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Gods and Monsters
until you die for me
April 25, 2010
Helheim, the land of the Dead
The throne room is empty and bleak. The walls, the dome ceiling, the oddly placed floral decorations, even her own skin appears to be grey. All, except, the hazy-green eyes and red lips of the goddess on the other side of the room. The mutant takes a breath, and steps forward. The goddess taps her long, black nails on her arm rest, conveniently made out of a femur. The sound echoes throughout the room.
Tap tap tap.
“You summoned me, Hela?” the mutant says. She crosses her arms over her chest.
Helga rasps her fingers again bone. She purses her blood red lips. “Why so nervous? I thought you had experience with gods.”
The mutant hardens her gaze. “I’m a very busy woman, there are other things I’d rather be doing.”
“Oh, I know. I just don’t care.” Hela laughs; her laugh mimicking the short, snarky laugh of her father. “Come now, Libby, don’t be so sour. I only summoned you to my dominion to offer you a job.”
“You couldn’t come to me yourself to do that?”
“Heimdall’s eyes are fixed upon the other Realms searching for my father; the one realm he cannot cast his gaze into is my realm, so this is one of the only places in all Nine Realms that we can converse freely… without fear of being overheard or seen.”
“Loki and I have found a way to converse freely for years on Midgard,” the mutant points out.
Hela smirks. She taps her fingers against the armrest. The way her thin lips turn yet again remind the mutant of Loki. “You were lucky… and I am not my father.” The goddess stands. Libby stares with wide eyes at the goddess’ surprising height. “But, I do require something of you, so I suppose I should stop tormenting you… And after all, even someone like you cannot spend too much time here.”
The mutant raises a brow. Her spine shivers. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
Hela floats down a chiseled marble stair. Her cloak flows, the ends never once touching the floor. “Oh… I couldn’t say… Though I do hope you aren’t too upset with my father, though I’m not sure why you would be upset with him…” Her eyes linger lower, and like a rubber band snap back to the mutant’s intense gaze within a second. She moves to the left; the pair never breaking eye-contact. “I require you to distract my father.”
Libby raises a brow. “You’re father is the god of lies, chaos, and fire. Distracting him won’t be easy.”
“You’ve done it before-”
“For five minutes, and only because I surprised him and captivated him. I don’t think I can do that again, especially now,” Libby says. “We’ve… come too far. He knows me too well.”
“Oh, I’m sure a woman, such as yourself, has a surprise or two up your sleeve…” Hela draws close. Libby feels the cold chill of death on her shoulder. It spreads down her arm and up her neck. Her body stiffens, her limbs go numb.
Hela appears on her throne of bones again; a knowing smirk on her lips. Warmth returns. The mutant cracks her fingers, little sparks of blue shot past her fingertips.
“Frigga and I are in agreement; the Alfather is still too bitter about the destruction of the Bifrost, about the near genocide of the Frost Giants-”
“Hypocritical, since he committed the same near-genocide of the same race not that long ago.”
Hela stares at the mutant with amusement in her eyes. “A year in politics is a long time… In the affairs of the gods it is an eternity… Tell me, mutant, how many eternities do you think a thousand years is? What about two, or three?”
Libby rolls her eyes. “So how long am I supposed to distract your father?”
“A year, at least, should be sufficient… The more time the better, but I know my father… He has already waited four years-”
“It’s been closer to twelve, actually,” Libby corrects.
Hela raises a brow, then laughs. “I do not know another soul that could do such a feat.”
“He spent the first few years sulking, and we’ve spent the latter half of those 12 years working a job undercover. I can’t take all the credit, your father is a lot more patient than most people give him credit for.” The mutant shifts uncomfortably on her feet. “But I can distract him for one more year. Just one year. If I try for any longer he’ll revolt and act recklessly… And the last thing anyone needs is the god of chaos being the god of chaos.”
The goddess smirks and claps her hands together. “Excellent! I’ll just return you to-”
Libby holds a finger up and takes a step forward. “Not so fast. We need to discuss one thing first: my fee.”
