This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this cannot be happening!

But the more Loki stared at his now dainty hands and wrists, the more he felt the weight of his prominent bosom, and the more he shook his head in disbelief, causing the long tresses of raven hair to tumble over his now slender shoulders, the more he realised it was happening. He was no longer a 'he', but a 'she'. The 'she' he had promised to never let out again.

Turn back into yourself, he willed himself. Turn back into yourself right now!

But no matter how hard Loki tried, the magic failed. It reverberated like the echo of a drum, but didn't take effect. A shadow suddenly fell over Loki. Two delicate hands reached out. He shrank back against the bottom of the alabaster basin, making himself as small as possible to not reveal anything else of his female form. A woman with red hair crouched before him. The shock in her emerald eyes tore at Loki. She raised her hand again.

"No, don't touch me!" The cry came out in a voice he hadn't spoken with or heard in so long, pushing Loki even further into the merciless reality of this horrifying nightmare.

"All right," said Sigyn quickly. "All right, calm down."

Warmth seeped through Loki's being. It hugged tightly, trying to soothe as it had hundreds of times before, but in this form, all Loki felt was torturous agony. He hadn't shown this part of himself in almost seventy years. To have Sigyn see him like this now...

"Loki, what happened?" she asked.

He pressed his quivering lips together. If he didn't say it aloud, there was still a chance for this all to just be a dream. Norn, let it be a dream.

"Who did this to you?" insisted Sigyn. "Hermes?"

The name of his former lover wrung at Loki's insides, and he broke down again. Why, in Odin's name, had he followed that traitorous bastard to that witch?

"Ssh, calm down," shushed his wife. "Please calm yourself. We'll sort this out, don't worry. I've already ordered the doppelgänger I left at the feast to search for him. And Fandrall and Rúna are on their way."

Panic seized Loki at the mention of their companions. He lunged at Sigyn, fingers digging into her upper arms as he grabbed hold of her, and begged, "No, no, no, please don't! They can't see me like this!"

"Loki, let go, you're hurting me!"

But he only clutched her tighter. Bad enough Sigyn had found him in this horrid form, but his ward? His brother's friend? No, he couldn't allow that!

"Don't let them see me, Sigyn, please," Loki pleaded, half-mad with fear. "You can't let them. You can't —"

His deranged whimpers were abruptly cut short by a loud screech. The lithe figure of a hawk flew into the room, accompanied by a blur of gold. The light grew and exploded, blinding Loki. Wind cut through his skin like an executioner's blade. Blood flowed from the wounds. Why was it so cold? Was he already dead?
Darkness took hold of Loki. Sigyn's harrowed scream faded as all else around him did. He saw nothing. Heard nothing. Yet felt everything. Despair. Terror. Loathing. Grief. His magic evanesced, and his heart... After all he had done, all he had caused... What remained was a crudely cut chunk of ice, grotesquely shaped to resemble a heart. And all he saw reflected in that frigid interior was a red-eyed monster. A beast. A nightmare.

***

Sigyn released her fury. She no longer cared if her actions pushed Asgard and Olympus on the brink of war. To her, they had already declared it the moment they attacked her husband. As she shielded an unconscious Loki with her body, she ordered her two fiery serpents to attack the hawk who had so brazenly set upon them. The bird bathing in light as bright and hot as the sun attempted to escape, but the snakes were faster. One coiled itself around its prey as the other clutched the hawk's neck between its ember-spitting mouth. Screeches of pain and terror resounded through the blazing room.

"Sigyn, no!"

Sigyn's eyes, blood-red instead of their usual vibrant emerald, flickered to the man running into the room through the open doorway at the private garden. Her rage intensified as she recognised Hermes. She flicked her wrist, sending a rolling wave of fire his way. The flames devoured the curtains and some nearby shrubbery, but the speedster himself deftly dodged the blaze and raced through the room, using his winged sandals to maximise his swiftness.

"Sigyn, please, stop!" he yelled.

But she paid him no heed and continued her attacks on him, wanting Hermes to burn. To suffer. To die. All the Olympians would die for what they had done. Not just to her, but to each other and the mortal realm. She would be their doom. Their reckoning. Their —
A hand gripped Sigyn's wrist. She turned to whoever had dared touch her, fully intent on destroying them as well. But then she saw the grey eyes in that youthful face. She distinguished light, ash-brown hair, pushed back with a headband made of jewelled flowers and a lock of red hair — her hair.

