We don't have the time. I can already understand why Elsa wanted to pawn her off on me. Feeling the ice coursing through my veins doesn't help. I'm not cold, I'm not about to start shivering like Jasmine always did, but the fire inside me is raging all the more to fight it and I can still feel it, like my insides are frosting over. I do worry about that.

So you can read my mind?

Yes.

I throw open the door to the little building and find a tavern inside. It's comfortable, warm, and cozy, with only a handful of people in it. I take a seat at the bar. Will I still be able to use my powers?

I don't know. I've never had to find out before. I don't tend to work with people who already have powers.

A small flame flickers on the end of my finger. It's no harder than usual, though it feels silly without a cigar to light. I replace it with an icicle, the long talon extending from my finger.

"Promise you'll trim that before you fuck me?" Elsa asks.

"I'll consider it." I was going to just make it disappear, but I can't have her think I'm doing it for her, I'd rather she spend the next few minutes thinking about exactly what this would feel like. I rake my talon along the varnished wood, carving out a slow circle as I meet her eyes.

"You two speak English?" a man asks. He has a slight Northwestern accent. Definitely not from New York, but American.

We both stare at him. That ruined my fun. Oh well, we are in a hurry. I thought I was going to have to translate for you. I try to ignore the voice in my head. "Yes, we do. How'd you end up here?"

"I died. Isn't that how we all do?"

Elsa grins. "Not us."

"What?"

"Ignore her." The icicle scratches a slight cut on her inner arm to silence her. It'll heal immediately, unlike with my usual powers, but it does the job. It's about the only place I could hit other than her neck. I guess that's what happens when you copy medieval armors instead of just wearing a super hero outfit like a normal person. I shove my cape aside. "So, you're new here then?"

"Yeah. Did you two die at Comic Con?"

I don't even need to turn to know just how clear the offense must be on Elsa's face. It took Jasmine and I half an hour of convincing before she was even willing to step inside a convention a few months ago, but we'd bought the tickets for Jasmine's birthday, and she wasn't willing to disappoint her. She stays silent like a good girl.

"No, we didn't. We're super heroes."

I should've brought a ball gag. As hard as she tries to hold back, she still lets out a faint groan.

"Oh." He nods, trying to act like he knows that's a normal thing. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't you be? Everyone knows um…" He looks between the two of us.

"The Fire Queen and The Borealis." Elsa had insisted I don't go by the name Notos. I can hardly blame her for it, he did kill her. Plus, this way I get to have a matching name with Jasmine, even if it is a little silly. Now if only some spoil sport would give in and get a proper super hero name, then we could have our own Justice League. I like Snow Princess for her. I suggested Pillow Princess when she didn't like it, but for some reason she didn't appreciate that one either. How was I not there for any of this? Did you two leave Jasmine out of super hero discussion? That's just cold. Was that an ice pun?

Over Skaldi's silence, he says, "Right, yeah, of course. I know you guys. You're the big super heroes that everyone loves. And we all know super heroes exist."

"It's okay," I say, gripping Elsa's thigh through her armor. She's being such a good girl, if there was time, I'd reward her. "We try to keep a low profile. One of our–" I search for the word, openly being polyamorous and gay isn't the safest way to get information, "A member of our team died. She doesn't seem to be here and we need to find her. We're quite confident she's in Hel."

"Did she die in battle? Why wouldn't she go to Valhalla?"

"She died after the battle was over, apparently it didn't count. I've already talked to a Norse god about it." Killing deities doesn't tend to go over well either. I thought it was hilarious. It's about time those Aesir see what real power is.

"Well then, she should be at the gate, like everyone else."

"How long have you been here?"

Sucking on his teeth, he looks at the walls for any sort of clocks. "I don't know. What year is it?"

"2019."

"Oh. So not that long. What month?"

I sigh. Clearly he's been here long enough he could have seen her if she passed through, but I suppose there's no reason not to humor him. "It's August. So, did a Middle Eastern girl, around five-five, black hair, wearing blue harem pants and a flowy shirt pass through?" I forgot, you two actually did one other good thing. You talked her into that new shirt that allowed for the chainmail lining. If only it was lava-proof.

"No, I think she'd stand out. It's pretty much only ever people even whiter than me." He gestures toward a skinhead at the other end of the bar. "I would definitely know if I saw her. I'm sorry, but I don't think she's here."

"She has to be!" Elsa shouts, her eyes widening as she catches my gaze.

I pat her leg. I'm worried about Jasmine too, I can understand her reaction. "Is there anyplace else she could be? How large is Hel?" She didn't enter the normal way, make sure you mention that. "If she more fell down here rather than entering through a normal death, could she have ended up someplace else?"

