Asgardian Twilight

A Storm is Coming

Hela struck Thor from behind, her sword slashing across his back and throwing him against the stone railing. Pain clouded the vision of his one good eye and he clung to the rail, attempting to right himself and find the strength to fight back. Hela leaned over him and put a hand on his throat, restricting his airway.

"You see? I'm not a queen, or a monster. I'm the Goddess of Death. What were you the God of again?"

Hela restrained Thor's arms with daggers. They shot down, stabbing the concrete railing and trapping his wrists beneath them. Then Hela conjured another dagger and began to slowly dig it into him.

His vision faded and he could feel himself growing light. Perhaps he was dying now? In the corner of his good eye, he could see a large ship floating up beside the Bifrost. Asgardians were running to board it and Loki himself was there. A smile fell upon his lips despite his predicament. Perhaps his life was a worthy exchange for the safety of his people. Or perhaps this was all just an illusion brought on by impending death.

Then his vision began to clear and he found himself standing on a bed of soft grass. All around him, he could hear crashing waves and smell the scent of the sea. He was back where he'd last seen Odin. In Norway.

"Even when you had two eyes you were only seeing half the picture," Odin spoke as he materialized before him.

Thor fell to his knees and let out a despairing exhale. "She's too strong. Without my hammer I cannot..."

Odin shook his head. "Are you Thor, God of Hammers, my son?"

Thor looked up, meeting his father's gaze, confused by his words.

Odin smiled. "That hammer helped you control your power, focus it. But it was never the source of your strength. You don't need it now. Everything you need is inside of you."

"It's too late," Thor spoke in a hopeless voice. "She's taken Asgard."

"Son. There is one last lesson I want to teach you. Asgard is not a place. It never has been." He looked around them at the expanse of grass. "This could be Asgard. Asgard is wherever our people stand, my son. And right now those people need you."

Thor shook his head. "But I'm not as strong as you, father."

Odin smiled softly and approached him. He laid a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "No, you aren't. You're stronger. Stronger than I could ever hope to be. I am in awe of you, my son."

A tear escaped Thor's eye at his father's words.

"Now. Go!"

The vision faded and Thor was once again restrained by Hela. She hovered overhead, her maniacal eyes merciless as she strangled him. "Tell me, little brother. What were you the god of, again?"

Thor's eyes left her face and looked directly up into the clouds. They gathered like large, dark soldiers marching into battle and blotted out the light of day. He fanned his fingers out and electricity began to course through them. Hela looked at his hands, then back at his face. His eye was glowing with the current. He clenched his fists, gave a mighty roar, and a gigantic bolt of lightning, the largest bolt any of those present had ever seen, shot out of the sky.

Hela screamed as the lightning tore into her and she was tossed aside by its force. Renewed by the emergence of his power, Thor launched himself up into the air, his body now one with the lightning as he shot down to the Bifrost where the others were fighting to evacuate the people.

From below, Dean looked at Loki and the two of them shared a knowing grin. He turned back to the sight of Thor streaking across the sky toward them and his heart began to pound. 

Butchers spun around and moved to intercept Thor. They gathered together, forming a wall of armor and swords. Thor landed on top of them and slammed his fist down into them. Huge streaks of lightning sprang out around him, obliterating them with ease. As he stood, Dean watched the lightning just running across his body, illuminating everything in its blue-white glow. His expression exuded raw confidence and power.

"That's my man," Dean gasped, tears of joy filling his eyes as he watched all of the Butchers turn and run to Thor.

Thor launched himself forward, his body spiraling as he flew across the space between himself and the enemies. Lightning exploded around him as he penetrated their ranks, tossing them without mercy. Lightning chained from his fists and feet as he began to utterly destroy every enemy in his path. He tossed punch after punch at each enemy he met and none of them stood a chance against his power. He pitched forward and kicked one of them in the chest and a huge burst of lightning obliterated the enemy before branching off into the bodies of several others. Then he jumped through the air and several streaks of lightning fell upon more Butchers as he vaulted overhead.

Dean could barely keep up with the epic battle. Thor was completely owning the opposition while Dean and the others took down any stragglers, paving the way for the rest of Asgard to evacuate. 

In the water, Hulk delivered a cracking uppercut to Fenris, tossing it over the side of Asgard and into the cosmos.

When the last of the Butchers had fallen, Thor approached them. "You're late," he said to Loki

"And you appear to be missing an eye," Loki pointed out.

Dean spotted Hela in the distance. "She's coming," he warned.

Thor sighed. "I think we should disband the Revengers."

"Just hit her with a lightning blast," Loki suggested.

Thor shook his head. "I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning and it did nothing.

Brunhilde lifted Dragon Fang. "We just need to hold her off until everyone is on board and out of here."

Thor briefly looked over his shoulder at the people as they fled. Heimdall and Lockjaw were assisting in moving them and had boarded as well. "It won't end there," he said as he looked back at Hela. "The longer she's on Asgard the more powerful she grows. She'll hunt all of us down. We have to end this here and now."

Dean took a few steps forward, his fists glowing. "What are we going to do?"

"Certainly not 'get help'," Loki muttered.

Odin's words struck Thor suddenly and realization dawned upon him. He looked to the others. "Asgard's not a place, it's a people. This was never about stopping Ragnarok; it was about causing Ragnarok!"

The others looked at him, waiting for him to go on.

Thor turned to Loki. "Go to the vault. Surtur's crown. It's the only way."

Loki's eyes widened and he smiled approvingly. "Bold move, brother. Even for me."

Thor smiled. "And on your way to the vault, could you..."

"Of course," Loki said with a knowing smile as he looked from Thor to Dean, whose focus was entirely on Hela. He looked back to Thor and smiled. "The Garden of Idunn."

Thor nodded. "Thank you, brother."

Loki turned to run and Thor looked at Dean and Brunhilde. "Shall we?" he asked with a wry grin.

Dean nodded and cut fierce eyes in Hela's direction. His body ignited with light and he floated up into the air. "Sure. I'd love to meet your bitch of a sister."