Loki leaned his head against the glass wall. He exhaled slowly, listening to the silence around him. It had been a few years since he was last imprisoned in the chamber made of unbreakable glass. It was a prison locked inside a rather large metal container to ensure no one left. There was no escaping, not even for the prince of pranks.
There wasn't much company for Loki in the dungeon save the occasional gloating visits from Karnilla and her mutt. Baleor would often appear in disguises, favoring the look of Hayden. Everything down to the small freckle on her right eyelid was there.
It pained him to know that he would never see her again. His breath caught in his throat. He would never sneak glances at her while she read, with her nose scrunched up and her lips tugged to the side. She would never look away from him, blushing furiously. And, he would never brush her tears away despite having been the ones to cause them.
All because he was a fool. He should have turned her away the moment he saw her. She was more than a delicate butterfly, whose wings were stronger than he thought. It was Hayden who had seen through the beast when everyone else saw a monster. He had the chance to let her fly free when instead he caged her for far too long. Loki had grown fond of his butterfly, selfish in his motives for not letting her go. Because of his desires to keep her for his own she had died, never to soar again.
Hearing Baleor cry in Hayden's meek voice that it was his fault she died broke him apart every time. Love was often accompanied by pain, its polar opposite but complete equal. It tore at him, ripping his chest into a void that would remain in oblivion.
"Loki?"
He looked up at the sound of Hayden's voice. Standing in front of the glass was Sif, dirty and cut all along her arm and face. Next to her stood Hayden with her hands behind her back and her small features pulled into a frown.
Lazily, Loki leaned forward. His virid cloak pooled around his shoulders . "Pray tell, what joyous news do you bring to me today?"
"I-" Hayden shook her head, her dark brown hair poured around her shoulders. "Loki, I have something...well, actually I need to know-"
He stood up and strode to where Hayden and Sif stood, his cloak billowed behind him. Protectively Sif placed an arm in front of Hayden as Loki slammed his fist hard against the glass. It didn't budge. He inhaled sharply, his nose twitching as his lips curled into a snarl.
"You have improved exponentially, especially whereas her nervous speech is concerned," he spat, flicking the glass with spittle. "Tell me."
Hayden moved around Sif, gently placing her hand on Sif's arm. The Asgardian warrior attempted to pull Hayden back. She twisted her shoulder away from Sif's hand. Hayden's focused intently, her virid gaze reminiscent of the night at the bar after she had calmed him down. Her eyes swirled like a spellbinding enchantment.
Loki inhaled sharply, his chest throbbed at the memory. His head was clouded, his muscles ached but all he could see in the poorly lit bar was Hayden. Seeing Baleor stand before him portraying the exact facial expressions from an intimate moment made the blood that coursed through his veins boil. His breathing became rapid pants that pushed between his bared teeth as his fingers curled at his side, wanting to rip Baleor apart.
"Tell you what?" she asked, and he felt his throat tighten. He knew they were just playing games with his mind, egging him on. "What-"
"Tell me," he snarled.
"Loki," she whispered, taking a step closer. Sif hissed her name, but Hayden ignored her. "Tell you what?"
"TELL ME!" he screamed, slamming his fist against the window again. Hayden jumped but she did not hide. She inhaled deeply, staring at him, waiting to watch him crack. "Tell me how it's my fault that you are dead!" he shouted, his voice grinded against his tongue. Loki exhaled heavily, opening his fist into a palm. "Tell me so that you can leave me to rot in my self-loathing."
He stared at Hayden with pure vehemence. It had only been a week and he felt himself growing mad from the pain. How much longer would it be before he became immune? Would he ever find immunity to her virid gaze that pierced through the glass? Each visit became worse than the last. How was he to brush away the sharp ache in his chest when those green eyes looked at him with such reverence, always pushing him to face the harsh reality of things he did not want to accept?
