A/N: This is a shorter chapter, just setting up some plot. I'm on a roll and having fun with this. There might be a couple more chapters today, maybe just one more, as a special birthday story extravaganza. :D

The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.


Loki knocked on Balder's door, not stopping until the older man was up. it took a few minutes, and he heard some creative cursing from the behind the door, but it eventually opened. he had obviously woken him up.

"This had better be good," Balder growled out.

"It's morning and you should be awake anyway," Loki threw back. "Nathan and Rogers are not in their rooms, and no one has seen them." Balder blinked, running his hand through his hair. "Supposedly they were summoned by one of Odin's advisers, Jotho, to talk about the Trials, but they had not returned."

"Maybe they left early to start one?" Balder yawned. He knew that Loki wouldn't let him go back to sleep and headed back inside, leaving the door open for Loki.

"They did not return to their room, their beds have been unslept in." Balder grabbed a shirt and slipped it on. "I have a bad feeling, and it isn't this child kicking my organs."

"Again, I'm glad I'm not a shape-shifter." He sighed a little and grabbed a cloth, dipping it in his water basin to give his face a quick scrub. "Have you talked with Jotho yet?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "The man holds contempt for me for being Jotun. I must grudgingly ask for your help." Balder snorted and smirked a little.

"Ah, my little brother needs me." Loki glared at him.

"Your daughter would be most upset if something happened to her mortal."

"That's cheap," Balder pointed at him. He grabbed his overshirt, then his vest and slipped them on. "Let me just put on my boots, and we'll go. I hope for once your gut is wrong."

"As do I," Loki sighed.

The two walked down the hall and saw that Jotho's door was open. Balder knocked once and they walked inside, seeing the older man with his assistant gong through some parchments. They both bowed slightly.

"What an unexpected surprise," Jotho stood back up and looked at Balder, almost completely ignoring Loki. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"We're looking for the two Midgardians," Balder told him, adopting his official royal tone. "We were told that you summoned them last night, I assume to talk about the Trials."

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "I sent them out on their first Trial last night, actually." Loki frowned a little.

"And what was that? I was under the impression that I would be informed of the Trials, and when they would happen, before hand." Balder was starting to catch Loki's bad feeling.

"There is a slight time difference to where I was sending them-"

"Sending them?" Loki spoke up now.

"If they are to represent Asgard in the future then they must become familiar with the different locales, and the environments," Jotho responded calmly.

"Where did you send them, Jotho?" Balder asked.

"Jotunheim, of course." Jotho shrugged a little, like it should be all that clear to the others. "If they do not pass the trials, then I thought it would be more humane to let them freeze, then to let them burn on Musplheim."

Loki's jaw had dropped a little. "You sent two Mortals to Jotunheim?!" Balder put out an arm to stop Loki from advancing on the man, but didn't stop him from yelling. "They'll never survive the temperatures there, much less if they run into any Jotnar! Are you truly insane?"

"I'll will be taking over the Trials from this point on," Balder spoke, cutting off any response from Jotho or Loki. He took Loki's arm and pushed him out of the room.

Jotho watched them go, and his assistant looked at him. "Why did you tell them where they were? Surely they're going to go and retrieve them, and then tell the Queen."

"The Queen got an emergency summons from the Allfather this morning and has already left for Alfheim to attend the talks," Jotho looked at him, smirking a little. "She is not on Asgard. And I do hope they go after the two mortals, for the Frost Giants shall be waiting."


"Surely Heimdall would have refused to send them to Jotunheim," Balder thought out loud as he walked back to his rooms, Loki next to him, bristling with anger.

"There are more than one way to leave Asgard than through the bi-frost." Loki huffed out a breath through his nose. "That man is vile and underhanded."

"And we can't have more than one underhanded person on Asgard." Loki shot Balder a look and he held up his hands in defense. They walked into his rooms and he went over to his closet. "I'm not disagreeing with you. I intend on informing Mother and father as soon as they return. But for now, I'm going to go retrieve the boys."

"Hmm, yes, you'll need to dress warmly," Loki nodded. "I shall wait, and we will depart when you're ready."

Balder raised an eyebrow to look at him. "Say what? You're not going with me."

"And exactly why not?"

"You're joking right?" He looked Loki up and down, pointedly looking at his extended stomach. "I'm not letting you go to Jotunheim when you're only a couple weeks away from having another child."

"I'm Jotun, Balder. And while on any other day I despise that fact, today it will work to our advantage," Loki argued. "In my true nature I will not feel the cold and neither will the child. I would not go if it would be a danger to my son, I am no fool, but I also cannot allow you to go on your own. The Jotun would surely kill you without a thought. It would be to your advantage to have me with you."

Balder gave Loki a hard, disapproving, look, before sighing. "You're not going to give in are you."

"I'm glad that all the years apart have not made you completely dull to my personality, brother." Loki crossed his arms over his chest.