A/N: Hey guys.

Though I'm sure it's fine I want to apologize for any confusion. I know there's plenty of you that were following and favoured (thank you so much) this story, with the way it was before. I hope you all enjoy the new format and new beginning. I have a lot of exciting things planned, and can't wait to share it with you all.

By the way, this chapter is longer than I normally write them. I think it maybe longer than the first chapter.

Hope you enjoy

Okay, I don't know if I've always been like this and just didn't know it, but I just ran 268 miles, or rather 431km, without slowing down. I barely feel any fatigue. What little fatigue I may have felt subsided almost instantaneously when I stopped running. Even better, I'm faster than I remember. It only took me four hours to run what would have taken me four days if I had walked. If I remember correctly, most vehicles make that trip in four hours. And I'm almost certain I could have gone faster.

Did I just cross some kind of threshold, going from well above average adolescent capabilities to adulthood power? It would explain the ramp up in the weather's reaction to my emotions. Not to mention I'm almost certain I wouldn't have eaten those bullets like they were nothing a year ago. Hell, a few weeks ago I nearly cut my thumb off while chopping vegetables. Although that does make me wonder if that was only the case because I was the one wielding the knife.

Regardless, I've been home for almost 30 minutes and I haven't been able to bring myself to go inside. Something was nagging at me and I needed to check if my hunch was correct.

Not wanting to draw attention to myself I walk calmly to the nearest parking structure, about five blocks down the street and a cross from Binder mall. I throw up my hood and keep my head low, not wanting any of my facial features to be picked up on any possible cameras. Not that it matters much. Not many gingers that are my size here. Regardless, I did my best to keep my identity hidden, and I roamed the parking structure looking for a specific vehicle.

It took me about 15 minutes of walking up and down the structure, but eventually I walked up to the top of the10 story building and found what I was looking for. A pick up truck.

It was blue, and heavy duty. I didn't care for the make and model, I just needed it's weight. The thing is huge, and I've lifted similar with some effort, but something is different about me now.

Walking up to the side of the vehicle I bend down and place my hands underneath the trucks frame and lift. Sure enough, the truck tips and I discover to my dismay that I do not struggle in the slightest bit. It is so easy in fact, that I lifted the thing above my head with minimal effort and I am confused.

I'm just standing here with a vehicle that weighs about three tonnes above my head, staring at the building next to the structure aimlessly, like an idiot. What the hell is going on? Why wasn't I able to lift that van but I can lift this stupid truck? Frustration roils inside of me. I can hear the rumbling of thunder once more. I briefly consider chucking this truck and every other vehicle off the building, but decide against giving into my growing anger, and put the truck down.

Instead, I decide to indulge in answering the questions Billy had for me while we laughed and joked about being a superhero. That happiness and care-free state of living now being robbed from somebody so young. Why wasn't I strong enough? What happened between the parents going over and now?

"Can you leap tall buildings in a single bound?" His youthful excitement and curiosity rings in my head like a sharp reminder of my failure. Failure because I've always been told to hold back. Failure because I don't know or understand what I am, or who I am. Never again.

"Let's find out Billy."

I walk over to the edge of the parking structure opposite of the building I was initially staring at. I hunch down a bit, as if I am about to rush somebody for a tackle as opposed to a runner getting ready to sprint. I think about how Clarence and Marilyn look at each other. I think about what their lives must have been like when they had Billy, raising him, and he must felt like having loving parents. And then I think about there van plunging into the abyss below that cliff, and thunder roars above me.

As if it was the gunshot to indicate the start of a race I bound across the top floor of this parking structure in seconds. Still not used to the new momentum and speed I miss time my jump and clip my toes against the retaining wall of the structure. I end up taking a chunk out of it and even though it doesn't cause me to cartwheel, the sloppy attempt sends me flying over the street below, propelled like I am a football being kicked with the intent of sending me through the uprights, but instead I hit the edge of the roof.

Colliding with the side of the building causes the section I landed on to crack a bit, and I grip the edge so hard it nearly breaks right off. I end up digging my boots into the wall in order to get leverage and push myself upward. I do so effortlessly, rolling a little bit away from the edge of the building, and just look up at the sky.

"Well, that wasn't technically a single bound but..." I trail off as I stair at the sky. The clouds are still covering the stars and moon and I just think about what I could have done better.

I could have fallen with the van, probably being capable of carrying it down to safety. That was the next test. How high can I fall from without getting myself killed. I roll back towards the edge of the building and peak over the side. There are people walking by, thankfully not noticing what I am doing, and thankfully none were harmed by any falling debris.

"Not here. Elsewhere." Standing up I look around and choose the next roof. Doesn't matter to me where I go now, I just want to not think about what happened. I should be enjoying this, but my life has always been about hiding and living in fear of being discovered or hurting people.

Foolish. I should have been training more rigorously, and embracing these abilities. More harm will be done if I don't master them. What will happen the next time I touch a person? The mangled face of that assassin resurfaces and I shake my head. If I don't start getting a grip on this now, I might become too powerful too fast, and everybody I touch will crumble in my hands, and the world will tear apart like cardboard, or paper mache.