Hela laughs. “So you have been around gods before.”
“I’m smart enough to know that if you’re good at anything, you never do it for free.”
The goddess tips her head back. The sound of her cackle echoes throughout the chamber. Slowly, her laugh dies down. “I see why my father has been so taken with you… Very well… Name your fee. Within reason, I am only the goddess of the dead, I cannot grant you as many favors as the other gods can.”
“After I’ve stalled your father, after the year is up, I want one soul.”
Hela raises a thin eyebrow. “One soul?” She cackles. “You must know how rarely I let souls return to the living after they have passed.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m asking. I only want one soul. Surely you can part with one soul; for your father, you can part with one.”
The goddess narrows her brows. Her nails tap against bone. “Very well, when you have completed your task I will return the soul of the person you love most.”
“How will you know who it is?” Libby asks.
The goddess smirks. “I am a goddess, am I not?”
“Okay. And you’ll keep your word?”
“Yes, you have my word. On my honour, as a goddess.”
The mutant narrows her eyes. “Will you swear on the River Styx?”
Hela dips her head back in laughter again. Her cackles loudly echo through the chamber. Libby holds her ground. “You’re serious?… My, my… You know the River Styx does not hold the same sway over me? It is just a river in another dominion to me.”
“Call it a contingency.” The mutant shrugs. “But will you?”
“Tell me… if you make a vow on the River Styx and break it, what happens to you? I hear that a fate worse than death awaits those who break their vow.”
“Fear of just that is why no one knows exactly what happens when a non-deity breaks their vow,” Libby says. “So will you?”
The goddess smirks. “I will humor you.”
“Then we have a deal.”
Helheim, the land of the Dead
The throne room is empty and bleak. The walls, the dome ceiling, the oddly placed floral decorations, even her own skin appears to be grey. All, except, the hazy-green eyes and red lips of the goddess on the other side of the room. The mutant takes a breath, and steps forward. The goddess taps her long, black nails on her arm rest, conveniently made out of a femur. The sound echoes throughout the room.
Tap tap tap.
“You summoned me, Hela?” the mutant says. She crosses her arms over her chest.
Helga rasps her fingers again bone. She purses her blood red lips. “Why so nervous? I thought you had experience with gods.”
The mutant hardens her gaze. “I’m a very busy woman, there are other things I’d rather be doing.”
“Oh, I know. I just don’t care.” Hela laughs; her laugh mimicking the short, snarky laugh of her father. “Come now, Libby, don’t be so sour. I only summoned you to my dominion to offer you a job.”
“You couldn’t come to me yourself to do that?”
“Heimdall’s eyes are fixed upon the other Realms searching for my father; the one realm he cannot cast his gaze into is my realm, so this is one of the only places in all Nine Realms that we can converse freely… without fear of being overheard or seen.”
“Loki and I have found a way to converse freely for years on Midgard,” the mutant points out.
Hela smirks. She taps her fingers against the armrest. The way her thin lips turn yet again remind the mutant of Loki. “You were lucky… and I am not my father.” The goddess stands. Libby stares with wide eyes at the goddess’ surprising height. “But, I do require something of you, so I suppose I should stop tormenting you… And after all, even someone like you cannot spend too much time here.”
The mutant raises a brow. Her spine shivers. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
Hela floats down a chiseled marble stair. Her cloak flows, the ends never once touching the floor. “Oh… I couldn’t say… Though I do hope you aren’t too upset with my father, though I’m not sure why you would be upset with him…” Her eyes linger lower, and like a rubber band snap back to the mutant’s intense gaze within a second. She moves to the left; the pair never breaking eye-contact. “I require you to distract my father.”
Libby raises a brow. “You’re father is the god of lies, chaos, and fire. Distracting him won’t be easy.”
“You’ve done it before-”
“For five minutes, and only because I surprised him and captivated him. I don’t think I can do that again, especially now,” Libby says. “We’ve… come too far. He knows me too well.”