He inhaled sharply, tracing the outline of Hayden's lips against the glass. Karnilla was testing him, she wanted him to break. He feared that he would crumble before he grew a shell. Hayden was dead, she died when he could have prevented it if he had just done as Karnilla wanted.
Slowly, he looked to Hayden, searching for any glimmer of Baleor, his stomach turned when he found nothing. "Just tell me and be gone. Your presence sickens me."
Hayden pulled on her bottom lip with her front teeth. "Loki, what are you talking about?"
Sif leaned in toward Hayden, her brown eyes locked directly on him. "He does not think it is you he is speaking to." Loki moved his fist from the glass, dropping it at his side. "Be careful, Hayden. The snake has many tongues."
Hayden nodded, her emerald eyes briefly closed as she inhaled deeply. Loki took her in, noting the way her hair cascaded down her ripped and torn blouse that was stained in dirt and dried blood. The bottom of her skirt was ripped at the side just as unkempt as her top. Hayden's feet were bare and her knees were badly cut. This was not the Hayden he was accustomed to seeing. This was not the meek and timid girl he thought would be easy to mold.
The girl before him was ready for a fight. But, what for? For her world that Karnilla intended to destroy? Her family? For him? He swallowed his thoughts and raised his chin. Loki refused to let Karnilla's mind games work on him.
"I am tired of you," he growled, "I do hope you know that I will destroy you when the time comes. You can tell your serpent queen that I cannot wait to sink my fingers into the flesh of your throat," he hissed, spit dribbled down his chin. "I will make you scream as the fires of hell devour you from within, you puling moll. And, when your blood spills between my fingers I will watch the light in your eyes extinguish."
Hayden's pallid face was completely void of any color. She licked her lips, breathing inwardly as Loki let a small smile crawl onto his face. "L-Loki," she stumbled, tears clinging to the corner of her eyes. It had to have been nothing more than a new trick. "I'm not Baleor. It's me, Hayden."
He titled his head to the side, pursing his lips tightly together. Loki highly doubted that Hayden knew who Baleor was. "That proves it then," he chuckled. "Go home, Hayden." His throat clenched around his words, her name stuck to the top of his mouth like clay. He should have told her long ago. "This is beyond you."
"I will," she promised, surprising even him. The woman before him was most definitely not Hayden. "But," although that sounded more like her, he cynically thought as she continued, "first I need to help clean up my mess."
Before he could speak she turned away, jogging down the hall until she disappeared around a corner. Loki's attention slid to Sif. She was just as tight-lipped and tense as when she first entered the room. He had not seen then seafoam glazed eyes like all the others under Karnilla's spell. Unless she was in disguise as someone else. Who was whom then? Was Karnilla one of them? Loki curled his lip, annoyed with his thoughts.
He heard the padding of her bare feet hitting against the hard floor before he saw her. Hayden returned, carrying something heavy behind her back. She struggled to keep her pace, shifting her arms to adjust the weight.
Loki curiously watched her. She stopped in front of the glass, sucking in air through her mouth. She blinked a few times, then slowly exhaled as she spoke,"I am stronger than you think. I even-"
Something snapped inside him, breaking apart like styrofoam. It crumbled in the palm of his hands, floating from the tips of his fingers. The voice, the look, even the way that Hayden spoke was too much for him. Loki might as well have been the one to toss her out the window rather than Karnilla. He had done nothing but led her down that path while he let his fear consume him. Death spared him and took Hayden instead.
"NOT against her!" he shouted watching Hayden's clone leap back.
What was he doing? There was nothing more to be said. It wasn't Hayden in front of him. His pretty words of sorrow did not matter. Yet, he felt compelled to warn her, the way that he should have when he first saw her. To apologize, to beg for her forgiveness, to plead for her life over his.
Before he could continue, Hayden shook her head and proceeded to show him what was hidden behind her back. She held out a silver staff, almost as tall as she was, with an iron ball that sat on top clear enough to see through. He exhaled loudly, pressing his hand against the glass. Gríðarvölr. He thought it had been lost long ago.
