It has been a long time, but I am finally back with the next instalment. I hope you enjoy. Also, I would like to note that I made a slight change in the last chapter. It is minute, and explains about Hiccup's missing leg.
Hiccup woke up with a start. The stomach appeared to be convulsing, violently. Hiccup stared, immensely worried about what was about to happen. He had fallen asleep after exploring the immediate area. Two ends of the stomach were closed up, so Hiccup couldn't get very far. In the end he curled up and went to sleep.
The odd red fluid was sloshing about, leaving the pools and flopping onto the fleshy ground like small mackerel jumping about inside a net.
One ended up jumping out so far that Hiccup had to retreat back swiftly before it could touch his front paws. It was a close call, but he managed to evade the red liquid. His reflexes appeared to be quicker as a dragon.
The convulsions didn't abate. Hiccup did what he did best and observed the environment. He noted that the convulsions were moving along the walls, over the ribs and through the rock- like flesh. They were all headed in the same direction.
Hiccup peered into the depths and saw that the way was opened somewhat. The heated smog inside seemed to waft in that direction. Hiccup plucked up his courage and decided to walk. This place unnerved him.
He walked, seemingly for a long time. The snake was massive and resembled a long dark tunnel into the mountains. The flesh shimmered at Hiccup passed through. Bio-luminescent flowers lit the way through, casting the walls into beautiful arrays of fiery light. They shone red, much like the fruit trees.
It reminded Hiccup of how hungry he felt. His belly gargled and clenched; He couldn't tell whether it was nerves, or hunger that was the culprit.
He felt hungry, lonely, scared. He didn't know what was going to happen. His ears hung down, slack, his tail dragged along the floor and his neck was almost parallel to the floor.
The passage was slightly narrower suddenly. 'Maybe I have reached the neck?' Hiccup thought, wary of his horns touching the roof. This was why he kept his head down. His wings were clenched tightly to his back, folded neatly and out of the way. He was worried that brushing the sides of the passage would cause Jormungand to twitch in irritation, possible clenching his throat and squeezing Hiccup mercilessly. 'That's a comforting thought,' Hiccup remarked dryly in his head.
The walk carried on. The convulsions were few and far between, but they were still going. Before too long Hiccup encountered something different inside the long tunnel he had walked along. Along the roof was a network of acid green vessels that pulsed and seemed to writhe as a mass.
Hiccup felt his stomach turn when he observed the mass. They spanned along the roof, creating a network that left through the muscle to who knew where. The mass that writhed looked like a tangled knot of terrible terrors, except there were no heads or tails here.
Hiccup felt like poking it, but knew better. It looked squishy, but then again, if he did poke it than the snake would certainly feel it. Hiccup didn't fancy getting swallowed again; it was evident he was making progress on his journey out of there.
Suddenly, as if it were a homecoming beacon that welcomed the viewer back to familiar soil. It was a welcoming sight that made Hiccup pick up the pace. He desperately wanted to find the source of that light.
'Please be the exit!' Hiccup begged the higher powers.
Indeed, Hiccup found himself passing through the mouth. Rows of teeth resembling white stalactites and stalagmites lined the edges. They were long and looked viciously sharp. Hiccup noticed the squishier muscle beneath his paws. The tongue. Gross!
As if stepping into the mouth was a switch, the jaw seemingly fell beneath Hiccups paws. The world serpent opened his massive maw.
Hiccup almost rolled out from the mouth when the jaw opened; it left him unbalanced with the jerky, sudden movement. Hiccup righted himself and then ran out the rest of the way, worrying that at any second it would close again.
Hiccup was desperate to seek out that now, rather bright light. He burst forth from the serpents' mouth, immediately feeling fresh air buffeting his scales and feathers.
"Nice of you to join us, God. How was your journey?" Loki asked in a cool manner. Hiccup spied the God, standing there in an overbearing way, his hands connected behind his back. His chin was raised and his eyes, those eerie silver eyes, glimmered with apparent amusement.
Hiccup opened his maw but then stopped to think. Could he still think?
"All God's, no matter their form, can speak the words of man." The snake answered Hiccups unasked question.
Hiccup stared at the great snake for a moment, processing those words in his head.
When Hiccup finally decided to give his words a go, he found they escaped his reptilian lips easily enough. He even sounded virtually the same, albeit perhaps a little deeper in tone; less nasally.
"It would have been nice not to have been swallowed." Was the first thing he said.
Hiccup was met by two sets of chuckles. Loki sounded rather merry and unlike the chilling laughter the other Viking's heard inside the great hall. Loki actually sounded non- threatening. Jormungand, on the other hand, sounded like a dragon laughing. It was loud and reverberated through Hiccup's ears and head like a great bell.
"He does amuse me so Father!" The snake laughed.
