A/N: Adult content in this chapter. Enjoy!
Loki glared out of his freshly repaired office window, watching as the snow swirled and danced around outside, the sight would have been incredibly beautiful if not for the fact it was the middle of June. The sudden change in the weather concerned Loki greatly, even more so when he discovered that it was only their city being affected by the freak blizzard, almost as if it were a message. That was why he had summoned the other gods to his house to discuss possible reasons for this storm.
"There has to be a reason," he muttered to himself before turning around to address the others. "As I'm sure you're all aware, we've had a sudden and unexpected change in our current weather patterns, more specifically in our city alone. This is highly disturbing as it appears we have been singled out by someone, someone who knows where we are and has power that rivals our own."
"Which can only mean we're being targeted," said Narugami sourly. "Either us as a group or one of us alone, but given the scope of the storm it doesn't give us a means of narrowing down the target."
Heimdall nodded. "I agree with Thor, whether the rest of the world knows it or not, we are the targets of this assault but while we stay together we have no clear means of determining which of us is to be attacked. Then again, we gods might not be the targets but our human companions." He looked at both Koutaro and Mayura. "If that's so then either Urd or Loki could be the one being lured."
Urd's grip on Koutaro's arm tightened as did Loki's on Mayura's shoulder.
"Hang on, we can't even be sure that any of us are being targeted," drawled Koutaro. "This could just be a result of having so many powerful beings in the same area at once, not a warning from another that he's preparing an attack. For all we know this could just be Hild's way of telling us to return to her castle."
"As true as that might be," said Urd slowly, unsure of which side of the argument to take. "We shouldn't rule out the possibility that someone is hunting us, given the scope of this storm. Finding out what my mother is up to will not be difficult, my sisters and I can just ask her, she doesn't lie to us."
"But that doesn't clear up who the target is," chimes in Freya, who was sitting beside her brother, Fenrir on her lap. "The only one we can effectively rule out is Thor, since his father would kill anyone who tried to harm him. The rest of us are still possibilities."
Frey nodded. "I agree with Freya, Thor is likely not the target but we should keep him with us anyway, we can ensure our safety that way."
Narugami glared at Frey and Freya. "Hell no, there's no way I'm going to be some shield just to protect you!" He then looked at Heimdall whom was sitting beside Frey. "Heimdall, have you seen anything at all? Anything that might give us a clue to our attacker?"
Heimdall did not answer right away, instead he looked to Loki silently asking his permission to disclose what he knew, Loki nodded so he knew it was fine. "There was a breach in the Void the other day," he replied, a collective gasp echoing in the room. "A giant escaped, though I can't seem to find him."
Silence descended on the room as they absorbed the information. They all knew that nothing should be able to get through the Void, Loki had seen to it himself by locking away half of his power to maintain the barrier, this very act is what allowed him to live with the Aesir. Now if the barrier was weakening, then there was a chance for all out war with the giants, never mind Odin.
"Loki," said Narugami, looking up at the god. "What does this mean?"
"It means we're all in danger," replied Loki darkly. "Even those on Midgard, despite the fact giants don't care for human company, they do enjoy causing trouble for them. If it comes here or is here, we should all be on high alert, especially now with this weather creating an environment similar to Utgard. While staying here would be preferable, we might want to consider leaving for a time, to make sure that we are safe to be here."
"But where do we go?" asked Skuld, clinging to Narugami. "Our homes are here, our protective spells are here, where else can we go?"
Koutaro thought for a moment then came up with an idea. "My parents own a beach home a good distance away from here, the house is big enough that all of us could stay there comfortably. My parents told me I could use it whenever I want for as long as I want, since they won't be able to make it out there. Then you can have your protective spells in place so you won't have to worry about being in a temporary place."
The gods exchanged a look of both hope and fear, while they liked the idea of being someplace far away from the immediate danger, they were not sure they should leave in the first place. Some of them felt like it was safer to just barricade in their homes against the threat while the rest thought leaving would be a much better idea.
