It was, as always, a beautiful day in New Celestia. The October sky was cloudless, and Camille was out for an early morning run. She just needed a chance to stretch herself out before getting to work. The feast of Demeter was just a few days off, and she'd been asked to help get things set up for the festival.

The other demigods were just starting to wake up. Children of smithing gods were warming up the forges, while others were readying training exercises, or simply enjoying the day. All was as it should be.

The car pulled into a parking space outside of the main entrance to New Celestia Academy, and with a snap of his fingers a Handicapped parking permit appeared on the rear view mirror. “Big day, kid.” Loki patted Ainsley on the leg as he picked up his camera. “Smile!”

“Dad, you don’t have to do this.”

“Rubbish,” He said as he exited the car, “My only demi-daughter is going off to school, of course I was coming along!” Instead of calling her a Demi-god, Loki always preferred Demi-daughter- which made it seem like she was only partially his daughter but the feelings were clear. She got out as well and got her things from the trunk. “You know I could have just taken the bus.”

“You try to convince the school to allow a bus the trip to Asgard.”

“Fair point.”

Ainsley slung her backpack over her shoulder and picked Skuggadóttir up with her free hand. Loki took the time to snap a few more pictures before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and started off to the entrance. Ainsley’s outings in the other realms have been limited to a couple of vacations a year, which she didn’t mind, but she was never properly desensitized to the looks others gave Loki. He talked about the looks on the way up, but it seemed that every pantheon hated him for one reason or another.

Through the glass double doors we made our way to the front desk. A woman typed away on her laptop and didn’t notice the two before Loki rang the bell on the desk. Startled, she looked up to them, and then she became more startled. “Oh, um, yes how may I- oh gods- yes how may I help you two?”

“Yes hi see my daughter here is set to get everything sorted out with the enrollment and I was wondering if there was anything special I had to do to get her to the Grand Temple and what not.”

“U-up the main-n st-st-stairs and through th-th-th-the dou-b-ble doors.”

“Thanks dearie.”
As they started to walk away Ainsley started to chuckle under her breath, “You’re evil, you know that right?”

“Me? What! Nooooo. I would never!”

Ainsley punched him on the shoulder as they both had a good laugh. They walked up the white marble stairs and through the glass double doors that had to be thrice the size they need to be. A garden like Eden stretched before them with a stone path going down the middle. At the end was even more stairs. ‘This is going to be a long walk…’

After what seemed to be twenty minutes they had walked half way to their destination, gave up, and changed shape into a falcon and flew the rest. Defiantly faster. The inside of the temple was lined with different shrines to the various pantheons and deities, a massive library which the scribe gods spent did their work, and living rooms for visiting gods.

Loki ran ahead and stood in the middle of the bookshelves and yelled, “THOTH, WHERE ARE YOU? TTTHHHHOOOOOOTTTT-“

“YES I AM RIGHT HERE.” A response was muffled through the books but the ibis-headed god stuck his head through a the Shinto mythology collection before audibly groaning. “Loki, long time no see.”

“Oh come on your not still mad about-“

“Christmas 1838? Or how about Beltane 1927? Or maybe you’re thinking of New Year’s 1999?”

“Fair enough, but did you have to bring up 1999 around my daughter.”

Thoth let out another groan.

“Oh come on Thoth, she’s not that bad!” Loki teleported behind Thoth and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “And I think you forgot about all the good I have done for you.” He said as he teleported them both to the circle center.

“Oh please don’t teleport me ever again.” Thoth hissed as best a bird could and picked Loki’s arms off with two of his fingers. “Now then,” he put his attention onto Ainsley. “Name, date of birth, sex, mother’s name, etc. etc. here just fill this out.” Thoth handed Ainsley a clipboard and pen, and with a final grunt at Loki, stalked back off to finish his work.

“Well he’s charming,” Ainsley said as she took a seat on the floor leaning against a book shelf. “Meh, he is better when you get to know him.”

“So…what happened on New Year’s 1999?”

Talking to birds had always been a pass time, but now it seemed to occupy most of her waking hour. She had just recently moved to this new city, and she was still getting her bearings. Her parents separated after a tumultuous 18 years since they adopted her, so as soon as the divorce was finalized, her adoptive mother arranged for her to live in this new city.

Previously, she hadn't really travelled. The farthest she had been was a five hour car ride to the Cheasepeake Bay. Now, she was in a new climate, new state, and enrolling for yet another senior year of high school. She'd technically graduated from Andrew Lewis High two years ago, but in an effort to make connections with peers, she decided to have her true mother alter her records just a tad, so that this year, so she would graduate from the high school here.

