A/N Since Lady Loki is now in the story, I will gradually shift Loki's he/his pronouns to she/hers until it becomes definite in the next chapter. Characters will also discuss this change in the story.

Though the Olympians were quick in re-accommodating the Asgardians, Sigyn refused to stay. By dawn, she and the others were packed and more than ready to leave. It pained her to have to entrust Loki's safety to Rúna and have the young handmaiden support his still-unconscious form while on horseback, but Sigyn had no choice. She and Fandrall were the only ones properly trained in combat, and she was now the sole magic-wielder in their company. They'd briefly discussed the possibility of having Loki pulled on a stretcher behind a pair of horses, but the narrow mountain path and the danger of encountering another of Olympus' defences on their descent quickly made them reject that idea.

It'll have to do, mused Sigyn, as she gathered the last of her belongings. I would've preferred to summon the Bifrost and return straight to Asgard, but Loki went into a frenzy at the thought of Rúna and Fandrall seeing him in his current state. I don't even want to think about what he'll do if I take him to —

"I suppose I can't convince you to reconsider?"

Sigyn gave a frustrated groan at hearing Hermes' voice behind her. She turned to the Grecian. The way he so casually leaned against the doorway made her want to rethink her decision to take the high ground and give in to her fire's beckoning call. Though Aphrodite was the one who'd cursed Loki, Sigyn was certain Hermes had played a part in it. She folded her arms across her chest and replied, "No, you cannot. I want to take Loki away from here before he —"

"She."

Sigyn's brow pinched at the abrupt interruption. "What?"

"Loki isn't a 'he' anymore, but a 'she'," clarified Hermes. "She always insisted on using the correct pronoun when she was in this form, so best get used to it now."

It took every ounce of Sigyn's willpower to not set that stuck-up halfwit aflame. Especially with that taunting smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"Apollo is almost fully healed," he went on casually. "Asclepius had his work cut out for him, though. Had his father not made it, I doubt he would've allowed his eldest daughter to tend to Loki. We're quite a... rancorous lot when it comes to loved-ones."

"I'm surprised you know the meaning of that word."

Hermes raised a brow in amusement at Sigyn's sneer. "Olympians basically wrote the book on petty vengeance, so yes, I know that word and all others relating to it."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, not bothering to correct him. Hermes knew perfectly well what word she'd meant. "What do you want, Hermes?"

"Just making sure you have everything you need for the journey back."

"Why don't I believe that?"

The smirk widened. "Hm, you caught me."

Hermes pushed himself away from the door and sauntered toward the bed, his fingers tapping on the table's wooden surface as he passed it. He picked up the white bed sheets — the sheets Loki had been lying under just a few minutes ago — and held them against his nose. He shut his eyes as he inhaled deeply.

"Mmm, there it is. That is the scent I remember. Fresh pine clashing with the deep aroma of newly fallen snow and a hint of feminine frailty. Fates, even after all these centuries, it's still the most arousing fragrance I've ever —"

The echo of Sigyn's slap cut off his words. The Olympian slowly turned his head back to her, his fingertips touching where her palm had struck his cheek.

"Don't. You. Dare," she hissed.

A darkness crossed Hermes' expression, intensifying his onyx eyes. Though Sigyn had expected him to be angry or even surprised, the God's gaze betrayed another emotion entirely. Something she had often enough seen in Loki's eyes when he lost himself in their passion.
She pushed past Hermes, immediately wanting to leave his presence, but he snatched her wrist and spun her back around. Before she could defend herself, his mouth pushed against hers. Sigyn's eyes widened in horrified shock. She tried to fight Hermes as his lips fervently attacked hers, eventually resorting to kicking her knee up. Hermes groaned at the hard impact, giving Sigyn the chance to escape from his grasp as he doubled over. She hurriedly threw a fireball at him, but the bastard dodged at the very last moment by throwing himself on the ground.

"Sigyn, wait!"

She didn't, though. Swiftly, Sigyn ran through Hera's temple, fleeing this festering abode. Coming to Olympus had been a mistake. She and Loki had placed their trust, their very lives, in the hands of those who'd already wronged her husband once before, and they hadn't hesitated in destroying him further. Never again. She would help Loki on her own. If embracing a darker side within herself was the price she had to pay for that, so be it.

***

They arrived back in the fjord just after noon, having left Olympus with no hindrance. Fandrall had again suggested to take Loki back to Asgard, but Sigyn would hear none of it. She'd created an illusion of Loki while shielding the real one, just like he taught her, and made the Guardian of the Bifrost transport them as close to the lodge as possible. By the time they finally got there, the entire party was beyond exhausted.

