The Ragnarok

A Brother's Request

“Good morning.” Lottie sang tapping Fen’s feet to stir him awake. She was carrying two bowls of cereal and when Fen’s eye’s cracked open she shoved one into his face, “Sleep down here all night?”

Looking around Fen absentmindedly took the bowl confused about when he had fallen asleep, “I guess so.” Looking over the cereal again he smiled back at her as the sleep started to escape, “Thanks.”

“The power is still out by the way.” Lottie sighed shoveling spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” Fen, not one to use utensils, stated as he 

 drank from his bowl. 

“Who’s Sol?” She mumbled hoping he’d hear her but would also be relieved if he didn’t.

The plausible deniability of hearing Lottie was tempting for Fen, but he couldn’t let it slide. If he didn’t tell her he was sure Jordan or Helen would. Most likely Helen, that gossiper, “Sol was-” That was a very complicated answer, she was at one point his everything, someone he thought he’d treasure forever. Starting again Fen thought through what exactly he could tell Lottie without exposing her to the truth, “She was someone I knew a while ago.”

“Seems like she was important to you.” Lottie poked again, “You don’t have to tell me, I just heard you talking in your sleep.”

“I just-” it wasn’t that he couldn’t talk about her, he wanted to scream everything that made him happy, sad, and angry all because of that girl.

“She was that special huh?” Looking down Lottie was almost scared to know the answer. This Sol woman had to have been important to him, but what happened to her?

“She was,” Fen nodded, “I just wasn’t special enough for her.”

“Balderdash!” Lottie spat, nudging him, “Is that what she told you?”

“Her foster father,” Fen corrected, “He never really liked me, but when I asked her to come away with me she decided I wasn’t worth the trouble anymore. I gave up a lot for her, and one day she just decided she was done.”

“Well that was cold of her.” she scoffed and sat back on the couch making herself comfortable, “You shouldn’t change for anyone. I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

Coughing on the last large gulp of milk and cereal, Fen choked through his words, “What?” 

She discovered her words were a little too friendly and backtracked quickly, hoping to spare the situation, “I just meant that you’re nice. If she didn’t want to be with you because-”

Fen’s laughter cut her off, sparing her from the hole she was rapidly digging herself into, “You’re way too nice for this world you know.”

“Nice?” She was friendly, but on no level was she nice, she made sure to be distant to people, but that was because they always left her. It was getting a bit too odd that these three hadn’t even talked about moving out yet, but then again the ghosts seemed to be better behaved than they had in the past. “Well be sure to keep that in mind the more you get to know me.”

“What makes you think I’ll change my mind?” 

“Who knows,” Lottie shrugged, “I’m going to get ready for work. I’ll see you tonight.” Hopping to her feet she rushed off before her cheeks turned too red to betray her feelings. 

Deciding it was better to not entice Lottie any further, Fen let her go without another word. She was simply adorable when she was embarrassing herself. Jordan clambered down the stairs stepping to the side to let her pass and joined Fen on the couch throwing himself backward, nearly tipping the couch up on two legs. “Is that necessary?” Fen glared with a side eye as he was able to spare the last morsels of his cereals from spilling onto his lap.

“Sorry, was I interrupting your brooding and mental anguish?” Jordan took a better look at Fen’s bowl, “Or was I interrupting a breakfast date?” wiggling his eyebrow at his older brother he clicked his tongue on his teeth, “Looks like Bragi isn’t the only one interested in some fairy tale.”

“Proud of that one are you?” Fen grumbled.

“It was comedy gold.”

“It was cheap and stupid. Say it in Helen’s presence, she’ll send you packing.”

“Relax, I’m only joking.” Jordan patted Fen’s shoulder with one of his powerful hands.

“I do need you to keep an eye on her. Brice, Bragi, whatever he’s going by now. I know he’s not going to just let her go.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’ll be after her, if nothing else, it’s not about taking her from me. Whether or not he knows who I am, Bragi has always been the kind of guy to take something from others just because he can.”

“I’ll trail her today, but Helen has me doing rune logging the rest of the week,” rolling his eyes he looked for some support from his brother who nodded, “I’ll talk to her about it too, she might have a plan to help guard her.”

Fen turned back flashing a smile, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah yeah,” Jordan yawned, “Just don’t go running around telling everyone the great snake has a soft spot.” looking down his nose to Fen he glare playfully, “I’ll knock those teeth right out of your mouth.”

“Power’s still out.” Helen called crashing into an open arm chair, “Wonder why that is?” SHe looked at both her brothers as if they had somehow caused the issue.

Jordan piped up first, “Are you suggesting-”

“I’m suggesting,” Helen interrupted, “The storm last night wasn’t natural.”

“Thor?” Jordan whispered, turning to Fen with side eyes, “No.”

Shrugging Helen dug her nails into the chair, “I want YOU,” pointing to Fen she pursed her lips, “to stay away from the windows. Thor’s probably our biggest threat.”