I go again, slower this time, feeling out my speed and momentum, pushing off at the right moment, although I used a little too much power and tore up some of the roof. Regardless, the jump is cleaner, and I actually jump higher and farther then I did last time. I jump a little too far and nearly miss the next building over. Thankfully I land with both my feet near the edge and immediately push off again. The next building was higher, and I wanted to see if I could jump straight up and over. Sure enough, I do, clearing the ledge and landing on my feet.

Turning back around, I look down to the alley below, scanning for any bystanders. Luckily there was no one in danger of having this 6'4 and growing, ginger, land on their heads. I contemplate how much this will suck if I land wrong or am not capable of falling from 100 feet up and...

"Stop thinking and do it." I step off the ledge and do not fear the landing. I anticipate it. All I hope is that I don't suddenly cause a natural disaster. It's bad enough that I can cause a monsoon, flooding, and blizzards. I don't need to be accidentally set off Earthquakes.

I plunge to the ground, air rushing up into my beard, over my face and ears and through my thick hair. It's exhilarating, but also frustrating. I could have done something more.

I hit the ground with a thud, bending my knees as I do. I feel the impact as it cracks the ground, but it does not cause me any discomfort. There is also no earthquake, no buildings toppling, just a heavy landing. Time to go home.

I look in the direction of my place and jump as high as I can, bouncing off walls and going from rooftop to rooftop. It doesn't even take me two minutes to get back home.

I land in the alley to be as conspicuous as possible. The knowledge that I could have done more for Billy's family leaving a lingering frustration, one that I unleash with a solid blow to the dumpster for our building. My fist goes right through the metal, and only now am I beginning to be a bit startled by how strong I am. I need to remember what my mother taught me.

"Concentrate on your breathing. Think about holding an egg without cracking it. When you are of sound mind and your heart has calmed, you may attempt to handle another person. Whether that be through a handshake, a hug, or even a blow, you must not lose focus. If you ever fight another human you must not do it while lost in a berserker rage. You can not be careless. The world will likely be akin to cardboard to you. Flesh of man and animals alike will be no more than tissue paper. Everything you do must be precise." My mother's lecture echoes in my head every day. I practice my breathing and handling of materials before I leave the house, just so I know what state I'm in. How much I may struggle that day, how little contact I may have due to stress, anxiety, frustration or what have you.

It's been a long time since I've felt that way about my power though. For the past year it's mostly just been feeling out of place and wondering where I'm from. Like I said before, the dreams I've been having and the amount of harsh weather changes I've caused have been the main concern as of late. My power has been consistent for over a year, with very minuscule increases in strength. I never thought to test my durability, or speed, and I wasn't thinking about hopping from rooftop to rooftop before, but now... Now I have to be extra careful.

I nearly tear the door handle off the front entrance of my apartment building. I sigh as I take the stairs up to my place, wondering if this will be the peak of my power, or if I'll continue to grow. I mean they say you don't stop growing until your 25, but I think that only applies to normal humans. Hell, if I'm a god than maybe it doesn't apply to me at all. Damn it. I suppose it's getting more confusing, whether or not the guy who called himself Tyr was telling me the truth or not.

If I'm being realistic, who could possibly know of my potential for all this power other than my family? It would stand to reason that if my father's family was aware of my powers, either because they were similar in one regard or another, or due to like, experimentation or something, that they would have a vested interest in my existence. Hence the searching for me. I mean mom has told me already that she hasn't slept with an alien, and that she herself wasn't one, so unless she was lying about that for our safety, then I'm the next step in evolution, or I'm a god.

Shit, I might be a god.

I am so lost in thought I hadn't realized that I am already in front of my apartment door. Just standing here. I'm also just realizing that I haven't figured out if I'm going to tell my mom about what happened tonight in it's entirety. It's likely she'll want to move again, but I don't want to leave the state. I promised I'd take care of Billy. But how am I going to take care of him if I end up taking this alleged God of War up on his offer to find out where I'm from?

I place my head in my hands as I think about the challenges ahead. My life was never going to be easy, but just how difficult it could get I am still unaware. I did not think something like this would ever happen. Maybe trying to save somebody and failing, sure, but gods? What am I doing here? Wait...

I can hear something in my apartment. There are two people. I focus on my hearing and listen intently. I hear happy voices, my mother and another woman I don't recognize. My mom would always reject the idea of making friends, stating that all she needed in life was to fulfill her duty as a mother and protect me. Really no way to live, plus at this point I don't think she could protect me from what I could now face. Regardless, I can hear them heading towards the door so I pull out my keys to play as if I just got here. The door opens and I'm greeted with a sight I was not expecting.

My mother in a silk bath robe, that is unfortunately slightly open, and the other woman clad in a cocktail dress. Their hands were grabbing at each other and my mother looked to be about ready to pull the shorter woman in for a kiss.

