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That’s the irony. I can ‘look’ like whatever or whoever I want. But my actual gender? No. I can’t change it. It’s truly fluid, in the sense that I don’t control it. Most of the time, I identify as female, but sometimes I have very ‘male’ days.

–Alex describing his/her genderfluidity to Magnus, in The Hammer of Thor.

Alex Fierro is the Norse demigod child of Loki and Mr. Fierro. Alex is a genderfluid, formerly homeless teenager from Boston, Massachusetts. Due to Alex‘s gender identity and being the child of a Norse deity, he/she was constantly berated, harassed, and assaulted by others and eventually disowned by his/her own family. After dying and being chosen to become an einherjar by his/her half-sister, Samirah al-Abbas, Alex is now the newest named resident of Hotel Valhalla and a hallmate to Magnus Chase and the other occupants of her section of Floor Nineteen. Alex is currently in a relationship with Magnus Chase.

History

Birth

The Fierro family is influential, which was what first attracted Loki's attention, causing the trickster to seduce Alex's father, a married businessman, in the form of a "voluptuous red-head" and tricked him into having an affair with the trickster in his female form.

Nine months later, Loki returned to Alex's dad's doorstep and left him with their child. The family didn't take the news well, especially after Loki permanently lifted the Mist from their eyes.

Early Life

Alex lived in a three-story mansion in either Lexington or Salem. White painted columns were at the entrance, and honeysuckle bushes were planted in the front yard. There was also a porch, and an American flag rippled on the porch.

Alex spent his/her life being resented for both his/her Norse heritage and his/her genderfluidity by both mortal parents. He/she would be bullied, both verbally and physically, by his/her classmates and berated by his/her father, while his/her mortal stepmother did nothing to prevent this domestic abuse. Alex's parents resented him/her and thought he/she was embarrassing, and his/her stepmother was not happy to have her there. Alex's parents told him/her that Loki put ideas in his/her head and corrupted them, blaming her for being genderfluid. Her family was rich, but they didn't care about feelings and only a child and heir. Alex had other siblings, whose relationship with them was unknown, but her father thought of them as his "real" children. He also thought Alex's pottery was garbage and said she had so much potential, and wanted them to be normal in his twisted way.

Alex were very close to his Abuelo, an immigrant from Mexico, and he taught Alex pottery. He told Alex about old Mexican myths and legends, and talked to him about their family’s heritage, saying how their family had been making pottery for centuries, before the Aztecs. His grandfather supported who he was as genderfluid and honored it, telling Alex about duality people with two faces, two aspects for each gender. Alex and his grandfather also discussed their ancestors' sculptures, because his grandfather wanted him to understand it and reclaim their family’s heritage. This infuriated Alex's father, saying that he was putting ideas in Alex's head, and hated that he were finding validation from their family.

Alex hated her father's pottery business, and called it crap, since it was machine-made and not done the old way like her Abuelo. The company was big when Alex was around six, after her father took over and Alex's Abuelo died, when her father made machine-made silverware and home goods. Because of this, her father tried to make Alex into a businessperson, grooming Alex to take over the company, discrediting her Abuelo's ideas, and destroying Alex's art, but Alex didn't let him. He didn't understand why Alex didn't want to make money off of pottery and hated when Alex listened to her Abuelo's legends. He made millions and it was a big name, until Alex realized the quality was going downhill and it became unpopular.

Alex was involved in a pottery studio at Brookline Village one point and went camping with the kids there often, going away in the mountains to "get away". It was the only consistent place for him, and the owners let Alex crash there when things got bad at home. Alex tried making a pottery man, but it failed.

As for Loki, she would show up and try to "parent" Alex. One day, Loki showed up at the pottery studio. Loki tried to impress Alex and show her how much Loki could do for them. Loki taught Alex an enchantment that could turn anything into a weapon. She didn't want the satisfaction of Loki helping her, so Alex used the spell on the stupidest thing she could think of: A clay cutter. She didn't think it could be a weapon, but it turned into their signature wire.

When she was ten years old, Alex was beat up by a group of teenagers and was kicked, calling her a freak. Alex was too terrified to shapeshift and curled up into a ball.

Disowned by Family and Life on the Streets

When Alex was fourteen, about two years before becoming an einherji, Alex became homeless when her father threw down the stairs of the house in the front yard, and threw a sculpture Alex made at her, which had two faces. Her father told Alex that he just wanted her to be normal, and Alex insisted she was. Her father then said she would have no more help and no more money, which Alex rejected. Her father said she had so much potential, since she understood the craft as much as her Abuelo, and insulted her appearance, spitting on the steps. Alex corrected her father and said it was an art, not craft, and her father looked disgusted, and said her sculpture wasn't art, it was trash. They both waited for the other to apologize, but her father shook his head in dismay and slammed the door, disowning her.

At some point in life, he lived in a youth shelter on Winter Street in Boston, at roughly the same time when Magnus was there. He remembers hating the place. Also during this time, Alex befriended a boy named Adrian, but he would end up killing himself. Alex was often beat up in homeless shelters often. She would occasionally steal from her family.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

The Hammer of Thor

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Alex Fierro is first indirectly mentioned by Samirah al-Abbas, as the latter receives a message about a potential code three-eight-one: heroic death in progress. This prompts her to run out of a meeting with Magnus and an informant (which turns out to be Otis). Samirah initially refers to Alex as her brother, implying that he was male when he died.

