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Chapter Summary: Hungary and Sweden attempt to free their friends and face down Norway, but the possessed nation is far more dangerous than they expect. With Greece near death, Poland injured, and Finland lost in doubt, they're going to need all the help they can get to escape.

Ch. 24: Reunion

October 31, 9:15 PM

The drive to Norway's is tense and silent, mostly because Sweden is tense and silent and Hungary is a little scared of him. She has some freeze powder in her pocket, just in case, but she doesn't think he'll go all rabid troll. He's got more control than that – for now. Still, when they pull into Norway's driveway and hear the howling of wolves far too close by, she's certainly glad she brought the powder.

Sweden opens the door carefully and sniffs the air. He doesn't have a wolf's sense of smell, but it is better than the average nation's. There is one scent he would recognize anywhere. "Tino's here." That's all he needs to know. If Finland is in danger, he'll save him; even if Finland never wants to look at him again.

"We need to get to Norway," says Hungary, squinting at the tree where all the wolves are barking.

Turning his face into the breeze, Sweden sniffs again. By the tree he mostly smells dog, along with cat, something fishy, and Denmark. The scent of Finland is fainter, from another direction. It's mixed with others; he growls, recognizing the sharp iron of blood. "The house. We need t'go inside."

XXX

In the basement cage, Finland is scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush. His strokes are weak, his eyes are drooping. Everything, including the bars of the cell, has been cleaned to the point of shining. Feliks has a designated a corner of the bed with a rolled up towel to rest his leg on, but he keeps twitching. "Stop moving. You're getting blood everywhere," Finland hisses.

"I can't help it! I hate being locked up, I need to get out. I hate cages so much, and Liet's out there..." Poland takes a deep breath. Panicking will not help. He aims all his ill will at Norway, who is chanting over Greece. "HEY! NORGE! You know what? Your hair looks totally stupid. Who has a floating curl? Seriously."

Norway's concentration slips, yet again, and he snarls. It appears Poland has discovered that he can't finish the ritual properly if he's distracted. Unfortunately, the Pol is very talented at distractions. "One more interruption from you, and I don't care how funny it'll be when you turn. I'll shut you up for good, here and now."

"IF ANYONE GETS ANY MORE BLOOD IN THIS ROOM I WILL RIP HEADS FROM SHOULDERS, GOT IT?!" Finland screams, raising his toothbrush like he might actually use it to sever someone's head.

Both of them flinch back. Even Greece twitches. Then Norway laughs, reaching through the bars to ruffle Finland's hair with dirty hands. "You're fun. This could be better than I expected: a tonttu actually fighting off a werewolf. I could sell tickets."

"EEEEEEH!" Finland howls. He runs over to the sink, dunks his head into the bowl, and turns on the water. "OUTOUTOUTOUTOUT!"

Upstairs, Hungary and Sweden jump, startled by the noise. "That sounded like it came from the basement. We should hurry," says Hungary.

Unfortunately, France and Canada are waiting outside the basement door. They're still invisible to the naked eye, and they have been debating when and how to intervene with Norway's apparently malevolent plans. It's very difficult; as time goes on and their lust remains unquenched, it becomes a lot harder to think – or to really care. So when a pair of nations appear ripe for the taking, they are perfectly willing to switch targets. "Let's just fuck those two!" France shouts, already reaching for Hungary.

Hungary pauses mid-step. "Why do I feel like something's perving on me?" Sweden's in front of her, and they haven't heard anyone else in the house. Better safe than sorry. She tosses a little freeze powder over her shoulder.

Sweden turns to look and immediately jumps back. "Demons!"

Hungary shrieks, whipping around to face them with another handful of powder in hand. But... No. It's only France and Canada, frozen in full-on pounce. She knew they were incubi, but she's never seen either of them allow the transformation to advance so far.

"Oh." She blinks, stepping out of pouncing-range. "The powder must have frozen their magic; they lose their invisibility without it. Maybe it will slow down the effects of their curse, too." She shrugs it off. They have bigger problems at the moment.

