Ayyo~! Kiya here again, with more apologies for being delayed. I worked an insane amount in the past two weeks so I've been beat every time I think about updating. Anyway, I'm here now!

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Chapter 14

"Rhee, Tony Stark; bro, Rhee," Willow introduced. "My friend from HQ that I told you about, also my assistant," she explained further, and the two shook hands. Rhee looked just the tiniest bit flustered, which Willow took as a point for herself. Emotion out of the guy! Amazing.

"Nice to meetcha. So, my sister says you do hacking. Mind showing me what you got? Y'know, try to hack into my system, see where the holes are," Tony rattled on, throwing an arm around Rhee and leading him away. Willow nodded at his glance and calmly turned away, walking towards her own flat. She had work to do.

She logged in and began a search, using Jarvis again to cover up her cyber footprints. He really was such a help, she told herself in satisfaction, then promptly began to go through information. Her head throbbed, and she hissed through her teeth in annoyance.

"Alright, just give me a while okay? I promise I'll take y'all out tonight. Just stop distracting me please," she begged, and they subsided at her promise.

It was another hour before she wrapped up her work, retreating from the system carefully and signing off. With a sigh, she cracked her knuckles and stretched, yawning slightly.

Miss Stark, Mister Rhee has asked for you. Jarvis informed her calmly. She smiled.

"First of all Jarv, it's Willow, and secondly tell him I'll be there," she replied, heaving herself up.

I'm sorry Miss, but my protocol-

"Oh fine Jarv, would it work if I ordered you to call me Willow?" she asked in exasperation, heading for the elevator. Fenrir trotted alongside, the size of a husky.

Yes, Miss, it would. But his voice was faintly uncomfortable.

"Jarvis, you call me whatever makes you comfortable," she said softly as the elevator went up.

Thank you, Miss. He answered relievedly. Jarvis had feelings. Accordingly, Willow would treat him as a person.

She finally made it to the floor and the door opened to show Rhee shaking hands with her brother. "Hey guys. Ready?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes," Rhee answered simply, stepping into the lift.

"And where are you going?" Tony asked her, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry bro, but I have to get back to work." She smiled slightly. "Daily grind alleviates for no one." She winked. "I'll be back tonight. And I'll also have a surprise for you, y'know... Ifyou happen to be interested," she said casually with a shrug.

"You bet. Nice seeing you Rhee, come again sometime," he said, and Rhee nodded.

"Sure. Thank you," he said simply. There was no gushing, no formality. It was a reason Willow had known that Tony would like Rhee.

"See ya bro. Be good." She waved and the door closed. "So," she prodded, while they glided down to the first floor.

"He is every bit the genius they say he is. Thanks for the opportunity," he replied, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Welcome. Tony liked you," she said, looking back towards the door while fondling Fenrir's ears. Rhee didn't say anything, and they rode back to the Triskelion in comfortable silence.

Willow parted with Rhee at her office, going instead to Coulson's office. He looked up as she entered. "Spare a mo for me?" she asked calmly.

"Sure," he invited, pointing briefly to a chair while finishing a document. She sat down, Fenrir standing by the door with his eyes drooped but ears up. Then Phil looked back up and she nodded.

"Won't take me long, I know how busy you are. Actually I was just asking if I could go take a visit to the Academy," she requested. Coulson looked somewhat interested.

"Why the Academy?" he questioned. She smirked.

"Curiosity, for one thing, but also because I really feel a need to go see what it's like in the Academy. The people. I want to see it," she said, looking at him.

Phil just looked at her, but she was being honest. She had too much respect for him to ever flat out lie to him. "Alright," he finally said. "You technically don't even have to ask me, but go ahead," he sighed.

She stood and walked to the door. "Sir, I respect you too much not to ask for your permission. You are the only one who will ever be able to make me stand down," she replied quietly, then left with Fenrir. She wasted no time in getting a plane to take her to the Academy directly. Fenrir went with her, and she took out her Stark phone to make a private, untraceable call. She dialed a number and heard someone pick up after a few rings.

"Hey kid," Clint's voice said, sounding a little lazy, though she wasn't fooled.