After Magnus comes back to Hotel Valhalla, Hunding mentions that a newly arrived "monster" attacked him, after being shown her new room, which completely fouled Helgi the manager's mood. Hunding is also the first one to call Alex an argr. When Magnus arrives at the Nineteenth Floor, Alex – in the form of a cheetah and chased by the rest of the residents – charges at him, promptly knocking him back and puncturing several holes in his sneakers. It is revealed that she has been given X's old room and isn't exactly happy about it, leaving the place in ruins. When the group explores the room, they find broken pieces of ceramics, all decorated with the symbol of Loki – two snakes curled up in an elaborate S pattern.

AlexsGarrottes

Her/his garrote

Alex finally makes his full appearance during a combat exercise. As a weasel, she is carried in a burlap sack by one of Odin's ravens. After returning to her human form, she states that she's calmed down already and will not try to "mess anyone up". As the combat starts, and the dragons are released, Alex accompanies the rest of the Nineteenth Floor, and is asked about the shelter on Winter Street by Magnus. She explains that having been in the same shelter does not make them friends, as the group is attacked by an eldered Grimwolf. Alex deduces that it was Loki that somehow unleashed the monster inside Valhalla, and she attacks the dragon along with the group. As Magnus is distracted by a splinter of Loki's consciousness, Alex kills the dragon with her Enchanted Garrote Wire. Later on, Loki is seen channeling his energy through Magnus, which will kill him and subsequently blow up quarter of the training ground. Seeing no other option, Alex decapitates Magnus with her garrote.

Alex is later seen sitting next to Sam at the Thanes' table, waiting for her final moments to be revealed. Neither she nor Sam are very comfortable with the Valkyrie Vision video: it started to record much earlier than Samirah intended, and it shows Samirah's embarrassing conversation with her grandparents and the Fadlans. The action moves to Alex, saving an older man from wolves – sons of Fenris. The man, a Norse demigod in denial, refuses to fight and leaves Alex alone, which results in the latter's death. Alex is then chosen by Samirah and brought to Hotel Valhalla. The video leaves the thanes and the einherjar in awe. They applaud to Alex for her bravery, and accept her into Valhalla, despite her being both a child of Loki and an argr. Later, Magnus sees Alex accompanied by the people from the Nineteenth Floor, as he talks with Sam. During their discussion, Sam reveals that Alex was initially very hostile when rescued as he thought that becoming an einherjar would restrict him to a single gender.

Alex, now male, is later seen with Halfborn Gunderson as they accompany Samirah and Amir Fadlan. Due to Loki's schemes, Sam's grandparents and the Fadlan family have learned about the Norse gods and their connection to Sam, so Sam attempts to show Amir the Bifrost Bridge to better his understanding of their world. As her half-brother, Alex volunteers to be a chaperone to Sam, and he himself is chaperoned by Halfborn. After Amir is shown the Bridge, all of them are invited to meet Heimdall, but Halfborn decides to stay behind. During the meeting, Alex lies on the Bridge and makes "light angels". After learning about the location of Thor's hammer, Heimdall drops all of them off next to the Fadlans' restaurant. Alex joins Magnus, Sam and Amir for dinner as they discuss the consequences of Sam's grandparents learning about the Nine Worlds. Later, Magnus and Alex get back to Hotel Valhalla, but not before Alex wisely asks for a doggie bag to pack up the leftover falafel.

The next morning, they visit Randolph's house in Midgard to look for clues that might lead them to Thrym. Magnus and Alex, currently female, engage in a conversation regarding Alex's gender fluidity, and Alex explains to Magnus that the word she does not identify as nor like to be referred to using they/them pronouns. Soon after, they find a photo of Bridal Veil Falls, which they believe is where Sam is about to get married. Magnus and Alex regroup with Sam, Hearth, and Blitz soon afterwards. With the aid of Stanley, the two travel to Jotunheim along with Blitz, where they aim to find Utgard-Loki. After an encounter with a giant called Tiny, whose colossal bag they must carry, Alex tells Magnus about the circumstances of her birth.

When Blitzen has altered the bag to shrink down to normal size, the trio head to Utgard-Loki's palace, where they reunite with Sam and Hearth. Alex and Magnus are tasked with defeating a pair of giants at bowling, in a contest at Utgard Lanes. However, the giants cast an illusion on the lane of the einherjar, making their bowling balls travel through a portal that connects to Midgard's White Mountains. The giant duo roll two perfect frames, while Magnus and Alex's own rolls cannot connect with the pins. During their final frame, Alex joins hands with Magnus to dispel the illusory portal together. Magnus bowls a perfect frame, while for their frame Alex shapeshifts into an elephant and knocks over all the pins. They subsequently win the contest.

After Utgard-Loki gives them the information they need to retrieve Thor’s hammer, the group is chased by Utgard-Loki’s giants but are almost immediately saved by the goddess Sif, wife of Thor. Sif teleports them to their home in Asgard where Thor also resides via Yggdrasil, and presents Hearth with a bag of runes as a gift. As she rides the elevator with her friends to Thor’s “man-cave”, Alex expresses her initial dislike for Sif, and agrees with Samirah when the latter says that the goddess is both dense and vain. Later, after discussing the retrieval of Mjolnir with Thor, Alex offers to pretend to be Thrym's bride in Samirah’s place, due to the oath of marriage that Sam swore with Amir on the Bifrost as well as her confidence in her ability to be immune to Loki's powers. When Thor argues that she is an argr and not a "proper girl", Alex retorts that she is gender fluid and well suited for the task.

The next morning, Alex is dressed in preparation for her "wedding" by Sif, after which her opinion of the goddess changes. Sif also warms to Alex. After the goddess Sif gets Alex dressed and they come out, Magnus is left awestruck seeing Alex as she looks beautiful. Magnus and Sam also get ready for the wedding as the chaperone and the bridesmaid, and Alex teased Magnus about his costume. After that, Sif opens them a portal to Taco Bell where Thor's chariot is waiting.

