Finding Home

Chapter 17 - Snapping Point

Percy POV

I showed Loki around Demos, our capital city. Despite my attempts to make him more comfortable around me, he continued to be subservient and quiet the whole time. I started to think that I should have let one of the others give the tour. Then, perhaps, Loki would be enjoying the tour, rather than being constantly scared that he would do something wrong and offend me.

After the tour, I walked with him back to common rooms, even though I could just portal us there. Even though he was behaving differently around me, I enjoyed being in his presence. As we walked, I stared at him. I know, that's creepy. But I just couldn't help it. He was absolutely gorgeous.

He glanced over once and caught me staring before quickly looking away. I blushed slightly at being caught before I covered it with an illusion. When we reached the doors, I turned to him. "Be careful, Loki," I warned him. "I have no doubt that Leo and Sam have somehow snuck behind Sarah's back and set up some sort of prank for you. Do not trust them."

Loki nodded silently.

I sighed. It made me mad that he had been conditioned in such a way. I resolved to find out where Odin had gotten to in his afterlife and sentence him to a century or so in our dungeons. "Loki, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Sir," he answered quietly.

"Where do Norse gods go when they die?" I asked.

I saw his eyes widen in fear, and immediately felt terrible.

"I will never hurt you, Loki," I promised softly. "That is not why I asked. You need not ever fear me." Even as I spoke, I knew it wouldn't do anything to make him feel more comfortable around me, but at least he knew I wasn't about to kill him.

"It depends on how they died," he answered. "For those who died of natural causes, murder, or suicide, or those who are murderers, adulterers, or oath breakers, there is Helheim, which is ruled over by my daughter, Hel. Then there is Valhalla, for those that died in battle. Half are chosen by the All-Father to join the einhenjar in awaiting their final battle: Ragnarök. They are brought there by Valkyries, a group of elite female warriors. Finally, there is Fòlkvangr, which is ruled over by the goddess Freyja. This is where the other half of those that fell in battle go. I do not know much else, other than it seems to be the most peaceful of all the afterlives," he admitted. [Translation: Wikipedia had no more info on Fòlkvangr than that]

I hummed in thought. "And how did the All-Father die?" I asked, noticing how he avoided saying his adopted father's name.

Loki's eyes widened slightly as he answered. "He died of old age; I suppose."

I smiled a small, sinister smile. "Thank you, Loki." I had also figured out that Loki was not used to hearing someone call him by his name. This also pissed me off because that was Odin dehumanizing him. So, I made a point to call him by his name often.

"What—" he faltered before continuing, "what are you planning to do with this information?" he asked.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, nearly growling when he flinched at the contact. "I'm going to find him and we're going to have a little talk," I answered, my anger leaking into my voice.

Loki must have thought it was directed at him for asking me, and quickly ducked his head and murmured an apology. I tried to rein in my emotions, but I was failing. Seeing him like that only made it worse. My powers must have been reacting because Will seemed to materialize and he flashed me to my panic room. I snarled in anger and sent a blast of energy at the wall. I continued until I was able to control my powers once again.

"Wanna talk about it?" Will asked.

I sighed. It had been a long time since I last had to use my panic room. "It's Loki," I said. "That blasted Odin has conditioned him to where he won't even look at me unless I tell him to. By Chaos, Will, he flinched at physical contact! That bastard has done more than just diminish his worth! He hurt him!"

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Will asked.

I scowled. "As soon as things settle down here, I am sending someone to retrieve Odin from his afterlife. He will be locked in our dungeons for at least a century. Nico and I will deal out his punishment."

Will nodded slowly. "You really care about him, don't you?"

I stiffened as I realized what he was implying. "I would do this for anyone, Solace," I hissed. "I swore never to fall in love again after what happened."

His eyes widened slightly at the revelation. He must have been wondering why I had never gotten in a relationship in the millions of years we had been on Valos.

Besides, I thought, ignoring his expression, even if I do like Loki in such a way, it will never work. He would never love someone as broken as me.

Will got over his shock. "Did you swear on your father's name or on the Styx or any such oath?" he asked hesitantly.

I looked away. "No. I did not think it necessary."

He seemed to want to ask more, but when he saw the look on my face, he dropped the subject. "Come on," he said. "Let's get back to the others."

I nodded and we flashed to the common room. Loki was sitting on the couches, looking extremely frightened. Silena and Hazel were attempting to comfort him. "I doubt he's upset with you, Loki," Hazel said calmingly.

I sighed and approached the trio, gaining accusing glares from the girls. I ignored them and knelt in front of Loki. "Loki, I am not mad at you," I assured him. He avoided my gaze. "Look at me, Loki," I said softly.

His eyes snapped to mine, just like they did in the hall.

"You have done nothing wrong. I was mad at the All-Father for what he has done to you," I said quietly. "Will had to bring me to my panic room until I could calm down, which is why I left. Not because I was angry with you."

The girls gasped slightly. "You had to go to the panic room?" Silena asked. "Just how upset were you?"

I bit my lip and looked away. "I need to speak with Jamie," I said, avoiding the question. "Loki, you will need to talk to Zoe and get assigned to a commander. They will oversee your training until you become an Omega. I want you to build up trust with the troops."

He nodded obediently.

I stood again and walked to Jamie's room. I knocked and entered when I heard him shout that I could come in.

"What is it, Dad?" he asked.

I sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. "Jamie, I need to tell you something," I said. I told him what happened and that the others may not be coming back.

He cried and his form changed to that of a teenager. It hurt my heart to know that he lost his child like innocence. I pulled him into a hug and whispered soothing words into his ear. Eventually, he stopped crying and looked up at me. "I love you, Dad," he whispered. "Please don't leave like Papa and Theo."

"I'll always be here for you, Bambi," I said. "I promise you."

We sat there for a while, just holding each other and thanking whoever was listening that we still had each other. 

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Alright, four chapters in a day is probably enough, yeah? Sorry for the notifications.