Thank you again for all the comments and kudos! We really appreciate them. Sorry this is a little later than expected, but this is an extra-long, extra-exciting chapter! We hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Summary: With help from Hungary's potion, Norway joins the fight against Loki from within his own mind. Denmark may have the power to expel the god, but there will be blood before the end.
Ch. 28: God of Chaos
Finland lands with a hard thud a couple of feet away from the mouth of the cave.
"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Poland calls, crawling a little closer. Lithuania barks and runs out to him, sniffing at his face.
The breath was knocked out of Finland when he landed, so he just holds out the basket and points to the cave. Lithuania dutifully takes it in his teeth and returns to Hungary. Task complete, Finland drops back to the dirt and attempts to get the stars out of his eyes. At least nothing feels broken. Tontuu may be small, but they're sturdy.
By the time he's able to breathe almost-properly and walk into the cave, Hungary has added the ingredients to her potion. There's a floral scent in the air that makes him feel more alert, yet light-headed at the same time. It's very strange, but there's no time to consider it. A gust of wind and a burst of gold suddenly fill the cave, and he nearly falls to the floor again.
Finland catches himself on the cave wall. He can feel the stone shift beneath his fingers. No…it isn't the stone moving, it's him. His whole body is shrinking by a good foot, though his fingers and toes get longer, pressing against the front of his shoes. "Huh." He blinks down at himself. He didn't shift. What the heck is going on?
Hungary shrieks, whipping away from the cauldron and clapping a hand over her nose - her incredibly long, arched nose. The whole cave is suddenly much brighter, and Finland turns to see that Poland's body is glowing with white light, all the way to the pointed tips of his ears. Beside him, Lithuania remains a wolf, apparently unfazed by whatever magic has forced them into their supernatural forms.
"Um, guys?" Poland's voice is like a spell now, and when he speaks they all turn to listen. "We have a problem. I mean, other than the sudden transformation thing."
For a moment, Finland remains transfixed by Poland. Then he sees movement over his shoulder, and Lithuania starts to growl. Norway is heading for the cave. "Oh, shit," Finland whispers. He glances toward Hungary. "Tell me it's ready."
"Almost!" she promises, still attempting to cover her nose with one hand as she stirs the pot faster. "Just one more second and... Why isn't it turning topaz like it's supposed to?"
"You're telling us this now?" Poland hisses.
"We need more time," says Finland.
Poland glances around the cave for inspiration, and his eyes land on Lithuania. He saw what happened when Norway talked to the other wolves; they followed him without question. But Lithuania is different. Lithuania is his werewolf, and he can use the full power of a wila's voice. Poland puts his hands on either side of Lithuania's furry face and looks him in the eye. "Toris. We...I need you. Slow Norway down, and don't listen to a word he tells you. Give Hungary time to finish the potion."
Lithuania's wolfy heart is beating out of his chest. Norway is a threat to his beloved, and at Poland's command he is ready to put his life on the line. If this Not-Norway is so powerful, he may not come out of this intact, but for Poland, he'll fight to the death. He licks Poland's face and the Poland hugs him, burying his face in Lithuania's fur for one long moment. Then Lithuania turns around, hackles raised, teeth bared, tail out straight and alert as he charges toward the mouth of the cave, growling low at Not-Norway's approach.
Norway simply reaches toward him, expecting this wolf to be as easy to control as the others. "Stand down," he commands.
Instead Lithuania narrows his eyes and snaps at Norway's hand. His tail is sticking straight out as he snarls, demanding Not-Norway to back off.
"Whoa," Denmark says, raising his eyebrows. "That one really doesn't like you."
Norway frowns. "Stand down. Heel!" The wolf won't listen. Norway doesn't understand it; he's always had power over wolves, so why is this one...there's something glowing white in the corner of his vision. Ah, of course, he thinks. Lithuania is following the voice of a wila, the voice of his mate. Even he cannot overcome that. He'll have to get rid of the fairy. It's a shame, really; a wila-wolf would have been so interesting. He raises his hand and throws an electric pulse at Poland.
No! Lithuania leaps in front of Poland, shrieking when he's hit. He's thrown back into the cave, where he collapses on the ground in a fit of seizures. He needs to get up. He needs to fight. He tries, but his body is still suffering the pulse. He can barely whine.
