CHAPTER 20

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own. The characters belong to MARVEL.

CHAPTER 20 Hela's Greetings

As soon as the word 'army' left her mouth, Hel felt her soldier straighten. Neither of them said a word. Across, she noted the newbie reacting to the subtle shift in Bucky's stance. Ever the watchful companion. How touching. Before either man could react or more people notice their little stand-off, Hel turned her back. I need to find a discreet way to snatch some of these prototypes. They'd be invaluable against the army at my doorsteps.

It might have been her imagination, but she thought Peter came out with even more queries for the others to be occupied with. Just the distraction I need.

She didn't get far before a metal hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Hel."

There was so much wrapped up in that single word. Most of all a deep hurt. And an offer of 'Let me help you'. She looked back at him with narrowed eyes. "Let me go. I believe your friends need your assistance with their new weapons. You're one of the best for testing them out." Her magic pulled a few unsupervised prototypes into a pocket dimension. "I have things to attend to, so do not disturb me."

"I can help you."

"Not with this."

"You promised to be honest with all of them. Do you want to go back on your word?"

Low blow. Hel forced her face to remain impassive, even as her stomach dropped. Unfortunately, he is probably right. She furrowed her brows. "Do not be unreasonable. Hela sends an army of Undead. None of them have any experience fighting them. You would only stand in my way. This is my realm. I as Queen have to protect my subjects."

Bucky stared at her quietly. She could read between the weighted silence. He wanted her to think about it. At minimum her father had fought the army of undead before – and the others had proven their worth in a fight on Midgard a hundred times over.

"I have no time for this." With a shrug, Hel got rid of Bucky's hand on her shoulder. And before he could even open his mouth to protest, Death let her realm swallow her whole.

The portal led Hel straight to the edge of her realm. Let's see what that traitor tries to intimidate me with. Hel pulled her shoulders back, chin held high. Appearance was half the trick to winning any fight. But just to be sure and to adhere to the rules of my realm.

Hel let her magic amplify her voice. "May thou hark the ghostly cries. Thou shall feel the hellhound's bite. Hellhounds hound thee infinite. Thy lifeless eyes tribute to best, to Garm for letting pass thy rest. To darkness all encompassed. Wolf of Darkness, Wolf of Chaos hear my call!"

Her summons echoed off the walls of her world. Not a second after the last echo died down, a haunting howl answered. Hel's lips curved in a satisfied smile. Let's see, if dear old auntie accounted for my very own guardian.

A large wolf leapt out of the darkness surrounding the precipice. Fire licked from his muzzle and whatever bit of life there was, died beneath his paws. Six pupil-less eyes stared back at Hel. Garm, guardian of the realm of death, stopped close to his goddess's feet. His long fur stood on end from the run and he shook himself with a greeting huff.

Hel returned the greeting in kind. "You know your duty, hound of mine."

Another muffled bark, showing rows of sharp teeth.

One down, one to go. Luckily, summoning her horse from the stables was much easier than the guardian of her borders. The white three-legged horse stopped beside Hel just as ripples of Hela's power washed over her. Waving her hand, Hel brought the barrier up to keep outsiders from coming in. Garm let out a deep growl.

Exactly my thoughts. Hel swung herself into the saddle.

As one, the horse with its rider and wolf turned to stare across the bridged entrance to their realm. The first sickly-green wisp appeared from the darkness. Then another. And another. And another. Until the whole width of the chasm was filled with undead soldiers. Twin flames where their eyes should be. Misshapen or decayed bodies only held together by their armour. White teeth glowed in the dim light of their eyes. The last thing tying them back to Asgard at all. Curved helmets and gracefully embossed breast plates.

Hel conjured her own weapons and the prototypes she had snatched from the testing range. A grim smile settled on her face. They have no idea what they have unleashed. Her magic arched in sparks along her skin, eager to run free. I am Death given breath, the aching drop of the abyss. I am the final equation that states in the end you all reach zero. "How dare you spit on the order of things? How dare you challenge me?" She let her magic leap across the chasm to tear into the men. "You are nothing, absolutely nothing but dirt beneath my heels. I am your final breath," Hel bared her teeth in a snarl, "And you will not threaten me and what is mine."