Hiccup was really confused by now. Being as he was, Hiccup lost his concentration on the two that were chuckling and shifted his sights so that he could see where they were right then.
It made Hiccup stare.
The world he found himself stood inside was beautiful. The sky was a pale shade of lavender and speckled with stars, even though it was day-time. The sun possessed a dark pink hue. At least, Hiccup presumed it was a sun. It looked far larger in the sky, but it wasn't any hotter. Hiccup also noted that there was a few strange looking moons of differing shades of blue hovering in the sky. Some were larger, whilst some were small and looked further away. Hiccup couldn't gouge the distance with just his eyes. He really felt like spreading his wings and finding out.
The land was a darker shade of purple, with sands stretching in every direction. In the distance there were mountains made up of strange shaped spires and cliffs. Plants actually flourished in the warm landscape. Wild flowers bloomed in every possible colour and trees swayed in the slight breeze. Hiccup thought it was a very large beach, but he was confused because there was no sea.
"This is the realm of Hel, managed by your niece." Loki said, jolting Hiccup from his assessments. Hiccup rounded on Loki suddenly, fearing he was hearing wrong.
"What do you mean niece? I haven't got any brothers or sisters, so how can I have a niece?
"Oh, maybe I went about this with the wrong angle. I shall explain in an easy manner so that your previous mortal tendencies can have time to adjust to your more god-like heritage. Simply put, we are brothers!"
Hiccup shook his head, his mane swaying with the motion. "No, that doesn't sound right at all. If you are my brother than who is my father, and mother? I'm pretty sure my father is Stoic the Vast."
"Your sensibilities were skewered when you were reborn into the body of a mortal. No, your true father is Farbauti, and your mother is Laufey. When they struck the flame of our existence, we were born as a single unity to only separate and become two."
"So you are my twin?" Hiccup asked, carefully. He didn't yet believe Loki. This was far too outlandish for his liking.
"Correct!" Loki said.
"If that is so, why were you so threatening towards me and Toothless? You wanted me to suffer!" Hiccup roared, his dragon form accentuating his anger, making it something powerful.
"I had to put on an act. Odin was listening. Did you not notice the ravens whenever I was near?"
Hiccup did. He may have noticed them a couple of times, but he never actually thought much on it. Ravens were pretty abundant in the Archipelago after all.
"I cannot let Odin get a hold of you. Too long have I allowed him and the other Gods to walk all over me, bending my will to benefit their own selfish desires."
"Why would Odin want me?" Hiccup asked, humouring the God before he could attempt to escape. He needed to get back to Berk, back to his family and Toothless. The Night Fury was probably blowing things up right now in rage at his kidnapping.
"You are the God that went missing hundreds of years ago. Odin never managed to recruit you because your flame was stolen by another just after we were born."
"Oh yeah, stolen by who?"
"A dragon." Loki stated, malice cloaking his voice. "A damned lizard full of greed and envy, came and took your flame into its own body. Odin watched as it then burrowed itself deep down into the roots of the Yggdrasil. It was too late to salvage the flame. Your body essentially gifted dragons with the ability to breathe fire. You are the dragon god! No one really knows how you got into Midgard, or how you were born into the body of a mortal, but now that you have been awakened, it is time to act."
"This is a little messed up isn't it? You, the God of trickery, is trying to tell me my true origins. What makes you think I can believe you? What makes you think I would bend to your will and walk along with you after what you did back on Berk?" Hiccup was managing to work himself up now, his wings beginning to flare, his fire growing inside his belly. This was ludicrous and twisted. This was the reason why the Gods' shouldn't mix themselves up in the mortal realm. Innocent, powerless people get hurt.
"Listen here bother," Loki advanced, the ground beginning to warp, his eyes flashing green. He seemed to grow with every step he took. "I didn't come here to baby you and tell you that everything is going to be okay. I may be the God of mischief, but family is very important to me. I never turn my back on them. That includes the brother stolen away from my side."
Hiccup swallowed. He felt small under the anger exuding from the God stood before him. Even though Hiccup was bigger than Loki in his dragon form, that didn't mean the God couldn't hurt him if he chose to.
Before Hiccup could even attempt to clear up the tension in the air, the great Snake spoke. "Father, isn't it about time for Hiccup to meet Hel?"
"Indeed." Loki said darkly. He clicked his fingers, a spark dancing away before bouncing off the thick armour plated scales of Jormungands' forehead. The spark bounced off and extinguished itself. The snake then shrunk down so that he was no bigger than a Terrible Terror; only longer. He wrapped himself around Loki.
"Follow me boy!" Loki demanded, still sounding angry.
Hiccup swallowed again. Putting his best foot forwards he followed the strange God into the vast, open desert.
