Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
Consul of the Underworld: End of Disc 1
Chapter Eight: Travails in Jotunheim and Sumner
Beta: ShadowofAxios
It was cold. Limb numbing, blood freezing cold.
Such was the biting temperature of the frigid lake with innumerable shades either fully frozen beneath its surface and thus stuck in an eternal icy prison or buried up to their necks that Alkaid and Pyrrha found themselves stepping onto as they stepped through the portal from Néos Hyperborea.
"Wait a minute! This is Cocytus! What are we doing here!? Shouldn't we be in Jotunheim?" Alkaid heard her wife gasp in surprise even as she cast various environmental protection charms on the both of them to keep them safe. "Did the Devil hijack the portal or-"
"This has nothing to do with Satan, it is my doing." The spirit of a middle aged Scandinavian man answered. He was terrible to look at, with ghastly features that contrasted greatly with the vestments of a Roman Catholic bishop, consisting of a chasuble, miter and crosier that he was dressed in.
"Who are you, how are you doing this?" Alkaid demanded of the spirit with the full power of command over the dead granted to her as a daughter of Hades.
"And why should I bother answering your question, pagan?" The ghost spat, shocking both Alkaid and Pyrrha. As a daughter of the Lord of the Dead, Alkaid was supposed to have total command over the dead. A command that could only be contested by beings of greater power and authority, neither of which the spirit before them seemed to be.
"Who are you? How are you defying my power?" Alkaid gasped, too shocked to maintain her poise.
"Bishop Gottskálk Nikulasson," the spirit said in introduction.
Alkaid tried to recall what she could of the man and was drawing a blank until a helpful burst of insight filled her mind with knowledge she was certain she was lacking just a moment ago.
Thank you! She sent to whichever deity had helpfully provided her the information.
You're welcome. The staticy voice of Hermes replied. Didn't expect you girls to run into him of all people and we can't have you go in blind, so here's an assist. Good luck.
Sending the messenger god a mental nod, Alkaid began reviewing the information she'd just obtained. Apparently Gottskálk was a Catholic holy man whose dabbling in magic was driven by a desire to bind "evil", which in his mind was anything remotely contrary to Catholic orthodoxy. A desire that drove him to extreme acts in life that earned him the moniker "the Cruel". A zealous faith that carried over into his afterlife, such that by the power of his devotion alone, his presence could have the disturbing effect of changing the elements of the Nine Worlds, and potentially any mythic realm, he passed through to match the Christian cosmology he believed in as he sought to wipe it from existence. A power and goal that made him the enemy of everyone in the Norse cosmos, but which at the same time allowed him to hold his own.
"And who might you mortals foolish enough to trespass into Jotunheim be?" The spirit asked.
Alkaid exchanged a look with Pyrrha and received a shrug in return. There was no reason to lie to the man.
"Pyrrha Potter, daughter of Ares." Pyrrha said, returning the introduction. "And this is my wife, Alkaid Potter, daughter of Hades."
"Ah, Greek pagan bastards. Filthy unnatural pagan bastards no less." The dead bishop spat. "Though what are Greeks like you doing in a Norse realm?"
"And what's a Catholic ghost doing in the Norse realm?" Alkaid parroted back mockingly, her distaste clear to behold. He just rubbed her all the wrong ways. "And serving as our 'welcome' to Jotunheim no less?"
"'Welcome'!? Hardly!" The Catholic fanatic scoffed. "You are just pagan scum like the Norse and I would sooner tear your soul asunder than offer you any welcome."
It was probably not about him wanting to welcome us but rather the magic of the portal we'd used latching onto him because of our similarity as being non-Norse beings in a Norse realm. Alkaid theorized.
"And yet here you are, in a Norse realm." Pyrrha muttered.
"To cleanse it, like I will now cleanse you." The dead bishop said with a smirk and slammed the butt of his crosier into the frozen ground hard and sending a wave of golden energy pulsing from where it impacted the ground, a wave that to Alkaid's magical senses seemed to shift the very nature of the realm around them to align with the Catholic vision of Cocytus instead of Jotunheim like it properly should be. And which as it washed over her and Pyrrha sapped them of all their strength and sent them crashing to their knees.
"H-How!?" Alkaid wheezed out as pain racked her body, as the divine essence of her father that flowed through her veins seemed to literally boil away.
"Faith," the monstrous spectral fanatic said with a grin that hardly looked proper on a man of the cloth. It seemed that even by the standards of fanatics, this man truly deserved to be called "the Cruel".
Right now, however, such thoughts were irrelevant. What was important was to find a way to get rid of the yoke this bastard spirit put on them!
Suddenly a rune appeared in the skies above them. Alkaid was in too much pain to identify what exactly it was, but she definitely took note of its effect as a massive bolt of lightning shot forth from it. This consumed the rune but Alkaid barely noticed it, distracted as she was by the pain and how the bolt slammed down on Gottskálk. The specter reacted swiftly though and shielded himself using a dome of golden energy that vibrated like a gong as it was struck and cracks began to spread like spiderwebs on it as it struggled to resist the power of the strike.
"Tsch, Old One-Eye's swan bitches have caught up." The Catholic zealot said with a disappointed shake of his head. "Count yourself lucky, pagan bastards, they've saved you this day."
With that declaration, Gottskálk raised his croiser and gathered his power for a second, before he teleported away in a burst of golden light.
Immediately the realm-altering effect of Gottskálk's presence faded, causing the land around them to transform from an imitation of Cocytus and into a hilly tundra and more importantly for power to pour back into Alkaid's body taking the pain with it, thus causing her to breathe a sigh of relief. Though that lasted only a second or two before the intense cold of their surroundings made itself felt and she began shivering. Because of course, Gottskálk's trick had to strip away her magical protections against the cold too!
"Here, this will help." A beautiful young woman said as she draped a fur coat over Alkaid. She had long, straight silver hair and aqua-colored eyes and appeared to be in her late teens. The woman was dressed in a set of armor which consisted of a white breastplate with gold and pale blue accents and matching, fingerless gauntlets, boots, hip guards, and wing-shaped hair clips. She also wore a black leotard underneath her breastplate, black thigh-high stockings, and a pale blue cloth wrapped underneath her hip guards, all of which were clad with pink lacing along with her hair clips. Between her armor and the spear she was equipped with, Alkaid surmised that she must be a Valkyrie.
Alkaid felt transfixed for a moment at the ethereal beauty of the young woman.
"Wow." Pyrrha uttered and Alkaid was right along with her as she too gaped at the woman who had draped another fur coat over her.
This other young woman was just as stunning as her counterpart. While tall and burly with muscles and thus lacking the feminine charm of her comrade, she radiated a warrior's striking intensity that held its own appeal. She had snow blonde hair formed into a rough braid with icy blue eyes and also wore Valkyrie armor. Her armor was a less provocative set though that included a set of metallic wings and with a bandolier of ball-peen hammers of all things slung around her. She was armed with a spear and round shield. And last but not least, her appearance was completed by a heavy, weighted golden hammer charm, the symbol of the Norse thunder god, Thor, that she wore around her neck.
"Greetings to you, daughters of Greece. Our Lord has asked us to enquire with you about what you are doing trespassing upon the Norse's lands. If you have a poor reason, know that you will be removed, violently if necessary." The blonde with the braids said as she and her comrade stepped away from Alkaid and Pyrrha after the two of them had helped them properly secure the fur coats around themselves.
"Gunilla, I could've asked them myself, you know." A barrel-chested man said with an exasperated sigh as he teleported in. He had massive arms, close-cropped gray hair, a beard that was cut square and which accentuated his hardened, weathered face. He wore a black patch over his left eye, while his right eye was dark blue. He was wearing a short-sleeve red polo shirt with Hotel Valhalla printed on it, black pants that he secured around his waist with a brown leather belt from which also hung a massive sword. Further accompanying him were a pair of crows that were perched on his shoulders.
"Lord Odin, sire!" The two Valkyries saluted faithfully and stood at perfect attention.
