It Runs in the Family

March 28, 2021, 9 am - Camelot Park

Good exercise requires sleeping and eating well, but above all, it requires friends to exercise with. That was a mantra that Greta was pretty sure she had heard repeated in a cartoon she watched a lot as a child. It might not be strictly true, but she definitely liked not being alone in her activity. Luckily for her, she wasn’t today.

The sun was rising over Halcyon’s tall buildings and lighting up Camelot Park as two girls crested the hill en route to its luscious greenscapes. Greta wore her Big High gym uniform, red and white, with the big “B” emblazoned on her back. “See? There it is!” She said, pointing right ahead at the park excitedly, smiling at Brenna. “It’s a really pretty place and great for runs.”

Running wasn’t one of Brenna’s favorite activities, but she loved spending time with friends, and she had to admit that this was beautiful. The demigirl was wearing leggings and a PowerUp t-shirt, which Calder had provided when she asked what Midgardians wore for this sort of thing. They also told her she could get more Midgardian clothes if she wanted to dress like a Midgardian, but that was much too daunting of a task for her to undertake herself. However, her clothes weren't what was on her mind right now.

Brenna smiled back at Greta and nodded. “Wow. It’s beautiful. Are...are you sure I’m allowed?”

Greta blinked at the question and gave a nervous smile back, as if the question made her suddenly aware that they weren’t allowed to just go anywhere. “Yeah, of course! It’s a public park. It belongs to everyone, I think? So everyone should be allowed.” She nodded. That reasoning made sense.

“There’s like, some history stuff to the park, but nothing bad involving Asgardians. There was a dragon, but I read on the internet that the dragon was Avalonian. And you’re not a dragon! You’re strong like a dragon, but nobody with good eyes could mistake you for one!” Greta beamed at Brenna and gave a thumbs up. On the one hand she hoped this would allay any fears. On the other hand she hoped that if Brenna could turn into a dragon she would at least tell her.

Brenna still looked a little skeptical. “But...it’s Avalon...although I guess it is also in Halcyon, which should be neutral ground...although the Knights are pretty protective of it…” Brenna shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t mean to question you. I believe you. Lead the way.” Brenna gestured out toward the park.

The bracelet was vibrating on Brenna’s wrist, clearly wanting to tell her something. There was no need to bring it out, though, or let the past Thors talk. It was definitely something about Avalon and smiting and past wars that she didn’t need to hear. She could imagine it well enough.

“Hey, it’s okay that you’re a little worried. I think I understand? But if any Knights show up, they’re going to have to deal with me first.” Greta nodded, awkwardly gave another thumbs up, and then led the way toward the park. She was hoping there wouldn’t be any Knights there, though if there were going to be any, she hoped it would be Lancelot the Younger.

Camelot Park had several entrances. The one Greta led them to had rows of flowers on either side, forming a carpet of blues, purples, reds and yellows. Ahead of them was a statue of King Arthur, next to a giant rock. Greta took in a deep breath and made a happy noise at the smell of the flowers that permeated the air. “I love parks in spring.”

Greta was a good fighter, but Brenna didn’t really think that Greta could hold off a group of Knights. Still, she tried to push away her worries about Avalon. It’s not like they were actually *in* Avalon. It was a park. And a very lovely one. It was a lovely day in a lovely place with a lovely friend. Those were the important parts. But still, she kept a wary eye on the statue as they ran past, just in case.

“It’s really pretty,” Brenna agreed. “It reminds me a bit of Vanaheim, though much more...cultivated? Springtime is wonderful. Everything feels so alive. I’m very ready for it to be warm again. Although,” Brenna grimaced a little, “I don’t know what I’ll do when it’s too warm for my wool dresses. They’re already a bit too warm.”

Greta slowed down to have an easier time talking to Brenna and admiring the flowers. She pointed out a patch of blue and yellow flowers that a gardener clearly had carefully planted to make a smiley face. She frowned a little bit, looking curious--or concerned?--at the idea of wearing wool dresses in the middle of the summer. “Do you have any non-wool dresses? Or any non-dresses? Or are those all still in Asgard?”