"Have a mo, or are you on nest duty?" she asked dryly.

"Shut up," he sighed. "Talk." There was the sound of movement as he made himself comfortable.

"Anything happening?" she asked casually, looking out the window of the plane.

"I should really be worried about that question, but no," Clint stated somewhat suspiciously, and Willow laughed softly.

"Fine, be that way," she retorted. "But I'm glad. How's the Doc?" she asked.

"He's fine, excited to be working on the project. Heard anything from Nat?" he queried.

"No," she replied. "I'll try to get ahold of her, but I'm pretty sure I saw a file on Coulson's desk about some black ops thing with her name scrawled on it," she said, studying her nails.

"Huh. Probably," he agreed. "So, what're you doing with yourself?"

"Heading over to the Academy for a tour," she chuckled slightly. "Heard too much about it to stay away." She glanced out the window.

"It, or they?" Clint grunted.

"You caught me. Trust me though, I have my reasons," she said dryly.

"That's not what I was thinking about, but whatever. Anyway, looks like there might be something going on. Probably nothing, but I'll check it out," he remarked, and Willow bit her lip.

"Sure. Love ya, DaddyHawk," she said, and heard a chuckle.

"You too kid." He hung up, and Willow growled, shoving the phone in her pocket.

She still needed to do a few more things, and she was running out of time. She could practically count on one hand how many days were left until the movie started, and though she knew she'd have to wing it, she wanted to accomplish a few things first. And if she had miscalculated? Hah. Things just went downhill.

They arrived at the Academy of Science and Technology, and Willow disembarked with Fenrir trotting at her side. Her badge was easily checked in at the desk, though she did get some double takes for her eighteen-year-old looks that contrasted with her rank. It felt almost odd to her to see the plaques in the main hallway of the science academy building, going to run her fingers over them. Her fingers paused over the name of James Buchanan Barnes, and her eyes hardened. A slight shudder went down her spine as she thought about Hydra, within SHIELD even now, but she just shook herself off and went back to her resolutions, turning to crisply make her way to meet the head of the academy, Agent Weaver.

The woman wore a friendly smile as she shook Willow's hand in the main office. "A pleasure, Agent Freya. What can I do for you?"

Willow had to admire Weaver's calmness in the face of a level ten agent. "Nothing big, I hope, Agent Weaver," she replied with an equal smile. "Just hoping to meet your students. I'd actually like to pick out a few to personally evaluate," she didn't elaborate further, not really needing to and making it clear that Weaver didn't need to know either.

"Of course. Shall I give you a list?" She went to a cabinet file.

"Please." Willow took the file and began flipping through, occasionally picking out a few different profiles and setting them aside. "If you don't mind, I'm interested in these," she said, pushing the papers over. Weaver checked them and nodded.

"I'll call them in right away," she replied crisply, then made a call to a few offices. Willow waited patiently, in no hurry for the moment and making plan after plan and alternately fixing and discarding them. This had to be done right, or else she was definitely done for, along with a lot of other people.

"They're on their way, Agent Freya," Weaver informed her, and she nodded.

"Thank you," she replied just as calmly. She wondered if her name was too obvious, then brushed it aside. It's not like it would really matter after the events upcoming anyway. She looked up when the students began to come in. Willow just began to talk to them easily, asking a few questions and testing some of their knowledge. She was a Stark, after all, and even if her math wasn't okay her concepts were fine. After a while, it was finally narrowed down to the last two.

"Fitz and Simmons usually like to work together," Weaver said.

"Well then by all means, please send them in together," Willow replied with a slightly intrigued smile, trying to calm her heart. Fitz and Simmons! Together! She could talk with them!

The two came in, looking nervous, and sat down. Willow appreciated that they looked almost exactly as she remembered them, except - more innocent. "Hello. My name is Willow Freya. And you must be Fitz and Simmons." She nodded to them respectively with an easy smile.

"Hello. It's an honor to meet you," Simmons tried, her British accent slightly nervous.

"My name's Leopold Fitz and it's an honor to meet you. Are you really a mutant?" Fitz blurted in his thick Scottish brogue, then looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. Jemma looked horrified while Willow burst into laughter.

