I led my visitors into my apartment, where they settled down quite easily.

Annabeth immediately got up and questioned Magnus, but in the end, we all sat around the table, awkwardly.

"So-" I asked, attempting to break the silence, "Loki sent you?"

Magnus' face wrinkled up in disgust.

"We would never have come if Loki had sent us."

"He's not that bad, you know," I protested and Magnus scoffed.

"You haven't seen him like I have," he said quietly.

"Then why did you come?"

Magnus looked away.

"I'm not allowed to say," he said.

"Great," I replied, "that really clears things up."

"Look," Magnus said, "Hearthstone and I are here to help you 'embrace your Nordic side'."

"Okay," I said slowly, "and how do you suggest we do that?"

"For a start," Magnus said, with a slight smile on his face, "you gotta know your heritage."

Annabeth looked at me from the side of her eye.

"We'll start with what you know," she said, "which is?"

"Uhh..." I faltered. I didn't really know anything at all. I barely knew the basics of Greek mythology, let alone a whole new pantheon which I had only need exposed to three days ago.

Hearthstone signed something to Magnus who looked up at me with a curious expression on his face.

"Hearthstone says your mom is Frigg. That's interesting."

"Why?" I asked, "and I thought you knew?"

Magnus sighed in exasperation.

"We weren't given much notice, only to get here as fast as possible."

"But why is it interesting that my mom is Frigg?"

"Well," Magnus started slowly, "I don't know the entire story very well, but from what I heard, Odin is a very traditional god and refused to claim children if they were anything other than what he called 'natural'. Frigg didn't agree. She wanted to love anybody no matter what and support the humans and everyone. Odin didn't like that so she called off their marriage. Told him she would live among the humans and that she wouldn't be his wife until he changed his mind. And he has slightly and I think that's why your mom is starting to embrace the Nordic traditions again."

"So basically Odin is a-"

"Don't say it!" Magnus yelled, clasping a hand over my mouth. "He would get offended."

"Okay," I said, "so what has that got to do with me again?"

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded, teasingly, "it's your mom!"

Magnus gave me a slight smile.

"Well, for a start it's kind of ironic, because runes are Odin's kind of thing and if that's what you're doing then, you are accepting Odin."

I nodded. That made sense. Kind of.

Hearth clapped his hands and signed something to Magnus.

Magnus sighed.

"The thing is," he said, "rune magic is so powerful that you have to go though a great suffering to be able to use it. Odin hung from the World Tree for nine day with a spear in his side. Hearthstone-"

Magnus paused for a while, looking at Hearthstone for permission. The lean, pale elf gave him a short nod.

"Hearthstone was outcasted by his family. Rune magic isn't very well accepted by modern elves."

I had a feeling there was more to this story, but I decided not to question it.

"So, how do you know what suffering to go through?" I asked.

"You have to drink from Mr Bubbles's well," he said.

"Mimir's well," Annabeth breathed in a wistfull tone, "I've heard of that. You drink from it's waters and get the answer to whatever question you ask."

"So we go Mimir's well?" I asked, turning to Magnus.

"Well, there's a sacrifice to drink from the waters. Hearthstone and Blitz had to look after me until Odin granted their freedom-which also shows he has changed."

"So you have to go through a suffering to go through the suffering in order to use the runes?"

"Yep," Magnus said, with a half smile on his face, "you up for it?"

"Definitely," I said, springing up, ready for action.

"But not unless I'm coming too," Annabeth said, "Percy's bound to do something stupid and I don't know if you're any better."

"Oh, wait," I said, as the realisation of a promise rang in my head, "I can't go. I promised Mom I wouldn't get involved in any quests or any sort of trouble."

"Do you think she'll be long?" Magnus asked, impatiently.

"She should be back some time soon," I replied, glancing at the clock we kept on the counter.

"We'll wait for her then," Magnus said, "and ask for her permission. Last thing we want is to go frolicking off to use her ex husband's runes without her permission."

"Thanks for understanding," I said, turning to him.

"Understanding?" Magnus said, his face as solemn as a judge, "who said anything about that? I just don't want to get in the middle of an angry goddess' way."

I sat back down while Annabeth took out some games.

"Well," she said, "we're might be here a while so why not have some fun?"

"As long as it's not dominoes," Magnus said, and Annabeth nodded. She held out a deck of multicolored cards.

"Everyone up for a game of Uno?" She asked.

?