“Doubtful.” Fen shrugged, “He’s Jordan’s biggest threat.” Lounging backward he sighed, “Call me once they send ol’Tyr. Then I’ll get worried.”

“I doubt they’d send Thor honestly.” Helen yawned, giving herself a long stretch, “With Jordan being out and about they can’t risk Thor running into him, but I do think Lottie may have painted a target on her back standing up to Mr.Sings-A-Lot.”

Jordan nudged Fen perking him up to look at Helen with him, “We were actually thinking Lottie needs to have one of us watching her today.”

Helen nodded, closing her eyes to concentrate further, “Can you still do that water trick Jordan?”

“Water trick?” Fen side eyed his brother, “Have you been holding out on abilities?”

Rolling his eyes Jordan shrugged, “I’m the great serpent, do you really think I’m going to share all my secrets with some midgardian dog soldier?” 

“HEY!” Fen barked jumping to his feet, “That was thousands of years ago you worm!”

“And yet you still hang onto the past.” Jordan grumbled ignoring the scrawny intimidation scene Fen was trying to display, “Admit it, the moment you knew Sol was around you considered going back to your papa Tyr.”

“Enough!” Helen stormed, her eyes a fiery red with a glare that cut through the tension like a warm knife through butter, “Fen learned his lesson about the Aesir. He’s not the only one who’s made mistakes, Jordan.” Turning her attention between them her expressions softened slightly, “We all had our moments where we tried to get welcomed by those pompous bags of refuse. Fen got the closest, and he suffered by far the most.” SIghing she threw herself back into the chair, “It was lifetimes ago, with so much changing can’t we just forget about it?” with her head now resting in her hands she buried her face talking through her hands, “Can you or can you not watch Lottie through the water that is close to her?”

Jordan grumbled under his breath, scooting away from Fen still not ready to forget about everything, “I’ll watch her.” 

“Fen, if you could stay in the basement for a while, I kind of set it up as an armory,” one of her hands broke free from her face with enough energy to point a thumb to the cellar. “The ghosts will keep Lottie out of there, just get an inventory of what we have and what you can use if we are under attack.”

“I can already tell you what I can use.” He sat back smiling, “I can’t use weapons.” 

“What?” Both of them growled leaning forward.

Helen looked her brother in the eye trying to see if he was joking, “You were Tyr’s special project. How could you not know how to use any weapons?”

Shrugging, Fen cleared his throat standing up and placing a hand on each of their shoulders, “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Leaning down he whispered softly, “I am a” with a loud boom he barked, “WOLF.” Straightening himself back up he let his siblings fake an ear injury, “Tyr trained me to fight as a wolf. I only took my human form when I was alone, or with Sol. Even Tyr thought it was unnatural for me to appear as a human.”

“Even so.” Jordan grumbled digging his finger into his ear, “How did you go all those years not learning?”

“Well let’s see.” Pacing back and forth Fen gathered his through, “For the first few years I had to be taught how to act properly in the presence of the gods. Then I had to learn how to be trained, without hurting anyone. Then Tyr did a bunch of trust exercises, then I was finally able to go into battle where I figured out I could just run through anyone I faced and they’d either die, get partially eaten, or run away.”

“It’s true.” Helen smiled, “Tyr used him as a way of intimidation, no weapons could pierce his thick fur, so why would Tyr allow him to become vulnerable?”

“So what?” Jordan scoffed, “Thor has his hammer, Odin has his spear, Loki has his daggers, and Tyr had the wolf?”

Fen nodded, not seeing how it could be so hard to understand, “Up until Odin decided I needed to be a prisoner I was a pretty effective deterrent.”

“Lucky bastard.” grumbling Jordan rolled his eyes at his brother, “I’ll get on watching Lottie.” getting to his feet he stumbled back up to his room. 

Once inside he slammed the door letting the pool reflect what little light shined through the darkened curtains. As he slithered beneath the waves he submerged his head letting his human form melt away with the water’s ripples. His black eyes searched through the echoing darkness and eerie calm of the waters. 

Lottie was in a grocery store, he could see every inch of her and her surroundings. She was talking with a few of her customers as they checked out their food. As she was finishing up someone she dropped an item in her hand. It looked like it was a glass jar or something to that effect, but what caused her fright? Jordan searched the area and saw him. Brice, though part of his mortal form had failed back to that of a god. As he spoke to Lottie, Jordan caught the runes tattooed on his tongue, the unmistakable sign of which Aesir they were dealing with. Letting part of his mortal form slide meant he was sure to be using his abilities. Brice was not the type of Aesir to just give up, then again none of them were, but Lottie didn’t have nearly enough energy or power to avoid his sweet talking gifts. 

Jumping out of the water Jordan dashed back down stairs, “Bragi, he’s enchanting Lottie right now.”

Helen glared and nodded running right into the wall as a shadow swallowed her up. 

Fen looked up at his brother, as worry rushed across his eyes, “Don’t let anything happen to her.”

Nodding Jordan rushed out the door, “She’s going to be safe.”