God of War: Love & Strength

In a mine deep beneath Nidavellir, the Dwarf Sindri blinked as he recognized the joining. He briefly sensed approval from the echo of his departed brother Brok, whom he had thought completely gone. Then Sindri refused to accept his perception of Brok's happiness and resumed his despair-driven mourning for his lost brother. Odin had paid for Brok's death, Sindri reminded himself. But it seemed that pain, that death and vengeance, did not cancel suffering. Why did he not understand this? Sindri wondered. What was wrong? Why did he have to keep suffering? Never mind, Sindri revived his ego. I am suffering. Me. I want to keep suffering, mourning my brother. Brok, you may want me to release you, but I will keep hold of you forever.

In the Realm of Angels, Brok sensed this emotion from Sindri and put his head in his hands. Oh well, my brother, he told himself, perhaps you will understand and reconcile your mourning in due time.

Back in Midgard, Mimir also sensed the joining. He smiled briefly, then retreated into his thoughts. I hoped for such an event between my brother Kratos and Her Majesty Freya, Mimir reflected. I could not speak my hopes to them, however. I am glad a Higher Being recognized and answered my prayer.

Mimir flipped through his book, a science fiction tale called 'Faraway Reality' by an author named Doug Ramsay, and continued waiting patiently for Kratos and Freya to return to their Home, which would soon be a key component of the new Asgard Fortress. Valhalla, the Norse Heaven, would join with that fortress, as would other Great Realms Between and Beyond the Realms. Kratos would rule over the Norse Realms for a time, Mimir knew, rule jointly with Freya. Perhaps he would depart to address problems in other Realms one day, but hopefully not immediately, not for a time. That was good. Freya would want Kratos to stay with her a good while, and Mimir would like that also.

Mimir smiled at this prayer, then frowned suddenly. Was it getting... hotter around him?

*

Chapter 9- Cliffhanger.

It was getting hotter, Mimir realized, very much hotter. It was disturbing. Outside the hut, Kratos' pet wolves Sveki and Svanna were barking loudly, then whining. What was going on?

From his seat overlooking the Norse Realms, the author AchtungNight frowned at the sudden disturbance. Oh, right, he reminded himself, my crossover cliffhanger. Damn it. Do I still want to do this? Fine, I guess so. Here we go.

"Kratos!" AchtungNight shouted at his current story's two central characters. "Freya! We have a problem! A very big problem!"

Kratos and Freya promptly ceased their lovemaking, redonned their clothing, recovered their weapons and various powers. They then allowed AchtungNight to transport them out of their special cave into an appropriate area of Midgard. "What is happening?" Kratos asked, sensing the heat and other oncoming dangers. "What is happening?" Freya was also looking around, uncomfortable and afraid.

"Be Not Afraid," AchtungNight told them. "Be Ready. I think you know what is coming, Kratos. The great Destroyers of Realms, the beings that always come after great wars and great ruinous events such as when you destroyed Olympus. You've fought these beings before. Back in Greece, before you left that Realm, they came to that Realm and you fought them. Did you not anticipate these beings coming to your new Home Realms also, after Ragnarok?"

"What is he talking about?" Freya asked Kratos nervously. "What is going on?"

Kratos paused, then grunted, recognizing some large black cylinders in the area around them. Those cylinders had deadly contents, he knew. Acid, corruption, and horrifying Monsters. He and Freya would have to move quickly to destroy the cylinders and their contents, Kratos judged, and find the Queens that were creating the cylinders. Also of concern were the beings that had brought the Queens and their children into the Norse Realms. Where were they? Ah, Kratos grunted, recognizing strange shapes moving in the air nearby. They were cloaked, but Kratos could see through the camouflage. He was ready.

"Aliens," he informed Freya, identifying their opponents. "Xenomorphs. Predators. Yautja. They come to revel in destruction. I have fought them before. They will not defeat me this time! They have never defeated me! They can never defeat me!"

Freya frowned, still not understanding. Then mocking laughter echoed around her and Kratos. Strange ugly masked creatures appeared out of thin air, holding spears and other weapons. Some of the creatures aimed strange magical lights at her and Kratos. Strange metal beasts stood and flew beside the creatures, and stranger biological beings loomed beside them also. Kratos, the God of War, was grunting in preparation beside her, a summoned spear in one hand and his Leviathan Axe in the other. His Blades of Chaos were also ready. Freya recognized the circumstances and summoned her own weapons, unfurled her Valkryie wings.