"TORIS!" Poland screams. He drags himself over to the wolf and hovers over him, trying to help but afraid to touch him.
"Whoa, dude," says Denmark. "Uncool."
Norway just laughs, raising his hands to draw spell symbols in the air. "I'm going to burn this place to the ground."
"Whoa-whoa, you just redecorated!" Denmark cries. He grabs Norway's arm to still it, but suddenly jolts back in pain and grips his bicep instead. His tattoos feel like they're burning. "What the hell?"
"Hungary, NOW!" Finland yells. They each scoop up a bucket full of the topaz potion and run at Norway. Together they throw the potion at his face, covering Norway in the stuff and splashing Denmark. It doesn't seem to affect the imp, but Norway drops to his knees and grabs hold of his head.
"You little ingrates! I'll kill you!" he bellows. Inside, the walls that trap Lukas' mind shatter. Lukas is awake, and while Loki is in pain he forces his will back into his body. With a gasp his eyes widen, and he looks around at them all. "Get away! He's still here, it's Loki!"
Finland steps back, his eyes widening at the shifting look on Norway's face. Denmark backs up as well; he has not heard that name in a long time. He reaches out again, tentatively this time. "Norge? You okay? C-Can you look at me?"
Hungary is the only one who keeps moving. She grabs another bucket and tosses it at Norway's feet, hoping that more of the potion will help to ground him. "What do we do?!" she calls as she steps back toward the cauldron to refill the buckets.
"You can't, this isn't going to be enough. The only one who can stop him is..." The hand on Norway's shoulder makes him jump, and his eyes brighten at the sight of Denmark. "Mattias! Matt, you have to listen to me right now. You've got to-ah!"
Norway grabs his head again, and his eyes flicker from blue to green. "Do nothing," Loki hisses. "If you force me out of this body I'll take your friend with me."
The eyes flash back to blue, and Norway grabs Denmark's hand. "He's lying! He can't do anything to me. Don't hesitate, Matt!"
"Don't- What?" Denmark asks. "What is it? What can I do?" His tattoos feel like they're on fire, and they turn white in his blue skin. Yet all he cares about is Norway clutching him and the panic on his face.
"In the kitchen, on the refrigerator, there's a note-" Norway groans, nails digging into Denmark's skin. He fights to stay in control of his mind, but Loki's grip is returning. He struggles against him until it feels like his head is going to burst.
"Note," Denmark whispers, nodding slightly. He's pale as a ghost, which makes him look like a dying fish with the blue-toned skin. "Yeah. Note. On the refrigerator. Got it." He'll do exactly as the note says if it will get Norway back to normal.
Finland's eyes widen. If Denmark's being serious, this is a whole new level of crazy. Norway's body arches like his heart is going to beat its way out of his chest, so Finland grabs another bucket and prepares to fling it. Hungary throws out a hand to stop him. "Don't! Look at him. He looks like he's having a heart attack! Lukas, it's okay! We understand, we're safe. Don't kill yourself fighting him!"
Assured that his message has been delivered, Lukas lets go. His body collapses, curling in on itself and breathing hard. Loki, too, is looking to regain his lost strength.
Denmark steps back from the crumpled form of his friend, clutching his own heart at the sight. Fuck. He glances at the others. "I- The note-" He turns away and races for the house.
Finland and Hungary share a look, slowly approaching the downed figure. "He... is he...?" Finland starts, wishing he could reach out and poke him.
"No," Hungary whispers. "I think he's just resting. We... Um. We should move fast. This could be our only chance. We need a way to expel the god, not just weaken it."
"He won't go down easy," says Poland. "Look what he did to my poor Toris!" Lithuania has stopped twitching, but he's whimpering and he is still unable to get up. Poland strokes his head gently, humming a little. The sound seems to help; there's magic in his voice, and it gives them all a little more hope.
XXX
Denmark races for the house, devil's tail moving back and forth behind him to help him make tight turns. A host of creatures are fighting the wolves between him and the house. There's Turkey in his kitty ears, a giant green thing, and a weird tentacle thing with Japan's body. He's either in a nightmare, or something really funky is going on. It doesn't matter; Norway is in trouble, he doesn't have time to find out.