She looked thoughtful, trying to imagine Brenna in a variety of wool dresses, and then herself in a variety of the same wool dresses that were clearly too long for her. She shook her head to get the thought out of her head. She hadn’t gotten any dresses since her mom left, except the one she wore to prom.

“I mostly just have dresses. I like them. But yeah, they’re still in Asgard. I uh, left in a bit of a hurry…” Brenna trailed off. “I don’t think I’m ready to face my family enough to go get my stuff, and Midgardian fashion is...a lot. I don’t have any idea about where to even start.”

“Oh yeah, fashion shows get all big and weird and impractical and I don’t know how anyone who doesn’t have a specific body type and is filthy rich could ever wear that and I only realize now that I am saying that out loud that you probably just meant, like, casual streetwear clothes.” Greta tried to laugh off the awkwardness of the realization. “If you need a place to start though… would you, uh, would you like my help? I am not super up to date with all the latest trends--that’s more CamCam and Jemma’s deal--but I’ve got some money saved up and I know what looks good on a person! That’s one thing I learned from studying superheroes for years: learning what fits and what doesn’t. Do you think you’d like tank tops?”

“Yeah, I just meant regular clothes. Everyone always looks so different and I’ve seen a mall and there are like, fifty stores in there? It’s overwhelming.” Brenna paused to consider Greta’s offer. “Um...I mean, I’d love help. But do you want to do that? It seems like it’d take a long time...As for tank tops, I don’t have many sleeveless things. They weren’t practical in the forge. But if you think they’d look nice, I’ll try them?”

“Yeah! No problem!” Greta said, perhaps a little too enthusiastic about helping out her friend. “It doesn’t need to take long. Like, when I went shopping with my mom years ago, we would usually just make it a girls day out together, a one day thing, but then at the end of the day it would be done! And I would have new clothes to wear for a while. I’d be happy to do that with you too. I think you’d look great in tank tops! You have like, hella good shoulders for them. Also you can try on the clothes before you buy them too, so you can try tank tops and we won’t have to spend money if you don’t like them! We can get you a nice flannel, some shirts, pants, summer dresses… whatever you like!”

In her mind, at every article of clothing Greta mentioned, she already could hear the “ka-ching” of a cash register as she calculated how much things would cost at the clothing stores she’d been to at the SuperUltraMegaMan Mall. She made a mental note to avoid Hot Topic, with a Samantha-shaped warning sign.

Brenna wasn’t quite sure how to take the compliment about her shoulders. She’d never really thought about them before. Summer dresses sounded nice. She’d have to ask Calder about Midgardian money again. “That sounds like fun. I don’t have a mom so I’ve never had a girls day like that. I mean, I've got three sisters but I couldn't imagine doing that kind of thing with them. Gala would love it, but I can't imagine liking any clothes she picked out for me. She's very flashy.”

“Sounds like she’d like my mom then. Or Jemma. I can’t go shopping with Jemma again, her taste is too bubblegum princess for me.” Greta sighed at the memory of seeing herself in the mirror. “Never again. I like being flashy for like, superhero purposes, but I want to have control over when a lot of people pay attention to me, y’know? Then again, I can’t afford the really cool stuff either anyway. Did you know a good bomber jacket like the one O’Connell wore in The Mummy costs like SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS? Ugh. Still, there are some really good affordable places at the SuperUltraMegaMan Mall. I know one with great hoodies! We can have ourselves a girl-and-demigirl’s day out! Um, if you like.”

