This chapter is dedicated to the amazing frosteddragonheart, without whom it would never have been completed (the plot is 99.99% hers). She is my knight in shining armour, fighting off the terrible heathen, writer's block.

I hope it meets expectations!

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Horsing Around Part II

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One ride on Sleipnir and Jack knew flying would never be the same again. It was exhilarating, the wind slapping him hard enough that for a long moment he thought it would peel his face right off, and he knew, no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to recreate it on his own.

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Jack, seated behind Loki and holding on for dear life, tried to see where they were heading, but all he could make out was a dizzying blur and he had to shut his eyes to keep from throwing up. How could a horse move so fast?! Granted, Sleipnir wasn't exactly an ordinary horse but still.

For a moment a strange, pulling sensation washed over him – not dissimilar to the feeling of going through one of North's snow globes – but it was gone just as quickly as it came. Despite his curiosity, Jack kept his eyes firmly clenched shut until, at last, they started slowing down. When he did dare to peek again, it was to find an awe-inspiring sight that made his breath catch in his throat.

They'd arrived in some kind of city with towering structures and a vast body of water stretching out around it. A huge palace shaped like the pipes of an organ loomed over its surroundings, glowing a brilliant gold as the light struck it. Jack didn't need to be told that this was not a mortal city.

"Welcome to Asgard," Loki said, neither pride nor disdain in his tone.

It was more incredible than Tooth's palace in Punjam Hy Loo, which was saying something. "Wow," Jack breathed. He jumped up into a crouch on Sleipnir's back to get a better look.

Sleipnir, without urging, carried them closer to the palace, finally coming to a stop before what Jack assumed to be a stable, though it was just as extravagant as the rest of the city. Loki dismounted without preamble and Jack followed his lead. With a parting stroke for Sleipnir and a few whispered words, the two of them set off again, this time on foot, towards the palace proper.

"So what's the plan?" Jack asked, lengthening his stride in order to keep up.

Loki looked down at him with a mischievous smirk that Jack couldn't help mirroring. "There is to be a feast in the palace," he began. "A large number of guests will be attending."

"I like where this is going."

"They'll be distracted," Loki continued quietly, grin growing. A few Asgardians gave him strange looks as he passed, no doubt not seeing Jack and assuming he was talking to himself. "Which will make it easy."

"What do you want me to do?"

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As it turned out, the interior of the palace was just as fantastic as the outside. Beautifully carved marble pillars lined every room they traversed through and every hallway was decorated with tapestries. Jack had never seen anything like it. And the people! They could barely walk ten steps before they came across someone. Most of them appeared to be servants or guards, if Jack were to take a guess, and each levelled Loki with a suspicious or wary glance as they passed. One or two of them frowned in Jack's general direction, but for most part he went unnoticed.

Eventually they came to a halt before a set of double wooden doors, so polished that Jack could easily make out his own reflection. When Loki hesitated, he turned a questioning glance on him.

"Everything okay?"

"There is a chance they will sense your presence," he said.

Jack shrugged noncommittally. "If they do we'll just convince them I'm not a threat."

"Easier said than done. They already do not trust me and you are far too similar to a Jotun for them to trust you, either."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jack reassured, stepping forward and pushing open the doors before Loki had a chance to change his mind. What were the chances he'd ever get to play a prank on Asgard's finest again?

The room beyond the door was vast, with several long tables lining the walls, all completely covered with an assortment of foods. There were people at every available seat, except for an empty space at the table at the front, raised slightly on a podium, next to a large blond man devouring the leg of an animal that was probably a cow, judging by size. Then again, did they even have cows here?

Several people looked up as Loki confidently strode into the room. Jack was sure to stick close to him as they made their way towards the head table. But the closer they got, the quieter the volume became, until every head was swivelled in their direction. Loki ignored all of them, carelessly taking his seat beside the blond guy. Jack stood awkwardly behind his chair, noting the number of eyes directed at him (or where he was standing, at the very least).

Still ignoring his general surroundings, Loki reached out and started piling food onto his plate. Everyone else continued staring. Jack shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, Loki? I think they know I'm here," he said.

"It would appear that way," Loki conceded.

The blond frowned. "Your pardon, brother; what would appear which way?"

Loki didn't look at him, but the words were acknowledged by a minute tightening of his grip around fork. "I was speaking to my guest."

Blondy's eyes darted to Jack briefly.

"Do you perhaps mean the invisible spirit behind you?" an older man with an eye-patch, seated at the very centre of the table on a throne-like chair, enquired.

"That would be him."

"And who, might I ask," the old man continued, "would he be?"

