Chapter 12 – The Return of the Gods
Hobo City, Tunnels, Underground Republic City
Team Avatar discovered a town full of hobos; they were benders and non-benders, of all nations. It was like poorer version of Republic City but without the discrimination and hate. They brought Thor here, he hadn't recuperated and his skin tone, which was like Bolin's, had turned pale. All of his godly shine was gone, Thor seemed to be dead.
Korra didn't want to leave Thor's body alone; she wanted to stay on his side just like he had done when she was unconscious. On the city above they had heard explosions, screams and the rolling of mecha tanks. Then it all got quiet after the second day, they hoped for the worse, at least the Airbenders had escaped. Bolin and Mako decided that they needed to check what had happened on the surface, so they disguised themselves as Equalists and left.
The Hobos in the city were very kind, they made a makeshift bed for the fallen God of Thunder, and even if they though he was dead and back were the gods lived, in Heaven. Korra was completely devastated, she had only told Thor what was her answer and a couple of hours later, and she found him dead.
Asami looked at them, she felt so bad. She cursed at herself for saying that Thor could be beaten by the Equalists. She hoped that Tenzin's help would come soon; he said that the General of the United Forces would arrive on the third day after the conflict began and the fall of the Thunder God. 'Can a god rise from death itself?' Asami asked herself, wondering if the divine could truly die.
Asgard, the Realm Eternal
Balder sat on the throne; he covered his face with his gloved hand. He moved his hand, revealing his bloodshot eyes, he had been crying for he had felt his brother's passing. Now Hela had won the greatest price of them all, Thor's immortal soul. Balder, God of Light and Son of Odin had to do something, he would not leave his brother's body in Midgard, and he would bring it back to Asgard, back to Heaven.
Balder stood up, placed his majestic golden horned helmet on his white haired head and strapped on his huge blue cape. He equipped his powerful sword, the sword of Frey and stepped out of the throne room. The Warriors Three and Sif awaited him, for he had summoned them.
"Dear friends, brother in arms, as you now know….the Mighty Thor is dead." Balder said with sadness in his voice. "But we won't leave his body in the mortal realm, he belongs in Asgard, and he should have an Asgardian funeral, one as mighty and majestic as he was!"
The Warriors Three, Sif, the Asgardian Warriors screamed with loyalty and proudness, they were going to make their last visit to Midgard for after this…the Rainbow Bridge will forever remain closed. Balder said good-bye to his weeping mother, who might not have been Thor's biological mother, but had raised him like her own.
Balder, momentarily King of the Aesir led the warrior gods into Midgard to retrieve their mighty prince's unmoving body, to reclaim one of the Sons of Odin.
Hel, Realm of the Dead
"At last I have Thor's immortal soul!" Hela gloated, she, daughter of Loki God of Mischief and Fire, had always wanted her uncle's soul but Thor proved to be too powerful, but on the day of his death, at the hands of the Destroyer she obtained her trophy.
Thor's soul was on one knee, kneeling to the goddess of death for now he was her servant for eternity, to be surrounded by the coldness of the Asgardian underworld, surrounded with those who had died so suddenly. This was the fate of every Asgardian, to be forever slaves after death, for an immortal would not share the peace of death that the mortals had.
Hobo City, Tunnels, Republic City, the next day
Mako and Bolin had returned from their watch, they had taken their masks off when they entered Hobo City. They noticed that Thor's condition was still the same, and Korra was still on his side.
"Here you guys." Asami said as she gave them each a bowl of warm soup made by the hobos.
They ate in silence, Korra wasn't eating her food, and she barely ate bread.
Then thunder and lightning were heard, on the surface. They all looked at Thor, he was still cold and unmoving, but then they realized that it could just be a normal thunderstorm, Korra was even more depressed.
In the afternoon they went outside to check if the General and his fleet were coming, and indeed they had. They had docked on the bay, unnoticed by any air ship or equalists. At least 8 warships had docked; men from all the nations came out, quickly but silently. The dark grey sky blocked out the sun's light and gave them a chance to go unnoticed since their warships had been designed to make little to no noise.
Team Avatar minus the Avatar ran to see the General who was among the dozens of soldiers taking out boxes and weapons.
"General?" Mako asked a man who looked like him, but was taller, older and well dressed.
"Yes?" The General responded, seeing that he was a bender, a firebender.
