Chapter Text
Thor woke up to the sound of retching, and, once he realized what it was, cringed in sympathy. Thor got out of bed and made his way through the door linking his cabin to Loki's and then over to the partition that separated the wash area from the main sleeping area. He knelt down beside Loki and put a hand to the back of Loki's neck. Loki had flushed royal blue in patches, but his skin was a little feverish, so it resulted in Thor's hand not being very chilled at all as he massaged the nerves there at the base of Loki's neck.
Loki was too busy vomiting to react much to Thor's attempts at comfort. Loki had been getting physically ill very often on this trip whereas he hadn't at all on the journey they took to Vanaheim. Thor had been utterly baffled by his brother's sudden travel sickness until his Mother had pulled him to the side on the third consecutive day of Loki being too ill to venture far from his cabin to explain it wasn't the travel that was giving Loki trouble. Thor had felt quite foolish after that, but in his own self-defense, Thor had never been around a pregnant person before so that reason hadn't been high in his mind as a possibility.
Thor wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but Odin and Frigga had decided that Loki should spend his recovery someplace other than Asgard. They must have told Loki privately because when Thor had turned to look at Loki after that announcement, Loki had just kept staring at the breakfast he wasn't eating and wouldn't look at Thor at all. Frigga was sharing more with Thor now that she knew the truth, but she still hadn't said much about why the move had been decided other than it was for Loki's well-being.
The logistics of the move had taken a few weeks to plan out and arrange because, for some reason that nobody saw fit to explain to Thor, Loki was not going to any of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil. Instead, Ixtlilton had suggested his own city of Aztlan, to which everyone eventually agreed. Even Lady Eir, who had not wanted her patient leaving her care had ultimately agreed with the provision that she be given leave to join the Prince for his seclusion. That had caused some ruckus as never before had the Head Healer of the Palace left for any extended length of time before, but Odin had agreed and the council had little recourse but to allow it as well.
Loki could not currently take the Bifrost and travelling through Ginnungagap was going to take some time. Baldr had loaned them Hringhorni for the trip, but since he had sent the ship back when he arrived in Asgard, it had to be summoned from Vanaheim before they could even start their journey. That had taken only a few days, but then Hringhorni had to be stocked for a much longer trip than it usually took. The estimate was that the journey through Ginnungagap to Aztlan would take about three weeks and, to be safe, they had gathered the resources for a full month's trip across the nothingness of the void, which had taken some time to arrange.
Then there was the question of Ofnir. Ofnir couldn't be left in Asgard without Loki, it had been decided, because he would not remain well behaved without his owner nearby -as had been proven when Loki was missing. Ofnir did not travel particularly well either. The length of time he would be kept on Hringhorni made drugging Ofnir, like they had for the trip to Asgard, not feasible. A special room had to be cleared of any furniture or supplies and then enchanted to help keep Ofnir calm for the trip, which had taken several days to work out all on its own.
A month of planning had passed since making the decision to go to Aztlan and the actual beginning of the trip. Thor had used that month to convince his parents to allow him to also go, if only for a bit of time. Because the trip was ostensibly for Loki's healing Thor's presence wasn't considered needed. Something Thor vehemently disagreed with.
The blue rippled across Loki's skin. Loki lifted his head slightly but kept his face angled away from Thor. The ill Prince wiped his mouth with one hand. "Should I get you something?" Thor asked.
"I think I would just throw it back up," Loki said. "But water at least."
Thor nodded and got up to go get the water pitcher that was nearby and fill a goblet. By the time Thor had turned back around Loki had managed to pull his glamour back in place entirely and the blue rash-like areas of his skin had turned pale and fair. Loki was sitting against the wall of the cabin looking quite miserable. Thor held out the goblet, "Here, brother."
Loki murmured thanks and took a careful sip of the water so that he could rinse his mouth out and then spat it back out. "I hate being ill," Loki murmured.
"Mother says it won't last forever," Thor offered as he knelt down beside Loki again.
"That doesn't much help me now," Loki said.
"Should I get Lady Eir?" Thor asked.
Loki shook his head. "No, it'll pass eventually," Loki said. "Besides, she'll just tell me to eat, and everything makes me nauseous so I'd really rather not."
Thor nodded and thought for something else that might help. Loki leaned over to the side to rest his head on Thor's shoulder. Thor wrapped an arm around his brother and gave a slight squeeze to try and bring what comfort he could. "Do you want me to help you to bed?"
"Being horizontal only seems to make it worse," Loki said.
"Is there anything that helps?" Thor asked.
"Sleeping. Well, when I'm not dreaming at the same time," Loki said.
"Then sleep," Thor urged. "I will be here if you need something."
Loki grumbled something indistinct but turned more into Thor's side. "... thank you," he said after a moment.
"Of course, brother," Thor said.
