Gods of the North

by Lucy Coats

  With tears rolling down his cheeks, Demon pulled up clumps of dry, dead grass and tucked them around the great wolf’s body, making a kind of cozy nest for him. Thrud was crying, too, sitting on the boulder beside the sleeping beast and stroking his ragged black ears.

  Finally, Demon was done. He pulled out the corked jar he’d brought from his pouch and scooped up some of the red-tinged drool.

  “Sleep is the only thing I can give him,” he said as they walked back down the cliff path. “I don’t know how long the spell will last. It might be forever, if I don’t play the notes to wake him up.”

  “Then may he sleep till Ragnarok and the end of the world,” she said, sniffing. “And may his dreams be full of light.”

  What followed was a sad and silent journey back to Asgard, but when they got there, it was ablaze with candles and the sound of celebration.

  CHAPTER 10

  THE STOLEN HAMMER

  Even though he now had the last ingredient he needed to make Goldbristle’s medicine, Demon felt miserable leaving Fenrir. Maybe if he’d been able to call Morpheus, the spirit of dreams, he might have been able to help, as he had with the man-eating mares, but Demon somehow doubted it. Fenrir was no ordinary beast. He was the brother of Jormungand, the scary worm who coiled around the roots of the world tree, and of Hel, goddess of the dead, Thrud had told him.

  “So he’s not just an immortal—he’s a half god,” she finished as they were walking back to Goldbristle’s stable, avoiding staggering knots of warriors on their way to feast in Valhalla. Demon gave a deep sigh.

  “Well, at least I get to cure Goldbristle now,” he said. As soon as they were inside, he got out his mortar and pestle, dropped in the ice diamond, and started to pound on it.

  “Better … turn … it … into … dust … before … I … add … the … Fenrir … spit,” he panted as he brought down the pestle over and over again. Nothing happened. The ice diamond didn’t even have the tiniest crack in it.

  “Here, let me have a go,” said Thrud. But she couldn’t turn it into dust, either.

  “I know,” said Demon. “We’ll get my magic medicine box to do it.”

  He tapped it sharply on the lid. “Wake up, box! I’ve found the ingredients we need,” he said.

  With a blue flicker and a buzzing noise, the box came to life. “Insert item,” it said in its tinny voice, and a round, mouthlike hole opened in its lid. Demon plucked the ice diamond out of the mortar and poked it into the hole. After a few clonks xand a loud, screechy whir, the ice diamond came flying back out again, nearly hitting him in the eye.

  “Pulverization program damage alert,” it said. “Initiating repairs in lockdown mode.” Immediately the rainbow wheel began to spin on all four sides, and the hole snapped shut.

  Demon felt like screaming. “Now what are we going to do?” he said. “If we can’t crush the diamond, we can’t make the medicine.”

  Goldbristle groaned. “I’m going to die, then,” he grunted piteously.

  “No, you aren’t,” Demon said, his voice fierce. “I’ll find a way. There must be something strong enough to smash this thing.”

  Thrud was looking thoughtful.

  “There might be,” she said. “But it’ll only work if my dad is distracted. Come with me.”

  Once again, they sneaked through the dark streets of Asgard, but nobody was about. Valhalla was full to bursting as they passed.

  “That’s good,” Thrud said. “Hopefully, my dad will be in there, celebrating hard. It sounds like they beat the Frost Giants again.”

  “What’s the plan?” Demon asked.

  “You’ll see,” she said, opening a small door at the back of the hall. The noise hit them like a thump in the chest.

  “Stay here and keep guard,” she said. “And if you see Greedy and Ravenous, play your pipes at them. If they catch me, they’ll ruin everything.”

  Thrud dropped to her knees and, keeping to the shadows, crawled up to the big dais where all the deities were yelling out toasts to the brave. Demon bit back a squeak as he saw her draw her dagger and cut Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, off his belt, lowering it silently to the ground. Her arms strained and her face turned beet red at the effort. Then she bent and whispered some words over it, and right away she picked it up as if it were as light as air, and scurried back to where Demon was waiting.

  “No sign of the wolves,” he said.

  “Good. Now let’s hurry. Dad will miss this before long, and I’ll be in terrible trouble if I don’t put it back.” She looked at him sideways. “I’m not really supposed to be able to lift it, but I haven’t been around Dad all this time without learning a thing or two!”

  Thrud said Mjolnir would break the mortar, so Demon cleared a patch on a clean bit of the stable floor and put the ice diamond on it.

  “On your mark! Get set! Go!” said Thrud, lifting the huge hammer above her head. And then she dropped it. BANG! Right on top of the jewel. With a little sigh, the ice diamond dissolved into sparkly red dust.

  “There!” said Thrud, delighted with herself. “I knew it would work. Get to work, Demon! I need to take this back to Dad.”

  Moving faster than the griffin after a meaty bone, Demon scraped the dust into the mortar and added the contents of the spit bottle. As he mixed the ingredients together, they began to glow with an incandescent yellow light. Quickly, he picked up the mortar.

