Jongup was beyond excited to be flying through the skies of Midgard in the presence of Freya and Forseti, golden wings flapping easily in the chilly air.  He wanted to yell for the sheer joy of finally being outside of Valhalla for the first time in over two decades, but his present company did not look as if they’d appreciate such an enthusiastic outburst.  In fact, they were downright dour; not that he could blame them.  Like Odin, Freya was livid over Loki’s apparent betrayal and Forseti already had a grudge against the god for his hand in his father Baldr’s death.  He probably should be too but… he was outside and in Midgard!

                “Valkyr,” Freya’s voice intruded on his delight and called him back to the task at hand quickly, reining in his excitement.

                “My lady?” he asked immediately, pulling up and hovering in place, wings partially furled on either side of him, not necessary for staying afloat.

                “Any sign of Loki?” she inquired, eyeing him intently, her gaze drifting to his hand which currently held the note they’d retrieved from Sigyn in his palm.

                Jongup glanced down at the slip of paper, frowning at the foreign script.  “I know he is in Midgard, my lady.  Allow me to try again,” he breathed, closing his eyes and clearing his mind.  Unlike his brother’s he didn’t often wear gauntlets to cover his hands since they got in the way of his ability.  He placed his other bare hand atop the slip, covering it completely as he read the thoughts and impressions tied to it once more.

                Normally, most things only gave a faint response, but those that had been in contact with a person of power or a strong presence he could get a much clearer signal from.  It was why he knew the trickster god was among the humans, but finding him here was another matter entirely.  Reading the object wasn’t exactly conclusive unfortunately.  “Nothing new, my lady,” he shook his head after a moment, unfolding his hands slowly.

                “Hmm.  He is likely hiding among the mortals.  Nothing more than a slinking cur,” she frowned, flinging her blonde locks over her shoulder and resting her hand on her hip, blue eyes scanning the world around them.

                “Is it possible he is still near Valinceburg?” Forseti asked simply, gesturing in the direction of the mage city with his hand.

                Both Freya and Jongup looked thoughtful for a moment and the goddess nodded to herself.  “That is very possible.  He would have a good chance of hiding among the power of the wizards, cloaking his presence with their own self-importance.”

                “They have earned their strength, Lady Freya,” Jongup added quietly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, uncomfortable in speaking against her, but the mortals deserved their dues.

                Both gods looked at him intently, remaining calm but it was very obvious their heads were filled with thoughts.  “Humph,” Forseti snorted and tugged at his curly, dirty blonde beard, amused by the retort.

                “Be that as it may, their egos are just as often their undoing and they are almost certainly a match for that of Loki right now,” she commented instead, letting her gaze focus in the direction of Valinceburg.  Though it was early nightfall, the darkness had little effect upon her ability to see, giving her a slight advantage over the Valkyr whose vision wasn’t quite as sharp.

                Chastised, Jongup flinched at her tone and held his tongue again, looking at the slip of paper in his hand.  They were worthy of notice.  He didn’t just feel it; he knew it, and the gods dismissal of them bothered him.

                “Let’s go,” Freya urged with a wave of her hand, catching his and Forseti’s attention quickly.  “We must find him as soon as possible.”

                “Of course,” Forseti responded, following in her wake swiftly, hedging back to make sure the Valkyr wasn’t dawdling.

                Using a greater bit of their power, the two gods and Valkyr found themselves outside of Valinceburg in short order, the majority of the city asleep and unaware.  As always, it was filled with the power of magic and mages, helping to cloak anything of lesser strength.  It wasn’t intentional and the Council did what they could to dampen their influence on the rest of the city but it was an inescapable side effect of their abilities all the same.

                Not bothering to go through the front gates, the trio flew to the domain of the Council, touching down in front of the structure, donning the guise of humans once more.  They shielded their presence from the two guards initially, regarding the towering building with quiet frowns, nonplussed by its grandeur.  “Do you suppose he is here?” Jongup asked, still holding to the scrap of paper clenched tightly in his fist in the hopes he would receive some sort of signal from its original owner.

                “It is a good possibility,” Forseti answered, his human form the equal of his normal form, making him a towering, imposing figure, though still nowhere near Thor in size.

                “Quiet,” Freya urged, gesturing with her hand for silence with narrowed eyes.  “If he is not here now, then he was not that long ago.  Can you not feel it?” she murmured, tilting her head to the side as if she was listening for something just beyond their hearing.

