The Valley of Heroes

Legend had it that a top the tallest mountain in the world rested the home of the Greek Gods. This isn’t quite right. Some thousand years ago there was a portal on top of many mountains throughout the world. If a mortal could brave the perilous journey to the top then, that individual was worthy of an audience with the Gods. This trial has been taken away from mankind for some time. Now, it is only a gathering place for the Gods. Gods from every pantheon flocked here for one reason or another. And after the event called Ragnarok, the Gods that once called Asgard home now reside here. It is a immaculate paradise with every surface being the purest crème color. But, this is not where Thor, Hercules and Bellona exited the bifrost. They exited at the mountain’s base. It had grass unlike the mountain itself. At the moment, snow hid that grass in at least six or seven inches of frozen water. The trio trudge through the snow to a temple that bore Norse emblems. Thor invited himself in and waltzed right into what appeared to be a throne room. Upon that throne sat a dark haired male with a lackadaisical expression upon his strong handsome mug. He stroked his luscious beard in a thinking fashion as he watched the three gods enter. Thor with aggression in each step approached the figure quickly. “Tell me it’s not true Ullr! Tell me Loki lied when he told me all of his crimes had been forgiven”! Thor demanded boldly looking up at the man on the throne.

The man Thor named as Ullr held out his left palm towards Thor. He didn’t say anything yet, Thor’s weapon Mjöllnir had been summoned from him and it flew directly into Ullr’s hand. He then proceeded to twirl the weapon like a baton. “You wish to challenge me for this throne Thor”? He asked with his expression cold and unwavering as he waited for Thor to respond.

Hercules and Bellona observed the event with utter shock in their eyes. They both looked to Ullr like frightened children. Thor on the other hand looked like he might get angry but, exhaled slowly calming himself. “I apologize Uncle. I did not mean to offend. I just… I just really need to know”. Thor admitted as he lowered his head to Ullr.

After the apology, Ullr threw the weapon at Thor’s feet. “Loki’s crimes have been forgiven. It was Odin’s final decree the day before he perished. Does that satisfy your childish outburst Thor”? Ullr asked resting his bearded chin on his left fist.

Thor lowered his head in shame. Hercules at this point got next to Thor and even stepped out in front of him. “He apologized! No need to kick him while he is down”. Hercules proclaimed proudly.

Ullr lifted his brow inquisitively. “I’ll tell you what Hercules. Spar with me. If you land three hits on me I’ll apologize to Thor. Loose consciousness or forfeit during our match and from then on you will address me as Lord Ullr. That sound fair”? He asked that cold stare of his now locked onto the large beast known as Hercules.

“I accep-“ Hercules began to say before Thor shook his head.

“No Hercules. You mustn’t, getting an apology that way would bring me great shame and to be perfectly honest he is right, I overstepped”. Thor stated humbly as he returned Mjöllnir to his magical arsenal.

“Maybe I just want to fight him. Ever think of that Thor?” Hercules asked less than humbly.

“Then leave me out of it!” Thor demanded sharply as he turned his back on Hercules.

Ullr smiled as he got up off the throne and immediately began stretching. “I could use the workout. Try not to disappoint me,” he followed up with as he proceeded to pop his knuckles loudly.

‘Why would father do that? What was he planning’? Thor thought to himself as he left the temple the sound of shattering stone echoing behind him.

In the endless void a voice whispers, his words uncertain as they reach across the stars. A low grumble shook all the way to the moon. It’s light cast upon the earth as the surface of the moon cracked. From the fissure came the hands of a creature from the depths. These massive tentacles pushed their way through and even widening the fissure. A low laughter came up from inside the shell. Shiva and her previous incarnation stand next to each other as they watched the event unfold. She looked to her previous life and he vanished leaving her alone. She inhaled as if summoning an explosion. Before she could release it upon the monster, Shiva opened her eyes to find herself in her apartment. She sighed. At that moment Ravana entered through the front door of the apartment and he immediately went to the kitchen.

“I want to see Ganesha”… Shiva said slowly with sorrow lingering in her voice.

“I apologize but, you are not ready. You could not set foot on Mount Olympus and as the Pantheon leader, he can not leave. Especially, while we are expecting war.” Ravana replied calmly as he began chopping up carrots.

“Does the war have anything to do with my vision? The one with the tentacle monster in the moon”? She asked remaining in her meditative pose.

“You spoke of this vision before you died. If you’re having it now then, he must be reaching out to you again… we may have to move up our plans.” Ravana said as he continued to chop an assortment of vegetables.

“Again”? Shiva asked her eyes now open as she turned to face Ravana with a look of confusion imprinted in her voice as well as visibly apparent on her face.

“Certain gods received similar visions. Most of those who did… well they died twenty years ago. It was referred to later as a ‘call’, all the gods who got those visions argued for years on a time and place. If you, Odin and the lotus prince hadn’t gone when you did….” He paused not only his words but also, his actions.

