We've been walking through these endless mountains for well over a day without rest. I'm not exactly getting tired just yet, we've had longer, more strenuous marathons, but it's definitely up there, and we don't have any caffeine. You can sleep when we find her!

Skaldi, I'm not saying we need to sleep yet, but it's going to happen eventually. Jasmine is a strong girl, even without the three of us, have some faith in her. She'll be okay until we find her. All she has to do is set up a camp someplace and wait.

I know. She sounds hesitant, sad, almost apologetic. She means so much to me. She actually respects me, unlike anyone else who has ever used me, and she's a good person.

Wow, you've grown, the 'unlike you' was only implied.

Are you arguing otherwise?

It wasn't that long ago I really thought I was a good person. Then Notos tried changing that, and the mafia did the rest, so no, I'm not, but both Elsa and I are absolutely good for Jasmine. We've helped her realize who she is, we do our best to keep her safe, and I'm getting her better armor, no matter how much she protests that it makes her feel 'less super' this time, and we love her.

I'm not saying you don't love her, in your own twisted way.

"Wait." I stop mid-step in the blowing snow to stare at my wrist. "Is this a kinkshaming thing? I always assumed it was the murder."

Elsa stares at me. "Skaldi? Called it."

"You did not."

The murder never bothered me, it bothered Jasmine and that bothered me.

"That's not an answer."

Silence.

"Well, I guess I can just take this bracelet off and leave it."

Wait! You wouldn't.

"Just watch me."

Fine. She's her own woman and I don't particularly appreciate the way you treat her. She's not some dog.

Have you seen her tail? I think she might be. Okay, it's too cold to be as turned on as that image is getting me.

Maybe you're even worse than Elsa.

I move my hand to rip off the bracelet. Okay, that's about enough of that. I'm sick and tired of how you talk about my wife. I can put up with your treatment of me, as you at least act like you respect me, but Elsa is the entire reason Jasmine is in my life in the first place, she'd die for her, and you act like she's some abusive bitch.

I didn't say abusive. I would more say she's a monster.

This better not be transphobia.

I don't know what that is.

Okay. You can apologize to Elsa or I'm taking you off and melting you. I think my powers could manage that just fine.

She's an idiot.

No. She isn't. At all. She just doesn't care that much about most things, she was taught not to pretty early in life. But she cares about me and she cares about Jasmine. If all you care about is Jasmine, then maybe you shouldn't be so mean to someone who she's madly in love with. You live in her head; you know exactly how she feels.

That's precisely my problem.

Oh, grow the fuck up. Is there seriously nothing you like about her? You've been living with us for over a year, seeing everything that we all do – do you see? Yes. Feeling everything that Jasmine feels, and you've had more than enough time to learn how wonderful Elsa can be.

Then she's very good at hiding it.

So, nothing? You can't find a single redeemable thing about her?

She has nice feet.

I'm not even sure how to respond to that. I just stare at the stupid sapient bracelet. You're gonna need to do better than that.

An annoyed groan echoes through my head. Fine. I know how much Jasmine loves her, and I understand that she's trying to be good for her, even if it doesn't always feel like it. I'll try to play nice.

Or you're getting melted.

Understood. I'll try very hard.

I smack the bracelet against my shoulder on the off chance it'll hurt her. At least it's something. Maybe she'll actually come around if we have long enough. "I'm gonna try to take a look and see how much farther we have to go."

Elsa nods, straining to stare out through the blinding snow. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to see, but it can't hurt.

Using jets of fire from my hands and feet, I hurl myself into the sky. It's a lot harder than on the bridge, I can only manage tiny jets and I'm not rising nearly as fast, but it still works. The mountains really do seem to just go on forever. There's so many of them. And some of them seem to be moving. It's tough to tell, and I have to squint through the blizzard, but I'm certain of it. What the Hel?

Landing in a puddle — apparently I came in too hot — I say, "This should be interesting." Any thoughts?

I haven't been to Hel before. So, either we have some frost giant visitors, or there are sapient mountains here. Neither would surprise me too much.

Should we try to avoid them?

I doubt they'll attack us. We're not Aesir, they have no grudge against us.

If you insist. "Come on." I wave for Elsa to follow, which she does, like a good girl. We ski down the mountain and let the inertia carry us a good halfway up the next one. Elsa's ice trick works so well, I'm a little disappointed I didn't think of it. I decide to one up her, letting a quick burst of flame propel me forward, bringing me to the top and leaving my wife in my wake.

The mountain seems to have something to say about this.

It shakes, knocking me off as it rises up. Something resembling a yawn bellows forth from it, shaking the snow from the other mountains, and revealing that a few more of them aren't made of dirt as the avalanche softens my landing and envelopes me.