"Lady Sigyn," Rúna's calm, bell-like voice rang through the roar and crackling of the fire, "you must stop."

No! Destroy the Olympians! Do it! Do it for Loki!

Loki... Sigyn's eyes travelled from her handmaiden to her husband's female-shaped body. She gasped at seeing him bleed. What was she doing? How had she forgotten he needed urgent care? Hermes didn't matter nearly as much as Loki did. Her duty was to save him, not avenge him.
Her flame thrashed about as Sigyn reined it back, but she refused to let its unbrittle fury take the upper hand. She held onto the faint trace of Loki's magic and recalled her serpents. They released the hawk, letting the animal thud to the ground amidst scorched feathers, and slithered back to their mistress. Their scales shimmered green and gold as they travelled up Sigyn's body, reverting to their pendant shape. Once the glow faded, so did the last of the fire.

Sigyn took a deep breath and tore her eyes from Loki to assess the damage. Scorch marks and soot blackened the white stone walls and floor. The fresco and mosaics had remarkably suffered little to no injury, but the same could not be said for the furniture. Nothing remained of the curtains and silk bedsheets, and smoke circled up from the smouldering wooden desk and bookcase.
All the control Sigyn so carefully learned and maintained in decades... gone in mere seconds. To think this was but a fraction of what her fire could accomplish. The Allfather rightfully feared her powers. If this had happened in Asgard... she could've set about Ragnarok.

Groans attracted Sigyn's attention then. Fandrall held Hermes down, his knee pressing onto the Grecian's shoulder blade, his hand holding back his tattooed arm, and his sword at the traitor's throat. How her champion had trapped the bastard was beyond her, but Sigyn was glad he had. She was even more glad to see Hermes bleeding from a nasty gash at his eye. Just what he deserved.
Sigyn looked to where she'd seen the hawk fall, remembering then there'd been another present in the room. But instead of a wounded bird, she found a heavily burned man with golden hair lying in the arms of a blonde Goddess in a hunting dress.

"Apollo." Artemis carefully cradled her twin. "Ssh, you'll be all right."

She looked up at Sigyn. Under different circumstances, the tears rolling down the Greek woman's cheeks would have wrung at the Asgardian's heart. But right now, after what had already been done, Sigyn couldn't bring herself to care.

"H-He came to help you," spoke Artemis in a fragile voice. "Your handmaiden said something was amiss, and he transformed to get here faster. Why did you —?"

"He attacked Loki," interrupted Sigyn crudely, "after someone did this to him."

She stepped aside. Gasps of shock and horror resounded in a mismatched symphony as all in the room beheld Loki's female shape. Rúna rushed toward him, pulling the shawl from around her shoulders to cover him. Sigyn would've joined her, were it not for Artemis angrily shouting at Hermes, "You! Is this why you asked us to keep Sigyn and the other two occupied? Speak, you vile mongrel, or else —"

"Or else, what?"

Sigyn's head snapped towards the door. Upon the threshold stood the Queen of Olympus, her outfit unchanged from when Sigyn had seen her that afternoon. Her expression stood stoic as she let her eyes rove through the room, ultimately landing on Sigyn.

"Kindly tell your man to release mine," she spoke. "I have no interest in having another useless war between our realms, and I'm sure you don't either."

"Too late, Hera," spat Sigyn. "We came here in good faith, having been told you could help, but we have been attacked instead. First, by Ares at the feast, and now here. Undo what has been done to Loki, and I will convince the Allfather to show leniency."

Hera's eyes narrowed. The tension in the room was palpable to even the nymphs hidden in the water and trees outside. Sigyn stood ready to defend herself and the others if need be. Rúna and Loki were the most vulnerable right now and had to be protected at all costs.

"I was unaware my son confronted you," said Hera. "I apologise for any offence given. As to Loki, I would have words with you in my sanctum."

"If you believe I'm going anywhere with you, you are sorely mistaken," said Sigyn.

