The Wayward Nephew

Gods rarely had to deal with their consequences, being gods and all. However, sometimes even they couldn't get away with it. This tended to be the case when a Scion was born. Thor's tryst with the human woman from Chicago wasn't more than a one night stand and it was likely the large warrior didn't even remember her. It could've easily been ignored if a son hadn't been born and that son hadn't eventually started being plagued with powers he didn't understand nor could control.

This was when Odin told Loki he had to go deal with this. Thor had more 'important' things to do. Besides, the kid who Odin hadn't even bothered learning his name or much else about him was in jail. Clearly this situation was beneath the chosen one.

As far as Zach knew, he had no father and his mother was some tramp he ran away from a year ago. Whatever they could both go fuck off for all he cared. He didn't need anyone and he certainly didn't need those losers.

The officer told him that he was in jail because the juvy hall was full. Zach didn't buy that. It was just one more asshole on a power trip and he didn't have anyone to stand up for him. That's was cool. Zach didn't need it. These punks didn't scare him. Not even when he started having those headaches like he had lately while sitting in a crowded holding cell. Visions of a strange place with people in robes and a grand castle flitted through his mind. It had to be the last trip he was on having lingering effects, that's all it was. He wasn't crazy. He couldn't explain why things were breaking so easily in his hands but he was sure there was a reason that had nothing to do with him.

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Zach stared at him trying to hide his fear, but he was only human (as far as he knew). He didn't know what this was happening to him and he didn't know why- oh wait, no he did. He knew why Loki was hating on him.

"Fuck Thor! I don't want anything to do with him! Take me back, I'll take the jail over seeing that bastard." The bravado of a stupid teenager.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Do you not want to see your heroic father from the Avengers?"

"Fuck no!" Zach snapped. Why the hell would he want to meet the guy who abandoned him?

Loki could relate to that much. After all, he ended up killing this real father.

But he didn't show any sympathy here, not to the blood son of Thor. He let his bitterness for now take over.

"Well, you do not have a choice."

And he was pulling Zach along again.

Zach cried out as Loki hauled him along. He hated everything and this Loki was quickly topping the list- although Thor just had a special place at the

1 slot.

With a clenched jaw, he stopped protesting and just resigned to his fate. "I hate you." He grumbled.

Loki made a scoffing sound. "Not surprising but I am not the one you should be directing your hatred at. I did not create you then abandon you until Odin saw fit to call on you," he said bluntly. Who even knew where Thor was or what he thought of this?

They reached a heavily guarded set of tall doors and the guards opened the door for Loki but he didn't go inside. Instead he all but pushed Zach though them. "Speak to Odin. I will wait here."

Maybe he thought Odin would want to explain things on his own. Maybe he just didn't want to see Odin himself right now. Either way, Loki was leaving Zach to face his grandfather alone, but he somehow expected that afterwards he may be called upon to show the boy around or have him settled in somewhere.

And so he waited. If Odin was also angry over this rough treatment or for not stepping in with Zach, so be it. He could take it. He was too annoyed right now to care.

Zach nearly fell on his face with the god shoving in through the doors. It was a rather ungraceful entrance and first impression with his grandfather. The bruises on his face weren't taken all that well either. Before Zach could scramble back to his feet and flee the doors slammed shut behind him. Apparently Odin didn't have any qualms with Loki not being inside too, yet.

From behind the doors, Loki could hear Odin's voice boom a few times with irritation. Zach must've inherited some of Loki's knack at getting under other peoples' skin. It takes a while before one of the guards are sent out to find Loki and ask him to come in again.

Loki went in with reluctance.

But once inside he gave Odin a respectful bow and glanced to Zach, frowning slightly before looking back to Odin.

Zach didn't look at Loki. He was in shock and didn't know how to deal with any of this. He'd spent his whole life feeling small, unimportant, and pushed around. This situation was not helping that and he just glared at the floor.

"Loki," Odin acknowledged without any warmth. "Did it not occur to you to dress your nephew appropriately or even heal his wounds?"

"I thought you would want to see him as quickly as possible," Loki replied with some flippancy. "You said you wanted him brought here. Next time maybe you should be more specific about grooming."

The respectful attitude of a moment ago seemed to have already worn off.

"One would've thought I could count on your reputable intelligence. So much for assuming," Odin grumbled. "Thor isn't here, as you can see. He's needed elsewhere to protect our realm. That leaves you, Loki, to be responsible for my grandson. He may be a bastard child, but he's still of our blood."

