The Daughter

It was a little while later that Loki took Kysa back up to the suite, with Jane, Thor, Aaric and Amdis. Loki led her into the room she had, and she sat on the edge of the bed, while he began pacing agitatedly, his face impassive.

 “Do you have any idea how worried I was?” He started, his tone clipped. “When we found the room empty, with no signs, and no trace of you out on the street below? We searched through the night and the morning for you both! That was an extremely reckless and idiotic thing to do! I believed you were smarter than pulling a stunt like that! You did not even leave any sort of note, or trail, and I have taught you how to leave a trail with your magic so you can be found! And to hear that you almost became food for a werewolf!” He looked down at her, to see her staring down at her knees. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

 “We didn’t mean to go far. We meant to be back in half an hour, honest.”

 “And that is supposed to make this alright? Tell me, honestly, how many times have you and Aaric done something like this, snuck out together?”

 Her shoulders slumped. “A few times.”

 “Where?”

 “Rome, Chicago, Prague, a couple of others.”

 “So whenever we visit a new city you sneak out? Do you know how irresponsible that is?”

 “I didn’t mean to get hurt. Or worry you.”

 “Well you did both those things.” He ran a hand down his face and sighed, before crouching down in-front of her. “Kysa, look at me.” Slowly, she looked up and met her father’s eyes. “I could have lost you last night. Do you have any idea how many thoughts and ideas went through my mind of what could have happened to you out on those streets? If Caia had not been hunting that beast… We could have found your mauled body with your heart torn out and eaten. If I had had to bury you, if I had had to send your spirit on to Valhalla, then I do not know what I would have done. No parent should have to bury their child, and I could not handle it if I had to do that myself.”

 “I’m sorry I worried you daddy.”

 Loki pulled her into a tight hug. “Just so you know, you are grounded until you go to Hogwarts. You do not leave this hotel unless accompanied and for a specific reason.” 

 “Does this mean no sightseeing?”  

 “That is exactly what it means.” Loki said. “Now, it is late. Get some sleep.”

 “What about my wound? I had to have stitches.”

 Loki checked it. “It should heal in time. I will not heal this one, so you will be reminded as it heals of what can happen for pulling stupid stunts like sneaking out like you did.”

 She sighed heavily. “Fine.”

 She quickly got ready for bed and he tucked her in and placed a kiss on her forehead, away from the wound, pushing a bit of magic towards her so she wouldn't get any headaches through the night from her wound. Loki then stood and walked to the window, placing a spell on it so that she wouldn’t be able to sneak out again, unless it was an absolute emergency- and he meant life threatening, so it wouldn’t be misconstrued. Then, he placed a similar spell on the door. She looked at him funny.

 “You aren’t to leave this room for the rest of the night. I know how much trouble you and your cousin can get into if left alone to plot. Goodnight.”

 “Goodnight dad.”

 He told Thor and Jane quietly about the spell, and they asked him to put the same spells on the window and door in Aaric and Amdis’ room. He did, and then they left to head back downstairs to continue their conversation with Caia.

 “How did you really get into hunting then?” Loki asked. “I am guessing it is not a story you want the children to hear?”

 “For most hunters, either they grow up hunting, or something tragic happens to get them started, like seeing a werewolf or a vampire or a demon kill a loved one. I grew up knowing all about the supernatural, but not as a hunter. When I was old enough, I went to med school, and I was in my work experience stage when it happened. One of the hospital doctors took a liking to me, and my mentor warned me to stay away from him, that the guy was bad news, just nothing would stick. Next day, my mentor is found with a knife in his heart. I didn’t make the connection, and all of my mentor’s students, myself included, were obviously transferred to other doctors. Dr Lewis requested me personally. To all intents and purposes, it looked like a good deal, I’d have one on one tuition with him. That would definitely make sure I would be ready to complete the final exams. For a few weeks, things progressed as normal. Then, he led me into the basement, and me being an idiot, I followed him. Turns out, there was a secret passage, leading to a secret area in the hospital that no one had known about for years. He had a vampire in a cage down there, and set up a whole high tech lab. My first instinct was to run for help, but, he had a way to control me. He was trying to create a new strain of Vampire DNA. All of their strengths, and none of their weaknesses. So, he wanted to eradicate the reaction to sunlight, silver, holy objects and dead man’s blood.”