“Oh, I’m sure a woman, such as yourself, has a surprise or two up your sleeve…” Hela draws close. Libby feels the cold chill of death on her shoulder. It spreads down her arm and up her neck. Her body stiffens, her limbs go numb.
Hela appears on her throne of bones again; a knowing smirk on her lips. Warmth returns. The mutant cracks her fingers, little sparks of blue shot past her fingertips.
“Frigga and I are in agreement; the Alfather is still too bitter about the destruction of the Bifrost, about the near genocide of the Frost Giants-”
“Hypocritical, since he committed the same near-genocide of the same race not that long ago.”
Hela stares at the mutant with amusement in her eyes. “A year in politics is a long time… In the affairs of the gods it is an eternity… Tell me, mutant, how many eternities do you think a thousand years is? What about two, or three?”
Libby rolls her eyes. “So how long am I supposed to distract your father?”
“A year, at least, should be sufficient… The more time the better, but I know my father… He has already waited four years-”
“It’s been closer to twelve, actually,” Libby corrects.
Hela raises a brow, then laughs. “I do not know another soul that could do such a feat.”
“He spent the first few years sulking, and we’ve spent the latter half of those 12 years working a job undercover. I can’t take all the credit, your father is a lot more patient than most people give him credit for.” The mutant shifts uncomfortably on her feet. “But I can distract him for one more year. Just one year. If I try for any longer he’ll revolt and act recklessly… And the last thing anyone needs is the god of chaos being the god of chaos.”
The goddess smirks and claps her hands together. “Excellent! I’ll just return you to-”
Libby holds a finger up and takes a step forward. “Not so fast. We need to discuss one thing first: my fee.”
Hela laughs. “So you have been around gods before.”
“I’m smart enough to know that if you’re good at anything, you never do it for free.”
The goddess tips her head back. The sound of her cackle echoes throughout the chamber. Slowly, her laugh dies down. “I see why my father has been so taken with you… Very well… Name your fee. Within reason, I am only the goddess of the dead, I cannot grant you as many favors as the other gods can.”
“After I’ve stalled your father, after the year is up, I want one soul.”
Hela raises a thin eyebrow. “One soul?” She cackles. “You must know how rarely I let souls return to the living after they have passed.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m asking. I only want one soul. Surely you can part with one soul; for your father, you can part with one.”
The goddess narrows her brows. Her nails tap against bone. “Very well, when you have completed your task I will return the soul of the person you love most.”
“How will you know who it is?” Libby asks.
The goddess smirks. “I am a goddess, am I not?”
“Okay. And you’ll keep your word?”
“Yes, you have my word. On my honour, as a goddess.”
The mutant narrows her eyes. “Will you swear on the River Styx?”
Hela dips her head back in laughter again. Her cackles loudly echo through the chamber. Libby holds her ground. “You’re serious?… My, my… You know the River Styx does not hold the same sway over me? It is just a river in another dominion to me.”
“Call it a contingency.” The mutant shrugs. “But will you?”
“Tell me… if you make a vow on the River Styx and break it, what happens to you? I hear that a fate worse than death awaits those who break their vow.”
“Fear of just that is why no one knows exactly what happens when a non-deity breaks their vow,” Libby says. “So will you?”
The goddess smirks. “I will humor you.”
“Then we have a deal.”
♠ ♠ ♠
So I'm rewriting this again. Hopefully it'll be the last time. It's more or less the same as last time, with a couple of differences in characters, a bigger variety of characters (mostly OC), a new face claim for Libby (Willa Holland)... I tried writing this story as an original and I failed, miserably, but it made me realize what I needed to change. So, yeah. I'll post the next chapter whenever I finish writing it. Whenever that is.Oh, and yes. In this story Hela is the daughter of Loki, not his sister. Since Ragnarok came out I should probably clarify that, as Hela will eventually make a reappearance. And here is Hela's face claim!