We arrived on the island later than I meant to. When Loki and I had discussed the wards on the island a few days before he had warned that strengthening the wards might catch the attention of the Dreamer trapped in the Gaia engine and we might get attacked by its minions, so I had called in a friend. I had also warned the sheriff so that the people living on the island wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. Helen Bannerman assured me the people would stay safe and out of the way.

The children, however, had managed to escape her notice and were waiting at the entrance of Agartha. And so was Cedric, who had arrived before us.

"Can you show us your fangs?" Kyra asked him curiously.

"So you are a daywalker, like Blade? Only less ethnically diverse? This is so awesome!" Danny was geeking out.

Carter was the only one who saw us: "Hey Sorcha," she waved.

I waved back.

The moment Kyra saw Loki she went for him. Before I could stop her, she ran towards Loki and kicked him in the shins as hard as she could.

"That's for everything you did, you horrible…."

Loki wasn't in the mood.

"You feral little hellcat!" without another word he picked her up and unceremoniously hung her by her hoodie from the highest branch he could reach.

"Loki!"

"Anyone else wants to have a go?" Loki glared at the others. "Come on then, who else wants to kick a god in the shins?"

Carter held her hands up, and so did Danny, his eyes wide.

"Loki!"

"What? They'll treat me with respect or I'll do more than decorate the trees with them!" he snapped at me.

"There's no need for that mate, I think they see your point," Cedric said mildly, and he reached up and lifted Kyra down.

It wasn't quite the introduction I had hoped for.

"So, like, do you always wear normal clothes, or do you have that awesome armour and helmet as well? Or can you just, you know," Danny motioned with his hand over his head making horns in the air, and making a wooshing noise, "magic them like that? And do you have the sceptre? Or the tesseract? And can you make all those copies of yourself like in the movies? And can you change shape? Can you make yourself look like me? Or can you make me look like someone cool, the way you made Thor look like Sif in the movies?"

Danny's enthusiasm wasn't dampened by Loki's threat, and what was more, it was contagious. Loki grinned despite himself.

"I'll show you a few tricks after, but for now I need to save my energy for the restoration of the wards."

I made the children promise to head straight for the sheriff's station, while we headed for the nearest ward.

Cedric was wearing a long black coat, his rapier in its scabbard on his belt, his pistol holstered on the other side. "Rough night last night?" he asked Loki.

"Just a bit," Loki grinned. "I didn't see you anywhere last night, you were busy?"

They obviously had been hanging out together since the last time I'd seen Cedric. I felt a pang of jealousy but I quickly squashed it. Cedric was a nice guy and it was great if Loki was making friends, right?

"I'll have to redo them from scratch," Loki ran a hand through his hair as he was thinking out loud. "This is amateur work, and patching them up is only a temporary measure. I'll have to unravel them one at a time and then recreate them. It will take all my concentration."

Loki looked at the both of us, with a frown on his face, as if searching for something.

"I'll be vulnerable to the filth creatures that will undoubtedly try and attack me. I'll trust you'll have my back."

"Of course we do," I said at the same time as Cedric said, "You can trust us, mate."

Loki nodded, and his eyes glowed green as he bent over the altar where more than a year ago, I had received Mjolnir.

It took us most of the day. Loki stripped the altars of their enchantment and then recreated the wards one by one, while Cedric fought off the zombies, draugr and filth creatures the Dreamer sent our way. We were all tired, but Loki most of all. He was swaying on his feet by the time the last ward was finished. I put my arm around his waist to stop him from falling over and helped him to sit down.

"I'm fine, I just need a moment," his voice sounded irritable but the smile he gave me was grateful. "You should go and check up on the Gaia Engine and see if the ward fully holds there as well, just be sure."

I hesitated, I didn't like leaving him alone like that.

"It's alright love, I won't let anything happen to him," Cedric said with a wink and a smile. "You go and check the ward, I'll stay here with Loki."

I hadn't taken five steps or the children came bounding down the hill.

"We stayed at a safe distance until we were sure you guys were done!" Carter reassured me.

"That was amazing!" Danny whooped.

I grabbed Kyra by her shoulder. "Hurt one hair on Loki's head and you'll have to deal with me, understand?"

Kyra nodded. "I wasn't going to anyway, I think he really helped. Things feel different around here now."

The ward blocking the entrance to the Gaia engine was strong as ever, the familiar warm glow of Gaia's magic warm and soothing. It seemed so long ago Loki and I fought there as enemies. It seemed like a lifetime.

When I returned, I could see Cedric sparring with Kyra, who was wielding… a lightsaber? With its bright green glow and distinct humming sound that was the first thing that came to mind.

"Look what Loki glamoured me," Kyra yelled enthusiastically. "It's only a stick but it looks like a lightsaber! And Cedric is teaching me how to fence!"

I smiled at her, far more concerned about what Loki and Danny were up to.

There were sitting next to each other with their backs against Frigga's altar, since that was the last altar Loki had re-enchanted. And Danny was showing Loki his sketchbook.

'Oh shit, no…Danny's armour sketches!' I thought, as to my horror I heard Loki say: "Oh, I can absolutely imagine Sorcha wearing that one, the fishnet tights and leather corset would be quite stunning on her!"

The smile he greeted me with was far too wide, and I could feel myself blush.

"Yes, I really like that one too," Danny said earnestly, "Although the full black leather suit with the cutouts would be striking on her as well!"

Loki looked at the sketch with great interest. I was going to wring Danny's scrawny neck the next time I got him alone!

"Look at what Loki taught me," Carter was asking for my attention. I gratefully turned to her, before I'd sink into the ground out of sheer embarrassment. She picked up a stick, and after concentrating for a moment turned it into a flower. "Isn't it pretty?"

We spent another hour or so with the kids, but then I really felt it was time to leave. We were all tired, and I was getting hungry and wanted to go and cook dinner.

Cedric, Loki and I walked back to Agartha together.

"Thanks for your help, Ced," I smiled at him. "Anytime love," Cedric gave me a big hug.

Loki and Cedric shook hands, but Cedric pulled Loki in for a hug too. After a moment, Loki hugged him back.

"Will I see you in the Horned God tomorrow evening?" Cedric asked Loki. "there's a bunch of us planning to hang out."

"Might do," Loki said hesitantly, as he looked at me.

"Why don't you come as well, Sorcha? It's been ages since you last hung out with us!" Cedric asked.

I hadn't been in the Horned God for a while, not since Loki moved into his apartment. I had no wish to watch him flirt with someone else.

"Yes, Sorcha, why don't you come as well?" Loki asked unexpectedly. "I'll pick you up from your place and we'll go together?"

Cedric looked proudly back and forth between the two of us, like a Victorian Era mother who was matchmaking between her favourite child and a suitable beau.

There wasn't really any way to say no.

"Okay, sure. Do you want to have dinner with us first?" I asked Loki, while I could feel myself blush.

"Ehm, yes, that would be very nice," Loki answered, shuffling his feet a bit.

"Splendid, that is all sorted then," Cedric beamed and put an arm around each of our shoulders as he herded us through the portal.