TITLE: A Saucer Full of Secrets 4/13 SERIES: Dark Side of the Rainbow Bridge AUTHOR: Raven4 ( arcadian13_2000@... ) ARCHIVE: Feel free, but I wanna know where FANDOM: X:WP, H:TLC PAIRING: Hercules/Iolus, Strife/Cupid, Ares/Joxer RATING: PG-13 (mild nudity) OC, POV WARNINGS: 1. DeadStrife tm (thanks a lot script writers) 2. Slight angst ahead. Some chapters will be all humor and some will be very angsty, but I promise to try and make them all be good. 3. She's not Mary Sue; she's my goddess. DISCLAIMER: Actual Gods and Monsters are public domain. So there! Herc and Xena Original characters (Joxer, Strife, etc.) belong to Ren Pics and Flat Earth Prods. Translation; We can dream, but hands off, dammit! NOTES: For those of you that don't know, Njord was the Norse god of the North, father of the twins Freya and Frey. Jord Njordson was the goddess formerly known as Munin in disguise. Ragnarok is the Norse end of the world. And THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SANTA CLAUSE!!! Bwahahahahahaha!!! Just kidding, don't cry. For Questions about other Norse names and terms used by the goddess, visit http://www.pantheon.org/mythica.html Flames will be cheerfully ignored or used to keep Asgaard burning. SUMMARY: Revelations and a bombshell Strife, god of mischief was lounging indolently on his chair when the bird swooped in to perch on her usual spot and cocked Munin's head to regard her lord. She was surprised to find his mirror dark. She was sure he'd be laughing his ass off. Instead, he was sprawled on his chair, smirking at her sardonically, looking for all the world like a smaller, paler copy of Ares. The goddess' heart twisted in her chest. Life, but he favored his father. She tried very hard not to think about Asgaard before Eris, before Loki's sin. Thinking of it only resulted in a terrible pain beneath her left ribs. Scowling on the inside, she forced all of her attention onto her lord. Yes, he resembled his poor father, but wishing and weeping wasn't going to bring either of them back from the dead. "Did you see it, my lord?" She panted, her feigned delight falling flat on her own ears. "I did indeed." Strife responded seriously. "Would you care to explain?" The goddess considered resisting, denying, but then Munin's wings slumped. She would tell him part of the truth, but not all of it. Parts of it she simply couldn't face yet. Not even for the child of the wronged one. "If we're going to have this conversation now, can I at least get comfortable?" She croaked. Strife waved his hand like a gracious chieftain. The goddess took a deep breath and then removed the feathered skin of Munin. She was naked as a babe, and she knew she was beautiful, but Strife's expression never changed. She was impressed by his control. No one had ever held their expression when she disrobed. It was the work of a moment to clothe herself with a touch to her necklace and then she sat down on the floor using the feathery coat for a pillow. "Comfy?" Strife asked. The pale blonde goddess nodded. "Good. Now explain to me why you lied to me while at the same time you swore loyalty." "I did not lie, my lord. What I told you was true." She raised her eyes to meet his and he was startled by the color. "I am come fleeing a far away land. And if I am discovered, my life will be very short." "So? You're a goddess. You'd end up here, just like me. Or somewhere just like it." The woman shook her head. "No, my lord Strife. I am a goddess, but when my family dies, we're consumed by the void. When we take the dirt nap, it's into oblivion, and only other gods remember our names." He read the sadness in her eyes. "Even our own priests forget we existed." "That sucks." Strife commented. "It sucks dead baby bears." She nodded ruefully. "I came to you because I don't want to die, and because it seemed to me that maybe you needed someone too." "Well, I'm still pissed at ya' fer not comin' clean right off the dock." He crossed his arms and changed from an Ares clone to a pouting child. "I am sorry, my lord." She cajoled him, blue eyes wide. "But I was afraid you'd refuse me." Strife bounced up out of his chair and sat on the ground across from her, his anger evaporating like frost in the sun. He grinned at her. "That's ok." Strife giggled. "The way you hooked in Jercules and his side kick was pure art. I mean really... Heracles and whores? After all this family has gone through over the whole bastard son thing, that was almost too harsh. So I forgive ya." The goddess grinned right back at him and scooted a little closer. "I thought you'd like Jord Njordsson. He's a very old character of mine. I used my necklace to dress. Other than that I did it without powers so that Hercules couldn't smell my godhead." "So what did you do? That yer hidin', I mean." He asked her. She froze at the subject change, her mouth suddenly dry. "Do I really have to tell you?" She whispered. "Hey, if somebody's gonna come after ya at some point, I wanna know in advance. I need yer name too, so I know what ta watch for." He spread his hands to either side in front of him. "I mean, come on, trust is a two way street, ya know?" "I..." she paused. She had never revealed her crimes to anyone. And hadn't even spoken her own name since the birth of the triplets. Strife looked at the battle on her face and decided to offer an easy to keep compromise. After all, who was he gonna talk to down here. "I won't tell anybody what ya tell me." He said at last, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "I promise." The goddess searched his face, then nodded and squared her shoulders, eyes closed, head bent before raising her head and opening red rimmed eyes. When she spoke it was in a calm, unshaken voice. "My name is Freya Njordsdattir." She locked her gaze on his face. "And I brought about the end of the world."