Gwen started down the stone steps. This was obviously not the main entrance to the burial chamber. She wasn't sure what she was going to see. She pulled out an Asgardian light globe. It cast a glow somewhat akin to moonlight and she released it. The ball floated beside her. The burial chamber was so massive Gwen couldn't have imagined it. Everywhere she looked were the armored remains of an Asgardian warrior of old. Their numbers seemed incalculable. The only sound was her breathing and echo of her armored bootsteps against the stone floor. Everything was completely still. In truth she felt like if she made too much noise, she might wake the sleeping dead of the place.

A massive shape formed in the murky darkness. As she got closer the light globe illuminated a shaggy shape. It was a giant wolf. It was the size of a transport truck. Maybe even taller. Its black fur was patchy. It lay curled up as if asleep atop a massive stone platform. Beside his remains were weapons and shields. She whispered his name in her awe. Fenris. She had heard the legends. Fought a Fenris or two in video games. Seeing the real creature that inspired them was something she would never forget. She wanted to touch his fur but thought the better of disturbing the corpse, lest she disturbed his rest. She moved past him and several urns that surrounded the stone block on which he rested.

Her goal was a secret door in the rear of the chamber behind Fenris. The guardian of which would be Gwen's main barrier to getting home. She could still turn back. Loki had warned her that she would need to face hard truths to succeed. She approached the secret door, which appeared to be a section of the burial chamber wall that was covered in Asgardian runes. She pressed them in the order provided by Loki. The stone shifted and complained but eventually it slid down. Gwen stumbled backwards when her mother shimmered into existence in front of her.

"Go back to Odin, Gwen, you don't belong here."

Gwen stepped back again.

"You're dead… you can't be here. You're the guardian."

Gwen backed up further and ran into the stone block holding Fenris. Her mother cupped her face in her hands. Tears were starting to drip down Gwen's cheeks. Her mother kissed her forehead.

"You don't belong on Earth Gwen. You are too dangerous. Go back."

Her mother's touch felt so real. The kiss was her mother's. This wasn't possible.

"You… I need to go. They need to know what is coming."

Her mother wrapped her arms around her. Gwen sunk into the hug. It felt so real.

"Why would you want to leave. You can see me whenever you want, if you just stay here."

Her spider-sense started screaming at her. Gwen shook her head. This wasn't real. Loki told her it wasn't real. He wouldn't lie about this. She ducked under her mother's arms and backed away.

"You're trying to keep me here. It's the trap Loki told me about."

Her mother's form shifted and her face caved in. Her arm was twisted in a way it shouldn't. She was naked and blood dripped down her thighs.

"You want to leave me? Like you did on Earth? Like this?"

Gwen closed her eyes and turned away.

"Why do you think they even want you back? You failed me. You couldn't even get revenge for me. You just let him live. And you are friends with the man who allowed it? You still speak to my husband who let them go unpunished?"

Gwen shoved her mother away when she felt hands on her again. She fell against the wall.

"No! You're not real! And if you were my mother, you would never say you wanted me to get revenge. She would want me to be happy! She would want me to speak to dad. She would want us to be okay. She's not like you! She would want me to go warn Earth because no matter how much I don't want to go and face my father it is the right thing to do! Get out of my way or cease with these illusions and fight me! I need to get home."

She felt no further touches. She opened her eyes and a shimmering gold apparition stood before her. It was a tall woman in ancient Asgardian armor with a round shield strapped to her back and an ornate spear in her right hand. She would have been beautiful in life. The apparition stepped aside and spoke.

"Go, Champion. Follow the path and it will lead you home."

Gwen stepped past her cautiously.

"That's it?"

The apparition nodded.

"Your mother would not want you burdened by guilt, child. Face your fear or it will consume you."

