Laevateinn
Chapter 7: Laevateinn
Loki dipped his head. “Hades.”
Zev raised their sword and started forward, but Loki motioned for them to wait.
“Loki, son of Odin. What a pleasant surprise,” Hades said. “Last time I saw you, you were only about so high.” He held the hand with the key at about waist height. Looking Loki up and down, he added, “I must say, you’ve grown up quite nicely…”
Watching Loki, Zev could have sworn he was actually embarrassed.
“How’s Persephone?” Loki asked.
“My wife is currently staying with her mother,” Hades answered, his eyes boring into Loki’s. “It does get lonely at times when she does that.”
Loki smiled, a tight-lipped smile that matched the one Hades was sporting. “I can imagine. Is it fair to assume that you want something in exchange for that key?”
“Well, now that you mention it… I hear you’re fond of making deals, so I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“You stay here, swear fealty to me, serve as my right-hand man — and Laevateinn is yours.”
When Loki said nothing, he continued. “And before you ask, no, I’m not concerned that you’ll betray me. An oath made to me in my own domain cannot be broken.”
“Why me?”
“Oh, come now, son of Odin. You are ideal for the job: cunning, practical, unsentimental. I need someone like you who can rule in my stead. The wife’s been after me to take a vacation.”
He stepped quite close to Loki and whispered, “And with that wonderfully devious mind of yours, think of the novel punishments we could devise.” He transferred the leash into the hand holding the key, and with his other hand reached up and twisted a lock of Loki’s hair around in his fingers. “Think of the fun we could have. I assure you, you’ll be happier here than under your father’s rule.”
Loki’s smile broadened. “What about the others?” he asked. He sounded merely curious.
Hades looked at Zev and Rune as if he’d only just noticed them. “They are trespassers. Nobody may leave this realm once they enter it. The Lycan will be tormented here in Tartarus. Same goes for your lady friend, which reminds me…” He gestured and Jane appeared next to him, iron shackles around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes widened when she saw her friends.
“What are you all doing here?”
Before any of them could answer, Hades said “Shush now. The gods are talking.”
He turned back to Loki and continued, “Perhaps, with good behavior, the mortals will be sent to the Asphodel Meadows after an appropriate period of punishment. It’s not the most pleasant place, but most prefer it to Tartarus.” He studied Jane and added, “Then again, this one helped your brother humiliate my brother. Hmm. I may just reward her for that. Perhaps I’ll keep her as a pet…”
Loki shot Jane a questioning look. She answered, “Thor stole Zeus’s thunderbolt. Long story.”
Hades nodded toward Rune. “The Asgardian will be destroyed. Odin’s people have no place here.” Rune paled, but said nothing.
“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not really Asgardian,” Loki said.
Hades nodded. “It is indeed. Now then, do we have a deal?”
“I think we might. Though, it occurs to me that while any oath I make here is binding, the same is not true for you. How do I know Laevateinn is truly in this casket? Or that you’ll keep your end of the bargain?”
“Tsk. So untrusting.”
“I prefer ‘practical and unsentimental’”. Loki lifted a finger and said, “How about this? I swear my fealty to you on the condition that Laevateinn is in this casket and mine for the taking.”
Hades sighed. “Very well. Entirely unnecessary, I can assure you, but I see no harm in it.”
Loki walked over to the nearest shelf and set the casket on it. He turned to face Hades, placing his right hand over his heart.
“I, Loki, Prince of Asgard…”
Zev and Rune stared at him in horror. Jane, on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for something.
“…of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge my undying fealty to you, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, on the condition that the weapon Laevateinn is, in fact, in this casket,” he rested his left hand lightly on the object in question. “…and that it shall be mine.”
A glowing stream of energy passed from Loki to Hades as he finished.
Hades smiled. “It is done.”
Jane’s face fell.
“You son of a…” Zev rushed at Loki, sword drawn, but he swatted them across the room as easily as if the Lycan was a rag doll. Rune rushed to help his friend.