"Scusie!" he shouts, pushing past a wolf and knocking it to the ground as it lunges for Turkey. "Sorry bro! Gotta do stuff!"
Turkey takes advantage of the respite to catch his breath and look around at the chaos. "What the fuck is going on?"
The big green troll replies with Sweden's voice, "Norway's possessed by an old god who likes t'cause trouble."
Turkey really isn't sure how to respond to that. But the wolves are regrouping, and Turkey is backed against a wall by Belarus. He hisses and the wolf snarls, and then, to his utter shock, they are answered from above by a chorus of "Blehmew!" He and the wolf look up to find four kittens with little red eyes floating above them. Turkey gapes for a moment, then points. "Good kitties, nice little, uh...whatever you are. See the doggy? Go get her!"
As one, the kittens bare their fangs and swoop down.
Meanwhile, Denmark launches himself through the door to the house. He didn't expect it to be open, so there's nothing but the floor to slow his momentum. He picks himself up and shakes it off. It's odd to find the house in such disarray. Norway never lets it get like this. There's broken glass, streaks of blood, bodies on the floor... Well, France and that other guy, but they look like they're still breathing. We'll fix that later, Denmark resolves. He jumps over the pair and continues to the kitchen.
"Note, note, note..." he mutters, staring at the refrigerator for three panicked minutes before he notices the huge, bright red packet of paper taped to the door, labeled with "DENMARK: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY (real ones, not 'I'm hungry and there's no one here to cook.')"
After taking the note off the door, Denmark opens it up and begins to read aloud. "Denmark. Don't do this unless I'm in trouble. Seriously, seriously in trouble. I'm not kidding, I will kill you if you… yadda yadda yadda..." He flips the page. "I mean it, only if I'm dying or-" He flips the page. "Really, Denmark, I will strangle you. Oh C'mon!"
Finally, he flips to the last page and skims over the instructions. "So, a jump to the left, and then a step to the right..." He follows each direction until he reaches the end. Nothing happens. "What the fuck?" he curses, picking up the paper and going over the steps again. There, at the bottom, it says "MUST BE PERFORMED AT ALTAR IN CAVE."
"Well, damn, Norge, you could've mentioned that earlier." Denmark rips off the last page and drops the rest. He runs for the door, blissfully unaware that the pages have flipped to display one he skipped; one that begins with "All rituals MUST be performed at the cave, nowhere BUT the cave, and in the PROPER cave. Do not do this in the kitchen. Do not do it in the…"
Outside, Turkey is now in command of small battalion of blood-sucking kittens (at least, as far as one can command cats). Sweden is wielding a tree branch in defense, as that is less likely to cause permanent injury than his fists alone, and Japan is whacking the wolves with his tentacles. It's a difficult situation, because none of them want to actually hurt their fellow nations. Unfortunately, it's clear that the wolves have been brainwashed to very much want to hurt them.
Sweden calls out as Denmark rushes by. "Matt, make sure Tino's safe! Tell him t'stay out of the way!"
"Totally didn't hear ya, don't care what'cha said!" Denmark shouts back. He leaps over the smallest wolf and keeps running, reading the note to himself over and over. He has to get this right. "Jump to the left, jump to the left, jump..."
"He's no help!" Japan snaps, smacking one of the wolves away with a tentacle. A few of the vampkitties descend on it, nibbling it to a dazed state.
Sweden shakes his head. "I can't believe m'gonna say this, but...he's the best hope we have." Just to save his own reputation, he adds, "So we're all done for."
XXX
Norway opens his eyes just enough to see. He remains still and quiet, waiting, watching, considering his options. It appears they've moved him inside the cave in order to keep an eye on him, but no one is paying attention to him now. The witch and the wila are huddled over the wolf, and though the tonttu is closer his back is turned. Beside the tonttu, on the edge of the rune circle that brought him here, is a bone knife. There's also one bucket of the witch's potion left; that will be the first thing to go. Another dousing could reduce the mental walls he's rebuilt to nothing but dust. And then...perhaps Loki will win this body, perhaps Lukas will. Or perhaps they will struggle until the meld, not one or the other. The third prospect is so frightening he's unwilling to chance it, no matter how confident he is that he's stronger than Lukas.
