards her left side but the goddess was faster. Gracefully spinning, she dodged the weapon before thrusting her dagger into the elf's neck.

"Katlyn behind you!" Callista shouted but before the elf could strike her friend down, an arrow entered through its pointy ear and sprouted out through the other.

Katlyn turned around, eyes wide and focused on the dead elf before shifting her gaze to Artemis who gave her a nod. Turning back to the fight, she sheathed her daggers and pulled her spear from the dead elf on the tree. Thrusting forward, she impaled two more.

Callista found herself backed up against a tree. Two elves had decided to team up on her but the goddess skillfully parried and blocked their strikes. She was part of the Royal Guard after all. She continued to block before the elf to her right made a mistake. Smirking, Callista feinted to the left before turning and watching as the elves stabbed each other.

"Fall back!" Katlyn shouted from a rock, a gash above her left eyebrow.

Callista nodded, wiping the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. A few more elves with a horde of draugar began to appear from the distance. Yup, time to go.

"We can't outrun them," Artemis said with an arrow knocked as she aimed.

Katlyn clicked her tongue. "I didn't imagine going out like this."

"Same." Callista agreed.

"It is what is," Artemis muttered as the three of them took their battle stances and prepared to fight.

But they didn't have to.

A volley of silver arrows came flying from all directions finding their marks on the draugr and elves. The goddesses watched in shock and confusion as elves instantly dropped dead as the arrows pierced them. Katlyn squinted her eyes, spotting blurs of silver through the trees cutting down the druagar who were trying to retreat.

"It's good to see you alive milady." a voice called from behind them.

Artemis turned, eyes wide as she recognized the voice. She found herself smiling as she stared at the raven-haired girl in front of her, decorated in silver armor. On her back, a quiver was strapped, similar to what Artemis used. And on her hand rested a silver bow while daggers were sheathed on her waist.

"Alexandra!" Artemis beamed, running over to her lieutenant and engulfing her into a hug.

The young girl, around the age of twenty or so, smiled and returned the hug with equal emotion.

Soon, girls in similar attire, around ten of them, appeared with smiles on their faces.

Artemis pulled away from the hug, still smiling as she stared at her friend. "How did you find us?"

Alexandra's smile disappeared from her face. "We'll need to sit for this, Lady Artemis. Greetings to you also, Lady Katlyn and Lady Callista" she said, greeting the other two goddesses who nodded in return.

The goddesses obliged, and watched as the Hunters of Artemis efficiently and quickly set up camp. Sooner than later, they had a fire going and dried mutton in their stomachs. They ate in silence, Callista furrowing her brow as she couldn't help but notice the grim feeling that was sinking into her stomach.

"How did you escape Olympus?" Artemis asked.

Alexandra sighed. "We were in the barracks when it happened. Out of nowhere, monsters came pouring in. We fought but we were forced to pull back. Twelve of our girls fell."

Artemis closed her eyes, the pain in her chest all too familiar.

"We hid out until things calmed down. Milady…. There were so many dead." Alexandra croaked, her eyes stinging with tears. Sniffing and using her sleeve, she wiped her brown eyes.

Regaining her composure, she continued, the goddesses listening intently. "We made our way to the throne room, thinking we could rally the Black Guard and the Royal Guard but… they were all dead. Their bodies littered across the steps. They put up a fight but it wasn't enough."

"Achilles and Apollo will have Hela's head for this," Katlyn growled. Callista nodded in agreement.

"I regret to inform you, but that is not the end of Hela's cruelty," Alexandra said, a dark look taking over her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Callista asked.

"We hid in the shadows of the throne room. The Olympians were in chains and Hela said something about keeping them alive for now." The lieutenant informed.

Artemis sighed in relief, knowing that her family was ok.

"But… They executed someone. The beheaded Lord Magnus." Alexandra told them and immediately, she saw the broken looks cross the goddesses' faces. Katlyn, shot up from the ground, her face morphed into one of rage.

"NO! It must have been someone else!" she protested, refusing to believe that her friend was dead.

Alexandra shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry my lady but I know what I saw."