The Greek Goddess's burgundy-coloured lips pressed into a thin line. Her temper was legendary, but so was the power of a fire mage. It was the only reason she held back her reply, and Sigyn knew it well.

"Artemis," Hera called to the huntress, "remain here with Sigyn's companions until Asclepius arrives with his daughters. Have Apollo brought to his own temple to receive care, and instruct my acolytes to prepare another chamber for Loki to rest and recover."

"Yes, mighty Hera," mumbled Artemis, eyes flashing between her Queen and her half-sibling.

Hera beckoned again, standing sideways in the door to allow passage. "Sigyn, I must insist you and Hermes follow me now."

Left with not much choice, the Asgardian Princess nodded to Fandrall. He released his hold on Hermes, who scrambled up with a hand at his throat. There was a certain frenzy in his eyes, the likes of which Sigyn recalled having seen that afternoon as well when he was speaking to Loki at the bottom of the temple steps.

"Fandrall, make sure nothing happens to Rúna and Loki while I'm gone," ordered Sigyn. "And have someone prepare the horses. We'll be leaving as soon as Loki is healed."

The blond warrior inclined his head to her command. Sigyn gave Artemis one more glance, feeling she should say something regarding Apollo, but as with her and Loki, any apology would fall short. Instead, she merely said, "I hope your brother recovers quickly."

Artemis pinched her lips before replying, "As I hope Loki will."

Sigyn looked down at her unconscious husband. Rúna had placed his head on her lap, and her hands covered the gravest of his wounds to stop the bleeding. Her head... Her wounds...
No, there had to be a way to reverse what had been done. Hera would undo her magic, and Sigyn would lead her love and friends away from this rotten abode. They would return to their cottage, or travel around Midgard, and they would heal and grow towards each other with the only magic they required — their own.

Entrusting Rúna and Fandrall with her most cherished possession, Sigyn finally followed Hera and Hermes out of the circular chamber. She stroked the pendant at her bosom, feeling her flame prodding at the surface. It enticed her, as the serpent in the Midgardian tale of the humans' fall from grace.
Repercussions be damned. Odin be damned. The Olympians be damned. If Loki fell further into despair because of them, Sigyn would not hesitate. She already knew the location of one Infinity Stone. With desire as her ally, the others would be hers as well. If she was to become the villain and plunge the universe into chaos, as the Ancient One had warned her of so long ago, so be it.

***

The echo of their footsteps bounced off the temple wall as Hera led Sigyn and Hermes into her sanctum. It was of a similar composition to the circular chamber they left behind, but far grander. So grand, there was a garden and pool inside. But neither the room's beauty, nor the clattering cascade of the water features, could soothe the tempest inside Sigyn.
Her emerald eyes, edged with a titian ring, flickered constantly between Hermes and Hera. She cursed herself for not having been more careful. The Olympian Queen had already shown herself to be heartless after suggesting she cast a memory spell to forget about the baby she'd carried for nearly nine months, and Hermes... How did she fall for his sap story?

You can kill them both here and now. Claim Olympus for yourself. Have the other deities, demigods, and creatures swear fealty to you. Or dispose of them as well, as a warning to all those who would oppose you.

Sigyn silenced her flame. The urge to give in was great, but she had to allow diplomacy first, if only for Loki's sake. And if even aggressive negotiations failed... she would show no mercy.

"This is far enough," said Sigyn, halting abruptly.

The Goddess glimpsed over her shoulder, her fine brow arching at Sigyn's strict tone. Hermes stood awkwardly between them, his blue tunic stained with ash and blood. He shuffled closer to Hera, but froze at Sigyn's glare. Hastily, the coward cast his eyes down.

"What have you done to my husband?" demanded Sigyn.

"I have done nothing," said Hera.

"Do not take me for a fool, Olympian. Loki disappeared from the feast with Hermes, only for me to find him as a woman in our room with only the faintest trace of his magic left within him. We were promised none would come to harm during our stay, yet the heir to Asgard and his wife have both already been attacked. So unless you would like me to bring the full might of Odin down on you all, I suggest you explain yourself now."