Gwen hopped further down the stairs glad to be away from the burial chamber and the memories of her mother. Loki had been wrong. It had been worse than he told her it would be. She also admitted to herself if he'd told her what she was going to face she might not have come. He had also warned her that rock trolls wandered the halls beneath the burial chamber. She decided it was best to climb across the ceilings where she could. Her experience as Spider-Woman taught her early on, people rarely looked up. What she knew of rock trolls specifically was they were thuggish, unintelligent and boorish. Mostly based on Asgardian stories. What she was seeking was a portal to Earth that existed on an island in molten lava oceans beneath Asgard. Inaccessible without some form of flight, or other trickery.

During her travels she was reassured with her choice to stick to the rocky cavern ceilings. She passed over several troll and dwarf settlements. None seemed the wiser to her passage. It didn't make her passing any less panic-inducing. There were a lot of them and every single one of them was physically her superior in all ways. She felt like she was in one of Peter's Dungeons and Dragons games. He'd often put the group into situations against impossible odds that would force them to find alternative solutions. Part of her wished she could tell him all about this. He'd lose his mind. He loved fantasy stuff. The fact that she'd talked to real dwarves, real elves, fought real dark elves…

She finished traversing the last of the massive caverns. Loki's map had been spot on. He must have prepared this as an escape route in the past. It was the only explanation of how he knew what was down here. She ran into an impassable barrier in the form of a forest of stalactites with razor sharp points. She dropped down onto the cavern floor. It was getting much warmer. She realized that she was getting close to her objective. She started to rush across the cavern. Her spider sense triggered, and she skidded to a halt just in time to avoid getting caught up by a net after she triggered a trip wire. Two dwarves rushed out. They were dirty and looked like they'd been toiling in the depths for a long time. They had spears. The one closest to her spoke.

"Yer not a cave warg."

Gwen smiled as innocently as she could.

"Your right, sorry about your trap just passing through. Kind of dangerous to just drop it in the path like that, don't you think?"

The dwarves looked at each other and shrugged.

"The trolls will pay us enough for you we'll eat for weeks!"

Gwen sighed and got ready for a fight. Things were about to get started in earnest when she heard a familiar voice. Brok walked out behind the dwarves.

"Lads. You should have stuck with the wargs."

One of the dwarves looked back at Brok.

"What are you on about? She's a kid! Trolls love em. What's she going to do? She doesn't even have a weapon!"

Brok hefted his axe over his shoulder.

"That tale I spun you about the Champion of the Nine Realms that butchered escaping marauders so messily that hardened Einherjar threw up when they witnessed the carnage? This is her. So, unless you want your innards scattered about this cave you best let her pass."

The second dwarf pointed at Gwen.

"This one ripped a troll's ribcage open with her bare hands?"

Brok nodded. The two dwarves lowered their spears and backed away.

"We didn't mean nothing by it lass, just a joke. Harmless joke."

His partner laughed nervously while making sure he was out of arm's reach of Gwen. She passed the two dwarves and looked down at Brok.

"Not that I don't appreciate the help, but what are you doing down here?"

"Just gathering materials for my trade from the miners, figured with the uh, situation it was safer here then above. What are you doing down here and away from the safety of the palace?"

Gwen motioned towards the cavern exit.

"Going home."

Brok's eyes went wide.

"Past the molten lake? Surely that is suicide."

Gwen shrugged.

"I have a particular set of skills."

She winked at Brok and gave him a wave before heading deeper. When she could resume her path across the ceiling of the passages she climbed up. She reached the lava ocean. It was so vast it reached the horizon. She slipped her light globe into her backpack. The lava cast enough light she could navigate by it. She followed the landmarks Loki had laid out for her. She also used her holo-display to keep her heading steady. It took another hour before she reached the island. It looked like it was once part of a much larger structure. Only the doorway with a shimmering portal still existed. She lowered herself to the island below with a web. It was a fifty foot drop and as much she was pretty sure she could make the jump she didn't really want to risk missing the landing, because she was one hundred percent sure lava would melt her limbs off.

Gwen landed on the metal island. It was built of bricks that had a similar look to her sword. The shimmering portal seemed to shift through all the colors of the rainbow. Looking through it was like looking through a window into another world. On the other side was a cave she couldn't make out details because it was dark and the lava's glow was not bright enough to pierce it fully.

