Chapter 88: We meet the head of the operation

(Magnus POV)

We stared at the head in Blitz's hand.

"Okay, it's not that bad. All he needs is a little water." Blitz said nervously.

"Water?" Magnus said, "You brought a severed head."

"An ugly severed head." Percy added.

Just add water Hearth signed.

Percy snapped his finger and water spiraled out of his fingers and it flew towards the head in Blitz's head. It spiraled around the head in a circle before the head absorbed it.

"Pardon me, good sir, but I am not merely a 'head" said the severed head.

"Percy, I think the severed head is offended by your comment." I noticed.

"Hey, it's not my fault for stating the facts." Percy shrugged.

The 'Capo' as Hearth and Blitz had called him looked decayed, with droopy eyebrows, blue, intelligent eyes, and yellowish teeth. My first thought was this dude is an alcoholic!, but then I decided that he had seen better days, and this was not one of them.

His head had been in a bag, after all. "Magnus...MAGNUS," said Blitzen, "Are you listening?"

"Huh?" I responded.

Watch out, the head is offended easily signed Hearth.

"Can you guys focus please?" said Percy and Samirah simultaneously

"What are we talking about?"

Magnus, this is the Head Honcho himself-Mimir, the wisest of all the Gods, Hearth signed.

"What the Elf say be true!" exclaimed Mimir.

"Who are you exactly?" I asked.

"He's Mimir!" Samirah exclaimed.

"You already told me."

"I am Mimir once I was mighty among the Aesir. Then came the war with the Vanir. Now I got my own operation."

"How'd you got decapitated?" Percy asked rudely.

"Long ago there was a war between the Vanir and Aesir."

"Whatus?"

"Two races of Gods." I explained.

"As I was saying." Mimir said annoyed, "Part of the truce to end the war, the two godly tribes exchanged hostages. Your father, Frey, and his father, Njord, came to live in Asgard. The god Honir and I – we were sent to live in Vanaheim."

"That went probably without troubles." I guessed.

Mimir huffed as good as a decapitated head could. "Your father, Frey, made me look bad! He was this great general among the Vanir – all golden and shiny and handsome.

He and Njord got all kinds of respect in Asgard. As for me and Honir – the Vanir weren't so impressed."

"Surprising." Percy said.

"They didn't like me. Or my advice. They were not satisfied with me and decapitated me and send me back to Odin."

Percy's eyes lit up, "I did that too! Decapitating someone and send it to another person?"

"You did what?"

"Long story."

"You killed someone?" Samirah asked shock.

"Like I said, long story.:

Mimir coughed, "As I was saying. Odin received my head but he was wise. He knew the Vanir and Aesir had to unite against our common enemy, the Giants. Odin carried me to a hidden cave in Jotunheim where this magical spring feeds the roots of Yggdrasil.

He placed my head in the well. The water brought me back to life, and I soaked in all the knowledge of the World Tree. My wisdom increased a thousandfold."

"That's pretty cool." Percy said, in awe.

"Don't be disrespectful to him." Sam said.

I saw Samirah staring daggers at Percy, with one hand itching for her axe.

"It's not very wise to try and decapitate your comrades, Young Valkyrie." said Mimir. "Comrades?" replied Samirah, nose flaring.

"The Son of Frey and the Greek!" said Mimir, completely ignoring Al-Abbs, "Their fates are the worst ones I've ever seen!"

"Mind being a bit more detailed?" I asked, I hate it when people tell me my fate sucks without giving an explanation.

"I'm not sure. I just know. But we can stop it, for now," said Mimir.

"For now?" Percy asked less impressed then I was.

"As everyone knows, the Sword of Summer is lost, thanks to the effort of one fool."

He looked at me accusingly. "Hey! It's not my fault for dying!"

"It really is." Percy chimed, "Besides. You are the boss of Blitzen and Hearth?"

Sadly yes. Hearth signed, In exchange for his help he required our service

"Which is guarding me?" I asked.

"Yes the sword. I told these two to keep you alive until you could retrieve the sword."

"Why is it so important?"

