I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
"Look, Keiichi!"
The mortal smiled, waiving at his wife as she was about to dive into the pool. Since it wasn't the right season to go to the beach, they decided to use the hotel's own facilities, instead. Although, Keiichi wasn't exactly too sad about that. He could barely float, so the ocean was still too much of a challenge for him. The heated pool on the other hand, was shallow enough that he didn't have to worry about drowning himself by accident, and even then, he was reluctant to get in the water.
Watching Belldandy swim, brought back memories from that time when Peorth was trying to grant him a wish. He remembered that she attempted to push him into the pool, but her plan had failed in the most epic of ways.
"Come on in, Keiichi. The water is warm. I can even show you how to swim!" Belldandy smiled as she tried to convince her reluctant husband to join her. She did know that he and water weren't getting along nicely, but over the years there had been no actual improvement. The goddess wished that he could start taking a few lessons with her and slowly get past this hurdle. Then, they could both enjoy this experience, instead of having him wait for her.
"Some other time, Belldandy!" said the mortal, returning the smile. He was aware that he shouldn't be avoiding the problem like that. Sure, it wasn't unusual for adults to not know how to swim and there was nothing shameful to try and learn from her. But he wasn't too comfortable taking lessons in front of others.
Naturally, they weren't the only ones in the pool. In fact there were several other couples an even a few families that decided to have some fun in the water. Not far from them, a mother was showing her young boy how to swim, and he sure didn't want to be compared to a kid.
"But, Keiichi... You always say that, and in the end you don't even try," said Belldandy with a frown.
"It's a bit too... crowded, Belldandy. I mean... the pool isn't that small, but there just isn't enough space for us to use it for that purpose." His happy expression was starting to falter, since he was a terrible liar. However, the goddess had apparently accepted his explanation and resumed swimming. He let out a sigh, not exactly proud that he had to trick his wife in such a manner and wondered if he should go and get her something to drink. Perhaps a nice cup of tea could work as an acceptable apology.
Heading towards the bar, Keiichi noticed a small group of men gathered around a particular spot, right next to the hotel's second pool. Since they were both in the same general area, it was fairly easy for him to see what was going on over there.. At first, the young mechanic had no particular interest in the commotion, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
Walking towards the crowd, he wondered if all this commotion was about some sort of celebrity. Although, in that case, he would've expected a couple of photographers to be on the scene. Instead, it was just a bunch of guys that were desperately trying to take a look at the mysterious person, who was likely relaxing next to the water. Considering his rather unimpressive stature, he was a bit less fortunate than most of them. It was one of the reasons that made him a bit insecure with women in the past, thinking that they wouldn't want a short boyfriend.
So, it wasn't a big shock when he realized that he couldn't see anything, as the crowd completely blocked his sight. A few moments later, Keiichi decided that it was better to just forget about it and return to his original task. Aside from his curiosity, he had no reason to be here in the first place and Belldandy would start to wonder what happened to him, if he was gone for too long. Turning around, he started to walk towards the bar, once again.
"Keiichi-kun!"
The young mechanic froze on the spot as he recognized the owner of that voice. Looking over his shoulder ever so slowly, his suspicions turned out to be correct. As much as he didn't want to believe it, the mysterious person was no other than Hild in her full form, no less. Not the child-like avatar that spent the previous night in their suite. That one had already left, early in the morning and he was sure that she wouldn't bother them again. At least, not so soon.
"Okay, enough ogling, boys. I've got places to go, things to do," said the Daimakaicho, as she addressed the group of admirers that flocked around her recliner chair.
Keiichi could see the reason why they were so interested. Hild was wearing a rather skimpy black bikini with gold patterns on it, and while it was just decent enough to be legal, it didn't leave much to the imagination. The most striking feature, however, was a bizarre pendant that was attached to the seal around her neck. It was mostly made out of a dark diamond shaped crystal with a red cat-like iris at the center of it. As crazy as it sounded, Keiichi almost felt that it was actually staring at him.
"Oh? You like what you see?" asked Hild in a teasing tone, making the rest of the guys incredibly frustrated. They just couldn't understand why this exotic beauty was paying that much attention to that skinny dude, when she didn't even bother to talk to them. Not to mention the fact that she apparently knew him, too.
"No! I mean... I... I don't want to sound offensive..." said Keiichi, but his brain was failing him at the moment.
"You're so cute when you get embarrassed, Keiichi-kun," said Hild with a smile that made the poor mortal, extremely nervous. "Why don't we get away from this crowd and have a drink? Hm?"