Snow melts around me as I free myself. Several creatures, resembling misshapen humans, with broad shoulders, a dozen stories tall, and made from ice and flesh stand over me. "Who're these marshmallow looking fuckers?" Elsa asks, sliding to a stop behind me. Of course an avalanche wouldn't stop her from looking cool, nothing else ever has.

"Frost giants."

Repeat what I say. I do so, saying something in some language I can barely manage to pronounce. She translates after. I bear Skaldi, goddess of the snow and the hunt, and a fellow Jotunn. I bid you good tidings.

Their response shakes the valley, causing more snow to thunder down. An obvious lie from one of Hel's minions. You shan't stop us from our quest. You shall not interfere, we will bring Bergelmir back to Jotunheim, and crush any who oppose us.

Stubborn idiots, she mutters in my head, before replying, We are no friend of Hel. We're here to rescue one of our own. Why don't we work together?

Filthy lying Aesir. Why would I ever trust you?

What did he just call me? There is only one good Aesir, and Njord is clearly not here. She gives me another reply. You have me mistaken for one of Odin's flock, a comparison I do not take lightly. I offer again: work with us, we can rescue our friends far more easily together. You do not want me as an enemy. I conjure one of Jasmine's ice spears to drive the point home.

His laughter is like the sound of a jackhammer in a confined room. The last time I had to go through that I had tinnitus for the better part of a year, fortunately my god powers seem to counteract that effect. And allow you to betray us when we're almost there? Never. His fist slams down, exactly where I'd be if I didn't have a built in jetpack.

Elsa wasn't so lucky. She seems to have made due, however. An almost exact replica of the giant, but half his size and without the flesh bits, is standing in his way, holding his fist in its hand, and following up with a punch that sends the giant flying. The ground visibly quakes.

I try to hurl some fire their way, but without my normal heat, just the jetpack is already taking a lot out of me. I'm just not sure how useful javelins made of ice will be against giant monsters made of ice. They're not monsters. Though we should kill them either way. They called me an Aesir.

Okay, any suggestions? I can't do any of my normal tricks and I'm doubting my gun will help much either.

Punch them.

Well, fuck it, no harm in trying – unless I break my hand. I propel myself, as fast as I can, rocketing toward another of the giants as he tries to enter a fighting stance. It must feel like trying to fight a fly.

My punch shatters his glass jaw. The fuck? I stare at my hand, the shards of ice spraying into the air. Drop. What? I stop the flames and narrowly miss two hands clapping together where I had been. You have the strength of a Jotunn. With your speed and size, you're effectively a cannonball.

Nice.

I fly back up, wishing I could manage a bit more speed, and shoot straight up through the monster's head, ripping away a chunk of ice and flesh that must have been its brain. I wonder if this would work without Skaldi? I'm still fast, I could use a fire dagger instead of my fists. That could be fun.

Wanting to get rid of me already?

Our powers don't really mesh that well, and you belong to my puppy.

A fist hurtles toward me faster than I'd have thought possible. It strikes my entire body, breaking a few ribs and sending me hurtling backward through the sky. It takes me a few seconds to gather my senses. The mere act of breathing is agony. It must have been more than a few ribs. Feels like all of them.

Flames spurt out of my hands, but they're weak and can barely manage to slow me down. I keep trying, sending a blast of fire out through my entire body, but with her ice and just how much I've already expended, it's all but impossible. Normally I'd have near unlimited stores, but we've been in a land of constant snow and that jet pack trick seems to take a lot out of me.

Take me off.

The movement is agony, and I wince, the wind still buffeting my face as I reach over and snap off the bracelet. Instantly, I can feel my power returning.

The wind. I harness it, I am a god of the wind, after all, even if this one feels a bit more Northern, and use it to push back, then hurl flame forward with it. My momentum ceases instantly and I have to correct to not go sailing back.

Elsa can take care of herself for a minute, I need to find Skaldi before the snow covers her up. As I fall, I can see a divot in the ground, already half covered up from the unending blizzard. I snatch her up and set her back on my wrist. "You okay?"

You didn't have to come back for me.

Don't take it personally. Jasmine would never forgive me.

I appreciate it.

This mean you're going to start playing nice?

I'm trying. I do understand that you two both want what's best for Jasmine as well, but can you forgive me for being a bit protective when she falls in with the mafia?

I felt about the same way for a long time, so no, but we love her.

I know you do.

Ready to help me save Elsa?

She sighs dramatically. If we must.

It takes a bit longer to make it back than it did flying through the air off of a giant's punch, but by the time I'm back, I can breathe without hurting anymore. Though Elsa does seem to be managing just fine on her own. Maybe I should take a break.

