Chapter 54:

"Stupid one-eyed asshole... stupid Loki... dammit, this entire quest is stupid!" Markus complained, a scowl on his face as his finger tapped his arm impatiently. He was sitting inside a coffee shop on Newbury Street, called the Thinking Cup. He sipped some coffee in front of him lightly, not wanting to act out again. He could remember what Percy and Thalia had described to him when he'd taken coffee on their last quest, and he did not want a repeat of last time.

Imagine how I'd act if I was drunk... he hummed, sipping his coffee gently.

Speaking of the two, his thoughts led to camp. Thankfully, Poseidon was there to help him break the news to the campers of him being unavailable for a while. The excuse they were given was that Markus was on a very important quest that was personally brought to him by his father, in which only he could complete. Which, when he thought about it, wasn't a lie. Just with the entire details left out.

Chiron wasn't particular happy, as he'd need to know the war preparations for each squad. Not to mention that, at the moment, leaving camp with Kronos and his allies on high alert wasn't such a good idea. Thankfully, with Poseidon there, he didn't raise too much of a fuss, only pleading that Markus return quickly.

As for his girlfriends, they weren't necessarily happy that he would be gone for a quest at a crucial moment, but relented when he had finished explaining to them. Didn't mean that he had to like it, though.

Markus sighed, his eyes trying to pick up any sign of the Valkyrie and einherjar that Odin had ordered to meet with him in this shop. None of them were here yet.

You'd think with one of the many known instigators of Ragnarok disappearing from his chambers, that'd get them to hurry up a little! Markus mentally complained in frustration. Just as it seemed like he was going to run back to camp, a select group of teenagers walked through, making Markus raise an eyebrow at their lack of subtlety.

One of the select females of the group - with them being identified as Valkyrie - looked to be about eighteen, with an Amazonian look to her. She had snow-blonde hair that was tied into braids at the end of her shoulders, and cold, pale blue eyes. She wore a green dress with dozens of ball-peen hammers attached to it. To complete her look, she had a golden amulet that was shaped like a hammer.

Three other Valkyries trailed behind the blonde. While wearing the same kind of dress colour as her, they either had nothing else on them, or different accessories, ranging from arrows, to what looked to be Norse runes littering their bodies.

The other members of the Norse group looked different. One of the females in the group had green eyes - nowhere close in intensity to Markus' emerald green or Percy's sea-green - with a reddish face and frizzy red hair. She wore armour along her body that covered her fatal spots and looked to not slow her down.

Another of the presumably einherjar was a tall, large young man with different sizes of axes strapped to his front and back. He wore a combination of cloaks and fur pelts. With a smattering of scars adoring his face and bare arms, he looked like decent cosplay of Conan the Barbarian.

The last einherjar had dark skin and short curly hair. He had a lanky build, and wore blue woolen coat from that had several war medals attached to them. In addition, it had brass buttons and chevrons. In his left hand was a bayonet.

The group wasn't exactly subtle, and Markus immediately thought that they had some sort of Norse version of the Mist in order to conceal their armour and weapons. Sighing, he stood up to greet them. "Nice to see you guys finally arrive."

The Amazonian-looking Valkyrie narrowed her eyes. "So, you are the Greek that we have to work with... I can't say that I'm impressed."

"And you're the discount version of the Hunters of Artemis... only they had a goddess as their leader," the demigod retorted. "What makes you so special?"

The girl bristled, while the other Valkyrie brandishing their weapons at the disrespect. "How dare you?! I am Gunilla, daughter of Thor, captain of the Valkyries!"

It was clear that her shouting was drawing some attention to them, as a female wearing a Thinking Cup shirt frowned at her. She had a badge on her left breast, signifying that she was the manager.

"Ma'am, I would kindly ask you to lower your voice. You're disturbing our customers," she said, eyes flickering between confusion and anger.

Gunilla turned to presumably shout at the manager, but the bayonet-wielding einherjar moved forward, smiling. "Hey, sorry about that. She's just dealing with the stress of her... job." He had a sheepish expression on his face. "Her boss is very demanding."

Narrowing her eyes, the owner nodded slowly. "Fine. But make sure that there's no more outbursts." With that, she went back to her post.

Gunilla veered her eyes towards the einherjar. "I did not need your help, T.J."

"Well, it looked like you were seconds away from pulling a Thor and were going to..." He coughed. "Uh, 'bring the hammer down'. Kinda want to keep things subtle. Our glamours aren't going to save our asses all the time."

"Glamours... is that your own supernatural veil that keeps mortals unaware?" Markus questioned, curious.

T.J. nodded, holding out his hand eagerly. "Yep, pretty much. I'm T.J., son of Tyr, Norse god of war."

"Markus Henderson, son of Poseidon. And I'll help keep the noise down..." Waving his hand, Markus muttered, "Επικαλούμαι: Ήχος Εμπόδιο. (Invoke: Sound Barrier)." From Markus' fingertips, a clear type of energy came forth. It started to spread around the space around them, encompassing the group, as well as a nearby table that they could use. Pretty soon, the clear dome had formed.

"Impressive mageía," T.J. commented, impressed. At Markus' surprised glance, he chuckled. "Hey, I did my homework. Figured it'd be essential to know a little bit of Greek if we're working together."

"Kinda wish I did the same," Markus admitted, only knowing a limited understanding of the Norse language. "So, let's sit down. Who're your friends?"

The tall man covered in the furs reached out to shake his hand eagerly. "Glad to meet you, Markus! I'm Halfborn Gunderson! It'll be great to work with you!"

The girl beside him rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright! Don't get your furs in a bunch! And quit fanboying, for gods' sake!" Grunting, she nodded her head towards Markus. "Mallory Keen."

"Any reason he's happy to see me?" Markus questioned, curious. It wasn't that he was bothered by the attention - far from it - but he didn't think he'd even be popular amongst other pantheons, let alone one he hadn't visited before. And his reputation was usually seen in a bad light.

Instead of Mallory answering, Halfborn did it himself. "Before we left from Hotel Valhalla, it was customary that we read up on our ally's own skills to see how compatible they'd be with working with us. Odin's orders."

Markus raised his eyebrow. "He has records of others, even in different pantheons?"

This time, Gunilla answered him. "Lord Odin is a... in simple terms, 'hoarder'. He usually is seen craving knowledge of different things that catch his interest. Anything related to Ragnarok especially. But, sometimes, he does hold records in his personal vaults of different pantheons. The Greeks, especially. Your feats in your own pantheon have reached the ears of many."

"Huh, that's... smart." Markus frowned, realising that he could've done the same. Then again, he was given only an hour to fully prepare. "Seems like I'm in some fantasy demigod league table."

