A/N: Chapter 15 reviews in my forums as normal. Also, there is a second A/N at the end.
Chapter Sixteen: Shattered
"Return to me, child."
Her bare feet slips on something slick and wet-bodies. She stands in a field of bodies piled so high they seem to reach the burning red sky. No matter how hard she flaps her wings, she can't escape the death around her.
These are gods-the fallen gods of Earth. She can hear their names calling to her; the spiritual echoes of lost divinity.
Eledumare was I. I am Olofin-Orun, Lord of Heaven! Olodumare, almighty and supreme. I am he who sees the inside and the outside of man. I can do all things. I am fallen!
Over a crest of crushed, bloodied bodies, she sees a wall of crystalline flesh. It is neither organic nor stone, but rather a scintillating, barely comprehensively wall of energy. With her bifrost eyes she sees the truth of it...she sees how part of this being exists in multiple phases of reality all at once. She has to reach it.
Vahagn was I, the dragon reaper! I am fallen!
One hundred and one names, had I! Yazad, Worthy of Worship! Harvesp-tawan, All-Powerful….
Khaldi was I…
Ganasha was I…
Ryujin was I...
~~Titanomachy~~
~~Titanomachy~~
The fierce, ancient being looked up at her from where he sat, and in the light of the kerosene lamp she somehow saw eons in his face, ages untold and wars unimaginable.
"I was born almost three thousand years ago in the city of Sparta, born of a mortal woman and Zeus the Aegis Holder, the King of Olympus. I am a god. Your mother was born almost three thousand years ago in the lands of Norway to Njord of the Vanir, and Nerthus, the River Goddess of the Northlands, and she was a goddess. And you, Taylor, are a goddess also."
~~Titanomachy~~
~~Titanomachy~~
Scion the Destroyer of Worlds senses her intrusion. She scrambles faster, launching herself in desperate dives from the tops of hills of corpses. Her wings are useless-she dropped faster than if she were on earth, as if the air itself pushed her down. Yet still she pushed on, realizing that she cannot afford to slow or stop.
The fiery air in front of her shimmers. The flesh of dead gods melts away into something else—growing layer by layer as Scion forges a golden avatar in front of her from the flesh of his past victims.
Biting back her terror, she pulls her mighty sword from its sheath. The four-foot broadsword reforged by the last godly smith on earth from the fiery sword of Surtr himself catches fire in her hands. She swings the blade the moment the golden avatar appears.
Scion's empty, bearded face has a single moment to look surprised before the combined magic of the Norse gods and the Tuatha Dé pierce his avatar and destroys it entirely.
The massive wall of fractal flesh twitches so hard the entire Between shakes from it. Piles of dead tumble over each other and she herself is tossed bodily from her feet, flailing with the falling, tumbling bodies of her ancient lost kin. With a silent cry, she pushes herself from the carnage and sees, in the distance, something else that Scion's violent spasm created.
A tiny shard of Yggdrasil, free from corruption, calls for her.
Scion's avatar reforms much faster this time. He appears in a shower of godly flesh and a burst of heat and flame. Even before the flesh has assembled itself, he strikes at her with a beam of pure white light even more powerful than the gold he used in the mortal world. She braces herself as she sees bodies vaporizing under the wave of light, until it strikes.
The magic of her armor saves her; instead of being destroyed somehow it translates the devouring energy of the attack into a concussive one that blasts Taylor up and away. She spins as she flies until she sees the trace of Yggdrasil that her first attack had exposed.
She grabs onto the tiny, exposed branch with her left hand to slow her uncontrolled tumble. Scion's avatar rises into the burning air, unaffected by an atmosphere he created with his very existence. Rather than fight him, she focuses her bifrost eyes on the tiny exposed branch of the world tree. She doesn't possess the light of Alfheim to activate the crystals. All she has is her own power and the power of the Bifrost within her.
