9
Olympus
Kratos landed on the peak of the great mountain, scaring the nearby birds into flight.
Mytikas, the highest peak of Olympus. Or so the mortals thought.
"Seems a little barren for the 'great' home of the Olympians…" Mimir said, looking around the featureless rock.
"There is more here than can be seen with mortal eyes," Kratos replied. He stood still for a moment. The ground began to rumble, and a flash of bright light surrounded them. To anybody watching, they would have seen a beam of light appear from the sky above, then Kratos and Mimir would have disappeared without a trace.
The bright light cleared and Kratos looked up.
"The true peak of Olympus," Kratos stated. They were still standing in the same place as before, but the mountain stretched thousands of feet higher than it was earlier. The circumference of the mountain had also changed, seeming to stretch forever to the left and right of them. The blue, clear, open sky was now grey and overcast, the clouds moving abnormally fast above them.
"Pocket dimension?" Mimir asked.
"I never asked."
Kratos let his wings extend with a metallic clank, then took to the sky. The ground below them disappeared behind the clouds, then the clouds also grew small below them as they kept rising. The mountain seemed to climb forever as they flew upward through the fog, further and further.
"The air isn't as thin as I thought it would be!" Mimir yelled over the wind.
"Many things are different here." Kratos explained, the helmet amplifying his voice.
After several minutes of ascension, they finally reached the top, the crumbling structures of Olympus appearing through the fog. Kratos landed on a platform, its edges decorated with cracked columns. Kratos looked around the small platform.
What will you do, father? You can no longer hide behind the skirts of Athena.
Athena is dead because of the rage that consumes you, Kratos. What more will you destroy?
The hands of death could not defeat me. The sisters of fate could not hold me, and YOU will not see the end of this day. I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!
Kratos stood still for a while, the once faded memories returning to him with fresh clarity.
"Brother, are you okay?" Mimir asked.
Kratos shook his head to regain his senses. "I am fine."
He moved his way towards the great palace that stood before him, the Pantheon-style dome cracked and collapsing. The statues of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were tarnished and worn with millennia of neglect. Not even the architecture of Olympus was beyond the grasp of time.
"I would have loved to see this city before...well..." Mimir started.
"You would have not. The gods were manipulative, unstable, insidious, and opportunistic. You would not want to have met them."
"But look at this architecture! What it must have looked like-"
"It was also infested with monsters. You've never met a Centaur, have you?"
"Can't say I have."
"That. Is good."
The two reached the massive doors leading into the Temple's hall. The rusty hinges complained as Kratos opened the hulking doors. Dust and debris fell onto Kratos as stone rubbed against ancient stone. Behind the door lay the great gathering hall, the room where the twelve major gods came together for counsel. Kratos looked to Ares' throne. Swords, torches, and spears decorated its arm and backrests. He walked over and sat down, resting his chin in his hand.
They sat in silence for some time. Mimir waited for a moment, then looked around awkwardly.
"Brother...what are we doing?"
"We are waiting." Said Kratos, shifting in the seat, trying to get comfortable in the very uncomfortable throne.
"Yes, I see that, but...shouldn't we be trying to find Artemis?"
"She will find us. She is the goddess of the hunt. It is only a matter of time."
"So, why here?"
"It is away from the world. No one else will die for my mistakes. Here, the ground may crack, the sky may thunder, but the people below are safe."
"Huh…"
The two once again sat in silence.
"Head."
"What is it, brother?"
"On Xandar, you were unusually fervent in joining in the battle. What has brought about this change?"
"I told you, I'm just excited to fight some villains, that's all."
"You are lying."
"I don't know what-"
"You are not a fighter, head. You never were. There is something wrong."
Mimir sat in contemplation for a moment, then sighed heavily.
"It's just that...as the wisest man in the universe, I seem to have lost my touch."
"How so?"
"When I was vizier to Odin, I was the smartest man out there, you ask something about the 9 realms, I knew the answer! But the universe has grown so much larger and there is so much to learn...I'm getting old, brother...I can't remember anything as well as I used to. Hel, I couldn't even remember there was a sorcerer outpost in New York...I'm washed up. Whether it's the spell that's keeping me alive wearing off or whether I can still age, it doesn't seem to matter. Now, I'm just a head that tells stories no one cares about. It's time for me to die, brother, and I'd rather it be in battle so perhaps my soul might go somewhere nicer than Hel."
