Chapter 12

In the evening. Asgard. Depths of the palace.

Odin's treasury was a separate structure within the palace, erected at the junction of two bridges passing through a colossal huge hall, in which several earthly stadiums could easily fit. Each bridge had two narrow spans, easily viewable from any point, falling from them to the bottom of the hall would mean death even for the ace, the height was so huge, and the builders took care of "pleasant" surprises for such a jumper, additionally transforming the entire inner surface of the hall into a deadly trap, which is undesirable even for the owners of this place. It was possible to get to the treasury only by round-the-clock guarded bridges and nothing else. Well, the monolith of the treasury itself from the side resembled a kind of chest suspended on chains, even though it was the size of a good apartment building.

True, perhaps the last association was just a twist of my sick consciousness, who in childhood took too close to my heart some Soviet cartoon about Koschei Bessmertny and his famous chest, in which a hare, in which a duck, in which an egg, and so on, and which was hanging from an oak tree in chains. In fact, I'm not really sure of anything - not after I dragged a small child to the holy of holies of Asgard, literally in the storehouse of a heap of deadly divine artifacts. I honestly believed that I was of sound mind and firm memory, but when I thought about it, I realized that somehow it wasn't… somehow nifiga like that. Although stop ... Odin is to blame for everything! Definitely he! He also dragged me and Thor here at about the same age!

Oh, damn it ...

I am his grandson, and this, it turns out, is direct proof that the family idiocy was passed on to me too ... On the one hand, this, of course, explains a lot in the life of my predecessor, but ... Don't ... Well, please, no, I don't want to ...

In some incomprehensible way, noticing my condition, the next Laura stopped looking around and turned her brown eyes to me. I had to pull myself together so as not to embarrass myself in front of the child. A small part of me, obviously responsible for sanity and logic, tried to kick me and force me to take the girl away from sin, but ... we almost reached the end of the bridge, and stomped to the guest quarters to hand her over to her mother, for so long ... In the end, X-23 is ten heads more adequate and restrained than Thor and I at her age, and if the larvae of these two acrobatic brothers were able to walk through the treasury and not get it right (especially Thor), then it will definitely cope. Yes, all this is out of respect for her, and not because of my laziness! .. Oh, the eternal spark of creation, I already convinced myself through an appeal to the coolness of a ten-year-old girl, what did Asgard do to me during these miserable few hours ?!

So, with perseverance worthy of a true descendant of Odin, crushing the sprouts of reason, conscience and adequate in myself, I went down the bridge to the gates of the suspended structure and, with a gesture leaving the Einherian guards at their posts, went inside, dragging a little innocent girl with me.

The magical energy gathered in the treasury spattered the skin in a prickly breeze. Each trophy of past achievements of Asgard rested in its own niche, shielding it from others, but still, the general background forced one to gather and throw unnecessary thoughts out of my head. The gungnir in my hand also reacted to the alien force. In fact, it was he who allowed me to feel it more sharply than it had happened before, but the spear of the Kings itself seemed to whisper to me that it was ready for battle, although it did not feel real danger - it just reminded me. In general, it "reminded" a lot of things, for example, it was a somewhat unpleasant surprise for me that Gungnir had an extremely negative attitude to being in a subspace pocket. That is, I could remove him, but he was offended by this and did not hesitate to pour out this emotion on me. An attempt to figure out what was the matter led to the fact that the artifact "on my fingers", or rather, by means of images of feelings explained that it is a symbol of Power, a Status thing and just Handsome, in connection with which it cannot be hidden and fu that be, if trying. In other words, everyone should see how flaky he is, ALWAYS. He was not capable of thinking in fully understandable categories, but the general meaning was just that. In short, Odin's spear and I still had to fully get used to each other, but now it was not important. Now I have come here for the legacy of my other father ...

"Don't touch anything," I warned Laura, as soon as we went down the steps to the level of the treasury I needed. "Most of the things here are extremely dangerous, even if they look broken."

"..." the girl nodded understandingly, keeping silent as usual.