It's enough. She briefly loses her own vision as rainbow light floods out from her eyes and into the branch. Nearby, reality itself shakes violently as the fractal flesh twitches. Below her, Yggdrasil shrugs free of the corruption that had choked it. Just as a tree reached for the sun, Yggrasil responds to the power of her magic by suddenly growing and stretching, until with a sudden burst of light the entirety of the world tree broke free of the Destroyer's corruption.
Taylor stands on the branch, watching in awe as blue paths opened before her. Below, where the light of the world tree shone free, the bodies of the dead gods faded into clouds of stars.
As the gods of old flee, freed by the rebirth of the world tree to see their own final resting place, she stands with Surtr's sword in hand and stares down at the Destroyer's false face. With a silent roar, he flies at her through the Between.
~~Titanomachy~~
~~Titanomachy~~
The strange girl with blue markings sat on a metaphysical constellation and stared down at the world.
"So much pain and suffering, for so long," she said to Taylor. "And yet look how far they've come. Would man have created the plow if food were given to him for the whole of his life? Would he have crafted weapons if not to defend the fruits of his labors? Would he have developed the tools that changed the world around him if not to try and recreate his ancestral memories of a paradise that was lost? Would any of their souls grow and excel if not for the pain and anguish of a hard life lived well? I gave them that. I always would, and I always did, and I always will. It was my telos. I gave their lives meaning and purpose. And through my hand, more than any other, I gave them you."
"Me? I don't understand."
"I know. Your father told you my story, but he never understood himself. He tried to save me, when he was young and still raging against Olympus. He saw me as a victim, like his own daughter. Even in his rage, there was some kernel of good in him. He never understood that the power of hope never left him; I never left him. It was that power that drove him ever onward, to grow and aspire to be more than he was. To become at once more human and more divine. He calls himself a god of war, but like Tyre he has in truth become a god of peace."
"And what am I a god of? I can summon the winds of Hel and the magic of the Vanir. Am I a death goddess?"
"No, you silly girl. You're me made divine. You're the goddess of hope. And it's time for you to wake and go save the world."
~~Titanomachy~~
~~Titanomachy~~
She stands on a branch of Yggdrasil. Her armor is burned away; her body broken and bruised. She stares down into the roiling, fractal chaos of the Destroyer's True Form, and she knows what she must do. It terrifies her.
But, she is not as alone as she thinks. Two spirits take shape before her, feminine in form even if the human outline was filled with fields of stars, as if both were windows into infinity itself. Bright, starry blue eyes stare intently at her.
My little owl, one of the figures say to her silently. My beautiful girl. I have dreaded this day since long before you were born.
Taylor realizes with a shock that she was looking at her mother.
The prophecy has been fulfilled. The other spirit is Athena, who guided her to Triton's lance. Pandora's curse has been lifted. The goddess of hope stands ready to ascend.
"Mother, I don't understand…" Taylor whispers.
The time has come, my Little Owl, Freya says. It is time to release hope into the world once more. The hope that your father carried for so many centuries now resides in you, Taylor my darling. Telos my god. It is time to let it free.
Below, Scion reforms not just one avatar, but dozens. Thousands. Millions . What he cannot do with one he will do with untold legions. Taylor knows instinctively that she cannot fight them all. Not all the gods and heroes of earth could fight them all. The agony of her death shifts slowly to numbness. Once more she finds herself wishing she could still cry.
"I miss you, mother," she says.
I have always been with you, Taylor. And I always will be. You will see my face again.
The goddesses fade into clouds of stars, leaving her alone on a branch overlooking the body of the destroyer of worlds. Her knee buckles as her strength begins to slip away. The army of avatars charge across the Between toward her, ready to finish what they started. More form, untold numbers like stars.
With a cry of determination, she lifts her sword and dives off the branch of the Between.
~~Theogony~~
~~Theogony~~
Taylor Hebert's eyes snapped open. With a cry she threw herself off the Asgardian soul forge and stumbled across the room. She tried to breathe but no breath came. What came was the memory of pain. Of her body being torn apart again and again as it continued to heal.
