She was sitting outside, next to the stables, with a chittering spider doing something web related behind her. Was she supposed to just wait here with it? Odin had not ordered her to return after taking it outside and even if she had wanted to leave it kept shadowing her now as if a duckling following its mother. It was certainly a good thing she wasn't frightened of spiders – many weird and wonderful specimens having lived with her back home on earth for years, taking care of the flies, that hung out around all the mess in her house. Horses on the other hand.
Kari cringed as she heard another neighing sound coming from the stables – horrible biting beasts that loved nothing better than to throw people off their backs and kick threatening to stomp. It was a teenage trauma; a high school trip to the country where they had camped in a field, sailed small pico boats and lastly went horse back riding across several fields. She had been being mouthy and back talking the teacher for the last few days so he'd decided to punish her by talking the stable owners into giving her their biggest horse. He was called Billy and seemed like a gentle beast at first; she too cocky hadn't thought twice about mounting the docile creature. Then everything had changed. Something had spooked him whilst they were walking painfully slowly in a single line down the side of a hill. He'd whinnied loudly, thrown his head back and reared to her horror. What was she supposed to do but hang on? Hang on whilst the horse flew out of her control, bucking and rolling onto the ground until she'd fallen off and screamed at the weight of his body on her leg. It hadn't even ended there, he'd come back for seconds the moment he was back on his feet, hooves stomping around her crippling her into a silent fear until an instructor had managed to calm him.
Her leg had been broken in two places, a helicopter had even had to come and get her from the field because they were in such a remote area. That had been fun at least, though she was pretty high on pain meds when they were actually flying. A couple of months off school hadn't been as good as she first thought it would be. Her current foster mother had been furious, having to take long breaks at work during the day to come check on her at home. Soon as she'd recovered she was sent packing to a new foster home, a new school and just after she'd gotten used to the old set too. All because of a stupid horse called Billy.
"What are you doing here?"
Kari looked up at the voice, it was a woman she vaguely recognized by her light brown hair and bemused frown. This was the woman from months ago, the one that had been grooming that eight-legged horse when Kari had been waiting on Thor.
"Watching a spider?" Kari shrugged.
"I have eyes to see that." The other woman responded dryly, arms folding as she scrutinized the newest eight-legged creature to the area with her gaze.
"Odin said to bring it here."
"Very well." She nodded, still eyeing up the spider even as she was turning to leave.
"Hey, what's with that deformed horse I saw you with before?"
"Defor- Do you imply Sleipnir?" Apparently this woman was pretty hot-tempered. "Son of Loki and Odin's most noble steed?"
"Wait what?" Kari had to back it up a moment there and was thankfully already sitting otherwise she probably would have tripped at the stable hands words. "Loki fucked a horse? And it had a baby?" Oh this was seriously sick, even for Loki. "Dude…" she had to take a moment, least she vomited in front of yet another person at the mental image of Loki raping a mare. "How is that even possible?"
"Loki is his mother."
"No… No?... No way!" Oh this was too sickeningly hilarious. "See, now I know you're messing with my head, whoever you are."
"Ryder."
"Uh-huh." Kari was awkwardly chuckling, a disbelieving tone fluctuating through her voice even as the woman clarified her name. If she began with such intense lies and stories then who knew where the truth began. "It's not possible for a man to have a baby. Let alone with a horse. There's DNA no meshingness and stuff."
"You must be that midgardian mortal I heard had come to our realm." Ryder, arms so tightly folded against her chest she almost appeared to be hugging herself, was now eyeing her with more scrutiny than she'd reserved for the spider. "You have a great deal to learn about the differences between gods and humans."
"Whatever darling."
"I am not your darling." Ryder flashed her a dangerous look that emitted the words 'go to hell' without them ever needing saying before she turned sharply and stomped back into the stables.
"Fuck you too." Kari muttered under her breath and couldn't help but laugh at the story she'd been told.
Settling into her second hour of waiting outside in the chilly evening air, Kari had finished teaching the spider a third trick – to shake hands – when Odin had finally graced them both with his presence. He was alone, tired but determined faced as he approached the unlikely pair shaking hand to hairy leg. He'd stopped to admire the display with a quiver of a smile before thudding his spear on the ground for undivided attention.
"You cannot keep this creature, Fandralkin. Do not break its will any further than you already have." He raised a hand to hush her before her open mouth could emit sounds of a denying manner. "It is understood the nature of your power to be unrecognized, tamer of man and beast both. I had not thought to witness such from you so openly before."
"I don-" He hushed her again with another gesture of his palm.
"I had thought it better you not know, that we may keep a watchful eye within reaching distance but you have grown if only from necessity and fear. Your persuasion is a primal magic, difficult to control and best not developed." He paused, letting his words sinking in as she stared at him confused by the second fantasy story of the night. "You still do not understand." He was disappointed, relieved and worried at once. "When you triggered the portal from midgard to this realm, what were you thinking at the time?"
"I don't know. Get me away from this horrible museum?" She shrugged.
"You persuaded the will of dark magic to aid you in escape."
"No I-" She was laughing but halted once again by another hand signal.
"In my throne room, when you came to make the request of me to allow your passage to midgard, I refused you twice before you became angered and persuaded me. I thought myself immune to such things but not as strongly as I believed, an error on my part to let my guard down for that moment." There was a flash of anger, blame for them both equally shared in the glint of his one good eye for the barest of moments. "This creature, in your desperation, you broke its conviction and though it can not understand your words it understands well your persuasion to perform tricks."
"You're really freaking me out now."
"Good." Odin came closer, lifting her chin till their eyes were leveled and her full attention was set on remembering his next words. "You will learn to control this, Fandralkin, and you will not use it for frivolous gain any longer. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes." She breathed, shocked at what she had heard, and she was hearing but well aware of the look of danger in his eye.
"This creature belongs to Niflheim." Odin had brushed past her, as if the previous conversation were no more than a bad dream, and began an inspection of the chittering spider. "You will take it to the bifrost bridge where Heimdall will return it."
"Yes." She swallowed, shaking, dazed and desperate to cling to something. "How… how did it get here?"
"A small dimensional breach, most likely an accidental occurrence but sealed now."
She suddenly blanched at his words, the memory of Loki in the library springing to mind 'It will look accidental I assure you'. Should she say something? Tell Odin about her eavesdropping on his son in a place she shouldn't have been just after he'd given her such a terrifying lecture?
"Do not worry yourself on this, Fandralkin." He rested his arm on her shoulder, sensing her unease and assuming it to be of a slightly different nature than it truly was. "Do your duty and return swiftly for rest." He walked back inside the palace, not giving her a second glance.