Chapter 12: Aw, Hel

"That's right mortals, cower in terror of me." Said Hel, with a delicate twist of her wrist. Maybe if I had looked harder at her when she had said this I would have noticed her heart wasn't really in it. But all I could think was this is not good, this is so not good. I'm the only one who can fight her off. Then she did something completely unexpected and let out a girlish giggle, only the beautiful side of her body was exposed and shrunk to normal human proportions. I had never seen her do that before.

"Worry not mortal. You may keep you man. I have been sent by my father with explicate instructions not to harm you but to guide you through the tunnels; most of which have caved in due to Ka-Honer's minions relentless digging. It's no fun. I hardly ever get any male company anymore." She turned to give Christopher an appraising up and down look and then licked her lips. I actually felt sick then and hoped to whoever was listening that she wouldn't try to put the mojo on him. She looked over at me watching her again and smiled a mirthless smile.

"As I said, I may not touch you. Father was quite adamant about that. Well, shall we go?" I looked at Christopher and he gave me a shrug. Hel had already started walking away form us without looking back. We followed her. Looks like this is going to be a longer trip then I expected. Oh the joy.

We must have been traveling for a few hours. It felt like it anyway. But then again this is EverWorld; it could have been a few minutes or a few days for all I knew. I was getting a little claustrophobic however. They had really managed to mess up these caves. I didn't really know how to feel about Hel. She is the enemy yet she was helping us, for now, and on her father's orders, but still there she was, helping.

I don't know if anyone else, that is to say Christopher, Jaili, or David, has noticed the difference the gods of EverWorld have stated to exhibit. Maybe it's my imagination but they've been starting to act less, well, childlike, where before they seemed to be completely stuck in their rolls I have noticed that some are starting to make decisions that would be considered out of their character. I mean I don't claim to be an expert on gods or anything but I know character and stage and they just seem, well...

"What are you thinking about?" Christopher asked

"What do you mean?"

"You had that adorable, 'I'm doing some serious thinking'; look on your face I was just wondering what that was about."

"Nothing really, I was wondering more or less if anyone else has noticed the changes in the EverWorld gods form when we got here till now. They seemed to have had slight personality changes and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that has never happened before. Am I the only one who sees it?"

"Well now that you mention it, I guess I have seen small changes. I never really thought about it before. In the old world, people change all the time, depending on situations and experiences. But here, it was always more or less the same, stagnant." He got a pondering look on his face and we both went into are own silent thinking again. Wondering what this could mean for us and the rest of EverWorld.

"It's rude you know," Hel pouted, "Not including others in your conversation. Who am I supposed to talk to?" I gave her a look then. I couldn't help but think, 'yeah, you're on the top of my who-to-talk-to list because you've been oh so friendly with the trying to kill us and all'; what I said was.

"Well, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"I don't know, like I said, it's been a little lonely down here and I've not had anyone to talk to in ages." She sighed and I guess was trying to think up some topics for conversation. She reminded me a little of a 13-year-old. You know when your at that awkward stage in you life and you just want to fit in?

"Do you think we can change?" She asked. That stunned me. "I think I would like to. We have always known we are stuck the way we are. Molded by the old world into what we have come to be now. But perhaps we could. I think I would wish to do so."

I have to admit I felt sorry for her. Now that I think about it they only ever really did what was written that they would do. If it was written that they were an angry, vengeful god they were, if it was written that they where beautiful that is what they would be, or in Hel's case both beautiful and ugly. I realized then that maybe I have misjudged them they were only fitting in to the roles they were give, what they where forced to do. And then I remembered the look in Athena's eyes when she had said something similar to me not a few months pervious.

"I think you are already starting to change." I said to her. "The first stage of change is realizing there is something that you want to change." Great now I sound like a shrink.

"You are very kind mortal. But perhaps you are right." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts some more. "I was wrong before," She said, "I had given you no reason to talk to me, I have been...I do not know the word for it...but I have tried to lay harm upon you and I am sorry." She paused again and as she did so I could see sorrow and pain fill her eyes, and then, something else. Was it hope?

That's when I noticed that her physical appearance had started to change as well. The part of her body that was meant to be grotesque and dead looked like it was repairing it's self. I had to wonder what was happening.

"We will be there shortly. We have another hours worth of walking to do. Would you like to rest. I have been told that mortals tire and require a lot of rest. Perhaps some water as well?" I couldn't believe she was being so considerate. Christopher was still looking at her like he wouldn't trust her as far as he could throw her, but for some reason I did trust her. I wasn't cretin why. We sat and drank water that was given to us by her. Christopher sniffed at his first, and looked at me strangely when I hadn't done the same to mine. He had been oddly quiet throughout this journey, very introverted, a lot like David always was. Maybe subconsciously that was what guys did when they went into commander mode.

We sat for another few minute and then got up to continue on towards Nidhogger. We had agreed that we would let Christopher do all the negotiating with him. He seemed to like Christopher the best and who am I kidding? I've never been much at negotiating anyway. I'm just good at reading people and passing that information onto others who can do the negotiations for me. Somehow, during all that thinking I'm so prone to doing we had made it to the cave entrance. It seemed to me to be a different one to that of which we had left the previous time we had been here, but I gave it no thought. It didn't really matter anyway.

"We are here mortals." Hel said unnecessarily with an extra flourish of her hand.

"Well," Said Christopher, "I guess that's queue to go in."

"No." I said, Christopher stopped walking forward and turned around to me, giving me questioning look. "I'm staying out here." He looked like he was ready to do some serious arguing with me but I stopped him before he could start. "It will be ok Christopher, I'll be fine, I'm not in the mood to argue with you and we have wasted enough time as it is. We have a schedule to keep so just go on."

"But April,"

"Now." I said. "I'll be fine"

He started walking again stopping and looking at me giving me his 'this goes against my better judgment' look and I just smiled reassuredly at him and then he was gone. And then I turned back around to face our newest traveling companion.

"Hel, I think we should talk."

AN: Don't you just hate me? I left a cliffy. I don't know when I'll get a chance to update again. I only do it when I can find the time. I'm really, really sorry about that but it's just the way my life is right now. I hope you like this chappy. Review and tell me what you think. It's quite a bit longer then last time which I think everyone will be happy about and I also posed rather sooner then I though I would be able to. I was just on the computer and had a little extra time so I posted. This is a big thank you to every one who reads. It really makes my day that people enjoy my writing. Please feel free to leave me feedback both good and bad. I am hoping to become an honest to God writer one day and need some constructive criticism. I'm not trying to say that fanfiction doesn't constitute real writing I'm just saying that I would like to write my own book. Well, now that I have thoroughly bored you and digressed all the way back to the Stone Age, I ask you again to please review.