She screamed just from the memory of it; recalled with hateful clarity all the feelings of that unbearable agony. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor from the ghost of that terrible, soul-deep pain. She could feel the bifrost crystals shattering in her eye sockets; she could feel her soul being ripped out of her body and her body being broken apart and...and…
Come back to me, child.
"I tried, Daddy," she whispered through her tears.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up and felt as if her heart would break. The face she looked into was her mother's. Just like the spirit of Freya said at the end. But though it was her mother's face, it was not her. Frigga was far older than mother was; had lived a far different life.
Frigga bore her mother's face, but did not bear her soul.
"My...name was Taylor," she gasped through tears. "Telos. I was a goddess. I was the goddess of hope. But I don't...I don't have any more hope. I don't have any more magic. So, I don't know what I am."
The Queen just knelt before her as new memories settled in with the old. Against the agony of her death, the fact she'd murdered an entire world while under Thanos control just left her numb. She flopped back to sit on the shining bronzed floors. "A monster came to our world. A destroyer of worlds. I killed him. But I felt him kill me, too. I don't...how can I even be here? I'm dead. He ripped out my soul."
The butt of a golden spear presaged Odin Borrson as the King of Asgard moved to stand behind his wife. "Some beings cannot be killed so easily, Telos of America," he said gravely. "Having seen some small part of your memories, I understand now why the wound in your back will not heal. Tell me, child. Where is your magic?"
With the memories came the knowledge of her power; but the power was simply not there. She could sense no spirits, nor magic around or inside of her. "It's gone," she whispered.
Frigga stood, and then gently took Taylor's hands in her own to lift her to her feet as well. "Describe the magic you possessed," the queen said.
"I held purview over the souls of my followers," Taylor said. "I could feel and command the spirits of the world around me. The wind; the sea and the soil. At the end, after I'd gathered my final weapons, the spirit of the earth held me buoyed in the air. When the sun rose I could feel the spirits of the dawn fighting back the night, and feel the many gods that once resided within it. My wings were symbols of my power, not the source, and I could fly hundreds of times faster than sound. With my normal eyes I could see the truth of a person-the character of their soul. With the bifrost crystals I could see all things. I could enchant apples of Idunn to heal all illnesses and hurts. But it's all gone. I feel hollow. Empty."
Frigga glanced at Odin, who regarded Taylor intently. He then stepped forward as his wife moved to one side, until he was close enough to place a hand on her forehead. Before Taylor could even breath, suddenly the two were back inside her memory.
She stared incredulously at herself. She held onto the handle of the Hopebringer, thrust deep within the central shard core of Scion's true body. Vast energies powerful enough to vaporize stars blasted up around her. All around, golden avatars of Scion pummeled her and blasted her with terrible power.
Her armor was gone, her body was bruised, blackened with burns and blood. The energy threw her wings back and her head was held up with an agonized scream as her fingers burned down to the bone. Fluorescent blue melted down her cheeks from the destroyed bifrost eyes. It hurt to even look at it.
"How are we here?" she whispered.
"After ten thousand years, I've learned a trick or two," the King of Asgard said wryly. He walked around the scene, drawing Taylor in his wake.
"The most holy sacrament known in all of creation is the sacrifice of a god for their people," Odin said. "It is said that Ymir, my great grandfather, gave up the Tesseract so that he might be sacrificed at Buri's hand, and thus give life to the dream of Asgard. Every tree, every stone or mountain carries within it a part of that once great Celestial. The eternal flame which powers the heart of this realm was taken from Ymir's heart. That sacrifice has kept this realm safe for untold millennia."
He stopped and pointed. "And there is no doubt, Telos, that your sacrifice did the same for your world. The power of such an act will shield your Earth from spiritual threats for many thousands of years, unless broken from within."
"But...if I died, how am I here?"