Shuri's weapons glowed. The first row of soldiers fell before they even moved. Hel took her time to get her mount in position in front of their side of the bridge. Garm paced in front of them, saliva dripping from his snarling maw. He waited impatiently for his chance to tear into their enemies.

"Bite."

In a flurry of magic and snarling, Garm and Hel got rid of the next portion of the army. Finally, the last green wisp winked out. Hel leaned slightly forward in her saddle. This was more exhausting than I anticipated. She rubbed over her eyes. Then again, I would expect nothing less from Hela. But she did underestimate my power.

She picked up her horse's reigns, gathered the discharged weapons closer to her. I need to thank Shuri for these. It does greatly improve flexibility on the battlefield, if I can just position them in strategically important spots without having to weave my own magics.

A sickly-green wisp blinked into existence.

A straggler? "Garm."

The wolf spun towards his new target, fire licking from his jaws. With a deep growl, he bounded forward. Single-minded in his pursuit to protect his home.

Another light followed the first. And another. And another.

Oh no… Hel flung her magic towards the new enemy, forging a protective shield around her wolf at the same time. Her horse snorted at the sudden shift in weight, side-stepping slightly. Just enough so that Hel had to adjust her weight and lost her focus for a moment. The shield flickered and died. She grabbed onto the reigns. Damn. I should have seen this coming. "Garm!"

Not fast enough. In the multiplying light of the undead's eyes she saw a sword arch through the air. Garm yipped. The sword lost some of its gleam as it reappeared in the light, smeared dark with something.

Garm took the opening, whirling around and bounding back across the bridge. More and more soldiers reappeared from beyond the chasm. There was no end in sight in the endless swim of their green, unseeing eyes.

Her magic reached out to assess the damage. Garm shook himself at the touch. Luckily, his wound didn't seem to be as bad as it could have been. Still, the wolf arched his neck to lick the blood off his hide. Trusting his mistress to keep him safe for the moment.

Damn. This does seem more difficult than I had hoped. Hel rubbed at her temple, phantom pain sparking. Maybe I should have accepted Bucky's offer to help. Then again, what could a mortal possibly do against an army of Undead. Or even a group such as my collections. No, I cannot risk my brave soldier like this.

The horse shifted stance, dancing uncertainly.

And Hel could only stare as the cliff behind the barrier filled with just as many soldiers as she and Garm had just defeated. Maybe more. Probably more. Definitely more. Fuck.

Hel forced her magic into the weapons. It felt sluggish after defeating an army, powering and levitating a good number of weapons, as well as shielding and comforting Garm. Dull pain throbbed behind her eyelids. It seems, auntie decided to go overboard to ensure my demise. She gritted her teeth. I refuse to let her win.

More lights blinked on in the distance, as if to taunt her. Garm growled dangerously. Right. No time like the present. Hel fuelled some of her remaining power to levitate the prototypes around her and Garm. With more magic still, she loaded the weapons. Her headache spiked unpleasantly.

Grunting, Hel pulled her sword from its sheath and a shield from another pocket dimension. "It looks like we'll have to go over there."

Both animals made affirming sounds. Garm was the first to move, fire licking out in agitated bursts between his fangs. The growl was now a constant companion as the wolf calmly strode back across the bridge. His head hung low, ears pressed against his skull, fur standing on end.

Hel clicked her tongue at her horse. The animal hobbled into motion with the elegance one wouldn't expect from a three-legged horse. Its ears swivelled attentively, but nothing else betrayed her brave mounts tension. Shuri's weapons followed them like a halo of glowing green death. The barrier flickered once.

"I have no time for this." With a shrug, Hel got rid of Bucky's hand on her shoulder. And before he could even open his mouth to protest, Death let her realm swallow her whole. Bucky stared listlessly at the spot she had disappeared from. His brain was whirring to catch up with everything she had just casually revealed to him. Hela is back. Or at least her army. They're at our door as we speak because the tracking spell was more complicated than Hel assumed and thus the other goddess located us. He looked up across the field towards Peter. The teen was still trying valiantly to keep the adults around him distracted from the sudden disappearance of their host – and a good chunk of Shuri's prototypes now that Bucky took a closer look. And no one knows but them and me.

