Chapter Text
Four teenagers sat in a jail cell in San Francisco, California.
An odd bunch, really. One looked like a typical emo kid in a skull shirt, though it was slightly ripped at the edges. The other wore a flannel and sandals. One was irrelevant. And one wore a fine sweater vest of pink and green.
Two were Norse demigods. Two were Greek demigods.
Will Solace slouched over in the corner and wrapped and unwrapped an ace bandage around his wrist. He didn’t look too shaken, which was all thanks to Magnus's healing powers. Nico di Angelo sat on the opposite side, wishing he’d summoned his ghostly powers to shadow travel them all to Camp.
And Magnus Chase looked at Alex like, really? Why?
Alex really wished he could blame his boyfriend, Magnus Chase, for this incident. After all, he started the chain of events that brought them there in the first place.
But what exactly happened?
Well…..
It all started a few weeks ago, after they stopped the ship Naglfar from sailing.
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After saving the world, Alex thought there would be a little more bravado.
Like, they were literal gods. After all the creative punishments they’d been able to pull out of their asses for Loki, she would’ve thought they’d have spoiled her crew a little more. Maybe a private island, or a beach vacation, or maybe even a sweater vest or two. But nah, the best they got from the literal all father was 'staying alive' and 'a signed copy of Odin’s new book'. Yay.
Alex tried not to be pissed. But deep down, she was a material girl. She valued money, the finest fashions, and ripping off rich people at modern art galleries. She’d stolen more expensive gifts from her sperm donor on a Tuesday than what Odin could ever conjure up. After all she’d done, after everything she’d been through… she picked at her food. Even the food of the gods was painfully mediocre. She couldn’t bring herself to eat it, even though her muscles ached and burned.
Samirah had absolutely no desire to eat it, either. Nor any desire of what the gods were saying and the gifts they were doling out. She darted her eyes around anxiously, probably thinking about making out with her boyfriend as soon as she got home, or giving her grandparents a big hug, or eating anything that wasn’t Nordic meatloaf and eyeballs.
For a feast, the atmosphere was pretty miserable. Mallory hadn’t even made a sarcastic remark all evening, instead holding back tears and staring at the walnut. Alex was half tempted to snatch it and say hello to mom. Or step on it.
What’s the point of all of this? She asked herself.
To postpone Ragnarok. To save the world, she finished.
She had to hand it to Magnus. He managed to achieve more than the gods ever did by vouching for Sigyn. At least he was creative enough to come with a new idea or two.
Alex tugged at her sweater vest. Blitz had taught her to make them heat resistant, which she was grateful for ever since her exploits in Niflheim. She had enough of the cold, and Vigridr was unfortunately reminding her of that horrible walk to the castle. She could feel the frostbite on her fingers, the icicles growing down her eyebrows, the winds blowing past her… yeah. It was bad. She fidgeted with the loose strands of her green hair in order to hold back the memories surging towards her. Because even then, she was holding back the worst ones.
“…. as for the einherjar, in addition to the celebratory feast and the books, I’ll throw in a complimentary Hotel Valhalla Turkish bathrobe for each of you! Eh?”
Alex smiled halfheartedly, though she had to clench her teeth to keep from screaming her head off at this one eyed Aesir idiot. ARE YOU FREAKING-
“Mmmm…” T.J murmured, “Turkish bathrobe.”
“Mmmm… staying alive,” Blitzen grumbled.
I see that my friends have different priorities. She made a mental note to ask Odin if the robe could come in pink and green. And to see how far he’d shoved his hand up his-
“Finally, Magnus Chase,” said the Absolute Idiot, “I understand you were the one who stood toe-to-toe with Loki and took the brunt of his withering insults. Would you ask any special boon of the gods?”
Magnus darted his eyes around the group nervously, trying to send a telepathic message of, I’m not worthy! Please don’t stab me! It was weird seeing him at full size. And slightly relieving after he was shrunk so small. For once, Alex didn’t feel like joking about his nervous demeanor. Because the look in his eyes sent her back to that fateful kiss in the snowy fields of Niflheim. He tasted like lavender and smelled like the summer sun. In the midst of the blizzard, he was the only reason she stayed alive. He reminded her what she was fighting for.
