Savior

December 6, 2039

Beacon Hill, Seattle, WA

She could smell the deer before she could see it.

Lifting herself up to a planking position, Ellie eyed the slope ahead. Smoke wafted upward, thick and black against the lavender sky. Her stomach growled, causing her to grit her teeth at the unwanted sound.

Alright, keep it together, keep it together. Hand on the gun, hand on the-

"You might want to stand up, girlie. Could hear you from a mile off."

Her heart stopped.

"And please, could you put the gun away? Such an uncivilized weapon. Much prefer a bow myself."

Fuck it.

She lunged forward, knife drawn, and pounded up the grass-patched gravel towards the voice, vaulting over fallen lampposts and trees, before skidding to a stop, raising her firearm, and letting off a shot.

The brown-hooded figure reached out a hand and plucked the bullet out of the air.

Ellie sucked in a breath. "What the-"

The figure dropped the offending projectile, then, rising from the rusted chair he was sitting on and throwing off his hood, said, "Come on, girlie. Is that any way to greet an old friend?

The breath left her lungs once again. "Charlie?!"

The red-bearded man grinned. "Good to see you, Nikki. Been a while."

Ellie sighed as she sat down on the creaky 25-year-old couch. Years ago, she would've complained, but now-

"Eyes up, baby girl."

She gave the black-bearded man leaning against the window-sill a sharp glare, then locked eyes with Charlie, who was seated in the adjacent recliner.

"How'd you even get here, Char? Last I saw you, you'd gone off with Luke for some sort of expedition for Tommy. We thought-"

Her throat closed up for a moment.

"I thought you were dead."

Charlie brought the mug of wine to his lips and took a sip. "I should have been. God knows I deserve it."

"Hey," Ellie said, voice raised slightly. "Don't think like that. Don't go down that path."

"But I already did, Nikki. Time and time again. Everyone that I knew is gone. I'm the last of my kind."

Her brow furrowed. "What?"

Charlie lifted his grimy yellow shirt to reveal an abdomen lined with strange tattoos- and a series of long, yellow-brown scratches on his right side.

"Fuck, Char." Ellie reached out a hand, then withdrew it, clasping it against her own old wound.

"Runner pack. Took me weeks to get the infection out of my system, burned all the way through."

Ellie scoffed, but inside- No. No way. NO.

"You're right. There is no way. Not for anyone normal, that is."

"And you're, what? Some kind of mutant?" Ellie snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Not exactly."

Ellie scooted across the couch like a rabbit as "Charlie" shimmered, his eyes turning an icy blue and scars sprouting along his body and face. "Wh- who- who the FUCK are you? What do you want?"

The man she thought knew inside and out drained his mug, then dropped it.

Ellie's mouth grew agape as the porcelain floated gently down to the floor.

The man steepled his hands. "You knew me as Charlie, the second time. The first, as Ethan."

He drew in a deep breath.

"My true name is Atreus, son of Kratos of Sparta and Laufaye of Jötunheim, last of the Olympians and the Giants, but your people knew me as Loki, trickster god of the Æsir and bringer of Ragnarök. And I want to help you save the human race."

Ellie's eyes narrowed. "Then why. Didn't. You?"

Author's Note: So, God of War. Haven't played it yet but damn, does it look epic.

Atreus, from what I've seen of him, reminds me a lot of Ellie, so I figured, why not bring the two together?

Feel free to review, and please tell me if you want me to continue this.

-Nate