The Proposition

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"Remind me again why we're here?" Loki shouted over the blaring Metallica song that poured from the old juke box in the corner of the bar. He looked out of place among the other men there, sitting at a table across from the goddess as she sipped her beer and regarded him with a sly smile over her glass. The other bar patrons glanced their way apprehensively as they played pool and drank their sorrows away in the booths. It wasn't every day such an odd looking couple came into the bar.

The bartender behind the bar wiped a dirty rag across the counter and stared at Eris as she wiped the beer from her lips and winked at the tubby, bald man. Loki folded his arms over his chest and glared once again to the juke box like he was trying to make it implode with his stare. "Because I needed a drink to get me in the right mood to discuss this." She shifted in her chair and scooted it closer to the table, scraping along the cigarette butt littered floor.

"You require a mood to discuss business?"

"Business about war? You bet. Now," She pushed a strand of lavender hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest. "What exactly do you plan to do?"

"That doesn't concern you. You're only purpose is to create a rift between the people of Asgard and their dear old king." Loki wrapped his fingers around the beer mug on the table and brought it to his lips, tasting the beer with a small sip to see if it was up to his standards. Everything about the prince pissed Eris off. He was so uptight, so judgmental and from the twenty minutes she had been in his presence, she was beginning to second guess ever walking out her door.

The goddess cocked her head to the side and folded her arms over her chest, tapping her fingers impatiently along her bicep. "I'm not really liking your attitude here, kid. Remind me again why I shouldn't just leave?" Loki's jaw tensed at her referring to him as a child but his face stayed the exact same; stoic with a slight sneer of his pale lips.

"You mean, to go back living so luxuriously in your hovel?" Eris scoffed incredulously. She had heard stories about the Asgardians, infamous tales about their pride and ability to act so superior to everyone else...but this was ridiculous. Sure, she had been stripped of her talent to create a battle between the most civil people, leaving her mostly desperate for any feeling of her previous life, but she didn't need this. He was treating her like a mortal. It was demeaning and she would rather rot in her modest cabin than be subjected to Loki's arrogance. Eris tipped her beer back, pouring the rest down her throat and shook her head as she wiped the froth from her upper lip. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

Loki didn't bat an eye as she slid her chair back and put her palms on the table before raising to her feet. As the song on the juke box clicked over to Pink Floyd, the prince brought his hands to his chest and waved them across each other. Gold flared between his palms and Eris could only stare as an apple appeared in his hand. Not just any apple though...a golden apple. Her golden apple. Just as quickly as he made it appear, they vanished with a wave of his hand and the goddess gripped the edges of the table so hard the wood splintered under her fingertips. "Where did you get that?" Her voice was barely heard over the song, but she was sure he heard her.

The corner of Loki's lips lifted and he tilted his head to the side. His eyes were dark and sparkling green, full of mischief. Eris felt herself trembling with fury, unable to comprehend how he had what she thought had been lost forever. Zeus had made sure to destroy them, and yet...There they had been, sitting patiently in the Asgard's hands, waiting to return to her. No. It wasn't real. She reminded herself that he was a god of tricks, nothing more. He was doing it all to trick her into giving him what he wanted. Still, she would have to play along until she could know for sure if he had them or not.

"That, also does not concern you. Once you fulfill the first part of your duties, you might see it again." He smirked and let his back rest against the chair, bringing his beer back up to his lips. The goddess stared at the amber liquid, wanting nothing more than to grab it from him and smash the glass over the idiot's head. But, she had been the idiot. She had fallen right where he wanted her. Eris felt like a fool as she slid right back into the seat and the Asgardian smiled, exposing his teeth. "Now, is that not better? You and I both know you would do anything to get your paws back on your little apple so no more pathetic attempts to back down. As far as you're concerned, from here forth, I rule you." Fire licked at Eris' insides and she tried desperately to calm her temper. If she let it get out of control, the entire bar would go up in towering flames, signalling Zeus to her exact location. His wrath was the last thing she needed to deal with right now. Clenching her fists, she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands hard enough that she felt the skin peel back. "I am ruled by no one."

"Are you talking back?" He clucked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment, sending her an impish grin. "The more resistance you create, the longer it will take to get back what you truly want, so," He clapped his hands and rested them in his lap. "for the sake of you and I and time, just do as I say."

What.

The.

Fuck?

Eris hadn't felt this much contempt for another living being since...Well, she hated most of her family with an unbridled passion, but this was worse. Her skin crawled and ached as if every inch of her hand been scorched and tortured. She wanted to incinerate him and everything within a five mile radius. Instead, she sat back, her jaw clenched and her fists tightly curled.

