Legendary

My brain felt like it had finally begun to catch up with all the change, and I had a list of things to discuss with the valkyries at our next meeting. I explained about the wings, first of all, along with some ways I thought we could work on our agility. Exercises inspired by agility drills done by football players, actually. Then came my second big idea, which was that we should all, to the limits of our abilities and gag reflexes, get some first aid training. "We're mortal now," I pointed out, "And we're going to get hurt, if not in training exercises, then definitely on the battlefield. We need to be able to patch ourselves up and also probably serve as battlefield medics," I said. "I can envision needing to evacuate key fighters if necessary." I firmly suppressed a vision of either of my uncles being wounded. Both my ideas were well supported, and then it was time for practice. Since our flight control was iffy, to put it kindly, we focused on ground tactics for this practice. Following practice, I went to the citadel, showered, and reported for another strategic meeting with leadership. I reported on the valkyries' progress, and Thor supported our decision to get medic training.

"You and Serena monitor training," he directed me. "Come up with a list of those who are the weaker fighters; we can use them to transport the seriously wounded and treat the lesser hurts in the field; they'll still be able to defend themselves and their patients while not affecting the impact of the valkyries in general."

"Holly was a doctor," I said thoughtfully. "She should probably lead up our medical corps and have input into the decision of who to assign there." Thor nodded.

Then there was Loki, who had met with the general assembly of the UN and offered the abandoned planet. Canny as always, he'd gone with data on the size of the planet (larger than Earth by about a quarter) and maps that showed the arid, inhospitable deserts, the ice caps, and the land mass that supported a surprising diversity of ecology much like Earth's: rainforests, plains, mountain ranges, and a variety of climates ranging from tropical to arctic. There wasn't much volcanism on the planet aside from those strange deserts and it was tectonically sluggish compared to Earth. The ambassadors had been enthralled to the point of breaking the rules against personal communication devices on the floor. They had immediately sent their governments the official recording of Loki's presentation and the ground rules. "No offense," he said to me as we rode back to the embassy after his presentation, "but you humans have polluted your planet quite thoroughly. Because access to the new planet is controlled by us, we are imposing conditions, the main one being that technology given to the settlers be pre-Industrial Revolution and with limited weaponry. We will place societal groups according to their preferred terrain and level of aggression. The more peaceful groups together, the more aggressive on a different continent. And because the only effective method of getting to and from the planet is through the Bifrost, it is more or less a one-way trip. Some monitoring can be done, but the use of the Bifrost on a regular basis to move people and materials back and forth is not possible, and the planet is not to be exploited for resources for Earth. And besides, the Bifrost is supposed to be fractured by the sons of Muspell during Ragnarok, and it wouldn't be fair to have the settlers become dependent on Earth only to have that help cut off." There were a few other ideas that were more negotiable and they'd already agreed to send a team to map the planet and identify hazards as well as things like edible plants. Loki had also agreed to provide a few Asgardian translators, who had the magically-granted ability to understand any language and speak it, to interpret for those groups with extinct languages. They would not be conducting negotiations, merely translating. And there were deadlines; it had to be done quickly so that it wouldn't interfere with our preparations for Ragnarok. "I do not expect much complaint about this," Loki added his personal observation. "Due to the strain on resources, I presume that the leaders will want to get this settled as soon as possible. We can assemble settlement kits quickly that contain seed for agricultural societies, some livestock, weapons appropriate to the level of the groups, building materials, tools, that sort of thing."

"Impressive work, brother," Thor later complimented Loki, who smiled. Then there was a discussion about the large number of requests for information about the Norse pantheon and how their religion worked. It seemed that proof that other gods existed and the lack of proof for three of the major religions had rather shaken some people's faith and they wanted to know more. Thor rolled his eyes and said he'd assign a few people to come up with materials. There was discussion of other key items, and we were dismissed.

I had practice with Magni and Modi--until a time came when everyone was too busy, the practices would continue--then back to the embassy for practice with Torunn. Then back to the house. The family were all out, so I lifted weights and did my cardio. It felt unsatisfying, so I went online and did some checking. There was still a Spartan Race, and they had upcoming races in the area. I contacted the organizers, identified myself as an enhanced, returned person, and asked if I could still race. Within about fifteen minutes, I had a reply that confirmed that I was welcome as long as I registered as an elite racer, so I did, and added an item to my list to tell the other valkyries about it at the next meeting.