My mother as I said before is no slouch in the looks department, probably my saving grace, as I've said, keeping me from being the ugliest bastard in the Mid-West. Sharp firm features, not a wrinkle on her despite being in her late thirties and working more than one job, making me think she may be a god or some such thing herself. She is also the reason why I'm a green eyed ginger. Her eyes however are a bit more icy pale green, where as mine are a deep green. Her hair is also frizzy with major curls. She keeps it long and loose, unless she's at work or cleaning. She is nowhere near my size, but she is taller than most women, standing at about 5'10. She is also in immensely good shape, keeping up with her exercises, resulting in a lean toned body. Which of course was made even more obvious by her robe, much to my chagrin.

The other woman is smaller than my mother, but just as much of a looker. She is lithe in frame, standing at about 5'3 or 5'4. She also has bronze skin, I think she is of Arabic descent, but I can not tell for sure. She looks to be in her late 20's, early 30's. Her hair is black and kept just a little over shoulder length and her eyes are grey. She is wearing ruby red lipstick with minimal makeup, stud earrings and a nose ring in her left nostril. She is somewhat shapely despite her small frame, but overall proportionate. She was in some strappy heels, and carrying a small purse over her shoulder.

My mother seems to notice me just before she openly romps with the woman in the doorway and quickly withdraws her hands and closes her robe completely. Thank the gods. The other woman turns towards me and nearly jumps out of her skin, clearly not expecting a giant to be standing in the doorway.

"Fuck!" Yeah clearly startled.

"Erik! I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." She pauses as she looks closer at my clothes and sees how torn up they are and looks up to me. I shake my head. The other woman is fixated on my face. She seems dumbstruck at first but at the mention of my name her jaw somehow drops even further before she addresses my mother.

"THIS is your SON?! You poor woman." Clearly they've gotten to know each other if she's able to figure out who I am based on my name.

"Yes, I am. Erik Torsten. You are?" I stick out my hand, not completely up for small talk right now, but I never thought I'd see my mom look at somebody like that before. It was mostly lust from what I could tell, but maybe there was something more there. I don't know.

The woman sticks out her hand and takes mine giving it a shake.

"Samira Ayad. I'm your mom's... uh..." She looks to my mother for advice as to what to say.

"Girlfriend?" No point in dancing around the topic I think.

"No." "Sort of."

They spoke at the same time, my mother the one saying no. They give each other an uneasy look and I can't help but feel like I just sparked what might turn into a fight.

"Well, I mean we've been-" Samira starts, kind of down trodden. I can see my mother giving a bit of a concerned look. Is she confused? I've never seen my mother confused... about anything.

"Now's not the time for this conversation Samira. We can talk tomorrow, if you wish." My mother's interruption is accompanied by her putting both hands on Samira's shoulders and rubbing them. Samira thinks for a moment, looking to me with a bit of understanding, but definitely a little hurt, before turning back and nodding. My mother places her forehead against Samira's and both women smile at each other as Samira leans in for a kiss. I can sense my mother's hesitation so I look away to give them a bit of privacy. Of course I can hear lip smacking for a good 5 seconds before the separate and Samira addresses me.

"Sorry this couldn't have been a more comfortable first mee... ting... what the hell happened to you?!" I was wondering if they would notice. The initial shock of me being here was probably enough of a distraction for the smaller woman.

I turn to see mom placing her hands in her head as Samira basically closes the distance between us and starts inspecting me.

"I'm fine." I mutter as she places her hands on me, inspecting for wounds.

"Fine! Look at you! I can't believe I didn't notice you have blood on your clothes, and bullet holes-"

"He said he's fine Samira." My mother's cold tone cuts in. I look to her and see she's glaring at me. Samira is about to stumble into discovering my secret all because of bad timing. Which means she's already thinking of moving. I can tell by the way she's looking at me, which is probably why she said 'No' when I asked if this nice woman was her girlfriend. She was already cutting burning the bridge.

"Fine, he has-"

"Look." I lift my clothing to show her my unscathed body, and as she inspects me she quickly goes from concern to arousal. I roll my eyes as I lower my clothing. My mother either doesn't notice or doesn't care. "I told you I'm fine. The blood isn't mine anyway."

"Time to go Samira." My mother was demanding and left no room for argument. Samira looked between the two of us with a little bit of fear, before sighing and walking back to my mom and kissing her on the cheek.

"I hope to hear from you tomorrow." She doesn't wait for a response before turning to me and giving me a nod. "Nice meeting you Erik. Hope the next time we get to chat a bit." She gives me a friendly smile and I appreciate the fact she isn't so easily shaken. I give her a small smile and a nod before she finally heads down the hall.

"Get inside. Now." I pull my gaze from the small woman back to my mother as she turns to head further into the apartment. I sigh as I duck my head ever so slightly as to not skim my scalp across the frame, and head inside, closing the door behind me.

As I'm taking off my boots in the entry hall my mother comes back from around the corner with a trash bag.

"You killed today didn't you." It wasn't a question. She knew how I would react to people openly trying to kill me. Not that it was a common thing, she just knew.