Helena let out a lengthy sigh as she walked to the wide window of her apartment. She had picked up a part time job, but her adoptive parents were paying for nearly all of her expenses, despite her insistence that they need not to. She knew they feared Hera's wrath, should they displease her.

A chirping pigeon perched on her window planeter, tapping lightly at the glass with its beak.

"Ah. Hello, there." She opened he window and let the bird in. She listened to the intent chirps and coos of the pigeon before giving her answer. "I see. Many direct sons and daughters... maybe one of them... are they friendly?" Helena scratched her wrist out of habit. "Could you scope the city once more and find names and heritage?" Helena asked, then smiled when she received an affirmative coo. She placed a small dish of bread crumbs on the table for the pigeon to eat.

A few more birds of different size and feather flew in and gathered on the dining table, relating gossip and helpful information about the layout of the city, where to find what, who could possibly be friendly towards her. She nearly jumped out of her shoes as a large condor flew through her window and frightened all of the other birds away. Helena gave it a gentle smile and busied herself with enrollment papers as the condor perched on her shoulder and watched with an observant eye.

Can I join?(:

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Mikill's eyes slowly opened, waking up and absorbing in his surroundings again. He could feel the blankets on him and the pillow beneath his head, and he didn't want to move out of bed. But a well-managed body did not stay that way by simply staying around in bed. Mikill pulled the blankets off of him and sat up, giving a stretch of his arms in the air. He stood up, walking over to his dresser. He pulled out his morning workout clothes, putting them on and looking at himself in the mirror. He grabbed a hair-tie from where it lay and put up his hair in a ponytail. After staring at himself for a moment he walked out of his room and out the front door, careful not to wake any of his roommates.
As he arrived outside, he began to jog throughout New Celestia. He did this for about a mile, before stopping where he was and doing twenty-five burpees (complete with push-up). Most who saw him, at this hour, ignored him, as they saw him each morning. After doing this he stood up and now began to run. After two miles of this, he stopped and did fifty-five burpees. He continued this routine through the morning, running in a full circle back to his house.

It was now about seven in the morning, and so he hit the shower. After stepping out, he dressed in his usual clothes; jeans and some t-shirt (today it was a band shirt, The Police), along with his usual leather jacket that his dad had given him for his fourteenth birthday. He stood in front of the mirror on his dresser now, brushing out his long hair, before finally putting on the pendant that his father had also given him. He stepped into the kitchen now, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. As he grabbed for the milk, he heard another one of his room mates enter. It was the girl of Zeus, and Mikill gave her a nod and a "good morning". She asked him how his workout went, and he said like usual. He finished up his cereal, washed the bowl, and headed out to the Temple of the Gods. This was his usual routine. He liked to talk to his father through his shrine, even if the man never responded. This morning, Mikill told his old man of the ten dragur he'd defeated on his own. Of course, there was no reply.
Sighing to himself, he now headed the Grand Market to just browse.

“Ok and candles, like lots of candles. Maybe red, or green? Which do you think?”

Ainsley scribbled down Candles onto her notepad, “Candles…I don’t know what kind do you want?”

“I can’t just choose whichever color! This is my shrine. It needs to have the…aesthetic.”

Because Ainsley was a member of New Celestia, it meant that Loki can finally have a shrine there. Then again there are shrines to gods that never had mortal children go to New Celestia, but I am pretty sure the list of shrine considered putting the ‘world breaker’ on there.

“Well, if you want ‘aesthetic,’ then go with yellow with mini-green ones.”

“Perfect!”

The two of them were walking down the main road of the market place. Ainsley was taking notes on the shops around here, along with what her father wanted on his shrine, but also she looked around at the rest of the demigods that lived there. Most had their earbuds in and didn’t take note of them, but those that did either walked quicker or politely smiled and nodded (even thought she was pretty sure they were shitting their pants). Then again Loki didn’t really standout besides wearing old Viking clothing, so most just looked at Skugg tied to Ainsley’s back.

Loki continued to ramble on about how he wants his shrine in the center of the Norse pantheon’s shrines, as a sort of middle finger to the rest of the gods. But what caught Ainsley’s attention was a blonde haired boy making his way into the market. “Oh my gods, dad, Dad, DAD.” Her voice continued to get louder as she hit her father’s shoulder with greater force each time. “WHAT.”

