The throne room was incredible. Not that I'd expected anything less, but the white pillars and sparkling white marble walls, with silver and gold fixtures, made everything that much more impressive. At the end of the huge space, stairs led up to the throne with a large golden male form seated and a female in dark green standing beside him, presumably King Odin and Queen Frigga. Too far away for me to see details as we approached, yet that there was a single throne, not a second for the queen, had me frowning.

"Queen Frigga doesn't get to sit?" I asked Shannon. Was Asgard that much of a patriarchy? I'd thought females had equal rights here.

"They don't spend an inordinate amount of time in here, but like Loki, she conjures one if she wants one," Shannon said. "Usually she likes to move around, and is often dealing with things elsewhere."

As we got closer, a little boy in the in-between phase of baby and toddler gave an excited squeal on Odin's lap. A swirl of rainbow lights was the only clue before the child popped into the air in front of Shannon. She caught the giggling dark haired baby, smooching him on both cheeks and hugging him as he patted her on the face, saying "Mama... Mama... Mama!"

Loki laughed and kissed Aidan on the top of the head. "I think our little boy has missed you, darling. He hasn't even taken his eyes off you to notice me, yet."

I bit my lip in amusement because that wasn't all Aidan was doing. Those little hands were patting at her chest and he kept leaning down towards her breasts. Obviously it wasn't just his mother he'd missed. He was hungry and not shy about letting her know.

"Aidan has good taste," I said to Loki.

He chuckled. "He does indeed."

The tall, emerald-garbed woman with ebony hair joined us. Her green eyes, so like Loki's, danced when she saw Aidan's antics.

"We are relieved to have you home, Shannon, but before Aidan serenades us with his displeasure, perhaps you should feed him. It's clear he's not going to be appeased with a bottle after being apart from you for three weeks," she said. "Odin understands the necessity, but Loki can hide you if you are uncomfortable. It is just us here and I'll seal the room."

She gestured and a wide chair appeared behind Shannon in a swirl of green seidhr. As Aidan's little face reddened and screwed up to howl, Shannon shifted her armour and leathers to expose her breast. Aidan's cry died mid-wail as he latched on and Shannon winced at his enthusiasm. She sank down on the chair with a sigh, cradling her son.

"Thank you, Frigga." Shannon stroked Aidan's hair, smiling as his frantic sucking had calmed.

I couldn't take my eyes off them. She positively glowed with Aidan in her arms.

"Beautiful, isn't it," Loki said quietly.

"Yes," I breathed.

"Mother, I'd like you to meet Prince Elatha, my consort and soulmate," Loki said, his hand warm on my lower back. "Elatha, this is Queen Frigga, the All-Mother."

Tearing my gaze from Shannon and Aidan, I met the kind eyes of Queen Frigga and suddenly realized I didn't know what to call her. Eels twisted in my belly. I opened my mouth, closed it again, and then said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Queen Frigga."

Her smile widened and she drew me in for a warm hug. "Don't worry, Elatha. Shannon didn't know our customs and protocols either when she arrived. We'll teach you. When we are in the presence of non-family members, you should call me Queen Frigga, All-Mother, or my queen, if that is acceptable to you with your mother also being your queen. Otherwise, please simply call me Frigga. I am overjoyed to welcome you to Asgard and our family."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Thank you," I managed.

She released me. "I was prepared to love you already for how you saved Shannon and Aidan last year. Having you join our family as Loki and Shannon's consort and soulmate is simply caramel sauce on a perfect apple tart."

Heat rose in my cheeks as my stomach settled. It was impossible to not be put at ease in her presence. I had no doubt she was powerful—she was Loki's aunt as well as adoptive mother—but it was the kindness in her eyes that drew me in. I couldn't help but feel accepted.

"My love, please introduce me to our newest family member that saved our wonderful daughter, our grandson, and now has returned my eldest son to me," said a richly timbered voice from behind us.

I spun and took in the immense presence of King Odin, power radiating from him now that he was within a few metres of us. In black leather and liquid gold armour, he was larger than Thor or Baldur. A golden eyepatch covered one eye and his other shone blue with piercing interest. A wide, strong jaw was covered with a neatly trimmed beard and braids drew long white hair back from his tanned face. The sense of age from him was an ache in my bones, yet he didn't seem to be exerting any deliberate force. Despite the small smile on his lips and curious tilt to his head, the hair on my nape rose. This was someone I did not want to make angry with me. Ever.