Brenna nodded like she understood the value of seven hundred dollars. It must be a lot for a jacket. “I get not wanting to be in the spotlight. I hated events where I had to go as Thor’s kid. Especially next to Hildr and Elli, it’s hard not to compare myself to them, and I imagine everyone else was as well. My anxiety was always pretty bad with that kind of pressure. Dad and Hildr were usually pretty good at helping me with that and getting me out when things got bad, but still. The day Father passed on the mantle-” Brenna hesitated, remembering that Greta didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to be Thor, “well, it was a bad time for me even before the magic started.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “But yeah! I’d love to do a shopping trip with you. I’ll ask Calder about Midgardian money.”

Greta smiled at Brenna. “Sounds good! And hey… I just want you to know that, like, I don’t want you to ever feel pressured around me. You’re a good friend and I want my friends to have a good time. Consider me the anti-magic to your mantle, whenever you need to not be Thor for a bit.” Greta gave a wink with her right eye, and briefly her left purple eye seemed to shine a little.

Brenna tilted her head a bit, completely at a loss about what that last part was supposed to mean. “Um, thank you? And don’t worry, I don’t feel pressured around you. You’re also a good friend.”

Brenna decided that the parts about anti-magic must be metaphorical. That Greta meant Brenna didn’t need to feel like she had to perform being Thor or feel the pressure of it around her. It didn’t really work like that, but she appreciated it nonetheless. It did make her wonder if anti-magic would work on the mantle, and decided that was a worry for another day.

Greta’s smile only got bigger upon Brenna calling her a good friend. It distracted her for a moment from thinking about her mom, but those thoughts swiftly returned with a fading of her smile. “Y’know, speaking of moms and dads…” she paused for a moment, made a vague gesture, and continued. “Mom and dads, rather. It was a little weird running into my mom at that restaurant. I hadn’t seen her in so long, and I… I really didn’t expect the first time I’d meet her again would be while doing superhero stuff and finding bombs in some sick game.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, that day was a lot.”

Brenna nodded, mentally grimacing as she remembered calling Greta’s mom pretty before finding out that she was Greta’s mom. “It was a lot. But I imagine it was a lot more for you. I don’t know what your relationship with her is like, but based on what you just said...how are you doing? After seeing her so suddenly.”

“I’m… fine? It’s… our relationship always seemed good, I think. Well, until the divorce. Around that time my parents fought a lot and it got pretty nasty. I don’t want to think of my parents that way. I don’t want them to be like that again. It’s…” Greta’s voice started to tremble a little. “It’s just hard, y’know? Being a family for so long and then suddenly not being a family, but you gotta keep going, because life keeps going, and you’re supporting your dad and your brother and they support you and you all love each other, but there’s still so much you can’t do and so much… so much…” She gestured with her hands as she gave a shrug, not really finding the right words for it. “It’s just a lot, y’know?”

Brenna put a hand on Greta’s shoulder and brought them both to a stop. She pulled Greta into a hug. “I don’t know. Not even a little. My family hasn’t been through anything like that, the closest would be Father almost dying a few months ago and me running away. But that sounds really rough and I’m sorry and I’m here for you if you want to talk about it.”

Greta froze at being stopped and hugged, but when she realized what was happening, she melted. She brought up her arms and held tightly, trembling slightly, fighting tears. Sometimes you only realize how much you’ve been holding back when you stop to really think about it, and Greta hadn’t thought about the rest of her family in a very long time. “Thank you. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

It took her a few moments, a few deep breaths, and the comfort of the hug for Greta to feel like the worst had passed. “I’m… I’m okay. I… yes, it’s been rough and I’d like to talk about it with you, if you… I mean, we don’t have to do this now, if you prefer somewhere more quiet later.”

Greta needn’t have worried. The park seemed to be mostly devoid of other people this early morning.

"We can do it now or later. It's up to you. Here's quiet, but later we can make some hot chocolate if that'll help. Grandma always thought that any problem that can't be solved with punching can be solved with hot chocolate." Brenna gave Greta a little squeeze.

