Chapter 1
Loki found out by accident, he was still a teen, he wanted to prove himself to his father, but again when isn’t he trying to prove himself? When doesn’t he need to show he was worthy of belonging to this family?
Thor had brought a Jotunn spear he took from a Frost Giant, apparently Thor had gone to Jotunnheim, he didn’t kill anyone but he stole a spear from one of them without getting noticed.
Odin as always just scolded him slightly but didn’t punish him for almost bringing war to their realm.
Thor’s excuse was that if they ever needed to fight the frost giants again at least they could know the weakness of their weapons as they were magic.
So Thor proudly displayed the Jotunn spear he had acquired during his journey to Jotunheim. His chest puffed out with pride as he regaled his father and mother with tales of his bravery, oblivious to Frigga’s disappointed stare.
Loki watched from the sidelines, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he studied the intricate runes etched into the surface of the spear. There was something about them – a familiarity that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Father, allow me to examine the spear," Loki said, this is it, he could prove himself to be useful! "Perhaps I can uncover the nature of the magic imbued within it."
Odin regarded his youngest son with an emotionless expression, but ultimately relented, intrigued by Loki's sudden interest in the artifact. "Very well, Loki, but be careful, unknown magic can be dangerous"
With a nod of gratitude, Loki stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out to touch the spear. But as his fingertips made contact with the icy metal, a searing pain shot through his body, causing him to recoil in shock.
Gasps filled the room, his skin shimmering with an otherworldly blue hue. Frigga's eyes widened in horror as she rushed to her son's side, her heart breaking at the sight of him in such agony.
"Loki, are you okay?" Frigga asked, looking for any injury.
But Loki could offer no answer, he looked at his own hands in horror, why were they blue? Why…does he feel suddenly cold? These lines on his skin…he has seen them before, on painting of the beasts, was he… was he a monster?
Horror washed over him as he struggled to come to terms with the truth. How could he have been so blind, so foolish to believe that he belonged among the gods of Asgard?
Frigga wrapped her arms around Loki, pulling him close as tears streamed down her cheeks. "My son, I'm so sorry, we should have told you the truth long ago."
Loki shook his head, his heart heavy with despair. "Why? Why did you keep this from me?"
Frigga's gaze softened, her voice filled with regret. "We wanted to protect you, Loki."
Before Loki could reply, Thor's voice rang out, filled with righteous indignation. "He's a monster! A frost giant in our midst, plotting against us even now!"
Fury burned within Thor's eyes as he raised his hammer, Mjolnir, ready to strike. But before he could unleash his wrath upon his brother, Frigga stepped between them, her hands outstretched in a gesture of peace.
"Thor, no! He is still our son, your brother, no matter what he is!" Frigga pleaded, her voice shaking with emotion.
But Thor would not be swayed, his gaze filled with distrust and disgust. "He's no brother of mine, he's a threat to Asgard, and he must be banished before he can do any harm"
Loki’s eyes shone with unshed tears, was it that easy for his brother to toss him away? Did the hundred years together meant nothing to him? Did Thor ever love him as a brother at all? Did they ever care for him, he felt his blood boil inside his veins, how could they lie to him? How could they pretend to love him? Is that why they never let him truly be part of their family?
Odin's voice boomed through the room, his expression grave as he regarded his son with a cold stare. "Thor is right, we cannot risk allowing Loki to remain here any longer, he must be banished, for the safety of our realm"
Frigga’s eyes widened. “Odin, you must not do this! He is only a child!”
“A child who I can tell will bring destruction, don’t you see the anger in his eyes, my love?”
“He has the right to be! We hid the truth from him for years!”
The man ignored her pleas. “It does not matter, now that he knows I see no reason to keep him, he is no use for me anymore” Is the AllFather’s answer, not a pang of emotion in his voice.
He looks at Loki as if he was a mere worm, it was then that Loki had the confirmation that his father had never really loved him, as the king banishes him, all Loki could think of is:
‘What am I to do now?’
