Disclaimer: Do not own.

Chapter Eight

Odin frowned. "I do have one more request of you, time-walker."

Harry shook his head slightly. "Could we stick to one name, please? You guys are going to start confusing me! Call me Harry!"

The king smiled slightly. "So you keep telling me to do, but never seems to stick, young world-traveler."

The wizard wrinkled his nose in frustration, but let it drop for now. "Right, well, your request then, Allfather?"

"It it... well, part of it is just around this corner." The god answered, looking a bit sheepish.

They moved around the building, to the apparent entrance. That was was where Odin had left his mount. Harry's eyes widened as he moved forward. Fenrir walked with him, scenting the air. While most equine animals would be wary of the wolf moving towards them, Sleipnir just watched them with placid eyes.

The wizard slowly raised his hand in front of the velvet muzzle while Fenrir sniffed curiously at his half-brother's flank. "You know, on my own planet I read that Odin rode Sleipnir. When I got here, I kind of hoped it wasn't true." Harry commented, while the horse shifted his head to the side so that he could rub his neck.

Odin frowned slightly. "It was but after our... conversation your first night here, I took the time to not only think about the Fenris Wolf, but the only other one of my son's children whom I kept close. I see how you treat your companion and... Not long after Sleipnir was born, I began training him to be my mount..." He trailed off.

One wry green eye peeked over a thin shoulder at him. "It's pretty much the same thing that it was with Fenrir, isn't it? Loki's son... your grandson. You let prejudice cloud your judgement, Odin Allfather." For a moment, he did not sound like the teen he looked like, but like the ancient being he actually was.

"Father...?" Thor's tone was questioning. Heimdall chose to stay silent and let the situation play itself out.

The grey haired god sighed wearily, and it reminded the wizard that, no matter his own age, he couldn't hope to match the millennium the other man had lived through. "I know that now, world-walker, which is what brings us here. I thought that now would be the perfect time to ask. I would like you to bring this creature under your wing as you have the wolf."

Harry looked a bit shocked. He wouldn't peg the other man as one who would admit his own faults easily. " I uh... well, yeah, I have no real problem with that, I guess." He said, his tone light in bemusement.

Odin's shoulders drooped slightly, as if a large weight he had been carrying had dropped away from them. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

Fenrir sniffed at the air, smelling the eight legged horse that smelled like kin. He did not have the same smell of power as father or his packmate, but he had a slight undertone to his scent that Fenrir could recognize from his own.

Harry suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie wash over him, and he paled, looking over at Fenrir, who was now washing his half-brother's ears while the horse stood still and just took it calmly. Oh no...

"I will admit that after I left your rooms that night, I felt a bit of anger at you. Who were you to question how I raised my children?" Odin explained, breaking Harry from his thoughts and bringing him back to the here and now. He could do something about the now obvious bond forming later... right? "But... then I began to question it myself, and found my tactics come up... wanting." Odin continued, not realizing the inner turmoil of the other man.

Harry placed a hand on the man's broad shoulder. "There's no right way to be a parent, Odin. There are plenty of wrong ways, and I've seen most of them. But no way is totally right. And you learn as you go along."

"You sound as if you are experienced with parenting." Odin pointed out.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Well... you know... like I've said, I've seen all the wrong ways and... tend to save the kids who I see treated badly. I can't tell you how many kids of how many species I've adopted over my travels." The wizard admitted.

Thor grinned. "Much like you did Fenrir?" He teased lightly, and Harry blanched.

Turning to look at the wolf he thought about how he treated him and... yes, it was much like he treated one of the many kids he'd adopted. "You," He said, pointing to the animal, "Start calling me mama, and I'll curse all of your fur off." The wolf just huffed at him and went back to making nice with his half-brother. Taking that as confirmation, the wizard turned back to the gods.

"But that was only part of my request. There are two other parts..." Odin said.

"Two other children of Loki? Jormungand and Hel, right?" Harry sighed, already knowing where this was going.

Odin nodded, his own shiny headdress (and really, did all the gods here wear funky, sparkly hats? As far as Harry had seen? Yes.) glimmering in the faint light given of by the Bifrost. "Both have become too... wary of me to allow me to approach them to apologize and welcome them back to Asgard. But you-"

"I'm the guy who's gonna stop the end of your world, and already have a following of two of their brothers." Harry groaned, hanging his head. He heard Heimdall snicker and glowered at him from that position. Being himself sure took a lot more effort than it used to, he mentally groused.

"Yes. Jormungand is on Earth, which is where you are going. You can talk to him fist. Hel is in the realm that shares her name. As soon as you and my sons return, I will arrange an escort there for you." Odin smiled slightly. "I do not expect them to forgive me so easily, but you talking to them now will begin the mending process."

Thor felt pride in his father well up inside him. He was willing to make amends with the various creatures his brother had borne so maybe... maybe Odin would not punish Loki too harshly for the things he has done as of late.

They began to move towards the entrance that lead to the inner chamber of the Bifrost, carved out of the wreckage, when he heard the wizard mutter something to the horse that confuse him greatly.

"You don't have tentacles hidden in your mouth, do you?"

Sleipnir only snorted in reply.

Harry was lead into an odd shaped chamber that was centered around a stone dais that he figured held the control that once directed the formerly whole rainbow bridge. He raised one eyebrow when he saw it was a sword in a stone.

"I have no desire to be king of England." He said jokingly, and Heimdall smiled at the reference while Thor and Odin exchanged bemused looks.

The dark skinned omniscient god shook his head. "There are no such connotations with this. What you will do, young time-walker, is simple. Don your Cloak and Ring, and unsheathe your Wand." Harry shrugged and followed the instructions. He distinctly did not smirk at the other two gods' expressions when everything from his neck below disappeared. "Now put your hand on top of mine." Heimdall said, while placing his own hand on the pommel of the sword. Harry did so.

Fenrir and Sleipnir were standing off to the side, apparently acquainting themselves with each other. Harry gestured to them. "Just so no one's confused here, those two are coming with me." His tone brokered no argument. He then motioned for Heimdall to continue his instructions.

"Take a deep breath. Channel your power through all three of you Hollows." Heimdall said, as if he was discussing the weather.

The world jumper did so, and was not really surprised when he felt blackness consume him.

He was Harry Potter. Why should anything go right?

I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that I would be leaving y'all with a bit of a cliffy while I brave the wilderness! But this chapter needed to be done. I actually originally had Harry and Odin fighting about Sleipnir, but I figured that would be sort of OOC for my Odin... Well, see y'all when I get back!

Lionna