"Do we leave 'em here?" asks Sweden, still cautious. Both incubi make noises of distress. "Think they know where Tino is?"

"You heard him," Hungary replies. Patting demonic Canada's head, she turns around and heads for the basement stairs. "Trust me, the less they move, the less trouble they'll be."

Norway hears them coming and sighs. It was only a matter of time, really, before someone managed to get inside. He can't remember locking the door; can't remember even closing it after he let those idiot hunters escape, and that means Lukas got in his way. Growling, he covers Greece and his ritual with a sheet and moves to stand at the bottom of the stairs. There's enough of a hallway that the cages aren't visible from here, but he can look up at Hungary and Sweden. "Would you mind telling me why everyone is breaking into my house tonight?"

Hungary crosses her arms and glares. "I'd like to know why you didn't pick up the wolves, and why the hell I got a text from Aussie saying 'My sib's a sheep.' Have you been hitting the sauce, Lukas? 'Cause tonight is so not the time."

At the sound of a new voice, Finland jolts up. He cracks his head on the sink with a yelp before he whips around to face the new intruders, and starts yelling before he can even see who they are. "Help! Get help, he's gone out of his mind!"

"Tin? Tino!" Sweden rushes forward, but Norway shoves him back with the push of a finger. Sweden gasps and holds his chest; that one finger practically knocked the breath out of him.

"Ah-ah," says Norway, shaking the finger. "You don't have a ticket to see the show. I suggest you turn around now and leave, before there's a tragic accident. A lot of those have been going around lately; I'm disappointed nobody's died." He glances back toward Greece. "Well, not yet."

Finland gasps, running for the bars at the sound of his husband's voice. "Bernie! Bernie, run! Please, you have to get out of here! He's completely insane!"

"Um, NO! Don't leave us here!" Poland yells. He gets to his feet and limps over to the bars. "Otherwise I can't be blamed if I eat Mr. Clean here when I go all furry. I don't wanna be furry, and I bet he tastes like bleach!"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF THE BARS!" Finland screams, then checks himself. "Sorry, sorry. I- Forget it." He turns away from Poland to find both Sweden and Hungary giving him a funny look. "Berwald - Please. Go. Get somebody, get Italy. I'm sorry for everything, just please, save yourself!"

Sweden growls, the troll in him beginning to take control. If he doesn't keep his anger in check, it could get a lot worse. On the other hand, Finland is in danger, and there's a chance he can match Norway's magic with his troll-strength. He's beaten the sorcerer before. "Norge. Don't want t'hurt y', but I will. Y'know it, too. I can snap y'like a twig."

Norway smirks, catching the glint of yellow in Sweden's eyes and the slight green tone of his skin. "Troll, don't you even try me. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I'm not leaving," Sweden says. He holds Norway's gaze and takes a step forward, then grabs Norway's upper arms to trap him there. They glare at one another, and Sweden recognizes a hatred in Norway's eyes that he hasn't seen since they were at war. No...not even then. It's not that kind of hate; it's not hate at all. It's..."Y're not Lukas. Y're-"

Norway's twists a hand into Sweden's stomach and throws him back against the wall, hitting him with the equivalent of magical lightning bolt for good measure. Sweden goes limp. Norway dusts his hands and turns his attention to the remaining threat. "Now then. Miss Hungary...what to do with you?"

Hungary is shaking. Something that could so easily throw a troll into a wall and knock him unconscious is not going to go down with a handful of freeze powder. She tries anyway, tossing a handful at Norway and bolting for the stairs. She doesn't make it that far.

A hand claps down on her wrist, dragging her back with preternatural strength. "No!" she screams.

Norway draws her close against his body and presses his lips against her ear. "Shh, shh," he whispers. "It's okay. I just want to have some fun, and I don't appreciate anyone getting in the way of that. You can stay down here; enjoy the evening's entertainment. A fae werewolf and a tonttu locked in a cage. One comes out. Which will it be?"

