It took me several more days to recover from the effects of the poison, a testament to how powerful the curse really was.
Loki did his best to keep the household running while looking after me, which was rather adorable. He even tried to cook, albeit with mixed results.
"LOKI!" I hollered as I heard the all fire alarms in the house go off simultaneously, while at the same time I thought I could smell smoke.
After what felt like an eternity, but what was probably a minute at most, Loki poked his head around the bedroom door.
"The good news is that the kitchen isn't on fire anymore…" Loki began.
"That's what you are leading with? You are terrible at this, aren't you?" Jessie barged right past him.
"Don't worry mum. Loki left an oven glove too close to one of the rings and it caught fire, but uncle Thor put it out right away. Your kitchen is still standing, and besides the oven glove, nothing was damaged permanently." Jessie quickly reassured me. I sighed with relief.
"Wait!" A thought suddenly occurred to me. "How exactly did Thor douse the fire?"
"Well, that's the bad news," Loki said rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll be mopping up rainwater for the rest of the night. I'll just order takeaway, shall I?"
Most of the time Loki didn't leave my side though. We binge-watched Downton Abbey, which Loki had heard of, but never seen.
(If you are wondering if Loki cried at a certain character's death, I am sorry, but I swore a strict oath never to reveal how he bawled his eyes out at that part. So there you go, you didn't hear it from me. I will never tell!)
Loki was refusing to talk about what happened on Jotunnheim, and when I tried to bring up the staff it was met with a curt: "It doesn't matter where it is, as long as it's cursed I can't use it anyway."
But I often caught him staring in the distance, a haunted look in his eyes. And I knew he wasn't sleeping at night. Whenever I woke up he was lying next to me, his eyes unseeing as he stared at the ceiling.
I worried about him, worried about the effect his mother's words might have on him.
"LIAR! DECEIVER! CHARLATAN!
BEGONE! YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!"
They kept echoing in my mind, and I was sure they were haunting Loki as well. But until he was ready to talk, there was little I could do to comfort him.
I still slept on and off, even during the day. I woke up to find Loki on the bed next to me, using his laptop.
"Please tell me you aren't ordering that lifelike Dark World Loki bust with the real hair, the dead eyes creep me out," I mumbled grumpily. "It's not going in the bedroom, I'll never sleep again!"
Loki grinned. "I am doing nothing of the sort! I am reading a business proposal."
"A business proposal?" My curiosity was peaked. I sat up a bit.
"Has Cedric even told you about the business he owns?"
I knew about his work for the Illuminati, and about his LGBTQA+ charity, but I didn't know he owned a business as well. I shook my head.
Loki enthusiastically began explaining how Cedric's business worked. It had to do with buying up real estate for cheap, renovating it and then selling it high. My eyes quickly glazed over.
"Wait!" I suddenly realised, "Isn't that gentrification? And isn't that a bad thing for poor people who won't be able to afford their homes afterwards?"
"Oh come on, this is Cedric we're talking about! I would have no issue doing that, but you know Cedric is better than that.
The beauty of the whole endeavour is that he is clever enough to not only make a tidy profit, but he helps the neighbourhoods improve for the people who live in them, as well.
He is looking to expand and is hoping I'll join him as a business partner. I was sceptical at first, but after reading this, I'm rather impressed! It is a huge challenge of course, but nothing I wouldn't be able to contribute to, or even improve upon!"
I smiled at Loki's boyish enthusiasm. I knew it bothered him that I was the only one with a regular income, and cashing out his old aliases was always risky because the money was never acquired in an honest way in the first place.
Loki got bored easily, and always needed to challenge himself. And if he was working with Cedric, I knew he'd channel that energy into something positive. I smiled at him.
"It sounds perfect, love!"
The first thing I did when I could stand on my own legs again was to take a long, long shower. Afterwards, I found Loki and Thor in the kitchen, Loki's aggravated voice drifting into the hallway before I could enter.