“I wasn’t going to die without doing that”
They almost died that day. And someday in the same field, she would have to watch her friends die. Mallory, Halfborn, T.J….. Magnus. The very thought gave her the sensation of a sword running its blade into her gut.
Magnus stayed silent for so long that Alex was starting to feel uneasy. She didn’t want to stay there long than she had to, and this awkward pause was making Halfborn and Mallory compelled to put their hands on each other. Any longer, and Alex would actually ask the bathrobe question.
Alex and Magnus locked eyes. Alex knew exactly what he was thinking, at least she thought she did, and she was unsure whether to shapeshift into a cheetah and run away, like she did when she first came to the Hotel.
She then thought of Percy Jackson, the Greek hero who saved the world not once, but twice. He got to live a normal life. What was left for them?
Then, Magnus looked at Odin and stood up with a newfound confidence.
“Actually, Lord Odin,” Magnus said, “there is one favor I would ask.”
The Aesir and Vanir started to murmur. Thor took a sip of his mead and burped. Mallory coughed a few curse words into her arm. Halfborn, Samirah, and T.J looked at him anxiously. Blitzen translated for Hearthstone, who was sitting on her other side of her. He leaned close to Alex in anticipation. And Alex only hoped that Magnus wouldn’t mess this up.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Odin raised his right hand and immediately, the gods stopped talking. “Now, then,” He leaned in towards Magnus with his brow furrowed. “What is your favor, son of Frey?”
Odin sounded deathly serious. Literally. Alex could’ve sworn she was back in Helheim.
Magnus opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Blitzen’s eye started twitching, as did Hearthstone’s. Alex swore they’d grabbed hands from underneath the table.
“Magnus…” Alex whispered.
They met eyes again. Alex remembered when they were hanging out with Percy and Annabeth before he left. While Percy talked about Estelle, Magnus picked at his falafel, looking like his cat died. It really brought the mood down, but she was almost worried.
“Stop being so glum!”, she told him.
If only that was easy, she thought bitterly. After everything she’d seen and done, it was an impossible feat to stay sane.
“Hey!” Odin chided, “Don’t be nervous, we’re all friends here! Go on, tell us!”
“I-” Magnus stared at his hands.
Heimdall chuckled, “Oh, come on. It won’t be worse than America’s funniest home videos!”
Freya turned to her brother, beaming. (literally, she was so beautiful, Alex couldn’t stand to look at her, and she was a guy lover through and through). “It’s probably to stay in Vanaheim with me forever!”
“Or a gift for my son, T.J,” Tyr urged Loki.
Sif huffed, which was exactly what Alex felt like doing, “Well whatever it is, can that boy hurry up? I have business to attend to. I’m sure my honorary child, Alex Fierro, agrees with that. Right, Alex?”
Alex chuckled, “Haha, yeah….”
As the gods eased into discussion, Magnus continued to stand there, his life flashing in his stormy eyes. She tried to get Magnus to look at her, but he seemed to be shut out in his own little panic world. Alex was never one for grand gestures, and preferred for him to sort whatever he needed out on his own, but she was tempted to run to him and hold his hand.
But instead, she leaned towards Samirah, “Psst, sis!”
“Yeah?”
“Get Magnus’s attention for me, will you?”
“Uh, why?” Her brows suddenly furrowed, “Alex, this is no time for jokes-”
“Just do it, okay?!” She snapped.
Samirah sighed, muttering something about annoying little sisters, and waved Magnus over. Magnus snapped back into reality as Samirah pointed at Alex’s black roots.
Magnus, she signed. Here for you, ok?
Magnus blinked, reminding her of Athena’s owls. It dawned on her that she never complimented him like that in awhile. Maybe the lack of food intake was making her sick. When was the last time she’d eaten? Two days? Three? It was definitely before defeating Loki…. Whatever. If anything, for some reason, she gave Magnus the strength to stand up and reveal his boon.