"The sword is the sharpest thing in the nine world." Percy said darkly, "There is something that needs to be cut."

"Fenrir's rope." Mimir said. "The monster child of Loki who's been trapped on an island. Surt wants the sword to cut the ropes."

"So we should've left it?" I asked.

"No, your task is to stop Surt. Find the sword before he does." Mimir said.

"Of course," Samirah said, "But how do we get the sword?"

"Wait!" Percy said, "If Surt needs the sword to free Fenrir. Shouldn't we let it stay lost?"

"That's where my plan kicks in." Mimir said, "I can predict that Fenrir will break free in the near future. The only way to stop it is Magnus wielding the sword."

Yay.

"But where is it?" Blitz asked.

"I would suggest asking the World Serpent where the Sword went, He's a world serpent after all, find it before Surt." At this statement, the color of Blitz and Hearth's faces drained.

Though for Blitz, he didn't really change as his face was partially stone.

You must be kidding signed Hearth with a series of complicated hand gestures.

"What the Elf said!" exclaimed Blitzen, "Capo, you can't be serious?!"

"What's the world Serpent?" Percy asked, "And why are you all looking so scared?"

"It sounds not like something I would like to run into." I admitted and to be honest, I did not want to find out what the World Serpent was.

"What did the Elf say?" asked Sam, unhelpfully.

"He said 'you are an idiot." offered Percy.

"You really have a death wish, don't you?"

"Why don't you come find out?" Percy responded.

"Enough!" I said, trying to diffuse their tempers before they tore the street apart.

"The wild cards!" said Mimir, "Truthfully, I've no idea how the Greek is here. I haven't calculated him in my plans."

"Yeah, I have that effect on people." Percy said.

Mimir looked thoughtfully, "The Greek is a wild card. He can either destroy or save the world."

We all stared at Percy.

"Any idea what he means?" I asked questioningly.

"I may have an idea. I explain later, along with the Arrow thing." Percy promised. "With that out of the way, can we please go? We're starting to attract attention."

I looked around and saw that Percy was right.

A small crowd had begun to form, which I should've seen coming. Oops. "Ugh, mortals." said Sam in disgust.

"Aren't you one?" asked Percy.

"Guys, save the quarrel for another time!" said Blitz, our only voice of reason. "Anyways, we'll meet up with you guys. We've gotta go put the Capo back in his cave. Take care signed Hearth. They pulled me into a hug before turning around promptly. Hearth whipped out something that looked like a Norse symbol, and one second later, my best friends(and a severed head) disappeared into thin air.

I felt myself starting to tear up. "Hey, Magnus, pull yourself together," encouraged Percy, "The Mist is gonna run out soon, and we need to get going."

"A-Alright." I grudgingly obliged.

"I know a place we could go." said Samirah Al-Abbas.

"And why should we trust you?" Percy said, suspiciously.

"They have food." Percy's stomach rumbled. A silent agreement was reached as Percy and I looked at each other at the mention of food.

"Alright, lead the way," I said. With that, we shoved our way through the small crowd and off into the distance.

...

(Percy POV)

As we arrived at a place called "Amir's Falafel Corner", I could guess exactly what they served. Shocking, right?

As Samirah ordered a table for three, I began to wonder what Mimir had meant. Why did he call me a wild card?

"Earth to Percy, are you there?" asked Magnus.

"What?"

"Great, now I'm stuck with two numbskulls instead of four," Samirah sighed.

"Well, I can't help you in your poor company of company." I shrugged.

Samirah Al-Abbas rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, I was asking you what you meant by a talking arrow," said Magnus.

"Oh, that." I responded, "Well, I have a talking arrow that can tell the future."

"How, exactly, is that possible?" said Sam, accusingly.

"It's a Greek thing, you wouldn't understand," I said.

In fact, I did not even understand it.

I just accepted this arrow told me the future in a weird Queen Elizabeth accent and it really liked Shakespeare and for some reason it worked better when I had a wifi connection.

"Right...Anyways-" "Food!" exclaimed Magnus.

The waiter gave us our food, then walked off hurriedly, as if we were weird.

