On Characters

Since I started really developing my characters, I've stopped being lonely (though I wasn't very lonely before).

Because y'see, when your characters have become real, when you know them well, they come alive.

Not quite literally, but just as well as. I have a posse of several who hang around me: Rayle, Loki, Kos, Leif, Shalizar. Occasionally Hela, Truman, and others pop up for a moment. They talk to me, and I talk back. Loki offers snarky commentary on life. Leif hangs around and ridicules me. Rayle attempts to break the fourth wall and steal things from me.

They aren't really there, I know, but if I look hard enough, I can see them. I know them inside and out, and I know that in a particular situation they would be standing there and looking like so and when I talk to them, I know them well enough to know their response so that they can talk to me.

Maybe because it's also that every one of them has a piece of me at their core. Kos is my quiet, capable side. Loki is my snarky devil-may-care side. Rayle is my kleptomaniacal side (I steal things of no value from my family constantly, and I've actually forgotten I was holding things and walked out of stores with them. o.O). Shalizar is my apathetic who-cares side. I know me, and I know them.

It's not quite the same as having real friends.

But there's something magical about talking to them.

And have a dose of writing.

ASGARD AND OLYMPUS, CHAPTER THREE

The rest of the Æsir clear out, presumably to get ready for their turn on the battlefield. Hela notices a lot of Valkyries saddling their horses to follow Odin (it is a Valkyrie’s job to bring fallen warriors back to Valhalla, so they have to be on hand for a battle).

She idly (and not a little morbidly) considers what might happen to one of the Æsir, should they die in battle. Will they be taken by the Valkyries back to Valhalla to fight every day and drink themselves silly every night until Ragnarok, the end of the world? Or will they be left to wander in Helheim, her own realm, until the same date?

Neither fate seems particularly fitting for an Ás, and Hela decides that this line of thinking is entirely too morbid for a fine summer afternoon like this one. In an effort to make conversation with the Olympian still standing beside her, she says the first thing that comes into her head.

“The Æsir are eager to show the Olympians what real warriors are like…”

Hela feels this comment is random and yet relevant at the same time, and wishes she could turn back time to make a more intelligent comment that’s all the way relevant without the additional randomness.

Abderus grimaces. “They can’t win whatever battle they’re fighting if they’re too busy showing off.”

Hela nods. This threat (and what an abstract thing to call it; the name implies something so vague, so unknown, it hardly inspires fear or a desire to act) is likely more serious than the Æsir think it will be, judging from Thor’s over-eager expression and Odin’s speech.

Ares storms past them from out of the forest, muttering to himself. Hela catches a few scattered words: “Bloody Æsir…leaving me behind…how do you work a rainbow anyways…” and has to smother a giggle. Abderus (miraculously) to keep a straight face, and the minute Ares has absorbed himself yelling at Heimdallr the Gatekeeper, Hela lets herself laugh.

(Nobody is taking this seriously enough, not even her.)

-------------------------

“Ten pounds of silver says Ares comes back with more injuries from Thor than from dragons,” Loki says with a grin.

“Ah ah ah. Ten pounds says Thor comes back with more injuries from Ares!” Hermes grins back, flipping a silver coin into the air.

“You’re betting over this?” Hela sighs.

They ignore her. “Not a chance, Featherfoot. Ares won’t be able to touch Thor.”

“I had no idea you had such a high opinion of Thor and his prowess!”

“More like a healthy respect based on all the times he’s clocked me.” Loki smirks.

“I smell a story, probably ending in you getting the short end of the stick.”

“I hate to brag…but I do believe I’ve gotten into more disagreements with Thor than the rest of the Æsir combined.”

Oh, Ás. Hela brings her palm to her face. (She really should have expected this sort of thing, but it’s still ridiculous.) Really, nobody is taking these battles seriously, at all.

“I’ll be out with Jormungand, Father,” she says over their argument (she’s no longer really listening but she thinks Hermes is trying to make a case for Freya having quite a few disagreements with Thor under her belt).

Loki glances at her from his seat on a bench against the wall. Hermes is sitting on a stool about a foot away from him, playing with coins. “You need to tell me where you’re going all the time? That’s new.”

She rolls her eyes; technically yes, he’s right, she’s centuries old and she no longer needs her dad’s permission to go somewhere, but… “I was under the impression it’s polite to keep your host informed of where their guest is. But of course I could stop.” Hela shrugs.