                Jongup closed his eyes to eliminate further distractions and stilled his mind, focusing on the tie between Loki and the note.  “He’s here…” he trailed off at last, exhaling slowly when the connection strengthened, fed by the very power the city held.

                A satisfied smile turned up the corners of Freya’s mouth and she nodded once, “Let’s go.”  With all the confidence of a goddess, she strode right up to the doors, glancing between the human guards who moved to stop her with unconcerned amusement.

                “Halt!  What business do you-?” the younger of the two sleepy-eyed males started to ask before Forseti interrupted his inquiry, mutely shoving both of them away from the door so could he push the doors open forcefully.  The locked barrier offered little resistance to his superior strength and he strode through easily, leading the way for Freya and Jongup.

                “Sorry!” Jongup urged as he brought up the rear, apologetic even as he closed the door in their confused faces, locking it behind him with the help of Freya’s power as she sealed it in place, ensuring Loki could not escape this way lightly.

                The bottom floor was mostly silent and unoccupied save for the odd evening studier, only two at present, both of which were staring at them with wide eyes, certain there was something odd about them.  Freya pressed her finger to her lips in an obvious motion of silence and winked at the pair with a smile, satisfied when Forseti stepped in again as her muscle, incapacitating the distracted two swiftly before they could call an alarm or do something equally stupid; like attack them.

                “Careful,” Jongup urged as he moved to check on them, worried about the god’s strength.  It was so easy to hurt the humans if he wasn’t careful…

                “They are fine,” Forseti assured him with a pat on the shoulder and a serene nod.  “I do not intend to harm them unless it is necessary,” he reminded the Valkyr with a quiet smile.

                Not for the first time, Jongup had to remind himself that Forseti was among the more peaceable of the gods, though he looked formidable.  He was still however, his father’s son and the peaceful nature of his sire had been passed along to him, as well as a strong sense of justice and truth.  It was no wonder he had been chosen to seek Loki with Freya in this…  Torn from his personal thoughts, Jongup stood up swiftly, feeling a tug from his focus point, telling him Loki was nearby indeed.  “Upstairs,” he nodded, gaze traveling up the spiral staircase.

                “Lead on, Valkyr,” Freya urged with a hand gesture towards the rising platform.  “Show us the way to the traitor.”

                The Valkyr shivered at the tone of her voice, filled with anger and the promise of vengeance, but nodded quickly.  “Of course, my lady.”  Without another word, he darted towards the stairs and took them two at a time, focused intently on the connection between his focal point and the trickster god.  This close, he was easier to sense and he could tell the other was… angry?  Well, that and nervous.  He did not want to be found at any rate.

                More stairs than he cared to count fell away beneath their feet as they made their way to the top, drawn on by Jongup’s guidance, his face expressionless as his focus was not on the physical realm.  He was aware enough to guide himself without stumbling over anything, but his sight instead was directed more on the otherwise invisible line that was directing him to Loki.  Distractedly, he wondered if the god had considered his involvement in this matter…  While he couldn’t find him with the Eye of the Gods, as a Valkyr he had considerably more luck.  And out of his siblings, he was the only one with the ability to do so.

                “Hold up, Jongup,” Forseti urged as they approached the top of the building, drawing ever closer to the main Council room.

                Blinking to clear his sight, Jongup shook his head and pointed at the closed double doors with a strange certainty.  “Here.”

                Freya and Forseti looked at each other and approached the doors together, throwing open the barrier with a mild expenditure of power as they shattered the magical lock in place, keeping the uninvited out.  A small cluster of utterly focused mages stood in a tight circle around what appeared to be a scrying bowl, their rapt gazes locked upon whatever was in the glowing waters.  Belatedly, they tore their attention from the image, the light fading as they blinked at the intruders with befuddled gazes, having a hard time recovering their senses.

                There were six of them present, only half their true number and none of the female persuasion.  They all reeked of power, though among them, one felt slightly different…  Recovering himself first, one of the mages bedecked in simple but elegant white robes, approached the trio with a suspicious look in his brown eyes.  “Who dares to intrude upon a Council gathering without permission?”

                “You have an imposter in your midst,” Freya announced in a calm tone, regarding the mage impassively.  Five powerful mages and a traitorous god were not odds she exactly enjoyed, though she was confident they would be able to handle them all the same.