The trio arrives at Thrym's home, where the giants hold a wedding feast. After the feast, since the father of the bride must be present, the giants tunnel down into the cavern where Loki is held prisoner. Alex manages to keep up the act throughout the ceremony. When Loki asks Randolph to cut his binds with the Skofnung Sword, Alex reveals herself and attacks Thrym, while Magnus and Samirah take on the rest of the giants. They eventually defeat the giants – with help arriving in the form of Thor, Blitzen, Hearthstone, Mallory Keen, Halfborn Gunderson, and T.J. – but Loki escapes. Alex later tells Magnus that Loki, during the fight, willed her to die.

Back at Hotel Valhalla, Alex offers to help Samirah learn to resist Loki's control, but she refuses, to Alex’s hurt. She, Samirah, Magnus, Blitzen, and Hearthstone are tasked by Helgi, on Odin's raven's orders, to recapture Loki. Alex then storms off to her room, where she begins working on a clay trophy as a gift for Sif. The next morning, Magnus pays a visit to Alex, now male. He admits that Sam can resist Loki's power by accepting shape shifting and using it as frequently as Alex does. By the end of their conversation, Alex has shifted to female, and Magnus knows before he is told. Alex throws a piece of pottery she had made the night before at him as he walks out.

The Ship of the Dead

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Alex helps Magnus train at Boston Harbor for his coming quest to re-imprison Loki. He is with Annabeth watching Percy train the son of Frey and takes him back to Valhalla whenever he gets a fatal injury. The four have lunch and they talk about their plan to stop Loki. Alex says they should have set sail already and if they are to make it they should set sail by the end of the week. After the Greek demigods leave (Alex commenting on what an adorable couple they are), he and Magnus head to the Chase Mansion.

When they arrive they find the doors blown in and a wolf corpse in the foyer. They explore the mansion and look to see if Randolph had a plan to take our Loki. When they reach the library on the top floor he sees a wolf on the roof and calls Magnus over. They decide to let the wolf in and see if it is looking for the same thing as them. He turns into a wolf and stares down the wolf before it takes a drinking horn by the fireplace. Alex decapitates it and they find a journal in it. They decider it on the roof as a plan to defeat Loki. Alex mentions that her training with Sam to block out Loki is not going well and that something is going on with her but he will not tell. A raven delivers a message from T.J. saying they are about to set sail. Alex turns into a flamingo and flies off to get Sam.

He and Sam are picked up by the crew and set sail to pick up Blitz and Hearth. Soon after they leave they are dragged under water by nine women coming out of the water. They surface in a soup pot and are fished out by Aegir. He grants them guest rights and invites them for a meal, which consists of Blitz and Hearth. He states that he cannot eat dwarves and elves so Aegir releases them. He and Sam devise a plan. Just as they are about to eat, one of Aegir's daughters calls out Magnus. During a standoff between Aegir and the crew of the Big Banana. He signs to Magnus about talking to Aegir about mead. When their host agrees to let them go if they can escape he leaves and his daughters attack. During the fight he takes the form of a silverback gorilla. He helps out Magnus and Sam before Njord appears and allows Hearthstone to take out a wall so they could escape. When they surface Alex has changed gender and lets everyone know. She goes below deck to get food while Njord talks with Magnus, Blitz and Hearth.

A few days later, she wakes Magnus to help out with Sam's training. At first she shouts the animal she wants Sam to turn into before having her half-sister face of against both Magnus and Jack. They stop after a while and she and Sam have a side conversation. She shakes Magnus awake when they arrive at York.

She, Magnus and T.J. go ashore while Mallory, Halfborn and Sam watch the boat. They run into Hrungnir and he challenges them to a contest at dawn. When he leads Alex searches desperately for a pottery studio. She rents one out for the day with money she wired from her family. She puts T.J. and Magnus to work and she handles the potter's wheel. She tells Magnus about her family history and her relationships with her father and grandfather. She tells Magnus to call Sam and update her on their current events. They have dinner at a fish and chips restaurant and return to the pottery studio for the night. She takes the chair while Magnus and T.J. make makeshift beds in the back. In the morning she brings her clay warrior, Pottery Barn, to life and they head out to face Hrungnir. The meet the jotnar in King's Sqare and the fight begins. She pulls Pottery Barn out of Hrungnir's clay warrior and is immediately engulfed by the clay being. She is healed by Magnus and thanks Pottery Barn when they are defeated. When T.J. defeats Hrungnir the giant tells tells them the mead is heavily guarded in Flåm, Norway. After T.J. stabs the giant in the heart it explodes and they head back to the big banana. The three return to the ship and head for Norway.

When Magnus, Hearth and Blitz return they tell them about their time in Alfheim. The crew is concerned about Magnus, but Mallory eases their worry. They arrive in Flåm and dock the ship. She goes with T.J. and Halfborn in one direction to find the train station while Magnus, Sam and Mallory go in another. She and the other take on Baugi and are impressed that Halfborn was able to take out the giant on his own, with Alex beheading him. They set sail and reach Jotunheim by morning.

The Big Banana gets stuck in ice and she turns into a walrus and pushes. They decide to walk to shore and huddle in groups to keep warm. She is paired with Magnus. When they are close to shore she kisses him. Skakdi arrives and invites them in to explain themselves. They wash up and have a meal with the giantess. She tells the Loki is near and he will launch Naglfar by midday the following day. She lets them stay the night and will send them away in the morning. She is woken up in the morning and after breakfast they get ready to ski over to Naglfar.