“You do as you like, your Majesty,” Loki grins.

“Oh, stop it. You have got to be the most…” She’s not sure which adjective to use to describe Loki. Infuriating? Immature?

He answers her before she can decide. “God of Mischief, Hela. See you later.”

“See you.” She pauses at the door and says, “I bet you both twenty pounds of silver they come home equally injured.”

Hela hears fresh debate over this break out as she leaves and tries not to sigh. Trickster gods.

----------------------------

Thor trounced the Jotuns in Midgard, easily. There are still unexplained scorch marks in Russia from when Thor used Mjollnir to call down lightning and incinerate the bodies. The god of thunder fought alone on Midgard, while the rest of the Æsir scattered in groups of four or five across the Nine Worlds to root out the groups of monsters. Heimdallr finally relented and allowed Ares to take the Bifrost to join Thor. Ares came back with a broken arm and a myriad of bruises, Thor with a gash in his side and random cuts and bruises. Hela collected her dues from Loki and Hermes with a slightly smug, “I told you so,” and left them to bother Ares and Thor about where exactly they got those injuries.

Now she hovers in the corner of Gladsheim as Æsir file in and take seats on the benches against the wall. Odin himself is back, reclining in his throne, with Hermes standing next to him. She notes that less than half of the normal council are here; she sees that silent, strong Vidur is missing; bright Freyr of the field; and Ullr and Ali the archers. Heimdallr, Thor, Tyr, Njord, Baldur, Forseti, Bragi, and Odur remain, as well as, of course, the Allfather.

Loki saunters in fashionably late just as Odin begins talking.

“Heil, blood brother,” he says to Odin as he takes a seat next to Thor. The thunder god glares at him (Thor hasn’t quite forgiven him for the snide comments on having no self-control and for the teasing about having turned on a teammate, Ares).

Loki grins at Thor and turns his gaze on Odin, who sighs. “Greetings, blood brother. If we are all assembled now…let us begin,” the Allfather says.

A collective nod from the Æsir. Hela leans against the wall in the corner, playing with one of the brooches fastening her dress.

“This is more serious than a simple strike from the monsters,” Odin begins. “The Jotuns on Midgard were a distraction, keeping Thor from joining the rest of us in what we assumed would be a simple battle. We have lost my sons Vidur, Ullr, Ali, and Freyr.” He pauses, and the Æsir lower their heads in a moment of respect for those fallen. Hela wonders if they are dead or only-- “They were only captured,” the Allfather continues.

“Who’s behind it all?” Loki interrupts. “We all love the sound of your voice, brother, but cut to the point.”

Odin shoots him a glare, as do most of the rest of the Æsir, and Hela struggles to hide a laugh. Hermes turns to the side, hiding his face. “I don’t know,” Odin admits. “But these aren’t random attacks. This was a carefully orchestrated plan… a plan to take our next strongest after Thor, Vidur; and the others. They’re weakening us.” He gives Thor a pointed glance. “And fighting amongst our allies, the Olympians, is not helpful.”

Thor protests at once. “Ares is a cocky braggart! He deserved every hammer blow!”

“You were saying about those injuries being from dragons?” Loki smirks.

Oh, Ás, this meeting is not going to end well. Hela turns her face to the wall to hide her inadvertent grin.

“I did not say my injuries were inflicted by Ares,” Thor grumps.

“Oh, and you expect us to believe Ares let you hammer him without fighting back.”

Forseti breaks in before they go any farther. “Let us not dwell on past mistakes, Loki, Thor. Not in the middle of what appears to be shaping up to be a war.”

Loki subsides into silence at once, with a smirk. He won’t push this, not when there are bigger sarcastic comments to make.

“…Yes. As I was saying, this was a planned attack. We must work together,” Odin says. His one eye glints dangerously, as if daring the Æsir to refuse to be polite to the Olympians. “We will continue to squash threats as they come up. Be on your guard; after this battle, we know they are trying to take gods captive.”

Hela knows the Æsir will have little more patience for a longer speech, and that Odin is more or less finished. She turns towards the door and sneaks out as Loki drawls, “So what about the losses of the Olympians?”

She turns to circle the hall and go around the door and sees a pair of curly-haired, toga-clad teens listening at a window.
Autolycus and Abderus.