"What do I need to do?" She didn't meet his gaze as she hissed between her teeth. From behind them, the billiard balls cracked as the two men started a new game, oblivious to the two beings arguing in the corner. Eris glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, watching them as they crossed around and around the table, setting up shots into the pockets. She wasn't interested in their game, but she knew that if she looked at the man across from her, she wouldn't be able to keep from punchin him. Despite the dury behind her eyes, Loki reached across the table and curled his finger under her chin, pulling her gaze to him.

"Good girl. Don't worry, what I need from you first is something that I've heard you're very good at." Her insides prickled and she pursed her lips tight, her stormy eyes swirling with ice and anger. Eris cursed herself, screamed and imagined beating him to a pulp inside her own head. On the outside, she sat still, unable to do nothing else but stare. "Oh, and what's that?"

"You know of the Guardian of the realms, don't you?" She did. Heimdall was known amongst most celestial beings as being a spy, but on Asgard he was revered for his talents. Eris remembered hearing her father talk about him, calling him perverted, thinking he had nothing better to do than keep his peeping eye on Zeus' harem of whores. She nodded, unable to find a proper insult for the banished prince that would satisfy her desire to hurt him in every way imaginable. "I need him distracted."

"Distracted..." His dark eyebrow raised on his forehead as the bar door swung open and a group of men poured in, rowdy and howling with drunken laughter. Loki sent them a contemptuous glare as they piled around the bar, yelling like fools for a round of beer. They were ignored by the goddess in the room, keeping her eyes focused on the man across from her. She hated feeling helpless. She had been powerful for so many centuries and never once understood how her banishment from Olympus was supposed to teach her a lesson until now.

Now she knew what it meant to be a helpless mortal, defenseless at the feet of the gods. Though she was not without most of her powers, just mentioning war on Earth was enough to invoke the wrath of her father to sweep in and take everything from her.

"Oh, baby!" A loud, grating voice called from across the smoky room. Eris turned toward the men, her eyes narrowed. She wasn't feeling playful anymore. One of the bigger men leaned an elbow over the bar as he stared at her. She could smell the sweat from twenty feet away and curled her lip up at him. "Too good for Big D? Look at that bitch over there. Thinks she's too good for this" He nudged another drunken idiot beside him with one elbow while the other hand grabbed at his crotch and Eris sighed. She nodded toward the door, glancing at the prince. He was focused on the men but stood just as she did. "I think it's time to leave." She growled, kicking her chair back under the table.

The men at the pool table stepped back to give them room on the opposite side of the room to leave, but Big D had other plans. He moved fast for someone so rotund and his hand snatched Eris' wrist like a snake. She whirled around, her arm twisted uncomfortably in his grip. Her mouth opened to demand him to back off, but Loki was faster. He grabbed Big D around the forearm and stared down at him with narrowed eyes. Sighing, Eris put her hand on the prince's chest and pushed him back.

"I can handle this, you know?" Loki stared, incredulous between the goddess and the man whose hand was still gripping her wrist. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! I don't need you swooping in like you're some kind of knight in shining armor. I've handled bigger threats than this pig." Big D's fingers tightened around her wrist and she snapped her glare back to him, hoping he would test her. She needed to hit something and she hoped it could be his face. From beside her, Loki scoffed, his hand never moving from the beefy forearm of her attacker.

"I'm trying to keep this filth from touching you and you're insulting me?"

"I'm not insulting you. I just don't need your help."

"Let the bitch do what she wants, pretty boy." The man snarled beside them and both Loki and Eris turned their attention to him, their eyes narrowed and glaring. In her anger, Eris wrenched her arm free from Big D's grip easily, sending the putrid man and Loki sumbling back. She reached out and snatched the front of his dirty, grease stained tank top and curled her fist around the fabric. Before she could rip the smug grin off of his face, a fist sped past her face and sent the man flying back into the bar, his shirt ripping in Eris' hand. The impact sent the wood of the counter splintering and bar stools tumbled to the ground as the other men jumped apart and backed away. Big D sat slumped and Loki stood, straightening his jacket. He glanced down at the glaring goddess as she rolled her eyes. "That was more for me than it was for you."

"I said, I could handle it."

"Just get out of my bar!" The bartender shouted from behind the broken counter, his stained rag waving like a white flag. "Both of you!" Eris heaved a sigh and threw the door to the bar open, letting it slam loudly against the wall. She hurried into the night, cursing her luck for ever walking out of her door. She pulled the hood of her jacket up around her ears and walked down the quiet street. Businesses were closed for the night and the only other inhabitants were two cars sitting at a red light. "I want my apple back."

"And you shall get it back." Loki replied in a singing tone, strolling beside her. "But, first. You need to seduce the Guardian of the Bifrost." His words made her steps falter and Eris stood staring at the back of the god. She blinked, remembering hearing the gossip of her sisters of Heimdall, how they would undress in the open just in case he was looking. They had gushed about how handsome he was, how brooding and delicious he looked. Eris nodded slowly to herself. "I think I can do that."

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AN- Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave some feedback :D