Without really thinking about it, he strode across towards the pile of prototypes. I need to help her. Someone has to cover her self-sacrificing ass. Another face shoved to the front of his mind beside Hel.

"What are you doing?" Sam hissed.

Bucky huffed, closing his eyes for just a moment. "Saving this realm, if I'm lucky. Wanna help me, Wilson?"

To his credit, Sam didn't ask any questions, just grabbed another of the prototypes. "I don't have my wings with me, but I'm still good with these things I found out," he glanced around, "We still need someone to load them for us though."

"Maybe I might be of assistance?"

Bucky almost laughed. Of course, Loki would pop up and insert himself into this. He must have smelled his daughter's magic and tricks from all the way across the field. He looked over at the god, who, for once, didn't even show the hint of a smirk. "I'd appreciate it."

With a nod, Loki held his glowing hands towards the prototypes, turning them a glowing green. Once done, he clasped his hands behind his back. "I don't suppose, you need a method of transport to the borders of the realm to assist my daughter in her fight?"

There it was. The smirk that said he knew he had a point. He wouldn't be himself without it, really. Bucky just nodded in response.

"It might be better to at least let the others know, where we're going. Just in case, you know," Sam looked between his weapon and Loki, "We need more reinforcement. We don't know what exactly we're facing there after all."

Loki scoffed. "We definitely need the reinforcement. If what I remember from my fight with Hela serves me right, she is not one to do things by halves." He waved a hand and several glowing orbs spread towards some groups on the training fields. "Now they know and can find our new location. Let's go support my daughter."

Hel panted as she forced another fighter back with her sword. Somewhere deeper in the cave, Garm howled his temporary victory. The horse bucked underneath Hel. Merely the crunch of bone told her the hooves had connected with some unseen attacker.

I hate this. Why did Hela have to send so many soldiers. Hel blinked against the throbbing behind her eyes. Mh, that's why. And there seem to come even more the more we kill. She gritted her teeth, plunging her blade into another chest of another identical-looking undead. She couldn't just have sent – sent, damn it!

Two more soldiers fell to her swooping blade and shooter. It turned dark the second they hit their target. Hel kept twisting on her horse in an attempt to cut the soldiers from above before they could reach her. Between heaving breaths, she tried to force magic back into the prototype. The only result was a spike of pain like needles raking through her brain. Well, I guess, that's that. She sent the prototypes back onto the other side. The barrier wobbled. Soldiers pressed towards it.

Somewhere much closer now, Garm yelped. Not good. This is very not good.

"Need some assistance, princess?" a familiar voice purred close to her ear. The weapons from across the chasm came back to life, some additions firing off at the same time.

Great. Dad found out about my little killing spree. Hel turned to stab another solider. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She almost fell off her horse in shock. Brave soldier mine! And the Newbie too. What by my realm are they doing here?!

"No need to thank me," Loki groused. "They wanted to come on their own. Could you imagine that disaster?" Copies of her father popped into existence around them. "Now let's get you back over that bridge before you hurt yourself."

Without allowing her to protest, because "This is my realm, I have every right and duty to defend it!", Loki swung into the saddle behind her. It spoke of the horse's fatigue that it simply allowed another pair of hands to guide it safely through the onslaught of soldiers and back over the bridge to safety.

Shortly after, Garm, followed by Bucky and Sam also crossed the bridge. A solid emerald barrier shimmered into existence and effectively barred any soldiers from crossing. "I really thought you were less of a meat-head than Thor," Loki said as he heaved them off the horse.

"I cannot just let them stand there and block the entrance to my realm," Hel argued. "I have a duty to my subjects! And this traitor of a sorceress, this lying piece of filth, the reason I had to delete my entire existence dares-"

"And asking for help would not have stopped you from that."

She whirled to glare at her soldier. Or, she would have. But the sudden movement made the world spin before her eyes. The ground slipped, tilted. Black spots danced tantalisingly at the edge of her vision. Her ears started ringing.

"Whoa." Hands caught her, and she felt leather under her cheek. "That's enough out of you, hellspawn. Your magic is almost at its limit."

