Chapter 14
There was a pause in the partying as all the partyers gathered outside in the field to watch as Hercules' ship slowly descended through the purple clouds and landed neatly on the grass.
Everyone cheered, including Sigyn, who didn't know who Hercules was or why he deserved a cheer but had very recently discovered that cheering was fun, and excluding Thor and Loki. Thor, because he was still psyching himself up to defeating Hercules, and Loki because Loki never cheered anyone aside from herself. Instead she settled for slurping sardonically on her fruity cocktail.
'Who is Hercules?' asked Sigyn.
'You've not heard of Hercules?' Loki asked, incredulously and loud enough for Thor to hear every word, although he was standing next to her and couldn't fail to hear. She sloshed a little of her cocktail onto the grass, the paper umbrella was also lost but in the next – or possibly the one after that- chapter would prove to be very handy to a lost caterpillar caught in a light drizzle.
'Shopping trolley. Never got out much.'
'Hercules is the strongest, most powerful, most attractive manliest man of manly men. He's known as the protector of mankind. No one can defeat Hercules.'
The admiration in Loki's voice – sincere or false - stung Thor deeply. He had tried very hard in recent years to be a more humble Asgardian and not go chasing after cheep glory, but glory, fame and admiration was something of an addiction and hard to give up. Thor was not used to being part of a crowd who were chanting the name of another man. It made him nervous to see his own people also cheering and pumping the air with their fists.
'Ahem! I'm powerful, remember?'
'But not as popular.'
'I have fans on Earth.'
'Only because Herc hasn't been there in a long while. But if he were to visit...'
'So, he's a big deal?' asked Sigyn.
'A very big deal.'
They watched as the hatch opened and a ramp extended outwards and dropped to the ground with a low thump. The crowd hurrahed.
'Oh, please!' Thor muttered.
Loki slurped the remainder of her drink loudly, but was sure to glare at the ship over her slice of orange.
First out of the ship came Hercule's two sons Alexiares and Anicetus. Those two gangly youths were the gatekeepers of Olympus, except when they were attending parties with their father. They scanned the crowd and when they spotted Loki nodded and smiled icy smiles.
Loki nudged Sigyn's side and hissed, 'I used to date one of them, can't remember which, Odin's orders. And then I cheated with him with the other one. Quick! Help me remember which one is which before the situation becomes embarrassing.'
'It's already embarrassing!' Sigyn hissed back. 'And I don't know who they are, remember?'
'No, you're the one who supposed to be remembering.'
'You're drunk.'
'You're enchanted. We're both useless right now.'
An eardrum squashing roar rose up from the crowd as Mr Hero of Mankind and Olympus himself stood in the hatchway, soaking up the crowd's frenzy.
There Hercules stood, taller than Thor, buffer than Thor, more bronzed than Thor, and with the skin of an oversized lion draped on his head and shoulders. The manliest of manly men.
One of the sons – was it Alexiares or Anicetus? - was frowning as heavily as it was possible to frown at Loki. If he frowned any more his eyebrows would snap off.
Loki knew how to play the helpless younger sister card when she wanted to.
'Big brother Thor, help me! Those boys are giving me death glares. Thor? Thor?'
She was slapped in the face as Sigyn shot her arm out to point, 'There he is! He's going to challenge Hercules.'
'What, even though I advised him not to?'
'You did nothing of the sort.'
'Oh. I forgot.'
They watched as Thor scrambled and pushed and way and shoved his way through the crowd until he had reached the bottom of the ramp.
Sigyn flexed her arm, making her biceps bulge. 'I could take him.'
'No, you couldn't,' said Loki, but she did look at Sigyn's muscles with admiration and lust and thought how that well toned body must be left over from her days in the Nova Corps.
'GO FOR IT, THOR! I'LL BACK YOU UP ALL THE WAY!'
Loki winced at the volume of her voice. A confident Sigyn was a noisy Sigyn, apparently.