He didn't need his wife's powers to feel all the jealousy and rage from the rest of the men that stared at them. As a matter of fact, Keiichi wasn't a stranger at dealing with such looks. Back at NIT, he wasn't exactly the most popular person, due to the fact that he dated Belldandy. At least, as far as some of the male students were concerned.
But this situation was a bit different. Whatever, Hild had in mind, he didn't want to be part of it and as a result, he tried to get away from her. "Some other time, Hild. Belldandy will be wondering where I've gone to..."
"Why didn't you say so, then? Let's stop wasting time, here." Latching on the mortal's arm, before he had the opportunity to escape, she literally dragged him towards the bar. Behind them, the angry group of men, could only curse the short guy for being so lucky.
"Um... Could you let go of my arm, please?" asked Keiichi, as his blush was so intense that made his face look like a tomato. "I'm not that comfortable with its current location..."
"What are you talking about? My chest isn't good enough for you?" asked Hild in her typical melodramatic way. "Or is the bikini top getting in the way? It's not hard to remove, you know..."
"No! I like it the way it is!" Keiichi was actually wishing that his libido blocker was back in place. That would've made him unconscious, just like every other time that Urd or Peorth had gotten too far with their jokes. However, there was apparently nothing to save him from his current predicament. As such, he could only stare at his captive limb, trying to figure out what to do.
That's when he accidentally saw Hild's pendant, and there was something horribly wrong with it; its single iris was looking straight at him. At first, he blinked, believing that it was just his imagination running wild due to his otherwise unreal situation. No matter how much he tried, though, he couldn't shake the eery feeling that someone was actually watching him.
Hild noticed the sudden change in his aura, going from embarrassment to fear, and stopped. "Hey, Keiichi-kun? Why don't you go and get a cup of tea for Bell-chan and me? I'll sit here and wait for you."
"T-Thanks, Hild," said the young man, before he hastily moved towards the bar.
Looking around the hotel's lobby, the Daimakaicho made sure that there was no one standing too close to her. "He noticed you."
The pendant's red iris, stared upwards, before it replied back at her, in a hushed voice. "I wouldn't worry too much. He's not going to realize what, or rather who I am. You can just tell him that I'm merely a demonic piece of jewelry."
"You may be capable of assuming different forms, but your granddaughter is a lot smarter than you think. If he mentions anything to her, she could try a look at the pendant, and you'll be exposed for good," said Hild, still keeping an eye towards Keiichi's direction.
"I'm a bit craftier than you may think, my daughter..." replied Odin. "After all, I've got a lot of experience doing such things in the past."
"Turning yourself into jewelry? Must've been fun," said Hild with a chuckle. "No wonder you were popular with the ladies... Three sons, and every single one from a different mother."
"Only you would dare say such a thing right in my face," said the annoyed god.
"Well, what can I say? I'm such an honest person," said the Daimakaicho with a big grin on her face. "But, we're not here to talk about that... What do you think about, Keiichi-kun?"
"Who gave you the funny idea that I care?" asked Odin.
"Hm... Let's see... Your ravens? It's been ages since you've sent them on a reconnaissance mission. And, don't ever try telling me that it's irrelevant, because I'm not buying it," warned Hild. "Besides, why did you agree to come here with me?"
"I wanted to see why you're so interested in this mortal," said the former Daitenkaicho. "You've invested enough time and efforts in him and I wondered why."
"Really?" asked Hild with a raised eyebrow. "I was under the impression that you were acting on your own, regardless of my opinion about Keiichi-kun. What do you really, want with him?"
"That's my line, Hild. Belldandy isn't you, and he isn't Tyr, either." Seeing that his words had gotten no immediate reaction from her, the god went on. "No matter what their outcome was, it won't change anything for you and my son. Or any other couple that will also be separated in the future. You need to look elsewhere for your solution."
"You were the one who threw the Judgement Gate in the Pit, right? Even used you old combat knife," said Hild.
"Who knows? Although, I don't remember doing such a thing..." answered Odin.
"Stop denying it. I've checked, and the security system was actually locked. There was no way that you could've used it," said the demoness with a smirk. "So much for your alibi..."
"Are you calling me a liar?" asked the offended god. "You know that I can't..."
"Yeah, yeah... A first class god cannot tell a lie. However, when was the last time that you've renewed your license? You've been hiding in my home for so long, that it expired, right?" It sounded more like an accusation, instead of a question, and Hild knew that her former father-in-law had no more excuses.
