She called the King of Asgard a bitch. It was a strange thought, and it plagued Naomi's mind as they traveled to a more comfortable location. After she let the name 'Goddess of Death' slip, Odin had avoided interrogation by moving the party elsewhere. Currently, the old man was leading them around the hallways of the palace, with his two sons following behind at an awkward distance from each other. Naomi trailed behind, her eyes glued to her phone as she processed the events so far. She knew she was missing out on some fantastic alien architecture, but it had been so long since she scrolled through her photo gallery of Marvel shitposts- her largest album- and she needed a break from everything. From meeting her second prince to cursing out his adoptive father, it had been an interesting day for the regional office worker.

Distraced by a Peter Parker shitpost, she hardly noticed that the two men walking ahead of her were slowly decreasing their pace, leading her to walk straight between them. Flanked by Thor and Loki, the two tried inconspicuously to peer over her shoulder. Of course, Thor was much more obvious about it.

"Pray tell, who is 'Aunt May and Peter?'" Loki spoke out from beside her, successfully scaring Naomi to release a series of mumbled curses as she flinched. Much to her embarrassment, both men found this funny, and shamelessly grinned at her teasingly. Her face flushed for the umpteenth time, Naomi shot a nervous look at Loki before clearing her throat. The close proximity to him was fogging her thoughts- even more so than Thor had.

"Um, well they're- Peter is Tony's kid." She decided, cringing at herself and avoiding their gazes, staring ahead at Odin's back. Much to her relief, Thor let out an 'ah' of revelation, having already been informed of Tony's 'son.'

"Yes, the spider-boy, you've told me of him." He nodded, comforting Naomi out of her disconcerted state. She shot a light smile at him, becoming less and less likely to blush from Thor's words by the second. His brother was stealing the spotlight from him in that category, though unknowingly.

Seeking attention, Loki switched to walking backwards, facing Thor and Naomi with a charismatic smile. His stride managed to stay seemingly effortless even as he switched positions, definitely not helping Naomi's cheeks.

"You seem to know much, my lady." He commented, his tone deceivingly light. Loki cocked his head to the side, raising a brow, "You are a true prophet, then?" Naomi contemplated his question, his curiosity making her suspicious. She believed Loki was a good person, definitely, but he also loved chaos and had no reason to care for her well-being yet.

"Technically, no." She spoke in an overly hushed tone, a shakily secretive smile on her lips. "But don't tell Odin that."

Loki chuckled, his grin creasing his eyes and nearly giving her a heart attack. Naomi's soft spot for him was quickly becoming a health problem.

"Then I look forward to figuring you out." The green-eyed god dipped his head to her before turning around, their party having arrived in a large conference hall. Naomi paid no attention to the glistening gold around her as she thought over Loki's words. It was a strange mixture of an invitation and a threat, something only Loki could achieve and still send her heart into acrobatics. A lightly giddy smile spread onto Naomi's face as she realized it meant she would be talking with Loki more in the future- especially if they were brining him along on the ride.

Unfortunately, she was snapped out of her bliss when Odin cleared his throat, taking a seat at the head of the over-sized table. It might have looked silly to only have four seated where thirty could easily fit- Odin at the head with Thor and Naomi sharing a side, Loki distancing himself from all of them. Meeting eyes with the vexing King pushed away any ditzy thoughts about Loki cluttering her mind.

"The girl is to remain silent." Odin declared, staring her down as Naomi's eyes widened with disbelief. To have the audacity to refer to her as 'girl,' straight to her face, was almost comically rude. Especially considering that the attempted-tyrant of Earth had called her 'my lady.' It was offensive to the point that Naomi even forgot her nervousness around Loki. With a cocked eyebrow, Naomi turned to face him across the table, mouthing 'this bitch,' nodding to Odin. Meeting her gaze, Loki smirked at her, replying with 'I know.'

No doubt this exchange went observed by both Odin and Thor alike, but neither chose to comment on it, saving Naomi from any more embarrassment.

"Father," Thor interrupted, "why must the lady Swanson be silent?" Naomi smiled at Thor's sweet sentiments, touched instead of blushing.

"She is a disruption." Odin decided with an air of finality. Of course, one person in the room simply couldn't bare but to question such a statement, if only to annoy his father.