"Fandrall," Sigyn winced as her strained legs screamed at her the moment she set her feet on the ground, "I'm sorry to ask, but can you help me bring Loki to our room?"

"Of course, my Lady," he said. "You and Rúna sit down for a moment to catch your breath while I take Loki upstairs. He's surprisingly light-weight in this form."

Sigyn pressed her lips together, involuntarily recalling what Hermes had said. She decided not to correct Fandrall just yet. For all she knew, Hermes had been lying, and she didn't want to risk upsetting Loki any further. If he wanted to be addressed as a woman while he bore that form, she and the others would do so. But it had to be his own decision; not hers, and certainly not Hermes'.

"Would you like me to get started on lunch, my Lady?" asked Rúna, bringing in the last of the bags.

"I have little appetite," replied Sigyn with a sigh. "You take something if you like. I will eat later."

She waited for Fandrall to come back down and lingered a moment at the bottom of the steps to watch his silent interaction with Rúna. The pair threw each other an awkward smile and then averted, the handmaiden diving into the bags to unpack them and the warrior mumbling about needing to collect firewood, even though there was an entire mountain stacked already. Had she not been so tired, Sigyn would've sat them both down to get whatever was going on between them out in the open once and for all. As it was, all she wanted was to close her eyes and sleep.
The Princess of Asgard dragged herself up and stumbled across the landing to the room she shared with Loki. At the door, she paused, thinking back on what Aphrodite told her. Loki would only be able to transform and use his powers again once he acknowledged his fear to the person he trusted most. Yet what if he refused to talk to her — or anyone, for that matter — because his fear was too profound? There were still things about her husband's past Sigyn didn't know, and she'd never pried before, but now...

Loki could remain stuck like this forever. He's capable of shutting down completely. I can't let that happen. I need to show him I don't care about any of it.

Sigyn took a deep, fortifying breath and pushed the door open to a sliver. She poked her head through, finding Loki fast asleep on their bed, dressed in the nightgown she'd taken to Olympus. Silently, Sigyn tiptoed into the room and locked the door behind her. The bed dipped as she joined her bewitched husband. She lay on her side, her head held up by her hand, and peered at Loki's female features.

Remarkable, she mused. He's even smaller than I am now.

Gently, she caressed his jawline. Soft skin, almost as pure as fresh fallen snow. In the light of her flame in the dark alcove of their room in Olympus, Sigyn had perceived his cheekbones as sharp, but they were surprisingly less so in the sunlight streaming in through the window. She trailed her fingers down the side of his neck and collarbone until she came at the top of Loki's covered bosom. After a quick comparison, Sigyn found hers were bigger. She wondered if the petite breasts were because Loki's original male form didn't allow too much of a change or if he had actually chosen this.
Sigyn's eyes flickered to Loki's. Her touch hadn't woken him yet. Spurred on by her curiosity, Sigyn dared to move her hand between Loki's little hills, over his belly, and then halted at his curvaceous hips. Sigyn bit her lip. No, she couldn't. It'd be a breech of trust and privacy. She would do nothing without Loki's consent, just like he would do nothing without hers.

Loki will reveal himself to me when he's ready. I hope...

Sigyn yawned. Her eyelids fluttered as fatigue took hold of her again. She settled against Loki's body, hoping her warmth would further soothe him in a dreamless sleep. With one hand, Sigyn lovingly cupped Loki's face and whispered, "I love you."

The serpents at both their bosoms glistened gold and green, scales shimmering in the sunlight. Loki's chest rose as he inhaled in his sleep. Sigyn's name fell from his perfect lips. She leaned in to capture them in a fleeting, but promising kiss. Come what may, Sigyn vowed she would never abandon Loki's side.

***

"Move away. It's my turn again."

"You've already gone twice!"

"If you don't move, I'll kill you right now!"

"At least let me finish, damn you!"

"Fine, just hurry! We only have a few hours left, and I'm not wasting them. I've never had one who felt this good before."

"Got that right. Norns, almost there. Just —"

Loki jolted up with a harrowing scream. A pair of firm hands hurriedly gripped his shoulders from behind. He flayed wildly, trying to get them off, but they wouldn't budge.

"Loki, stop! Calm down!"

That voice... Loki's frantic eyes finally focused on whoever held him. He stilled his thrashing as he looked into shining emerald eyes. This wasn't either of those two horrid beasts, but a woman as beautiful as the sun, with hair as radiant as fire.

