Let's Talk... Lowkey

"Let's Talk... Lowkey" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on February 7, 2021.
== Full Text ==
Grey Bergman: One of the skills that the Chief of Haligan Island had mastered over the years was the ability to look absolutely calm during what was clearly a dire situation. Being mother also helped with perfecting this skill as well as working with King Haddock. Nevertheless, as soon as she realized the guest who crashed through her roof was the Goddess of Helheim and listened to her explanation, she knew it was not good news. Not wanting Lila to feel like she was pushed aside, she knew the Commander would want to be kept in the loop. 
So, the next morning-Sven’s 18th birthday-she got up before dawn, whispered goodbye to her husband and children as they continued to sleep and woke up Shadow as she ran out the door. As much as she hated leaving on her son’s birthday, she knew this needed to be done and promised to return later. One of the Nixes transported them to the Jaw within minutes, and as soon as they arrived, she immediately went to find her niece. The less people who knew…the better.
Lila Ericson: Lila had been up a few hours by the time Grey arrived. It took a few minutes but eventually she found her doing morning drills. She noticed her aunt but wanted to finish her set as she was nearly done. It was only another minute or two before she put the training sword aside and grabbed a towel, starting to wipe herself off. “Aunt Grey.” She said with a smile as she wrapped her towel around her neck.
“I’m happy to see you but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.” She says before snapping her finger. “Oh it’s Sven’s birthday today isn’t. I’m sorry I can’t be there, but give him my love. I’ll try to see about a late gift when I have time.”
Grey: “Oh, don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” she said with a smile and a wave. “He understands why, and I know he’ll appreciate your well-wishes. That’s…uhhh…that’s not…entirely why I’m here…I need to talk to you…privately.”
Lila: She raised one eyebrow. “Um, yeah sure come with me.” Grey wasn’t usually one for intentionally secret meetings. It had her curious to say the least… And worried.
They arrived at the house Lila had claimed for her own. The prior owner having been beheaded weeks prior. She slung the towel over the back of her chair as she took a seat gesturing for Grey to do the same. “So, what’s so important we needed to speak privately?”
Grey: “Well…umm…something happened last night on Haligan Island,” she began as she sat down across from her niece. “The family is okay, everyone is okay, but while we were eating dinner last night, ummm…we had a surprise guest crash in…literally…through the roof.”
Lila: Worry courses through her as she’s being vague. No details yet, and it sets her hairs on end. Hearing about someone crash through the roof of the chief made her fists clench. It was something only one of the factions would try. “Aunt Grey, you’re freaking me out, can you just cut to the chase?” She asks.
Grey: “Right, sorry,” Grey said clearing her throat. “I…just don’t know if you’ll believe it because I’m not sure I would. Umm…the Goddess of Helheim herself crashed through the roof. Only…she didn’t look like how I last saw her.” She took a piece of parchment out of her pocket and showed her a drawing she made of Hel’s…current condition.
Lila: Lila blinked, looked down at the drawing that was placed on the table, blinked again, and looked back up. “Are you shitting me?”
Grey: “I really wish I was,” Grey said simply. 
Lila: She looked down at the paper again. She looked absolutely ridiculous. “How the fuck does something like this even happen?!” She exclaims.
Grey: “From what I can understand…she made this bet with another god and…lost,” Grey said, “which resulted…in…whatever this is. She doesn’t have any of her powers and was completely beside herself.”
Lila: Lila leaned back and sighed as she ran both hands over her face. This was too much for her. “Where is she now? I imagine I should probably go talk to her.” She asked.
Grey: “She’s back at my house,” Grey said. “We’re keeping her there until she can figure out a way to fix it, but…I need you to keep this a secret and tell who you feel absolutely needs to know. We don’t need to cause a panic, but I feel this could have some consequences.”
Lila: She nods. “I’ll only tell Jari and Kettil. I want to make sure she’s healthy… Or at least as healthy as a god turned mortal can be at least. And maybe Jari can figure out how help get her back to normal.” She sighs as she looks down at the picture once more. “She looks like a frog.”
Grey: “Don’t let her hear you say that,” Grey said with a small smile. “Chances are you’ll have water coming out of every spot in your body when she changes back.”
Lila: Lila hummed. She remembered hearing about that. It was a dark spot on the Goddess’ reputation. Thankfully it wasn’t a common occurrence for her otherwise their fate might have been much different. “Anyways I’ll go get ready and gather the twins and we can head out.”
