Disclaimer: All rights remain with DreamWorks, Marvel/ Disney, Stan Lee, and Cressida Cowell, and Rick Riordan

There Be Demi-gods

By: iamCAMBRIA

Introduction: Norse deities have been known to be more protective of their children than other mythological gods. Especially if their children are in constant need.

Chapter 4: What if this Storm Begins?

Hiccup clicked the stirrup to Toothless' prosthetic as the black Night Fury who dived down onto a small pillar island. The boy jumped off and stood next to the dragon; he rested his arm on the dragon's strong neck. In turn Toothless crooned soothingly.

Hiccup opened his mouth, but no words came out. Just a small squeak. And a frustrated growl.

Toothless nudged the boy's head, green eyes glancing sympathetically.

Hiccup let out a sob, finally breaking down.

He couldn't hold it back anymore.

The midnight dragon pushed up against Hiccup who had now fallen to the ground, his little body shaking and quivering with each cry. Eventually Toothless just ended up lying down next to him, curling his body around the boy and placing his wing around Hiccup supportively.

"Why in the name of the gods did this happen to me?" Hiccup demanded angrily to no one but the dragon.

Toothless huffed in response.

"They must really hate me—the gods." Hiccup choked out, using his fists to force the tears away. A Viking never cries, if he could call himself one. And with everything he had been through with Toothless, he had never once cried. Not once.

The dragon pressed himself closer to his human friend. If only he could speak the human language—then perhaps he could console the little one. But alas…

Hiccup sniffled, wiping his dripping nose with the sleeve of his tunic. "Sorry, bud. I know…this isn't like me, but…well—"

The dragon gave a nod of the head before prodding the boy with his snout again.

Hiccup rested his hand on the black dragon's snout. "Thank you for understanding Toothless. Being a dragon, have you seen this kind of thing before? A god feigning to be a human? Having a child with a human?"

Toothless shook his head, ears flapping wildly.

"A first for you too, huh?" He sniffed. It felt better to talk to Toothless. Why was it that the dragon was always the one who understood him the most?

A ripple of thunder, shook them from their calming position.

Hiccup looked up at the darkening sky with nervous anticipation.

Toothless growled menacingly.

"You don't think that… Loki is looking for me, do you bud?"

The dragon shook his head.

"Your right Loki is the so called 'god' of mischief and lies. Not thunder…"

The dragon and boy shared equally terrified looks.

"Oh Thor…"

Ω Ω Ω

Astrid shifted up onto a straight up position on Stormfly's back.

"Well girl, what do you think? Where could he have gone?"

The female Nadder squawked back in response.

"So he hasn't gone back to the cove. We know that—so where else could he have gone?"

The dragon gave a flick of her quill infested tail, shooting some mercilessly at the empty ground.

"You're right." Astrid agreed. "Despite how clumsy Hiccup is on land, he and Toothless definitely know how to be as stealthy as the wind, when they're in the sky."

The dragon nodded, careful not to hit Astrid's face with her spikes.

"So maybe they went off of Berk?" The shield maiden supposed, looking around her one more time for any signs of the gimpy Night Fury and rider.

The dragon gave a positive sneeze.

"Okay then, off the island we go. And let's try to be stealthy, I don't want the others coming after us; gods knows that they will only cause panic and a ruckus."

The she-dragon cheeped an affirmative before jumping up into the air, with quick but graceful strokes of her azure wings. Astrid checked behind her one last time, before facing forward. Stormfly had already built a good altitude that just barely skimmed treetops. The dragoness began to fly slightly above forest level, heading towards the sea shore. If Astrid new anything, Hiccup and Toothless loved going away from the confines of Berk.

They loved being the lords of the sky, and kings of the winds.

The relished their freedom of the air.

With a sigh, Astrid pat Stormfly's side. "Let's head for any of the surrounding isles, okay girl? If not then we can fan out a bit. I've noticed Hiccup like to travel west when he and Toothless are flying."

Stormfly burbled.

"It's kinda funny actually," Astrid continued, looking around every now and then for her lost friend. "He always goes west—it's almost as if that direction is calling him."

Stormfly glanced briefly at her rider, before continuing her flight path.

"I don't know what happened today, to be honest." Astrid mumbled. "Stoick always knows what's going on in the village. Especially with Hiccup. But today…he really didn't even seem bothered that he was missing. Before he was always worried, because I think he was afraid of hurting other people or even hurting himself. But recently it seems like he has always been genuinely concerned about Hiccup."

The dragon cooed.

"Today, though—today he seemed unworried about where his son was or what he was even doing. That's not like the chief at all."

Stormfly cocked her head to the side, while she tilted towards the west. She had picked on a scent. She definitely recognized it.

"I just, every time Hiccup and his dad get into a fight…I can't help but worry. Stoick is so much larger and bigger than Hiccup. It wouldn't take much for him to seriously hurt his son—even if it was an accident. I'm not saying Stoick would, I'm just saying that the whole case is not entirely cr—"

The Nadder gave out a harsh bark.

"What? What is it Stormfly?" Astrid asked, looking around again.

Then she spotted it. More like them.

There below them, rested a small isle on a now churning sea. She wondered when the tides had begun to pick up. On that small isle was a black dragon and a small human figure. No doubt Hiccup.

"Alright girl, take us down."

Stormfly did not hesitate in circling around, making sure to glide as subtlety as possible. But to Astrid's immediate annoyance, a rumble of thunder shook the sky around them as they approached the two. She looked up at the turbulent sky and realized that it had grown dark with many clouds impregnated with anger and rain.

"Great, so much for subtlety."

Ω Ω Ω

Hiccup looked up to see Astrid and Stormfly circumventing their small rocky perch. He rolled his eyes and stood up. But he couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

At least it's just Astrid. He thought.

