Tísiphone left us in a suite of rooms, warning us not to leave until we were summoned. The loud thunk of the solid black door slamming shut behind her emphasized her point. Like the rest of the palace and this cursed city, the rooms were dark, with flickering globes of fire in wall sconces that shed yellow-red light barely bright enough to reach a few metres. Dark pools of shadow filled the space, but I made out several couches, a low table, a bar along one wall, and three other doors.

Baldur opened each, looking inside. "Two bedrooms and a bathroom with a large sunken bathing pool."

My eyes met Elatha's, and at his nod, we drew water from the pool and sluiced it over the four of us to clean the blood and gore from our clothes and gear. There was no way I wanted guts from those hideous bat-bird things contaminating our wounds more than it already had. Visions of flesh-eating bacteria popped into my mind, and I meticulously rinsed our injuries again.

While Elatha dried the water, I dug into my pack to get first aid supplies. Elatha, Loki, and Baldur had bled all the way here, and although my knees ached like a rotten tooth, I wasn't losing blood.

"My wounds are already closing, Shannon. Save your supplies for Loki and Elatha," Baldur said. He tied a strip of cloth around his arm and dabbed at his cheek, where fresh blood welled from the slashes.

Elatha dug out a poultice and applied it to the puncture wounds on his hip and thigh, waving me off. Instead, I approached Loki, who'd moved into one of the bedrooms.

"Loki, you're still bleeding," I told him when he laid on the enormous bed, eyes closed. I flipped up the top of a small metal canister and dipped my fingers into the ointment.

He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. After setting down the bandages and tins of medicine, I climbed onto the bed to reach his head. He lay relaxed as I sealed the shallow but long wound on his neck with the smear of healing balm.

I cleaned my fingers of the gel, then ran my fingers through his hair. His eyes closed, letting out another soft groan. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Headache," he admitted. "We should eat something."

"Agreed," Elatha said, startling me when he put several tubers into Loki's relaxed hand, then handed one to me.

With a smile, I bit into it, chewing slowly. Gods, I was tired. Elatha sat beside us on the bed, his hand rubbing my back and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I'd almost finished a second one when a knock came at the door.

"Enter," Loki called out, opening his eyes, rolling to his back on the coverlet of multiple tones of gray, then pushing himself up to sitting. He dragged a hand through his dark locks, my gaze catching his. His smile was meant to be reassuring, but instead his green eyes were pinched in the corners.

My heart clenched, a spike of pain spearing my chest. Seeing Loki in pain... I clenched my jaw, hating that I couldn't heal him properly. Instead, I reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

A soul with bleached, pale skin, dark sunken eyes, and brown hair shuffled in. He wore a rough-spun tunic and pants, but his feet were bare and bruised, with purple and yellow welts on the tops.

"The Dark One will grant you an audience now. Follow me," he said in a harsh wheeze.

Baldur joined us in the main room and we left the suite of rooms. Our route took us through a series of dark halls lit with torches, ash and smoke coating our throats from the gritty air, until we reached a double set of heavy wooden doors with an image of the same winged dragon as in the outside courtyard carved into them.

The servant pushed the doors open, and we entered a spacious throne room, also made entirely from obsidian. High arched ceilings and smooth walls reflected the firelight from braziers around the room, flickering in flashes of yellow and red on the black surfaces. At the far end, a beautiful woman reclined on an impressive obsidian throne.

Hela. It must be. I couldn't imagine any other being would be allowed to sit on her throne.

Her long, straight black hair blended with the stone, as did the fitted black leather corset and skirt that showed off her tall, curved figure. It made her milk-white skin and dark, red lips stand out all the more. From here, her eyes were pools of darkness.

In her hand, she held a flaming trident. She thumped it on the floor with a loud crack of sound.

"Approach," she said in a deep, husky voice.

On either side of her stood a man and a woman. The man had green hair, tied back in a neat queue, and sported a tunic and pants in pale yellow and brown with a pattern of leaves woven into their design. It was an odd contrast to Hela's dark attire. On Hela's other side, the woman had wispy white hair that flowed to her waist and swirled with the gauzy, silver dress that floated around her.

"Hela, Dumuzid, Geshtianna," Loki said, inclining his head to Hela, then the man and woman on either side of her. "May I present my consorts, Princess Shannon of Asgard and Prince Elatha of Fomora. You are already acquainted with my brother, Prince Baldur."

Hela's dark eyes narrowed. "Such pretty manners you have, Loki. It's too bad you didn't use them to come pay your respects to me, first, before wandering through my realm as if it were your own."

Loki bowed. "Indeed, we were on our way to see you when we encountered your Furies."