“…. Look,” Freya continued, “I’m just saying! Why wouldn’t he want to spend time with-”
“I want to become mortal again.”
It was a fascinating feat, really. After all of Alex’s attempts to put them in their place, who knew it would be Magnus to finally get them to shut up?
All across the field of Vigridr, one could hear a hairpin drop. This was probably the first time the gods had ever become quiet in eons. And Alex went quiet as well. She couldn’t bring herself to look at how the others were reacting.
Odin was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say in all his godly wisdom. “I…” he took a breath, “I-I beg your pardon?”
Magnus didn’t back down, “I said, I want to become mortal again. Not just me, but all my friends. Alex. T.J. Mallory. Halfborn. All of us. We deserve to live normal lives after everything we’ve been through. You said you’d grant me a boon? I’m giving you my request. I ask you to release us from your service as einherji and let us into Midgard or whatever world we wish to live in.”
Alex. She was mentioned first. She didn’t know whether to smile or puke.
Magnus continued, “Lord Odin, we’ve been through a lot. We literally sailed across the nine worlds to stop Loki’s ship from sailing. Not only that, but we’ve saved the world not once, but twice, without godly interference in combat. And I’m sure all of my friends can back me up on that.” At that, he worked his head around the table.” We tied up Fenris and chained Loki,” he pointed to the walnut. “And along the way, we almost died countless times. We have done more as einherjar during our tenure than most will ever do! Not to say they’re any more worthy, but I’m saying that we need a break. From, you know, almost dying.”
Magnus then proceeded to tell the tale of their harrowing journey. What they thought they were prepared for, but were sorely mistaken. Whether the gods knew everything that happened or not was their business, but he once again bragged about his friends deeds. Halfborn slaying the giant in Flåm. Mallory and the whetstone. T.J and Hrungnir. Hearthstone and Blitzen facing Alderman. Pottery Barn. Samirah and the water horses.
What struck Alex the most was when he mentioned when she shapeshifted into a walrus to pull the Big Banana across the impenetrable ice. That was such an insignificant deed. Well, it was obviously amazing, since she did it, but still.
What was just as surprising was the way Magnus was able to stand tall and confident in front of all the gods. She raised her eyebrow. Even without the mead of Kvasir, he had it in him.
Odin blinked, well, winked, “Magnus, I’ve offered you a return to mortality before. You refused. We all applauded you for your bravery. Why are you backing down now?”
“Because I don’t care if I’m a coward. Because then, I didn’t have a reason to come back.”
T.J, Halfborn, and Mallory all looked at Magnus from across the table. Their eyes were widened so much they were about to burst out of their sockets.
“Magnus,” Odin laughed, breaking the silence. “That… I’m sorry, but I cannot accept your request.”
“Why not?”
“I….” He looked at Frigg, and then looked at Tyr and Frey, before settling on Magnus. “It is simply out of our power, out of our contro-”
Not true, Hearthstone signed. You are gods. It is certainly in your power.
Blitzen looked like he was trying to not crack a smile. Odin sighed, trying to keep himself from burning down the Nine Worlds early. “Well, technically we can, but-”
“But what?”
“I-”
“No, seriously. What?”
Alex and Samirah met each other’s gaze. Samirah nodded as she clenched the hilt of her spear. The Aesir definitely weren’t as mean as the Greeks, but if their limits were tested too much, Magnus would need backup. And Alex wouldn’t hesitate to body Thor and Odin into Ginnungagap.
Odin sighed, and Alex’s heart refused to beat. He looked around at all the gods. They all seemed to be stifling back a comment or two, except for Frey, who gave him a piercing, fatherly glare and a nod. Alex felt helpless.
“Magnus…” Odin was trying to keep it together. “That is a very large wish. I have never granted such a reward to a mortal.”