"Oh Fitz, your accent is absolutely adorable!" She couldn't help but bend over laughing. He turned even more red than before, if that was possible. Then she straightened, grinning at them. "Yes, I am really a mutant," she answered, winking at them. "Hopefully one day you'll get to see it." A smile tilted her lips slightly.

Jemma and Fitz glanced at each other. "We hope to see that day, Agent Freya," Jemma answered diplomatically.

"Now, mind answering for me a few questions?" Willow asked, and they proceeded to have a short conversation. Willow was almost disappointed when the five minutes were over, slowly getting up to her feet to shake their hands. "A pleasure to meet the two star students of the Science Academy," she said warmly.

"Thank you," they replied genuinely.

"Have a great day," she dismissed kindly, then turned back to Agent Weaver, who came in after the other two left. "I hope you are aware that those two might get snatched up rather readily by ops teams," she remarked, shuffling through the papers again.

"Well, they are the best and brightest," Weaver sighed resignedly. Willow just hummed.

"This has been most illuminating. Thank you very much for your help, Agent Weaver," she finally declared, standing up. Weaver shook her hand, richly dark skin glistening in the lights of the office. A striking woman in the way she carried herself.

"Glad to be of service, Agent Freya," she answered simply, and Willow took her leave to head over to the Operations Academy building.

She arrived to find the compound under heavy security and a lot of muscle. She rolled her eyes slightly at all the brawn, signing into the compound easily. The officer at the desk actually looked at her with some degree of incredulity. "It is recommended to go in with security-"

"I'm my own security, officer, thank you. I'm an active field agent," Willow cut him off agreeably, smiling as she breezed through the doors into the facility. The guard didn't follow after her, and she began to make her way to the main office. She got a lot of looks from the men and women alike, but was more amused than anything. After all, she was a rather young girl dressed in a classic Triskelion uniform and breezing around almost nonchalantly inside the most aggressive place in SHIELD.

She made it to the office and went through a cabinet of files filled with names of the different recruits, male and female. She hurriedly flipped through the files, looking through both graduated and currently enrolled students. She found the several names she was looking for, then after filing a report through one of the computers, quietly placed a tiny hacker in the shape of a screw head on the main computer. Her phone vibrated slightly in her pocket, letting her know that the hack had started, then began to head through the halls again. She wasn't surprised when a group of guys who looked like they were ready to graduate - and in fact were, she remembered from her scanning - approached her.

They made it clear they wanted to talk, and she paused. "Hello gentlemen, what can I do for you?" she asked calmly, though admittedly she was a bit antsy. She had an appointment with Fury the next day (she had no idea what he wanted and was nervous), and she was running out of time to visit the Hub today in her last few hours on duty. Plus, she needed to check up on Nat.

"Yeah, sorry to bother you, but have you seen Agent Jay anywhere?" one asked.

"No, sorry, but he's probably in the office down the hall to your left," she answered, well aware of the layout of the building thanks to the map she had checked.

"Thanks," he said, and headed down said hall.

"Don't remember Agents being recruited so young," one remarked, looking at her somewhat suspiciously.

Willow calmly took out her badge and let them get a look, eyebrow ticking. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I'm on a schedule," she said politely but with some annoyance, pocketing the badge and walking off down the hall again. Yes, it was an inherent part of them to be suspicious, but good grief.

She exited, even more disgruntled by the fact that the officer who had checked her in looked genuinely surprised to see her unharmed, and made her way to the plane again to catch a ride to the Hub. She made it in a matter of half an hour and finally got to the Hub, this time hurrying to complete her duties within the hour.

The hacker was placed and she got the information she needed, then stopped by the normal office where paperwork was done. She walked through slowly but carefully, glancing at the different people. She finally noticed the particular agent she was looking for, pausing slightly. The agent looked up and met her eyes, and Willow nodded respectfully once before heading off again. Her day was done.

"So, you're telling me that Nat went to Russia again for a black ops?"

