Author's Note: Whoo, done! I wanted to get this update done faster, but my birthday and other things happened first. Plus, I had to find the time to proof-read. This one may end a little awkwardly, but it was getting really long so I had to cut it off at some point.

Happy Reading!

- Ryu

Chapter Three

The feeling of eyes watching him was what woke him, the house dark and full of shadows. He could here crickets chirping in the woods surrounding the place, and the spanish moss shuffling in the wind. Night had come softly, and after being fed a meal of something called 'meatloaf,' which lived up to its name but tasted fairly good, and potato slices that seemed to have been cooked in a cheese and cream sauce, Loki had fallen asleep actually quite content. He had hoped for a dreamless sleep, undisturbed, but now he could sense something staring at him. He peered into the black, feeling his lips starting to curl into an aggressive sneer.

Then, movement. He suddenly sat up, immediately on the defensive, and ready to strike despite his aching limbs. "Who's there?" he hissed.

Something large and black moved forward, claws clicking on the hardwood floor. Loki looked down at a massive, black dog, though it looked more like a wolf to him. It sat down, staring at him with chocolate brown eyes. He stared back, lying back down as he realized he was in no danger. If the dog had wanted to hurt him, it probably wouldn't have waited like it had. In all honesty, it reminded him of Fenris, though he knew this dog could never be as large, with its dusty black fur and bright eyes. He actually rather liked dogs, although he preferred wolves.

"Well, hello," he said softly.

The dog's ears perked and its brown eyes sparked. It seemed more interested in him now that he was talking to it. He actually smiled, and put his hand out.

"Come,"

The dog's tail started to thump the floor happily, and its mouth fell open into a happy pant. It stood and clicked over, sniffing his hand curiously. He was just about to run a hand over its sleek head, when the dog suddenly straightened, head whipping towards the door. The friendly nature had disappeared into the silent watch that had woken him earlier. The mouth opened into a low growl, and Loki quickly removed his hand. With a shadowy flash, the dog had slipped through the screen door.

The demi-god sat up, looking out into the yard with blinking fireflies to see the black shape crossing the grass. He could see another, a distant shine giving it away as most likely a mortal with some kind of light. Vicious, angry barking broke the quiet of the night, and Loki felt a smile on his face as he saw the figure quickly retreat. The dog followed after a few feet, making sure to keep barking. After a moment, he saw the shadow lope off into other parts of the forest.

Loki sighed, falling back into the pillow he had been resting on for almost the entire time he had been in Oedipa's house. He had been in too much pain earlier to try and walk around, and so hadn't left the couch since awakening. Now, he was completely awake as he stared at the ceiling, shadows drifting back and forth like dark clouds. His eyes wandered over to the numerous bookshelves. Well, he did need to learn about this place to try and keep people off of his trail while he was stuck like this.

He experimentally sat up, and swung his legs over the side. He gritted his teeth, biting back a snarl of pain as he knew if he made too much noise, his current host would most likely wake up to check on him. With a held breath, he made himself stand up, and with a soft gasp, almost fell right back onto the sofa. It felt as if his legs had been filled with hot needles, his knees and feet screaming. He could feel every inch of his flesh, lit on fire by the healing bruises and sores. Quickly, he shuffled over to one of the built-in bookcases, and then collapsed onto the floor, panting. Well, at least he wasn't completely enfeebled, but, gods, that had hurt!

He looked at what was in front of him. It seemed there was no real order, as he picked through the books. It was a mish-mash of novels and informational books, but luckily there were a few that proved to be of use to him. Something called an 'encyclopedia' and a road map of the United States. The first one he studied was the map. He flipped through it, first finding New York, and then fumbled around until he found Louisiana. Romeville was listed, but he couldn't find it; was the place as small as Oedipa had claimed? It seemed the 'state' had quite the topography though, ranging from the wetlands he had so conveniently appeared in, to lakes and forests and fields. He found out that he was quite a ways from New York, which he was grateful for. If he had wound up close to there, he suspected someone would have either recognized him, or some kind of SHIELD device would have found him. He actually couldn't have gotten lost in a more perfect place, nor had been found by someone more unsuspecting.