The two princes sat there for what Thor thought had to be at least an hour. Loki had fallen asleep quite quickly, and Thor was able to keep himself occupied as he served as Loki's pillow. Loki's pregnancy had been wreaking havoc with the young Prince. The morning sickness, in particular, seemed to give Loki the most trouble and more and more often Loki's glamour was having difficulties. Thor knew better than to point out the times Loki's skin would tinge blue or grow chilled. Thor also was certain that pointing out when Loki switched to female, which was also happening with far more frequency, would get Loki upset.
Thor kept his arm around Loki even as he felt his brother's form shifting into a softer slightly curvier one. Thor still found it odd but was quickly getting used to Loki's shape and appearance fluctuating. His brother had always used illusions and constantly shapeshifting so perhaps that was helping Thor adjust to these changes more naturally as well.
There was a knock, and Thor heard the creak of the cabin door being opened. "Darling?" Frigga called.
"Over here, mother," Thor said. He leaned far enough to the side that he could extend his hand and be relatively certain that Frigga would see from the other side of the partition. The movement did jostle Loki though, and the younger prince woke up with a little noise of protest. "Sorry, brother."
Frigga appeared just as Loki was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Loki. I take it this morning isn't any better either?" Frigga asked as she knelt down beside them and brushed her fingers over Loki's head.
"No," Loki said. "This is the worst. I feel like never eating anything again."
"We will find something that helps you, Loki," Frigga said. "It's just a matter of some experimentation. Everyone is different, after all."
Loki's expression was sour. "At least, when you get married and are expecting you will be able to understand your wife's pains, brother," Thor said cheerfully. Thor didn't much care that Loki's face turned even less pleased than before.
"I shall stab you. Don't try to look on the bright side around me right now, Thor," Loki said.
Frigga sighed and shook her head. "Come along, you two. Breakfast will be soon, and you're still in your bed clothes."
"I don't want to go to breakfast," Loki said instantly.
"You'll feel better with food on your stomach," Frigga said.
"You keep saying that, but it never works that way," Loki complained although he allowed Frigga to all but pull him to his feet. "Food only ever makes it worse."
"Again, we'll find something that you can manage sooner or later," Frigga said. "And I'm not at all happy with the weight you've lost, Loki. You didn't exactly have a lot of it to spare."
"Won't I just be getting fat later?"
Frigga did not seem amused. "Loki."
Thor got to his feet and brushed the seat of his sleep pants off. "I'll go clean up and change and then meet you out in the hall," he said before going to the connecting door that he'd left open earlier. Thor didn't want to get somehow caught up in what looked to be a quickly brewing argument.
Thor was quick about washing his face and changing into real clothes as opposed to his sleepwear. Loki always took longer, especially in instances like they were in currently where he didn't really want to be pulled from his room for whatever reason. So, Thor was left waiting outside in the corridor. Thor could hear Loki speaking in his familiar complaining tone although none of the words were coming through.
When Frigga and Loki finally appeared, Loki was looking a little flushed and rather than his usual form-fitting attire, he had on clothes that hung loosely around his body. Thor assumed the extra looseness was to hide if his glamour shifted again into a female form without Loki's control. Loki was still frowning but didn't protest as Frigga led them through the ship to the dining hall.
Loki most definitely appeared nauseous as he eyed the table piled with different dishes as they sat down. Thor felt mildly bad that his brother was having such a hard time, but didn't stop himself from feeding his own appetite with plate after plate of food. Loki was coaxed by Frigga into eating a few milder dishes, and Loki drank copious amounts of a herbal tea that Frigga and Eir insisted would help with his morning sickness.
Loki only lasted trying to eat for half an hour before he was fleeing the room with his lips pressed together tightly. Thor couldn't help but wince, but Frigga went after Loki so Thor figured he would only make a crowd. Besides, Thor didn't think there was much he could do to make Loki feel better in this instance.
Loki reappeared perhaps twenty minutes later looking even paler than usual. Frigga was with him and managed to get Loki to eat again. Loki only ate a few bites of some things before excusing himself to go take a nap. Thor was a little confused as Loki wasn't usually one to take naps, but then he recalled what Loki said about sleeping being the only relief from nausea currently and realized that Loki was simply trying to not throw up what little he'd just eaten all over again.
Not wanting to disturb his brother as he was trying to rest, Thor went wandering after breakfast. He'd already explored Hringhorni with Loki, but Thor found being on board very tedious, especially without Loki to distract him.
Thor eventually found his way onto the top deck. Though all the propulsion of the ship happened below deck, navigation still had to be done where one could see the sky they were sailing through. As such, there were still sailors milling about up on the deck when Thor stepped out onto it. The void was all around them as endless and empty as it ever was and that made Thor shiver.
