His green eyes were as cold as the ice that built the walls, "I don't believe you" he replied before taking a step back and dropping the ring on the floor and walking out of the room.

Vesta slowly fell to her knees ad picked up the ring. It was so elegant... It would have suited her perfectly. She gripped it tightly in her hands and leaned forward until her head touched the floor.

The tears would not stop, his pain flowing through her, through their bond. She'd f-ed up big time and she could feel her heart breaking. She held the ring to her heart and weeped. She fell asleep like that, curled up on the floor, the ring held tightly in her palms.

Loki went for a walk. He was fuming, he could hardly see straight. After all this time he had finally found her, after years of pent up rage and at first... at first it felt like nothing had changed. So easily he had almost fallen right back where they had left off but he couldn't forget. He couldn't forgive. Not after all his anger had caused.

"Loki"

The azgardian stopped and looked up, finally seeing what was right before him, a tribe of Frost Giants had already come and now he stood before a small sea of them. "Byliestr" greeted the new king to his half brother. This was not good. No body guards, no defense against all of these Frost Giants while head to head with possibly his greatest threat to the throne. ~Polly. Get June out here. Now.~

About 10 seconds later, Polly appeared beside him a large gun over her shoulder pointed at the approaching party.
"Don't you dare." She warned.

Byliestr cocked his head to the side as he looked at Polly, clearly not impressed. "What is this? Your new pet?" inquired the giant.

Loki placed a hand on Polly's gun to slowly lower it, "a very viscous one." he replied calmly, "and a tad over protective. We really don't need to take out the whole tribe now, do we?" he spoke to Polly though looked to Byleistr for the answer.

The giant laughed, "That puny girl? Is this really what you intend to use to steal my throne you half breed? Weak little girls?"

Loki didn't answer him, instead he looked back to Polly, "anyone but him." he ordered. If Byliestr needed a demonstration, he was certainly going to get one. And besides, Frost Giants responded well to displays of power rather than just talk.

Polly pointed her weapon, she cocked it and fired. It was too fast for them to see but the frost giant beside Byliestr fell down, a huge circular hole in his chest, just like if someone had just launched a cannon ball through him. The edges seemed to hiss with a bluish glow.

"Ba-boom." Polly stated, cocking the gun but not aiming.

Byliestr looked at the fallen giant next to him and then turned his glare back to Loki, "Where one Frost Giant falls, twenty will take his place. You are no King Loki. You are at best a bastard child and I do not recognize you as any more than that."

Where was Juno? And why did he have to be on such bad terms with Vesta just now? There was a small army of Frost Giants here and Loki wasn't sure how much longer he could stall, nor did he know how many Polly would be able to take but it was definitely too many for himself. The timing of this couldn't have been more terrible.

Loki opened his mouth to say something but Byleistr wasn't about to let that silver tongue save him now. "Kill Them" the Frost Giant ordered and instantly the blue skinned creatures launched forward to annihilate the two.

One of the giants raised his sword at Loki but it was deflected by a crimson sword, "Don't you dare touch him!" She boomed, chopping his sword arm. Vesta was glowing hot as she stood in front of Loki protectively.

Juno appeared high above the army and after gaining some speed teleported and summer salted above one of the giants, his back being cut to shreds as she spun round and round.

Once the two of them arrived, Polly's weapon altered to a sniper rifle, taking them down one head shot at a time.

The Frost Giants did put up a fight, but they had never been up against such foes before and before they new it, all that was left was Byliestr and about ten Giants from the hundred or so there had been before.
Loki called for the girls to stop as he stepped forward, "Leave Byliestr" he ordered his half brother, "Tell the tribes of my might. If they care to hear what I have to say, then they are welcome to come. If they decide to try and take what is mine, they will die."

A growl rose in Byliestr's throat as he took a step back. Clearly he had been wrong about the 'little girls' and now he was forced to retreat in shame. Once the Giants were gone from sight, Loki let out a sigh of relief.

The girls weapons changed back into kitty cats. Once they were out of sight, Vesta fell forward onto her cat, a large wound on her stomach.

"Vesta!" Ceres voice could be heard behind them, apparently Ceres had come to see what all the noise was about. She ran past Loki and knelt down, rolling Vesta over onto her back. Ceres let go of the large bouquet of crystal flowers she'd picked. Apparently the flower was used for medine and the springlings were going to show her how.

"Ha. See you came out of your room." Vesta teased as Ceres hands started to glow over her wound. Around Vesta neck, was a gold chain and upon that chain was the ring Loki had planned to give her.

"Stop talking, I need to focus." She ordered.

