I stand with my friends on the private airfield, gazing out at the familiar lights of New York City.
"Now, that we are finally home. Time to find out what the bitch has done to it," Thor cracked his knuckles.
"The city is still standing at least. But then again, that kind of destruction doesn't seem to be Frigga's style," Loki sighed, taking out his man bun.
"Unlike some people," Melody swivelled her head so she was staring at Odin. I too glance at Odin, who stands with his arms crossed, staring at the city and saying nothing. He looks grim and purposeful.
"The sun has only just set but there's no one at the airfield. That is odd..." Sif frowned, looking around. I realize that the city does seem quieter than usual, despite the familiar sounds of traffic in the distance. I shiver.
"Let's go," Loki placed a hand on my back and led me away from the plane.We are barely off the tarmac when a car comes screeching up. Sif nearly got run over.
"What the!?" Loki snarls, pushing me behind him. We look to the driver.
"Huggin!" Thor and Melody shout.
"Sir! Oh my stars, it is so good to see you safe and unharmed!" Huggin hurries from the car and wraps Thor in a hard hug. Thor returns it, stunned.
"how... How did you know that we would be here?" Thor squeezes his friend tightly.
"Oh, with the tracking application of course," Huggin beamed as he pulled away, he then pulled his phone out and showed us the app "Miss Melody set it up on my phone. It's supposed to allow me to see where she is at all times,"
"Oh, yeah. I did do that," Melody rubbed the back of her head.
"You vanished for some time after Frigga's party and then you appeared an hour ago, here,"
"Heh. Good job, past Melody. Really nailing it," Melody grins, patting her shoulder. Thor sighs wearily. Then hugs Huggin again.
"I have missed you, Huggin,"
"and I have missed you as well. All of you. Miss Emily!" Huggin rushes forward to grab my hand, holding it between his own "My deepest and sincerest thanks for your help at the manor. Without you, I would have... well..." I cut Huggin off by giving him a hug. Surprised, he returns it.
"Of course, I helped you, Huggin. You were in danger. I would do it again in a heartbeat,"
"Miss Emily, you are truly a marvel," Huggin bowed his head. He then gulps as he looks at Loki "I apologise for being so forward,"-
"Don't worry about it," Loki smiled. Huggin leans back and cocks an eyebrow.
"Are you well?"
"It's a whole thing. We don't know what is going on with him," Melody waved her hands in the air.
"Okay?" As Huggin composes himself, he gestures to the car "Please, let us get going. I will tell you more on the way to the safe house. I--" His words catch in his throat as he sees the last member of our group lurking in the shadows.
"Oh, right. I don't believe we have met," Odin pinches his lips together
"What is he doing here?!" Huggin shoves an angry finger at Odin.
"Over the last few days, I have often asked that question myself," Odin takes one step back.
"He's helping us defeat Frigga," Sif sighed.
"And then, he is going to face justice for everything he has done," Thor spoke through gritted teeth.
"Consider him a snake with his fangs removed,"
"Oh, believe me, my fangs are very much intact," Odin snaps.
"How about a dog with his balls removed? I'm pretty sure we can accommodate that?" Thor snapped. Odin took a deep breath. I poked Thor's shoulder and told him to behave. Huggin eyes Odin uncertainty before turning to the seven-seater car.
"If... if you insist on him being here... shall we?"We all pile into the car and Huggin takes off, driving through the dark streets of New York. Odin was relocated to the back seat. Thor got the front seat. Sif was sitting with Odin while Melody, Loki and I got in the middle.
"Hey, your driving is much better," Melody praised. Huggin handed her a bag that held her laptop "Oh, baby. I have missed you," Melody hugged her laptop.
"Truly? I have been practising quite a bit. You might say I am both fast and furious,"
"You are neither of those things. But big thumbs up on the modern media reference," Melody patted Huggin's shoulder.
"So what is the situation in the city, Huggin?" Loki asked. Huggin sped around a corner, beeping at a car that cut him up.
"Right, yes. Sorry Mr Odinson,"
"Please, call me Loki," Loki asked nicely. He didn't like his surname.
"Loki. So, The night you all escaped, I fled with our clan and told them the truth and then Frigga..."
"Did she attack? Did she hurt them?" I spot Thor clenching his fists, gripping his trouser leg tightly.
"No. she didn't have to. I told the others the truth but most... actually almost everyone, didn't believe me. they went back to her. They chose her,"
"It's her power," Sif spoke up.
"It's the way she gets into your mind, the way she manipulates and inspires. The way she draws you in like a siren," Loki grips my hand.
"The way you can't say no," Odin mumbles from the backseat. For once, everyone agrees with him.
"So, Thor's clan are with Frigga?" Melody leaned forward. Huggin nodded.
"Just about everyone is. All the vampires in the city and most of the humans too. It was only the Avengers who didn't believe her and she took 90% of them out. Mr Stark is severely injured and is recovering in Wakanda with Mr America and the man with the metal arm. Young Spiderboy fled with them. Even Blade has fallen," Huggin informed. We were all shocked to hear about Blade. He was the man who hunted all vampires.
"What about my uncle?" Melody whispered. Fury was the only family that she had (Well that she knew of).