The slight atmosphere of the top deck was cold enough that Thor could see his breath in front of his face. Near the center of the bridge, Baldr was discussing something with the head navigation officer and Ixtlilton. Probably the path that they were taking through the void and how to remain on it. Travelling from Asgard to Vanaheim was one thing -that was a route well travelled by Asgard and as safe as any trip through the void could be- but to Thor's knowledge they'd never gone through the Void to reach Aztlan before.
Thor went to the rail of the ship between two of the large circular shield generators that ran down either side of Hringhorni. Not only did they shields protect the ship from actual attack but it was also the source of the atmosphere that everyone was currently breathing. Thor was careful not to knock into either of the disks as he stared out into the black.
Travelling through the void was undoubtedly Thor's least favorite way to travel. Not only did it take longer and was more dangerous than the Bifrost, but it reminded Thor of how his brother had fallen into it and suffered in an entirely unnecessary way. If only they had found Loki... things could have been fixed. Thor was sure of it. Seeing how cold and empty and endless the void was, Thor supposed it was no wonder that it had driven his little brother mad. Being trapped in such deprivation could easily do that to even the strongest minds.
Thor shook his head to try and dislodge the unhappy thoughts. That would not happen this time. Thor was certain of it.
As Thor stared out at the fathomless blackness all around them, he swore he saw movement in the distance. Seeing how there was no light, it was most likely a trick of his mind or his strained eyes. Nothing was in the void to be moving.
"Brooding, little brother?" Baldr asked as he came over to where Thor was standing.
"No. Just thinking," Thor said as his eyes scanned in front of him again. Sure enough, there was nothing there and certainly nothing moving. "Was Sister Nanna's sickness this bad?"
Baldr shrugged. "I think that's hard to say. Especially for me. Nanna didn't seem to get sick as often as Loki has been but she also couldn't eat anything with even a hint of onion in it or would get terribly sick."
"That does sound unpleasant," Thor said. Onion was used in so many different things after all. "Hopefully Loki will find something he can eat soon."
"Oh, I'm sure he will," Baldr said. "Mother is quite determined to find something he can stomach long enough to fully digest."
Thor nodded absently and looked out at the void again. "I don't like this sort of travel," he said. "It's unsettling going through so much nothing."
"It can be. But I'd rather the nothing of the void than dealing with the monsters that inhabit it," Baldr said.
Thor turned immediately. "What? I thought nothing could survive in the void."
"The void is the realm of monsters, Thor," Baldr said. "Hideous, primordial things that do not conform to the natural order of the universe. They do not have to here. However, that also means they would not survive in normal space. Their structure, or lack thereof, would collapse when exposed to gravitational forces, the radiation of stars, and other spacial forces. I have only ever seen the small ones, but there are legends of ones far larger roaming Ginnungagap."
"How large?" Thor asked even though he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.
"Large enough that ships have reported suddenly being in creatures' stomachs because they flew down the beasts' open gullets," Baldr provided. Thor must have made some sort of expression because Baldr grinned. "Never fear, brother. They reportedly just cut a hole and flew back out again. No damage was done."
"That does not actually make me feel better," Thor grumbled. He looked out at the darkness again, but it remained as featureless as it ever did. Thor had never known about any monsters in the void, and now that he did, he was even more amazed that his brother had ever reemerged from it in his previous life. Thor had always thought being lost in the void and being unable to get out again was the biggest danger.
Baldr's grin widened. "Sorry, little brother."
"You don't seem sorry," Thor said.
"Well, we do have defenses against anything too big," Baldr said as he clearly fought his smile back down. "So you needn't worry about big bad monsters in the dark."
Thor scoffed. "I'm not worried about them," Thor said. "More worried about them destroying the ship and leaving us stranded."
Baldr hummed thoughtfully. "Marooned in the void does sound the worse of those two fates, I'll grant. But never fear. The leviathans of the void tend to dislike me immensely." Baldr held up his fist, which began to glow gold and white like the heart of a star. The light was warm bordering on hot, and Thor was careful to not look directly at it for fear of damaging his eyes. Baldr wasn't using hardly any of his power, Thor knew but even slightly tapping into his power of light could be damaging to others if they weren't careful. "They have no defenses against the light."
Thor rolled his eyes and held up his own hand and made lightning crawl across his skin. "I assume they'd have no defense for this either, brother."
"If you're both quite done."
Thor looked over to see Ixtlilton standing there with his arms folded over his chest. "It is rather cold out here, and I would prefer to finish our discussion so that we can return indoors, Baldr."
"Ah, of course, excuse us, Thor," Baldr said before stepping back over to Ixtlilton. Thor watched them go back to the navigator's side and began speaking again and then turned his attention back out to the void spread out in front of them. They still had a long way to go yet and the utter blankness, Thor had to admit, was rather daunting.
Thor was still standing out on deck twenty minutes later when Loki joined him. "I thought you were sleeping?" Thor asked.
