Whilst Ard and his friends were asleep...

Asereth, Hector and Aras stood in front of the huge iron gates, behind it the chamber of the grail. The grail was by far the most precious relic in Asgaard and all the nine realms. Shaped like a wine goblet but made of pure gold, it contained a part of the divine power - the aether, the all-powerful substance.

Given to the gods by the source itself, the aether was a blessing and a weapon at the same time, only to be used wisely. It was guarded by Fenris, Wodran's loyal giant wolf, who was instructed to tear limbs of intruders and shred them to pieces should they attempt to touch the grail. A group of priestesses lived in the rooms within the chamber, serving Wodran and the Norns and helping them to wield the grail if needed.

The Elders got there later than expected. They first had to see to Wodran and things turned out more difficult than anticipated. But now they were here. Asereth knocked three times. The heavy iron knocker sent deafening waves of sound through the corridor but they were deep down in the secret tunnel systems of Valhalla, no soul would hear it.

A few seconds passed, then the gates swung open and the giant head of Fenris the wolf blocked the view of what lay beyond the threshold. His ears erect, snarling and baring his monstrous looking fangs, gleaming yellow eyes upon the Elders. They backed off a few steps and Fenris crouched backwards, readying to pounce.

"Fenris, I'm Asereth the Elder." He tried to force authority into his words.

"I know very well who you are." Fenris spoke with a low and horse voice, as if he hadn't used it in a while.

"We...we have come with an important matter that requires the help of the grail."

"You shall not enter this chamber. You shall not lay your hands on the divine grail."

Fenris pounced forward, snapping for Aras who stumbled back, bumping into Hector. Both were clearly afraid of the giant beast.

"I thought so..." Asereth mumbled to the other two.

"May I bring to your attention that we have Wodran's permission?"

"I don't believe it," growled the wolf.

And in this moment nearing steps echoed. A second later three figured appeared at the end of the corridor. Wodran followed by two servants. As they walked over, Fenris narrowed his eyes at the sight.

Wodran stepped in front of Fenris and laid his hand on the beast's forehead. "I thank you for your loyal service Fenris but Asereth, Hector and Aras may enter the Chamber and have my consent to request whatever is needed. The priestesses shall assist." And with that he turned around and walked off, his two servants smirking at Fenris.

"There you have it, now let us enter."

Fenris growled even louder. He knew Wodran very well, knew his scent and tone of voice. Something was off. Wodran smelled different. He smelled of blood. The wolf curled his lips and exposed even more of his terrifying teeth. Then a female appeared behind him.

"Cierladrean, call this hound back, he is clearly not happy with his Master's decision."

"Enter" she said and with a gesture of her hand she ordered Fenris to step aside.

"I will call you when I need you" she said with a soft smile to the wolf. It was her way of dismissing the beast. It obeyed.

The young priestess was beautiful. She had delicate features, green eyes and full lips. Long blond hair fell silken over her shoulders, her head only half covered by a dark blue hood that seamlessly turned into a floor length cloak. A silver headpiece depicting three phases of the moon rested on her forehead.

"...not seen you in a long time, Cierla. The last time we sent Ard to collect the ampule, how lucky you are to see me instead on this fine night" He stroked her cheek but she pulled away.

The Elders noticed the other priestesses now pouring in from several doors around the chamber and Asereth took a step back from Cierla. The priestesses just nodded as they passed and silently gathered around the illuminated pedestal in the back of the chamber with the golden grail on top, surrounded by white light.

"What is it you need?" Cierla's voice icy.

"Where is Agatha?"

"I'm the high priestess now, Agatha has handed the burden over to me."

"Well then, High Priestess Cierladrean, it seems that despite my best efforts the fates keep changing to our disadvantage. I got rid of what was supposed to be the next golden maiden just to find that the Norns had a new prophecy in store, foretelling the doom of our race once again. This time it mentions the culprit to be the offspring of one of our last three children of the fates."