Hela can’t help but laugh at them. After all, Odin would let them in if they wanted to listen without subterfuge; it’s not as if this is a meeting full of secret plans. If it were they wouldn’t be able to listen at all.

Abderus whirls guiltily. His brother turns at a more leisurely pace and grins at her. “Hello there, Hela.”

“You don’t have to sneak around if you want to see what’s happening,” she says, tilting her head with a smile.

“Ah…we don’t?” Abderus looks guilty and rather annoyed at this piece of news.

“You think Odin would make it possible for a pair of Olympian teens to listen at his windows if he cared whether they heard?”

“He doesn’t like us very much, though,” Autolycus says lamely. Hela decides that it was his idea to listen at the window; he seems the type to engage in such pursuits. His brother is much more honest.

She shrugs. “He doesn’t like me either.” He killed my mother, imprisoned my brothers; the only reason I am not still a captive in Asgard was because becoming queen of the dead was seen as a punishment, an exile, rather than a reward and an honor…

Typically when she tells some poor fool fragments of her tragic past (though does ‘he doesn’t like me either’ count as a fragment of a past?), the poor fool says, “Oh, that’s too bad…I’m sorry” and sometimes inquires further.

Abderus looks vaguely uncomfortable. Autolycus doesn’t apologize or inquire further. Instead he flashes her a grin the size of Yggdrasil. “I like you.”

Hela is taken aback. “Um…thank you.” (It’d be lying to say she likes Autolycus; she barely knows him and besides, he’s an Olympian and one of the five people who wrecked her happy visit to Asgard.)

“You’re different,” he goes on. “Most of the Æsir would probably agree and shoot me a glare that said they don’t like me either.”

“Well, you have been stealing random things from random people,” Abderus mutters.

“Have not. The items stolen weren’t random at all,” Autolycus protests.

“…What did you take?” Hela asks, out of horrified curiosity and a fear for Autolycus’ life.

“Oh, just daggers and jewelry and stuff. Freya had a really pretty necklace but she keeps too close an eye on it; keeps reaching up to touch it.” Autolycus shrugs with a cocky smirk on his face. “Does it matter?”

“If you like your head where it belongs,” Hela says.

Autolycus pauses, eyeing her as if wondering if she’s serious or not. “You’re…”

“Quite serious,” Hela says.

“Well…” Autolycus looks down. “You Norse are freakin’ insane. Who kills people over a few trinkets!?”

Abderus laughs, seemingly despite himself. “The Norse, of course.” Hela giggles at the inadvertent rhyme. “And stealing is probably not the best thing to do when you’re a guest.”

“Well, no,” Autolycus concedes. “All right. I suppose I’ll return all the stuff. I didn’t really mean to keep it anyways.”

“Of course you didn’t, brother,” Abderus says. Hela turns to go, not interested in watching them be brotherly friends. She has better things to do, and sometimes she really doesn’t want to see others be such close friends because she really has no friends at all.

She makes it a few feet away before she hears footsteps behind her and then Abderus’ voice, saying, “Hela, would you introduce me to your brothers? I have not officially met them yet.”

Hela turns around, looking at him with disbelief. He really wants me to introduce him to people? Or is he just being polite? From what she’s seen of Abderus, the two options seem equally likely. “Fen won’t appreciate seeing you.”

“Um.” Abderus looks slightly uncomfortable. “Yeah, about him. I met him and he nearly chewed my face off. Admittedly he was a wolf at the time, but…I think we’ve met.”

Oh. Well. That would certainly put a damper on a relationship. “So… Jormungand…” Come to think of it, where was Jorgi…

He nods. Hela decides she has nothing better to do. “Okay.”

Beautiful People - Hela and Abderus

Basically, Beautiful People is a blog that posts ten questions for people to answer about their characters every month, found here. I decided to try it out, maybe do it for some of my charries. (Also, this gives me something to fill in the weeks I may not have a chapter for you guys. XD)

So here we are with Hela Lokidottir and Abderus from Asgard and Olympus. Usually these questions are only for one character, but since the questionnaire I chose to start with was the one-year edition of Beautiful People, this one asks you to use two characters and includes five extras on the relationship between the two characters you chose. Without further ado, let us begin.

1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Hela: How about the existence of nine separate worlds, magic, dwarves, elves, and…someone like me. -lowers gaze self-consciously-
Abderus: We’re considered to be the impossible…so…I believe that answers the question.
(Hela's left half is black, blue, and dead, and the two of them are more or less demigods, which explains their odd answer.)