Grey: “Excellent,” Grey said. “Shadow and I will wait for you guys.”
Lila: It was about 20 minutes before the three were together again. Kettil was his usual subdued self whereas Jari was practically vibrating in excitement. Few had spoken to Hel since the events of Ragnarok and now she was in mortal form! It was certainly going to be a historic occasion, at least for Jari. “Alright, let’s head out.” Lila said.
Grey: The Chief nodded to the Nix, and the Nix created the portal allowing them to step through. Grey and Shadow stepped through the portal first returning home within minutes with Lila, Jari, and Kettil close behind. 
Lila stepped through and followed Grey to her house where Hel had been staying. They all couldn't help but notice the big hole on her roof adding to the credibility of her story.
Grey: The Chief turned to her nieces and nephew and noticed that they saw the big hole in the roof of their house. She and Brandt covered it with a blanket last night, but the hole was still visible to people outside. She made a mental note to help Brandt fix it later. 
“Uncle Brandt should be awake too,” Grey said as she opened the front door. Sure enough, they found Hel under some blankets. 
Hel: With a groggy strain in the back of her throat, Hel lifted her head from the blankets. “Oh...” She said as she blinked headily. “Hey Lila...” 
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Lila did not know this woman but she clearly knew her. Not a good sign. "Shit." She murmured.
Meanwhile Kettil went in to full doctor mode, seeing as she didn't seem well. He came up and bent down next her, setting his medical bag to the side. "You don't seem well. Do you mind if I examine you...um..." He struggled to find a way to address her. "Your holiness?" He tried.
Hel: Hel grumbled as she pulled herself up, and spread her hands a little. It was clear that sleeping and eating in order to live was doing a number on her. “Go ahead.” She permitted. 
Upon giving Hel a checkup, Kettil made the unusual discovery that Hel had no sign of injury. Despite being mortal and crashing through the roof, she had no scratches, and the bruise on her chin that had apparently been there the day before, was no longer visible.  
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Kettil put all his stuff away and smiled, thanking her for the opportunity and coming back over to Lila. "She, fine, surprisingly."
Her brow furrows. "Now what do you mean by that?" She asks.
"I mean she fell from the sky and through Aunt Grey's ceiling and there isn't a scratch on her. Or at least, there isn't anymore. I don't think she's fully mortal. At the very least she's retained her healing ability and durability. I don't know many who would have survived the tumble she took."
The commander hums and nod. "Thanks Kettil." She comes over and sits on the floor across from Hel. "So what exactly happened?" She asks. "I know Aunt Grey said something about a bet, but I'd like specifics if that's possible."
Hel: Hel checked herself over at Kettil’s words, and her eyes flickered in thought.
When did that happen?
She shook her head as she faced Lila again. The deity processed her question, opened her mouth, paused for a long moment, and then attempted the same story she had told last night. “I made a bet, with a god well beyond this galaxy, to gain a token of his power. I didn’t...exactly...win...and so now here I am.” 
Hel folded her arms, and began to pace, eager to move onto a new subject. “But if Frigga sees me like this we are all toast. So we need to get our resources and brains together, pull a usual ‘grounded dungeon’ rebels defy all the odds’ number, and get, me, back, to, my, self.” 
Lila: Lila blinked a few times as a lot of info was dumped on her. "Wait, ok, hold on. Frigga? I thought she had been defeated during ragnarok. And even if she wasn't what does she even want? Besides dominion over the earth I suppose."
Hel: Hel groaned as she rubbed her brow. “Yeah...I mentioned this last night but it’s worth giving more details. Frigga was ‘defeated.’ As in her power was fractured and she was forced into hiding. But the amount of energy output required to actually ‘kill’ a god is beyond tremendous. Even when I quote unquote ‘killed one’ it was more of an utter defeat of their physical form, and then the absorption of their essence. Even when Baldur was famously ‘killed’ he was more or less just trapped in helhium.” She tapped her chin. “Kinda like the difference between cutting down a tree and it’s branches with a handsaw...verses trying to reduce every inch of it to sawdust with that same saw and nothing else.”
Hel pressed her fingers together. “As for what Frigga wants. She wants to be a total bitch! I told her a bit ago to do whatever the fuck she wanted, but just leave humans out of it. She’s honored that so far. But I doubt it’ll last a second if she finds me like this.”   
Lila: Lila crossed her arms as she hears this. "She's going after humans? Why? Like what does that get her? A worship base maybe? But what would that even get her?" She said confused.