It seemed that Lord Odin, the All-Father, the god of Death, War, Magic and more had graced them with his august presence. And he apparently looked like he was an employee at some tourist trap.
With a clap of his rough hands, the one eyed sage smiled. "Welcome ladies to Jotunheim. It was quite a surprise to hear Olympus' Diplomats were here from my Valkyries sent out to hunt that asshole, Gottskálk grimmi Nikulasson. So much so that I had to step away from the cabana bar back at Hotel Valhalla-"
"Where death is served with a smile." The two Valkyries said on instinct.
"It's true." Odin whispered with a soft chuckle. "That old man of yours, Little Lady, should really try to work the hotel angle. It works wonders, much more so than that Elysium gated community niche he has going. Far more fun too if I must confess. I've learned more about making drinks from working at the bar since I opened it than I did from the notoriously drunkard giants, ha!"
Alkaid could only nod, still trying to process that Odin, All-Father of the Norse gods had turned his afterlife into a hotel of all things!
He shook his head. "Ah, I'm getting caught up talking about my business. Let's talk about your business. As I was saying, I was so intrigued by you two being here that I stepped away from Hotel Valha-"
The two Valkyries looked ready to repeat the hotel's tagline again but before they could, Odin winced and hastily corrected himself.
"-I stepped away from the bar to come in person to ask you myself what you're doing here." The leader of the Norse pantheon said with a genial smile. "So what brought you to Jotunheim of all the Nine Worlds, Missus and Missus Potter?"
Everyone seems to recognize us. Our name precedes us, I guess. Alkaid noted wryly, though she had more pressing matters at the moment.
"Um, L-Lord Odin, mind if you let me recast my spells on us t-to fight the cold?" The daughter of Hades said through chattering teeth. As good as the fur coats they had been lent were at keeping out the cold, they weren't perfect and Alkaid had always hated the cold.
"I'll do you one better." He said and his finger tapped the air, runes appearing around Alkaid and Pyrrha as he did and suddenly the fur coats they were wearing began warming them up like they were perfectly calibrated space heaters. "I've enchanted those coats. They should keep you warm against even the most chilling cold. Consider the coats as a gift for visiting the Nine Worlds."
"Thank you, Lord Odin." Alkaid said, offering the All-Father a curtsy and Pyrrha, who unlike her wife was wearing slacks, offered a respectful bow.
"So well mannered," Odin said with a laugh. "No wonder they call you the Little Lady."
Alkaid did her best not to fluster, though she did offer a small smile to the compliment to her early years. It felt like forever ago. "Thank you, Lord Odin. As to why we are here, we came to stop the flow of Jotun weapons and equipment to the Titan Army."
Lord Odin clicked his tongue, looking displeased. "So it's true, the Jotuns were supplying their surplus equipment to the Titans? I'd heard rumors about it but had no confirmation."
"Apologies for our incompetence, my lord!" The two ravens perched on his shoulder and the two Valkyries all said in what was obviously practiced chorus.
Waving the apology aside, Odin continued. "Of course, the Jotuns would exploit the Second Titanomachy to turn a quick buck. Rat faced opportunists, the lot of them!"
He spat off to the side, as if he swallowed something sour.
Alkaid respectfully said nothing, letting the god work out his annoyance on his own terms.
"Ignoring that, how do you want to stop the smuggling? The Jotuns don't have anything resembling a centralized leadership. You'd have to hunt down every one of the smugglers yourself and deal with them individually. Unless…"
"Yes, Lord Odin. On the advice of some Hyperborean friends of ours, we intend to seek the help of Utgard-Loki. We understand that he is the first among equals of the Jotun kings. As such, if anyone can get the Jotuns to curtail the sale of supplies to the Titans, it would be him."
"Yes, that might work." Odin agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Utgard-Loki has the influence to do what you want and he'd likely be willing to do so too. The question is, what would he want in exchange. His help will not come cheap."
"Undoubtedly not." Alkaid concurred. "He is not considered one of the most cunning beings in the Nine Worlds for no reason. But we won't know until we meet with him and ask him directly."
"True enough," Odin said with a nod and pointed behind Alkaid and Pyrrha. "Well then, I guess you'd best be on your way. Utgard-Loki's fortress is a good three days walk to the north."
"Three days due north, Lord Odin?" Pyrrha asked politely.
"Roughly," Odin said with a shrug. "Just keep heading north. You'll be in Utgard-Loki's territory in about a day. He'll send someone to meet you once you do. He's polite like that. Besides, I doubt he wants to piss off the people that are backing you two."
"The Olympians?" Alkaid asked cautiously even though she already knew the answer.
The god smirked at her, his one eye glinting enigmatically even as he radiated smug amusement.
With that non-answer, Odin turned to his Valkyries. "Rossweisse, Gunilla, keep hunting Gottskálk. Even if we can't kill him, we need to at least know where in the Nine Worlds he is at all times."
"Yes, my lord!" The two Valkyries replied, offering their god a salute.
"In the meantime, I have a seat back at the cabana waiting for me!" He said with a grin universal to alcoholics when the prospect of a drink was on the cards. "If you'll excuse me, Missus and Missus Potter, till next time."
"Farewell, Lord Odin." Alkaid said, once more offering the god a curtsy even as Pyrrha bowed at him respectfully.
Nodding in acknowledgement, the All-Father and his ravens teleported away.
"Good luck on your hunt, Lady Valkyries." Pyrrha offered the two young women who remained.
"Thank you, Missus Pyrrha. May you and your wife have a safe and fruitful journey to Utgard-Loki's fortress." Gunilla, the Valkyrie with the braided hair, said with a nod. "Now if you'll excuse us, we must resume our hunt for that fanatic."
"All the best," Alkaid said, returning the nod.
Rossweisse offered the couple a wave goodbye, before a pair of metallic wings sprung out of the back of her armor just like Gunilla's and the two of them took to the sky with powerful beats of said wings. Wings that magically transformed into swan wings as they gained altitude.
Soaring through the air on their magical wings, the two Valkyries soon disappeared over the horizon.
"Wow, those wings sure make them fast!" Pyrrha noted enviously.
"I can go fast too, love." Alkaid huffed, looking a touch pouty even as she recast the various protection spells that they wore out on missions. Their new enchanted fur coats might protect them from the cold, but there were plenty of other hazards to be wary of after all.
"Yeah, but with wings?"
"Hmph!" The black haired woman turned her nose at the remark, hip bumping her wife. "If those swan wings make you aflutter, perhaps we should invite them for tea some time."
"You mean an orgy, don't you?" Pyrrha said with a smirk as the two set off across the hilly tundra that characterized the spot in Jotunheim where they'd ended up and towards the direction where Lord Odin had indicated Utgard-Loki's fortress to be. Alkaid knew that Jotunheim wasn't entirely an arctic wasteland and that regions of it were as lush as any other plane, but sadly most of the lands inhabited by the Jotun were in the frigid parts.
Such a shame. I hear that the nicer parts of Jotunheim are beautiful. I'd like to have the chance to see them.
"You make it sound like we have regular orgies." Alkaid whined, pushing aside her longing to explore the land of the Jotun.
Pyrrha just chuckled. "We don't, but that doesn't mean you don't want to. Or am I wrong, 'Kaidy?"
She turned pink at that, embarrassed by the rather ravenous side of her. She blamed the divine half of her nature. It wasn't that Pyrrha didn't keep her satisfied. She did! Very much so! It was just that sometimes, she wanted more. It was just a passing fancy though and one she easily dismissed. She was devoted to her wife and would never think to do anything without her approval and consent.
"You're not denying it, 'Kaidy." Pyrrha pointed out with a grin. "I'm right, ain't I?"
"Hush you, or I'll chain you to the couch."
"You know we'll both enjoy that." Pyrrha pointed out with a chuckle.
Gah! This wife of hers knew her too well!
"But if you really want an orgy so much, I'm game." Pyrrha said, startling Alkaid for a moment and nearly causing her to miss a step. "Just give me veto power on who we invite. Oh, and wait till after the war. Not sure we have the time to set one up with things as hectic as they are."