"Is he conscious?" Finland asks, stepping closer the wolf. Poland and Hungary are trying to heal the Lithuania with magic, and there's nothing that he can do to help.
"He's moving a little," Hungary answers. Lithuania opens his eyes and tries to push himself to his feet. Poor thing. "Careful, careful," she whispers, trying to see the damage and stop him from getting up at the same time.
Poland is beside himself. He strokes Lithuania's fur, still singing softly. "Oh Toris, I'm so sorry. Please be okay, Tori, please..."
Loki knows he will never get a better chance. He takes a breath, then throws himself toward the bucket and the knife. The potion spills across the floor, spreading over the runes and sinking into the dirt. The knife is in his hand, and he grins wickedly at the fear on their faces. "You know, I'm not the one who required so many sacrifices in the old days. Maybe I'll make one, and dear old Odin will let me stay a little longer."
"No!" Finland throws his hands out, defending those behind him. If Loki is going to hurt anyone, it might as well be him.
Before the wayward god can move, Denmark bursts into the cave. He skids to a halt when he sees Norway on his feet, brandishing a knife. Not Norge. Right. He sucks in a breath and shouts, "Yo! Bodysnatcher!"
Loki turns, knife still pointed towards the others. "Denmark. It's been a while; I always liked an imp. Why don't you relax? We can have some fun together; I'm only borrowing your friend, after all."
"Can't, bro. 'Cause, like, so much sugar in all that candy I was eating earlier, and it just kicked in," Denmark says. He edges past him, unafraid. He knows Norway, and Norway told him exactly what to do in that note. If he trusts Norge, everything will turn out fine. It always does. "I'm, like, friggin' bouncy. We should play football. Or, no, not football, because I suck at that. Maybe something involving brute force and little chance of me getting punched in the face. Curling! We can try curling!"
Loki raises an eyebrow. "Brute force has never been my specialty; I prefer cunning, or a weapon that requires a little more speed and finesse." He twirls the knife between his fingers, then whips it out inches from Finland's face. "Don't do anything stupid, tonttu. You may be quick, but I'm faster."
Finland jerks back with a gasp. He was going to try to get the rest of them out. Clearly, Loki is a few steps ahead.
"Right, right. Totally get it," Denmark says, and before Loki can turn around, he jumps on the altar and begins the routine. "Jump to the left..." This time, almost immediately, his tattoos begin to burn white hot, to the point where Denmark is cringing through it, barely thinking of the moves at all.
It takes Loki a moment to understand what happening, but once he does Norway's face drains of color and his mouth turns from a grin to an ugly snarl. "No...NO! You damned creature, I won't let you call him! NO!"
He leaps at Denmark and the pair tumble to the dirt in a tangle of limbs. Norway comes out on top, his knife centimeters above Denmark's throat. There it quivers, and the color of his eyes starts to blend from green to blue, then back again. "No. I SAID NO! I'm going to kill him, there's nothing you can do! I'm stronger than you are, I won't let them take me back!"
"You're not gonna fucking touch him!" Denmark yells. He kicks and tugs, trying to get Loki off of him. But he's got that knife, so Denmark has to duck and swerve to avoid it. "He's not your servant, he never was! We don't serve you!"
"I wasn't talking to YOU!" Loki screams, shoving Denmark back against the floor. His head is in utter turmoil; Lukas is pushing against weakening mental walls, slowly gaining control of a few parts of his body. Loki hasn't felt him fight this hard all night, and it's taking all his will to keep from losing. This isn't right; this is not how things are supposed to happen! He'll have to kill the imp fast, make it so Lukas has nothing to struggle for - and so that there is no one left to summon someone stronger. He jams the knife forward, but at the last moment his hand goes wide and it sinks into the dirt next to Denmark's eye.
Norway curses, struggling with his own hand, his body shaking with the strain of two minds vying for control. Loki is still stronger, and they both know it. Eventually he will win. Loki doesn't understand why Lukas keeps fighting; he'll destroy himself in the process. "All of this for an imp?" he hisses.
For just a moment, Norway's eyes turn completely blue and the knife jerks back. "No. All of this for Mattias." Lukas sinks the knife into his own arm, and they both scream.
