Summary: Loki rules the world. Cassandra struggles to find a job after college. Sort of Sequel to Unexpected Encounter.

Dr. Pierce,

While your qualifications are very impressive, we have decided to pursue other candidates who better fit our needs. Best of luck in your job search!

Cassandra slumped her head on the table. Another rejection. The university HR department hadn't even bothered to sign the letter, that's how little they cared about her.

Why did she choose to study curation in school? Academia was notoriously patriarchal, but she assumed she would be fine.

After a long grueling job search, Cassandra was beginning to give up hope. It had now been two years since graduation and she was beginning to panic. In the professional world, you only had so many years before your degree is considered worthless. It was stupid and nonsensical but that's how much of assholes employers were these days.

Just like the ridiculous standards they held. Baby boomers had walked into their jobs with little to no education. Then after they worked their way up into positions of authority, they set unrealistic standards. Now, you had to have a fucking master's degree to work at a library. A library!

What's next, a bachelor's degree to mow lawns?

Cassandra really regretted not listening to her friends who encouraged her to study something practical like medical billing and coding. A boring, steady job but it paid well.

The world just wasn't set up for women to pursue their dreams. Cassandra thought dejectedly, on the verge of tears. She supposed having a ruler born in the Dark Ages had done little to improve women's rights.

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"Sir, I have some bad news."

Lounging in his throne eating grapes, Loki turned to look at his assistant. "What's that, Kylar?" He was annoyed with the interruption.

He had come in here to admire his vast collection of art and artifacts. Not to be bothered.

The young man shivered nervously under the god's scrutiny. "I have the results for your newest approval ratings."

"I'm sure everyone is pleased." Loki declared confidently, popping a grape into his mouth.

"The men are pleased." Kylar cleared his throat, a lock of unkempt dark hair tumbling into his eyes. "The approval ratings among women, however, are dismal."

Loki found that surprising. Women loved him. They always had. He had no shortage of female mortals throwing themselves at him. None of them were good enough, naturally, but he enjoyed the attention nonetheless. "How bad are we talking?"

"Ten percent." Kylar squeaked, cringing in apology. "They seem to believe you don't care about female equality."

Loki sighed tiredly. "That's not true."

Kylar scrolled through his tablet. "According to the data I found, 90% of higher paying jobs go to men. Women are forced into mainly customer service, childcare, and low paying medical jobs. It's been the same pattern for fifty years."

A headache bloomed in his forehead. Loki had ruled earth for nine years. He underestimated how much of a pain in the ass, humans could be. He had to do something about these ratings. There were rumors of a rebellion circulating through New York. Unless he wanted the rebellion to gain a huge wave of allies he had to tackle the issue of female equality.

Loki tapped his finger against his bottom lip, shifting his gaze to the rack of paintings collecting dust in the corner. He really could use someone to manage his art collection.

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Cassandra hunched against the wall of the bright clean lobby and studied the other job candidates. They were all women, of varying ages and appearances. A plump woman in her mid-thirties wrestled with the zipper on her purse, muttering curses to herself. She ended up standing by Cassandra in line.

Cassandra offered her attentive smile that was not returned. The woman even turned partially away from Cassandra.

That's fair. They were each other's competition after all.

Cassandra was still stunned by the email she received earlier in the week. King Loki chose her as a candidate for a museum curator position. She didn't have the job yet but at this point she was deeply grateful to just get an interview.

It seemed stupid to pin her hopes on this interview but that's how desperate she was to quit her job at the cafe. It barely covered her rent. She'd been living on ramen for months.

A voice crackled over the intercom. "J6."

Cassandra clutched her ticket in a tight fist and smoothed the front of her blazer. Taking a deep breath she crossed the lobby to the elevator.

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Loki couldn't take anymore. A king shouldn't have to conduct job interviews. It was beneath him. Kylar gave him a pointed look from behind his glasses.

Right, the ratings.

Most of the women were eminently qualified and intelligent but they were lacking something. Loki didn't know what, exactly.

About a fourth of the candidates spent their interviews flirting with him. Kylar was supposed to weed out the gold diggers from the serious candidates but they still managed to sneak in. The last one, a pretty blonde had teased. "I went to college to get my MRS."

As if Loki would find that 'cute'.

"Who's next?" He asked Kylar in a bored voice.

"Dr. Cassandra Pierce."

The elevator doors glided open and a short brunette in a black pantsuit stalked into the throne room. Her dark hair had been sleeked back into a braid. She wore minimal makeup and her dark eyes flashed with defiance as she stopped before his throne. "My name is Dr. Cassandra Pierce." She held out her hand for him to shake.

Loki lifted his chin off his hand, curiosity stirring. She didn't bow or offer any obeisance. Her small hand hung in the air between them. He reached out and clasped it briefly. "A pleasure, Dr. Pierce. I'm Loki Laufeyson."

Cassandra nodded curtly. "Nice to meet you."

She wasn't being disrespectful exactly but there was something about her. Something familiar. Loki opened with a basic interview question while he sifted through his memories. "Why do you think you would be a good fit for the position?"

Loki listened. She was warm and engaging and talked to him like a normal person-

He understood in a flash why she seemed so familiar to him.

This was that girl. The one from the diner all those years ago. He studied her features with renewed fascination. She was all grown up and well educated. Amazing how quickly time flies.

However, this woman was less idealistic than the teen girl he met in the desert. A shadow lingered in her eyes and no short amount of rage.

Loki was well acquainted with the emotion. She was angry with how the world treated her and wanted more from it. "You're hired." He said on impulse, startling both Cassandra and Kylar.

Cassandra frowned suspiciously but didn't say anything.

Kylar beamed with obvious relief at not having to go through anymore interviews. "Welcome to the team, Dr. Pierce."

"Thank you." She said still frowning.

"Is something the matter?" Loki asked.

"I'm just wondering why you selected me. I'm happy but I didn't exactly get through the entire interview."

A fair question. "I suppose it's because you have a desire to succeed. You want it more than everyone else."

This time she smiled. "When do I start?"

A/N: Will be a sequel in the future. Hope you likedit.