"Well... that was something," Sif remarked as we watched Thor and the girls board a flying boat and lift off into the sky. She turned to me. "Use an Asgardian blade for now. We'll deal with your Uru weapon later."
I nodded slowly and followed her to the training yard. The moment I raised the spare blade Thor had given me, she attacked.
It took her twenty seconds to put me on my back.
"Like I said," she smirked, standing over me with her blade at my throat. "Your swordsmanship is piss poor. I have much to teach you — and, admittedly, not a lot of time to do it. Get on your feet, Spider. Let's see just how worthy a warrior you really are."
I grinned. "You asked for it."
A Few Hours Later:
I was flat on my back, gasping. Sif looked down at me with a grin. "You lasted longer than I expected."
"F-fuck you," I wheezed as I felt my body slowly adapting, healing the strain — but leaving me completely hollow of energy. "I don't think I can move a single muscle."
"Too tired?"
"Too hungry," I groaned. "Oh God, Sif — no one has ever pushed me that hard. No one could. Every time you came down it felt like a mountain landing on my shoulders."
"The strength of an Asgardian shouldn't be taken lightly," she said. "Though I will say — for a boy from Midgard, your own strength is nothing to scoff at."
"Thanks. Super strength is a nice bonus... I'm hungry," I groaned.
"Then when you've recovered enough to walk, you can join Thor and me in the mead hall," she instructed as she put her blade away. "And with this, your one and only lesson with me is complete. I hope it was worth it."
She gave me a nod and left, leaving me drenched in sweat and staring up at the ceiling of the training yard.
I panted and looked up at the slowly darkening sky. I didn't recognize a single constellation beginning to appear, but I recognized their beauty. I was so absorbed in them that I didn't notice I was no longer alone.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" I turned to find Frigga smiling down at me.
"All-Mother," I said. "I would stand and bow, but... I genuinely can't."
"I am well aware of the limitations of the mortal body. Think nothing of it." She paused, then added, "Though to be honest, you far exceeded what I expected. I didn't think you'd last nearly as long as you did."
I nodded. "Thanks... You should tell him."
"Tell?" Frigga said. "Tell who what?"
"Thor. You should tell him the truth — about his sister. Hela. The Goddess of Death," I said bluntly. The goddess before me went very still.
"H-how do you know of that?" she asked.
I had no choice but to offer her a version of the truth. "I have dealt with time travel in the past. Through it, I learned of things yet to come." I tried to elaborate and grimaced. "I can't say more. I have some kind of enchantment that prevents me from revealing specific knowledge of the future. It's..." I sighed. Why was I talking so formally? Probably because I was speaking to a queen. "It is one of the greatest rifts between my loved ones and me. But all I can say is this — in the events of Ragnarok to come, Thor will lose everything. Unless you tell him the truth."
Frigga looked stunned. She stared at me for a long moment, then without a word, she turned and walked away.
I sighed. Damn this.
Eventually my body recovered enough to move. I limped my way across the yard to the mead hall, following the sounds of cheering and music until I stepped into a grand, torchlit space packed with people feasting and drinking to their hearts' content.
A long table dominated the center, piled high with food. All around it, people ate, drank, and roared with laughter. But near the middle of the room, a large circle had formed, the crowd cheering at whatever was happening inside.
I glanced over and spotted Thor and Jane tucked away in a shadowed corner of the hall, sitting closer than was strictly decent. Thor leaned down and murmured something into Jane's ear. She kissed his jaw and ran her fingers through his hair.
I smiled. About time that guy caught a break.
I headed toward the crowd and pushed my way inside — and stopped.
"How is she doing that?"
"Is she a sorceress?"
"Amazing!"
Jean, Wanda, and Felicia sat in the middle of the group. The Warriors Three and Sif were seated nearby, eating and drinking. Jean was entertaining everyone by levitating the food, making it dance through the air.