"Luk-!" Denmark starts to reach for him, but the fight isn't over yet. He's the only one that can put an end to it. With one last look at that bleeding arm, Denmark pushes Norway away and jumps onto the altar.
The unexpected shock of the pain drives Loki back into his mind. It's enough for Lukas to take control, to give Denmark time if he can give him nothing else. He pulls the knife from his arm and throws it out of the cave, unwilling to leave a weapon in Loki's reach. He grips the wound and grits his teeth, eyes scanning for anything else he can move, anything to tie himself with or...his gaze lands on Finland and the others. "Go!" he shouts. "Get out of here, before he comes back!"
Finland throws his arm under Poland's and drags him out of the cave, despite Poland's protests at leaving Lithuania. Once he dumps Poland a safe distance away, Finland returns to help Hungary lift Lithuania from the floor of the cave and run. His heart is pounding in his ears. How can they leave Denmark there? What if something goes wrong? He has to find Sweden and bring him to the cave. Sweden's the only one who came close to doing some damage to Loki last time.
Denmark, meanwhile, has been repeating the dance over and over, trying to ignore the fact that his arm feels like it's on fire. The pain lancing through his tattoos is like nothing he has ever felt. His whole world starts to burn behind his eyes. There's light and fire and – suddenly, nothing but a calm, unyielding pulse of warmth. He begins to chant without even realizing he's opened his mouth.
Norway can feel his mind slipping again. Loki is seething; he's absolutely livid now, and more than willing to hurt him in order to get his way. Norway doesn't care. He holds onto his body for as long as he can and focuses on Denmark. The sweet fool has no idea what he's doing, and yet he's about to save them. Even when Loki rips his mind away, Norway's lips retain a soft smile for a few more seconds.
The light warms Denmark's heart and spreads through every nerve. He sinks, releasing himself and relinquishing control. When his eyes open they are bluer than ever before.
"You immortal pain!" says Denmark - who is no longer Denmark. He hops off the altar as if it is barely a step. "Father is going to have your hide if I don't skin it myself."
"Hello brother," says the green-eyed Norway. "We really must stop meeting this way." His eyes dart around, searching for an escape or a weapon. The witch left some supplies, but nothing very useful. The remains of her potion have turned to mud now, but he still might be able to drown Denmark in it – unless, of course, that body now houses Thor's strength as well as his mind.
"Hello, brother? Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Thor backs Loki into the cave wall, towering over him with such confidence and power that it looks grotesquely out of place on Denmark.
Loki gives him a nasty grin. "Come, come, it isn't like I did this on my own. I was summoned. See the runes for yourself; I was called with blood and with magic, just as you were."'
"You heard father's name on his lips, Loki. He was not calling you," Thor growls, pinning him with his arms. "Even if he did call you, you were not summoned to cause chaos, or kill countries, or fuck incubi."
Loki snorts. "As if you can throw stones - especially on that last one. Besides, I could not have resisted the call if I wanted to. The name was wrong, but the runes were not. I had no choice but to come." He leans forward and pokes Thor in the chest, finger crackling with magic just in case. "I helped, didn't I? No one's dead yet, and now they can all see one another for what they truly are. If it weren't for me they'd still be lost, instead of working together."
Thor's eyes spark with thunder and he presses into Loki's touch, enjoying the tingle of magic instead of letting it shove him away. "You did not have to fuck the incubi," he snaps. Then he grips Loki by the shoulders and kisses him hard, taking his time as he captures that soul to his own.
The green eyes widen, and something powerful crawls between them. Their spirits call one another home. There's a moment when Loki does not even feel himself slipping, and by the time he does, it's too late. He struggles hard, sinking his nails into Denmark's shoulders and his mental claws into Norway's body, trying to anchor himself. However, fighting with Lukas has weakened him. In a sudden rush Loki is gone, and Norway sinks in Denmark's arms, limp as a doll.
Denmark is left empty as well. He falls against the wall, clutching his prize, his Norge, like a life preserver. He holds him, his forehead against the cool rock. When he finally opens his eyes he leans in to take Norway's mouth hard and without polite mercies. He's back. They're back. Whatever happened tonight, whatever comes next, having Norge like this and knowing that he's safe... that's worth everything.