That woman. If Loki lived to see the arrival of Ragnarok, he was convinced he would never meet another being like Eris. And he was perfectly fine with that.

The morning had started innocent enough, he had woken at his usual time, bathed and gone through his regular routine, and come into the main living room to find Eris waiting for him on his couch, a cup of tea in her hand and minuscule smile on her face he almost felt himself return. This was his routine now. She was always there when he woke up, and had been since that first breakfast they'd shared together.

"I have an assignment for you." She said looking at him over the rim of her cup.

"And a good morning to you as well." He replied sitting in the arm chair beside her and grabbing the days newspaper off the coffee table. He didn't know why she brought them to him, but he found himself enjoying the science section, and the comics though he'd tell no one."

Retrieving a book from somewhere on her person, she slid it across the table towards him before grabbing her cup and returning to her original relaxed position.

He set the newspaper aside and picked up the volume. "Norse Myths and Legends?" He read the title out loud thumbing through the pages.

"I need you to read through it and tell me what is true and what is not. I need to know the truths to the legends."

"I assume you have read it entirely." He licked his thumb beginning to skim over a section dedicated to him.

She nodded. "Of course. But, I must ask, did you really reproduce with a horse?" She hid her smile behind her mug and tried not to laugh to his face.

He shot her a glare and snapped the book closed.


"No no no this is absolutely ridiculous." Loki growled at the open book in his hand, waving the uncapped sharpy through the air with the other.

"Never in my life have I ever reproduced with a horse! Odins eight legged steed is the work of his own convoluted magic! By the Gods!" He angrily brought the pen down and began crossing out passages, pacing the length of the room with outraged vigor.

"Oh come now, I thought that story was cute." Eris drawled from the couch. "What about he tale of you and Thor dressing in drag to fool a giant?"

Loki pursed his lips and stopped his pacing. "That... seemed like a good idea at the time."

She was suddenly before him with her hand on his chin, pulling his face to look at her. "You're kidding. All of that for his hammer?"

"We were... very young. And Thor swears the Giants stole it, I think the big oaf misplaced it and they took advantage. Nearly got us killed with his appetite alone."

She slowly took her hand away from his face, not bothering to hide her laugh as she did so.


"Do you always wear your hair like that?" She'd asked speaking to him for the first time in hours. He had silently continued his reading after admitting to his cross dressing history, she had sat silently on the couch with a book of her own.

He looked up from his page to meet her gaze. "What?"

"Your hair, it does not suit you. Do you always wear it so long?" She looked as if she was about to say something else but seemed to think better of it.

He absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair brushing it back out of his face as he returned to his book.


That had been 2 days ago and she hadn't mentioned it since. Still after further reflection he realized it wouldn't do to have the people of Asgard be ruled by a King with unkempt hair.

Which led him to the present.

The smooth metal of the scissors grazed across the tip of Loki's ear. The woman behind him tensed, waiting for the man in the salon chair to notice. He didn't, but instead continued to stare straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts.

Mentally he flinched. Stark had been the one to arrange this grooming, and the phone call to Stark he'd had to make to make it possible wasn't something he wanted to relive. This mortal had better not mess up his hair, he was meeting Eris later.


Coffee, all she needed was one source of coffee. These S.H.E.I.L.D agents were so pathetic.

Loki would've been easy to track down even if he hadn't texted her when and where to meet. All she would've had to do was look for the very conspicuous men in suits looking bluntly through a building window from across the street. She could think of a few reasons why 2 men would be publicly peeking into a beauty salon while drinking coffee and none of them seemed particularly normal.

What she planned to do next was child's play, pure child's play.

After all, it wouldn't do to have them listen in on today's conversation, she needed to speak to to Loki alone. A shy look towards the two men coupled with pretending to be caught as she got in line for the coffee cart: check. Add a small blush and avoid eye contact: check. She looked up at the woman manning the stand.

"Um hello, could you do me a little favor from girl to girl?" She grabbed a napkin from the holder and pulled a pen from her purse, quickly writing down a random number. "If you could please give my number to the handsome gentleman over there?" She jerked her head back as a gesture.

The woman took the napkin. "Which one?"

"Oh, don't worry; they'll know who I'm talking about." One more smile and she was off down the street.

She spotted Loki through the window of the salon, taking a moment to chuckle to herself. With a small wave she caught his eye as he was being turned to see the final result.

He hastily stood from the chair not taking his eyes off of her. She waited by the window as he quickly paid and walked into the cool moist air, throwing his coat and scarf on as he went.