"You're ranked in the Top 25," Halfborn suggested, smiling.

Markus blinked. "I was jokin- wait. Top 25? I killed gods, dammit! I should be at least number 1! Hell, I can turn into a god!"

T.J. shrugged. "Well, you're certainly the most powerful Greek demigod, but power - while very important - isn't the main contribution. It was a list Lord Thor organised as 'What to Do If I Decided to Fight Someone Outside My Pantheon.'"

"... Oh my God, that's actually the title," Markus muttered to himself, gaping.

"If you're done wasting time," Gunilla snapped. "We have to stop Loki's plans!"

With that announcement, the group sat down, getting one of the Valkyries to bring trays of coffee to go with their talk.

"So, Loki stole the resurrection spell from Lord Odin's sacred vault," Gunilla started.

"Odin said to start in Helheim, realm of the dead," Markus supplied, sipping some coffee. "But wouldn't starting at Jotunheim, since that's where the Jötnar are born?"

"Yes, but what Loki plans to do is to bring back more of the Jötnar that were mostly slain by my father. Along with that, they plan to join forces with the remaining Jötnar and wage a war on Asgard."

"And the reason that Loki is even going through with all of this trouble is because the previously deceased Jötnar were amongst the strongest of all of Jotunheim," T.J. responded.

"And on the off-chance that the Jötnar are resurrected, what are their weaknesses?" Markus queried.

"Fire Giants," Mallory responded. "Well, their fire are the Frost Giants' biggest weakness."

"And I'm guessing that visiting... uh-"

"Muspelheim," Halfborn suggested helpfully.

"Thank you. Visiting Muspelheim and requesting help from said Fire Giants wouldn't work, would it?"

"No," Gunilla answered. "Surt - the ruler of Muspelheim - would immediately join in on the conflict and may cause Ragnarok to occur even if we deal with Loki's schemes. We will have to deal with this matter ourselves."

Markus hummed. He was absolutely shit at fire magic. Hellfire could possibly work, though. The question then became; could hellfire mimic the properties of the flames of Muspelheim? Considering that - technically - it operated on a higher plane of existence and was used more frequently (depicted multiple times in the Christian hell, the Grecian Underworld, and wielded by demons of said realm) it was likely that it could work.

However, the more he used hellfire, the likely the chance that his demonic powers could get out of control. Hopefully, that level of power and unpredictability could be aimed at his foes, rather than his allies.

"I think I have a way around that," Markus suggested, getting raised eyebrows from the others.

"Uh, could your mageía even produce that level of firepower?" Mallory questioned. "Especially since you're the son of a sea god."

"It should work," Markus confirmed, hoping that he was correct. And if it doesn't, he thought to himself, raw power should work.

"Okay," T.J. nodded, a hopeful smile on his face.

"So, how are we planning to get into Hel?" Markus questioned, curious.

"There is an easy way of entering Hotel Val-" Halfborn started to say, only to grunt as he was kicked in the side by Mallory, who shot him a glare.

"What he means to say is that there is a way, but only Lord Odin knows about it," she interjected, shooting a not-so subtle glare at Halfborn to keep quiet.

Eyebrows raised, Markus asked, "Is this super secret passage way Norse-only?" They all stilled, but Markus shrugged his shoulders. "That's fair, I guess. Not wanting unknown allies to look at your base of operations, I get it. But unless you guys know of another way into Hel-"

"I do," one of the Valkyrie spoke up, getting Gunilla to turn to look towards her. "T-There were stories. Stories about how my mother, Ròta, got trapped in Helheim. I-I met her, talked to her. S-She said she was going on a mission decreed by Odin himself. S-She..." Tears sprung into her eyes slightly.

In a rare show of comfort, Gunilla placed her hand on her Valkyrie's shoulder. Seemingly drawing strength from the act, she continued. "I searched for days, pleading with Odin to allow me to visit Helheim, to recover my mother's body, or to go after her and rescue her. I was... denied." She clenched her fists, angered at the All-Father's order. "So, instead of using the main method with Hotel Valhalla... I found a secret route outside."

Blinking, Gunilla nodded her head slowly. "Okay. Thank you, Astra. Your information has helped us. And I will... beg for an audience with the All-Father. To dispatch a squad of Valkyries to possibly locate your mother."

Even though Astra knew that it was futile, she still smiled at the gesture. "T-Thank you." She looked towards the assembled group. "The entrance is located on an island in North America, near Lake Superior."

"North America?" Halfborn questioned, stumped. "That's like... uh... a lot of miles?"

"Roughly 1,700 miles," Astra answered for him. "I researched the distance when planning to look for it."

"We can plan for a trip," Mallory brought up.

"Markus raised an eyebrow. "I could just teleport us there," he interjected, getting everyone to pause.

"... Well, that's convenient," T.J. chuckled, the einherjar agreeing with him. Gunilla, however, was still skeptical.

"Have you ever been to North America? Lake Superior specifically?"

Markus frowned. "No, but-"

"Then how do you plan to teleport us to a place that you've never been to before? Not to mention that it's likely that the place is heavily guarded. Did you think of that?"

"All I need is a general direction and description from Astra, and I can vapour-travel us there," Markus responded, a little angered. "Besides, whether it's guarded by skeletons or magic or whatever, I can handle it."

Gunilla sneered. "You expect me to just instantly trust that you'll 'handle it'? Get over yourself!"

Now fully angered, Markus made to retort, only for T.J. to slam his fist down on the table. "Enough!" he exclaimed, his easy-going expression fading away immediately. Both demigods fell silent. "We need to be working together, not bickering at every opportunity given to us. Gunilla, you're the captain of the Valkyries, act like it! You already know of Markus' skills and feats, so don't be acting like this is out of his area of expertise!"

Scowling, Gunilla calmed herself down.

T.J. then turned to Markus. "And Markus. I get that you're powerful, but you're dealing with a whole new ballpark here. The rules for the Norse are different to the Greeks. You have to know what you're getting into, before taking a deliberate action."

Frowning, Markus wanted to retort that he had dealt with gods. These Giants couldn't actually be considered a threat, could they?

But at the same time, T.J.'s advice made sense. The rules of the Greeks were different than the Norse. So, it was best that he treated it as such.

"Fine," both of them snapped at the same time, drawing an angered light in both of their eyes.

Sighing, T.J. nodded his head slowly. "Good. Now Astra. Do you know of the general direction that we can be pointed to?" The Valkyrie nodded her head. "Okay. Do you know the kind of wards placed on the entrance to Helheim?"