"Where in the nine realms did you find this?"
"I found it when I felt lost the most," she answered, gripping her fingers around the Jotunn weapon.
Thor had been given Gríðarvölr by an ice witch named Gríðr for him to use against the ugly ice giant, Geirröd. When Thor had brought the giant to his knees the staff shattered leaving metal pieces that melted the snow. The pieces had read: lost to those who know their way.
"It's powerless for me," Hayden whispered, her eyes refusing to leave the staff.
"Only those of Asgardian royalty can wield it's power," he recalled.
She looked up, her eyes the dark color of moss. "And those of Jotunn blood."
In that moment of truth he felt compelled to continue to lie to himself. He could not believe that Hayden was alive. If he let himself believe he would feel the fear of losing her again. But, as she stared at him through the glass he knew that it was not Baleor in disguise. Hayden was not dead.
His heart dropped to his knees, weighing him down to the floor. Hayden was quick to mimic, releasing the staff at her feet and placing both hands firmly on the glass. Loki reached up, pushing his palms hard against her own, desperate to feel her skin against his. He leaned his head against the prison wall, inhaling deeply. The taste of salt trickled onto his trembling lips. His tongue lashed out, wiping it away. He blinked through the tears staring at the dirty and beaten face of Hayden.
What had she gone through to get to him? Did she know that he was not the one who led her to the spring? He needed her to know. She had to know the truth.
"Hayden, I-" he had the chance to set his butterfly free. Clearing his lips he collected himself, eyeing her up and down. "I hope you understand the implications of what it could mean should you be wrong about me."
Sif grabbed at Hayden's shoulder, attempting to pull Hayden to her feet. "He means to use Gríðarvölr in aiding Karnilla." Sif pulled her lip into a scowl. "You can never trust a wolf. Chop off it's head and it will still bite you."
Loki flicked his eyebrows up at her. His lips curled into a smirk. "Listen to Lady Sif, she knows what she speaks of."
Hayden shook her head, her eyes wavered back and forth. "Just stop it!" Loki and Sif both turned to stare at her, their jaws slightly unhinged. "Look, I know am naive and a lot of people say that I am full of useless information but I also know that this can all be put to an end." Hayden picked up the staff and rose to her feet. "You don't have to admit it, and I won't ever ask you to, but if I'm right then I know who you really are, what you really can do." She inhaled deeply,turning her gaze away from him. "I know that you're not a monster," she whispered.
How could she be so trusting after everything that had happened? With furrowed brows, Loki watched Hayden walk pass a rather stunned Sif to the chute where Karnilla's guards would slide him food. She lifted the opening and struggled to lift the staff inside.
Sif shook her head and stormed to where Hayden grunted with a loud umph. She took Gríðarvölr from Hayden's grasp, sighing in exasperation. "I do hope in the name of the All-Father that you know what it is you are doing," she told Hayden and pushed the staff inside. It slid down the chute, clattering to the white-tiled floor.
He stood to his full height and strode to where the staff laid. Loki picked it up, clutching his fingers around the cool metal. He exhaled heavily, feeling the light weight of the staff in his grasp. It felt almost familiar, like the curves of a past lover. He tested its weight, tossing the staff to his other hand. His arm extended forward, the power stirred from within.
It exploded inside, coiling through his blood. His mouth opened slightly. His breathing felt ragged. With a quick jolt of his arm the glass cell shattered all around him. Broken shards projectiled toward Hayden and Sif, aiming to tear them both apart.
Hayden bent down, flinging her arms around Sif pulling the Asgardian woman down with her. Loki thrust his free arm toward them both, stopping the glass shards in mid-air. He exhaled slowly, allowing himself a small smile as Hayden and Sif slowly stood, staring at the debris around them.
Loki stepped forward, the chunks of glass falling to the ground. Each one clanked onto the cell floor, echoing through the metal interior. It was silent for several seconds before Hayden dared to exhale.
