chapter 316

    A bit of a more insightful chapter. Also there''s a small R-18 scene.

    Chapter 316:

    – Layla –

    The sky outside Asgard’s walls was perfectly clear, the perfect backdrop for my daughters’ first real flying lesson.

    Hilga, Sia, and Lia—my precious trio of cuteness and chaos—hovered in front of me, their little black wings fluttering in excitement. It was adorable, really, watching their tiny forms bobbing unsteadily in the air.

    “Alright, girls,” I said, grinning as I adjusted my stance mid-air. “Flying isn’t just about looking cute—even if you’ve already nailed that part. You’ve gotta know how to control your speed and balance. Watch me.”

    I spread my wings wide, feeling the familiar pull of the air against them. “To slow down, you spread your wings out like this. Make yourself as big as possible. It’s like hitting the brakes.” I demonstrated, coming to a smooth halt mid-air. “And if you wanna speed up, flap them like you mean it, but in rhythm. Like this.” With a few strong beats, I shot forward, then circled back to them.

    Hilga clapped her hands. “Mommy, you’re so fast!”

    “Of course I am, sweetheart,” I said, puffing up a little. “I’m your mom, after all.”

    Sia, the most curious of the three, tilted her head. “Do we have to flap all the time? It’s kinda hard.”

    “Good question,” I said, ruffling her hair as I hovered closer. “You don’t actually need to flap at all if you don’t want to. Your wings are basically magic. Think about where you want to go, and they’ll take you there. But flapping helps for sharp turns or extra speed. It’s all about knowing what works for you.”

    Lia, the quietest of the trio, was already experimenting, gliding in slow, deliberate circles. “Like this?” she asked, her little voice carrying over the wind.

    “Exactly like that, Lia,” I said, beaming. “You’re a natural.”

    Down on the ground, Hela, Rias, and Sona were watching us with varying degrees of interest. Hela leaned casually against a tree, her dark armor gleaming in the sunlight. Rias and Sona stood next to her, Rias with her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips, while Sona looked more reserved, as always.

    “They’re doing great, Layla,” Rias called up. “Must’ve gotten their flying skills from their mom.”

    “Obviously,” I shot back, giving her a wink. “They’re perfect, like me.”

    "I was talking about me and Sona." Rias pouted. "And Hela I guess, but she can''t fly..."

    Hela snorted. "I can fly just fine while standing on one of my conjured swords."

    "We all know that doesn''t count," Rias smirked.

    Hela simply pouted and shook her head. Had any person outside of our group openly made fun of Hela like this, they would have been in for a world of hurt, but we all knew Hela was a softy when it came to all of our beautiful lovers. Besides...she''d probably just punish Rias for her words later in the bedroom and I''m sure Rias would enjoy it.

    I called out to the three women below. Telling them to come up into the sky and join us!

    Sona and Hela immediately took to the air, much to our kids'' excitement, but I noticed something was up with Rias. She suddenly looked like she was staring off into space...

    – Rias –

    A few months ago...

    Rias had lost track of how many times she’d paced across the polished floor of Layla’s penthouse. The place felt emptier now, quieter—too quiet. Nearly two years had passed since Layla disappeared, leaving her entire harem worried about her. Tonight, though, Hela had called a meeting, gathering every woman who’d ever been part of Layla’s life.

    It was a hell of a lineup. Hela stood at the head of the room. Natasha lounged on a chair near the window, her expression carefully neutral. Yasaka, regal as ever, sat with her hands folded, her tails swishing slowly as she waited for them to start. Sif leaned against the wall, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Rias herself perched on one of the plush couches, next to Sona, who was busy pretending to scroll through her phone. Artemis, Serafall, and even Lady Death had shown up.

    That last one was kind of a surprise.

    The kids, thankfully, were being watched by Frigga and Hestia—the only silver lining in this whole mess.

    “So,” Rias started, breaking the awkward silence. “Is this about Layla’s ship getting stolen by her space dog?”

    Hela actually chuckled at that. “No. But we can talk about that after. I called you all here because the topic of this meeting is important.”

    The topic was, of course, Layla.

    Hela didn’t waste time sugarcoating things. “Look, it’s been two years. We all know what that means. Layla’s harem—this harem—is on the verge of breaking apart.”

    Rias wanted to argue, to claim that wasn’t true, but she couldn’t. She’d had more than a few quiet conversations with Sona over the past year, and they both knew the truth. Layla had swept them off their feet when they were both young, horny devils. Then came the whirlwind romance, the pregnancies, the promises of forever. Eighteen years of commitment wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of her eternal life, but Rias couldn’t deny she sometimes wondered if she’d committed too soon. Sona had admitted to feeling the same.

    As Rias scanned the room, she realized she wasn’t alone. A lot of the women looked uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact or fidgeting. The only ones who outright declared they would never leave Layla were Hela, Lady Death, and, surprisingly, Yasaka.

