Chapter 2:

The snow kept falling on and on. So much so it was now difficult to see anything at a distance. The wind picked up and blew so hard it could knock over any table, any chair, any inanimate object over. Aang, Katara, and Atreus moved as fast as they could through the snow. If the wind and snow could get any worse, they might as well have been mere icicles by now. Kratos moved more slowly. He has felt this cold before. In Hel and in his homeland in Greece during his time near the Titan Typhon's home.

To him, the most excruciating cold was almost the same as the hottest flame any mortal, any god could ever feel. The only difference is that when a man is burned, they are most likely to scream in agony and pain. There's a sudden rush when being burned. Whereas slowly freezing to death is more quiet. A man is more likely to corner himself in the cold by any solid wall or crevasse. He breathes shakingly, and shivers. Instead of screaming he ponders. He ponders what led to his last moments. How he lived his life. If he has any family waiting for them, a wife, mother, daughter, son, he may pray to whatever beings that look down on humankind and ask that they take care of those he loves so dearly. Eventually, his time passes. The Spartan hoped that his son never has to go through any of that pain. If it came between him having to shudder that pain yet again, or his son having to, he would choose his son in a heartbeat.

While he was in his thoughts, Aang, Katara and his son were moving further ahead. Mimir was becoming worried about him. This kind of behavior the Spartan was displaying has been happening often ever since the beginning of Fimbulwinter. He was not as tired as he was "dispirited" as the head put it. The boy noticed it too, but said nothing of it. Neither did Mimir. But now, the head felt he had to ask and get answers on why Kratos was like this.

"Brotha, hate to interrupt yer thoughts, but yer boy and the other two have pulled ahead. Care to tell me what's troublin' ya?"

"It is nothing of your concern, head. Simple foolish thoughts nothing more"

"I want to believe ye Brotha, but this behavior of yours has been happenin' a bit often since we've had to endure the blister colds of Fimulwinter. I once told ye I am unsurpassed in keepin conferences. If ya needed anythin to get offa yer chest, simply ask.

Kratos thought of this for a moment. Normally he'd fully dismiss the head's offerings for this kind of conversation. His past was nothing he liked to talk about after all. In this instance however, he thought it best he talked at least a little bit about this. He also felt ha had to ask where they were. Those two benders knew nothing of the nine realms at all. It was clear they were not in the same world as they were what felt like a day ago.

"Where are we, head?"

"Ah, now that I haven't the foggiest idea."

"You have all that ancient knowledge and wisdom, yet you do not know where we even are?"

"Let me explain Brotha. It is clear that this place is not Midgard. Afterall, those two kind youngin's don't even know of said realm's name. Whatever happened with that light we saw during our time at the Lake of Nine, transported us somewhere else, a whole new world most likely! Huh, how bout' that?"

"Why did the light take us only then and nothing else?"

"Oh we don't know that Brotha, We just woke up from unconsciousness, in a crater just outside of this village's front yard no less! It is likely possible that many of the beasts you and the boy are so used to fighting were pulled right along with us. Which should really be no problem for us. You and your brute force and absolute savagery while tearing the hinds of many Draugr, Hel-Walker, and many more apart in vicious and bloody ways have proven to me that they should really pose no more of a threat than they already have been to you. To the people of this world however? That remains to be seen."

Mimir's words sunk into Kratos' mind for a moment. It makes sense that other living beasts of Midgard were taken by the mysterious light as well. Yet, this brought another question to his mind.

"Is Fimbulwinter still in progress in Midgard?"

"Afraid so Brotha. Which also means that Midgard is now at the mercy of all manner of Hel-Walkers. You and yer son were the last line of defense. Even more so, the boy had a destiny in Ragnarok. At least that's what he told me when I asked him about the writings on the wall in Jotunheim when ye went to spread yer wife's ashes. She clearly had a plan for him. Now that he's not there, Who knows how Ragnarok will play out now."