Kratos took Mimir from his belt and placed him on the armrest of the throne.
"You are correct." Kratos said.
"Oh, well okay-"
"I am not finished. You are correct. You are old, and slowing in your age...but so am I. My body is not as quick to heal or as fast to move as it once was. There was a time I brought Olympus to its knees. Now, I am not so sure I could do it again. Over the years, you have grown to be my friend, a rare thing for me to admit. There may be wiser and smarter creatures out there, but it was your knowledge that has saved me more times than I can count. If there was anyone I would want to die beside, it would be Mimir the wise."
Mimir's looked away, a small smile forming in the corners of his mouth.
"But the world is not finished with us, yet." Kratos continued. "We must continue to grow old and slow just a little longer. We must defeat Artemis, then continue our quest to defeat Thanos."
"Yeah...alright, let's end this then."
Another moment of awkward silence.
"Uh...how long do you think she'll take to find us?" Mimir asked.
"Hours, weeks, it depends."
"Great, so what are we to do for the next hours...to weeks? I didn't exactly bring a book."
"You could tell me a story."
"Really? You? 'Jock culture' incarnate? Wanting me to tell a story?"
"Unless you would rather sit in silence."
"No, no, no, I'll indulge. Ahem! Let me tell you the one about Mordred, the incestuous traitor! It all began…"
/
The moon sat in the sky, full and bright as Avengers Tower sat quietly in the New York skyline. Clint recently went to bed, the hot evening forcing him to leave his window open. As he slept, a hawk entered his room through the open window. The bird landed and transformed into a woman. She was wearing an ancient Greek chiton, barely covering her body as the warm evening wind carried the fabrics. She looked down at the sleeping mortal, to the bow and arrows by his bed. She gave a little smile. It was always nice to see mortals still appreciating the old ways. She glided to the door, opened it quietly and moved into the halls.
The hallway was silent and dark, aside from the amber glow of the emergency exit signs. She moved her way past each door, reading the names. The Black Widow...The Hulk...odd names...The War Machine...The Ghost of Sparta. She tried the door, which was unlocked and partially open. She opened the door quietly and pulled the knife from her dress. Upon entering the room, she found no one inside. Confused, she walked over to the bed and looked into the opened case. She touched her hands to the case, feeling the dried blood chips and the sweat stains that lined the foam.
"Kratos…"
With a single touch, Artemis knew everything. Everything Kratos had touched, everywhere he'd stepped, everything he did in this room was made clear before her godly vision. He definitely had the armor, the Cestus, and the Blades, and he was running.
"Damn." She whispered, trying to find more evidence of where Kratos went.
"It's a warm night, but damn if you didn't take it a step further," a voice spoke from behind her. With godly reflexes, she turned, pulled the bow from her back, knocked an arrow and took aim.
"Guess they don't sell underwear where you come from, huh?" Hawkeye asked, his bow pulled on Artemis.
"Tell me where the Spartan went, mortal and I will let you keep your shooting fingers and your impudent tongue."
"Guess they don't teach you manners, either," Clint replied.
"Tell me where he went. Now."
"I'll tell you where to stick it instead, how 'bout that?. Now fly your shape-shifting ass out that window and we won't have a problem." Clint pointed to the window across the room.
"You will never fire first, I am the goddess of the hunt. The goddess of archery itself!"
"Doesn't matter. I've got cooler arrows."
Suddenly, a loud high pitched ring filled the room, overwhelming Artemis' enhanced hearing. She dropped the bow and covered her ears. As she did so, Clint shot the screaming arrow at an alarm button, sounding the intruder alert. Artemis recoiled, reformed into a hawk and crashed through the window. Clint knocked another arrow as Thor, clad in a bathrobe, crashed into the room.
"Who was it, Barton!?" Thor asked breathlessly, Mjolnir in hand, his robe tied a little too loosely in his haste to reach the action.
"Not too sure," Barton replied, trying not to look at Thor's poorly-covered extremities, "but I don't think she was here to get autographs."
