"So close!" I say as soon as I wake up, frustrated with it all. Fenrir was about to tell me what was happening!
"What was so close?" My mom asks, just as we're pulling into the driveway. I half jump in surprise. I had forgotten that we were driving home from the mall!
"Um.. that bird that just flew by." I improvise, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Hmm, I must have not seen it." She replies, stopping the car.
"It went behind us." I say, trying to act normal.
"Whatever you say." She says, getting her purchases out of the car. I grab my own purchases and follow her inside, crunching through the new fallen snow. Once inside, I go to my room and set my bags on my desk.
Now, to go back to Asgard... but how? I look outside, noticing a patch of sunlight settling on the snow outside. That's it. I can go outside. That way, I won't be distracted, and I won't seem super spaced out.
I put on my snow gear and go outside, then sit down in the patch of sunlight. I close my eyes, visualizing myself next to Fenrir.
I wake up lying against something soft, with Loki standing off to the side. He smiles when he sees I'm awake. "Good to see you again." He says.
"Good to see you too." I reply, a bit confused about what I'm lying on. I get up and look behind me, only to see Fenrir there. "Oh Fenrir! I am so sorry!"
"It's fine, Cameron." He rumbles. "Didn't bother me at all."
"Do you feel as if you're here?" Loki asks, now directly behind me.
I turn to face him. "Yes."
"Good." He nods. "Then there are other places we need to go."
We say goodbye to Fenrir and then make our way back up the stairs, thankfully this time in the light. There really weren't that many steps, it only felt like forever on the way down because of the circumstances.
Once we get back into Loki's bedroom, Loki turns to me. "What would you rather do, walk, or teleport?" He asks, smiling slightly.
"Walk. Totally." I reply immediately. A chance to see all of the sights of Asgard...
"Teleport it is then." He says, smirking. He grabs my arm, squeezing it tight, and we teleport in front of a gigantic stable.
I look behind us at the road leading up to it, noticing how it weaves through the lower city. "Aw. That would have been beautiful." I say sadly, looking back up at Loki.
He lets go of my arm. "I know." He's still smirking. "You're just going to have to discover it on your own time."
"It would've been teleport no matter what I said, wouldn't it have?" I ask, scrutinizing him. He seems... worried? Stressed? Nervous? I can't tell.
"Nor do you need to." He replies, now looking at the stable.
I mentally smack myself. I forgot he could read my mind. "So..." I drawl out, trying to cover up my embarrassment. "Why are we here?"
He meets my gaze, amused. "You can't guess?" He chuckles. "And I thought you said you did some research on me."
"Fine, fine, I'll guess." I say grumpily. I turn and look at the stable. Well... it's pretty. And large. Horses are usually kept in stables. "And we just met one of your sons." I say aloud. "That's it. Sleipnir. We're visiting your son."
Loki smiles. "Nice guess." He walks to the stable and opens the door. "After you."
"Why thank you kind sir." I reply, smiling. I walk into the stable, and walkthrough until I see a gigantic horse with eight legs. "Sleipnir." I breath. I walk towards him slowly, stopping a few feet away.
"He's not going to harm you." Loki says, now next to me. I only jump slightly. I'm getting used to this.
"I was only waiting to see if you wanted to properly introduce us." I reply.
"He can't talk, in case you were wondering. Not like Fenrir." Loki says. "Sleipnir, I would like you to meet Cameron. Cameron, this is Sleipnir."
Sleipnir snorts good naturally at me as I approach him. "Ah, but I bet he can talk to you." I say. I stroke his muzzle affectionately.
Loki scoffs. "Well of course, I'm his parent."
I smile. I love how he didn't put any gender in there. Probably because technically, he is both mother and father to Sleipnir.
Sleipnir nuzzles me, urging me to scratch his neck, and I do. He whinnies softly.
Loki just watches us, clearly glad we're getting along, but then he shakes his head. "We need to go."
"Go?" I look sadly at Sleipnir, who seems to exchange the same look. "Why do we have to go now?"
"We have a previously arranged meeting we need to go to." Loki replies curtly.
I sigh. "Okay." I hug Sleipnir around his neck. "It was nice meeting you." I let go and walk over to Loki. "Where are we going?"
He smiles. "You'll see." He grabs my arm, squeezing it tightly. The tingling sensation spreads through my body, and we teleport.
We end up in front of a long wooden bridge, that leads into a large dark cave. A magnolia tree is planted right by the front of the bridge, and I notice that when the wind blows, its petals float down into the cave, guided by the wind.
"It's beautiful." I say, looking at the tree. Loki releases my arm.
"Why thank you." A female voice says, and I watch in fascination as one of the petals falls to the ground in front of the tree, and transforms into a beautiful girl. Paler than pale, a fair complexion, and unnerving red eyes. She seems familiar somehow, but I can't pinpoint it. She plucks a petal from the tree quickly, and it turns to dust in her hand. "I planted it myself."
"Um.. that's nice." I reply, unable to take my eyes away from the dust coating her hand.
She tilts her hand, letting the dust fall to the ground, then looks up at Loki, who is now standing beside me. "Is this your servant, Father?"
I snap my head up, looking sharply at her. "Excuse me?"
Loki nods. "Yes, this is Cameron." Loki turn to me. "Cameron, this is my daughter, Hela."
"What an interesting name. Is it common for Midgardians?" Hela says, smiling slightly.
I can't reply for a second. Hela. As in half skeleton goddess of death and ruler of Hel Hela. Of course after meeting Fenrir, I should have expected this, but I didn't expect her to know why I am here, or that I am Midgardian. I meet her gaze. "It's pretty common, I suppose." I reply. "How do you know where I'm from?"
Loki speaks up. "It is Hela who gave me the idea to look for someone with a strong mind, such as yourself."
I look at him. "And what was the reasoning behind that?"
Hela smiles, revealing thankfully normal teeth. "I wished to meet a live Midgardian, and Father needs company. Especially after the last one."
Loki groans. "Why does everyone want to talk about this?"
"What else is there to talk about?" Hela replies. "There really isn't much that happens around Asgard. I barely get any newcomers."
"Newcomers? You mean like.." I start.
"The newly departed? Yes." She finishes. "Although maybe now that you are here, that could change." I must look horrified, because she chuckle. "I'm only joking Cameron, not to worry." She looks at Loki. "Now Father, I must go back to my realm. Thank you for introducing us." She looks over at me, smiling. "I'm sure we'll be great friends."
I smile tentatively back. This is the goddess of death, after all.
Loki smiles and steps forward, taking her hand. I stiffen, expecting him to turn to dust, but luckily he doesn't. I relax. He kisses her hand. "Goodbye, my love." He lets go of her hand, and she turns, descending into darkness.
I blink, shaking my head. "Um..." I start. "Isn't she supposed to be half skeleton?"
Loki chuckles. "I was creating an illusion at her request. She didn't want you to die of fright and join her realm too soon."
"Die of fright!" I exclaim. "Is that really a thing?" Loki just smiles. I sigh. "Well I hope not." I look at Loki. "Are we going to meet The Midgardian Serpent next?"
Loki shakes his head. "No. He's on Midgard, remember? And you really don't want to go back so quickly now, do you?"
I shake my head, smiling. "You're right, how silly of me." I look up at him again. "But really, what are we going to do now?"
"I say we jddhj." He says.
I stare at him. "What?" But I can't even hear myself speak. It's happening again. I'm leaving Asgard. Why does this always have to happen when something important is about to happen!? I close my eyes and sit down just before the darkness comes.