We walked slowly through the central corridor between the niches and found ourselves at a pedestal with a bizarre rectangular device, in which streams of light were constantly swirling. The Casket of Ancient Winters looked like a solid blue crystal, in some places bound with metal and cut on the surface by a skilled master of jewelry. His magic, powerful and deadly, which was felt at a distance of several steps, curled in a thin veil around the pedestal, but remained unshakable and calm. For the ice giants, the Casket was an artifact even more valuable and important than Gungnir and Mjolnir for the Asgardians, but it just so happened that my predecessor never thought, "why?" Once in a distant childhood, Loki was frightened by Odin's story that any ace, try to use the power of the Casket Zim, will inevitably die or suffer greatly, since the ice magic of the jotun artifact is incompatible with the power of the Gods, whose essence is flame and light. Having matured, he simply did not become interested in the "useless trophy of his father", which anyway no one will allow to explore or take out of the treasury. The Allfather's cunning move was now perfectly understandable to me, but some apprehension of unknown magic remained, preventing me from reaching out my hand and touching the blue surface.

The sheath-bound power was frightening. She was alien to everything that Loki could and knew about magic. The eternal Flame of Surtur, located in another part of the treasury, was much more familiar and understandable, although it represented no more real danger for any divine races, because it could not be extinguished by any forces, and only the most powerful creatures were able to conquer its power by their will. all the rest it would simply devour, regardless of any walls, armor and flesh, as soon as it was allowed to break out of the bounds of the enchanted brazier.

However, I was not going to just stand and look at the play of light beyond the blue edges. I didn't come here to be a coward at the last moment, especially knowing that I can use the legacy of Jotunheim.

"Whatever happens to my appearance, do not be afraid," I warn Laura, extending my left hand to the Casket.

And ... I touch it gently with my finger. One. A cautious and weightless thought, along with my own strength, glides forward, intending to find and understand the essence of the artifact. A momentary numbness and a flash of wild cold, contrary to normal instincts, force the hand to twitch further, completely lying on the surface of the Casket, but before the burning frost has time to lick the palm, it is replaced by pleasant warmth that rises higher and higher up the hand. The exposed skin turns blue rapidly as this sensation spreads, and simultaneously with the new color, the spiral patterns of the Ice Giants appear on it. The creation of the jotuns recognized me as "theirs" ...

The Casket of Ancient Winters did not have the usual neurointerface of Asgardian technomagic artifacts, but it had its analogue, built on pure magic. He was rougher, not to say that he was more primitive, but, so to speak, relied more on instincts ... no ... physiology ... also not quite ... Rather, it was something like an intuitive set of reflex reactions that suddenly appeared in me. A very strange feeling. Strange but enjoyable. In addition, the neural interface remained a neural interface, although it was embodied on a different logical basis, and through it I could well understand and realize the functionality of the artifact. What I did, and ... I could hardly restrain my laughter. No, the Casket, of course, could be used as a weapon, in this regard it was even more dangerous than Gungnir, since it could cover many times large areas with one blow and literally change the climate of entire continents and planets, albeit not instantly. It could be used as a means of controlling the weather - it was not difficult to send or hide a storm in it and the steepest storm was not difficult. But all this faded before its main function.

It was a tutorial.

No, not like that, it was the quintessence, the very essence of Ice Magic. The casket did not hammer into the head the strict formulas of the Rune Elm that the ases used to make weapons, nor did the sinister knowledge and rituals lie there. Not. He simply gave Awareness, an understanding of the very essence, and the "reflex" neural interface allows one to literally absorb, learn the techniques of jotun magic as if I were not just practicing the creation of Ice Lance or Frosty Armor, but actually devoted my whole life to continuous improvement in this direction, comprehending it in such deep nuances and trifles that not every recognized master can boast. An amazing and strange feeling, which well explained why Odin put in so much effort to take this truly Treasure from Lafey. Perhaps the artifact had limitations, it definitely had to be, like a certain level of the user's strength or his blood, and maybe - the time between uses, but even so - it was just ... oh, I didn't have enough words.

Probably, I would have stood so embracing with this miracle for a week, penetrating deeper and deeper into the essence of ice magic and comprehending the techniques of casting these spells, so unlike anything from what I myself had before ... if it were not for Gungnir's displeasure, reflected in my head, and something like an electric shock that went down my right hand from a spear. Regalia of the Aces Kings did not like my admiration for someone else's royal regalia, and even if the obstinate weapon was not going to rebel, recognizing me as its master, but expressing its "phi" towards "some" jotuns and their "dull blue bricks" did not bother him ... But yes, perhaps, now is really not the time and not the place - I can study the Casket in more detail later, but for now ...