"I see that you've done your math, Hild, and you're indeed correct. My license had expired and for the time being, I'm not subjected to its limitations. I had almost gotten rid of that Gate, and I would've succeeded, if it wasn't for you and your meddling companions," said Odin with a pout.
"Thanks for the effort, but you're not doing me a favor," replied Hild. "Given the circumstances, the gods would've held me responsible for the 'accident' and used it against me. I've just dealt with a coup, no matter how beneficial it was for me. Trying my luck at a direct confrontation with Asgard, in such a short period of time would've been a really bad idea. What really bothers me, though, is that you've somehow managed to get Skrymir's help. There's no other explanation for his little show when I visited him."
"I'm not trying to do you any favors, my daughter. This is completely unrelated to your history with my son. I'm just sick of my own people's passiveness. You demons have to live with the fear that your subjects could turn against you if they lose confidence in your leadership skills. But that's not the case in Asgard, where everyone has to be so darn nice. The Councilors are doing whatever they want, and neither Tyr, nor the rest of them are doing something to put an end to this," said Odin.
"And you've decided that it's your job?" asked Hild.
"There are two types of people. Those that allow the world to change them, and those that change the world. I want to think that I belong in the second category," said the god. "After all, someone has to crash their party, and I don't mind being that person."
"Everything has a price, though," said the demoness with a sigh. "If it was that simple, then I would've done that a long time ago."
"Just because you married my son, doesn't mean you had to become like him," said the god, trying his best to roll the singular eye of his current form. "You used to be quite the troublemaker back in the old days... Now you've a worrywart..."
"What did you call me?" asked the Daimakaicho, yanking the jewel from her neck and bringing it close to her face.
"You heard me!" said Odin. "Anyway, my views of the Judgement Gate are irrelevant. I'll destroy it one way or another, and then, they'll have no other option but to act. And when they do..."
"That's a demon's way of thinking," said Hild. "Even I wouldn't go that far..."
"Maybe. But I'm tired of the current lack of criticism towards Asgard's leadership. Back in the old days, gods and goddesses weren't afraid to speak against me and the Councilors, whenever they thought that we did something wrong. It may have caused me trouble at times, but it was something healthy and necessary for our society," said the former Daitenkaicho. "These days, everyone is afraid of being critical, because of the foolish belief that it will make them sound like bad people. This cannot go on."
"If not done properly, you can cause a lot of damage, Odin. The curse that, Nidhogg had placed on you, is really clouding your judgment," said the demoness. She was reluctant to bring that subject up, as it was without doubt, a painful one for the elder god. "You've used to be a lot more cautious, back then."
"Believe me, I'm fully aware of that. However, the alternative is not pretty, either. Leaving the fate of Asgard at the hands of the same morons who considered war as the only option, is dangerous. I'm far from being innocent, as well. My stubbornness had led a lot of celestials to their deaths, including my brothers. It took me a lot of time, but I've finally realized just how much blood I've got on my own hands," said Odin. "But, they won't do the same. They're far too arrogant and oblivious to admit that. And right now, every celestial is blindly following their commands. It's pretty obvious that this is a recipe for disaster."
"I'm not so certain about this. My goal is to just get rid of the Gate, but you have much bigger ambitions. Also, keep in mind that whoever replaces them, may not be an actual improvement, either. As a matter of fact, they could be just as bad, if not worse," said the Daimakaicho.
Before she could get a reply, a young girl pointed at her, as she and her mother were walking nearby. "Look, mama! That lady is talking to herself!"
"Don't point!" said the woman, trying to avoid eye contact with the demoness.
Once away from them, the former Daitenkaicho couldn't help but shake his head. Figuratively speaking, of course. "Mortals, these days..."
"You have no idea..." replied Hild, reattaching the jewel, as she noticed Keiichi heading towards them.
"Sorry for the delay, Hild," said the reluctant mortal. "But, there were a lot of people waiting at the bar. I've got a cup of tea for each one of us. So, can we go to Belldandy, now?"
He was hoping that with his wife around, the demoness would act in a less provoking manner. She was way too friendly in his opinion, and worried that she was up to no good. After all, demons were not known to be nice for too long. Not without a personal gain, anyway.
"Oh, no worries, Keiichi-kun! I was just relaxing here..." said Hild. "You, on the other hand, look terribly uncomfortable. Is there something wrong? I can help you a bit, you know..."
"No! I'm just great! Better than ever, in fact!" Despite his words, the mortal tired to take a step away from the Daimakaicho, but once again, she managed to get hold of his arm and pulled him towards his wife's direction.