"That was..." she bobbed her head as she looked around the room, "I didn't know you could do that."
"There is a lot you don't know," he whispered, tightening his grip on the staff.
Hayden brushed her hair behind her ear. Sif pulled at her arm, her hair falling from place. "You did as you intended. Loki has Gríðarvölr." Sif's brown eyes searched back and forth, waiting until Hayden turned to look at her. "You need to return to Midgard before Karnilla finds you."
He helplessly watched as Hayden nodded. Sif glanced to Loki, her eyes searching for any tricks. Her nostrils flared and she took off toward the dungeon stairs that led to the exit.
Loki was not ready for Hayden to leave. She spun around, not turning his way for a final time. He reached forward without thinking. All he knew was that he couldn't let her go. She vanished and reappeared in front of him, close enough for him to pull her to his chest.
Hayden made a small sound but his lips cut her off. He could taste the shock course through her body. She tensed as his mouth firmly pushed against hers. He did not want Hayden to feel anymore pain; the pain that he had caused her.
Loki started to pull away when Hayden wrapped her arms around his neck. She pushed her lips into his. Her fingers trailed along his neckline, tugging at the strands. Loki encircled his free arm around her slender waist. He exhaled heavily, pressing his forehead against hers.
Hayden was alive. She believed in him. Someone else besides Thor thought there to be some good in him. He didn't fathom why. He could not possibly begin to understand. All he knew was Hayden stood before him breathing and living, urging him to prove that good.
He had the chance to redeem breaking Hayden's wings. "Hayden, I-"
She shook her head, nuzzling her nose into the nape of his neck. He felt her inhale deeply, her breath warm against his skin. "Not now," she whispered, tightening her hold around him, "tell me after."
A shrill laugh filled the air around them as they pulled apart. "I should have known that I would find you down here."
"You have caused me quiet a lot of distress."
I looked up at the top of the winding staircase to see Karnilla slowly descending down each step. She made a point to let each footfall echo through the brick walls. Loki grabbed for my hand and pulled me behind him. His cloak brushed against my battered legs as we walked out of the metal room and into the archaic dungeon. The doors to Loki's cell closed automatically behind us, exhaling cool air that rolled passed my ankles.
Trailing after Karnilla down the stone staircase was Thor. I gasped when I realized he tightly held onto Sif who struggled to break free of his hold. Karnilla smiled and stopped right before the last step. She looked to Thor, nodding. Without hesitation he pushed Sif off the top of the stairs.
"No!" I cried out moving past Loki's arm.
He reached out for my wrist and pulled me back behind him, thrusting forward the staff. Sif slowed considerably but Loki was not fast enough and she slammed into the brick-laid floor. She groaned, grabbing at her arm as her face pinched tightly together.
Distracted by Sif neither Loki or I heard Thor move. I felt his large hands on the side of my head, too surprised to even scream. He began to add pressure to my skull and a small squeal slipped between my teeth. Loki turned on his heel, prepared to advance when Thor squeezed harder.
I reached up blindly to try and stop him. My nails dug into his hand, barely ripping at the skin instantaneously regretting that I kept them so short. Tidy nails were neat nails I would always remind myself. Why was I so stupid?
My thoughts meshed together as my head started to explode. I could feel my brain push against my skull, hear the blood rush in my ears. My whimpering tongue tasted the coppery liquid that slowly slid down my running nose. Everything in front of me began to blur into black shadow-like shapes.
"Do not come any closer, my brother," warned Thor. "I can crush this petty Midgardian into jam for your bread."
I inhaled sharply and looked to Loki through a blurred haze. Sif stood weakly beside him, cradling her arm. Loki remained still as Thor had demanded, the staff twirling in his grasp.
"Please Thor," I pleaded. "We're friends. You don't want to do this."
Thor began to add more pressure. I cried out, ready to faint from the pain. "Silence wretched Midgardian. I am Thor. King of Asgard and God of Thunder. How dare you think we be equals, to call yourself a friend."
