10
Where in the World is Mjolnir?
It's an unwritten law of the universe that socks, mittens, and hammers get sucked into forgotten folds of the galaxy~Loki
"Where did you have it last?" a rather irritated Loki demanded, thinking, Norns have mercy, I feel like I'm dealing with Serena or Vince and not a two thousand year old god!
"I put it right down beside the coat rack," Thor answered. "And now it's gone."
Loki rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Yggdrasil's Roots, Thor! No one's supposed to be able to handle the darn thing but you, so how is it that it keeps going missing?"
His brother shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one with all the clever answers, Loki, you tell me."
The Master of Mischief sighed and grumbled, "Nine Hells, I'm not Mimir. All right, let's start with the obvious . . ." he rose gracefully to his feet and called softly, "Maximus, Aleta come here please!"
His two imps promptly tackled him about the knees, yelling, "Dad, you wanna play hide and seek?"
"Maybe later, but I need to ask you an important question," he said, kneeling so he was at eye level with his twin troublemakers.
"What kind of question?" Max wanted to know.
"Do you or Aleta know where Mjolnir is?"
"Uncle Thor put it by the hat rack," the little boy answered promptly.
"Okay . . . did you decorate Mjolnir?"
This time Aleta answered. "No. I need more pink glitter an' we were playing Prisoner 'stead of beauty salon."
"Are you sure?" Loki persisted, though he already knew the two scamps were not lying.
"Yes. Why? What happened to Mjolnir?" Max queried.
"Well, Mjolnir's playing hide and seek," Loki told him. "And we're trying to find it."
"We can help!" the two chorused.
"You certainly can," their father agreed. "I need you two to go and get all your brothers and sisters and tell them to meet here for a family meeting. Are you big enough to do that?"
The two scamps yelled an affirmative, then dashed off to find their siblings.
Soon the seven other Laufeysons congregated in the den.
Tony stared. "That's incredible. You didn't even need to yell."
"Dad hardly ever does," Belle said. "But we all know to come when he calls a family meeting."
"What's going on?" Samantha asked. "Is this about our family vacation?"
"No, this is about Mjolnir being missing,' Loki told them. I wish this was about our family vacation. "Did any of you notice where Mjolnir was after your uncles got here?"
All of them recalled seeing it by the hat rack, but none of them remembered him moving it.
"This is crazy," Tony muttered. "If Thor's the only one here able to move it, then how could it disappear?"
"That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question, Stark," Loki said sarcastically. Actually, Thor wasn't the only one capable of wielding the hammer. Since his rebirth, Loki could also lift it, but he had no desire to do so. His magic was quite enough power for him to handle, and since his resurrection had grown exponentially. He wasn't entirely sure why, but suspected that the Powers That Be had deliberately increased his magical capacity and control so he could safeguard the nine children he had adopted, as well as the mortals of Earth. However, that fact was to be kept secret from all save the one Loki had chosen as his Keeper. Not even Odin realized just how powerful his adopted son was now, but even so here on Midgard, his power had limits. He spot-checked his ward sigils about the house and found them undisturbed. "Nothing living crossed my threshold and entered the house."
Suddenly a draft of frost rimed wind swirled through the den, making several of his children shiver and grab for blankets.
"Dad, what the heck is that?" Samantha cried, shivering uncontrollably.
"Nothing living," Vince spoke up, seemingly unaffected by the plummeting temperature. His normally deep blue eyes now glowed silver. "Dad, there's a ghost here that wants to talk to you."
"Did this spirit take Mjolnir?" demanded Thor, clenching a fist.
The air swirled in a frantic dance and papers and the remote were blown off the coffee table.
Max and Aleta screamed and ran to their father, who clasped them protectively in his arms.
"Stop it!" Vince commanded in a sharp tone. "You might want to talk but you don't wreck my house, got it? Now show yourself!"
The swirling air coalesced into the transparent form of a young woman wearing what looked like a tattered evening gown.
"I am Saskia that was," the ghost spoke through Vince in an eerie high pitched tone.
"Why are you here?" Loki demanded.
"Once I was a stealer of magical artifacts, a witch of no small ability, but my partner betrayed me and thus I died. I could not rest, until my murderer was brought to justice, but I could find none to help me . . . until now."
"Did you take my hammer, dark spirit?" thundered Thor.
"And if I did? There is naught you can do about it, Odinson!" Saskia taunted.
"How?" Loki demanded, while simultaneously patting the frightened Max and Aleta on the back.
"I have ways, Trickster God." Saskia smiled. "If you wish your precious Mjolnir returned, you will listen to my bargain."