"S-Sigyn?"

"Yes," she said. "Yes, it's me, my love. Please calm down."

Loki took a deep breath, forcing his racing heart to slow. He was bathing in sweat, his clothing and hair sticking to his skin. It took him a moment to recognise their bedroom in the lodge in the high north of Midgard.

"When... When did we leave Olympus?" asked Loki.

"Early this morning. It's nearly dusk. You've been asleep since..."

He looked up at her hesitance. "Since what?"

Sigyn dragged her teeth across her lower lip, clearly reluctant to speak. Loki meant to press further when he suddenly realised he'd failed to hear his own voice so far. Or rather, the sound of his male voice. His blood chilled inside him.
Loki pushed Sigyn away and drew back the covers. His eyes widened when he saw himself in his wife's nightgown. He scrambled out of bed and ran to the mirror at Sigyn's dresser. The reflection stilled his heart completely then.

"No..."

Loki reached out with a trembling hand, praying he was trapped inside a nightmare. But the surface's cold touch only made him plummet into the harsh reality that the woman in the mirror was real.
In a panic, Loki hastily touched himself. Nothing between his legs but female parts. He was slimmer, yet also curvier at the hips. His chest once more carried those tiny breasts that once perfectly fitted into his lover's hands, and his hair was much longer, almost waist length. Taken by a furious frenzy, he snatched and pulled at it, wanting to rip it all out.

"Loki, don't!"

Sigyn pulled him away from the dresser. Loki struggled, but she had too tight a hold on him. He was powerless, stripped of his magic, stripped of his virility, of everything he'd fought so hard to reclaim seventy years ago. Sobbing, Loki sank to his knees in defeat, clutching at Sigyn. He turned in her arms and buried his face against her. Weak... so weak.

"My love, calm yourself, please." Sigyn shushed and stroked his hair. "I'm here. You're safe. Nobody will harm you."

Loki's tears stained Sigyn's teal blouse. Why had he ever believed Hermes and the other Olympians could be trusted? Why had he put his fate in his traitorous brother and that harlot, Freya? Had he not suffered enough? Losing his daughter, losing his life, almost losing his wife... Were the ancestors still not satisfied? Were they truly this cruel to let him endure this again?

"Do you want to return to Asgard?" asked Sigyn, gently rocking him in her arms.

"N-No, I can't," whimpered Loki. "I can never return."

"Why not?"

"I can't, I can't..."

"What of your mother?" tried Sigyn then. "We can ask Frigga —"

"No! My family must never know!" Loki snatched Sigyn's blouse with both hands, forcing her to meet his frightened gaze. "Sigyn, if you truly love me, you will promise me right now my family will never hear of what has befallen me. Promise!"

"Yes, I promise! Loki, please just... What can I do? Tell me, and I will gladly do it."

Sigyn's deep-green eyes shimmered with such genuine concern and fear. Even in this form, tainted and feeble, there was no denying her love for Loki. He was bewildered one as pure as she would even want to hold him now.
At Loki's silence, Sigyn pressed his head back down to her bosom. Once again, his tears fell. Too good... she was far too good for him. Loki didn't deserve such affection. Not when his heart was rotten. Not when his body, this body, bore every scar, every sickening trace of the darkest days of his existence. Yet despite his apprehension at accepting Sigyn's care, Loki craved it. He closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of her comforting embrace to envelop him. All he heard was the steady rhythm of her kind heart.

After a few quiet minutes in which the sun gradually gave birth to the moon, Sigyn gently nudged Loki. He allowed her to pull him up, and she guided him to the wardrobe. One by one, Sigyn held her own clothes before Loki, muttering about the colour or the shape not fitting him, until she finally settled on a blouse of dark orchid and black pantaloons that were just the right size. Loki stood still as Sigyn stripped him of the nightgown and gave him some undergarments to put on beneath the clothes. She then sat him down at her dresser and took her hairbrush.

"What are you doing?" asked Loki, keeping his voice as low as possible so he could keep pretending he'd simply fallen ill and hadn't been struck down by a curse.

"You brush my hair all the time," stated Sigyn. "Let me do it for you now."

Loki didn't respond. He peered at the mirror, following every flowing motion Sigyn made in anxious fascination. She didn't seem at all deterred by his new appearance. Had she truly already grown accustomed to it? But why? He wasn't himself anymore. Sigyn no longer had a husband, but a... a wife. Did that not disturb her in any way?
The question burned on Loki's lips. He opened his mouth to demand an explanation, yet Sigyn beat him to it. "Your hair is softer. And so long. Did you choose it like this when you first transformed into a woman, or is it simply how the magic works?"

