Thank you for all the comments! We are very close to the end of the story, and we should have the climax for you in time for Halloween!

Chapter Summary: While Hungary cooks up a potion to save Norway the other nations try to buy her more time. But with Norway's magic under Loki's control, they may end up paying with their lives.

Ch. 27: Sacrifice

The moment Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and Poland leave the house, Lithuania bounds over and growls at Sweden until he puts Poland down. The reunion that follows is adorable, with a great deal of licking and furry hugs. Unfortunately, the rest of the wolves are not in the mood to negotiate. They snap at anyone who comes too close, and continue to whine up at Turkey. Japan is at his wit's end, having attempted to distract them for several hours now with no success. And Denmark...has no idea what was going on.

Due to the wolves' interference, Hungary is forced to shout up at the tree in order to communicate with him. To his credit, Denmark is unwilling to give up the location of Norway's altar immediately. They have to explain the situation (twice), and it is not until Sweden swears that Norway is in danger that he points to the distant cave.

"Really," Poland says later, resting against the fluffy version of Lithuania, "this should have been kind of obvious. Random, scary cave next to their house? It practically screams 'Secret Magical Altar Here'."

Sweden shushes him. "She's concentrating. Don't distract 'er." They've been in the cave for an hour now. Sweden and Finland have been helping Hungary cook while Poland reads the directions off of the cook-book on Hungary's phone and cuddles with Lithuania.

"Okay, we need eighteen drops of unicorn blood. There's only about ten here," says Hungary, shaking the little vial in her hand. "Norway has to have more somewhere; he's the one who's been buying it out."

"I'll check the pantry," Finland says.

He tries to leave the cave and head toward the house, but Sweden is not about to let him walk in there alone. With his troll blood active he seems even bigger than usual. His broad shoulders block the cave's entrance, sending his shadow across the floor. "S'not safe. I'm not letting y'get hurt again."

"We need the ingredients!" Finland snaps. He does not like it when his husband tries to tell him what to do. Particularly right now, when he's so mad at him. "Francis and Matthew have Loki under control. We may never have a better chance, and if I don't find that unicorn blood we'll never be able to save Lukas!"

"I need more mermaid's bane, too!" Hungary calls, stirring her cauldron vigorously. "Hurry! I can't stop stirring until I add them."

"Y'saw what was happening! There's nothing controlled about it!" Sweden shouts. "I'll go. There's less chance Loki will be able t'hurt me – at least, not permanently."

Poland sees the protest on Finland's lips and rolls his eyes. "For heaven's sake, just go together! Oh, and check on Japan. Poor thing's still trying to keep the wolves off Turkey and Denmark. They're bad dogs, not like my Liet. Who's my good boy?" He scratches Lithuania's ears, and the wolf's tail thumps against the stone floor.

Finland presses his lips tightly together in frustration. But Poland is right. He crosses his arms over his chest and ducks under Sweden's arm on his way out. He still can't believe all of this, especially that he married a troll! Yet he saw Hungary cut off of Sweden's stone finger with his own eyes; he supposes it has to be true. However, none of it explains how an earring ended up in their bedroom. That is something they will need to discuss after they put the wayward god back where he belongs.

Outside, Japan is attempting to distract Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Ukraine all at once. Since Turkey is still in the tree, his tail fluffed up in terror, nothing is working particularly well. He's managed to get the attention of one or two a few times, but never for very long. He claps his hands, then starts kicking rocks toward the wolves. But the wolves are only thinking 'catcatcatcatCAT', and they continue to scratch at the tree and try to snatch Turkey's tail between their teeth.

Denmark remains on his branch, oblivious to their peril. "I just don't know what Luk's thinking half the time, man," he sighs. "I mean, one minute he hates my guts, the next minute we're fucking on the couch and he's yelling my name. So bizarre. I can't help but love it, though. He's so hot when he's pissed."

When all this is over, Turkey has decided he and Denmark need to go out for a drink. Right now, however, he has bigger problems. For instance, Latvia can jump. It isn't going to be long before the he manages to grab hold of a branch or something. Turkey hisses down at wolves and waves desperately to Japan. "Kiku, you tried the rocks already! Haven't you got...something?! A leash, maybe?"

