Alaia Skyhawk: Someone mentioned that in Norse Mythology Loki was the god of fire. Truth be told I didn't bother researching on this occasion, since I'd seen Loki mentioned in relation to winter and snow so often in other stories with him present. So I guess I'm just sticking with it that way now lol :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.

~(-)~

Chapter 106: In Anticipation of Exploration

Raucous laughter and cheering filled the fire-lit hall, where almost every one of the dozens of wooden tables was surrounded by or buried under the mass of inebriated Vikings within the room. The guest of honour had become somewhat forgotten by now, due to the drunken state of the majority, yet he didn't mind. No, Jack sat at the single quiet table in the room, sipping from a tankard of ale while next to him Hiccup cringed in embarrassment at how rowdy everyone was being.

The Spirit of Winter smiled to himself, finishing off what was his sixth drink as Hiccup glanced at him. The young Viking seemed a bit surprised.

"Someone your size should be slumped under the table by now. I'm bigger built than you, yet two of those would leave me senseless."

Jack set down the tankard, chuckling.

"Perk of being an immortal. My body doesn't digest anything I eat or drink. Instead it just becomes energy an hour or so after I've swallowed it. I'd have to drink something a lot stronger than this to actually get drunk. Closest I've even been was when I tried my friend North's 'Mortals Do Not Touch' vodka. He's from Russia, and vodka is one of their specialities. His version of it is about ninety-six percent alcohol, which is lethal for a mortal to drink unless it's watered right down. Seven shots of it made me tipsy for an hour, while seven left North weaving drunkenly through the hallways for the same."

Jack grinned. "He might mass over four times what I do, but he's warm-bodied and I'm cold, so it affected me a lot less and slower than him. He's banned me from challenging him to drinking contests."

Astrid, who had just arrived at the table and so heard the conversation, sat down opposite the immortal. She then gestured to indicate the drunken idiocy going on all around them.

"I guess that sort of explains why you wanted to see this."

Jack laughed.

"Nah, it was an excuse to get them drunk enough so that when they learn certain truths about Odin, Loki, and Thor, they accept it a bit easier."

Astrid glance at Hiccup, eyebrows raised.

"Truths? Did this guy really come for a 'social' visit?"

Hiccup face-planted onto the table, his tone bland as he muttered into the wood.

"No, he came to talk me out of trying to sail to the mainland again, which I was planning to do by the end of the week. He invented the 'social visit' story to spare me a lecture from my dad." He raised his head again, sighing. "He also confirmed something I'd figured out for myself, about Odin."

"And what would that be?"

Jack used a small ice mirror to refill his tankard without leaving the table, interrupting as he did so.

"You familiar with the idea of stories 'taking on a life of their own'? You know, where one person tells it, then another, and another, and by the time it's been around a few years it gets completely blown out of proportion?"

Astrid stared at him, and shrugged as she considered what was going on all around the great hall.

"You get a lot of that around here. Usually about how great or strong people are, when they're bragging about it."

Jack dismissed his mirror, taking a sip from the newly-filled tankard before explaining.

"When Odin started out, he was an inspirational figurehead for young Viking warriors, and those given to writing bad poetry about their brave and mighty exploits. He was the Immortal Chieftain, a warrior and guide, and a watchful force whenever his believers chose to go to war. In line with the 'chieftain' image, other immortals of Viking Legend joined up with him as their overall leader. Their profile grew as a group, their believers started inventing more stories about them, and then... You get the idea."

Astrid leaned back in her chair, at once both surprised and not surprised.

"You mean most of those stories are tall tales made up by our ancestors?"

Jack shrugged.

"Leave out 'gods', and anything about 'sons' or other family related bits, scandals, infighting, and you get back to the basic gist of it. All immortals end up with extra bits tagged onto their Legends. I've got a few of them myself. There's a couple of movie where the character of 'Jack Frost' is a psychopath reborn as an evil snowman that goes around killing people. Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

There was an awkward silence while Jack took another swig from his drink. Hiccup and Astrid both staring at him until the latter let out a low whistle and changed the topic back to the previous.

Astrid took a gulp from the drink she herself had carried over, and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Well I guess preparing for the truth about Odin, is a good reason to get them drunk. I can think of a few though that will spend a week with their face buried in a tankard once they find out."

Jack smiled wryly. Even taking into account the gulp of ale she'd just swallowed, she seemed remarkably relaxed. Hiccup had flailed for several minutes once the implications had sunk in, even if he had figured it out for himself before getting it confirmed by the immortal.

"You don't seem that bothered."

Astrid tilted her head to indicate Hiccup.

"I hang around with him and his strange ideas most of the time. If it doesn't bother him, why should it bother me?"

Hiccup, true to form, now began to gesture in agitation.

"Oh I don't know... Cultural collapse. Mass panic from the paranoid who will think the gods have abandoned us. General chaos."

There was a loud crash from across the room, as two legs on a table collapsed under the weight of the drunk Vikings sprawled on it. Astrid then raised her eyebrows at him.