Greta gave a little sniffle, perking up at the suggestion. “Hot chocolate sounds good.” She gave a hesitant smile at the squeeze. “Thanks, Brenna.” She said, giving a squeeze back before easing up on the hug so she could rub at her eyes. She gave an awkward laugh at the moment. “Sorry you had to discover this way that I’m a mess. Couldn’t even wait until after we’re out of the park.”

"I think everyone is at least a bit of a mess. Some people are just better at hiding it than others." Brenna gave Greta a comforting smile, then rubbed her bracelet nervously. "And you know, I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough around me to be a mess. We haven't known each other that long, but I want you to know you can trust me, and I'm here to listen anytime you need."

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Greta hesitant smile made way for a full one. “You’re just generally good vibes to be around, y’know? Like… like a bunch of cats. Um. Do you wanna sit down and talk? We had a good run to the park already, we deserve a break.” Greta gestured in the direction of a park bench that stood just off the path, shaded partially by an ash tree and overlooking the water.

Brenna grinned at being compared to a bunch of cats. It made her think about whenever she got to visit Freya's back on Asgard. "Yeah, sitting and talking sounds nice."

The two headed over and sat on the bench. Brenna looked up at the tree and thought of Yggdrasil, which was also an ash tree, but quickly pulled her thoughts away from home and back to the present. "So, your mom?"

“Yeah…she’s pretty, huh?” Greta began, trying to seem lighthearted. She paused, her expression shifting to more sad contemplation. “It’s been so long, but she seems to be doing better than…than when she was with us. Like yeah, she and dad had arguments sometimes, but they also super clearly loved each other so much, y’know? But then the arguments got worse and the love less clear and it kept going like that until it stopped. It stopped because my mom left. It made things very difficult and tense at home for a while and middle school was already rough before the other kids found out about what happened.”

She stared out over the water. Her shoulders slumped, uncharacteristically for Greta. She fidgeted absent-mindedly with a small ring on her left pinky finger, a dark silver band engraved with a vine pattern and with a small red stone set amid silver leaves, like a tiny rose.

Brenna was a bit out of her depth here. She wasn't sure what a middle school was, or if there was anything she could say to make Greta feel better. So she just put a hand on Greta's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sorry. That sounds really rough."

“Thanks.” Greta didn’t know how else to respond, but she really appreciated Brenna trying to comfort her. “I really appreciate it. It was rough, but now it’s not as much. Like, it’s differently rough, but I’m also much better equipped to handle it. I’ve got more friends,” she smiled at Brenna, “and there was some music that helped me through things, and I’m wiser and stronger.” She raised her arm and flexed in front of Brenna.

Call her a stereotype, but Brenna found cute girls flexing to be distracting. So it took her a bit longer than it normally would for her to pull herself together and formulate an actual response. “Yeah, you are strong.” Brenna cleared her throat in embarrassment. “Um, I mean, not just physically. You’ve been through a lot and you are still positive and confident. And that’s even more impressive.”

It was definitely the fact that the sun was rising higher and shining down on her that she was feeling hot and her face flushed. Greta couldn’t think of any other reasons. Greta couldn’t think. She had said before that she sometimes spoke without thinking. This time, that was an ability that served her well. “Uh, yeah, th-thanks. I’m very impressed. Impressive. With you too… Um. Y’know, the big thing about being strong is that you can lift a lot! Even like, non-physically.” She leaned back on the bench and put down her arm on the backrest. “As your friend, I am sworn to carry your burdens. Can I ask you about them? I mean, can I ask you about what troubles you, too? I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about my own problems and I just want to, like, open the floor to you if you’re okay sharing too.”

One of Brenna’s braids (she had her hair in two plaits today, for simplicity) had fallen over her shoulder, and she started fiddling with it as Greta gave her the opening to talk about her own problems. “I uh, I did mention running away earlier, huh? I uh, if you want to hear about it, I can. No one really knows here except for Calder and Beatrice, and Beatrice only because something happened with the hammer and she found out part of it. It’s just...family stuff and expectations, and this,” she held up her arm with the bracelet. “It’s not that I don’t trust you to know, it’s just…” Brenna looked out over the water, trying to figure out a way to describe it, and settled on, “Complicated.”