Somewhat perplexed she would ask something like this, Loki answered hesitantly, "It... was my choice. My hair used to be much like this when I was younger."

"I see. And, um... your height?" Sigyn's gaze flickered to briefly meet Loki's in the mirror.

"This seems to be an appropriate height for most women."

"Huh, I never really thought of that. What of —?"

"For Odin's sake, stop!"

Sigyn stiffened behind him, brush frozen in mid-air. Guilt immediately washed over Loki. He averted, unable to look at her for one second longer. He hadn't meant to yell, but... he just didn't understand. Why was Sigyn doing all of this, acting like their whole lives, their very marriage, hadn't just been uprooted?
A soft clunk resounded when Sigyn wordlessly put the brush down. Loki felt a little draft behind him when Sigyn's skirts swirled as she walked away from him. She opened the door and said, "Rúna is making dinner. I understand if you don't want to join us and will gladly bring you something to eat when I come back. Just... consider it? Please?"

Loki pressed his lips together. He nodded, afraid that even the slightest sound would make the tears spill from his eyes again. The door shut with a soft click. He dropped his head in his hands as he leaned on the dresser. Now he was all by himself. Loki wanted nothing more than to —

"Fates, I thought she would never leave."

Bruskely, Loki's head jerked back up. There, in the mirror's reflection, standing casually at the door with his tanned arms crossed over his chest, was...

"Hermes?"

***

The constant terror Sigyn felt since Loki awoke had put her on edge. Part of it was her own; most was her husband's. She didn't like leaving him alone, but she understood he needed time. She chastised herself for being so careless. What had she been thinking, just asking him those questions? Of course he wouldn't feel comfortable talking about it yet.

But what else can I do? Just sit back? Leave it to chance and hope Loki will eventually come to me? Can I really risk that?

Lost in thoughts, Sigyn made her way to the kitchen. The food was simmering on the stove, the most delicious scents filling the room, and the table was set for four. But the cook was gone. As was her not-so-secret admirer. Sigyn frowned and called for Rúna and Fandrall, but there came no reply. She went back to the living room and continued to the corridor leading to their rooms, where she called again. Still nothing. Growing concerned now, Sigyn went outside. The chilly evening breeze would've made her shiver, had her flame not kept her warm. A branch suddenly broke, the snapping sound coming from the right of the lodge.

"Rúna? Fandrall, are you there?"

Just as Sigyn was about to turn the corner, she was abruptly pulled back. One hand covered her mouth, smothering her yelp, as the other turned her round by the shoulder. Sigyn's eyes widened in consternation as the Greek God of Love pushed her against the wall, his sand-toned bare chest but an inch away from her. She hurriedly flicked her wrist to summon her flame to her hand, but Eros slapped and pinned both her arms with his wings.

"Lady Sigyn, please," whispered the honey-curled youth. "I'm not here to harm you, I swear it. I come in peace. Now, I will let go, but I implore you not to yell. I would hate for you to disturb your friends."

The Norse Goddess searched the Grecian's true intent in his vibrant blue eyes. Unlike with the other Olympians, she found no ulterior motive lurking behind that charismatic statue-like face. Eros' gaze only betrayed a quaint desperation. As if he needed her to believe him. To believe in him.
Despite her trepidation, Sigyn nodded. Eros sighed in relief and let go of her. With a finger to his perfectly arched lips, he stepped back and allowed Sigyn to peek around the corner. She gasped upon seeing Rúna and Fandrall's shadowy figures close together in what Sigyn could only describe as an intimate moment between lovers underneath a pine tree. She glanced back at Eros, who smiled and beckoned her to the fire pit in front of the lodge.

"What did you do to them?" demanded Sigyn in a hushed but stern tone, glaring at the arrow quiver on Eros' back. "Did you —?"

"I assure you, I didn't," he answered. "Sometimes, my mere presence is enough to make people confess their feelings for each other."

"So this will go away when you leave?"

"Love doesn't 'go away', Lady Sigyn. You, of all people, should know that."

Eros sat down on a log. He waited for Sigyn to join him, but she remained standing, eyeing him suspiciously. A tiny smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. "My Lady, I'm a lover, not a fighter. You have my word; my sole purpose for my visit is to speak with you about Loki."

