In My Heart (You'll Always Be)

Chapter 7

Loki remembered the first time he saw Perseus' scars. They were maybe seventeen in Midgardian years and they were walking through the town in Asgard. It was no secret that Perseus was not fond of Thor and his friends, the Warrior Three and Lady Sif. The only reason why the god wasn't ostracized for that was because Perseus' battle prowess was more well-known than those beings. He was much older than some people seemed to realize and he fought his fair share of battles, both on Asgard and on Midgard. The god had fought alongside the royal guards when called by Odin Allfather, and he had answered the Greeks when summoned.

Perseus was both respected and feared, but people never hesitated to visit him and his mother on Asgard when they needed medical assistance. He would, however, deny the Warrior Three and Lady Sif access to his home and, if his mother allowed them inside, he would leave and avoid them, often finding himself with a certain god of mischief.

It was their third time in the town together, Loki and Perseus talking amiably about the magic lessons the trickster was being to give the older god, when they were confronted by three Asgardians. Not everyone was okay with Loki being one of the princes of Asgard. He used magic and fought with daggers instead of swords, and almost everyone thought him too rude to be royalty.

When the three Asgardians came near the pair, Perseus' stance changed instantly. He was tense and wary, his hand automatically sliding in his right pants pocket. "Loki," He hissed when he saw the weapons the men were carrying and the dagger sliding into the mage's palm. "Don't."

"Perseus," Loki shook his head. "I will not just sit back and do nothing."

"If you do something, it will be detrimental to your standing in Asgard," The older god turned his head to the trickster. "I am sorry but you are the second prince. Since Thor is in line to take the thrown, the Allfather can punish you if you attack any of the citizens of Asgard. It would look terrible for the royal family."

Loki wanted to protest but he knew the other's words rang true. He concealed his dagger and stepped back, allowing his friend to speak to the three men. He disliked not doing anything, he would never let anyone besmirch his name, but he did not want the Asgardians to think the royal family was against them.

"May I help you?" Perseus asked one of the men with a cold smile, stepping out in front of their path.

"We must speak to Loki," A redhead man said, his grip tightening on his broadsword.

The god frowned, "That is Prince Loki to you. You will do well to remember that he is a son of King Odin and Queen Frigga."

"Step aside, Perseus," He growled. "You don't want to get hurt."

Perseus' eyes flashed and his smile was back up, "Are you threatening me?"

"I do not want to fight you, but I will if I have to."

"Good because I cannot allow you to harm a member of the royal family, especially Loki." He reacted quicker than anyone was expecting as he intercepted the man's sword with a bronze one that seemed to just appear in his hands. With a twist of his hand, the man's weapon fell to the ground and his body soon followed as the god swiped his legs out from under him with a kick.

The other two men with him seemed to come out of their shock at seeing the usually passive god attack. They charged at once but it was all for naught as Perseus was already twisting to meet them, a whirl of deadly attacks that the Asgardians didn't have a chance of matching. It made it incredibly obvious how outmatched they were because that was truly a god fighting, one that had seen many battles and lived to tell the tale.

"I will have your names," Perseus growled as he held his sword under the chin of one of the men, the other two on the ground. "And you shall be tried for daring to attack Prince Loki of Asgard."