I enjoyed Thor Ragnarok, but I didn't like how they changed Hela's parentage. In the myths and the comics, Hela is Loki's daughter. I know it probably made more sense for the movie adaptation to make Hela the secret child of Odin, but, still, I wouldn't say I liked the change. Fenris, the giant wolf, is another one of Loki's kids. Sleipnir was also in the first Thor movie, making Jormungdr the only kid of Loki (excluding Nari and Vari) not to be in a Marvel movie. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to leave a review; I love hearing your opinions.
Chapter Three: Welcome to Valhalla
Loki couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. Everything was black. All that he remembered was Thanos forcing him to hand over the Tesseract and suddenly, the lack of air.
"Loki." A voice rang out in the dark. Loki couldn't place who the voice was coming from, but he sensed it was close.
"Loki," the voice said again. Suddenly Loki could see clearly. He was standing in the refugee ship, purple fire burning in patches. A man in a black tuxedo was standing a few feet away. The man's brown hair was covered in a black top hat.
"Who are you?" Loki asked and felt around for his daggers.
"I'm Vincent. I'm a reaper, here to take your soul to the Queen in Valhalla," the man replied.
"What?"
"You heard me. You're dead, Loki. Thanos shattered your neck after choking you. It was a bold move taking on the Titan alone," Vincent explained.
"What?" Loki asked again. Vincent wasn't making any sense. Dead? Him?
"Look around you, Loki. Can't you tell? There's no going back. It's official this time. That time on Svartalfheim when you had a near-death experience, you didn't have a reaper, right?"
"No," Loki admitted. He looked down to hide his tears. He froze suddenly as he noticed something laying on the ground. It was his body, lying there cold and blank. Loki could see that Thor was cradling him and sobbing.
"What?" Loki gasped.
Vincent sighed. "I'm sorry, Loki, but it's time to go," Vincent said and extended his hand.
"Why?"
"Because you're dead. That's why. Now if you don't hurry up and come with me, you'll end up staying here forever as a restless spirit. Is that something you want?"
Loki shook his head. "Can I have five minutes alone?"
Vincent pulled out a silver pocket watch. "Five minutes, and then we're going."
Loki nodded as Vincent disappeared. He turned back to face Thor. He knelt down beside his older brother and whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I just want to let you know that I love you even if you think that I'm the worst brother in existence."
Thor continued to cry, clearly not hearing Loki. Loki rested a hand on Thor's shoulder, but it passed right through. Thor shivered as if cold but said nothing.
Loki frowned and wiped a tear from his eye. Why couldn't Thor hear him?
Vincent reappeared and gave Loki a sad smile.
"Time's up. Are you ready?" Vincent asked.
Loki nodded in reply. Vincent extended his hand. Loki took it and together they disappeared in a flash of white light.
Loki didn't see his brother survive the explosion that happened seconds after they disappeared.
Hela tapped her foot nervously and glanced at her phone's digital clock. Vincent was taking too long to retrieve her father's soul. Maybe something was wrong. No, although he could be impatient sometimes, Vincent was her best reaper. He would never give up on souls. He surely wouldn't lose Loki's; it radiated too much power. She was about ready to call him when a bright white light lit up her throne room. The light didn't affect her; she was used to it. Reapers had a tendency to arrive in a flashy manner.
Hela pocketed her phone and sat up straight. "Well?" she asked.
Vincent gently nudged a dark-haired man forward. The man looked up into Hela's face, his expression somber and slightly disoriented.
"He's having a hard time," Vincent explained.
"Yes, dying has that effect on certain people," Hela replied. "How did he die?"
"Thanos choked him to death and then shattered his neck. It was a tragic scene to watch," Vincent said. The man shuddered at the mention of Thanos but didn't say anything.
Hela grimaced. She knew about Loki's death for weeks, but she didn't expect it to be Thanos who ended up killing the Trickster. Thanos usually wanted to keep his slaves alive. Why the sudden change?
"That means Thanos is on the rise," Hela stated bitterly. "The universe's end is closer than I imagined. Are the Avengers and Guardians aware of his actions?"
Vincent smoothed down his tie. "The creature they call the Hulk and some of the Asgardians escaped. The Hulk is on his way to Earth as we speak, thanks to Heimdall's fast reflexes. Sadly, Heimdall did not make it. The Avengers will most likely be warned by the Hulk, but I am unsure about the Guardians."
"What about Uncle Thor? Is he alright?" Hela asked, her voice full of concern.
"He is at the moment, but since Thanos has both the Power and Space Stones, he might not be safe much longer."
Hela cursed under her breath. She really hated Thanos. He disrupted the natural order of life and death.
Hela leaned back in her dark green throne and waved in Vincent's direction. "Thank you, Vincent. Keep me posted on any changes. I would like a word with my father alone. Go take a quick rest. I heard there are donuts in the break room."