So many ideas raced in Alkaid's mind at what her wife had just said. Delicious, naughty ideas. Drats, now she was feeling horny!
"I'd hold you to that promise, Py." Alkaid hissed, as she tried to take deep breaths to calm her burning libido.
"I know you will. I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't serious." Pyrrha assured her. "And how randy did all this talk of an orgy make you?"
"Enough to eat you out right now." Alkaid confessed shamelessly as she moistened her lips hungrily.
Pyrrha stopped suddenly and turned to Alkaid. "Funny, I feel the same way. So pull out the tent already and let's get going. We have a three day trip. We can spare a few hours."
"We do need to keep warm." Alkaid admitted with a devilish smirk as she pulled out the Wizarding tent that served as their home away from home when on missions from the mokeskin pouch she carried and tossed it to Pyrrha.
"We do," Pyrrha agreed as she set up their tent. "Now help me with this. The faster we're done, the faster I can fuck you senseless."
"As my War Princess commands." Alkaid replied with an excited titter.
After a very enjoyable few hours in bed with each other and another few more resting, Pyrrha and Alkaid had set off towards Utgard-Loki's fortress once more. It was already night time by then but that wasn't a problem when they had their wands and the Wand-Lighting Charm to light their way. Besides, maybe because of the barrenness of their surroundings, there wasn't the slightest sign of any dangers, animal or monster, in their immediate vicinity. So there wasn't any danger in traveling in the dark.
It had totally nothing to do with them going overboard with their hanky panky and now needing to make up for lost time. Nothing at all!
"Huh? 'Kaidy, is it just me or does that rock over there look familiar?" Pyrrha asked her wife as she used her lit wand to point at a spire of rock that jutted skyward from just ahead of where they were. "Didn't we walk past it like an hour ago?"
"It is," the sorceress agreed with a sigh. "And that would mean we've walked in one big circle. But that's only if that rock wasn't an illusion. επικαλούνται: σημάνει διακόπτη (Invoke: Spell Breaker)."
At her spell, the rock that had caught Pyrrha's attention shimmered for a second before popping out of existence. A sight that had the daughter of war blinking in surprise.
"Okay, that's one way to confuse someone I guess." She commented idly. Seriously, making someone think they were walking in circles when they were actually on the right track? Devious!
But not devious enough. Not if 'Kaidy could see through it so easily. Though…
"Why is someone trying to get us lost?"
"I don't think that's their goal, though if we did get lost it would likely also serve their purposes." Alkaid countered, gently pushing Pyrrha's back and prompting her to get walking again. "This was a test. What I imagine is the first of many."
"Tests?" Pyrrha said with a groan. "Why is this Utgard-Loki making our lives difficult?"
"I imagine so he doesn't suffer fools. Like a 'Keep Out' sign for those who get it." Alkaid said with a shrug. "If they don't have the skill to pass his tests, then why bother even speaking with someone? And even if he still chooses to do so, I imagine that the tests serve as a way for him to gauge others before they sit down with him at the negotiating table."
"Right. He really earns his reputation as the cunning bastard of the Jotun, huh?"
"He most certainly does," 'Kaidy agreed as she waved her hand in front of them and wordlessly dispelled an illusion that had hidden a large chasm right in their path, one that was created by a roaring river at its base. A river whose now deafening sounds had been perfectly hidden by the earlier illusion.
"Alright, so white water rapids. Nice." Pyrrha said loudly so that she could be heard over the roar of the river.
Alkaid just shrugged and used her geokinesis to create a bridge that spanned the canyon.
"Don't make it too easy. He could up the difficulty."
"I think that's a given no matter what we say or do, love."
With that hurdle out of the way, they continued forth, eyes peeled for the next trap or trick that could bar their path.
After many hours of travel and more illusionary traps than Pyrrha had bothered to keep count of, all of which her wife Alkaid had easily dealt with using her magic, their host finally decided to issue a challenge that was more up the daughter of war's alley.
"So think we can kite around it?" Alkaid asked tiredly, gesturing at the large dragon made of wood that had flown down and suddenly blocked their path as they continued on their journey to the Jotun king Utgard-Loki's fortress.
"Considering it flew down and deliberately landed right in front of us and in the direction we needed to go? No, I don't think so." Pyrrha said with a shake of her head. "We're going to have to fight it. Since it isn't attacking, we might be able to catch a rest before we engage it though. Need it?"
It was a legitimate question. It had been almost a full day since they'd last slept. Sure they had stopped for breakfast and lunch, but those were short breaks at best. And even if 'Kaidy was rationing her stamina, and trying to be respectful, by refraining from flying them to their destination, exhaustion was starting to affect them. It was definitely affecting her.
"I am a little tired." Alkaid begrudgingly confessed. "But I'd rather take this dragon out then rest. Knowing this thing is just lurking there isn't conducive to a good rest. It might be willing to not just attack us for now, but there's no guarantee that it won't change its mind."
"That's true," Pyrrha agreed as she pulled out her trusty labrys from the hammerspace, as Mina insisted on calling it, inside her bracer, Akoúo̱ (Listen). "So what's our game plan?"
"It looks like a wood dragon, so let's try some fire?" Alkaid suggested uncertainly.
"'Looks like a wood dragon'?" Pyrrha asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You think there's some trick."
"Considering all the illusions that Utgard-Loki has tested us with so far, do you think he wouldn't use one here too?" Alkaid shot back warily.
"Point," Pyrrha conceded with a sigh. Why couldn't things just be straightforward for once! "But we start with fire?"
Alkaid nodded and raised a hand palm out towards the dragon. "Together?"
Pyrrha gripped her labrys in a two handed grip and raised it over her head before nodding.
"Come forth, Burning Swarm! Apes Igniferae (Crimson Bees)!" The daughter of war incanted as she channeled her magic into the magical ruby socketed into her weapon even as she swung it down hard, causing two dozen wasp-like projectiles to shoot from the blade of her labrys towards the dragon.
At the same time, Alkaid unleashed a spell of her own. "Fireball!"
A massive green fireball leapt from her raised palm and joined Pyrrha's own flaming wasps as they slammed into the dragon, surrounding it in a sea of flames.
Considering it appeared to be made of wood, Pyrrha had hoped the dragon would catch fire and be at least inconvenienced or better yet be consumed by the blaze. Instead, and sadly to her expectations, the winged lizard just let out an annoyed roar and burst out of the fire in a lunge towards Pyrrha and Alkaid, looking singed but otherwise unharmed.
She was unperturbed by its attack though. A lack of fear that was justified as seconds before the monster's jaws could snap around them, Alkaid teleported them to safety on the other side of the now dying flames.
"So like we thought, it only looks like a wood dragon." Alkaid said with an annoyed sigh.
"Yeah, water now?" Pyrrha suggested as the dragon recovered from its failed attempt to snap them up in its maw and was now moving with the grace only an apex predator could so that it was facing them once more.
"Let me try to dispel the illusion first." Alkaid suggested. "επικαλούνται: σημάνει διακόπτη!"
Unfortunately, all the sorceress' spell managed was to cause the dragon's form to shimmer a little, indicating that it was indeed under some kind of spell but not doing anything to dispel it.
Unfazed by Alkaid's attempt, the dragon took the opportunity provided by the lack of an attack on their part to launch one of its own and breathed a stream of flames at them.
"Surge, Water and Heaven! Tidal Slash!" Pyrrha incanted as with another slash of her labrys and a little channeling of her magic, she unleashed the power of the other magical gem socketed into her weapon and conjured a wave of water.
It slammed into the incoming fire and the opposing elemental attacks canceled each other out in a burst of superheated steam. The resultant cloud of which obscured Alkaid as she cast her own attack.
"Aqua Jet!" The daughter of Hades cried, conjuring dozens of jets of highly pressurized water that slammed into the dragon and sent it crashing into a nearby hill through sheer force.