Honestly, I can't blame the guy. Our meal was totally silent as all of us were silently enjoying the food placed in front of us. I got some weird looks from Samirah and Magnus when I asked for syrup, but they wouldn't understand.

After we finished eating, I thanked Al-Abbs for the meal. "Don't address me by my last name." she said.

Geez, was she a bit of work.

"Now what?" asked Magnus.

"Well, I suppose we go on the lead we have." I suggested.

"Visit the World Serpent? That's practically suicide!" Samirah hissed.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Magnus then he frowned like he just realized something, "Actually, who is this 'World Serpent' fellow anyways?"

"In the olden times, the World Serpent was called Jormungand, the son of Loki who now encompasses the entirety of Midgard." said Samirah.

"Oh yeah, Loki did tell me that," I said.

"How is that possible?" Magnus wondered.

I smirked, "Well, Magnus, you see, when two people love each other very much-" I didn't get to finish my wonderful explanation as a bird-like creature smashed through the window and snatched up Magnus. My first thought was 'How rude.' However, as Magnus was carried off into the sky.

A golden flash quickly followed and the golden light solidified into the shape of a lion.

Rebel had appeared at my side in his lion form and opened his mouth before I could process what was happening and threw me on his back.

I didn't get to scream as he jumped through the smashed window. I heard Samirah call us idiots, placed $50 on the table, and began to chase us.

What a day this was turning out to be.

...

(Magnus POV)

So this is what it felt like to be a bird.

That is, if I wasn't being dragged along against my will. The wind was whipping around my face and generally made my life really fun.

"Hey," I called out to the bird, "who are you?!"

Surprisingly, it seemed like the bird heard me. "Udgard-Loki, at your service!"

"Where are you taking me?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out!" cackled Udgard-Loki.

The eagle dragged me through tables, chairs and potted plants, then blasted through the double glass doors and soared over Charles Street.

Just what I needed, a bird with an attitude.

"Hey, Magnus!" said a familiar voice. I turned around to see Percy riding Rebel at high speeds with an aggravated Sam tailing him. It was funny to see her running while out of breath.

Turning back to my carrier, I tried to recall any stories I had heard about Udgard-Loki. That's when I remembered my mother told me, long ago, that Udgard-Loki was a giant shapeshifter, capable of magic.

"Aren't you a giant?" I shouted at Udgard-Loki trying not to sound pathetic, which is hard when you are dragged by an eagle across Boston.

"That would be me."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Geez, enough with the questions Kid," sighed Udgard-Loki, could Eagles do that?

"You'll find out when we get there!"

Irritated, I looked back to see Percy still chasing us on his lion. I heard the Rebel roar from the ground, and I could have sworn Percy said he couldn't wait to have bird for dinner.

"Ah, here we are!" cried Udgard-Loki. "Prepare for a crash-landing, Kid!"

We went so fast I could not even see where or on what we crashed down. All I recalled was having my brains trying to escape my Einherji body.

When the dust had settled I slowly raised my head to see where we had landed.

I turned around and took a look at my surroundings, I noticed I was standing on a dock.

A boat was tied to the dock and on the prow was written: HARALD'S DEEP-SEA EXCURSIONS AND DEATH WISHES, which seemed like a lot of verbiage for a twenty-foot-long dinghy. The deck was a mess of ropes, buckets and tackle boxes. Nets and buoys festooned the sides like Christmas decorations. The hull had once been green but had faded

"Magnus!" I heard Sam and Percy calling my name.

"I'm over here!" I shouted.

I vaguely saw two silhouettes run over to where I had crash landed and helped me out of the small ditch that had formed.

"What happened?" asked Percy.

"Why did a bird snatch you up?" questioned Sam. They both bombarded me with a barrage of questions and I had to hold up my hand for silence.

"Well, you see," I began, "That 'bird' was Udgard-Loki." I told them my end of the story.

"Wow," Percy said.

"That's all you have to say?"

"Yep." he responded.

"Do you have any reason why he kidnapped you?" Samirah asked me.

"Well, he said that he was taking me someplace."

"Like where?"