He then started to flip through the encyclopedia, and began to learn. He read every page, going from a-g, as the book was one of several on the shelf. He absorbed it all as quickly as he could, knowing that anything could be useful in his search for revenge against Odin and ways to escape the curse he had laid on him. He read the history of the Midgardian world, and nearly put the book down in disgust. These mortals fought like animals over every little thing, destroying whole countries and peoples without a second thought. They conquered and killed everything in sight. What did his brother see in these ridiculous creatures? Their taste for violence may prove useful to him, but he had yet to see any truly redeeming qualities. The only thing that seemed good about them was how easily they seemed to die.

A few individuals impressed him, but he reasoned that that was why they were in the book to begin with. The artists intrigued him, and he wished there was more light so he could better see their works on the page. Somewhere in the house he heard a bell chime, and he looked up. His body was beginning to ache even more from sitting on the floor, and he looked back at the sofa. He managed to crawl back over to it, and lie down, stewing over the information in his head.

He was safe from SHIELD and the Avengers, for now at least, so long as he stayed in this place and kept his ears and eyes open. Well, doing that would be no problem. But finding a way out from Odin's curse hadn't presented itself in the book... He was going to have to do more digging somewhere else. But where... He rolled over, hearing the dog making its way back to the house and the crickets continuing their songs.

The next morning dawned bright and humid, though Loki was beginning to suspect that the general stickiness of Louisiana air never really left. It only abated when there was a breeze, which explained why Oedipa never seemed to close any door, and why all the windows were constantly open. Everything was screened against the barrage of mosquitoes that were always present as well. The dog was what had woken him up again, a bark jerking him awake. He turned over to have the beast happily panting into his face. With a groan, he pushed it away, but this only seemed to make the dog start to lick his hand.

"Get away from me," he grumbled, not entirely awake yet.

"Cliffjumper! Leave Loki alone, I'm the one with the food!"

The dog whipped around from the current bath it had been determined to give his arm, and went towards the sound of Oedipa's voice. He heard something being poured into a bowl, and then the owner of the voice stepped out from the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleepy head! You want breakfast, or should I give you lunch instead? It's almost noon!"

All of her banter went over his head as he sat up, scrubbing his forehead with a palm. What he really wanted was a bath, and not by that monster dog. Oedipa noticed his lethargy, and took a moment to let him get his bearings.

"Sorry if Cliffjumper kept you up. He patrols the land at night." she said. Loki looked up at her, bags slightly gray under his green eyes.

"Cliffjumper?" he echoed back dubiously. What kind of name was that for a dog?

Oedipa laughed at his tone, and he scowled at her. He really didn't like it when she laughed at him.

"My dad named him that after the old Transformers cartoon," she explained, brushing his expression off. She folded her arms. "So, lunch? Yea or nay?"

"Yea," he said, almost cracking a smile at the old way of speaking.

She walked away and into the kitchen. Loki was about to lie back down when there was a rapping on the screen door. He sat back up, trying to see who was coming in. A young man with olive colored skin was poking his head in, his shaggy black hair looking a lot like the dog's.

"'Allo-'allo? Anybody home?" he called. He then sharply looked at Loki, realizing someone was on the couch he didn't expect. His face broke into a giant grin when he saw him, and he wondered if he should duck under the couch.

"'Ey! De Bogman's awake!" he practically crowed, and Oedipa came in just in time to stop Loki from giving this stranger a good tongue-lashing. He was a god, not a bogman of any kind!

"He doesn't like that!" she said as she walked across the length of the living room as Loki glared at the young man. She ushered the man in while he glared daggers at him from the sofa.

She turned to him, and gestured to the person who had come in, his sour expression never changing. How dare this man call him that, he'd teach him a lesson or two in respect! And give him a hair-cut!

"Loki, this is Boris. He's the guy I took you to when I found you," she said as the newly named Boris' expression changed to one of mild shock.