"Yes DaddyHawk, cool yourself. You're on a mission too," Willow said dryly, looking out the window of the car driving her to Stark Tower.

"But that isn't fair, Willow! She gets to have all the fun," his raspy voice sounded sulky.

"Please," she sighed. "Anyway, that's all I've got, and you know that nothing can be wrung from BigC," she said, rolling her eyes to heaven. Or okay, the roof of the car. The car stopped, and she nodded at Happy as she got out and walked into the Tower, taking the red and gold elevator.

"... Fine, point taken. Thanks for the debatable help," Clint replied, ribbing her.

"Shut it," she retorted, but knew he could hear the smile in her voice. Fenrir, who had decided not to join her at the Hub or Academy but stick with Rhee instead, trotted into the top floor ahead of her. "Anyway, see you later, Mister Hawkeye," she said, and he chuckled before they hung up and Tony came almost literally bounding around the corner.

"Little sis! You're home!" he exclaimed. "I've been waiting!"

"And making yourself unhelpful to Sister dear I'm sure," she sighed, setting her bag down. "And stop with the niceties, I know you just want that surprise, Toto," she scoffed, and he gave her a hurt look. Funny how well he could pull off the puppy look, even with his facial hair. It was ridiculous.

"C'mon, I waited for you all day!" he whined, following after her. "And I did so make myself useful, I worked with Dum-E and Butterfingers to make a new toaster for your flat. It's an automated one with wheels and its own interface. It can follow you around and everything! I named her -" he paused dramatically as they entered Willow's flat, "Cheesy," he proclaimed, just as a toaster rolled up very quickly to Willow, letting out a cute chittering.

Willow stared down at it while Fenrir morphed and walked into the kitchen, chuckling. "Are. You. Kidding. Me," she finally said, turning on Tony with a severe look. He blinked. "What were you thinking!? Naming her Cheesy of all things!? You're evil!" she exclaimed, then bent to pet the toaster. "Naw, I'll call ya somethin' else sweetheart," she comforted it, walking into the kitchen. It - she - rolled after.

"That's all? And it's a fine name, I'll have you know! You're definitely my sister," he finally decided, following after her.

"Please. We both know I'm your sister," she snorted. "Now then. Thanks for Sweetheart - that's her name now, don't you dare protest - and relax, I'm getting to that surprise. I can see you internally screaming," she deadpanned, setting Sweetheart on the counter. "I am so going to write that name on your side in fancy calligraphy," she told the little toaster.

"Really? Thank you! It's so nice to be alive and I promise to make really good toast and thanks for the name it's really nice I think I really like it no I love it!" Sweetheart squealed, rolling around in circles. Willow groaned and put her head on the counter.

"Anthony. Edward. Stark. Did you just make an entirely new AI just for my toaster!?" she cried, glaring at the sheepish looking Tony.

"Hey look, I was bored and the genius was running so I may have made a little sassy girl toaster for you. At least she'll make you good toast," he defended himself while Willow scoffed and absently petted the toaster before going to quickly change clothes.

"Long day?" Tony whispered to Fenrir, who nodded as he bit into a raw steak.

"Long day," he confirmed. "She'll need to give you that surprise, too," he added cryptically.

"Somehow that makes me nervous," Tony remarked as Willow came back in wearing a pair of spandex shorts and t-shirt with her hair up in a ponytail. She grabbed a bottle of water for herself, then smiled at Tony.

"Shall we go down to the basement?" she offered. "Oh, and I'll be back soon, Sweetheart," she told the toaster warmly, heading for the elevator. Tony whooped and bounded in front of her, while Fenrir sauntered after, holding her water bottle while she wrapped her hands with rags. Willow walked into the door of the basement after Tony, tightening the rags with her teeth. There was a heavily fortified gym in the basement, with all the necessary equipment and everything. Even a boxing ring.

"So, show me." Tony was rubbing his hands. "What do you do." His eyes sparkled.

"Calm down, Toto. I'm trying," she said dryly, then sat down on the gym mat and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She focused on the guard dogs of her mind, mental fingers brushing over them carefully. They immediately responded to her, rearing up and eager to be out. She calmed them and selected one first, taking out the smallest she had - the snake from her first dream-hop. She heard Tony let out a 'whoa.'

