The Ragnarok

“The Gjallarhorn has sounded my lord.” The cries echoed throughout the halls of the giant keep.  There could be no mistaking that cry. Odion knew it would not just reach his halls, but the many realms throughout the universe. He turned to his wife, Frigg giving her a reassured pat on the back of her hand. There was tension building the longer the horn sounded and soon the various rumours would start to fly. Only Odion sitting on his throne knew what that warning that sound was bringing.  Three days ago he received a visitor, she was young in appearance but as old as any one of the gods, though many would never see her. She preferred to keep in the shadows, with her horrid appearance she preferred it that way. For her to set her bony feet into the great hall was surely a mistake on her part.  “Odion, I come with a request.” Her voice was as weary as her appearance. A mortal would mistake her for having a dietary illness, but this maiden was perfectly healthy by her own standards.  “I know what you would ask of me, Helheim.” Odin dared not speak with her long. If anyone saw her here they’d assume Ragnarok was upon them. She was not uncommon to the laws of the world and at times showed great mercy in her own realm so once in a while, he would grant her a few exceptions as long as no one else was aware of it. “Your brother is in no danger of death.” “I feel his spirit is weakening.”  “I would pity you young one, but I know who your parents are and your destinies. I cannot allow anyone to visit him.” He turned his gaze from her knowing that someone would always be watching her to make sure she was well behaved. “Go back to your realm. Concern yourself with those who you can help.” “Allfather-” her rebuttal was cut short by Odin snapping his head back to her, glaring right into her half dead eyes. “My apologies sir.” With one final bow she slipped back into the shadows that carried her to her wherever she wished.  Odin knew this wouldn’t be the last time he saw her, he just never expected the girl to make a move so quickly. “My love,” Frigg, a gorgeous woman with flowing blonde hair that draped nearly to the ground, touched his hand in return for it’s comfort. “For what danger does Heimdallr sound?” Looking over to his wife he flashed a smile, “Need not concern yourself. All will be right in the end.” Spinning out of his seat Odion met her lips caressing them for a few brief moments that he wished could have lasted longer. “I must go to Tyr and Heimdallr, they are waiting for me with news on the situation.” ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ When Hel was cast out of Odin’s hall she didn’t go home like she knew Odin would assume. Instead she sought out her brother. To everyone else in Asgard he was unreachable, he was the monster in the deep that no one dared to tread near. Hel knew her brother better though and was able to seek him out in a grotto far below the surface of the waters surrounding the great realm of the gods. For most of his life he would take the form of a giant sea serpent, lately he was resolved to hiding under the waves taking the much smaller form of a man. He had black hair like Hel and dark green eyes, much to her contrasting grey and white eyes of death, but she liked to believe that if she was born with more life she’d resemble him far better. While in his human form he was nowhere close to the massive size of the snake he was no small whelp of a man. The constant exercise he received from battling whales, and swimming around the waters gave him a muscular physique, another stark difference to his younger sister. Seeing as this was his domain he was able, just as Odin was, to know when there was an intruder. Luckily for both of them Heimdallr was not able to use his keen sight this far below the surface of the waters, so their conversation would remain a secret, at least for now.  “You only come to me when you have no other options dear sister.” His voice was like a wave punching through to her delicate ears. “Please tell me it’s not concerning Ragnarok. I’m far too uninvolved with that right now.” Shaking her head slowly she knew to tread carefully, to anyone else this would surely look like the beginning of the end. Odin feared them together so much that he cast them in all directions hoping they’d never meet, and devoting far too much time to making sure their eldest brother was kept completely from them. “I’m here because I know Fenrir’s spirit is weakening. Odin says he won’t die and that it is just a ploy for everyone to let their guard down.” “But you know better than anyone?” Her brother rolled his eyes and turned away from her. She bared no threat and he didn’t want to hear anymore of it. “Jormungand!” Hel yelled after him mustering all her strength into that one bellowing call, “Fenrir is dying. His guard Tyr I know is the cause.” “So you would cause Ragnarok over it?” He had no interest in giving in to the silly predictions of the gods. They considered the three siblings as lesser for being the supposed cause for the end of the world. He’d allow them to continue to think it if it meant he was able to live out his life peacefully.  “Fenrir needs us.” Her condition prevented her from shedding tears, though the crackle in her voice was more convincing to her elder brother than any tears would ever be. “He won’t last another year. Tyr will see to it that he dies.” “All the better.” He smiled back. Once the Fenrir threat was extinguished surely it would get all the gods off their backs.  “Where will he go when he dies?” Hel asked, “Those chains that hold him bind his spirit. He will be tortured for all eternity, all because Odin fears what someone told him could happen.” “Damn the gods Hel.” Jormungand cursed, turning back to her, “If I don’t help you what then? Do you give up this fight?” “If you don’t help me brother,” her eyes grew dark stretching her shadow throughout the grotto, “I will save him myself.” “Once he’s free, then what?” He needed some plan in place if he was going to give up his way of life. This would solidify everyone’s beliefs that they were the cause of everyone’s destruction. Odin would never just let them leave, “Your realm would be searched, my own life would be in danger. Where would we go? There isn’t a realm in existence that would hide all three of us.” “The realm of man, if we disguise ourselves as mortals it will buy us some time.” “You have been planning this for some time.”  “His spirit has been fading for the last two hundred years.” Looking him right in the eye she narrowed her gaze, “I’ve had to listen to souls screaming, crying, and bellowing their sorrows, but the slow decay of my brother is the worst sound that I can no longer bear to hear.” Jormungand nodded, he knew the toll hsi sister faced, she was cursed with just as much sorrow as every soul who entered her realm. The cries from her brother’s that would never visit her were too terrible to comprehend. The least he could do would be to help her in whatever way he could for as much time as he dared to spare. “Give me two days, I will meet you in the depths where the deep walls of the ocean meet our brother’s prison.” ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ Lottie was a young girl, not much older than twenty living in an old house alone. She at one time did have roommates, but they complained that the building was too haunted for them to continue to live there. Due to the landlord not able to find other tenants she was allowed to live there for a cheap rate, and with enough privacy to do whatever she pleased.  About the hauntings though, she seemed to never pay too much attention to it. Sure there’d be sounds coming from rooms that weren’t in use, and faucets turned on randomly, but it was completely harmless tomfoolery. If there were ghosts they certainly weren’t malevolent. She considered at one point moving out, but no one really cared to have her as a roommate anyway so it was better to live in the luxury of the old house with the invisible roommates who kept to themselves, used minimal water, and were kind enough to not turn on any lights or play loud music.  During the day Lottie worked as a cashier at a local grocery store. She didn’t make a lot of money, but it gave her enough freedom to do what she really loved to do. For Lottie the real allure of the house was the location, it backed up to a dense forest, that had what she could only describe as tiny blue flames calling out to her. She got off work early enough in the evenings to sit on the back porch watching the little lights flickering between the trees dancing around. This was most likely natural gas excreted from the swamp that was hidden in the forest, but it was still beautiful to watch. Every now and then she’d think she was getting up enough courage to dance after the lights, but her feet would keep her planted on the wooden stairs and would not let her touch the cold grass.  She wasn’t able to drive, but in this town cars weren’t a necessity, it was far north, and they received harsh winters, but everyone knew to stay at home if you weren’t able to get out and about. Biking was entirely possible and practical. She never had too many groceries, she preferred to eat sparingly anyway, but beside the occasional need to venture out to another city, a bike was enough for her.  Today was a much different day for her. There was a voice in the back of her mind calling out to her since before she woke up. It startled her in her dreams warning her to stay away from strangers. That was a bit odd, first of all Lottie knew to stay away from strangers, but for it to be in her thoughts constantly now that was enough for her to think the ghosts were finally getting to her.  She woke up, put on her jeans, and a t-shirt sporting her favorite band. Her work apron covered everything anyway, and heading out the door she grabbed her jacket. Her long blonde hair was slicked back into a braid that allowed a few hairs to dangel low to the side of her face. Her blonde hair and blue eyes betrayed her to the world. She longed to stay out of view from others, but the college students who were always minutes away found themselves attracted to her every Friday. It was like some calling they felt when looking at her, she was built like a fine maiden, but those drunken boys saw her as an object that needed to be grabbed or wooed.  Thankfully, none of them entered the small grocery store, the danger was surely over once she crossed that threshold entering the atmosphere that was straight out of the seventies. The older more seasoned women of the town loved to shop here, they didn’t care if some stuff on the shelves had expiration dates for five years ago, ro if it was clearly hiding copious amounts of asbestos in the ceilings. They would never betray their small town grocery store.  Her days passed quickly here, it was mindless work that rarely brought any troubles for her. Easiest paycheck she could make and since she seemed unable to hold down a job anywhere else it was a relief. It wasn’t that she was incompetent, more over, Lottie believed she was clumsy. She tried to be a waitress, that lasted all of four hours before she had broken far too many glasses. Then she was a line cook in a fast food place down the road, that lasted longer, for about two weeks, until something strange happened that caused her to get fired.  She didn’t like to talk about it because it was the first time she ever felt powerless when faced with a battle against her OCD. A customer had spilled some salt in front of her while walking into the kitchen and she lost all control over herself, bending down to count each individual grain of salt. She was there for an hour before the manager decided to sweep it all up and knock her out of her trance. “One thousand twenty-four.” was the only thing she replied to him when he asked what she thought she was doing.  She was fired for insubordination after that and a few rumors spread around town about the crazy salt counter. Luckily for her, the grocery store was immune to the rumors and she was able to pick up shifts there shortly afterward. The older women who came in seemed to be more into gossiping about their church members than her and rarely paid attention to anything she did. “Lottie, you can take off early tonight.” It was the first words out of her boss's mouth to her in weeks. It was welcomed, the earliest she could get out of here and back home the better. “Thank you.” She smiled and finished checking out her current customer. For it being a Friday they weren’t by any means busy.  The bike ride home was normal, but when she came to her house that’s where things got different. A young woman who looked halfway to her deathbed with long black hair and dark eyes was standing on her front porch next to a much taller very opposite man who could have passed for her brother, but then again this was based on their pale skin tones and black hair. The third person was propped up against the house apparently passed out from some kind of episode. He was very similar to the other two, pale, black hair, though he was far dirtier and looked halfway between the dead girl and her overly muscular companion.  “Can I help you?” Lottie had the worst feeling these the strangers those ghosts were warning her about. “Yes.” The girl answered, “We’re your new roommates.”