"Yes." The look on her face went from stern frown to silent distress, to sadness, to stern frown again in such a short time.

"What happened?" I take off my jacket, sweater, and shirt, tossing them into the bag. As I do so my mother goes around the corner again and grabs some more clothes for me, returning just as I discard my pants and am now clad only in my underwear.

"I got dropped off near Eagle Mountain, and went for a hike to try and work through my emotions. I've been having nightmares." I have yet to tell my mother of the nightmares, but I put up my hand as she is about to interrupt and ask me about it.

I take a deep breath, focusing my jumbled mind and thinking back to the events of the night as I absentmindedly get dressed. When I'm ready to continue telling her the story, I begin to move to the living room and sit on our small couch. She leaves the bag of clothes in the laundry room around the corner and comes to join me.

"Nothing I did was working. I just couldn't shake this feeling that something was changing in me. I also can't help but think I'm about to face something... evil. The dreams, they feel like a warning. They are more vivid then anything I've dreamt before. I'm in lands that are foreign to me. The mountainous cold areas I dreamt of I thought were Norway, but... there were large beings in the backdrop, like giants..." It's now that I realize Tyr may be telling me the truth. I didn't make the connection until just now but that may have been Jotunheim, land of the Jotnar.

I can also tell my mother's face become contorted in a fear I've never seen on her face before. I decide to press on, however, hoping she will just tell me the truth sooner rather than later.

"...there are other places to. Volcanic and fiery, cold, dark, misty, damp caves, bright fields, wild lands and a cold but sturdy fortress, or city, I'm not sure. I dream of places we've been before, Jump City, Central City, Seattle, and other places I've never been that I'm sure are on Earth. All of it gets consumed in this endless darkness. At first I'm trying to fight back, but I'm too weak. Everybody around me falls, and I'm left in the abyss. Last night was the first time though, that I saw something in the abyss. A pair of red eyes. The malice in them." My mother looks to the floor, taking in all that I have said.

"Red eyes?" She repeats. "Could it be..." She hesitates to say the words. "...was it snowing in any of these dreams you had."

"Now that you mention it, yeah. The snow was relentless, and even present in the caves." This was giving me a terrible feeling in my stomach.

"Fimbulvetr." The long winter that is the prelude to Ragnarok. The end of everything. I really hope these dreams weren't visions. "That doesn't explain your clothes."

"Right. Well, on my way back down the mountain the weather was raging. A full on storm was covering the entire mountain. Hikers and campers alike were bailing from their trips, and as I was walking the road back down, a family vehicle stopped to offer me a ride." My mother slams her fist on the arm of the lazy boy she is sitting in.

"Tell me you didn't get into that car!" Now I was frustrated.

"I rejected at first, but they persisted. They seemed like nice people and I didn't want to reject their generosity. They offered me a ride down to the city, so I figured it would be fine. I could relax, and focus on calming down so the storm would go away. I get in, and it's a family of three. Mother, Marilyn, father, Clarence, and an eight year old boy, Billy. He's just as amazed at my size as your Samira, and after we introduce ourselves, he launches into a slew of questions. He thought I knew Superman, asked if I was a super hero. Can you believe that?" I start to get a little choked up, and my mother's anger subsides a bit as she see's my mood take a nose dive.

"Erik... I-" I cut her off, wanting to get this out now so I can move on and get the answers I need.

"After about 20 minutes, the boy falls asleep, and the parents tell me he's been having trouble making friends a school. I can relate, and they ask me what I do for a living. They mention they are archaeologists, and offer me an internship with actual pay. I was only half listening to their offer though, because I got that feeling I get when something really bad is about to happen." My mother now gets up and sits next to me.

"What happened, sweetheart."

I describe Tyr, without giving away that's who he claims to be, and how he warned me of the vehicle following me. His description didn't seem to alarm my mother, but I figured she would lose it after I told her how he approached me later.

I go on to describe the events of the ramming attempt, me kicking the door off to hit the vehicle as they fire at Clarence and Marilyn. The impact of both vehicles, the spinning out of control, to me trying to keep the van from going over. I tell her of the fear in our hearts, and the bravery Marilyn showed for her son. The way she gave him the will to live, to leave her behind so he could go on. I depict how she was dying right before my eyes, how she held on to make sure I'd promise he'd be okay, and that I gave my word. I cried as I described the heartbreak I felt when she let go, and when I released the van, letting it fall to the darkness below, as I listened to Billy wail for his lost family. His lost innocence. I cry, and she holds me, stroking my hair.

"I'm so sorry, baby." I can hear her voice crack a bit. Surprising, for I've only ever seen her cry once or twice. Normally, she was strong and refused to show intense emotion. Not even anger. She tried to be my role model in this, so that I wouldn't cause natural disasters. Or at least, that's what I believe is the reason for it.

After a few minutes, I calm myself. Though a full on storm didn't break out, which was a miracle in it's own right, I wanted to be more calm for this next part.

