Most people have played a prank. The smarter you are, the better they get, and the more satisfaction you receive. Setting up a prank with a friend is one type of fun: there is a certian type of deeper satisfaction, a warmness to your cold humor. Setting one up with the God of Mischief himself?
Ljota hardly remembered the feeling of despair and anger that Nari and Vali had inflicted upon her before. Her blue-green eyes shined with glee as she and Loki used their magics to give Thor a hard time.
"One more in this room, Ljota!" Loki whispered, dragging his daughter into an unused chamber of the Allfather's palace. Ljota tried not to giggle as guards passed by, so not to show what she and her father where up to. They ducked into the light room, ready to go through the same process as they had for the other 12 fakes.
"Thor will be running around like a headless chicken!" Ljota said, delighted, as her father closed the door.
"What? Is that another Midgardian term?" Loki replied, slightly confused as he turned back to his daughter. Suddenly quiet, she nodded, ashamed at using such vulgar-
"Ljota, you know that you don't have to be saddened about using your speech around your father," he said lightly. "Just… not around the other fools. They never take any heritage lightly bar their own, but I will."
The demigoddess nodded, and held her hands palms-downward in front of the table in front of her, ready to make the duplicate.
"I believe I can sustain one more, Vater," she said with a grin. Loki nodded his consent, and she began.
Her hands began to glow a greenish-gold, and from the tips of her fingers the illusion began to sprout. The handle of Mjolnir came first, it's intricate brown handle appearing as real as Thor's own. Not being supported in her magic by anyone but her father, Ljota was rather slow at this point in her magic; the handle began to fade just as the mallet-end began to grow from the handle.(To be fair, she was also sustaining four other fake-Mjolnirs in other rooms around the palace.)
Loki came behind his daughter, holding her arms like a Midgardian father would his daughter trying to work a hammer; but to an onlooker, this would appear much more beautiful. As Ljota's warm, gold glow that radiated around her hands began to fade, it was soon replenished as a stronger glow replaced it for a moment.
Ljota looked up at her father(there was a good 5 inch discrepancy between the two Jotuns), confused, but he only smiled. With this new strength, the fake Mjolnir fixed itself, solidifying. It's handle looked as the real handle made from the branch of Yggsdrasil, the mallet as the real dwarvish metal.
Loki smiled as Ljota pulled her hands away. "You're magic is improving," Loki said, in quiet pride. Ljota was stunned- Loki was never(ever. EVER.) one to give out compliments, more one to nod in appreciation.
Before she could say anything, her father was already walking quickly out of the room. "Come!" he whispered, and she followed. They walked out of the palace(receiving many nasty looks, as always, but they couldn't care less) and went straight to the grounds as planned.
"Where do you wish to wait?" Loki asked his daughter. He was making this afternoon all about her, something he hadn't done in decades, and she knew it. She said nothing about it- she loved it. They would have stayed in the gardens, but considering the number of people there(not to mention, Freya, who disliked Loki after a long argument), the God of Mischief thought it best that he and his daughter leave, and she couldn't agree more. Why not? she thought. It's a family affair already.
"Can we go visit Brother Sleipnir?" she asked, grinning again. Loki nodded, and they walked down to the stables to visit the eight-legged horse. When the stable boy saw the two dark haired beings walk towards him, he walked away, not only in disdain for the Jotun, but also in respect that they two knew as much about horses as he.
Seeing his relatives, Sleipnir(who had free range of the stable, being Odin's royal steed) trotted up and whinnied happily. Ljota ran over and rubbed her brother's muzzle, as Loki stood smiling, stroking his son's back affectionately.
"I have not seen you in ages, Brother," Ljota whispered, leading him over to a loft where Loki and she could sit. Sleipnir shook his jet-black mane, as if to return the sentiment(which is exactly what he was saying, as Ljota and Loki could understand).
Ljota and Loki went on to tell the royal horse about their trick on Thor, and he whinnied in joy. He had never liked how the All father and Thor had treated his father and half-sister over the centuries, but of course, could say nothing they would understand.
With consent from her brother, Ljota began to chomp on a crisp red apple. Suddenly, Loki snickered.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. I just cannot wait to see your Uncle's foolish face when he finds his precious hammer!"