"I bargain with no evil Hel-spawn!" Thor blustered.
"Quiet, brother!" Loki snapped. "Saskia, what terms do you propose?"
"Just this. You find my murderer and give that one justice in my name and I shall release Mjolnir to you."
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Loki asked suspiciously.
"I will be in your debt. And I pay my debts, Mischief Maker."
"Swear upon your immortal soul, that when we find your murderer, you will return the hammer to us." Loki ordered.
"I so swear. Bring me justice, Crafty One! Only then will Mjolnir return to the Thunder God's hand."
"Nephew, can you not command this spirit to return my hammer?" Thor asked Vince.
"No. She sent it away, through a fold in space and time, Uncle Thor." Vince explained. "She can only bring it back when the bargain is kept."
"We have no choice, Thor," Loki sighed. "Very well, Saskia. We will seek out your murderer. Who was it? Your partner?"
"I know not. I could not see who it was. They blindfolded me before pushing me over a cliff. But I believe my partner has something to do with it. Find my murderer, Laufeyson."
"Where did you die?" Loki asked.
"Atop a mountain I met my doom, beside a river of frost and flume, near a temple where the tunnelers dwell, where stone meets sky, there I fell."
"Riddles?" Thor growled. "You toy with us, spirit!"
"Hush, Thor. Of course she won't make it easy," Loki shook his head.
"I like it not, these games."
Suddenly the ghost vanished and Vince's eyes returned to normal. "Dad, she's gone." He rubbed his forehead. "My head hurts."
Loki set Aleta and Max down. "It's okay now," he reassured them. "The ghost is gone." He walked over and placed a cool hand on Vince's forehead. "You're running a fever too. You overspent yourself, buddy."
"M'tired," the young Ghost Speaker whined.
"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked.
"Magical drain," Loki replied. "He was in contact with her as a medium too long. It takes it out of you, especially at this age. C'mere, son." He picked up the sleepy and aching Ghost Speaker and 'ported up to Vince's room, which he shared with Nathan. He swiftly put pajamas on the boy, then summoned a spoon, a dark red potion, and a container of honey. By then the child was half asleep.
'C'mon, buddy," Loki shook him awake.
"Noo! Dad, lemme alone," his son whimpered.
"Sorry, but you need to take this. It'll help your head and your fever," Loki coaxed, gently sitting his son on his lap.
Vince buried his face in his father's shirt. "Don't want it!"
The Asgardian heaved a long-suffering sigh. It was going to be one of those days. "Hey, are you my brave boy or are you a baby?"
His son swiveled his head about slightly. "M' not a baby!"
"Then show me how brave you are and take this medicine," Loki persuaded.
Reluctantly, the seven-year-old opened his mouth and Loki popped the spoon with the red potion in.
"Swallow!" he ordered.
"Blech!"
Sticky droplets of red potion ended up all over the God of Mischief.
Loki cast his eyes heavenward. "All right. Let's try this again."
Vince shook his head mutely, his blue eyes gleaming rebelliously.
"Listen, I know this tastes pretty bad, but it's the only thing that will help you. If you don't take this you'll end up too sick to get out of bed and miss your soccer game. Is that what you want?"
"No," came the muffled response.
"Okay. Then stop fighting and swallow this."
"It's gross!"
"I know. But you still need to take it."
"You're mean!"
"I know, I'm meaner than a fire giant. Now open up."
Sniffling, the child obeyed, scrunching his eyes shut.
Loki quickly popped the spoonful in, then just as quickly tilted the boy's head back, and put a hand under his chin, stroking his throat, which caused an involuntary swallowing reaction. "That's my brave boy," he praised. "Here, have some honey to take the bitterness away."
Vince happily swallowed the teaspoon of honey.
"Better?"
"Uh huh. Dad, are you gonna get Mjolnir back?"
"Sure we are. I'm not going to let a third-rate spook get the better of me," Loki reassured him. "How about you lie down now?"
He tucked the covers around the boy's skinny frame, then began humming his standard lullaby, and between one blink and the next, his son fell asleep.
"Thank the Norns!"
He turned upon hearing Thor's tread enter the room.
His brother stared at him for two seconds, then snickered. "Looks like you got into a fight with a jam jar, Loki . . . and the jam won!"
"Vince took exception to the way my potion tasted," he replied wryly, wiping his face with a towel.
"Can't say I blame the boy. Most of your elixirs taste like horse piss," Thor said feelingly. "How come you don't just make magic pills?"