Bucky and Damian grinned when they heard my plan at dinner, and Steve was enthusiastic and wanted to register too. "We can't get into our old obstacle course," I said. "Valhalla is closed to us," I'd tried to go back once, just to see, but hadn't been able, "but this is the next best thing. I've got to keep challenging myself, getting better, and this adds some fun. At one point, I wanted to complete all three races, which are different lengths with different numbers of obstacles, but I think this is more doable now." I grinned.

"Er... Alex," Daniel said.

"You can call me Grandma," I said encouragingly, and he smiled.

"Grandma, you can build an obstacle course here, if you want," he offered. "The family trust also has some property in the Rockies; we bought it to protect it from development, but the terrain is more varied there, including cliffs and a river. Construction of an obstacle course should have minimal impact. It's not really inhabitable without a lot of work, the terrain is too rough. I'm the trustee, so I'm in a position to make the offer. Since you can sort of transport yourself; you and the other valkyries."

I accepted, of course. Bucky and Steve looked disappointed, so I offered to transport them too. They could help us build the course. We could include some modifications for un-winged participants. Right after dinner, Daniel showed me the location of the property on a map and aerial surveys. "There's a place for a zip line!" I crowed, and Daniel smiled. We were alone in his office, and he fiddled with a stylus.

"I wanted to let you know," he said. "I saw the lawyers today. With you and Grandpa back, and others will probably follow, I wanted to make arrangements. This is your home, of course, and I want to be absolutely clear that you are welcome to stay here as long as you want, the remainder of your lives, if you want, but there are also other family properties. You have full access to the family assets, including the trust. We drew up papers that will give every returning member of the family a half billion dollars in cash and assets as well as an equal share in the family trust. And don't waste your breath arguing," he said mildly. "It's done. Here's the information for your account," he said, passing me a neat-looking card, a rigid crystal plate with my name engraved on it. Despite his statement, I did spend time arguing with him. It was far too generous. "The family is worth around a trillion dollars now, we made a killing in alternative energy, remediating hazardous waste sites and revolutionizing trash disposal and recycling, so this is literally a drop in the bucket. Part of that comes from the patents we bought with the purchase of Stark, including your work on bioluminescence, so you earned that. And it means a lot to me to have family around again. The law firm that the family uses is ready to assist you if you want, and you also have access to the family's financial planners, if you want." I blinked a few times and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I talked to the Smithsonian personally, and they're being difficult about giving you back your jewelry. They won't give it or sell it back, but they have agreed to loan you your pieces if you give them enough notice. The pearls and a few other pieces are still in the family, in the safe."

I looked around to make sure we were still alone. "Sweetie, the jewelry was mostly Damian's thing, not mine. I don't really want it back. If he thinks he's going to start that up again, we're going to have to have a chat."

Daniel frowned. "But he gave you all those pretty things. Don't you want them back?"

"Not really. I'd rather have Damian than all the diamonds in the universe. The insurance thing was the most enormous pain and I never felt the same about most of it after Damian was killed."

Daniel digested this. "The Smithsonian did offer to give you a private tour of your collection," he said. "I was hoping you'd go. I'd kind of like to hear more about it now."

"Let me know your schedule, sweetie, and we'll go. Afternoons would be best." It was the very least I could do. Daniel's face brightened, and he said he'd arrange something. Damian poked his head in and came over to me for a kiss and snuggle. I told him about my plans with Daniel, and he looked interested.

"I'd like to go too, if it's not horning in," he said to Daniel and me. Daniel grinned.

"That would be great," he said, then slid another crystal plate over to him and explained. Damian shook his head, then gave Daniel a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They picked up a conversation/argument about who would be Batman. Daniel was prompt in offering Damian the identity, but Damian said that he wasn't there to take anything away from Daniel. Then Daniel offered to be Robin, and the debate would probably still be going on except that I stepped in.

"Daniel, honey, you are Batman now. You're doing a fine job of it by all accounts I've seen, and very importantly, you know the city now, how it's changed, and who the players are. Damian can be your Robin and give you the benefit of his experience. Or he might like to have a new identity, sort of like what Dick did when he became Nightwing. I'll let Alfred know, and he can talk with you about costumes, honey. And you're about to discover what the addition of a support team means for you, Daniel. Alfred all by himself is amazing, and there are a lot of intangibles included." Damian laughed and Daniel looked bemused. Just knowing there are people at home waiting for you, ready to help you do your job is a comfort, let alone the actual help. And sure, you can pop yourself into the med suite, but having someone to fuss over you just a little makes a big difference.

When we rejoined the others, they were talking about their visit with the Avengers. "Reactions were mixed," Bucky told me. "They're not sure what to make of us."