                “Impossible,” another scoffed derisively with a sneer appearing on his lips, matching the sharp features of his visage.  “We would know if one among us did not belong,” he retorted, pointing at the intruder with a pale hand, complexion milky white and flawless, even in the flickering light of the room.

                “Silence Heechul,” the first ordered quickly with a warning gesture, letting his gaze sweep the rest of the group as the outspoken mage subsided grudgingly.

                The other four shifted nervously, each eyeing the others with obvious suspicion as they edged away from themselves.  “Who are you to make such claims?” another with fuzzy dark hair pointed out, clearly disgruntled by the accusation.

                “Jongup,” Freya called in a quiet tone, ignoring his question as she looked at the Valkyr whose eyes were closed while he held his hand with the paper in front of him, pausing before each figure before moving on to the next.

                Freed from the distractions of physical sight, Jongup could see the way the connection wound around the group, twisting and turning, fighting his desire to uncover where the culprit lay.  It bent and writhed, trying not to connect to any one person as he pressed hard, eyes shutting tighter in his attempt until…  “That one.”  He opened his eyes to see his hand pointing at the smallest among them.

                “Ryeowook?” the apparent leader asked in confusion, regarding the delicate young man in a purple robe.

                “Loki,” Freya nodded, locking her eyes upon his fragile appearing form.

                “What?!” he gasped, backing away in a confused and frightened manner, his head shaking in denial.  “I don’t know what they’re talking about,” he explained quickly, looking at the rest of his group for aid.

                “Forseti,” Freya ordered, pointing at the retreating mage who yelped when the much larger male advanced on him.

                “Jungsu!  Help me!” Ryeowook shrieked, backpedaling to keep the distance between them even.

                Immediately, the group of mages interjected themselves between Forseti and the cowering Ryeowook, spaced around the scrying bowl with their hands up and ready as they reached for scepters hiding within the folds of their robes.  “You cannot just come in here and take one of our own, even if you claim he is an imposter.  That is not the way things are done,” Jungsu stated fiercely, flanked by the other four who met Forseti’s glower fairly well, all things considered.

                “Foolish mortals,” Freya scowled, dropping her human guise with an irritated huff.  Once her disguise vanished, Forseti resumed his godlike form while even Jongup called his Valkyr garb and wings back at hand, to the surprise of the Council who stared in open mouthed awe, though none backed down.

                “Move,” Forseti instructed, his hand resting with quiet promise on the handle of his maul strapped to his back.

                “Don’t listen to them,” Ryeowook begged, clinging to the robe of one of those in the back, holding him close.

                “Loki.  Let him go,” Jongup urged, sidestepping around the group as he saw the hold the god had on the mage.  “A god should not hide behind a human,” he shook his head, hoping to incite the other into doing something stupid.

                “I am not a god!” Ryeowook insisted loudly with a terrified shriek.

                “Enough of this,” Freya growled, materializing a longsword in her hand as she advanced with Forseti moving with her.

                “Shadow spear!” Jungsu shouted, waving his scepter at the small space between them, calling crackling spires of darkness to fill the floor where the gods wished to travel.  “No!” he growled, readying his scepter again as the rest of his group did in turn.

                “Stupid,” Freya hissed, waving at Forseti to go left, giving the same signal to Jongup to move right while she focused on the center.

                Magical energies rose on all sides as the mages called to hand their combat spells; the gods wrapping defensive barriers around themselves, preparing to attack.  Jongup waited, letting the mages focus more on the obviously threatening deities as he eyed the pair in the back.  The one Loki was hiding behind was hefty, a surprisingly muscled figure for one who studied the magical arts, but he was obviously intent upon protecting Loki, at his own peril.

                The perilous tension broke when all manner of spells were unleashed and the Council room filled with the sound of fire and ice, shadow and light, and the cries of all of the occupants within.  Water soaked the floor when the bowl was overturned, sending a myriad of reflections upon the interior, dazzling the eyes and giving phantom images to startle the senses.

                 Ignoring whatever might be happening to Freya and Forseti, both of whom cried out in tandem with the explosion of power within, Jongup ducked away from the madness, calling his wings to aid him in dodging, employing greater speed than any present.  In a flash of golden feathers and shining armor, he called power to shield him as he barreled through the group, darting behind the front line to the pair in the back.

                “Yah!” Ryeowook shrieked, jerking his human shield around with inhuman strength to make sure he saw the oncoming Valkyr.  “Youngwoon!”