His eyes narrow as he looks between us. "I thought you said she died after a battle with some super villain."

"She did. It was just a little complicated. So, how big is Hel? Is there a directory of some sort?"

Shrugging, he replied, "I have no idea. I've only been here for a few weeks. I've been too scared to look into it much. Besides, my goddess, Modgudr is just over there, and I wouldn't want to leave her." We should get out of here before someone tells him.

Forcing a genuine smile — an ability that comes in so useful when you run a criminal organization — I take his hand. "Well thank you for your time. I'm sure we can find her on our own."

He rises with us. "Wait. You could try asking Ms. Hel. Maybe Lady Modgudr would know, I could go with you and we could ask her."

"It's okay."

Elsa looks to me for permission to kill him, but I shake my head.

Keeping my smile plastered, I say, "I wouldn't want to bother your gods over our mortal affairs. At least we know you haven't seen her, so we can go look somewhere else."

"There's a lot to look through. We're still just in Niflheim, all of Hel proper lies ahead. It's an entire continent. I really think we should ask —"

"We'll head to Hel proper then. Thank you." Snatching Elsa's hand, I lead her outside, leaving the confused neopagan behind. This is going to take a while.

That could have been interesting. I just can't have you two dying before we rescue Jasmine. I have no way to enter Hades, assuming you'd even go there if you died in Niflhel.

"People really worship that giant? That's weird," Elsa mutters.

"We seem to make a habit of killing gods."

There will be more to kill before our quest is done, I've little doubt. Hel does not appreciate her property being stolen.

The fire surrounding me brushes aside any of her ice. "She's my property," I growl. "Hel's the thief here. If she makes an issue of it, then she'll die."

"Same here, but I have no idea what the setup for the scary monologue was."

"Sorry." That brat. "Skaldi thinks it's likely that we'll have to fight Hel if we're rescuing Jasmine. I told her it wouldn't be an issue."

"Of course not." Her cocky grin, the same one she's had since we were kids, does always make me feel a bit more confident. She's always stopped everyone in our way, there's no reason that'll stop now. "She's our puppy, and she belongs with us, that's all there is to it."

We pick up speed. It sounds like Pete may have to run the family for longer than we'd hoped, but it just means we can't dillydally. The wind picks up, whipping snow at us, that promptly turns to steam as it approaches. We head on.

"Could you please explain all of this for someone who doesn't study mythology? All I understand is that we're in the Norse afterlife and — no, that's pretty much it." Elsa looks over to me, looking more frustrated than I usually love making her. I knew she never actually did any of that research I'd suggested. I should've made it an order.

"You know who Skaldi is, right?"

"She's a Norse god."

"A Jotun, technically, but yes." I was married in. "And Hel is the goddess of the dead and ruler of this realm. She's also a Jotun, more or less." Right? Yes. "She rules over the domain of her name. We're there — kind of. It's part of Niflheim, and there's been a great deal of scholarly debate over that subject." Scholars are fools. "Niflheim is the land of mist and ice, as I'm sure you can tell."

She surveys the snowy mountain we're walking across. "Oh, I thought that was just me."

I roll my eyes. "So from the sound of it, we have to get to where Niflheim becomes Hel."

"And Jasmine will be there?" I can hear the concern in her voice. It's so cute. Even after this long, I still can't get used to her actually caring about something or someone.

I wish I could give a more solid answer. She will be. She has to be. We will find her. Nodding, I say, "She should be. I don't think a valkyrie has ever dropped someone before, it's tough to say what happened, but whatever it was, we'll find her. If she's not here, then we'll go to Asgard, to Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, whatever it takes. She's ours, and we won't give her up."

"Right." She doesn't sound convinced.

"Elsa, we will find her. You don't need to worry."

She pivots, her heel digging into the snow as she stares at me. "How can you say that? She was our responsibility. She's our —" choking back a sob, she manages "Our pet." She swallows, blinking away freezing tears. "We should've kept her safe."

Cupping her cheek, I reply, "We're bringing her back. She wanted to rush into danger, you know her. Don't blame yourself, just don't let her die."

She nods, swallowing another sob.

I wrap my arms around her. The coldness of her presses against me, joining the feeling of Skaldi's own cold coming from inside. If I wasn't fire incarnate, I think I'd be a tad chilly. I bury my face against her chest, taking in her feeling the best I can. I'm worried about her too. Of course, I am. I've just learned to stop letting it get to me. It's a skill that I had to master when she put me in charge of the Arlotti family, and it's quite useful when someone kills your girlfriend. I wish I'd already possessed it when I killed her.

