As Atreus half-heartedly listened to his history teacher talking about the role of the cavalry during the first World War, his attention drifted to the girl with fiery red hair sitting in front of him. Her name was Angrboda.
They shared two classes and had worked together on group projects in the past. Possessing a bright mind and a compassionate heart, Angrboda would explain things to Atreus when he struggled with parts of an assignment, until he fully understood it.
And from that time spent together, her kindly nature had already begun to capture his heart.
Having been fortunate enough to be studying in the library at the right time. Atreus had overheard that her birthday was coming up and wanted to repay her kindness. As his heart warmed at the thought of giving his crush a present, five names flashed in his mind accompanied by a series of images; Pebbles, Goldrush, Firedrinker, Green Victory, Thunderwings and Loki. The blur of horses racing on a track, an old bearded man and a pile of bank notes.
Gifted with a clairvoyant sense, Atreus would sometimes receive dreams and visions about events in his life in the near future. At times it could be an important conversation he would have or a glimpse at some questions and the grade he would receive on a test, but his visions had never been this specific.
Taking a train to the city to get to the nearest race course, Atreus sat on the train seats with a nervous, but excited feeling in his stomach. As Atreus imagined all the things he'd be able to buy with the money he was about to win, the thought of his allowance on the line if he lost crept into his mind.
If he lost the only money he had on him, he would have to start over his saving from the beginning.
Reassuring himself with the fact that his visions had never given him cause for doubt, Atreus cast aside his fears and got off the train.
Walking until he reached the race track, Atreus entered the betting office, when the feeling of doubt returned. So close to enacting his plan, but with little courage to go through with it, Atreus got in line nonetheless. Hoping that watching others bet would restore his conviction, Atreus asked the man in front of him, which horse he was betting on.
"Hey, who are you going to bet on?"
"Black Breath, but aren't you a little young to be betting on horses, lad?" The bearded man looked over his shoulder and answered with a Scottish brogue.
"Nah!" Atreus replied, trying to sound confident and watched as the man, who looked like he had seen better days, made a bet. Knowing that the man would be back for more, Atreus left the queue without making a bet and waited for the man to return.
"Tough luck with Black Breath! I'd bet on Pebbles next, if I was you. I'm really lucky when it comes to guessing things." Atreus advised him, testing out his newfound confidence.
"In that case, why don't you make a bet, little brother?"
"Because I'm scared." Atreus confessed. Acting out a lie to earn the man's sympathy, because even if he was certain that the horse would win, it didn't hurt to have a safety net with someone else's money.
"Tell you what, I'll make a bet with your horse and if it wins we'll split the profit."
"Deal!" Atreus shook the man's hand and the two headed to the seating area.
Taking their seats in the bleachers, Atreus and his 'partner in crime' watched as the slow to start Pebbles began gaining speed.
"Maybe there's more to your prediction than meets the eye!" The man remarked. You got that right. Atreus smirked.
As the last leg of the race approached, Pebbles was tied neck to neck with another horse for first place. Getting one last burst of speed, Pebbles passed his competitor and won first place.
"Do you have another horse in mind, Lucky Boy?" The man asked, giving Atreus a nickname in the absence of an introduction.
"My name's Atreus."
"Mimir."
"You should bet on Goldrush."
And so the process continued, until the last horse Atreus had written in his journal; Loki had won. Netting them both a great sum of money.
"Are you sure your middle name isn't Lucky?" Mimir asked. Amazed at how much money they had amassed. He'd had a few lucky breaks, sure and more than his fair share of failures when it came to betting, but Atreus' ability to pick out winners was almost supernatural.
"My middle name is Loki, actually."
"What a coincidence! I don't suppose you'll be here, tomorrow?" Mimir asked. Hoping to spend another afternoon with the fascinating and cunning child he'd teamed up with. And to make a little more money on the side, of course.
"Only if I see some winners in my dreams! Bye Mimir!" Atreus shoved a handful of money into his backpack and waved good-bye to Mimir.
Returning to his house later than usual, Atreus came home to the disapproving scowl of his father, Kratos.
"You are late."
"Sorry father, I was studying at my friend's house." Atreus came up with a plausible excuse, since he had done such a thing in the past.
"You should have told me."
"It won't happen again." Atreus promised and placed his backpack on a chair in the kitchen, while he went to get some snacks.
Not one to invade his son's privacy or to doubt that he had indeed completed his homework, Kratos' eyes couldn't help but be drawn to a piece of paper stuck in the zipper of Atreus' back pack. Opening it slightly, the zipper revealed, not one banknote, but several. An amount Kratos knew could never add up to Atreus' allowance.
When Atreus returned to the table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, his father also had something in his hand; the betting money he had carelessly left out in the open.
"What…is this?"
"My allowance?" Atreus tried. Despite knowing his father would not buy it. Remaining silent until Atreus spoke the truth, Atreus told him about his vision.
"I was in class listening to the teacher talk about horses and then I saw these names and horses and money and I figured I should… bet on them."
"We are not wanting for money, boy. I provide for the both of us."
"I know! But what if there was a great flood and the whole neighbourhood got flooded?" Atreus posed a hypothetical question, to deflect attention away from himself.
"Unlikely. But if you must go there, I will pick you up after work if I finish early, like tomorrow for instance." Kratos answered with an open-mindedness that surprised Atreus.
No stranger to his late wife's premonitions, Kratos understood that if Atreus witnessed something it was usually for a good reason. And in knowing that his wife would want him to grant Atreus some freedom, Kratos remained unopposed to his son's errand. Even if he didn't like it.
"Thank you, father!" Atreus beamed, upon hearing the news, making Kratos let out a disapproving grumble.
After reading Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I decided to embrace its wackiness and thought about Sleipnir and Atreus turning into a horse. Then it occurred to me that in a modern AU, if Atreus was clairvoyant he could use it at a racetrack to bet on the horses and buy things for the people he loves.