"Because, Thor, liquids are absorbed quicker by your body and more effective." Loki waved a hand over his clothing, restoring it to its former clean state. "If medicine tasted good, we'd have an epidemic of sick kids." He glanced back at his son. "He ought to sleep for several hours. That will give me time to try and figure out this riddle and time to see if one of the Avengers can babysit while you and I go try and trace a murderer."
"Tony is here," Thor pointed out. "I'll see if Steve or Tasha can come over too."
"Thanks," Loki said gratefully. He came and rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Quit worrying. We'll get it back. We always have before."
"I feel like I'm missing a limb." Thor said mournfully. "Loki, how is it possible a spirit could take Mjolnir?"
"Magic, Thor. It's disappeared where all the lost socks,mittens, and underwear go. It could be tangled up in some woman's panties," Loki joked.
"This isn't funny, Loki!" growled the Thunder God.
"Thor, you really need to lighten up a little. Before you develop an ulcer." He shook his head. "You really are in a mood if you can't laugh at my jokes. All right. Something tells me that Saskia wasn't working alone."
"You think one of our enemies aided her?"
"That's exactly what I think," Loki said. "The question is which one of them is behind this."
Both siblings knew it could be a myriad of villains, for both had made many adversaries over the course of their long lives.
"I shall ponder that while you figure out the riddle," Thor declared.
"Let me just reassure my children their brother will be all right, and put Lucy, Max, and Aleta to bed." Loki said quietly.
"Would you like me to help?"
"If you don't mind telling Lucy a bedtime story," Loki smiled. He knew his sunny daughter would be quite happy to be tucked into bed by her uncle, and not attempt any hijinks, unlike her younger siblings.
They went downstairs, where Loki reassured everyone that Vince would be fine with rest. That done, he took Max and Aleta upstairs and had them get ready for bed. While he was doing that, Thor picked up Lucy and put her on his shoulders.
"Thor, be careful. She's got a broken arm," Tony called.
"It's okay, Uncle Tony," Lucy waved. "Uncle Thor would never let me fall."
"Never, little Valkyrie," Thor assured her. He carefully mounted the stairs, Lucy giggling at how high she was, and in a twinkling Thor had her in her room.
After helping her with her pajamas, Thor carried her to bed. "What story would you like to hear, Lucy?"
"Tell about how you and Dad rescued Freya from the Frost Giants."
"Very well little niece " Thor said. "Once upon a time Freya was flying with her falcon cloak. By mistake she flew too close to Jotunheim and the giant Thrym spied her. He took eagle shape and chased Freya across the sky. . ."
Lucy listened raptly as Thor went on to tell how Thrym captured Freya and Odin sent Thor and Loki go rescue her.
By the time Thor got to the part where they ended up spending the night in a giant"s glove, unknown to them, Lucy had fallen asleep holding his hand. He gently extricated his hand, then leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, little Valkyrie."
Loki, observing from the hallway under an invisibility charm, thought fondly Brother, you need one of your own.
He then moved on to check on Vince. The boy was still sleeping, and a single touch on the forehead revealed his fever had abated. He turned however to see Tony tucking Nate into bed across the room, where instead of a bedtime story, they were discussing electronic fields and mechanical equations.
"Ahem! Tony, this is bedtime," he reminded, reappearing by the Avenger's side.
"Yeah, Laufeyson, we're getting to that."
"Lights out in five." He warned, thinking Stark, thank Yggdrasil I put Max and Aleta to bed myself because we're getting there would have resulted in my house being destroyed!
His older children had a slightly different ritual, where he bid them good night, and set spelled dreamcatchers in their room to soothe any nightmares they might have from anxiety. These four tended to stress over him when he left on missions, and this night would be no exception. He made sure Serena's dreamcatcher glowed in the dark, since that was a phobia of hers, tucked her in with a kiss, then moved over to Belle, who had her nose in a book. "Research later, little raven." He hugged her and kissed her goodnight.
"Watch your back,Dad."
"Always."
Hunter was listening to his iPod but put it away when his father appeared in the room. "Dad, I'll make sure everybody behaves for Uncle Tony and Uncle Steve or whoever's babysitting."
"Including yourself?" Loki teased.
His son gave him a mischievous grin. "Aww! I'm not allowed to have a little fun?"
"Within reason, wolfing."
"Okay. Find that murderer so you can bring Mjolnir back."
"I fully intend to be home in three days. So no worries."
"Until moonrise," he said, and gave Loki a fist bump. That used to be the farewell used by Fenris, but Hunter used it now for his family, because he hated goodbyes.
