Six hours later, Hela pulled up to the airport baggage claim. Orange light pooled on the sidewalk and cast long shadows off the cement support pillars holding up the rest of the airport. At nearly six in the morning, shuttle vans were already coming and going, and the airport was lurching back to life for the day. On the curb sat two tween boys propped on each other, eyes shut, and jaws slack, obviously more than half-asleep. Frigga hadn't set a picture by the time Hela hit her last pit stop—her stepmom was probably too flustered; she hadn't been making the best decisions in the last twenty-four hours—but there wasn't anyone else out here. Hela pulled up a few feet away and parked.

She opened the door and leaned on the top. "Thor? Loki?"

They perked up and peeled off each other. The blonde one shouldered his backpack and grabbed his wheely bag. He looked like a young, shaggy-headed athlete, lanky with the beginnings of muscle, not yet to the growth spurt that would fill out his awkward angles. He scowled a little, whether from lack of sleep or annoyance she couldn't tell, but he dragged his stuff over to the car then looked from his phone to her, then again before rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Hela?"

"Yep."

Behind him, the smaller, black-haired boy grabbed his own backpack and pulled his headphones down around his neck.

Hela flexed her stiff wrist and nodded to the passenger's side. "Get in."

She slid back behind the wheel and popped the trunk. The boys threw their suitcases in the back, and Thor got in the front seat while Loki slid in the back.

Loki leaned forward and tapped her shoulder. "Can we stop at a McDonald's?"

Hela glanced back at the kid. He was rubbing sleep from his eyes with his palm and said, "I need a huge latte."

She raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young for that much coffee?"

"Aren't you a little old to still be this goth?"

She raised both eyebrows and glanced in the mirror. Her eyeliner and mascara were smeared to emo teen proportions, and her hair was missed and stiff with day-old hairspray. She frowned at the mess then back at the kid. "Do you want McDonald's or not?"

Thor snickered, but she glared at him. "Put your seat belt on, hotshot. And what do you mean still?"

The blond swiped on his phone and held it up so she could see. On the screen was a grainy picture of a framed photo: a family photo from some stuffy Asgard, Inc. event. There was Odin in that stupid suit, Frigga with a laughing black-headed two-year-old in her arms, a beaming, middle-school Thor in a suit to match his dad, and there to Odin's left was nineteen-year-old Hela. A black lace dress and jacket, thick eyeliner, and definitely green in that braid. It looked like it was from her last summer home, before she and Odin had their final blowout fight and she left for good.

Hela wrinkled her nose. "That is an atrocious picture."

She pulled away from the curb and drove back to the golden fast food haven she'd seen on her way into the airport. The streets were quiet this early in the morning with only the early shift workers coming and going. She pulled into a space near the front door and parked, got out, and stretched, her back cracking from sitting for six hours with only gas station stops, and she definitely wanted coffee. She needed to sleep at some point soon.

The boys got out of the car and shook themselves more awake. Their clothes were wrinkled, their hair wild, but Loki ran his fingers through his black hair and yanked his sweater straight in a halfhearted attempt at straightening himself out, but they both reeked of airport and unwashed travel.

The three of them trooped inside. The bright earth-toned interior looked freshly cleaned and the college kid firing up the cash register didn't look half dead so that was a plus. Hela stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and jerked her chin towards the bathroom. "Go wash your hands. You've been in the airport for way too long."

Loki looked disgusted. "I know how to wash my hands." But he and Thor trooped off, and Hela turned her attention to the menu. The boys reappeared—a little too fast but she wouldn't push her luck. Without even looking at the menu boards, Thor marched to the counter, and the boys ordered three coffees, six burritos, and a breakfast sandwich between the two of them. Hela ordered herself a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee and paid for the meal then stuffed the receipt in her purse for Frigga's tab. The three of them grabbed a high table and sat nursing their drinks through a long, awkward silence until their order was called.

They ate in silence until Hela decided she better say something. They were going to be stuck together for at least twelve hours, so she'd prefer if it was excruciatingly awkward the entire time.

"So the lawyers shipped you down here?"

Thor nodded. "Yup."

"Your mom says where I'm supposed to take you?"

Loki shrugged and swallowed down another gulp of coffee. "She said you can take us to a hotel or maybe Dad's house until he comes home."

"And how long is that going to be?"

"I don't know." He paused. "We don't have a key.

Hela sighed. "Well, I just drove all night to get here, so I'm going to need a bed at some point. Then we can figure out how long it'll be until the old fool comes home."

Thor glared at her. "Don't call him that. It wasn't his idea to strand us here."

She raised an eyebrow. Loki looked uncomfortable, but Thor looked defensive like he was still on his dad's side. Hela vaguely remembered what that felt like, defending a parent against every perceived slight, but she hadn't been on Odin's side since she was fifteen, not much older than the blond in front of her.

Maybe Odin hadn't meant to strand his sons in the Phoenix airport while he was halfway across the world, but he was the one fighting a custody battle while he was jet-setting off to China, obviously without a backup plan in case he won. Maybe Thor wanted to think the best of his father, but Hela couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor kid. She knew their father, maybe better than anyone, and Odin would disappoint him soon enough.

She ran her tongue over her teeth. "So how old are you two now?"

Thor tore off a bite of his burrito and mumbled around it. "Fourteen."

"I'm nine," said Loki.

Oh, good, they were both absolute children.

Thor crossed his arms. "And you? How old are you?"

"Twenty-six." She cradled her coffee in both hands and took a sip.

Loki's eyes bugged out of his head. "Holy crap."

She pointed a finger at him without dropping the cup. "Watch it. I picked your butt off the curb, I can leave it there again."

He flinched. "Sorry."

Hela grabbed her coffee, stood, and stretched. Then she grabbed her phone and held it up to grab the boys' attention. "I need to call into work. Finish eating and we'll head out."

She walked outside into the early sunlight. It was already warm, and it would be unbearable in a couple hours. She couldn't wait to get back to LA.

The line rang three times before it clicked. "Hey, this is Adam. I can't pick up, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Beep."

"Hey, Adam. This is Hela. I've had some family stuff come up so I need you to finish the last few interviews and send me your notes. We'll start response emails tomorrow. And tell Lara that I need a copy of the budget and those emails from accounting. Just try to keep things rolling, and I should be back in tomorrow. Email me if anything comes up."

She hung up and turned to walk back into the McDonald's, but the door swung open and Thor and Loki strolled out, the younger boy clutching another small coffee that he must have bought himself. The kid would never sleep again at this rate, but hopefully that wouldn't be her problem soon. Fishing in her pocket, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the car.

"Ready?"

Thor opened the passenger door and cocked his head. "Where are we headed?"

"Your dad's house."

"We don't have a key. Unless you do, but that would be kinda weird."

Hela smirked. "Don't need one."

Loki gave a drawn-out, confused hum, but Hela got behind the wheel and started the car. "Let's go. Before I fall asleep at the wheel."

They crawled in while Hela whipped out her phone and put in the address Frigga had texted her. Then she handed the phone to Thor, backed out, and sped off down the highway towards Odin's house.