"King Odin, All-Father, this is Prince Elatha of Fomora, consort and soulmate to both Shannon and Loki," Frigga said.

Odin's eye widened. "So it is true. The Norns did bond the three of you."

"Yes," Loki confirmed.

"King Odin, I'm honoured to meet you," I said, bowing deeply. There was no way I wanted to disrespect him. The power beating at me would squash me into a jellyfish.

Odin reached out and caught me by the forearms, lifting me, and I gasped at the energy surging into me from the points of contact. It circled between our bodies like I'd caught an electric eel in hand, prickling my skin with waves of gooseflesh.

"No son, you don't bow to me. We're family. You just incline your head," Odin said, his lips tilted upward at the corners. "Another for your etiquette lessons, Frigga."

Son. My heart pounded. By the first shell, I hadn't expected that, but I couldn't deny the warmth that bloomed within me at his welcome.

"We can learn together, Elatha," Shannon called out.

"And it is I who is honoured to welcome you to our family, Elatha. Clearly, Loki is such a troublemaker, he requires two soulmates to keep him in line," Odin teased, his blue eye glinting.

"Hey!" protested Loki.

I couldn't help but smile at the banter, feeling the churning nerves within me ease, although the energy still rippling over my skin from the point of contact of Odin's hands on my arms was distracting.

"Now, my newest son, as I do for all my children, I would like to give you an ability. I've been reading your Atlantean energies and genetic code—forgive an old man for his indulgence, but I needed to see if I could—and I believe I am able to imbue you with an ability. What can I give you?" he asked, his gaze intent as he held my eyes.

My lungs froze and it took several heartbeats before I drew in a shaking breath. "An ability? You mean like a power such as Loki's ability to conjure or Shannon's ability to manipulate air?"

"Yes. I can sense you are already able to manipulate water in all its forms. You also have some characteristics of a fertility god, although the genes are slightly different in your case," Odin said.

Stunned, my thoughts flashed on idea after idea like the taunting light of a lantern fish, but then the most obvious choice bubbled to the forefront. My wish to be able to fully participate with my soulmates, regardless of where they were.

"I'd like to be able to go with Loki and Shannon wherever they chose to spend their time, including Litaui, but..." I gestured to myself. "I don't blend with mortal skin tones or eyes. Being able to shapeshift or create illusions would allow me to be with them without Loki having to do it for me or relying on Fomorian camouflage technology. Would you be able to give me either of those as an ability?" I asked.

Odin smiled, a surprisingly gentle understanding in his eye. "Those are wise choices, but I believe shapeshifting will give you the greater flexibility and enable you to not only be with them amongst mortals, but also fly. An illusion can't give you that."

Energy surged even more strongly from his hands into my arms, penetrating into my veins with a heated electricity that made every sense spark. I heard the individual beats of my heart, smelled ozone in the air, and Odin's breath tickled the hairs on my face. My skin was alive and somehow, told me the location of every person in the room in a way I only usually experienced in the water, from Baldur and Isis quietly talking with Frigga, to Loki sitting beside Shannon as she burped a sleepy-eyed Aidan on her shoulder while they watched Odin and I. Every part of my body from my toes to fingertips tingled.

When he released me, I staggered, breath whooshing out in a rush.

Odin chuckled. "Yes, you are definitely their soulmate. Loki, Shannon, hand over that gorgeous son of yours and take Elatha back to your rooms. His genetics are close enough to a fertility god that I suspect he'll have the same side effects to the gift I've bestowed."

I heard his words, but simply swayed in place. A heat had started to build in my skin, sinking deeper by the second as I panted in place.

Shannon appeared in front of me, handing a drowsy Aidan to Odin, kissing Odin's cheek and then turning to me with a grin. Loki said a few words to Odin, then turned to me, a similar grin on his face.

My eyes widened when the heat reached my groin and I almost jerked in place, nostrils flaring at the intensity of desperate need.

"Please," I managed.

"We know," they both said as they walked to me and wrapped arms around me.

In the next second, everything blurred.