"That is what we shall see." Once again he touched Taylor's forehead; the hateful, bitter memory moved forward at a fraction of normal speed. Every blow from the avatars made her wince, until abruptly something froze all of the golden men.
"You did not fight him alone."
"No," she said. "The gods and heroes of my earth fought with me."
"They struck a blow at this point in the physical realm while you distracted the beast here. Now we shall see the truth of it."
The golden avatars faded; vast empty dimensions opened up all around-dimensions filled with fractal flesh and scintillating shards that began to collapse down like the surface of a dying star.
"He's dying," she whispered. "I don't...recall this part."
"You had no eyes to see," Odin said, though not unkindly. "It is magic alone that shows us the truth."
Indeed, the broken form of her past had fallen around the sword, still clinging with skeletal fingers as Scion's true form collapsed around them, until abruptly every shard-all the energy of an eternal being-slammed into her at once. At the very millisecond of the blinding white burst of energy, Odin touched her forehead and paused the image.
Somehow, using magic she could not understand, the ancient king reached up his hand and began pulling away billows of white protoplasmic energy and matter to reveal what lay at its core.
Hopebringer had erupted. Taylor stared uncomprehendingly at the billowing white fire that was bursting out of the black blade. After a moment, though, she realized her obsession with the blade was to avoid looking at what held it.
Telos of America was flying away from the blade, blown back from the impossible energies being released. So was Taylor Hebert, on a separate path, and a third version as well. All three were terribly hurt as the three figures with Taylor's face were blasted in opposite directions.
One of the figures bore wings; one bore bifrost eyes despite their destruction; and one bore nothing at all.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
Odin, though, seemed to. "There is a creature I know-a being I, my father and my father's father have fought for a million years. We kill him again and again, and yet always he is reborn. He is the death of Asgard-and as long as the potential of our end remains, he cannot truly be killed. You sacrificed yourself in the name of hope for your world, Telos. So long as a single human of your world has hope, you cannot truly die. I suspect, at the last, your enemy knew this. And so you have been shattered, like Osiris of old."
He moved to the one Taylor with nothing. "A mortal frame for an immortal soul. Born again and again against the hope of humanity's survival."
A few steps brought him to the wingless being with glowing blue eyes. "The divinity personified-a spiritual being of ephemeral flesh. In this one goes all the magic and divinity you have known. And finally, we come to you."
His last steps brought him to the shattered, winged version of herself. "From what you say, and what we have seen, you were an elder god of creation born anew. Not Asgardian, nor Olympian, but a divine being such as most ancient Oshtur or Gaia. Even among the gods, such beings were not intended to be born of a physical body. You had the physical form of an Olympian god, but the soul and magic of a psychopomp spiritual god. But you were raised as a mortal. Three aspects united to make you more powerful than any god seen since the birth of the Universe, but one uniquely tied to humanity. So powerful, that each aspect of you continues beyond your death."
Only then did he walk back to Taylor's side. He held his hand to her lower back-not quite touching her wound. "This wound is what binds you, Telos. Each of those aspects will have a similar mark. A metaphysical injury that spans time and place."
"So...I'm just an empty shell?"
Odin regarded her intently. "You are as strong as the strongest gods to ever walk among the stars. Your mind can comprehend things that mortals could not even imagine. You are only as empty as you choose to be."
~~Theogony~~
~~Theogony~~
Taylor opened her eyes as Odin stepped back from her. She blinked back tears, then looked around at the healing chamber. Eir stood nearby, her hands clasped over the front of her long, elegant silk gown. Her apprentices stood in a circle around her patiently.
The female Einherjar, Gna, stood among them.
"Gna will escort you to better chambers," Odin said. "This evening, judgment will be rendered. Until then, rest. Eat. We will see you again soon."
The king turned and strode out of the room. Frigga lingered. "Since the accusation was made before the court, so must judgment. Don't fear, child."
With those assuring words, the queen followed her king. Gna left the healers. "Come," she said, kindlier than before.