"Likely runic barriers or Hel-Walkers," she answered. "Unfortunately, I couldn't scry any other information from the secret entrance."

Halfborn nodded to himself. "Likely because it's secret."

"No shit, Sherlock," Mallory retorted, scoffing.

Clenching and unclenching his hands in irritation, Halfborn eventually calmed himself. "So, we enter Helheim, and then what? We would then have to deal with all of the undead, and possibly..." "He paled. "Hel herself."

While most of the others paled alongside him, Markus frowned. "Goddess of the dead?"

"And ruler of Helheim, yes," Mallory answered, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "And since she's the daughter of Loki, she's likely to be plotting with her psychotic father into kick-starting Ragnarok."

Halfborn turned to look at Markus hopefully. "So, you ever kill the death god of your pantheon?"

Markus frowned. "No. I've met Hades, but not Thanatos. I don't know how they operate in terms of combat. And even then, all I do know is that fighting a death god in their own domain is never a good idea."

Gunilla scoffed. "Some 'God Slayer' you are."

Markus glared at her, his eyes glowing with power. "Keep talking like that and I'll show you how I earned that title," he hissed.

"Guys, please," T.J. begged, getting the two to calm down. "Okay. If fighting her won't work, we'll try diplomacy. And yeah." Here, he rolled his eyes at the other einherjar, who chuckled. "It's ironic that a child of a war god would rather talk than fight. Piss off, guys."

"You are kind of disciplined for a war god's child, though," Markus remarked, impressed.

T.J. shrugged. "Feel like I got lucky. Since Tyr's the god of law, justice and honour as well as war, I'm well grounded. It does suck, however, that I'm obligated to accept any challenge, whether I want to or not." At Markus' confused look, he waved it away. "I'll explain later. Anyways, talking is another route we can take. But, if that doesn't work, we can try and use something else."

At everyone's expectant gazes, he explained. "Well, you know how Garm, the guard dog of Hel, resides in said realm. He's destined to kill my father at Ragnarok. So, it's likely that he could sense when he's close by, which could lead to him being able to sense me, since I'm his son. I'll act as a diversion and lead Garm away from his post, causing enough of a ruckus for you guys to quickly locate Loki and stop him from using Odin's spell to resurrect the Jötnar."

"But you'd be sacrificing yourself," Mallory interjected, frowning. "T.J., Garm is protected by the Norns, meaning he can't die until Ragnarok. Also, he's capable of killing a god. You'd be slaughtered."

T.J. shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, if that'll help you in preventing Ragnarok from occurring, then I'll do what I can. I'm prepared to lay down my life."

"Or," Markus interrupted, breaking the moment, "I can just leave some clones with you, and let them help you escape. Better that they die, rather than you."

"... Man, you're really just going to take away my badass scene, aren't you?" T.J. mock complained. Though, the demigod could see the relief in his eyes.

Smirking, Markus retorted. "Well, if you want to face Garm all by yourself, then-"

"No, no, no!" he quickly denied, making Markus chuckle. "That's cool. I can postpone my death."

"Alright, let's go," Gunilla announced, already standing up.

"Hopefully, things will go we-" Astra started to say, only for Markus to speed forward and put a hand on her mouth, silencing it. He glared at her.

"Don't. Say. That," he said slowly, removing her mouth gently. "Gods know that quests have gone to shit because of words like that."

"N-Noted," Astra acknowledged reluctantly.

XXX

Having received a description and direction of the warded entrance to Helheim, Markus had vapour-travelled to the location, bringing the group along with him. He reappeared near an island, reassembling on Lake Superior. He hardened the surface of the water to allow the others to stand on it as well. They quickly inspected themselves, seeing that their bodies were properly intact.

Markus rolled his eyes. "What is with people and their lack of faith? Seriously, I don't hate you guys that much that I'd leave your body parts behind... except Gunilla."

"Screw you, too," she responded, finished with her inspection.

Turning to the island, Markus applied his Mage Sight, looking at the wards and barriers placed on the island. His eyes narrowed even further upon seeing a bunch of trees grown there. They seemed to be covering something. Whether the Norse glamour was able to hide it properly or not, a small crevice seemed to be revealed slightly. A miasma of death seemed to roll off of the trees, the glamour hiding how twisted they were by nature and age.

Shutting his Sight off, Markus informed the group. "The entrance seems to be there. But the wards are definitely strong."

"Could you disable them?" T.J. queried.

Markus closed his eyes, trying to come up with what he could use to take the barriers down. Brute force wouldn't work, as it was likely that it could backfire on him. Runes were iffy as well, so that just left fūinjutsu.

Nodding, Markus walked forward on the water, bringing out a magical ink pen from his pocket dimension. Immediately, he began to draw different kanji in the air on the wards. Seeing that he would also need to use something to hold the containing seal matrix to the wards, Markus used Grecian Link Runes. Essentially, these were used to either hold or contain the power of a central runic or sealing matrix, to keep it from going out of control. Like the one he was applying right now.

Using his super speed, Markus applied two Link Runes on the visible edges of the barriers. Then, he applied six more in a hexagonal shape in the centre. Nodding his head at seeing that his work was done, the son of Poseidon then wrote a string of kanji and connected the seals and runes together. He then stood in front of the complex seal-rune formula hybrid, cracked his neck, and finished off his last stroke, activating his magic while doing so.

The einherjar and Valkyrie watched in awe as the hexagonal-shaped Greek Link Runes glowed, allowing a large azure seal outline to appear on the centre of the barrier. Suddenly, the seal formula bore the image of a large white diamond that shone as bright as the sun. In the centre of the diamond lay the image of what looked like a sword . Its hilt was made up of two intersecting keys, their points facing outwards and away from each other. It had a pale green filigree and the blade itself was of a bronze colour.

The seals then pulsed and suddenly a large string of kanji raced around the entirety of the wards, encompassing the now visible barrier of magic energy in a matter of seconds. The diamond in the centre of the seal then pulsed rapidly, growing in intensity with each pulse. After a few seconds, there was a sudden arc of purple electricity running along the length of the kanji, a stream of magic forming at each location where the Link Runes had been made.

Markus grinned at seeing the barrier shatter, looking to the others behind him.

"Impressive," was all Gunilla managed to state, before walking forward on the hardened water. "At least your knowledge of mageía is useful."

"I'm so flattered," Markus muttered sarcastically, him and the group standing on the solid ground of the island. "Now, we're going to have to come up with a way to get past the raw death magic surrounding the crevice."

He looked to the other group for suggestions, but they kept on looking at him expectantly. He grit his teeth. "Oh, sure. Make sure I'm the one who does all of the work."

