© 2017 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved.  

~

Seven devils all around you

Seven devils in my house

See they were there when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

~

"This is a load of cat shit." Draver growled when we were forced to stop.

A large mass of fur was blocking the path just near the Acheron River. The creature was enormous- like a small hill.

Jazz stayed in wolf form while Draver chose to shift, checking out the roadblock. I noticed Draver pop his back several times, which made me feel guilt for riding him instead of walking or running- or even being useful for stuff other than likely misinformed directions.

Jazz, his wolf the size of a goddamn van, plopped down on his stomach. He rested his head on his paws, letting out a ragged puff of breath. I sat down with him, stroking his soft ears. His arm was still wounded, and I wanted to help in any way possible- but unless we made it out of here, nothing was going to happen.

Draver nudged the mass of fur, and for some reason Jazz began to growl. Not the type that I heard before- this was a deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine.

Draver jerked back when the figure began to move- not one, not two, but three goddamn heads swiveled back to look at us.

I was about ready to call it a day and just toss myself into the pits of Tartarus at this point.

"Cerberus?" I snapped out, my anger at this whole situation blowing up while I was stuck in hell. "Seriously?"

The massive black dog served as the guardian to the entrances of the underworld- and apparently it decided to guard the exit as well.

Jazz's fangs locked onto my ankle, swinging me up onto his back as he dashed underneath the snapping jaws of one of Cerberus' heads.

Draver lit up light a torch, blazing a trail of fire that guided us away from him and Cerberus.

"Go!" he bellowed over the flames.

Cerberus let out a fierce roar, rising up on his hind legs before pounding down. The gust of wind blew out the flames, but with a quick gesture of his hands, the flames were back again, still standing strong.

We had looped around Cerberus, and made it to the Acheron. But Jazz abruptly stopped and dropped me down, then began to whimper and back away.

It was obvious he didn't want to go in the water, but I was determined to escape.

"Jasper Monticello, I swear I will haul your puppy ass in that river if you don't go in right this second."

He snarled at me, but slowly began dipping his paw in the water, as if he was a kid plopping his big toe in a pool.

Draver's voice could be heard from the distance, but it was very faint and weak. I noticed his flames were dying, dwindling to a cozy campfire rather than the wildfire he had going on earlier.

"What are you waiting for?" he hollered, barely holding up the dancing flames.

"He won't go in!" I hoped my voice carried, or that Draver's werewolf senses could pick up on my cries, because I couldn't even hear myself over Cerberus.

The dog seemed to be scared of Draver's fire- probably because it wasn't originated in hell. But when Cerberus realized the fire was unable to scorch him, a very wolf like grin came over his face. One head feinted to Draver's left, the other catching him off guard. Draver quickly shifted, jumping onto one of Cerberus' heads. Bones crunched and I didn't realize I was screaming until I saw Draver's body severely snapped in half. Cerberus chucked Draver's limp body into the Acheron, smashing against the river bank. Cerberus advanced towards us at a leisurely pace, as if he knew we were done for.

Jazz's shoulder gave out, and I struggled to keep him up.

"Swim!" I insisted, crying as I was pushing him. "GO!"

Jazz jumped in just as Draver's wolf passed. I felt the contents of my stomach swirl. Cerberus had ruined Draver, the body broken beyond belief.

I looked back at Cerberus, who was now a couple yards away. I quickly threw myself in, the iciness of the water settling deep into my bones.

What I wasn't expecting was for Cerberus to enter the river as well. I screamed, bubbles the only sign of my voice leaving when Cerberus's jaws clamped down onto my side. Blood burst forth, staining me and the river around me red.

I was aware of every little detail, the yellow fangs embedded into my side, my spine breaking, my arm being torn from my body by Cerberus' other head.

Then Cerberus threw me up, my body free falling into the air before splashing in the river behind him as he approached Jazz and Draver.

And suddenly, my body wasn't mine, and I was standing onto the side of the river, watching Cerberus advance onto my mates.

I couldn't move, my body frozen in time.

"Do you want to save them?"

The deep voice scared me, and I turned my head to the side to see an old man, who seemed fit beyond his age. He was decorated in gilded armor that screamed wealth and power. A golden glass eye, and a bright blue one meet mine. In an instant, I felt my life flash before my eyes- not just one life, but multiple. Meeting Jazz and Draver a thousand times over, falling in love with them, and me dying all over again.

I was breathing heavily, my chest collapsing within itself.

"Odin- the Allfather." I gasped out.

"I've always favored you, Faye." Odin stated, his hands locked around a golden staff with an eagle. "You were one of the strongest among my ranks, before we initiated your...program."