“Well, if it helps, I’m a simple girl.” Greta made a gesture at herself. Her expression was soft. Her cheeks were still warm and red. A simple girl indeed. “I like making things less complicated. My stuff with my mom? Complicated. Thinking? Complicated. Talking to a friend? Not complicated. But…” She scooted a little closer on the bench and leaned forward, as if trying to get around Brenna’s braid and into her view. She gave a smile. “I understand if you need some time to think about it. Don’t worry. I’ve got time. Maybe if you talk me through it, it will help you talk yourself through it and make it less complicated?”

Brenna smiled a little as Greta leaned forward. It was cute. She looked at her friend for a moment, gauging her sincerity. Not that she doubted what Greta said, but sometimes it’s hard to believe people when they offer to listen. Sighing, Brenna let her braid go and leaned back. “So um. I guess the place to start is that I’m not supposed to be Thor. My sister Elli is. But during the ceremony where my Father was passing the mantle onto her, something went wrong, and it went to me instead. In front of everyone. Passing a mantle is a big deal, so nearly everyone in Asgard was there. Everyone saw me get the mantle instead of her. So I ran away from the ceremony, and I ran away from Asgard, and to Calder here in Halcyon. I don’t want to imagine the gossip and scandal that’s going on there right now. I’ve never heard of a mantle getting passed to the wrong person before. But I’m going to have to go back at some point. I’ve got to be Thor. There are things I need to do, but I’m here, hiding. From my dads, from my sisters, from Odin, from my duties. Although Odin knows where I am now, so who knows how much longer I’ll be able to stay. So um, yeah. That’s the short version.” Brenna glanced over to see how Greta was taking all of that, nervous that she’d said too much at once.

Greta did not once take her eyes off Brenna, at worst letting them wander so that she wasn’t trying to stare into her eyes super intensely the whole time. When Brenna finished, she nodded solemnly. “I see. That sounds like a lot too.” She reached over to pat Brenna on her back, but while Greta’s voice sounded calm and comforting, her face was slowly twisting as she was struggling internally, until finally a sob escaped her. “I’m so sorry Brenna! You’ve been dealing with that this whole time? That sounds so hard! Nobody should have to deal with that on their own! I don’t know how mantles or Thors work, but if you need me to come up with a magic ritual to, like, make you not-Thor and someone else Thor, I will research it! Or or or… if you need help hiding, I’ve hidden a LOT of things in my life and I’ve watched a TON of movies where people hid things or even people for years!”

The crying took Brenna completely off guard. What were you supposed to do with a crying person? When they were crying about *your* issues??? She held up her hands, palms facing Greta, a mix between defensive and consoling. “Hey, um, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything. There’s magic already that does that, but there’s no one to give the mantle to. And hiding won’t do any good, Odin already knows where I am. Um. Thank you, for offering though. That’s super nice.”

Greta sniffled and wiped at her face. “Gosh, I am SO sorry. I’m supposed to be comforting you in this, not you me!” She fished a packet of paper tissues and wiped at her tears, then her nose. She mentally berated herself for breaking down. She had managed to hold herself together all this time when it was about her mom, but right when she was supposed to be helping her friend, she drew all the attention back on herself? So selfish.

She inhaled deeply, trying to remember Brazen Buffalo’s breathing techniques. “I’m glad that you’ve got magic that can do that though. Why is there nobody to give the mantle to though? Wait, that’s probably, like, an Asgard secret. You don’t have to tell me. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Brenna gave an awkward *pat pat* on Greta’s shoulder as she wiped her eyes. “Um, it’s just that you need training to get the mantle. Elli is the only one who’s been trained, and I don’t think anyone wants to find out what would happen if we tried to force it to go to her. Like, believe it or not, not many people want to take the mantles. It’s dangerous, and takes a lot of time and effort. Your life is the mantle. So if I tried to pass it on without a recipient…” Brenna shrugged. “I don’t want to know what would happen. Best case scenario is that nothing would happen. But it could latch onto the next closest person, or someone horrible, or there could just be...no Thor. And I don’t want to know what the repercussions of that would be.”