"Couldn't manage it," Loki said as he leaned on the railing to look out at the void. "It's rather horrible isn't it?" Thor glanced over. "Having nothing around you. Leaves you too much time to think and imagine."
"Yes, I suppose it does," Thor agreed. "How is your stomach?"
Loki made a face. "Not improved."
Thor hummed thoughtfully and went back to staring. The silence between them was peaceful, but Thor could feel his thoughts starting to circle dangerously around topics he'd rather not dwell on. The void truly did leave one with far too much time with nothing but one's own mind. "Shall we go and play some rounds of Tafl, Loki? To pass the time?"
Loki seemed to think about it for a moment but then nodded. "Alright. Just don't complain when I beat you."
"I will win one of these days."
"Of course, you will, Thor. I have immense faith in you," Loki said. Although he sounded very insincere, Thor noted.
The brothers went back down to their joined cabin and started to play. Loki swept the games with little effort until they got bored with Tafl. Tafl could only occupy them so long when they kept ending the same ways. Loki spent the afternoon with Ofnir reading while Thor treated his leather shoes with some new polish just for something to do.
Travelling through the void was uncomfortable but so very dull. Nothing ever happened, and Thor was struggling to keep himself entertained. Especially when Loki would be locked away in his cabin fighting his morning sickness or sleeping because he was tired.
Two and a half weeks of nothing passed by and Thor was nearly ready to poke Ofnir in the eye to get some excitement. Loki would probably not like it, but at least something would be going on at least. "Are you going to stop any time soon?" Loki asked without looking up from his book. He was reclining across his bed with the massive spell book open to somewhere in the middle while Thor tossed a crystal of some sort from one hand to another. "Because if you drop that, I'll be very upset with you. It took me three weeks of work to grow those crystals properly."
"I won't drop it," Thor said as he tossed the dark cerulean crystal up in the air even higher than before.
"You say that now," Loki said as he flipped a page. "But I remember that seeing orb that you broke after you said that exact same thing."
Thor made a face. "That's not fair of you. You're the one that made five of them appear at once. How was I supposed to know which one I was meant to catch?"
"By paying attention."
A quick flick of his wrist and Thor had the crystal sailing through the air at Loki. The stone landed on the book in Loki's lap. Loki looked up with a very unimpressed expression, and Thor grinned. "Pay attention, brother."
"Oaf," Loki said as he picked up the crystal and took a moment to examine the long angular shafts and sharp faceted planes. Thor could tell that his brother was looking for any damage. After a moment, Loki seemed satisfied and dropped the crystal onto the bed beside him and then turned back to his book. "You're lucky."
Thor sighed and got up from his seat to flop down on the end of Loki's bed. "Oh, come, brother. Even you must be bored after all this time just stuck inside reading!"
"I am not."
"Loki."
"It's a fascinating book," Loki defended.
"You've read the thing six times!" Thor argued. "You must have it memorized by now!"
"That doesn't mean I can't read it still," Loki said. "Now leave me be."
Thor sighed and flopped back down to stare up at the ceiling. Surely they could do something to pass the time. No matter what Loki said, Thor was positive he too was growing restless stuck on Hringhorni. It was just a matter of finding the right activity that they could actually do on the ship that wouldn't also cause too much trouble. Loki suddenly closed his book and put it off to the side. "Shall we play a prank on Baldr, brother?"
Thor lifted his head. "A prank?"
Loki smiled, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. Thor couldn't help but smile back and agree with whatever Loki had in mind. He was just too glad to hear Loki suggesting anything to do and ecstatic that it was something that the Loki from before the feast would recommend.
That was how, twenty minutes later, the two sons of Odin were carefully slipping into Baldr's cabin with arms full of supplies. "How is this even going to work?" Thor asked as he watched Loki silently close the cabin door behind them.
"Alone the ingredients are harmless," Loki said as he laid out what he'd brought onto Baldr's bed. "But mix them together, and that's when the reaction takes place."
"And what is the reaction?"
"Foam mostly. Of a very obnoxious orange color that tends to stain one's skin," Loki said. Loki picked up a bottle off of Baldr's dressing table and examined it. "This should do."
Thor couldn't help but snicker as Loki carefully put drops of different liquids into different parts of Baldr's bathing kit. "The foam isn't harmful is it?" Thor thought to ask as Loki poured some into potions used on teeth.
"No, though I don't imagine it tastes good," Loki said while working.
Thor giggled at the mental image of Baldr's face when he went to clean his teeth. "He will be so furious with us."
Loki grinned widely and put the cap back on the now tainted potion. "Perhaps a bit," Loki agreed.
"How long will the stai-"
Thor was abruptly cut off when the ship gave a lurch and sent both brothers off balance. Thor caught hold of Loki's arm even as he heard the sound of something sharp on metal. There was a crash of glass and liquid splashed over both Thor and Loki's shoes. Both brothers stared at each other for a moment even as the sound of people shouted up on deck reached them.