Hel: “Probably to restore her power, give her a fiendish delight.” Hel sighed as she waved a hand. “It was before your time when she was screwing all kinds of things up during Ragnarok, but suffice it to say that my grandma fucking sucks.”
She then stepped forward as she pressed her hands together. “But that’s not what’s important. What’s important, is we find a way to get me back to normal. You and Grey run this operation. You have the best pool of resources that I conveniently can’t remember. You’ve got to find something.” She paused, and then glanced at Kettle. “Hold on said I still have some of my abilities?” 
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Kettil shrugs. "I mean I can't be completely certain but you fell through the roof with enough force to bust a hole through it and you're perfectly fine based on my examination."
"Before we can help you I need to know more about this bet. What were the terms and what were the steaks?" Lila asks.
Hel: “Now that I think about it...my bruise and arm scrapes did vanish halfway through my conversation with Grey...I remember feeling different, I just have to remember exactly when, and what I was doing.” Hel went on, as if she didn’t even realize Lila had asked a completely different question.
Lila/Kettil/Jari: "Hey." She said snapping her fingers. "Hey focus up. The terms and the steaks." Lila crossed her arms.
"Hold on." Jari said stepping forward. "Maybe it's not innate and something she can control. Let her walk back through that moment."
Hel: Hel snapped her fingers in a Z shaped pattern. "Snap, snap, snap, yeesh you are like your dad." The deity made a hair tossing motion as she paced across the room. The movement almost looked like a retreat. "The terms don't matter now. The result was this, and this is what we have to fix."
Lila/Kettil/Jari: "It all matters, Hel." Lila said as she stood, towering over the former goddess. She couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as she was compared to Greg.
"The more information we have about the bet the better the chance that we will be able to reverse it." If Lila was being honest she was starting to get frustrated at her. She had to wonder if this is what she was like during ragnarok. Her father hadn't mentioned this attitude when teaching his children about her.
Hel: Hel’s lips pressed together tightly as she set her eyes right back at Lila. The deity appeared to be weighing her options. She lifted a finder as she circled it a little. “I don’t like your posture...but I can’t read your mind anymore so I’m just going to assume you got up to stretch your back.”
Hel folded her arms, and looked away with a lofty tilt of her head. “The deity I spoke with was very old, and very wise. We...” A pause for thought. “They said I had a lot to learn and I...agreed...just...” Even more thought. “Not in the way that he wagered. He thought I’d lose my temper, and...I...” 
There was a very long pause, and then Hel sniffed once.
“Well then I did a little bit and that was it all it took.” 
Lila: She scowls at that. She was trying to very hard to respectful to the (former(?)) goddess, but she was making it very difficult. "Listen. I want to help you. You've done more for us mortals than any of your kin and it would would an honor to return the favor but you're giving me nothing to work with here. If you want our help you're going to need to be more forthcoming." She said firmly.
Hel: Hel’s fingers curled tightly into themselves as she began to bounced in placed. Her throat expanded a little as if the words had built up the pressure of a sealed up furnace. With a strained exhale, she ground out her words.
“I…became angered…by Central…I had given them the same courtesy I had given to all others. The abilities to learn, reap what they sew, make changes. I saw what Darien did for his own soul, and it pleased me. I wanted to see more…” 
Her lips trembled a little. “But even after they lost everything due to their wickedness time and time again…they just wouldn’t stop. They hung on to what they knew wasn’t just wrong, but inexcusably so. And so I…”
Hel’s finger gripped at her chest, elements of horror, realization, guilt danced behind her eyes, her tone now one of disbelief above frustration. “I…I called it ‘taking’…or ‘storage’ but I…I tried to kill them…”
"And so he turned you into this." She gestures to her new form. "If I'm honest it sounds like we're out of luck then. If this was done to you by another god, one even stronger than you, then there's no hope that a mortal could fix it. It would require power beyond what even the most powerful demon possesses."
Hel: Hel’s hands were held to her mouth at this point, her eyes wide as Lilia’s words garbled in her ears as if they had come from under water. Her heart hammered in her chest and a cold sweat broke out over her brow. Guilt tore at her like a savage animal. She had said enough. She had told enough of the truth that they accepted it.
But they didn’t...know...
“It was the children.” Hel blurted out. 
Lila: The Half-Breed's brow furrowed. She had an inkling of what she meant but wanted to be sure. "The children? What the you are you talking about Hel?"