2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Hela: I’m not the type to refuse help if I need it… -not sure how to answer this question without seeming vain-
Abderus: She’s strong. If she’s ever in distress she does her best to fix it herself before she allows someone else to help her.
Hela: He’s the exact same way. Let’s move on.

3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)
Hela: No, I don’t.
Abderus: I don't think I would tell this random person asking the questions if I did have a place.

4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Hela: I am the Queen of the Norse Dead. -sigh-
Abderus: Getting killed in the climax of the story kind of kills dreams. Previously I was the companion of Heracles, though.

5. Describe their current place of residence.
Hela: I’m currently staying in Asgard, visiting my father and brothers. =)
Abderus: Same, only I came with my father to deliver a message.

6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
Me: They had to save the world; by the end of it Hela was even more quiet than previously, though more confident in her abilities. And Abderus was dead.

7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
Hela: Drive…a car? O.o I have no need for a car…
Abderus: I haven’t been keeping up too much with Earth technology…a fast car, maybe.

8. How do they deal with change?
Hela: I dislike change and unexpected conflict, but if I must deal with it, I choose the quickest and easiest path to make the change a comfortable one.
Abderus: I roll with whatever has been thrown at me.

9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Hela: My dead left leg; I have gotten along well enough with a limp for centuries, it wouldn’t be so difficult to adjust to a prosthetic leg or cane.
Abderus: That’s tough. I think I’d choose something relatively minor, such as … Uh. I could handle losing a hand, maybe. Or a foot? It depends on how well they could fix me up afterwards…

10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Hela: Hot chocolate, although I would likely let it cool before drinking; my Jotun blood won’t let me drink it any hotter.
Abderus: Uh…coffee is coffee, right? o.0

The extra questions:
1. How did they meet?
Hela: I bumped into him my first day back in Asgard.
Abderus: And I asked if she was all right.

2. How do these two deal with conflict?
Hela: I’m flexible. I’m a daughter of Loki. I am the Queen of the Unchanging Dead. I find the best way to deal with it and do it. The important thing is that the conflict vanishes.
Abderus: Uh…I let myself panic a little and then I just go with the flow, more or less…

3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?
Hela: …No…to all of them. For both of us.

4. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Abderus: Not get killed. -apologetic grin-
Hela; He died before there was a lot of time for leisure…

5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words, or less.
A borderline romance.

Asgard and Olympus - Chapter Two

Amazing, a Saturday update. 8D

Asgard and Olympus, chapter two
Wordcount: 2,836 (because I felt the need to share that.)

Hela finds Aphrodite lurking around the trees that shield Loki’s hall from the rest of Asgard. Or she assumes the curvy, fair-haired woman in the rather revealing Grecian dress is Aphrodite. “Heil,” she says politely. (As much as she dislikes goddesses of Aphrodite’s type--and no, she is definitely not thinking of Freya right now--Aphrodite is a guest and Hela will be polite.)

Aphrodite blinks at the Nordic greeting. “Hello,” she says. Hela nods in greeting and turns right, intending to go look for her brother Fenris.

Aphrodite gives a pretty little gasp. “Euuuuw! Your face!”

The polite smile on Hela’s face stiffens and nearly falls; she only just manages to keep it on her face. (You would think after thousands of years of this she would be used to it, but it still hurts.) “I know.” She shakes long black hair over that half of her face, hating the loss of vision, the way it tickles her nose and gets in the way. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

The goddess of love shakes her head. Hela walks past her, ignoring the mortified expression, and sets her mind on looking for Fen.

It’s official; she really doesn’t appreciate Grecian deities showing up in Asgard unexpectedly. Óðins skegg, Loki should have warned her!

The forest ends, giving way to the ostentatious golden halls of the Æsir. She sees various familiar faces in the people: there’s Thor and Sif, Skadi arguing with Njord, Idun quietly handing out apples, and…

Oh, Ás. Fenris arguing with Tyr the Warrior. Hela increases her pace, limping slightly on her bad leg, and pushes past various Æsir to get to the two facing off in the middle of Ida’s Plain.

“Your confinement in Asgard was not my decision, Fenris,” Tyr says, looking down at the boy in front of him (for though Fenris is ancient by human standards, he’s only a boy by Æsir standards).

