The dwarves smiled. “I think we may have just what you’re looking for.”
“Brother, you will not believe what I have seen,” Loki told Thor, rushing into his chambers without knocking. The heavy wooden door banged against the wall as he barged through, vibrating the walls and knocking over a pitcher of ale. “Ares. On Midgard.”
Thor looked up from polishing his hammer and raised a quizzical brow at Loki. His brother was breathing heavily, his light brown hair disheveled from what was no doubt a sprint across the bridge. It had been decades since he had seen his brother sweat, much less babble on like an idiot as he was currently doing. Speaking of which, whatever Loki was trying to tell him seemed important. “Slow down, Brother,” he told him. “Start from the beginning.”
“I was on Midgard,” Loki repeated, pacing the large room, “When I saw a face I shall never forget. Ares. That filthy son of a whore was just parading around, pretending to be human!”
“Not possible,” Thor said, returning to his task. “The Olympians were all cursed centuries ago. I’m afraid you are mistaken.” There was no way Thor was going to fall for whatever trick Loki was trying to play. His brother was forever deceiving anyone who was weak of mind enough to fall for it. Thor was not one of them.
“I spoke to him,” Loki said, getting in Thor’s personal space. “I saw him and I spoke to him.”
“I am not going to fall for another one of your tricks,” Thor told him, standing up and holstering Mjolnir at his side. “Leave me now, I have other matters to attend to.”
“This is no prank,” Loki told him. “I will admit that I am not to be trusted but this time, I swear on our father’s crown that I speak the truth.”
Thor stopped and turned to him. “The truth?”
Loki nodded. “I saw him. When I asked what he was doing free, the bastard told me that it was none of my concern and that I should return to tell you that you are a spineless pig.”
“What else did he say?” Thor asked, grinding his teeth together. He was no pig, spineless or otherwise.
“He said that the Asgardians were a bunch of chicken shit cloud dwellers and he hoped we all met long, painful deaths.”
“Did he, now?” Thor could abide by many things, but the God of War was challenging his patience.
“He did and there is more, I am afraid. He has taken a wife and broken his curse. He dared you, the God of Thunder, to come to Midgard. He said he would smite you where you stood.”
“Smite me?" Thor laughed devilishly. How dare the God of War insult him? “I believe it is time we reawaken old vengeances and begin this war anew,” Thor paced the large chamber, readying his mind for war.
No one threatened Thor and lived another day to tell about it, at least not without a fight. And who did this Greek God of War think he was, insulting far superior gods? He knew exactly what he had to do, but he needed Loki’s help to set his plan in motion. There would be war all right and the Greek gods would know exactly who reigned supreme. They would pay with blood, even Zeus himself would bow before him when the war was over.
“What are you thinking, Brother?” Loki asked.
“I will bring these gods to their knees!” he spat. “But first, I want to see Ares crumble and kneel before me.” Thor was raging the more he thought about how he had been insulted.
“Brother, we need to devise a plan.”
“What do you suggest?” Thor asked, growling from the door.
“Come, have a seat,” Loki suggested motioning for Thor to stop his incessant pacing and sit beside him. “We have much to discuss.” Loki was becoming impatient. He knew his plan was risky, but wanted to exact it just right in order for the two of them to storm Mount Olympus together. If only he could get his hothead brother to sit the fuck down.
“I’m going to take Mount Olympus by force," Thor sneered. "Those gods have become lazy and complacent. Ares will be forced back to the sky mountain to defend his home, then I will have his head!” He was lying across his favorite chaise lounge. It was the best place for him to think strategy, maiming, killing and such.
“That’s all well and good, but remember how well it worked out the last time? How do you suppose you’ll get around the dragon guarding the cave entrance?” Loki asked, knowing he had the sleeping potion needed. His plan was coming together nicely; making Thor believe it was his all along.
“I will slay him, of course,” Thor answered arrogantly, looking at Loki like he was an idiot.