Distantly, Hel thought she saw golden glowing portals open. Possibly even one or two red ones. What she could definitely tell was Bucky leaving her line of sight, Sam close on his heels. She felt Loki pulling her close, resting her back against his chest so she could keep watch over the fight others were now putting forth.

My soldier is a great leader, when he puts his mind to it, she noted. I should tell him…

As soon as the portals opened, Bucky turned his attention to catching the others up on what was happening. He was more than aware of the unsettling wolf that lurked close to the bridge and kept baring its teeth at them in warning.

"What the hell?" Shuri stared wide-eyed. "These don't look alive."

"They aren't. They are Hela's soldiers. She resurrected them, from what I got out of Loki on the way here." Bucky hefted his weapon over his shoulder, noting the green glow slowly returning. "But your prototypes seem to be doing the job of getting them out of commission."

"Un-aliving," Sam helpfully cut in.

Peter frowned. "I thought, they were undead soldiers? Wouldn't that be un-un-aliving then?"

"I don't think, we have the time to discuss the semantics of killing undead soldiers now." Strange stepped closer towards the chasm to get a better look at their enemies. "We need to work together to get them out of here. Does the wolf pose a threat?"

"Garm is the guardian. Hel called him to help defend this plane. So long as none of you try to run after defeating the soldiers it should be in his understanding that you're trying to help."

Bucky turned to look back at Loki, who had Hel propped up against his chest by now. She looks so pale and small like this… How did she plan to defeat the entire army on her own? He had seen the carnage her magic and wolf had wrecked. They must have killed what amounted to the same number of soldiers that stood before them now, if he had to guess. No wonder her magic is strained, if she kept powering and controlling Shuri's prototypes alongside her other spells, a barrier and fighting.

"Don't get distracted," a breeze murmured next to his ear. "You're in command right now."

Fury turned to look at Bucky. "What's your call?"

Right. I have the most experience with this realm. Hel put me forward as her second in command ages ago. Bucky straightened his back, possible solutions to their conundrum running through his mind. "Get them down with as little contact as possible. We don't know what their powers are exactly, but given they are Asgardian in origin we can surmise they are stronger than the average human."

"I really wish, I brought my wings…"

"My suit would be a great advantage right about now as well," Hope said. "But we'll have to do without it. Shuri, how many weapons did you bring with you?"

"All of them."

"Good start, grab them, we'll take care of the power." Loki lifted his hand and several shooters lifted into the air, glowing. Others followed with Wanda's distinct red, some with Strange's gold. Bucky held up a hand. "You can open portals and stepping platforms. That's more important for this fight to get us around the battlefield," he looked back at Loki, "You'll stay here. Keep the barrier up and weapons loaded."

Loki offered a sharp grin. "Aye, Sergeant."

Peter bounced on his feet, suit unfolding over his clothes. "I can't wait for it. That was a cool fight on Titan." He stopped in his tracks. Eyes clouding over, muscles tensing. "This time, I can take them." He squared his shoulders, fists flexing and lifting to ready his defences.

Both Peters, Mantis, Drax and Strange banded together to hatch a little battle plan with Strange's portals. Shuri, Fury, Hank, Hope and Sam grabbed the prototypes to stay on their side of the chasm. Wanda, Hill, Janet and T'Challa, in his suit, met with Groot, who seemed to communicate his willingness to get them across the chasm on his branches. They took whatever weapons Loki pulled from his pocket dimension, which were admirable amounts of miscellaneous knives and daggers, along with blasters to fight the soldiers head on.

Bucky grabbed the last prototype. And with that he strode towards Garm. The wolf watched his approach, fire licking at his fangs, but did nothing to stop Bucky. Together wolf and man turned towards the enemy beyond the barrier. "Let's show them what we're made of."

Another undead stepped towards Bucky, sword swinging. He blocked the swing with his own acquired weapon. The screeching metal rang in his ears. Only long training stopped his initial reaction of cringing away from the noise. His opponent gave a snarling cry. The only sound the undead seemed capable of at this point.

"Is there any weapon you can't use," Starlord quipped, appearing from a portal at Bucky's back.