“I know that,” Fen snaps. “But Odin would listen to you over me--”

“If you want something done, Fenris, I suggest you take it up with Odin yourself. I am done here. Do not begin this argument again or I will be forced to take action against you.” Tyr turns on his heel and strides away, back into Asgard.

So Fenris still hasn’t learned to stop picking fights and arguments. Hela sighs and crosses the remaining distance to her brother, laying her right hand on his shoulder. “Fen?”

He whirls angrily, light blue cape swirling. She takes a step back; when Fen’s angry he doesn’t think about who he’s lashing out at, and a brawl is really the last thing she wants right now (not to mention Odin won’t exactly be happy if she and Fen trash the meadow directly in front of his doorstep). He relaxes when he sees her, though, and says, “Hei, Hela.”

A thousand things she could say after a few centuries apart…and the first thing that comes out of her mouth is, “You need to stop picking fights, especially with Tyr.”

He shrugs, arrogant as always. “Asgard’s gotten dull. There’s nothing else to do--and Odin still insists on keeping me and Jormungand confined here.” Fen looks her up and down. “You haven’t changed a bit, Hela.” Something in his gaze says, Still the lucky one, the one who got to leave…

She returns the gaze. He still keeps his hair cropped just below his ears, with one long shock over one eye; still wears that ostentatious fur-hemmed blue cape and the golden armbands with the rune Fehu on them…not all that out of place among Asgard, but compared to the simple commoner’s dress that Hela, Jormungand, and Loki dress in, it’s…a statement.

“You haven’t either.” She’s not sure it’s a good thing that he’s still the same old hot-tempered, rebellious Fenris.

Another shrug from Fenris. “I take it you’ve met the resident Olympians.”

“They’re staying here!?” Why did no one ever tell her anything?

“Yeah.” He laughs. “They’re going to be here for quite a while if Odin agrees to the alliance. If there’s a threat the Æsir should be able to deal with it themselves,” he adds, almost sounding reluctant to admit the competency of the Æsir but still managing to add derision to the sentence. “And the Olympians likewise.”

“Is there anything else related to the Olympians I should know that nobody bothered to tell me?” Hela sighs.

“I don’t know. What have people told you?”

She rattles off her knowledge, scant as it is. “Hermes came with Ares and Aphrodite,” (she winces at that name), “to deliver a message to Odin about an alliance.”

“Then people forgot to tell you that Hermes brought his two sons.”

Absolutely fantastic. More Olympians.

Hela sighs and nods, brushing her coarse black hair behind her left ear. “Thakka, Fen. You’re sure that’s all?”

“Absolutely positive.” Fen would never admit it, but on rare occasions he grins just like Loki.

“They told me I could find Hermes with Loki, and they said you two would know where to find Loki if anyone,” a voice drawls from behind Hela, a voice she’s never heard before.

As it’s male and not Hermes’ or Ares’ voice, she figures it must be one of Hermes’ sons (unless there are other strangers in Asgard that people have also neglected to tell her about) as she turns around to look at him.

Curly dark-brown hair in an unruly mess, round nose, eyes full of mischief, the slouching demigod in front of her looks exactly like a teenaged Hermes.

“If Loki doesn’t want to be found, not even his children can find him,” she replies.

He straightens. “You’re Loki’s children?”

Fen growls quietly. (Hela remembers that Fen has never liked being tagged as Loki’s son, and winces inwardly.) “Yes. We are. My name is Fenris; that is my sister Hela.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Autolycus.” Autolycus nods at Fenris.

What a strange name, Hela thinks. “Why are you looking for Loki?”

“They said that he would know where to find Hermes. Geez, do the Æsir ever just give a straight answer, instead of always passing a guy to other people?”

She cocks her head at his odd accent even as Fen snarls, “We are not of the Æsir.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Autolycus says. “You sure look Æsir. So you don’t know where to find Loki or Hermes?”

“Technically, we are three-quarters Jotun and one-quarter elf,” Hela says, just to set the record straight, “but our father was adopted into the Æsir and so…we have a place in Asgard.”

“Jotun; you mean the frost giants? Nice.” Autolycus talks fast, nodding a lot. He hasn’t said a thing about Hela’s dead side, and she wonders why. (She’s not complaining, of course; after Aphrodite she’s happy to find someone who doesn’t seem to care.)