"Remarkable, my dear Lady Grey!" the blonde warrior with the French beard cried out. "Truly, your beauty is only surpassed by your magical skill! Sweet red-haired maiden, tell me — how do you perform such feats?!"
I noticed Jean's eyebrow twitch as she lowered the food back to her plate. "I'm a sorceress in training. This comes naturally to me."
"Fascinating! And are your fair companions the same?"
Wanda shrugged as she bit into a loaf of bread. "I am. Felicia's terrible at magic, though."
"Bite me," Felicia growled.
"Now, now — why fight?" the blonde warrior smiled broadly and spread his arms. "I'm sure you three are magnificent companions. You know, I myself have encountered many a witch in my time. If you'd like, I could share some of those tales — I promise, they make for quite the story. Perhaps over a glass of wine?"
Wait. Was he... was he seriously flirting with my girls? Well — except Wanda.
"Let me stop you right there, Fandral," Felicia snorted. Fandral. Right, that was his name. Now I knew what to put on his tombstone. "Jean and I are in a serious relationship, so I'd hate to lead you on."
"Ah, I see," Fandral smiled. "Well, that's a shame. But surely, whatever mortal you're with can't compare to the might of an Asgardian. Tell me, fair Felicia — is your lover a god? And you, fair Jean? Can your lovers truly compare to the stamina and... other physical qualities of an Asgardian..."
Almost instantly a red, solid hand of psionic energy burst out of my chest and hit Fandral square in the face.
BANG!
"Argh!" Blood streamed from his broken nose as he flew across the mead hall.
"Who did that?! Show yourself!" the large one bellowed as he shot to his feet in fury.
"Well, what do you know," I stepped out of the crowd, the red construct dissolving into nothing. "Turns out a god bleeds just as well as a human. Fascinating."
"Who are you?! Identify yourself! How dare you strike one of the Warriors Three?!"
"Volstagg, calm yourself," Sif reached out and placed a gentle hand on the big man's arm. "That is Peter — one of Thor's companions from Midgard. A guest."
The crowd gasped. Volstagg grumbled, "He may be a guest, but that gives him no right to strike one of our warriors unprovoked."
Fandral was already back on his feet, crossing the hall with a hand pressed to his bleeding nose. "He broke my nose!"
"It certainly wasn't unprovoked," Jean snorted. "What else did you expect — flirting with someone's partners and then calling him weak? Honestly. If one of you had done that to him and said those things about me, I'd have flung you into the ocean."
"H-he is your lover, maiden Jean?" Fandral asked, eyeing me up and down with obvious disbelief.
"Hey, he's mine too, you know," Felicia grumbled. "Honestly, I was here first and I still get treated like second best. So unfair."
"Wait," Sif raised an eyebrow. "You both... meaning you three..."
I nodded and stepped up behind Jean and Felicia, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Yes. I'm theirs, and they're mine."
Fandral blinked. "But aren't mortals strictly bound to one partner?"
Felicia shrugged. "Usually. But we aren't exactly normal."
"Regardless," Volstagg grumbled, "it was uncalled for. There was no reason to break the man's nose."
"I was sending a message," I said.
"And what message warrants breaking someone's nose?!" Fandral cried.
I looked at him. "To keep your nose out of things that don't concern you. Next time, I'll remove it and sew it somewhere far less convenient."
A gasp rippled through the crowd. Even Sif seemed to suppress a smile. I pulled up a chair and sat down between Jean and Felicia, with Wanda beside Felicia and the Asgardians on the other side of the table.
"If you must know," Fandral said, composing himself with a sweep of his cape, "I am the god of warriors and travel. My skill with a blade is known across all nine realms. Many call me one of the finest to ever pick one up." He finished with a dashing smile.
"But Sif's a better duelist than you. Yes?"
"Yes," came Sif's immediate reply.
"Without question," Thor nodded.
"She almost always defeats him," Volstagg grunted.
