"Loki, may I ask you something?"
The Frost Giant had just finished showing Madisyn his water skiing tricks and was drying off.
"Anything, my dear," he said over his shoulder.
She looked down at the blanket she was sitting on. "Well...I've been here for three weeks and..."
He made his towel disappear and teleported to her side. "Yes?"
"Well...there's something that's been on my mind and..."
He scooted closer to her. "Go on?"
"I...I just want to know..."
A ray of hope appeared on Loki's face. Was she finally going to say it? But she said it was a question. Still, was this it?!
She looked up at him. "Where did you come from?"
His expression fell. "Oh...I see. Well my dear, when a male Frost Giant and female Frost Giant fall in love..."
"That's not what I meant."
He sighed. "I know. I warn you though. It's not a cheery tale."
Madisyn lay onto her belly. "I'm listening."
Loki smiled and took a breath. "I wasn't always the only one of my kind. I had a mother and father like every creature had. There was a realm filled with Frost Giants, but there were very few of us even then. I was only a few years old when it happened..."
"What happened?"
He paused. "It's all a blur. All I remember is lots of fighting and yelling. It must have been such a huge battle if not even the Frost Giants could win it. At some point I got separated from my parents and I woke up one morning to find myself in a cave. I survived on chocolate milk and cotton candy. Our magic starts at an early age, you see. After a while, the battle ended and I started off on my own."
He made another pause before continuing. "I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that it didn't take long for me to realize that I was different from most creatures. I searched everywhere for other Frost Giants but found none. When I figured that I was the only one left, I tried to fit in with the other animals, but they were either frightened of me or found me ridiculous.
"Then I found Ohio and you humans, and...well, let's just say they didn't take kindly to my appearance either. I eventually gave up trying to fit in and focused on my magic, making myself at home in a cave in the mountains."
"Was it that cave you took me from?" Madisyn interjected.
"Yes, in fact. You know Auer has stopped by there several times to see if I was hiding there? I made myself invisible whenever he came."
"How did he know you were there?"
"Because he found me there. You know, before his dye job. He saw me practicing my magic and might I add, he was quite impressed with it. He said I should use my talents for good. Well..." he twiddled his fingers, "he wasn't very specific on his definition of 'good.'"
He gave a small laugh. "I guess I may have disrupted a few banquets and rained out a couple of parades... It was after I had accidentally turned the roads into soap and lots of humans called me a freak that things got out of hand. You know, I don't like being called a 'freak.' Even Auer was angry with me. I just got angry back. So I took over Ohio and...well, you know the rest."
Madisyn was silent for a while. "What was it like being in ice?"
He hesitated. "Cold, dark, but you're still aware of your surroundings. I heard those comments from the tourists! My head is not like a Asgardian's!"