"I'd be fine with leaving," said Mayura, looking around at the others from her position in Loki's office chair. "If you think about it, the person hunting us knows where we are hence why the storm is only in our city. Staying would just make his plans easier, moving to a different place means he would have to rethink his plans and gives us time to defend ourselves."
"Mayura makes a good point," said Urd thoughtfully. "Staying would make our attacker's job much easier and I don't know about the rest of you but I certainly don't want to sit around waiting for death. I would rather give myself time to prepare."
"I agree with Urd and Mayura," said Verdandi sternly, Yamino nodding beside her.
"So are we in agreement that leaving for Koutaro's family's beach house is the best course of action?" asked Loki, addressing the rest of the room.
Slowly those in the room began nodding their heads, they might have been somewhat hesitant to leave but they knew it was the right way of handling this situation.
"Good," said Loki evenly, he then turned his attention to Yamino and Spica. "Could you two please prepare the spare rooms for our guests? The Norns and Freya in one room; Frey, Heimdall, Koutaro, and Thunder Boy in another if you please. We should all stay here for the night, it would be safer, so you can all return home and collect what you think you'll need for this trip and return here for dinner. We'll leave first thing in the morning, as long as you're all agreeable."
"Sounds like a good plan, Loki," said Koutaro as he and Urd stood up. "The Norns, Narugami and I will head over to the house after we've spoken with my parents about using the beach house. I'm sure there won't be any problem getting them to agree."
"Alright then," said Loki as Skuld, Verdandi, and Narugami followed Urd and Koutaro out of the office. "Freya, you might want to inform Mino that you'll be leaving with us so he won't wonder where Reiya's gone to. Heimdall, Frey, you're free to go as well to gather your things."
The remaining gods stood up and left the room without another word, knowing that the more senior god of the group had formally dismissed them. When they were gone, Loki relaxed his posture and sighed heavily, this was not what he wanted to be dealing with now not when there were so many other pressing matters.
"Loki," said Mayura, noticing his change in posture. "Loki, are you alright?"
He looked down at her and smiled. "Yes, I'm just a little tired. You should go get ready yourself, we both know how long it takes you to pack for any trip."
Mayura smiled at his teasing but was not convinced about his state of mind though she knew better than to press him. "Loki, I was just thinking, what about my father? Isn't it likely that if this mysterious attacker knows about all of you, he'll know about me and my father as well?"
"Yes, I suppose you're right," agreed Loki as he played with a piece of her hair. "We should try and protect him as well, considering if we're gone he might become a means of luring us back into a trap. Go ahead and call him, invite him to go with us and don't take no for an answer."
She bounced up from his chair and headed for door but when she saw the apprehensive look on his face, she ran back and embraced him tightly. "Don't worry, Loki, everything will be fine," she said soothingly and she felt him relax even more as he returned the gesture.
"I'm sure you're right," he said into her hair. "Now, go call your father. I'll be waiting here when you get back."
Mayura pulled away, kissing the corner of his mouth before heading back to the door, wondering if Loki actually believed things would work out.
That night Loki could not sleep, every time he closed his eyes all he saw was a giant coming to destroy his home and it kept him awake. Everything was going well so far, the others had arrived without incident including Mayura's father, and they proceeded to have a very lively dinner and a pleasant evening. Nothing had gone wrong and right now they were all safe in their rooms, ready to head out tomorrow after breakfast for an extended vacation. These reassurances, however, did not quell Loki's troubled mind.
He turned over and looked at Mayura's sleeping form, wondering for a moment how he ever slept without her beside him. Tentatively he reached out and brushed his fingertips across her cheek, marveling at her uncanny ability to sleep like the dead, at least when she was able to sleep, he knew she had trouble sometimes especially after a nightmare. She had never told him what they were about but they always were terrifying to her, and she would often wake up crying if she had one. Lately she had not but that did not mean it could not happen at a moment's notice.