"He will know it is us, or at least, you, Vater," Ljota said, after taking another bite.
"Oh, but it will be worth it. In what way could this be better, I ask you?" he said, chuckling again as he watched his son walk around the stable.
"True. We should do this more often!"
"I agree-"
" No, I mean, the whole thing, Vater. Not only pranking Onkle, but visiting Sleipnir… if only I could see Hel more often as well."
Loki snorted, knowing the impossibility of that, but also felt sad. What he had said to Sif all those years ago was a lie- he did not hold any of his children in contempt. Calling Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel abominations, he meant none of that. Just another manipulation to get his new daughter into Asgard, but he did feel bad for it.
"When was the last time you saw your sister?" Loki asked, sounding flippant.
"I am not quite sure… couple decades ago?" Ljota said, hiding her sadness again. She hated how she could never see her siblings- she had never even seen Fenrir, the wolf, only heard his howling, and visiting Jörmungandr was not an option, Midgard Serpent and enemy of Thor that he was. That only stirred up her hate for the Allfather again- no. She stopped.
Ljota slid off the loft and caught up with the one brother to whom she could talk(she did not count Nari nor Vali, the fiends) and stroked his sleek mane one more time before walking off to continue the plan, the brilliant prank.
Loki couldn't help but see the anger in his daughter's face before she walked away without another word from him. He felt that same anger many times, and while he was used to not seeing his older children, it still bothered him.
Ah well, he thought as he waited for his daughter to initiate the plan. "I have had much worse, have I not, Sleipnir?"
Thor walked back from a very satisfying luncheon straight to his chambers. Sif had proposed a practice battle, to which he agreed, so he went to grab Mjolnir. It would be quick- the hammer was right on his bed, so no big-
Except, it wasn't there. How in Yggsdrasil is it not there?!
"Odin's beard…" Thor moved the pillows around frantically, then looked under the large bed, his head swimming in confusion. It wasn't there! Impossible, but true!
"Mjolnir, to me!" the God of Thunder said, putting his hand out. He felt it come to him, but it wasn't in his hand! (A Midgardian would have called it psychosomatic). Thor stormed out of his room, back into Baldur's. His friend was not there, but his hammer was! Thor rushed over to it, ready to pick it up, but it only melted at his touch.
If he had been a bit younger, he wouldn't have noticed the greenish-gold glow, and stormed away- as it happened, he did notice it.
"LOKI!" he yelled.
Swelling with rage, Thor stormed down the halls of the palace, looking for his "brother", occasionally stopping; He past by another room he was in that day, and spotted his hammer, and decided to try and pick it up- but each time he tried this(he tried thrice more), it would fade away in a green glow.
Finally, he happened upon Ljota, who seemed to be walking towards her room.
"Ljota!" he said, walking up to her.
"Oh. Onkle Thor. How lovely. What is it you wish to-"
"Do you know where your father is?" He spared no irritation.
"Ahh… no, actually, I was looking for him," she lied with ease, "Why?"
"He has played another one of his tricks, and I wish him to undo it!" he said, starting to walk away. Ljota had to hide her grin.
"What did he do, may I ask?"
"He has somehow found a way to hide Mjolnir from me!" he said, heading towards the courtyard where he used to find his brother after his pranks.
"Uncle, you know Father has no ability to pick up your hammer, only you can!"
"And yet it is gone-"
"I suggest looking in your room again," she stated calmly.
"I looked there, as you say, but she is nowhere!"
"Well, if that is the last place you put it, then it is there! It is impossible for it to be elsewhere," she said, walking towards her "uncle"'s room calmly, as if to help.
Thor followed her in, surprise at her willingness to help and her optimism.
When he walked back into his room, Mjolnir was there!
Ljota smiled, as she knew that Thor did not see her wave her hand. Loki and she had made it invisible… but that wasn't all.
To Thor's horror, his precious Mjolnir was covered girly decorations! The handle was decked out in frills, the mallet laced with pink(!) beads, the tri-symbol replaced by lace.
As the god of thunder's jaw dropped, his "niece" fell on the floor laughing, right on cue. Behind her, came a snickering Loki, his eyes wet with happy tears.