Still smiling with true pleasure as she gently disconnected from her Son's Expression, Bastet opened her eyes and then stood up from her throne. In the deafening silence of the chamber, as the torches around it lit up, the sound of her Shift seemed almost too loud as she seamlessly turned to her vicious aspect and landed on her paws, briefly digging her talons into the gold-plated floor before leaping into the air and moving across the space as her rage surged.
Bast landed beside the black, starry marble of the grand stairs leading up to the Nox's sky-lift temple with a roar. The enraged sound stopped the Sha-looking beast as it neared the first step, and Set - in the beast form - turned toward her with a menacing growl, yellow eyes flaring with eons-old hatred. Clearly missing the way primordial darkness swelled around the stairs or the shade blending among it. Bastet didn't, welcoming the presence as she bared her fangs at the offender, flaring her wings to distract him as green eyes appeared behind him, splitting from the eternal dark.
Two things happened at once in the next moment: a hand landed upon her neck, holding her back while a shade blacker than the darkest night barreled into the god of violence, clearly bent on showing him what the true form of it felt like. Two canine-looking beasts snarled and tore into each other while she looked up at her companion, folding her wings over her back and almost reflecting the smirk on the handsome face of the god of mischief.
"Loki," she purred at her old friend, watching the tall, human-looking blonde pull a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his long, black coat and, after withdrawing one, set it between his thin lips. Lightning it up, he smirked toward her again, hiding the packet as he took a deep drag and then exhaled the smoke with a huff.
"You're going to need to get in line," he remarked, pointing his cigarette toward the fighting beasts with a blase expression. Her crimson eyes followed the movement before she tossed the Trickster a deadpan stare while Shifting to the humanoid form.
"Wasn't Fenrir supposed to be chained down in Jotunheim?" she drawled, looking pointedly toward the massive black wolf when it pinned down Set and clamped its massive jaws around the bastard's throat with a deafening snarl.
"Oh, he is... as far as Odin is concerned," Loki replied with a bored tone, taking another drag of the cigarette and smirking to himself with another exhale before meeting her gaze and raising his blonde eyebrows. Handsome and tall by human standards, with dark-blonde, shoulder-length hair brushed back from his face, and with a darker stubble shading his jaw, Loki was one to turn heads among the Nox's court - if she was one of few to know how devoted the god of mischief was to his Asgardian wife. Or how truly hateful of the rest of the Norse pantheon. "I suppose even if we weren't first... he had a welcome incoming anyway," he chuckled with true mischief he was the patron of while pointing toward the top of the grand, black staircase. Bast followed that gesture with a frown, then almost involuntarily bowed deeply, seeing the figure clad in the heavy black armor, heading toward them down the stairs around the dying down fight and with a grim expression on his truly beautiful face. Blonde hair tinged with ever-present darkness that swirled around the form of the Primordial God shaded the dark-purple eyes that showed more than a hint of satisfaction when Fenrir, with another snarl, tore Set's head off and set to feast on the cooling corpse.
Well... Erebus was always one to appreciate a proper retaliation - and it more than explained the swirling dark that covered the wolf's approach.
"Grandsire," she whispered with respect and politely waited for a sign to straighten that came soon after. All who were welcomed in Nox's temple knew that risking the wrath of the Dark One was a swift and painful way into nonexistence - even for a god. She didn't have to look to know that even Loki - ever dissident - bowed with similar respect if the smirk didn't leave his lips.
The black wolf, still seemingly enraged, tore the corpse into tiny pieces before pissing on them and, with an added insult of it, padded toward his father, thick fur still bristled.
"It won't keep him down for long," she remarked with resignation, grimacing toward the sight.
"It's going to get the message across," Erebus growled, his voice as menacing as the eternal darkness swirling around his form as he folded his arms over his chest. "He was warned when Nox ordered his Sha eradicated."
"And it was an honor and pleasure to deliver," she purred, resting her hand over her heart and pleased with his indulgent nod.
"And fine work did your beasts did, Bast. Fine work, indeed... until now," his voice grew almost as sharp as his gaze, and she fought not to flinch. Excuses were for weak - and she wouldn't insult him or herself with such.
"With all due respect, Sire..." Loki drawled, taking another drag of his cigarette as his free hand clenched in the black fur at Fenrir's neck. "...I seem to recall that a millennium ago, Bastet accused Set before your wife of a scheme to unravel Nox's design... didn't she?"
Erebus's expression grew darker as his eyes moved between them, then grew unreadable.
Many mortals believed that the future was written in the stars - and they weren't that far off. At the dawn of creation, Nox has woven a tapestry of fate - and a few more than she and Loki knew that not all were pleased with awaiting them destiny.
Odin, the All-Father of the Norse pantheon, was... upset to learn that among the chaos of Ragnarok - their version of the end of days - Fenrir was fated to take his head and end him. Chaining the wolf in their frozen hell was his attempt to fight against fate - a thing that none more than Erebus took an issue with. Bast wouldn't be much surprised to learn that he was the one to free the wolf - or help with it.
And Set - with a similar prophecy hanging over his head... clearly wasn't done trying to outsmart fate.
"For a thousand years, I hid my children from him," she said, holding her hand over her heart while fearlessly withstanding Erebus's dark gaze. "I forewarned, Sire, that he'll turn my beasts against me. As revenge for his Sha and to avoid what's coming, he would have mine blood slaughtered... but Mother choose not to listen. He grew bold, claimed my beasts, and twisted their purpose - all to escape the fate he foretold."
