Loyal to a Forgotten King

Darcy knocked on the door of Angela's apartment. She waited a minute more and knocked again. "Angela? Liam?" She used Loki' alias since one of Angela's neighbors was outside.
"They haven't left" the neighbor said. "Maybe they're just getting to know each other" He laughed.
"Shut up" Darcy said. She folded her arms and thought. Remembering the key that Angela had given her for emergencies, Darcy reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "If her door's closed, walk away" she thought over and over as she walked in.
She looked around the apartment and was really confused. Angela's door was open, so was Loki's but the apartment was empty. "Now what in the name of..." Darcy sighed. "This can't be good"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angela shrugged. "Oh well. Guess it didn't"
"Oh yes it did" Loki said.
Angela looked up gasped. "Where are we?"
"Perhaps... Olympus?" Loki suggested. He was only teasing but Angela took it seriously.
"I bet we Are." she said. "Maybe the phrase was a transport spell" She thought and looked around. "But the Greek and the Romans weren't big into magic."
"Hello my friends!" a man walked towards them in full Greek attire.
"Ares?" Angela asked. "What happened?"
"I brought you here" Ares said smiling. "Is this the god you mentioned to me a few months ago?" she looked at Loki.
"I am Loki." Loki said proudly. "Of Asgard"
Angela rolled her eyes as he announced himself. Some things never change. "So the phrase has nothing to do with it?"
"Only a fraction" Ares said. "I need your help"
"you need... Our help?" Angela asked. "Wow... I've been called by a god for help" She grinned like an idiot. "This is so cool!"
"Angela" Loki said. "Please calm you excessive excitement"
Angela pouted. "Well sorry for being exited, Loki. I am a mortal after all. God's don't usually ask us for help" she looked up at Ares. "Do they"
"Well no" Ares said. "But you're the only mortal I know that may be willing to help me locate something that's on your world"
"does this something happen to be a headdress?" Loki asked.
"Yes!" Ares said. "You have seen it?"
"Of course" Angela said. "A friend of ours found it"
"Found?" Ares questioned. "It went missing a few days ago"
"Darcy wouldn't steal it" Angela said. "She seemed a bit scared of it"
"Is she younger than 21?" Ares asked.
"No but why?" Angela asked.
"Hmm" Ares thought. "Come with me. I will let you meet the owner of the headdress. Perhaps he may know the reason she is frightened of it" He turned to leave and looked back. "Perhaps you could retrieve it after I introduce you?"
"Sure" Angela said.
"we're not servants" Loki said. "even if you are a god"
"Loki" Angela said. "Be nice"
Loki smugly looked away.
"is the headdress black magic?" Angela asked.
"No" Ares said leading them. "But it isn't very safe for more experienced people"
"huh?" Angela was so confused.
Ares left Loki in his thoughts.
As they came up to a small palace a young man walked out. He was wearing a questionable toga and holding a gold cup in one hand and a clump of grapes in the other. "Hello Ares!" He called. "I see you've brought me a gift!"
Ares stood protectively in front of Angela. "Dionysus she does not belong to you"
"I'm willing to barter for her" Dionysus smirked. "She has the hair of a goddess. Is she yours?"
Angela got the chills at Dionysus' advances.
"She is mine" Loki stepped forward. "And you will not touch her. do I make myself clear?" He put a hand on Angela's shoulder to emphasize his point.
"Well then" Dionysus said. "You dare speak to the god of wine like that?"
"From one god to another" Loki said. "Yes I do. Arrogant pig"
"You a god?" Dionysus laughed. "you look so pathetic"
Loki glared at him.
Dionysus!" Ares said. His voice made Angela jump. It was deep and quite frightening when he raised his voice. "I need to speak to you about your missing laurel."
"You found the thief? Is it her?" Dionysus gestured to Angela. "It wouldn't make sense. She is most beautiful. Finding a lover should be easy"
"what does Angela finding a lover have anything to do with your laurel?" Loki snapped.
Angela's eyes widened. "how could I be so stupid?! Not only is he the god of wine. Dionysus is also known for being the god of fertility. That's why he's never allowed to touch women"
Loki put his other hand on Angela's other shoulder to further emphasize his comment about her being his. He wasn't about to let this man whore violate his friend.
"Well done!" Dionysus cried out. "You know your stuff" He smiled. "I can show you mine"
"Touch me and I'll turn Loki on you" Angela said quickly stepping closer to her protector.
Loki enforced this with the creepiest glare in the world.
"So serious" Dionysus teased.
Ares sighed. "Can I ask why a woman older than 21 would be afraid of your Laurel?"
