Ten minutes later, my dad showed up. “Okay, so you have an exhausted angel on your couch. That’s new.”

 

Sarael made an annoyed noise that was probably something rude in angel.

 

“He said he couldn’t make it to a church.”

 

Loki laughed ringingly. “Well, your couch is more comfortable than a pew anyway.”

 

“So, what happened with you and the demon?”

 

“We had a very interesting conversation.” He looked entirely innocent.

 

In a way that implied it really was an interesting conversation. “Spill it.”

 

“I’m your father. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

 

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t intend to tell me something.”

 

“Thank you, Kanesha.”
She was handing him a can of coke. He cracked it open and took a swig.

 

Kanesha rolled her eyes at me past the god of chaos.

 

“So. Spill it.”

 

He grinned. “She’s hunting fire giants.”

 

“That’s evil.”

 

“The worst thing she can do is banish them. Giant souls aren’t useful to Hell. And maybe they’ll banish her.”

 

I shook my head. “I won’t even ask how you managed that.”

 

Probably a combination of charm and interesting ideas.

 

“What? It’ll keep them distracted for a bit. Maybe long enough for you to do something.”

 

“I still don’t have a long term solution. And don’t suggest marrying somebody else. He’d kill them.”

 

Loki gave Kanesha a speculative glance. “The thought had crossed my mind, and at one point he wouldn’t have. Now? He’s insane.”

 

“I know.”

 

Kanesha pulled out two more cans, offering one to me. I took it.

 

Sarael was just kind of glaring from the couch, rather as if he was suffering from some form of angelic hangover and we were making entirely too much noise for his head to deal with.

 

“So, in the absence of a good plan to make him less insane…”

 

“If we could fix Muspelheim’s issues.”

 

“Might work. Might be too late. Might need his help to fix them.”

 

“The king being linked to the land and all.”

 

Loki nodded. “Exactly. But it’s probably the only way to save him. Otherwise, well, Muspelheim needs a sane king.”

 

At least he didn’t say queen. At least he wasn’t on that bandwagon, at least not yet. “Well, you aren’t a good candidate.”

 

He laughed. “Oh, me? King of anything? That’s the comic book character who wants that.”

 

I grinned. “That and the ridiculous helmet.”

 

He snapped his fingers and was suddenly wearing the entire Marvel Loki outfit.

 

“Definitely ridiculous.”

 

He snapped them again and changed back. “Yeah, I don’t know why they had that view of me. Wrong hair color too.”

 

“Did they get anyone’s hair color right?”

 

He considered that. “Odin’s.”

 

All of us laughed at that. Even Sarael.