"...by the odd-looking trees near that tavern with the wench with the enormous…" Loki shook his head. "Really?" REALLY? This is the best you all could do, brother? Tell me, please do tell me which one of you dunces added that one to this list? Was it you? Fandral? Volstagg? Do enlighten me, brother, because I am absolutely fascinated! And by fascinated, I mean horrified!"
I sucked in my cheeks quickly in an attempt not to burst out laughing, but all that accomplished is that I gave out a rather undignified snort.
Loki and Thor looked up from the scroll of parchment that lay on the kitchen table.
"Hey, it wasn't me!" Thor grumbled. "Although I do remember that wench Volstagg was talking about…"
"It is useless Thor! Absolutely useless! That wench has been dead for over eight centuries, the tavern won't be there anymore and even the trees are probably gone by now! How for Norn's sake are we supposed to find that Place of Power?"
"Maybe she has a great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter?"
Thor suggested.
The vein on Loki's forehead had started to throb dangerously, and I quickly put a hand on his shoulder before he could explode.
"Did Odin finally send a list?" I asked.
Loki turned his face and kissed my hand, but when he looked up at me there was a frown on his face.
"He did, but it is rather anaemic, and not of much use I'm afraid." Loki sighed. "Most of these are only descriptions of places, but even the ones that name a nearby town or landmark are rather useless. Midgard has changed so much in the last millennium, it is going to take me months, if not years to cross-reference this against various maps and history books."
"Wouldn't Heimdall be able to help, isn't he supposed to have been able to see everything change as it happened?" I asked. I looked at the list but I couldn't read it since it was written in Asgardian runes.
"Father made it clear not to expect any more help," Thor shook his head. "He is angry about my refusal to return Loki to Asgard. And he's still put out about how humanity spurned us in favour of Christianity."
"Really?" Loki asked curiously. "He's still on about that old chestnut? Well, say what you like about the old man but he certainly knows how to carry a grudge!" He almost sounded impressed.
"Oh yes," Thor admitted, "There was a lot of 'perhaps if humanity wished for our aid they shouldn't have told us we were no longer welcome a few centuries ago' and 'perhaps they could ask their nameless god, see if he's willing to scribe long lists for them' and 'they never write, they never pray, but now they suddenly want our help!', it just went on and on."
Loki ran his hands through his hair. He looked tired and overwhelmed.
I wished there was something I could do to help. Maybe there was!
I walked out of the kitchen and rang Richard. I know the Templars had consulted with specialists in Ancient Norse Mythology after my first encounter with the ravens and Loki on the island. Perhaps one of them would be able to help. Richard thought he might just know just the right person…
The next day I decided it was high time to give the house a good cleaning. I had been in bed for a week, and the place was a pigsty. I gave Loki a list and sent him grocery shopping since the cupboards were empty, and I sent Thor outside to do chores there. The windows needed to be washed ("with soapy water, Thor, not just rain!"), the leaves needed to be raked and the door of the shed was falling off its hinges.
I put on a pair of old dungarees and a Minnie Mouse t-shirt and bound my hair up in a bun. As I filled up a bucket with water I was suddenly reminded of that day we had tried to clean Loki's old apartment. It felt like a lifetime ago. Had it truly been less than a year?
I had only just gotten started when the doorbell rang. With a soapy rag still in my hand, I opened the door.
"Hello, Sorcha! I'm glad to see you are feeling better," Richard smiled.
"This is Sorcha, the agent who discovered the runestones on the island that I showed you the pictures of. I may have neglected to tell you at the time she discovered a bit more than that.
Sorcha, this is Anna Borgstrom. Anna specialises in Early Medieval History and Ancient Norse Mythology. She has signed the NDA, and is familiar with the Secret World due to her consultant work with us in the past, but knows nothing about your current… family situation. I'll leave it up to you to introduce everyone."
I looked at the woman next to Richard. She was in her mid-forties or early fifties and wore her blond hair in a bob. Large round glasses made her round grey eyes look even bigger. She had a friendly smile.