"Program?" I narrowed my eyes are the Allfather. "Are you talking about me being reincarnated?"

He nodded. "Valkyries are being hunted down lately- and lately being in the past couple centuries. I needed you to be safe, until I could call you out of hiding. But Loki is powerful, and keeping you in Valhalla or any of the other nine realms was dangerous. I entrusted you to Artemis, told her to keep you safe with her strongest. She contacted Prometheus, made a human body for your soul to stay in. It was a dangerous gamble, but she decided to make you mates with Jasper and Draver Monticello. It was beneficial for her as well- her two wild cards would be tamed."

"And every time I died?" I kept my eyes on Cerberus, noticing that time was moving at an achingly slow pace- like their death was prolonged.

"Loki found you. And I believe it's because of that mate bond of yours. Every time you try to...consummate it. He finds you. And we have to kill you, and make a new body."

"And now? Am I dying because Loki found me?"

Odin shook his head. "You're dying because this is your last human life- I'm pulling you out of the contract we had. Artemis told you to enjoy it." he gestured to the scene. "I don't know if this is what you consider enjoyable."

"It's clearly not." I bit out, pointing to my dead body. "I was the helldog's chew toy and now my mates are about to die."

Odin grinned. "Oh no. They won't die. And they're not your mates, at least not anymore."

I snapped my head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"You are going to go in there, save them, fly out of this hell hole, and meet me in Asgard. Then, we're going to have a long talk about what's going on."

I noticed the two ravens atop his shoulder. "Aren't you usually accompanied by two wolves?"

And then Odin gave me a knowing smile, one that said that he was really the Allfather. "You didn't think I'd let you travel to Midgard alone?"

Odin reached forward, touching his thumb to my forehead as he whispered words in quick succession. Full of ancient power, I felt the magic swell in me. The astral version of me solidified- I felt the weight of my body, my feet sinking into the sandy ground. Every sense was amplified and fine tuned to me. Memories from the beginning of creation filtered into me, a filing cabinet of what I knew now became an overflowing database. I got a brief taste- a flashback of sorts- before it was all locked up again.

A blaze of light exploded around me, catching the attention of Cerberus. The guardian growled, climbing out of the river to bound towards me. The plates of my armor set in place just as my javelin manifested into my hands. The winged helmet of Odin's handmaidens appeared above my head. The glow was everywhere, as if I was a burning torch in the middle of a cave.

Cerberus launched towards me just as I pulled my helmet on. The wings on my back unfurled, raising me high in the air in two sharp beats. The powerful gusts of wind slowed Cerberus enough for me to lift the javelin above, poised for the kill. Lightning struck, riding the staff of the javelin just before I drove it into Cerberus' first head. I moved as fast as the lightning, angling the javelin to stab through all of his heads until he lined up like a pig ready to be pit roasted.

With a strong heave, I sent the javelin into the Acheron so Cerberus could rot at the bottom.

"Merda," I breathed out, noticing that I was literally glowing- sparking and crackling with the lightning that came out of nowhere.

The javelin appeared in front of me,  as if to goodbye for now, and disappeared in a burst of gold dust. The armor vanished as well, but my wings stayed on, keeping me up in the air. I felt completely in my element- fighting and killing, now going to pick up warriors who died in battle.

As if my wings had a mind of their own, I lurched forward into the sky before dropping down to swoop up Jazz and Draver by the scruff of their necks, as well as my jacket that had Poseidon's pearl and Athena's journal. With Valkyrie strength I never knew I had, I was able to lift them up into a swirl of blue that served as the portal into Asgard.

The golden city blinded me at first, and I couldn't believe how far advanced Asgard has become since I'd last seen it. Although I had no emotional connection to the memories that were flashed before I was returned to my Valkyrie state, I still could recall facts and trivia about Asgard and the rest of the nine realms.

I flew higher up, my wings climbing me to the tallest tower.

I lowered them gently on the open balcony that wrapped around the entire palace. Two maidens rushed to their aid once I called them forth to administer medical attention.

Odin and Frigga greeted me once I entered the throne room.

"Come," Odin gestured to the room off the side.

I held my ground. "I have questions first. Jasper and Draver- they will be taken care of, right? I'm not willing to play games when it comes to the twins."

Odin grew serious. "Of course. They are of my own as well."

I flinched back. "Of your own? What do you mean?"

"I told you already, Faye. I didn't leave you to Midgard without protection."

The pieces were jammed into place all too quickly. "Are you suggesting that Jasper and Draver aren't from Greek mythology."

"Oh no." the Allfather's glass eye twinkled. "Jasper and Draver are my own two wolves, Geri and Freki."