"Oye! Stop belittling my abilities! Yes, I'll admit — I'm second best. But I say that proudly, because the woman who beats me is a true goddess of war!" Fandral growled at his companions before wheeling on me. "And what about you, mortal? What great battles have you ever fought? You look like you've barely been weaned. Tell me, which dastardly fiend have you defeated? Please — we're all dying to know."
"Sif," I replied, pulling off a piece of chicken. "I beat Sif."
"WHAT?!"
"Ha! Yes — just this afternoon, in fact!" Thor laughed heartily.
"Impossible!" Fandral turned on Sif, who was calmly sipping her drink. "Tell me this isn't true!" Sif glared at him, and without a word, nodded once. Fandral gasped. "No... how?!"
"Would you like me to show you?" I raised an eyebrow. "It'll be quick. Not necessarily painless — but quick."
"Ah — I — well —"
"Fandral," Volstagg said diplomatically, "perhaps it's best you retire for the evening. Get that nose seen to, yes?" And without giving the man a chance to argue, Volstagg clapped him on the back and escorted him out of the hall.
I glared until he was gone. Maybe I should've broken his legs as well. That would've sent the right message. And cut that stupid beard off his face. And then his hair. And then —
"Peter, that's enough," Jean cut in, drawing my attention. She smiled. "Those are some pretty dark thoughts you've got there. You shouldn't react so badly, you know. It's not healthy."
I shrugged. "He's annoying. I dislike him. It's nothing — I'm fine now."
"From my experience, when you say you're fine, you really aren't," Felicia replied, taking my hand in hers and leaning into my side. "Next time, let us handle it. We'd love an excuse to kick some ass."
Jean nodded. "Exactly. Besides —" she reached out and connected with Felicia and me telepathically — "we told you, didn't we? We aren't going anywhere. It's going to take a lot more than a French-bearded god to take us away from you."
I smiled. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
Felicia hummed thoughtfully. "Well, if Thor and Jane don't work out..."
"I am this close to kicking you out of the group, Kitten. This close."
"Oh, so you want a 'group' now?" Felicia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Tandy would be so excited."
I caught the edge of jealousy and anger in her scent and knew exactly what to do. I reached out and laced my fingers through hers. "I think I'll be perfectly happy with just you two. What more could I possibly want?"
Her jealousy melted away and she smiled back. We were actually having a lovely moment — right up until Wanda spoke.
"So are you three going to disappear again tonight? Because if so I'm asking Thor for my own room."
Sif spat out her drink and coughed repeatedly. "Wanda! Have some decency — we're in public!" Jean hissed.
Wanda shrugged. "Whatever."
I sighed. "So. What did you all get up to while Sif was breaking my bones?"
Jean shot Wanda a look before continuing. "After Thor took Jane to the healers, Jane said she wanted to learn more about the Infinity Stones — since, you know, she'd had one living inside her. So Thor took us to the library."
My eyes went wide. "The Asgardian library? Seriously? Damn, I'm sorry I missed it."
"Eh, it wasn't that special," Felicia shrugged as she ate a salad. Where had she even found a salad? "Just a bunch of dusty old books. Like any other library."
"Dusty old books that predate human civilization and contain the archaic knowledge of an alien species!" Wanda cried. "Honestly, how? How do you even function? Ugh!"
"Not all of life can be found in a book," a rumbling voice said. Volstagg had returned, sans Fandral. "Some of us — like Lady Sif and the Warriors Three — find life more richly lived on the field of battle. Books have their place, I promise. But clearly not everyone is suited for such a life."
Felicia nodded. "Exactly. I'm more of a thief than anything."
"Oh, a rogue?" Sif smiled. "How skilled are you?"
Felicia shrugged. "The best. I've infiltrated and dismantled over ten fortified locations entirely on my own."
"And if you'll recall, I caught you during the last one," Wanda added.
"Oh, shut up. You got lucky," Felicia snorted.
"No, you got lucky — when your boyfriend showed up to save you."