"Well, I'm off for now!" Richard said cheerfully. "There's a pile of reports on my desk that won't read themselves, but you have fun!"
And with a wave, he walked off.
Wait, what now?
I looked at Anna again.
"How terribly exciting this is!" Anna had a clipped and precise, but an enthusiastic way of speaking. Her Scandanavian accent was hardly noticeable. "I can't wait to learn what else you found on the island! The standing stones themselves were a huge find! I've only seen pictures, of course, the island itself isn't safe or so I have been told. Still, it is fascinating, absolutely fascinating!"
Wow, if she found the stones fascinating, the rest would knock her off her socks! I had no idea where to even begin with telling her that the myths she studied most of her life were not only real but doing my groceries and raking my garden!
"Want a cup of tea?" I asked instead.
"Oh, yes please, no milk, one sugar. The journey through Agartha was absolutely fascinating as well, who would have thought something like that could truly exist? But I can't wait to hear about what else you found on the island. Mister Sonnac didn't say much, but reading between the lines I could tell it was going to be huge!"
'You have no idea,' I thought to myself as I led her into the kitchen. I looked out the window into the garden, where Thor was raking leaves and singing along with his earphones on.
"Oh my, what a big guy!" Anna exclaimed.
"My future brother-in-law, he lives with us for now," I explained. Should I tell her who he was? It would probably be a huge shock.
"How is your heart?" I asked instead. The last thing I needed was our new expert dying of a heart attack.
"My heart?" Anna looked confused. "It's fine, healthy as a horse!"
"Just thought I'd ask," I muttered to myself.
"So, pardon me for being abrupt, but the thing you found on the island, this is ancient, yes?"
"Yes, you could say that," I answered honestly, although Loki probably would have a few choice words to say about that if he would have heard.
I looked at Anna's teacup and added another spoon of sugar, she was going to need it. I hesitated for a moment and added two more.
Perhaps I'd better start from the start, I thought to myself.
"When I first found the standing stones, I was met by two ravens. They spoke, and introduced themselves as Thought and Memory."
"Huginn and Muninn! But are you certain they spoke? It wasn't a trick, animatronics or a ventriloquist? Do you take drugs?"
Anna sounded excited, she wasn't trying to be offensive but merely was trying to make sure I really heard what I thought I did.
"I don't drink or do drugs," I reassured her, "And I can say with great certainty that the ravens were Odin's messengers indeed."
"That is fascinating! Truly fascinating! If that is true, this would be the biggest breakthrough in my field in centuries!"
I looked out of the window again. Thor was using the rake as a microphone, and swinging his hips.
"So, what did they say to you?"
I told her about the riddles, and the story the ravens had told me in return for solving them.
Anna took a sip of her tea and grimaced.
"I am afraid you might have accidentally added too much sugar," she interrupted.
"Trust me, you'll need it before I'm done with my story," I said dryly.
"In the end, the ravens warned me that Loki himself was on the island," I continued.
"Loki?" her already big eyes widened even further. "You may have found proof of Loki's actual existence?"
"You could say that. I eventually caught up with him, and fought him."
"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating! And how could you be sure it was truly Loki and not an impostor?"
"I asked myself the same thing, to be honest, when he first revealed who he truly was. Loki tricked me and nearly killed me.
The only way to defeat him was to activate three altars on the island, each one dedicated to a different deity. The first to Odin, the second to Frigga…"
"Frigg or Freya? They are two different deities." Anna interrupted. "Frigga doesn't exist, she's an invention of those awful action movies."
"Frigga." I insisted, "and if I were you, I wouldn't say that she never existed in this household."
Anna blinked, but she could tell I was serious and let it slide.
"The third altar was dedicated to Thor, and that's where I was found worthy of Mjolnir and granted the power to wield it."
Anna nearly spat out her tea.
"What? You may have found Mjolnir? May I see it?"
Thor was still dancing around in the garden. I held out my hand and summoned the hammer which promptly appeared. I placed it on the kitchen table.
