Note: This is my story for Mermay, and I'm putting Chapter 1 out early as a sneak peek.

I haven't seen Wakanda Forever...I sort of stopped watching anything MCU after the Loki series out of disgust (yes, I hated the show...I will take no questions and if you decide to call me names or troll in the comments for my feelings on it, I'll only delete them). So my Namor will likely not be at all like the Namor from that movie. My Namor is more like how comics Namor is...arrogant as fuck, obnoxious, and hot-tempered. Sorry if you're a fan of MCU Namor, but you may or may not like my depiction all that much.

I'm trying to get a new job, got jury duty coming up, and all sorts of life stuff, so next chapter probably won't be for a few weeks...but please be assured it will continue!

The blue skinned Atlanteans charged past the borders of Wakanda. The nation's sophisticated and powerful defenses were child's play for them to break past, and they began the attack.

Vibranium struck vibranium as soldiers on both sides fought. The Dora Milaje armed themselves and fought alongside their King, who called out the King of Atlantis for a coward. But no matter how much T'Challa taunted, Namor never appeared.

Instead, the tsunami struck.

It rose on the horizon, a gigantic wall of water that raced towards the powerful African nation and slammed into it with deadly force. The streets of the capital city were flooded. Animals drowned. Most of the people were saved thanks to the combined efforts of T'Challa, his Dora Milaje, and M'Baku's forces, but many died. Too many.

After the waters finally receded, and the damaged obsessed, the funerals held, all that was left to do was to find the answer to a question:

Why?

I stared at Steve when he finished speaking. The room was silent for several minutes, long enough for Steve to get uncomfortable while I continued to stare. I was really hoping he was joking. What he had just proposed was nothing short of insane. "No," I finally said.

"Your husband's already agreed," Steve pointed out.

"Loki and I are not joined at the hip. He can go right ahead and mediate to his heart's content. He'll understand if I sit this one out. The answer is No Way with a nice heaping helping of Are You Out Of Your Mind?"

I got up and paced, running a hand through my long hair. What Steve was suggesting was nuts, especially since he knew that I was still having problems regulating my emotions. They were still all over the place. There was no way I would be able to be nice and diplomatic, especially given that one of the individuals involved in this was an arrogant toerag who thought he was better than everyone. I wouldn't be able to sit in a room with someone like that without saying something that would likely get me into trouble.

"I really think this is a good idea, Tracy. Your empathy would be crucial for fishing out lies and revealing if Namor's claimed motivation for his attack is true."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't exactly be unbiased. I'm a poor choice." I had met T'Challa, trained with him, and I owed him. The Dora Milaje had helped me when I first came to this universe, and I had spent time in Wakanda, gotten to know the people there. On the other hand, I hadn't met Namor but from what Stephen and Wong had told me, the guy was a pompous jerk. I also wasn't thrilled with the way he attacked Wakanda completely unprovoked.

"Which is why Loki will be doing the mediating. He could care less about which of them is right, and I can hence count on him to be impartial. I just want you there to monitor the emotional currents, call out any lies, and alert us if you sense things are about to explode into violence." Steve tapped his fingers together. "Besides, you have another advantage: You're royalty. That seems to matter a lot to Namor, since he won't listen to anyone who isn't a ruler. Believe me, we tried."

"My title as Princess is a ceremonial one! I'm nothing more than a figurehead. Also, I'm not a diplomat!"

"You do diplomatic things all the time on behalf of New Asgard."

"No. What I do for New Asgard is be the friendly, smiling face for the poor humans to talk to when they want something from Asgard, but are too frightened to talk to Valkyrie, Sif, Thor, or my husband!" I would be the first to admit that Loki could be very scary when he wanted to be, and he nearly gave more than one ambassador from a foreign nation a coronary. I loved him, but he was not a people person.

Which was why I was going to talk to him after this and get him to change his mind. Him and Namor in the same room? That was a recipe for trouble.

"That's not what Loki and Thor said. Apparently, you're good with people, particularly ones who have a stick up their ass. Both of them suggested to me that you sit in on the talks."

Thank you, hubs and brother-in-law. I was going to kill them both.