They arrive and she and Sam go with Magnus while everyone else creates a diversion. Magnus turns them invisible with the Othela rune Hearth gave him and they move forward. She hears the voices of her grandfather and Adrian, a friend of hers who committed suicide. The three arrive at the ship and board. After the distraction goes off they set out to find Loki. When the rune wears off she uses her shape shifting to fight the enemy hoards with Sam. Loki then appears and declines Magnus's offer to flyt. After her mother grudgingly accepts she and Sam go over to their friends and watch Magnus flyt the trickster. She is concerned and angry that he will lose. Alex is startled by Magnus's complement towards her about all her good deeds and blocks her mother's escape while Mallory imprisons him. They make a break and fend of the enemy forces and jump off the ship at Sam's request. They land on the backs of water horses and ride away just as the harbor freezes over.

They spend three days at sea, during that time she is taught by Blitz how to make chainmail clothing. She tells Magnus she was startled by his revelation about their kiss outside Skadi's fortress and needs her space. The Big Banana takes them to Vigridr, where they will die during Ragnarok, and are greeted by the gods. She is welcomed back by Sif and they go to the feasting tent and have a meal while they hand over Loki. They are given autographed copies of Odin's autobiography, a feast in their honor and Turkish bathrobes. They arrive back at Valhalla and Alex, now male, goes with Sam and Amir to dinner with their families. He returns to the hotel and goes to Magnus's room. He kisses the son of Frey and tells him he is on board with his idea.

After Magnus turns his ancestral home into a shelter for homeless youths, she helps him manage the place. During the Fourth of July, Alex, now female, and Magnus hold hands and watch the fire works while they value the present.

9 from the Nine Worlds

This Is Why I Hate Clothes Shopping

Alex, male, goes to Blitzen's Best to look for Amir Fadlan at his half-sister's urging. He is greeted by Stan and told Amir is not there. He calls Amir and hears his phone ring. As Amir is about to be taken by the sorcerer he and Sam corner the two. He cuts the Nábrók off Amir while Sam apprehends Stan.

Nice Doggy

Thomas Jefferson Jr. barges into the child of Loki's room to get access to Yggdrasil to get to Helheim, leaving Alex confused with no explanation.

Well, That Was a Surprise

Alex, male, brings Halfborn Gunderson broken shards of pottery to complete a mosaic he is making for Mallory Keen. He asks Alex to keep watch while he goes to Vanaheim to get dragon scales. Alex agrees to this.

I Play with Fire

While Halfborn and Mallory kiss, Alex returns to his room and becomes female along the way. When she arrives Jack, who is staying with her while Magnus visits his cousin, tells her that he heard Surt is planning something. She tells Jack to come with her, but he says he must stay due to him being destined to be wielded by Surt during Ragnarök. She goes to recruit the others. Jack says Surt will detect them, but on the other hand, her shape shifting and genderfluidity with make it harder to be spotted if she keeps changing shape. When thinking of ways not to be burned in Muspellheim, she decides to magically using fibers from her kiln, the Ures-Intertwining snakes of Loki, and a ‘borrowed‘ algiz shield rune from Hearth to successfully create a fire-proof coating that changes shape with her and takes the elevator to Muspelheim.

When she arrives she takes the form of an ant before turning into a horsefly. She finds Surt trying to recruit lesser known gods to join him and aid in reconstruction after Ragnarok. The gods stake there names and domains of power. Surt nearly senses her but becomes distracted by the others watching Thor running through lava. Alex turns into a cockroach and later a gnat to spread doubt among the minor gods. When it looks like they doubt him, Surt summons his fire sword and controls them through fear. Alex then turn into a human and uses her garrote to slice off Surt’s nose and wrap it around his neck and disarm him. After giving a speech of how even though the Einharjar are going to die come Ragnarok they will fight to the end, the gods vanish. Just then Sam, Blitz, Hearth, T.J., Halfborn and Mallory arrive it see Alex standing over the bested fire lord. Blitz hogties Surt with a rope and Alex claims his sword as her own before leaving.

Appearance

Alex is a teenage einherji, and shares a lot of physical traits with her mother Loki. She is petite, as stated in The Hammer of Thor, with sharp and beautiful facial features and the same sly grin as the god of lies. She has heterochromia, with one dark brown and one pale amber eye, and her hair is dark at the roots but dyed green. She also has a tiny symbol of Loki tattooed on her nape. Magnus noted that Alex's physical appearance did not change when she was a boy, except for her hair, which actually seemed to be longer.

Alex dresses rather flashily and flamboyantly, in primarily pink and green. She wears a pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest over a white tee, skinny lime green jeans, and battered rose high-tops. Tied around her waist like a kilt is a cashmere sweater, which conceals a garrote wire and a hunting knife tucked behind a belt. Her appearance has been compared to both a jester's motley and a venomous animal giving off warning signs.

Magnus notices that she looks exactly like Loki except for the lack of scarred lips and acid burns on her nose.

Personality

Alex Fierro is, as a character and a person, one who refuses to be put in any box. Gender, personality, or heritage-wise. She refuses to be confined to one gender, or one personality trait, or one state of being. People often assume things about her based on her gender identity and parentage, and are often scared to get close to her or trust her as a result.

Her transgender identity shaped her personality in particular, specifically the way she was treated because of it. She was bullied, abused, and kicked out of homeless shelters. Even upon entering Valhalla, she has to correct people when misgendering her and constantly stand up for herself. Because of her genderfluidity, she doesn't have the luxury many trans people have of choosing who to disclose her identity with. When people see her, a trans person who chooses not to pass and doesn't try to, she is misgendered and has to explain her changing gender to everyone around her. Even well meaning people, like Magnus, ask invasive questions about it.