Stormfly landed with a thud, tucking her wings in immediately because the wind had just began to whip around.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted over the howling.

"Yup?" He asked casually, hoping there was no more evidence of his breakdown. Although, it was kind of hard to gauge Astrid's reaction with his wind blowing all over his face.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you for hours! Your dad didn't even know where you were!" She yelled.

Hiccup placed his hands to the sides of his temple so that he could stop his swirling auburn hair from blocking his vision.

"I know," He admitted. "I just had to…had to leave."

"Why did you have to leave?" Astrid demanded, stepping closer—her own hair was being pulled about. Even a few strands of hair managed to escape the tight plait she normally kept them in.

Hiccup didn't answer.

"Hiccup!" Astrid growled impatiently, just as another clap of thunder rolled across the earth.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

Astrid crossed her arms, whether it was because the wind was chilling her or she was peeved was entirely up to Hiccup to decipher.

"Alright, I tried, if that's how you want it!" He begrudgingly gave in. "I just found out that I'm not exactly who I think I am."

Astrid blinked a few times before she looked Hiccup over. His hair, his suede vest and fur boots were blustering in the wind; his body the only anchor for them. But it wasn't his storm tousled clothes that made him seem…weaker than usual. It was the bloodshot eyes and tear streaks that ran down his cheeks.

She swallowed, hoping that her Stoick hitting Hiccup theory was incorrect.

"What happened?" She demanded, the wind getting harsher. They would need to seek refuge soon. They and their dragons were going to get blasted off if they didn't leave.

"I found out that my dad isn't who he says he is!" Hiccup cried out desperately. His eyes burned with anger, yet his face only expressed fear.

Hiccup was afraid.

"Hiccup, what in the world do you mea—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"HICCUP LOKISSON!" A thunderous voice boomed.

Both youths looked up to see a man, floating amidst the swirling, raging clouds. He was dressed in many gold pieces of armor, a red cape billowing around him with fury. Over his right eye was a black eye patch.

"Hiccup Lokisson!" the being repeated, even louder this time. "I told you I would find you again! I do not back down upon my words! And I have spoken! You will come with me, whether you want it—or not!"

Both Toothless and Stormfly stepped in front of their riders. Their eyes burned with draconic rage, and their growls seemed like fierce roars.

"Such primitive creatures!" The man-like thing cackled cruelly. "A shame you should hide behind such weak things! The son of a god, ha!"

With a wave of his bronze scepter that he held proudly in his left hand, a forceful wind pushed past the two creatures. The gale caught in the two reptile's wings and both went flying off the small isle.

Hiccup looked back in fear. Only slightly relieved that both Toothless and Stormfly were buoyantly bobbing in the chopping ocean waters.

"Hiccup, what's going on?" Astrid whispered, grabbing on to the boy's arm. She really wished that she had brought her axe. Yet to her surprise, Hiccup shook her hand off.

He looked forward. Absolute. Rage. Burning. His. Emerald. Eyes.

"Odin! You are not gods!" He yelled, though he voice was not quite as loud as the elder's. He was lucky that he had remembered what Loki had said.

"Odin?" Astrid shrieked, looking horrified.

Odin smiled, sinister and creepy written all over his face. "Very well, Hiccup Lokisson! You have decided your own destiny! I told you I would take you whether you agreed or not. You have forfeited a peaceful agreement, so there for I will take you by force!"

Hiccup glared at the man, his lips curled up in an uncharacteristic snarl.

Astrid had never seen him like this before.

Just as Odin was about to say something, a huge veil of lighting spurted from the sky, dancing all around them and the clouds. Odin looked disturbed, and caught unawares.

"Father!" Two distinct voices roared out.

Spinning around, they saw two figures. One was clearly a blonde man flying with a hammer in his left hand. A red cape similar to Odin's fluttered in the wind as he flew towards them. He wore silver armor along with red leathers and cloths for embellishment. On his back was another man, his arms were wrapped around the other's neck. He wore black and green leathers with hints of gold and bronze armor glinting here and there.

"Thor, Loki!" Odin bellowed, furiously glowering at the two.

"Get away from my son, father!" Loki cried out, hoping that Thor would fly faster.

Odin glared at both of his sons, before dropping from his position in the sky to the isle where Hiccup and Astrid were.

Both children screamed.

Astrid, though, ever loyally placed herself in front of Hiccup. The angry god of battle and storms looked at her before batting her out of the way. She tumbled not too far from the edge but not over; she thanking all the training she had as a warrior that she was strong and agile.

Hiccup wasn't so lucky.

Odin wrapped his thick bulging arm around the boy's neck, pulling him close. Hiccup let out a strangled cry as he was raised into the sky along with the crazy 'god'. From the sea, Toothless could be heard keening in hatred. From the skies, both Loki and Thor screamed in fury.

Odin raised his scepter up over his head, causing the storm to thicken around him and the boy.

Just as this happened, the gods of thunder and mischief approached the isle. Loki jumped off Thor's back, landing right behind Astrid. He wrapped himself around her, protecting her from Odin's anger.

"FATHER!" Thor howled, speeding towards the swirling storm; his hammer crackling with the electrical power of lightning.

Hiccup looked at Loki, the second the Trickster had looked up from his protective stance over Astrid. Their equally emerald eyes met. Hiccup's eyes were just as terrified as his father's.

The pale lips of the boy mouthed out one word. "Dad."

Odin yowled and the storm exploded, blasting everything—including the flying Thor and the crouching Loki and Astrid. Loki gather Astrid up underneath him, protecting her with his body. But he couldn't forget Hiccup's expression. He had failed to protect him.

The storm had begun.

A/N: anyone seeing any similar characteristics to Loki, that Hiccup has? And to my lovely reviewers, thanks so much for your support! Takk fyrir!