Annoyed, Japan looks down at his hands. He could easily whack all four of them across the yard if he could use his tentacles. That's a last resort; he'll never reveal his true form if he can help it.

Sweden and Finland pause by the tree, assessing the situation for some way they might help. Unfortunately, there is no time to come up with a plan. Sweden shakes his head. "They're hunting. Lukas always said they get determined when they hunt. They won't leave unless something better comes along, or the alpha calls 'em off. Which...does make me wonder where Russia is."

Finland raises an eyebrow. Well, they can only thank God for small favors. "We'll try to find something to scare them off inside," he says, patting Japan's shoulder sympathetically. Then he joins Sweden in racing for the house.

The inside is filled with muffled shouts, groans, and cries that could be pain or pleasure.

"Mon Dieu! That is NOT my tail!"

Sweden shudders. After this, the world may indeed owe the incubi a little extra energy. He and Finland sneak past the door and into the kitchen. "Be careful," he says. "There's a chance Loki messed with all the bottles."

"I know what unicorn blood looks like," Finland replies. He searches through the vials and jars on the shelves, tutting at the disorganization and trying to ignore the fact that he's in a small space with the husband he's so confused about. Yet all he can think about is how big and tall Sweden is, how sexy his voice sounds. With the sounds of the incubi echoing through the house and his husband so close, he'd give anything to forget the last two days and jump his bones. "Fucking incubus pheromones," he mutters.

Sweden frowns, attempting to ignore his own increasing awareness of the very same thing. He doesn't understand why Finland keeps wavering between anger and passion. It's frustrating, and it's starting to make him angry too. If he wanted, he could snap that little body like a- no. NO. He will not let the instincts of a troll take hold, not ever again.

The tension between them is thick and a little suffocating. Finally, Finland sighs and turns to face his husband, crossing his arms over his chest. "Listen, I know we don't have a lot of time right now, but I just want you to know that I want to work this out. Troll or not, I love you. And people make mistakes."

It's enough to break Sweden's heart, or make him wish it would turn to stone. "I wish y'would trust me," he replies. "Though I suppose, since I never told y'about being a troll, y'don't have a reason to." He shuts his eyes briefly and forces his blood to cool. Finland is right; there's no time for this now. He reaches over Finland's head and pulls down a basket labeled Mermaid's Bane. It's filled with very fine netting. "This right?"

"Looks like it," Finland whispers, something about the closeness and Sweden's stretching muscles making his mouth dry. He feels hot just looking at him, the way he used to feel before they ever touched each other. Something about the pheromones in the air is definitely fucking with him. "Do... Do you see any bottles made of unicorn horn? That's the only thing that can contain the blood."

Sweden grunts and looks through the shelves again. "Don't want t'know how Luk gets some of this stuff," he mutters, finally discovering a spiraled, cone-shaped object with a stopper at one end. "This it?"

"Yes." Finland's voice comes out a little rough. He clears his throat and takes the bottle, leaning a little closer as he drops it into the basket of mermaid's bane.

"Good. We should-" Suddenly, a wave of heat and energy explodes through the house, so strong it knocks them both back against the counter. It's accompanied by a shriek, and followed shortly by another. Sweden wraps his body around Finland, protecting him from the buffeting. "We should go!" he calls over the noise.

Finland nods. He clutches the basket in one hand and Sweden with the other, allowing Sweden to drag him from the pantry and toward the front door. They reach the living room, steps away from the door, when a loud groan makes them freeze. The door to the den bursts open, and France and Canada limp out. They're both back to their human forms and clinging to one other pathetically. "I... Oh...owe..." Canada whines, hobbling from the room like an old man. "Never. Again."

"I have experienced things this night which are...unspeakable." France collapses on the floor, bringing Canada down with him.

Norway exits behind them, smirking slightly as he steps over the prone forms. "Well. That was fun. What now?" His eyes land on Sweden and Finland, and his grin widens.