"What? Is the big bad 'God Slayer' unable to handle a little extra work?" Mallory teased.

Markus scoffed. "Oh, please. Go try that teasing shit with your boyfriend over there. I'm not as receptive to your teasing as he is."

Halfborn blinked while Mallory blushed. "How the Hel did you know?"

"I'm dating a daughter of the love goddess, I've picked up on some shit."

Eventually, the two fell silent as they faced the trees that kept the 'death crevice' from being seen. Sighing, Markus unleashed his Devil Bringer, hellfire trailing from the tips of his fingers. Concentrating, he fired a stream of hellfire towards the trees, instantly incinerating them. Seeing that the trees were being erased, he toned down the intensity, allowing the crevice to not be completely destroyed as well.

His Mage Sight was on full blast as he watched the flames fight against the death magic. He grunted as he kept adding more fuel, the demonic runes on his arm lighting up. The scales seemed to act up, approaching more of his body.

"I'd advise you to step back," Markus warned as he grit his teeth.

Taking his advice, the Norse group stepped back as he grunted, the scales reaching more and more of his body. Pretty soon, his demonic metamorphosis was complete. He had his signature black, curved horns, the black scales and the crimson eyes.

Since when was my transformation so... quick? Markus thought to himself, surprised at the speed. He frowned, grunting at the pain that he was feeling, but pushed through it to get to the task at hand.

Thankfully, his idea seemed to have worked. The flames of Hell seemed to overcome the Norse death field, leaving the crevice unprotected and - more importantly - safe. Sighing, he released his transformation, clutching his chest as he knelt down, surprising the others.

"Are you alright?" Mallory questioned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Coughing, he nodded to himself, standing up shakily. "I'm fine. Just a little winded."

The others seemed to accept that answer, looking towards him warily. He gave a shaky smile in response, calling upon the nearby water to douse himself, rejuvenating him. The pain seemed to lessen, squashing his worries for only a moment.

Looks like I'm going to have to be careful in how I use my demonic powers, Markus thought to himself. And considering I plan to use my hellfire abilities when fighting Frost Giants...

He held the thought back, hoping that he could grit his teeth and bear through the pain. Nodding to the others, Gunilla jumped down first, vanishing without a sound. Quickly enough, Astra followed her, along with the two other Valkyrie. Then the other einherjar followed soon after, along with Markus.

Immediately, a wave of cold washed over everyone, seeping into their pores and robbing them of essential heat. Astra even knelt to the ground, shivering violently.

Markus had felt cold. Ice was an element he was all too familiar with, including its varying levels. But this ice was different. It was spiritual; he could literally feel it leeching at his life force, stealing his body temperature drastically. Immediately, Markus knew what to do.

Using his Devil Bringer again, he held his hand up and summoned a ball of hellfire. Immediately, he and the others could feel the difference. All of them shivered at the sudden change of temperature. However, the trick had worked, allowing for the group to not feel the effect of the deathly cold.

"Okay, so what are we going to do now?" Halfborn questioned, looking relatively shook.

T.J. sighed. "I'll get started on locating Garm. When you guys get passed the Bridge of the Damned - where the centre of Helheim is after - I'll quickly join you. Hopefully."

Nodding, Markus grit his teeth. Two speed clones appeared beside the group, silently shocking the others. Immediately, they shivered, the cold atmosphere of Helheim immediately getting to them.

Markus narrowed his eyes. "You guys are made of kinetic energy. How the hell are you even cold?"

"Hey!" the first clone yelled out, angered. "This shit is spiritual! We can still feel the cold, dammit!"

"Why do you always abuse us?!" the other clone cried out in anger. "This is inhumane! Inhumane, I tell you!"

"Oh, shut up," Markus scoffed, rolling his eyes. He jerked his head to T.J.'s direction. "You're protecting him from a giant dog. Make sure he doesn't die. As for protection..." Looking around, Markus scoured for anything to use. "I'm going to need to find a way to pass on my hellfire..."

"What about this?" T.J. questioned, seeing a nearby skull of a deceased Viking warrior. "You can set it alight, maybe give it to us as a weapon-"

As he picked the skull up, it snapped at him, nearly nicking off a piece of his nose. "H-Hey!" he exclaimed, dropping the skull and stomping on it repeatedly.

Gunilla allowed a smile on her face while the others snickered. "Maybe it wasn't wise to pick up a piece of the undead in the realm of the dead."

"Oh, now you joke," T.J. snarked, while the others continued to laugh. Eventually, he located where the other parts of the body were, removing a piece of the armour. Bringing it to Markus, he lit a small bit of it on fire, the small ember of hell flame burning the armour slightly.

"Make sure you guys move fast. The flame will likely eat away at the armour," Markus cautioned. Nodding, one of the clones picked it up, holding it gingerly. The other placed a firm grip on the son of the war god. "And T.J.? Good luck."

He smiled while the clones grumbled to themselves at the lack of respect that they got. They zipped away, scouring Hel for Garm.

"May the gods be with him," Mallory muttered to herself, working out the nerves in her own bodies.

A response was unnecessary as the group all nodded to one another, knowing what they had to do.

Strolling forward, the group made haste, the flames of hell doing their best to keep them warm. They walked for a good hour, most of their lips by now turning blue. Halfborn's zeal for battle quickly quieted itself in the face of howling, gloomy death.

Astra did her best to keep going, but the winds of Hel were relentless. She fell to her knees, collapsing into a ball and shivering.

"Astra!" Gunilla called out as she knelt by her side. She moaned, feeling the weakness creeping to her as well. Just as the others were going to help her, howls started to ring across the realm. Halfborn just had the time to mutter a "Oh, shit!" before numerous humanoids appearing in front of the group, weapons in their hands. Some had blue and white coloration, appearing as some sort of ice monsters. Others were the usual skeleton warriors, armed with axes and swords. Scars littered their bones, showcasing their experience in both life and death.

Snarling, Markus forced himself to use more of his demonic power, his metamorphosis now complete. He swiped his hand at the group, burning most of the members to a crisp. Red Queen was instantly brought out, the revving producing enough flames to withstand Helheim's temperature. He charged forward, attacking the group. The others soon joined in, flanking the downed Valkyries as they each started to destroy their foes.

"These damn Hel-Walkers just keep coming!" Mallory complained. Her serrated knives had difficulties cutting into the undead horde, but she managed. She grunted as she was slashed at from behind, making her stumble. The attacking skeleton made to advance, only for Halfborn to roar in anger, axes swinging as they beheaded and dismembered undead soldiers one after the other.

"You okay?!" he shouted to her, seeing her grunt and stand on her two feet.