She began to walk away, still chuckling. Loki had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he followed her. Behind him by a coffee stand the two S.H.E.I.L.D agents didn't have time to see him leave over the argument they were having. All Loki could see was what looked like a napkin being waved angrily on the hand of one while the other one shouted trying to grab at it.

Eris looked back at them and gave him a sly look. "You look nice."


"So, I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to meet with you today." Loki began.

Eris adjusted herself in hard wooden chair in the back at the small coffee shop located in the cramped bookstore. "I am curious as to why you sought me out, yes."

His next sentence was interrupted by a waiter setting down their cups of coffee. Eris gave him a nod and a smile, subtly dismissing him and he walked away.

"Now then, it is my turn o give you an assignment." He said as he sipped her drink. He reached on the shelf behind him grabbing a book, sliding it across the table to her. He dug into his bag and slammed a think black sharpy on top. "I believe it's your turn."

She took the book and rolled her eyes, amused. "Really now? 'Greek Myths and Legends?"

He smirked. "There seems to be very little written about you though. Would you mind telling me why that is?"

Eris lost her smirk. "I work quickly and inconspicuously. The humans barely know of my true involvement throughout history."

Loki caught the change in her tone, it was something familiar to him. "I see. Very well then, when you wish to speak the truth of the matter you may."

"You are reading too much into it, humans are less willing to write about someone who brings about sadness and pain."

"Oh I beg to differ." Loki retorted. "There seems to be quite a bit about oh, Hades was it?"

"That is different."

"Is it really?"

"You speak of things you know nothing about."

He gestured to the Greek book on the table. "I believe now I can reasonably claim to have a basic knowledge."

"A completely false knowledge." she retorted.

"Then by all means," he met her gaze "enlighten me."

He had the chance to make her feel uncomfortable for once. Under normal circumstances he would consider payback a childish thing. But now, oh how revenge tasted sweet. "I'm sorry but, are you at a loss for words?" He asked as the silence hung between them.

Silently, she stood from the table and grabbed her new reading project before stalking out of the store.


Eris sat in a corner; she was just about done with her assignment. It was a good thing too. Her marker was almost out of ink.


Loki stared up at the ceiling, mind tossing around thought after thought. Yes the humans had come up with some wild back stories that served to explain certain things in the world, but Loki had never, nor could he even fathom the idea to, mate with a horse.

He turned off the lamp on his bedside table, getting comfortable only to continue to think. He wondered if Eris had finished her book as well. He'd been wondering a lot of things about Eris lately, he hadn't seen her since her tantrum in the bookshop, and that had been three days ago. She'd stopped coming into his apartment while he slept and for the past few days he had woken up to find his apartment empty. It was both a blessing and a curse.

He rose from his bed rubbing is face with his hand feeling a headache coming on. Deciding to hell with light, he stood and made his way through the dark into the rest of his apartment.

He flicked the light on in the kitchen and the scarcely used black appliances gleamed up at him in welcome. He considered making tea but thought better of it. He was out of mint.

It was a suitable home, he had to admit. With everything in place and intricately chosen to suit his tastes: black leather furniture, the ornate gold trimmed lamps, smooth black wood tables, the piano in the corner by the large wall of windows covered in deep green curtains, even the black marble fireplace, with its logs waiting patiently to be used.

It was a fine home, but it was nothing compared to Asgard.

Something seemed out of place in his living room. From the corner of his eyes he turned trying to search out the oddity from the kitchen. He found the Easter egg on the coffee table. There was an item on the otherwise empty coffee table.

Entering the living room fully he found it was a the days newspaper with a book underneath smelling strongly of sharpy ink. Ignoring the newspaper Loki headed back to his room mentally readying himself for a night of reading.


This didn't make any sense. Loki flipped another page. Every word was completely blacked out, just as it had been for half of the book. He flipped again; another pair of black pages. Again he turned and again there was black. Every page. He couldn't even discern which story was which save some of the lighter marked out areas.

A small untouched paragraph of writing jutted out at him from the page:

"Ares is represented as a man of youthful appearance. In his right hand he bears a sword or a lance, and in his left a shield. He is claimed to be seen in only the bloodiest of battles. He is accompanied by his pets, Fear and Terror, and Eris, his twin sister and companion who always precedes his chariot when he rushes into a fight."


A/N: Ok so a little more upkeeping, changing some things to make more sense here, completely changing and updating some diolouge and actions there, pretty much reworked the entire chapter but I think it makes more sense!