"So, the reason my clothes were all shot up was because whoever tried to ram us off the road survived the crash. They cam out to the cliff edge intent on shooting us, and I was not going to let them kill that boy after I made that promise." My mother pulled back, eyes slightly watery, but she wipes the unshed tears away before they have a chance to streak down her freckled face.

"Did you black out?" I nodded. "Erik..."

"They deserved everything they had coming to them. I don't remember getting shot or even taking a step towards them, but when I came to, I was in the midst of turning one of their faces into mulch. Looking around, I could see that more had shown up, and I had killed all of them." My mother becomes concerned again at this information. "So, as it seems to be I'm bulletproof, or rather resistance, since i was healing minor lacerations when I came to. The thing that gets me though is what happened after. That guy, the one from the woods... he approached me..."

"Who was he?" Her hands go to her lap now, as she faces away.

"He claims to know you." She whips her head up, terror in her eyes and shock on her face. So he was telling the truth. "Kept calling me brother. Says his-"

"He's a liar!" She doesn't even wait to deny it. Shouting as she stands, she begins moving to her bedroom. I already know what she's doing, and even though I was aware that she would react poorly to what I just said, I wasn't expecting the reaction to be so forceful. "Don't trust him, or anybody that associates with him! Understand!"

"We aren't done!" I stand up and follow her into the room. She's already pulled out her suitcase and is packing some clothes. Normally, she is more organized about everything, but what I'm seeing right now is frantic desperation. "So he was telling the truth!"

"NO!"

"Admit it! I'm Thor Odinson! A God! Why didn't you tell me?!" My voice was raised. I didn't care who heard us at this point. I was done with these games, these lies. I was done hiding from who I was. Who I am.

"No you're not! You're Erik Torsten! My boy! My son! You are sweet, kind, caring, and protective! Thor would never have cried over the loss of mortals like that! He would just drink himself stupid and..." She stops, realizing what she's saying. I'm still roiling with frustration that she never told me, that she clearly knew these people, and wasn't just some random woman Odin had a kid with.

"Am I your son?" She whips around to look at me with hurt in her eyes. "How do I know you didn't just steal Odin's child and ran off to Earth. Intent on using me-" She crosses the room so fast that I barely recognize that she's throwing her hand at my face.

Something my mother has never done is strike me. As odd as that may seem for some, given the background that she's clearly from, she never used violence to correct any of my behaviours or anything like that. It's why I'm not afraid of her. I respect her. So to say this slap didn't hurt me... but it still hurt me, would be an understatement.

The fury on her face is terrifying to behold and I take a step back in shock at what just happened. Even though it didn't really hurt physically, she still managed to wallop me good. More strength then I expected. Which means she isn't human either. Of course. How else would she know how to teach me to control my abilities.

The shock of what she just did finally catches up to her and she holds a hand over her mouth as she takes a step back.

"Erik... I'm-" I turn away from her, heading for the door.

"Forget it." I fully intend on leaving and just going back to Eagle Mountain right that moment. I don't want to deal with the implication that this woman isn't my mother. She lied to me, and maybe it was because she was scared, but I can't handle knowing that even she isn't apart of me. I would truly be alone if that were the case.

"ERIK! Wait please! I'm sorry!" She rushes around me, a speed and agility I was unaware she had. Or... no. A memory springs to mind.

When I was a child, I climbed trees all the time. One day, I don't remember where, I was probably four at the time, I climbed a tree with relative ease. I think I wanted to play with the birds that were up on the branches. I remember just as I got up there, my mother appeared, like she just stepped through a door way, grabbing me and performing some aerial acrobatics, landing on her feet and holding me up to reprimand me for climbing without her watching me. Stating that it was dangerous and she didn't want me to get hurt. It wasn't until I got older that I realized she just didn't want other people to see how different I actually was.

"He said his name was-"

"Tyr. I know. The missing hand. I put it together..." We fell in silence as she stood in front of me. I could easily lift and move her, or at least I fell like I could, but given her apparent skills, maybe she would have something up her sleeve for such a thing. Regardless I don't want to fight my mother... even if she isn't really my mother.

"Are you... am I..." I struggle with my words and emotions yet again. This is getting to be too much for me now, and I can hear thunder roaring outside. She can too, but for once, she isn't concerned with me getting it under control.

"What do you want to know." She was defeated, as her down cast eyes and sullen attitude proved.

"I honestly expected you to put up more of a fight." She shakes her head lightly, her red hair bouncing with the motion.

"No point now. I'll lose you if I don't come clean." So maybe this was all about keeping me from them. For herself. Whatever she was doing that for.

"Everything you know. Tyr said I died. You kept me from them, and wanted nothing to do with them. Why?" My mother curses under her breath as she goes to sit on the couch once more. Once she settles, she pats the seat next to her, indicating that I should join. I do as I'm told, and I'm anxious to hear my actual origin story.

She takes a deep breath before looking into my eyes, holding my gaze as she begins.

"We aren't sure what happened, but over a thousand years ago, Thor, God of Thunder, and Protector of the Nine Realms, became just as obsessed as his father over the details of Ragnarok. It was different though." I cock my head to the side.