"That's easy!" Dionysus said. "Either she has never had a drink or she is a virgin" He smiled. "I could help her with her fear"
"Quiet!" Ares roared. "We know where it is, all we need to know is if it will affect her in anyway"
"If she's exposed to it long enough..." Dionysus said. "She might end up like me"
Angela scowled at his with sheer hatred in her eyes. He may have been a god but Angela wanted him dead. "you are so dead if she does" Angela said.
"Enough" Ares said. "Well will return it but do who know who may have stolen it"
Dionysus sighed pathetically. "To my despair no earthly woman has taken it. I believe a member of our world has taken it for better luck with their love life and hid it on earth."
Angela thought. "Do you always wear it?"
"Of course I do!" Dionysus cried. "Even when I sleep!"
"So a very skilled thief would be needed to steal it" Angela said.
Everyone looked at each other for a second. "Son of a bitch" Ares said. "Hermes"
"Of course" Angela added. "God of thieves and also the messenger of the gods."
Dionysus pouted. "He said wanted advice..."
"Who wants advice form you!?" Angela snapped. "You're a creep!"
"Angela" Loki warned. "Remember he is a god"
"You do realize I could steal you away in your sleep" Dionysus threatened.
Loki pulled her close to him; a bit more protectively then the time they were hiding from SHIELD. "I'll make sure you burn in hell, if you do"
Angela pressed against him, afraid of what Dionysus meant by his statement.
"If you do so" Ares said. He got close to Dionysus' face and had a terrifying scowl on. "Then not only will you be exiled from this world but you will end up just as Poseidon's son. Do I make myself clear?"
Dionysus shrank back completely in fear. "Oh yeah of course Ares. I got it. I won't touch her I promise"
"Good" Ares said backing away. "Let us retrieve the headdress before it does any more damage"
Loki nodded and led Angela away. She stuck to him like glue for the rest of the day thanks to that creep Dionysus and his 'I’ll steal you away in your sleep' thing.
Ares told Angela to keep her mouth shut for the moment. "Part of his threat was your fault"
Angela nodded. "Sorry"
"although he gets that from many others, both gods and mortals, he usually gets what he wants though trickery." Ares said and came to Angela's house. "I suggest you keep her close tonight Loki. Or at least until I give you the word that Dionysus has lost interest"
Loki nodded his understanding. "I will keep her under my watch"
"i'm not a pet" Angela said smugly. "I can watch out for myself."
"Oh yes, by the way you pressed fearfully against me, i can tell you very independent" Loki teased.
"shut up" Angela said folding her arms.
As they went in Darcy was just about to dial 911 as they came in. "Oh my god Angela! Don’t just disappear like that! You scared the crap out of me!"
"Where is the headdress?" Ares asked.
"Oh it's you" Darcy said. "Hey Aaron. The laurel's in the van"
"Have you touched it lately?" Ares asked.
"Well that last time I messed with it was when I showed it to Angela." Darcy said. "It really creeps me out." she looked up at Ares. "Angela thought it was cool"
"I did not" Angela said. "It just didn't bother me as much"
"It is well that is scares you" Ares said. "Why not Angela?"
Loki was wondering the same thing. Yeah Angela was no virgin when it came to alcohol but was that really all there was to it? Angela had said she never went so far as to go to bed with the men that flirted with her but was that really the whole truth?
"I was a drinker before I met Loki" Angela said shamefully.
"I've had... 4 drinks in my whole life" Darcy said. "And I’m 23"
"there you see" Ares said "proof that Dionysus the god of wine, scares the ones that are unfamiliar with alcohol"
"Dion...the god of what?" Darcy asked.
"Dionysus" Angela said. "The god of wine and fertility."
"Ok so I like the whole wine thing but not the other. It sound like he's a total perv"
"He is" Loki said. "That pig kept trying to barter for Angela"
"Ew gross" Darcy said. "You met him"
"I wish I hadn't" Angela replied.
"Most regret spending time in his presence" Ares said. "Now about the laurel?"
"Oh right duh" Darcy ran out to get it. Ares followed so she wouldn't have to touch it again.
"I will return this to Dionysus and have a word with Hermes" Ares said. "Thank you my friends"
"No problem" Angela said. "Could you do one thing for me though?"
"Of course" Ares said. "I owe my gratitude for your assistance"
"could you make him not steal me?" Angela asked. "I think I want to keep my sanity as long as I can"
"He is afraid of me for good reason" Ares said. "I will speak with him"
"Thank you Aaron" Angela said.
Darcy kept asking questions about Dionysus and what the laurel did. When she found out she went to the bathroom and washed her hands about 10 times. "I don't want to end up like that!!!!"