Because of all of this, she very much values her privacy and chooses to be more closed off on what to tell people about himself. She hates when people try to pry into her life, and she has very firm boundaries. She tells people very little about her past, hating when Magnus tries to see into her head, not just because of trauma, but because she doesn't want it to define her. She wants to choose the way people see her and doesn't want to be put into another box because of what other people think.

However, she is very proud of his trans identity and is very happy when people like Magnus and Abuelo respect it. She is actually very open minded, not expecting people to understand or even demanding it, just wanting respect. He answers questions asked, but makes it clear that he is not an educator. All he 'educates' people on is basic respect. After everything she'd been through, she doesn't want to be treated badly again and does not feel bad about protecting himself.

She is also very big on reclaiming what was given to her by both the Fierro and Laufeyson sides of her family. He used the power she inherited from his mother as a means to not be controlled by him and encouraged Samirah to do the same. He also uses the Urnes Snake, a symbol commonly associated with Loki, as a signature on her pottery and a tattoo on the back of her neck. People saw this as a symbol of allegiance to her mother, which she later states was not the case. He does not see things like the snakes and shapeshifting as Loki's, but instead something she can make hers. She is not ashamed of what she was given and takes it in stride, not caring about what people think. As for the Fierro side of his family, he is very proud of his Tlatilcan heritage and uses it as inspiration for her pottery. She was always respectful of it and was disgusted at his father for abandoning it all in the name of capitalism.

Alex Fierro, under everything, is a very friendly person. Though people are often scared of her, she makes a point that she is not fragile and not contagious. She has a very sarcastic and snarky sense of humor with her friends, and though Magnus is insecure about it, Alex really does mean well and cares for her friends a great deal. Though she is not traditionally affectionate, she helped Magnus and Samirah with their quest after barely knowing them, accompanied Magnus to the Chase Mansion after he didn't want to go alone, and made Hearthstone a scarf after his was lost in Alfheim. She is also really not that rough or violent with them, only decapitating Magnus to save him from Loki, and fighting Halfborn as a way to bond with him.

And underneath that, she shows moments of being affectionate. She grabs Magnus's hand a lot and comforted him after he heard his family, something Magnus didn't expect. She compliments her friends a lot, especially Magnus, and cried when Pottery Barn was destroyed. When she wants to, she shows she cares about them and does not hesitate. Unfortunately, people do not get the memo a lot of the time due to not being able to read Alex that well.

Alex is a very good listener. Unlike Magnus, she does not pry into other people's pasts, and just sits there as a shoulder to cry on. She does not try to fix, she just listens. At the Chase Space, she was someone many homeless kids confided in after years of not being able to talk to anyone. She is very protective of their privacy and makes sure Magnus doesn't eavesdrop.

One other big strength of Alex is that he has very high self esteem. He does not blame himself for others wrongdoings and does not blame himself for how other people treat him. Because of this, he is unapologetically himself and part of his ideology is to "flaunt the weird". He dresses brightly and will not let anyone stop him from being himself, even when he was in an abusive home. When her father insulted her and his culture, she snapped back. She refused to stay confined to one gender and every time they pushed, she pushed back harder. A part of her self esteem is also a lack of manners, disrespecting Sif when they first met, calling the Aesir "idiots", and putting his legs on the table when he and his friends ate falafel.

One flaw of hers is that she can be slow to trust. In The Hammer of Thor, she was very snippy at people due to recovering from her past traumas. She was rude to her floormates on Floor Nineteen, throwing pots at them, insulting them, and later running away, leaving them to fend for themselves. This led to them being even more suspicious of her. She was also very rude towards Sif at first, even joking about murdering her. However, her judgmental nature is because of all of the trauma she'd been through, wanting to protect herself from being hurt again. He put his walls up, assuming people had ill intentions before they could hurt her first. However, he learns to tear down his walls and let people in, learning to trust Sif, Samirah, and his floormates, and even trusted Percy and Annabeth after they told her about the Greek Pantheon. These developments causes him to be a lot more relaxed in The Ship of the Dead. However, this only happened because she was finally around people who treated her like a human.

She also prioritizes herself if she doesn't feel like putting her energy out for other people. Though she is very heroic, standing up for what is right and helping people, she values his alone time, does not reach out for help, and is secretive. She doesn't consider people's feelings a lot of the time, which causes Magnus to be insecure at his remarks, and causes Magnus to be confused about the nature of their relationship after kissing him and saying "I'll keep thinking about it." She is not very empathetic, though very compassionate, and does not extend either of those to people she dislikes. Such as her family. Though she told her father she doesn't want his money, she is willing to steal it on her own terms.

At the end of the third book, Alex states that she does not like big parties and says it is not her scene. She didn't go to the Valhalla afterparty and didn't stay long at Sam's Eid celebration. This shows her more introverted tendencies.

He has hints of obliviousness, especially towards Magnus. He did not think he liked him back, even after kissing him, which was why he was so shocked when he confessed his love for him. That is why he did not bring up the first kiss, going back to their usual snark.

Abilities

  • Pottery: In her room, Alex has a pottery wheel, which she uses to make clay vases. Each of her creations is branded with her initials and the symbol of Loki.
  • Camping Skills: Alex has spent many weekends with the kids at her pottery studio, camping in the woods as a way of getting away. These skills were displayed when she helped Magnus set up a fire pyramid and some pup tents.

