She should be here! It's only been mere seconds.

It's going to take a while to get used to that screaming inside of my head. I don't know how Jasmine does it. "So where could she be?"

Anna looks at me.

I don't know. The newly departed should be at this gate. We've walked past most of the line and I'd be able to see her. This doesn't make any sense."

"Well, she didn't exactly end up here the normal way."

"Is she wondering where Jasmine is?" Anna asks. "I was wondering the same thing. Everything I've read would say that she should be here. She couldn't be in Valhalla could she?"

"Skaldi says 'no.'"

"Then maybe when that Valkyrie dropped her she missed the gate?"

Skaldi is disturbingly silent for a long moment. It's a blessing. That could be it. If that's the case, then she may be a good way further down. We're still only in Nfilheim. Hel is before and below us for miles and miles.

"Anna, you should go back. It sounds like this could take a while."

Glaring at me, Anna spits back, "The hell I will!"

"You have to run things. You can't just take an unannounced vacation for weeks."

"Then we won't take weeks." She sets a hand on her hip, staring up at me in all of her five foot nothing ferocity. "We already own all of New York. There's no one to worry about save the occasional super hero or super villain."

"What about Jasmine's body?"

Gritting her teeth, she spins, turning back the way we came. "Fuck. We can't do that to her."

"Exactly."

"So, come on."

"What?" I blink. "No, I'm gonna go look for Jasmine."

"No, we're going back to Earth and calling Uncle Pete to pick her up and run the family for a few days. Then, we're heading back in and rescuing our pet. She's mine too, Elsa. You know how much she means to me. I'm not letting you do this alone. Besides," she chuckles, "You have a way worse track record in the underworld than I do."

"I was dead!"

"Exactly."

We're not leaving! She's here, and who knows what could be happening to her. We have to help her.

"Skaldi, Jasmine has a future, a real one, not just crime and super heroics, and if everyone finds out who she is –"

"And declares her dead –"

"Then all of those options are gone. We'll be right back. It'll take five, maybe ten minutes."

Fine.

We wait the whole fifteen, until Pete's there and Jasmine's body rests safely in his car. "She seems pretty dead."

"No more than I was."

Anna rolls her eyes. "I swear, some day I'll find a girlfriend who can keep herself alive."

With a playful twinkle in his eyes, Uncle Pete says, "You'd just kill them and bring them back yourself."

"It happened one time!"

"I'll take care of things while you're gone. Just make sure you bring back our girl, okay? I was just starting to get used to that peppy little thing."

"We will," I say.

He rests a hand on each of our shoulder's. "And take care of yourselves, and each other. I don't want to lose any more members of my family."

"I promise, Uncle Pete. Give my best to Lisa and the kids."

"And mine as well," Anna adds.

"They may need it. You know how much they hate it when you make me do actual work."

"I'm sure they'll live."

We just have to make sure the same is true for Jasmine. "We'd better get going. It's been too long." Finally. I thought I was going to lose my mind waiting. "It's great seeing you. Try not to bankrupt Anna's criminal empire."

"I'll take good care of it. But first," he goes around to the trunk, and pulls out a couple bags. "Lisa had the good sense to send you some supplies."

With the bags slung over our shoulders, we leave him there and walk back through the nearby portal. This is gonna be fun.

~o~

"That was a distraction we did not have time for," Anna mutters, as we run back across the bridge. It feels like we were just here yesterday.

"Hey, you're the one with her own criminal empire, it's not my fault."

"Yes. It literally is your fault. You put me in charge, and I've had to prove myself constantly, because until I brought the whole city to my heel, nobody respected the tiny twenty-three year old girl who insisted she was in charge."

"You did make me kill a lot of people to make that point."

"I suppose I did. I guess I just got used to it." She stares down at her feet. Not that long ago that fact would've been unimaginable to her. "Still your fault," she adds as she picks up speed.

I hated doing that to her. I remember how she used to feel about killing, that hesitation. She still doesn't put out a hit without some serious consideration, but it doesn't take the same toll on her that it used to. I'm a little sad about that. You two are such a bad influence on her. If Jasmine ever kills anyone, I will make you regret it. I won't have you corrupting her.

Halfway across the miles-long, gold-thatched bridge, we have to stop. Not that we're tired or anything, there's just a giant monster in the way. Anna's cape flutters dramatically in the breeze as she looks the creature up and down. She should've asked Pete to bring some more sensible clothes. "I don't suppose she'll just let us pass?"

Hearing someone laughing inside of your head is not an experience I would like to repeat. No. I very much think she won't. "We're gonna have to fight her."

She nods. "I only have seventeen rounds in my pistol and a backup magazine, so I'd rather save it for later when I'm tired. It's just a shame, it would be so useful right now."

"You brought a gun? How?"

"You don't have pockets in your costume?"