"Worry about me later, dumbass! I'm fine!" she barked out, throwing one of her knives with precision, sinking into the skull of a Hel-Walker sneaking up on the berserker. Of course, being undead, the attack had no significant impact on the warrior. It roared, weapon raised, only for Halfborn to give a loud roar and slice down with one of the axes in his hand, bisecting it completely.

He picked up the knife, tossing it back to Mallory. "Well done, love."

"Oh, stop patronising me," she snapped, annoyed.

A bolt of lightning was fired off, taking out a good chunk of the warriors. "Enough with this useless quarrel!" Gunilla roared, standing up shakily. She was panting, managing to move only through will and anger. Grabbing the amulet wrapped around her neck, she swung fluidly, her condition not seeming to impede her at the moment.

She struck down, lightning sprouting from what looked to be an oversized hammer (A.N. - Similar to what Nora Valkyrie uses in RWBY) hitting the ground. The attack stunned the undead group for but a moment, allowing for Markus to hack and slash with Red Queen. He admired the blade, appreciating the slow warmth it brought him.

"Gods, I love Hephaestus-quality weapons," he sighed, before revving the weapon again. The flames produced were no hellfire, but they were still useful.

Pretty soon, the horde ended. The group panted, taking a breather from all the exertion. Astra moaned, the frost seeming to cling to her as she struggled to rise. The others freed her as she gasped, her body turning more and more blue.

Holding the hellfire towards her seemed to slow the cold down at least, which was something. "Let's move on," Markus decided. "And quickly. The longer we're in Helheim, the more we get bogged down by it."

"Good idea," Gunilla muttered as the group continued to move, faster than normal. As they kept walking, formations of ice started to appear more and more, causing a few to slip accidentally on the hellish ice.

As if that wasn't enough, the ice revealed more and more of the frozen realm. Murals of Ancient Viking culture were revealed through the ice. All that adorned the now sudden and plain black stone walls were tapestries depicting death, usually caused by battle, famine, disease, old age. Instinctively, all of them knew that these were the souls that came to Helheim.

Markus was very curious as to how the souls of the dead were differentiated between Valhalla and Helheim, but he decided not to ask. Right now, everyone was doing their best to keep all the energy they could, trying not to talk unnecessarily. He looked to the group.

Mallory and Halfborn seemed affected by the cold, but managed to move forward. The Valkyries, however, seemed to be getting more and more weaker the more they moved through the realm. His immediate response was to hand them ambrosia and nectar, but they weren't Greek. Moreover, Markus wasn't even sure that they were demigods for that matter, so it was unlikely that the divine food wouldn't burn them into ashes.

He had to wonder how - apart from himself - the einherjar were able to move forward, while the Valkyries grew weaker. Was it because the former was - technically - dead, so the atmosphere of Helheim didn't seem to affect them as negatively as the alive Valkyries? But shouldn't they both feel the same effects, considering that the einherjar were dead, thus affected by the realm of the dead?

The son of Poseidon sighed. Thinking about it won't let them survive for long. Best he continue focusing on the task at hand.

Right at that moment, shades of the dead suddenly appeared. Startled, the group had their weapons in their hands as more and more shades appeared. It was likely that they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but that wasn't the case. The group were becoming more and more accustomed to the realm of the dead. Like how Greek demigods who were alive grew more and more accustomed to the Underworld, seeing Cerberus better being a prime example.

The shades weren't summoned, they were... invisible, for lack of a better term. Not in sight for those still alive. They drifted around the group, shuffling quickly as if to arrive at their planned destination. They had the same sullen expression that Markus had seen in the Underworld.

Grunting, the group jogged quickly through the shades, dispersing and reappearing behind them moments later. Their moans and wails rang through their ears, but they did their best to ignore them, focused only on the task at hand. Gunilla yelped as one shade managed to grasp at her, trying to drag her down.

"P-Please," the shade begged. She turned to snap at it, only for her face to turn into shock upon seeing that it was a child's spirit. A girl to be exact.

"H-Help me. I want to... to escape. F-Freedom. Freedom!" The last part was yelled as she tried to drag the Valkyrie. Fortunately, Markus grabbed Gunilla, snapping her out of her horror, and removing the shade from her. They continued moving, doing their best to move out of the jostling of the undead.

It was safe to say that Gunilla was shaken up by what had transpired. Despite her misgivings, Markus clenched her shoulder as a sign of support as they continued to move forward, the mood growing more and more sour.

They quickly climbed over ice cliffs, gates of bones and even the frozen body of what looked to be a troll. Eventually, they managed to travel to an open plaza, with souls of the damned wandering about aimlessly. Up ahead, a bridge seemed to lead into a foggy area of space. There seemed to be no end to the bridge itself.

Markus turned to Gunilla. "I presume that's the Bridge of the Damned?"

Gunilla nodded. "Correct. And Garm isn't anywhere in sight. It looks like T.J.'s plan was successful."

"Let's just hope he survives long enough to say, 'I told you so'," Mallory sighed.

Just at that moment, a howl rang across the void. In the distance, a path was formed from a large figure bursting through the ice wall behind them. Whirling around, the group saw a massive dog - three times the size of a Greek hellhound - with black fur that was dotted with splotches of blood. It tossed and turned, revealing who was clinging to the collar of the dog; T.J. and one of Markus' speed clones.

In the war child's hand was an arrow that was jammed into its side, causing said howls from the presumable Garm. Snarling, T.J. shook the arrow, causing Garm to twitch. Pawing at the ground, he sprinted towards the open edge of the plaza that the group was on, causing them to roll out of the way as T.J. roared.

Suddenly, the demigod and clone jumped off the dog's back, the arrow falling from T.J.'s hand as he slammed into the ground, the clone landing on his feet. Seeing the guard dog falling to the side, the group was about to cheer, only for Markus' clone to whirl to them, an alarmed look in his eyes.

"Move! He's following behind us!" he yelled, shivering from the cold.

Markus - the original - frowned. It had just occurred to him that the hellfire torch that they had carried was gone. "What the hell do you me-"

Not able to respond in time, the clone dashed forward, pushing most of the group out of the way to receive an incoming arrow of light. Grunting, the concussive force from the attack caused it to disperse.

Shocked, all of them turned to look at the hole of where Garm had emerged from, seeing a new figure appear. He was a young man, with features almost similar to Apollo; extremely handsome, blue eyes that seemed to glow even in the darkness of Helheim and a godlike physique. His upper body was bare, save for some fur clothing around his side, with a small scar on the left pectoral in the shape of an arrow head. A dirty mop of brown hair hung from his head.