    “The biggest issue,” Hela continued, “is that some of you feel like Layla doesn’t spend as much time with you as she could.”

    “So good~” Layla purred.

    The two of them stayed in that position for a few moments, their bodies entwined and their breaths gradually slowing. Layla placed soft kisses on the back of Rias’s neck, her lips leaving a trail of hickies as she whispered how beautiful Rias was and how much she adored her!

    Rias smiled, hearing all of those words. ‘Yep, this was definitely a relationship worth keeping,’ Rias thought to herself, her heart swelling with love and satisfaction...

    – Hela –

    Hela couldn’t help but shake her head when Layla and Rias finally reappeared, a full half hour after disappearing. Rias’s crimson hair was slightly messy, and Hela was pretty sure she spotted a few love marks on the sides of the devil’s neck. Subtle, they were not.

    Rias and Layla both blushed under Hela’s knowing stare, like teenagers caught sneaking out past curfew. Luckily, the kids playing in the sky with Sona didn’t seem to notice their brief absence—or the very adult reason behind it.

    “Did you two have fun?” Hela teased.

    Layla flashed a bright smile and placed a quick kiss on Rias’s cheek, making the devil blush even harder. “Yep! We had a lot of fun. Although...” Layla’s grin turned mischievous. “We forgot to grab whatever Rias left in her bedroom. We might have to go back and search for it again.” She giggled, clearly daring Hela to stop her.

    “Not happening.” Hela shut that idea down immediately. “You two were already gone for half an hour. This was supposed to be a family day, so fly back up there and start teaching our children how to do a proper...what is the Midgardian term?” She paused, thinking. “Ah, yes. A proper barrel roll.”

    Layla’s eyes lit up with delight. “When did you become so cultured, Hela!?”

    Hela blushed. “I’ve been studying Earth memes in my free time so I can keep up with your humor, my love,” she admitted with a touch of pride.

    Layla’s laughter rang out as she shot into the air, calling out to Hilga, Sia, and Lia. “Alright, girls! We’re playing air tag now. And guess what? Sona’s it!” Without missing a beat, she swooped down and tapped Sona on the shoulder, tagging her.

    Sona let out an exaggerated pout. “That’s not fair! I wasn’t ready!” she protested, but she took off after Layla anyway.

    Hela turned back to Rias, her smirk firmly in place. “Good job,” she said.

    Rias didn’t miss a beat, smirking right back.

    – Loki –

    ''Well, this certainly hadn’t gone according to plan,'' Loki thought to himself, slouching in his chair with as much dignity as someone in handcuffs could muster. The interrogation room was as drab and lifeless. Bare walls, a table bolted to the floor, and a single, flickering light overhead. The chains binding his arms to the table looked ordinary enough, but no amount of Asgardian—or Jotun—strength could break them.

    Whoever had captured him had clearly done their homework.

    And, to top it all off, they’d been incredibly rude, leaving him here to stew for hours. Loki sighed loudly, just to remind whatever unseen audience might be watching that he was, in fact, still here.

    Finally, the door swung open with an air of dramatic finality. A man strolled in, dressed like a Midgardian cop straight out of a cheesy 2000s crime drama. Loki raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

    “Loki Odinson,” the man said, his tone flat but somehow smug at the same time. “You’re not exactly a rare sight around here. Although...” He cocked his head, looking Loki over like he was a particularly confusing puzzle piece. “We have no idea exactly which universe you came from this time. Welcome to the TVA!” he declared as if Loki was supposed to know what that was.

    The guy then dramatically reached into his pocket and dropped a blue stone onto the table in front of Loki with a heavy thunk.

    The Space Stone.

    The whole reason Loki had gotten himself into this mess in the first place. Why had he thought taking it was a good idea again?

    Oh, right. Because it was shiny!

    He’d hadn’t been able to resist. It had been sitting there, practically begging to be taken. He wasn’t planning to keep it forever, of course—he wasn’t completely foolish. Making an enemy of that overpowered fallen angel goddess was not on his to-do list. He’d just wanted to play around with it for a while, maybe stir up a bit of harmless chaos, and then return it in a few months.

    But now, here he was, handcuffed in some ridiculous bureaucratic nightmare of a room.

    “That stone doesn’t belong to you,” Loki said.

    The man smirked. “It does now. I think I''ll add it to my collection of them!”

    "Your funeral I suppose. I''m pretty sure Layla doesn''t like people stealing from her." Loki pointed out. He actually hoped the guy would fuck around and find out.

    More entertainment for him that way!

    The TVA cop, or agent, or whatever he was narrowed his eyes at Loki. "And who exactly is Layla...?"

    "Wouldn''t you like to know." Loki smirked.

    "Yes, I very much would..."

    XXX