“I may have a different solution, something that will give us the element of surprise without raising suspicion,” Loki drew out.
“What is it, Brother? I am done talking. I am ready to begin this war. Now.” Thor stood, slamming his fist on the serving table. He was even more impatient than before. He cared for his brother, but Loki’s trickster ways had gotten him into more than one skirmish over the past millennia. He needed to speak his mind or step aside. War was brewing and he was ready to settle old debts in the blood of his enemies.
“I have come across a sleeping potion strong enough to put even the mighty three-headed dragon to rest while we storm the mountain.”
“We? There will be no we,” Thor stood to his full height. “I shall do this alone, much like a thief in the night, taking them out one by one.”
His visions of grandeur grated Loki’s nerves. “I have the sleeping potion. You will need me to administer it.”
“Very well, but you will not enter past that point. Leave the war to me,” Thor demanded.
“Fine,” Loki conceded. His plan was coming together perfectly.
Thor and Loki flashed just outside the cave entrance to Mount Olympus. The enormous dragon heard them as soon as they approached and turned two of its huge heads their way, puffing a cloud of angry, hot smoke as a warning to leave the mountain or face certain death. When the pair didn’t move, the dragon began to build its magical fire.
“Where is that sleeping potion of yours? We do not have much time before we meet the dragon’s fire,” Thor yelled over the loud crash of the dragon’s feet on the cave floor.
“Soon enough, Brother,” Loki grinned. “It has to be done at just the precise moment.”
“What? When we are the dragon’s dinner? Administer the potion or I’ll slay the damned dragon myself. It is making too much noise!” Thor demanded.
Loki glanced at Thor one last time before he ghosted in front of the third head and poured the potion down its throat. Its mouth was open and ready to set the cave ablaze, but Loki had caught the dragon at just the right time. All three heads choked and sputtered all at once; smoke billowed from their large nostrils as their heads slowly began to droop, then crashed to the ground. Apparently, the dwarven potion was much stronger than Loki anticipated. He had barely escaped being crushed by the third dragon head.
Chapter Three
The path that led from the cave up the side of Olympus was narrow and covered with brush, as if it hadn’t been walked upon in centuries. The brambles sliced at his legs, but Thor pushed through them. He had to move quickly to avoid detection by the residents of this sky mountain.
Soon the path began to clear and Thor saw the unkempt landscape turn into a beautiful garden full of fig trees and bushes, flowers and vines. To the left, there was a vineyard full of lush, red grapes. On the right, an orchard of oranges, pears and apple trees, all growing in complete harmony.
The air was thick with the scent of pomegranates, and Thor knew there must be a growth of those as well nearby. He passed a flower garden that had every flower imaginable growing, including roses of every color that grew up the strategically placed trellises.
Past the gardens, Thor spied a huge stable with more than twenty compartments that would house as many horses. A young thoroughbred neighed as he approached and that was when Thor saw her. Her blonde hair glistened in the sun, trailing down the center of her back like spun gold. Her long legs were exposed as she ran a brush over the horse’s mane in a manner that spoke of respect
and love. He could have stood there all day watching her care for the animal, but there was a war to fight. He moved his foot to the right only a step, but broke a twig in doing so and gathered the woman’s attention. She turned to face him and her lovely, calm expression changed.
“Excuse me, are you lost?” she asked, eyeing him up and down. His dark hair was cropped short, reminding her of the Marines she’d worked with during her short stay on Earth. His eyes were dark as well, brown like molten dark chocolate set under dark brows and surrounded by tanned skin. A lot of tanned skin. His lips were pressed together in determination, but still they begged to be kissed. His bare shoulders were nearly as broad as her shield and covered in rune tattoos that just licked the base of his neck. His torso was on display, muscle rippling under his golden skin right on down to the incredibly revealing leather briefs that reminded her of something out of the movie 300. His long, powerful legs tapered down to knee-high leather boots that were tied snugly around his legs. Other than that, he only wore a long red cape that was secured around his neck with a golden broach.