"You all were made to be ruled," echoed Karnilla taking her final step. "You should learn your place. The taking of Asgard is my stepping stone. Midgard, my rock." She winked at Thor and eased the pressure in my skull.
"You are positively delusional," spat Sif, grunting in pain, "to think that you, a nobody, will get away with this."
"A nobody!?" Karnilla hissed. "The nine realms will tremble at my-"
"No one will ever tremble in fear over someone they do not know," Sif shouted, pointing her blade at Karnilla. "You are nothing Karnilla! You are-"
Vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Sif's neck. Her sword fell among the rubble as the vines lifted her into the air. Sif attempted to claw herself free, kicking her legs back and forth in struggle. Karnilla proceeded forward with her hand reached out. Her pale green eyes were wide with murderous intent as her lip curled in disgust.
"People will know my name but do tell who will ever remember yours?" cried Karnilla, her hand tightened into a fist. The vines wrapped around Sif's neck until her face began to turn a vacant shade of purple. "You, oh Lady Sif, will never-"
"STOP!"
His voice echoed several times before I was able to adjust to the scene in front of me. Loki held Karnilla's throat in his hands, her eyes wide and wavering. Sif laid unconscious on the ground. The only proof of the vines existence was the shattered rubble that scattered around her limp body.
"If you kill me," she gasped, struggling for air, "Thor will kill your Midgardian."
"Perhaps if I kill you whatever spell you hold over my brother will disappear," he countered pressing his thumb into her windpipe.
She wheezed, turning to face Thor. Karnilla made no movements but Thor understood what she intended for him to do. The light pressure he had on my head tightened and I cried out as the pain blinded me.
"Do you truly care to play that bet?" she asked him, her bug-eyed gaze rested firmly on Thor. "I could easily have him kill her now."
The next thing I knew I was on my knees. I inhaled, gasping in between breaths as I held my head in between my own hands. Tears fled from my eyes, rushing down my heated face. Swallowing hard I dared to look up.
Loki had set Karnilla down, his hand balled into a fist. His knuckles had turned white around the staff. He slowly moved his gaze from his feet to where I sat.
Listen to me very carefully Hayden. I started to nod. Do not react. I looked away from him and wiped the blood from my nose with the back of my hand. I kept my focus on the rusted stain, feeling the color drain from my face.
When I make a move you need to run. Do not look back, do not hesitate. You only need to run.
Against his words I looked up from my hand to him. He was no longer staring at me but glowering at Karnilla. She had her long fingers wrapped around her throat, her slivered eyes pointed at Loki.
"It seems that we are at an impasse," she croaked. "I want Gríðarvölr." Loki made no movements. "Or I will kill her."
Fire sprang to life around me. Thor stepped quickly from the flames. I pushed myself weakly from my knees, gasping in shock. My chest felt heavy with each breath I took as the heat of the flames licked at my face. I could smell the fine hairs burning. My stomach turned.
"Gríðarvölr, Loki or her life."
Run.
Run!? Through the flames!? Was he mad!?
Do not hesitate Hayden. You can do this. You have to do this. Those who let fear-
Yeah, yeah, I thought to myself drowning out his voice. Those who let fear cripple them let death find them with ease.
I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes, jumping through the flames. They roared in protest, licking at my arms and legs. The heat stung at my flesh turning my skin pink. The flames tried to grab onto me as I landed outside their reach, bellowing in their failed attempt.
Without looking to see what was happening I ran up the stairs. Vines sprouted from the ground and shot out from the walls. They tried to trip me with each step I took until I was crawling on my hands and knees, clambering to reach the top. The vines wrapped around my ankles, inching their way up my legs. I struggled to get free when a shadow appeared above me. Fandral held a sword over his head, quickly bringing it down.
I closed my eyes, opening them at the sound of a dull clunk. "Come," he offered, holding out a stretched hand. I looked at the wriggling vines that flopped around my legs, kicking them off my ankles. Before taking Fandral's grasp I scanned his blue eyes, wrapping my fingers tightly around his.
