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until the day you die.”
    “I’ll have you exorcised.”
    “You can’t exorcise a god.”
    “You’re not a god. You’re a demon.”
    Loki’s body appeared to join his face and he stood in front of her on the platform. “That’s just bad press. People can’t help wanting a villain.”
    She stared at the figure in front of her. He had an over-sized hooked nose, long hair, and a pointed black beard. He wore outlandish red clothes and appeared to have a pot belly. His twinkling eyes watched her examining him.
    “Impressive, right?” Loki said.
    “Not really,” she said. “Not compared to Thor.”
    He shook his head and laughed. “Trying to make me jealous? Don’t worry, I don’t envy that lunk head. You ever notice the ones making the most noise are the stupidest? All that thunder is just the echoes from inside his empty head.”
    “You’re not a demon?”
    “I’m a bona fide god. Promise. And I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
    “Waiting for me?”’
    “For someone as noble as you. You’re special.”
    “That’s what all con-men say,” Katie said.
    Loki grinned and spread his hands. “You got me. I was getting a little desperate. It’s been a decade since I had a host. You do seem quite noble, though. Giving up your god for your father is a nice thing to do. So tell me about yourself.”
    She suddenly felt awkward. “I’m Katie Spears. I’m seventeen and I go to school.”
    “What do you dream of? What do you want to be? Who do you love? Who do you hate?”
    “I want to work on a space program. And I don’t hate anyone.”
    “So you do love someone.”
    “That’s none of your business.” She blushed.
    “For another time,” Loki said. “I’m afraid you won’t be working on any space program. You’re going to be a vampire hunter.”
    “A vampire hunter?”
    “Well,” Loki said. “General hunter of the forces of darkness. But Katie Spears, vampire hunter, has a better ring to it than Katie Spears, general hunter of the forces of darkness, including, but not exclusively, vampires.”
    “How am I meant to hunt something that doesn’t exist?”
    “Like Godchosen don’t exist? Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to fight them. My apprentices rarely die.”
    “Die?”
    “Rarely,” Loki said. “I’m quite old, you know, and pretty powerful. I can move a lot more things than most gods.”
    “Like what?” Katie asked.
    Loki looked around them and pointed to a wastepaper bin nearby. It rocked back and forth in the wind, seeming on the precipice of tipping. As he pointed, it fell over.
    “Wow,” Katie said. “I’m impressed. When do we start fighting vampires with your incredible powers of vandalism?”
    “Don’t be cheeky.”
    “Thanks, but no thanks. You keep your powers and I’ll go back to my normal life.”
    Something tugged at her hand and her fingers separated, her train ticket slipping out. It tumbled through the air to land on the tracks in front of her. She turned and scowled at Loki. “Give that back.”
    “No. Not if you’re going to keep being rude.”
    “I’m sorry. Give it back. I don’t have money for another one.”
    “I’ll make a deal with you,” Loki said. “A ticket for a symbol.”
    “What symbol?”
    “My symbol. When you get home, you have to carve my symbol onto a piece of wood and carry it with you.”
    “To become a vampire hunter?”
    “That comes later,” Loki said. “Vampires are repelled by religious symbols, so long as the person believes in the god. If you carve my symbol, it can protect you from any vampires you might encounter in your day-to-day life.”
    “My name isn’t Buffy,” Katie said.
    Loki frowned. “No, it’s Katie. Do we have a deal? A ticket for a symbol?”
    “Fine,” she said. “A ticket for a symbol, but no vampire hunting.”
    Loki shrugged and frowned at the ticket on the tracks. It fluttered in the wind and didn’t move.
    “Having trouble?” Katie asked.
    The ticket flapped and flew