The face alone is creepy; Norway does not smile often, and he never grins. Sweden adjusts his grip on Finland and runs for the door. Unfortunately, trolls are not known for their speed. By the time he crosses the threshold, Norway is only steps behind them. There's no way they can both make it back to the cave. Sweden hugs Finland against his body and starts running. If he can just make it far enough… "Tino, I'm going t'throw you. Gently. But then y'gotta run; Liza has to have those ingredients."

"No, no! We can run, we can go together!" Finland begs. He squirms to get out of Sweden's arms, but the troll is too strong.

Canada barely registers any noise beyond the ringing in his ears. He feels like a flattened pancake. But through the haze, he notices Norway stepping over them, heading too quickly toward the fleeing couple. Maybe he did absorb some energy from America after all, because in that moment he decides to play the hero. He throws himself toward Norway and grabs his ankle.

With a growl Norway shakes his foot, trying to dislodge the incubus. "You're useless now. Let go."

France forces his eyes open. It takes him a moment to comprehend Canada's actions, and then his mind clears. They're supposed to be keeping Norway distracted, and if they give up now the consequences could be disastrous. He crawls forward and reaches out to claw at Norway's other foot. "We're just getting started."

Norway rubs his hands together, a nasty spell building between them. "You are going to regret that."

The incubi give Sweden enough time to make it in sight of the tree. He squeezes Finland for a moment and whispers, "Trust me." Then he tosses his wife.

"BERNIE!" Finland yells, but he's already airborne, soaring over the grounds.

Not too far away, Denmark blinks, watching him arc above the tree. "Huh. I didn't know he could fly."

A shriek from within the house makes even the wolves pause in their pursuit of the treed Turkitty. Sweden forces himself to turn away from the cave as soon as he sees Finland land safely. He straightens up and turns to Japan, expression solemn. "Loki's coming. He's angry, he's strong, and he can control the wolves. Got t'be ready."

When Sweden says be ready, the others know they need to prepare for one hell of a fight. Japan curls his fists, feeling his body's secret pushing at the tips of his fingers and toes. His limbs want to stretch, expand, to show their strength. It seems they will soon be given a chance.

Turkey cautiously makes his way to the edge of the branch. If Japan's in trouble, he will leap onto anyone who attacks him and claw their eyes out, even it is the last thing he does before being eaten alive. "I thought the brat was bad," he tells Denmark. "Turns out your lover's nuttier."

"Norge?" Denmark smiles. "Oh yeah. He's totally nuts. Did I ever tell you about that time...?"

A figure emerges from the house. Norway. No - not Norway at all. Loki has given up all pretenses. The body is still one Sweden recognizes, one he's known for thousands of years. Yet the difference is obvious even to those who don't know the real Norway well. It's in his eyes, his sneer, the way he carries himself. There's an aura around him, a swirling, chaotic mix of green and shadow. Sweden can almost taste the taint of it on the air.

Only Denmark remains ignorant, his senses dulled by the proximity of so much iron. He leans off his branch and waves at Norway happily. "Hey, Norge! Hey! Think you can get me down now? That would be awesome!"

Norway pauses a few feet away, looking over the little group. When he snaps his fingers, the wolves abandon the tree and flank him on either side. "What have we here? Four nations looking for a fight? That's boring. I think I would much rather see monsters."

Japan tenses at the word and narrows his eyes. "Then you can look in a mirror," he snaps, curling his fists tighter.

"A mirror, eh?" says Norway. "I think you've been avoiding those for a long time. I think it's high time for all of you to see one another as you truly are." He makes a sign in the air with his fingers. It glows gold, and he pushes it forward.

Japan gasps and tries to jump back, but the glowing gold bursts and pierces them all. He shouts as his body convulses, his heart pounding triple-time as his fingers quiver, bend back, then burst into long, thick tentacles. His toe tentacles burst through his shoes, and soon he's instinctively climbing up the walls of the house, looking somewhat like an octopus or a spider with twenty legs and a human body attached. His eyes melt into blackness and his teeth grow and sharpen into fangs. Japan shrieks in horror at himself, at the monster he's always hidden inside.