  “Open wide,” he said to Goldbristle, and tipped the whole lot into the boar’s gaping mouth. The effect was immediate. Demon flung his arm over his eyes to keep from being blinded by the brightness as Goldbristle leaped up and did a little capering dance around the stable. Then Goldbristle burst through the doors, ran outside, and galloped up into the sky, grunting with joy. Suddenly, light fell over Asgard, and if Demon had thought it was beautiful before, now every snow crystal and icicle spear shone with a multitude of rainbows, making the whole place sparkle like not just one, but a million huge diamonds.

  Cheers erupted within Valhalla, and all the gods, goddesses, shield-maidens, and warriors poured out into the streets. With a flash, Demon saw Demeter’s big greenhouse melt into nothing, revealing rows and rows of plants, flowers, and trees, in a riot of green and color, curling up toward Goldbristle’s light.

  Frey reached Demon first and threw him into the air, then grabbed him and gave him a god hug that smelled like ripe apples and the sharpness of snow.

  “Three cheers for Pandemonius,” he shouted. The cry was taken up by everyone there. Then, amid the rejoicing, Odin appeared, with Greedy and Ravenous slinking at his heels, and his ravens, as usual, perched on his shoulders.

  Demon fell to his knees, but Odin raised him up at once.

  “Well, young healer,” the ruler of Asgard boomed. “My ravens say you have a tale to tell us. Come! Let us eat and drink while we hear it, young hero.” He made Demon stand on the dais before them all, and between munches of a delicious kind of pastry with apples, raisins, cinnamon, and sparkly white sugar, Demon told them all that had happened.

  “But I couldn’t have done any of it without Thrud and Ratatosk,” he finished, turning to Odin. “They’re the real heroes, and …” He took a deep breath. “And Thrud really deserves to be a shield-maiden, because she’s very brave, and … and she fought off the lake serpents and everything.”

  Odin looked at him with his one eye.

  “It appears so,” he said. “But before anything else, Loki must be found and dealt with. This is all his fault.”

  He beckoned to Thor. “Put him in Asgard’s deepest dungeon,” he growled. “And this time he shall not escape!”

  Thor nodded, fingering Mjolnir, now safely restored to his belt. “It will be my pleasure, All-Father,” he said.

  Demon sat blushing through many toasts. The gods and goddesses of Asgard certainly knew how to party—and even Demeter was joining in with the praising. Then, just as Thor slipped back into his seat with a nod at Odin, the one-eyed god thumped the table for silence.
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  “A great deed has been done today,” he boomed, “one that songs will be sung about forever in this hall. Stand forth, Ratatosk the squirrel, Thrud Thorsdaughter, and Pandemonius, Stable Master of Olympus.”

  “Ooh!” said Ratatosk, leaping down from the rafters to land in front of Odin. “Has Ratatosk been clever? Does he get a prize?” Everyone laughed.

  “He does, indeed,” said Odin, producing a gigantic brown nut out of nowhere. “May you never be hungry again, for this nut cannot be lost, and will always renew itself.” With a squeak of delight, Ratatosk seized the nut and bounced off Ravenous and Greedy’s heads, before leaping up into the rafters. The wolves snarled after him.

  “Can’t catch me, sillies,” the squirrel chittered, before disappearing out the window.

  “Thrud Thorsdaughter,” said Odin. “You have shown bravery and initiative of the highest order. I hereby grant you the status of shield-maiden of Asgard, and give you this.” He handed her a hammer, similar to Thor’s but about half the size. “Meet Mjolnirina.” Thrud blushed scarlet as she mumbled her thanks and went off to sit with the other shield-maidens.

  “Now, Pandemonius, son of Pan. What are we to do with you?”

  Demon looked at him. “I don’t need anything, really, Your Serene Snowiness,” he said. “I’m just glad Goldbristle is better.”

  “But you shall have it, anyway,” Odin said. Out of the air, he drew a beautiful medallion with an ash tree embossed on it in diamonds, and a small horn banded with gold and studded with jewels in all the seven colors of the rainbow. “I hereby award you the Order of Yggdrasil, and the freedom of Asgard. You are welcome here, always. I also give you this horn, which is called Far Caller. If you are ever in direst need, blow it, and the warriors of Asgard will come to your aid.”

  Demon gulped. It was a magnificent gift. “Th-thank you, Your Incredible Iciness,” he said, bowing low, just as two black-and-silver heads peered around Odin’s cloak.

  “Can’t we bite you just a little bit now?” Ravenous growled.

  “You do look very tasty,” whined Greedy.

  Demon laughed. “Maybe next time, boys,” he said, throwing them each a pastry.

  THE GREEK GODS

  Ares (AIR-eez): God of war. Loves any excuse to pick a fight.

  Chiron (KY-ron): God of the centaurs. Known for his wisdom and healing abilities.

  Demeter (duh-MEE-ter): Goddess of plants and the harvest. The original green thumb.

  Dionysus (DY-uh-NY-suss): God of wine. Turns even sensible gods into silly goons.

  Hades (HAY-deez): Zeus’s brother, the gloomy, fearsome ruler of the Underworld.

  Helios (HEE-lee-us): The bright, shiny, and blinding Titan god of the sun.