Shiva nodded. “We wouldn’t have died”. She said accepting the information as fact.

“Not on that day anyway”…. Ravana admitted as he set down the knife.

“Did we at least win”? Shiva asked sounding hopeful.

Three Days later

Hanna is at the gym where she boxed with Bellona. She is not fighting today, today she jabs away at a punching bag. Her face is intensely focused on the bag as she flashed back to her previous match. In her head she raced to the end of the match, her only real opponent the speed it actually occurred. She got more aggressive as she suddenly saw her opponent’s eyes turn red in her head. “Sorry my boxing material lacks a good punch“. She heard a familiar snake like voice coming from behind her, pulling out of her imaginary match. Hanna sighed as she turned around to see Loki. This time he wore a black tank top and matching sweatpants. He waved at her as she turned to look at him.

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“Finally, you come back. First, I see proof of magic. Then, you tell me I’m the reincarnation of a God and you just leave. Not to mention the weird reoccurring dream involving tentacles coming out of the moon. Are you gonna make any of this make sense”? Hanna asked as she pulled off her boxing gloves.

“So…. You believe”? Loki asked more affirming rather than actually questioning it.

“Well… yeah… I saw it didn’t I?” She asked tilting her head in confusion.

Loki chuckled. “Yep... That’s my father’s spirit alright. Most people would probably fight it. Deny what they saw. Your spirit has already given you such clarity.” He pointed out as he looked around to the people around them who don’t seem to hear a word they say, just going about their days.

“Yeah… that’s still weird… you’re not gonna start calling me daddy right?” Hanna asked with the discomfort evident on her face.

Loki laughs loudly this time. “You need not worry about that. Hanna will be fine. There are more pressing matters though. Like this dream of yours. It sounds to me like an old God. A terrifying one at that. To be fair it could just be a dream. So… I’ll look into it before jumping to conclusions. Our focus should be on establishing your connection to Odin… you know… so you can use his powers. They might prove useful, should you run into Shiva again”. He stated calmly as he started to look bored.

“Yeah you called her that once before. The Indian girl with an eye tattoo on her forehead. Shiva? That’s her name? What did she want with me”? Hanna asked as she watched someone trip and fall on a rack of weights. Loki began chuckling when he did and without even turning to watch the event. “Did you just-?” She began to ask before Loki quickly talked over her.

“I couldn’t help myself. Big muscular types like him always seem to get under my skin. So, I put them in their place when I have the chance. Maybe that is what Shiva wanted. Or maybe she was trying to wake you up? I couldn’t say for sure. What I will say is: you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Wake up that is. You can continue living your normal life. It would be a shame to loose Odin forever but, my father by the end of his life hated being a god. He slept three months out of the year to avoid the responsibility. I personally wouldn’t blame you. Thing is… there isn’t a god powerful enough to force you to take on Odin’s will. If you choose not to then simply say so. Before long a figure claiming to be Thor will approach you and attempt to convince you that you have no choice. Just remember you do. For everyone’s sake though you should decide quickly”. Loki said it all without a hint of concern in his voice. In fact he seemed to enjoy the conversation.

“I see why they sent you”. Hanna said with a thoughtful look on her face. She even grinned a little bit.

Loki smiled out of the corner of his lips. “What do you mean “? He asked that smile growing a little wider.

“That speech you gave, to anybody else that would’ve sounded discouraging. But you seem to know something…You seem to know that if you worded it like a challenge it be hard for me not to want to”. She said crossing her arms and shaking her head at him.

The trickster’s grin is full like a clown as he stared back at her. “You’re only half right. They didn’t choose me, you did”. He said raising a brow at her.

“You plan to explain that one to me too?” She asked her fists moving to her hips.

“Perhaps another time. Perhaps when you give me an answer? Perhaps…” He said performing a very sarcastic yet, thought-filled face.

Hanna sighed. “You think you’re real clever don’t you? Say I agree to do this awakening, what does that entail”? She asked peering into Loki with a cold and serious stare.

“Entail”? He repeated back to her with a giggle in his throat. “You make it sound like a business deal. Like you’re just gonna shake my hand and get all his powers. No… you’re gonna need to train, you’re gonna be on a journey of self discovery that once you start you can’t go back, a journey that hipsters and hippies only ever play pretend about… to agree to this? To agree to this means to throw away the life you know now. How’s that for entail”? He rattled on confidently.

That cold stare turned into one of shock. “It’s not a gag? You don’t want me to do it? Why”? She asked slowly.

“Don’t be ridiculous… of course I want you to do it. You think I don’t want my father back? You think I don’t know what kind of chaos the world would likely go through without him? I just want that to be your decision. One path leads to unmistakable power and self understanding that mortals never get to and the other, a completely normal life. What that means is completely up to you. I’ll leave you to think about it. When you’ve made made a decision, call for me in the spot where we met”. As the last word left his mouth Loki vanished.