"Loki," he heard her say quietly and he returned his gaze to her face, finding her very much awake. "Loki, are you okay?"
Loki sighed heavily as they moved closer together, their limbs wrapping around the other effortlessly. "No, I'm not. I'm scared, Mayura, scared that something's going to happen and that I can't stop it no matter what I do. I have a feeling this business with the giant isn't all there is to this mystery, that something even more sinister is on the horizon."
Mayura's grip on Loki tightened and she felt a cold chill run down her back, whenever Loki spoke of something bad about to happen she knew she would be crazy not to believe him. He had yet to be wrong about anything like this before, so it was unlikely he would be wrong now despite her hopes.
"Will something bad happen now?" she whispered, dreading his response.
"No, but soon," he replied, holding onto her now like his life depended on it. "Oh gods, Mayura, for once I want to be wrong."
She pulled away and cupped his cheek. "You can pretend to be wrong for one night, can't you?" Before he could answer, she kissed him passionately, chasing all thought from his mind.
Loki groaned when she slipped her tongue past his lips, his fingers tangling in her silky tresses as he pulled her on top of him, refusing to break contact even as she straddled his waist. He could feel the heat from her core warming his cock and he almost lost all sense of time and space as she kissed across his jaw and down his neck, nibbling a few places as she went, her fingers dragged across his bare chest to his pants waistband. Within seconds she had it untied and pulled down a few inches past his hips, releasing his half hard member. She moved down his body, kissing and biting as she went until she reached his cock, she licked up the length of his shaft a few times making his eyes cross.
Mayura grinned as she listened to Loki's moans, relishing in the fact she had him completely at her mercy as her tongue swirled around the tip taking up the salty, clear bead that had formed on the end. Without wasting another second she took him in her mouth, enveloping as much as she could before she started to move her head, sucking lightly on his member as she did. Using her closest hand, she wrapped it around the rest of his cock, pumping it in time with her movements as her other hand traveled up and scratched at his chest eliciting even louder moans from the god. As she continued, his hips began to thrust up and she tried not to smile as she became absorbed in her task, losing herself in the sounds and taste of him; she could tell he was close when his thrusting became erratic but suddenly he tried to pull away and she looked up confused.
"I can't—I can't," he panted and she sat up, releasing her hold on his cock. "I need—I need you. Please."
She understood what he meant and as quickly as she could she pulled off her panties before moving back on top of him very glad that she had worn one of her short nightgowns that night. Without a word she positioned his cock beneath her entrance and sheathed him wholly in her heat, making them both cry out in pleasure as she started to rock against him, trying to set a decent pace and rhythm. Loki managed to lift his hands to hold onto her waist, assisting her in setting the pace as he started to thrust when she would come down on his cock. Mayura's hands shot out and she braced herself against his chest, their voices mingling as they neared their climax, heads thrown back in abandon moments before they shattered. Loki slammed into Mayura as he released his seed while she milked him, the pleasure almost too much for him to take. Once they came down from their euphoria, Mayura moved off of him and laid beside him, her arm wrapped loosely around his chest as he held her close, kissing her sweat drenched forehead.
"I love you," he whispered, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"I love you, too," he heard her whisper back moments before sleep overwhelmed him, his last thoughts of how he would need to spend some time with Mayura during their vacation.
The next morning the gods and humans made a swift departure from Loki's manor, eating the quick breakfast Yamino and Spica prepared before taking their things out to Loki's limousine, then climbing into the luxurious car. Yamino, Spica, and Ecchan sat up in the driver's portion while the other gods and the humans stretched out in the back. Loki and Mayura took up the entire backbench so Loki could lay down in an attempt to suppress his carsickness, Fenrir laid dutifully on his father's abdomen, Loki's head in Mayura's lap. Frey and Freya sat together with Gullinbursti at their feet, Heimdall sat in between Frey and Daidouji who was shaking his head at Loki's current position. The Norns sat opposite them with Koutaro and Narugami beside their respective girlfriends, Verdandi had moved as close as she could to the divider between the cab and driver's portion so she could be close to Yamino. They pulled away from the mansion and instantly Loki felt sick although he managed not to retch through sheer will alone.