"An event that I caused. I brought the end of the world yet again." Kratos said in a surprisingly broken voice. Of courses Mimir knew why. He heard of the tales of the Ghost of Sparta. What he had done to the Greek land. When Mimir found out that it was him, Kratos warned him to not call him by that name. The head saw it best to refrain from addressing him as that title. The less riled up Kratos was the better. Though, then again he's never fully calm anyways.

"Look, I told ye once before. You made the right choice by slaying Baldur. It was either that or let the cycle of gods killing their parents continue."

"And what has my decision done for the world. Freya is now full of vengeance and anger towards me for killing his son Baldur, Midgard is now suffering a long winter that leads to a disaster that was not meant to happen for many more years. No matter what I do, I always end up failing." He said in yet again a broken voice.

"We don't know that yet Brotha. We don't know if things will indeed get worse because of yer son's absence. You two may have been Midgard's last line of defense, but perhaps a new series of events will end up happenin'. Maybe Odin and Thor will fall sooner. The Jotunheim travel tower may be back in the Lake of Nine, but without travel crystals like the ones in my eyes, he can't fully access the tower, therefore he can't reach Jotunheim. His main obsession is impossible to reach now, Brotha. It could very well cause him to go mad and end up destroying him perhaps even earlier than he is meant to. Thor will still likely face Jormangandr and Surtur, but he could very well fall to either one of them. Especially if they fight him together. Afterall, Odin and Thor are the worst line of bastards in all the nine realms. If they fall sooner, perhaps Ragnarok will end less tragically. But we cannot allow ourselves to go mad over pondering over what could have been. We can only worry about what we do now."

"Very well." is all that Kratos had to say. Mimir was indeed correct. The events of Ragnarok could very well turn out different for worse or for better. There was no way to tell at the end of it all. It was best to do what he could now and continue to raise his son. In a way, it's the same as it's always been, protecting him. But not fully as one would expect.

Later

Atreaus continued to follow Aang and Katara to their house where the rest of the gang was held up in. After another few minutes they finally made it to the house where Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Toph, and Hakoda were waiting.

"Guys!" Sokka exclaimed as he ran to them. "Where were you? This blizzard's been going on for a while and we lost you guys. And who is this kid? Why does he have red hair? And what the hell's up with his weird looking bow? And why-"

"Sokka!" Katara yelled. His brother had a million questions coming out of his mouth and if he kept asking them all at once her head might explode. "We'll explain everything. But first I'd like to introduce you to two people we found outside. This kid is Atreus. Atreus, this is my brother Sokka. And next in line to be chief of our tribe."

The young boy walked up to Sokka and held out his hand to shake it. "Pleasure to meet you. It's nice to meet another warrior. Only one I've really ever known is my father." he told the young Watertribe Warrior.

"Uhh yeah." Sokka muttered as this boy's king gesture weirdly reminded him of Aang when he came out of the iceberg all those years ago. Even so, he took the boy's hand in his and shook it. "Nice to meet you too. But, aren't you a little young to be a warrior? I mean, even you're bow is big for you."

"I manage. It's not so bad once you get used to it. Now I almost never miss a shot."

"Well…. okay then." Sokka muttered. Atreus then walked towards the other members of the gang. He shook Zuko, Suki, Toph and Hakoda's hands. He was about to ask each of them about themselves when Sokka asked a question. "Wait. Katara you said you found two people outside. And you kid, you said that the only warrior you know is your father. Where is he?"

"You mean the guy standing at the front door?" Toph pointed out. She must have felt the man's vibrations during Sokka's question.

Suddenly everyone turned to the entrance of the house and saw the very topic of Sokka's question. Kratos stood there for a few moments. In those moments, everyone, even Atreus could've almost felt and heard something as Kratos stood at the entrance like a badass. It was as if a deep, low-voiced chorus played in his name. This put fear into everyone as he stood taller then even Hakoda. The light from the outside made it so that no one could see his face clearly as it was cast in shadow. His whole body was. And of course no one noticed Mimir on the back of his belt. Even Toph showed a bit of fear. While there wasn't much earth in the South Pole, the houses now had floors of earth. This way, Toph could feel the vibrations. Coming from the once vengeful Spartan. Atreus saw their faces and smiled in amusement. He still knows how to make an entrance. He thought.

