Chapter 333: Preparation of a Journey

16th May 2013, Missouri

(Hela Odinsdottir POV)

The immortal witch then smiled, "Well, this was a success. I believe we should depart to see our recruit soon."

"So, did you find out where he is?"

The Morrigan shrugged, "I have no idea. He's not on the planet, that's for sure, and I'm not exactly confident about the names of the planets in the galaxy."

"You mean that he's not on Earth?"

"Yes, but this little artifact could help me track him down anywhere in the universe. I have always been thinking about exploring the universe outside this planet, and I do have a spaceship that I appropriated that I wanted to take for a spin. What do you think, Hela? Are you up for a trip in the universe?"

Hela gave her a blinding smile. Perhaps, this wasn't exactly the informal prison that she imagined it was. She would trust the Morrigan for now, and if she ends up betraying her as well, at least she would have a few interesting adventures on the way back to her cell.

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

Our journey back to Sayre Manor was spent in silence. Hela was quickly losing whatever hostility she had towards me. Honestly, I had no idea what to really do with her. She wasn't really up to snuff to help in the fight with Entropy, at most, she could help fight Thanos, should he ever have access to any infinity stone.

I will admit that the Goddess of Death was absurdly powerful compared to other Asgardians besides Thor, Odin, and Loki. Her magical education was practically nonexistent, but what little she could use instinctively was mastered to the extreme. Honestly, conjuring weapons imbibed with raw corruptive energies of the dark element was very impressive. Especially considering the size of the conjurations she could make.

When you think about it, it's technically like creating a magical artifact from scratch, only that they all have the same enchantment. But curiously enough, when I looked at her during our visit to the graveyard, I saw something that made me stiffen. Hela was marked by Death. It wasn't anything compared to me, but it gave her authority over the souls of dead Asgardians, to act as her own representative when dealing with the Ragnarök cycle.

While it did technically enhance her power, it wasn't anything impressive normally, but in the realm that she would choose as her own, that would handle the dead Asgardians, she would be omnipotent. Of course, the realm she chose had to have no living beings, except for her that is. But the Goddess of Death would technically have the power to defeat Celestials and Elder Gods alike in her domain.

Unfortunately, Hela never declared any domain, at least not officially. The souls of the Asgardians simply wandered around, waiting for the cycle to restart and for them to be reborn. Honestly, even during her banishment in Helheim, she could have declared the place to be her domain, and whatever influence Odin would have had over the realm would have been destroyed. Hell, she would have regained her powers, since it wouldn't make any sense for a realm to be hostile to its owner. The souls of the deceased Asgardians would have immediately been transported to her realm, and she wouldn't have lived for thousands of years alone in an empty world.

And yet, because of a lack of education, and a lack of understanding, she didn't do it. She simply wallowed in eternal darkness, instead of creating whatever she wanted. She could have turned her prison into an eternal paradise, a utopian afterlife for all Asgardians. The potential Hela had in her own realm was immense, but that did not translate outside. As there's no need to mention that Hela would need centuries to build her power enough for it to make a tangible difference.

Even then, this iteration of Hela was abnormally powerful. Her access to the Odinforce had made her very powerful outside her realm, compared to her earlier iterations where she was a daughter of Loki. Oh, if I had started to teach her centuries ago, she would have been a force to be reckoned with. But that was not to be. As for now, I will do my best to build her powers until the fight against Entropy. At least, she would be able to assist against Thanos, but I can't see anything more than that.

Still, I am going to take her along on the trip to find Peter Quill. Since Loki still hasn't woken up, I will need to leave him behind, and I do not wish to lose myself in my own mind. I guess I'm afraid. That is surprising, that someone that's barely human anymore can still feel something as fundamental as fear. I have been repressing my thoughts of Rose, Selene, and Hestia for so long, and I'm afraid that if I end up alone, I would be overwhelmed by the emotions that I have been trying to repress.

I needed this trip, and I think that Hela does as well. I need to distract myself with something that I haven't done before. I have always dreamt of visiting the stars, even thousands of years back. I was constrained back then, by the fact that I had no clue how the technology worked, and that my magic was only local to the planet, so any artifact would stop working in space, and run out of magic very quickly.

Hela, I believe, just needs to start seeing new things as well. She was practically a prisoner for thousands of years, and this little trip – which shouldn't take too long – should help alleviate her restlessness.

The trip should be a lengthy one, but accidents could technically happen, and I could be delayed by some event or another. So, I'll need to prepare for my departure. The moment we arrived home, I spoke up, "Hela, I want you to get ready to leave. I have a few things to arrange but it shouldn't take too long. We'll leave tonight."

She nodded and ran to her room. As for me, I sent a telepathic message to Jean and Wanda, summoning them. I rarely use our link outside of necessity, so it didn't take more than half an hour for them to make a portal home.

They looked disheveled and were still in their sleeping clothes. I stifled my laughter at the sight, "Well, hello there," I spoke up cheerfully.