"Don't touch it, and be careful. Its venom can melt flesh with ease," she said rather nonchalantly, then made sure said dangers were neutralized and carefully under her control before taking out the second. This time she opened her eyes.

The large black mass had pinprick eyes, black and beady but somehow clearly distinguishable from the rest of its dark mass. It was the one from Bucky's dreams: the concept of stalking horror.

"What does that do?" Tony asked interestedly, walking around it before stepping back as it took off to spread itself out.

"It's a miasma of paralyzing fear. You're not feeling it because I'm neutralizing its effect," she replied, then carefully began to pull out the third. Thanks to her practice she could pull out four at a time, but she was working on five without her mind potentially breaking. It was a strain on her mind to successfully control all five at the same time, as well as be aware of her surroundings. She didn't trust herself to be able to use all five at the same time in a battle, though. She could easily switch, but not all at once.

"Whoa." Tony drew attention to the third, which was a dragon the size of his arm. "Can it talk?" he asked.

"No. He's one of the few remaining descendants of Nídhöggr, one of the three major dragons, of whom only he is still alive at this point. He can't talk, but he sure can breathe fire," she replied with a shrug, and had him snort a little plume to prove it. He perched on her arm, scales a dull blue which contrasted with his ice blue eyes.

"I really want data on that," Tony said, and Willow curled her lip.

"No."

"Look, I didn't mean tissue samples or blood, I meant temperature readings! How hot does that flame even get!?" he protested.

"Maybe," she replied cryptically, then pulled out the fourth with some effort but still less easily then before. It was a long, winding sea serpent, bigger than the first one. And this one didn't have venom either, just the ability to act like a giant anaconda. Even though it worked a bit slowly, its scales were impenetrable. It had been quite an a effort to absorb that one into her mind, and the addition of the fifth had made her sick with the effort.

"Okay, wow. How do you even control these things?" Tony marveled, touching the sea serpent.

"His name is Jörmungandr, after my... after the legendary one. They're definitely not the same though." She nodded at the serpent, a pale green color and coiled around the room. "I don't necessarily control every part of them. They're all sentient to a certain degree, but I do have reins, if you wanna think of it that way," she answered the question, then took in a deep breath.

"The fifth is going to be a bit harder. I can let out and control these four without too much effort, but five leaves me no room to pay much attention to my surroundings. I need to work on it. Besides the fact that each one of them takes up a huge chunk of my mind. My mind can expand to hold as many as I want, but I want to be picky about it and only choose to absorb the ones I really want and need. It's a strain to actually deal with and rein in them all," she explained, then slowly began to pull out the fifth.

It was an effort. She gritted her teeth and let out a grunt of pain, but pushed through, knowing she would have to stretch a little further.

"C'mon sis, careful. It's materializing," Tony half-encouraged half-warned, and she let out another groan of effort. She knew she was reaching the limit when she felt the last of its presence slip through. Her eyes opened slowly, and she could almost hear the muscles in her mind creaking.

"I'm not going to be able to hold it for long," she gritted out, but was satisfied to see that the last was indeed functional and under her control, though she wasn't really able to concentrate on much else. Instead, she slowly tucked away the first four, leaving only the fifth. She breathed, wiping away sweat and relaxing.

"Now that? That's awesome," Tony said, obviously delighted. "You okay?" he added, and Willow grinned weakly.

"I'm going to pay for that, but yeah. I'm okay, thanks," she replied, patting the creature.

"Lemme take a guess - it's a Kelpie," Tony said, holding a finger up before gingerly patting the horse. The glossy black hair rippled over powerful muscles.

"More than just a Kelpie, but you've got the basics. This one is a little exaggerated and enhanced, meant to frighten more than anything." She patted the velvet nose as it snuffled and lipped her fingers.

"Talk about it. The whole black hair and orange eyes isn't helping. Does it have a name?" Tony asked, walking around it.

"It is a he, and his name is Dirhalm," she replied, and let him trot around.