“I have business elsewhere,” Fen says, turning to vanish into the crowd of Æsir walking across Ida’s Plain.

She knows he means ‘I have no more patience for this fool’s jabbering’ and sighs. At least he didn’t say that outright. And without Fen to interject things for her to smooth out, she has no idea what to say to an Olympian.

“Huh. What’s up with him?” Autolycus asks.

“It’s…complicated.” Hela doesn’t feel like explaining about frost giants and ancient battles and most of all, Loki. “You--you wanted to find Loki?”

“Well, Hermes, but the sea god told me that Loki would know where to find him.”

She nods. “Alright…um, I last saw Hermes at Loki’s hall in the forest that way--” she points behind her.

Autolycus leans to the side to look around her in the direction she’s pointing. “That way, huh? Okay. I’ll see you later, then.” He saunters off, hands tucked into his belt.

One more unexpected visit from an Olympian and I think I’ll just go back and hide in Loki’s hall for a while… She sighs for what feels like the hundredth time and decides to go on her own quest to find Loki; maybe she’ll also find Jorgi on her way, and then she’ll have seen everyone she meant to see on her first day back at Asgard and she can withdraw from the crowd and relax and stop worrying about unfamiliar people like Aphrodite.

Hela makes her way in the approximate direction Loki’s back door faces, which is more or less the same way Fen and Autolycus went. (She assumes Loki at least started out in that direction, though he’s probably halfway across Asgard by now). Wrapped up in her own thoughts of surprises and random Olympians and what she needs to do before she can call it a day, she forgets to watch where she’s going and slams into someone.

Oops.

She desperately hopes she hasn’t run into an Ás who will take offense (Thor and Skadi spring to mind) as she stumbles backwards and looks up.

“Are you all right? My apologies!” he says anxiously.

Óðins skegg, it’s another teen in a toga. She blinks, shakes her head. “It’s fine--I assume you are Autolycus’ brother?”

He’s gaping at her. She sighs and runs her dead hand through the left side of her hair--does she need to explain her condition? But he’s polite; he shuts his mouth quickly and meets her gaze (probably just trying to keep his gaze off her dead skin) nods. “Yes, I’m Abderus. Autolycus is my half brother.”

She nods back, dropping her hand. “Um. Apologies for running into you…I’ll be on my way now.”

He gives another nod (people seem to be nodding a lot lately, more than usual) and steps to the side to allow her to pass.

A very loud Nordic curse makes Hela jump as Odin, in full battle armor, helmet covering his long gray hair, cuts through the crowd of wandering Æsir with Hermes trying to keep up. The Æsir part before the two as they pass right by Abderus and Hela.

Odin stops right in front of his son Thor, who looks up from where he has been chatting with Sif. “My father! You seem in a foul mood,” Thor declares. (Thor always has been good at stating the obvious.)

Two large ravens glide through the air, settling on Odin’s shoulders. “Thor, there are Jotuns loose on Midgard. Dragons have managed to break through to Yggdrasil and from there, Alfheim. There has been an outbreak of monsters across the Nine Worlds.” He turns to the crowd. “Warriors of Asgard! Ready your shields, your swords! The threat that Zeus pleaded for aid with is upon us!”

Abderus mutters something that sounds like, “Zeus doesn’t plead.” Hela ignores him, trying to piece together exactly what Odin is saying.

Odin spreads his arms, an impressive figure with his two ravens still on his shoulders. “The Olympians have asked for our help in this matter. Do we agree to give it?”

The Æsir are drawing weapons left and right, only a few of them without weapons altogether. Plenty of the Asynjur the female Æsir, draw knives and swords and various other weapons as well; even prissy Freya looks ready to outfit her cat-drawn chariot for war.

Thor hefts Mjollnir in his hand, a wickedly determined grin on his face. “Shalt we remind these frost giants why they have stayed in Jotunheim these past centuries!?”

“I see why Zeus calls your people barbaric,” Abderus mutters.

“We’re not barbaric, we’re warriors,” Hela hisses, not noticing that she’s referring to the Æsir as her people. (Odd, as usually she denies having any true connection to the Æsir.)

