Patience was a virtue. It was also unattainable when someone's friend was in trouble. The cousins could wait for Dagur to return, but they grew antsy. The other Berkians accidentally made this worse, all celebrating their victory. Hiccup and Snotlout did not want to celebrate. They wanted to search, but they had no way of doing that. So, they beseeched. And beseeched. It became a type of routine. They would beseech after waking up, before bed, and throughout the day. They never heard a response. Sleuther was becoming depressed. The chimera would barely go far from the hut, always with a dull look in his eyes. Toothless and Hookfang tried to comfort him, but they both knew that the only way to improve his mood required more knowledge than they possessed. So, the friends kept beseeching. Gustav began to join in to help and Spitelout did the same, but nothing changed outside of their group growing.

One day, Hiccup and Snotlout entered the temple they had built. Berkians had been going there, but they were slowly stopping as their prayers went unanswered. It upset the cousins to see, yet they could not blame the others. None of them had a real connection to the war god. Those two were the only ones who were worried. They shivered at the chill inside of the temple. Snotlout unhappily glanced at a torch.

"Maybe a fire would help?" he offered.

Hiccup shrugged, willing to try anything at this point. The warrior lit one of the torches, brightening the dark temple. The duo's eyes brightened as well, like the torch had enough power to make their friend appear. Sadly, it did not. Hiccup was hit with frustration.

"Where are you?" he asked the godless temple. "There's got to be something we can do."

"I don't get it," Snotlout admitted. "Even if it was a setup, how would he be kept away from us?"

"Maybe he was ordered to avoid us."

"He wouldn't care if he was or not."

Hiccup realized that he was right, which only frustrated him more. He had no idea what could be the explanation or solution. All they could do was continue to beseech. They also had no idea what kind of effect they had on the immortal. No matter where a god was, they could sense these prayers. It was usually pleasant to know that they were being thought of, but like this, it was miserable. Each beseeching mortal was a blade in Dagur's head, twisting the weapon to get more attention. The unanswered calls echoed in his mind, becoming even louder than the monsters. He did not know if these were urgent or merely concerned. Either way, he could not respond. Therefore, they continued and made his head feel like it was going to pop.

The only distraction was in the form of the monsters. There were so many. Dagur kicked a titan, knocking it further into the abyss. Then another monster leapt onto his back, biting his shoulder. The war god wanted his hands to be free. If they were, he would have easily disposed of all the other prisoners. Restrained and outnumbered, he was at a terrible disadvantage. Even though the monsters hated one another, they hated the god more. Any Olympian was blamed for them rotting away in Tartarus. Whether Dagur was responsible or not, he would be made to pay for what their enemies had done. Suddenly, there was a reprieve. A small light appeared in the realm and the monsters fled from it. Breathing heavily, Dagur spat out a chunk of flesh he had bitten off one of the creatures. He glanced up to see a familiar face. Astrid was looking down, worry in her eyes.

"I've been talking with Zeus," she said. "He…"

"Thinks I'm a threat."

Reluctantly, Astrid nodded. The blonde's lips pursed when she saw the long scar on the other war god. Judging by how it had not healed, she guessed how it had been made.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Is there anything I can get you? I know Alvin and Viggo will be keeping a close eye on things, but I might be able to sneak something in."

Dagur was quiet, eyes still on the monsters. There was only so long that they would stay back. They were becoming acclimated to the light and gradually creeping closer. A sharp pang from a beseech took his attention, making him close his eyes.

"My friends," he stated. "Can you check on them?"

"I can," Astrid assured him. "Athens seems to be doing well. There was a battle during the trial. They won."

"They're not in danger?"

"I don't think so."

That pang got worse as more mortals beseeched together. Dagur could not fight the monsters and deal with that. He heard different voices in his mind from the mortals. Some were frustrated or stressed. They all were too much. Concerned, Astrid watched him shake his head as if he was shaking out the voices.

"Dagur—"

"Have them stop," he muttered.

"What?"

"Have them stop! I can't take them beseeching me every two seconds while I'm fighting these monsters all day! Didn't they notice I wasn't answering? That wasn't enough of a clue?!"

The redhead's scowl faded, becoming sad. He let out a sigh, seeing another monster creep closer.

"Even if they need me, I can't do anything. Can you tell them that? I didn't forget about them. I just…I can't help right now. They're great heroes. They don't need me anymore anyway."

Astrid regarded the other immortal with sympathy. Nodding, she started to leave.