Hera opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly interrupted by a pair of loud, arguing voices. Drapes rustled nearby, and all three turned to an open alcove from which a male youth and woman appeared. Both fell silent upon seeing Sigyn. The woman's aggravated expression dropped instantly, but the young man grew even more agitated as he turned to Hera and said, "Oh, please tell me you found her in time."

"Regrettably, no," she answered. "Sigyn found Loki before Hermes found her. There was an altercation, and both Loki and Apollo were hurt."

The youth groaned at her reply, pinching the bridge of his nose. His honey-blond curly hair fell forward as he dropped his head and shut his sky-blue eyes. Sigyn noted his slender build and warm sandy skin tone, but what she found most interesting were the white swan-like wings folded on his back, perfectly encasing his arrow quiver and the bow strapped to it.
She had heard and read about creatures like him, but not in the Greeks myths. If she remembered correctly, such beings were featured in some Midgardians religions and were called angels. But if he was indeed an angel, what was he doing in Olympus? And more importantly, what was his role in whatever Hera and Hermes had been up to?

"Hm, I can't see what all the fuss is about." The woman beside the young man shrugged and put a hand to her hip. "She's not that pretty."

And just by that, Sigyn knew who stood before her — Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Sexual Love and Beauty. The most vain amongst all Olympians. Men, women, and creatures threw themselves at her feet, hoping to bask in her radiance, and she returned their devotion by trampling on their hearts.
Aphrodite's long copper hair tumbled in waves over her shoulders and back. Her white sheer dress was cut both high at the thighs and low at her cleavage, prominently showing each of her honey-skinned curves and barely obscuring her private parts. She was a stark contrast to Hera's stately demeanour.

"Fates, could you be any ruder?" lamented the youth at Aphrodite's remark. "I swear, you're almost as bad as Ares."

"Watch your tone, Eros," snapped the Goddess. "I am still your mother, and like it or not, you were born from Ares' seed. You will show us the respect we deserve."

"Hephaestus is more my father than Ares ever was! But you wouldn't know because you prefer whoring yourself to that brute and all those others than even glance at your rightful husband!"

"Why, you little —"

A thundering clap resounded, and a wave swept against Aphrodite and Eros. Both yelped in surprise as the cold water from the pool soaked them. Were she not yet feeling the embers of her fury simmering, Sigyn might have laughed at the pair. Aphrodite looked like a mop, while Eros ruffled his feathers and shook his head, sending droplets flying everywhere.

"If you two are quite finished?" Hera shot the pair a threatening glare, purplish sparks fizzling at her fingertips. "The only reason I allow you to remain in my presence and Olympus is because of your kinship to my son. You, Eros, more than your mother, because of your loyalty in marriage to Psyche, which is a rarity amongst our kind. But make no mistake; I will cast both of you out if you test my ire."

"Apologies, Grandmo—I mean, Kyria." Eros put a hand to his chest and bowed to his Queen.

"Yes, yes, sorry," said Aphrodite impatiently, wringing out her hair. "But I really don't understand what I'm still doing here."

"Oh, don't you?" Her son rounded on her, meeting her blank, sea foam gaze. "You disturbed our meeting with Loki and Hermes after Hera expressly told you to observe only, and you forced him to shapeshift into his female form with one of your insipid curses!"

"First, they're not insipid curses, but genuine spells that work perfectly. Second, I didn't force Loki into that form, his fear did. And third... what's your point exactly?"

"Oh, for the love of Zeus." Eros dragged his hands over his face in exasperation.

Sigyn, forced to witness the farce going on between mother and son, was on the verge of bursting out. Hermes noticed her trembling fists, pursed lips, and almost full red eyes, prompting him to take action.

"All right, that's enough." He pulled his nephew away from Aphrodite. "You come over here and breathe. Aphrodite, you sit there and... primp your hair or something. Mighty Hera, if you will permit me to speak before things escalate?"

The Olympian Queen nodded her consent.

"Let me start by offering my sincerest apologies," he said to Sigyn. "You're right; we promised safety while providing none. I acted under the belief I was helping Loki when I brought him here. Hera and Eros wanted to speak with him alone before we asked you to join us, but... we didn't account for Aphrodite."

Hermes scowled at the Goddess, who paid him no heed whatsoever. As he'd proposed, she was busy pinning up her hair and gawking at her reflection in the pool's clear water.

