With each step leading further into Hel Loki felt increasingly alone. The air was dense and stagnant, an eerie fog blanketed the stone and sand ground. His every movement caused the fog to sway, rise and fall like ripples in a pond. Occasionally a drop of water would fall from the stalactites on the ceiling and it would echo loudly, emphasizing his feeling of isolation.
The sound of small waves gently lapping against a sandy shore caught Loki's ear. He felt the texture of the ground change from a mixture of stone and sand gravel, to pure and undisturbed sand. "Nastrond." His voice sounded so meek and insignificant as it was carried away by the emptiness of the broad shoreline. The 'Corpse Shore' was extensive, quiet and rarely saw life.
Despite the waves on the water on the lake, Amsvartnir, there was no wind to create the motion. Someone or something was disturbing the water from a distance. Deep beneath the surface of the water dark shadows and silhouettes of corpses bobbed helplessly with the rhythm of the waves, never quite breaking through. This grisly sight sent a chill down Loki's spine.
Walking the length of the shoreline a sickening crunch and low snarl of a great beast could be heard. Instinctively Loki slowed his pace to quiet his footsteps as he encroached on the beast's territory. Using the ominous sound as a type of sonar Loki managed to hone on the foe. Keeping a safe distance Loki could make out the large form of a dragon. 'Nidhug, so he does exist.' Loki thought to himself with unexpected awe. Nidhug: The dragon who feasts upon the corpses that wash ashore Nastrond's beach.
Carefully Loki managed to maneuver around and past the ravenous serpent without being seen as he continued to journey forward, deeper into Helheim.
On the opposite side of the lake Loki found himself entering Nidafjoll, the Hills of Darkness.
"Are you sure?" Jane was sitting on the exam table in the medical bay of the Tower, her eyes were wide with fear as she waited for Bruce's answer.
"Very." He let out a sigh of relief. "False labor. Common and irritating."
"Tell me about it." She also let her own sigh of relief. "Not quite ready to go through this."
Jane had awoken to minor pain and cramping in her abdomen that morning. Bruce escorted her down to the medical bay to check on her progress, which was fortunately minimal.
"Jane." Bruce was a master of empathy and compassion. "Are you sure you don't want your mother to-"
"No!" She was obviously embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "No, it'll be fine. It's just..." She trailed off.
"You never thought you go through this, alone." Bruce finished her train of thought for her.
"Yeah."
"Well, stop worrying. You're not alone. Remember?"
"Yeah..." She forced an insincere smile. "I remember."
Bruce didn't like it when there was doubt in the air. He kept trying to cheer her up, knowing that she was still heartbroken over Thor's death. "You're going to be okay."
"What?" She was barely listening anymore.
"You're going to be okay." He gave her a look that meant he knew what she had been thinking about. "You may not believe me now or tomorrow or in a year, but I promise that you're going to be okay."
Jane was near tears, it's been so long since anyone in the Tower would even mention Thor that it was a relief to know she and Loki weren't the only ones who thought about him. "Thanks."
"Anytime." He looked down at his watch. "It's going on 9:00am, want to get some breakfast or sleep some more?"
"Sleep. Please." She wiped away her tears. "It's hard to sleep when someone is kicking you in the gut seventeen hours a day."
Bruce just smirked as he offered her his arm so she could slide off the table without losing her balance. Just as they approached the elevator a warning alarm from the display monitor sounded off.
"What's that?" Jane was unaware of what Tony had uncovered during the night.
"Uh, the satellite is picking up underground communication relays. We think they might be S.H.I.E.L.D." He tried to sound convincing and managed to keep H.Y.D.R.A. out of his explanation.
"Oh. Have you been able to find out why they suddenly went dark?"
"No, not yet." Bruce took off his glasses and rubbed at his tired eyes. "Why don't you go backer to bed now, I'll keep an eye on this."
"Are you sure? I mean, wouldn't you like some company?" She was trying to get a closer look at the display but Bruce wouldn't let her arm free from his own.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Go upstairs, rest."
Jane didn't say anything but she did listen to Bruce, her whole body was tired and the idea of sleep was too enticing to pass up.
As Jane disappeared into the elevator Bruce sat down at Tony's desk and addressed J.A.R.V.I.S. "What's going on?"
'An energy disturbance has been detected in the arctic.'
"In the arctic?" Bruce thought about the location for only a moment before he realized what was going on. "Is the energy reading the same as the Bi-Frost?"
'Negative. The energy appears to be emanating from a small but powerful electrical storm.'
"Electrical storm?" It was then he remembered that Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, never left the arctic. "J.A.R.V.I.S., can you put up a visual display of the storm?"
'Affirmative.' The display screen transitioned to a bird's eye view of the arctic. The storm seemed to be swirling in the exact location of Mjolnir.
Bruce's body went limp as he sank heavily into the chair. "Loki, are you doing this?" He asked to himself.
The descent through Hel seemed to weaken Loki's body with every step he took. The air was thicker and darker, the soft sand of the beach had long since diminished leaving only loose rocks and barren crags. Bodies of long dead warriors, peasants, young and old, littered the ground in varying forms of decay. Each had met with death in their own way, yet they all shared the same fate.
Using the dark and rocky path as a guide Loki found himself climbing up a very steep and gloomy ridge. If he did not ascend the cliff he would have to no choice but to turn back and admit failure. "No, I will not fail Thor. Not again."
Loki would reach wide cliff edges to walk on and spare his worn hands the pain of a continuous climb. More bodies greeted him with each passing cliff and stone. He walked around the bodies, careful not to step on them or disturb the remains in anyway. When he was forced to step over a body in order to continue on his way he'd openly apologize for his intrusion. The last thing he needed was a curse from the dead!
Reaching the top of the ridge Loki was nearly out of breath and on the verge of collapse. He fell to his knees, his hands swollen and bleeding, sweat dripping from his brow and his breath escaping his lips in a dense foggy mist. He focused his tired eyes onto a massive object just over the horizon and fell into intense awe. He had arrived in Helheimr; Hel's abode.
A heavy, damp fog encompassed the entire area. It threatened to swallow whole all those who dare of mistakenly tread onto this sacred land of death. In the center of the area a large building facing the North stood alone. A twisted mass of serpents covered the walls and ceilings. Venom continuously dripped from the fangs of the serpents, burning the flesh of those who touch the vile liquid.
"Eljudnir." He said aloud.
The palace of the Goddess Hel.
...to be continued...
Author's Note: The locations and names in this story are all taken from Norse/Scandinavian Mythology.
'Eljudnir' means 'Damp with Sleet' and 'Nastrond' mean 'Corpse Shore'. Loki/Hel won't have a father/daughter relationship though.