Loki took a bite of his meal. He took his time chewing and swallowing before replying, "Jokul Frosti."

Jack could pinpoint the exact second the entirety of the feast's attendees could see him. Never had he felt more exposed in all his three hundred years; these weren't just people who could see him (believers, his mind supplied), these were gods. It was thoroughly overwhelming. And mildly terrifying.

Waving awkwardly and tightening his grip on his staff he said, "Uh, hi. It's Jack Frost, actually."

The old guy, the blond, and various others around the place stood to their feet, gripping whatever weapons they had and staring at him like they expected him to suddenly launch an attack. He took a hasty step closer to Loki and nudged him with his elbow, hissing a quiet, "A little help please?!"

Blondy didn't like this, though, from the menacing step forwards he took. Startled, Jack jumped into the air, allowing a draft to carry him up well out of reach. He hadn't known whether the wind here would aid him like the one on Earth, but it seemed even here it was his friend. A relieving thought.

The display of powers did nothing to reassure the group of Norse gods below, though. If anything it made them less pleased to see him than they had already been. Jack shot a pleading look at Loki, who calmly put down his utensils.

"Did you not understand the word 'guest'?" he asked.

"Jokul Frosti is a Jotun!" Blondy exclaimed, gesturing towards Jack with a huge war hammer.

"Does he look like a Jotun to you? And if he were," Loki turned a challenging glare on him, "would that be a problem?"

Blondy faltered momentarily. "That is different, brother. Have you not heard the stories?"

"This Jokul–"

"It's Jack!" Jack countered. He was ignored.

"–is not the one from such tales, Thor. He is a winter spirit from Midgard and means no harm."

"Why is he here?" the old guy demanded.

Loki raised a challenging brow. "Because I invited him."

"You know the rules, Loki."

"Yes, yes, no mortal belongs on Asgard," Loki rolled his eyes, waving a flippant hand. "But clearly he is not a mere mortal."

"I really didn't mean to cause any problems," Jack interrupted. Well, not right now, anyway. As for later, well...

The old guy eyed him suspiciously. He had a feeling it was going to be hard to convince these people to believe him, and even more for them to trust him. He frantically searched for a way to prove his (mostly) benevolence, pausing when he caught sight of the very numerous amounts of alcoholic beverages. Cautiously, he dropped down closer to the ground, making no sudden moves, as if they were a pack of hungry wolves and not just a room full of beefy men and equally threatening looking women. When he managed to land on a tabletop without being attacked, he took it as a good sign to continue.

"Do you mind if I...?" he gestured vaguely to a tankard. The owner said nothing, watching him menacingly. Jack bit his lip and, very slowly, reached out to poke the mug. The man flinched and Jack immediately rocketed back up to the ceiling.

The man stared at him for a moment before returning his attention to the tankard. Hesitantly, he reached out and lifted it, appearing to admire the frost ferns that had spread across the outside, before taking a sip. "It is the perfect temperature!" he cried.

Loki gave Jack an imperceptible nod. "I will hold myself accountable for his actions."

Thor, who Jack thought had looked won over the second he'd chilled the mead, turned to the old guy. "Father, if Loki trusts him so do I. Perhaps he has many tales to regale us with!"

The old guy didn't look convinced. A blonde, middle-aged woman on his other side laid a gentle hand on his wrist. "He does not seem malicious," she said calmly. "And he has come all this way."

"Very well," the old guy conceded, turning to Jack. "You may stay, spirit. But should you prove yourself to be a threat you will not live to regret it."

"Duly noted," Jack gulped. He lingered in the air for a moment longer before darting back over to Loki and once more letting his feet touch the ground.

"Someone bring the boy a chair!"

"Boy," Jack grumbled. "I'm 300 years old."

"You are an infant compared to us," Loki smirked, offering him a plate, which Jack politely declined.

A chair was suddenly pushed behind him, knocking him off his feet, and he landed on the seat with an 'oof'. Before he had any time to register the change, he was tucked up against the table on Loki's left.

"Little spirit."

Jack glanced up to find a small mob of gods and goddesses crowding the front of the table where he was now sitting. Each was holding a tankard of mead. The closest held it out to him expectantly. Bemused, Jack turned to Loki and raised a brow. The gesture was returned by a very meaningful look and a slight inclination of the head. Jack suppressed a grin. Time to set their prank into action.

"Sure," he smiled pleasantly, obligingly chilling all their drinks. Loki, meanwhile, unseen and unnoticed by all, combined Jack's magic with his own, using the former's to mask his seiðr. It would take a while, but it would be worth it.