"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating! Look at the workmanship and the attention to detail! This is a magnificent hammer, I've never seen anything like it! May I?"
"Go ahead, knock yourself out," I grinned.
Anna reverently reached out and grabbed hold of the short haft. Just like anyone else besides myself and Thor who tried, she wasn't able to lift it.
"But what is it made of?" she exclaimed. "It is too heavy to lift!"
I picked up Mjolnir and casually tossed it in the air. I was showing off a bit, and that never works out for me. I almost dropped it on my toes, ruining the whole effect.
"Oh my…" Anna sat down with a bump. "Mjolnir… I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes."
"Where… where did it come from?"
"The guest room upstairs," I admitted sheepishly, "I was too lazy to walk up so I summoned it instead."
"You keep a weapon without peer… in your guestroom?" Anna asked incredulously.
"For the moment," I hedged.
"Wait, you said you fought Loki?" Anna was looking rather pale. With Mjolnir in front of her, the idea that I might have actually encountered Loki seemed far less ridiculous.
"I did, and I defeated him with some help."
"You killed him?"
"No, I didn't, Loki is still alive."
I walked to the kitchen door. It was time.
"Anna, the big guy outside? My future brother-in-law? That is Thor, god of Thunder." I said gently.
"Very funny," she replied. "Is this your idea of hazing? Because the last people I worked with had a stripper dressed like Thor jump out of a cake to try and faze me. I don't find it funny at all."
I looked at Thor. I could see why it was a bit unbelievable. I opened the kitchen door.
Thor's voice came loudly and rather off-key from outside, as he sang along with "Thunder".
"Sorry, I introduced him to Imagine Dragons," I grinned at Anna.
"Thor! THOR!"
Of course, he couldn't hear me. I grabbed Mjolnir and threw it right past his head.
"Hey! Careful!" Thor took his earphones off.
"Come inside, there's someone I want you to meet!"
Thor came in. He was wearing cargo pants, a red flannel shirt and a T-shirt with "Strongest Avenger" written on it. His long blond hair was tied up in a ponytail. He gave Anna his biggest, friendliest smile.
"Thor, this is Anna, she is here to help us locate the Places of Power. Anna, this is Thor, son of Odin, prince of Asgard and god of Thunder."
Anna eyed him sceptically.
"She doesn't quite believe who you are," I grinned at Thor.
Thor grinned back. He picked up Mjolnir, twirled it in the air and caught it again. His eyes flashed blue with lightning, and sparks appeared around his hands and eyes. Suddenly he emanated an aura that was so ancient and powerful that even the biggest sceptic could not deny it.
"Hello Anna," his voice boomed, "I am Thor Odinson, god of Thunder!"
Anna's eyes were as big as saucers. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
"Should I wear my armour? Would that help? I'll get it anyway!" Thor bounded up the stairs.
"Still doing okay, Anna?" I was a bit concerned about how she was taking it all. Anna nodded and gulped down her tea.
"You weren't wrong about needing that sugar," she said faintly, as the colour slowly returned to her cheeks.
"And you said you are engaged to his brother? Baldr? Víðarr? Váli?" she inquired.
"Yes, about that…." I began.
Just then, the key turned into the front door lock, and the door banged open.
"I think you are about to meet him!"
"Darling, I'm home! The eggs escaped out of the carton while driving home, and while they didn't break it might take a while to hunt them all down again, they rolled everywhere! They had that ice cream you liked with the chocolate fish so I brought three tubs, I hope they haven't melted!"
Loki barged into the kitchen like a whirlwind, with his arms full of groceries. He was wearing black ripped slim-fit jeans, a t-shirt with a Chibi Avengers Loki on it with the word 'KNEEL!' written underneath it and a black leather jacket.
"Hello," he said cheerfully and kissed me on top of my head.
Only then did he notice Anna.
"We have a guest! How terribly rude of me! Let me just…" he juggled the groceries and held out his hand.
"I'm Loki Laufeyson, nice to meet you!"