Loki smiled at Hades and held his hand out. Hades placed the key in Loki’s palm and waited while Loki inserted the key into the lock and gave it a turn. There was a small click. Loki lifted the lid, then picked up the casket and turned so that they all could see its contents.
It was empty.
Hades’ smile faded. “You switched it. That means nothing, as the real casket does indeed contain the weapon.”
“But my oath was contingent upon Laevateinn being in this one.” As they watched, the casket’s appearance changed, revealing a plain wooden box. “Don’t worry, I tucked the other one away for safe keeping, and I’ll be keeping the key.”
As he said this, Jane’s shackles disappeared and she found herself holding two daggers in their place. Zev shakily got to their feet, sword in hand. They both moved to stand at Loki’s side.
“Sorry I attacked you,” Zev whispered.
Loki smiled. “You’re right. I do make it difficult sometimes. Besides, I was depending on your reaction to help sell it.”
Hades chuckled and looked down at Cerberus. “Well, old friend, what do you think?” The creature let out a three-headed bark and wagged its tail, then began to change, standing on its hind legs with its features stretching and distorting. The three heads merged to become one.
They all watched, stunned, to find Odin standing next to Hades, grinning and cackling impishly.
He put his hand on Hades’ shoulder. “Ha! Didn’t I tell you?”
“Yes, you did. And sadly, it appears you were correct.”
Loki’s astonishment sent Odin into another fit of laughter. “I told you before — you got it from me! You are my son through and through!”
“So this was merely some sort of test cooked up between the two of you?” Loki asked.
“It was, yes.”
“And if I had taken the oath in earnest?”
Hades answered. “I would gladly have held up my end of the bargain. I really could have used you here. The threat to your friends, however, was a lie. Miss Foster and the Lycan would have been offered a choice between staying in Elysium or returning to Valhalla.”
“That choice is still open to you,” Odin said to Jane and Zev. “Given the way I treated you, Miss Foster, I would understand if Valhalla no longer appeals to you. That is why I sent you there first, so you could see it for yourself. Either way, I do hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“The Asgardian gentleman would have returned with Odin to Valhalla,” Hades added. Rune breathed a sigh of relief.
Odin put his hands on Loki’s shoulders. “I always intended Laevateinn to be yours, just as Mjölnir was intended for Thor. I gave it to Hades for safekeeping until such time as you proved yourself worthy. His ability to travel between the realms of the living and the dead meant that it could be retrieved at any time.” He chuckled. “We had some fun devising the locks on the casket. We wanted to ensure that only you could open it, and then, only with the help of others.”
Loki opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Odin laughed again.
“What? At a loss for words? That is very unlike you.” Odin looked at his son with a mixture of pride and amusement. “You have shown yourself to be worthy. I know how tempting Hades’ offer truly was for you, but you put your friends’ welfare first — as I suspected you would. You are worthy, my son…and you are ready.”
“Ready? For what?”
“To rule Valhalla as its king. And while your brother may someday join us, we all — your brother, your mother, and I — know that you are far better suited to the position. The only thing you never could understand about rule is that a king is the servant of his people, not the other way around. That has changed, has it not?”
Loki’s eyes flicked to Jane and Zev, before settling on Rune. He nodded. “It has.”
“Then let us return to Valhalla and prepare for your coronation.”
“But first…”, Loki said, reaching out and plucking the real casket from the air. He set it down on the shelf and opened the final lock, lifted the lid, and withdrew a small wand of knotty wood. He studied it, then lifted the wand above his head. It transformed into a finely-crafted sword. Flames licked around the edges of the blade.
Odin turned to Jane and Zev. “Have you made your choice?”
Jane smiled. “Elysium was beautiful, but…I think I’d be bored. At least in Valhalla I have a sense of purpose.”
“Same,” Zev responded. “Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on this guy,” they added, with a wink in Loki’s direction.