"Uh, we see that in here at least once a week... Or at least every time Snotlout's dad loses to his own wife at arm wrestling."

There was another crash as the remaining legs on that table gave way, causing Hiccup to wince.

"You may have a point there."

Jack downed the last of his ale and got up, slinging his staff over his shoulder and starting towards the door.

"Then I guess I'll leave you to it. You can tell them the truth about Odin and the others to everyone in the morning."

Hiccup gaped, rising to his feet.

"Where are you going?!"

Jack paused and glanced back at him, smirking.

"I'm the Spirit of Winter, and I do have a job to do at the South of the World where it's winter right now. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. I'll just let the dust settle a bit first."

Jack lifted off the floor and now glided towards the exit, Hiccup scrambling after him with Astrid not far behind.

"You mean you're just going to leave me to deal with it?"

Jack shoved the doors open, grinning.

"It's your Tribe, and you are the next chieftain of this group within it. Consider it practice in leadership."

He darted out the doors and flew away with Svelldreki, who had been waiting outside in the company of Toothless and a few other dragons. Astrid and Hiccup watched him go, the girl noting with some sarcasm.

"I can't tell if just doesn't give a damn, or if he's seen so much of this kind of stuff he's bored by it."

Hiccup, far from impressed with being left to do the talking, groaned as he put his head in his hands.

"My guess would be closer to 'he's seen so much of this stuff that he can't help but laugh at it'."

~(-)~

It was a couple of hours later when Kiyiya walked into the Hall of Mirrors at the Winter Sanctuary, heading up to the central spire just as Jack descended after completing his frostdust distribution for the day. The Spirit of Winter was wearing a definite smile of amusement, and was certainly in a better mood than when he'd last seen him twenty-four hours ago.

Kiyiya landed beside him, watching as Jack now sat at the computer and turned it on to do the day's weather report.

"You're suddenly more cheerful. Anything to do with that outing you went on with Svelldreki?"

Jack chuckled, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.

"The great thing about distractions, is when they come along at the perfect time. Soon as I'm done here, I need to get North to call a Guardian meeting. Got a whole Tribe of Myth we didn't have access to, that we'll now be able tend. Plenty of teeth knocked out by brawls or mishaps for Tooth to collect, a holiday similar to Christmas that's only a few days off on the calendar, which North could add to if he does his research. And I'm sure Bunny's eggs will be liked as well, if the kids there actually break them open to eat the chocolate rather than throw them at each other."

Kiyiya came over and leaned against the end of the desk, a little unsure what to think.

"Um, sounds like an interesting Tribe."

Jack grinned at him.

"Vikings, which have lived there under his protection, untouched by history for over a thousand years. Odin needed a favour do with the them, so I wrangled for open passage into his home-base territory for both the Guardians and the Spirits of the Seasons. Odin gave in without a fuss, since I decided not to throw the book at him for some rule-breaking he's been doing. Except Tsar Lunar has obviously been making an exception for the dear Norse Trio, so it probably wasn't rule-breaking for them."

Kiyiya's shook his head at Jack's gall, starting to smile.

"You deliberately set out to make them panic so they'd relent."

Jack pointed at him in emphasis.

"Admit it, they've been a pain in the backside for a lot of immortals for a long time. The fright will do them good, and maybe stop them being so reclusive anymore. Loki and Thor would both make good Lieutenants of the Seasons, if Odin wasn't such a stiff." Jack shrugged. "Heck, even Odin would fit in to a certain extent, probably with Oisin. A bit of job security might help him to actually relax."

Kiyiya laughed. He'd gained a lot of confidence in the eighteen years since he'd become an immortal, and had long since lost the overpowering awe of the older immortals that he'd once had.

"I wouldn't mention that to the other Spirits of the Seasons, not yet at least. It would be a shame to spoil Ariko's current good opinion of you."

The computer now booted up, Jack began rapidly drawing weather patterns onto the charts in his weather tracking program.

"Yeah, it's been a nice decade. Although sometimes I do wonder if I miss teasing her when she'd yell at me." He turned suddenly sombre. "Any news from Sophie and Jamie?"

Kiyiya nodded.

"During the three days you've been out, working on that storm and then your trip to those Vikings, she's been busy. She's already tracked down the main US hideout the fanatics were using. The police raided it yesterday after she tipped Marcia off to the location. They arrested seven, and found information on the names of four others which are now being searched for. They also found guns, explosives, and records relating to places where members of the Bennett Family will be appearing publicly, as well as lists of addresses and names for relatives of other immortals."

Jack paused in stunned surprise, turning sharply in his seat to regard his Lieutenant.

"She's found some of them already?"

Kiyiya handed over the newspaper he was holding, allowing Jack to read the front page. The headline read 'Arrested: Terrorists responsible for murder at Yale graduation'.

"Marzanna has sent Yuki to help her with the search. She was worried about the stress on Sophie, doing so much so soon after becoming immortal."

Jack accepted the paper, reading some of the article before nodding.