Taylor fell in behind her, and once more was escorted through the stunningly beautiful palace with its plethora of breath-taking views. Her new chambers were far different than her cell, with a balcony that looked out over an ocean that ended at eternity, and distant mountains. A blazing bier occupied the center of the room, with a luxurious bed on one side and a spacious shower room on the other.
To her surprise, a table with food waited on the balcony. It had two places set. Gna stepped out with her.
"To Asgardians, it is a disserve to eat alone," Gna said. "I will join you."
"Thank you."
Taylor sank down into the chair.
"The Allfather called you Telos," Gna said as she broke the loaf of rich, dark bread and handed half to Taylor. "You remember your name, then?"
"I do. I am not from this universe. In my Universe, Queen Frigga continued with the name Freya, and the Asgard of my world was lost to Ragnarok. Freya was my mother."
"And your father?"
"Kratos, a son of Zeus and God of War."
Gna lifted a brow. "Olympian. They have not emerged from their dimension in many years. You must have had a heavy fate."
It felt odd after so long to sit and share a meal with another woman. The food was beyond merely delicious-the rich, meaty stew held just the perfect balance of spices to bring out the essence of every bite of lamb, carrot or potato. The butter for the bread was soft and deliciously tart and savory.
And the conversation was soothing in a way Taylor hadn't experienced since she woke in Thanos' grip. Gna spoke of her training as a warrior of Asgard, and of her family. She asked simple questions of Taylor-her favorite foods or memories. And before she knew it, the food was consumed, the eternal light of Asgard sank into a cloak of brilliant stars overhead, and the time for judgment approached.
"Wash, and when you come out, clothing shall be made available."
When later she emerged with freshly washed hair and clean skin, she found gowns waiting for her of green and gold silk and lace, furs and satin. It was of a style she'd never seen before and had no idea how to put on. Gna helped her, talking fondly of her own mother aiding her with her first court attire.
The woman who looked in the mirror seemed foreign to both her memories of Taylor, and her darker memories of Swan.
It felt vastly different to walk through the halls of Asgard in beautiful, formal garb as opposed to heat and radiation-soiled under armor. Like before, thousands of Asgardians in their finery stood on either side of the vast hall as she and Gna walked toward the throne.
Thor now stood, resplendent in his red cloak, at his father's side. Opposite stood the queen. As Taylor approached, Odin struck his spear and brought absolute silence to the hall.
Gna stopped and knelt. Taylor, unsure of her status, bowed from the waist.
Odin's voice boomed across the room. "Telos of America, born Taylor Hebert. Born of Freya of Asgard, from a reality vastly different from our own. Born of Kratos of Sparta, son of Zeus of Olympus. Goddess of Hope and defender of humanity. We have seen your truth and your mind, and seen also the crime that the mad Titan did against you. Let it be known to all that the actions of the Black Swan were the actions of Thanos of Titan alone, and not the will of Telos of America, who stands before us.
"Be welcome in this place, Telos, and seek what healing and peace you may."
He slammed the spear against the floor, and judgment was passed to happy applause and a grinning Gna.
A/N 2: Sometimes the issue of having pre-written everything is seeing reviewers looking forward to something that you know as the author will not be what they expected. There were one or two reviews from a few chapters who anticipated that what we were dealing with was a shard of Telos, rather than a whole, but from the reviews of last chapter a lot of readers were not expecting that the Taylor in the MCU is the physically shell of the greater whole. Essentially, this is the Olympian "Kratos" part of her. Massive, near limitless strength, but without any of the Vanir magic.
But this also should give everyone a good outline of the whole trilogy. 1) Titanomachy is the Olympian Taylor fighting the Mad Titan; 2) Voluspa, which is an Edda of Norse mythology IRL, is the story of Taylor the Vanir in a primitive world about to face its end as such; and 3) Revelation, in which the three shards of Telos must unite against powerful forces of evil that would see the light of humanity extinguished forever.
Thank you all for reading. I greatly appreciate your support.