She pointed over at the boy, “That’s Thor’s kid.”

“What the Hel are you talking about? No it isn’t- holy Hel it is.”

Camille passed by the Temple, noting as she did that there was a large crowd. It wasn't a feast day, far as she knew, so the only thing that would get a crowd like that was a deity paying a visit. Wonder who it is. She turned around, trying to get a look at the visitor. Northern clothing, rather garish, doesn't have a shrine yet- oh, crap. The horde headed for the market, and Camille followed. Anywhere Loki went, things were bound to get... interesting.

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Currently, Mikill was looking at some jewelry. He could never have enough. He was simply browsing when he heard a mention of the child of Thor.
Now being the child of Thor, Mikill had gotten used to being recognized quite easily and quite often. It was no surprise to him. So when he heard "That's Thor's kid.", he turned with a smile that greatly resembled his father's. What was a surprise to him was the fact that his father's brother was here. In person. His smile wavered, but he kept it up nonetheless. Instead of speaking, he first decided to examine the girl that stood next to him.

He could assume that the two were related, with her probably being his daughter, due to her facial structure. In fact, she resembled him in every way it seemed. Like he himself didn't resemble his own father. Yet he found her...intruiging.

"Hey, there," he started out, speaking to her. "Seems like you're new here." His voice not wavering at all. "I'm Micheal, but call me Mikill. You must be Loki, and you must be his daughter..." he trailed off, waiting for a name. Once he had received one, he said, "Do you need help with anything? I know New Celestia, and New Celestia knows me." He gave another one of those smiles.

Ainsley just starred before whispering into her father’s ear- without taking her eyes away from Mikill- “Dad…why is he being nice to me?” Loki leaned down and whispered, “I have no idea.”

“Um-uhh- hi, I guess.”

Since she was young she has been taught of how the worlds were created, and how they will end; and, knowing of how Loki is turned into the villain in the end by the other gods, has learned to avoid them. So whenever they or their kids show kindness to her, it always surprises her. Often times her mind would go down the train of thought of the other god’s thinking they can change her from her father’s “evil” ways. She is paranoid to say the least.

“Wow, you have grown!” Loki stepped in, “When was the last time I saw ya?” He put his arm around Ainsley’s shoulders.

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Mikill raised his eyebrow as the two began to whisper to each other. It hurt him. Not because they were whispering, but because they had such a close bond with each other. Even he and Thor weren't that close. He was a little jealous. But he wouldn't admit it.
“Wow, you have grown! When was the last time I saw ya?”
"Ah, probably when I was very small, as I can't recall when," Mikill replied. Of all things to happen today, he had not expected this man to have shown up. And she still hadn't answered his question. In fact, none of his questions. Who was this girl? Were they just both in shock about the other?
"Well, ah-ha, like I said before. If you need help, I'm here," he said. "I guess I-I'll see you around." He gave a nod, a smile, and then began to walk away.
What a strange day.

"I guess I-I'll see you around."

“My name is Ainsley!” Ainsley blurted out before Mikill could walk away. “Ainsley Laufeyson.” She held her arm out to shake. “Sorry I am just not the best around other Norse gods and such- not meaning we can’t be friends! Just, ya know...” She looked up to see Loki giving her a confused look, he hasn't seen her stumble over her words this badly since she was a child. “Yeah I will go ahead and shut up now.”

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"My name is Ainsley!" the girl, Ainsley, suddenly said. Mikill turned back around to see her arm out for him to shake. He took it with a smile. He looked from her to Loki, and then back to her before releasing it. "Yeah, I can understand that," he said with a chuckle.
"So, do you need help with anything? You know where the school is and where you're staying and all that?"

"I know the general gist," Ainsley said as she pulled out a tan envelope with her class schedule and the like. "And it was arranged for me to stay-" she peered down at the map of the school. The school is too big to have every place detailed, the only way you are able to see the words is to squint. "-Dorm N, Room 328."

"I think she will be ok." Loki said with a large grin. Man, Ainsley has never seen him more uncomfortable. He has had more chill talking to Odin after pulling some kind of stunt. "Where do you stay?"

Okay, things are at least calmer around here. Camille walked up to the demigod and her father, feeling a bit of apprehension as she did so. "Hello, Lord Loki. It's good to see you, and this must be your daughter, correct? Good of you to show her around- my mother just gave me a map and said, 'go here.' I'm Camille, Hecate's daughter. I know I'm not the first, but allow me to welcome you to New Celestia all the same."