"You watch out too," Dagur called up. "Al and Viggo aren't done with their plan. You're all still in danger."

The weight of his words was not lost on the goddess.

"They won't get away with this," she stated.

Astrid left the prison just as the monsters prepared to attack again. She did not immediately go to the cousins. Instead, she went back to the king. The goddess of wisdom did not want to push the topic of freeing the war god too much, but she also felt like there had to be something she could do. Stoick saw her, approaching the other immortal.

"Is something wrong, Astrid?" he asked.

"I don't think Dagur's responsible for this."

"There's no proof that he isn't." Stoick gestured outwards. "There have been less attacks since his imprisonment."

"That's probably because the real culprits know that if they stop while Dagur's in Tartarus, you'll think nothing's wrong."

"That's not a compelling argument for him either. I know that while he was free, there was chaos and now, it's calming down."

Stoick saw the blonde's brows furrow in frustration. The king sighed softly.

"Who do you think is responsible then?"

When Astrid got quiet, he frowned.

"I can't do much if you don't tell me." He paused, eyes widening. "You also think it's Alvin and Viggo."

"Alvin's always been a problem. He's power-hungry and Viggo's not any different."

Stoick was quiet this time. Astrid could tell that he did not agree.

"I don't have a way to prove it yet," she admitted. "We just know it's them."

"Who's 'we'?"

"A small group of other immortals."

Astrid did not want to get anyone in trouble. Stoick's frown did not fade.

"I'll look into it," he said.

Despite his words, Astrid did not think he would. Centuries could cloud a mind. Deceptive gods had plenty of time to build a good reputation for themselves that could take just as long to destroy. Knowing there was nothing more to do at the time, Astrid nodded and bid him farewell. Stoick sighed again when he noticed a new god in the area.

"You know she's right, Stoick," Gobber mentioned.

"I don't know that, Gobber," he retorted.

"This is Astrid we're talking about. She wouldn't just say it."

"She wouldn't, but she could be wrong."

"I doubt it. I'm one of the immortals she was talking about who agrees with her."

Stoick crossed his arms. "I figured as much. You've never liked Alvin."

"I don't like how much he tries to use your friendship to get what he wants."

"I'm not being manipulated."

Gobber regarded him dubiously. This irritated Stoick, but he had nothing more to say. The king was stubborn and would learn on his own. Astrid would have to find another way to get the god out. She had another stop to go to before the cousins. She went to her allies, finding them gathered. They all had been anxious ever since the sentencing. Fishlegs was wringing his hands nervously. When he spotted Astrid, relief only briefly showed on his face.

"Astrid! We were getting worried."

Tuffnut nodded. "Especially Fishlegs. He won't stop pacing."

"How are none of you freaking out? Dagur was sent to Tartarus."

He whispered the last word like saying it louder would magically send him there too.

"I know, Fishlegs," Astrid said. "That doesn't change what we have to do. Alvin and Viggo are still out there and they won't stop. Now more than ever, they'll think they can get away with anything."

"They're not wrong," Ruffnut remarked, looking glum.

"But they can't do much," Heather offered. "Not without making it obvious that Dagur's not the problem."

"We shouldn't underestimate them," Astrid commented. "They're laying low right now, but they still could have plans that we haven't even thought of yet."

"So, what do we do?"

Everyone looked at the strategy goddess for the answer. She wished she had it. Astrid had little more to offer than for them to remain vigilant and careful—the same advice anyone could have given them. Maybe this was all getting to her more than she realized. Atali seemed to notice and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We can do our part to help the cousins if they get targeted again," she volunteered. "After everything they've done for us and Greece, this is the least we could do."

Agreement went around the area and Astrid smiled slightly. She still wanted a real solution, but for then, it was nice to know that there was a team to help. Their enemies had not won. They would not either. As long as at least one hero or honorable immortal remained in Greece, they would not be victorious. Taking a deep breath, Astrid straightened her back.

"That's good to know. I'll tell them when I go there."

"You're going there?" Tuffnut asked. Realization dawned on him and he cringed. "They still don't know?"

"No, they don't."

"Wouldn't want to be you."

Astrid frowned and Ruffnut elbowed him.

"Wouldn't want to be them either," she pointed out. "They're the ones who have a friend in Tartarus."

"Good point. Wouldn't want to be any of you."

"Thank you both," Astrid snarked. "I feel a lot better now."