Without a word, both Thor and Loki rushed from Baldr's room. The ship lurched again, and the screeching noise of metal being scratched filled the air even over the shouts of the men. A loud thud from several spots echoed through the vessel as well.
Thor and Loki arrived up on deck and were met with the sight of pure chaos. Sailors were rushing to and fro while some monster made of absolute nightmares wrapped around Hringhorni. "Asgaedia Wept..." It was pure black with bulging eyes scattered all along its bulk. No two eyes were the same in color or pupil, but all gleamed wetly from inside holes that didn't appear to even be proper eye sockets. The skin, if it really was skin, slumped off it in thick unappealing wads. The only reason Thor could see the beast was that lights from the ship lit up the front of it.
Holes in varying sizes went straight through the thing in places where Thor would have normally assumed organs to be. A giant maw -that didn't look like it could entirely close due to the wickedly carved beak it possessed- filled with teeth drooled onto the deck. There was another smaller mouth inside of the first with even more teeth and mandible like claws on either side. It reminded Thor of a squid that had gone horribly, horribly wrong and then gone wrong even more.
Tentacles of inconsistent length, width, and placement waved to and fro. The arms didn't even end the same way -some had smaller mouths while others had stingers or suckers or even nothing at all. Several limbs wrapped around Hringhorni and the mouths bit deep to try and tear parts of the ship away.
Sailors hacked at the beast to no avail. A tendril came flying across the deck and the brothers Odinson had to duck behind several boxes so that they weren't struck. "Do something!" Someone hissed.
Thor looked to the side to see it was a sailor talking to Ixtlilton. "I am a healer, not a warrior. What am I supposed to do? Give the nightmare nightmares?" Ixtlilton asked.
Just then Baldr stepped forward glowing bright and white hot. He let out a cry of effort as he blasted the creature with energy. The thing recoiled with bits of its horrible flesh seared and smoking. But then the surface rippled in an entirely unnatural way. The thing seemed to turn to stone for just a second in a wave and then returned to normal and altogether unharmed. Baldr was clearly taken aback by this, but he just sent out another beam of pure light.
Men were still hacking at the creature but were proving even less effective than Baldr's power. Another limb, this one with a stinger, came flying forward and Baldr had to jump back to avoid being hit. The wickedly sharp point of the stinger went straight through the deck and seemed to get stuck. Baldr took the chance to slice the tentacle off. "We should do something," Thor said as he felt his electricity building in his body.
Loki caught Thor's arm and shoulder. "Wait."
Thor looked back at his brother and then followed his eyes over to the stairs. Their mother had appeared on the deck already aflame with pure power. Thor felt his eyes widen as his mother stepped forward entirely calmly. A tendril from the beast lashed forward but slammed into a shield of gold and was deflected.
Frigga's eyes blazed, and she lifted one arm. The monster was pried off of the ship bit by bit and squirmed where it was held. "I have never seen Mother use this much power before," Loki breathed as the flaming energy spread out from Frigga and sent sparks flying off into the Void.
The creature continued to flail as Frigga stepped closer. Thor could only stare as the energy his Mother wielded seemed to flare to the most enormous amount yet. The power was blinding bright and hot, and Thor saw bits of the creature beginning to sear and smolder. The monster rippled and regenerated again, but Frigga's energy just flared again.
Thor swore he saw the spreading of wings around Frigga and the heard the distant cry of a bird as the wind whipped past and then the beast was disintegrated until there was nothing left. For just a split second Thor saw the bird-like shape again, and then the energy retreated into his Mother, and the too bright energy faded, leaving everything seemingly darker and greyer than it had before. "What was that?" Thor asked.
"Mother's power," Loki said although he was still staring in awe. "She is one of the strongest beings in the universe you know..."
Thor turned to look at Frigga again who was checking on Baldr to see if he was hurt. "I didn't realize..." he said. Yes, Thor had always known his mother was powerful, knowing something and seeing it was two very different things.
Frigga seemed to then notice Thor and Loki a few steps behind her. "Are you alright? You two shouldn't have been up here."
"We're fine, Mother," Loki said as he got to his feet. "Besides... you took care of that rather handily..."
"You did," Baldr agreed. "But I could have handled it, Mother. You needn't have gotten involved."
Frigga shrugged. "Perhaps it was unnecessary, but I was attempting to save your ship more damage. I dislike travelling the Void in the best of times, I'd like it even less if Hringhorni were creaking from damage and bearing patched holes," Frigga said.
Baldr sighed but then nodded. "You are as wise as ever, Mother. Once we evaluate if there was any serious damage and if anyone was hurt, we'll continue on." Baldr leaned over and gave Frigga a kiss on the cheek before going to talk with his men.
