To Teach a Trickster

Jane entered her apartment and shut the door. The place was quiet and dark. She reached to turn on a light, looking around. There was no one there. It was after six. Darcy and Loki should have been back by now, she thought.

“Darcy?” she called. “Loki?”

No one answered. She shrugged and walked to her bedroom, throwing her duffle bag on the floor. She pulled her shoes off and threw on some comfortable clothes and her robe and walked out into the hall. She stopped in front of Loki’s room. The door was standing wide open, so she peeked in. She flipped on the ceiling light and looked around. She knew better than to pry, but something tugged at her to enter the room. She couldn’t explain why. Just a feeling she had.
The room still looked as if a tornado had touched down right in the middle. Loki still hadn’t cleaned it. If anything, it looked worse than it had that morning. Apparently, he still expected a servant to do it. Clothes, books, shoes, a comb, and other items littered the floor from the door to every wall. The bed sheets sloppily hung off the bed. Loki’s horned helmet sat in the corner. His green cape was crumpled on the floor, half under the bed. Parts of his armor were scattered across the floor in front of the closet door, looking as if he had dismantled the whole thing in a hurry. It was then that she briefly wondered why he had felt a need to take the cape off it. Mad at the current situation, perhaps? Better that he take out his anger on his own things instead of her furniture, she thought.

Jane shook her head at the sight and grumbled. “That little imp...I thought he was going to clean this up.”

Jane’s eyes again landed on the horned helmet in the corner. Something about it intrigued her. In all of her hours of doing research, she had never seen a helmet quite like it. She had to get a closer look at it while she had this opportunity. Stepping over books and clothing mounds, she made her way through the obstacle course and hunched down next to the golden wonder. Carefully, she stretched out her hand and ran it over one of the curved horns, closing her palm around it. She traced a finger over the cutwork and grooves, following it around to the back tip of the helmet.

When she straightened up again and took a step back next to the window, something glittery under the cape caught her attention. She bent down and brushed the cape aside and picked up…one of her gold necklaces—a birthday gift from her ex-boyfriend. How did that get in here? She stared at it for a few minutes, pondering it. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound in another area of the apartment. Thinking it was Darcy and Loki returning, she quickly took one last look around the room and made her way to the door and out into the hall, turning the light off as she went.

“Darcy?—Loki?” she looked around the living room. No one was there. That was weird. She could have sworn she heard something. Shrugging, she walked to the kitchen, staring at the necklace again.

“Loki,” she said aloud to herself, “you have got some serious explaining to do when you get home.”

“Indeed, he does.” a man’s voice said. Jane let out a shriek and she spun around, grasping the edge of the sink for support. Her wide eyes landed on the All-Father seated in one of the kitchen chairs. She hadn’t noticed him sitting there when she walked in.

“Sorry to startle you, Jane Foster.”

“Odin?”

“Yes, it is I.” he smiled, taking in Jane’s appearance in one glance. “I can see why he likes you. You’re a beautiful woman, for a mortal.”

Jane blushed. “Thank you,”

“Not that I completely approve of my son falling for a mortal.”

“Wha-what are you doing here?” Jane slipped into the chair across from the All-Father, putting her necklace on the table between them. Odin’s good eye looked down at the gold string of metal then looked back at Jane.

“There’s only one possible reason why I would be here.”

“Loki,” Jane breathed out. Odin nodded.

“I’m here to give you some advice concerning him.” his face turned grim.

“I’m doing the best I can.” she sighed. “It’s hard.”

“I know,” he said sympathetically. “You’ve been doing a fine job, of which I am very proud of. Believe me, not just anyone can put up with Loki, or handle him for that matter. You have been doing a really great job, though. But I think you need a little bit of help. That’s why I’m here. When Thor left with Loki, I told Heimdall to keep an eye on things and report back to me any ill intentions Loki might plan.”

“You’ve been watching us all this time?”

Odin nodded. “I regret to inform you that you’re walking into one of Loki’s plans as we speak.”

“What?” Jane’s voice grew dark.

“It seems that he’s trying to get out of this apartment so he can hunt down the Chitauri scepter he lost in New York. And he’s also trying to turn you against Thor so he can get revenge on him.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “In what way is he turning me against Thor?”

Odin raised an eyebrow. “You mean to say you don’t know? He’s been telling you lies, Jane. You’re the only woman Thor loves.”

“I am?” the words came out sounding squeakier than she had meant them to. But she was just so relieved to hear that Thor having another girlfriend wasn’t true. She visibly deflated.