Hel: “I couldn’t...” Hel barely whispered. “I couldn’t watch another generation of souls rot like that...And I could see it all...with nothing left to their name, Central would simply try and breed as many hatful people as they could...I couldn’t stomach the idea of more souls being poisoned like that in such a industrial way. And I was angry, and wanted to show those caretakers that if they intended to raise their children as tools and weapons to be raised against others, then they wouldn’t have them at all.”
Hel turned to Lilia and the others. “I was going to hold them, until they could be born into a place that was safer for their souls.” She blinked several times. “But for some reason...in this body...I see why that’s...wrong...” 
Lila: "It's easier to see the forest for the trees when you aren't towering above them." Lila said. She sighed as she heard what she wanted to do. She could understand the rational but the execution of that plan was... Atrocious, to say the least.
Hel: “Yeah...” Hel breathed, and then slowly fell back on her rump.
She sat on the floor in a daze. “Then...” She looked at her hands. “In a way...this was a good thing...I almost...did the very thing I swore to protect you from.” 
It was at that moment that something changed again. A little more color came to Hel’s form, as if the dull complexion of  mortality had been polished away a little. 
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Jari noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "Hmmmm..." She comes up right in front of Hel and pulls out a magnifying glass. She grabs Hel's arm and holds it up real close to the glass and examined it. "Has your skin tone been this bright the whole time you've been mortal?" She asked as she glanced up at her.
Hel: “No, it’s been calmly and pale.” Hel said moodily. “But that’s what happens apparently when you fall through a roof as a mortal for the first time in millennium.”  
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Jari hums as she puts the tool back in her bag. "I don't think that's it." She said. "This is only a rough hypothesis but it seemed to become brighter after your moral revelation. Perhaps in time it'll get brighter as you have more of them." She took a step back and shrugged. "Like I said it's only a hypothesis but it seems the best one currently."
Hel: Hel paused, and then scoffed. “Ugh...he would do something like that. You’re right it makes sense.” She rolled her neck. “I did feel a change last night too...and I think it was because I apologized to Grey...”
Hel stood up. “So I have to make things right then? I need to confront my mistakes to the mortals I committed them against, that’ll get my powers back, and I can be back in action to keep Frigga from doing something stupid....Right?”  
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Jari shrugs again. "Like I said, it's only a hypothesis and I can't guarantee you'll get your powers back by the end of it. But yeah maybe."
"I doubt you'll be able to do that from the comfort of the floor under the table though." Lila said.
Hel: “Hm...right...” Hel mused. “But I can’t exactly force everyone to hike over here. I’ll need a disguise, and an escort so I don’t get lost.”
Lila/Kettil/Jari: "Ooo! Ooo me! Me me me me me!" Jari said eagerly as she raises her hand and waves it back and forth.
Lila turns from her hyperactive sister chuckling. "As for the disguise... Would she even recognize you as you are?"
Hel: “I might be in a mortal form. But this color pattern and whale, frog, whatever you want to call it, complexion speaks for itself.” Hel explained. “She’ll see me, run a ping on my power status, see that it’s a mess, and doubtless take action.”
She turned to Jari as she held out a hand. “It would be a pleasure for you to accompany me...I...I think I know who I need to speak to first...” 
Lila/Kettil/Jari: Jari giggles excitedly. "Awesome. I think I might have a magical cloak in my workshop here that could help."
"Wait hold on." Lila said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Frigga's a god, and still has the perception of a god no? Wouldn't she already know?"
Hel: “Yes.” Hel said seriously. “Honestly, inside, outside, whatever. She could potentially locate me at any second. The only advantage we have is that she’s not expecting me to be in a mortal form. A disguise won’t do much, but it’s better than me just prancing around. Her eye is always roaming over this place. So we have limited time. I need to get my powers back, return to normal, and when I do, she’ll back off.”  
Lila: "While you're doing that we should head back to the Jaw and tell your agents no?" Lila asked, her strategist mind always at work.
Hel: “Uuugh...” Hel fidgeted. “Can you actually pass this on to Akkey for me? That way she can...maybe do damage control.”
And also not have to see me! 
Lila/Kettil/Jari: She nods. “Yeah no problem. Hopefully she’s there. Worst case scenario we can get a portal from the Jaw to Yrus.” She said as Jari took Hel by the hand.
“Alright, let’s get ready for adventure!” The middle sibling declared as she held a fist up excitedly.