They seemed to walk on and on. The warmth never got unbearable, even though the sun beat down with surprising strength. Hiccup felt tired for some reason. It also felt like a part of himself was missing; an unexplainable discomfort that left a gap in its wake.
"What was that thing you took from me…?" Hiccup asked, banishing the silence. "…back home."
"I took your rune, Dagaz. The ability that was tampering with your body's natural will to transform. It's why you are so headstrong. I had to take it to fully awaken your dragon spirit. You may have it back once we reach Hel's residence. You will need it to be able to shift back."
"Hel, meaning the queen of the underworld. Is this the underworld?" Hiccup questioned, his ears perked forwards in curiosity.
"Yes Uncle. Hel oversees all souls that pass through the gates of Helheim. Hel herself casts her eye over those that died in all realms. Those she deems worthy are allowed to stay in this realm. Others are sent back. Who knows what they will come to be reborn as."
Hiccup shuddered. It would be terrible to be sent back as a cod, only to end up as a tasty meal for a dragon; or even worse, as the village idiot! Hiccup smirked, thinking about the twins and Snotlout.
Loki stopped suddenly. His boots kicked up some sand when he stepped down a little too hard.
"Hel was placed here by Odin without her consent. She may tell me she is content living in this place, but I know she is lonely. Living amongst the dead is troublesome. Spend too long with the dead and your views on life will be questioned."
"Father has a real big issue with Odin." The snake hissed, coiling tightly around the God's shoulders. "And so do I."
"We are nothing but demons in the eyes of the Gods." Loki sniffed, his chin pointing up. "So that is how they expect us to act, so that is the side I show them."
Hiccup felt that there was more to this story than the dark god was letting on, but Loki didn't say anything else on the matter. Neither did Jormungand. The silence stretched out once again. Hiccup could do nothing but follow.
They seemingly walked on for hours. Hiccup felt tired of walking. "You know, wouldn't it be quicker if I just flown us there?"
"Do you actually know how to fly?" Loki didn't even turn. He smirked. "Didn't think so."
"How can you know that? I haven't tried. If I am a dragon, why shouldn't I instinctually know how to do it?"
"Because you only remember growing up as a human. Like I said earlier; your sensibilities and instincts are messed up!"
Hiccup didn't care. He scowled, his eye ridges meeting under his forehead. He was itching to try his strange wings out. He looked back, noting how weird they were. He had never met another dragon that had feathered wings. It was unheard off. Was it because he is a God?
He spread them out before gently flapping them, kicking up the particles of sand.
"Don't be a fool!" Loki snapped, turning to see Hiccup ignoring him. The dragon jumped into the air, thrusting his wings out. He remembered how Toothless did it. The way he moved. His tail straight, his wings fully extended. He pushed with his front legs almost as much as the back ones.
Hiccup soared up.
"I don't see any problem!" The world serpent stated, his large eyes watching the Dragon God's progress.
Hiccup meanwhile, could whoop for joy. Now he knew exactly how Toothless felt when he kicked off the earth and met the sky. It was different to anything he had experienced before. There were no boundaries, no threat of falling. Just him, the air and his wings. The flight suit couldn't compare to this. With this he felt in control.
'If only I could fly like this with Toothless.' Hiccup thought sadly, remembering the best friend he ever had, left behind. No doubt he was worrying about where Hiccup disappeared too. The thought made Hiccup feel a little sick. How was he going to find his way back home? Would he ever go back?
Hiccup landed neatly on the sand in front of Loki and Jormungand. Loki had one dark eyebrow quirked up, his silver eyes glimmering strangely.
"I should never underestimate the Gods."
"I bet you loved saying that," Hiccup quipped, forgetting to stem the dry humour.
"Lower yourself," Loki demanded. Hiccup lowered his body so that Loki could sit on the juncture between neck and shoulders, between two protruding spines. Loki held onto one as Hiccup stood to his full height. Jormungand tightened his coils around his father for security.
Taking a couple of steps, Hiccup propelled himself into the air, his feathered wings barely making a sound.
"Where to?" Hiccup asked.
"Towards the mountains. There is a valley directly beneath the smallest moon. Hel lives inside a mansion within the shadows.
"You wanted to walk all the way over there?" Hiccup almost shouted. Even now the mountains were far into the distance. It could have taken days to walk there.
"I did not expect for you to be able to fly already. Jormungand cannot travel over land, so walking was the only way to go." Loki sniffed, irritated.
"Well, this will be a lot quicker." Indeed, Hiccup flew as swift as a Night Fury. The slight breeze was constant and pushed Hiccup towards the mountains as if aiding his flight path. He expended much less energy flying than he did walking, although he still felt a little weary.