"Different how?" It was always a thing of intrigue to me. If you took say, the Greek Gods, and compared them to the Norse ones, you'd find many differences, probably more than you would similarities.

The biggest for me was their attitudes towards things. The Greeks seemed more concerned with self image and getting even more than anything else. I mean, not all but I'd say most. Hera trying to kill all of Zeus's illegitimate children as babies, even going so far as causing Hercules to go mad and kill his own wife and daughter. Just one of many examples. Where as the Norse Gods, especially the Aesir, were more concerned with prophecies, especially when they involved Ragnarok. When Baldur dies due to Loki providing a mistletoe spear to Hodr to chuck at his brother, everyone knows what it means. Hence, why they send somebody down to Hel to retrieve what part of Baldur has moved on.

The idea that the paranoia and obsession was so great that it bled to the other gods was, and still is, something that stands out to me greatly. Gods, immortal beings, are afraid of their own deaths, as much as any mortal. Hell, maybe more so than mortals. Then again, you could make the argument that Ragnarok destroys everything so they could just be looking out for us, but who knows.

"He was less concerned about preventing it and more concerned about figuring out what it was. Why it even happened to begin with. He ended up following in the All-Father's footsteps, hanging himself from the World Tree, and giving up his right eye, but making the extra sacrifice by removing his left arm. The wisdom and power he gained from this scared Odin, but Thor had no interest in taking his Odin's place as the All-Father. Instead, he declared that he would search the Nine Realms and beyond in order to discover the truth. Eventually, he would come to reveal that Ragnarok is likely a cycle that repeats itself after an indeterminate amount of time passes. Claiming that it may be a random chance that either everything resets, or stays gone forever. We aren't sure if the cycle has to happen in a certain order every time for it to complete, or if the order of events changes each time. Either way, whatever he did must have changed things, because there is no prophecy, or poem, or anything, that's ever stated that Thor is the first to die, and be reborn, in the same cycle." My initial anxiety is quickly replaced with intrigue and honestly, excitement. I always loved stories about the Gods, but I never though I'd be apart of it. Still, I had a mixed feeling of what this all meant for me, and if it had anything to do with that dream.

"So, it kind of operates off the theory that he big bang is the result of all matter from one universe being sucked into a black hole, and shot out a white hole in another place?" My mother shrugs.

"I'm not sure. I mean, that does sound like a definite reset. However, the other theory Midgardian scientists have come up with states that everything will eventually suffer a heat death, ending everything permanently." That left a certain swell of cold dread in my stomach. Those kinds of existentialist thoughts I tend to dislike dwelling on too often. I'd rather live in the now.

"So... what happened to him? How... how did he die?" At this my mother frowns, and shakes her head.

"We don't know. He disappeared without a trace. No magic could track him, not even Heimdall knew where he went. Then, 500 years ago, while Ullr was out looking for Thor, the fates sent a message to Odin, saying his son was gone. He didn't believe it until Heimdall picked up Mjolnir travelling across the universe, unsure of it's start point. Eventually...' She pauses and I wait patiently for her to muster up whatever it is she needs to continue. "...eventually it landed here, on Midgard. It's still here, in Norway."

My jaw hit the floor.

"You're telling me, the most famous hammer in all mythology and history is still here. Wait, is that why you always refused to take me back to your..." I stop, realizing what I'm saying. She just nods her confirmation. "...So you didn't want me coming into contact with it because-"

"Because I don't want my son to die." Her voice becomes soft, and cracks. The second time in one day. That was unheard of.

"Mom... okay. Let me ask a different question. Why did you hide me? Why didn't you want me knowing who or what I was?" Finally, my mother lets her tears fall, and she holds back her sobs, as she attempts to answer me.

"I-I didn't want you to become the monster that he was." She begins to wipe the tears from her face as she refuses to look at me.

"What? Who? Mom look at me." She takes a moment, we sit in relative silence, the only sound being her sniffling, before she finally turns to me with tear filled eyes.

"The previous Thor. Hell, I didn't want you to be turned into another killer, ready to drop your hammer or a storm down on the heads of any that stood against you, even if you were in the wrong." Wow, that... that sounds awful. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I shouldn't have, but I knew you'd want to meet them if you knew. I just... I couldn't risk it. You are such a good boy. And you are growing into a good man. Thor... he slaughtered people. He was quick to temper and neither of his parents ever tried to curb his rage."

"But you did." She broke down at my declaration. The woman who faced so much hardship, so much pressure for all these years, and now it must feel like it's crumbling down around her. "Did you give birth to me. Are you my mom?"

At this she lunges at me and we wrap each other up in a hug. Tears are falling from my eyes now. I love this woman, and I don't want her to stop being my mother.

We sit like that for probably 5 or so minutes before be both calm down and she pulls away again. She looks me over and strokes my face and smiles at me.

"Yes, you are my boy. Can you not tell?" We both laugh as she pulls at my beard and matches it to her hair. Though her shade of red is a bit lighter then mine, we are definitely related. I am so glad for this. More relieved than I thought I'd ever be in such a situation.