"Well, while they do that, how about some lunch, my darlings?" Frigga suggested to Loki and Thor. Thor found himself nodding in agreement and letting Frigga guide them back down into the ship while Baldr tended to the cleanup.
The rest of the trip through Ginnungagap was uneventful and, though Hringhorni was damaged some from the attack, it was nothing terribly serious. Thor stepped out onto the deck of the ship as Aztlan came into view and had to admit he was somewhat surprised at what he saw.
Most of the scenery in front of the ship was the top of a mountain -or perhaps more likely- a dormant caldera. Inside the rim of the peak was a lake of sparkling sapphire blue water and lush greenery covered what seemed to be every inch of the rocky sides of the mountain. Thor looked over the edge and realized the mountain continued down until it disappeared into clouds. Conceivably there was a planet or something far below, but Thor couldn't see it through the white water vapors below.
Loki stepped up beside Thor to see where they were going as well. "I wonder how deep the water is..."
"It goes down about fifteen hundred meters at the deepest point," Ixtlilton said as he stepped up behind the brothers. "It supplies the city with all of the water we need."
"Impressive," Loki said even as he craned his neck to see further.
The city itself was coming into view. Thor was impressed by the network of rings and walkways and intricately planned sections all surrounding a massive stone pyramid in the center. Several of the clearly manmade stone sections of the city was overflowing with greenery, and Thor wondered if they were meant to be parks or something of that nature.
Thor couldn't quite tell if the city itself was floating on the water somehow or was just overshadowing whatever land it might be built onto. Either way, as Hringhorni slowly descended into the caldera, it felt as if they were entering a completely different world. The rim from the new angle felt like a mountain range surrounding them rather than one mountain top, and the lake felt far larger when they got closer. Aztlan had many bright colors painted everywhere, and the sunlight gleamed off of golden detailing and the surface of the water.
The atmosphere, however, was dreadful. The very air seemed wet and cloying, and the intense sun was unforgiving here above the clouds. Thor was almost instantly wishing to jump into the water below to cool off while Loki was already wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. Thor had no idea how his brother was meant to spend any time here in Aztlan at all if this was the temperature it always was. There was a breeze at least, but that didn't seem to help all that much. "Is it always this humid?" Thor asked.
"Not always, but frequently enough," Ixtlilton said. "It is better actually in the city. We've designed it to help create more air flow, so there is almost always a breeze."
"That's comforting," Loki said though he didn't sound that sincere. "I shall boil alive here..."
"I have sent word ahead that you'll need a cooler room and one has been prepared with enchantments to help with the heat of Aztlan," Ixtlilton said. "You'll be no more uncomfortable here than your pet was in Asgard."
Loki harrumphed that but Hringhorni was pulling into a long pier, and the sailors were preparing to secure the vessel, so the group had to step back from the edge to allow them to work. Thor saw people with a range of earth-toned skin from near black of fertile soil to dusky tan, but on all of them, they had threads of intense color running over them that caught the light of the fierce sun. The variation of colors was truly mindboggling, and Thor was reminded oddly of exotic birds that attracted others with their plumage. The number of feathers that these people used in their clothing certainly didn't help with that mental image and Thor just couldn't seem to shake it out of his head.
After Hringhorni was secured, Ixtlilton guided them through the stone walkways and deep canals of Aztlan until they reached the central pyramid. Thick bands of bright red, green and gold wrapped around each layer of the pyramid and colorful blue decorations framed the steps. Thor had no idea how they had achieved such intense pigments but with how they seemed to shimmer as they moved past Thor had to wonder if the paints weren't made up of crushed gems. That would have taken a fortune of jewels to manage, but Thor didn't think it particularly impossible.
There were far too many stairs to reach the top of the pyramid, Thor thought. They just kept climbing up and up so many stories under the glare of the sun. Was this what Loki felt like on Asgard? As if the sun were trying to burn his skin off even though they were doing so little? Thor hoped not.
By the time they finally got to the top of the pyramid Thor was sweating heavily, and Loki looked nearly ready to pass out. But Thor put the steep climb out of his mind as he saw who was waiting for them at the top level. Ixtlilton introduced him as Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl wasn't as tall as Ixtlilton, but he seemed somehow -impossibly- to take up twice the space. He was imposing with so many veins of aqua running through his skin as to make the dark coffee color of his skin seem nearly black from the contrast. His eyes were intensely yellow with a ring of venomous green around the pupils that were slit like a snake, and the headdress he wore was a mass of every color Thor had thought feathers came in and a few more he hadn't. Even more oddly what looked like gold and green scales ran along the sides of Quetzalcoatl's neck and the tops of his shoulders before merging into his skin. "I do hope you appreciate your stay in our city," Quetzalcoatl said. His voice was smooth and rich and had that same odd accent that Ixtlilton had. This, Thor recognized instinctively, was a King and demanded the respect that title implied.