"Good call. Yuki's great at moral support and comfort, which Sophie will need for that kind of task. She could also use ice to restrain them if any fanatics slip past the police."

Kiyiya nodded.

"I think it's safe to say it won't take Sophie long to end the threat they pose. She's still learning her new abilities, and will likely track down each branch of the organisation faster than the previous."

Jack quickly finished up the weather report, leaving it more basic than the usual but still more than enough for the meteorologists to make use of.

"She'll probably be done with that within a Season or two. By then Jamie may have finished deciding who his chosen representatives will be from all the nations. A pity he'll need to wait until he has a place for the the World Council to be held, before he can recruit them."

Beside Jack, Kiyiya cleared his throat awkwardly.

"...He's already started on that. He left a message for you, but you weren't here."

"What message?"

Kiyiya pointed to a plain envelope sat to one side on the desk, which Jack had ignored due to being distracted by work and thoughts.

Jack grabbed it and pulled out the message, reading it as his eye then went wide.

"He's asked Tsar Lunar to use the ship-building and repair facility inside the Moon Clipper. He's going to drop a floating city onto the middle of the Pacific, out of reach of any nation to control!" He read a bit more, his expression showing him to be more and more impressed. "He also wants me to make plans for Ice Mirror networks to connect the major population centres around the world. Seriously? He's asking me to put practically every airline in the world out of business!"

Kiyiya peered over his shoulder at the message.

"Some of the airlines, maybe, but you could probably spare the airports and most of their staff. Set the mirrors up where there are already passport controls, and only at international airports. Charge a monthly fee for each mirror, limit the number of destinations that are linked to each airport, and ban them for using the mirrors for trade shipping. The money raised can be invested in the farming and housing developments for impoverished nations."

Jack turned to regard him thoughtfully.

"Basically I take precautions to protect air-freight, but improve long-haul passenger travel while letting more localised flights remain untouched." He mused. "Basically that means Ice Mirrors connecting to each of at least one major airport in each general geographic area. So that would be places like London, New York, Moscow, Cairo, Cape Town, Sydney, Tokyo, etc. Make it so people can short-cut most of the distances between any of those, but then fly on a plane for what's left to any destinations within those countries or their close neighbours."

He run a hand through his hair, muttering. "But that's still a lot of mirrors, far too many if every airport is connected to every other in the network. Unless..."

Kiyiya regarded him, eyebrows raised in query.

"Yes?"

Jack tapped a finger on the letter.

"I ask Tsar Lunar to make sure an 'international portal hub' type place is included in this floating city Jamie has asked for. After that I link each airport of choice to that hub, and as an additional bonus Jamie can put a spell on the place that turns anything dangerous, inert when it passes through the hub. Explosives, guns, they'll become useless so the place can't be bombed. The same could be done for other things, to stop people smuggling illegal items through the hub. The city could become a tourist hotspot and political neutral ground. There's so much potential."

Kiyiya glanced towards the room's exit, thinking about the Selkies whose home was linked to the Sanctuary.

"Not just for human nations. The Tribes of Myth, those that are interested, could move small communities to the city too. Or at least visit the place to represent their tribes at meetings. I can also imagine there will be more than a few who grew up in Santoff Claussen, yet moved away, who would want to go. It could even be possible to start up a school for the study of advanced Belief Magic."

A long moment passed in silence, before Jack made a sound of frustration and exasperation.

"Gah, so much to think about!" He set aside the letter, firmly placing it on his desk. "No, it's going to have to wait. If you could deliver the portal hub request to Tsar Lunar for me, that would be good. But right now I need to concentrate on those Vikings and my usual work. The floating city is Jamie's thing to sort out."

Kiyiya picked up both the newspaper and letter, folding them up in preparation to head out with the message.

"I guess you'll be headed to meet with the Guardians then?"

Jack let out a sigh, the two of the flying down from the spire and out the door.

"Well yeah, but that's just one thing. I've still got to decide what I'm going to show Hiccup."

Kiyiya glanced at him sidelong, the pair now gliding into the open space of the plaza.

"Who?"

Jack started to grin.

"A young Viking who wanted to see the lands his ancestors came from. Who is clever and creative and curious about the world. The world might not be ready for him, but he's ready for the world. So I plan to show him at least some of it."

Jack conjured a mirror and disappeared through it, leaving behind a Lieutenant that shook his head in humour. The noise of the Workshop was stark contrast to the quiet of the Winter Sanctuary, what with many of his Lieutenants being out and about either amusing themselves or tending to some of the minor Southern Winter duties. But for Jack, coming here was still like arriving at a second home. And as grand as his own Globe of Belief was, the sight of North's still brought an extra special smile to his face.

He send a small breeze to track down Phil, asking the yeti to inform North that he was visiting. All the while grinning in anticipation for the meeting to come, and of seeing their reactions to learning about the Tribe of Myth that Odin had kept hidden.

It was going to be an interesting meeting.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: For those wondering, yes I will consider writing that Jack versus North drinking contest as a oneshot, hehehe :D