Episode 26: Continuing the Journey!
"Are you sure you want to turn yourself in, Father?" Thor asked, not believing what Odin was proposing to do. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"No, but I allowed the bad things that happened in this town to happen," Odin argued. "Therefore, I'm just as responsible as your brother and sister."
"I'll accompany you," Frigga offered. "You wouldn't be able to make it to the nearest SHIELD Station by yourself."
"Do not worry, Frigga," Odin insisted. "Because Odinspear will take me there."
"But you can't leave!" Sif interrupted, standing between Odin and Thor. "Who is going to run the Asgard Realm now?"
"You will," Odin said.
Sif froze. "Me?"
"Consider it a temporary position," Thor said. "It'll only be until I get back. Besides, I think you would make a great Realm Champion. Your Shieldsif is very strong, and you have great leadership skills that were clearly shown when you led the Marémon back to their Wielders."
"And if you are having any issues, you're welcome to see me at any time," Frigga offered, putting a hand on Sif's shoulder.
In response, Shieldsif snorted encouragingly.
"Well, if Shieldsif's onboard, then I'll give it a shot," Sif answered and turned to Thor. "Just…don't take too long, okay?"
"Not sure I can guarantee that, but I'll try," Thor responded.
"That's good enough for me," Sif smiled.
Standing next to Peter, MJ watched the conversation with interest as she pinned the Encouragement Ribbon on the inside of her artichoke-green jacket. "You know, it's hard to tell who likes Thor more. I mean, Jane was his girlfriend until he left. So naturally, she was bitter upon seeing him again when we met her in Vanaheim Forest. But that exchange they had before she got on the helicopter made it seem like they patched things up. On the other hand, Sif clearly has feelings for Thor but doesn't seem to want to express them. What do you think, Peter?"
Instead of answering, Peter pinned his Mind Stone Badge along the strap of his red backpack and held up the PDB containing Hornetech. Spidermin noticed the distant look on Peter's face and leaned up against Peter rubbing its fuzzy face against his leg. Cassie the Shadusk followed Spidermin's example and floated up to Peter's shoulder using her cape-like membrane between her arms.
"Is something wrong?" MJ asked, looking at the PDB that Peter held. "Why are you holding that PDB so tightly?"
"Eddie gave this to me," Peter muttered.
MJ gasped. "Then it's…Hornetech?"
Reluctantly, Peter nodded.
"But how could he give up Hornetech like that? He made that little guy, after all."
"He told me he didn't want Hornetech to become a weapon, based on what you speculated about what SHIELD could do with him. So he gave Hornetech to me so it could experience the world the way Eddie wished he could."
"I see." MJ placed her hand on top of Hornetech's PDB. "You'll do fine, Peter. If Spidermin and Cassie show this much love for you, then Hornetech will like you too."
Spidermin and Cassie made emphasizing sounds to support MJ's words.
"You're right." Peter nodded, and placed Hornetech's PDB next to Cassie's PDB. "The last thing I want to do is disappoint Eddie, so I won't!"
Then MJ and Peter walked up to Thor, who explained that he was going to continue traveling. So the two offered him to come with them and he accepted. After that, the three went into the town to pick up supplies. On the way, they ran into Pepper, who was putting down a cellphone, while Odinspear transported himself and Odin away behind them.
"I just called a private helicopter to pick me up," Pepper said to MJ. "Do you and your friends want to hitch a ride with me?"
"Where are you going?" MJ asked.
"First, Yortown for a business meeting at Stark Tower and then Sokovia City for the next Marémon Theater competition," Pepper answered.
"As much as I would appreciate that, my friends and I will get to Sokovia City on our own," MJ said. "We're planning to go through La Vie City to get there."
"But that's on the other side of the mountain range west of here," Pepper realized. "And then you have to cross another set of mountains to get into the valley where Sokovia City is. You think you can handle such a journey?"
"Guess we won't know until we try," MJ shrugged. "Right, boys?"
Nervously, Peter and Thor nodded.
"Maybe not going with Miss Potts was a mistake!" Peter cried over the roaring winter winds. He, MJ, and Thor were currently crossing over the mountain range after trekking several miles west from New Asgard Town for two straight days. "We should turn back!"
"We're not giving up now!" MJ insisted. "I want to prove to her that I can make it! Don't you want to prove it too, being a Marémon Wielder and all?"
"Yeah, but it's not worth freezing to death over it!" Peter argued.
"Guys, I see a cave up ahead!" Thor shouted, pointing to a dark hole in the side of the mountain. "I'm sure we could rest in there until the storm calms down."
So neither Peter nor MJ said anything further as the two of them trekked further up with Thor following behind them. Due to the amount of walking and dieting, Thor's gut protruded even less than before. Once they got into the cave, Peter immediately piled up sticks that Spidermin had been collecting in his webs while MJ used a lighter she brought to start a fire. Meanwhile, Thor covered the cave entrance with a large blanket and had Thunderthor magnetize it to the cave wall with his electricity.
"Good thing there are metal deposits in this cave," Thor reflected. "Otherwise, the blanket would've fallen uselessly to the floor and we would've had to nail it to the wall."
"Yeah, and I would feel bad about damaging the natural cave wall," Peter said. "After all, it has been around longer than us."
"Hey, this cave goes even further back," MJ noticed, pointing to the darkening tunnel behind them. "Where do you think it goes?"
"I don't know, but let's hope there aren't any dangerous Marémon in here," Thor said.
To be continued…