                “e!” the heavier male yelped when Jongup crashed headlong into him, sending the trio barreling back in a tangle of limbs as he tried hard not to actually hurt the misguided human.

                Black eyes flashed at Jongup menacingly when Ryeowook got up to scramble away, relying on Youngwoon in detaining the Valkyr for a few seconds while the other four mages distracted the two gods.  “Loki!” Jongup growled, trying to get up and finding himself held in place by the mage who was surprisingly strong.  He dodged a punch meant for his head, the fist covered in a modified fragmented scepter that resembled brass knuckles, and then rolled over, hauling the mage’s body with him as he kicked him away, making a mental note Youngwoon was actually a brawler-mage.  No wonder he was so large.

                Not unsurprisingly, Youngwoon scrambled to his feet quickly, moving to intercept Jongup but the Valkyr was faster still, breezing by the larger male so swiftly his wings smacked him in the face before he could block.  Feeling the swirling powers flowing around him, both divine and arcane, Jongup ignored the other combatants and focused solely on the feeling of Loki in Ryeowook’s form.  The trickster was a master of deception and disguise but he knew his cover was blown and his only recourse was to flee.

                And now Jongup had his figurative ‘scent’ as it were.  Unerringly, the confirmed tie to the scrap he still held in his hand guided him after the god and even after the pair crashed through one of the tower windows, sending shattered glass cascading in the dim light of the moon, the Valkyr followed.  Hot on his heels, he hounded Loki while the god turned into a fly, almost too small for him to see with his eyes and nigh on impossible to catch.

               “Loki!  Would you stop running?!” Jongup shouted, twisting and turning as he followed the dips and dives of the tiny creature, perceptible only by the tenuous tie that pulled him unerringly after the deceptive deity.

                Loki declined to answer and continued his flight, seeking refuge on the ground where he turned into a black horse, traveling faster on four legs than any such creature before save Sleipner who had the advantage of eight.  Black eyes rolled as they looked back towards the Valkyr, obviously annoyed at his pursuit but just as nervous as well.  Though nothing about him changed, he managed to shout back well enough to be understood, “You are a fool, Valkyr.  The little lost brother who knows nothing,” he taunted, snorting derisively before he spied a river of water and threw himself in, disappearing into the stream in the guise of a fish.

                “Ugh!  Loki!” Jongup scowled, irritated by the words and more than a little annoyed by the god’s ability to flee and change forms.  Above the river, he kept pace with the water denizen, his form hidden beneath the reflective surface, waiting for a chance to corner him.  Vaguely, he was aware of the presence of Freya and Forseti, but they were still a ways behind him and he wasn’t sure if he just sensed their power or if they were actually approaching them.  Keenly, he squinted into the rushing waters, watching the reflective surface shimmer and gleam in the moon’s light and finally saw his chance.

                Folding his wings, Jongup dove straight down, withdrawing his sword in the blink of an eye as he disappeared into the dark waters, allowing the light from his blade to guide the way.  Ahead, he could see the glinting body of the pale pink and silver fish that was Loki, swimming madly before him while he closed the distance, flapping his wings as if he was in the air.  When he drew close enough, he brought his blade to bear near enough to herd Loki towards the surface, never intent upon slaying or harming him, but more than serious enough to send him darting the way Jongup wanted: towards the surface.

                Loki exploded from the river in a spray of mist and agitated energy, finally resuming his normal form once more as he stood his ground upon the riverbank and glared at Jongup, calling upon two short swords which he held lightly in his hands.  “You think that you, a mere Valkyr, can stop me?” he hissed, teeth bared in a feral grimace as his opponent met him on level ground, shining sword illuminating the area.

                “If I must,” Jongup answered determinedly, feeling every sense in his body alive with the prospect of combat.  His wings trembled with anticipation, water droplets clinging to the tips of his feathers, making them heavier than normal.

                Quivering with anger, Loki charged the shorter male, black eyes blazing with fury as they clashed in a flurry of rustling cloth and armor and shrieking blades.  “The useless youngest sibling of the meddlesome Valkyrs has no chance against me, little one,” he growled, driving Jongup back with each strike as the younger male desperately countered his dual blades, forced to dodge just as frequently.

                “You have betrayed… Odin,” he huffed through tightly pressed lips as he concentrated on defending, wincing when one of the blades breached his guard to glance off his armor, tearing into the metal and biting at the flesh beneath.  “You have… endangered us all!” he continued, throwing himself to the side and rolling to his feet in a pained attempt to buy himself room to regroup, wings flaring behind him.