They grinned brightly. "Happy to help."

Astrid's frown remained and she began to leave, but Heather stopped her.

"You don't have to do it alone."

"Thanks, but…I'd rather do it this way."

Nodding, Heather stepped back and Astrid left. She returned to Athens, finding the heroes in the temple. A few other Berkians were there too. There were less than before, but anyone was deemed helpful by the cousins. The sight caused her mouth to curve down. They noticed her presence and turned to her. Outside of the heroes, everyone else bowed.

"I need to speak with you two," she stated.

Quickly, the rest of the mortals left. Hiccup and Snotlout looked at the goddess with pleading eyes. She knew something was wrong with her when that made her sad.

"You need to stop beseeching Dagur."

"What?" Hiccup asked, eyes widening. "Is that part of the punishment? We're not allowed to talk to him anymore?"

"No."

"Then wha—"

"He's in Tartarus."

The cousins went silent. Their blood ran cold.

"H-he's where?" Snotlout asked.

"Tartarus. It's a punishment for anyone who opposes the gods of Olympus."

"But he didn't!"

"I know that, but Zeus and Hera don't."

"Then you have to convince them or we could. There's got to be some way to make them see that Dagur's not the problem. He wouldn't have done all this if he wanted to hurt Greece."

Hiccup's head was lowered and he began to scowl. "How long?" he asked, looking up. "What's the length of the sentence?"

"That wasn't determined."

"So, he just got imprisoned for however long it takes Zeus to realize that he's innocent?"

Astrid nodded her head and the boy let out a grunt.

"Why can't we beseech him?" Snotlout inquired. "At least this way, he'll know we're still thinking about him."

"It's distracting when you're being beseeched. He needs to focus right now."

"On what?"

Astrid got quiet again and Hiccup felt dread in his core. He thought over her words more deeply.

"Wait, you said that anyone who opposes Olympus goes there. Who's he imprisoned with?"

"It's better if you don't know."

"Astrid, please. He's our friend. We need to know, so we can get him out."

"You can't get him out. No mortal has ever been able to free someone from Tartarus."

"Talk to him then. I'm sure he's got some unconventional plan that could do it."

"I did talk to him."

"What did he say?"

"That you have to stop calling him."

The Berkians looked hurt and Astrid regretted her words.

"It's not easy for him, Hiccup. He wants to be able to answer, but…" She sighed heavily. "He's there with monsters. The more you distract him, the more of an advantage you give them over him. He's already outnumbered." She started turning away. "Knowing any more than this would only make it worse for you. There's nothing you can do right now. The other gods and I will do our part to protect you when Alvin and Viggo's plots start up again. That's all I can offer you."

Astrid began to vanish, but not before seeing the determined flash in the boys' eyes. When she was gone, the area was quiet for a moment.

"Monsters," Hiccup remarked bitterly. "They locked him away like he was one of them."

"Too bad for them that we've got the upper hand."

Hiccup regarded his cousin in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If no mortal's ever been part of an escape from Tartarus," Snotlout said, eyes filled with fury, "they'll never see us coming."

Time for some Athena facts! She's the goddess of war, wisdom/practical reason, and handicraft. This last part is very layered like weaving, tools, sewing, etc. She's an artsy goddess which is a fun aspect you don't see enough of in my opinion. She's also a symbol of democracy and freedom. In fact, her city, Athens, is credited with having the first democracy. There are multiple versions of her birth (shocker, I know). The main one you'll see is that she sprang out of Zeus's head fully adorned in armor. He just had a migraine one day and then, boom, he's a dad again. Another version which slightly makes more sense is that she had a mom, an Oceanid named Metis. She and Zeus were together (normally consensually with her being his first wife, but that also depends on the version) and Zeus heard about a prophecy that struck too close to home. According to that, his child was going to overthrow him. Considering how he did that to his dad after a similar prophecy was given, he wasn't risking it. So, he ate the mom and Athena still popped out of his head later when she got bigger. She won a competition against Poseidon to have Athens, called Cecropia at the time, by offering them an olive tree which provided food, wood, and oil. Poseidon tried to give them salt water to use as a trade, but they didn't want that. In this version of the myth, that creepy son of his that I mentioned last chapter was just a really bad lumberjack. He was sent to chop down this tree and failed so spectacularly that he actually killed himself in the process. I still don't really know how. Mad and embarrassed, Poseidon blamed Ares and Athena still set up the first trial.