Erik walked through the narrow corridor toward the control point where Hela sat lounging like she owned the place.
One leg crossed over the other, her black and green suit gleaming faintly under the ship's lights, she was lazily snacking on a bowl of zarg nuts—crunchy alien things that cracked sharply with every bite.
She flicked her gaze toward him as he entered, her lips curling in amusement.
"Where's the spider?" she asked, popping another nut into her mouth.
Erik didn't answer right away. He moved past her, settling himself into the pilot's seat. His fingers danced across the touch panel, activating systems, flipping switches, steadying the ship. The glowing runes of the console lit up against his hands, reflections painting his face in shifting colors.
Only then, without looking at her, he spoke.
"She didn't come."
Hela tilted her head, a slow smile tugging at her lips. Even though Hela was an unempathic, crazed, battle maniac, she knew this man was feeling sad and lonely without his pets.
The sound of her chewing filled the silence for a moment before she swallowed, her eyes narrowing with that dangerous glint she never bothered to hide.
"So…" she purred, her voice low and hungry, "we're alone then."
Erik turned his head slightly, just enough to catch her watching him, her grin sharp and predatory, which caused him to roll his eyes.
The ship thrummed louder as it began to lift higher into the mist, pulling away from the mountain and the shadowed temple below.
Erik guided the vessel upward, out of Mount Wundagore's icy clouds.
Then—right in front of their path— an orange spark flared, widening into a circular portal of shifting sparks and whirling patterns. Without hesitation, Erik angled the ship forward. The ship glided straight into it, disappearing in a shimmer of light.
[Mars Base]
The ship dropped out of the portal into a vast hangar, the massive dome of the Mars base stretching overhead. It landed on the platform where the metallic clutches secured the ship.
The mothership was already here, looking freshly patched up, new plating gleaming where old damage had been torn away.
Erik's resurrected soldiers stood in formation, row after row, the size of the army stretching across the hangar floor. The sheer scale was staggering— hundreds of thousands, maybe millions.
Supply droids and Chitauri engineers that were hauling fuel cells, tightening bolts, or replacing scorched armor panels dropped their work and joined the assembly of soldiers as well.
The size of Erik's army was huge, very close to hitting a billion.
But Hela wasn't impressed by numbers. Not until she actually looked closer.
Her eyes narrowed. A few of them radiated more than brute strength. They carried divinity. Heavy, undeniable. Her smirk faltered, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
Her gaze snagged on one figure immediately. The first presence she recognized—Odin. She had seen his 'recruitment' first hand, no surprise there.
His divine essence was still there even after Erik had extracted the Odin force from him. She smiled, seeing her old man in this state was oddly satisfying.
But then she noticed another. A tall blonde hunk of a man, eyes like storm clouds. His divinity felt familiar—deeply familiar. Like Asgard. Like family. Yet twisted, slightly foreign, like something not of this universe.
Hela's lips curved again, sharp and amused. "Well, well… is that Odin's son I see? I was wondering where the boy had run off to when we were in Asgard. Didn't realize you'd already killed and enslaved him. But…" she tilted her head, eyes narrowing with interest, "…something about his divinity feels… off. Not quite the same."
Erik, leaning casually against the console, shrugged. "Yeah. That might be because he's an Odinson from another universe."
That got her attention. Her brows shot up, and for once she didn't bother hiding her excitement. "Another universe? You've conquered realms in other universes too?"
There was a thumping in her chest—unexpected, uninvited. But there it was, a rush of adrenaline. She hadn't expected the man who was chosen for her to be this delightful.
Yet day by day, Erik just kept peeling back layers, showing her things that made her chest tighten with that rare, dangerous feeling.
He was dangerous. Clever. Ambitious. Ruthless. And now… he's showing her a chance to conquer realms beyond this universe.
She was starting to think he might be her ideal mate after all.
Erik waved a hand, almost dismissively, smirking. "Uh. Wouldn't call it conquering. More like… forced to do someone else's bidding. Cindy's from another universe too, by the way."
Hela just gave a little nod, not really caring about whatever Erik was saying about the spider woman. The mention of Cindy didn't even register beyond a flicker of mild irritation.
In her head, Cindy was just a pet who slept with her husband-to-be. Sure, the spider had potential to rival her someday. But... whatever.
They walked side by side up the ramp toward the mothership, the echoes of their boots ringing off the metal floor. Hela's eyes flicked over the legions lined up, her mind wandering.
"What do they even do when they're not fighting, stand idle like that?" she asked finally, her tone casual, almost bored, though her eyes stayed fixed ahead.
Erik smirked faintly at the question, hands tucked behind his back. "Up till now?" he said. "I just stored them in Beelzebub's stomach. They were mindless, just took up too much space. Kept them tucked away until I needed them."
Hela's eyebrow arched at that, but she didn't interrupt.
Erik continued, his voice dropping a little, like he was thinking aloud. "But now… they've gained personality. They're still absolutely loyal to me, but they're more than drones now. So I'm thinking of letting them somewhat free. Have them build something like a society that would work solely for me."
Hela's lips curved into a slow, unimpressed smirk. "Hmm. That's lame," she said flatly, turning her head just enough for him to catch the glint in her eyes. "Why waste time on society-building? Just send them out to search for more realms to conquer. You already had that little eldritch trick for travel—now you've got the Tesseract too."
Yeah, along with the Aether and Eternal Flame, Erik got himself the space stone as well.
Her smirk sharpened, voice turning into a purr as she leaned slightly closer. "And with the Odinforce you've ripped from Father… you're basically unstoppable. This universe is just begging to get conquered by you."
Her eyes flicked to his, hungry, almost taunting. "My husband-to-be," she added.
Erik stared into her eyes for a moment, "Hmm, I'll think about it." He said flatly and continued forward.
For a few beats, the only sound was the echo of their steps against the steel floor. Then Erik paused, his voice cutting through the air casually, almost like an afterthought.
"On the topic of conquering…" he began, glancing back at her with a faint smirk tugging at his lips, "what's the faster way to Olympus— Bifrost, or the Tesseract?"
He let the question hang for a moment before adding with deliberate weight, "Do consider the size of my army when you answer."
Hela's grin spread slowly, sharp and impossible to contain. A wicked glint sparked in her eyes as her chest tightened with that familiar, thrilling excitement.
This was no longer just ambition.
It was inevitable.
Her voice dropped low, almost a whisper, though it carried like a promise.
"…Oh, my love. Those gods won't even see us coming."
He's her ideal mate after all, huh. Hela thought internally.
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