A/N: My thoughts on this chapter? An overwhelming Eh. I don't know, it just didn't quite turn out like I pictured. Jack didn't cooperate. :P
Loki's first thought when he saw Jamie was that the child looked like he could be Jacks younger brother. Not so much looks wise, but the sparkle in his eyes that proclaimed he was likely to get into trouble. As soon as the child spotted them, he jumped up from where he was sitting on a log.
"Jack! I saw the frost and knew you'd be here! Who's that?" He asked, pointing at Loki.
"Jamie, meet my friend, Loki. Loki, meet Jamie." Jack introduced, leaning on his staff. Instantly Jamie's eyes lit up.
"You're friends with Loki? That's so cool! I've read a lot of stuff about you! Are you really the God of fire? Why did you cut off Sif's hair? Did you and Thor really dress up as women? And-"
"Hold on, dress up as women? I never heard about that one..." Jack interrupted. Loki bit back a groan and glared at the tiny mortal. He was definitely like Jack, troublesome.
"The buffoon lost his hammer and we had to retrieve it. He dressed as a bride and I as his lady in waiting." Loki explained the bare minimum and Jack burst into laughter.
"Thor must have been an ugly woman! I mean, did the guy not look at him?" He said between chuckles. Loki allowed a small smile.
"Indeed. Thor wore a veil and refused to remove it. I assure you though, no man would have mistaken him for a woman." He said. Jamie was staring at him now, even going so far as to try and circle him. Loki turned with him, keeping him in sight.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Jamie looked up, innocent brown eyes filled with curiosity.
"You don't look like the frost giants in my book." He said, head cocked. Loki froze. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. How could this puny little mortal, not even fully grown, know about him? Know his secret? He glanced at Jack, but the winter spirit just looked expectant. No doubt waiting for him to laugh at the boys accusation. But he found that he couldn't. So he did the only thing he could think of. He teleported.
Jack stared at the spot where Loki had been, now inhabited by green smoke. He didn't know what was wrong with the trickster, but there had been fear in his eyes just before he disappeared. But fear of what? Jack didn't think there was anything around them, and Loki wouldn't just leave if there was. No, the fear seemed to be directed towards him. Like Loki thought he was about to attack.
"Jack?" Jamie's small voice broke him out of his thoughts. The kid looked heartbroken.
"Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to..." He said mournfully. Jack shook his head.
"No, he, um, he does that a lot. He can be kind of rude sometimes." He answered, smiling. Jamie smiled back, reassured.
"You gotta bring him back sometime, I have loads of questions!" He said. Jack nodded, trying to figure out what was wrong while Jamie chattered.
"Hey, I gotta go. I'll come back next week sometime." He finally said. Jamie nodded.
"Yeah, he looked pretty upset. See ya later!" He said, bounding back towards his house. Jack waved at him, shaking his head. The kid was pretty observant. Of course, Loki hadn't been hiding his feelings for once. With that in mind, he took off into the wind.
Jack finally found him sitting on a mountaintop somewhere in the Sierras. The god's feet were dangling over a ledge that would make anyone else pale. Jack just flopped down beside him.
"So what was that all about?" Jack asked over a short silence. Loki didn't look at him.
"I'd rather not talk about it." He muttered. Jack rolled his eyes. Loki acted more like a teenager than him half the time.
"Tough. I want to, so you get to either listen to me talk to myself, or tell me." He thought for a moment, "I could always just go get Thor…" He suggested, moving as though to go. Instantly, Loki's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
"Don't you dare." There was a touch of insanity in Loki's eyes. Normally Jack wouldn't pull the big brother card, but he was worried.
"Fine, I won't. But only if you tell me what's up." He said. Whatever this was had been eating away at his friend for some time now. Ever since he first came back, actually. Loki muttered something, but Jack didn't hear.
"What?" He questioned.
"I'm adopted." Loki muttered again. Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Is that all?" He asked. Being adopted wasn't all that bad. He knew several people that were. Loki rolled his eyes.
"As if finding out that the family that I've lived with for centuries is not actually my family isn't enough. But no Jack. That isn't all. I also found out who my birth parents are. And I found out that I'm a monster." He snarled the last part. Jack sighed.
"A monster? I'm pretty sure it's the personality that makes someone a monster, not necessarily the parentage." He pointed out. Loki stretched out a hand. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, very slowly, it began to turn blue, tendrils of the color reaching up his arm. Jack watched with some interest, until it stopped at the elbow.
"Okay, so your arm turns blue?" He asked, confused. He really wasn't sure how that qualified for monster status.
"No, it happens all over." Loki answered. He still refused to meet Jack's gaze. Jack shrugged.
"So you're blue. I have a friend that's a rabbit. I fail to see the connection to monsters." He said. Loki let a sigh that was almost a growl.
"I am a Frost Giant, Jack! A monster, the one that parents warn their children about!" He exploded. Jack raised an eyebrow.
"First of all, I have not heard of frost giants, but the name is pretty cool. Secondly, I met the Bogeyman. Good luck beating him on sheer creepiness." He answered. Loki finally met his eyes.
"You are stubborn." The trickster stated. Jack grinned.
"Noted. Now, want to get up to some mischief?" He offered. Loki gave a small smile in return.
"Always."