"Not really their choice," Tony said, sipping a whiskey. "We've got a meeting tomorrow with the head of Wayne, who's backing the Avengers, and the Senators who make up the advisory board. We'll see what happens."

"Depending on what you envision, I'm prepared to support your integration," Daniel said, and they discussed what might be possible. Part of the situation was that, like Damian, they didn't know the players or the terrain any more, and their ideas about tech were wildly out of date. "Still, the emotional impact of the return of most of the original Avengers is potent," Daniel said briskly. "And my ideas include more than just a rah-rah, flag-waving appearance here and there. I plan to propose that you start out doing a little PR, but as you become more conversant with the advances in society and tech that have been made, full integration to the extent permitted by your responsibilities to Asgard. Most of the current roster of Avengers are new, and they're a little insecure. Our current Captain America has been contemplating stepping down, and I think Captain Rogers' return will help him with that decision. You all bring a wealth of experience that is unique. We don't have an Iron Man, the Winter Soldier was never made a legacy name, and nobody's claimed Paladin for generations. That leaves Dr Banner. Interestingly, unlike Grandma, your mutations didn't survive your return."

"I don't think they survived my death," Bruce said mildly, and I nodded.

"We can try to induce that mutation again, or you might prefer to be support staff now," Daniel said, and Bruce, who'd looked worried, relaxed.

"Definitely staff," he said.

"You all have choices," Daniel said to them. "Nobody's going to make you be Avengers again. But if you're contemplating joining again, there is absolutely room for you. If you envision a different role, we can also explore that." He nodded to Tony. "Mr Stark, if I might have a private word with you?" Tony looked interested and stood. "Uncle Bucky. You're family too, which means that you get a credit line." He gave Bucky another of the crystal plates and led Tony from the room. I snuggled up to Damian and filled the others in on my day. Steve was, as expected, really interested in the obstacle course and asked for the information on the Spartan race.

"If you'd like company," he said to me awkwardly.

"That would be awesome," I said immediately, and pulled up the website for him on one of the library's consoles. "It's so much more fun to do it with a team. I did it once on my own and it wasn't nearly as much fun."

"Come on, Buck, you gotta do this too," he said enthusiastically. My uncle looked a little grim, but eventually let himself be talked into it. They also had to run as elite racers, subject to more stringent rules. Nobody even tried to convince Emma to run the course too.

"Sweetie, what's this about a credit line?" Bucky asked me finally. "He doesn't owe me anything, I'm not really his family."

I frowned. "You're my much-loved uncle, so of course you're family," I said sternly. "He's arranged for money to be available for any of the family who shows up, since none of us have jobs that pay yet." I reached over and squeezed his hand. His left arm had returned as a novel organometallic substance that was even more cool than his metal arm had been. "He wants you to know he considers you family. And he's been completely alone for a few years. It means a lot to him that some of the family have returned."

"I guess I can't give it back."

"Not without hurting his feelings." Yeah, I was going to guilt my uncle into keeping it. And I wanted him to acknowledge that publicly so that when he found out how much there was he couldn't change his mind.

"I don't want to do that. He's a good kid," Bucky said in resignation. I smiled and Damian squeezed me.

Alfred came in to refresh drinks and handed me a link to the batcave computer. "The medical suite has completed your genetic analysis, Miss Alex," he said. My eyebrows lifted. That kind of analysis used to take weeks, not hours.

"What are the highlights?" I asked.

"The strength of your mutations has increased somewhere between a quarter to a third of what they were when you were killed," he said. "Most interesting is that there is nothing else in your genome. Those extraordinary wings have nothing to do with your DNA."

"Well," I said, not surprised much. "They come from the World Tree, so they must be magic instead." Alfred and Damian looked interested, so I told them about my visit to the Norn. Then I asked Damian about his afterlife.

"Well, I was killed close by one of the entrances to the underworld, so I was able to find it myself. One of the guides was coming out to find me, but I didn't want to leave my body with the suit on." I nodded understanding. "He said he'd take care of it for me if I went along, so I did. Found out later that Chester took it off and hid it." I nodded again.

"Xander found it when he turned on the tracker," I said.