"Thank you for allowing us to do so," Frigga said. "It is very generous of you."
Quetzalcoatl inclined his head. "Ixtlilton said that you will be well behaved. I hope that to be true."
"We will," Thor assured him. Even if Thor had to tie Loki's hands behind his back to keep him well behaved he would somehow do it. As if he knew what Thor was thinking, Loki cast his brother a slightly incredulous look.
"If we could move this inside," Lady Eir said. She stepped forward fearlessly and even though she was smaller than Quetzalcoatl by about a head, she looked him dead in the eye with defiance. "Prince Loki should not be in this heat and humidity." Thor saw Loki frown, but he didn't protest either.
Quetzalcoatl tilted his head, and Thor was again briefly reminded of a bird at the angle. "Very well. We've prepared a set of rooms for you that should be cool enough."
"I will take you there," a new voice said.
From behind a nearby pillar stepped a beautiful young woman with flowers woven into her long dark hair, bright green feathers upon her head and ruby-veined through her relatively light copper skin. She had a piercing through her nose that was decorated with a gem-laden spike of some sort, and though Thor didn't personally find it all that attractive, he had to admit the jewelry did seem to suit her for some reason he couldn't put his finger on. "Xochiquetzal," Quetzalcoatl said. Quetzalcoatl turned to the Asgardians. "This Xochiquetzal, my brother's wife."
Xochiquetzal gave a charming smile. "It is a pleasure," she said warmly. "Come, let us get you out of this heat. Though Quetzalcoatl likes to pretend he isn't affected even he will most likely rush off somewhere cooler the moment we're downstairs."
"Xochiquetzal," Quetzalcoatl said in what Thor recognized as the same tone he himself used when exasperated with Loki.
Ixtlilton chuckled. "I would think by this point you would be used to her irreverence, Quetzalcoatl," the mask-wearing God said as they walked past.
"One never ceases to hope," Quetzalcoatl grumbled.
Xochiquetzal just smiled wider and led the group of them down a set of stairs and into the dark and already much cooler interior of the pyramid. Thor was a bit annoyed because what was the point of climbing up all those stairs just to go back down another set? They could have had a door at the bottom and made this far more convenient. "Tlaloc has helped with spelling your rooms cooler," Xochiquetzal said. "He has a natural gift of such things. If it is still too warm, do let us know. We wouldn't want you uncomfortable."
"That's very thoughtful of you, and you have our thanks," Frigga said.
"Think nothing of it," Xochiquetzal said breezily.
Thor studied the deep carvings on the walls as they walked past depicting brilliantly colored Gods and Goddesses doing all manner of things only some of which he recognized. "Chalchiuhtlicue also wished to meet you, but we thought it best to wait until you were settled a bit more," Xochiquetzal said.
"And who is that?" Loki asked.
"Tlaloc's wife. She is a Goddess of many things, like most of us are, but she helps her husband very much with the waters and even helped with your room when she had the time," Xochiquetzal said. "And Ixtlilton said her help might be needed later on."
"Only possibly and if it is requested," Ixtlilton said firmly. "Do not get ahead of yourself Xochiquetzal."
Xochiquetzal huffed a bit but said nothing else. Instead, she opened the door to a large room at the end of the corridor they had been walking. A rush of almost shockingly cold air washed over them, and Thor heard Loki actually sigh softly. The group followed Xochiquetzal inside the room even as she explained that this would be Loki's quarters. There was a bed in the middle of the room with pale yellow netting of some sort draped around the mattress. Several fountains were bubbling along the walls and on the right side of the room, between two of these fountains, was a long heavy table piled high with platters of exotic fruits. A sizeable woven curtain was across one wall, and Thor could just see through the gap at the edge that there was another room beyond. A washroom perhaps.
Thor went across the room to where a giant set of open windows faced the water of the lake and the greenery covered mountainsides. Though the air coming in was cold, it had not escaped Thor's attention that Loki had kept his balcony locked since returning to his room in Asgard. "Is there a way to close these?" he asked Xochiquetzal.
The young Goddess looked over instantly. Xochiquetzal looked surprised that Thor was indicating the windows as if being able to close them never even occurred to her. "Oh, well, there isn't, but I suppose we could arrange something to make it possible."
"That would be best," Frigga said.
After a few more moments of showing them around and how to work a few of the mechanisms, Xochiquetzal left to go arrange for some way to seal the windows of the room. Loki laid back onto the bed and sighed. "The spell on these rooms is impressive," Loki murmured as he closed his eyes. "We should replicate it in Asgard."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Ixtlilton said. "I'm sure that Tlaloc will be more than happy to show you how he did it."