"Hmm, despite its fire breath, it doesn't seem to be a fire dragon either." Alkaid noted with a thoughtful frown as her spell cut off and the dragon crawled back out of the crater its impact with the hill had created, looking bruised but little more than that. "Most of that damage looks like it came from the kinetic force behind my water jets rather than from an elemental effect."
"I agree. So if kinetic force is the only thing showing results, shall we keep pressing it with it?" Pyrrha asked with a touch of a bloodthirsty grin.
"You read my mind, love." Alkaid said as she cupped her hands together and conjured a green ball of magical energy between them. "Shockwave!"
At her invocation, the ball shot towards the dragon which was still shaking off the effects of being slammed into a hill. The moment it made contact with the disorientated dragon, the ball detonated with a massive blast of concussive force that sent it slamming into the abused hill a second time, this time with enough force that the entire mound of earth collapsed onto the lizard.
For her part, Pyrrha reached into Akoúo̱'s hammerspace and pulled out three vials of specially prepared potions that Alkaid and Gracie had brewed for her and tossed them at the buried dragon. Normally, even with her superhuman skill and strength as a demigod, there was little chance her throw would cover the significant distance between them and hit their mark. But that's where her being a Witch came in and whilst the vials were still tumbling through the air, Pyrrha pulled out her wand and cast a set of Banishing Charms on the vials to give them the push they needed to land on target. And as they did, they shattered and just like they were designed to, the volatile potions reacted with the air and detonated in violent explosions powerful enough to create a minor earthquake.
"Think we got it?" Pyrrha asked as the tremor stopped.
"Almost, but not yet." Alkaid said with a shake of her head as suddenly the earth started shaking again seconds before the dragon burst out of its premature grave looking battered. "You wish to do the honors?"
"Don't mind if I do," Pyrrha replied cheekily as she spun on the spot and with a pop of displaced air, teleported away in an Apparition.
Rematerializing just above the dragon's long serpentine neck, Pyrrha raised her labrys overhead in preparation of a powerful downward swing that she hoped would decapitate the monster. Sadly, the dragon wasn't beaten down enough to let her finish it off that easily quite yet, and managed to scramble out of the way in time. Annoyingly, it even had the wherewithal to counterattack by breathing a stream of flame at her as she descended.
"I can do that too, you overgrown lizard!" Pyrrha countered cockily as she quickly leveled Miló (Speak) at the incoming dragonfire and unleashed a burst of flame from the ruby embedded in the bracer, effectively countering it. The two clashing flamethrower attacks also had the effect of creating an obscuring cloud of flames.
The dragon seemed to be smart enough to have learned from its earlier experience with the obscuring steam cloud and reacted to losing sight of Pyrrha by bringing its wings in front of its head in some kind of attempt to shield itself from attack.
Is it stupid? I mean, its wings are membranous! Wouldn't they be more vulnerable to attack than any other part of its body!? Pyrrha couldn't help but think as she Apparated atop the dragon's back, right behind its wings.
The dragon must've felt her presence because its muscles tensed like it was preparing to buck and its wings began to move to attempt to sweep her off its back, but Pyrrha didn't give it the chance to do either and with a powerful swing buried her labrys in its body, the Celestial Bronze blade of her weapon easily cutting through its scales and biting into its flesh.
"Tidal Slash!" Pyrrha cast, unleashing the power of her spell right inside the dragon's body and causing the conjured cutting wave to proceed to slice the monster in half.
Pulling her labrys free of the corpse as it collapsed, Pyrrha spun on her heel and Apparated back to Alkaid's side.
"So what's my score?" The daughter of war asked her wife playfully.
"An eight out of ten." Alkaid replied with a warm chuckle. "You took it down very artfully, but it's too low tier as a threat to warrant a higher score."
"Yeah, this dragon doesn't compare to Aži Sruvara or Zahhāk." Pyrrha offered a lopsided grin and bumped her hip against her wife. "It was still fun as hell to fight though, even if all it really had going for it was whatever gimmick that gave it elemental resistance."
"That's not exactly what it had," Alkaid said, shaking her head and gesturing in the direction of the monster corpse. "Look."
Pyrrha glanced at the dragon's remains and was a little surprised to find a wrecked golem instead of the blood and guts of a slain monster.
"It was a dragon golem all along. It just had a powerful illusion cast on it via the runes inscribed on its exterior that gave it the appearance of a wood dragon." The sorceress explained as she pointed at the aforementioned runes that seemed to cover every inch of the destroyed golem's metallic hide.
"Indeed it was," a booming voice said suddenly from behind them, causing Pyrrha and Alkaid to spin towards it to find a giant standing at roughly 30 feet with violet skin, dark blue hair, and silver eyes. He had long flowing hair and beard and was dressed in regal looking armor, and was armed with an appropriately sized shield and a longsword with a diamond shaped cutout. "Though, I must say, ladies, that comparing my little contraption to the likes of Daevas like Aži Sruvara and Zahhāk is just unfair. I do however generally agree with the score your wife gave you for the kill, daughter of Ares. It was nicely done."
"Do we have the pleasure of speaking to Lord Utgard-Loki?" Alkaid asked the Jotun - because what else could this being be? - politely but warily.
"Indeed you do." The towering northern giant replied.
"You honor us with this audience, Lord Utgard-Loki." Pyrrha said with a bow after hastily putting away her labrys, prompting Alkaid to offer a curtsy in greeting.
"Think nothing of it," the Jotun king said dismissively. "You passed my tests, that alone grants you the right to an audience, to say nothing of the fact that you are Olympus' Diplomats. It would be dishonorable of me to not grant you an audience. That said, could you ladies grant me a favor?"
"What is it, Lord Utgard-Loki?"
"Stop being so bloody formal!" The Jotun said, sounding exasperated. "We Jotun aren't the hidebound Asgardians, there is no need for that kind of stuff when dealing with us. Just call me Utgard-Loki."
Pyrrha exchanged a look with Alkaid at that, wary of a trap. This particular Jotun was known for being a cunning trickster after all. For all they knew, this request was some kind of trap so that he could take offense with them later when they addressed him informally. An offense that he would then use as an excuse to take advantage of them somehow.
"We will of course comply, but on the condition that you will promise to not find fault with us for addressing you inappropriately going forward. At least not without you giving us a clear warning beforehand that we are required to be formal."
Utgard-Loki cocked an eyebrow at Alkaid's counteroffer and looked at her searchingly for a long moment before chuckling.
"You're a cautious one aren't you, daughter of Hades? You certainly live up to the tales the Skalds sing of you. Very well, I promise in the name of my honor to do as you request."
"As you say, Utgard-Loki, I am merely being cautious." Alkaid returned with a shrug. "You can't fault me for that."
"No, I cannot. But enough wrangling out here in the wilds. Come, let us depart for my palace. We can discuss things more comfortably there."
"Lead the way, Utgard-Loki." Pyrrha said as Alkaid nodded.
Offering them an inviting smile, the Jotun king primed his magic and the three of them were soon caught up in a teleportation spell that transported them to a new location.
Alkaid was prepared for some grand marvel of a castle, a place of dignified refinement or even a grand feasting hall where she and Pyrrha would be surrounded on all sides by potential foes. The daughter of Hades, however, was not prepared for Utgard-Loki's palace to be what looked like an honest to gods bowling alley.
Neon lights danced along the floor from projectors above, the rest of the lights were dimmed to allow the lights shining down the lanes and the illuminated chairs of an ice blue color that dotted the lounge area to stand out. Strangely, some chairs and lanes seemed to be sized for Jotuns while others were sized for mortals. And last but not least, a presumably freezing mist wafted along the floors and hoarfrost covered most surfaces.
"Huh, cool." Pyrrha, the love of her life, said as she looked around.
"Most cool indeed, daughter of Ares." Utgard-Loki preened. "The chairs are custom made, I carved them myself. The fun part was sealing the illumination spells in them for the glow. It's the little things, ya know?"