"I look like?" I asked the girl.

"…" They raised their eyes to my face, blinking thoughtfully a couple of times, and then shrugged their shoulders, saying, who is hesitating? All of you boys are alike.

"Is the skin blue?" I demanded more precise definitions.

"…" nod.

"Are my eyes red?"

"…" again nod.

" Are there patterns on my face?"

" …" another.

"Will you remain silent?" I could not resist.

"(> _>) …" the girl with full immersion became interested in the shining wall, behind which was hidden the guardian of the treasury, about which she, however, could not know.

"Okay," I send Casket Zim into my own subspace pocket and for a second I listen to the sensations, but no - the creation of Jotunheim turned out to be much less picky than Gungnir, and did not express any protests, although I continued to feel the connection with him. - Let's go back - everything I wanted, I did, - I called the girl ... And I also began to feel, as the disappearance from the hands of the Casket, goosebumps ran through my body, and with them my appearance was rapidly returning to normal.

Morning the next day. Land. Puente Antiguo.

I've been watching Thor for ten minutes. For Thor making breakfast. For those who know the Torah, the picture is psychedelic. In a sense, he was able to skin a wild boar while hunting and put him on a spit over a fire, but even this he did only a couple of times in my memory, usually Wolshtagg was in the squad for the cook, as the most interested and therefore responsible in this matter " human". But no, the God of Thunder in exile calmly pondered an omelette on an electric earth plate and was clearly waiting for the company of climatologists, or whoever they were, to the table.

"Don't forget to add salt."

"Yes, exactly. Thank you, Loki …" the big man reflexively answered. "Loki?" oh, what big eyes! "Loki, brother!" they tried to grab me into a wide embrace, but they rushed through the illusion, almost knocking down the dining table.

" If you are trying to strangle me, then make your face simpler …"

"I? What? Not!" the former Thunderer was somewhat indignant, but still stopped trying to kiss the phantom.

"And yes, I'm glad to see you too ... When did you learn to use the stove?" all the same, I could not resist voicing the itching question inside.

"It's not difficult at all!" the blond perked up, returning to its original place. "You change the temperature with this thing, but you interfere with this one," he pointed to the handle of the stove, and then the spatula, "you can't use a knife," the Thunderer continued to educate me in a businesslike manner, "you can scratch the coating. There are very fragile dishes in Midgard! And the recipes are written in this book! - I was shown something like a brochure with the caption: "How to make a simple and hearty breakfast?"

"By the way, turn it off, or it'll burn," I advised, trying not to give out on my face how the back wall of my skull is scratching.

"ABOUT! Yes, of course," the big man hastened to follow the advice, at the same time moving the pan to the adjacent burner.

But after this action, he hesitated, and silence fell in the kitchen. Quite uncomfortable silence, for at least one ace with a short light beard.

"I ... You …" Thor tried to say something, sliding his eyes to my face ... and fell silent.

"You're eloquent as always," I sighed. "Well, tell me."

"What?" he did not understand.

"How did you come to such a life, I already roughly know," I depict something on my face that should express sympathy, but in front of myself I could be honest - I did not succeed very well. "How's that for you?"

"Strange, unusual," the man sighed with a mighty chest, lowering his blue eyes to the floor. "If it hadn't been for Lady Jane, I suppose it would have been much harder.

"Lady Jane?" I pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"The mortal who helped me. I am deeply indebted to her."

"You are somehow suspiciously complacent for the one who quarreled with his beloved father and was deprived of strength …"

" I …" Thor was clearly obscured by what he continued to tear at my template. That is, I recalled that in films he often portrayed such an awkward-shy village simpleton, but the memory of the original Loki remembered him only as a stubborn narcissistic ram. A very positive and even captivating person with his charisma, but still a narcissistic ram, who could not be embarrassed even by the biggest crap in his life. "They hit me well on the head several times," the man finally gave out with a sigh of acknowledgment of the person's bitter, but important reality.

