ADMIST THE FURY OF THE PORTAL THAT ASTRID CREATED, THE QUEEN, TWO PRINCES AND TWO GUARDS DROPPED TO THE GROUND IN MIDGARD. Unbeknownst to them, they had landed in the New Mexico desert, the sand blowing silently on the ground beneath them.

Astrid, Olav, Ashjørn and the Hod twins had prepared themselves for Midgard. Evander and Cedrick, not being strong fighters, travelled back to Alfheim with their mother, while Ymir stayed positioned in Menvǫllr to defend his daughter's kingdom while she was away.

"He mustn't be far," Astrid pointed out, seeing the Bifrost mark burnt into the sand not far from where they stood. "Unless someone already came for him."

Olav squinted ahead. "Any signs of footprints would have blown away by now. We should look for signs of a campfire," he concluded.

"Or we could start there," Ashjørn pointed behind them, gesturing to the town of Puente Antiguo in the distance. It was the only visible sign of civilisation. His face was unimpressed as he looked back at his older brother.

"I suppose it's worth a shot," Olav mumbled, following after his siblings and the guards as they travelled to the village.

After a few minutes of walking, the group of warriors found themselves among the townsfolk who stared at them in wonder. It was no wonder as the group was striding down the street in all their splendour.

"Is it just me, or does Midgard look different to you?" Ashjørn asked the group.

"It has been thousands of years since we last visited," Astrid pointed out. "Things can change in a few millennia."

Jinx scoffed as more people gawk at them as they passed. "It's like manners and etiquette have gone out the window," she grumbled.

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IT TOOK THEM A FEW MINUTES, BUT THE GROUP OF WARRIORS AND ROYALTY MANAGED TO TRACK DOWN THOR.

"Found you!" Astrid smiled, as she entered the building where she found Thor, The Warrior Three, Lady Sif and three Midgardians. "Ah! You all arrived too!" She referred to the four Asgardian soldiers. "It's so swell knowing there's some sense to be found in Asgard!" A brunette woman behind Thor dropped a glass in shock. "Oh, dear! My apologies for the fright."

"Astrid!" Thor exclaimed with a bright smile. Thor happily raced from his spot surrounded by his friends to embrace the blonde queen. He was rid of Asgardian attire and now donned casual Midgardian clothes. Astrid wheezed at the tight, strong hug as the air was pushed out of her lungs.

"Who are they?" A dark-haired woman asked.

Ashjørn smiled greeting the Midgardians. "Oh, apologies for our rudeness. I am Prince Ashjørn, I believe your people used to call me Ashjørn the Bright back in the day. These are my siblings; Olav the Ruthless and Queen Astrid the Honourable. These are her guards; Jinx the Valiant and Janus the Lionheart."

"I don't believe it...," The older man whispered, approaching the new group of Gods.

"Thor," Astrid patted his back, silently begging him to release her. "What was your last word from Asgard?" She urgently asked.

Thor sighed sadly. "Loki appeared before me one day to tell me of my father's death due to my idiocy. Therefore, I must remain in exile. And then my friends, here, arrived just before yourself to tell me they are taking me home, however, I cannot."

The Asgardian Warriors furrowed their brows in confusion as Astrid cursed under her breath. "Odin lives, Thor. Loki has deceived us all."

Before Thor could react to the revelation, they witnessed the Bifrost open in the dull sky above the desert. The portal widened before exploding down to the sandy ground. "Was somebody else coming?" The dark-haired girl asked.

"We should get going," Olav announced, readying his heavy mace in his hands.

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THE GROUP RUSHED THROUGH THE TOWN, THE ASGARDIANS, ALFHEIMIANS AND MENVOLLRIANS PREPARED FOR BATTLE AS THEY WITNESSED THE FIREFIGHT IN THE DESERT.

"Leave this town now. Get yourself and your friends to safety," Thor announced to the woman that Astrid now knew as Jane, her friends being Darcy and Erik. Jane asked about his welfare. "I must stay and fight. I'm still a warrior, and I will fight by your side," he spoke towards his friends.

"You're but a mortal now," Volstagg yelled. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Or one of us, trying to protect you," Fandral continued.

Astrid turned her head to look at Thor. "The best thing you can do is get the mortals to safety and leave the battle to us."

Thor glanced around him, the townsfolk gawking at the fire show in the distance, oblivious to the danger that soon followed. "You're right." He turned to Jane, Darcy and Erik as he continued. "Help me clear the streets. I'll let none of these people die this day."

The Asgardian Destroyer that used to protect the Vault was now terrorising the streets of this Puetro Antiguo. It unleashed blasts as it strides down the road, blowing up cars and setting storefronts aflame. The warriors head straight toward the Destroyer.

"Keep him distracted!" Sif yelled out toward her teammates.

Fandral smirked. "What do you think? 'The Svartalheim Twist', 'Kiss of the Hag' or 'Face Full of Boot'?" He questioned.

"The Flying Mountain," Volstagg announced, confidently.

Fandral and Hogun groaned. "Not the 'The Flying Mountain'! It threw out my back for a year last time!"

"Just get on with it!" Astrid yelled at them, as she grabbed a barking dog, wrapping him gently in her magic and sending him gliding toward Thor and his Midgardian friends to look after.

Volstagg takes off running at full speed. As he catches up to his comrade, Hogun and Fandral grab him on either side. With all their Asgardian might, they hurl the voluminous warrior into the air at the black metal behemoth. "For Asgaaaarddd!"

Jinx and Janus take that moment to do the same to their queen. Astrid readied her fist, a gold glow emitting around her clenched fingers. Her face was etched with determination as her fist collided violently with the metal giant, sending his head spinning. Volstagg soon followed, smashing into the creature. Just as their hope peaked, it was stripped away from them as the Destroyer plucked Volgstagg off at flung him to Hogun and Fandral. About to do the same to Astrid, she quickly evaded, focusing her magic on her feet to hover in the air.

Olav and Ashjørn continued their attacks from the ground. Olav unrelentingly bashed his mace into the base of the Destroyer as Ashjørn manipulate light into his palms and blasted them at the giant.

Sif leapt from a nearby rooftop with her top-headed spear and plunged it deep into the back of the creature. The Destroyer stood motionless, the red fire behind its face plates dimming. Sif stood apprehensively atop his back. Astrid landed next to her, leaning over the creature's shoulder slightly to gauge if he were alive or not. Just as hope began to settle among the warriors, the Destroyer stirred back to life. Slowly, unnaturally, the metal giant spun its torso around to face its attackers. The Destroyer unleashed a blast at Sif and Astrid as they barely dived off the behemoth in time, dodging the flame. The creature raised again to its full height, pulling free from Sif's staff, the weapon slipping through the slats of its armour.

They all continued fighting, refusing to give up. Many lay bloodied and beaten, yet still alive. Astrid, her blonde hair tacky with dried blood as a crack to her scalp pierced open. Her face was bruised and split as blood leaked from her wounds. Yet, she never relented. She opened a portal behind the Destroyer; a desolate, blistering cold atmosphere waited behind the creature as she continually tried to push him into it. Astrid screamed in anguish, desperate to rid this evil from the innocent streets of Midgard.

Just as the Destroyer sent a blast hurdling toward Astrid's body, a blinding bolt of lightning struck down from above, colliding with the flame. The explosion was massive. Astrid was knocked off her feet and sent flying backwards. However, before she could crash into a car or wall, she was caught by muscular arms. She looked up and sighed in relief. "It's about time."