"Afraid not." Bucky whirled to cut the next undead down with a mighty swing. "Comes with the profession." The image of a training ring flashed before his eyes. Jeering faces surrounding it, as they watched two weapons, no, two people, fight each other. Bucky cut another enemy down. Starlord fell backwards through another portal. It closed on the neck of his pursuer.

For a time, Bucky lost himself to the dance. It was a choreography he knew well. Slicing, cutting, ducking, weaving. Sometimes his friends appeared at his side to help or he saved them from a dire situation. Garm's howl of triumph echoed through the chamber, but the wolf never howled for long. Always pulling more enemies to his side with the howls.

A cry of surprise pulled Bucky out of his trance. Instinctively, he looked around. Mantis stared at the undead soldiers closing in on her. Behind her, the portal fizzled out, above her the platform disappeared. Strange must have lost his concentration. Bucky changed trajectory towards Mantis' location. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Strange evading Hela's soldier, his magic lashing out to protect him along with his cape. Coat? At least he can protect himself for now and we don't have to worry about that as well.

Bucky cut through the middle of an attacker obscuring his way. There. Almost there. A blue giant mowed through the rows of soldiers. Drax only stopped once he was at Mantis' side, pushing her behind his bulky frame as he ripped more enemies limb from limb. Bucky ducked under the flying trajectory of a severed arm. Or was it a leg? No matter. Mantis is safe for now.

Bucky fell back into the trance of ducking and weaving across the battlefield. Wanda appeared and stuck to his side after a while. Her magic letting both their weapons glow red in the midst of sickly-green. She didn't speak much, which was just as well.

"Duck."

Bucky whirled low as a blast of magic grazed just above his head to decimate a wave of enemies at his back. "Thanks." Bucky sliced his sword through the nearest soldier's legs. Wanda shot them in the head before they even hit the ground.

Heavy breathing filled Bucky's ears. It took him a moment to recognize it as his own, echoed in Wanda's. Around them, a circle of dead soldiers covered the ground. To their right he caught sight of Mantis, Drax and Janet pressed back to back. Somewhere he noticed Peter's anxious mumbling, then a howl cut through the silence. Farther still into the cavern, Garm climbed atop a stony outcrop, teeth dripping with fire, fur matted with blood. Several small fires littered the cave now that Bucky looked around more. That wolf is… Garm stared in their direction. The guardian of the gates of Niflheim, right.

"Fall back," he called. Wanda met his gaze, as if waiting for it. She grabbed him by the arm. Red magic swirled around their feet, crawled up their legs until they lifted off the ground back towards the bridge. Bucky watched out, making sure the others were all safely back on the other side before Garm even reached the bridge.

The wolf stared at them, growling. He stopped at the mouth of the bridge.

"And what now?" Peter asked. "He doesn't seem too happy with us here."

"Wouldn't you be pissed, if your target escaped?" Shuri carefully repositioned her blaster. "I just hope he's not magic resistant."

T'Challa silently stepped between the teenagers and wolf, claws at the ready.

Starlord released his mask, frowning. "Didn't Loki say, he'd ignore us as long as we didn't try to go further than him? Why is he growling at us now?"

A green whisp appeared in front of Garm's nose. Emerald and flickering like fire. Bucky spun around. Hel, leaning heavily against her father, stared at her guard wolf. "Thank you. I release you." The will-o-the-whisp blinked out just as she slumped against her father. Sweat gathered at her brow. She looks paler than before. Bucky barely heard the wolf giving one last grunt before clicking claws disappeared back into the darkness.

"Is she alright?"

"Just used little too much magic," Hel smiled weakly, "No worries, soldier mine."

Above her shoulder, Loki's expression told another story. One of definite worry. He looked back up at the mortals surrounding him and a mask of cool neutrality slipped back over his features. "Get back to the palace. I will take care of her for now. Her magic will replenish shortly." The mask cracked ever so slightly, the worry creeping back into his eyes. "It will get better."

Without thanks for the fight or any other comment on Hel's health, Loki picked his daughter up and strode through a portal. She didn't even protest. Or try to resist him… I have to go after them as quickly as possible and find out what's wrong with her.

AN: A small comment from my beta. "I'm a sergeant, wheee!"