He throws her into one of the open cages, grabs hold of Sweden's body, and tosses him in with her. Hungary races to the door, but she's too late. The cage slams shut and Norway locks it. "Let me out!" she screams, shaking the bars.

A cage away, Finland drops his toothbrush and runs for the bars separating him from his fallen husband. "Bernie?" He calls, squeezing a hand through the bars to reach for him. "Baby? Talk to me!"

Norway snorts. "How precious." He climbs up the stairs; it's time to take control of the wolves, and make sure that the next ones to set foot on his property encounter some killer guard dogs. On his way out he passes the two frozen incubi, and laughs. "I thought there was something following me. Sex demons, really? Perhaps I'll set you free when I return, and offer you a couple of treats downstairs." He strokes Canada's face once, then heads for the yard.

Downstairs, Sweden groans. "Tino? Tin I'm sorry. Tried t'help y', know y'don't want me..."

"It's okay, Baby..." Finland whispers, stroking Sweden's cheek through the bars, wiping a little bit of dirt away. "It's okay. We'll work it out. I love you - always. I can't live without you." Tears are in his eyes, but he can't wipe them away. His hands are covered in grime. "I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. We'll work this out."

Sweden blinks, clearing the stars from his eyes, and reaches for Finland's hand. "Love y'too. M'sorry I...I am what I am."

Poland leans against the bars, trying to keep the weight off his bad leg. "Um, guys? That's really sweet and all, but we kind of have bigger problems than your relationship right now."

Frustrated, Hungary gives the bars a hard jolt. They can't just stay down here. They have to move, they have to do something. She yanks at the door, then realizes the chain that's on the bottom hinge isn't wrapped like the others. "Huh." She drops to her knees.

The others hardly notice. Tino is too busy concentrating on his wayward husband. "It's not all you, Bernie! People overcome this every day. Couples get through this - we can get through this. We can work it out! I don't even care who it was, doesn't that say something?" He tries to smile. "I just want to make it right."

Sweden frowns, confused; perhaps it's just from the hit Norway gave him. He holds his stomach as he sits up, taking a good look at his wife. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him, although he is missing his shirt. "Y'hurt? Something's gotten into Norge; something powerful."

"I'm fine." Finland says, drawing his hand away and wiping it on his pants. They're really dirty. "Norge isn't. Something's wrong with him. He's trying to turn Greece into a zombie!"

Hungary isn't even listening. Her eyes are on that last hinge. It's... Huh. It's just wrapped. Nothing's attached. She yanks, hard enough for her to jerk the door open just enough for a small person like herself to slip through. She does so, and begins searching for the keys.

Sweden stares at the partially open door, then crawls to take a look at the broken chain. He recognizes the handiwork immediately, and almost smiles. "Denmark. Never thought I'd be glad for his tricks."

"What? Oh come on, why couldn't he have opened our door too?" Poland complains.

Sweden gets to his feet, stretching to test his strength. It's not quite back to normal, but it should be enough. His body is quickly recovering from Norway's blow. He shoves his side against the door and it creaks open.

Finland gasps, blushing at the sight. "Oh My God. Bernie, don't hurt yourself!"

"Kinda too late for that," Hungary replies, emerging from the laundry room with the keys. "Trolls are resilient, though."

"T-Troll?" Finland croaks, looking to his lover with huge, confused eyes.

Sweden hangs his head. "I know. Y'don't...we'll talk later, when y're safe." Before Hungary can reach the second cage, he wraps his hands around the bars and wrenches the door off of its hinges.

"Whoa," mummers Poland. "Someone's been eating their vegetables."

"Troll?" Finland asks again. He barely registers the fact that the door is open. How can his husband be a troll? He's not messy, he's not even smelly! And he's so good-looking; trolls are supposed to be ugly! "H-How?! You can't be a troll, Bernie! You're nothing like a troll!"