“Hmmmm…has this happened before? Like, the mantle going to someone unexpected?” Greta asked. “Like, if it can go to the next closest person or someone horrible even, it sounds like you have some ideas of what could happen, so like… maybe you could ask your grandma about it?” She pointed at the bracelet. She still didn’t quite understand how the hammer was Brenna’s grandmother, but she thought it was rude to ask. Like the famous documentary Mean Girls said: *you don’t just ask people why their grandma is a hammer*.

Brenna shook her head. "I've never heard of anything like this happening before. I'm just guessing. Dad would say I'm worrying. I mean, there's no way that someone hasn't died while wearing the mantle, but I've never heard anyone say anything about it. It's not something that's talked about, you know?" Brenna looked down at Mjolnir in bracelet form. "Asking them is a good idea though…"

After a moment of just staring at it, Brenna opened up the mental line of communication. Instantly, she was bombarded with multiple voices chewing her out for being on Avalonian property. She caught some things about destroying things, getting out of there, claiming it for Asgard, and much more that was lost in the jumble. She grimaced and waited for the din to subside, but the past Thors were all talking over each other. After about a minute, she cut off the line of communication and sighed.

"They're too busy freaking out about me being in an Avalonian park to answer any questions today."

“Ah, yeah, grandparents can be like that sometimes.” Greta mirrored Brenna’s grimace. “Oh, but your grandma’s pronouns are they/them? Just making sure. I hope I haven’t, like, been misgendering them.”

Brenna shook her head. “No you’ve been right, Grandma uses she/her. But all the past Thors in here are yelling at me, not just her.”

Greta sits still for a few moments, processing what Brenna said. “ALL the past Thors?” She stared at the bracelet. So, the bracelet, which was a hammer, which was Brenna’s grandma, wasn’t just Brenna’s grandma, it was a whole bunch of other people who had also been Thor. That was a lot to process. “How many Thors have there been? You said you were hiding from your dads, is your Thor-dad in there too?”

“I don’t know exactly how many there are. They haven’t like, lined up and introduced themselves. Grandma tends to be the one who talks to me. But yeah, an imprint of all the past Thors are in here,” Brenna held up the arm with the bracelet to emphasize. “But only after they die. So my father isn’t in it. That would be incredibly awkward. I don’t even want an imprint of him having access to my head.”

“Ohhh nononono,” Greta agreed, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t want that either. I wish your dad a very long and prosperous life, for many reasons, that being just one of them. I don’t think I’d want to have my dad in my head. Or my mom.”

She fell silent after saying that, turning her gaze back out over the water and the flowers of the park. Greta heaved a sigh. “I guess maybe I wouldn’t have minded an imprint of my mom to talk to, like, before? But now I can talk to her for real and that’s good, though it’s scary. It’s scary to talk to people about your feelings, even if they are your parent and are supposed to want the best for you.”

Brenna patted Greta’s shoulder again. “Talking about feelings is hard, especially with parents. But I’m glad she’s around again, so you can talk to her.” Brenna looked out over the water, and added quietly, “Feelings are hard.”

Greta gave a sideways look at Brenna and smiled. Talking about feelings was hard, but she was glad that someone else did understand the underlying thoughts and meanings. It made her feel less alone in her struggles. It made her feel less alone in general. She nodded, and also looked back out over the water. “Feelings are hard.”

They sat like that for a few quiet moments, only interrupted by the singing of birds in the trees. Later that day they would go out shopping for Midgardian clothes and get some hot chocolate (as was tradition), but for a while they just sat there, quietly thinking and enjoying each other’s company.