/
Artemis landed in the nearby park and reformed into her woman form. As she did so, three figures appeared from the darkness of the poorly-lit park.
"Did you find him?" The large figure asked in a deep female voice.
"No, but I have his scent. He can run but he will not be able to hide forever."
"Does he still have the blades?" The male figure asked.
"I imagine so. It makes our quest more difficult, but the half-breed has aged substantially. I could smell it. He can't defeat all of us."
"Don't worry, we will win. I always win. We will have our revenge." Another female voice declared.
"Yes. We will," Artemis replied. She looked to the sky and sniffed the air. "He went northeast and was airborne. He's probably covered some distance by now. Let's move."
/
"Okay, I spy with my little eye, something that is gold," Mimir said.
"That statue," Kratos replied, pointing at the Hermes statue.
"Nope."
"THAT...statue," Kratos said with a hint of frustration as he pointed to the Hades statue.
"You got it."
"Very well...I observe with my weak and pathetic sight, something that belongs in the ocean."
"Come on, that's easy, it's the dolphins on Poseidon's throne."
"You are correct," Kratos said, quickly becoming bored of Mimir's game.
Suddenly the ground shook. Kratos stood from the throne. The dome cracked and crumbled as the foundation shook. A glowing figure crashed through the dome, dressed in full armor, a helmet and carrying a bow and quiver. She landed with a thud, cracking the floor below her.
"Artemis," Kratos called out.
"Traitor," Artemis replied snarkily. "You have picked a fine place for your death. Like father, like son."
"I have picked a place where no one else will die at our expense. This battle is ours alone."
"Is it?" Artemis asked smugly. The doors across the hall smashed open, sending stone and dust across the floor. From the dust appeared an enormous female, clad in heavy black armor and carrying a large frilled mace. Next to her was a smaller male, wearing purely white, heavily decorated armor, carrying a spear and a round hoplite shield. Behind them both was another female, wearing gold armor and wielding a double-handed sword.
"KRATOS!" The large black-armored female screamed. The massive goddess was three times the height of Kratos and twice the width. Each step she took towards him shook the very foundation of the temple.
"Bia." Kratos sighed. Bia, the goddess of force. Always competing with other gods over matters of strength, always the first to fight for Zeus, always the first to crush a village of heretics, always first to hunt down any enemies of Olympus.
"You took everything from me! I was to be the next God of War! You took my title, my position, my reason to exist! For this, you will die!" Bia yelled as she stomped across the hall.
"You were always so important." The white-armored male jeered. "'Ooh, look at me! I'm Kratos! I am prophesied to destroy Olympus! You basked in the spotlight of the attention while we were forced into obscurity, guarding Zeus' throne and doing his dirty work, like a lap dog!'"
Zelus, the god of jealousy and rivalry. Zeus' assassin. He killed dirty and rarely fought one-on-one in open combat.
"You've taken everything from us, Spartan! You killed Athena, my love..." The second female screamed, tears caused by her own words streaming down her face. "But this time, we will win. I will avenge her!"
Nike, the goddess of victory. Her martial skill was strong, but her pure luck in battle had made her arrogant.
"And then what will you do with your victory, Nike?" Kratos asked, "With your revenge complete, what will you make of yourself? You have let this anger fuel you for thousands of years. What else lives inside you?"
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Athena's voice whispered behind Kratos.
"Until you came along, the gods did have a purpose!" Artemis replied, "You took our purpose away when you destroyed Olympus. Our purpose, to rule over mortals, to be their guide! To mold them to our will! Now because of you, they don't fear us. They don't even believe in us! Because of you, Olympus is now just a mountain, and we are just relics of a dead religion."
"Then where were you when Olympus needed you? Perhaps Olympus would stand still, were you all were there to stop me." Kratos took the time talking to let the helmet take down some data on his enemies. Their weak points in their armor, their centers of gravity, the poison on Zelus' spear, the weight of Bia' mace.
"SHUT UP!" Bia roared.
"We were on a mission to save the Loom of Fate from your rampant destruction!" Nike explained.
"We were obeying the will of Zeus, like good sons and daughters, unlike you!" Zelus added.