Loki woke up feeling sore, he was lying on something soft, there was a blanket over him that made him slightly uncomfortable at the heat, his biology must be getting back to normal now that the spell keeping him shapeshifted into Asgardian is gone.
Aside from that, he needs to open his eyes as much as it hurts to, forcing his eyes open he finds himself looking up at a ceiling, with difficulty he turns his head to the side only to be met with a man wearing black and red colors and a weird red helmet.
"Who are you?" Loki demanded, his voice laced with suspicion as he sat up abruptly only to feel dizzy and strong yet gentle hands force him to lie down again.
The figure tilted his head, regarding Loki with curiosity "The name's Red Hood, and you, my blue friend need to calm down, you’ve a very bad fever"
Loki's eyes narrowed, his instincts telling him to be wary of this stranger. But there was something in this ‘Red Hood's’ body language – a flicker of empathy, perhaps – that gave him pause.
The name was clearly an alias, whoever the man truly was he wasn’t going to show his face nor tell him his name.
“Too hot” Loki whispers weakly as he tries to get rid of the blanket.
“Shit, sorry I thought you were freezing over but it seems you’re just like that?” The man takes the blanket away, throwing it at the other side of the room.
“Think so…didn’t know what I was until now” The boy mutters sadly.
Red Hood seems to analyze him. “Oh? Want to tell me about it?” The man inquired softly.
Loki thought about it, it’s not like his fa–the AllFather will care if he shares this, the man probably sent him to somewhere very far so he wouldn’t have to watch over his actions, he could tell something was off with in the air, he wasn’t even in another realm, he was in another universe, Loki would know, he had traveled to some of them with his mother when he was hundred of years younger in secret, though this universe smelt very different.
He shrugs, Heimdall can’t see other universes so he was safe from prying eyes and ears.
“My parents, they told me about the monsters of Jotunheim, taught me to hate them…but they hid I was one of them with a spell” He explains tiredly. “Father said he had no more use for me now that I knew what I was so he got rid of me”
The man seems to let his words sink in. “That sucks, buddy, I’m sorry they did that to you” he reaches to shuffle Loki’s hair who startles but doesn’t shy away from the touch, it was… nice.
“Hmmm, Jotunheim? That’s…Norse mythology, right?…let me guess, you’re a god?” Hood guesses.
“I was one? I do not know if I can be considered one now though since I was banished”
Hood hums softly, his hand still on Loki’s hair playing with it. “You have a name?”
Red seems to be gathering info on him, but Loki doesn’t really care, it’s not like he expected to even live after the whole reveal thing, whatever this man wanted to do to him he didn’t really care.
“Loki”
Hood does a double take. “Chaos and Trickster God?” The man humed. “Hmm wouldn’t the strangest thing to happen to me, find a child God”
“I’m no child! I’m eight hundred years old” Loki answered with a pout.
Red Hood brings both hands up in defense. “...okaaaay, how much is that in mortal years?” He asks as if knowing he was going to win this one.
Loki crossed his arms, looking away as he found the couch he was lying on very interesting. “...thirteen” He mutters defeatedly.
“Soooo…a child” There is clear amusement in the man’s voice that makes Loki roll his eyes.
“Where did you find me, if it’s okay to ask?” The kid asks curiously.
“Found you in an alley, some of the streets kids alerted me that they found a blue boy, that you were unconscious and freezing, so I got you to my apartment”
"Why did you help me?" Loki asked, his voice betraying his uncertainty.
Red Hood shrugged. "Call it a soft spot for strays, besides, Gotham's a tough town for anyone, especially someone who stands out as much as you do, metas aren’t exactly welcomed here, well you’re a Jotun apparently but still stands out"
Loki glanced down at his frost-blue skin realizing for the first time just how out of place he truly was in this world, he is a monster.
“Hey kid, whatever your parents said about Jotunheim could be all bullshit you know?”