As Sokka looked at the exiled god, he thought to himself how it made sense how the boy could be a warrior at such a young age. Just a simple glimpse at the man let you know that he is no joke. The armor he wore was unusual, but looked sturdy. It was the armor of a warrior no doubt. The armor didn't cover most of his skin so everyone could see his muscles and scars. He had one large scar in the middle of his chest, and one by his eye. The scar by his chest looked to be caused by that of a large blade. Normally a stab wound that large could kill a man. Yet here he was standing stall and strong. Sokka always appreciated a warrior and this man was no exception. I'll get there when I'm older. I'll be so badass even Katara will respect me. He thought. Though if anyone he knew could hear his thoughts, they'd just be thinking about how delusional he can be at times.

"Hello!" Sokka said in a cracked voice. Yeah, this guy was not only amazed, but damn near terrified.

"Hm." Kratos simply muttered in response as a clear sign of unamusement. The Spartan instantly went to his son to make sure they didn't try anything foolish. It wasn't extreme, but he slightly shielded him with his hand as a clear sign that he will kill to protect him no matter what. Hakoda noticed this and acted as peacefully as possible by walking up to him with a smirk on his face and holding his hand out to shake it. Kratos was hesitant, but once he knew there was no threat to be seen in the man's expressions, he took his hand in Hakoda's and shook it.

"My name's Hakoda. Chief of the Southern Watertribe. Care to share your name? Or should I just know you as the most intimidating man I've ever met?" This got the slightest smirk from the Spartan. Kratos inside felt a bit relieved that the chief was intimidated by him. It was a sign that the man took him seriously and knew not to waste his time on anything. That happened to him for too long in Greece that he couldn't bear that kind of insolence any longer. Perhaps they could make allies here after all.

"I'm sure we all have questions to ask you, but first I think it'd be best you eat with us first." Hakoda suggested. It was true. Everyone in the room had questions to ask both Kratos and Atreus. But they also agreed that it could wait for after they eat.

Everyone sat down in the circle in the middle of the room. Kratos sat between Sokka and Katara while Atreaus sat between Toph and Aang. Of course Aang and Katara sat by each other ('cause you really can't keep them away from each other at this point) so the boy and his father weren't too far apart. That would worry the old warrior greatly. Hakoda came from the kitchen with different kinds of Water Tribe meals. Sea prunes and the meat of seal-turtles were common among the dishes. For Aang, on the count of him not eating meat, had a vegetarian dish with fruits and vegetables. Atreus saw this and decided to address it.

"How come he's not eating the same thing as us?"

"Boy!" Kratos said to let the boy know that he shouldn't ask something like that. For most of his life Atreus has always been addressed as "boy" by his father. These days Kratos no longer calls Atreus "boy" unless he complains about his cooking or when he needs to let him know to mind his tongue. This was one of those instances. Aang simply laughed good-heartedly and waved it off.

"It's all good. I'm sure I'd be asking the same question if I were you." He said earning a smile on the young boy's brought pure joy to Aang inside. He always loved making kids' days brighter and putting smiles on their faces. "I'm a vegetarian. Unlike the rest of you."

"Why? Does meat not agree with you or something?"

"In a way it does."

"What do you mean?"

"As an Air Nomad, I was raised as a vegetarian. My people were taught to see all life as sacred. So, eating something that was once dead would not settle well with me."

"Ah okay. I see. I was thinking of some other reason."

"What was it?"

Mimir then spoke up. "I believe the lad was thinkin meat affects yer shit."

The rest of the gang who haven't met Mimir became shocked and confused. "Wait who said that?" Sokka asked.

"Oh right! We never introduced you guys to him. Father can you show them?"