"This …" I imitate in the air an indistinct gesture with a brush, "something good?"

"All my life I was the Mighty Thor," Odin's son approached the nearest chair and sank heavily on it, leaning his elbows on his knees, "and in Midgard I was first hit by a car, then stunned with a shocker ... This is such a thing that hits copper threads with small lightning bolts ... Then the healers 'assistants in the local healers' house tied me up, then I was hit by a car again, and when I went to return Mjolnir ... Well, I scattered everyone there, but ... The Hammer refused to go with me," the Asgardians finished listing their adventures with tired bitterness. "And now I… don't know."

" You mean, you felt on yourself what it means to be weak, and now you are rethinking whether you were so good all your past life?"

"Yes …" as if he had just realized it, Thor responded, raising a surprised-lightening look at me. "And there is!"

"Charming," I shake my head, wondering how such a massive wisdom of the sons did not accidentally finish off Odin. Too many shocking impressions are dangerous for an old, worn out organism.

Thor did not have time to ask what exactly I consider charming, but he definitely wanted to. I see in his slightly bewildered face - I wanted to! Why didn't you have time? Well, so the climatologists started to go down for breakfast, or who are they, if you call them correctly? However, what's the difference?

"Wow …" the first appeared a short girl with glasses and dark brown hair. She appeared, saw me in Asgardian clothes, albeit without elements of armor, on which she instantly lost her step. "Jae-ain!" Raising her voice, she called to the side, without taking her eyes off me. "Here it is ... Another one?" With an obviously interrogative intonation, the dugout finished the thought, even so guiltily pulling her head into her shoulders, still not breaking eye contact with me.

" Who is 'another one'?" The second lady appeared on the stairs, looking inquiringly at her friend, but almost immediately turned her gaze to me and Thor. "Oh …"

"What do you have ... '' began the third voice, which already belonged to a man, but broke off earlier than the previous ones.

The speaker was a man who was already approaching old age, but had not yet reached it, although his hair was already actively striving to leave his head alone. As for the girls, then, oddly enough for the MCU, they turned out to be pretty cute. Both were far away from Storm, but compared to the general level around, it was very, very good, at least, it was quite understandable why Thor, after whom Sif had been running for several centuries, showed attention to this mortal. If at one time the respected Lord Vader could not resist, then what can we say about just some Asgardian god there? Yes, the second girl, she is obviously 'Lady Jane', in appearance was the spitting image of Natalie Portman. Not as young and charming as in the roles of Matilda from the film Leon or Padmé Amidala from the first episode of Star Wars, but still quite retaining her albeit somewhat faded beauty. Well, or is it the hard-core master of illusions talking to me.

"My friends," the brother made a small bow, a trifle, but considering that we are talking about the Thunder God, I, even knowing all the ins and outs, almost shamefully dropped my jaw.

"Thor? .. Who is it?" 'Padme' awkwardly pointed her finger at me, looking hopefully at the big man. It's funny, it looks like she still could not fully believe in the story of my brother, which is why my clothes caused a lot more stupor than they could. However, what else to expect? Still, the exile had no divine powers left, as well as artifacts, and his behavior and story were more indicative of some kind of mental disorder than of a different world origin. And yet she did not refuse to shelter him ... Women are truly strange creatures.

"Let me introduce my brother Loki," forgetting himself, the Thunderer tried to slap me on the shoulder, which caused a second violation of the stability of the phantom and even more amazement on the faces of mortals.

" Loki?" the girl in glasses blinked quickly. "And this is not the guy who all the time intrigues you?"

"Well, well," I turned to Thor, "what did you manage to tell me about me again?"

" Nothing!" sincerely raised his hands in a protective gesture, the blond.

" What did he say about me again?" demandingly turn to people, devoured by the most bad presentiments that were sharply stirred up. "I hope at least this time there was no transformation into a mare and the birth of foals?"

"The mare?" Now 'Padme' blinked in bewilderment.

"Every time he appears in Midgard, he launches some idiotic rumor about me, which your chroniclers then exaggerate in all books for several centuries. What happened this time?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all," the girl shook her head. "Only that you …" 'Padme' hesitated, obviously not knowing how to choose the right words, and throwing glances crying for help at Thor.