It was only the madness in his eyes that was the most outstanding features. His face was a mask of deranged pleasure as he grinned maliciously. Moreover, there was a sort of... blankness in his eyes as he stared at the group. "Found you, Loki!" he yelled out, seeming to stare at T.J.'s rising form. He hurled a blast of light from his palm, aimed straight for the demigod.

Moving quickly, Markus used his super speed to narrowly push the demigod out of the way, the shockwave scraping at his demonic form, making him grunt slightly. He turned to T.J. "Want to fill me in on who the hell is this guy?"

"B-Balder," he managed to gasp out. "The god of light."

Halfborn picked him up as he gaped. "I thought he was dead! And why the Hel is he attacking you?!"

"Loki!" Balder called out angrily, leaping forward and descending downwards, fist aiming to strike down. However, Markus intercepted him, catching his fists and feeling the force behind them.

Grunting, Markus held him back in a stalemate as the two struggled for dominance. "Well, now we know why! He thinks you're Loki!" Growling, a shockwave was produced from their fists, splintering most of the ground. A scream of pain erupted from the deceased god's mouth as Markus' still flaming hand seared his hand, allowing for the demigod to gain the upper hand and sucker-punch him, causing him to skid upon the splintering ground.

Turning to the group, Markus shouted out, "Get past the bridge! I'll meet up with you guys!"

"But-" "Go!" Markus roared, before he grunted as he was struck by a blast of light. He roared as he held his chest, the scorch marks and burns visible on his chest.

Seeing no choice, Gunilla barked at the group to do as Markus told, heading for the bridge. Balder made to leap at them, but Markus intercepted him, tackling him off of the cracking ground. The two started to punch at each other, Balder's fists covered in light, and Markus' in hellfire. Seeing a frozen crater approach them, Markus used his strength to veer the god to act as the battering ram, causing him to collide into the ground and create an even bigger crater, a shockwave being produced.

Flipping up, Markus held up Red Queen to block the continued battering ram that was Balder. "You'll pay for your treachery, Loki!" the god of light roared, pounding on the sword.

Revving it up, Markus caused flames to appear that - while not damaging him - did distract him. Palms extended, streams of hellfire were formed, blasting into the god and sending him back. Markus ended the attack to move in closely, taking advantage of the charge.

However, a fist of light smacked him in the face, causing him to be launched back and get good distance. Rolling into a crouch, Markus watched Balder step through the flaming wall. His skin - possibly tanned before his death - was an interesting mix between blue and pink.

At Markus' shocked gaze, Balder laughed. "You can't beat me, Loki! You of all people should know of this!"

It's likely that he's under some sort of spell, Markus thought to himself as he stood up. Making whoever he looks upon immediately look like Loki. If the actual Loki were to appear, maybe I can sic him onto the bastard, see how that goes.

Balder cracked his neck, suddenly slamming his fist down on the ground, sending ice flying everywhere. Markus dodged the blast radius of the light attack that had formed from the ground.

"Pointless," Balder cackled as he leapt forward, punching Markus who deflected the attack with his forearm and continue slashing with Red Queen. Unfortunately, the weapon kept on bouncing off of his skin. He grabbed the sword by the blade and turned coated his hand in pure light, punching Markus and sending him flying.

Leaping, Balder barrelled into Markus and started to punch him repeatedly as Markus snarled. He held onto Balder's neck, trying to choke the god, only for him to laugh.

"I'm both invulnerable and dead! I'm unkillable! What do you plan to do?!" he shouted into the demigod's face, the madness in his eyes truly visible.

Smirking, Markus discretely activated the exploding rune he'd placed on Balder's neck, dislodging the two from each other and sending them careening to different locations.

Slamming his hand on the ground, black lightning surged forward and connected with the ground, electrocuting Balder as he flinched. However, he hid it from Markus under a veil of cockiness.

"You bore me!" Balder bellowed as his body lit up. But not from the lightning. Eyes wide, Markus moved to intercept him, but was too slow. Balder's body erupted into a golden light, blinding Markus greatly and even singing his skin.

It's that damned light! Markus mentally bellowed, his eyes burning as if on fire. Then, he mentally slapped himself. Demons were creatures of darkness and sin. It only stood to reason that powerful light - or holy objects, apparently - could injure him greatly in his demonic form.

Making a quick decision, Markus instantly summoned Tsunami to replace Red Queen, bringing the weapon just in time to block the charge of the psychotic god. He hastily added his Hierro to his body, strengthening it.

Markus had never been blinded before. It was a new experience, not being able to see. His demigod reflexes struggled to cope with the blindness and the speeds that Balder sent his attacks with. It was only his hasty but god-given reactions that allowed him to dish out punishment an equal amount of times, if a lot less severe than the burns he received from Balder's attacks. He mentally noted that he would have to rectify his fighting style to include blindness.

Hoping that his insane plan that had formed would work, Markus threw his trident forward, presuming that the god would dodge the attack. Gathering the necessary magic, Markus unleashed a blast of hellfire that caused Balder to cry out.

So he's not completely invulnerable, Markus noted with a smirk. Or rather, hellfire negates his powers. Maybe because it's not of the Norse pantheon? Doesn't matter, it's effective, but it's not going to kill him. So, what can?

Dismissing his wave of hellfire, Markus lowered his eyes as Balder drew closer. The god cackled insanely as he grabbed Markus from the neck, pummelling the demigod mercilessly. He grunted with each attack as Balder laughed. Blinded and in pain, Markus continued to endure each attack, counting the strikes and the interval between each one.

"Die, scum!" the god yelled, rearing his fist for a final strike. Holding his hand out, Markus mentally recalled Tsunami via his connection. The trident flew to his hand, knocking Balder off-balance due to the force. Swinging about, Markus aimed the trident upwards, hoping his aim was true.

A cry from the god made Markus smile, happy that his plan worked.

Balder held his right eye, roaring as godly blood fell from his injury. "Bastard!" he cried out in anger and surprise.

Smirking as - thankfully - his vision starting to return, Markus chuckled at the god. "Not so fun when you're blinded, is it?" he retorted.

His theory was correct. Balder's skin was impenetrable, but his normal insides - assuming that gods' physical structure was identical to that of mortals - were normal. Guess that included his eyes.

Roaring in pure fury, Balder moved forward to punch Markus, who parried it away and started to keep on attacking with fists infused with hellfire. Each blow seemed to wear him down bit by bit. Infuriated, the god of light went for an overhead swing that missed the demigod by a huge margin.

"Why! Won't! You! DIE?!" Balder bellowed, the very air shaking from his raw light. Slamming his fists together, he struck the ground, the force sending Markus careening slightly. Grunting, Markus found his bearings as he surveyed the area before him, including his opponent.

