Chapter 12. Loki's sweet talk.
FLASHBACK CONTINUES-
Loki turned toward Dhira. Up close her smile was warm. Almost too warm, the kind that made you aware of it.
She extended her hand gracefully. "My name is Loki. It is a pleasure to meet you, mortal."
Dhira looked at her hand, took it, and instead of shaking it lifted it and placed a brief kiss on her knuckles. The centaur nearby nearly choked. Loki blinked once then laughed, short and bright.
"Vell." She tilted her head, amused. "Aren't you a charmer. Vhere did you learn zat? Zis is not exactly part of your culture, is it?"
"From an angel friend of mine."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Dhira glanced around the hall then looked back at her. "Where's your statue? I didn't see one outside. Or are you an angel?"
Loki laughed again and waved her hand dismissively. "I am not an angel. I am an Aesir god." She leaned lightly against a marble pillar. "You probably have never heard of me. I am related to Thor."
Dhira's head tilted. "Thor?" She nodded, eyes flickering with something playful. "He is your friend, is he not?"
Dhira blinked then answered quickly. "He never told me he had a sister this beaut—" He paused. Cleared his throat. "I mean. Gorgeous, my lady."
Loki's smile widened. "Oh he did not lie. But he is not my brother." A small pause.
"He is my nephew."
Dhira stared. For a second something behind his eyes simply stopped working.
Then he nodded slowly. "Right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Gods."
Loki chuckled. Her gaze drifted briefly toward Ares who had moved to stand near the tall windows, his back to them, looking out at the clouds. She handed Dhira a drink from her own hand and collected another from a passing server. "So. You have met Ares, did he bother you?"
Dhira shrugged and drank. Loki's eyes didn't leave the glass while he did. He handed it back to a server. "No, he was really calm, and quiet." Loki laughed a small laugh, an amused laugh.
" You are the first person to say that about him." And Dhira liked her smile very much.
She waved a hand toward Ares. " Forget about him, he is a muscle-head. Always talking about fights, wars, and other boring things." She leaned slightly closer. "Just like my dear nephew."
Dhira snorted quietly and agree.
"So." She looked him over again, her eyes sharpening slightly. "Vhat are you doing here, mortal? Are you here to join the Olympians as their champion?"
"Champion?" Dhira shook his head. "I've never heard of it."
"Yes, that makes sense." She walked slowly around him as she spoke, her fingers tracing the rim of her golden glass.
"A champion is a mortal chosen by a god. They represent the god. His will, his face. In negotiations, in deals, in competitions." Her eyes flicked briefly toward Ares. "And sometimes in war. It is considered an honorable position. A god chooses a warrior, trains him, grants resources." Her gaze settled on the pendant at Dhira's chest, the trident of Shiva resting against the cloth. She raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You have probably never heard of it because gods rarely choose champions outside their sphere of influence." She tapped the pendant once with one finger.
"And you are very far from Olympus."
"Then who called me here?"
Loki looked mildly surprised. "You don't know?" Dhira shook his head. She took a slow sip. "It was Zeus. He personally sent the letter. Did it not say that?"
"No. Just a summon order with some polite words."
For a brief second something shifted in the room. Even Ares turned his head slightly from the window. Loki's playful expression faded just a little. "That is strange." She extended her hand. "May I see the letter?"
Dhira rubbed his neck. "It got left behind."
Loki stared at him. "Oh." She took another sip then smiled again. "Vell. If you are interested." Her orange eyes gleamed.
"You could become my champion instead. I can provide resources." Her voice dropped slightly. "And Soma."
Even Ares glanced back at that word. The offer sat in the air between them. Dhira opened his mouth to respond.
Then a door opened.
Not the main gate. The inner gate behind the throne. The sound it made wasn't loud but its presence moved through the chamber like something displaced.
Footsteps followed. Slow. Heavy. Each one carrying a weight that had nothing to do with size.
Ares straightened immediately, his relaxed posture gone. Loki's smile disappeared.
Her expression sharpened into something careful and composed. Dhira turned toward the throne.
A figure came forward from the shadows behind it and sat upon the central throne beneath the towering statue of Zeus. His face remained in shadow. Only his presence filled the hall, and only his voice came forward. Deep. Calm. The particular calm of something that has never needed to raise itself.
"Dhira."
The voice rolled through the chamber and settled.
"I am Zeus."