 “Dead man’s blood?” Bruce asked.

 “It’s poison to them.” Caia explained. “I eventually managed to get a call out to the authorities about the lab, and that one of the hospital doctors had gone mad, and thought the man he had in a cage was a vampire and was trying to enhance his strain of DNA. The tip off was anonymous of course, but I had to get out pretty quick. From the news reports, one girl was found dead down there from a poison in the blood stream, he was nowhere to be seen, and the cage was broken out of. I resigned, fell off the radar as best I could, and I started hunting. Been doing that job ever since.”

 “Did you ever find that doctor or vampire again?”

 “I saw the vampire once. Back when I was just getting started. He raids blood banks apparently, so I let him be.”

 “Does that not constitute as dead man’s blood?” Loki asked.

 “It’s taken from someone while they’re still alive. It’s fine. So long as he isn’t slaughtering people, I’ll leave him alone. I’ve never seen Dr Lewis since, but I’ve tried to keep tabs on him. Last I heard, he was up in Aberdeen. He never stays anywhere long though. Probably moved on by now. He’s a slippery bugger.” 

 Slowly but surely, the others left, until eventually there was only Caia and Loki left. They moved over to the bar, so if anyone else wanted it, the table was free.

 “So let me get this straight, you actually did cut off all her hair? Oh she must have been so mad.”

 “Oh she was furious.” Loki said. “Her hair must have had quite a shock, it is all black now.”

 “Ouch.” Caia laughed. “And the whole story about you persuading your brother to dress up as Freya to get his hammer back…?”

 “All true as well. But here is the really good part- because I can shape shift, instead of just dressing as a woman, I actually became a woman temporarily. Thor was livid.” He was chuckling as he thought back on that story. 

 “I can see why. But I guess Thrym received one hell of a shock.”

 “No doubt about that- well, for all of ten seconds before Mjolnir caved his head in that is. Then Thor took out the rest of them. All I had to do was sit back and watch. What about you? My deeds are told about as myths; you on the other hand, have been able to keep the stories of what you get up to all to yourself.”

 “Well, I was in America once, and there was this one Hunter I met- real stickler for the rule ‘if it ain’t human, it’s dead.’ Anyway, he was hunting a particularly violent spirit at the time, and he’d managed to get rid of it. Oh you should have seen his face when things just kept happening. I had him looking round for days for whatever was keeping the spirit on this earth now its remains had been salted and burnt.”

 “Really?”

 “Oh and it really pissed him off. He thought he had done everything right. It actually got to the point where he thought there was a second spirit haunting the place.”

 “And how did you manage to do that?”

 “The right money in the right pockets, and you get enough people faking deaths and the signals of a haunting that it can be downright scary. But John Winchester won’t be infringing on any of my hunts again.”

 “Does your family know what you do?” Loki asked.

 “They have an idea. Our family is renowned for fighters of one sort or another. Honestly, I think my parents were a bit disappointed when I got into med school. But, now they think it was good training for me. I can patch myself up.”

 “And others. I took a look at it; you did a good job on Kysa’s wound. I could heal it fully, but she needs to learn about things like this. I guess I have kept her quite sheltered.”   

 “She’s a good kid. And a hell of a curious one. Who does she take after in that aspect?”

 “Honestly, I think it is a bit of me and her mother there. Sigyn always was curious about new things herself.”

 “So that myth is true as well? You were married to Sigyn?”

 “No. We were betrothed. Then, she broke it off and became mortal. She had twins, Kysa was one of them. But, she wanted to focus on her son. I blood adopted Kysa.”

 “How could she just give Kysa up? Does she even know what she’s missing?”

 “Not yet. But Kysa’s going to Sigyn’s old mortal school in September. Word will undoubtedly get back to her, and she will know then.”

 “You’re sending her to a mortal school?”

 “It is one for witchcraft and wizardry. Kysa has that type of magic too. It has blended well with her Asgardian magic.” Loki admitted. “Even if she is not quite able to control it yet.”

 “You’re sending her into the wizarding world? That is brave of you.”

 “Why would you say that?”