He shrugs as if he doesn’t see much of a difference. Hugin and Munin, Odin’s ravens, take flight and the Allfather turns towards the Bifrost, the bridge between worlds. Odin leads at least half of the Æsir, the ones perpetually ready for battle at a moment’s notice. Thor whirls Mjollnir above his head, and lightning crackles in the sky. Thor is too powerful to use the Bifrost, for fear of breaking the delicate rainbow bridge, so he always takes an alternate route over the mountains of Jotunheim.

Hela shakes her head as she takes a step backwards. Odin’s just declared war on a moment’s notice and the Æsir respond enthusiastically… she’s not sure this is the wisest course of action. Of course Hugin and Munin have informed Odin of what’s going on…but she still feels that there should be some sort of reconnaissance before the Æsir dive headlong into battle…

“The Olympians will fight as well, won’t they?” she asks Abderus in a low voice.

“Of course they will,” Abderus says flatly.

Hela cocks her head, wonders if he shares her misgivings.

The Æsir and the Olympians on a battlefield together…when they haven’t been friends or even allies in thousands of years…

No, this is probably not the greatest idea ever…

Ehehehe. Wrote this at ten at night, so it's probably not my most polished work. xP And I hope the random Nordic exclamations didn't bother you too much...

Asgard and Olympus, Chapter One

...Whoops, again. Bad Quill.

So this may turn into a Sunday-updating blog. Or you could just check back every Monday and find that I've updated on one of the weekend days.

Have a first chapter.

ASGARD AND OLYMPUS

CHAPTER ONE

 Everyone knows that the Æsir and the Olympians, while not openly hostile to each other, are not friends. (Humans are excepted from this figure, of course; they barely know what’s going on around the other side of their little world, let around what goes on across the Nine Worlds.)

That is why Hela Lokidöttir (otherwise known as Half-Born Hel, Hela Half-Rotted, or Queen of the Norse Dead) is currently standing in her father Loki’s house, staring at Hermes with a mixture of surprise and confusing and wondering why in the Nine worlds the Greek messenger god is here in Asgard.
Asgard. As in, home of the Norse gods, the Æsir. It’s a wonder Thor hasn’t decided to take offense at Hermes’ intrusion with his hammer Mjollnir.

“Are you finished staring?” Hermes asks.

As if he didn’t do a double take when he saw Hela’s…condition. (Hela Half-Rotted isn’t just a name; the entire left half of Hela’s body is cold, blue and black; dead.) “Yes, quite finished. What are you here for?” 

“I’m Zeus’ messenger. You get three guesses.”

Oh for the love of Odin. He’s as bad as Loki. “Who’s the recipient of this message?” she asks. Normally she isn’t this blunt, but really, this visit to Asgard was supposed to be just a simple break from Helheim and the dead, a time to see her father and brothers, and now here are Greek gods running around and complicating things. (Hela is not fond of unexpected complications; she prefers not to have to deal with them.)

Yes, gods, because apparently Hermes broguht the god of war and the goddess of love along. Ares and Aphrodite. (And Thor is really showing restraint about the whole thing; under normal circumstances he’d have chased Ares out of Asgard and the god of war would have been lucky to get out alive.)

“Odin,” Hermes says, and Hela blinks and takes a second to remember what he’s saying ‘Odin’ to. (Oh yes; she asked him who the message was for.)

That would explain Thor, then. “I suppose it’s all confidential and such,” she says, moving towards a stool with the intention of sitting down.

“Anyone with an eye could figure it out, actually,” Hermes says cheerfully. “You have noticed the strange occurrences, haven’t you?”

Hela sits down, arranges her skirt. Her mind whirls; of course she has noticed the frost in strange places, the curiously scorched footprints, the signs of dragons and werewolves and empusa mobilizing. The marks are up and down the trunk of Yggdrasil, the tree that supports the Nine Worlds. “But what does that have to do with you and Zeus and Odin?” she manages.

Loki chooses that moment to emerge from the other parts of his house, just in time to hear Hela’s question.

Hela jumps up, ignoring the painful protest of her dead leg (it doesn’t like sudden movements, but to Helheim with it she has not seen her father in centuries). “Father!”

“Hela!” He catches her in an embrace, Hela hugging him tightly.

“I hate you right now,” she mutters despite this display of affection. Hermes lets out an undignified snort.

“Everyone does at one time or another,” Loki says, unconcerned by the declaration.

Hela pulls away. “You could have warned me--”

“Don’t you know by now I never warn anyone?”