                Loki followed him without giving him a chance to recover, retaliating savagely with unusual fury.  “Because Odin does not deserve to rule!” he snarled, trapping Jongup’s blade with both of his and kicking his feet out from under him, sending the smaller male to the ground with a painful gasp, armor clanking loudly as he tried to roll into a defensive position, wings bending under him awkwardly.

                “Nor do you!” Jongup yelled, batting away the attacking blades frantically as he scrambled back, using one hand and his feet to push him over the ground.

                Loki paused to laugh, scorn flashing across his face as he watched Jongup push himself to his feet, breathing hard and obviously nervous.  “How would you like it if everything you loved was treated less than human?  If your own blood was imprisoned and feared and murdered by Odin’s own hand?!” he roared, anger writ in every feature of his body.

                “But your children are monsters…” Jongup reminded him nervously, flinching at the rage in the trickster god’s eyes.  He meant no insult by it but they were, in the literal sense of the word.

                Furious at the response, Loki attacked again with murderous intent, his greater strength overpowering Jongup’s attempts to deflect his blades as he drove the Valkyr back, working his way under the other’s guard.  With a feint and a well-timed strike, he forced Jongup to dodge, bringing his wing into range of his attack so that he could sever the right appendage.

                Jongup screamed in a brief burst of agony as the severed wing fell away, disintegrating into golden motes of light as it faded before it could hit the ground.  Distracted by the pain, he gasped when Loki closed with him again, making his defense nearly useless.

                “Odin is the monster who controls you all,” Loki growled, catching Jongup’s sword with his right blade, anchoring it against his hilt while he used his left weapon to drive the tip into the armor of his opponent’s midsection, breaking the skin.

                “Loki…” Jongup gasped, panic and pain flashing across his face as he gripped at the god’s wrist with his left hand, desperately trying to keep it from going any further.

                “Odin is the monster and you are all accomplices to his crime for doing nothing to stop him,” Loki assured Jongup in a malicious tone before he drove his blade the rest of the way through the Valkyr, the hilt coming to rest against his armor.

                “Loki!” Forseti’s enraged tone broke the ringing in Jongup’s ears as the god practically came out of nowhere and rammed his maul into Loki’s ribs, sending the trickster flying to the side as his grip loosened from the left blade, leaving it embedded in the Valkyr.

                Jongup’s wing drooped and his sword fell from his numb fingers as he looked at the handle sticking out of him and fell to his knees with a gasp.  “Jongup!” Freya called, landing beside him heavily while the wind of her approach caught up to them, bringing with it the scent of fire and lingering magic.  “Just hold on, Jongup,” she urged, yanking the sword free with a swift pull.

                “Gyah!” Jongup gasped, body jerking when the blade was removed from his person.

“Easy,” she murmured, taking off his helmet with gentle hands as she fed him a potion materialized out of thin air.  “Hold on,” she repeated, cradling his head in her lap while she placed her hand over his wound in a useless attempt to staunch the bleeding.

                Jongup didn’t know if it hurt as bad as it did because he was dying or because the potion was working…  Either way, it was unbearable and he felt his vision swim while he struggled to remain conscious, focusing on the flaxen haired goddess above him as he heard the sounds of muted scuffling nearby.  “My lady,” he gasped, swallowing the copper taste in the back of his throat.  “I found him,” he smiled before his awareness fled and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

(a/n: So I had originally intended to add another of the Valkyr's perspectives but I do believe that will have to be in the next update.  The next chapter will feature Daehyun and/or Himchan's perspective.  Still working on the presentation order.  This one took place during the evening after the previous update so still the same day, just considerably later.  What was seen in the scrying bowl should also be revealed soon.

On a side note, sorry Uppie!  *cries in a corner*  Gods are fairly difficult to kill but one must remember that the Valkyr's aren't full blown gods.  They're immortal yes, but in the glorified demi-god sense.  As you can probably see, he also has a bit of a soft spot for mortals and is the most reluctant of his siblings when it comes to harming or endangering them.

I was also pulling from Norse tales of Loki's transformations as he has turned into each of those creatures in various stories before.  Forseti is Baldr's (the god of beauty, innocence, peace and rebirth) son and is the god of justice, peace and truth.  Thanks for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)