Loki's expression hardened into one of both dominance and quick thinking, his eyes warning Boris not to betray the information he could already tell he had. This man knew who he was, or at least had an inkling of what his name entailed. He was already thinking of ways to escape, how to disable said Boris without activating the curse that cramped his limbs and stabbed his muscles into pieces. He knew lots of ways to hurt people without actually doing anything, but in this house it might be difficult. Instead of raising the alarm though, Boris seemed as careful in responding as if he had been the one found out instead.

"Ez dat so?" he only responded, his bright eyes never leaving him. The two men seemed to be engaged in a staring contest that only they knew about. Oedipa was wonderfully oblivious to the tension in the room as she walked out.

"Well, doc, I'll leave you to it. Give me a shout when you're done, and I'll feed you both."

There was a pause as the two men continued to stare at each other, Loki digging his mental heels in and not giving one inch. If this man meant to give him away, he'd give him hell before ousting him. Boris smiled at him, all friendliness all over again, and walked over to him. He bristled, drawing his body taught as if to spring on him. Boris only knelt near the sofa, exhibiting a sweet bedside manner to him.

"So, Low-key," he said, purposefully drawing out the vowels that made Loki want to reach out and throttle him. "I'm glad ta see ya' awake; ya had quite de bump on ya head when 'Ed brought ya to meh. I d'ought for sho' ya'd be dead with de week. Budge up dere, I need ta see ya head."

Loki stiffened even more then he already had, his blood raging in indignation and resentment at this mortal treating him like this. However, in order to maybe placate him, and convince him not to give him away, he moved the slightest. Boris' large hands began to gently explore an area where he had felt a large bump, pressing and moving his hair to get a better look.

"Alright, does dat hurt?"

"No."

"Here?"

"...Sore."

"What 'bout here?"

Loki suddenly hissed as he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head flare, and he drew away as quickly as a spurned snake. Boris lifted up his hands to show he wasn't touching him as Loki tried to keep his temper in check. It would only end in the both of them in pain if he attempted to break his hands. Instead he glared at him as if his green eyes could stab his chest to bits, and the doctor only seemed to keep the calm air of before. He then moved back a bit, seeming as if to look at his legs now.

"I need ta look at da sores on ya legs," he said carefully, his eyes not leaving his face. "Is dat okay?"

He wanted nothing more then tell him to jump off a cliff, and to never even think about touching him ever again instead, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that he needed some form of medical attention, and though he also knew that the worst healing apprentice in Asgard would be leagues better then this mortal buffoon, beggars couldn't be choosers. Narrowing his eyes, Loki gave a toss of his head, trying to keep his pride down.

"You may proceed," he said.

If Boris noted the superior tone in his voice, he didn't acknowledge it. He rolled up the black pants he was still in, revealing the aggravated and shining marks of the dozens of leeches he had been covered in. Loki stared up at the ceiling, keeping down a low growl of anger in his throat, as the doctor gently ran his fingers over the broken skin.

About a minute into it, Boris spoke.

"Y'know, my muddah, she sometimes has very strange dreams," he began as he went over his feet. "A few days ago, she wake up from a terrible nightmah. She screamin', 'Loki! Loki! Loki Laefyson...'"

Loki had gone rigid, and finally met Boris' gaze. The man was staring straight at him, his hands still on his right foot. The silence hung in the living room, broken by only the sigh of the faint breeze.

"Dat wouldn't happen ta be you, would it?" he said, his eyes boring into his face.

His heart was roaring in his ears as the whole world felt as if it was slowly caving in. He could do one of two things; run or investigate. If this man proved to be a threat, he would have to run, but in order to do that, he needed to continue to prod. If he investigated, he gave risk to giving himself away, but a seer... That could be part of the answer to his predicament. He could use someone who had foreseen his arrival here.

"I am, " he said, and Boris removed his hands. Loki almost smiled at the curious reverence that seemed to have taken a hold of him. Now this was the proper respect due to him. It was about time!

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously.

Loki finally allowed himself to smile, his lips twisting in a coaxing and dangerous smile. "Not who; what."