Sweden buries his face in his hands, trying to hide the change. However, it would take a great deal more than that to hide a fully grown troll. His skin is green, he's nearly nine feet tall, and a long tail with a tuft of fur at the end curls out from his pants. He drops his hands and roars, revealing too many teeth and pointed, pierced ears.

Up in the tree branches, Turkey hasn't changed much. He was never able to hide his cat-like features, except with the way he dressed. He glances at Denmark to see if he knows what happened and discovers a blue-skinned imp with a devil's tail, horns, sharp teeth, and bright red eyes in his place. "HOLY CRAP!" Turkey falls out of the tree, landing on his feet with his tail fluffed out. The wolves get excited, but wait for Norway's command.

Denmark swings on the tree branch, hanging upside down to look at Turkey. "What?"

Turkey scrambles back, only to run into Sweden. "Holy crap!" He doesn't think his eyes can go any wider until he spots Japan. "You're...but...what the fuck is going on here?!"

Norway laughs aloud. "Well here we are! The battle of the century: my wolves versus you mismatched monsters." He strokes Estonia's head. "Kill them."

Japan narrows his eyes as the wolves start charging. As long as he's a monster, he can act like one. With a shriek, he whips out a tentacle strong enough to throw Ukraine and Belarus clear across the yard. All too quickly the wolves shake themselves off and come at Japan again.

Turkey hisses at the wolves heading for Japan. He does not like the dogs, and they have been trying to eat him for the past several hours. However, Turkey is not so easily frightened away. Those beasts are going after what is his to protect, and he will not allow any harm to come to Japan. With a cry he leaps at Belarus, sending them both tumbling in a pile of fur and claws.

Beneath the tree, Estonia and Latvia face off against Sweden. As Latvia charges, Sweden puts an arm up in defense and lets the wolf bite it. His skin is too thick for the wolf to break , and the bite feels more like a pinch. He doesn't want to hurt his fellow nations, no matter what they are. He won't have that blood on his hands again. But those jaws are stronger than they look. Eventually, they will snap through his arm.

Estonia goes for Sweden's leg instead, barreling into it with enough force to make him stumble. Latvia hangs on tight with his teeth, clawing at Sweden's body while Estonia turns to charge again. Sweden may not wish to hurt them, but he can feel Latvia's teeth sink deeper into his arm, drawing blood. If he doesn't fight back they may succeed in bringing him down, and then they could go after Finland and the others instead. He throws Latvia off with a roar and catches Estonia with a kick to the wolf's chest.

Latvia hits the tree, throwing the impish Denmark from his branch. This time the blow sends him clear over iron chain wrapped around the bottom, and for the first time in hours he finds himself free and his head clear.

"Whoa." Denmark shakes himself out of it, staring up at the giant troll Sweden and the tentacle monster hanging from their roof. He's got to stop watching anime while drinking. Then he turns his head and sees Norway walking toward that cave he likes to redecorate every once in a while. He stands up, pointy tail wagging as he races to catch up. "Hey, Norge! What gives, man? You left me up in that tree for... a while!"

Norway pauses. He can feel Lukas pound at the walls of his mind, and it makes him smirk. "So you've finally gotten free. Luk wishes you hadn't, you know. He's right; you were safer in the tree."

"Huh?" Denmark asks. He scratches his arm. For some reason, his rune tattoos are kind of itchy. "Dude, there's all sorts of crap going on! Did you know Turkey likes to wear cat ears and stuff? It's freaking hilarious!" His tail swishes in delight. He's oblivious to all supernatural beings (including himself), even when they're directly in front of him. "But whatever, right? Hey, can't we go to bed? It's been a long day."

"A long night, rather," Norway replies, "and it is going to last forever. Stay out of my way, and maybe we'll go to bed later. You can ask France and Canada how well that worked out for them."

Norway strides away through the melee as though he's on a walk through the park. He can see movement in the cave, and he knows they're going to try something stupid to free Lukas. He'll have to put a stop to it, just in case they actually find a way to succeed.