 “They are extremely prejudiced. Especially here in Britain. She’ll probably be fine, so long as they recognise who she is, but if they don’t, then she could be in for a rough time with some of the so called ‘pure bloods’. I still remember the last war. It ended, with all things, a baby stopping the Dark’s leader, Voldemort.”

 “Would that child happen to have been Hadrian Potter?”

 “Yes, actually. Why?”

 “Because when Sigyn became mortal she became Lily Evans, who eventually became Lily Potter.”

 “You’re kidding?” Caia’s eyebrows shot up. “Kysa’s the twin of the boy who lived?”

 “Is that what they are calling him? No doubt he has an overinflated ego. It is a wonder how he managed to get into the robe shop.”

 “Oh he is spoilt alright. I’ve read the papers. He and his parents are always at all sorts of fundraisers and parties. The Ministry holds a ball for his birthday.”

 “All for something he probably cannot remember?”

 “Yep. And apparently he slayed twenty dragons when he was six according to one of the books.”

 “You read them?”

 “I was looking for a hunt. The Alley is a good place to go sometimes. There were some girls jabbering away and going on and on about the marriage contracts they were going to try and get their father’s to offer to Lord James Potter for his son’s hand.” Her voice turned dreamy and she batted her eyelids, imitating the girls she had seen that day.

 Loki laughed. “You do a good impression of a love sick child.”

 “These girls were nineteen, and this was three years ago.”

 He winced. “I almost feel sorry for the boy. Almost.”

 “Almost being the operative word?” She asked in a teasing voice. Then she caught sight of the time. “Oh well, I’d best be off. It is getting late, and I want to do a few rounds and make sure nothing happens tonight.”

 “We will all be here until the fifth of September. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. My daughter still breathes because of you, after all.”

 “No one owes me anything. You’ve already done more to thank me than anyone else. Food, drinks and good company for several hours. I’ll see you around Loki.” 

 “Goodnight, Caia.” He said. They parted in the lobby and Loki took the elevator back up to the penthouse suite.

 “You’ll never guess what I found.” Tony said the moment he walked into the lounge. 

 “What, Tony?” He asked, knowing he would get no peace otherwise.

 “I looked Caia up, and well, her story checks out, mostly. The news report I found, well… Listen to this; ‘After an anonymous tip off last week, the police of the Gwent area raided the basement of a local hospital only to find a hidden set of rooms, where one of the doctors, a now missing Doctor Lewis, seemed to have been experimenting on people. There was sign of a break out from a cage; anyone with information on his captive has been encouraged to come forward. One person was found dead, an unknown toxin in her blood. Her identity was later verified by colleagues as Medical Student Miss Caia Blair, age twenty five. Later, it was verified by a friend of Miss Blair that it was she who made the 999 call, when they listened to the recording of the call. It is still unknown as to how Miss Blair knew of what was taking place.’” Tony clicked a button. “The next one is interesting. It goes on about the body going missing and the coroner being found dead, completely drained of blood.”

 He had the attention of everyone in the room. “Lewis must have been successful in his experiments. We all saw Caia in broad daylight. She brought back Aaric and Kysa in the day. Yeah she was all covered up, but her face wasn’t shaded at all.” Bruce said.

 Loki nodded in agreement. “Either that, meaning she is a vampire, or she is something else entirely. She remained covered up even when we were inside.”

 “It’s possible. She said she was raised knowing about the supernatural, but not as a hunter.” Natasha said.

 “What does it matter?” Thor asked. “She brought Aaric and Kysa back safe, and for the most part, unharmed. All Kysa needed were a couple of stitches, which Caia saw too.”

 “Thor’s right. She might be a vampire, she might even be something else, but she doesn’t seem to mean any of us any harm.” Jane said.

 Loki nodded his agreement.

 “But- we now know a real vampire. An actual real life vampire!” Tony said. He was beginning to sound like a kid on Christmas. “This is just brilliant!”

 Loki toned out his ranting’s and walked to Kysa’s door. He opened it carefully and peered in, and saw that she was fast asleep on the bed. He closed the door and then headed back for the door out of the penthouse.

 “Where are you going?” Thor asked.

 “Out.” Was the only reply he got.