  • Charmspeak (possibly): In The Hammer of Thor, Alex mentions he/she can be "very charming" after an encounter where Sif and Alex become friends.
  • Shapeshifting: Just like her half-sister, Samirah, Alex has demonstrated her mother's ability to change forms. When she first arrived at Hotel Valhalla, she panicked and turned into a cheetah. When one of Odin's ravens captured her, she was a brown-and-white weasel. While saving a demigod in denial, moments before his death, he fought off the sons of Fenris as a German Shepherd. She also shapeshifted into Samirah when she was taken to Loki's cavern for her marriage with Thrym.
    • Resistance to Loki's influence: As a side effect of using her shapeshifting powers so often, she is able to resist the power of her mother's influence on her body. As stated in his room in Valhalla, he can do this is because he is comfortable changing; he has made his mother's power his own.
  • Mystiokinesis: As a son/daughter of Loki, Alex can use magic.
    • Telumkinesis (limited): Alex was taught by her mother how to turn anything into a magic weapon.
    • Animation: Alex was able to build a ceramic golem and bring them to life, which she dubbed "Pottery Barn".

  • Enhanced Physical Abilities: After gaining a new einherji body, Alex's natural abilities greatly increased, making her stronger, faster, more durable and more agile than he originally was.
  • Einherji Immortality: While within Hotel Valhalla, Alex, like any of the einherjar, cannot die, and will simply keep resurrecting from mortal wounds.

  • Magical Items

    • Enchanted Garrote Wire: Alex uses her garrote wire, which she created after Loki taught her a spell, and used it as her primary weapon. It is presumed Alex still has it.
    • Enchanted Garrote Wire (Made from Sif's hair): A replacement garrote wire given to Alex by Sif. It has the same properties as the old one but is made from Sif's hair. Alex uses this as her primary weapon.
    • Fire Sword: After besting Surt, Alex claims his sword as her own.
    • Pottery Barn: Pottery Barn is a clay warrior created by the child of Loki to fight against Hrungnir and his clay creation. They were destroyed during the battle and Alex kept their head.

    Relationships

    Love Interest

    Magnus Chase

    FierroChase-RR

    Alex with Magnus Chase her boyfriend.

    When Magnus and Alex first meet, it is under rough circumstances. They were both at a homeless shelter on Winter Street, though it is unknown if they talked to the other.

    They first interacted formally in The Hammer of Thor after Samirah brought Alex to Valhalla as an einherjar. Magnus had heard things about Alex beforehand, about how he threw things and insulted the other einherjar, punched Samirah in the face, and hurt Hunding. And as cheetah form, he ran over Magnus’s feet. He snooped a little bit through her room and was nauseous when he saw the snake symbol on his pottery, and confused when he saw clothes for boys and girls. However, he was more sympathetic to him than the others and noted he understood why he freaked out.

    When they first met, Alex was very rude and hostile to Magnus due to the circumstances of her arrival. She was afraid to be hurt again, afraid to be misgendered and hate crimed, angry at the world. She had no interest in being Magnus’s friend and snapped at him on multiple occasions. On the other hand, Magnus was immediately enthralled and forgot how to breathe when he saw her face, thinking she was unearthly beautiful. Though he was confused about her genderfluidity, as Alex notes, he wasn’t surprised and was very respectful. He connected the dots as to why she was homeless, as many transgender and non-binary people were abused and disowned, but that wasn’t he was confused about. What struck him is how she made his face as red as Mallory’s hair. He immediately wanted to be friends with her, and saw people like her who stuck out from the norm as interesting and intriguing. But Alex was in no mood to get to know him, worried he wasn’t supportive of her identity and not wanting to be in the situation to begin with. However, she saved him from being destroyed by Loki by beheading him.

    Later, though they don’t interact at dinner, Magnus watches Alex eat and is fascinated by her, but feels very bad for her, being the only one who notices how upset she is by her misgendering. He even thinks of her as a superhero while watching her video. Magnus continues to defend Alex to his floormates, believing that she wasn’t a servant of Loki, despite her parentage. Everyone catches on to his little crush on Alex, with Halfborn telling him there was no shame in being attracted, and Samirah questioning why he kept talking about Alex Fierro. Later, he expresses his trust of Alex to Samirah and that they need her on the quest.

    They meet again on the roof of the Citgo sign and Alex is immediately nicer to Magnus, hearing about him from Samirah and asking if his dwarf was okay. And though he doesn’t show it, he is very impressed by Magnus’s ability to heal Amir and realized what he did for him when no one else did. Meanwhile, Magnus stared at him for awhile after realizing he was male, noticing how he didn't look any different than he usually did. Alex noticed him staring, confirmed he was male, and told him to stop gawping. Magnus was going to argue, but decided it wasn’t worth it, considering his sharp garotte.

    The next day, they go to the Chase Mansion together, eating chocolate and laughing at his stuff. They discussed Alex’s genderfluidity, with Alex explaining it to him as long as he knew she wasn’t an educator. Though she was a little annoyed with Magnus’s invasiveness, she iterated that he didn’t have to understand, he just needed to respect. When he said he would, she smiled genuinely at him for the first time, warming his heart and the room. She also told him a little about her family life and expressed she understood why Magnus didn’t live with Randolph. Finally, she explained to him how he healed Amir, which made Magnus have trouble breathing, having no idea what to do with that information. The way she spoke so approvingly to him reminded him of his mother. Soon after, Alex wrapped Magnus’s arms around his waist to ride Stanley, stating she wasn’t contagious nor fragile.