Juno walked up beside Loki and without warning punched him in the gut, "That's for making her cry." She stated before going over.

"So... you mean more crystal flowers.... any coffee beans?" Juno asked, clearly not worried about Vesta injury as Ceres was healing it.
"Focusing, and no."
"BUT CELESTEEEEEEEEEE!"

Loki winced, Juno packed quite a punch when she wanted to. His eyes fell upon Vesta for a moment, betraying no emotion whatsoever, before he turned away to return to the palace.

~

Ceres sat in her room, grounding the flowers into powder as the little springlings hurried around her to find more glass jars for her to fill. It was giving her something to take her mind off of being imprisoned.


Juno was in the court yard with Polly sparing.

And Vesta knelt on the floor in Loki's room, wearing a nothing but her under garments. When he entered, she did not move or look at him. "Loki... I can never expect you to forgive me for the pain I have caused you... But if it would help ease the pain and anger you feel" She pulled back a cloth which covered various tools and weapons all lined up perfectly in a row. There was ropes, candles, a fork, knives, spikes, silks, a gag, chains, a leather whip, meat hooks etc. "Then please do with me as you wish. But afterwards, know that my feelings for you are real and I have never lied about them. Whatever happens, Juno will not find out, I promise."

Loki just stared at her for a moment before his eyes turned to anger, "Do you really think this is what I want?" he demanded, "How can you be so ignorant?"

She flinched, "Because all I feel is anger." She put a hand on her chest, "It's burning you and I don't know what to do to make you feel better. How else am I suppose to prove to you that I am not lying!" She yelled, gripping the ring tightly.

"Even if it is true" he replied, "You didn't talk to me. You never told me what was wrong you just took it upon yourself to make that decision. Being bonded, does it not make it as much my decision as yours? Does it not effect me as much as you? I will not have others making choices for me, never again. My fate is bound to myself and I will rise or fall to my own deeds, not another's. You say you still love me, well I'm afraid it's too late for that because it is no longer in mutual standing. You are here because I manipulated you, you will serve me and you will encourage your sisters to do the same because you have no other choice. That is where we stand Vesta. That is the fate you chose when you abandoned me."

Vesta stood up, looking much like like beaten puppy. "I was scared too... The hand maids kept talking about you... I suppose they must have been lies, jealous lies.... I thought the bond would simply sever... I had no idea what it would do to you... To an immortal... What do you wish of me?" She asked still not looking at him directly.

Was she really not going retaliate? Loki watched the fire extinguished from her, his eyes as cold as ever though the sight nearly broke his heart all over again. "Get out of my sight" he ordered, turning away from her, "come when called, otherwise I don't want to see you."

She walked up to him and almost put a hand on his shoulder but stepped back, "...If you wish it." she said, leaving in her under garments and heading to the room that had been designed for her.

~

Ceres yawned, waking up in a nest of ripped up silks. She chirped, opening her eyes but not moving. She must have fallen asleep... Did the springlings made her this warm bundle of silks and they'd even placed it on the warm stones by the water <3 Those little guys were angels in this hell hole.

Apparently Loki was enjoying the warm spring as well, or at least, that was probably what was disturbing the water down river at the far end of the room. The invisible King with his feet in the water.

Chirpchirp... She got up and stretched before hopping into the shallow end, singing a lovely little tune as she wriggled and danced in the water, washing herself.

As she sang, somehow a very soft instrumental tune floated through the air, following the music she made.

She sang along to it not really thinking much of it. Perhaps the Springling knew how to play music.

The little bird continued to sing but looked down after some time when some water ripples brushed up against her. She chirped and hopped out of the water and ruffled her feathers.

She hopped little by little down the warm rocks to what seemed like the source of the ripples. She tilted her head, looking at the magically appearing ripples in the water.

Chirp?

A pair of legs slowly began to appear, swishing in the water. Steadily the invisibility illusion wore off, working it's way up to reveal Loki, "You're not going to try and hit me again, are you?" he asked with a slight grin. He was trying to give off a confident, superior vibe but his eyes were sad somehow. It was just like when Pietro was depressed about something but he didn't want anyone to know.

Tempting... She thought but it was his eyes that stopped her. They reminded her of Pietro's and the feathers on her head fell flat against the back of her head.

She turned sideways and took a couple of side steps toward him and plopped down on the warm stone beside him, her feathers brushing against his pant leg.

He watched her for a moment before turning back to the water, watching the ripples flow out from around his ankles. "I've been wanting to make a place like this for awhile here, though without you it would have been out of the question. The cold might not bother me the same as you but there is something to be said for a little warmth to."