"Mr Fury is in Wakanda. Stark made him go," Huggin looked at Melody in the rearview mirror. Melody let out a sharp breath. Deep down I knew that she feared the worst had happened to him.
"So, we can't count on the Avengers," I pinched my nose. Thor grumbled that you never could 98% of the time.
"Anyway, Frigga has become somewhat of a celebrity, revered and admired by all. She is the talk of the town," Huggin pointed to a billboard.
"That doesn't surprise me. We were halfway to being brainwashed ourselves," Sif frowned.
"And as it turns out, your arrival coincides with her next move," Huggin swiftly manoeuvred around three different cars.
"Her next move?" Loki tilted his head.
"She's holding a charity fundraiser at the opera house tonight. She plans to give a grand speech to thousands," My head snapped towards Huggin.
"The opera house?" My vision? Is that where we must face Frigga?
"But as we all know, it is through these speeches that she weaves her spells. and with so many attending..." The words are barely out of his mouth when my vision begins to darken, making me gasp.
"Emily?" Loki turned to me. I grip my head.
"Vision incoming. Ow... It's not like normal. this one is... ow... different," I gripped my hair at the roots. Loki tried to untangle my hands. With no luck "Ow,"
"Emily, let go of your hair," Loki spoke.
"It hurts," I whispered. Loki tried to be soothing. Melody whispered something to him and he replied that he had no idea.
"Emily, Stop resisting. It will only hurt more," Odin speaks. Loki glared at him for speaking to me. For once, I listened to Odin.
"Ow... I... I... see..." I close my eyes.
I plunge into a vision, crystal clear and drowning my senses. Frigga stands on the stage of an opera house, arms outstretched, an expression of unbridled divine bliss on her face.
"Yes... yes, that's it... come to me..." In front of her, thousands of patrons scramble and grasp, transfixed, desperate for their Goddess. Men, women, children, humans and vampires, all utterly in thrall "Your lives... your blood... are mine!" Frigga raises her hands high and all the people in the audience thrash and writhe as their blood... their life... is drained from their body. They wither like husks, decaying, rotting, thousands dead and dying. And Frigga smiles with unholy power, slowly levitating off the ground "The Goddes Phampira is REBORN!"I jerk back to myself in the real world, gasping, clutching at both Loki and the side of the car. I think I might have dented the armrest.
"Em! What did you see?" Melody clutched my hand. Loki ran a soothing hand up and down my back.
"Frigga... she's... she's going to do... something... terrible. I saw a vision of the future... A slaughter... The event... at the opera house. She's going to kill everyone there," I panted. Loki and Sif exchange an uneasy look while Odin's expression hardens.
"This must be it, then. The final step of her plan," Loki looked back at Sif. Sif nodded.
"She told us for every life she takes, she grows that much stronger. To gather so many in one place... If she kills them all... she will be a God," Sif pinches her bottom lip. Odin slaps her hand away. Seems to be a trait of the Odinson's to slap hands away from nervous picking of the skin. Loki does it to me.Huggin drops us off at the safehouse before heading back to grab a few loyal members of the clans. I can sense that Thor is struggling with whether or not to go with him.
"We can check on them later," Melody sighed as she grabbed Thor by the shoulder "Right now, we need to focus," Melody clapped with each word.
"I know," Thor nodded, sadly. Thor clasps Huggin on the shoulder "Be safe, friend,"
"You too, sir. You too," Huggin bows as he leaves.With the door shut, we all take a moment to sit and breathe, recovering from the long journey to get her.
"There should be blood packets in that fridge," Sif speaks as she pulls out enough for us all. We quickly devour them ravenously, famished.
"I don't even think these things are gross anymore. They are amazing. Perfect and frankly, delicious," Still nothing beats a good Italian pasta dish. Even if garlic gives me heartburn.
"I know, right? Honestly, I think I would still drink them even if I wasn't a vampire," Melody sighed, happily. We all stared at her with horror on our faces. Even Odin shuddered,
"And you say I am the sociopath?" Odin pointed to himself. Thor replied that he was and always will be.
"Oh, you have no idea what Melody is truly like," I smiled. Melody poked her tongue out at me.
"Yeah, give it a few decades and you might be close," Once we have finished our blood and had a minute to ourselves, Sif sighs.
"All right. there's no way around it. I was hoping to have time to craft a plan but we just don't have it. If Frigga is planning to strike tonight, then we need to be there to stop her," Sif paced, Tossing her blood packet in the bin.
"We can't let her get any more power,"
"Or kill anyone else," Thor starts to sharpen his swords.
"Agreed. If she is making her big move at the opera house, then we can try and find a way backstage. We attack her before she has a chance,"
"you say it like it is so easy. Do you remember the last time we all went up against her?"
"This time, we have the dagger coated in the sap of death and my training with Rocket helped me understand my powers better. This time, we are going in prepared,"
"Against Frigga? You will never be prepared," Odin crosses his arms. Thor pauses sharpening his swords, staring gloomily at Selvig's blade. He places a hand on it and sighs.
"We have to do whatever it takes. Too many people have suffered and died for us to get here. If this is our only chance then we need to take it."
"Melody, can you find the layout for the opera house? We should look at them," Melody pulls out a laptop and finds the blueprints. Sif gestures for me to follow her.