Athena placed her hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side. Unfortunately, she knew exactly who this was. She would know that face anywhere, even if he wasn’t the enemy.
“Woman,” he spoke. “You will take me to the palace now.”
After raising her brow, Athena laughed. “Woman? Yes, I am a woman. And no, I will not be taking you anywhere.”
“Do you know who I am?” he demanded.
“Well,” she said sweetly, “You look like a Superman wannabe, renaissance reject. What’s with the underwear? Did you even look in the mirror before you left this morning? A cape? Really?”
Thor felt his blood boiling in his veins. “I am Thor, God of Thunder. And this,” he held up his hammer, “Is Mjolnir, my hammer. You should fear me, woman.”
“Oh, how nice,” Athena said in a higher-pitched voice. “You named your mallet.”
“It is a magical hammer,” he corrected her. It wasn’t her fault that she was uninformed. “My brother had it forged for me by Dwarven blacksmiths and made from the Asgardian metal, uru. I am the only one who may wield it.”
“Really,” she said, unimpressed. “Is that so?” She eyed him up and down, taking stock of his enormous assets once again.
“It is so,” he said with pride. “If you take me to the palace, I shall spare your life.”
Athena giggled. “Oh, how thoughtful of you. Spare my life? The big, bad man with a hammer is going to spare me! Do you know who I am, almighty Thor? Wielder of the mighty mallet?”
“It is a hammer!”
“Whatever,” she replied. “Let me see it.” She held her hand out, palm up.
“The weight alone would rip your shoulders from their pretty sockets,” he told her. “Stop wasting my time. Take me where I want to go!”
“Not until you let me hold your mallet,” she replied, crossing her arms defiantly.
“It is not a mallet!” he said, raising his voice. That woman was daft and insufferable. Thor knew he should just leave her and go on, but he found that he couldn’t. What if something happened to her during the battle that was sure to come very soon? He should protect her, even if from herself.
“You’re not very convincing, standing there in your underwear. You say that no one can hold your mallet, claim to be the God of Thunder, but so far, all I’ve heard is a bunch of hot air. Take me to your leader,” she mocked him and laughed. “Please. Go away.” Athena turned her back to him.
“You will be in danger soon,” he told her. “You must hide while the battle to the death rages on your sky mountain.”
She spun around on her heel. “Hide? From what? You?” She marched right up to him until they were nose to nose, ignoring how good he smelled. “Do you have any idea who I am? I am Athena and I do not hide. If you think for even a second that I am going to allow you to do anything on my mountain, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m gonna give you one chance to leave.” She reached down and yanked the hammer from his hand. “And this! This is the biggest waste of precious metal I have ever seen!” She shook her head as she tossed Mjolnir into the field. “Go away.”
“Mjolnir!” he shouted and the hammer returned to his waiting hand, flying effortlessly through the air. “You are lucky to be a woman! I have smited men for far less.”
When Athena turned to walk away from him, Thor grabbed her shoulder. “Are you listening to me, woman!”
Athena growled and willed her spear to her to her right hand and shield to her other. In one swift movement, she spun around, swinging her shield and connecting with the side of his head. Thor stumbled under the onset of pain she caused and Athena used it to her advantage. She kicked her leg out, hooking it behind his knee and pulled his leg out from under him. As he fell, she jumped on top of him, placing her spear under his chin. “Do not doubt who I am,” she warned him. “Do not presume to tell me what to do. Do not wave that mallet at me and do not call me woman ever again! I will show you exactly what this woman is capable of! And what the hell?” She lifted her ass so that it wasn’t touching his body, “Do you have a freaking hard on? Are you kidding me! Gross!”
Thor grinned as Athena jumped off of him like he had the plague. He watched as she disappeared behind the stables, no doubt on her way to warn the others of his presence, unable to erase the memory of how her body felt on his own. She was not daft, as he had erroneously assumed, but quite intelligent. She was also lethal. Damn it, he didn’t want to respect her, but he did.