"Revenge may be the only thing living inside us, but until you are dead, nothing else could." Artemis finished, pulling an arrow from her quiver.
"Then one way or another, I shall relieve you of your burden," Kratos replied, taking the blades from his back, the helmet assessing the threat levels of each opponent.
"Warning, largest target is the biggest threat, recommend avoiding direct combat." The helmet spoke into Kratos' ear.
"Too late," Kratos said to himself.
Bia roared and charged past the other Olympians, side-checking Kratos through the throne, turning it into powder as the two gods blasted through it. Mimir was tossed to the floor as the armrest he was sitting on was obliterated. Kratos, trapped by Bia's arms, continued to be pushed through the walls of the temple. Kratos took his blades and repeatedly stabbed both into Bia's shoulder armor. Bia Screamed, but kept pushing Kratos through wall after wall. Kratos stabbed her neck where the armor was weakest. Bia roared and she let go of him. The two rolled across the floor, then recovered and turned to each other. Bia grabbed her mace and began swinging wildly. Kratos dodged using the repulsors attached to his legs, but the mace hit the cold dull floor of Olympus, sending a shockwave through the air. Kratos was pushed back as the walls around them cracked from the force. He swung his blades at the massive Olympian, taking chunks of her armor away with each swing. Bia and Kratos danced around each other for a time. Kratos dodged Bia's earth-shaking attacks, making small potshots against her while Bia took every hit and kept coming, swinging the man-sized mace more violently with each passing moment.
"Warning, incoming projectiles." The helmet warned.
An arrow hit Kratos in the shoulder. He pulled the arrow from his arm and looked to the hole in the wall. The others had caught up with them. One Olympian is simple work, but four at once?
Zelus and Nike charged Kratos, but just as they were about to engage, Bia's mace slammed into the ground, sending Zelus and Nike into the walls and Kratos breaking through the ceiling into the air. As he was flung upwards, he took a moment to think. His wings activated, allowing him to stay above the battle for a moment.
"Helmet, give me a reason why I should not toss you away," Kratos grunted.
"The large target has poor situational awareness. Recommend using the environment and the targets against each other."
"Grant me access to the weapons systems."
"Yes, sir. Providing you with access to missile pods 1 and 2."
Kratos aimed himself back down to the fight. He propelled himself towards the ground, his blades pointing straight for Bia. Bia looked up, but it was too late. The HUD told Kratos where to aim to hit Bia dead on. Kratos rammed Bia into the ground and drove his blades deep into her Armor. The walls of the temple finally came down as the impact shook the whole mountain. Kratos continued to stab the blades into the Olympian's flesh, Bia's roars echoing across the mountain peaks.
"Warning."
Another arrow hit Kratos in the hamstring, throwing him off balance. Bia pressed the advantage and grabbed Kratos by the neck, lifting him off the ground. Kratos put away a blade and jerked his hand. The Nemean Cestus appeared on his hand in a puff of silver mist. He drove the Cestus into Bia's face, sending her flying through the ruins of the walls and knocking her off the mountain. The walls, having taken enough punishment, began to crumble, sending the roof down on the battle. Kratos shot a missile up at the roof as it fell for him, blowing away the chunks aimed for his head. The other gods weren't as lucky, having several tons of ceiling dropped on them.
"Dispensing anti-pain medication." The helmet announced. Kratos felt the helmet try to pierce his skin with some form of needle, but Kratos rolled his eyes as the needle broke in two on his tough skin. The pain from Artemis' arrow wound bothered him. He took the brief pause as the Olympians crawled their way out of the rubble to do some dynamic stretches. As Nike and Zelus emerged from the rubble, they stopped and stared as Kratos was doing arm circle warmups. They look at each other with confusion, then charged.
Kratos stopped and turned to face the Olympians, activating both Nemean Cestuses. He took aim at the charging enemies and fired 8 missiles. The missiles missed Nike as she dodged, but hit Zelus and Artemis dead on, covering them in a cloud of fire and smoke. Zelus and Artemis were tossed back, allowing Kratos to focus on Nike. Kratos scanned the room for her, but Nike was already on top of him and plunged her sword through Kratos' kidney. Kratos grunted in pain and punched Nike off of him with the Cestus, sending her flying into the air. He got up and began to pull the sword from his abdomen.