The rest of the evening wore on in a similar fashion; every now and then a god or goddess would approach him to have him cool their drink, and he was eventually coaxed into trying some of the food (he resolutely refused to touch anything alcoholic). At one point, Thor insisted he tell a story, to which he'd responded with the defeat of Pitch, much to the amazement and fascination of most. Jack found he greatly enjoyed himself, so much so that he forgot why he was even there in the first place.

But then the old guy – Odin, he'd eventually discovered – announced the banquet over and ordered Loki to take him home. As Jack followed Loki out into the hallway, the latter leaned down and whispered, "Follow my every instruction if you do not wish to get caught."

Jack nodded his understanding and the two continued on in silence until they reached the stables. Sleipnir was pleased to see them – or Loki, at least – and almost forced his way out of his stall in his eagerness to reach him. Loki smiled fondly at the horse, taking the time to stroke him before unlatching the door and letting both Jack and himself in.

"Come into the corner," Loki instructed, "where we won't be seen."

Jack watched in fascination as, without preamble, Loki worked his magic. In less time than he had expected, his partner in pranking had created two perfect copies of them. Sleipnir, completely unfazed, nudged Jack's shoulder, enticing the winter spirit to give him a quick pat.

Without needing any prompting, the two copies climbed onto Sleipnir's back.

"Sleipnir," the real Loki said, instantly gaining the horse's attention. "Go to the portal and wait there for an hour, then come back. We will meet you back here."

Sleipnir nickered in understanding and tore out of the stable, disappearing outside in a furious gallop.

"Man, that horse is fast," Jack muttered. "So what do we do now?"

"Now we go and admire our handiwork."

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It truly was a sight to behold, Jack mused, struggling to hold in his mirth. Laughing, no matter how badly he wanted to, would get them caught though, and so he vehemently kept his mouth clamped shut. Loki, beside him, seemed to be sharing the same problem.

There was something about harmless chaos that was just so amusing.

Everyone who had had Jack cool their drink earlier was now running around in a state of mild panic, unable to comprehend why their bodies were glowing a faint green and their voices had gone an incredibly high pitch. The initial scare had been hilarious – nothing but a bunch of burly gods and goddesses freaking out in soprano over a bit of harmless magic. They were warriors, used to facing their problems head on, but this was something they couldn't fight with weapons.

In the same room where Loki and Jack now hid behind a pillar, a group of them had gathered, no doubt in an attempt to find the cause and a solution.

"Wait a minute," one of them cried, their voice like one of those cartoon chipmunks Sophie liked. The group hushed itself to listen to them. "This has Loki's name written all over it. And that little winter spirit was probably in on it, too!"

There was a chorus of furious agreement.

"Let's find them and make them remove it!"

"But didn't they already leave for Midgard?"

"If I know Loki, he'd want to stick around and see the chaos he's caused. They're probably still around here somewhere!"

The conversation quickly divulged into a discussion about what they planned on doing as soon as they located the two culprits, each suggestion a little less harmless and little more violent than the last. Jack and Loki decided that now was probably a good time for them to make their escape.

They'd almost made it outside to freedom when they were caught. A brightly glowing Thor stood barring the doorway with his broad shoulders, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Brother, Jokul, do not think I do not know you were the ones behind this," he said.

At the sound of his voice, all high and squeaky, Jack couldn't contain it anymore. He doubled over into peals of laughter, leaning heavily on the wall to keep himself upright. Loki didn't last much longer. Thor's frown deepened as he watched them break down into mirth at his expense. Then, slowly, the corners of his lips twitched upwards and he was joining them, the sound only making Jack laugh harder.

"I should have known you'd be up to something," Thor chuckled.

"You're not gonna dob us in, are you?" Jack asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

"And have father decide to ban you from Asgard permanently? Of course not! I want to hear more about your exploits with these Guardians of Childhood! But next time," he waved a stern finger in Jack's face, "include me in your schemes!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Jack, I recommend we leave now before they catch up to us," Loki said, glancing back over his shoulder.

"You are being followed?" Thor scanned the darkness.

"What did they say they wanted to do to us?"

"Uh, I believe it was something along the lines of cutting out our tongues and using us as pin cushions towards the end there," Jack ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably.

Thor chuckled. "Go, I will hold them off for you. Best you stay away for a while before visiting us again. And, brother, perhaps you might consider a vacation?"

Jack grinned, chasing down the hall after Loki as the first sounds of the mob started reaching them. "I think that's an excellent idea!"

Guest Review Responses:

Randomperson: I hope you enjoyed it!

SilverSkies1524: You were close! Here's hoping it met your expectations!

Painapple: Heya, kiddo! Gotta love those crossovers ;)