Thor #398
Prisoners of the Black Pyramid
Thor and his allies — Hogun, the Black Knight, and Earth Force — have broken free from the dungeon in Seth’s Black Pyramid. Despite the fact that he no longer has his powers,[1] Thor leads the charge against Grog the God-Slayer and the remaining guards. Observing this invisibly is Loki, who realizes that in order to save his own hide, he will have to help make sure his hated step-brother survives. Although Thor is without his power and the Black Knight is becoming increasingly immobilized by a blood curse, they managed to defeat the guards.[2]
Fearing for his own life, Grog tries to flee the scene but is stopped by Thor. Begging for his life, the minion of Seth offers to show them the power hidden in the Black Pyramid that will ensure Seth’s victory.
Meanwhile, the warriors of Asgard continue being pushed on the defensive from Seth’s invading forces. Worse, the battle is quickly turning as both magic and weapons begin to spontaneously fail. With his enemy faltering, Seth orders the release of the Harpies of Doom. The harpies bring down a rain of arrows that seriously wound Heimdall. As Sif and Badler carry him to safety, Fandral leaps into battle to hold off the harpies. This would have been a suicide mission if not for the timely arrival of Volstagg, who has returned to the battle front after seeing off Asgard’s defenseless women and children. The two old friends fight side by side, willing to fight to the death if need be.
Back in Seth’s domain, Grog leads Thor and his allies to a chamber where an entity is being held in a mystical globe that drains his power. While they are distracted, the villain makes his escape through a secret passage. Although their enemy has gotten away, Thor decides to free the other captive and they discover that he is Bes, the Egyptian god of luck and probability. Bes explains that Seth captured him and had been siphoning his powers in order to ensure that every battle goes in his favor. Worse, the death god has stolen the power of the other Egyptian gods to bolster his power so that he can extinguish all life. Overhearing this, Loki once again realizes that he has to help his hated brother and, after transferring some of his power to Thor to ensure his survival, Loki departs to think of his next plan.[3] As Grog begins returning with reinforcements, Bes leads Thor and his comrades through a secret passage to get out of the Black Pyramid.
Outside, the Earth Force member named Wind Warrior has allied herself with the so-called Lost Ones. They are the surviving members of the Egyptian gods and they have returned to destroy Seth even though they have been stripped of their godly powers.
Back in Asgard, news of Heimdall’s injuries are brought to the Enchantress. Horrified to learn that her lover has been gravely wounded, she cries out at the injustice of it all. This cry is felt across the cosmos and heard by the various other pantheons of gods across all existence. Marshalling all her mystical might, the Enchantress tries to attack Seth directly, but even her most powerful attack doesn’t even lay a scratch on the death god. However, just as all appears to be lost a portal opens on the battle field and Lier and an army of Celtic gods have arrived to lend the people of Asgard a hand. Even though they have been mortal enemies for centuries, Lier and the others have come to the Asgardian’s aid after Thor had helped them in the recent past.[4]
While back in Seth’s realm, Thor and his allies fight their way to the top of the Black Pyramid based on the intuition of Bes, who believes that it will lead to a pivotal point in Thor’s destiny. Smashing through a wall into the chamber, Thor is shocked to discover that his long lost father, Odin, has been a prisoner of Seth this entire time.[5] Seeing his son for the first time in months, Odin is relieved as he never gave up hope that Thor would come to his rescue.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Seth, Grog the God Slayer, Loki, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Heimdall, Sif, Enchantress, Lorelei, Valdor, Grand Vizier, Odin, Earth Force (Earth Lord, Skyhawk, Wind Warrior), Black Knight, Bes, Horus, Zeus, Dinoysus, Brahma, Shiva, Leir, Dagda, Caber, Yu Huang, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, Vishnu, Indra, Shango, Ares
Continuity Notes
Thor was stripped of his power by Balder in Thor #396 so he could use them to defend Asgard due to Thor’s absence.
The Black Knight has been cursed since using his Ebony Blade to slay Marrina in Avengers #293. This curse will remain in play until Black Knight (vol. 2) #1-4.
Loki giving Thor a fraction of his power will come back and haunt him later. Thor will begin experiencing sudden bouts of weakness until he discovers that this is caused by Loki’s connection to him in Thor #413.
Thor had helped Lier slay a griffin that had slaughtered some of his people back in Thor #386.
Odin went missing and was presumed dead when he sacrificed himself to stop Surtur from destroying Asgard back in Thor #353.
