Norway In, Norway Out

"Father ! Father !" Seven years old Loki called as he ran up to the long, grey-haired and bearded man, stopping to tug on the tanned, wrinkled hand. Father's single, blue-eye looked down at him in amusement. Slowly, Father stooped in the silver, throne-like, couch to pick him up.

'What was that ? It can't be a valkyrie, its wings were the wrong color. Father must know what it was.'

Father rumbled, "Yes, Loki ?" as he was set on Father's golden-armoured knee.

For a second, all Loki could do was pant and gasp. "Father...I-I saw...it looked like a valkyrie, but it was not ! It had these great wings, they were light-blue with dark-grey speckles. What was it ?"

"Were you close enough that its eyes flashed golden upon you ?"

Confusedly, Loki stated, "Yes. What has that to do with it ?"

A calloused hand ruffled his hair as he looked up. Nervous excitement filled his emerald-green eyes while he rubbed his left forearm waiting. Unconsciously, he mirrored Father's head tilt.

Father sighed, "What you saw was a creature called a half-angel. It is magical, but its magic is not like your and my own magic, they are not limited to weather or illusions, they can do things that even we cannot. They were once Midgardians who did great deeds in life and became more, they have different rules than we do. Most of their magic will not affect you because you are not fully under their protection or in case of the half-demons under their sway. Also, because of that most of your magic will not work on them. One can tell the difference between a half-demon and one of the Jotnar because a jotun's eyes are always red as fire, but a half-demon's are only so for a second. Young as you are, they are very dangerous and you must stay away from them. If a half-demon approaches you may flee from it."

'Flee ? I thought fleeing was dishonourable, like giving up your weapon.'

Loki figured that he must have said so aloud as well because Father answered it. "Under normal circumstance it would be, but it is not dishonourable for a young one without fighting experience to do so. Swear that until you learn to fight tolerably if one approaches that you will run because I will not lose you, unless I have not a choice in the matter."

As Father hugged him tightly, Loki swore that he would. Many hundreds of years of fighting experience passed before he met another half-angel and his first half-demon on Midgard...in Norway. Listless, he wandered through a forest of white birch and many other tree types. There were plenty of Midgardians in varying uniforms and with weapons of all sorts roaming, but he'd ignored them and now hadn't seen any in hours. Truly, boredom must have set in because he chuckled at the thought of, 'Norway in, Norway out, but Bifrost.'

It was the groaning that was louder than the near-by stream some twenty feet away which caught his attention. Ready for a fight, he summoned a dagger into his hand and, projecting an illusion of nothing into whomever it was mind, he crept through the undergrowth toward the noises. What he found was not what he expected a dark-brown winged, pale-skinned and red-haired half-angel having sex with a tan-skinned and brown-haired Midgardian. Yet, when the 'Midgardian' turned his head, grey-eyes met his before they flashed red, it was a half-demon.

'He can see me ? So, can the half-angel as well ?'

Embarrassed, he made to very quickly back away. Not that he got far when the half-demon purred, "Hello, Emerald. I'm Balthazar, he's Gabriel...and finished."

Gabriel shuddered, his six-foot wings flaring wide to reveal light-grey and black inner-feathers before curling in as the half-angel slumped.

'It would be dishonourable to leave without apologizing and introducing myself.' Blushing, he looked at a tree on his left and focused on banishing the dagger to his personal armoury. Only when Gabriel had stood and wrapped his wings around himself did he look back. Balthazar smirked, tan muscles rippling as he stood, utterly unashamed. Meanwhile, both pairs of half-Midgardian grey-eyes scrutinized him.

When his blush had faded, Loki replied, "Balthazar, Gabriel, please accept my greatest apologies. I am Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard." The last he said while putting a fist over his heart and bowing slightly.

Deliberately slowly, the brown-haired half-demon circled around him to stop an inch from his face. If anything Balthazar's smirk widened then a, briefly, snake-like, tongue flicked out. The half-demon hummed, "Well, His Highness does have a nice ass."

Unfamiliarity with the, likely, Midgardian phrase made him frown. 'Is it a, supposedly, stealthy insult or is it supposed to be a compliment ? Midgardians.'

Gabriel exclaimed, "Balthazar, stop being vulgar !"

Balthazar looked at the half-angel and countered, "I am not being vulgar, Gabriel. I'm merely telling the truth, isn't that what you wanted me to do ? You must be able to sympathize Loki, you tell the truth and they think it's a lie or a joke."

'What an odd form for a compliment to take.' Of course, he could sympathize - some of the most outrageous things he'd done that the others thought of as jests were, in fact, truths.

Wind rustled the leaves and the sound of distant booms shattered the silence. Warily, he looked around. 'I think it will be time to call for Heimdall soon or else, unless I will myself somewhere safer, it will be hours before I get home.'

Balthazar suddenly kissed him then vanished in burst of sulfuric stench. Gabriel murmured, "Don't mind him, Loki, he's just trying to manipulate you. I do hope we can meet in less revealing circumstances, or leastwise it could be consensual, next time."

The Bifrost surrounded him before he could think of an answer. It left him wondering, perhaps there would be. After all, only a Norn could tell if there would be no way out of Norway next time.