Katlyn stormed off, her knuckles white as she clenched her fist tightly, off to go mourn for the loss of her friend.

"He'll reform right?" Callista asked Artemis.

Alexandra answered her. "Hela said that if you are killed by a foreign god's weapon, you fade. The elf king killed Lord Magnus with his own spear."

Artemis and Callista sat in shock as they processed what they heard. Magnus had a good heart. Always kind and loving. He was the last god to deserve such a fate.

Artemis bristled with anger. "Then we will kill every elf we come across."

"You should get some rest, Lady Artemis. We can discuss our plans tomorrow." her lieutenant suggested.

Artemis nodded, rising to her feet. "Thank you, Alexandra." She said sincerely before walking over to the tent that they had set up for her.

Callista followed, nodding in thanks to the lieutenant.

Ω

"Remind me again why we have to braid it," Hermes said as Thor's large fingers tied the styled knots on his hair. They had agreed the night before that Hermes would have to look the part and that included a haircut. His once long brown hair was no more. Instead, the sides of his head were shaved, leaving only the top of his head to be tied into a braid that reached the bottom of his neck.

Thor slipped in the braid clasp that he used for his beard to secure the braid. "Unless yah want to look like the village idiot, it's necessary."

Hermes lifted his brow as he felt Thor tug on his hair. "Do they mean anything? The braids?"

"Aye, they do. Means yur a warrior. A true Viking." Thor answered.

"But I'm not."

"A' believe a disguise requires yah to look like the real thing, don't yah think lad?" Thor said teasingly.

Hermes grumbled, as his thoughts drifted away. He thought about his family. His home. What happened to the rest of Olympus? Did they defeat Hela? He doubted that. If Hela was defeated, he wouldn't be sitting here having his hair braided by a large foreign god.

"All done!" Thor announced, looking quite proud of his work.

Hermes turned to face him. "I don't look stupid, do I?"

"See for yourself," Thor suggested, pointing to a small pond next to the cave they sat in. They were close to the village now. A few more hours of walking and they would be there. Thor's plan was to acquire new clothes, maybe stay there for a day or two before heading out to find a seer. Where they were going to find one, Hermes had no idea.

The young god walked over to the pond before leaning over to take a look at his reflection. What he saw surprised him. It wasn't as bad as he thought! He actually quite liked it. The sides of his head had been shaved, his hair being over a centimeter on those parts. He remembered Thor using his sword to do the work. Not the safest way but it clearly was suitable. What really surprised him was the top of his head. His hair was still long but this time pulled back and braided, the same way Thor braided his beard. In the end, there was a silver clasp with runic designs, to keep it in place. He could work with this.

"Oy! Keep staring and A'll start to think yur one of those princesses." Thor chuckled.

Hermes turned to him. "You did quite well, considering you have fingers the size of sausages." he teased back.

"You take that back!"

Hermes cackled before picking up his sword and strapping it to his waist. "Whatever. We should get moving."

"Aye." Thor agreed before picking up his hammer and stepping on the fire they had made. The flame had long died out but it was good to be sure. "Come along princess, we're not far from the village!" Thor called, Hermes following as he grumbled at the nickname.

They trekked the mountains for another hour, Hermes in awe by the sights. It was beautiful here. The mountains were tall, and the parts that weren't covered by snow were filled with rich, green grass or grey rocks. The water that flowed from the streams was crystal clear and fresh. It was nothing like Greece. You couldn't really compare the two but in Hermes' opinion, he appreciated the sights here much more.

"We're here," Thor said in a low voice. Hermes snapped out from his thoughts and took in the sight. The town wasn't very large. It was rather simple. Different from the towns in Greece surely. Where in Greece the houses were made from stone, here the houses were made of strong dark wood. The roofs in an odd triangle shape that Hermes had never seen before with a blanket of snow over them.

"It's nice," Hermes commented.

Thor looked at him, an eyebrow high. "A' guess so."

Suddenly, Hermes gained a thoughtful look. "Where are you going to keep your hammer?"

"Why would A' need to keep my hammer?" Thor asked, confused.

"I'm sure the hammer would give away your disguise."