"Seems like you've had many adventures," Thor said as he and Jane rejoined us at the table. Jane settled close to Thor's side, much to Sif's noticeable irritation.
The God of Thunder lifted a mug of ale. "Peter, I spoke with the dwarves. They've agreed to send an emissary tomorrow to inspect your weapon. They swear that's all they'll do — they would never separate a warrior from a weapon. You have my word."
I nodded. "Good to know. Thanks."
Thor smirked. "Of course. Now then, Peter — since we can finally sit and talk properly, tell me about your adventures. It's been a while, and I'm curious."
"There honestly isn't much to tell," I said. "Everything that's happened... they aren't exactly war stories. Not like yours. I'm not sure mine even count."
"What about that time you dismantled SHIELD and told the US government to go to hell?" Wanda smirked.
"Or that time you blew up a HYDRA base to save Silver Sable and me," Felicia added.
"And the time you stopped Doom with the Fantastic Four," Jean added. "Or when you helped us stop Magneto."
"Or that time you saved New York from the Sinister Six on Christmas," Felicia shrugged.
"Or that time you helped save the president from terrorists," Jane said. "I remember seeing that in the news. It really did make you look like a genuine hero. Though looking back now, I wonder if that was the right call."
The Asgardians exchanged glances of disbelief. Thor blinked. "Don't get me wrong, friend — but it sounds to me like you have quite a few stories to share."
I sighed. "Alright... maybe one or two."
The night moved on from there. We shared story after story, and once we'd finished, it was the Asgardians' turn. Living for more than a thousand years had given them quite a backlog to work through. We drank, we ate, and eventually the hour grew late enough that we decided to call it a night.
"So — will we be staying here?" Jean asked as Thor escorted us out of the mead hall.
Thor nodded. "Yes. I've made arrangements for all of you, if that's alright. If you prefer, I could ask Heimdall to send you home for the night."
"No, no need to trouble yourself," I shook my head. "It's better if we stay. I activated wards around the Sanctum before we left — they'll alert us if anything happens. And if the Elves do come, we'll be ready here."
Thor hummed. "Yes, I suppose. Not to worry — if they come anywhere close, our sensors will detect them."
I nodded. "Hopefully they will. I don't want a repeat of Loki's invasion." I paused. "How is our trickster friend these days, anyway? Last I heard, he was in a cozy little cell beneath the castle."
"Did Sif tell you that?" Thor asked.
"I have my ways," I smiled.
"Well — yes, he is in a cell. Though I wouldn't call it cozy," Thor corrected himself.
"Fine. Whatever. Just make sure he doesn't come back to Earth. Because brother or not, I will gut that man if he even thinks about threatening this world again," I growled.
Thor nodded. "I assure you — I won't let that happen."
"Peter, stop threatening our host," Jean huffed.
I turned and sighed. "Yes, dear."
"So — Thunderpants," Wanda said, "do we get separate rooms, or do we have to share?"
Thor nodded. "I've arranged individual rooms. Peter can share with his... companions. You'll have one to yourself."
"And where will Jane be sleeping?" Felicia asked with a coy smile.
Thor coughed. "She will, of course, have her own room."
I grinned, turning to Thor. "Whatever you say, man. I just hope your walls are thick. Because I have super hearing and I really don't want to be kept up by the God of Thunder in the night."
"Peter!" Thor cried. "I assure you — the rooms are entirely proper."
We all laughed at the god's expense. Even Jane looked a little red. I was about to say something else when a figure emerged from the shadows ahead. I tensed for a half-second — then the figure stepped into the light, and Frigga's gentle smile greeted us.
"Mother!" Thor beamed. "We were just heading to bed."
Frigga nodded. "I'm sure you were. And I'm equally sure that you and Jane are very eager for your... night's rest."
"M-Mother!" Thor cried out. We all fought to suppress our laughter. God of Thunder, strongest Avenger — still getting roasted by his mom.