Boris' eyes widened. "Are you a spirit?"

He cocked his head. "In a way,"

Oh, this was fun! He had missed playing the visiting god. Mortals were always so awed and eager to please whenever you revealed yourself. It was the fauning and praise that he had missed, and if he played this game longer, he might have two mortals who were willing to do both. But, first, he had to make sure he wouldn't suffer much longer from his current injuries.

"In this realm, however, I am not immune to your mortal pains," he said. He gestured to his legs. "Please, continue your work, doctor."

Boris blinked once more, and then seemed to scramble to get back to what he had been doing. His touch seemed much gentler now, as if touching a priceless artifact, and the demi-god relaxed into his pillow. This was much better.

After seeing to all his wounds and aches, Boris seemed ready to depart. Loki discouraged him from asking more questions about who and what he was exactly. He wrote down his address on a piece of paper, and invited him to visit soon. He thought he would, intending to see this woman who had dreamt him coming here, and told him so. At the end of the visit, Boris started to take different bottles out of a bag he had brought with him.

"Alright, I'ma leave you wit' some pills," he said, turning back to the authorative doctor he was. He handed him a green one, and then a white one. "Anty-biotics, to fight whatever dose leeches mighta had and what was in de swamp watah. It can be hard on ya' stomach so take dem wit' food. Dis is ibuprofen, ta help with de muscle aches and ya' bump. If ya' get a fevah, ya' tell 'Ed to call me right away."

At that moment, Oedipa had decided to cautiously come back into the room, first poking her head in, and then once seeing that Loki still had all his clothes on, walked in. She noticed the bottles in his hands, and assumed that they were finished. She looked at Boris, curious.

"You're not staying for lunch?" she asked him. Boris shook his head.

"Nah, I've got to get back to de hospital for mah shift," he said. He gave her a charming smile though, leaning on the door frame. Loki rolled his eyes, and looked over at the wall. "Maybe tamorrow, yeah?"

Whatever flirtation was going on seemed to go right over Oedipa's head as she nodded brightly. "Sure! I need to get groceries in town anyway," she said. Boris' smile cracked the slightest.

"Well, ah, alright. Goodbye den! Take care, Low-key!" he half laughed as he walked out the door.

Loki groaned on the sofa, and Oedipa let out a few chuckles. "Oh, jeez, that's terrible," she said, grinning at her unhappy guest. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she swallowed another fit of giggles at his expense.

It seemed that Mr. Loki wasn't all that much in a good mood, though she wondered if he ever was in a good mood. He seemed the grumpy type, but then again, if she had been stuck all over with leeches and was suffering from the aftermath, she probably wouldn't be too cheerful either. What she really wanted to do was get why he was in the wetlands to begin with out of him, but he would probably volunteer the information at some point. Just so long as he didn't turn out to be some crazy axe murderer in disguise or something...

She broke off her watch of the front yard, and turned to him. He seemed to be studying the bottles, reading the instructions.

"So, do you want lunch? I made sandwiches and stuff," she said.

Loki nodded his head, still trying to figure out the symbols on the caps of the bottles. It said to press down and turn... "Yes, food would be appreciated..." he said absently.

If he wanted to recover quickly, he thought that he should probably begin taking this mortal medicine as soon as possible. He highly doubted it would be as effective as Asgardian medicine, but it was better then nothing. He heard Oedipa leave, the clinking of plates and glasses far off in the house. He put the bottles down, a smile starting to break on his face.

He knew an answer to his problems would have presented itself eventually, but so quickly? The Norns must be really looking out for him this time if they had thrown the solution to him so easily. Hopefully this seer would be of good use, and have some knowledge of the spirits in this realm. If he was able to manipulate everything according to how he needed it, and he would, he would be free of Odin's curse and laying him low within weeks. Since he was in Midgard, he might as well wreak a bit of havoc here before he went on his way as well...

His thoughts were interrupted by the flash of Oedipa's arm putting down a plate and a glass of water. He gingerly sat up so he could eat. Revenge would have to wait a bit though as he healed, and after he had eaten as well.