    During this time, Samirah had picked up on their feelings for each other, being very happy when they went to the Chase Space together. She expresses these feelings throughout the series. The two bonded together that day in the forests of Jotunheim, though they run into some trouble at first. Alex got a cut on her forehead and Magnus insisted on healing it, however, she slapped his hand away and told him to stop prying into her life and that she didn’t want him to see inside her head. Magnus, realizing he had been invading her privacy with the amount of questions, told her it was unintentional and he would try not to see in her head. When he healed her and didn’t see anything, Alex was very relieved. As for Magnus, he realized he was testing her limits, though still wanted to get to know her.

    Alex began to trust Magnus, though that trust began after he healed Amir. She told him about how she liked the outdoors, her family, Loki, and her weapon. She trusted him so much, in fact, that she let him see in her head when making a portal to the White Mountains. This also leads her to show affection, grabbing his hand and showing a moment of weakness to him in the Cavern of Loki. She even calls him warm and sunshiny, complimenting him on his powers, though she is still as snarky as ever. As for Magnus, he was moved by her memories and didn’t know what to say, now knowing her worst traumas. But they didn’t discuss it before it was her turn to bowl. He was very happy she won, jumping up and down and cheering, and even hugged each other in a group hug. This is the only time they hugged in the series proper. His crush on Alex only grew, gawping at her when she wore a wedding dress, leading her to tell him to stop staring. He also started to pick up on her gender changes, which Alex notes.

    In between the two books, they become close friends, with Alex constantly teasing Magnus and cutting his hair with glee, making him insecure. Due to his low self esteem, it had not occured to him the amount of affection Alex actually held for him, thinking he saw him as dorky and weird. However, they spend a lot of time together, with Alex nagging Magnus about taking pottery lessons with her at the Hotel. He even tells her about Percy and Annabeth, taking her to meet them in the next book. But Alex is still secretive, withholding most of her past, and not telling him about his visions and nightmares of Loki. Because of this, Magnus is scared to ask her questions a lot if the time in the fear she will decapitate him (though she probably wouldn’t, only punching him once in canon, not even that hard) He also teases him relentlessly whenever he accidentally misgenders him.

    At the beginning of The Ship of the Dead, Alex helps Magnus train at the docks with Percy and Annabeth, eating falafel with them, and then happily going to the Chase Mansion with Magnus. They bond, talking about their worries for Samirah, teasing and bantering, fighting wolves, and then drinking guava juice on the rooftops. Magnus is very disappointed when Alex has to go, wanting to spend the rest of the day with her, maybe discussing books after he discovered they were both into the same kind of books. But duty calls.

    Hints of Magnus’s crush are revealed even more during the first leg of the voyage, when Magnus wondered what Alex’s feet looked like, and being very happy when Alex expressed a little reservation over Magnus not dying. He is blind to her care for him, thinking he wasn’t looking clearly when she nodded as if to ask if he was okay, and thinking he didn’t believe in him when he said he’d flyt Loki. However, he was just scared and worried for him, though he wouldn’t dare tell him to his face. They spend a numerous amount of time together, helping Samirah train.

    In York, Alex confides in him about her culture/Mexican heritage, her Abuelo, and her father’s capitalist empire. All of her talk about reclaiming her culture made Magnus’s admiration for her grow, which he says to her himself. She responded by looking at him as if he was a puppy that peed on the carpet. The next day, Alex’s crush on Magnus was revealed when Magnus healed her wound during the fight with the giant Hrungnir. Magnus braced himself to see more of her traumatic memories, which he’d seen many times while healing and in her dreams. However, he instead sees a memory of him eating breakfast at café nineteen. He was laughing at something she said before meeting his gaze, blushing and looking away. At the time, he thought he made a fool of himself as usual, and now wondered why he was at the top of her memories. A tiny detail was that his hair was messy and there was bread stuck in his teeth. Even at his least presentable, when he wasn’t showing his power or doing something extraordinary, she still admired him.

    A few days later, Magnus returned from Alfheim and was greeted by Alex, yelling, "Thank the gods!". His spirits were lifted for a few short seconds before she plucked his glasses off of his face, stating her outfit wasn’t complete without them. Magnus was led to believe she wasn’t happy to see him, though in reality, she was. When Magnus asked, all she said was, “Eh, you have some entertainment value.” When they arrive in Flåm, Magnus was disappointed that he had to quest with Mallory and would’ve much rather went with Alex.

    Alex finally reveals her feelings for Magnus when they arrive in Niflheim. Magnus, freezing from the cold, feels an arm curl around his waist. Alex wraps a blanket around both of them and wedges herself close to him, telling him to shut up and that he was warm and summery. Magnus is very comforted by this, both of them usually not liking physical contact, but clinging to each other anyway. Alex started talking about happy memories of the two of them— drinking guava juice, eating fish and chips, returning from Alfheim— where she revealed he was happy to see him when he returned. Finally, she stopped, and before he could react, she kissed him, saying she wasn’t going to die without doing it, before frowning at him to stop gaping and move.

    Magnus was confused after the kiss, thinking she didn’t want to kiss him and only did it to inspire or distract him, but it was the only reason that kept him going to shore. But after the fact, Alex went back to normal, imitating his look of gawping at him. This just confused Magnus even more, oblivious to her feelings (which she lampshades later), and cannot pin down her motivations. She sees her as doing things moment to moment, like a hurricane.

    The next day, it is revealed Alex was in on the plan to help Magnus, planning to walk with him and Samirah to the Naglfar. Alex grabbed Magnus’s hand and held it on the way, which made Samirah very happy. However, Magnus let go once he heard the voices of his family coming from Helheim. Alex was frustrated, not knowing what he was doing, before she heard her family herself. Eventually, she snapped out of it and saved Magnus from following his family to Helheim, bringing him back to Samirah. She comforts him, speaking softly, which shocks Magnus. She tells him to not be sorry, squeezing his hand, she saw her Abuelo and her friend Adrian as well, who committed suicide. Her hand went limp in his, and he was tempted to heal her memories, but he decided against it. He hadn’t been invited there.

