The next morning, Jack was awakened from the most restful sleep he'd had in perhaps thirty years by Pit knocking on the door.
The ever cheerful angel led him back to the dining hall saying, "Viridi's here already, and she's eager to meet you."
"She knew about this in advance?"
Pit frowned. "Well no. Lady Palutena asked to her to visit, and as soon as she found out it was about a nature spirit, Viridi was more than willing to come by." He paused. "She can be kind of prickly most of the time, but she can be really nice when she wants to be."
He opened the doors to the dining hall and led him in.
Viridi turned out to be as interested in Jack as Lady Palutena, though perhaps for different reasons. The blonde goddess rose from her seat at the table and practically glided across the room, toting a rather wicked looking staff. While Jack was trying to decide if it reminded him more of a scythe or a bird's head, Viridi scanned him over. The effect was disconcerting when performed by a deity that appeared roughly half Jack's age.
"So you're Jack Frost!" When Jack leaned on his staff somewhat self-consciously she cracked a smile. "I can see why Palutena called me." Turning to her, she said, "I think you're right. Where did you find him?"
Directing a floating pile of steaming plates towards the table with one hand, Palutena said, "A settlement in the North American continent. The colony of Burgess I think it was."
Viridi frowned. "Hmph. My informants were telling me it was Everest he liked to roost in. I'll have to punish them." She turned back to Jack in a whirl of movement, setting her rose colored dress swirling. "So, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Mistress Viridi, Goddess of Nature, mistress of the living earth."
At a loss for what to say, Jack settled for a quick bow. "Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter, Mistress Viridi."
Viridi's grin grew wider. "Oh, I like him." She marched back to her seat and sank down, her staff vanishing.
Lady Palutena pulled out a chair and gestured for Jack to have a seat. Jack did so and found himself facing a steaming pile of what he recognized to be pancakes. An array of syrups appeared before him when he picked up a fork.
The food was once again delicious.
Halfway through the breakfast, Viridi, who had been speaking quietly with Lady Palutena, turned her attention to Jack.
"So Palutena tells me you keep returning to a lake?"
Swallowing his mouthful of pancakes, Jack nodded. "Yeah. I think it's where I was born."
Viridi shook her head. "That would make you a water spirit, not a winter one."
Jack shrugged. "The first thing I remember was that everything was cold and dark. And I was terrified. Then suddenly I was rising and saw the moon. It was so big and bright. And suddenly I wasn't scared anymore. I could feel this strange warmth filling me, till it felt like I was going to burst."
Viridi exchanged a look with Lady Palutena. "Then what?"
"Then I heard this voice tell me. "You are Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter."
"And?"
"And what? That's all the moon told me, and that was a long time ago."
Viridi's expression became thunderous for a moment. Then she turned to Palutena. "Now I know you're right. We need Gaea." She frowned. "Gaea gave me several methods to locate her no matter what the situation. Give me a few days to track her down." To Jack she said, "It'd be easier if I was able to ask the winds, since they're directly connected to her, but the winds either won't or can't respond to anyone lately."
Jack blinked. "I can hear the wind just fine." He grinned. "Wind's actually quite a chatterbox. Granted it can be hard to understand it sometimes, especially since it doesn't always use words, but I usually get the gist." He glanced at Palutena. "It really likes you, Lady Palutena. And now it's ecstatic that you're here Viridi."
A chunk of pancake fell from Viridi's upraised fork. "You can hear it?!"
Jack shrugged. "Ever since I was er, born, I guess. Right after the moon told my name, I found my staff, and I frosted a few trees. Then suddenly wind came rushing in and swept me up into the air. I don't think it was used to carrying anything like me, because it dropped me on accident right after. I mean it apologized a lot, and we got used to each other pretty quick."
Viridi closed her mouth and coughed. "I see."
Lady Palutena tapped her lip in thought. "I wonder if he accidentally tied the wind to him when he gained his staff."
Viridi made a face. "Maybe, but I doubt it. I think it's probably the other way around. The winds have always been a little…whimsical." She shook her head. "Well, so long as they're alright then it's fine. Gaea can set things to rights once we find her. Give me a little while and I'll let you know once I've found her."
Palutena nodded. "Thank you Viridi. Jack, let's finish up and we can start designing a temple for you."
Temple designing, Jack decided, was both very fun and very tiring. But it did end well. Viridi had stayed long enough to add a series of intricate ice designs that curled like vines around the exterior of the new building. Upon hearing how nice it looked, the goddess had immediately flushed and muttered something about needing to find Gaea. She had vanished soon after.
Most of the actual building was done by a portion of Lady Palutena's army, a rather musclebound group of flying soldiers that she called Centurion Strongarms. Each one of them were able to carry a pillar at least three times their length. Jack noticed that they all had a stylized tattoo of Palutena's head on one arm.
When he commented on it though, Lady Palutena giggled. "They did it as some sort of tribute to me a few centuries back. They were just so proud. It was adorable really. Remind me to introduce you to the rest of the army later."
The finished temple, while not as large as Palutena's, was still sizable. It was also quite open, allowing the winds to come and go freely.
Jack landed on his new bed with a thump, watching a group of centurions head towards the giant winged statue of Palutena carrying something.
"Well Wind, looks like things are looking up huh?"
The wind gusted around him, ruffling curtains and blowing anything loose up into the air. With each gust of air, Jack could feel words resonating from deep inside him. Palutena, Palutena, Palutena, Thank Palutena! Palutena good!
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, you're right Wind. She's pretty good." He watched as the centurions started attaching something to the staff on the statue outside.
After a moment the centurions left the statue, and Jack could see a gigantic snowflake attached to the end of the staff, shining like a beacon in the sun.
Very quietly he said, "I think she might be the best thing that ever happened to us."
Wind gusted around him in agreement.
AN: And thus we meet Viridi, who is less cuddly than the Grinch most of the time. Unfortunately, we won't be meeting the guardians themselves for a while, but they'll definitely get mentioned quite a bit :)
Later days!