"Brother, I really didn't say anything this time!" he stepped forward, taking the blow on himself. "Let's not remember this …"

"No, we will remember this!" I snapped. "I must know what legend I owe you once again!"

"And you are not very similar ... '' said the wearer of the glasses. " I mean hair!' She quickly corrected herself, catching our eyes.

"We are consolidated," I shrug, getting ready to return to the topic.

"Loki, you're wrong!" the Thunderer immediately caught fire, and I instantly realized what was about to begin ... Hundreds of pictures appeared before my eyes, as Thor fell into a rage and began to push his pretentious speeches, sweeping away any logic and common sense, but full of emotions, expression and complete ignorance of the interlocutor. My teeth were already aching ...

" I am always right!" I throw up my hand, stopping the words that are ready to fall from the lips of Odin's son. This must be stopped at any cost. Nip in the bud, for otherwise I will actually send the Destroyer here. "Okay, let's leave it," the big man began to open his mouth again, forcing me to make another similar gesture to warn the second remark. "Let's leave it! Both themes."

"… Okay," the blond man breathed out, clearly overpowering himself.

"Let's continue our acquaintance," I turn to the scientists. "Padmé …' I pretend to bow to the obvious leader," the support group, "went to the rest of the scientists."

"My name is Jane Foster," she introduced herself, frowning slightly. "Have you come for Thor?"

"No," I shake my head to the side, "so far he can't appear at home, but I'm working on it!"

"Truth? Thank you brother!" this simple-minded big man was genuinely delighted.

"Not at all yet. So?" I raise an eyebrow, looking expectantly at the two people who did not introduce themselves.

"Are you ... really Loki?" got the resolve to ask the second girl, who is Jane's friend. "Oh, yes, I'm Darcy Lewis," she realized.

"Eric Selvig," the man introduced himself.

"Glad to meet you," decency first of all. "And to answer your question, yes - I really am the same Loki, the God of Magic, Intrigue and what is called trolling on the modern Internet. Have you heard about Tony Stark? This is approximately what I am responsible for."

" A-ha …" gathered her eyes in a bunch, that way looking under the brow bones, Jane. "And …" and hesitated, although it was already clear what she wanted to ask. Still, Thor could not demonstrate anything, but mortals wanted to see the miracles.

Silently I create a couple of illusions next to the phantom.

"Wow," Darcy admired again.

"Yes," I agree with a triple half-smile, enjoying the faces of people and their open mouths. "But, actually, what did I come to? Yes, you sit down - you shouldn't react so violently" dispelling unnecessary phantoms, I point to the table.

"We need to find another plate," with a certain hint, Darcy quietly informed her boss.

" Not worth it," I shake my head. "It's not that I was against participating in such an epochal event as tasting a confection prepared by the Thunder God himself personally, and not just personally, but on a modern kitchen stove, but alas - I'm on another planet now, and this is just an illusion."

" Do you cook so rarely?"

"Are you really on another planet?" Darcy and Jane asked at the same time, respectively.

"Do not believe me, I myself am in shock no less than yours," I confidentially inform the lady with glasses and switch to Foster: "Yes, Padmé, I'm on another planet."

"Loki!" Thor was indignant, but I pretended to suffer from selective deafness. Or rather enjoy it.

"Why do you call me so strange? What does this word mean?" with a difference of a split second, the scientist squinted.

"I can't believe it," Selwick muttered much more quietly to himself.

"Me too," of course, for the answer I chose the replica of the latter. "There is clearly something wrong with this universe - just get out of the house to think about the eternal, understand yourself, prevent a couple of planetary apocalypses ... As soon as some kind of game begins, and from where you least expect," I reward Thor with an extremely expressive look.

"And ... the apocalypse?" Darcy asked.

" By the way about that!" I perked up and created between us the illusion of a map of the immediate vicinity. "Here somewhere there is an abandoned house on wheels," I point to the point where I left the car, "there is some cash in the glove compartment, about five thousand, and the refrigerator is full of food, only the battery is about to die. Could you pick up? There are few souvenirs - it would be a pity if they were stolen."

"Uh-uh …"

"Brother…" Thor began, but I interrupted him, at the same time imposing on people a distracting illusion in half with suggestion, so that they would think that they were convinced to sit down at the table.