"Like, here." Sam looked around the dock, her eyes stopping at an old shack barely sustaining itself with soggy, brownish looking wood. " 'Harald's Deep Sea Excursions'?" she asked, puzzled. "Yep." I replied.

"And would you care to explain why you three teenager are trespassing on my property?" said a gruff voice.

We all turned around to see a hulking mass of flesh towering over us who I assumed was the owner, Harald. Did I mention he was massive? With a burly beard and Popeye muscles, he looked a bit like an 80s grandpa. And a grumpy one at that.

"Has anybody ever told you how tall you are?" Percy asked.

"I'm pretty sure we all picked up on that, Captain Obvious." I scolded.

"Hey, I was just making sure."

While we were bickering Sam started to draw her weapon while glaring at the man. "Frost Giant!" she sneered.

"I have a name you know," said Harald, offended, "It's Harald."

"We kinda guessed that," said Percy.

"Three teenage children, each with an attitude," said Harald, thoughtfully. "Yep, you're the three Udgard-Loki told me to help."

We all stared at him with blank expressions.

"What do you mean?" asked Samirah.

"Seems like you all are dull as well," Harald sighed, "I'm here to take you to Jormungandr and retrieve the Sword of Summer."

"If you don't mind me asking, why would Frost Giants want to help us NOT start Ragnarok?" asked Percy.

"Oh, trust me, we have our reasons. Besides, the longer it's postponed, the longer we get to trick and eat humans such as yourselves!"

"Eat and trick humans…" Samirah said, dumfounded.

"Thank you for your kind and generous offer!" I exclaimed, deciding to go along with his craziness.

"And how will we get to the World Serpent?" Percy said, already bored.

"You shall see. Now, follow me." Harald began to walk towards a ship.

"Are we really going to trust him?" Samirah asked.

"We have nothing else to go off of." I said.

"Besides, it'll be fun!" said Percy, excitedly.

"I really hate you two." grumbled Sam. "

"I get that a lot." Percy said with a smirk.

"Can we go please?" I pleaded with them.

"Fine." Samirah sighed.

"What a day this is turning out to be!" Percy sounded excited.

"Well, let's go." I gestured towards the boat.

My life is turning out to be such a dam joke.

...

(Percy POV)

Who knew it was so hard to reel in a snake? Me, Magnus, Sam, and Halard were all out at sea, currently trying to summon Jormungandr.

We just googled "catching world serpent." and it is surprisingly easy.

Take a monsterous bull head the size of a tank and drop it in Jotunheim waters and just wait for the world serpent to bite.

Of course; things go bad.

It was going horribly. With the sea raging around us and a thunderstorm rampaging, it was hard to see.

Much less so when trying to catch a snake as big as the world itself.

Yes, even the son of Poseidon has his limits.

"Please stop!" cried Halard from below.

"Sorry, but we've got a World Serpent to catch." I shouted over the rain.

"Easier said than done!" said Samirah, who was helping me with the fishing rod.

Poor Magnus was puking due to seasickness.

No wonder Vikings hate the sea.

"We've almost got it!" I shouted, "One, two, three!" As I and Samirah pulled on the fishing rod simultaneously, a hulking mass of serpentine flesh rose from the sea.

Immeasurably large, the World Serpent rose its head covered with green scales. Almost immediately afterwards, the rain, lightning, and waves ceased.

"Welp, if you guys need me, I'll be below deck!" said Halard, who scrambled into the ship.

Who dares to summon me? hissed Jormundangr.

"Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, and marine life extraordinaire!" I replied.

A Greek sailing upon these waters… I would like to have you drowned. hissed Jormugandr.

"Uh, here's the thing, you really can't drown the son of Poseidon. No offense or anything."

"Are you talking to the World Serpent?" asked Samirah, confounded.

"Yes, it's a Son of Poseidon thing." I dismissed her question.

Why! Hissed Jormungandr angrily.

"Well, you see, we're looking for the Sword of Summer," I explained, "Do you have any idea where it could be?"

It has recently fallen into these waters. But you should've seeked out Ran. However,

know this Son of Poseidon, while I shall let you pass today, it comes with a price. On the day of Ragnarok, I shall swallow both you and Thor whole, and have my appetite appeased.

