Visual prompt courtesy of @marlynnofmany :
Thanks for the prompt!
"Oh for god's sake," groaned the protagonist's new travel buddy at the sight of the yellow sign in the middle of their path.
"You mean for the gods' sake!" said their guide with a wide grin. "Looks like we're going to Valhalla, kids!"
"I refuse to cut through Asgard," said the traveler, tossing their long hair back with a flick. "I am not nearly drunk enough to deal with the Aesir today."
"Holding a grudge, dear?" the guide smirked. "Not wise on the ways between worlds."
"Wait, wait," the protagonist said, squinting at the blaze of color stretching off to the right, past what sure looked like a black hole wrapped with caution tape. "Are you telling me that's the Bifrost? Like, we cross that and we meet Thor?"
The guide rolled their eyes. "Hon, Thor doesn't stand around waiting to greet tourists."
"But that's the Bifrost!" The protagonist's voice rose in an embarrassing squeak. "I mean, don't get me wrong, everything else has been amazing - loved the planet with the sentient books and that purple butter ocean - but - but - there's gods?!"
"Yes, and they're insufferable," the traveler grumbled. "What if we backtrack to the willow world and hop over to Yggdrasil?"
The guide shrugged. "Not unless you happen to carrying enough food to bribe a giant squirrel."
The protagonist grabbed the guide's arm. "Are the other pantheons real? Could I meet, like, Artemis?"
Both the guide and the traveler snapped their heads around to the protagonist. "What's wrong with Asgard?" the guide demanded.
"Yes," the traveler said with narrowed eyes. "The Greeks? You have a particular hankering for death. Or being turned into a tree?"
The protagonist spread their hands. "I just thought -"
"New plan," the traveler said with another toss of the head. "We go through the roots, get the kid her fortune out of the Norns, then cut through hell?"
"Hey, I don't want my fate!" the protagonist said, backing away. "Or hell! No going to hell!"
"Oh, it's just a metaphor," the guide said absently, thinking. "Yeah. Let's do it."
They both seized one of the protagonist's arms.
"Wait!" the protagonist wailed.
"Don't worry," said the traveler. "All the cool people are doing it. Hang on, this might burn a bit."
With that all three stepped - or were dragged - onto the rainbow and disappeared. Behind them, the sad little black hole let out a hungry blurp and continued the slow process of collapsing inwards on itself.