He lifted me to my feet, nodding that we should run. I followed after him up the stairs, stopping to take one last look at Loki. A ball of fire burned in his hand as he chucked it at Karnilla. She maneuvered around it, gracefully twisting her body from the flames.
Thor ran from behind Loki, slamming mjolnir down so that it would have crushed Loki in his place. He vanished just before the hammer sang in the air, smashing into the floor sending bits of debris into the air. Loki materialized behind his brother, encircling Thor with several other versions of himself that manifested from thin air. Each one cackled at Thor as he blindly swung his hammer.
Karnilla protruded a knife, aiming it at one of the laughing Loki's throat. She sliced at the air, each one vanished revealing the real Loki. Thor took action and swung his hammer upward, striking Loki in the jaw. As Loki's feet lifted off the ground he pointed Gríðarvölr at Thor, a blue light emitted from its tip, striking the god square in the chest. Thor slammed hard into the wall, rubble crumbled on top of him as he landed on the ground, unconscious.
Loki hit the wall opposite of Thor. His body did just as much damage to the brick, though none hit his head. He groaned, sputtering as he crawled to his hands and knees. The staff laid a few feet from him, his wounded outstretched fingers reached for it. Karnilla held out her hand, and Gríðarvölr flew into her clawed grasp. She looked at it for a few seconds, allowing a small smile to spread across her lips.
"Gríðarvölr is useless to you," I shouted. Karnilla turned her attention to me, her smile slipped into a snarl. "Only those of Asgardian royalty or a Jotunn can use it."
"Thank you for the history lesson," yawned Karnilla wrapping her fingers around the iron staff. "With the stone I have no need for trinkets created by the monsters carved from ice."
A dark crimson spread through her hands. The metal underneath her palms began to melt. It molded and twisted in her grasp, splitting in two. She tossed it towards Loki, the separate pieces clanked against the scattered bricks.
"Hayden, we must go," urged Fandral, grabbing onto my arm.
Karnilla pulled out her blade. She stalked toward Loki, advancing like a cat about to pounce on an annoying fly.
"Hayden-"
"Goodbye my dark prince," she whispered raising the blade into the flickering candlelight.
"Hayden!"
I wasn't thinking. My mind went blank. My vision tunneled so that all I saw was Loki struggling to stand against the wall. My hands reached toward Fandral's belt, pulling the hilt of his sword free from its leather sheath. The blade sang as it slid from its binding and into the air.
"Loki," I cried out tossing the weapon to him.
Karnilla turned at the sound of my voice. She snarled, arching her shoulder back. An animal-like growl escaped her from behind her painted lips as she flung several fireballs in the direction of Fandral and I. One of them caught at the side of my arm, burning the hair and eating at the skin. I screamed as my knees buckled over. My stomach turned as waves of nausea washed over me.
I cradled the wound, vaguely aware of the pressure from Fandral's hands on my shoulders. My breathing grew ragged, it felt like someone's hand was pushing on my chest whenever I exhaled. Through tear-stained eyes I looked below to see Loki deflecting Karnilla's attacks with powerful swings from Fandral's sword.
He moved with ease, sliding around the balls of fire Karnilla hurdled his way. Each one licked at his dark green cloak. With his free hand he tugged at his neckline, ripping the cloak off. Loki tossed it at Karnilla. She flung her hand forward catching the fabric on fire. As it fell to the ground in ashes Loki moved with godly reflexes, aiming the blade of the sword high.
I turned my head toward Fandral, closing my eyes tight as the sound of a sickening rip echoed through the room. Karnilla gurgled, her weapon and knees crashed to the floor. She made a wet gasp and I dared to look at her.
The sword was still in Loki's hand, protruding from Karnilla's chest. Blood soaked the front of her dress. Her hands began to violently shake as she brought them to the wound. Her green eyes shut tight as she held onto the blade with both hands. Pursing her lips together Karnilla pulled the sword out, resisting the natural urge to cry out. Loki carefully eased the blade along with her movements, his knuckles white and speckled in her blood.