"Why a bowling alley though? Do Jotuns like bowling?" Alkaid asked, confused and fishing for information. Did she have to worry about knowing certain sports now?
"We love bowling. At least my men and I do." Utgard-Loki confirmed as he guided them to a set of chairs he seemed to have prepared in advance for their visit that consisted of one Jotun-sized one for himself and a pair across from it that was more human sized. "Please have a seat and we can begin negotiations."
"The space here is twisted isn't it?" Alkaid asked with a frown as she noticed how despite their vastly different strides, the three of them kept pace with each other without any special effort as they crossed the short distance towards the seats. "In fact, this whole place is enchanted in a whole host of effects, right? The cold isn't just from the ambient temperature of the region, it's because there are runes maintaining chilling spells built into the walls. I imagine there are even more I haven't noticed that serve partly to make this place more comfortable for you and your subjects, but also to aid in making it more defensible."
Utgard-Loki broke into a full belly laugh at Alkaid's observation even as he took his seat and gestured for her and Pyrrha to do the same.
"Oh, you do live up to your reputation, Alkaid Potter." The Jotun king said as he calmed down. "And here I thought the magic of my palace would disorient you enough to give me an upper hand in negotiations. Yet, here you are, unpacking its magic like it's nothing. Truly, you are terrifyingly skilled as a sorcerer. I can see why the Sorceress Supreme thinks so highly of you."
"I think that has more to do with her mistress and Alkaid being on the same wavelength when it comes to bedroom antics." Pyrrha teased.
"That's part of it I'm sure." Utgard-Loki agreed with a chuckle. "But you can't deny that your wife is worthy of Lady Sakura's attention on the merit of her skill with magic alone."
"Never said that wasn't the case," Pyrrha retorted with a shrug.
"Can we not talk about me?" Alkaid asked, feeling a tinge of self-consciousness. Besides, they were here on a diplomatic mission! Why did things devolve into everyone taking the mickey out of her anyway!? "How about we start negotiating instead?"
Utgard-Loki exchanged a smirk with Pyrrha at Alkaid's desperate attempt to direct the conversation away from teasing her.
Ugh, her wife could be insufferable.
Thankfully, both her wife and their host decided to have mercy on her.
"So you want me to use my influence to curtail the sale of supplies from us Jotuns to the Titans, don't you?" The Jotun king asked.
"Yes," Alkaid confirmed. "We both know that the crossing of streams like this is against the Ancient Laws, so unless we want the Overgods to step in, this smuggling needs to stop."
"Yet the Overgods, who must certainly be aware of this breach of the rules they established, haven't done anything."
"Yet," Pyrrha spoke up quickly. "They haven't done anything yet. If I'd have to guess, they'd either too busy-"
Getting down, probably. Alkaid thought with resignation as she recalled just how sex crazed the Overgods were.
"-or they are letting it go for now so they can watch how we shut it down. They do consider the actions of us lesser beings as entertainment."
"Let us presume it is the latter," Utgard-Loki said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Then I hardly think that just agreeing to your request would entertain them."
"No, it would not." Alkaid said with a firm nod. "And we never expected you to. We are willing to pay a fair price for your assistance. Name what you would want for it and we will see if Olympus is willing to pay it."
"And you can make binding agreements for your gods?" Utgard-Loki asked skeptically.
"No," Pyrrha said with a shake of her head. "But we can bring your offer back to Olympus for the Council to consider. Considering we're their officially appointed Diplomats we have privileged access and can get an answer from them pretty quickly."
"Ah, so you'll be doing the messenger job, hm?" He asked with an amused lilt.
"No, we're diplomats like our official title states." Alkaid corrected, ignoring the insult the Jotun made. "We negotiate deals on our superiors' behalf and then get their rectification, just like any other set of diplomats would."
"Of course, of course. I merely misspoke." He said with a sharp smile, showing he was hardly sorry.
"So what would you want for your assistance?" Pyrrha asked, cutting to the chase.
The Jotun king rubbed his chin like he was thinking of what he wanted. It was all a pretense though. Utgard-Loki had opened these talks by declaring he knew why Alkaid and Pyrrha had sought him out. Taking that into account and his legendary cunning, there was no way he hadn't already thought through the matter and decided on what payment he wanted.
"How about you two as my thralls for a week?" Utgard-Loki said with a lecherous grin. "I think a week in my bed will be an enlightening experience for the both of you as to the pleasures a man can offer."
Alkaid stared up at the giant flatly. No doubt he thought it was a cute attempt to throw them off balance. To make them think he was just a standard fool that was driven by the head between his legs rather than the one atop his shoulders. But Alkaid was no fool. She knew he wasn't serious, but to even ask…
"Ha ha, Utgard-Loki. Very funny." Pyrrha said, rolling her eyes. "Be serious, would ya? What do you really want for your help?"
The Jotun pouted at his ploy being foiled and Alkaid couldn't help but think he was trying too hard to pretend at being less cunning than he truly was.
"Alright, alright, I'll be serious now. I wan-"
Before he could finish the sentence however, the wall on the far side of the bowling alley suddenly exploded inward from some kind of stream of green energy. Energy that must've been incredibly corrosive for it melted away everything it touched even before most of the debris even had a chance to touch the ground.
And out of the hole created by the explosion, slithered out a massive serpentine black dragon whose body was separated into segments and had a set of bush-shaped horns that crowned its head, a mouth filled with jagged fangs, a set of dark green quills that ran down its spine and a pair of white, blind-looking eyes. A monster that was surrounded by armor made out of innumerable zombies of all kinds that it wore around its body.
"Nidhogg!?" Utgard-Loki shouted as he stood and glared at the dragon in shock. "What are you doing here!?
Nidhogg!? The sire of the wyrm Pyrrha and I killed in our Second Year at Hogwarts!? Alkaid thought with alarm. She remembered well how difficult defeating that wyrm had been and whilst she and her wife were much stronger than they were when they were twelve years old, she was sure that this fight be a great challenge.
"Greetings, Utgard-Loki." The legendary Norse dragon said in a surprisingly cultured voice for such a fearsome looking monster, gnarled teeth stretched in a wide and wicked grin. "Apologies, but I am here at the behest of Kronos to put an end to these negotiations."
"The Crooked One? Why would you help him!?" Utgard-Loki asked, his eyes narrowed. Looking both offended and furious.
"Why would I not? My goal since I emerged from Ginnungagap has been to destroy Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds with it. Kronos wishes to bring down Olympus. Both are acts that will destroy the order of the world, in this we are both servants of chaos. It is only fitting then, is it not, that I would assist him?"
"You just want to sow chaos, Corpse Eater!" Utgard-Loki spat as he leveled his sword at the dragon and sent a bolt of blue lightning streaking at it.
"And your point would be?" The dragon flicked his tongue with a hissing laugh even as the lightning reduced a dozen of the zombies that made up its armor to ash but otherwise left it unscathed. "Now, I've not had a good fight in ages. Not since the last iteration of the world before this one, so entertain me, young ones! Make this trip worth it and I might just grant you a swift death!"
"Elmekia Lance: Phalanx Formation!" Alkaid cast, conjuring hundreds of lances of light that she sent flying at Nidhogg. "What is with you Norse and being such addicts for battle?"
"It comes from being born from a warrior culture," Utgard-Loki replied as he added bolts of his lightning to Alkaid's barrage.
Sadly, despite the fury of their combined assault, all it served to do was incinerate more of Nidhogg's macabre zombie armor. The terrifying dragon wasn't even damaged. It wasn't even fazed, not enough at least to counterattack. Though it did shake off a handful of the zombies that made up its armor and had them shamble towards them.
"I'd appreciate it more if it wasn't trying to kill me!" Alkaid retorted as she summoned Le Grimoire, drew a card from it, and prepared to cast.
"Less talk, more fighting! I'll take care of the zombies, deal with that dragon!" Pyrrha barked as she was mowing through the undead hordes with blasts of flame from Miló, explosive potions she pulled out of Akoúo̱, swings of her labrys and the occasional spell. She was a dervish that left flying limbs and bodies in her wake. The daughter of war was truly in the heat of her element.