"What did she do to him?" asked Sigyn. "And why was I not brought along with my husband?"

"That was at my behest," said Eros. "After meeting with Loki yesterday, Hermes informed Hera of his condition to not have my mother present when you came here. She requested I stood in Aphrodite's place, being the God of Love, Passion, and Fertility, and thus also able to provide aid. It was good she'd done so, because from the moment you crossed the borders of our realm, I sensed a love unlike any I have ever come across. And me being me, that means something. But I also felt the bond between you and Loki to be... not quite broken, but severely damaged. Before I could offer any help, I needed to know which of you hurt the most. I lay in wait outside your room and... blew a little passion your way."

Sigyn's eyes widened. She had seen a wing out in the garden — his! Tiny flames instantly sparked up and circled at her wrists. Eros slowly recoiled. Hermes, again, jumped to his defence.

"It was the only way," he said hastily. "Genuine passion dispels all inhibitions. It lays bare what resides deep within one's heart. Loki's love for you is the only thing that keeps him going, but his pain carves through that love with every breath he takes. His willingness to spare you from that same suffering is driving him to even consider leaving you, either through divorce... or death."

"What?" The flames serpentined around Sigyn's arms. "No, you're lying! He would never!"

"No lies. No trickery. I've sensed his intent, as Eros did his anguish. And we were both in agreement the primary cause for Loki's ache is betrayal. Not just recently, but throughout his entire life. You, Sigyn, are the sole person to have never misled or misused him and thus his sole reason for fighting. But he is losing his fight. He is losing himself. So the only way to help him, to help you both, lies in rediscovery."

She looked from Hermes to Eros to Hera and back at Hermes. The way he had spoken to her now was similar to how he'd spoken during their walk to Hera's temple. Sigyn found no deception in his expression or his words. Decades with Loki had taught her what to look out for, even though her husband only lied to others and never her. There were telltale signs with Tricksters, and Hermes showed none.
The fire died at this daunting truth. She stumbled, feeling an unbearable weight crushing her from all sides. The Grecian hastened to her and helped Sigyn sit at the edge of the pool. He dipped a cloth he conjured to his hand into the water, gently dabbing it to her heated skin. Eros and Hera approached, halting before her with a look of sympathy in their eyes.

"Our offer to Loki was to have him relive his past as a witness," explained the Olympian Queen. "One often learns simply by viewing things from another perspective. If he can come to terms with the betrayal he suffered and inflicted on others, he will blossom and believe himself worthy of your love again."

"Loki was to go to the Goddess Mnemosyne," continued Eros, "to bathe in her river, deep in Hades' realm. She would've guided him through his memories, with Hermes as a failsafe, considering his abilities as psychopomp and his own connection to Loki. And you were to come stay with me and my wife to undergo treatment for both your soul and your fertility, until Loki reached his first memories of you, and you could join him. The final stage of our plans was for Hera to bless you both in renewed vows, but someone completely foiled our intent."

The winged young man sneered at Aphrodite. She'd kept herself away from the conversation, finding her nails far more interesting than what was being discussed. Yet as a pregnant silence fell and all eyes turned to her, she finally directed her attention to the group with an exasperated sigh.

"Zeus, you're making it sound like I did something horrible when all I did was spare you a lot of work and babysitting two silly Asgardians. Besides, why is my decision being questioned? I am co-ruler of Olympus, am I not?"

"Barely." Hera scoffed. "I was forced to allow it, else most of the males would've followed Zeus to Omnipotence City, and our pantheon would've emptied. Even your own advisor detests you."

"What did I ever do to Athena?"

"Forgotten about Troy already?"

"Oh, that." Aphrodite waved her hand in dismissal. "Whatever. I assure you, if she weren't helping Persephone with that dreadfully boring age-long feud between Hades and Demeter right now, she would certainly agree with me."

"Then perhaps you would like to explain to us all what you did, exactly?" Hera's dark-violet eyes narrowed at the Goddess of Beauty.

"Is it not obvious? Hermes just said the foremost cause of Loki's misery is betrayal. Betrayal walks hand in hand with dismay, suspicion, but most importantly, fear. As you talked to him, I took a peek into his heart and found what he feared most — for Sigyn to learn what he's kept hidden from her for thirty years."

