Meet Axl, he's just your average New Zealander getting a head start on his 21st birthday celebrations.
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He even invites the girl who nearly ran him over in a gas station parking lot (it was an accident, she swears!) to hit the trampoline with him.
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And what seemed like an innocent alcohol-enhanced trampoline makeout session threatens to escalate into dicey territory!
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Luckily for Axl, his would-be assailant is disarmed by a sudden earthquake. Oh, and the seas have turned red – we’re certainly not in Kansas anymore. Pay attention, these seem like important omens.
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And it looks like Miss. Pixie-Cut isn’t working alone. These shady ladies seem to have something up their sleeves, and it’s not looking good for Axl.
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But Axl’s nearly 21, and he’s ready to party. So, when his brothers swoop in to whisk Axl away on “family business” he’s not too keen to postpone the festivities.
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An understandably dubious Axl is in no mood for a prank, but an incredible well aimed hurl of the family sword from his usually calm eldest brother Mike is enough to stop Axl in his tracks.
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Mike is the reincarnation of the God of the hunt, Ullr. As an extension of this identity, all sportsmanship falls under godly purview, thus making him utterly unbeatable at all games including Rock, Paper, Scissors, which he displays to a dumbfounded Axl in this companion image.
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Mike, however, prefers to lead a mortal life with a wife and no flippant use of his godly oomph. He’s married to a mortal woman and, though he holds his duty to his family sacred, he has no immediate interest in the politics of his under-powered godly circle.
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Ty, on the other hand is the god of darkness and cold- Hodor. Known to accidentally freeze wineglasses in his grip, and create patches of cold air around him, Ty is less than thrilled by his inconvenient and isolating powers.
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Meanwhile Anders enjoys the gift of gab bestowed by Bragi, god of poetry. His words are incredibly persuasive, an advantage he frequently deploys against would-be objects of his lust.
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As for grandpa Olaf, he’s Baldr, god of light, life, and rebirth, which accounts for his youthful appearance despite his advanced years. He also serves as the family oracle and is tasked with revealing the godly identity of all Johnsons when they mature into their divine status on their 21st birthday.
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Which brings us back to Axl, who has been instructed to strip down, enter a circle of Runes and hold the family sword aloft for all the gods to see.
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Well, if he wasn’t a believer by this point, he certainly is now!
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The divine download from Axl’s explosive debut into adulthood is enough to knock Olaf unconscious, but not before he can deliver the name of the god to whom Axl’s body plays host – Odin. Yes, that Odin. The All father. King of the Norse gods. And yes, he does outrank Thor. Thanks for asking.
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And so the celebration can begin in earnest. But while Axl enjoys a treat from his borther Anders, his siblings discuss the immense implications of Odin’s return to the mortal plane. With Odin in the picture, Axl becomes the lynchpin of godly society…and they can expect all of their powers to return in full.
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Axl lumbers through the woods to claim his prize, but it looks like the hunted has become the huntress. She smugly implores Axl to prove that he is a god before loosing an arrow…
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…Which axl manages to catch by reflex alone.
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He’s not so lucky with the second arrow though.
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He’ll survive, but the doctors were unable to remove the pesky heart-shaped arrowhead that became lodged in his ribcage.
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It seems that Axl’s first archery lesson enabled the final omen in a prophecy that heralded the coming of Odin only when the earth quakes, the sea turns red, the symbol of Odin appears, and his host bears two hearts.
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And now the Johnson brothers know that Axl is most definitely... probably... simply has to be Odin, a fact which predicts a return to glory for the gods and even greater danger for the Johnsons. For Odin only enjoys the span of his mortal host's life to find his divine bride, the goddess Frigg. And if he should meet a natural end before this task is complete, his entire family will perish alongside him.