"Good, I'm grateful." She kisses me on the cheek before she sits back on the couch again.

"Me too." Me smile, holding each other's hands in silence again. My mother has always been there for me, and I wouldn't trade her for anybody. Now, I feel an even stronger sense of protectiveness over her. I didn't think it could get any more stong.

"So, are you going to get in trouble? Do I have to kill a whole pantheon so they don't come for you." She laughs a bit before she becomes serious.

"There are consequences when you kill a god, dear boy. I don't know why Thor's apparent death didn't cause uncontrollable cosmic storms or blizzards across the realms, but normally there is severe damage done to reality that can only be avoided or maintained if a replacement can be found. Now, keep in mind there were plenty of plagues and wars that happened in his absence, as well as natural disasters, but for the most part, nothing that would match the damage done by the death of a deity. Though, Odin I'm pretty sure knows more than he lets on when it comes to his previous son's apparent death. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so adamant about siring a new Thor. I was pretty surprised when he approached me about it." Approached her? You gotta be kidding me.

"You mean to tell me he treated you like a... breeding farm?" My mother burst into laughter as the words passed my lips. I went from annoyed to confused pretty quickly. "What?"

"It's just... ha ha... I mean, he's a god, love. And a King... and an arrogant bastard. Though I suppose he can back most of it up. But, no. It wasn't just to breed with me. He and I had a bit of a liking for each other before. We just never really took it anywhere. I have no idea why he asked me to be the 'Next Mother of Thor' but I figured since Thor was our champion, I'd be honoured to. Now... I'm just honoured I got to raise you. Not to mention the pride I feel of the man you're becoming." I give my mother a smug look as I wave my finger at her.

"Oh no you don't. Motherly praise will not get you off the hook for finishing this story. I still don't everything you do yet." She chuckles at my antics as she grabs my finger with her hand and playfully bends it.

"Okay smart ass. If you must know, shortly after I became pregnant with you, I spoke to the fates about your destiny. Asking if you'd truly become Thor. They stated that your future was unclear, but it was definitely to be filled with blood and war. This obviously didn't sit well with me. Even though I'm not stranger to such things. It was different now. I was a mother, and I didn't want my boy to be a general, or a monster, I just wanted you to have the freedom to choose. That night, I had a dream, or a vision, of a rampaging Thor, destroying the Nine Realms, and losing himself to his warrior madness. When I awoke the next morning, I went straight to Freyja, and begged her to place an enchantment on us, so as to hid us from any and all methods of tracking us known to the gods. This blinded Heimdall to us, and it kept them from using magical means, however Ullr is a crafty bastard when it comes to hunting, and he has come close more than once to finding us. I suppose the massive storms you've been setting off is what drew them to us. And the fact that Tyr is the one that approached you, and not Sif, or Baldur, tells me something is amiss." That doesn't sound good. Her voice goes low and her face becomes stern as she looks at the wall, clearly trying to decipher the reason for the God of War's presence.

"Okay, before we move on to why Tyr is the one recruiting me and not somebody less... war like... I want to know just what are you? Are you a goddess? Or just a citizen of Asgard? If that's even a thing." She turns to me with a sullen look before closing her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. That part of me is dead. I was mortal the day I gave birth to you, and I have been ever since."

"Bullshit. You're nearly forty and you still look like you are in the prime of your life. I mean, not to sound weird here, but look at you mom. That woman, Samira, was what, 25, and she's head over heels for you. Not to mention, the way you just moved faster than I've ever seen you move, that smack was harder than any woman your size should be able to manage, and-"

"-I may have retained some of my power, but I assure you I am mortal now. Maybe I age slower then most, but I will die of old age, faster than any Asgardian or God, with or without the Apples of Idunn. What I am now and have been for the past 18 years of our lives is a mother, a mortal mother, to a wonderful, strong, handsome, young man. What I am is a mother that's afraid that if you pursue this path, the path of godhood, that you will lose yourself. I'm... I'm just afraid." This was evident by the constant shifting of her facial features. She always tried to keep either a stoic look or a smirk on her face, while only smiling when she found something truly useful or hilarious. It was rare for her to wear so many emotions at once, and yet I was never wanting for a emotional support structure. She was always there. I wouldn't spit in the face of that.

"You won't lose me. I won't lose me. Nobody is losing me again. I promise." I take her hand and squeeze it tight, but careful not to crush her. She leans her head against my shoulder, and just sighs. A long night it's been, and it seems that our lives will only get more complicated from here.

"So, I'm a god."

"Don't let it get to your head."

"I won't. Entirely."

"Uh huh."

"You know, I can jump really high now."

"You don't say."

"Yeah, I can also lift huge pick ups above my head with no effort. Kind of want to test my strength on bigger things."

"Don't push yourself too hard honey. And please, don't get caught."

"Right. Well, I mean they already know where I am, and besides I can out run anything I think."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it only took me four hours of nonstop running to get back here from the Mountain." My mother pops her head up from my shoulder.

"Did anybody see you?" I grin.