"Sleep well, wolfing." Loki returned.
He came to Samantha last, and found the fifteen-year-old hastily polishing her collectible Highlander MacLeod katana. "Hon, I don't think you're going to need that anytime soon."
Samantha looked up, the sword across her knees. "You never know, Dad. What if something or someone does manage to come in here? At least I'm prepared."
Her father nodded. "Forewarned is forearmed. Just please make sure you put that where your curious brothers and Aleta can't touch it."
"I will." She put her rag down and sheathed the blade, returning it to its glass case on the wall and locking it with her key. The key was on a chain about her neck. "Dad how long do you think it'll take to find Mjolnit?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but once I figure out the riddle, which isn't hard for someone who deals in them, I think it won't take us long to find this murderer and bring him to jail. I figured three days. Think you can hold down the fort till then?"
"Yeah. If Hunter and Uncle Tony help."
"They will." He pulled out his wallet and counted out several bills. "Here. This is money for take out or anything you need at the store. Keep it safe."
"Dad, this is like a thousand dollars!" his daughter exclaimed.
"Don't spend it all in one place," he teased.
"Aww, you mean I can't take all my friends clubbing and to see Ariana Grande?" Samantha made a face.
"Well,you could," Loki drawled. "If you want to end up grounded for life when I find out about it. And I always find out."
"Tell me about it. I can't even hide a bad quiz grade from you."
"You have all the emergency numbers in your phone, right? The doctor, all the Avengers, the school . . . Don't forget to charge your phone."
"Yes, Mom," she rolled her eyes.
Loki blurred into his female form, a classy lady with long curly hair and a soft velvet dress with gold heels. 'Don't sass your mama, girl," she mock-scolded, her green eyes dancing.
"A little sass never hurt anything," the teenager returned.
"With me, no. But mind your attitude around your uncles," Lady Loki reminded.
"Yeah, they're old, they can't handle it," Samantha joked. Then abruptly she turned serious. "Be careful. That ghost . . . I don't like this . . .it feels wrong . . ." She wrapped her arms about her mother. "I'm sorry . . . I just have a bad feeling about this."
"That ghost really scared you, huh?" she crooned, stroking the spiky pink-tipped hair. "Sweetie, I promise I'll come home to you. And I always keep my promises."
Her fingers tightened about the slender frame. "I know." She drew back and dashed a hand over her eyes. "Okay. I'm done being an emotional disaster."
Lady Loki rested her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Feel free to cry all over me, darling. Frost giants don't melt."
Samantha shook her head. "I'm good. Really."
"You sure?"
She gave a single decisive nod. "Take care of you."
"Take care of you," her mother repeated. Then her form blurred into Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'll be back."
Samantha giggled. "Dad, you're so nutty."
"Me?" Arnold gestured at himself, then blurred into a giant squirrel. "I eat nuts for breakfast!" squeaked Loki.
His daughter grinned. "Totally."
Loki shifted back into his original shape. 'But I made you laugh."
"Thanks, Dad." He always knew how to make her feel better.
"Get some sleep. Your Uncle Thor and I will leave as soon as I solve this riddle, so if I'm gone before you wake up, don't worry."
"Okay. Night, Dad."
"Night, butterfly." He kissed the top of her head.
Despite a nagging headache, Loki went into his workroom to gather a few extra potions, his daggers, and an enchanted axe made of dwarven steel to give to Thor in place of Mjolnir. It was an Axe of Sharpness and could cut through any material like a hot knife through butter. Then he settled down upon his soft green foam mat and began to meditate upon the riddle Saskia had given him. He had feeling deep inside that wherever the witch had died, it wasn't so simple as to be located here on Midgard-despite the fact that her ghost wandered this realm. He knew that if a spirit returned to Earth, unable to move on, their soul was tethered to the realm of their birth.
"Atop a mountain I met my doom, beside a river of frost and flume, near a temple where the tunnelers dwell, where stone meets sky, there I fell."
The riddle echoed in his head repeatedly as he turned his brilliant mind into figuring out just where Saskia had met her end. Some twenty minutes later he blinked and came out of his trance. Then he went to his seeing globe and cupped it in his hands. "Show me!" he commanded.
The mists receded and Loki found himself looking down at a mountain that dropped sharply down to a bubbling river that tossed up spray, and close beside the river was the crumbling ruin of a cairn of stones.
Ah ha! As I thought. For this is no place on Midgard, but the border between Niflheim and Asgard. An inbetween place, neither land nor river, nor sky. There was where the quest to find Saskia's murderer would begin.