Slightly shorter chapter this time, with something of an interlude. I'll be honest, my original impulse was to make Hecate and Kali hate each other completely from the moment we first meet her. I'm hoping that my change of tactic goes down alright. This is actually a scene that I wrote on a train up to Nottingham several months ago and I've been dying to use it. So I figured I'd use it now and I hope you all enjoy.
Chapter Six: Midsummer.
The years pass and Gabriel continues to learn about the pagans, continues to embrace their culture and their ways. The part of him that was once Loki no longer fights against the brilliance of his grace and the twist of Hecate's magic that binds them together, now it slides and caresses between them. It creates a warmth and sense of togetherness that sustains him through the triple goddess' ever longer and ever more frequent absences. When questioned, she tells him that it is because he can be left to his own devices now, unless he opens his mouth no one would know the difference. He does not dwell on the meaning behind those words.
What he has discovered, is that the pagans really like a good party and that they hold them at midsummer and midwinter purely and simply because they can. Usually they involve a great deal of sweet food, thick honey wines and the odd human body part. He tends to avoid the latter where he can. Though he has attended a number of parties since his first blood ritual, this will be the first where he is coming of his own volition rather than at Hecate's urging. Like all the others he is worried that someone will notice the changes and remark on them and he knows that if Hecate were with him she would laugh, she would tell him that it would be attributed to snake venom and the loss of Sigyn.
Upon arrival at such functions he is always reminded that Loki is not well liked by the other pagans, something which did not surprise him as much as it should have, and that the others look down on Hecate somewhat for being associated with him. Given that both of them are powerful in their own right, the others tolerate Loki and grudgingly respect Hecate. Whatever damage his friendship with her has caused, Hecate's reputation appears to have protected her from the backlash over the years. Which is why it should not come as a surprise to see her in a corner of the room with Anubis.
Somehow it still comes as something of a kick to his stomach and, as Freyja is all too eager to point out to him, he does a poor job of hiding it. In fact the pretty blonde does it with the kind of relish that makes Gabriel wonder if Hecate lied about there not being something more between Loki and herself in the past.
"All that effort wasted, Loki" Freyja purrs, "Anubis is determined to have her."
He does not look at the blonde, does not want her to see the anger that is filling him at the insinuations she is making. He knows that he should not let this bother him, that much of the pagan way of politics is sex and blood, he simply dislikes the way that Freyja's words imply that Hecate's loyalty can be bought in the satisfying of her body in such a manner. He choses to remain silent, but far from discouraging his tormentor it seems to serve only to do the exact opposite.
"Rumour has it that you were an incredible lover before the snake venom," her voice is spiteful, "how easy will it be, I wonder, for Anubis to charm her from your bed and into his?"
"I have no interest in being bed partners with Hecate, Freyja," he sneers at her. "I enjoy a dangerous liaison but even I'm not stupid enough to bed a woman who has hellhounds at her beck and call." Freyja does not respond and he risks a glance over his shoulder to see her mouth working furiously as she tries to come up with a reply. "Didn't you know?"
"You're lying," she accuses and he shakes his head.
"Why lie when the truth is infinitely more satisfying?" He queries, watching as Hecate delicately removes a wandering hand from her hip before approaching them. "Ask her yourself." He challenges.
"Unlike some here, I have infinitely more decorum," she brushes away the challenge and the veiled insult, inclining her head minutely as the triple goddess joins them. "Hecate," her voice is chill.
"Freyja," the maiden's voice is no less frigid and Gabriel once again feels like he is missing something important here. "Loki," there is delight in Hecate's voice as she addresses the archangel and his own greeting is no less joyful. They have not seen one another for nearly eight months, he did not attend the midwinter ball, and apparently Hecate is eager for them to catch up as she hooks an arm through his and pulls him away from the Norse goddess.
More and more, Gabriel is noticing the differences between him and the others. Hecate's hand is cool against his arm, cooler even than a human because the pagan's run a little colder, he is always warmer, however, Artemis once made a comment on it and it is amazing the number of little changes that can be blamed on snake venom. The warmth means that Hecate leans into him, much in the same way that she does with humans, and he is coming to realise that part of the reason they crave human flesh is the warmth of it. The other part, of course, is simply that they enjoy the taste, but he is certain that heat comes into it somewhere.
"You need to be more careful around her," Hecate tells him when they are out of earshot. "Freyja is not overly enamoured of either of us."
"I really hadn't noticed," he grins, simply because he knows that it will annoy his friend and he likes to get a rise out of her sometimes. She scowls at him for a moment and he allows the smile to stay in place. He understands what she is saying, probably better than she realises, but Freyja is one of the Norse gods and it will be impossible for him to avoid her completely. Besides which, it is exactly the kind of response that Loki would give and she nods a moment of approval to it before the scowl returns.
"Just be careful," she reiterates after a moment, "I put a lot of effort into getting you onto your feet, I'd rather she didn't undo all of that." Their eyes lock and they stare at one another seriously for a long minute, then he nods curtly enough to satisfy her that he is serious. Her expression relaxes and she glances across the room at the darkly tanned man she had been talking to when Gabriel entered. "What do you think about Anubis?" She asks.
"He's a tiresome bore," a new voice tells them and Hecate's face seems to light up in delight as she brushes past Gabriel to embrace the woman behind him. She has clear skin, dark eyes and hair of purest black, flames seem to dance about her and within her and Gabriel knows that he is seeing her strength. There is death here, too, danger and there is something almost irresistible about that. "You could do infinitely better."
"You would say that," Hecate laughs and waves a hand in his direction. "You remember Loki, don't you, Kali?" She asks, effectively making an introduction whilst subtly telling Gabriel that Kali knows the previous owner of this body.
"I remember you," Kali bows her head to him and then turns her attention back to Hecate. "I didn't believe you would actually get him back on his feet, though. I was certain the venom would kill him."
"Then we're both lucky you were wrong," Gabriel steps in. "Although I don't remember you visiting me, Kali." The name is familiar, of course, so he supposes that death and destruction are well within her sphere of awareness.
"You were very close to death at the time, I'm not even certain that your mind was entirely present," Kali begins.
"When has it ever been?" Hecate mumbles.
"That was a well kept secret, old friend," Gabriel grumbles at her and her expression turns innocent.
"That you lack one?"
"That I ever had one at all," he smirks and Kali laughs outright.
"It's a shame I didn't know you before the venom," she tells him. "I expect a visit, Hecate, and I expect you to give me all the details about Anubis. Excuse me."
He watches her leave, intrigued to feel the first stirring of something he suspects might be desire as she does so. It is not the first time that he has felt such a thing in the years, most often for a human woman, and as time has passed he has grown more and more comfortable with the idea. He is now stuck on this earth and as the creature he has disguised himself as until one or other of his brothers dies. He may as well enjoy the perks and pleasure happens to be one of them.
Secretly he suspects that things in Heaven may have worked out vastly differently if all of his brothers and not just the Grigori had known about this.
First of all, however, he has to work out what rumours have been flying around about Loki. Kali is not the first to mention that she has heard about changes in the trickster god and he is getting the impression that not all of them are as accurate as the others believe. He would rather like to stop a crisis before it begins. He would also rather like to teach whoever it is not to annoy a trickster. It does not mean that he cannot enjoy the party in the meantime.
Interlude and filler, I'm sorry, I'll be getting to the meatier stuff soon enough though.
Artemis