"I was hoping to speak with your friend Peter," Frigga said, turning to me once Thor had composed himself. "It won't take long, I promise."
"Of course," I said. It had to be about Hela. I turned to the others. "Don't wait up. I'll find you."
Thor nodded. "Very well. I'll have a guard escort you when you're done." Jean and Wanda exchanged a meaningful look. Felicia blew me a kiss — she hadn't pieced it together yet, but the two red psychics most certainly had.
"Come," Frigga said, motioning for me to follow. We walked into what appeared to be the royal gardens of the palace. A well-lit path wound between rose bushes on either side, and she led me to a fountain at the garden's center, where she stopped and stood in the quiet of the evening.
I could smell curiosity and fear on her. Not fear of me — I was sure of that. I waited. Small spheres of light drifted overhead — fireflies, I guessed.
Finally, she spoke. "Your knowledge of the future — what else does it show?"
I took a slow breath. "Enough. A lot. And sometimes, barely anything. It varies. My own future I can rarely make out, but certain moments in time... I don't think they can be avoided."
"And Ragnarok is one of them?" Frigga turned to face me, her eyes focused and steady. "Tell me — what do you know of my oldest?"
"I know she is by far the most powerful being Asgard will ever produce," I said, recalling the third Thor film as best I could. "I know her power is drawn from Asgard itself, and that she will be released from her prison the moment Odin dies."
Frigga sighed. "I had hoped what you said before was a fantasy. That you were simply a charlatan. But it would seem you have truly seen the future." She paused. "Tell me, Peter — what is to happen to my son?"
"I'm sorry," I said, frustrated. "There is so much I wish I could tell the people I love, so much I want to share — but I fear that I can never be free of this curse. I can't tell you what happens to Thor, no matter how much I want to."
"I see..." She was quiet for a moment. "Then tell me this. In the future you have seen — are my sons happy?"
I caught the plural. Sons. Meaning Loki as well. And I remembered what had happened to them both. Loki had supposedly died. He could be faking — but I didn't think so. And Thor... he had lost so much.
I shook my head slowly and said nothing. "I see," Frigga said again. "And this future — are you working to prevent it?"
I met her eyes. "Yes. With everything I have. And the first step is to stop your—" I caught myself. Telling Frigga about her own death didn't seem to be forbidden — perhaps because it was something that had to change, not be protected. Either way, she needed to hear it.
"Your what?" Frigga prompted.
"Your death," I finished.
Her eyes widened. "H-how?"
I tried to give the specifics and was cut off by the enchantment. "I can tell you what happens, but not how," I said. "Apparently."
"I see... Will it happen soon?"
I nodded. "Yes. And —" I tried again. "Mother — fu—" I stopped. "I'm sorry."
Frigga raised an eyebrow. "Language."
"Sorry."
She sighed. "So — to prevent this fate for my sons... I must survive?"
I nodded. "Your death sets Ragnarok in motion, yes. And I think it would help greatly if Loki and Thor were to reconcile beforehand. In the version of events I've seen, losing you is what brought them together. If that moment doesn't happen in the same way..."
"...then they may never be able to forgive each other. I understand." She looked at me quietly. "Thank you for telling me. You have done a great deal in service of this family. You must truly count Thor as a friend to go so far out of your way to protect his happiness. Tell me — what can the All-Mother do for you in return? Surely there is something you desire."
I looked at her. Without needing a moment to think, I said, "Tell me everything you know about the Phoenix Force."
Frigga's eyes went wide. "The Phoenix? How do you know of that?"
"The woman I love — Jean. She has been chosen as its next host."
Frigga covered her mouth. "How do you know this? Your visions?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
Frigga studied me carefully. "This girl... who is she to you?"
"She's the only thing keeping me together," I said. "When I was broken in mind and spirit, she put me back together piece by piece. She is the only reason I found the will to live again. She is a third of everything I am."
"Only a third?"