"I'm not horse expert, but he looks really fine," Tony admired, crossing his arms. "Can I borrow him?"

"Not on your life," she snorted.

"Hey, it was worth a shot." He held up his hands.

Willow absorbed the Kelpie again before going to a punching bag, beginning to punch methodically, ingraining muscle memory into her mind. She wasn't great at physical combat, but she did know how to punch in the right spots and wanted the punches to be reflexive. It might save her one day. Tony wandered around the room, making notes on things he wanted to improve.

"Do you think I should make the treadmill run faster? Or wait, maybe I could hook it up to the Internet, and whoever runs gets faster internet the faster they run!" he theorized, and Fenrir came to hold the punching bag.

"Something is bothering you more than usual," he said quietly, not moving an inch as Willow punched the bag hard, her knuckles cracking.

"Yes. Time is everything and I have none of it to make important decisions," she muttered back, frustration coloring her movements.

"Well you can't do everything."

"I'm not planning to do everything, just most of it," she snorted back bitterly, giving her all into the punches. "Anyway, tell me more about my niece. Your sister," she urged, still punching away.

"Well, she's kind of like you, but with more morbid humor. She also hates suitors," he replied, eyeing her carefully but not saying anything about her obviously troubled mental state. She appreciated his careful watch, though. If anything, she could trust Fenrir to make the right decision if she ever got out of hand.

"Oh?" she grunted, landing a solid punch that made her arms ache but sent a pulse of satisfaction through her. Fenrir swayed easily.

"Definitely. She also greatly dislikes multiple visits through the front door, though she does occasionally bring visitors for a little while. She took me down there once, just to chat. Scared me, though," he scoffed, and Willow snorted as she wound down and finally stepped back to take a swig of water.

"Can't blame you. Or her though. Must be tiring seeing dead people all the time," she remarked, wiping her face as Tony sauntered up.

"Done?" he asked with a smirk. "Whose face?"

"Oh, maybe yours. Or maybe it's Fury's, it got a bit muddled," she said dryly. Tony looked offended. "Just kidding, Toto, relax," she snickered. Fenrir prowled towards the elevator.

"You need a shower," he declared.

"Rude!"

"Tell it to her," Tony jeered with relish, grinning at her unrepentantly as she glared.

"Oh shut it, the both of you," she said in disgust, following after Fen while unwrapping the bandages. A few splotches of blood lingered on the once-white rags.

She was falling. Faster, through something cold and warm at the same time. Strangely, though, she wasn't panicking. There was no need to panic, her mind told her vaguely. She was just going on a visit, there was no need to panic. Fuzzily, she registered that she couldn't open her eyes, but didn't feel too concerned. Of course, the velocity at which she was probably falling meant that her eyes were being pressured not to open anyway -

There was a sudden, sickening cracking sound, and she let loose a scream as pain exploded in her chest, so intense that she felt like throwing up. Her eyes popped open as she screamed, then she abruptly shut her mouth and tried to stop the noise as every breath hurt her.

"Oh, I am so sorry. Really, I truly am. It's been so long since I've had a live being visit that I must have miscalculated the landing speed. Usually souls never get hurt, so... Here, let me help. My fault anyway," a smooth and feminine voice said, and Willow managed to pick out a face amidst the pain. The skin was pale, the eyes a familiar green and the hair dark. But the contours were more edged and feminine than Loki's.

A hand landed on her chest, and the pain left. Sucking in a breath, Willow shook her head as her vision focused. It was dark, she realized belatedly. That didn't help her poor vision. Then the feminine hands, rather cold she reflected, were helping her up.

"My sincere apologies, I really did not intend for you to get hurt. A terrible gesture of me, especially considering that you're my - Aunt, isn't it?" the voice went on, and Willow registered that she felt comfortable around the woman. Her voice was soothing. Actually rather seductive in a natural way, and on a deep level that rebounded within her.

Then the statement registered. "Hela!" she yelled, then promptly winced as she accidentally whacked her head against something. "Sorry, that was my turn to be rude," she mumbled, then finally managed to focus. "Okay yeah, you look like big bro- Uhm, yeah, Big Brother Loki... Look, I honestly meant to ask if that's okay with you, but it's not like I could kill myself and come ask. But anyway, nice to meet you and I agree with your brother that you need company more often," she said bluntly, holding out her hand. "Or would you rather use the Asgardian formalities?"