Sigyn licked her lips in thought. Then she snapped her fingers and the wood at their feet was set ablaze. Eros recoiled at the sudden burst of fire. The momentary flicker of fear in his eyes as they darted back to Sigyn offered some minor satisfaction.

"I find cause to believe you're here for anything else," she warned, "and that's what will happen to those precious wings of yours. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"Very well." Sigyn sat across from him. "How did you find us?"

"Hermes told me of the inn he and Loki met at," replied Eros. "I took a gamble and assumed you were near Loki during his meeting. I was able to follow your love from the town all the way out here."

"I'm sorry, you followed our love?"

"Love is universal, yet unique to each bond. To those like me, with the ability to recognise raw emotions at a mere glance, love can appear as a string of purple butterflies fluttering happily through the air, or a rainbow of seven shades of green, or even a simple trail of golden breadcrumbs on the ground. The love between you and Loki manifests in these."

Eros held out his hand to reveal a white rose trimmed with crimson edges and shimmering gold-and-blue veins. Sigyn's heart twisted at the sight. Those blooms hadn't grown here in over a year. Not since she and Loki left Midgard. And no news ones had adorned her chambers in Asgard since... With a trembling hand, she took the rose from Eros and held it against her heart. A petal fell. She stared as it landed in her lap. Never had a petal from any of their flowers fallen before.

"You're frightened, aren't you?" asked Eros upon seeing her unease.

"Yes," whispered Sigyn.

"You don't believe Loki can overcome her fears?"

"He can. But this Loki, he... she is different. I usually know what to do when Loki is upset, but I haven't been able to truly comfort him since... We've both lost far too much these last months, but it goes deeper with Loki. I fear this forced change is the last straw."

"Sometimes, there's nothing we can do. Sometimes, we need to stand back and simply let our person withstand the storm on their own. The most important thing we can offer then is support. No more, no less."

Sigyn looked up at Eros. The fire's glow danced on his handsome face. His grim expression made him appear as one of the tragic heroes from the stories she liked to read. She remembered then he, too, had once been urged to stand on the sidelines.

"I read of you in a Midgardian book of the Olympians," said Sigyn. "I read of your wife as well. Are the stories the mortals wrote true?"

"Yes." Eros heaved a sigh. "I never felt more helpless than back then. I was prepared to give up my immortality if it meant I could help and be with my family, but only Zeus could approve of such a course of action. And like all the other males in Olympus, he didn't dare move against Aphrodite for fear of retribution. My mother is many things, but a cold-hearted, petty bitch best describes her. Pardon my language."

"How did Psyche persevere through those trials, then?"

"I asked her once. She said that knowing I loved her and that I was waiting for her and our child was enough."

Sigyn's eyes returned to the fire before her. The flames licked the air, greedily taking in the oxygen it needed to stay alive. Within them, Sigyn saw her own terror, as well as Loki's. They'd been burning within them both for some time and were now threatening to consume them.

"May I ask a personal question?" inquired Eros tentatively. "Hypothetically, if your first encounter with Loki had been with the Loki you have in your chamber right now, do you believe you would've stood beside her as you have with him? Or would you have brushed away any advances she may have made? Would you have married Thor, despite perhaps having felt an attraction to Loki's person, simply because she wasn't male?"

"No," replied Sigyn resolutely. "I don't care what body Loki inhabits. Male or female, Loki is Loki for me. I will love him, or her, or whatever else, no matter what."

"Then tell her that. Sigyn, you stress on finding a magical solution for what Aphrodite did, but you fail to realise you already have all the magic you require in the love you hold for Loki. It is stronger and purer than any force in any universe, which I assure you, is not something I declare lightly. But, as you said, Loki is different now. She may not understand why you would want to be with her when all you've known is her other form. So, the first thing you must do is clearly show her this new appearance will not change your love for her. Once she believes that, the rest will follow."

Any force in any universe... Eros' words echoed what all those silly Midgardian tales said as well. Yet those same stories were laced with misery. With anguish. With death. Sigyn recalled Aphrodite herself, a deity of love, had named it the most cruel of all things. If she professed her love to Loki, as she always did, and he didn't still believe her...

"Eros, I—ah!"

With a cry, Sigyn clutched the serpent pendant at her chest and nearly tore it off. The cold was so fierce it almost burned the jewel into her skin.

"Sigyn!" Eros knelt at her side. "What's wrong?"

"L-Loki. He's in danger."

***

The last of the bottles from Sigyn's dresser shattered into pieces when it hit the wall beside Hermes' head. The Greek Trickster's smirk was edged with annoyance as he said, "Will you please stop throwing things at me? I'm tiring of playing this game."