"Besides, T'Challa likes you. Your presence can keep him calm, which can make a difference between peace being achieved and war breaking out. Namor is very, very good at getting him riled."

T'Challa riled? This was something I had to see.

"Tracy, please. I need you for this. I believe you being there can turn the tide."

"I see what you did there."

Steve winced. "Yeah, well...you know you'll have backup too. Namor is strong enough that the only ones among us who could take him if he decided on violence are Thor, Bruce, and Carol, plus you have your-"

"You know I can't call on them unless it's really, really bad and there's no other option," I interrupted him. Given how much I had to deal with my angel relatives already I really wasn't keen on getting them involved in this. Besides they made it clear that they refused to get involved with mortal politics.

Lucky them.

"And of course, Loki will be there."

I wasn't some damsel in distress for Loki to protect. I could take care of myself, damn it. I might be having mental and emotional problems, but I wasn't an invalid.

"Emotions are running really high, and I really think you'll be able to smooth things over for them to at least be reasonable."

Steve was starting to make me feel bad. "Fine. I'll do it. But I want hazard pay."

Steve shrugged. "Done. It's Tony's money anyway."

I left before I got tempted to say something to wipe that smug smile off Steve's face and almost bumped into my husband. "What did Steve want?"

Now it was Loki's turn to get my patented stare down. Unfortunately, he was basically immune. "You may want to sleep with one eye open for the next few nights."

"Pet..." he started to warn.

"I can't believe that you decided to rope me into this! You of all people know what I'm still struggling with, and now you want me to sit in while two extremely pissed off men snipe at each other?"

Loki didn't even bother to pretend he didn't know what I was talking about. "At least one of those men will listen to you."

"And the other is a damn killer!"

"So am I, Pet. And we do not yet know what motivated Namor to attack Wakanda."

"I don't need to know! He attacked them for no reason, case closed."

Loki stared at me, not saying a word. It was a rebuke, and I felt my face burn. "Alright, maybe I'm a little biased," I mumbled.

"Which is why I am taking the lead. You are just a lie detector and hopefully a calming influence on at least one of the two Kings who will be here snarling at one another."

I blinked. "Here? This isn't exactly neutral ground, T'Challa is our ally and has been offered membership more than once." Then my brain processed more of what he said. "And since when do you need help determining whether or not someone's lying?"

"I can recognize a lie, this is true, but confirmation of a lie being told coming from you will be more damning. And Pet, can you suggest a better place where it would be safe to hold these talks that would be fortified in case Namor gets out of control?" Loki held up a hand and ticked off his fingers. "Wakanda is obviously not neutral ground, plus they are still recovering. Derrick's Sanctuary is full of magical artifacts that could kill us all if damaged, and besides it is meant to be a neutral peaceful ground and Derrick has warned that bringing violence into it can have catastrophic consequences. We can't bring them to the Silver City because they are mortal, and their eyeballs would melt while their brains exploded the instant they stepped foot there."

"I really needed that image in my head, thanks," I muttered.

"None of the realms Asgard has treaty with would do, as Namor starting a fight would be breaking those treaties, we have nowhere in New Asgard as of yet that would be able to withstand the type of assault Namor is capable of, even though arguably our people would be far less likely to suffer injury. Stark built a saferoom here that was meant to contain the Hulk, a contingency should Banner ever lose control again."

That would be insulting if not for the fact that Bruce himself had asked for that room to be made.

I sighed and had to clasp my hands behind my back so they wouldn't tremble. "Loki," I whispered. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can," Loki put his arms around me, grasped my hands, pried them apart gently, and then held them in his own. "You have already been doing similar in the months since your recovery. You are much stronger than you believe, my Pet. I will not have you hobbling yourself."

He pulled me close and leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath on my skin. "I know you have been having a difficult time, but you have been handling it, my love. I think doing this will be good for you. It will restore more of your confidence. And I will be with you every moment."

I let out a trembling breath as he released my hands so I could wrap them around his waist as he held me.

Even if I didn't believe I could do this, Loki did. Him believing in me would be what got me through this.