Hotel Valhalla [Magnus Chase Series]

Finders Keepers

         By Ran

  One day long, long ago, I was having a lovely drift on my husband Aegir’s waves when something snagged in my skirt.
  It looked like a long, skinny wooden bowl—a boat, Njord, the god of ships and stuff, called it.
  When I turned it over, a handful of humans fell out and started drowning.
  Out of nowhere, a flock of Odin’s Valkyries swarmed the sky.
  Then Njord’s daughter—what’s-her-name, the pretty one—Freya? Freya flew in on her feline-fueled chariot.
  Hel made an appearance, too, rumbling up from
below.
  They circled the humans, checking them out and arguing over who
should get which of the very nearly newly deceased.
  It was like a shark’s
feeding frenzy for souls.
  Now, I never intended to host an afterlife. But the way I saw it, the sea was my turf, so those souls were mine. I caught them in my skirt and held on tight.
  The Valkyries pretended they didn’t want them anyway—not heroic enough for Valhalla, they claimed—and left.
  Freya laughed at me and then made off with some sparkly bits the humans had stored in a chest.
  From then on, I made sure to grab any sparkly bits I found, just to spite her.
  Hel gave me the most grief. She complained that Odin and Freya always got the pick of the litter, so she should at least get everyone else.
  I made my point about there being different rules in international waters, etc.
  I also threatened to sic her brother the World Serpent on her if she didn’t leave immediately.
  Jormungand and I have an understanding, so I knew he’d come through for me if I asked.
  In the end, Hel agreed that anyone lost at sea would remain with me forever. So I won that battle.
  Best of all? Njord let me keep the boat for my collection. Want to see it?