Kratos x Reader

Forty-Four

The storm had surprised the boy.

He had been careless for a second, caught up in his childlike excitement, the dreams and thoughts he had about his mother who felt like she was just in reach.

He had felt like all he had to do was to stretch out his hand and grab her by the wrist to pull her back to life.

Life with him and his father. Life like a family.

Mimir had tried to warn him, that little boy. Stupid little boy. Sometimes he truly still felt like a child, running I to clear dangers without thinking and hoping for the best.

Now, Atreus was sitting in a small cave, the head was laying on the ground next to him. He had not been able too lit a small fire, no flame wanted to burn in this god forsaken world.

Nothing was supposed to fill the dead with warmth, no flames, no fires not even memories.

He had visited this world once before but only now Atreus realised how terrible Helheim to the dead and the living equally.

Shivering, he pulled his knees to his chest and crawled into the furthest corner of the cave as if the naked stone could protect him from the cold grip of nature that was raging outside.

"Mimir, how long will this last?", Atreus lips were shaking as he spoke.

A bit of it was fear, the other reason the merciless cold.
The head moved his eyes, glancing up to the boy.

What a relief that the old Mimir was dead already and did not count as a living being anymore. He would have gone crazy if he had been forced to feel Helheim with all of its cruelty.

"I fear, lad, that I do not know an answer to that.", the head tried to speak as cheerful as possible, but it was hard to find any good in the situation that the boy was in. "Helheim is a moody world, you know? Sometimes storms last fir ages. Sometimes it takes ages until a storm returns. And sometimes the weather changes with every breath. Even day and night have different lengths."

Understanding, the boy nodded. He was visibly tired, tortured by the running and screaming in the attempt to find his father or even just you. But all of his begging and searching had been without success.

At least, he thought, his voice had not attracted any monsters. His bow was hard to handle in the cold and the wind made it almost impossible to shoot an arrow straight.

"Will they be able to find us? Before... you know.", Atreus threw a gaze into the night and in his eyes shimmered a dark thought.

"Well, well lad, your thoughts are rather grim for a child your age, are they not? I'm sure your father will search far and wide, even if it means to break the promise that he gave to Rota.", the head assured. "And I am also very certain that (Y/N) will not rest either."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do! The healer of the gods might know how to bargain with death but prefers friends that are very much alive."

A soft laugh escaped the boy and filled his pale figure with a bit of life again.

"Friends?", he asked, a bit amused yet curious.

Mimir tried to nod, but he had no neck to it came out as a strange movement of his forehead.

"Indeed. Don't you think you feel a bit of sympathy towards our companion?", the head smiled, being visibly pleased by his success in changing the subject.

"Well, I do think (Y/N) is a good person. Father seems to think so too. He never is that kind and calm towards strangers. He didn't even try to kill (Y/N) as they were gone.", for a moment, Atreus hesitated and began to chew on the inside of his cheek. "Do you think we should use this gift of (Y/N) to bring mother back?"

The sudden question confused the head, drawing visible signs on his face.

"What do you mean, lad? Wasn't it what you wanted? This is the reading why we are here for after all.", Mimir protested.

With a sad expression on his face, Atreus nodded.

It seemed hesitating, as if he wasn't sure what to want anymore. His kind heart had come to a point where he was questioning his wishes and his actual needs.

He saw the risks now and expected a price. He just feared that somebody would pay the price to please him.

"I don't want (Y/N) to get hurt, Mimir. What if death wants a price for mother that can't be paid?", the lips of the boy were trembling, not because of the cold but because he was fighting back the tears.

"Well, everything has a price, Atreus. And sometimes the price will be high.", Mimir frowned, sorry for the child that tried to hard not to be weak. "But in the end it was the deal. Your father agreed to it. Do you think he will offer his help without anything in return? Will you be okay if your wish does not come true?"

"I- I don't know... I just- Mimir I- I want my mother back but... but I think I need to understand that she is gone for good. I felt lonely for a long time, father was one part of the family but another part was missing.", a tear rolled down his little face and froze on the pale skin of his. "But now that we are on an adventure again... Maybe- just maybe, father likes (Y/N) as much as I do. Maybe we can be..."

"Hush boy, you will choke on your own words if you keep crying like this.", filled with worry, Mimir looked at the boy, cursing how helpless he was without limbs or even a neck to move.

But as his worry grew and the boy began to cry ugly tears, a shadow drew his attention.

Frightened, the head ripped his eyes wide open as something emerged from the snow. At first, he thought that the cold had gotten to his head.

"Is that... a deer?", Atreus asked.