"Let's go then! I'm sure that, Bell-chan is wondering where you've gone..." Taking one of the tea cups, she continued to drag him along the way.
"Wait! If Belldandy sees us like that, she's going to blow the whole place up!" said the worried mechanic.
"She's got that bracelet, remember?" said Hild, with a wink. "Even if she gets a bit jealous, it should be fine!"
"We never tested that, though..." said Keiichi with an uncertain look.
"There's always the first time for everything, right?" said the demoness, giving the mortal a look that made him sweat a bit.
"I-I d-don't think that it's such g-good idea..." stammered the young man, still being dragged by his captor.
"Oh, you're such a worrywart," said Hild, before she was interrupted by the sound of muffled laughter. Keiichi was momentarily confused, looking around for the source, while Hild used the opportunity to give her pendant an angry look.
"What was that?" asked the mortal man. "I thought that I've heard somebody laughing..."
"We're in a hotel, Keiichi-kun... There are all sorts of people around us. So, don't think about it too much." It wasn't actually a lie; for the most part, at least. The closer the got to the pool, the more crowded it was, as several tenants wanted to get a chance to go for a swim.
"Hild?"
Turning their heads towards the gentle but baffled voice, they spotted the goddess of the present, looking at them.
"Bell-chan!" said the enthusiastic ruler of Niflheim, with a wide smile.
Keiichi, on the other hand, was genuinely terrified. "B-Belldandy... T-That's not what it l-looks like..."
Tilting her head a bit, the goddess gave her husband a curious look. "You mean, this tea isn't for us?"
"Huh?" Looking at the pair of tea cups he was holding, his face light up in an instant. "Oh, right! That's for you, Belldandy!"
"Thank you very much, Keiichi. That was so thoughtful of you." Offering her husband a smile, the goddess turned her attention towards the unlikely visitor. "Hild. I must admit that I wasn't expecting that we would've run into you, so soon..."
"Indeed..." said the Daimakaicho with a pleased expression. "What a coincidence!"
"Is it really? I find it hard to believe that this is the case here. And for the record, most goddesses in my place, wouldn't have approved the way that you're clinging to my husband." Belldandy wasn't one to lose her cool that easily, but whenever someone managed to actually anger her, it was a quite a terrifying sight.
"Now, now... You know that I'm only joking, Bell-chan..." While smiling, the Daimakaicho's expression was one that implied anything but playfulness. "As a matter of fact, I'm here for business. A contract, to be more precise."
"What?!" asked the surprised mortal.
"I'm a bit lost as well, Hild," said the goddess of the present. "Why would we form a contract?"
"Well... You know that for the past couple of years, Ma-chan had been attempting to separate you from Keiichi-kun. I've even left a one thousandth part of myself to oversee her operations. But... let's be honest here. There were no chances that she would've succeeded. Not with her methods, anyway. However, all that was before your marriage. A lot of demons had simply assumed that your little stunt here would've ended with your Judgement Gate test. After all, that's what happened with every other couple so far," explained Hild. "It didn't, though. Which leaves us with a big problem..."
"They won't like that..." said Belldandy, starting to realize where this was heading.
"No... not at all. I may not have much of an issue, but as the Daimakaicho, I can't fully endorse the fact that you're using the supposedly neutral Midgard as your new home. Even worse, your relationship with Keiichi-kun is a constant source of profit for Asgard and it's reaching a point where it's actually noticeable. I can't just keep turning a blind eye to that matter. As mentioned, the Gate is not an excuse anymore and my subordinates will soon become restless," said Hild.
"And making a contract with you, is going to change that?" asked Keiichi. "Maybe it's because I'm a human, but I can't follow that logic..."
"It depends on the terms behind it. The primary problem is that she's still generating a constant income. Being united with you is another wish that's continuously granted, and as such, we've got the same situation as before," explained the demoness. "If you allow me to grant you a similar wish, then each side will get the same profit. To put it in simple words, nobody's going to complain about you, anymore."
"But what kind of contract can ensure that?" asked Belldandy.
"How about one that keeps Keiichi-kun safe? As long as he's fine, we can make profit, and during an emergency, I have a valid reason to help you," said Hild with a smirk. "Just think about it... I managed to get close to him so easily... Sure, I was just messing around with him for a couple of minutes, but you didn't realize what was going on for that amount of time. Some other demon, might've used that opportunity to get rid of him. Humans are not that hard to kill, Bell-chan..."