“Nor have any mortals saved the world,” Samirah interceded. She sat back down in her chair after Odin gave her a look. “S-sorry, Lord Odin.”
“The kid is right.” Blitzen said, “I mean, when was the last time Loki was a huge threat like this? It’s unlikely, knock on wood, that Ragnarok will come in a very long time.”
“So what are you saying?”
“What I’m saying is that you should hear Magnus out. He never asks for much. He knows better than that. My Lord, he deserves this. Hear him out.”
Magnus gave Blitzen a grateful look.
“He does have a point.” Frigg, Mallory’s mom and the Queen of Asgard pointed out. Her hair was even redder than Mallory’s, yet she seemed to inherit none of her winning personality. She took Odin’s hand with no more affection than an old man and his walking stick. “Husband, dear, I advise you give Magnus what he wants. He did hold back Ragnarok.” She then met Mallory’s eyes, “As well as my daughter, keeper of Loki.”
Mallory uttered her first word in what seemed like a long time, “Thanks, ma.”
Odin analyzed Magnus as if he was a dessert he was preparing to eat. Which was all he probably was to the gods. Just some tool they can use to do what they cannot as they sit in their palaces and wait for the inevitable to happen, even though it could easily be prevented in one single swoop. A hive of bumblebees swarmed in the back of her mind, the only thing keeping her from speaking.
“I…. But who would accept mortality?” Odin finally asked, “It is a very thoughtful gift, but I will only grant it for Magnus if one of you accepts.”
Samirah looked at Alex and nodded at her to stand up. Alex stared at her meatloaf.
Would she?
Halfborn, T.J, and Mallory all glanced at each other. It was then that Alex and Magnus both knew that they would be staying at Valhalla. They were built to be warriors. They were chosen right. And so was Magnus. So was Alex.
But she thought back to her first day in Valhalla. Her first thoughts when she was admitted into the hotel. Her first conversation with Magnus in the forests of the battlefield, her closing thoughts before she was killed the second time. And now there were more reasons to want to leave.
Watching Estelle grow old as she did the same.
Going to Mexico, maybe even meeting her distant cousins.
Being human again.
And she looked at Samirah and Magnus, the most important people in her life. It was then that she knew the answer.
She stood up. Magnus had urgency in his eyes. Alex wordlessly walked over to him and grabbed his hand, a public gesture that made her want to die. Though she only did it because of the cold.
“I accept,” Alex said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked at Odin, “I accept your gift.”
Magnus looked like an electric volt just pierced its way down his spine. Even the palm of his hand felt staticky. Alex squeezed it harder, trying to take in its warmth, trying to ignore the cold air from around her.
“Alex…” Magnus whispered, “You don’t have to-”
“Alex Fierro,” Odin said, “You would really give up immortality for Magnus?”
“Not for him,” she snapped, “Don’t you dare say that.” Though deep down, that was only half true. “I’m doing this for me. We didn’t almost die for you idiots to not get some sort of reward. Now, are Magnus and I mortal now or not?”
Magnus eyed Alex with a look that said, Maybe don’t curse out our boss, and, I hold nothing but admiration for you. Alex wanted to tell him to shut up, but maybe not the best gesture.
“No more training. No more powers,” Odin said, “Monsters. Wolves. There would be no protection for either of you.”
“I’m no coward. I can face that.”
Thought and Memory, the ravens that perched on Odin’s shoulder, cawed and looked so angry, they were about to poop little pellets on the All-Father. But Odin carefully stroked them, and they stopped ruffling their feathers. Magnus’s hand went limp in Alex, which sent a panic down her arm. She brushed that aside. She also ignored the dozens of eyes of valkryies and gods and friends piercing into her.
Mortal. She was actually going to be mortal.
I’m no coward. I can face that. But can I?
She shook her head. Doesn’t matter. I’ll find out.
“Very well, then,” Odin cleared his throat. “From this day forward, Alex Fierro and Magnus Chase are hereby removed from Hotel Valhalla and discharged as einherjar.” He stood up, “Meeting dismissed.”