"Let me explain something before you say anything. Firstly, yes, I was in Midgard when you were trying to buy a kitten to saddle …" natural horror reflected on Thor's face, hardly due to the fact that he understood what kind of game he was doing, rather because that I figured out how I can start joking about him about this. "And you don't need to make such a face - at that moment I was much more ashamed than you are now!" I was indignant. "Secondly, you are now deprived of your strength, which means that you need human food, clothing and housing. And thirdly, being a healthy man, sitting on the neck of a fragile woman is unworthy of you, brother."

" What are you …" he looked around convulsively, but when he saw that the mortals were already seated at the table, stuck in a hassle, he relaxed a little, "you mean?"

" These clothes that you are wearing, this food that you cooked. She didn't come out of nowhere, did she? You are used to getting everything you need as a prince of Asgard, never thinking about where these or those benefits come from. It is unlikely that you were able to earn somewhere or otherwise get money to buy these things and products with them, which means they bought them for you. It looks like your Lady Jane is not one of the rich people, and such spending could be significant for her."

"But… she… she didn't… say anything like that," the hefty little guy replied in shock.

"And she won't, because it's called" politeness, "although I don't understand why she helps you at all ... Although… maybe I do," I smiled. "You have always been popular with women," unlike the reaction I expected, Thor did not vehemently deny or grin insolently, he looked at me as if I were now revealing to him the secrets of the universe, existence and all that other stuff.

" …"

" In general, for you and me these are pieces of paper and trifles, but for an ordinary person it is a serious problem, but those five thousand should be enough for you for a couple of months. So stop playing proud and accept help when you are offered it," I finished with the speech, and ... lo and behold, Thor really thought about it.

I will have to somehow thank those who organized the pussy for him. It seems that these heroes were able to do what he could not cope with and Odin in a thousand years with the hook - forced the Thunder God to really think and evaluate the consequences of the actions and motives of others. Yes, they definitely deserve a premium. It will be necessary to shaman with their salary cards or other bank accounts, since the digital payment system of the Earth opened up the widest scope for any shenanigans with numbers on those accounts, not only for the owner of the Asgard technomagic base, but for anyone in general who has grown up to interstellar flights. What I, by the way, shamelessly used literally from the first days in New York, but shh! This is a big secret, especially for the staff of one private boarding school.

" Thank you, brother," interrupting his thoughts, Odin's son nodded gravely.

" Let's sit down at the table, and I will undo the enchantment," I nod to an empty chair where Thor's illusion was.

" Ah ... yes," the big man sat down, grabbing the cutlery, and people were "online" again.

"Could you, please, salt," Darcy asked him at once, working her jaws actively. Damn, I can't resist, and why not?

"Y-yes …" having dropped it meaningfully, I draw attention to myself. " My dear brother screwed up, fled to Earth, managed to stuff the face of the local authorities' squad here and is already sitting at the refectory table, surrounded by two pretty women and one Scandinavian drunkard ... nothing changes! At least you didn't break the dishes in the nearest tavern, I hope?"

"Khm-kha-khy!" twisted all the participants of the feast into a wonderfully amicable coughing fit.

"Understandably," I finished off the team. "Well, okay, I went to see you, I handed over the present," I pretended to think - everything seems to be. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you have two SHIELD freaks sitting there on the next roof, watching something, watching. I averted their eyes, but it's better not to talk too much about my visit. Okay, I'm off, don't be bored!" and I canceled the illusion under the gaze of four pairs of eyes full of feelings and emotions ...

A couple of days later, Asgard.

A cylindrical device on the test bench pulled a neutronium nucleus into the core, and I held my breath. A second, two ... A short pulsation came from inside the reactor, perceptible even in magical perception, and white light began to seep through the transparent elements of the body, flaring up more and more with each stroke of the invention of Tony Stark. I did it!

I was able to reproduce the arc reactor on the elementary base of Asgard quickly enough, but palladium as a nucleus did not suit me, so I took up experiments and modification. With the knowledge of all the ins and outs from Stark's memory and a lot of other things from my own head, and with the use of atomic forge, everything took a little more than a day to complete, and, as I expected, the architecture of the reactor could be converted to Uru metal and neutronium. And right now I felt that neutronium gives much better results - the flow of energy of the Living Light enveloped the test bench in a thick haze, which was felt even through the protective force fields. Of course, it was Gungnir's fault in many ways, who increased my sensitivity to magic and the perception of the world around me several times, but still the result was great. Exactly what I needed.