I stare down at my ice armor. I just never thought of it, I had pockets in my suits, I never really needed them when I was doing the big magical stuff. "No."

With a derisive snort, she turns back to the creature. "You go right, I go left?"

"How about you go high, I go low? You do love the way your cape flutters when you jump."

Smiling, I can see her picturing that. Why are my girlfriends so over-the-top? "Yeah, that sounds good."

"State your name and business," the monstrous form calls out in a bored, slightly feminine monotone.

"Anna Arlotti, or if you prefer, Notos, god of the southern winds."

The massive form bends over, its long black cloak sliding back to reveal a woman in a dark steel armor. "I think you're in the wrong place."

"My puppy's missing, and I have reason to believe she's here. She doesn't belong here. She died in battle."

"Then why is she here?"

"We killed her Valkyrie."

I had not expected her to be that honest. "Anna?" I ask. I trust her with this far more than I trust you. At least she's not an idiot. "Bitch."

"What was that?" Anna growls, glaring at me.

"Not you. The bitch in my head."

"I thought was me too. You are mine after all." Licking her lips, she gives me a lascivious grin before turning back to our host. "So, you gonna let me go get her?"

"So, you're telling me, that you intend to break into my Mistress's domain and rip away one of her subjects?"

"I also said that she belonged in Valhalla, but if you're gonna take it that way, I wasn't planning on taking her there."

Stories above us, her head shakes sadly. "I appreciate your plight, but you must appreciate mine as well. I cannot allow you to enter Mistress Hel's domain."

I'm starting to relate to this girl. "You're just a servant, someone to fight on her behalf. I understand that. I'm the same way." I draw my sword from the scabbard at my hip and conjure a shield of ice in my left hand.

Flaming daggers glow in Anna's hands. "Like I'm going to let you have all of the fun. I let you take care of my busy work, it doesn't mean you can do all of my fighting."

"I like doing your fighting."

The ground shakes beneath us as the monster of a woman lifts up a sword almost as long as the bridge itself. "If you insist on passing through, I will stop you. It gives me no pleasure, but I have no other choice."

"Fine by me." I charge. With the size of her and her weapon, there's no way she should be able to move fast enough to stop me. Plus this sword is a god killer. To my great surprise, before I can even make it halfway to her position on the bridge, the blade comes flying at my head. I barely manage to stop it with my shield, and I can feel Skaldi supporting it. Cracks still ripple through the ice. If I only had my powers, I wouldn't have a head anymore. If you die, I can't save Jasmine, so try a little bit harder to stay alive.

Anna leaps onto the sword like a fucking ninja. As its embedded in my shield, I do my best to hold it in place, frosting it over, letting ice build up to hold it to me. When she's halfway down it, it jerks up, ripping my shield in half and sending it flying into the air.

Without so much as a yelp, Anna starts to slide down the weapon. I can't see her, but the lights from her daggers are visible from this side, so I at least know she didn't just fall off into the river below.

I conjure an ice javelin and hurl it at the woman. The first one embeds itself in her shoulder and I soon have three more sticking out of her. The blade slams back down and I only manage to avoid it by a few inches. Fuck, that was close. My reflection gapes back at me in the dark blade, my ice armor glinting on the surface. It looks darker and thicker than usual. I wonder if that's just the reflection or if it's Skaldi.

A scream shakes the bridge and I can see flames bursting out from a new wound, and building up, as Anna conjures fire inside of the new injury. Fucking showoff. I hurl an ice javelin at the monster's head.

A massive hand clutches Anna and throws her back down to the bridge, hard enough to send shards of stone ten feet into the air. Rather than checking on her, and making us both sitting ducks, I rush at the woman again, freezing the path before me, then sliding under her swing. Rather than let the momentum carry me, I stab my magic sword into hers and hold on tight. I've ridden roller coasters that didn't have half the speed of her swing.

As it completes its arc, she begins another swing, likely directed at Anna, but I fling myself off of the weapon, hurtling toward her head.

Before her blade can hit anything, mine is buried up to its hilt in her skull. I decide to take a lesson from my wife and fill up the injury with ice, frosting over her brain until shards stick out around the hand guard.

Of course, I didn't quite think this through, and suddenly I'm hurtling to the ground as she falls over. I don't even get the chance to figure out how to rescue myself before Anna, riding the equivalent of a magical jet back, flies by, grabbing me and carrying me onto the side of the bridge, away from the falling giant. "You okay?" she asks.

I nod. "Yeah. I'm fine."

I may have underestimated you. I didn't think the two of you would defeat Modgudr so easily. I thought you'd win, but I was expecting a few more injuries for your magic to have to heal.

"Skaldi says we're awesome."

"That's just 'cause we are." Anna waves her hand, putting out the slight singe on her cape. "You made me damage my cape."