Her fist clenches around the Kevlar and spandex of my costume as she collects herself. "You're right. There's no time for tears." Her voice is hardened, she's back to being my soldier. Only this isn't a job.

I pull back, looking up into her eyes. God, she always looks so kissable when she gets emotional. "Don't do that. I do that enough for the both of us. This isn't just some hit, we're trying to save the woman we love. This should be personal, it should be getting to us. Let me do my thing, you can stay pissed, just don't harden yourself like that."

"Hypocrite."

"A little." I hook my hand behind her head, pulling her down into a kiss. As she points out, there's no time to linger, but I think I needed it. It does, however, ensure that my fire isn't the only heat in me. "You've changed so much, Elsa. I just don't like seeing you close yourself off again. I can't even think of the last time you let yourself care about a new person."

"Well, you know what they put me through when I did. For most of my life I let myself care about three people. One of them ordered me to kill another of them, then I killed that one, and the remaining one killed me. Caring is just not worth the risk."

So she really is still pissed about that. We were just joking about it; I thought she was doing better. "I'm sorry."

"I tried before then," she continues, seemingly not even noticing my apology, "I tried to make friends, I tried to just be part of the family, but you know how that went." Her gaze trails down over her body. She'd lucked out pretty well with her transition, especially since Pete had helped her start when she was sixteen, but I know how much the changes she'd already gone through had bothered her, and just how much kids at the orphanage and dicks in the mafia both loved reminding her of it.

"And then you met this adorable puppy who you just couldn't help but care for. A girl who you wanted to look after, who you love."

"And now she's dead."

Instead of slapping some sense into her, I settle for squeezing her hand. "She won't stay like that."

Elsa nods.

"Say it." I let my play voice creep in, commanding my slave. Maybe she won't listen to her wife, but she'll absolutely listen to her Mistress. Or else.

Pale blue eyes widen as she stares down at me. "Yes. Sorry. She won't stay dead. We'll save her."

"Exactly." Standing on my tiptoes, I barely manage to kiss her chin. "Now come on. Let's get moving." I tug on her hand, leading her on, walking through the unending blizzard.

"Anna?"

"Yes?" She sounds so unsure. Maybe I should order her to believe in us. I manage not to chuckle at my joke. She sounds too serious and I don't want to hurt her feelings.

"You've changed too. It's wonderful to see." She manages the first genuine smile I've seen since we began our journey. "It's almost like you're that girl I first fell in love with again. You're full of hope and energy, and you only want to make things better. I love you, no matter who you become, but it is nice to see that. I'm sorry that I helped so much in moving you away from that person in the first place."

"It's okay, honey. I became the woman I needed to be to survive this family, and to manage running it. It's not your fault."

"I did put you in charge."

"It's partly your fault."

She snickers, the smile growing warmer.

I can't help but chuckle and smile back. I've never been able to resist her. She has such a cute little smile. "I think being a super hero has been a really nice break from all that. I feel like I'm actually doing good, and I'm having fun, and spending time with the women I love. It's a nice change of pace from having to make business and war decisions all the time."

"Well, you did manage to take over the entire state in just over a year. You're clearly pretty good at making those decisions."

"We have two immortal gods and a super hero. Or I guess three super heroes, all of whom have the powers of gods." I love thinking of myself like that. Now if only you'd act like it and stop being a murderer.

I glare at the bracelet. Oh, so you never murdered?

Not around Jasmine. She's better than that. She's better than all of us, and I don't appreciate you two dragging her down to your level.

Well, she's raised us up to hers too.

"Anna?"

"It's nothing." I flash another smile, but by the continued look of concern on her face, I can tell that it's not convincing. "You know how she can be."

"Yeah, it's why I gave her to you."

"You just love getting rid of anything annoying, don't you?"

"Please, if that was true I'd never have ended up with Jasmine."

Kill her. "Be nice to our puppy."

She conjures some skis as we approach a downward slope. Super powers can be so much fun. "I'm always nice to her."

"Right."

"I am."

I use Skaldi's powers to create my own pair. It's strange, I keep wanting it to come out fire, and it takes a bit of work to make them perfect. Definitely not as easy as that icicle had been. "We'll ask her when we find her."

Rather than answering, she just smirks, waves, and speeds down the mountain, making the path before her harden into ice to help her pick up speed. I knew what to expect. When she first came out to me she had to go beat someone up just to process all the emotions. I follow after, using Skaldi to imitate her plan. Other than the trees and rocks flowing by, it's a relaxing trip. I can see dozens more mountains stretching out, all covered in snow and obscured by mist. This may take a while.