Thor gave him a blank look. "Right," he said before throwing the hammer into the horizon, watching as the weapon flew away before it descended, disappearing from view.

"Why in Hades' name would you do that?!" Hermes asked in disbelief.

Thor shrugged. "A' can always recall it. Nobody can lift it anyway. It's not going anywhere, lad" he said as he patted Hermes' shoulder.

Hermes still stared at him before shaking his head and walking towards the village but Thor grabbed him by the arm. "Me first. And don't speak. A'll do the talking." he said in a tone that Hermes knew to take seriously.

They strolled in, only seconds passing before the odd looks came their way. The villagers stopped what they were doing, some of them openly staring at the pair as they walked. The children were held by their mothers as if they feared that they would be taken away. Hermes couldn't really blame them. While he didn't look very threatening, he couldn't say the same for Thor. The huge god was intimidating whether he liked it or not.

"You're scaring the children," Hermes murmured so that only Thor could hear.

"A' don't blame them. Hela's armies destroyed their homes. They'd be in the right to be wary of us." Thor whispered back.

Their small conversation came to a close when they reached a door which Thor used his hand to slowly open. They were met with the sight of a cozy-looking room. Fireplaces were placed on each wall, warming the room to beat the cold. There was a bar that was opposite to the door and tables to fill out the place. There was a fair amount of people present, ranging from old men and women to young men who looked rather healthy. They were in an inn, Hermes realized.

"Welcome!" The man behind the bar greeted, half-heartedly.

Thor raised a hand in greeting before walking over, Hermes close behind him.

"Greetings," Thor said.

"What can I get for you?" The innkeeper asked.

Thor reached into his pocket and pulled out three silver coins. "Two mugs of ale and stew do go with it."

The innkeeper smiled, taking the coins quickly as if they would disappear from the table. "I'll have them right up for you soon."

Thor smiled and nodded in thanks then made his way to a table taking the first chair and Hermes taking the second.

"They don't get much money around here, do they?" Hermes whispered as soon as he sat.

"Smart lad," Thor mumbled. "Aye. The war caused a lot of destruction. Many people don't have much money anymore."

Hermes nodded slowly before observing the room. A group of old men talked quietly at the table by the fire, mugs of ale in their hands. To their right sat a small family. The father and mother ate while the children quietly played with their toys. As he observed, something caught his eye. A group of men was not too old but not young either, staring at him and Thor piercingly. Hermes held their gazes before someone spoke.

"Here's your food." the voice called.

Hermes turned to see a young girl, maybe around the age of twenty, holding a tray with two bowls and two mugs. She wore a simple dress and a white apron over it. Her fiery red hair was held up by a ponytail revealing a headband that rested just at the line where her hair met her forehead.

The barmaid placed their orders on the table, smiling brightly at Hermes who gave her a friendly smile back.

"Enjoy," she said, before winking at Hermes who obviously nodded and turned to his food.

"She fancies yah." Thor muttered, smirking behind the rim of his mug of ale.

Hermes choked on his stew, spluttering as he was taken aback by Thor's comment.

"Uh...What?" he asked.

Thor gave a light chuckle before shaking his head. "It's quite obvious."

"She was just being friendly," Hermes said.

"Sure she was," Thor said in finality before taking a big spoonful of stew into his mouth.

Hermes considered Thor's words, scrunching his brow as he did. He shifted, turning in his chair to give a glance at the barmaid who stood beside the table behind them as she picked up the plates of finished customers. He caught her eye and she sent him another wink. This time Hermes finally saw it before quickly turning back to his food. He grabbed his mug and took a large gulp.

"Now yah see it?" Thor teased.

Hermes swallowed his drink hardly, gulping as he did. "Shut up. We need to keep our eyes on the goal. No time for distractions" he said. "Besides...I'm taken," he muttered.

"Yah are?" Thor asked, surprised.

Hermes smirked at him. "I am."

"Who?" Thor asked.

"Katlyn, Goddess of Knowledge and Battle Strategy," Hermes answered, smiling as he thought of her and how much he missed her. He missed her rants. He missed the way she would spit out random facts or ask him if he knew about this book or that book.

He stopped reminiscing when he spotted Thor with a weird look on his face.