"That doesn't explain why you felt free to go wherever you pleased. Perhaps I was too gracious during your last visit," she said, voice lowering. She thumped her trident again, sending sparks shooting into the air.

"Forgive my overstep, Hela. I only wanted to bring Baldur with me when I met with you," Loki said, inclining his head respectfully.

"Yet you also bring two consorts this time. My company was not good enough for you last time?" she snarled.

"Why do I get the feeling there is more going on here than we understand?" Elatha said.

"Yeah, I'm with you on that. Do you think Hela and Loki did more than simply forge his sword?" I replied.

"I think his sword was forged and then some, based on the shark eye she's giving him," Elatha said.

Loki placed a hand on his chest, his head tilted to the side as he met Hela's glare. "Your company was cherished, Hela. I greatly enjoyed our time together," Loki said smoothly.

"Clearly not enough if you need these two to warm your bed instead of me," Hela snapped, slapping a palm on the arm of her throne.

I bit my lip, holding back my smile. "Okay, so we've totally stepped into a jilted lovers' quarrel. This is awkward."

"Yeah, this kind of thing doesn't happen as often in Fomora with our polyamorous relationships. Do we need to do anything or just be amused by Loki's squirming?"

"Definitely be amused. Unless she turns into a dragon to roast us, since she's pissed she can't forge his sword again."

"You know I can hear you, Shannon. I can only imagine Elatha's half of the conversation." Loki cut in, his mental sigh loud and long. "Are you two having fun at my expense?"

"Oops. Loki heard me." I readjusted my mental barriers and kept my chuckle in my mind. Elatha joined in.

"They are my soulmates, Hela," Loki said simply, his voice still calm and soothing. "You are in so much trouble. There may be restraints and spankings involved. For both of you," he growled.

Hela's head jerked back, dark eyes widening, and she blinked. "Truly? Both of them?"

I had to hold my muscles rigid to not allow the laughter that burst through me at Hela's unknowing play on words when I passed on Loki's threat to Elatha. Was it the tension of the moment getting to me? Or was I just tired enough that I was becoming injudicious?

"Truly," Loki answered. "In every sense."

A wave of fire rolled over Hela's body and alarm chased the mirth away within me. I clenched my fists and braced. My senses heightened at the bolt of adrenaline surging through me. My skin prickled as the wash of heat passed over us and I blinked at the sudden brightness reflected off the gleaming stone surfaces. Despite what my eyes told me, no scent of charred flesh accompanied the vision.

When the fire disappeared, Hades sat on the throne. Short brown hair on the sides and longer on the top, he also sported a full beard that was on fire, but not burning. Now wearing a black leather jacket, pushed up on his arms, fire cracked and rolled over his skin.

The perks of being half fire giant? Either way, it was a disturbing sight that had me shifting my weight as if we'd be fleeing at any moment.

"Why did you want your brother here so badly that you invoked my displeasure?" Hades asked. He held out his hand and Geshtianna handed him a pair of round wire-framed sunglasses, which he put on as he looked between the four of us.

"The Norns gave us a prophecy that we'd be able to bring Baldur back from Helheim," Loki said.

Hades rose from his throne in a flare of heat and fire and stomped towards us. "So not only did you piss me off by disdaining my affections, but now you are trying to steal a soul from me?" he roared when he got within a metre of us. "I should kill you right now."

Loki stretched a hand back and Elatha gave him the Atlantean power module. Loki presented it to Hades. "Not at all, Hades. We do not want to steal from you. Instead, we were hoping you would be willing to consider a trade."

Hades scowled down at Loki's palm and flicked a hand dismissively. "What is that, and why would I want it?"

"It's a power module, an Atlantean energy source that gives off more power than Baldur's soul and only creates water as a by-product," Loki said, holding it out.

Hades' eyebrow rose. "More power than Baldur's soul? Prove it!" he scoffed.

Elatha stepped forward and, with a couple of presses, turned it on. Immediately, the module began to glow, radiating waves of energy.

Hades took the module, held it up, and examined it closely. "I can use it for anything, anywhere?"

"Yes," Loki said.

"Fine, you have a deal," Hades said, finally looking away from the energy source. When he met our gaze, he smiled, and his expression was sly. "You can take Baldur, if you can figure out how to get him over the bridges and through either the Demon Gate or Ghost Gate, and revive him."

He turned away from us, strode back to his throne and lowered himself into it in an indolent sprawl. His eyes narrowed, mouth turning into a cruel sneer, and he snarled, "But since you couldn't be bothered to see me first and replaced me in your affections, you can do it without my token to get past my pets. Good luck with that, Loki. They are always hungry."

Fuck.