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Chapter Seven: A Guest of Hel


Modgud, the skeletal woman who guarded the Gjallarbridge spanning Gjoll, the river surrounding the Land of Cold and Darkness known called Niflheim, stood to bar the advance of an invisible traveler.
"What is your name, traveler?" she asked. "And who is your family?"
A disembodied voice answered saying, "I am Hades, son of Zeus, king of the Olympians."
"All who would enter Niflheim must pay a toll of blood, even you, Son of Zeus."
In response, Hades drew his dagger and slit his wrist. While he remained invisible, the blood was not. It spilled crimson upon the crystal bridge. Her toll paid, Modgud allowed the traveler to pass.
As he approached Helheim, home of the dishonored dead who had died from sickness or old age, Hades came upon the Gnipa cave. From the cave sprang forth Garm, a monstrous two headed hound.
Snarling at the invisible intruder, the giant hound stood before the gates of Helheim, his chest dripping with the blood of the slain. But, while Hades was invisible to Garm's four eyes, the beast's two noses easily detected his scent.
"You smell your brother Cerberus no doubt," said Hades. Placating Garm with a piece of Hel-cake, he moved on.
Finally, he stood before the hall called Eljudnir which stood at the edge of Drop to Destruction and whose name means misery. It was home to Hel, daughter of Loki and ruler of the Underworld for the Aesir.
Entering undetected, Hades passed through Eljudnir on whose walls were hung Burning Anguish and found Hel dining at her table. Before her was her plate, Hunger; in her hand was her knife, Famine. She wore a black robe that revealed much of her upper body which was the white, shapely form of a living woman, but hid her black, corpse's legs.
Only when he was standing opposite her, did he remove his helmet, given to him by the Cyclops' which granted him invisibility.
"Spare me your parlor tricks, Hades," she said.
"Stars have burnt out since last we spoke," he said.
"Not nearly enough. What do you want?"
Hades walked down the table and sat on it beside her. "War is coming. It could prove a boon to both of us."
"You forget, Hades. Unlike you, I do not receive those slain in battle. No doubt Odin will send his Valkyries to pick through the fallen."
"This is true, but with war comes plague and famine, the victims of which you will receive. That is, once the sovereignty of the One has been overthrown.
"Our forebears did it in the past. After we have crushed the rebel kingdom and any who stand with it, the others will gladly turn away from the One and return to us. In time he will be forgotten just as he was in ages past.
"The mortals respect power that is demonstrated. They need to be ruled, not loved."
"You speak much, yet you say nothing. What concern of mine is any of this?"
"I have come to ask you to set aside your differences with Odin and pledge your armies to his cause as I have pledged mine to Zeus."
"Odin?" scoffed Hel. "The very same Odin who so feared my father that he abducted me from my mother's home when I was but a child and cast me into the cold darkness of Niflheim? The one who cast my brother Jormungandr into the ocean and tricked my brother Fenris into allowing himself to be bound with Gleipnir, never to escape? Now he lies buried a mile in the earth with his mouth propped open by a sword so that he may not bite. And what of my father? He languishes, chained to three boulders while a serpent drips venom upon his head."
"It is my understanding that his wife tends to him, catching the venom in a bowl."
Hel's eyes narrowed and it suddenly became so cold in her hall that when she spoke, her breath was visible. "When the bowl fills she must go and empty it. When she does so, the venom spills onto my father's face, burning him. When he writhes in his torment all of Midgard quakes.
"And you would have me simply forget these transgressions?"
"I would have you set them aside for a time," said Hades. "Think about it. While the mortals continue to worship their One, all are his. Meanwhile you languish here while one by one you lose your subjects to Nidhogg, the Corpse Tearer.
"Once we have stamped out the rebellion, the ensuing chaos will see your ranks swell again."
For a long time Hel was silent. She was torn between her long standing loathing for Odin and her desire to broaden her ranks. Finally, she turned to Hades and said, "For now I will pledge only this-I will not lead my armies against the Alliance. Later, perhaps, I might be persuaded to join them, but not now. My hatred is too great."
"That is frankly more than I dared hope for. Think more on it when you are not so much in the grip of your hate. Perhaps there is something which could be offered in return for your allegiance."
"Perhaps, though I doubt very much that Odin would be pleased with any demand I may make."
Hel looked up at him briefly and said, "Would you care to join me at my table? I can have my maidservant Ganglot bring you some refreshments."
Hades glanced at Ganglot whose motion was so slow as to be imperceptible even to the gods save Hel.
"I am afraid that I must decline," he said.
"And what makes you think that you are free to leave?"
Hades froze.
Although he tried not to show it on the surface, the goddess of death could tell that he was suddenly afraid. Hades knew full well that in her realm, as it was in his own, even the gods could not leave without permission.
"Sit down," she said. "Eat with me and let us speak of more pleasant times. And when we have finished our meal, then you will lay with me on my Sick Bed for such is the toll that I demand."
Smiling weakly, Hades was seated and waited for Ganglot, whose name means tardy.
"We had a son," said Hel.
It was all the god of the Underworld could do to retain his composure. "A son? You never sent wor-"
"And you never inquired. I named him Hate. He was a foul, despicable whelp. He took pleasure in torturing the dead. Often he would journey to Midgard where he would turn brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, and parent against child. But he was particularly fond of rending the bonds between lovers.
"He looked very much like you. And he had Odin's arrogance."
"What became of him?"
"I killed him," she said matter-of-factly. "Then I devoured most of his flesh and fed the rest to the dead who came to feast in my hall. Now I am filled with hate and my hatred is their hatred."
Hades was repulsed by what he heard. A son. He had a son and never knew. And to think that a son of his should meet such a horrible fate. He had never imagined that Hel was capable of such cold cruelty, such bitter loathing. Only now did he begin to realize the peril that his own life was in.
"Don't look so troubled, Hades. What's one boy? Surely that wife of yours has whelped several litters for you by now."
"Persephone and I have no children."
"A pity. It would seem that you chose to abduct the wrong girl. But then you only have a third of the year to be with her. Who knows what she may have done during the rest of the year. I doubt that her abduction and rape have done much to endear you to her. Perhaps you have more dead children than you know."
It was almost more than he could bear. The thought of such deception and betrayal burned at him. He wanted to go to Persephone immediately and demand the truth from her.
When they had finished their bitter meal, Hel gripped Hades' hand, the cold of her touch biting deep into his flesh. Leading him to her bed which was called Disease, she laid him down upon her blanket whose name, Blickandiböl, means slander, before she too climbed upon the bed. As she drew the bed curtains behind her, Hades decided that they were aptly named.
They were called Glimmering Misfortune.