Aphrodite rose to her feet with the grace of a prowling panther and walked over to the group. Hermes drew nearer to Sigyn, even putting an arm around her shoulder. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, wondering about his protectiveness of her, and then turned to Aphrodite as the Goddess addressed her directly.

"Listen, sweetheart. Their plan was good. Mine is better. By manifesting Loki's fear, he has no choice but to accept what and who he is. If your love is truly as strong as my son claims it is, which I highly doubt, you and Loki will have no trouble coming together again."

"Must everything be a test with you?" hissed Eros. "This is exactly what you did to Psyche as well. You forced her to perform ridiculous tasks until you were satisfied with her love for me. Sigyn and Loki have already proven their love time and time again, and shouldn't be subjected to this cruelty."

Aphrodite's sea foam eyes blazed at her son. "Love is cruel. It is the most vicious of all emotions, for it births betrayal. You know as well as I do, Eros, people are far happier in brief affairs than in enduring romance. There are no broken hearts in sex. No bitter tears while enjoying blissful satisfaction. So tell me again, who of us is the wicked one? Whose powers grant joy and whose sorrow?"

Eros fell back, jaw clenched, eyes averted. He offered no reply. Aphrodite looked at Hera, daring her to contradict her words. But the Queen had her lips pressed together and fidgeted with the hem of her shawl. She, of all people, couldn't deny there lay truth in what Aphrodite said. Even after the many affairs and grievances, there was still a piece of Hera's heart that would always belong to Zeus. It thus came as a surprise to all that Hermes, a Trickster who didn't shy away from going through a plethora of bedmates — Aphrodite among them — was the one to speak.

"You're right," he said. "Love is... harrowing and ruthless. It's consuming, destructive, even deadly. Yet it's also marvellous, sensational, and life-changing. To hold another in your arms, knowing they are yours and yours alone... I cannot describe it. I've had many in my bed, but I only ever truly cared for one. And even though it may have started as a ruse to get him to surrender a stupid helmet and his father's battle strategies, my heart couldn't bear to part from him. I treasured and wanted more of him, keeping him close by intoxicating him with apple wine because I didn't believe he would ever love me out of his own free will. The hundred years we spent together seem so little, but... it was everything. And I will never forgive myself for what I did to him. My sole comfort is knowing he found someone better than me."

Hermes cupped Sigyn's face with one hand, making her meet his tear-stained eyes. But there lay something behind the sadness, something she'd seen shimmering in Loki's eyes as well. She recalled the promise she made. Had Hermes known something like this would happen? Eros and Hera had voiced their discontent over Aphrodite's actions aloud, but not him. Had the Greek Trickster arranged this with the Goddess after making Sigyn swear she wouldn't give up on Loki, no matter what happened?

"I know little about fire mages," Hermes spoke softly, "but I know they are driven by the flames of desire. Love is a part of that, the same as lust, ambition, and devotion. You'll find it's the one thing Eros and Aphrodite will agree on. So hear me now, Sigyn, and have the gravity of my words add fuel to your fire. If you want it, you must will it. If you will it, it will be yours."

She stared at him, uncertain of what to say. What did she want? Revenge would quench her thirst, but for a mere moment. Make Aphrodite undo her spell, by force if necessary, would solve nothing of the true issue at hand. What Sigyn wanted, what she desired, was for Loki to heal.

"What must I do?" she asked.

"Nothing," answered Aphrodite. "Once Loki acknowledges his fear, all of his powers will return and he'll be able to shift between male and female form at will again."

"But?" insisted Eros. "There's always a but with you, Mother."

"Hm, you're too smart for your own good sometimes," she chided. "Yes, there is one condition. Apart from accepting, Loki must also confide his fear to another. Not just anyone, but the person he trusts most in the universe. If Hermes and Eros' claim on your love being so strong proves true, Loki will turn to you. But if not..."

The unspoken words lingered between the gathered deities, as all grasped the severity. Trust had to be earned, not forced. What Hermes told Sigyn fell to nothing thanks to Aphrodite. For if Loki lied to make her believe she held his trust or actually turned to someone else... it would be yet another betrayal. And one the fire mage didn't believe she could survive.