"Yes, listen to Ares' daughter. You won't survive if you do not." Nidhogg said tauntingly.
"επικαλούνται: Εκατό δολοφονία (Incantare: Centum Erant Caedem/Invoke: Hundred Head Massacre))!" Alkaid cast by slamming the appropriate card for the spell between the pages of her weapon, conjuring nine dragon-like homing lasers that tracked across Nidhogg's immense bulk and incinerating away chunks of the undead flesh that it wore as armor, but once more failing to deal any real damage to the dragon infamous for gnawing at the Norse World Tree. "Utgard-Loki, we're not even hurting him! We need to up the ante!"
"What do you propose, Alkaid Potter?" The Jotun king asked even as with a swing of his sword, he unleashed a lightning storm that reduced a good chunk of the zombies that Pyrrha was holding at bay but which were starting to flank her to ash, and also whittle down on Nidhogg's armor even more.
"Mind if I wreck your palace?" She replied even as she cast another επικαλούνται: Εκατό δολοφονία to scour away even more of Nidhogg's armor.
"Go ahead," Utgard-Loki replied. "It's not like I won't tear everything down and rebuild it from scratch now that Nidhogg has soiled everything. Its mere presence is revolting. Ugh, the poor flooring."
Alkaid didn't really know where the Jotun was coming from, as far as she could tell Nidhogg wasn't radiating any curse or defiling aura but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Silent whisper on blackest night, cruel equalizer, bring my enemies to where death and nightmare reigns supreme!" Alkaid chanted as Le Grimoire floated out of her hands and she cupped them, the card for the spell she was casting floating out of its pages to hover between the open book expectantly. At the same time, pure death energy gathered into a sphere in her hands, like an eager, ravenous hound seeking to kill, chew and devour with utmost haste. It bucked and fought against her control even as she held it in her hands, just waiting to be let off the leash. "Nocturnal Annihilation!"
As she finished her incantation, Le Grimoire slammed shut around the spell card and Pyrrha spun on her heels, Apparating out of the path of the spell just in time to avoid it as the deadly- literally- sphere of energy shot from her cupped hands. The sphere rapidly expanded, consuming everything it touched and imposing the concept of death upon them thus reducing them to nothingness. It didn't matter if it was an inanimate object or one of Nidhogg's zombies, the Nocturnal Annihilation destroyed everything it touched.
Well, almost everything.
As it finally reached Nidhogg, the spell easily got rid of the last of its armor but when it touched the dragon itself, it just washed over it and did nothing.
"T-That's impossible!" Alkaid gasped. Nocturnal Annihilation might not have been powerful enough to kill a truly powerful being like Nidhogg, but it worked by imposing the concept of death on its targets through its death magic. It might not do so as strongly as say Mina's knives and could be resisted, but it was still plenty powerful, how could the Corpse Eater just weather it unscathed!?
Was the dragon truly immortal!?
Whilst Alkaid was busy being flabbergasted, Utgard-Loki acted. Surging forward in the form of a blue lightning bolt, he charged into close quarters with the infamous dragon and faster than Nidhogg could react, he stabbed his sword into the monster and channeled a storm's worth of lightning directly into the Ginnungagap Spawn's body.
The dragon's body writhed in response to the massive amount of electricity pouring through it, enough so that a lucky jerk hit Utgard-Loki and sent him flying away from it. Though, maybe it was less luck and more deliberate action, for as soon as the Jotun was forced back, Nidhogg promptly calmed.
"Huh, you actually wounded me." Nidhogg said, sounding surprised. "It's only a scratch, but it's the first time I've been wounded at all since I fought Lady Yuno at the end of the previous universe."
"Holy Olympus, it fought the Overgoddess and lived!?" Pyrrha gasped in horror.
Alkaid agreed with the notion, her knees shook, yet she tried her best to keep standing at that little tidbit of information.
"Only because my defiance impressed her and Lord Yuki enough that they decided I deserved a boon and that's how I ended up in this universe. They could have crushed me with a glance if they felt like it." Nidhogg said with a surprisingly human shrug for a serpent. "Just like how I could crush you three now if I felt like it, but in light of you essentially achieving what I did, I think I shall emulate the Overgods and give you a boon. I shall retreat for now."
"Just like that!?" Alkaid asked, shocked.
"Just like that. Be proud, little ones. Battle gallantly until you die." It told them as it began to slither out the hole it had come from.
"Blessed Ymir! We actually got Nidhogg to retreat!" Utgard-Loki said, sounding disbelievingly. "We actually got the End of the Nine Worlds to retreat!"
"Mainly because we impressed him," Alkaid reminded him. "We didn't beat him. At most, we gave him a scratch."
"That doesn't matter," the Jotun said as he collapsed into one of the surviving chairs. "Didn't you hear what he said, he hasn't been wounded since he fought the Overgoddess! And we gave him a scratch! That's more than any other being can lay claim to! We've done the impossible!"
Alkaid, like the able diplomat she was, immediately jumped on the camaraderie that they had just fostered with Utgard-Loki.
"Yes, we have." The daughter of Hades said with a sigh of relief and a deliberately smarmy smile. She might be trying to exploit the camaraderie built up over their defeat of Nidhogg but she didn't want to deliberately deceive the Jotun lord. "In honor of our joint accomplishment of such an incredible feat, would you be willing to translate it into some generosity in our negotiations?"
Utgard-Loki responded by bursting into a full belly laugh.
"Oh, how opportunistic of you!" The Jotun said, his laughter calming into chuckling.
"What can we say? We wouldn't be good diplomats if we didn't jump on any chance to gain an advantage in negotiations would we?" Pyrrha asked with a shrug. "So how about it, Utgard-Loki? Wanna be a bro and throw us a bone?"
Pyrrha's reply had the Jotun breaking out into another bout of boisterous laughter.
"Oh, yes, why not?" The Jotun lord said as he finally calmed down. "But I still want something in return."
"Of course, Utgard-Loki. We would never assume to ask you for something for nothing in return." Alkaid assured. "What price would you like us to pay?"
"Trade," the Jotun lord said, his previous good humor replaced with a serious mood save for a smile. "I want to open trade with Olympus. The truth is even I cannot fully suppress the trade between my people and the Titans. My kind have always been fiercely independent even when it comes to us, their rulers. As such, some of them will refuse to listen. But if I offer them a more lucrative, less dangerous alternative…"
"It would prompt all but the most defiant to turn to it instead." Alkaid said with a nod. "But what about those?"
"Could we work it into our agreement that we work to curtail them?" Pyrrha suggested. "Make it required for both sides to suppress smugglers?"
Utgard-Loki rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. "Very well. That sounds reasonable. And what about the arms already shipped? I am willing to agree to seek out and confiscate any goods still in Jotunheim or Jotun hands. But those that have been handed over are outside my jurisdiction, agreed?"
Alkaid frowned. That wasn't ideal. With the war, Olympian forces were stretched thin and devoting forces to this effort would only strain it further. Yet this agreement would overall deny their enemy resources, as was their initial objective in coming to Jotunheim in the first place, and preventing it from going through over this point would be foolhardy.
"Agreed." Alkaid conceded. As much as she disliked it, the request was understandable. It wasn't fair to ask the Jotun to cross the streams to clean things up on the Olympian side of things. "Shall we share intel on such operations so we can coordinate our efforts?"
"Of course," Utgard-Loki agreed before he gestured for Alkaid and Pyrrha to sit down. "Now, let's get comfortable. It's time for the difficult part. The trade deal."
Alkaid sighed in agreement as she obliged her host and using a simple Wizarding summoning charm, pulled a pair of chairs over for her and Pyrrha and they sat down.
"Before anything, just to be clear, the Overgods will be okay with this deal?" Pyrrha asked with a worried frown. "That they'd be pissed is a big part of why we want to stop your people dealing with the Titans, right? So would they be alright with you dealing with Olympus?"