This is getting me nowhere, he mentally complained. Magic wouldn't do much against his skin. If hellfire did nothing more than turn his skin pink, then his other magic wouldn't do much. He frowned as a thought came to him.

Surveying Balder's chest, Markus could still see the arrow-shaped mark on his chest. He can't be completely invulnerable, then. Or maybe that injury was before he turned invulnerable.

He was forced to cut off his thinking to narrowly evade the blasts of light Balder kept on sending him. Annoyed, Markus channelled earthquake energy to his fists and decided to pummel him instead. He kept on striking the god, using his super speed to keep a good distance away from his uncontrollable swings.

"You can't kill me! I am invincible! Unfeeling, undead... there's no conceivable way you can beat me!" Markus paused at that, only registering that his earthquake energy was useless, considering that what Balder said was true, the vibrations wouldn't be carried far enough to his body. This pause allowed Balder to strike, Markus' speed somewhat sluggish due to Balder's advantage. "But you... you feel everything. Yet you, you keep trying."

My clone and T.J. were possibly running from him, and they gained an arrow along the way. Could that arrow belong to Balder? Did they steal it? Markus kept on weaving between attacks, appearing behind Balder and performing a suplex, leaving him temporarily stunned.

Most likely, they stole it from him to take down Garm. It's possible that the arrow is linked to his death. Maybe he died with it or- Having his theory in his head, Markus moved back, creating speed clones that decided to distract the god, who'd recovered easily.

Sighing, he used his super speed to zip around the destroyed battlefield, searching for the arrow. It can't be a coincidence. Balder was killed by that arrow, presumably by Loki. Which is why he hates him. Activating his War God Speed Impulse, his mind and eyesight tracked his movements, hoping not to miss a single detail. That scar is proof. Stabbing him there should at least kill him. Or... however an undead is supposed to properly die.

Hearing Balder's roar of frustration made him search faster. He was just about to come up with another plan when he saw a long arrow shaft hidden underneath some ice. Holding the massive boulder, Markus used his hellfire to heat up the rock, seeing it melt slowly.

It was nearly disappeared when Balder yelled out, "Found you!" Whirling around, Markus saw Balder leap towards him, a few of his speed clones running in the same direction.

"You had one job!" Markus exclaimed to his clones, the ice near-melted. Picking up the shaft and seeing the arrow still intact, Markus spun around, seeing it still melt. He roared as he stabbed it into the god's scar, narrowly catching his fist.

Balder immediately seized up, his motion causing him to ram into Markus, causing the two to fall down in a heap. Throwing him off, Markus quickly pushed himself off of the ground, giving himself enough distance to see his work.

Eyes wide, Balder held the arrow that had sunken into his scar. Black blood pooled from it as he held it gingerly. "P-Pain... I... finally feel it," he whispered. He looked up to Markus, and the demigod could see that madness within his eyes fading away. But also very weak.

"Y-You're not Loki," he muttered, more to himself rather than to Markus.

The son of Poseidon shook his head. "No, Balder. I'm not. He placed a curse upon you to-"

"Make me see himself upon the one in my field of vision," he finished, smiling bitterly. "Even in death, you can't make me find peace." Collapsing to the ground, he smiled weakly at Markus. "T-Thank you for finally making me find peace even in death. I-I... can now rest. M-Make sure... you stop his... s-schemes."

He smiled, and - despite himself - Markus found himself smiling back. His smile seemed so bright. So genuine. He wasn't looking at Balder the berserker. Now, he was looking at Balder, the god who couldn't find peace in death. But now, he was.

Markus nodded. "I will," he assured, causing him to smile. Then he sighed peacefully.

His body started to sink into the icy ground, turning into black liquid. The liquid seemed to burrow itself into the ground, disappearing and leaving no trace of Balder. Nothing, but the arrow that he had been defeated with.

Sighing, Markus reached forward to grab the arrow and pick it up, inspecting it. Mentally, he made a promise to cherish the arrow, make sure to keep Balder's words in his head.

Nodding, he sped away to find the group.

XXX

With the Norse group, after leaving Markus

When Markus had left to fight the insane god Balder, the group kept on crossing the bridge, making sure to push past any ghoul or Hel-Walker.

"We don't have much time," Gunilla snapped weakly, coughing. "Loki's plans will unfold if we don't-" She couldn't finish her sentence, as she nearly collapsed. However, Halfborn carried her in a fireman's carry, the same way he did with T.J.

Nodding in thanks, the remaining Valkyries trudged along as they moved forward. Cursing themselves, they didn't have enough time to ask Markus for a hellfire torch. It seemed that they would have to make do, and pray to Lord Odin that they would manage to survive.

As they kept walked, whispers of the dead became more prevalent as they proceeded to Helheim's centre. They filled all of their ears like snakes hissing.

"Why are we being punished for this?"

"Someone help. Stop this madness."

"Haven't we suffered enough?"

"My dear Astra. Oh, how I missed you so."

Astra paused, hearing her name being singled out. The others caught her attention, trying to drag her forward, but she was stubborn. Her name was being called out. She had to find out who was the one calling to her.

"Who's there?!" she yelled out, curious and afraid as to who she would see. "Who's there?!"

"It's me, my child," was the simple response. The dense fog that seemed to part for them at the side lessened slightly, allowing the figure to be fully seen. It was an elderly woman, wearing the traditional Valkyrie garb. However, her clothes and armour were torn and scarred. Large, metal wings protruded from her back, looking completely molten and dirty.

Her grey eyes seemed to stare deeply into Astra's soul. She smiled weakly, some of her teeth missing. "My dear Astra."

Tears falling from her eyes, Astra freed herself from the others and ran to the woman, embracing her deeply. "Mother!" she exclaimed, happiness pouring from her tears. "It's so good to see you!"

The Valkyrie Róta smiled, caressing Astra's face. "My dear child. It's so good to see you, alive and well. But what are you doing in Helheim, dear child? It is for the dead. You don't belong here."

Wiping her eyes, Astra gave a large smile. "W-We are just here to stop Loki from starting Ragnarok. By his orders, Lord Odin-"

Róta's kind face vanished as she glared harshly at her daughter, causing the young Valkyrie to recoil at the sheer speed of the change. "Odin?" Róta uttered, so silent that Astra had trouble hearing her. "That wretched filth?! You are doing that god a favour?!"

"M-Mother, I'm a Valkyrie," Astra spoke, shock filling her face. "We are bound to Lord Odin-"

"Odin is the reason I am even in this hellish place!" Róta screeched, wings spread in agitation. "He cursed us to be placed here! Bound us to this realm!"