Okay, he has a fair point. “Well, you could have met me at the Bifrost, told me there were Olympians here, that it was a bad time to come or something--”

“On the contrary,” Loki says, suddenly looking serious. “It’s an excellent time to come, because Hermes brought a message asking Odin to join in an alliance with the Olympians against a possible threat.”

Hela closes her mouth, which has been ever so slightly open. “A serious threat, then,” and her tone is solemn.

“Yes. And it would be better if you were here in Asgard if it comes to war.”
Hermes sits down on another stool. “On the vaguely related subject of meeting family and all, I think I hear Ares coming.”

Hela wonders what that has to do with meeting family (she has a vague notion that Ares and Hermes are related, but she doesn’t really know). Loki, however, seems to have a very good grasp of the situation as he immediately turns and heads back into the depths of his house, towards his back door. “Tell him I’ve gone to see Thor or something. That should keep him off my tail.”

“Will do,” Hermes says, laughing. Hela looks to him, an unspoken question in the air. “He and your brother Jormungand both took snake form earlier today and went to terrorize Aphrodite,” Hermes explains, still laughing. “Ares was angered by the disrespect to her.”

‘Meeting family’ would mean ‘get Jormungand and get out if you value your life’ then, and Hela smiles and then laughs.

She pauses, then asks tentatively, “So how serious of a threat does Zeus think it is?”

Hermes shrugs. “I’m here, aren’t I? That should say something.”

It does, and Hela doesn’t quite appreciate the statement. She gives Hermes a curt nod of thanks and stands, turning to go.

The door bursts open and Ares thunders in, sword drawn. “Where is he?” the Greek god of war shouts.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific, Ares,” Hermes drawls, looking innocent despite the mischief in his eyes.

“That elf Loki,” Ares growls. Hela laughs, because while Loki is half elf (and half Jotun, or frost giant) nobody around Asgard has ever called him ‘elf’ and meant it in a derogatory way, as Ares seems to. They usually call him ‘Jotun’.

Ares doesn’t get the joke and rounds on her, furious. Hela smiles sweetly as Hermes smothers snickers. “My father is not in right now,” she says. “he said something about going to meet my cousin Thor. After all, Thor has been away for ages hunting giants, and Loki’s been very busy, and they’ve been dying to see each other. They’re very close, you know, almost brothers--”

At that point Hermes completely loses it and falls off his stool laughing. (Anyone who knows Loki and Thor knows that they have no particular fondness for each other.) Hela takes advantage of the distraction and neatly ducks around Ares and out the door into the forest.

Yes, today is an excellent day so far.

(Aside from the promise of impending doom, of course…)

IMPENDING DOOOOOM.

Okay, I'm done. =P Sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed, drop me a line if you liked it. Yep. Bye. See you Saturday. (Hopefully. It'll likely end up being Sunday again. XD)

Two Scenes from Aesir and Olympian

Ack ack ack ack ack! First week and already I'm falling down on the posting! Oh well... Sunday's close enough, right? -nervous grin-

Have a scene from Aesir and Olympian.

Hela looks down at the limp form in front of her, and she can hardly believe that a moment ago this was the most terrifying creature in the Nine Worlds. Around her, Gladsheim lies in shambles, blood and rubble everywhere. (Odin will not be happy, but it’s a small price to pay for the safety of the Nine Worlds.)

She drops her hands, falls to her knees, exhausted. Triumph? Not exactly. She feels tired, so tired, and yes, it was a victory, but suddenly it feels like she’s been chasing this victory for aeons and now that she has it, what happens next?

Footsteps running, a hand on her shoulder. “Hela−”

Jorgi dead, Abderus dead, Fen a traitor; she and Autolycus are the only ones left to share in this victory. “Ly…we won.”

And what bittersweet words they are.

And a quick scene about what Hela has to lose:

Surtr couldn’t care less if everyone under his command dies as long as he gets what he wants. Whereas Hela cares too much and wants everyone under her command to come back alive.

We’re at war, Lady Hela. Not everyone is going to come back alive. Kos’ words echo in her mind, and she knows they are true. But it can’t stop her from trying to save everyone…it will never stop her.

For she has been beyond the gates of death, and she knows what awaits them when they die. (They say ignorance is bliss and for once Hela believes them.) Morality is a terrible fetter sometimes.

She knows Surtr will stop at nothing, that he will kill on a whim, and suddenly it seems hopeless.

For she has so much more to lose.