Three of her pint-sized giants are going toe to toe against two of the normal-sized ones. I don't actually see her anywhere though. Maybe she's inside one of her creatures? Another earthquake rocks the ground as the biggest frost giant I've seen yet slams down behind me.

Smirking, with her sword shimmering with bits of ice and giant blood, Elsa lands on her feet, flinging the blood from her weapon. She spent a week practicing that move after she showed Jasmine Kill Bill for the first time, but I do have to admit, it's pretty damn hot. "Hey, honey, you okay?" she asks, grinning broadly and cockily as she walks over. "I was worried when I hadn't seen you for a bit."

"Got punched. I'm fine now."

"Which one?" She looks toward her giants as they duck and weave around the attacks of the bigger creatures, raining blows like thunder upon them, the sounds filling the mountain range. "I can make an example of it."

"It doesn't matter. Are there any more?"

She shrugs. "If there are, I haven't seen them. Want to kill them?"

"Your toys can do the work."

"Wow, is the don actually taking a break? I didn't think you even knew how to rest."

"I do. Normally I just do so when I have you tied up in the other room."

"So that's why I've never seen it." She wipes the blade off on the snow for good measure before sheathing it. "Any idea what that was all about? I don't speak whatever that language was."

"Yeah, they think we're Norse gods."

"The dicks."

"Skaldi's sentiments exactly."

"Brendan, Bruce, Jackie, hurry it up and make it hurt."

I look from the snow monsters back to her. "You named them?"

"Of course. The big one is Brendan, the one with the chin is Bruce, and the fast one is Jackie." She pointed at each one as she went, but they all still looked exactly alike.

Both of the remaining Jotunn fall simultaneously and Elsa's new friends grin at her before promptly melting down. "I'm gonna have to remember them. They were fun."

"When would you ever have a use for giants?"

"If we ever move."

I have to give her that one. That would be really convenient. "Elsa, would you mind taking Skaldi?" Again?

"Any reason?" She looks worried, I suppose I can hardly blame her, though I'm not sure if it's because she's going to be stuck with her or because she thinks something prompted this.

"I can't use my full powers like this. I had to take her off in order to not just go sailing into a mountain. She works fine for you and you can have the super strength in addition to extra ice powers, instead of just having weak everything else. She's even promised to play nice with you." I didn't think you meant having to be in her again. I roll my eyes. Be nice to my property. "I just need to be able to fight properly if we're to rescue Jasmine."

Gritting her teeth, she nods. "Fine. Whatever you say, Mistress."

"It's not an order, don't give me that."

"I just really don't want to."

"Please?" I don't pout or lower myself in any other such way, but she can still hear how badly I need this.

She nods again and holds out her hand. I pop Skaldi off and hand her over. "You gonna keep quiet this time?" she asks. "Of course not. Yeah, fine, I forgive you. I know. I get it. Yeah." She shrugs and looks to me for any input.

"Let's go rescue our puppy."

We have to climb over the dead mountains in our path, and can't ski as easily after so much of the snow has been shaken loose, but we continue on, as determined as ever. "Are you tired?" I ask, after a few more hours of walking.

She stays silent. Between her pride and her desperation to rescue our love, I'm not at all surprised. She hates admitting weakness, but the lack of an answer is as good as screaming yes. "Next place we find, let's try to get some rest."

"I could make us an igloo if you're tired." Her reply comes the second I finish my words. She must really be exhausted. I won't make her suffer, not right now. She can keep her pride. I'm pretty spent anyway.

"I am. Let's just try to rest for a few hours. I'll set an alarm, and we can head back out first thing."

"Yeah." An igloo appears before her, just as promised. "You're welcome to make a fire inside if you need, I took the chance to learn how these things work."

"Because you had a sleepy puppy waiting in line to buy you a Kimber."

"I told her to just go home."

"You know her better than that."

She smiles, faintly, treasuring the memory.

"We will find her." I take Elsa's hand and lead her inside the structure, holding her in my arms. She doesn't even make a show of resisting my guidance. "You don't need to worry. She'll be back, running around and yipping, trying to keep us happy, before you even know it."

"I hope you're right."

"Am I ever not?"

She lays her head on my chest and I run my fingers through her shoulder-length blonde hair. I do love it when she actually lets herself be vulnerable. "Just a short nap," she murmurs, already half-asleep.

"Okay." I set an alarm for four hours from now and lean back, slowly, keeping her head in place as I rest against the snow, letting my powers keep me warm. Her arm flops over me, her breathing slowed. I hold this beautiful sleeping woman in my arms and let the last two days of exhaustion fall away. Within seconds, I'm out too.