The Norn of the present flinched at the demoness' words, but tried to avoid from showing too much emotion. "I... I see... In that case, I shouldn't have been so careless. From now on, I..."
"You can't put him in a gilded cage, Bell-chan. Even taking him to Asgard isn't a real option. As a mortal, he would look really out of place, almost like a prisoner," said Hild. "However, I'm not expecting an answer right now. Spend the rest of your trip here, having fun. Just consider my offer, before rejecting it, though. I'll come to see you once you're back home. In the meanwhile, I'll let you alone."
The couple watched the demoness walk away from them, before they had much of a chance to say much.
"What was all that?" asked Keiichi, while taking a sip from his tea.
"Don't worry about it..." said his wife with an uncertain smile. "I'm sure that we can think of something. But..."
"Yes?"
The goddess shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Never mind... We have time until I give an answer. Besides, I need to ask father's opinion about this. He probably knows her much better than I do, so, his opinion is necessary."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" said Keiichi. "She was wearing a really weird pendant..."
"I'm afraid that I hadn't paid much attention to it," admitted Belldandy. "What was so strange about it?"
"It stared at me."
XXX
Ithavoll, Asgard
The lord of the celestials was reading the paper in his hands for the fourth time, trying to make sense of it.
"Who signed this?"
High Councilor and god of the sea, Njord lowered his head before the Daitenkaicho. "I do not know, my lord."
"A fellow member of the Council gets a three month vacation, and I haven't heard anything?" asked Tyr with a raised eyebrow. "Who gave them the funny idea that they can do whatever they want?"
"What can I say, my lord... It's uncalled for, and I must apologize on his behalf," said Njord, still staring at the floor.
"I'm starting to realize why my father never liked them, in the first place. No offense, Njord. At least, you're a sane one," said Tyr with a sigh.
"None taken, Tyr-sama. I'm sometimes baffled by some of their actions, too. Especially, after that... incident, some time ago," said the god of the sea.
"Don't remind me! That's why I've got you in this position. I needed someone more reliable." Setting the document down, the Daitenkaicho got up from his chair and walked towards the large window behind his desk. "The problem was far worse than I had originally anticipated. While most of the Councilors are worthy of their titles, the number of the problematic ones is apparently way higher than my original estimates. That won't do. It won't do at all..."
"Perhaps, this could be a good opportunity to make an investigation on the Councilors," said Njord in a cautious manner. "I'm pretty certain that this would be the most prudent move, my lord."
"I see no problem with that," said Tyr. "In the meantime, I want you to distribute the updated emergency protocols manual."
"We won't hold a meeting for that, Tyr-sama?" asked the surprised Njord.
"No. There's no need to waste my time with pointless bickering. I still have a lot of work left from the recent crisis." Retuning back to his desk, the Daitenkaicho gave his subordinate a stern look. "And remind them that from now on, only me and Ansuz have the authority to call for an emergency meeting. That's all."
"Yes, my lord." Turning around, the High Councilor, moved towards the door, pausing only for a brief moment. 'You seem less passive than normal. I wonder... Freyr mentioned that, Frigg-sama visited Ansuz... Hm... Maybe something good might come out of this, after all.'
Once alone, Tyr picked his phone, dialing a number of one of the highest ranking members of the Fighting Wings. The commander of the Valkyries, Freya, who'd gotten that position from his wife, when the latter became the Representative Director of the Goddess Council. Being Njord's daughter, the Daitenkaicho was relatively confident that she could be trusted in a situation like this.
"Yes?"
Staring at his headset for a moment, Tyr was rather dumfounded by the goddess' sultry tone. Even though this wasn't the first time he had to deal with Freya's antics, it was still hard to get used to. From a certain perspective, she was nearly as bad as a certain demoness. A stark contrast with most other goddesses that preceded her in that office.
"It is I," said the Daitenkaicho, after clearing his throat.
"Tyr-sama! What a pleasant surprise!" said the happy Valkyrie.
"Well, I need you to come to my office. I can's talk about this, even on a secure line," said Tyr in his typical stern voice.
"Oh, dear... Should I keep this a secret from your wife, my lord?" asked Freya.
"Huh?!" asked the shocked Daitenkaicho, as he felt his face turn red. "What are you talking about?!"
"Um... Hild's attempt to offer protection to your son-in-law, my lord," said the Valkyrie. "Isn't that the reason why you wanted to talk to me?"
"No... I knew nothing about it, actually. When did that happen?" asked the surprised god.
"Moments ago. I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't report it sooner. We were dealing with another situation, and..." said Freya, before she was interrupted by her superior.
