We're Not Dead Yet (Split Souls part 2)

15: Awkward and Rough Conversations

When Kat went back to her room after talking to Percy and Kat, she found that Loki was still awake. "Thought you were going to sleep." She said as she closed the door behind her.

Loki shook his head. "Sleep won't find me tonight."

Kat tilted her head. "I could knock you out if you'd like."

Loki rolled his eyes. "That won't be necessary, Ylva."

Kat grinned at him. "I know you said that it was an appraisal or whatever, but I'm still not sure."

Loki smiled. "It seems you will just have to take my word for it."

"Yep." Kat shrugged. "So, what do you want to do?"

Loki took a moment. His head tilted before he righted it. "Alright. Then let's start."

"Start what?" Kat asked.

"You wanted me to teach you Seidr, yes?"

Kat's eyes widened, and a grin tugged at her lips.

"Sit." Loki began to instruct. Kat looked around for a chair before Loki pointed to the floor. She raised an eyebrow, but sat down anyway. "I cannot just teach you magic. You must learn the flow of Seidr. It is in the air, in everything. You must reach out your senses and find it. Once you have found the Seidr, you can begin to shape it as you wish."

"Close your eyes and seek it out."

Kat closed her eyes, and stretched out her senses the way she did when she used water. Apparently she looked a little constipated or something, because Loki spoke. "Breathe." He said, his voice gentle and guiding.

Kat breathed deeper. But Loki saw another flaw. "Relax." Kat made her shoulders sink. "It's there. You just have to find it. Reach out. Once you find it, I can guide you. But you must find it on your own." He sat down in front of her.

Loki meditated while he waited, feeling the fluctuations of the magic. It tended to whisp around Katha, attracted to her, and yet never soaking in. He monitored the reactions between Katha and the Seidr. 

Kat would get close to grasping onto it. Loki had expected this. It often takes years for a child to fully realize how to connect with the Seidr. Loki himself was a prodigy, and it was a year before he could actively control the Seidr to an extent that would allow him to practice.

Loki also thought that Kat would catch on much quicker than anyone he had ever heard of before. After all, she was borne of pure magic. 

After several hours, Loki felt the surge of magic that meant she had found it. He opened his eyes that he knew would be glowing a bright green, to find hers glowing in that sea-green visage. "That's it, my Ylva." He says, and Kat thinks he might even sound proud.

~~~~~~

Later that morning, Kat was in the kitchen baking. While she waited, she practiced some moves for her Haladies, having to imagine them in her hand. With a sigh, she checked on the cookies. 

Someone was walking over to the kitchen, she noticed as she pulled the sheet from the oven and set it out to cool. She turned around at the same time that she entered the kitchen. Of anybody Kat had expected, Annabeth wasn't one of them.

"Oh, hey." Kat blinked.

"Hey Kat. I was hoping I could talk to you." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, sure. I gotta wait for these anyway." Kat replied, gesturing to the cookies.

Annabeth grinned at the blue cookies, and took a seat at one of the barstools.

Kat pulled one around so that they could face each other as they talked. "So, what's up?"