"But first he asked if I had any money, and I had a small amount in the utility belt, but no coins, so I just took a bill with me. That's another reason for the guides; they help look for found money on the streets since nobody's buried with a coin for the ferryman anymore. The entrance and the path down to the Styx are very atmospheric; Lord Hades likes you to understand the importance of your death, makes it kind of a spectacle. So when I got down to the river, there was a little wait for Charon. When he showed up, there wasn't any problem with me boarding; the fare is only ten cents. Inflation has never hit Charon. But he didn't want to make change; money doesn't buy anything in the afterlife anyway, the fare is symbolic, so I just paid for the next ones in line who didn't have a dime with them. When we got to the other side, you approach a wall that looks a lot like the one in Lord of the Rings that's around Sauron's domain." I smiled. "And there's Cerberus, about three times the size of Sigurd" the creature in question raised his head as if to sniff dismissively "with the three heads. He's got red eyes, long fangs, drools a lot, but when he's not intimidating the new souls with the futility of doing anything but accepting your fate, he's really friendly. Likes ear skritches. You also have to pass the Erinyes before you get to the Gates of Death, held by Thanatos. If you look around, there's a lekythos, a funerary jar, that's placed unobtrusively nearby, filled with a fragrant oil. I made an offering to them, just to be on the safe side, then through the gates. Then you're judged by Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthys."

After he was silent a moment, I asked where he'd been assigned. "Well, I could have gone to Elysium. But it's all just lying around, no labor, and it sounded boring. So they requested that Lord Hades make the determination, and he assigned me as one of the guides. Hermes used to do it, but there are too many people dying all the time even for a god to keep up, so some of the dead will take on the task. I liked it. It gave me something to do, and I got to keep up with the mortal world somewhat. That's where I found out about that TV program." He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't think they did you justice," I said and he chuckled. "The actor wasn't nearly as handsome, either."

"Sweet pea, I was glad that I wasn't featured more prominently. It was ridiculous."

"It could have been much worse," I said, agreeing.

"So Natasha informed me," he said in agreement. "But after that, thanks to her generosity, I was able to treat my fellow guides periodically."

"Tacos and pho?" I asked, laughing. "Please tell me it wasn't at the same time."

"Some of us had pho, some had tacos," he said. "Food carts. Wonderful things. When Martha showed up, she also wanted something constructive to do, but Hades didn't quite know what to do with her. Eventually she talked him into creating a record of the dead, so she went around Tartarus, the Asphodel meadows, the mourning fields, Elysium, and the Isles of the Blessed asking everybody where they'd lived, dates of birth and death if known, occupation, spouse and children if any, any biographical data they wanted to share, cause of death, and where they were assigned to the underworld. She enjoyed learning so much. And you know how she like to put things in order."

I nodded. Martha was absolutely ruthless in her quest for order. She usually got it, too. "So that was pretty much my afterlife. Guides came and went, if you got tired of the duty, you could request placement in wherever you'd originally been sorted and pass the afterlife there. There were only a few others who also stuck around for the whole of my tenure."

"Now I'm envisioning the Greek afterlife as some sort of Harry Potter sorting ceremony."

"Except without a feast afterward and the hat would be easier," he said, grinning. We talked a little more, then Damian and I made it an early night. I had a lot of time to make up with him.

The next morning I was up and practicing flight. While I was learning more about the capability of my wings, I did like the bats did and dropped from a height. So I went up to the roof and jumped off. Took a bit of nerve the first few times, then as I trusted my wings more, it was easier. I saw immediately what the increase in maneuverability meant for aerial combat and worked hard on my agility. Then it was meeting with the valkyries, where I announced the new obstacle course, the Spartan, if anybody wanted to participate, and the formation of the medical corps, and then practice. Serena went back to Asgard with me, where Thor and Odin instructed us on how to choose the valkyries for the medical corps and we kicked around ideas for getting us trained in at least basic first aid. It was decided then that I should set up a training class on Earth and all the valkyries would attend. Those with the desire to know more as well as everyone who would be part of the medical corps would get more training. "Everyone must continue to train with weapons," Odin said, and we nodded. We were valkyries first. Thor told me to bill the classes to the Asgardian embassy.

Serena came back with me to Earth, and we arranged with the Red Cross for first aid and CPR classes. She was interested in running the Spartan, so we went online and I paid her fee. Alfred, who was delighted to meet Serena, served us lunch, and afterward, informed us that everybody was at Avenger Tower if we wanted to drop by. Serena hadn't been back since we were returned, so she definitely wanted. We landed outside, repacked the wings (it had gotten a lot easier) and inquired at the desk for Daniel Wayne. I had a flashback to the time I came here with Aslyn, when I was just getting to know my uncle and both Aslyn and I were trying to get jobs. Whatever the guard heard put a surprised look on his face, and without comment he had us sign in and I spoke my name for the record. The guard directed us to the elevators with full access to the tower and told us that Daniel was in the conference room on the Avengers level and to go on up.