The Dark One thinned his lips briefly, then exhaled slowly and finally inclined his head in agreement - just a tad - but it felt like a battle won.
...and a debt to the Trickster - which despite their friendship, was never a good thing. She didn't look toward Loki, even feeling his gaze.
"I'll speak of it with Nox," Erebus said much gentler - almost soothing. "Set will no longer be welcome in her court after this. As his veil fell, She witnessed the full scope of this atrocity... The Trickster and his wolf were only the first to petition for his head - and won't be the last to hunt him down. But you, Bastet, have our blessing to bring about the destiny my wife has woven for him... and whatever you require to do so," he stated, then melted away into the darkness when she bowed again with a grateful smile.
Her expression dropped swiftly when she turned her eyes back to Loki, his cigarette gone as he draped his arm over Fenrir's neck and smirked. Resting her hands over her hips, Bast lifted her eyebrows expectantly, waiting.
"Relax, kitten," he grinned toothily when she scoffed and rubbed his son's ear fondly before his expression grew somber and much harder. "Almost three decades ago, one of Fenrir's pups' lairs... disappeared. Curious thing, really... Fond as he is of his descendants and to avoid the Asgardians discovering that the wolf chained in Jotunheim isn't exactly... real, let's say, he moves between the lairs and watches over his kin... so, to have one simply gone?" he shook his head slightly, and she thinned her lips, her temper flaring at the reminder. "As the Grandsire said, Bast, when Set's veil failed, and we saw... most interesting creatures through the missing cubs' eyes - the point had to be made, yes? And so far I know, only you and your beasts can bring about the motherfucker's permanent death - eagerly as the humans still worship him. As you said, this won't keep him down for long," he waved his free hand toward the disintegrating corpse. "Days or hours perhaps, and he would be back to scheming... and whatever else he does, while likely avoiding the others... displeased with his ploy. And now you'll have a carte blache in whatever you do as long as it will lead to the fucker's perma death - which is neat, all things considered. The world is changing, Bast..." his voice dropped lower, and she frowned, tilting her head slightly. "All around the place... things are going out of whack since your Miqo'te broke the schema. Coming out to humans... bold as it was - put in motion a chain reaction in other circles as well. I heard that you locked yourself away among your children... but did you see what I've been... eh, busy with lately?"
"Some of it," she replied, folding her arms over her breasts while she couldn't help but smile at his slightly sheepish expression. "If I would hardly take you for a religious kind, Loki. Imagine my surprise to dream about you - of all gods - among the angels," she snickered when he groaned loudly and rolled his eyes, leaning harder against Fenrir's side. The wolf's tongue lolled out, and his rage seemed to melt away under amusement at his father's expanse.
"What can I do...?" He shrugged a tad helplessly. "They amuse me - scrambling like headless chickens to hide the fact that their god is gone."
"...gone?" She frowned with confusion. Christianity still being a wildly popular religion - strengthened even by her beasts' emergence, ironically enough - didn't make sense for its god to disappear.
"Beats me," he shrugged again, then ran his free hand's fingers through his hair before pulling out a toothpick from his pocket and putting it at the corner of his mouth. "Apparently, he just... up and left for no reason a few hundred years ago. Only the archangels are in known... and a few other more shady characters. Including, of course, Lucifer - who, prompted by that and your beasts' emergence - packed his shit and left their hell to start a nightclub in one of the human cities - leaving the Rotten Prince in charge."
"...Asmodai?" She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling an involuntary giggle. The whole thing sounded so absurd...!
"See...? Hilarious!" Loki's toothpick moved from one corner of his mouth to the other before he wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully. "It's like watching a favorite drama life... Ah, a human thing," he waved his hand at her frown. "Anyway... What I meant to say was things are changing, and that - and what happened - gave an idea that you might find interesting, my dear," he drawled, and her amusement melted away.
...here comes the price...
"I'm listening," Bast replied carefully, in an easy tone.
"Let's say..." he grinned slyly. "...what if those pups your beasts saved stay among them - with my blessing, of course - and if so happens that perhaps at least one of them finds a mate of a feline quality... hm?"
She blinked slowly, dropping her hands to rest on her hips as she tilted her head, mulling over his meaning.
"You want me to allow them the cross-species breeding?" She frowned, seeing his grin turn wicked.
"Think of the possibilities, darling!" He cooed funnily, and she snorted involuntarily as her tail swiveled with uncertain interest. "A hybrid of your beast and my frost wolf... sounds intriguing, no? And - of course - with such a prize in the picture... I would be obliged to assure your beasts' proper protection... right?" He hummed, running his fingers through Fenrir's thick fur while the wolf stared at her intently with his bright, green eyes but remained silent.
She looked between them - and as the understanding of his ploy dawned - she exchanged a conspiratorial grin with Loki, seeing the offer for what it was: a permanent way to bind their interests that no other gods could complain about without a good reason.
With Fenrir in the picture - the god-killing wolf - Set won't dare to be near her twins while they set her design in motion. And whatever he was yet aware - or not - of her children's survival, he was bound to try, especially when he realized that what he feared the most was coming.
"Intriguing, indeed," she purred, and the stars around them grew brighter in the darkness, announcing Nox's approval.