Lean On Me (I Promise, I Will Not Fall)

Chapter 3

"Loki! Loki. Loki! Loki, Loki, Loki," Percy stood by the god's bed, poking his friend consistently in the stomach as he slept. "Lokes, come on, wake up! Loki, Loki, Loki, Lo-"

"Oh, my Odin, shut up," The god of mischief glared at his friend, who grinned cheekily at him. "Alright, I'm up now," He swatted his friend's hand away when he poked his side again. "What is it that you want?"

Percy rolled his eyes at the god's attitude, "Charming. Your mother said that you and I can go to the town and explore a little."

Finally, Loki's brain caught up to him as he woke up fully. First, Percy was in his room when they had just saw each other last night. Second, Percy was in the palace which he usually wouldn't be allowed entrance to. Thirdly, the other god had just said that his mother said that they could go out into the town.

Percy seemed to be waiting patiently as he sat on the side of Loki's bed, waiting for the god to reboot and come to life. He had a small smile on his face and his eyes were alight with happiness, like he knew this was something Loki had always wanted- the chance to do something without being watched every second of the day.

The chance to be free.

"Get up, Lokes," Percy poked his side again, seeming intent on pushing the other off the bed. "Come on, what are you, the god of sleep? Get uuuppppp!"

"Alright, alright," Loki sat up, running his hand through his hair, and pushing his friend off the side of his bed.

"Ow, meanie."

"How eloquent of you," The god of mischief grinned at his friend, who pouted up at him. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Well, I figured we'd just walk around and get something to eat and then you could meet my mom," Percy shrugged.

"Very well," Loki nodded and got up, intent on heading to his wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

Percy, however, stopped him, "Nuh uh, no way are you wearing that palace crap Odin makes you wear. We're going out into town and I don't know about you but, if I was one of the princes of Asgard, I wouldn't want anyone to recognize me. Here," He picked up a bag from where it was lying at the foot of the bed and tossed it to the god.

Loki made a small 'oof' sound as the bag hit his chest but caught it and peered inside. There was a simple black sleeveless shirt and dark pants. It was clear that the outfit was made to allow the person to blend easily with their surroundings- perfect for the god of mischief. "Thank you," He murmured, taking the items out and placing them on his bed.

Percy just waved him off and walked out, like this wasn't the first time he was allowed in the palace and inside Loki's chambers. He closed the door softly behind him and took a deep breath, turning his head to look to the side, "Son of Odin, you should know by now that you cannot sneak up on me."

Thor came out from a room, his face sheepish, "My apologies, Perseus. I did not want to disturb you while you were speaking with my brother."

"Mm," The young god nodded and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

"My mother told me that you do not wish to fight anymore yet you agreed to train me. May I ask why?"

It was true, Percy had told the blonde that he'd train him before he came to wake Loki. He wasn't exactly sure why except that something told him that he must. He allowed a small smile to grace his face as he looked at Thor, "To be honest, Thor, I do not know. You have the potential to be something great, to be greater than what Odin has planned for you. It would be my honor to assist you on that path."

Thor nodded in slight shock but inclined his head, "I thank you, Perseus. I know you do not wish to fight any longer and so your sacrifice is much appreciated."

"Your new training schedule will begin in four days at sunrise," Percy gave him a sharp look. "Do not be late."

"Of course," Thor smiled before walking off, knowing that the god wanted to spend the day with Loki in the town. Perhaps he'd go and see the Warrior Three and see what they were doing.

"Loki, are you done in there?" Percy opened the door and grinned at the sight of the god in normal attire, "Well, you look different."

"I feel ridiculous," The god of mischief mumbled, looking at himself in the mirror propped up on the side wall.

"You are used to wearing your palace clothes. I'll try and not feel too offended that you called it ridiculous, though."

"Oh, quiet," Loki grinned at his friend, stuffing his hands in the pockets the pants provided. "Shall we go?"

Percy smirked at his friend and gestured to the door, "We shall."

--

As it turned out, not many people recognized Loki as he and Percy walked down a street in the town. If they did, Percy sent them off running with one look before they could even utter a single word. It was a peaceful day and they enjoyed the cool air around them and the nice people who seemed unable to cause any harm (most times, that was a lie for anyone living in Asgard).

The two teens came to a stop in front of a brown cabin-like building, the porch lit with a few candles here and there. There were the soft sounds of a woman humming and quiet voices talking amongst each other. "Come on," Percy walked up the steps, gesturing for his friend to follow. "My mother is dealing with a patient at the moment but we can head to the back to wait for her to finish up."

"Alright," Loki nodded and looked around as they walked through the halls. It was almost like an actual house with paintings hanging around on the walls and candles lit to cast a warm glow around the area. Plush furniture was present in many of the rooms and Loki could see some people with bandages and other injuries laying around, seeming content where they are.

"Perseus?" A woman walked out of one of the rooms at the end of the hall, smiling at the green-eyed teen next to Loki. Her eyes widened a fraction when she spotted the god of mischief and her lips parted to form a small 'o', "Oh, dear, I didn't think you were serious when you said you were bringing one of the princes over." She ignored her son when he made an indignant look and walked over to Loki, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Loki. Perseus has told me a lot about you."

"The honor is mine," Loki said with a small smile. "Your work, what you do, is inspiring. I was wo-"

Before the godling could say anymore, there was a crash and some shouting as two men came running inside the house. There was a man supporting another man beside him and his friend's side and leg was bleeding furiously. The only lucid one didn't seem to know what to do as his eyes darted everywhere at once.

"Perseus-" His mother started.

"I know," The young god was already moving forward, snatching up gloves from one of the tables nearby and snapping them on. "Loki, come help me."

"Yes," The god of mischief hurried forward and helped his friend support the man.

"What happened?" Percy demanded, green eyes snapping up to meet the other man's.

"He was injured during training," The man supplied, looking at his friend worriedly.

Percy snorted and muttered, "Figures."

Loki stomped on his foot, giving him a pointed look that told him to shut up.

The water-user sighed and rolled his eyes, "Alright, let's bring him to the back. All of my supplies are in the other room anyway." He motioned for someone else to take the injured man and walked off with Loki, rubbing the back of his head and mumbling, "Stupid warriors, getting injured all the damn time..."