The element of surprise had been lost and Thor knew that he could not win against the whole of Mount Olympus. War could wait for reinforcements. As he stood, the familiar weight of his hammer in hand, he only wondered briefly about the way she tossed it away. It was as if the ancient weapon weighed nothing and that was something. He couldn’t concentrate on that now, though. He had to find Loki and tell him all that had transpired. He willed himself away from Olympus to Midgard where Loki would be waiting at a tavern called Head Quarters on West Thirty Eighth Street in New York City. What kind of name was that anyway for a tavern? It sounded like a corporate office, but what did he know? Thor spent very little time on Midgard, and almost none in recent centuries.
Athena stomped around the backside of the stables, fuming. Who did that SOB think he was? Woman. I got his woman! I should show him just what kind of woman I am! In fact, I’m gonna do it now.
She marched back to the place where she had left him, except there was nothing there but an imprint of his body on the grass. Chicken shit left. Of course he did, because that was what men did. They left. Old feelings of abandonment and resentment began to fill her with unbridled rage. No, he wasn’t getting away that easily, she decided. He was going to pay and not just for what he said to her, but for all the men who had disappointed her in the past.
Athena stomped her way down the path that led to the dragon’s lair at the bottom of the mountain. The mouth of the cave where the three-headed dragon, Fluffy, as her brother liked to call her, resided was unusually quiet. As Athena snuck into the cavern on silent feet, she saw something very interesting. The beast, who was always on alert, was snoring softly. Her three heads were piled on top of one another, her tail wrapped around her enormous body like a blanket. The dragon was sleeping. Very carefully, Athena tiptoed past her to the exit that would allow her to fall back to Earth. She knew that she should alert the others on the mountain, but why? She had an open exit back to Earth and they need not know about it. They were nothing but a bunch of high-handed bitches that whined incessantly and she was tired of it.
So what if the Asgardians were planning an attack? What had her “family” done for her lately? Nothing. She had escaped once and enjoyed living on Earth until the day her brother broke his curse and hauled her unwilling ass right back to Olympus. So what if her powers would weaken and drain on that plane? Well, she didn’t care anymore. Being stuck on Olympus was hell and Athena would rather die like a human than stay there a
ny longer.
She took a moment to memorize the view from the base of the cavern, watching the clouds move lazily along below her. Spreading her arms out to the sides like wings, Athena jumped.
Chapter Four
Thor knew it had been a long time since he had visited Midgard, but the sight he saw before him was unlike anything he remembered. Metal buildings that stretched to the sky were huddled into a small bit of land and there were people everywhere! Millions of them! The human population had grown significantly since he last visited.
He walked down several streets, looking for this Head Quarters that Loki had spoken of, but he could not seem to find it. Seeing a woman with her young child walking on the other side of the street, Thor decided he would insist she show him the way.
“You there!” he called out. “I am in need of assistance.”
The woman pulled her child behind her and glared at him. “I have a conceal and carry, buddy and I’m not afraid to use it. Leave us alone.”
Thor moved faster across the street, avoiding the large, metal transportation boxes that zipped by every few seconds. “I mean you no harm,” he assured her, rushing to the other side. He didn’t know what a conceal and carry was, but she seemed to take great confidence in it. “I require assistance.”
The little girl peeked out around her mother’s body and giggled. The mother placed her hand over the child’s eyes. “What is wrong with you?” she hissed. “Put some damn clothes on.”
Thor looked down at himself in confusion. “I am wearing acceptable battle gear,” he said with absolute certainty. “And I am lost. I cannot find Head Quarters. I am told it is on this street.”
The woman reached in her purse and pulled out a gun, pointing it at his head. “Get out of here, you fucking pervert!” she yelled at him, “Or I swear by everything holy I will blow your head off.” She pushed the barrel into his skin of his forehead for emphasis.
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