Zach winced at hearing that word, it being something that had always stung.

"Shall I spell out exactly what it means to take care of him or can you figure that out on your own?"

The word stung Loki as well, but for his own reasons. His reaction to it showed only as a brief flinch, however, and he maintained a careless smirk otherwise, followed by a theatrical bow.

"I am sure that I can manage," he said, and took that as just about a dismissal and time to go.

"Shall we?" He said across to Zach and began to turn, intending to head back out the doors.

Odin waved them on, already over the sight of both of them.

This time, Zach didn't need any encouragement to follow after Loki out of that room. As he was leaving, his thoughts were on all those birthdays and Christmases were his only wish had been for a family. Now he realized what an idiot he was for wanting those things.

Once down the hall a ways, Loki let out an exasperated sigh and shot Zach an irritated look.

"Did he give you any proper explanation other than what I'd already told you?" he questioned. Odin did like to keep cards close to his chest. After all, he'd kept secrets from Loki for centuries.

Zach startled when Loki suddenly spoke to him. Looking up at his supposed uncle, Zach echoed that irritated look. See? Two could play that game. He really wanted to say 'no' so he could know something the other didn't, but that wouldn't do him much good.

"He said something about having powers and needing to be trained. He said I had to earn my Maj-neer or something." (Mjölnir)

"Training? For Mjolnir?" Loki let out a laugh.

He gave the boy a pointed look of amusement.

"Do you think yourself worthy?"

"Worthy of what?" Zach asked. The desire to just punch the other guy in the nose was just getting stronger. "What part of I have no fucking clue what's going on are you missing?"

"Do you not even know of your myths? You did mention the Avengers... You must know something of Thor," Loki paused in his tracks, watching him.

Zach rubbed his face in frustration. "I watched the movie once like five years ago. That's it," he admitted, knowing he was going to get another one of those irritated looks from Loki. "I didn't realize I was going to be doing all this and needing that stuff."

"You were in prison... Do you even know how to fight?" Loki gave him a skeptical look over.

"Yeah, I know how to fight!" Zach snapped. He decided it was time to try and show him too. So, in a moment of horrible decisions, he swings at Loki's face.

And Zach may find his fist connecting either with nothing or the wall just behind, if he's swung too hard. He knew he'd been provoking a hot-headed man - he knew Thor well, after all - and predicting that a punch would be thrown hadn't been a stretch. So Loki had already moved himself away, leaving behind an illusion which now vanished as the fist went through it.

Nearby Loki reappeared, smirking. "Nice try."

Zach cried out in pain as his fist hit the wall. To his amazement the force of his strike caused thin fractures along the wall around his hand's impression. There were very few who had enough strength to manage that.

However it broke his knuckle in the process.

Seemingly heartlessly, Loki actually let out a chuckle upon seeing that then turned on his heel and began walking again.

"Come with me and I will have you fixed up."

Somehow that sounded more ominous rather than comforting.

Zach groaned holding his hand and had to use every ounce of willpower to keep from tearing up. It didn't leave any energy to argue, so he followed trailing behind.

Odin had told Zach to report back if Loki hurt him but he was half convinced that had been sarcastic. Either way he wasn't a tattle tale so he was at the trickster's mercy.

Loki was glad for the obedience, regardless of the reason or how long it lasted. He led Zach to a room that glowed with golden instruments. They looked medical in one way but also magical or very advanced in another.

He picked one implement up and turned toward his nephew. He pointed to a nearby chair.

"Sit down and stay still."

Zach looked around. He was in too much pain to marvel at the oddities of the room too much. He wanted to beat the crap out of Loki for letting him punch the wall, but they'd already proven that didn't work too well. Sitting down, however reluctantly, he watched the older man with obvious suspicion.

Loki instructed him to raise his injured hand and when he did he used the device. It was stick-like in physical form but then emitted an enveloping glow around his hand. Zach may feel a warmth and a tingling sensation through his skin.

"Stay still," Loki repeated as if sensing the boy would try to move. "This will aid in the healing."

Loki was absolutely right. The instant the light moved from the device to Zach's hand he wanted to jerk it back out of the way.

He looked at Loki briefly as though unsure if he believed it or not. The tingling made him more agitated. "What's it doing?"

"As I just said. It heals, or rather it makes the process quicker," Loki explained, sounding as if he thought Zach was like a small child who needed special attention.

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The Wayward Nephew

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