It must have taken about half a day to fly all the way there. Hiccup was thankful for his apparent 'foolishness,' otherwise they would still be miles away. Hiccup didn't particularly want to spend that time walking with the surly God. His mood did seem to lift somewhat during the flight. Hiccup felt smug because of it.
"Never flown a dragon before?" Hiccup asked carefully.
"Why the need to fly on a dragon when I can shift into a hawk and fly of my own volition!" Loki said haughtily.
Hiccup simply nodded, too vexed at the moment to argue.
"This is new!" The world serpent crowed. "I have swam through the Oceans of Midgard; they are essentially my sky. The thing is, there is always a tonne of weight pushing down on you. The freedom is limited in the deeps. I can get used to this." The snake had his mouth open, his blue tongue fluttering about in the air.
Hiccup banked around the mountain edge, into a rather narrow crevice, flying straight inside. Loki pointed out the narrowness of the valley entrance beforehand, but it still unsettled with how narrow the valley was. Hiccup had to fold his wings somewhat before he could snap them back out before they crashed. Suddenly the valley widened, the lavender sky exposed but never relinquishing that much light. The mountains were so tall that the sky was a thin sliver, like a snake.
The cliffs were sheer. Bio- luminescent plants grew in abundance, fed by the many bubbling streams that cascaded towards the valley floor.
Hiccup looked closely as he slowly swooped down. The water itself was strange. It glowed white, but the water contained a myriad of many different colours that were almost too faint to be seen. But Hiccup could see them.
"That is how the souls enter Helheim." Loki explained. "The water joins the main river, which then flows beneath Hel's estate. There, look," he pointed to a perfectly spherical shape, floating down along the surface of the water. "That is a soul."
"It is rather beautiful here. I didn't expect the realm of the dead to be quite like this."
"Death is fair. The souls that never died under the steel of battle deserve just as much honour in death. Many great people have died at home, in their sleep or because of disease."
"What is Valhalla like?" Hiccup asked, curiosity lacing his voice.
"I have never seen. Valhalla is under Odin's jurisdiction."
The conversation shifted with Hiccups flaring wings. He could now see the large building sat over the most beautiful river.
As they got closer, Hiccup noted the strangeness of this building. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. Instead of being made out of wood, the building was made out of stone. It looked sturdy, stark and foreign. The walls were dark purple, almost black and the windows contained gorgeous glass images of creatures of fantasy, great heroes, and the gods and goddesses. One window, that Hiccup could see, showcased what appeared to be Loki, surrounded by a snake, a wolf, a horse with eight legs and a woman that resembled him. Above their heads was a circle, containing two humanoid bodies, contorted around each other.
Loki directed Hiccup to land in a large cobbled courtyard. The God dismounted and began to walk towards the entrance. Hiccup could do nothing but follow him inside.
Loki used his hands to swing the doors open without even touching them. The large doors swung in, admitting the visitors. Hiccup warily walked inside behind Loki, taking in the décor. The entrance hall was large. A strange material laid across the floor. Hiccups claws clicked as they passed over. He raised his tail so that it wouldn't drag along the cool ground.
It was, strangely enough, brightly lit inside. The fires burned hotly inside the brackets melded into the shapes of dragons. Most notably were the Night Furies with gaping maws, bluish flames flickering inside.
"It is wonderful to see you again Daddy!" A clear, feminine voice said. Hiccup looked to see a strange looking woman, her top half a live whilst the bottom half was dead, running towards Loki with her arms thrown wide.
"Hel." Loki hummed, hugging her back tightly. "What did I tell you about calling me daddy?"
"Oh come on, that is what you are!" Hel pouted. Her eyes twinkled with the same shade of silver as her fathers. However, unlike Loki's cold, wild ones, hers were warm, and jovial. She stroked Jormungand along his head before casting her eyes on Hiccup.
"Oh, you must be uncle Hiccup!" She left her father's arms and calmly walked over to Hiccup. Her face was beautiful; she obviously got her looks from Loki, strangely enough. Her lower body was a whole different story. It was bony, as if skin was stretched over a skeleton. It was haunting to look at and at first Hiccup felt unsettled. He backed up a little as she neared, feeling slightly frightened despite her apparent friendliness.
Hel stopped. She didn't look angry, or upset. "It's okay. The living are naturally frightened off my presence. You haven't attained your God-like powers for long, you are still adjusting." She carried on, stepping slowly, her arms raised in a placating manner.
Hiccup swallowed deeply, but stood his ground. Once Hel reached him, she placed a warm hand on his cheek. Immediately Hiccup felt calmer. She was so warm, in spite of being the Goddess of death.
"It is nice to finally meet you Uncle."
So what do you guys think? Did I troll you with the twist in this chapter? Did it go how you thought, or was it totally different? I can tell you that originally it wasn't going to go like this, but then I thought this would make things more interesting. Loki is my favourite God after all.