"Valkyries!" she shouted. "Vanir! All other beings who would answer! Come to me and Kratos! We need you!"

Across the Norse Mythological Realms, various beings at once took up arms and readied themselves to ally with Kratos and Freya. This included Vidar, a Demigod son of Odin who was still longing for vengeance on Kratos and Freya for the death of his father. But he could ally with them for a time against this strange new threat, Vidar decided. He would learn about Kratos and Freya, the slayers of his father, and he would avenge Odin as foretold, would he not? Yes, Vidar decided, I will. I will have vengeance on my father's killers. So I swear.

A Shadow of vengeance forming behind Vidar chuckled in agreement, urged on by Athena and other Fallen Angels. In various other Realms, other Gods opposed to Kratos and his allies chorused their alliance with Vidar and the Shadow. Tezcatlipoca, Set, Orochi, Apep, Kali, all these other Gods feared that Kratos would one day bring their destruction. Perhaps Vidar could kill Kratos before that happened? Perhaps the Shadow could kill him, if not Vidar? The Gods opposing Kratos, allied with the Shadow, hoped that it would be so.

Meanwhile in Midgard, Kratos and Freya stood back to back, surrounded by the advancing Yautja Predators. Xenomorph Aliens were starting to hatch from nearby cylinders, ready to infect and corrupt any Monsters and other beings they could capture. Kratos grunted, hoping he could again handle these creatures. The Yautja were only a temporary problem, the Xenomorphs were worse. Kratos also feared for Freya, his new love. A Greek Goddess Kratos had once known, his aunt Demeter, had once fallen victim to the Xenomorphs, joined them. Kratos had been forced to slay Demeter then, and other Gods also corrupted by the Xenomorphs, Gods he had neglected to slay before. The Greek Goddess of Chaos, Eris, was one of those corrupted Gods, Kratos recalled. So was Pan, the Greek God of the Wild, and Morpheus, the God of Dreams.

After Olympus was destroyed, Kratos recalled, these creatures came to my Realm. Demeter, Pan, Eris, Morpheus, and others were corrupted by them. I fought a terrible battle to defeat them, one that destroyed much that was left of my Realm of Origin. It was a great challenge. Artemis assisted me in meeting this challenge, and paid with her life. I was also assisted by Apollo, Eos, Aphrodite, and the Amazons led by their Queen Hippolyta and their Warrior Princess. I defeated these creatures then, and I can do it again now. I hope I can, anyway.

He communicated this knowledge to Freya through their new shared telepathy. Freya nodded and readied herself.

Kratos meanwhile continued glaring at the Predators, looking for one in particular. Who was their invasion commander? The same one he'd met last time? No, his answer came when he locked eyes with the last Predator to drop their cloak, a large elderly female clad in powered cybernetic armor bristling with various weapons. It did not take him long to guess who she was.

"Hello, Kratos," she greeted him using a voice modulator. "Do you remember me?"

"I remember," Kratos replied. "You and your father fought me before, when you came to my Realm. Then we..." The God of War closed his mouth, guessing what had happened then, what was happening again now. He was standing in the arena of the Predators, he realized, and he would not be their Monster. But it was best not to tell them that right away. He addressed the lead Predator again. "I see you have grown. How is your father? Is he here with you and these others?"

"My father is no longer alive. But his spirit sends regards. Again, my people and I confront you, Kratos. Again we challenge the slayer of our Gods!" The Predators around Kratos and Freya cackled their agreement with this statement from their leader.

Freya looked at Kratos, who grunted back at her and communicated what he was hearing. Freya shook her head and turned back to the Predators. "Come on, you ugla mudder-jaevels!" Freya challenged them, speaking in Old Norse. She then challenged the Xenomorphs. "Get away from my Realm, you... bugs! Come on! Come on!"

Kratos grunted in agreement with Freya. He could sense a familiar spirit in the lead Predator. Athena? Yes, it was Athena indeed. He snarled at Athena, reminding her he was no longer her Monster.

The Predators and their Xenomorph pets answered the challenge, and the next great battle for the Norse Mythological Realms began.

***

The End.