"What is it, Jasmine?" Wanda growled back at me.

I gave her a slight smile, "I'm leaving, for a bit. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks, but it could take longer."

Jean straightened up, "Where are you going?"

I simply pointed up to the clear sky above me. The stars were shining, as was the full moon, and it took a few seconds for Wanda to realize what I was talking about, "Space? You're going to space?"

I nodded, "There's someone I need to meet. I already have a spaceship ready and the coordinates of my destination. I summoned you here because I wanted to go over a few things with you before I leave."

"How come we're not coming with you?" Wanda protested.

"Because I need people to handle things on Earth. With Selene gone, you're the only two people that I fully trust to fulfill my responsibilities."

The mood immediately dampened at the mention of Selene. She really was a lifesaver out here. It's so hurtful having someone that I fully trusted betray me like this. Honestly, previously, I could just leave at a moment's notice, and I would know that everything would be fine because of her. Losing this assurance created a slight unpredictability on the board that I really didn't need.

Trying to ignore the pain of thinking about my banished wife, I choose to change the subject, "Well, first of all, the basic things. The company is mostly run by Alfred, but he might need your assistance, so he'll contact you if something happens. Your other duties will currently involve taking care of Loki when he wakes up, but the biggest thing will be to monitor the coming UN accords regarding the regulation of enhanced individuals on Earth."

Jean was flabbergasted, "Wait, what? What UN Accords are you talking about?"

"Seriously, you of all people, the heirs to Genosha, don't know about it? It's a bill that politicians have been trying to set up ever since the reveal of mutants. They want more control over people with superpowers, and the whole mess in Greenwich gave them all of the justification they needed. They're going very hard at controlling the superhuman population, and a few things were seriously against basic human rights. I warned Stark about them many times, but I'm not seeing him getting involved at all. So, I'm doing my best to monitor the situation and make sure things don't go too far."

Jean questioned, "What do you mean by too far?"

I shrugged, "With the way things are going, a civil war in the superhuman community is inevitable. A few will be convinced to sign up by their governments, and more will protest the Accords. My goal here is to prevent the enhanced community from being fractured. That will be your mission. You can do whatever you really want, but I would suggest either making an example out of the enhanced that is in the politicians' pockets or finding a way to find influence to make the Accords not be this outrageous."

Wanda looked thunderous though, "You knew about this and told no one?"

I tilted my head in confusion, "I knew that it was being drafted in secret and that it was secretly supported by practically every nation in the world. I couldn't just kill all of the representatives or brainwash thousands of people from across the globe, without being suspicious. I could have easily triggered World War three, and I'm not joking here. I needed the draft to be publicized and planned to oppose it using the public's opinion, which is what politicians fear the most. The fact that I am passing on something of this importance to you during my absence shows how much I am trusting you. As long as the planet is not at war, and the superhuman community is not divided, then you're more than welcome to do what you want."

The two girls have grown paler the more I spoke. They didn't realize how delicate the mission I am leaving them with is. But they're ready for something like this, they have been for a while. It's why I sent them to Genosha in the first place.

Wanda was the one to speak up this time, "Are you abandoning us?"

I gaped at her question, "Of course, I'm not."

My daughter didn't seem to believe me, "So, you're telling me that after the first time we have a serious fight, over what happened with Rose, you're telling me that killed me and that you're not running away."

I sighed back, "Of course, I'm running away, Wanda. I need to take a breather, and this trip provides it. I need some time to think properly. A lot has happened very quickly in the last couple of months, and I was so busy with the Asgard mess that I never dealt with it properly. This has nothing to do with you, Wanda, and everything to do with the fact that I need some time to myself without worrying about some crisis after another."

Before Wanda could respond, Hela came down the stairs, "Lady Morrigan, I'm ready when you are."

"Alright, Hela, go to the garden, I'll be right with you."

My daughter looked at me with her eyebrows raised, "Who are you replacing with your new addition, Rose or Selene?"

I glared at Wanda, "Do you really have no respect for me whatsoever, Wanda? I know you're angry about what happened with Rose, but I'm not shallow enough to replace my sister or my wife with someone I just met. The fact that you are insinuating something like that is very hurtful."

Wanda looked down, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

I nodded, "Good. I know that you have complicated feelings about what happened, and how much I have changed, but I am still your mother, and I love you. I just need this trip to clear my head. And I did always dream about going to space."

The two girls snorted in amusement. My daughter gave me a warm smile, "I will miss you, mom."

My eyes moistened when she called me her mother, but I steeled myself, "I will miss you too, Wanda. I am trusting you both with the safety of this planet. I have faith that you'll do a good job. Goodbye, Wanda, Jean."

I walked away and went to join Hela in the garden, still overwhelmed by the simple act of Wanda calling me her mother once more. It appears that I haven't lost my daughter. That was a good feeling.