/
Mimir lay immobile on the floor, listening to the battle behind him. The ground shook as dust came falling from the temple walls and ceiling. The sound of missiles exploding and metal clanging, stones being crushed and arrows being shot. He had tried to roll himself over, but couldn't get enough momentum to do so.
"Well, the fight is still going on...that's good. Means he's still alive…" Mimir talked to himself, "This floor is kind of cold…"
/
"Warning"
An arrow shot through Kratos' hand as he tried to pull Nike's sword out of his abdomen. He recoiled his hand and tried to pull the arrow out, but before he could, another arrow went through the other hand. He turned to aim more missiles towards Artemis and fired. The rockets shot towards the huntress, forcing her to dodge and retreat. Kratos yanked the arrows out from each hand. Another arrow through his leg. Kratos turned to Artemis, who was darting about the room, barely distracted by the missiles. He took out his blades and activated his wings to charge her. Just as he began to charge, the massive hands of Bia grabbed his wings from behind and threw Kratos across the floor. As he rolled and tumbled towards the edge of the mountain, he launched a blade at Bia, stabbing through her leg and stopping him from falling off the edge. Bia grabbed the chain of the blade, pulled it out of her leg and swung Kratos around the room. She let go and flung Kratos into Zelus, who wasn't expecting Bia to throw anybody at him, let alone the God of Violence himself. Kratos flew into Zelus, sending them both over the edge of the mountain.
"DIe! Die! DIE!" Zelus screamed as he tried to stab his spear into Kratos. Zelus was never a skilled fighter, and it showed as Kratos dodged each stab. Kratos tried to aim Zelus at a cliff edge as they fell through the clouds. Zelus hit the cliff edge, letting go of his spear and cracking his armor on the rocks. The two gods continued to brawl as they fell all the way to the bottom, slamming into the River Styx. Without the gods to keep the river filled with souls, it was just an empty river at the bottom of a mountain. Kratos dragged himself out of the water, but Zelus grabbed his foot from the river and tried to pull him back in. Kratos turned and pulled on Zelus' arm, dragging him out of the river. Zelus tried to bat him off, whimpering and yelling, but Kratos' superior strength granted him the advantage. He took Zelus' head and plunged it into the water. Zelus struggled, bubbles pouring from his submerged mouth, trying in vain to reach behind him. Kratos pulled Zelus out of the water and pulled out a Cestus. Zelus screamed in despair as Kratos began to ram the Cestus into Zelus' face. With each punch, Zelus' screams grew quieter, his face flattening into a pool of blood, splintered bone and brain matter.
Kratos stood up from his work, watching Zelus' body evaporate into a squirming pile of venom and snakes. He let his wings out and flew back to the battle. Just as he reached the peak, Bia's giant hand grabbed him from out of the air and tossed him into the ground. Bia's fist rammed into Kratos' chest plate, driving him deeper into the broken floor. Bia sent another punch towards Kratos' chest, but Kratos blocked the blow, punching Bia's fist with a Cestus. Bia recoiled, clasping her fist in pain. Kratos rose and blocked Nike' blade just as it swung for his head. He shot a missile at Nike, the explosion launching her across the floor. Another arrow hit Kratos' shoulder as Artemis continued to fire from the far end of the room. Kratos aimed another missile, but Bia took Kratos by the arm and tossed him into a toppled column. Kratos got up, grabbed the massive column and threw it like a javelin at Artemis, hitting her in the chest and launching her towards a far-off temple on another part of the mountain. Another attack from Nike. Another swing from Bia's fist. Kratos was keeping up but was making no headway.
He dodged left and right, slowly learning his enemy's moves as they stabbed and danced around each other. Despite Kratos' efforts, his wounds were weighing on him, and Bia did manage to finally grab Kratos from behind and tackle him into a sleeper's hold. Kratos swung the Cestuses behind his head to try and get a hit in on Bia, but Nike took the advantage and stabbed her sword through Kratos' arm, impaling it through into the floor. Kratos roared as he struggled in the two god's unpleasant embrace. Artemis returned to the platform and approached the three wrestling gods. From her quiver, she took out a gold sword handle, glowing with blue energy.
