To just about anyone from Midgard, Juno would have received scorn and mockery in return for those words. Loki on the other hand grew up in a world of flowery words and knew that some of the greatest wisdom could be taken from these phrases. He stared into the fire, a slight frown on his face, "And yet for that flower to even grow, often others must die to give it room. Nothing is without consenquence."

"The course of true love never did run smooth...To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving..." Juno said, getting up and stretching her arms above her head.

Loki laughed at that, "true love? Really? And how does one know when love is true?"

Juno turned on her heel, "You don't. It is not something that can be detected by science or magic. It's only through trial and effort do we find it or something very close to it. There are many people, potential mates, in the universe but only a small percent of those will truly fit the jigsaw of your heart... So tell me, how can you know if it's meant to be... if you do not try" Juno said looking down at Loki, her arms held together behind her back. She wasn't judging or perching, merely pointing out the facts.

"The risk of damage in some cases is too high" Loki replied coming to his feet as well, "There are too many variables that left unaccounted for."

"Sometimes you have to listen to your heart rather than your brain but you are right in this matter..." Juno crossed her arms, thinking over the events Loki described.

"It sounds like the darkness Ceres' filter through her soul gem to save you is gaining power...Since it was from your body originally that would explain the illusion magic... Ceres magic is basically growth, healing and defensive.... She can do other types but it does not come easily.

If it was trying to sleep with you, then it's clear what it wants..." Juno said, not knowing that Ceres had not explained the whole bonding process to him after he forgot everything.

Loki gave Juno a questioning look, "... is it clear?"

"...Well yeah. It's the easiest way to get back into your body." Juno said with a shrugged and then paused, "You...Did Ceres ever explained the bonding process?"

"Vaguely" he replied, "generally from what I remember, it would be a bad idea for her and I to bond."

Juno sighed, "I suppose Ceres won't be the best person to explain it... She never did learn about it when we were in our original bodies...." Juno thought for a moment before starting to explain, looking for the words that would best explain it. " As the divine, we are powerful... creating worlds, writing lives, the fabric of time; our plaything... But with great power there must be balance..." Juno rubbed her gem.

" We aren't perfect creatures...We mate for life or rather have to... Our souls intertwining with the one we make love with. The magic of a bonded couple of Divines is quite something and the proof is in the children they produce. " She said referring to herself and her siblings.

"Being the mate of a Divine has great benefits for mortals... Part of ourselves is given to our mate. Our power becomes their power. But we also get something in return, our mate gives us their best triads or things we lack.

For example, if you and Ceres were to go all the way. Ceres would most likely grant a slower aging cycle and your desensitivity to the cold as those are two of her weaknesses as a mortal.

Or like when I made love to mine... I wasn't always so well inversed in the art of literature and wit. I was much more... like Thor." She admitted.

"But, the darkness inside of Ceres clearly wants you to mate with Ceres... So it can slip back into you...And when it did, it would have the power of a goddess to back it up...."

"But that's mostly theory, isn't it?" Loki questioned, "none of you have ever bonded with anything but a mortal before, have you?"

Juno paused and turned looking into the fire, "...Vesta had." She said softly, staring into the fire.

Loki looked at her, somewhat surprised, "What happened?"

Juno looked around, making sure no one was around. Then she pulled her shirt down and tapped her soul gem, a rather small green leather pocket book appeared. Apparently soul tomes came in many different shapes and sizes.

"It was during one of our first reincarnation cycles... I believe Ceres was married to the Emperor of Japan during that time, she knows nothing of this tale and I ask that you keep it that way.

Humanity was still a babe in the eye of its world. During those times, communication and transportation were not as easily as today. There were no planes, no trains or cars, merely horses and ships that could only hold about 30-40 men at a time. So family reunions weren't as much as an option. And teleport magic was very new...

I was about 10 years old when I fell over the edge of a cliff, it was the first time I had used my teleportation magic and I found myself in a very strange city.... Greece I think... I'm not sure. But Vesta found me and helped me focus on home so that I could teleport back. She was very kind, taking me into her home to regain my strength.

At the time I didn't know she was my sister. I wasn't until I was 14 that my memories came back... But it was clear she knew who I had been and didn't want to burden me with this unrealistic information...

