The Fox and the Hound (A Poki Story)

Ch IX - Pancakes and Books

The best way to start the day? Blue pancakes. Percy hadn't had blue pancakes since before he had landed in Greece. He was so ready to eat some.

Percy pulled pancake mix, blue dye, and a pan from various cupboards. He set all the ingredients on the counter, clapping his hands in anticipation. 

"What are you doing?" 

Percy slammed his hand to his chest and turned to stare in surprised at Loki. "You scared the Hades out of me!"

Loki didn't react to Percy's little show and instead cocked his head at the other. 

"If you must know," Percy said, mocking Loki's accent. "I'm making pancakes."

"And the blue dye?"

"It's an inside joke." Percy smiled at the memories. "My stepdad had said, one time, that blue food didn't exist. So every day after, my mom would go out of her way to prove him wrong. She'd bring home blue candy for me and make most of the food we ate blue. Her blue cookies were the best!" Percy laughed, a reminiscent but sad look on his face. Then it was gone, replaced with the smiling boy from earlier. "You want some?"

Loki shrugged. "I suppose." He sat on one of the many stools at the island. 

While Percy went through the steps of making the pancakes, Loki watched. The agent's movements were fluid and determined. There seemed to be a purpose to everything he did. Everything he said.

Percy placed a plate stacked high with blue pancakes on the island. Loki reached to grab one but Percy slapped his hand away. "You can't just have them plain," the demigod said. He turned back and after a while of clanking, Percy placed another plate, a fork and a bottle of maple syrup in front of the god. "Put one on your own plate, put a bit of syrup on it and eat it with the fork," Percy instructed. 

Loki didn't argue. If he was to stay on Midgard, he needed to learn their customs, even if they seemed bizarre to him. 

Percy watched intently as Loki took a bite of the pancake. "So?" Percy drawled.

"These are... amazing. We have nothing like it on Asgard." Loki had a small twinkle in his eye as he continued to dig into the breakfast.

"I was going to make blue cookies for later." Percy turned to clean up the mess he had made on the counter. 

Through a mouth full of pancake, Loki said, "I would wove to try them."

Percy chuckled, "Chew before you speak."

Loki ignored him and went back to scarfing down the pancakes.

Footsteps alerted the two to the approach of the rest of the Avengers. "I smell pancakes!" Clint slid to a stop in front of the island. "Are they supposed to be blue?" he asked, in complete confusion.

"It is an inside joke," Loki answered, smirking. Percy smiled back. "Try some, they are good."

Clint shrugged and grabbed one off the pile, rolling it up and eating it like a blue burrito. Loki gave Percy a questioning look, as if to say, Why didn't you slap his hand away?

Percy just smirked cheekily at him.

The rest of the Avengers made themselves plates and slowly trickled out of the kitchen to their various duties. Which left the Trickster and the demigod alone, again. 

Loki had been holding back this question for a while, but couldn't any more. "The other day, when Clint asked if you were single, you were not lying."

"And?" Percy asked. He could already see where this was going.

"Your choice of words was... peculiar. You know I'm the god of lies?"

Percy nodded. "It was in your SHIELD file."

"The words 'I wish' could be seen in two different ways." Loki sighed. "What I am trying to say, are you actually single?"

Percy could feel his heart skip a beat. "I had a girlfriend, yes. But I've changed since I last saw her and... I don't know. I don't know where she is. Where any of my friends or family are." Percy took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears from coming, but it didn't work. "They were supposed to be at camp, but camp isn't there. And I'm scared to look for my mom. I don't want her to be gone too."

Loki couldn't help but feel sorry. "I should not have asked."

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Percy left quickly, his head low. Loki watched him leave, not knowing what to do.

Seconds after Percy left, Tony came in. Fury was radiating off of the billionaire.

"Why was he crying?" Tony asked the god. "Did you make him cry?!"

"I did not-"

Tony cut him off. "Oh, you didn't mean to. Well that's so much better. I thought we agreed not to ask questions. We were supposed to let him open up on his own!" Tony jabbed a finger in Loki's face. "And I thought you were free. Why are you even still here?"

Loki held himself higher. He couldn't let Tony get to him. "I do not know why, but it is obvious I'm not welcome anymore. I shall take my leave." Loki shoved past Tony and out the door, not looking back. He wasn't going to stay gone, though. For now, he was going to the library. Time for some research.

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Loki had already searched every other section of the library, and was starting to tire, but he had to finish. Onto the fiction section. Not somewhere he would frequent often, but he had a hunch.

He paused at the authors with 'r' names. Rick Riordan. Loki had never heard of him, but that might be because he wrote children's books. The Kane Chronicles, lame. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. What would a mortal know about Asgard?

Loki's eyes widened at the next one. Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Five books in the series. Loki took one of each book and sat at the closest table. Time for some reading.

Three days later.

When Loki marched through the elevator doors, Percy was instantly on his feet. "Where have you been?!"

"Didn't know you cared. I was at the library," he lifted up the stack of books as proof.

"For three days? You scared me!"

"I-" Loki was speechless. "I don't understand."

Percy sighed. "You may not think so, but someone cares. I care!"

"I am sorry. But I found something," Loki placed the pile of books on a coffee table. "Your life story, written in five books."

Percy was silent as he scanned the summaries of the books. "What the?"

"Everything you told us and more," Loki explained.

"Did you-?"

Loki nodded. "Yes, I read the books."

Percy closed The Battle of the Labyrinth, which he had started flipping through. "So you know about Annabeth." It wasn't a question.

Loki diverted the conversation. "This would prove my theory."

"The different universe thing. Here, I'm just a fictional character. But if this isn't my universe, then how do I get back?"

"There is a possibility, but we are missing something." Loki paused, thinking.

After a moment, Percy asked, "That something?"

Suddenly, Thor came thundering in. "Brother, Loki!"

Loki sighed, annoyed at being cut off. "What is so urgent you had to interrupt us?"

"Asgard. Asgard has been attacked!"