"And yet she had spoken nothing but the truth." Loki's tone was teasing, meant more to prod at Odin than to compliment Naomi. But that didn't stop her from reading into it extensively, sending Loki an appreciative look.

'Masterpiece,' she mouthed slyly, referring to her earlier praise of his self-written tragedy. Loki tilted his head back, his eyes prideful as his lips curled into a smile. Mischievously, he sent a quick wink her way- almost tauntingly, yet with a pleased air. Of course, this immediately sent Naomi's poor heart into palpitations, tearing her eyes away from his amused face with a prayer she didn't resemble a firetruck.

"Brother." Thor said, crossing his arms with a fondly reprimanding look. Loki's response was a simple shrug, deceitfully innocent. He was enjoying the little family reunion- or he was simply pretending to. Even though Naomi had watched Loki on screen dozens of times, and picked apart his sentences and expressions for hidden meaning with hundreds of others, sitting in front of him was something else entirely. He was guarded, that she could tell, but it hadn't been long enough to be able to see past his charismatic facade.

"That is enough," Odin said. "The fate of Asgard has yet to be secured, thanks to Loki's carelessness with the throne. I will not have my sons squabbling like children." He seethed, curling his lip in disdain as he surveyed them. Thor straightened, the words taking their effect. Loki did not change his posture out of quiet defiance, but his joking expression fell- his face smoothing over like a statue. Shocked at the change in them, Naomi's brow furrowed as she looked between the two men, somber as they listened to their fathers harsh words. It arose a new sense of anger in Naomi, quiet and smoldering when her cherished heroes slumped like kicked puppies. Her face screwed up in disgust as she stood taller, staring into Odin's eye challengingly. Perhaps she was overreactive, and overprotective, but witnessing his effect in person was devastatingly repulsive.

"Now I can see in person what kind of father you are." Her eyes locked onto his, she stood slowly, her chair scraping against the gilded tile. It was a foolish move to defy the King twice in a day, but it didn't occur to Naomi when the brothers happy atmosphere was extinguished like it was nothing. "You treat them like soldiers, you cast them out when they don't listen to everything you say!" Her eyes were ablaze and her rage grew to match Odin's, who joined her in standing, pressing his hands onto the table until his knuckles turned white. She knew better than many what his rage could entail, yet Naomi continued on.

"Though I suppose Thor and Loki are supposed to be grateful, since you haven't imprisoned them in Hell," Naomi's voice rose to a shout. "Like you did your first daughter!" She jabbed a finger at him, directing all the blame with a gesture as the princes whipped their heads to face Odin. They wore matching expressions of shock and confusion, seeking confirmation on her wild accusation.

"Your firstborn, Hela the Goddess of Death! You threw her away and you-"

"ENOUGH!" Odin screamed, silencing Naomi. For a second, the room fell silent with tension. Thor looked to Odin as Loki looked at Naomi, both of whom were breathing heavily with the effort of their anger. Then the moment passed, and Odin leaned back from the table. A strange sense of calm washed over him as he took his seat, bewildering Naomi, who remained standing. He looked to her, deadpan, his voice lazy as he called out.

"Guards."

Without hesitation, the conference room doors opened to reveal a set of royal guards, sharpened spears resting in their fists. Realization dawned on Naomi as she turned between the new arrivals and the King.

"Arrest her."

They started toward her, hands clasping their spears tightly in case she resisted. Her heart dropped as the pair crossed the room, dead set on her. Thor quickly stood in protest, Loki joining after with a genuinely troubled expression. However, a barked order from their father silenced them, their cries falling on deaf ears. Naomi's heart beat erratically out of fear, her limbs stiffening as they grabbed her arms, a guard on each side. Her hands were forced behind her back and secured tightly as Odin watched on with a placated expression. Her eyes caught Thor's as they began to roughly pull her away from the table. His eyes were saddened at the sight of her being taken away, but his stance was aggressive- it gave Naomi hope that Thor would fight for her release.

Sliding her eyes away from Thor, her gaze locked with an emerald green one- filled with a look of melancholy recollection. Loki no doubt remembered being 'escorted' away from Odin in the past. Nevertheless, he was disappointed to watch her leave, giving Naomi a small piece of comfort.

Stumbling, Naomi pulled against the guards just before they reached the door, pressing for a final moment in the room. She used it wisely, meeting stares with the King of Asgard to have the last word.

"Bitch," She spat.