"Please tell me we're almost there," groaned Loki as sweat broke out on his brow. Mayura quickly wiped it away with her handkerchief but that did nothing to help the churning in his stomach.
"I'm sorry, Master Loki," said Yamino from the front. "Once we get out of the city, we should be able to travel at faster speeds and arrive sooner."
Loki closed his eyes and tried to enjoy Mayura's humming but all he could feel was the car and every little move it made. He wished someone would speak to distract him from his agony but no one was speaking, probably too tired since they had risen before most of them did normally.
"Maybe we should discuss the wedding ceremony, Daddy," said Mayura as if sensing Loki's need for a distraction. "It's not too far away and we need to make sure everything's been divided equally between Norse and Japanese traditions."
Daidouji nodded and moved so he was sitting on the edge of his seat, looking directly at Mayura and Loki. "I understand that your dress is the traditional white, correct?"
Mayura nodded as she caressed Loki's cheek. "Yep, but no other details, I want Loki to be surprised."
Loki gave a strained chuckle. "It's a surprise enough to have you for my bride, Mayura."
"Still, I don't want you to know," said Mayura firmly as she smiled down at him before looking back at her father. "Loki and I have also agreed on traditional Norse rings for our wedding bands, as well as having it outside of the temple."
Daidouji raised an eyebrow. "Why outside of the temple?"
"Norse weddings are usually held outside," explained Mayura as Loki snuggled against her thighs. "And I still wanted to get married by you at the temple, so this was our compromise. The reception will be at the manor, and Yamino's been doing a great job seeing to the details for that part." She smiled fondly at Loki's youngest son. "The only thing we're having trouble with is the ritual itself. Both involve drinking a form of alcohol, but we don't know if we should do a fully Shinto ritual or do a partial one with some Norse aspects."
"The offerings are made to the gods of the bride and groom's choice," said Daidouji thoughtfully. "So we can do a mix of offerings to your gods and Loki's . . . though I hesitate to ask who exactly they are." His eyes darted to the gods in the car.
Loki smiled weakly. "We'll give offerings to Frigg, as is customary. We won't involve anyone present, Daidouji, don't worry."
Daidouji noticeably relaxed at Loki's words and his smile returned. "So now that that's settled, I guess we should discuss the ritual itself, you know about the sake, yes?"
"I vaguely remember it from Ayana's wedding," replied Loki before clapping a hand over his mouth.
"Well I'll explain it to you then," said Daidouji sternly. "A shot of sake is poured into three cups of increasing sizes, and the bride and groom each take three sips from each cup. The smallest goes to the groom first then the bride, then the second will go to the bride then groom, and the last will go to the groom first then the bride like the first. Honestly this is the most important part of a Shinto marriage ritual, even more important than the exchanging of rings at the end. In the eyes of our gods this signifies that a couple are officially married."
"Then we'll do it," said Loki as confidently as he could though he was slowly turning green. "Yamino, place an order for the best sake you can find, as well as some honey mead for the reception. It wouldn't be a true Norse wedding without some traditional drinks."
Narugami nearly jumped up from his seat at the mention of mead. "Really, Loki?! Honest to the gods' mead! It's been so long since I've partaken in such brews."
Mayura giggled. "Narugami, you're sounding more Norse than Japanese."
"Wait until he has the mead," muttered Loki making Mayura laugh harder. "Is that all we needed to discuss with you, Daidouji?"
Daidouji nodded as he watched his daughter comfort Loki, thinking for a moment that they looked like he and Mayura's mother when they were first married. "Yes, for the most part, although if you've selected a best man and bridesmaid I would be more than happy to hear it."
Loki glanced over at Narugami. "What do you say, Thunder Boy? Want to be my best man?"