"I have another," I said. "But tell me — Odin. Back in the throne room, he looked at Jean strangely. Not at her, but through her. Like he recognized something. Why?"
I waited for her answer. It was an educated guess, but a firm one. Back in my own world, there had been a story — Odin and the Phoenix, connected somehow. The way he'd looked at Jean wasn't coincidental.
Frigga drew a slow breath and began. "Many years ago — before Asgard was even a quarter of what it is now — Odin went on a journey of self-discovery. Not unlike the one he sent Thor on."
I raised an eyebrow. "Family tradition?"
Frigga allowed herself a small smile. "Like father, like son. In those days, your kind had barely emerged from caves, with fire as your greatest weapon. And it was during that time that he met her." There was something in her voice — not jealousy, not envy. Just quiet regret.
"The Phoenix?" I asked.
Frigga nodded. "A host. Quite similar to your Jean, I might add. Red hair. Piercing green eyes. Odin spoke of her many times. He fell in love with her almost instantly."
"Oh," I said.
Frigga smiled softly. "Don't worry. I doubt he still carries those feelings. Even so, he is the All-Father — he won't go around making claims on other people's loved ones."
"Right... thanks."
Frigga nodded. "They had many adventures together. He would boast about those years as the most joyful of his life — before kingship, before war. She was his first love. A wild, uncontrollable force that could never be tamed. He loved her fiercely. But she... did not love him. And one day, it was simply time for the Phoenix to move on. She left. He fell apart. And I was there to pick up the pieces — much as Jean has done for you."
"I don't want her to go," I said, my voice sharper than I meant it to be. "It isn't fair."
"If the Phoenix has already marked her as its host, then I'm afraid nothing can change that."
"Please — there has to be something. The Phoenix hasn't fully taken hold of her yet. Isn't there something — anything — that could delay it?"
Frigga's expression was gentle, but her words were not. "If you had ever truly seen it... you would not ask. It is a cosmic force, Peter. It cannot be bargained with or reasoned with. It is fire made manifest — the embodiment of life in the universe. Not even the Eternals were foolish enough to challenge it."
I clenched my fists. "So I'm just supposed to stand back and watch it take the woman I love away from me? Watch her fly away and do nothing?"
"That is precisely what you must do," came a new, booming voice.
Frigga and I turned. Odin approached through the garden, his one eye steady and unreadable. "That was not your story to tell, Frigga."
"Odin," Frigga replied calmly, "do you not think he deserves to know? Can you honestly say you don't wish to help this boy — who reminds you so much of who you once were?"
Odin snorted. "I was a heartbroken fool then. But I found you... and I forgot about her. He will too. From what I understand, he has two women to comfort him, does he not?"
"Yes, but how long did it take before you forgot her?" Frigga pressed. "A century? Two? They don't have that kind of time."
"Please," I said, dropping to my knees without a second thought. Pride could wait. "If you remember anything — any detail, any legend, any whisper — that might help me protect the woman I love, I am begging you. Tell me. Anything."
Odin looked down at me in silence. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. His spear tapped steadily against the stone path. "The archives may hold something. I would not hold my breath, however — I have combed through them more times than there are stars in the sky. You fight a losing battle. May fortune favour you."
And with that, he was gone.
I stood up and turned to Frigga. "He's a complicated man."
Frigga chuckled softly. "Indeed. But that, coming from him, is the closest thing to a blessing you are likely to receive." She looked at me warmly. "Go. Speak with your loved ones. Tomorrow, they can help you. Perhaps together you can find a way to save the one you love."
She didn't believe those words. I could tell. But I had to try.
I bowed, wished her good night, and left the garden. A guard Thor had stationed outside was waiting to escort me, and I was taken back to my room. Inside, Felicia and Jean were already waiting.
"So," Felicia began. "What did she want?"
I looked at Jean. "Jean... we need to tell her. About the Phoenix."
Felicia looked confused. Jean simply closed her eyes and sighed.
It was going to be a long night.