She reached out to touch the portal and snatched her hand back. She had this flash of it shutting down and cutting off her hand. Sweat was dripping down her brow. The heat from the lava was intense and she could feel herself baking. She closed her eyes and jumped through the portal. She landed on the rocky floor of a small cavern. She felt the cavern shake and debris fell around her. She scrambled to her feet and started to rush. Being buried alive was not on her to do list today.

Her holo-phone started going crazy. It was vibrating as she climbed up further. She opened the holo-display and a flood of text messages and emails were streaming in. Wherever she'd ended up she was near a cell tower that recognized her as an account holder. She was encouraged by that. It meant she was somewhere in North America. The cave network shook again which urged her onwards. This time she heard metal against metal. This told her she was somewhere that had a subway. That narrowed down her location greatly. Once she got a bit closer to the surface her GPS kicked in and she was shocked to see she'd ended up under Manhattan.

After another half an hour she encountered an old rusty steel door. It was sealed. She slammed her shoulder into it repeatedly and she burst it open. Bricks fell to the ground on the other side. This led her into a disused Subway tunnel. It looked like it hadn't been used in decades. She ran into a chained steel gate. She grabbed the chain and yanked. The links complained and ripped apart. She dropped the chain and walked up the stairs behind it. She encountered another locked door which she kicked. The metal door wrenched, and she was able to slip out of it. On the other side was the subbasement of New York Presbyterian Hospital. She made her way along the service tunnels until she found a stairwell. She climbed up the stairs until she reached the main floor.

Gwen looked out of place as she walked through the hall of the hospital. In her short red war skirt. Knee high plate boots, chest armor, pauldrons and long bloodred cloak. Thankfully she had no weapons so at worst she looked like a cosplayer. It didn't really phase her she had grown accustomed to wearing it. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to explain her absence for so long. Who knew her secret now? It was dark out, but even for late August it was muggy. She was already missing the perfectly comfortable temperature in the palace. She started towards home. She didn't want to show up in the armor and she was pretty sure she had time to get changed. She also wasn't sure SHIELD would let her go once she got there.

She climbed up the wall and opened her window. She crept into her room and knelt beside her hope chest. She sighed when she noticed it was already open and her old costume was missing. She started gathering up a fresh set of clothes. She could see the light of the TV flashing in the living room. Heard a laugh track. Gwen closed her eyes and peaked around the corner. Her dad was passed out on the couch. The apartment was a mess. Take out containers with rotting food piled high on the counters and dining room table. It reminded her of the apartment after her mother's death. She closed her eyes and shook her head before heading into her room and stuffing the clothes into her pack. She'd ditch the armor and backpack at her lair. Home was not safe anymore.

She was climbing out the window when the light came on. She flicked her wrist when she saw the shadow of what looked like a gun and continued to leave. She heard her father's voice.

"Not even going to look at me?"

Gwen turned towards him with her eyes narrowed.

"What… what's that?"

Gwen frowned.

"I'm looking at you."

He rubbed his face he looked gaunt. Like he hadn't been eating.

"Can you just talk to me?"

Gwen turned away from him.

"What's there to talk about? You tried to arrest me and you shot me. I think you said everything you needed to say already."

He leaned against her doorframe.

"Gwen, I thought you were dead."

Gwen shot him an angry look.

"I almost was. What is this? You have back up on the way? Delaying me so you can arrest me? Maybe shoot me again?"

He held his hands up in surrender and walked back into the apartment. The look on his face crushed Gwen. She looked out to the street below then glanced at her wrist. She closed her eyes and let the air rush out of her mouth. She slipped her legs over the windowsill and walked into the apartment.

"Dad?"

He looked at her.

"You made your feelings clear Gwen. I'm sorry I'll let you go."

She looked at the side of the couch. He had pulled her old costume out. She picked up her mask.

"You're a good cop dad. I was just trying to do what you would do. Help people. Protect them."

