Chapter 7.1:

I blinked.

"As in the Loki?" I blurted out.

"The very same." The man said, a smile breaking his slightly too-serious face, and his eyes went from the cold blue of a deep crack in a glacier to the warm summer sky. "I'm glad you've heard of me. Now, I expect most of what you know is all hogwash, and random superstitions passed down for thousands of years amongst mortals who can't remember what happened a decade ago.

"So, let me give you a little introduction. This is Valhalla. Valhalla is the hall of warriors of meatheads with no brains and people willing to punch each other to death for fun." The disdain in the god's words was clearly evident, with his sardonic smile twisting his lips. "I champion those of us who do not fit in here. Those who will take any opportunity to win, who would rather talk out our differences. And I believe, Miles, you fit right in."

My eyes widened slightly at this used car salesman pitch. Still, it got me excited a little bit until I thought I had no idea what I was being asked for, what I was getting myself into. He paused, watching my face for some reaction, and I realized I had simply frozen up during his speech.

I found my mind had been wandering back to the fights when he had talked about killing. It was hard to overstate how much I agreed that I did not belong here. But I was cautious. Clearing my throat, I asked my first question. "So, how do you do that? Champion us, I mean."

Already, I was including myself with the rest of the people he talked about, but it just fit too well for me to think of anything else.

"Well," he said, "I can give you boons and other advantages that will help you get through the trials here besides brute strength. The other gods give boons too, but they're all boring stuff like extra strength in stats or weapon proficiencies. Things that you can get for yourself. I give you something different."

"Okay, but what do you get out of it?" Not for one second did I believe that Loki was championing this cause for altruism. Even if he said that a lot of those legends about him were garbage and superstition. He had a certain reputation. And suppose Valhalla was about what the story said. In that case, I wasn't going to assume Loki was anything but a lying trickster who would steal my wallet if I wasn't looking.

"Ah, smart, I see. Yes, everything has its price. But don't assume that the other gods just give away their boons for free. I, at least, am honest about what I ask. Thor might give you extra strength, but little does he tell you that the credit you get from your deeds goes to him." Loki didn't try to hide his disdain for his brother's methods. The legends might not be as off as he would like me to believe.

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"No, no. I will tell you exactly what you must do. I'll ask for simple tasks. Maybe a favor or an item I need retrieved. Nothing too complicated. And you can always say no. Every offer and contract I have will always be freely chosen without coercion. If you choose not to accept the offer, nothing will happen, and everything will continue on as if I had never made the offer. I will not hold it against you, and I may still offer you deals in the future."

"So I can say no, and nothing will happen to me?"

"Precisely, I will take no retaliation for a rejected contract. Of course, if you come to me and ask me for a favor. I also have the option to say no. Obviously, this is really a partnership. We all play by the same rules. I just have a bit more resources than you do." I couldn't help but be impressed by Loki's lawyer-speak. This reminded me of how I had signed so many employment contracts.

Oh yeah, you can always say no to what we're offering you, but you just won't get hired, and then you'll starve. As if I had any real bargaining position, he'd already branded me with his mark. And from what I can tell, no other god would take me if honor and strength were what they were looking for. I didn't think I would impress anyone when measured by those standards, but I still had one question.

"Does everyone receive a blessing like this?" I can't imagine that everyone catches a god's eye. Maybe it's just that I wanted to feel special, but truly, I couldn't see everyone getting this. I was sure that people would mention it, but I had never heard of it.

"No, of course not. Well. Most people who reach a certain level do, but in the Lesser Hall, very few of you get any attention. I'm actually one of the few gods who recruits from there. Most gods or goddesses won't even look at you till you're at least in the Greater Hall. But certain qualities I'm looking for usually don't make it out very far without a little assistance. Still, with just the right amount of prompting, you can go oh so far." As we were talking, the waiter came and delivered some appetizers.

The first small plate was placed in front of me with some little slices of toasted baguette with pear and some sort of meat baked onto it. I lifted them up and savored the delicate flavors as they danced across my tongue. Through the mouthful of goodness, I managed to get some words out. "So glad the chef knows how to use something besides salt."

Loki spluttered across the table, and I stared as he started chuckling in perhaps the only honest way I had ever seen him say since he had sat down.

"Oh," he said, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Yeah. You don't know how long I had nothing but salt on my meat for. Father really does live with simplicities."

With that, the business talk was over, and the two of us just chatted. During a nice meal with steaks and salad and wine. Nothing in particular. Just about my past life. About history. He told some of the old stories in a different light. Many were about his "disagreements" with his brothers, as he called them. And they were just pranks, as he told them. Sure, they might have involved enemy races, but no one was ever harmed. As I sipped my drink. I found myself honestly enjoying his company. He was truly a great conversationalist. But I never once did I forget who he was.