Olympus bound

Although there was a nexus portal leading directly to Olympus from Asgard, Balder strongly advised against using it. He feared the Olympians had placed the door under heavy guard. He suggests the Guardians travel through the Sea of Space between the realns. They use a special vessel crafted by the dwarves, and forged of Uru, to sail across the sea of space.

Balder and the goddess Sif escorted the guardians to the port edge of Asgard. "Farewell, brave friends. May your journey prove safe and fruitful. Remember -- sail towards the star of Skrymir until you reach the dome of the sky. Then follow the dome of the sky towards its junction with Jotunheim. There you will find an entrance into Olympus which holds no guard. May the eye of Odinn the Alfather watch  over you." Balder bid as he directed the guardians with a gesturing finger out into the spangling sky. He could not however elaborate more on this passage, for he had never taken it himself but had only heard of it from Heimdall.

So, the Guardians embarked upon their journey. The star of Skrymir which Balder directed them to was a yellow glowing disc the size of a thumbnail in the sky. After following it across the sea of space for two hours, the star began to fade and became barely visible. Doctor Strange and some of the other Guardians began to worry about this for a while, when it began to grow brighter again. These intervals of light interspersed with dimming continued in two hour cycles. Star-Lord explained that this was occurring because Skrymir was a binary star with an extremely short period; it dims when a darker star passes in front of the other and obscures its natural light.

After the guardians had been out to sea for some time, the star of Skrymir failed to brighten when it should have. Instead, a 40-foot serpent with nine heads appeared from the light.  It flew straight towards the Guardians. The mythical beast had followed them from Asgard and had only been biding its time to attack. The Hydra swooped by the sides of their vessel and would ferociously snap aboard the deck of the ship with its massive fanged maws. Rocket took the control of the ship to evade the Hydra, as the other Guardians fought the beast. Angela and Gamora bonded in battle over the equal efficiency with their blades. Once the beast had only 3 remaining heads yet to be severed, it fled into the void of space.

After defeating the Hydra and following Balder's directions they eventually reached a tremendous supervolcano in Jotunheim. From the mouth of the volcano, a ring of flame spouted 200 meters high. Doctor Strange discovered using his divination that this was the entrance into Olympus; the flame and magma would not harm anyone who deliberately leapt directly into it. So, sailing their vessel directly into the mouth of the volcano the Guardians emerged in Olympus.

Once on the other side they immediately encountered powerful opposition.

The Olympians were not the first beings of their realm. From the earth and the sky sprang a race called Titans. The rulers of this race, Cronus and Rhea, were the parents of Zeus and many other Olympian deities. It was these mighty and colossal beings that towered over the Guardians as they entered the realm. Before a fight could break out Doctor Strange advised against tangling with the monolithic monsters. If they wished to uncover the truth of the hostilities between realms they would need to come as diplomats. The group wilfully surrendered to the Titans.

The Titans then escortes their new prisoners to be held in the Arena of Ares. Twenty beings wearing the dress of egyptian nobles sat in the middle of the dusty bowl of the Arena. The stands were empty save for the two titan guards Coeus and Crius. A wall of cosmic force surrounded the Arena, preventing--or at least hampering--escape. 

Two olive-skinned and animal-headed figures a male and a female approached. They studied the Guardians of the galaxy with suspicion. Without comment, the male turned and addressed a Titan. "Crius, these are not heliopolitans. Why do you put them with us?"

"They arent?" the titan seemed surprised. "Well, just you never mind Osiris. We're the guards and you're all the prisoners. So dont go getting confused or asking questions."

Osiris sighed and shrugged, before turning to address the Guardians of the Galaxy. Osiris and his companion Isis introduced themselves. Osiris is the Heliopolitan god of the dead, and Isis is the Heliopolitan goddess of fertility and domestication. Before continuing in conversation the two then demanded to know the identities of those traveling with the sorceror supreme and their reason for being held captive.

After hearing the Guardians of the Galaxy's story, Osiris related their own: "Know that we gods of Heliopolis love peace like all civil folk, yet we are as fierce and determined as the Asgardians when it comes to defending our home. The strength of my sword arm is legend throughout the universe, and the fame of my son Horus outshines even that of the mighty Thor. 

"Yet, there are defeats even a thousand sharp swords and two thousand strong arms cannot prevent--especially when aided by treachery within and without. We now know slavery in the bonds of these gods we would once call friends--The Olympians. My own dark brother Set is the traitor who delivered us to them.

"Not two fortnights past, a great host of Olympian warriors stood amassed before the gates of Heliopolis. We armed our legions and prepared the siege defenses, though we understood not the reason for battle. It was then that Set, who purporteded to understand the Olympian's grievances, arranged a truce. I went forth to meet with Zeus, but the foul gods Pluto and Ares siezed me and confiscated my Crook of Authority.

"They threatened tp destroy me unless my subjects opened wide the gates to the city. Despite my fervent pleas, the Heliopolitans did as the Olympians asked. The enemy phalanxes entered the city and within the hour Ares proclaimed Set the new ruler of Heliopolis.

"My people and family are hostages to each other. If we resist, they will destroy my people. If they resist, they will destroy us."

Knowing that the Guardians of the galaxy have traveled to Olympus to discover the true reason for the war between realms, Osiris volunteers to help them escape. However he will not act directly, as he is unwilling to jeopardize the welfare of the Heliopolitans. In order to help them make a plan, he explains the nature of his powers and his wife Isis' powers, but refusee to involve any of the other captured Heliopolitans. Both he and his wife have incredible matter manipulation abilities, specializing in that of the four elements. He also tells the Guardians of the galaxy that the Titans have acquired new powers: both can teleport. Coeus can control a subject's thoughts, while Crius can blast a subject's mind with pain.

Together, the Guardians of the Galaxy stage a mock fight with the Heliopolitans. The Guardians pretended to throw the fight, until the Titan guards noticed the turmoil. The Titans then temporarily lowered the force-field in a small section to enter and quell the insurrection. The two Titans quickly attacked the Heliopolitans who defended themselves. In the ensuing fight, Isis covered the heroes with a massive sand sarcophogus. Beneath, was a tunnel that led under the Arena of Ares on the other side of the field. Taking flight, the Guardians escaped and into the main city of Olympus.