I returned to thank her, to get to know her but the place had been ransacked. I spent years trying to find her and finally I did I couldn't believe it... She hadn't aged a day.

It was in the marketplace of a great city that I finally found her. She looked right through me and walked past me. I was in such shock at her appearance I didn't try and stop her.

I later found she was married to the ruler of this great empire... Alexander III of Macedon and confronted her in her chambers. She was very alarmed I had come looking for her and begged me to leave for fear her husband would discover me...

Apparently this... Alexander could not be killed. The day I teleported away was the day her city state was over run and this Alexander had taken her for his own; raped her. She'd placed fail safes in her soul tome, which would keep her from telling this man of us and our origins. Even with the bond she held protect our family till the end. With my help... I helped her end her life that night, freeing herself from this man's hold on her and her magic. I returned her soul gem to her family..

It wasn't until many eras later that we discovered who this man really was.. His name is Vandal Savage and he is still alive to this day..."She said grimly looking off, "He's a monster and has apparently ruled empires and kingdoms throughout history... He is a very dangerous man."

Loki thought about all she said. He wasn't sure if it was a comfort or not though, "So... she was not effected by him in any other way?"

"Not that I could tell. But we only spoke for a short while before..." She pushed her small pocket tome back into her soul gem and pulled her shirt back up. "I'm only telling you this not to scare you or encourage you Loki. But to let you know that if you did take a chance and fell in love you would not hurt her..." Juno said, standing at a very neutral position

Loki sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, running his hand through his hair. He shook his head, "I still cannot do this. There are too many other things that I need to focus on right now" he headed for the door.

She sighed, "I know. I know..." She looked toward the fire. "She does too..." She whispered softly.

When Loki left the room and started heading down the hallway, something in the courtyard caught his eye. A bunch of brightly scarved Springlings were thawing the ground in a large area with Ceres watching near by.

"This will do nicely." She looked down at the one springling who appeared to be the leader of this group, "No, it's fine. I just need it to be thawed while I do it..."

Was she... talking to one of them and... understanding it? And what was she up to?

He looked down from the window curiously. Intrigued he rested his forearm on the window and watched.

Ceres opened a small bag and gave each Springling something from inside the bag, they all lined up an even amount of space away from each other and buried what they were holding.

"Alright little guys... You might want to step back." She warned and the little guys did so. She took a deep breath and knelt down, she pulled her mittens off and rubbed her hands together.

They began to glow pink, brighter and brighter till she slammed them down onto the ground. The magic shot forth through the ground, in a lightening pattern toward the small piles of dirt.

The ground began to shake and trembling lightly and then POOF; out shot large trees of pine growing like wild fire till there were at least 10 ft tall.

She put her hands on her legs, breathing heavily. The springlings looked on in awe, the green needles and brown trunk standing out against the icy walls and white snow. A few seconds later, they were cheering and clapping.

She flopped backward and the little guys ran over and surrounded her. Loki could see a fist pump appear within the circle and the little guys cheered once more as they helped Ceres sit back up. She was smiling warmly, tired but smiling.

Trees? He didn't even realize it but Loki had a smile on his face. He couldn't help it, his favourite colour was green and yet the only place he saw it around here was in his own wardrobe. But now there were trees, natural, beautiful trees. He only hoped that the frost giants wouldn't want to cut them down for the rare use of wood.

Ceres and the little guys started picking pine cones off of the newly grown trees and started the whole process again.

Ceres laughed as one springling put two pine cones on his head and ran toward her. She took them from him and started talking to another one who seemed to have an idea about the layout as he drew in the snow. Ceres knelt down and made some changes to the plan on the ground...

Loki headed down and leaned in the doorway to watch awhile longer.

They managed to do the feat two more time before Ceres had to call it quits, feeling overwhelmingly tired.

"Alright, better hurry off now and do your chores. Fist pump." Ceres said kneeling down and fist pumping each one before noticing Loki. "Oh... Your Majesty- Loki." She said actually surprised to see him. "I.thought you might... I umm... Do you like it?" She asked, feeling like a child would had been caught doing something without permission.

He cracked a smile, ear to ear, "It's beautiful" he replied, though he was looking more at her than the trees at this point.