"You do you, buddy," I responded "I'll sure you'll be able to do that, except you most likely won't." I taunted "Because you are still asleep and I'll make sure Ragnarok never happens."

I changed my mind! The World serpent hissed.

"No!" I said and I was using soul speak, "You are asleep, you really want to go back to sleeping. When Ragnarok arrives you want to wake up but not now."

The World serpent opened his mouth like he was about to jawn, or destroy us.

Glaringly, the World Serpent coiled his head, alongside the rest of his body, beneath the waves and disappeared.

"Was that the World Serpent?" asked Magnus, coming up from the bottom of the ship.

"Yep." I replied.

"And you talked to him?"

"Yep."

"Alrighty," Magnus said, "What now?"

Just then, the water in front of the bow of the ship began to glow, and the shiny, blue body of a woman penetrated the water.

"I'm going to assume you're Ran?" I asked.

"Percy, show respect to a Goddess!" said Samirah, now bowing to Ran.

"Indeed, I am Ran, Goddess of the Sea," said Ran," And you two, Magnus Chase and Percy Jackson, are perpetrators!"

Naturally, we both gave her confused looks.

"Uh, how exactly are we perpetrators?" asked Magnus.

"Both of your souls should belong to me, as you died in the sea!" said Ran, knowingly, "However, thanks to some Valkyrie, I didn't get to claim your souls!"

"Sam, why does everything seem to be your fault?" I questioned her. She glared at me before returning her attention to Ran, "They died heroically, thus belonging to Odin."

Ran huffed, "Details."

"Anyways, we know you have the Sword of Summer, and we'd like to have it back." I declared. "Oh, and why should I give you such a shiny object?" asked Ran.

"Shiny?" murmured Sam.

"Pretty please?" Magnus pleaded.

"Actually, how about we bargain for the sword?" I offered Ran.

"And what, do tell, could you give me that is better than the fabled Sword of Summer." Ran asked questioningly.

"Why, I'm so glad you asked!" I said. Summoning Frostsilver in my hand, I held it up so she could observe it. "We could offer you the, even more fabled, sword Frostsilver, slayer of the mighty Hercules, Caligula. With

"A sword that can kill immortals… I don't buy it," said Ran suspiciously.

"Ah, but it is all true, right Sam, Magnus?" I asked them.

"Uh...Yeah!" said Magnus, catching on, "It is so powerful, even my father Frey fears its power!" "Not only that, but it is also a mighty weapon, even amongst Valkyrie standards!" exclaimed Sam, looking at me like, you owe me an explanation later.

"Besides," Magnus added, "The sword of summer is mine. We can peacefully trade it or I could summon it. Which in return wouldn't be so good for you."

A lie, My Apollo powers said, though I managed not to show it.

Ran looked between the sea and us, clearly having an internal discussion.

"If we can't get the sword Ragnarok will start." I added, "Which would ruin everyone's day!"

"Hmm, fine! Hand it over, boy!" demanded Ran.

I tossed Frostsilver in the water and it floated towards Ran, just as requested. In return, a sword came flying out of the water, and into Magnus's hand.

The Sword of Summer was lean, double-edged, and looked positively dangerous.

"Now, leave my presence before I decide to drown you all!" shouted Ran.

"Honestly, we couldn't be happier to be out of your hair." I retorted. Samirah took this as her cue to go and retrieve Halard. A few minutes later, we were sailing back to shore.

After a few minutes of sailing in silence I dared to let out a sigh of relief.

Sam studied the sword in Magnus' hand while Magnus just looked pale.

Seeing a goddess and a world snake can have that effect on people.

"It looks cool." I said when I noticed no one was going to say something.

"What about you?" Magnus asked, "Now you lost your sword."

"Ah, well you see my friends, what I just conducted was called the Art of Deception," I explained as Frostsilver reformed in my hands,

"there ARE perks to having a meltable, magic sword."

In the distance, a resounding roar could be heard.

"And now, we get the Hel out of here." I said.

"You, are one scary dude." Magnus said, as we headed back for shore.