Streets of Jonesborough

[blueXblood777]

Sprawling city meets the calmer tones of a country town in this historical place. All manner of people walk these streets, from humans to the deceased to the occasional demigod. Stories are alive and thriving in the quiet metropolis; tales of all kinds flit this way and that, at home in the night.

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

After snagging a cardboard box from the back of a grocery store, Ari sat down at her favorite street corner and pulled her deck of cards out of her pocket. Giving them a brief but thourough shuffing, she picked out the three cards she normally uses for three-card Monte; the Jacks of Aces and Spades and the Queen of Hearts. Putting the face down on the box, she closed her eyes and moved them around before picking one. Opening her eyes, Ari noticed that the card between her fingers was the Queen. Not that it surprised her much. No matter what she did, she always seemed to pick the right card. Where did she get this deck from anyways? She thought about that often, but she could never remember. Maybe she always had them. She looked at the Queen again. Come to think of it, the face cards looked different from regular decks. They looked more like gods than royalty. Shrugging, she laid the card back down and began to look for someone who looked like an easy mark.  

[blueXblood777]

A beautiful woman walked down the street leading up to Ari's favored street corner. She wore a black, floor-length dress, designer boots and amber jewelry. Her bright green eyes flashed with emotion, almost upset and more than a little annoyed, when she saw Ari shuffling her cards. She walked straight over to the young girl and knelt carefully before her, "My dear, what in the name of Midgard are you doing here?" Concern colored her tones while true worry danced in her eyes.

(Bear with me on this.. I couldn't find a woman with green eyes with the right shade of red to her hair.)

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

Startled, Ari looked up as the woman spoke. She was slightly confused; usually people as nicely dressed as this one didn't frequent this area. She hesitated to reply, but something about the woman made her answer.

"I live here."She wasn't used to people being nice to her. Ari noticed that she hadn't lied when the woman asked her why she was here. Normally she would have made up some bogus excuse so no one would question her motives. Why had she told the truth? And why did this woman look so familiar?

Ari shook off her uneasiness and put on her sweetest smile, "Wanna play a card game with me? It's really simple. There's even a prize if you win."  

[blueXblood777]

For a moment, the woman's eyes flashed the same hue as her jewelry. She could hardly believe the others had allowed this. Within a moment, she'd resolved to speak with her higher ups about this unspeakable insult. Then, the child's smile broke through her brooding thoughts. The woman smile back with warmth and something close to pride, "Alright, Ari. Deal a game for us." She found her little one's smile indescribably charming.

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

Normally Ari would have been unnerved by a stranger calling her by name, especially since she never introduces herself, but hearing it now felt natural somehow.

"This game is easy to win," she said as she laid out the three cards from before, "All you have to do is find the Queen." Ari flipped the forementioned card over and held it up for the woman to see. Of course, she had no intention of letting her find the Queen, no matter how much she'd come to like the stranger.

She placed the card face down once again, "Keep your eyes on the Lady or she'll be lost." She quipped as she mixed the cards around with practised speed. As she mixed the cards, she quickly replaced the Queen with another Jack that had been up her sleeve.

"Here we are, take your pick. Can you find her?" She smiled as she looked up. Her eyes glowed a brighter green for just a moment.  

[blueXblood777]

The woman watched with an intent expression, then cracked a smile. "The Queen was replaced, dear one. She hides in your sleeve, if I'm not mistaken," she said, amused by the trickery. The cards have served her well, the woman thought. Mischief sparkled in her emerald eyes as she wondered how Ari would fair against a game with her siblings.

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

Ari's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever caught onto her before. Without realizing it, her pale skintone suddenly turned a light shade of blue. However, she had a hard time feeling guilty since no money had been involved.

"So she is. You're really quick. Who are you?" Ari asked as she slid the card from her other sleeve.  

[blueXblood777]

The woman's smile widened a little when Ari's skin tone changed. She felt compelled to tell the child the truth, "I, my dear one, am Loki, the Norse deity of mischief and trickery." Loki left out the bit where Thor had managed to convince the Fates that the deity of tricks looked better as a female once again. Thor would die if another demigod ended up calling Loki mommy.

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

Ari happened to look down at her hands. She let out a squeak and willed her skin to turn back.

"You're a goddess?" Ari asked when she looked back up. Her skin changed itself back to a powder blue. At least now she knew how she'd been able to catch that card switch.  

[blueXblood777]

Loki willed her skin to tune the same shade of blue and nodded, "Yes, I am and you are one of my children." She wondered if the local Camp Half-Blood had pulled itself together yet. It'd be a more fitting home than a street corner for one of her blood. Her skin faded back to a "normal" shade, "How would you feel about going to a camp for young people like you?"

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

For a moment Ari sat there in a stunned silence. I remember you.
"You...You're my Mother?" She asked in a soft voice. Please don't let this be a dream. She closed her eyes as blurry images of the woman in her dreams flashed through her mind. When she opened her eyes, the woman, Loki, her Mother, was still there.

"People like me? What do you mean?" Ari asked as she rubbed a watery eye.  

[blueXblood777]

Loki's expression softened, "Yes, my dear one." She carefully moved closer to Ari and offered to hug the child. "There are many children like you.. the children of gods and goddesses from all sorts of pantheons. Camp Half-Blood is like a home for those demigods, the one place they belong rather than be seen as outcasts. Would you like to go there?"

 

[Orobolas]

~Ari Laufey~

Overcome by emotions she hadn't felt before, Ari pitched forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her newly found mother.

"Will you be there?" Ari asked between sniffles as she tried to regain control over her tears. She had given up on the blue of her skin, though, "I won't go if you're not there. I don't want to be alone again."  

[blueXblood777]

Loki hugged her child close, "Dearest, I've always been with you, even if you couldn't see me, and I will always stay by your side. After all, those cards my gift to you some years ago." She pondered for a moment, then grinned, "Odin will not be happy with me, but we have need of your older brother." She helped Ari to her feet and whistled into the twilight.

A distant, telltale neigh and the clattering of hooves resounded through the alleyways as Sleipnir galloped into sight. Loki smiled, "My wondrous son.. don't ask how he was conceived. I won't answer." She helped Ari onto Sleipnir's back and slide behind her daughter. The eight-legged steed took off once his passengers were secured, all but flying to Camp Half-Blood.