Odin gave a nod. “All that Loki told you concerning Thor having another girlfriend is not true. It’s just another venomous lie he’s spewed out to mess with your mind. Thor misses you. He’s waiting for the three months to be over just so he can come back here and be with you.”

“And I believed him.” Jane shook her head. “I can’t believe I was so stupid. I should have known better. I spent all day thinking about what he told me and crying and just…”

“It isn’t your fault, so don’t blame yourself,” Odin smiled. “Loki can manipulate anyone if he sets his mind to it.”

Jane heaved a big sigh to clear her mind.

“There’s more,” Odin continued. “You are not the only one Loki has been working at. This afternoon, Loki tricked your friend and got away from her.”

“He what??” Jane rose from her seat. Odin calmly motioned for her to sit down again.

“Don’t worry. He will be returned here after we get through talking. I’ll see to it that he doesn’t get far.”

“That little imp,” Jane fumed, her face turning red. She looked down at her necklace. “I suppose he’s a little thief too? Or is there some other reason why my necklace was in his room?”

“He plans to hide it and blame Thor for stealing it when he comes here in three months.”

Jane slammed the palm of her hand down on the table in anger.

“Jane,” Odin said calmly, “I’m willing to grant you a couple of gifts that will help you in dealing with Loki because I know you will not be able to handle him on your own for three months. He may be mortal, but his mind and tongue are still dangerous. If you wish to have the gifts, just say the word.”

Jane took a few moments to cool down, finally nodding. “Yeah, sure, I’ll take anything if it means helping me keep the little brat in line. Right now I-I’ll admit that I don’t feel like I have control over the situation.”

Odin couldn’t help but smile at Jane’s choice of words. “It’s true. You don’t. And Loki knows it, too. That’s why he’s working out his plans. He knows he can do anything he wants and get away with it because you hold no power over him other than bluffs and idle threats.”

“So what are these gifts you mentioned?”

Odin reached out and touched her forehead. “I grant you strength and wisdom for as long as Loki is in your care. Be sure to use both wisely.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Odin smiled.

Jane nodded. “Thank you.”

“Remember, Jane Foster, that Loki is the master of lies. You cannot believe the venom he spews out. He will try to distort and twist your thinking if it means that he can get what he wants. He enjoys using people like you as pawns in his silly games.”

Jane nodded. “Um…Do you have any suggestions for what I can do to rein Loki in?—get him under control? I mean, I know you just gave me wisdom, but I need some advice from someone. I’m at a loss.”

Odin thought a moment and smiled. “Part of the wisdom I just gave you is motherly wisdom. Keep in mind that Loki acts like a child who is hungry for attention. He throws tantrums if he can’t get what he wants.”

Jane gave a nod of agreement. “I can believe that. He acts like a spoiled brat.”

An odd smirk creased the All-Father’s lips. He held up a finger, a twinkle appearing in his eye. “And there are ways of dealing with spoiled brats, Jane Foster. Am I not correct?”

Jane studied the man’s face a few minutes before she slowly nodded her head in understanding, an amused smile forming on her lips.

“Y-you really want me to…” she laughed, her cheeks flushing. “That’s…going to be awkward.”

Odin held up a hand. “Use your gift of wisdom to discern what Loki really needs. Whatever method you choose, you have my permission to go through with it.”

“Thank you, again,” Jane said.

“I am only sorry that you had to be dragged into all of this.” Odin sighed wearily. “I know I’m partly to blame for Loki’s behavior. I sometimes feel like I haven’t been the best father.”

“It’s not too late to set things right.”

“I think it is. Loki is too set in his ways now. He hates me, Jane.”

“Maybe if you spent more time with him and actually made an effort to show him you love and care for him, things would be different. When was the last time you told him that you loved him, despite whatever he’s done?”

Odin remained silent a few minutes, refusing to answer her question when he spoke again. “The problem with Loki is that he wants too much attention. Even if I did spend more time with him, he’d never be satisfied.”

“But that’s no reason to give up on him.”

“It’s complicated, Jane. That’s all it is.” Odin pushed himself out of the chair and stood, giving Jane the hint that the conversation was at a close. “Be sure to use your wisdom.”

The All-Father walked to the living room, and that was the last Jane saw of him. She wasn’t sure how he disappeared. He was the All-Father, so apparently he had his ways. She sat on the couch, her mind thinking over everything the two of them had talked about. She also fumed over everything Loki had done—the lies he told, the deception, his blatant disobedience, him trying to manipulate both her and Darcy, the plans he was trying to carry out behind her back.

She sighed to herself, reaching for her laptop.

Notes