"You mean..." Cierla said wide eyed.

"Yes. Your Atlas, or shall I say Hella's Atlas, and his two brothers."

Asereth's words stung. It felt as if someone tore her heart out all over again. She wished she could die, here and now, just like on the day when Hella took him away, her beloved. She remembered how she begged Wodran to let her die, to order Thore to strike her down with his lighting or bleed her until there was no life left running through her veins. But Wodran refused. Cierladrean hated him for it. He should know her pain after losing his wife. He had to live with this emptiness for eternity. When gods love, they love fiercely and for as long as they shall exist. Nothing can break the thread of love woven by the Norns. Why couldn't he have mercy on her and set her free from the suffering, the longing for her twin flame? Wodran didn't. Instead, he ordered her to join the priestesses of the grail. And here she was.

She had to pull herself together, after all she had sworn her devotion to Wodran as his priestess.

"But if you got rid of the golden Maiden..." She looked at Asereth.

"...then there could be a new one. Perhaps the maiden is interchangeable but the father of the child is not? We don't know. That's why we are here. The first step is to find out who will sire the child."

The priestesses had trained her well, now was the time to use that knowledge. She pushed aside her disapproval and recalled what she had learned. There were basic rules to the ancient holy ritual.

"You will need all options to be present for the ritual, all three brothers." She didn't even dare to imagine what that meant.

"Yes we know that much, we just need the...details"

Cierladrean took in the Elders. They seemed impatient, so she moved on without further ado.

"If you want a glimpse of the divine plan, then the Norns demand a sacrifice. They require a spark of the divine in exchange for a revelation, to keep the balance." Cierla swallowed and continued "the sacrifice has to be thrown into the Well of Urd, the direct connection to the Norns."

"I see. Now that makes perfect sense and seems just fair."

Asereth turned to the other two Elders, looked at one, then the other.

"Aras my friend, I know this is a big ask, but I'm sure you will gladly be part of the sagas told about how the godly race was saved. Everyone will consider you a hero."

"What? I...i...no...wait" with a face expression of genuine terror, Aras turned to Hector but Asereth just nodded and Hector grabbed his right arm.

There was a struggle but the two gods dragged Aras over to the big well made of ancient stone, fog hanging over it.

"Noooo!" Aras screamed! "Noooo, please!"

"It has to be done. Forgive me my friend. It's for the greater good."

They shoved him forward. Cierla closed her eyes. With a last bit of joined effort they heaved him over the wall and threw him into the well. His screams sounding further and further away as he fell.

Cierla's heart was pounding. Asereth was evil. This was pure horror.

Asereth on the other hand didn't seem bothered in the slightest by what he just did. He addressed the shaking Hector.

"I know, it seems cruel but he gave his existence for all the souls in Asgaard and beyond. All gods have a spark of the divine within them. That's how we were made. The Norns will gladly accept this sacrifice."

Hector nodded.

"Now come on, let's not waste anyone's time and give us what we need."

Cierladrean signalled to the other priestesses and they closed in further around the grail, but leaving a pathway for Cierla. She stepped all the way to the pedestal and knelt down. The prayers she spoke weren't of a language the Asgaardian gods understood but they worked their magic. The grail began to bubble and the white light changed to indigo. Cierla rose and reached into the light. An ampule appeared in her hand. She walked over to Asereth and handed him the ampule.

"All possibilities must be present at the ritual. Make them stack their left hands on top of each other, then put a nail through their flesh. The nail must be long enough to penetrate through all of them completely. Remove the nail and pour the Aether on their wounds, so that it flows through all of them. The prophecy's chosen one will be revealed."

"Excellent." Asereth rubbed his hands. "Let's go."

He and Hector were about to leave the chamber.

"Hella will never let him go!" Cierla called after the Elders.

Asereth looked over his shoulder.

"She will have to...or face doom like the rest of us."