‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Get somebody else to intervene. Preferably someone who’s dumb enough not to realize you’re using them. Thor’s a pretty good choice – I mean, he can obey simple instructions, as long as you feed him properly . . .’ At this point Thor gave a low growl, and I took the opportunity to deposit the piece of half-eaten pie onto the platter in front of him. ‘Or maybe you should ask Odin? That is, if he can somehow forget that you sold yourself to the Maggots, and all for the price of a necklace – oh, shouldn’t I have mentioned that?’ I bared my teeth in a savage grin. ‘It’s the Chaos in my blood. It sometimes drives me to misbehave. You’d know all about that, Freyja.’

Freyja assumed her Crone Aspect. Her skeletal face was terrible.

‘You need to get some beauty sleep,’ I said. ‘You’re getting wrinkles. And don’t drink so much beer tonight. You know it makes you fart in bed. Some men may like that kind of thing, but frankly, it’s unappealing.’

I know, I know. I was on fire. I couldn’t stop myself, which was, I suppose, part of the problem. Someone should have looked out for me. Someone should have stopped me.

Thor tried. ‘If you want a fight, don’t pick on a bunch of women. Fight like a man.’

‘The way you did at Thrym’s place, all dressed up like a bride?’

Thor took another step forward.

‘Or when the old woman wrestled you to the ground at Utgard-Loki’s banquet?’

Thor made a grab for me. I dodged and helped myself to wine. ‘Slowing down a bit, Thor,’ I said. ‘Mind you, the amount you eat, I’m not surprised. You should work out – better still, get Sif to lend you one of her corsets—’

Sif gave a wail of protest. ‘You animal! I do not wear corsets!’

That started me laughing, and once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. I went round all the circle of gods, and told them exactly what I thought. The Folk call it a flyting, a ritual name-calling ceremony, and it became a tradition. One of my many gifts to the Folk. Anger is often cathartic, a healing process at moments of stress, although I suppose that, at the time, I should perhaps have given it all just a little more thought.