Vincent bowed and left the same way he arrived. Hela stood up and descended down the stairs to Loki's side. She placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. The similarity between the two was uncanny. Hela had black hair and pale skin just like her father. The only difference in appearance was that Hela's eyes were a pale greenish-gray while Loki's were a pure emerald green.
"Dad?" Hela whispered. Loki looked into Hela's eyes, his face streaked with tears.
"Hela?" Loki asked, unsure about the girl in front of him.
"Yes, it's me, your daughter," Hela replied.
"I have a… daughter?" Loki was confused.
Hela let go of her father's shoulder. She was sure that he would have recognized her.
"Yes. I'm the youngest and the only girl out of four children. You probably don't remember because Odin cursed you and us to forget who we were. He didn't like the idea that a Prince of Asgard had four 'monstrous' children. That's why you don't recognize me," Hela explained; and she wasn't lying. Odin did curse them because he was ashamed that his adopted son had four kids, who were considered "monsters," long before his son was old enough to even understand where babies came from. Magic messed things up a lot, which is why Hela swore to never have kids until she was married. She didn't want to end up like Loki, even though she and her brothers were not his fault. All four of them were results of a way to get out of a dangerous situation, and none of them were consensual on Loki's part.
Loki's slowly lit up with recognition. "Hela, I'm so sorry for leaving you here alone. You were just a baby," Loki apologized.
"It's alright. I mean, it's not your fault. It's Odin's. At least we are together now, even though I wish it was because of better reasons," Hela muttered. She wished that she knew her father growing up. Maybe then she wouldn't have attacked Asgard. It was hard to explain to countless Asgardians who ended up in Valhalla why she killed them. Sometimes being the Queen of Valhalla had its downs.
"What about Odin?" Loki's question jerked Hela from her thoughts. "Is he in Valhalla?"
Hela shook her head no. "We held a trial and everything. We finally decided that he was to spend some time in Helheim for kidnapping you, cursing us, and other crimes he committed. It won't be permanent," Hela asked once she saw that Loki looked confused. "It's only punishment for his crimes when he was alive. After he finishes it, he will be allowed into Valhalla."
"Oh."
There was silence for a few awkward minutes before Hela decided to change the subject. Things were getting too feely for her. She gestured around the throne room. "Do you like what I did with the place?" she asked.
Loki nodded and fully took in his surroundings. Tall pillars of beautifully carved marble stood proudly at the edges of the hall. The ceiling matched the pillars, both cream-colored with silver flakes embedded in the stone. The floor was made out of black granite. Balls of fire were set in silver bowls that were connected to the pillars, which lit up the area with a soft glow. The walls were the same cream-colored marble as the pillars, but in addition, had tall windows of glass that looked out over the garden. Granite steps led up to Hela's throne, dark silver shaped into a high-backed chair with armrests and dark green leather padding that looked surprisingly comfortable. It was a simply designed throne, but it sat up there proudly. It seemed to invite people over but still cast an air of authority. The whole design was modeled after Asgard's throne room, minus all the gold.
"I remodeled a bit," Hela continued. "The former ruler, Death, had terrible designs. As cool as walls and floors made out of bone is, I didn't think it would have gone over well with the residents. Being dead is scary enough. They don't need a queen who sits on a throne made out of bones on top of all that."
Loki nodded in agreement. "It is beautiful."
Hela laughed, her voice echoing around the spacious hall. "Wait until you see everything else." She led Loki out of the hall and towards the "Asgardian Soul Section." "I modeled everything after the spirits' homelands and houses. It made Valhalla seem more welcoming," she shrugged, "and 'homey.'"
Loki smiled for the first time since Thor's stupid joke on the refugee ship before they were attacked. "I imagine it would."
"Sigyn is here." Loki perked up at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "Thanos hasn't been able to reach us. Valhalla is safe...for now. We don't know the full extent of Thanos' powers, but if he gets the Soul stone, he'll be able to control both the living and the dead," Hela stated gravely.
Loki bit his bottom lip; it was a bad habit of his. "But you do have the armies of Valhalla, do you not?" he asked.
Hela nodded. "If it comes to that extreme, it'll be like Ragnarok."
Loki stopped mid-stride. Hela had walked a few paces before she noticed her father wasn't next to her. Hela looked at Loki, a puzzled expression on her face. Loki made eye contact with his daughter, his own face set in a serious mask. "What happened on Asgard wasn't the real Ragnarok, was it?" Loki questioned.
Hela took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She was clearly shocked.
Loki continued, "Surtur was there, but the Gates of Valhalla wasn't opened. There was no army of the undead. Granted you found the bodies buried under the castle, but they were not from Valhalla. You just reanimated their corpses, but they weren't full-fledged Valhallian warriors. It wasn't Ragnarok. Well, not all of it. The full prophecy wasn't completed."
"There's a prophecy?" Hela blinked in confusion.