"It'll be fine." Utgard-Loki assured them. "We'll need to run the deal by them first and take steps to obscure the mixing of streams, but there is precedent for such deals. The big issue with what the Titans are doing is that they're doing things without the Overgods' approval or even taking steps to hide the Jotun origins of their purchases."
"'Obscure the mixing of the streams'?"
"It's simple, Pyrrha. Basically, just making it seem that whether it is that's traded comes from within your mythos and not from another. For example, make all the Jotun goods we source seem like they come from the Hyperboreans."
"Oh, that's a good idea." Utgard-Loki nodded in satisfaction. "And if we make the Hyperboreans our intermediaries it'll make things simpler. It'll also help to boost their economy and endear them to Olympus."
"Indeed," Alkaid said with a smile. It was why she'd suggested it after all. Her time in Néos Hyperborea had shown her how difficult life was for the Hyperboreans and she knew full well how that had increasingly forced some of them to side with the Titans. If she could alleviate their hardship even a little, it would help with that particular problem immensely. "And it's a good start but shall we delve into the minutiae now?"
Utgard-Loki nodded and what followed was hours of fierce negotiation that taxed Alkaid and Pyrrha to their limits. The Jotun lord certainly lived up to his reputation for being crafty and tried to trap them with unfavorable terms multiple times, but they saw through most of them and even returned the favor a few times. Thus, all in all, Alkaid was satisfied with the draft agreement that they'd drawn up.
I just hope that the Olympian Council agrees.
"I can't believe the Olympians sent us to deal with this! We're Diplomats, not troubleshooters!" Pyrrha complained as she and Alkaid walked through the streets of Sumner, Washington towards the Amazon Distribution Center that dominated the town both physically, it was one of the biggest buildings in town, and economically.
"That's usually one and the same," The black haired beauty that was her wife pointed out with a shrug. "Besides, we should count ourselves lucky that they were mostly happy with the agreement we drew up with Utgard-Loki. Otherwise, we'd still be negotiating with him."
Instead, with only a few minor points of contention, the Olympians had sent Hermes to iron them out and to sign the thing once that was done. And whilst that was going on, Pyrrha and her wife were tasked with eliminating the largest cache of illegal Jotun supplies that the Titans had acquired, hence their presence in Sumner.
"That might be better than what we're doing. I mean, are you sure this isn't going to kick us in the ass down the line?" Pyrrha growled as she looked around. "My so-called sisters can be bitches. Hell, their Head Bitch wants you as a fuck toy."
"A generous term, love." The daughter of Hades dryly remarked. "And it doesn't matter. Lord Zeus will tell Lord Ares to get the Amazons in line. As their patron they can't refuse him. If they do? Well, he may deal with them as he wishes."
"Seeing as they're aiding and abetting the enemy? He might honestly kill them all and start them anew from the ashes." Pyrrha hung her head in self-deprecation. "Or laugh over them profiting off a war. It's a coin flip with his mood."
"I imagine he'll do a little bit of both," Alkaid guessed. "He'll probably purge a good chunk of them regardless to satisfy Lord Zeus, but if his bloodthirsty aspect is in ascendance then he'll spare the rest because their war profiteering technically fits his domain since it exacerbates the war. If the part of him aligned with the honorable aspect of war is in ascendance? Then, there is a good chance the Amazons will have to start completely fresh. It really depends."
Pyrrha blinked. Since when did her wife become so insightful about how her father worked?
Seeing her look, Alkaid just offered her a smile. "He is my father-in-law. Learning about him is only natural. I don't want to offend him if I can help it. I want us to get along as much as possible."
Fuck she was so smart it was just plain hot. Her wife was the best.
Pyrrha told her as much.
"Flatterer," Alkaid replied, blushing prettily and getting Pyrrha all hot under the collar. Lucky that there was plenty of killing to do in the cards, or she'd never get the chance to work off the tension and would end up having her way with her wife right then and there.
Alkaid cocked an eyebrow at her at her reaction, having easily read her intentions.
"Cool your loins, sweetheart." She said, shaking her head. "I like my outfit and I would like it if you didn't tear it off me to ravage me. I like yours for that matter and wouldn't want to do the same to you. So let's channel that lust of yours into aggression, shall we?"
Pyrrha just looked down at the outfit she was wearing, a beige faux fur hooded zip up vest, matching ribbed high neck knit top, and a long brown skirt with a pleated slit and back banding. It was pretty nice. She didn't want to ruin it either.
"So how are we doing this?" Pyrrha asked. "My skirt isn't exactly a combat skirt and like you said, I don't wanna tear it. Are we blowing the whole place up?"
"Yes, I cannot even see your panties."
Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "Just because combat skirts are short, doesn't mean we go flashing our panties every time we fight in them. They're skorts, remember? We're covered."
'Kaidy gave her a dazzling smile, the filthy flirt. Even on an op she could barely hold it in her panties.
"Phoee~! Why did you have to spoil my joke with your logic?" Alkaid teased even as she gathered her magic and raised a hand towards one wall of the Amazon Distribution Center. "Divine Buster."
A massive beam of green energy shot from a magic circle that materialized in front of Alkaid's hand and blasted a hole through the wall, even as a thick bank of Mist descended on the Amazon complex.
"You are such a tease today," Pyrrha noted. "And again, what's the plan?"
"Blow everything remotely magical inside up." Alkaid told her. "Don't bother engaging in a fight, just blow it up. We can't level the place. Lady Hecate warned me that doing so would be too much for the Mist to handle right now, considering how much work it has to do to keep the Titanomachy from the mortals. So we just have to settle for blowing everything inside it up instead."
"At least it isn't a break it, you buy it kinda issue." Pyrrha joked, always down to bust some shit up as she pulled a few vials of explosive potions out of Akoúo̱ and tossed them at shelves full of glowing, clearly magical, armor and weapons as they stepped into the warehouse full of diverse goods that was the Amazon Distribution Center in Sumner, Washington.
"It's a shame too. I wouldn't have minded buying some things here. Oh well. Divine Buster, Judgment Barrage," Alkaid shrugged as her spell conjured a dozen of the green beams from earlier that she tracked across the warehouse and reduced whole shelves of various magical items that surrounded them into slag.
"Is this whole place full of the stuff they got from the Jotuns?" Pyrrha asked curiously as running out of explosive potions, she pulled out her wand and began blasting away with Wizarding Blasting Curses and Exploding Charms. "It looks like that's all there is here."
"In this part of the center, yes." Alkaid informed her from where she'd switched to conjuring and firing off explosive purple daggers at the rows upon rows of magical goods that apparently filled up this part of the warehouse. "And all of it is destined for the Titan Army according to the intel we got. The stuff for Olympus is on the whole other side of the complex, apparently the Amazons don't trust their staff to not mix things up."
"They are selling to both sides, huh? War profiteering at its finest." Pyrrha said with a snort as she kept blasting away with her wand. She might be a daughter of war and doing such was technically within her father's domains, but she took after the honorable aspect of his nature mostly - Or at least she hoped so. - and the act disgusted her.
"Didn't you read the intel report?" Alkaid asked as she switched to shooting emerald bullets as she continued to contribute to their systematic destruction of the Titans' supplies around them.
"I read the bullet points that Gracie wrote up." Pyrrha confessed with a blush. "You gave it to me like an hour before we set off, I had other things to do to prepare for this op like restocking Akoúo. Even with a set of those Gale-Force Reading Glasses you invented to speed up my reading, I couldn't finish it in time."
"Sorry, should've given it to you earlier. Things were a little rushed, huh?"
"Yeah, but we can't help it. Utgard-Loki wants this part of things settled whilst they talk and we can't exactly sabotage the final negotiations with Lord Hermes by delaying."
"Rush rush rush. I can see why Lord Hermes would want more vacation days." Alkaid said with a sigh. "By the way, we've finally got company."
"Took them long enough." Pyrrha said with a disappointed shake of her head. "What took them so long? I mean this place is big, but this kinda lousy reaction time to an attack is just embarrassing especially for my sisters."