"It would be an honor, Loki," said Narugami sincerely as he rummaged through the picnic basket Yamino had put in the back for such a purpose.
"There's the best man done," said Loki as he put an arm over his eyes. "Mayura, pick whomever you want to be your bridesmaid, I don't even care if it's Thor."
"Well, he did look good in a kimono," teased Mayura and Narugami tried to open his mouth to protest but it was too full of cookies and tarts. "No, I think I'll pick Freya."
The goddess looked incredibly stunned to be selected. "Me? Are you sure, Mayura? I mean, not that I'm not flattered, but I didn't think we were that close."
"While that may be true, I think this would be an excellent start to being better friends," said Mayura cheerfully and Freya blushed. "Please say you'll do it, Freya."
All eyes were on the goddess who was still trying to come to terms with being asked in the first place. She thought about it for a moment then smiled. "Of course, Mayura, I'd be more than happy to be your bridesmaid."
Mayura's crimson eyes lit up instantly. "I'm so glad, thank you, Freya."
"Great, now I'm not going to talk for the rest of the trip," grumbled Loki and Mayura laughed as she wrapped her arms around him then pressed a light kiss to his forehead. The god of mischief found the comfort from his fiancée to be working for him just enough to make the rest of the drive tolerable.
They finally arrived at the address Koutaro had supplied Yamino with earlier, the weather far more pleasant and in season than it was back home, quickly lifting the spirits of the melancholy gods. The house was at least two and a half stories tall, with windows on almost every side and from what Koutaro said it had six bedrooms plus a loft and games at the very top. He also emphasized the luxury of the gourmet kitchen, open floor plan, and expensive furniture though everyone seemed more interested in the fact the house was right on the beach.
Urd, Skuld, Koutaro, Narugami and Heimdall immediately ran for the beach that was just steps away from the back door, each stripping down to the bathing suits they were wearing beneath their clothes. The older gods laughed at the younger ones' enthusiasm. Freya announced that she was going to change then go tanning for a while before lunch while Frey hopped on Gullinbursti and said something about deep sea diving for treasure. Yamino, Spica, and Verdandi gathered up all of the luggage and headed right into the house with Fenrir and Ecchan following closely behind. Mayura and Daidouji stayed behind to assist Loki in exiting the limousine, which was much easier said than done since the god was very unsteady on his feet. Somehow they managed to get him inside the house and onto the nearest sofa.
"I'm going to head outside and see what the kids are up to," said Daidouji as he applied sunscreen to his face and exposed forearms. "Come and get me when lunch is ready."
"Okay, bye Daddy!" called Mayura as he walked out the sliding glass door, then she turned her attention back to Loki. "How're you feeling?"
Loki sighed as he moved just a little bit closer to her. "Better now that I'm not in that wretched vehicle, I know they're necessary but I simply can't stand being in one."
Mayura giggled as she dabbed the remaining sweat from his brow. "Loki, you have an aversion to anything having to do with technology, I mean you can't even use a computer!"
"Which is why I have you and Yamino," replied Loki as he raised his hand to cup her cheek. "Though I didn't find this drive as terrible as it could have been thanks to you."
She leaned into his touch, her hands holding onto his forearm. "I'm just glad you're feeling better, I don't like seeing you so sick, I feel really helpless when you get like that."
Loki smiled, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. "Then I guess it's fortunate that gods so rarely get sick."
"It is indeed," said Mayura quietly, she saw the look in Loki's eyes and felt her heart quicken though she knew the same look of love and desire was mirrored in her own eyes. She leaned forward as Loki leaned up, they were so close she could feel Loki's breath on her lips.
"Master Loki!" called Yamino from the kitchen, interrupting their kiss. "Are you feeling better? Perhaps you'd care for some of the crackers I had imported from London?"