Astra and the others went wide-eyed at this revelation. "B-But, why would he do such a thing?!" she questioned, shocked that the god would do something so cruel for seemingly no reason.

Róta chuckled harshly, the noise sending shivers down everyone's spine. "You poor child. So unused to the wicked schemes of the 'Allfather'. Performing tasks for him so he could scheme his way out of Ragnarok, when the end will come. It's inevitable." This time, Róta glided around her daughter and the group, her voice gaining more and more poison the more she spoke.

"We - the original squad of Valkyries - were tasked by Odin to retrieve a child of Loki for him, to hopefully bring him to Valhalla. And when he brought him, we thought that we were done. But little did we know, that the child was a spy for his wretched father."

Gunilla shook, her eyes struggling to find clarity in what she had heard.

Róta continued, acting as if she wasn't there. "Somehow, he managed to sneak into Asgard and coerced the Norse goddess Eir to come with him into Helheim. The boy shared his father's silver tongue, seducing the goddess and convincing her to heal the ruler of Helheim, Hela. Angered at the 'supposed' betrayal, Odin punished both Eir and my own squad of Valkyries, seeing that any aid sent to Hela - and children of Loki in general - was seen as blasphemy to him."

The others were drawn into the story, confused and slowly growing more horrified.

Róta kept on hissing with fury as she spoke. "We were punished severely. Bound to our physical forms and forced to wander the depths of Helheim, some of our sight taken from us. Odin thought it appropriate since we failed to see past the child's scheming ways. Ironic, considering that the 'all-seeing and all-knowing' Allfather was blind, like the rest of us!"

"M-Mother, that can't be true!" Astra begged, grabbing her mother and searching for the truth. Or, at least the truth that she believed. "Lord Odin would never-"

Grabbing her face harshly, Róta sneered at her. "It's not enough that the fool is a petulant child, blaming us for his own failings! But he poisons my child's mind with false sweetness and lies! He couldn't stand the fact that his curse(1) that he had placed on her was broken! Paranoid and foolish, he presumably thought that this would be one of the stepping stones to his dearly-wished demise!"

Tears of pain and sorrow fell from her eyes. "W-We... we were loyal to him for so many years. We did everything for him. Every cruel task carried on his word was done! Every pleasantry was offered up to him from us and our children! We did everything for him." Snarling, Róta dropped her child and unleashed her large wings and slashed at the ground underneath her.

"And this is how he repays us?! The Allfather will pay for all that he has done! Any who carry out his work will die by my hands!"

"Mother, please! I can't allow you to do this! Ragnarok will commence if we don't carry out this mission!" Astra cried out, getting to her knees and begging. "You must let us pass! Please!"

Róta glared at her daughter, but for a moment, her gaze softened slightly. "I see you are set in your beliefs. Odin's work reaches deep in you, my daughter. I'm sorry..."

Astra smiled at her mother, thinking that she had let go of her hate and realised what is important. Her mouth opened to say something, only for it to freeze as her body shook with horror.

"No!" Gunilla yelled, witnessing the scene before her. She tried to rise up, only to fall uselessly.

Róta's left wing had dug deep into her daughter's gut, the end piercing through her back and embedding itself deep into the frozen ground. Lifting her wing up, Róta stared at the pain-filled look on her daughter's face as she was killed instantly, whimpers having been heard from her mouth before she died.

"... but I can't allow anyone to allow Odin to succeed. Not even... my own daughter."

Tilting her head behind her, Róta sighed. "Kill the rest. Make sure none of them pass."

From behind her, as the fog of Helheim cleared, more and more Valkyries started to appear, looking just as twisted and as haphazard as Róta. Eyes of burning hatred locked onto the group, causing them to shake slightly as they armed themselves.

One of the larger Valkyries stepped forward, causing Mallory to gasp upon looking at the legend before her. "Sigrún the former Valkyrie Queen," she whispered, horror seeping into her tone.

"With pleasure," Sigrún rasped out, a bloodthirsty smile on her face.

(1) - My own reason as to why half of Hela's face is undead.

I am glad to be back to this story. I've put it on the shelf for far too long, and it need to be dusted off.

Hope you guys like the chapter. As you could already tell, I mixed most of the stuff from God of War 4, and the Magnus Chase books.

The Norse arc is going to be fun, as I have a lot planned for it. Not just from using elements from the GoW game, but also Norse mythology in general.

Because I did leave the story on the bench for so long - as well as for fans who wanted the story updated quicker - another chapter will likely be posted after this one is uploaded. I'll do my best to make it quick, but I won't make promises.

Guest Review time:

1) He will. The most recent example will be next chapter.

2.) I do prefer Jupiter to Zeus, but unfortunately we won't see that.

3.) He will soon.

4.) He does, yes.

5.) UltraViolence: glad you liked each chapter. Really appreciate it.

6.) Apollyon: Odin has divine wisdom, true. But I wrote the previous chapter with GoW Odin in mind (not a good idea, but I couldn't help myself), so I made him more paranoid, and more prone to acting before truly realising his actions. I don't know how I feel having the fight compared to Fairy Tail (it is what it is, but I'm still unsure - to this day - if that's a good or bad thing).

7.) I never downplayed Odin. If the fight had gone on, Markus would've lost. I'm pretty sure I made that clear. Also, the fight with Atlas had the Titan have his own power boosted by Jashin's versus Markus using the Rage of Sparta, which boosts his base form tremendously.

8.) I get it, but I'm just giving the excuse of plot. The bomb had to happen to destroy the Oracle of Delphi.

9.) I do like the idea of all pantheons (or at least, a good chunk of them) being real and interacting with each other. So I get what you're envisioning. Thanks for the ideas.

10.) Micah: Thanks so much for the praise. Really appreciate it.

11.) Markus won't become a god amongst gods in all the pantheons. I don't plan for things to occur like that, honestly.

12.) Zero: Glad you liked each bit.

13.) Kinda a weak moment in my opinion, but I'm glad you liked it.

14.) Please stop asking me to update. I'll update when I have the time and motivation.

Okay. That's done. With that out of the way, I have to say: thanks to all of you.

Arcane Chaos peaked over 1000 reviews (as well as 1000 follows and favourites). It's always been a silent ambition of mine to do so for any of my stories. I know I haven't properly thanked you guys (probably gave brief mentions in my other stories) but from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I'm so grateful.

Next writer goal is for Solaris to do the same, since it's coming close to 1000 reviews.

A big warm thank you to all those who f,f,r and r my story. All my stories, in fact. Flamers or annoyances go fuck off, honestly.

Read and Review!