"That's why y're upset, isn't it? I mean...I don't blame y'," Sweden replies.

Poland shakes his head. "Yeah, yeah, and my husband's a werewolf. Once again, super cute reunion and all, but...possessed Norway? Zombie? Me turning all fluffy and not cute?"

"One problem at a time, Feliks." Hungary sighs, working quickly to try and undo the spell already taking hold of Greece. It's complex. If she's not careful, she'll kill him instead of saving him.

Poland huffs and sinks to the bed, but he watches Hungary work with no little worry. "Is he alive?"

"Barely," she answers, trying to pull at the trappings of the spell without stopping Greece's heart or causing the spell to trigger.

Finland takes a step back, still staring at Sweden. So much makes sense now, and yet so little. "You thought...I found an earring under our bed."

Sweden blushes to his ears. "Ah...was wondering what happened t'that."

"You were wondering?" Finland snaps. "Because whoever you're fucking wants it back?"

Sweden frowns. "What're y'talkin about? S'my earing. When I forget t'take Eliza's potion, I get...ugly."

"Your ears aren't pierced!" Finland snaps.

"Tin..." Sweden doesn't know what to say. "I love y'. I don't want anyone else. I'm a troll, but I'd never hurt y'."

"Everybody just shut up!" Hungary demands, never looking away from Greece's body. "This is not the time for a lover's spat. I have to save somebody's life now, and it's a very delicate process, so can you all give me some silence?"

All of them shut their mouths. Greece is obviously in deep trouble. He's barely breathing. "We need to get him a blood transfusion," Hungary says, carefully moving the candles and erasing the marks around Greece.

"Where exactly would you like us to find the equipment for that?" Poland replies. "Plus, if we don't get rid of crazy-ass demon Norway, he'll just come back and kill us all."

"He's not a demon. He's been possessed by a god," says Sweden.

"And now he's got some wolf-power." Hungary sighs, letting go of Greece and pressing her hands together to harness her magic. "We'll put him in stasis. That's the best I can do for now."

Finland frowns at Sweden. "You know what's going on?"

Sweden nods. "A little. Don't know how it happened, but I can guess. I know the god from the old days. S'Loki - the Trickster. And he's had a thousand years t'plan this."

"Awesome." Finland deadpans. Loki's the god who made him frightened of Sweden's religion in the first place, all those years ago. Now it seems like the god has decided to frighten everyone.

"Okay. We know what this is now," Hungary says as she layers the stasis over Greece. "We can fight it. We need... We need a distraction. Something to keep the bad god out of the way while we figure out what to do."

Poland scoffs. "I've been doing that for hours; Tino and I kept trying to piss him off so he'd leave Greece alone. It only worked for so long." He pauses, looking around the basement for some sort of idea. "You know, there's something familiar about all of this. I can see things when I dance – things that haven't happened yet, or happened a long time ago. Right before I was attacked I had a vision. There were three boys: stone, fire, and light. Then the light one went dark – that must have been Norway!"

"You saw this?" asks Hungary. "What else? Do you know how to fix him?"

Poland shakes his head. "It was really confusing. He was kind of…having sex with demons. I thought it was a metaphor for the possession, or some ritual I really don't want to know about."

"What kind of demons?" asks Hungary.

"Horny demons?" Poland frowns. Then his face breaks into a smile and he laughs. "Hah! Ohmygod, I didn't even mean it like that. I mean, they had horns. Little ones. And...wings? It was kind of hazy."

Sweden glances up the stairs, the wheels of his mind turning. "Y'don't think..."

Hungary gasps, jumping to her feet. "The incubi!"

"What?" Finland blinks. "Since when are we talking about sex demons?"

"Long story. No time," Hungry replies, brushing herself off and hurrying back to the laundry room. "We need water. I froze them upstairs."

"What should we do with Heracles?" asks Sweden. "If this doesn't work and Loki comes back down here, he'll kill him for sure."