"There's a prophecy for almost anything. The mortals got most of it correct with their myths of us. The prophecy is: Everything has its end. A dawn to a new beginning. Fire and bone shall destroy the City of Gold. The Gates of Valhalla will open and life shall perish into chaos. Because for a beginning to start, something has to end," Loki recited.
Hela was speechless. She would never have guessed that her destruction of Asgard wasn't truly Ragnarok.
Loki spoke up before she could answer. "There's also a prophecy for Thanos."
"What?!" Hela choked out.
Loki nodded, his green eyes blazing with renewed energy. "Yes. Stones of infinite power will be collected. Dust and blood will spread through the universe. Half will fall. Half will stand. A former slave of a Titan has to rise up and defy an untimely death. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives for the Titan only courts death."
Loki suddenly gasped, eyes widening with sudden realization.
"I'm the only one who can stop Thanos! I'm the former slave! That's why Thanos killed me! He knew about the prophecy! He didn't want me standing in his way!"
Hela clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming in shock. "It can't be! You're dead! How can you take down Thanos?" Hela asked.
"I don't know," Loki admitted. He suddenly grabbed Hela's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "We need to see Sigyn. She'll help us warn Thor."
Hela didn't say anything, just grasped her father's hand and took off running, pulling him towards a set of granite stairs and around several corners. The two collided with Sleipnir.
"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention. You alright?" Sleipnir complained and dusted off his blue jeans. He fixed his hair and squinted at Hela and Loki. "Sis? Dad? Is that our dad?"
"No time to explain. We need to find Mom," Hela cut him off. "Go find Jormungandr and Fenris and meet us in the throne room."
Sleipnir nodded, but she had already taken off. Hela burst into Sigyn's room with barely a knock, startling Sigyn who reflexively reached for the sword on her table and swung it at Hela. The metal bounced off of Hela's side without a scratch on the young goddess.
Hela threw up her hands in surrender. "It's just me. We need y—"
Hela found that Sigyn wasn't standing where she was a moment before. Hela let her arms drop and she turned to find a slightly disturbing sight for a kid to see…
Sigyn had her arms wrapped around Loki's shoulders. Loki's own hands pulled Sigyn closer; the two of them locked in a tight, passionate kiss.
Hela faked throwing up, which caused the two to unlock their lips. Both of their faces were streaked in tears with cheeks tinged pink.
Loki, still clinging tightly to his girlfriend, spoke up first. "Sigyn, we need your help…"
"Let me get this straight," Sigyn said. "You're the one who has to kill Thanos even though you're dead?"
"Yes," Loki said. They were standing in the throne room with Hela, Sleipnir, and two other boys. It had taken a while to explain everything; how he died, if he was alright, the prophecies, and Hela's idea to bring Loki back to life so he could kill Thanos.
Sigyn furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "And you need me to help Hela bring you back to life, so you can kill Thanos and stop him from wiping out half the universe?"
"Yes," Loki repeated.
"How am I supposed to do that? I'm a healer, not a necromancer. I can't bring people back to life, especially if their body is lost in space and their soul is a source of immense power. It's impossible!"
"It's been done before," Hela piped up.
Sigyn shifted her gaze onto the dark-haired girl. "Yes, but it was a human soul who had no magical abilities whatsoever."
"So?" Hela asked.
"It's much harder to bring a powerful sorcerer, probably the most powerful sorcerer in the universe, back to life. And what if Thanos can't be stopped? What if the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy lose? What then?! The universe would be in worse chaos than it already is!" Sigyn took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. A small headache was starting to form. She continued in a softer tone, "I'm sorry if I seem too upset. It's not every day your boyfriend shows up dead in Valhalla."
Loki pulled Sigyn into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to ask for, but we don't have another plan and I doubt the Avengers will be able to take him down."
One of the boys standing off to the side raised his hand tentatively. His chocolate brown eyes were full of concern. "If I may, can I say something?"
"Of course, Fenris," Loki said softly to his youngest son.
Fenris pushed his curly, dark brown hair out of his perfectly tanned face and continued. "I know it may sound obvious, but Dad's dead now. That means he's a ghost. Ghosts can travel into the land of the living. Maybe we can use that to our advantage and defeat Thanos some other way if bringing him back to life is nearly impossible," Fenris explained.
Everyone was quiet for a moment. The other boy, the one with green hair and pierced ears, clapped Fenris on the back. "Wonderfully explained. For once you aren't totally useless."
"Jormungandr," Loki cut the boy off. "Be nice to your brother." Too Hela he said, "Does that work? Can I still stop Thanos if I'm a ghost?"
"It'll take a while to get used to being around the living while you're nothing more than a spirit, but yeah, I'm sure we can figure out a way."
Hela pulled out her phone and started typing down plans. This might actually work out okay.
I go into more detail about Loki and his kids in my story A Little Bit of Mischief.