"Never mind that! It'll have to wait!" said Tyr. "I've got a job for you, so come to my office as soon as possible. And don't mention anything to Ansuz about Hild. I'll get to the bottom of that, later..."
"Of course, my lord!"
XXX
Hild's mansion, Niflheim
Inside one of the numerous rooms of the complex, a young looking demoness was happily singing, without a care in the world. Ehwaz, the mistress of traps and Hagall's second in command, was enjoying some of the luxuries that the Daimakaicho took for granted.
"Yay! This karaoke machine is way better than anything I could get my hands on!"
Sitting on a nearby sofa, her blond sister, Mokkurkalfi, was busy working on her laptop. Despite appearances, Ehwaz was the elder of the two siblings, and the most difficult one, in regards to her temperamental personality.
"Well... For once, I'm happy that we're done with all those letters... What a terrible experience..."
"That's probably why, Hagall was so eager to pass that task to us," said the pint sized demoness. "At least, we've managed to avoid going to Muspelheim for that boring inspection. So, we can finally relax a bit."
"Wish I could say that," said Mokkurkalfi, checking her laptop. "Hild-sama had given me a new project."
Ehwaz was about to ask for details, but at that very moment, the door opened. The Daimakaicho, still wearing her black bikini from before, walked inside with an amused smirk.
"Well, that was pleasant," said Hild. "I've done my part. Now, I hope that your toy had done the same, Mokku-chan..."
"Hild-sama, that's a sophisticated sensory system..." said the inventor, with a dejected look. It was during times like this, that she wondered if others really appreciated all her hard work.
"Oh, don't be like that, Mokku-chan... I'm only teasing you," said the leader of Niflheim, leaning closer to the younger demoness, patting her head. "So... can we start?"
"Yes! Just wait a moment, please..." Typing a few commands on her laptop, the demoness' face light up with delight. "It really worked! I'm getting the recorded data!"
Approaching her sister, Ehwaz tried to understand what she and the Daimakaicho were talking about. "Hey, what are you talking about, Mokkurkalfi?"
"Her bikini," said the young demoness, pointing at Hild. "It's actually a spying device. Sandwiched between two layers of fabric, lies a mesh of ultra thin wires. They act as antennae connected to a tiny system on a package that..."
Interrupting the enthusiastic inventor by raising her hand, the pint sized demoness was apparently not interested in the inner workings of her sister's device. "Just give me the short version. What's its purpose?"
It was Hild that offered an answer to that. "We scanned Keiichi. Or, to be more precise, we intercepted the communication between the amulet that he got from Loki, and his body. By analyzing the patterns, we can reverse engineer some of its functions and see whether it does what it's supposed to, or not."
"That's correct," said Mokkurkalfi, with a nod. "Since they are separate entities, the interaction between the mortal and that magical device can be recorded. Although, my detector works better if it's really close to the intended target. I hope that you've managed to get near him, Hild-sama."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mokku-chan! I couldn't have gotten closer to the wristwatch," said the elder demoness with a sly grin. "Not without smothering him, anyway."
"Uh... forgive me for asking..." started the confused Ehwaz. "But, what are we gaining from this?"
"It's simple really. Information is power," said Hild. "We're dealing with Loki, here. If I know something about him, it's that he always keeps a secret or two. There's no way that his device is only keeping Keiichi-kun healthy. Once we find out what it's hidden purpose is, then we could use it to our advantage."
"I see..." said the pint sized demoness.
Meanwhile, her sister was feverishly typing commands to her laptop, before she paused, to address her leader. "That's really fascinating, Hild-sama! But, I'm afraid that decoding the data and running all the necessary simulations might take a while."
"No worries, Mokku-chan. That's why I gave you this job so early. You've got more than enough time to finish your task, before I even need the results." Turning around, the Daimakaicho started to walk towards the door. "I suppose that I'm no longer necessary here, so, I'll leave you girls alone for now. Don't forget to call me as soon as you have any news."
"Of course, Hild-sama!"
The walk to her private chambers, gave the demoness some time to gather her thoughts about the overall situation. Using that offer as an excuse to spy on them might've sounded a good idea at the time, but she was wondering if it was a bit too obvious. It was true that accepting it, would've solved a lot of problems associated with Belldandy's contract, but then again, there were easier ways to counter it.
"Hild..."
Blinking for a moment, the demoness quickly remembered about Odin. Taking the pendant off her neck, she placed it on the floor and waited for him to resume his original form.