The goddess - or rather, ruler of Niflheim - threw back her head had laughed, shaking her hand firmly. Her touch was deathly cold, but there was undeniable life in her gaze that left Willow feeling shocked by the mingled fire and ice that pulsed through her veins at the touch.

"Okay wow, I think I'm in danger of getting addicted to that feeling," she commented, shaking her hand. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the woman in front of her, knowing that it was her adoptive niece. And apparently the one that Thanatos wanted to court. Well, that was awkward. She didn't necessarily relish the idea of being Thanatos' in-law. Yuck.

"Well you already are to some extent," Hela replied causally, waving it off and heading down a hallway. Willow glanced at the guards that waited for her to move before walking after the graceful and deadly woman. "After all, you're an adrenaline junkie, and you've brushed my hand a couple times. Anyway - I wanted to meet you, so I took a chance. Something tells me that my work load is going to exponentially increase sometime soon," she remarked with a loud sigh.

"No offense, but you seem to like slang," Willow noticed.

Hela laughed. "Don't tell the Aesir, they'd freak. I don't talk like that around them, but hey, I see a lot of humans down here. It's fascinating to use their language and idioms," she replied, just as they arrived in another wing.

"Oh, so that's why Roman centurions are behind me in full gear," Willow said dryly.

"Someone knows their history. It's the helmets," Hela said with a smirk that was inherited from Loki.

"Yep, okay, you're right. They do like... roosters." Willow had to stifle her snickers. "Anyway, despite the whole breaking my ribs with that landing thing, I have to admit feeling a little nervous. I mean, you're Hela," she finally admitted.

Hela stopped in front of a grate that looked weirdly like a cage, smiling at Willow. "Oh, well, that's good. Respect is appreciated, but you don't grovel either. I like that," she replied rather morbidly, but in a light tone. "But you don't have to worry. I know already what you've done for my father and brother, and I'm on Fenrir's side on this. Besides, I also know that Heimdall trusts you, because he helped you. Plus, I know my father isn't dead, obviously, and Heimdall can't see him. But he did mention that you seem to know some... important things," she remarked, circling Willow.

Willow just stood there calmly. "Relief for me." She shrugged. "Glad to have your approval, though I would have loved them regardless. And if you're testing me, I happen to know that Heimdall wouldn't tell you unless he trusts you. He doesn't have the magic for nothing," she shot back, a small smile on her face though her heart was pounding.

"You'd never make it past a lie detector," Hela laughed, coming to a stop in front of her. "I definitely like you." She smirked.

"Again, thanks. I think it's reciprocated. But um, I'm not talking to a human," she pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Good point. I think you'll do well. But anyway -" Hela waved her hand airily. "I called you to give you a gift. You know, a chance to make a bargain."

"A gift, or a bargain? There's a huge difference." Willow's eyebrows shot up.

"Good catch. My catch is that in exchange for the gift, I get a favor. Cashed in any time and for anything," Hela leaned against the bars of the cage with a lazy smile, looking at Willow through half-lidded eyes.

Willow surveyed the lithe figure of the cat-like woman carefully, weighing options. On one hand, she wasn't sure if she could really make that bargain in good conscience. That "favor" would obviously be in terms of a life or lives, and Willow didn't have the power to grant that. Or if not the power, then definitely not the conscience. Life to her was sacred, as she'd told Professor X. On the other hand, she thought keenly, looking at the dark dress and gold jewelry that adorned the ruler of the dead, Willow knew that her purpose in the universe superseded anything and anyone else.

"You sure you want to make that bargain? Seems like a win-win for me," she finally said in a neutral, relaxed voice.

"Are you sure?" Hela raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one boxing yourself in a corner. Making a bargain with me isn't simple, since I don't really have control over what you can or can't have. If you try to use me as a bargaining chip with the universe, then I'm going to end up as the catalyst, not the other end of power. You bargain for the wrong life, and that'll be on you, not me, since you'll be throwing the universe out of whack. Sure you can make that bargain?" Willow laid down the fine print clearly and confidently.