"Game?" Loki bristled. "You think this is a game, you miserable bastard?"

"Now, now, pet, there's no need for name-calling."

Furious, Loki grabbed Sigyn's hair brush, but Hermes used his inhuman speed to snatch it right as he got ready to throw. He then threw Loki onto the bed and instantly pinned him down.

"NO, LET ME GO!" yelled Loki

"Loki, in Zeus's name, calm down!"

But the other God's strength and his body on top of him prevented Loki from feeling anything but fear. He thrashed madly, but Hermes didn't move away. Screams tore from his lungs. Loki attempted to use his magic, but no matter what spell he came up with, none took any effect. He cried uncontrollably, the female voice breaking completely in supplication. "Please, let go, let go, let go..."

All of a sudden, Hermes' weight was lifted from Loki. His tear-stained vision filled with a raging flurry of white-ivory feathers and dancing flames. Someone hurriedly pulled at Loki's arm and dragged him off the bed. It wasn't until he thudded onto the floor that he recognised Rúna and Fandrall, armed to the teeth and ready in his defence.

"Loki, are you hurt?"

If the heat in Loki's pendant and the one fiery serpent around Sigyn's arm weren't enough indication of her anger, the venom dripping from her voice surely was. She glanced back, her eyes blood-red with pupils as brilliant as a solar flare and slitted as a snake's. Even for Loki, who had spent almost every day of the last thirty years with Sigyn, she was a terrifying sight to behold.

"Loki, did he hurt you?" she asked again, her tone insisting a reply.

But Loki was left utterly speechless from shock and fear. Sigyn snarled and turned back to the Olympians in the room, her furor now also directed to Eros. The youth quickly dropped his bow and arrow — which he had aimed at Hermes — and raised his hands in surrender.

"Lady Sigyn, please don't," he implored. "I swear I was unaware Hermes followed me here. He must have used Hades' Helm to elude me, else I would have stopped him. I told you, I came in peace."

"That peace is now over, thanks to both of you. I will inform the Allfather of what the Olympians have done. Best hope he is yet willing to negotiate, because I certainly will not. And you." Sigyn directed her attention to Hermes. "I should kill you where you stand for not only accosting me this morning, but now Loki as well. Take him from my sight, Eros, before I still do."

The son of Aphrodite quickly grabbed his fellow Grecian by the arm, but Hermes stupidly pulled away. He met Sigyn's intense, threatening glare, and had the audacity to call her bluff. "You kill an Olympian, and Zeus will retaliate. This time, though, Loki won't be able to defend Asgard. Your people will die because of you, and —"

No matter how fast Hermes may have been, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the swiping strike of the snake coiled around Sigyn's arm. Its fangs of molten embers embedded themselves in Hermes' throat, stripping him of his breath. He dropped to his knees, his body limp like a rag doll's. Faint gurgles escaped him as the serpent applied more pressure. The veins in the God's eyes popped, causing him to cry crimson tears.
Seeing the man who'd been his lover for a hundred years be crushed to death by a creature controlled by his wife finally jolted Loki out of his fearful stupor. As Rúna, Fandrall, and Eros stood frozen in sheer panic, he charged forward and cried, "Sigyn, no, stop!"

The moment Loki touched Sigyn's hot skin, her fiery eyes shot toward him. It'd been thirty years since Loki had seen the murderous intent within them, but he would never forget. This was Lady Suna and Astrid all over again.

"Please," he begged. "Don't. Before another line gets crossed and everything we have is lost... don't do it."

Slowly, Sigyn's eyes reverted to green. The snake released its prey and retreated to its mistress. Hermes fell to his side, wheezing, his throat blistering and nearly blackened. Eros rushed toward him, keeping one eye on Sigyn and Loki. The latter wouldn't let go of his wife's gaze, knowing full well what would happen if he did.

"Eros," Loki spoke with a shaky voice, "neither Odin nor Hera need know of this. Do you understand?"

He heard naught but silence behind him. Then a faint rustle of wings and a man's groan.

"Hermes did always enjoy teasing the Chimera," said Eros calmly, barely straining under the weight of carrying a grievously wounded Hermes in his arms. "It was bound to catch him, eventually."

The window opened, and the Olympians left with the southern wind. Only then did Loki allow himself to breathe again. Only then did Sigyn's fury, at last, simmer. Yet Loki's fear once again brewed underneath the surface, with no hope of wavering any time soon.