After spending another couple of hours on all possible tests several times and finally making sure that the reactor stably went into operation and definitely would not explode, as well as emitting no harmful radiation outside the shielded housing, I printed a suitable stand on the Asgardian analog of a 3D printer and picking up the result, he quickly left the workshop.

A dozen minutes of fast pace led me to the residential part of the palace, and a few more minutes later I was already at Odin's chambers.

" Mom," entering the room and finding a woman at the constant post at the head of the bed, I resigned my impetuosity and respectfully switched to a slow step, without loud noises.

"Loki, something happened?" Frigga looked up at me with concern, and I vaguely realized that she was interrupting some magical effect. Communication with someone through an illusion, probably.

"Yes, I'm almost ready to solve the problem with Jotunheim," I go to Odin's bed and, setting aside Gungnir, I unfold the telescopic legs of the holder, "but I could not start this until I did something …" the support for the reactor was opened and took its place a place above the All-Father's chest, after which a reactor was carefully installed in its center.

" What is it?" Asinya raised her eyebrows in bewilderment, clearly feeling the energy of the Living Light herself.

" This is an invention of my friend, which I slightly modified," I answer automatically, most of my consciousness concentrating on how to correctly direct the energy coming out of the "portal" and fix this state, since I was not too lazy to turn the reactor vessel into a suitable artifact. Very primitive, but quite sufficient for this task. "I think you already understood what he gives. I'm not sure that this will speed up my father's exit from the Dream, but it will have a positive effect on his health."

"This is incredible," the queen got up from her place, tremblingly raising her palm to the shining reactor. "Living Light …" as if convinced, she whispered. "What kind of great magician created such a miracle?"

" Believe it or not, he did not even suspect the existence of the Living Light when he created it," I smiled at the woman, having finished the work. "He's just a genius idiot - I have no other words. By the way," I changed my tone to a more serious one, "I promised to give him a spaceship, but I haven't had time yet. If suddenly I do not return from Jotunheim, I write down the address and other instructions in the throne. Only, please, something not very advanced, otherwise he will definitely make a weapon out of this, and he is already inventing too many dangerous weapons."

"Son, what are you up to?" Immediately forgetting about the reactor and its author, asinya crept up.

" To solve the problem of Jotunheim radically, but gracefully," I take in my hand the frozen Gungnir, as I let him go. "Don't worry - the plan is solid, I'll just have to play a little bit of a dumb hero-avenger."

" Loki, what are you up to?" Asinya frowned, of course, who began to worry much more after my words.

"Just one of my 'jokes'" I admitted "nothing serious and dangerous."

"When it's not serious and not dangerous, they don't say 'my will is in the Throne, look if I don't come back', " Frigga didn't give in.

" It's just a precaution just in case," I smiled softly, trying to get off the uncomfortable topic, - "such a thing, because of the absence of which Odin has the current situation."

"Loki… don't try to tell my teeth, this trick won't work with me. What. You. Are you planning?"

"Okay," I sigh, "I'll have a little chat with Lafey in my favorite style, and when he gets to the state of Wolstagg hanging over with a hangover and does something stupid, maybe even a few times, I'll get my benefit. Anyway, I'll be back in time for dinner, don't be bored!" but after a little thought and discarding the guise of a joker, he continued in a serious tone. "This is the simplest, fastest, most reliable and bloodless solution to the problem. The alternative is a war of extermination, which I would hate to allow. So wish me luck and look forward to my return."

"You've grown up," Frigga smiled sadly.

"Well, there must be at least one responsible adult man in this family," I reproachfully looked towards Odin. I know he can see and hear us now, so let him be ashamed. Unlikely, but what if?

"Take care of yourself, son," they hugged me, and now I felt awkward and ashamed.

"Of course, Mom," I hugged the asinya back, and then took a step back. U-turn, and ... my path led to the treasury. Once you have decided to do something, you need to do it right away, and not pull the cat for ... circumstances.