"I...have waited so long for this...putrid half-breed…It's not the Blades of Chaos, but it will do." She said in between breaths. With a flick of her wrist, the gold handle emitted a wave of energy. The energy shot out from the handle and an enormous golden blade appeared from thin air. The blade was almost the length of Artemis herself, decorated with Olympian designs. The blue aura surrounding the blade pulsed and waned with the energy of all the gods of Olympus.
"I saved this just for this moment…do you remember THIS blade, Kratos? You should, you killed yourself with it," Artemis cackled, smiling with glee and madness, "Let me try again for you."
Kratos continued to struggle in Bia and Nike's grasp to no avail as Artemis approached with the ancient Blade of Olympus. The mountain began to crumble and quake underneath the forces of the wrestling gods, sending boulders and dust crashing down the side of Olympus. The floor began to crack and split as Kratos, Nike and Bia pushed in opposite directions, splitting the mountain apart.
"This is for Olympus," Artemis whispered in prayer.
Just as Artemis raised the blade to run Kratos through, a blinding beam of white light shot from the sky. A hooded figure leapt from the beam, running Artemis through with a massive double-handed sword. Artemis recoiled as she lowered her head to look at the blade sticking out of her stomach. The hooded figure put his foot to Artemis' back and pulled the blade from her body. Bia and Nike loosened their grip on Kratos, surprised by the new contender. Kratos heard a deep voice speak to him in the deepest part of his mind.
Let the rage of Eternity fuel your blades, Kratos.
Bia and Nike screamed and scampered away as Kratos became too hot for the two gods to hold. Kratos rose, suddenly numb to his injuries, the floor melting around his feet as he stood up. The rocks around him began to lift off the ground and hover. The clouds began to swirl above him. His eyes glowed a pure white and the Blades of Chaos were wrapped in violet flame. The energy of the cosmos began to engulf Kratos as the veins in his skin started to glow white-hot. Bia and Nike began to back away from the raging warrior standing before them. Artemis turned from her fight with the hooded figure, Blade of Olympus in hand, and charged Kratos. When the two gods clashed, purple flame and blue energy split the clouds above and cracked the mountain below. The onlookers stood back from the heat and energy emitted.
Kratos' blades swung about him in a maelstrom of purple flame. Artemis was a skilled archer, but even with the Blade of Olympus providing her with a boost in power, her swordsmanship quickly proved inferior as Kratos slowly knocked her back.
"Help me, cowards!" Artemis called out as Bia and Nike looked on, watching their master quickly lose to the glowing Spartan. Bia regained her senses and charged towards the fight but stopped in shock as he watched Kratos grab the Blade of Olympus with his bare hands, rip it from Artemis' grasp, pull Artemis by the hair to the ground and begin to saw at her neck with his blades. Artemis screamed wildly as the sword plunged in and out of her neck, slowly severing her head from her body. Her legs and arms seized uncontrollably as her nervous system detached from her spine.
Kratos rose, smothered in blood, from his kill to face Bia. Kratos looked down and picked up the Blade of Olympus. Bia turned to Nike for help, but she was busy fighting the hooded stranger. Bia turned, roared one last desperate roar and charged. Her fist flew with godly force, but Kratos grabbed her fist with his open palm. Bia grunted in pain as Kratos punched upward into her forearm, breaking the bones. He stabbed a blade into her abdomen and used it to climb up to her neck. Bia screamed in pain and tried desperately to reach for Kratos to get the burning blades away from her, but it was too late. Kratos stabbed his blade into Bia's face, slicing it in half. He dropped down from Bia's head, the blade slicing all the way down as he fell. Bia's body stood for a moment once Kratos hit the ground. Her body then flopped in half, shaking the floor when the two massive pieces hit the ground. Her body sat for a moment, then exploded in a mushroom cloud of godly power, shaking the ground and sending more of the mountain falling down through the clouds.
"Athena..."