“What?”
“I don’t know much of Norse Mythology but I know Gods are always assholes in mythology, and if they only saw you as a tool or a monster, you’re better off without them”
Loki frowned, perhaps this Red Hood was right, if they never loved him, if they only saw him as a monster…then he was glad to be banished, but…
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Well, if you can change your appearance to look human, you could go to school like the other human kids?” Hood offers, voice soft and careful. “I could find a way to forge a new identity for you, and you could stay with me I guess?”
“School? As if to learn mortal things?” It was so…mundane, yet he pondered over this idea, he never was allowed to learn anything that wasn’t from mother…and since he has been banished to another universe, if he is to live here he needs to learn more about this world.
He doesn’t ignore the fact that the man is offering to do a lot for him, he sounds like a good person, like mother - the only one he will miss -… not everyone would look at a kid with his appearance and treat him like a normal person, much less offer him shelter and education.
“I can shapeshift, but now that the spell keeping my Asgardian form is gone, it would be preferable for me to keep my…Jotun form most of the time” He explains then he analyzes the man at his side. “What do you do, Red Hood?” The child asks curiously.
“Me? I’m a…well, I don’t know very well what I am at the moment, I help people, punish those who hurt others and all that jazz, a vigilante thought some may argue I’m more of a rogue, someone who is the ‘bad guy’”
So he is some sort of folk’s hero? That’s interesting…
“Are there more like you?”
“Yup, here in Gotham it’s just me and my…associates, they uh, they don’t approved much of me, I used to kill the people I punished, they don’t like the whole killing thing”
That’s stupid, what better way than to get rid of the threat definitely? Sometimes some people deserved to be put an end to. But if killing was something off the table…Loki knew how to hold himself back…
“Could I do both?” He ends up asking.
He can’t see the man’s face but he would swear he was blinking owls at him. “What? Go to school and…be a vigilante?”
Loki just nods in response.
“Well…I don’t know kid, I don’t wanna put you in danger…”
“I have killed before” Loki shrugs. “And I know magic and how to wield daggers, I know how to defend myself, I want to…help, you’re already offering me a place to stay and a way to get education, the least I could do is help you in your ‘work’”
“I’m not doing this to get a favor out of you kid, you don’t need to repay me or anything like that” The man sighs as he thinks over his options. “But I can tell you will try helping no matter what I say…okay, give me some time, I have a…friend who can deal with all the documentation thing, and she can get you a uniform as well, we just need to figure out your aesthetics”
Loki beams at him, still lying down, he feels like he can finally be useful for something in his life!
“Now” The man takes his helmet off, Loki almost laughs when he sees the man is wearing a mask underneath, paranoid too much? But Hood takes the domino mask off as well, revealing blue eyes. “Name’s Jason Head when we are in civies, kay?”
Jason Head, hmmm it fits him.
“Now for you, we need an alias name for your vigilante persona and one for your civilian name, I’m sorry kid but I can’t call you Loki, it would be a bit weird” Jason explains.
“I could go with Loki as my…persona?” He asks hesitantly. “And…maybe Ikol as my ‘civilian’ name?”
Jasons seems to approve as he smiles softly at him, when has anyone other than mother ever looked at him like that?
“Ikol Head then, my moth–contact will make your identity true in a few days, are you okay with pretending to be my adopted son or something like that?” He asks carefully, he really didn’t mind having to pretend to be the kid’s dad, this way he has more control over what to do if anyone comes asking about this unknown kid.
Loki freezes at that, it’s okay, it’s just pretend, he could do that, he has pretended his whole life.
“Yes and I’m certain I can make myself look like you if it helps” He offers.
“Only if you want to, like I said, adopted, not biological, I’m a bit too young to pass as your biological father with your being thirteen” Jason explained gently.
“Oh, alright”
“Good, now…do you want to talk shit about your family?”
Oh that he can do for hours.