Dusting himself, the former Daitenkaicho attempted to regain his composure. Spending the last couple of hours in that form wasn't one of the most dignified things he'd done so far.
"I must admit, that I'm not certain about that offer you've made. Seems that it was a very transparent excuse."
"Well... There's always the possibility that your granddaughter might've taken it seriously," said Hild with a skeptical look. "But that wasn't the actual reason of my visit, to begin with."
"You could've asked me, instead," said Odin. "I'm certain that, Loki would've told me about his plans for the mortal..."
"Sure! And you'd definitely tell me all the truth!" said Hild with a sarcastic tone. "Like you did, with the Gate incident..."
"Okay... You've got me there," admitted the elder god, with a sigh. "However, don't think for a moment that, Tyr won't figure it out... He knows you better than most..."
"Maybe..." said the Daimakaicho. "It's a bit of a mutual thing..."
"In that case, I'll let you handle this," said Odin, turning around, ready to head towards his room.
"You never answered one of my questions, though," said Hild. "What did you think about, Keiichi-kun?"
The god stopped for a moment, trying to come up with a response, before he resumed walking. "He's not bad."
'I'm really happy that he wasn't the one that tested the poor boy... He could've broken all of his bones, or something like that...'
On a different realm, a certain god felt the sudden urge to sneeze.
XXX
As the Sun slowly rose from the horizon, a new day had began for the Morisato residence. Rebuilt once more, after it burned to the ground, the house stood there as if nothing had ever happened.
Inside, the youngest of the goddesses, wondered why her alarm clock went off, so early. The sleepy Norn of the future, tried to recall if there was a special offer at her favorite hardware shop, but after a few moments, she finally realized what was going on.
'I have to go to Whirlwind...'
Struggling to get out of her futon, she changed into some simple blue overalls, that she was going to wear during work. Taking a moment to check on Sigel, as she was still on her recharging chair, Skuld decided that it was time to go and wake the house's sleepyhead; Urd.
The moment she got to the hall, the young goddess, picked the scent of cooking, coming from the kitchen. 'Grandmother must be making breakfast...'
Standing outside of her sister's room, Skuld knocked the door, but received no reply from the half goddess. "Wake up! We need to go to work!"
Still getting no response, the frustrated goddess opened the door, only to realize that there was no one inside. 'Huh? Urd had woken up early? That's almost unheard of...'
Scratching her head, she decided to go see her grandmother in hopes that she knew more about the other Norn's whereabouts.
"Grandma, have you seen... Urd?! W-What are you doing?!"
"Cooking... What else?" said her eldest sister, holding her spatula up, for emphasis. She was currently making a simple breakfast that consisted of bacon and eggs. Nowhere as fancy as what Belldandy would've normally made, but considering the circumstances, it was more than enough.
"Why? It's not like we need to eat food. I mean, Keiichi's not here," said Skuld with a puzzled expression. "Besides, since when did you learn how to cook?"
"What are you implying? After all, I'm the one who taught Belldandy, silly!" said Urd with a grin.
"Eh?! No way! You're lying!" said the goddess of the future, pointing an accusatory finger towards her sibling.
"Think about it... I've got alchemy as a hobby," said the Norn of the past. "Now... Do you think that they would let a kid get her hands on anything potentially dangerous? It's only natural that the very first lessons were about mixing mundane ingredients and following a simple procedure. Sounds familiar?"
"So, you started with cooking?" asked the incredulous goddess of the future.
"I had to. It was that way, or no way. Most boring lessons of my life, and I had to endure all that, before I got to the interesting stuff," said Urd with a grimace. "Belldandy wanted to help me practice, and volunteered to be the guinea pig... I mean, my valued assistant!"
"What have you done to my poor oneesama?!" asked the horrified young goddess.
"Nothing! I just had her take a bite of my food, that's all!" said Urd. "She was so cute while making all those funny faces!"
"S-Sadist! How could you do that to your own sister!" objected Skuld, as her face turned red.
"Hey! I wasn't that bad. Just a little bit on the spicy side, but it was certainly edible..." said the goddess of the past. "Even you wanted to eat it."
"Me?! You've got to be kidding me!" said Skuld. "I don't recall any of this!"
"You were far too little," said Urd. "And that was one of the reasons why, Belldandy started cooking. She noticed that you had a bit of an appetite and once I was done with those infernal lessons, she became the one that prepared your meals."
"But... Food isn't necessary for goddesses..." started the youngest of the Norns.