Kratos nodded and reached behind his belt, grabbed hold of the rope around Mimir's little horns and held him high in front of everybody. As anyone would expect, like Aang and Katara, they were pretty freaked out and disgusted. Apart from Toph of course.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Everyone but Aang, Katara, and Toph exclaimed in unison.

"I know right?" Aang and Katara said in unison.

"What are y'all screaming at?! I'm blind remember?" Toph exclaimed. Atreus whispered in her ear what was happening and the blind girl proceeded to cover her mouth in disgust. She was a hardass fight for sure but this was new even for her.

"Is that a head?!" Sokka yelled. "Jeez man how is he talking?! How are his eyes moving?! How do you just casually carry a head around like that man?!"

"I have experience." Kratos told him.

"You have experience carrying talking heads?" Zuko asked.

"I have used heads that had power inside in battle. They did not speak." He informed the gaang. They said nothing else for a minute or so. Then Mimir spoke up again.

"Pleasure to meet ye all."

"Uhh, thanks. You too I guess." Sokka said.

"I'm Mimir. The smartest man alive."

"Oh really?"

"It's true. I was the greatest ambassador to the Norse gods, giants, and all the races of the nine realms. I have all kinds of stories to tell and more knowledge to spare than anyone else from where the three of us are from. That bein' said I don't know anythin' about this world, but I'm eager to learn. And so is the lad I imagine." Atreus nodded in agreement.

"Alright well can I ask you some questions then?" Katara asked.

"Very well. What's on yer mind?"

"What are gods?" This question confused Kratos. How could she not know what gods were?

"What nonsense is this?" he asked the girl. "Gods are known to all. They control a certain aspect of the world whether it be the landscape, ways of the world, or where we reside when we die. They rule over mortals and force them to worship their every action. They wage war in worse ways than anyone else and kill all other races that pose a threat to their cause. Mortals believe worshiping the gods will grant their respect, but it is useless. They do not care." Krato's words stuck with everyone for a moment. Whoever these gods were they clearly were bad business according to Kratos. But of course, this couldn't mean all gods were bad. Some for sure had to be good. It's like with the Fire nation. Just because they're Fire Nation doesn't mean they're all evil. Aang decided to ask him this later.

"So, what was it like where you guys are from? Did these gods make it tough?"

"It is...complicated. Atreus was born in a different land that I was. It has been forever since I have been home." Kratos figured he could tell these people at least a little bit of where he was truly from. They didn't even know what gods were. He could, for now, leave out what he did at his old home.

"So you lived in a completely different land with a completely different set of gods?"

"Yes. I am from a place called Sparta. It is a great, powerful city in the land of Greece. Spartans are the greatest warriors in any land. More fierce than any other. Machines of war. They give those they slay honorable deaths should they deserve such." Sokka was in awe. They truly were of warrior blood. He admired that. Little did he know what Kratos did with his power and skill as a warrior.

"And you know these gods?"

After a long pause, due to how careful he had to answer this question. "In a way."

"How so?"

"A question for another time. It is late. It is time for rest." With that everyone agreed. It was quite late outside. The next day, the gang would ask more questions with the boy. He seemed to be more open than his father. Plus he was nicer.

Elsewhere

Thunder cracked in the sky somewhere in the South Pole. Somewhere far away from the village. A hunting party soon saw this cand went to investigate like fools. All that could be seen from where the lighting was coming from was a big crater with a man standing tall. He was overweight, clearly. His armor was much more ancient than the two Spartans that now rest in the village. A hood covered his head so his face was not really recognisable. What could be seen was a red beard with glowing blue eyes. The hunters went to mock the strange man and steal his belongings. Clearly they were not scared and would be dearly for not being so. The man extended his arm and his hand widened as if he would catch something. An object came speeding towards him nearly hitting the hunters and killing the. They were able to evade quickly enough. What then crashed into the man's hand was a strange hammer that was generating lightning. It was right then that the God of Thunder would begin his slaughter upon this world in the name of Odin should his Raven King father give the word. Either way, sooner or far later, Thor would wreak havoc upon all who opposed him.