A Bang and a Whimper

13

A few days pass and Loki is avoiding Odin at all costs while Thor is trying to figure out how to navigate a world where his brother and father will not speak to one another, and likely for the best. To Thor, Jenna seems to not mind keeping these two worlds separate. She has been keeping parts of her life compartmentalized away from one another for so long that it seems only natural to her to keep them from overlapping. At least to him.

Jenna has celebrated a birthday without her mother already, and she sat silently through her mother's birthday. But this day is the most difficult of the anniversaries yet. The first anniversary of her mother's death. Her father is quiet when they wake in the morning. She knows he is thinking about Jane. She is, too. There is nothing they can say to one another to make things any easier, so instead they hug every time they see the other struggling to get through the day. After lunch, Thor is called to the throne room for an urgent conference about a small riot amongst the city's poor; Jenna heads straight for Loki's chambers.

Loki is sitting at his desk, papers spread around him, spilling onto the floor, a selection of drawing pencils scattered in front of him, when he hears her soft knock.

"Come." She does and he can immediately tell something is wrong. He puts down his pencil and turns to face her, "Jenna? Are you alright?"

"No. I'm not. Nothing about today is alright. At all."

Concerned, he leaves his desk and she meets him at the couch, "Do you care to talk about something?"

"It's Mother's deathday."

"Oh...." He opens his arms and she cuddles close, crying, "I am so sorry, child. So, so sorry."

"I can't talk to Father about all that is in my head. I know, we knew she would die, but that doesn't make it better. It just takes the edge off the surprise."

He holds her tightly, "Tell me what you need to say. I make no promises I can do anything but listen."

She wipes her eyes on her sleeves, "I don't want to hide Mother anymore. I am so tired of having to avoid conversations about her. Why can't Grandfather just get over his obsession with Aesir blood? Why does Father not think love is strong enough?"

"Oh little one...I now understand better why you come to me. We share this, don't we?"

"Somewhat. Grandfather took you in knowing what you are and they raised you. He still doesn't know about me and Father seems to think he cannot know. Is it really so much worse to be of Midgard?"

He sighs; he is not sure if this is a conversation he should have or if he should leave it for Thor, "Firstly, no, it is not bad to be of Midgard. Have you said anything of this to your father?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he cannot understand how much this hurts."

"And I can?"

"I think so. Father says you were taught to loathe what you are. And I think that is what I am learning from Grandfather...or, rather, from Father's silence. Midgardian is a problem. Thusly, I should be ashamed of being what I am."

"That is what I learned at Odin's knee, yes. The old stories made it quite clear that Jotunheim was a terrible realm with horrible monsters ruling it."

"So you at least understand that bit."

"Yes, yes I do. Jenna, it does not matter what your blood is. You are bright, you are kind, and you are the most incredible young lady I have ever known. There are those who will ignore all of that- all of the things you have worked to be- simply because of your mother's origin. This is wrong. This is what your father is trying to protect you from. He does not mean to say there is anything shameful about it, rather that there are those who are still so backwards that they cannot see the light."