Karnilla smiled, then gasped. The blade fell to the floor from her chest. She coughed, blood splattered down her chin. She laughed once. It was short and desperate, the kind of laugh you gave when you didn't understand the punchline to a joke. Karnilla wiped away the dark liquid the same color as her lipstick with the back of her hand.
"You think," she breathed, chuckling heavily, "that a mortal blade would be my end?" Karnilla struggled to stand, her body swayed and she held onto the wall for support. "I am a Goddess!" she screamed, her teeth stained red. "I am a Queen! I will not be brought to my knees by a sword."
A vibrant blue spilled across Loki's skin. Veins slashed against his cheek and forehead, his eyes swirled a faded crimson. He reached forward, grasping onto Karnilla's neck with his hand. She screamed at his touch, her cries echoed through the dungeon.
"Hayden," wavered Fandral. I nodded weakly, standing to my feet.
"Release what power you hold over Asgard and I will let you live your pathetic existence in exile," ordered Loki.
I stilled in my tracks, looking over my shoulder. Karnilla snarled at him, her skin boiled underneath his touch. "Loki," she pleaded, gasping in pain. "Think about what you are doing."
"Release them," he urged her. "I will not hesitate to kill you."
"We can rule together, Loki. Asgard can be yours. Midgard too." Blood began to seep through the cracks of Loki's fingers. "Side by side-"
Loki's eyes flashed to me. "You would be the last person to whom I would wish to stand by." He looked back to Karnilla. "Release Asgard," he told her once again, then smiled, "for old times sake."
Karnilla spat in his face. "You can rot in the nine levels of hell."
Loki wiped at his cheek, his smile widening. "The same to you my friend." He kept his gaze firmly on Karnilla. "Hayden, look away."
I did as was told and turned my face toward Fandral. His blue eyes softened as he swallowed hard and nodded. He wrapped his arms around me, covering my ears to muffle Karnilla's screams.
OhHaiSerah: Tee-hee well now you'll have plenty of Fandral to fangirl over in the spin-off.
Carlypso: Well I am glad you enjoyed both chapters. Thank you.
Why Fireflies Flash: Oh! I didn't know you wrote too. I'll have to check out some of work. Though just a heads up I'm very flakey and it'll probably take a while before I do. It took me like 3 months to start reading VicVic221's story and we're actually real friends. I suck like that haha
I am so glad people are enjoying it and you that you thought it's been a fun ride. I tried to make it as enjoyable as possibly. It's definitely been a blast to write and I'm so grateful to everyone's love and support toward this fic.
Kieeka: yeeeeah cause I told yoooou.
Nadi Razola: (5) Thank you so much! One of the things I worked hardest on was keeping the characters in character and the OC no a droll, whimpering Mary-Sue. (6) you are going to make me blush! Lol (18) I definitely go back and forth between the two. I like modern Loki's complexity but I love comic/myth playful Loki. If I ever do a sequel I've already planned on making it a lighter tone. (29) Thank you!
alexma: Thank you so much. I planned to update it yesterday but I ended up rewriting giant segments of this chapter so it kind of delayed the quick updates I've been giving.
Ryuno Chu: At least you're patient about it haha more than I ever am, so kudos to that! The second a story I like updates I'm always crying for another after I finish reading it.
Readingconundrum: (1) Well thanks to Vic for sending you my way. Thanks! I tried to achieve that so I'm glad it's working. (29) I wish I could say more than thank you. You'd think as a writer I'd know how to better reply but I'm kind of speechless, I guess. I am so glad you enjoyed it so far and hope you'll enjoy When They Fall as well.
Poodle Warriors: It literally leaves me numb because I am so shocked. And, so grateful because I never expected it to gain such wonderful readers. I really hope you guys enjoy what is left!