Loki sighed and put one hand up onto his forehead. Thor knew he wasn't asleep, but it was clear that Loki wasn't up for being social. Eir and Frigga also recognized it and asked Ixtlilton to show them around further. Thor thought briefly of going with them to give Loki absolute privacy but his need to make sure that Loki was safe overrode that, and he stayed behind.
Thor sat down on the edge of Loki's bed and forced himself to remain quiet. "Do you think they shall see me as a freak here?" Loki asked after several long minutes of nothing.
"I doubt it very much since you aren't one," Thor said.
Loki hummed but didn't open his eyes. Thor looked down at where Loki's other hand was resting across his abdomen and then back up at the mage's face. "Do you regret your decision?" Thor asked.
Loki did open his eyes then and lifted his head enough to look at Thor. He looked mildly confused, so Thor gestured to Loki's hand and ostensibly what was just under it. Loki looked down at his stomach as well, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "... I'm not sure," he said. "But I couldn't bring myself to kill it so... I suppose I had no other choice left."
Thor nodded even though he couldn't imagine. "It will be difficult for you to be here so long." Both for Loki and Thor. The last time Thor had been parted from his brother for so long, Loki had been falling through the Void and returned crazed. The idea of leaving him here even under the protection and care of other Gods left Thor uneasy, to say the least.
"I know," Loki said.
Silence fell between the two brothers and Thor wished he could give some advice or help beyond what he had been. But this was very much beyond his life experiences in either timeline. King Loki wouldn't even be of much help here as he'd admitted to not remembering much of the time he when was carrying Sleipnir. In fact, there was really only one person that Thor thought would have the information that might be vital to Loki's well-being and also be someone Loki would trust enough to take advice from. "Shall I ask Mother to call Gerd?"
Loki's head shot up at the mention of the half-Jotnar that had spent two years off and on teaching them about the Jotnar people. "Gerd?" Loki repeated.
Thor shrugged. "With the full-blooded Jotnar unable to leave Jotunheim except by Father's summons... Gerd would be the only one that has any knowledge of what you might be facing," Thor explained. Well, Thor was pretty confident that there were other half-Jotnar out there, but he didn't think many of them would be trusted like Gerd was.
"Thor, since when do you have good ideas?" Loki asked.
"I have good ideas all the time, Loki," Thor said. "Honestly, I'm not a complete idiot!"
Loki grinned. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm sure, you brat," Thor grumbled.
Loki's grin widened before abruptly falling. Thor didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong before his brother was nearly tumbling from the bed and rushing away. A moment later Thor heard Loki retching again and winced. Thor sighed and went to get a cup of water for his brother.
When Thor entered the bathing chamber where Loki had fled to, he saw Loki with one arm wrapped around his abdomen and an uncomfortable expression across his face. "If I knew what this thing wanted me to eat, I would. Just to stop vomiting all the time," Loki grumbled.
"Here, brother," Thor said as he held out the cup.
Loki opened his eyes and then sighed but took the drink. "Thank you, Thor," he muttered.
"Of course," Thor said as he sat down beside Loki. "I am sure the baby does not intend to make you so ill."
Loki snorted. "I know that, but still. Surely there must be something..."
"Would you like to try some of the fruit?" Thor asked. "We didn't have much of that on the trip, and it was out of season on Asgard. Perhaps it being fresh and not preserved will help?"
Loki didn't look convinced but agreed anyway. Thor thought his brother too exhausted by inadequate sleep and constant illness to bother trying to talk himself out of trying it. Still, Thor would take that over a continual need to be contrary any day. Thor came up short when he reached the table of fruit, however.
What even were these bizarre things? Were they edible at all? That one looked like some strange armored egg or something. Thor looked up and down the table until finally settling on something that looked like they were probably blueberries.
Thor returned to Loki who looked at the berries skeptically. It was only then that Thor recalled he hadn't had blueberries until he'd ventured to Midgard. Asgard didn't have blueberries. "What are these?" Loki asked curiously as he picked one up and examined it.
"I'm not sure... but of all the things on the table, these looked innocuous enough," Thor said. "Some of those so-called fruits I'm not even sure how you would eat them..."
Loki snorted but then cautiously put the berry he was holding in his mouth. Loki took an inordinately long amount of time to chew and swallow the single berry and then he paused for almost a full minute. "I'm fairly certain that the Aztlans wouldn't be poisoning you, Loki," Thor said once he realized what Loki was doing.
"Well, not on purpose," Loki replied. After that though, he did eat a little more normally. Once he was finished with the handful, he sat back against the wall. "I guess we'll see if fruit is the magical cure to my stomach troubles."
"Have some faith, brother!"
Loki gave Thor a sour look, but the young thunder god didn't take it to heart. Unfortunately, Loki's pessimism was proven correct when not even ten minutes later he was throwing up again. Thor could only rub his brother's back and hope that they found something he could eat soon.