To save the Valkyrie who broke his heart, the Fae Sea God makes a deal with the Demon Prince of the Aerial Kingdoms, but Pazuzu has a history of stealing the women Manannan loves.
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When Mist visits her parents' home in California, she assumes th...
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Shannon's eyes were wide and panicked as she took in her surroundings. Aidan tottered over to her.
"Mama... Mama..."
She blinked, frozen. "Is that child calling me his mother?" Her gaze swept over us.
"I'm not sure what's happened, darling, but yes, Aidan is our son. You are his mother," Loki told her cautiously, a hand still outstretched towards her.
Aidan raised his arms and Shannon lifted him, letting the boy snuggle into her hair as he laid his head on his mother's shoulder. Her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths as she braced Aidan. Frigga rose from her seat, approached and laid a gentle hand on her.
"Come, Shannon. Let's go sit and see if we can figure out what's happened, shall we? You seem to have suddenly lost your memory. Can you recall anything?"
Together with Loki and Elatha, she guided Shannon and Aidan to a set of couches in the corner. Maeve joined them, crouching down beside Shannon. None of us spoke as we watched them for several minutes.
Thor turned, masking his concern with a tight smile, yet a slight frown still marred his expression. "Mother will figure it out." He clapped me on my shoulder, looked back towards the corner, then met my gaze again.
"Yes." Odin also looked back to the corner, then turned to us with only the slightest furrow to his brow. "Frigga will solve whatever has happened. Have a seat, Manannan. Let's discuss our missing Valkyrie." He gestured to the well-padded leaf-patterned couch across from him. Baldur and Isis sat on a loveseat perpendicular to the couches.
Reluctantly, I sat, trying to swallow my anxiety. First Mist, now Shannon? What in the first shell was going on?
"We've never made any demon deals that I'm aware of," Thor said, dragging a chair over to sit with us. "How do we make one to get to Muspelheim?"
Odin fisted his hand. "Asgard has a treaty with the demons, made one hundred and fifty-four millennia ago by my great grandfather, Kor, to give care of Midgard to us and in exchange, they would limit their presence on the planet and not prey on our people. We agreed we'd stay away from their home planet and they'd stay away from ours. It was the best deal we could make, given neither side was winning the war between us. They are powerful and ruthless foes. I've dealt with them rarely, but Loki has handled any interactions in the last millennium."
In unison, both Thor's and Baldur's eyes widened. Yet somehow, I wasn't surprised. Loki's earlier comment had indicated a familiarity with Nabu and Apkallu dragons.
Baldur shook his head, frowning. "I knew of the treaty and war, but I'm shocked you'd send Loki when, in my time, you insisted on handling it yourself."
Thor chuckled. "Brother, you need to stop seeing Loki and me as the boys you knew when you died. We've fought in two wars with the Sidhe since then, and won both times, in large part because of Loki's brilliant strategies and power. They don't call him Asgard's Black Prince for nothing. I completely understand why Father sent Loki in his stead. There are very few beings in the Nine Realms and beyond that can best our little brother one-on-one."