"Well, he's in stasis. We can't move him," says Hungary, waving a hand over Greece. "But we can keep Loki out of the basement. We need an unbreakable lock."

Poland raises an eyebrow. "One that a god can't break? You're a good witch, Eliza, but you're not that good."

"Oh, I'm not talking about me," she says, giving Sweden (and his hand) a very pointed look. When any part of a troll is turned to stone, the stone is unbreakable. That pinkie could be the best tool they have.

Sweden does not like that look; Hungary can be devious, in the right circumstances. "Ah...m'not gonna have sex with him, if that's what y're implying."

"No, Bernie," Hungary replies. "We need your pinkie."

Sweden looks from her to his hand, then to Finland, and back again. Does she want him to stand with his hand in the door forever? No...oh no. Surely she can't mean... "Y'want me t'cut off m'finger?"

"What?" Finland turns, shocked and immediately defensive of his husband.

"Nonsense," says Hungary. "You're right-handed. I'll do it for you."

"What?!" Finland repeats. "She's not serious. You can't be serious!"

"Troll limbs are unbreakable when they're stone." Hungary smiles pleasantly, as though teaching. "Not even a god could break it, if he even figured out it was there. C'mon, I'll grow it back for you. Please?"

"Are you kidding me?" says Poland. "You're going to cut off his finger?"

"Thank you! This is completely-" Finland starts.

"-should have happened like five hundred years earlier! All the good opportunities appear when we're at peace." Poland pouts. "It's your decision, I guess; but if you keep that door locked for all eternity, how are we going to get back down here to free Greece?"

"The pinkie should change back when Sweden takes his potion," says Hungary, grabbing one of the knives Norway/Loki was using for the ritual. "I have it brewing. Once the finger is all fleshy again, it..." Well, the thought is enough make anyone shudder. "It won't be a problem."

Sweden shakes his head. "Don't make it sound like it'll get moldy. But..." With a sigh he holds out his hand. "S'not like it'll make me any uglier."

Finland steps between the two. "No! No, there is no way I'm letting you cut off Bernie's finger! He's not a troll! He can't be! He's not even close to one!"

Sweden puts his other hand on Finland's shoulder. "Tino. M'sorry, but it's true. I am a troll. I should've told you long ago, but I thought if y'knew y'd hate me. S'ok if y'do. Just...let me do what I can t'help."

"You're not!" Finland says, pulling away. "You don't look like one! You're not ugly, or smelly, or untidy at all!"

"Because Liza's a kitchen witch and she makes me a potion!" Sweden yells, his voice rumbling like thunder. Finland flinches away, and he backs off. "M'sorry, really. Not everything about trolls is true, but I try not t'show y', because I am ugly. M'too big, and...and green!"

"You- you're really...?" Finland asks, his eyes growing wide and his hand rising to his lips. He can't believe it. He's been told about trolls. They were the monsters under his bed when he was young, tracking mud into the house and rolling around on the bed, sullying it with stench and filth. To a tonttu, a troll is a boogeyman. On the other hand, he's never been a normal tonttu.

"Um, guys?" says Poland. "Once again, this discussion can happen later. Y'know, once this whole death and destruction thing is all sorted out."

Sweden sighs. "I promise, Tin, I'll tell y'everything when it's done."

Hungary doesn't wait for another protest. She takes Sweden's hand and slices the pinkie clean off, letting it drop to the floor with a little clack.

Sweden bites his lip and digs the fingers of his other hand into his palm. He might not have felt the finger, but since it is unbreakable she cut him just below it. The smell of blood is everywhere now; between himself, Poland, and Greece, poor Finland must be having a heart attack. Sweden clutches his hand to his chest, trying his best to quell the troll urge to crush the one who hurt him. "Y'got...bandage? Fire? Something t'stop the bleeding?"

"Shit, Bernie. Way to take it like a champ." Poland shakes his head. "Right then. Let's go save the world, shall we?"