A/N: Thank you for all the nice reads and all the reviews! The Biggest surprise will be at the end. After that if somebody wants to write a story set in the same universe, I'm okay with it.
Chapter 10 : Do you even lift?
They could see the roots of Yggdrasdil even from the airport. Its roots stretched across the ground covered in mist, causing a few mortals to trip. Whenever you trip for no reason, you've stumbled over one of Yggdrasil's roots.
Off in the distance the massive tree loomed into the sky, the top covered by clouds. It didn't take them long to find their way to the tree. At the point where it reached into the sky it was enormous.
"Wow," Thalia whistled.
"It's got to be like, what," Heather said, "A mile thick?"
Thalia nodded.
The two of them walked around the trunk until they were on the western side.
In front of them was a small pond. Two swan swam around in it next to each other.
Next to the pond were three women, pouring the water from the pond onto the base of Yggsdrasil. Where the water touched the tree old rotten spots turned young and healthy.
"Welcome Thalia, Wednesday's child," the youngest woman said.
"Welcome Heather, Daughter of the Hunt," the midle aged one said.
The oldest one took her time speaking. "We are the Norns, the Fates. Welcome"
"We were told to see you," Heather said.
The three women nodded. "The time is short. A great foe of all Gods will soon awake from its slumber."
They pointed out to the pond. At the shoreline, a short wooden handle of something stuck out of the mud.
"That is the star you have been following."
"It is a weapon that will be of great help,"
"If you can wield it."
The three woman each took a drink of the well-water. Their eyes glowed misty white, and they spoke in unison with a voice that echoed with th sound of a thousand years.
"The Horn will sound,
The Hounds will bay,
One to go,
and One to Stay.
The hideous shape ,
The Earth to shake,
Destroying all within its wake."
The Norns' eyes stopped glowing, and all but the oldest slumped to the ground in exhaustion. "Go," she said, looking right into their eyes. "You WILL need that weapon."
Heather and Thalia dashed to the handle. Heather looked back and the Norns were gone. Meanwhile, Thalia was trying to dig up the sandy mud from around the handle.
The weapon it was attached to was about the size of a cinder block.
Within a few moments, every bit of dirt, except for the stuff directly under it, had been dug out. It was like the mud underneath of it had bonded to the hammer with superglue, sticking it to the ground.
Thalia gripped the handle and pulled with all her might, giving a very unfeminine grunt, that did nothing to budge the hammer. She then resorted to reaching down along the bottom edge and trying to pry it out that way.
"Ow!" she yelled, pulling back. "That thing cut me!" Her finger had been cut and was bleeding, but it didn't look to bad.
"Let me try," Heather said, going straight into the dirt to pry it out. "Ow!" She yelled, the hammer's surprisingly sharp edge cutting into her finger. She didn't pull her hand back, but bore the pain, and continued pulling on the hammer. Slowly, she felt it giving way and after a few minutes of both of them bleeding, she pulled the Hammer loose.
It was remarkably light. Heather pointed the hammer at a dead tree nearby and both her and Thalia leapt back as a static tingle coursed through Heather into the Hammer and struck the tree like a lightning bolt.
Up Next: Chapter 11: The Wild Hunt
Anyone want to guess the big surprise? Let's just say, the Norse Gods aren't the only addition. :-)