"We are so glad to see you, sir." Asami said. "Korra had been so depressed these days, and we had no reinforcements…"
"Korra? As in Avatar Korra?" The young General asked.
"Yes, come with us." Bolin said. The General told his Captain to watch over the men while he went to see the Avatar.
The General found the Avatar, he was relieved that she was okay but he saw that she was sitting next to a man, who looked dead. He approached to see who he was, he had never seen anyone like him, and his appearance did not match any citizen in the world.
"Excuse me, Avatar Korra. I am General Iroh of the United Forces." Iroh said to deaf ears, she did not respond back.
Iroh saw that she was not in the mood for presentations, so he backed off. He turned around to the rest.
"Who is he?" Iroh asked them.
"He..he was a friend of us." Mako said, not trying to reveal that Thor was a god.
"I'm sorry for your loss. The Equalists must be stopped at any cost. My ships will relocate back to the sea but my soldiers will stay here. We will do all we can to liberate the city." Iroh told them.
"Thank you, General." Asami said.
"Please, call me Iroh." Iroh said. "But we will need the Avatar's aid, we can't do it alone."
"We will see to it, count on us." Bolin said to the general.
The General left to prepare for the upcoming siege to liberate Republic City from the hands of Amon. The group turned to cheer Korra up.
"Korra, he would have wanted you to fight Amon." Mako said as he said besides Korra. "We need you, Korra."
Korra was still looking at Thor's now pale face, but she finally responded.
"Let's go." She said as she stood up, the others smiled that Korra decided to liberate the city with them and the army. They all left the dead body of Thor, who still held to his hammer, Mjolnir, never letting go of it even in death. It began to sparkle…
Hel, Realm of the Dead
Hela sat on her throne made of the bones of the unworthy dead, she had her prize. She would control Thor's immensely powerful soul to fill Hel up with new souls, both mortal and immortal. Thor still kneeled to her, but he opened his eyes. He looked around, he realized that he was in Hel, the realm of Hela, he was dead. He stood up and felt so disembodied, as he was now merely a soul.
"Hela!" Thor yelled at the sovereign of the lands of the dead.
"Thor, thou stand against whom now if thou master?" Hela said as she too stood up.
"Master? The God of Thunder is not the dog of no one even if he be dead!" Thor yelled high.
"But what can thou do, thee are powerless in my domain." Hela said confidently.
"He is, but not me." A voice thundered from the shadows. Thor and Hela turned to see who it was.
Out of the shadows stepped none other than the All-Father himself, Odin!
"Father! You have awakened!" Thor said with joy.
"Nay, but am I not the lord of all the nine realms, am I not the god of war, poetry, honor and death? Am I not the All-Father?" Odin said. "My power is Asgard itself, even Hel itself."
"No! It's not fair, Thor died in battle, and his soul is mine!" Hela screamed.
"Silence witch, for my son's soul is not to be yours." Odin said, shutting Hela's mouth. "Behold the power of ODIN!"
A blinding flash went throughout all of Hel, blinding Hela momentarily. When she opened her eyes Odin and Thor's soul were gone.
"NOOOOOoooo!" Hela screamed in anger, she had lost the prize that she had in her hands.
Republic City, Midgard
The battle raged, the United Forces soldiers swarmed the city, through every street, and the Equalists with their superior numbers and mech tanks were easily holding their ground. The Avatar and her friends had sneaked into the Equalist Headquarters, Air Temple Island.
The skies once again darkened, lightning began to strike the city. Both sides still fought during the raging storm, but then something amazing happened. A light that resembled the rainbow in colors appeared, it ripped through the clouds. Both sides stopped fighting in city square. Lightning then went straight through the rainbow hitting the ground and shaking it. Out of the smoke appeared 1000 men and women, many on foot and others on flying animals. In front of them, was a man who held his sword high and his voice rocked through the air, shaking everyone to the core of their very beings.
"MORTALS! HEED MINE WORDS, I AM BALDER ODINSON, MOMENTARY KING OF ASGARD AND BROTHER TO THE FALLEN GOD OF THUNDER." The man said with his mighty voice.
All, both bender and non-bender gazed at the majestic sight of those who had just arrived; they were all golden in aura, soul and spirit.
"GIVE US HIS BODY, NOW MORTALS." Balder said. "OR FACE THE FURY OF THE DIVINE, OF US THY GODS, US….
….THE ASGARDIANS."