Loki shook his head in annoyance. "She is over dramatic"
"Yeah, just a bit" Angela said.
"As are you" Loki added. "You cry too much over pain"
Angela pouted. "Well sorry, but I had a metal shard slicing my insides for a week"
"That's your fault" Loki argued. "You choose to leave it there"
"I thought it was just taking time to heal... it was a deep cut to begin with" Angela said.
"Yes but you chose to ignore it like complete fool, not even realizing you could have died from it being stuck in there"
Darcy came in just as he said that. "Do I even what to know?"
"Oh god" Loki said and slowly face palmed. He really didn't like Darcy and found her very irritating with her random assumptions.
"Wrong time, Darcy" Angela said. "We were talking about my cut from the window"
"Oh..." Darcy said "Ok"
It was around 9:00 when she went home. Dr. Selvig picked her up and thanked Angela for taking her today.
"I'm not 5 you know!!!" Darcy yelled. "I would've walked home."
"Last time I tried that," Angela said. "I got picked on by 3 street rats. Plus who knows if Dionysus will go behind Aaron's back"
Darcy had no argument there. "Thanks for picking me up Dr. Selvig"
Bewildered by her sudden change in behavior, Dr. Selvig gave his goodbye and drove off.
Another hour of just talking went by, before Loki and Angela went to bed. Angela was still freaked out by Dionysus' statement that she couldn't fall asleep. She was too afraid to. She kept looking at her door and window expecting to see the creep standing there. After a while she couldn't take it anymore and got up; going to the living room. She almost hit Loki in the face when he came up behind her and asked why she was still up. He was lucky that he had fast enough reflexes to catch her fist.
"Dammit Loki!" Angela yelled. "You don't sneak up on someone like that!"
"Is Dionysus' comment really bothering you this much?" Loki asked.
Pride hit Angela in the face. "No of course no." she folded her arms and turned her back to him. "It's just that... I’m not tired and staring up at the ceiling isn't my thought of... entertaining."
Loki rolled his eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and his mouth to her ear. "You are a terrible liar." He smiled.
Angela groaned. "That kind of threat is too real for me ok? I've gotten too close to that to just blow it off like you're doing"
Loki let her go and stood up again. "Sorry. I didn't know it was like that for you"
Angela turned her head towards him. "I shouldn't have expected you too. That's probably why the Laurel didn't scare me. I have never gone that far... but I've come close due to sheer stupidity and false trust" She faced him. "I'll be alright though... I don't care about my past and I’m not the kind of girl who's telling you this so you can pity me or using it to manipulate you. I'm just a bit superstitious that's all." she shrugged. "Plus I've watched too many movies and read to many myth books for my own good."
"How accurate are these... Greek myths?" Loki asked sitting down.
"Pretty dang good" Angela said. glancing at the clock. It was 3:00 in the morning. "If I’m keeping you up, you can just say so."
Loki shrugged. "It's alright, besides, I can't sleep with you making all that noise" he teased.
"you and your mouth" Angela said. "really though you don't have to stay up with me... I could care less either way." She jumped as she heard her neighbor turn on their car outside.
"Jumpy are we?" Loki teased.
"It's just... the myth says that Dionysus chooses a mortal girl as he prize every month. He manipulates the gods to work around the rule that was set for him. I guess I’m just a bit on edge."
"I see" Loki said. "Well I'm going back to bed..." He glanced at her. "I suggest you do the same, Angela. Unless you're too afraid" He gave a smirk, simply having a bit of fun at her experience. "I am only teasing though. I don't think Ares will let him touch you. And hell if I did. If he touches you, I’ll make him suffer"
Angela smiled at his protectiveness. She turned red at a thought that suddenly hit her. "Hey Loki?"
Loki turned to look at her. "Hmm?"
"Can... Can I stay with you just for tonight? Please? It’ll make me feel a lot safer. I trust you"
Loki blushed ever so slightly at her request. "Angela are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, maybe not. Forget I asked." Angela said shaking her head. "Sorry"
Loki bit his lip. If he left now, he'd miss an opportunity to truly gain her trust. Nothing would prove more trustworthy then Angela asking to stay with him for the night and trusting him not to mess with her. He opened his mouth think of what to say. "Well... as long as it's only for tonight"
Angela looked up at him. "Thank you Loki"
Loki went back to bed and a few minutes later felt Angela got in on the other side. It took about 30 minutes for her to relax enough to fall asleep.
Loki turned to look at her before he fell asleep. he smiled at cute she looked cuddled in the covers. As he fell asleep, Angela was on his mind.