Hela laughed again, but this time it was delighted. "I knew father chose you for a reason. He wouldn't accept less," she said with a pleased smile. "Relax, I know what I want, and I know my own limits. Why else has the universe gone just fine so far?" She winked.

Willow felt like she'd dodged a bullet. "Good to know I took the right stand on that one," she said dryly. "But seriously, why me?"

"Because as you said, you're the catalyst. My father was always drawn to power, but in a natural sense because of his strong magic. He may be Silvertongue, but I know that you know he's not a heartless monster," and her voice became disgusted.

"Well Jötuns aren't mindless evil beasts, if that's what you're saying. Just different, and misunderstood," Willow filled in agreeably.

"Thank you. They actually have a good sense of humor, believe it or not. Anyway, that's beyond the point. You'd actually be doing me a smaller favor to take this gift off my hands. I can't run him properly and he's becoming a nuisance more than a proper guard dog. He's trained too, if it makes it any more appealing. Though, you'll have to gain his trust first," Hela offered, standing straight up again fluidly and motioning to the cage.

Willow raised an eyebrow but dutifully stepped forward, up to the cage bars and looking inside. A low growl issued from one of the corners, and red eyes gleamed at her menacingly. White fangs dripping with something green showed, and Willow had to admit that she was rattled.

"He has that form, but his normal form is actually rather attractive, I promise," Hela said with amusement.

The hulking, pitch black mass stalked forwards, still snarling. But Willow clutched the bars, peering forwards to catch a glimpse. "Whoa. Wait, is that a Helhound? You're actually giving me a Helhound?" she asked, completely astounded.

"Not just any Helhound, his name is Cerberus," Hela replied in satisfaction.

Willow gaped at the huge hound. "Oh. My. Gosh. Look at him! He's... Whoa. Hey Cerberus," she gasped, reaching through the bars trustingly. Probably foolishly. The hound paused and stared at her. "Aren't you magnificent?" she breathed. The hound tilted his head, red eyes slowly melting into brown and the dark miasma melting away to reveal a normal-looking (if much larger) hound that was the same shade of a brownie with lighter splotches on his fur. Willow laughed. "So he is spotted! AWWW, he's adorable! His name should be Brownie," she laughed herself silly. "That's definitely gonna be his code name," she managed, then grinned at the hound.

"Hey. Think you can like me?" she asked. "Can I go in?" she turned to Hela, who waved her hand invitingly as the door unlatched. She took in a breath and stepped in. Almost immediately, Cerberus leaped forwards and licked her. Willow laughed, shoving his muzzle away. "No, down boy."

He flopped down, contentedly placing his nose on her feet. Willow looked back at Hela. Something tells me you know my answer." She smirked.

Hela smirked back. "Definitely. Go ahead, absorb him," she encouraged.

"Hey Brownie, I'm gonna put the reins on you, Kay? Is that okay with you?" she asked. Cerberus fairly leaped up, tail wagging eagerly. Willow took in a breath, feeling the gold stripe in her hair get almost scalding hot before her mind began to stretch. Willow gritted her teeth with the effort, gasping as the acclimation was complete. Disoriented, she just stood still for a moment, breathing.

"Now, bargain's struck. As much as I regret it, I'm going to have to transfer you back. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get any broken ribs this time," Hela informed, adding a wry grin for good measure. Willow just nodded, a bit dazed still.

"Th-thanks," she said, taking in a grounding breath and calming herself. Inside her mind, she faintly felt the others stirring to greet the newcomer. Then she nodded and looked at Hela. "Hope the next time I see you isn't through the front door," she said with a smirk, and earned a more chilling laugh.

"True," Hela agreed. "Now... goodnight, Willow Friggadottir. Don't forget our bargain," she said sweetly, dark green eyes flashing gold as everything around Willow went dark.

Then she was rising sickeningly fast, and the last thing she knew was a dull ache in her chest before she lost consciousness fully.