Recompense [Fólkvangr End, Book 1] [Loki Fanfiction]

Chapter Two

Author's Note: I apologize for the slow start, and I'm just saying, the updates won't pick up for a while--until this story gathers a fanbase and until I've further developed the plot. Here's just the next brief tidbit for now and that will be it for a while, I guess.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Everything is property of Marvel, except for the fictional plot, and my own fictional characters.

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"I'm sorry I called you a creep," I apologize quietly as Thor sidles up next to me on the love seat. He puts his hand on my knee and squeezes. I'm sure it was meant to be reassuring, but I bite down on my tongue, strangling the scream of pain at his crushing grip.

"Fear not, Lady Valkyrie, no offense was taken!"

"Huzzah!" I mutter bitterly, shoulders slumped. Thor laughs his thunderous laugh. Thor. Dear lord. This isn't real.

My mother returns with tea for Thor and I lean forward on my elbows. "So let me just sum this up...this dude is Thor, like God of Thunder, mighty comic book Thor. Right. Because that makes sense."

"Sweet heart..."

"No, no. I'm not done. You don't get to interrupt me. I'm sorry, but you don't. You're trying to tell me that you two have been lying to me my whole life?"

"Well, we had no choice. We had to raise you here on Earth. We could not tell you of Asgard because you could never go there, love." My father tries to reason, speaking up after a long period of silence. I glare at him.

"So you felt it better to lie to me?" I am not accepting that so easily. "I guess this explains why you know so much about Norse mythology."

"Tis not myth!" Thor looks insulted and I wave away my statement.

"Sorry, sorry, Thor," the word is weighty on my tongue. "Right. So you lived in Asgard until when excactly? I can't exactly wrap my mind around why the hell you'd choose to come to Earth."

My parents exchange a look. I've seen that look before, a few too many times. It's the killed-your-parakeet-while-you-were-at-camp-Santa-Claus-isn't-real look. Nothing good ever follows the exchange of such a glance.

"We did not have a choice exactly..." My father says, his eyes very briefly darting to Thor. I notice it and don't let it go.

I turn my focus to Thor, propping my elbow on my knees and resting my chin on my hands. "So Thor, were my parents banished, then?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

I look at my parents and back to Thor. What could MY parents have possibly done to get the axe from the Realm Eternal?

"Your father and I were not supposed to be together. Odin became aware of our affair and banished me from Asgard. Then your father left his kingdom and came with me. Once on Earth, we were graced with you," my mother smiles warmly.

"What kingdom is dad from if not Asgard?" I ask, curious. The tension in the room grows palpable. "Guys..."

"Jotunheim," my father says quietly. I stare blankly at them. Jotunheim...Jotunheim. I should know this. They drilled this kind of stuff into my head for twenty two straight years.

"Jotunheim? I don't..." The thought strikes me. Unfortunately, the only knowledge that comes to mind is of the Marvel variety. "Frost Giants."

My father nods slowly but I don't understand. So they're saying my father is a Frost Giant. "Aren't they blue...and like, Yao Ming huge?"

"I do not understand this reference to Midgardian culture," Thor pouts and I give him an incredulous look.

"You don't appear to me to be blue or a giant. I mean, you're both fairly tall...but god, not a giant!"

"Odin granted me one thing in our banishment. He allowed me to appear human so we could have somewhere to go without disrupting the peace."

"Odin is nothing if not considerate, it seems," I mutter sarcastically.

"He has the ability to be gracious and giving, though he does not always show it," Thor corrects like I was serious. I sigh and rest my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes.

"I feel like this is some bad trip...never ending bad trip," I mutter, mostly to myself. "Okay, I guess now is as good a time as any to ask--why now? What purpose does this serve?"

Nobody says anything for a bit and then Thor leans into me like he's about to share a secret. I'm not sure the man...god...is capable of whispering.

"I...Asgard needs your help."

"And why would that be?"

"We are faced with a great enemy. You, have been watched over by Odin as you have grown and he has recognized your potential," Thor smiles widely.

"Odin was watching me..." I try to ignore the creep level of that, and the amount of things I may or may not have been doing under the watchful eye of the ruler of Asgard. "Potential for what?"

"You have proven yourself to have superior intellect, especially in the areas of battle and strategy," Thor continues.

I shake my head, "History is just a hobby."

"Had you been raised in your true home on Asgard, you would have grown up and studied under the greatest instructors of war. It is clear to Odin, and to myself, that if on Asgard, you would have become one of the greatest of warriors, and the wisest of my advisors. This is the position I wish you would assume now, though your time on Earth will prove to be a slight hindrance," he pauses thoughtfully. I nod slowly and let it register in my mind. I look suddenly to my parents and then to Thor.

"Wait. Are you saying...you're saying you've come to collect me and bring me to ASGARD!" I gape, suddenly even more overwhelmed than I originally deemed possible. Not only have I just discovered that Asgard is a real place, but my dad is a Frost Giant, my mother some Asgardian reject and I am the child that no world wants. I hop to my feet and look around, feeling the ground spinning beneath my feet. Where can I run to?