Loki tried not to groan as his lips were just a moment away from Mayura's. "Sure, Yamino, thank you." He sighed heavily, still refusing to move from his current position. "I promise, we'll find some time for ourselves, because if this is any indication as to how this vacation's going to go I might go mad."
Mayura chuckled warmly before kissing him quickly. "I guess that will have to do until we can get a few moments to ourselves. I'm going outside with the others, shout if you need anything."
"I will," said Loki as he laid back down on the sofa. Mayura stood up and walked towards the backdoor, Loki craned his neck to get a look at her walk away, smiling mischievously when he saw the mint green bikini bottom hidden by her yellow summer dress. When she was gone he assumed a more comfortable position and closed his eyes, the carsickness having tired him out and he fell asleep to the sounds of the others laughing.
"Earthquake!" someone shouted and Loki jumped awake, momentarily dazed before remembering where he was and what he was doing. The sound of shouting from outside motivated him to run as fast as he could to see what was going on, though when he got up he hit the ground, looking around he saw the whole house was shaking. Earthquakes were not uncommon where they lived but they had checked this morning what the possibilities for one happening in the next few weeks were and they were very low.
'Something's very wrong,' thought Loki as he started to crawl towards the backdoor, listening for any indication as to what it might be. He began to notice that the vibrations would be strong for a moment then fade then be strong again, a very unusual pattern for an earthquake but not for something like footsteps. "Oh shit," muttered Loki and he jumped to his feet despite the shaking and managed to get the door open, rushing outside to see the others on the ground trying to get back to the house.
"Loki!" called Mayura when she saw him and he stumbled over to her position. "Loki, we need to get someplace safe!"
"I agree," said Loki as he looked around the area, scanning for any sign of what he feared was coming. "Mayura, I don't think this is an earthquake."
Mayura looked up at him skeptically, she had lived through enough earthquakes to know what this was. "What do you mean?"
"I think it's something far worse," replied Loki darkly and suddenly the shaking stopped just as quickly as it had begun, the stillness and calm very unnerving as the fallen gods and humans stood up, looking around for any signs of major damage. They were just about to head inside when a deafening roar shattered the calm, and Loki's worst fears were confirmed. Looking towards the sound of the roar Loki's blood ran ice cold, standing far above the tree-covered hills was a giant. Its blue skin undeniable in the bright sun, horns as thick as the oldest tree trunks and wider than a building, its gnarled teeth sticking out of its twisted mouth as it let out another earsplitting roar.
"Mayura, get in the house," said Loki, his eyes flashing red as he put himself between her and the giant.
"But—" started Mayura but Loki interrupted her.
"Mayura, right now I'm the only one who can stop this thing," said Loki his eyes still focused on the giant, whom was thankfully standing still. "You and your father need to get inside and find someplace safe to hide until this is over, do you understand?"
The last thing Mayura wanted to do was leave Loki and the others to fight this monster but she was not given much of a choice when her father ran up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards the house.
"Come on, Mayura," said Daidouji as he pulled Mayura. "Let Loki and the others take care of this. Koutaro! Get inside before you get yourself killed."
The young heir looked torn between going with Mayura and her father and staying with Urd, his gaze shifting between the two.
Urd pulled him into a passionate kiss, smiling at him when they parted. "I'll see you when this is over, now go."
Koutaro nodded weakly and ran off to where Mayura and Daidouji were standing, then the three of them ran inside, making sure to close the door behind them. Fenrir, Yamino, and Spica came running out just moments later, worried looks on their faces as they turned to see the giant about to bear down on them.
Loki breathed a small sigh of relief, at least he could focus on the giant without having to worry about Mayura getting hurt in the fight. Without wasting another second he summoned Laevateinn, when it was in his hands he instantly changed his more casual clothes in favor of his usual red suit, his godly clothes. Looking around he saw the others doing the same, each of them brandishing their weapons as they prepared for battle. Heimdall was on Gullinbursti with his hawk on his shoulder, Narugami was beside him with Mjolnir crackling with lightning in his hands, Frey was standing on his floating battleship Skidbladnir which was hovering above the water. Freya and the Norns had their hands lit up with their magic, beside him Yamino and Fenrir were morphing into their original forms, those of the snake Jormungand and the mighty wolf. The giant roared at the sight of the two great beasts and that was the signal for the battle to commence.