"I don't think anybody could have made out any details if they had mom. Not many people were out tonight because of the weather anyway." She growls in frustration at me. The kind of growl only a mother can muster. It shows agitation with her child, but doesn't scare you... usually.

"Errrik!"

"Oh and I, uh, may have punched a hole in the dumpster outside." She growls again. "And I know I can fall 100 feet without hurting myself." Growls intensify. I hold back laughter as I sometimes enjoy teasing my mother like this. She gets really annoyed when I just start mentioning if I've been blatantly testing my powers. "I almost ate shit and fell to the street next to that parking structure across from the mall when I first tested jumping from rooftop to-"

"ERIK!" I could no longer hold back the laughter. She grabbed a pillow from behind her on the couch and began hitting me with it. Eventually she started laughing as well, something I haven't heard her do for awhile. She stopped when she damaged the pillow, rolling her eyes at the flimsy material.

"So, you never answered my question. Are you in trouble with the Aesir?" My mom's smile fades as she stays silent for a long while. Too long, in fact. The building anticipation was killing me, and I could only hope no harm was going to come to her.

"I committed treason. It's unlikely they'll let that go. Odin isn't the most forgiving person, and Tyr... he's very particular about dispensing Justice." I grunt in annoyance.

"Well they better let it go. If they want me to be around for them." My mother breathes heavy through her nose as she looks out the window.

"I don't want you to go with them... but you clearly are getting far stronger than I could have anticipated. I thought... I thought maybe you're power would remain diminished, that you'd have an edge on Midgard, but still be able to live relatively normally. Gods! I don't want you to go." She squeezes my hand tightly again. The look on her face pleading with me.

"I have to. Tyr offered to take me in, and show me the ropes. Help me get a hold of my powers. If they can do that for me, maybe I can have an easier time of things. I don't like that I've had to hide my whole life. Besides Mary and Harald, and of course you, I don't feel like I belong here. I... I want you to be happy. I want you to have some time to yourself. You don't have to worry about being found anymore, because they already found me. I'll do everything and anything to make sure they don't bother you." There was no way in Hel I was going to let them do anything to her. They don't have to like each other, but my mom isn't going to be punished for being scared of them.

"Erik it's not your job to-"

"Yes it is!" I've had enough of this. "Protector of the Nine Realms right? Well you're in one of them last I checked, so I'm protecting you... Besides, you have a thing going with that hottie Samira. Me going and giving you some space makes things a lot less complicated for you. I've never seen you like that before mom. When the door opened, and I saw that look in your eyes as you looked at her, the way you two were all over each other. I mean, I don't need to see that. Hel I don't necessarily want to. But it's good to know that you can be your own person, that you get to live now that you've put this work in. Is she the first person you've been with since you've had me?" My mother started blushing the moment I brought up the lusty carnal actions she was definitely about to engage in with Samira before I showed up. She could look me in the eye and she crossed her arms over her bosom. I chuckled at her embarrassment, something I could use to definitely troll her with. I won't be mean about it though.

"I... I mean... No. There was a man, years ago. When you mauled those bastards that were harassing me, I knew we would have to go. I liked him, but... he wasn't important enough for me to risk you. None of them ever will be." I felt a little guilty now, knowing that I caused her such grief. "It's not your fault, Erik. If a parent doesn't put their child first, they shouldn't be parents at all."

"Sure, maybe when I was an infant, toddler, preteen. As a teenager though I can mostly take care of myself. You could have attempted more relationships. Maybe if I knew you were trying for one, I could have tried harder at-"

"-You stop that right now. All this pressure I put on you to hide wasn't fair. It's not your responsibility to make me happy."

"Its not your responsibility to protect me anymore. I am so much stronger now. I can only imagine how powerful I'll get. I've got it from here mom."

"Doesn't matter. I'll always care for you. Until the day I die you'll be my child." I frown at her, though appreciative of her care, this was a little much.

"You can still care about me, and be concerned about me. But no more calling me all the time to check in. No more late night texts, and no more making everything about me. If you can promise me you'll put yourself first now, along side me if that's what it takes, rather then putting me first in front of you, then I promise I'll keep checking in on you now. So that I know you aren't alone and miserable." Now the water works really start to flow.

I guess I never realized how emotional my mother could really be. Having that constant calm or controlled demeanour. It must have been such a burden on her. Now, she is balling her eyes out, for her son was growing up, and he was about to leave the nest. Most parents have to deal with this, but I can recognize how different this situation is. She can't even form words, she's just sobbing, holding herself tight, trying to stop.

I pull her in to my arms, engulfing her completely, as she used to do for me when I was a boy. The funny thing, is when I was small, I was scared of the thunder and lightning I caused. She would snuggle with me and stroke my back, or hair, while singing old Norse songs to me, as a way to calm me down. All my life, she was the one that kept me from falling apart.

Now it's my turn.

A/N: PHEW that was... damn.

Anyway, next chapter the adventure into Erik's journey to becoming Thor! God Of Thunder! Begins.

Hope to see you there.