"Thank the Mist," Alkaid said pointing at the thick bank of it that covered their surroundings. "It's making it appear like there is a fierce fire consuming this part of the building, everyone ran away. It's Lady Hecate's way of apologizing for not being able to allow us to just level the place."
"That's thoughtful of her." Pyrrha said with a smile even as she used Miló's flamethrower and the Fire-Making Spell to conjure flames to really set their surroundings on fire, making Lady Hecate's life easier. It was only right to return the goddess' thoughtfulness with some of her own. "She really likes you, huh?"
"She was my magic teacher as a child." Alkaid pointed out as she joined Pyrrha in setting everything on fire with a barrage of lazily thrown fireballs. There was no need for accuracy, not when they were already done with destroying what they'd come here to and were now basically just mopping up.
"Put out those flames!" The husky and venom dripping voice of the Head Bitch herself, Tabitha, shouted at her Amazon subordinates as she arrived in her knock-off armor that gleamed like it was bedazzled in the fire light, though she quickly forgot about coordinating her subjects when she caught sight of Alkaid "Well, well, well… if it isn't my reluctant concubine."
"By Tartarus, no." 'Kaidy said with a scowl that was still pretty somehow and her eyes lighting up like stars in response to her anger. "I am not dealing with you after I just dealt with a primordial dragon. You are so not on my to-do list. Ever."
"But you are ever on my to-do list."
"Ew." The daughter of Hades looked ready to abandon the plan and go for all the explosions.
"'Kaidy, no. Remember, we can't level the place." Pyrrha attempted to calm her infuriated wife.
"Yes, dear, you are so much lovelier with your mouth shut. Or occupied." Tabitha cooed as she flirted, or what passed for it in her demented mind, with the true daughter of Ares' wife.
And that really pushed things to a boiling point for the fiery redhead.
"You shut up! And you know what? Why don't I help you with that! Eat some cursed flame, you sicko stalker." Pyrrha shouted, furious beyond belief with this woman who sought to enslave her wife and swiftly moving her wand in the intricate patterns to conjure one of the few truly terrifying Wizarding spells.
From her wand leapt out a burst of flame in the shape of a massive boar, one that proceeded to charge at Tabitha. The Amazon Queen just rolled her eyes and used her power as a daughter of Bia to reverse the kinetic force behind the flame beast's charge and send it flying.
"That's exactly what I wanted, you stupid short sighted bitch! Enjoy cleaning up some Fiendfrye!" Pyrrha sneered at the Amazon as she grabbed Alkaid's shoulder and spun on her heel, Apparating the both of them out of the warehouse and to safety just as her Fiendfyre construct landed with a crash among some cardboard boxes, catching them alight and shattering into dozens of smaller flaming hogs and piglets that spread out to burn everything they touched.
"Pyrrha-"
"I know dad, I know." Alkaid's wife said sullenly to her father as the god sat across from them at their dining table. Ares had, much to their surprise, suddenly showed up to join their family for dinner after she and Pyrrha had got home from Sumner.
At least the god didn't put his dirty boots on the table this time. Though since he was currently wearing the guise of a six star U.S, army general in full dress uniform, she doubted he'd behave that uncouthly.
"I still need to say it, Pyrrha." Ares said with a sigh. "You shouldn't have burned down Sumner like you did."
"I didn't mean to burn down the whole town!" Pyrrha insisted. "Tabitha just pissed me off and I wanted her to get a taste of Fiendfyre, that's all!"
"Yes, a cursed flame that the Amazons had no way to put out and which spreads exponentially." Ares pressed with a grimace on his scarred face. "Using it was most unwise, daughter."
"It's not that big of a deal right, Grandpa? I mean nobody died." Mina asked, cocking her head curiously. "At least no one that mattered."
"Yes, Sensei and Mama evacuated all the mortals in town didn't they?" Gracie said supportively.
"Yeah, Grandpa. The town burning down was just collateral damage, right?" Kura added. "And Mum put out the fire before it spread out of the town."
"I suppose so," Ares conceded. "But half the Amazons in Sumner died. A full fifth of their total ranks. That's a massive blow to Olympus' fighting strength."
"Aren't they neutral in the Titanomachy?" Alkaid asked with a frown.
"Yes, but that's this war. What about the next one? Or the one after that? We Olympians never run out of enemies."
"I'm sorry, okay!" Pyrrha conceded mulishly. "I won't use something that destructive when I lose my temper next time."
"Good. Casualties happen, but this could have been avoided. I want you to learn from this." Ares said firmly, before suddenly smiling and picking up the bowl in front of him. "Now about this beef fried rice? It's delicious! Seconds?"
"Me! Me!" Mina and Kura chorused, raising and waving their hands enthusiastically even as Gracie shyly waved her right hand as well.
Alkaid sighed, once more reminded about the disappointing fact that she was the only vegetarian in the house. For despite her best efforts, neither her wife nor their daughters had followed in her footsteps in that regard.
And even I'm not that strict about it anymore. Alkaid lamented. Between sharing a house where I'm the only vegetarian and the times where dietary restrictions sometimes might've gotten in the way of my diplomatic duties, I haven't been able to stick to it.
It was a tough life for a vegetarian. She was just glad she wasn't doing it out of a religious conviction, if she was, she'd have been damned for how often she was forced to break her vows.
Though as she watched her daughters happily thank their grandfather as he served them their second servings of beef fried rice, Alkaid couldn't feel too unhappy about it. How could she in the face of her family's happiness?
Now, if only I can get Pyrrha out of her funk from getting scolded by her father. Alkaid mused as she glanced at her still brooding wife. Oh, I know! That'll work!
Leaning over, she tapped her wife's shoulder and prompted Pyrrha to turn towards her. When she did, Alkaid winked before proceeding to unbutton the first few buttons of her dress and pulled it down so that it hung loosely off her shoulders and held up only by the ribbon belts that secured it just over and under her bust, and which allowed it to switch styles depending on how she buttoned it up.
Pyrrha understood the unspoken message perfectly and nodded with a blush, her bad mood forgotten.
Sadly, she wasn't the only one who understood the message and their daughters did too.
"Mum and Mama are going to be loud tonight!" Mina cheered. "Kura, can I sleepover in your room? It has better soundproofing."
"Sure, Mina!" Kura agreed, smiling happily at both her sister and her parents.
"Uh, Kura, you think you can conjure a bed for me too?" Gracie asked, blushing and refusing to look at Alkaid or Pyrrha.
"Of course," Kura said with a grin. "We can have a sisters' sleepover!"
Ares laughed, leaning an elbow on the table as he looked at Alkaid and Pyrrha with a toothy smirk. "You're that loud, huh? Do I want to know what you get up to, daughter, daughter-in-law?"
"No!" The married couple answered, prompting the god to laugh even harder.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless and Axios as always!
So I think the best part of the chapter was the illusionary 'dungeon' crawl going on. I actually had done something like this in my D&D campaign and loved using little things that made no sense being there as red herrings to mess with my players and push them to high levels of paranoia. Rubber duck? Evil. Bucket in a desert? Evil, clearly. Storm Giant. Totally fake (not). Though I think the illusion dragon golem was a nice twist to really end it on. It being a dragon under the illusion was a laugh.
Nameless: Sounds like a fun campaign. You've gotta tell me more about it another time. For me, I liked that we had Pyrrha accidentally burn down a town. It shows that our characters can make big mistakes at times too. And I think this is one of the most dramatic examples of that we've given in a while.
Speaking of that! Pyromaniac Pyrrha strikes again! In the worst way possible. At least the casualties were low. Not so much for the Amazons. That's going to be remembered for sure. At least Tabitha was left with egg and packing slips on her face, right? It's not a Heroineverse story if one town doesn't end up destroyed. Somehow.
Nameless: And in the COTU, this is what? The second? First it was LA courtesy of Zahhāk and now Sumner gets torched. For diplomats, Alkaid and Pyrrha sure leave a surprisingly large trail of destruction behind them don't they?
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!