"You didn't have to fly with your fire powers."

"I wasn't going to let her crush you."

"I'd be fine."

She fixes me with a glare from her blue-green eyes that I would call cold if given by anyone other than a god of fire. "You're mine to hurt, and no one else's. I can't have someone else's subby hurt mine, what would people think?"

"That she was a giant monster that I killed!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Now get your sword and let's go save our puppy."

"Yes, Mistress," I say, as snarkily as I can manage. I absolute deserve the slap that follows. Well, great, now I'm all horny AND on a quest to save my girlfriend. It's a shame there's no time for fun. "You better follow through on that later."

"I'll do whatever I wish." She softens the line with a wink and I pull my sword out of the woman. I'm so glad that can't be a euphemism anymore.

We resume crossing the bridge. A few members of the line are poking and prodding the fallen giant. "I'm glad that with your two magical items you're finally almost as strong as I am."

"Do we need to fight again?"

"Why, didn't I kill you last time?"

I blink, trying to hide my anger. "That wasn't you! And you cheated! I'd have won if Notos hadn't just shown your face at the last second. I kicked his ass two fights in a row."

"Ah, but he's a pitiful weakling. I actually know how to make proper use of his powers, rather than just turning into wind and running away. Besides, it was my face when I killed you, so clearly I get the victory."

My teeth grind against each other, hard enough that my jaw hurts. "Then you owe me a hell of a lot more making up. I was pissed enough at you when Notos killed me, if you're gonna take credit, I think your tongue is gonna go numb, even without my being able to give you frostbite."

She slaps my ass. "Fine. I didn't kill you, and I love you."

"I love you too."

I grab her hand as we continue on. I'm a little pissed at her for that jibe, but we're wandering into a whole new world here, and it feels nice having one of the women I love here with me. I just wish I had both of them. Soon. Wait, you can hear my thoughts? Of course. Well that's not disconcerting at all. "Anna, do you want to hold Skaldi for a while?"

Anna looks at me like I'm crazy. "You're the one with ice powers."

"Right, so you need them. We're in a land of ice. Wouldn't you rather have immunity to it?"

"I already do. I'm made of fire. Besides, you know how cold Jasmine always is, Skaldi just keeps her safe from freezing, not from being cold."

"Right, but I have the magic sword, I don't really need both."

Anna giggles, and for a second she sounds almost like the innocent girl she used to be. "Skaldi's being mean to you isn't she?"

I would never. "No. Don't be ridiculous."

"Then I guess you can keep her."

I pause, a few feet from the end of the bridge. Anna turns around to stare at me. I'm fine. I can deal with something reading my mind. You do think about murder and sex a whole lot, don't you? Sometimes even both at once. I do not! You were just thinking about how badly you wanted Anna to pin you against the side of this bridge and have her way with you. No, I was thinking about how I wanted to rescue Jasmine! Of course. My mistake. You're not a demented pervert at all. "I just think we should take turns. You know, I mean, it just seems fair. That way you don't have to deal with being so much weaker than me all the time."

"You could just give me the sword."

"That was a gift from Hera, I doubt it would work for you."

"It would. I killed that Hydra with it a couple months ago, remember?"

I can't believe you're too scared to spend a couple days with me. I grumble, baring my teeth at the entity in my head.

Anna squeezes my hand. "It's really getting to you, isn't it? It's okay. You don't need to explain anything. I can take her for a little while, and you can have her back when you've had enough time to recover. Having ice powers for a little while should be interesting anyway."

Coward. "Thank you."

Her lips press against mine, her warmth flowing through me. I never notice the cold inside of me, but I always notice when she takes it away. It's like melting in the most pleasant way possible. I throw my arms around her and pull her flush against me, her fire radiating through me as I kiss her back.

We don't spend long in the embrace, we don't have the time to spare, but when she pulls back, she takes the bracelet with her. "If not having this gets you killed, I'm going to rescue Jasmine on my own, go back to the Elysian Fields, bring you back home, kill you, and then get you again."

"At least you'd get me again." I smile, listening to the emptiness inside my head. Wait. That didn't come out right. It's really nice though. Having that judgey bitch inside of me is just annoying. Jasmine must have the fortitude of a fucking – what's above a god? A titan? She must have the fortitude of a titan to put up with her for two and a half years.

Then again, they do seem to get along a lot better. Skaldi actually likes her. We continue back down the path, finding a snowy wilderness going on as far as the eye can see, with an endless mountain range before us and only a few small buildings near us.

"Let's go look inside," Anna says.

"We don't want to hurry?"

"I'd rather have an idea of where we're going. Come on." She grabs my hand again and drags me behind her. We're on our way, Jasmine. You and Skaldi can be reunited, and Anna and I will be able to hold you in our arms again. I promise. We're going to save you.