"Frey, use Skidbladnir to distract the giant!" called Loki as he summoned a circle of white light around his feet, making him hover in the air. "Heimdall, use Gullinbursti to get as close as you can to its neckband, see if you can get it off of him! Norns, Freya, back up Jormungand and Fenrir. Spica, guard the girls!" After he gave them their orders he flew straight for the giant, blasting it with magic from his staff as he tried to get around its massive body to the back of its neck. Giants' skin could regenerate injured areas so the only way to kill a giant was to strike it at the only weak point it possessed, a small spot on the back of its neck at the top of the spine; the neckband he had instructed Heimdall to dispose of protected the spot from enemy fire. Loki knew of the spot as he had fought many giants while ruling over Utgard so long ago.
The giant roared as blasts from Frey, Loki, and the goddesses assaulted him at once, swinging its mighty axe at the magic as it came up to strike. The magical axe deflected most of the magic, rebounding it at the people on the ground whom had fired it, causing them to scatter on the beach as their magic tore up the sandy terrain. A few wayward blasts hit the house, causing the humans inside to retreat from the kitchen for better cover upstairs. Fenrir growled audibly before running at the giant, his mouth opened as he launched at the giant's axe hand only to be knocked down into the face of a hill.
"Fenrir!" hissed Jormungand. The great snake launched himself at the giant's left, his teeth digging into the leather-like skin, he held on despite the giant shaking his leg repeatedly but he lost his focus for a moment when he saw his father flying closer and that was when he was kicked off of the giant. Jormungand landed in the ocean several hundred feet away.
Loki grit his teeth as he flew closer and closer to the giant, swiping his staff horizontally in front of him to send a more powerful attack at the beast, only to be nearly knocked from the air with the axe he neglected to keep an eye on. Beneath him he saw Heimdall trying to get close to the buckle of the neckband but was struggling to get past the swinging axe, the breeze caused by its movements blowing him constantly off course. The giant needed to be distracted, if only for a few seconds, so both Heimdall and Loki could get closer to their targets.
Mayura watched from the plate glass door of one of the bedrooms, cringing when she saw Loki almost be thrown to the ground, she felt so cowardly just staying on the sidelines without helping somehow. She knew if she got up close she would likely be killed instantly by the giant, so that was out but if she could attack from afar like some of the others . . .
"That's it!" she cried and she ran from the room, a list in her mind of what she needed to get in order for her plan to work. Koutaro and Daidouji merely shrugged to each other moments before she came back in the room with bungee cords, a bucket, a drill, rubber tubing, and a few other assorted items.
"Mayura, where on earth did you get all of this?" asked Koutaro when he saw the items she put on the floor.
"One of the suitcases downstairs," replied Mayura as she started feeding the bungee cords through the rubber tubing. "Yamino really came prepared for anything."
"What do you plan on doing, Mayura?" asked Daidouji curiously.
"I'm going to make a slingshot," said Mayura as she tested the strength and stretchiness of the one piece of tubing and cord. "And fasten it to the balcony so we can shoot stuff at the giant. Now don't argue and help me! Loki and the others are counting on us."
Neither Koutaro nor Daidouji had the heart to argue with her when she seemed so determined to help her fiancé and their friends, so without another word they assisted Mayura in building her slingshot. They brought it outside and saw that there were loops in place already for hooking up a hammock so they used them for the slingshot, all amazed that they were able to assemble it as quickly and efficiently as they did. When it was finally hooked up, Mayura left the room and returned moments later with a bag full of ammunition: canned foods.