“Rude”. Hanna stated with a low grumble.

Mt. Olympus

Thor marched through the prestige gardens and other art exhibits that made up Olympus’ halls. The path he took was precise and without fault. He knew where he was going. Where he hesitated was a door that bore a Hindu religious icon. Thor knocked softly and was met by the sound of someone chanting for meditation purposes. Thor then entered without a word. The room was minimalistic in terms of material items but, incense burned and this room didn’t look it from the outside but, was big enough to House a pool large enough for a olympic swim meet and this pool is complete with a waterfall. The meditating individual was a man with an elephant’s head in place of a human one. He wore colorful robes that exposed much of his tattered flesh that looks like it has seen many battles. The man didn’t acknowledge Thor he just kept meditating. Thor sat next to the man getting into the same position as the elephant faced man. This stranger smiled and reached out putting a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “In the endless void a voice whispers, his words uncertain as they reach across the stars. A low grumble shook all the way to the moon. It’s light cast upon the earth as the surface of the moon cracked. From the fissure came the hands of a creature from the depths… it is good to see you again Thor”. The strange man stated at first in a monotone before he got to the part where he brought to light Thor’s presence.

Thor reached out putting his own hand on the meditating man’s shoulder in return. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me Ganesha”. Thor began as he lowered his head out of respect.

“Anytime Thor. Please tell me… what’s on your mind”? Ganesha asked as he finally opened his eyes.

“Odin forgave Loki’s crimes. The other gods seem to be growing fearful. And I have heard nothing about how we are going to handle Odin’s return. If you could please enlighten me it would help tremendously”. Thor said as he looked upon Ganesha while dropping his own arm and putting into his own lap.

Ganesha lowered the third of his four arms returning the gesture demonstrated by Thor. “That explains the cloudiness in your aura. Odin did not consult with me before issuing Loki’s pardon. So, his exact reasoning is still a mystery even to me. I do know however, everything he did, he did preparing for the arrival of the Dreamer. As for the council’s decision… well it seems Loki will be left in charge of Odin’s ascension”. He spoke calmly and yet, cheerfully.

“They decided? And they decided to let Loki take care of it? Please tell me you at least voted against it”. Thor got out trying not to get upset as he focused on Ganesha with that swelling anger.

“I did not… your brother has gone through a lot. More reincarnations than most of us. Unlike those of us who have gone through the process, he actually learned from his experiences. In short… Loki is actually a qualified coach for the process. You really needn’t worry”. Ganesha assures in that oddly cheerful tone.

“Loki can’t be trusted. I volunteer to watch until I can prove it. There is one more thing that’s bothering me. What is the Dreamer? Why are the other gods so afraid of him? Why was my father so afraid of him”? Thor asked with his voice unshaken.

“The Dreamer is an Elder God. He was among the Titans that created the physical universe. When even my father was young Cthulu held control of the cosmos. He used his Horrors to dominate the universe. They couldn’t kill him so, they sealed him away. It appears the idea that they can’t contain him forever frightens them. Especially, since events have already been put in motion to free him. The first seal is no more”. Ganesha recited poetically.

“That must be what Odin died for. Can’t we just seal him again?” Thor asked with a shrug.

“Sealing him the first time required an Elder God’s assistance. We have no way to contact them and we definitely can’t use the same spell to seal him”. Ganesha responded without even the slightest flux in his voice.

“So, you’re saying we can’t stop him? And you’re not concerned?” Thor asked as his position changed slightly out of discomfort.

“Why would I be? It is natural. All things eventually come to an end. When it is my turn, I will embrace death like an old friend. Concern would only cause me suffering, and suffering of the mind is the worst kind”. Ganesha responded in his usual casual way.

Thor simply looked at Ganesha obviously stunned by his words. Thor then smiled and nodded slowly. “I wish I shared your ideals. Thank you my friend”. He said as he got to his feet and left.

Earth: un-named park

Blood… so much blood. It litters the once peaceful soil of what used to be a playground. The cause, a beast. It only resembled a horse in shape. It’s bigger than your average horse and has an odd cone-like snout that does not close and appears to not have a single tooth. The beast has a tentacle in place of a tail as well as a mane composed of tentacles as well. The sounds it made were guttural and unnerving, overall unpleasant to be in earshot of. Imprinted in its midnight dark hide are hints of twisted human faces, moving as if trying to come out of the monster. It’s glowing red eyes are focused on something as it makes odd jerking movements. It then stomped the ground a few times aggressively as it locked onto its next victim. It’s Cindy…

Cindy’s heterochromial eyes look upon the beast with obvious fear reflecting in them . She is shaking uncontrollably and even though the sun is out and the only sign of the weather’s true nature was her breath that could easily be seen. “The fuck is that thing?” She asked out loud. Her muscles refused to move as she simply stared at the creature. The monster then reared onto its hind legs like a horse would before charging at Cindy. She screamed loudly as her voice echoed into the battle torn park.