"What? Think she's out of my league?" Hermes asked, mocking offense.

Thor held his hands up shaking them. "No no. I just didn't expect that."

Hermes chuckled. "For the record...she is out of my league."

"Aye. A' should have figured she would be into princesses." Thor teased.

"Stuff it, sausage fingers." Hermes retorted causing Thor to grumble.

They continued to banter while they ate, relishing the feeling of having warm food in their stomachs and protection from the cold. Hermes took notice of how the ale here tasted a bit stronger than the one Dionysus had made for him when he was at the bar. One mug wasn't enough to get him drunk but he wasn't sure about having two. Thor, however, ordered mug after mug, Hermes watching in awe as the thunder god gulped down the drink as if it were water.

"Don't get drunk," Hermes warned.

Thor waved him off. "This is barely enough to get me drunk. A'll have yah know that A' have a high tolerance for alcohol."

Hermes opened his mouth to reply but another voice from behind him cut him off

"Not from around here, are yah, lads?"

Hermes turned to see one of the men from the table across them. These were the guys who were watching him a while ago. The man that stood close to him wore chainmail armor over his waist and green trousers below. A broadsword was strapped around his back. Fur covered his shoulders and arms. His face was littered with all kinds of tattoos but what stood out was the nasty scar that ran from the top of his head all the way down to his chin.

"What business is it of yours?" Thor asked hardly.

The man laughed, pulling a chair from another table before sitting in between them. "I live here. I've never seen you around."

Thor glared hardly at the man, obviously not liking him very much. "Like A' asked, what business is it of yours?" He asked a bit more loudly but it was enough to make the room go silent. The family that sat a few tables away from them now sat closer together while the old men observed with interest. The innkeeper watched the exchange with worry in his eyes while the barmaid stared at them nervously. The tension was obvious as Thor's blue eyes pierced the man's black ones.

Hermes' eyes darted back and forth from Thor to the stranger, watching intently. His right hand subtly reached to grasp the handle of his sword under the fur coat that Thor had lent him. If things were going to get ugly, he'd be ready. A slight panic arose within him when he realized that Thor didn't have his hammer before he decided that his friend didn't need it. Thor was fairly larger than the man and he'd seen him fight with his fists. He could crush the man in a second.

Before anything violent could happen, the stranger smiled and laughed before raising his arms in surrender. "Alright, alright. Just trying to be friendly." He said before getting up and walking back to his table where his friends continued to stare at them intently. Hermes knew he was putting on an act. The way he spoke had an edge to it. It was anything but friendly.

Audible sighs of relief could be heard, mainly from the bar and from the family that was now getting up to leave.

"You noticed it too?" Hermes whispered his hands moving back up to rest on the table.

Thor nodded, still staring at the man. "Aye. He's a Viking for sure but A'd say he's an outcast. No tribe to fight for because he was banished."

"What would an outcast want with us?" Hermes asked. Thor turned back to him shrugging.

"Vikings aren't very friendly to strangers, outcast or not."

"I thought we looked the part?" Hermes said, gesturing to himself.

Thor nodded. "Exactly why we need to keep our guard up."

Hermes nodded before finishing the last of his stew before the pair made their way back to the bar where the innkeeper was.

"Thank yah, for the meals. It was nice to have some properly cooked food" Thor said, causing the innkeeper to light up.

"Anytime, friend." The innkeeper said humbly.

"Do you happen to know where we could find some new clothes for the winter?" Thor asked.

The innkeeper nodded. "Aye. Across the road is a shop where you can get some furs for you and your son."

Hermes' eyes widened as he heard what the innkeeper said. He had mistaken him as Thor's son?! They didn't even look alike.

Thor went along with it though. "Thank yah," he said before placing a silver coin on the table, sliding it over to the innkeeper. "For the barmaid," he said, nodding to the redhead who was busy cleaning tables. The innkeeper smiled before taking the coin and putting it in his pocket for safekeeping.

They left the inn, the barmaid giving Hermes one last smile before the door closed.

"Come along...son," Thor said, a teasing smile on his face.

"Over my dead body," Hermes muttered before following.