Nike's last words were soft and whimpering as the hooded figure swung their sword through her neck, cleanly decapitating the Olympian. Kratos returned to normal, the energy that surrounded him fell away as the pain of his injuries returned to his senses. The flames of the Blades of Olympus changed back from purple to red. He scanned the dead gods that surrounded him as he put his blades away. Artemis' body began to evaporate into vines and fruit tree branches, spreading from where she lay. Nike's body exploded in a burst of godly energy, leaving nothing but a burnt shadow on the floor. Kratos limped towards the hooded figure, who was busy wiping his blade on his cloak.
"Who are you?" Kratos asked.
The figure removed his hood. It was a man, his hair caked together in dreadlocks, his beard greying in the corners and his eyes orange and glowing.
"I am Heimdall," The figure stated. "I saw you in need of aid, so I came."
"This battle was not yours to aid," Kratos grumbled.
"You would have lost."
"It does not matter. If death is payment for my sins, then death is what I shall endure."
Heimdall stood and leaned on his sword.
"Spartan, I have seen you do many things. I have seen you kill and destroy. But I have also seen you protect; protect the people in your home, protect the people on Xandar, protect your friends from danger."
"It does not make up for my past deeds."
"Perhaps not, but I was not there to see those past deeds. When Freya was my queen, I obeyed her every whim and did nothing as she set her dogs on you. When she died at the hands of the dark elves, my vows died with her. Whatever man you were before, that man is beyond my sight. I saw your struggle. I came."
"Heimdall!" Mimir called from the distance.
"Mimir?" Heimdall called back, walking off into towards the source of the voice.
"Down here! Heimdall, It's been such a long time!" Mimir's voice came from the distant throne room, Kratos followed behind. The two found Mimir on the floor by the remains of Ares' throne.
"So it has. You seem to have lost some weight…" Heimdall said as he picked up Mimir from the floor.
"Long story. A more important question, what are you doing not guarding the Bifrost?"
Heimdall sighed.
"I was banished from Asgard, for 'negligence of duty'." Heimdall scoffed, handing Mimir over to Kratos. "No doubt the true reason was that I saw past Loki's disguise."
Kratos' eyes went wide with confusion.
"What…?"
"Oh my…" Mimir exclaimed.
"Loki has been disguised as Odin for quite some time, ruling Asgard in his place. I have tried to find the location of Odin, but have had no such luck."
"Loki yet lives?!" Kratos asked urgently.
"Of course."
Kratos looked down to Mimir. Mimir looked up to Kratos.
"What is the matter?" Heimdall asked.
"Take me to Asgard. Now." Kratos ordered.
"Without Hofund," Heimdall explained, "The gates to Asgard are closed to me. There is no way in or out of Asgard unless granted by Loki."
Kratos kicked an upturned piece of the floor in frustration, the stone exploding into dust.
"I must continue my search for Odin and bring order back to Asgard. If you have no further use of my blade?" Heimdall asked.
"No."
"Then I shall take my leave. It was good to see you, Mimir. May we meet next on better terms."
Heimdall looked past Kratos into the distance.
"Tend to your friends, Spartan. They require you." He said, still looking into the distance.
Heimdall looked to the sky, and a beam of white light engulfed him. The light disappeared and Heimdall was nowhere to be seen. Kratos looked up to see a shadow of an Asgardian vessel dart off into the darkness of the blackened sky. Where Heimdall stood, only a burnt circle of nordic patterns marked the ground.
"I wonder how he got to Olympus..." Mimir pondered.
"I do not care."
The ground shook beneath them, interrupting Mimir. Kratos looked around at the ruins of Olympus. The mountain was crumbling and shaking. The temples and palaces were cracked and the floor beneath him was obliterated.
"What now, brother?" Mimir asked.
"Return to Avenger Tower. I made a promise to return," Kratos replied, his eyes darting left and right, deciding his next move. Loki is alive. Asgard is blocked, with no leads on how to get there. The mountain began to lose its integrity. The battle had caused the entire thing to begin to crack and collapse.
"We must leave," Kratos stated, losing his balance on the crumbling mountain.
"I'm with you there," Mimir replied nervously.
Kratos tried to activate his wings, but one wing was bent out of place by Bia's grasp.
"What now?" Mimir asked.
Kratos felt the mountain give way under his feet.
"Hold on," Kratos said just before the floor collapsed beneath them, sending the two, as well as the rest of the disintegrating mountain, crumbling towards the ground thousands of feet below.