"Tell that to your old self... Anyway... That's how she picked that hobby of hers," explained Urd.
"I see... But what made you start cooking all of a sudden? asked Skuld.
Urd simply pointed towards the table, where their smiling grandmother was quietly enjoying a cup of tea.
"I should've known..." said the Norn of the future, while her sister nodded in reply.
"Oh, don't be like that, you two..." said Frigg. "I really wanted to try Urd-chan's breakfast."
"Well, it's done. So, feel free to take a bite," said Urd, serving each goddess their share.
"What about the others?" asked Skuld.
"They're asleep, and I really don't want to go and wake a Valkyrie up," explained the half goddess. "Besides, we shouldn't waste Keiichi's food for no reason."
"It's a bit sad, but considering that our young Morisato is paying for all this, I'll have to agree with Urd," said Frigg. "Hopefully, once you girls bring back some money, we can make this into a more regular event."
Skuld smiled as she noticed her sister's dark expression. Taking a bite, she had to admit that the food was indeed good, but the goddess of the past was certainly not looking forward to make more. Of course, Urd needed a lot more practice before she could be on par with Belldandy, but, far from the disaster that the goddess of the future was expecting.
"Okay, once we finish, we need to get to Whirlwind," said the Norn of the past, pointing at Skuld with her fork. "That means, we're teleporting there."
"But..."
"Don't worry, Skuld. We can take your scooter and my bicycle with us, as well," explained Urd. "Everyone will merely assume that we used them to get there. The only difference is that we can save a lot of time, this way."
"Hm... I don't see why not..." said Skuld, scratching her chin. "In that case, you should change into your work clothes, before we go."
"There's no need for that. I'll just summon the right attire as soon as we transfer ourselves over there," said Urd.
"Wait! What about the dishes?" asked Skuld, before she was interrupted by her grandmother.
"Don't worry about them, Skuld-chan. I'll take care of them!" said Frigg with a smile. "Just go and have fun!"
"We will..." said the two sisters, although not as enthusiastic as one might've expected. Despite that, they headed outside, where they could open their portal without anything getting in their way.
Just as soon as the two sisters had finally departed, the elder goddess felt a familiar presence close to her.
"What are you doing here?" asked Frigg, in a chilling tone. "There are others nearby."
A tall god, clad in the Fighting Wing's white uniform, stepped out of the shadows and approached her. Wearing a hood and the standard issue gas mask that was developed to guard against splash potions, none of his facial features were exposed.
"I was really careful." Producing an envelope from his uniform, the god handed it down to Frigg. "Here."
"Thank you," said the elder goddess. "I'll read it later. Any news?"
"Tyr did his part and changed the emergency protocols. Also, he's planning something, but I haven't figured out what yet," said the god in a serious voice. "And Hild is up to her usual tricks, by the looks of it."
"What else is new?" said the goddess with a laugh. "Thank goodness, I don't have to worry about Tyr anymore. He's a good kid, but needs someone to push him at times. I'm sure that the Councilors were thrilled about that."
"You bet they did," chuckled the god. "Oh, and he was with Hild, as well."
"What?! That's rather surprising!" said Frigg, not expecting to hear that. "Now I wish I'd been there..."
"That could've been dangerous," started the god, before he turned his head towards the living room, where Lind and Peorth were sleeping. "I can sense some movement, from that direction. I guess that they're about to wake up. So, I'll take my leave."
"Yes. It was nice seeing you," said Frigg.
"Indeed," said the god with a nod, before he disappeared, leaving the goddess alone in the kitchen.
'I can't read the letter while the others are nearby. Maybe, I can wash the dishes for the time being...'
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There's a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
Odin has similar shapeshifting capabilities like Loki, although not to the same extend. One pretty significant limitation is that he cannot completely hide his demonic eye. In this case, it became a prominent feature of his disguised form.
Njord, as mentioned was the god of the sea and father of Freyr and Freya. That remains the same in this story. The only difference, is that their mother will be mentioned, unlike the Norse legends where she is left unnamed. Currently, Njord is one of Tyr's most trusted subordinates and acts as his right hand in the Gods Council. Ansuz may be Asgard's second in command, but she primarily handles the Goddesses Council.
Freya (or Freyja in the Old Norse, meaning "the Lady") is of course the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, gold, sorcery, war and even death. She was married to Odr and had two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. In this story, Freya is the head of the Valkyries, a position that she got from Ansuz. It may seem a bit strange for someone like her to get this kind of job, she's certainly not unfit for it. More details about her background will be revealed in the following chapters.