"Come on, we have to do something," she said in response to their questioning looks. She put one of the cans in the bucket that served as the center of the slingshot, she tried to pull it back but she was not quite strong enough, so Koutaro grabbed on and together they pulled it back all the way past the open plate glass French door then let go. The can went sailing in the direction they wanted but it did not have enough energy to complete the journey, that was until a shot of lightning hit it and sent it flying into the giant's finger.
Koutaro and Mayura looked down to see Narugami on his feet, his trusted companion Mjolnir extended, which indicated to them he had been the one to power the projectile for them.
"Do another!" he shouted up to them and they grinned at each other before reloading the slingshot with a slightly heavier can. They pulled back as far as they could and released it, watching it fly across the beach before Narugami hit it with a blast of lightning that sent it right into the giant's axe hand. The mighty creature roared at the pain, lifting his hand to show a hole through the center of his palm, it was small but definitely there and enough to distract the beast.
Heimdall took advantage of the giant's preoccupation with his injured hand to get closer to the neckband, maneuvering Gullinbursti so they were on a direct course with the silver buckle. He had his hawk fly there first and start pulling on the leather ties that held the key to the lock; the neckband had been designed by some spiteful dwarf whom had made a deal with the giants long ago to help them protect their weak spot from the gods. The lock on the buckle was not holding the neckband on, it was actually the source of the spell repelling attacks directly to the piece of armor, with it removed, the band could be destroyed and the weak point exposed. He was almost there when the giant's hand came into view, quickly he veered Gullinbursti away from it mere seconds before it collided with him.
"Heimdall!" he heard someone shout before a barrage of magical projectiles rained down on the giant, giving Heimdall the opportunity to return to his task. Somehow he managed to slip under the giant's radar without further incident and was relieved to see his hawk waiting with the tiny silver key in its claws, he took it from him and quickly unlocked the small lock then pulled back.
"Loki! It's your show now!" called Heimdall as he retreated to Frey's ship and Loki surged forward, dodging the attacks from the giant effortlessly.
In his mind's eye he was back in Utgard, fighting just another challenger for his throne and his muscles reacted as if that were the circumstance, gliding his body up to the spot he knew was his for the taking. With a wave of Laevateinn he sliced the band and if fell away from the giant's neck, the gods below cheered as it tumbled down, the giant only now realizing what was going on. It reached to try and put it back on but by then it was far too late, Loki had reached the top of its spine and fired a powerful blast as the old Norse words flew from lips to give it power. The blast hit its target and the giant stopped moving, slowly its arms fell to its side as the rest of its body crumbled beneath it before landing in a massive heap below Loki before exploding in a bright blue light.
The god looked down at where the creature had been and almost felt pity for it, almost. Then he heard the cheering of his friends and he grinned, knowing they had just rid the human world of one of the most dangerous creatures known to man or god. Slowly he descended as the others swarmed to greet him.
"Well done, Loki!" said Frey, clapping him on the back.
"That was awesome!" cried Narugami as he raised Mjolnir in victory, a happy sort of crackling coming from the kendo sword.
Freya was almost in tears she was so happy. "Impressive work, Loki, I'm so glad you're alive."
He smiled at them all and was incredibly relieved to see Yamino walking up to him with Fenrir in his arms. Quickly he pushed past everyone in his way to embrace his sons, having thought for one horrible moment that he had lost them to the giant.
"My sons," he said warmly, holding them close.
"Father, we're fine," said Yamino kindly as he returned his father's embrace.
Fenrir managed to move in between them so he could lick his father's face. "Daddy! You were amazing! That giant didn't stand a chance against you."
Loki grinned broadly and he released them, then looked around for Mayura. "Where's Mayura?" The gods and goddesses looked around themselves, not having seen her since the end of the battle.
Just then Koutaro and Daidouji came running out of the beach house looking frightened and worried, this did not sit well with Loki at all, especially since now was a time to celebrate.
"Loki," said Koutaro breathlessly, it took him a moment to recover enough breath to speak. "Loki, Mayura's gone!"