He sighed. Gwen clutched her mask in her hand and shook it at him.

"I tried dad. I tried. I have all this power, all these abilities. I can save the world, but I can't save the ones I care about the most. What was I supposed to do?"

He looked at her.

"Gwen, I always taught you to follow the rules, do things by the book."

Gwen slapped her mask down on a corner of the living room table.

"I tried dad. I tried to do it like you would. But everyone is so corrupt. What was I supposed to do just let mom's murderer get away with it? If you think what I did was so wrong, arrest me. Go ahead."

She held out her wrists. He turned away.

"I can't."

"Why?"

He kept looking away.

"I'm suspended, probably fired soon. After… after I shot you, I realized that my job, Erica, none of it meant anything without you. You're the best thing I've ever done. I thought I'd lost you. I just… I'm sorry. I should have listened to you."

Gwen flicked her wrist and pulled him towards her with a web. She hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She spoke while she was hugging him.

"Dad, I need to go. There is something coming, and the Earth is not prepared. Its why I came back. I need to warn SHIELD."

He broke the embrace and looked at her.

"You need to go fight, don't you?"

"If I need to. I hope Thor and Loki succeed so we don't need to. I will be back as soon as I can. I love you."

She started towards her window. He rushed after her. He had her old costume in his hands.

"Forgetting something aren't you?"

She smiled.

"Help me out of my armor?"

She held her hair aside. It was much longer than it had been when she had left. He helped her undo the straps. He left so she could get into her costume. She pulled him close for another hug. She crawled out of the window and formed her bracers. She began swinging through the city. She felt lighter than she had in a long time. She landed in front of SHIELD headquarters. It didn't take long for agents to rush out. She waved.

"Hey there boys. Director Fury in?"

One picked up a cell phone and started dialing. Spider-Woman called out to them as she launched webs to swing away.

"He knows where to find me!"

She made her way to the top of One World Trade and sat down, looking over the edge. It took Fury thirty minutes to show up. He looked exhausted.

"You couldn't just wait for me at headquarters?"

Spider-Woman laughed.

"What fun would that be?"

He leaned on a light tower and did not look over the edge of the building.

"You're about as funny as a root canal. What is this all about that couldn't wait until morning."

Spider-Woman hopped up.

"You're looking a little bit green there, are you afraid of heights? Or are you secretly an alien?"

He frowned.

"You brought me here to joke?"

Spider-Woman held up her hands.

"Fine, if you want to be that way, there is like a group of dark elves on their way here on a cloaked ship so they can bring about eternal darkness to all the nine realms. Destroy life as we know it… ect ect. Or well not here, here, more precisely to where the focal point of the celestial alignment is happening. Which I predict is somewhere in Europe… or near there based on the location of the last one. It was a long time ago. Things have changed a lot."

Nick stood in silence for several moments.

"How the hell do you know that?"

She shrugged.

"Because Gwen and I just escaped Asgard because it was locked down after an attack by those dark elves. They got their asses kicked, as in Asgard did. So, you had better start making calls. We're pretty screwed. Well unless Thor and Loki succeed in their mission."

"Slow down, Loki? As in the Loki that tried to conquer the Earth with an alien army?"

Spider-Woman nodded.

"Isn't he in prison?"

"He was, Thor and I broke him out."

Fury sounded pissed.

"You what? Do you know how dangerous he is?"

"Yup. Which is why I was happy to send him after the dark elves."

Fury shook his head.

"You can't make that call."

Spider-Woman stepped back towards the edge.

"I didn't, I just didn't argue with Thor. Anyway, gave you my warning. Look for gravity disturbances and you'll find the focal point of the alignment. See you around cyclops."

Fury leaned over the edge as Spider-Woman stepped down the glass.

"You're not going to help?"

"Bad idea! Gwen can't either. Loki has her sword."

"Why is it a bad idea?"

Spider-Woman gave a two fingered salute and back flipped off the building and vanished towards the streets below. Nick sighed and pulled out his phone.