  Hephaestus (hih-FESS-tuss): God of blacksmithing, metalworking, fire, volcanoes, and most things awesome.

  Hera (HEER-a): Zeus’s scary wife. Drives a chariot pulled by screechy peacocks.

  Hestia (HESS-tee-ah): Goddess of the hearth and home. Bakes the most heavenly treats.

  Pan (PAN): God of shepherds and flocks. Frequently found wandering grassy hillsides, playing his pipes.

  Poseidon (puh-SY-dun): God of the sea and controller of natural and supernatural events.

  Zeus (ZOOSS): King of the gods. Fond of smiting people with lightning bolts.

  THE NORSE GODS

  Frey (FRAY): Shiny, happy god of peace, growth, and sunshine. Twin brother of Freya.

  Freya (FRAY-uh): Goddess of love and beauty. Twin sister of Frey.

  Heimdall (HAME-doll): Guardian and herald of Asgard. Has a really loud horn.

  Idunn (ih-DOON): Goddess who grows golden apples that make you live forever.

  Loki (LOW-kee): The sneaky, shape-shifting trickster god of Asgard.

  Odin (OH-dinn): The All-Father and ruler of Asgard.

  Thor (THOR): Mighty god of thunder who has a giant hammer called Mjolnir (MYAWL-neer).

  Thrud (THROOD): Thor’s daughter. Well on her way to becoming a Valkyrie.

  Tyr (TEER): War god who got his hand bitten off by Fenrir.

  OTHER MYTHICAL BEINGS

  Amaltheia (ah-mul-THEE-uh): An actual goat who raised Zeus as if he were her own.

  Cherubs (CHAIR-ubs): Small flying babies. Mostly cute.

  Dryads (DRY-ads): Tree nymphs. Can literally sing trees to life.

  Heracles (HAIR-a-kleez): The half-god “hero” who just loooves killing magical beasts.

  Hygeia (hy-GEE-uh): Famous for her excellent health and cleanliness … or should I say hygiene?

  Morpheus (MOR-fee-us): The spirit of dreams. Brings wonderful (or terrible) visions to the sleeping.

  Nymphs (NIMFS): Giggly, girly, dancing nature spirits.

  Orpheus (OR-fee-us): A musician, a poet, and a real charmer.

  Peleus (PEE-lee-us): A hero and the prince of the ant-men. Relies a little too much on his magical sword.

  Valkyries (VAL-kuh-reez): The shield-maidens who bring fallen heroes to Valhalla.

  PLACES

  Asgard (ASS-gard): The chilly Northern home of the Norse gods.

  Mount Pelion (PEEL-ee-un): A mountain on the Aegean Sea where Chiron the centaur lives.

  Svartalfheim (SVART-alf-hame): Creepy underground home of the dark elves.

  Valhalla (vall-HALL-uh): Official party hall for the heroes and Valkyries.

  Yggdrasil (IGG-druh-sill): A giant ash tree that keeps the worlds together.

  BEASTS

  Centaur (SEN-tor): Half man, half horse, and lucky enough to get the best parts of both.

  Cerberus (SUR-ber-uss): Three-headed guard dog whose only weaknesses are sunshine and happiness.

  Colchian Dragon (KOL-kee-un): Ares’s guard dragon. Has magical teeth and supposedly never sleeps.

  Cretan Bull (KREE-tun): A furious, fire-breathing bull. Don’t stand too close.

  Fafnir (FAVE-neer): A fearsome cursed dragon who guards a stash of gems and gold.

  Fenrir (FEN-reer): Mad wolf who has it out for Odin.

  Griffin (GRIH-fin): Couldn’t decide if it was better to be a lion or an eagle, so decided to be both.

  Gullinbursti (GOO-lin-burst-ee): Also known as Goldbristle, he’s a glowing golden boar and friend of Frey.

  Hydra (HY-druh): Nine-headed water serpent. Hera somehow finds this lovable.

  Khalkotauroi (KALL-koh-tor-OY): Khalko and Kafto, Hephaestus’s fire-breathing, half-automaton bronze bulls.

  Pegasus (PEG-uh-sus): The mightiest winged horse of all.

  Phoenix (FEE-nix): Wondrous bird with a burning desire to be reborn every hundred years.

  Ratatosk (RAH-tah-tosk): A red messenger squirrel who runs around in the tree Yggdrasil.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lucy Coats studied English and ancient history at Edinburgh University, then worked in children’s publishing, and now writes full-time. She is a gifted children’s poet and writes for all ages from two to teenage. She is widely respected for her lively retellings of myths. Her twelve-book series Greek Beasts and Heroes was published by Orion in the UK. Beasts of Olympus is her first US chapter-book series. Lucy’s website is www.lucycoats.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @lucycoats.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  As a kid, Brett Bean made stuff up to get out of trouble. As an adult, Brett makes stuff up to make people happy. Brett creates art for film, TV, games, books, and toys. He works on his tan and artwork in California with his wife, Julie Anne, and son, Finnegan Hobbes. He hopes to leave the world a little bit better for having him. You can find more about Brett and his artwork at www.drawntoitstudios.com.

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