    During the Flyting, Alex shows her care for Magnus in subtle ways. She is enraged when Loki says she’s using him, taking after her, showing she is angry at this misconception. And when Magnus shrinks, she looked at him, angry and defiant, still hoping he wouldn’t mess it up (in his words). However, his love for Alex and his friends leads him to win the flyting, saving Alex for last. She is curious as to what he would say, asking if he was saving the best for last, with a hint of challenge in her voice. He brags about her deeds to Loki and his army, calling her their secret weapon, and finally capping it off by saying she kept him alive across Niflheim, and their kiss was the best thing that ever happened to him.

    This makes Alex realize that Magnus reciprocated her feelings, leaving her confused, not knowing what to do next. They didn’t speak to each other for the next few days, before finally confronting him. She states that his announcement about the kiss came out of nowhere and she was confused why she was the best thing that ever happened to him. She said she was flattered, but she needed time to think, and that she wouldn’t date just any guy with a pretty face. But until then, she needed space from him. She then lopped off, leaving Magnus to ask Hearth and Blitz what happened. But they said there were no words for it in sign language. They then arrive in Vigridr, where Magnus and Alex would both die someday. The fact that Alex would die there made him feel sick to his stomach and he wanted to leave immediately.

    The next day, they returned to Valhalla. Alex went to Magnus’s room to speak about the Chase Space, inadvertently walking in on him changing. He tells him he might wanna shut the door before he started changing, before saying he was thinking about his offer. Magnus assumed it was about the kiss before he revealed it was about the shelter. He told him they’d discuss it in the morning before turning to leave, but then hesitated. He revealed he was thinking about his other offer, calling it a declaration of love. Magnus started to deny it, but he shut him up by clamping his hands over his cheeks and kissing him. When he let go, he analyzed his face, studying him critically. Magnus almost actually confessed his love for him, before Alex told him he was going to keep thinking about it and he’d get back to him, but he needed to take a shower. He then left, humming a tune. Magnus was a little bit confused, realizing he’d been kissed by a guy, wondering how he felt about it. But he finished that thought by saying he was kissed by Alex, so it didn’t matter. He was great with that.

    Alex and Magnus then became coworkers, running the shelter together. On the Fourth of July, Magnus and Alex sat together on the roof of the Chase Mansion, and she grabbed his hand. She hadn’t done that since the walk to the Naglfar, but Magnus didn’t question it. She was all about change and appreciating the moment than making a big deal out of it. This meant that Magnus realized that Alex had feelings for him, and whether they had a relationship or not, that didn’t matter. They watched the fireworks together, both agreeing that it was good. He wanted to appreciate as much as he had of Alex before she was gone.

    In 9 From the Nine Worlds, Alex states that seeing Mallory and Halfborn make out made him almost miss Magnus. However, she does state that she trusted Jack with her life because Magnus trusted him, so it’s revealed she takes his word very seriously and trusted him.

    Though their relationship status is never revealed in the books, Rick Riordan and Readriordan.com both reveal that they are in a relationship after the events of The Ship of the Dead.

    Friends

    Halfborn

    Halfborn Gunderson, a good friend and floormate of Alex

    Alex first meets Halfborn in cheetah form running down the hallways of Valhalla. Alex threw a vase at Halfborn and insulted him when he and the others visited his room. Halfborn is angry about it, and calls him a meinfretr to Magnus, the Norse equivalent of cheese fart. Halfborn complimented the vase he threw at him later to Magnus, saying that it was beautiful and how he made good quality stuff. Halfborn is aware that Alex is genderfluid and makes jokes about it when Magnus sees that Alex has shirts and dresses and wondering if he had a sister. Halfborn meets Alex again and he formally introduced himself, saying he won’t kill him unless he has to. Halfborn later thinks that Alex was a spy for Loki, and that he can’t trust an argr (a term that means unmanly) in combat, and that argrs aren’t warriors, angering Mallory. Halfborn also teased Magnus for staring at Alex, saying that there is no shame in being attracted.

    Later in the book, Halfborn and Alex became friends, with Alex killing him in battle and getting him back at lunch. The two later sat on a roof together, with Alex chaperoning Sam and Amir, and Halfborn chaperoning Alex. The two trash talked each other, with Halfborn calling him an argr and Alex punching him back. Alex also lectured him about the term argr many times while Magnus was gone.

    In The Ship of the Dead, they were on the Quest to stop Naglfar from Sailing with the others. Alex went with Halfborn to face Baugi and complimented him on his deeds.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Halfborn took Alex to his arts and crafts room, impressing Alex. Alex brought Halfborn shards of broken pottery to make a Vanir dragon collage for Mallory, and called him a romantic after he clucked him under his chin. Alex guarded Halfborn’s door to make sure Mallory didn’t get in, so his surprise wouldn’t be ruined. Alex later complemented Halfborn and Mallory, saying that they were so cute together it made him sick. Later, when Alex was in Muspellheim facing Surt, Halfborn came to help her with the others. Alex was also happy when Halfborn realized that she was female.

    Mallory Keen Viria

    Mallory Keen, a friend and floormate of Alex.

    Mallory and Alex met when she welcomed Alex to Valhalla with Thomas Jefferson Jr. and Halfborn Gunderson. Alex was not happy to meet her and threw insults at them, angering Mallory, making her afraid that she would destroy the hotel, calling him a demon. Alex and Mallory later met formerly, and Alex promised not to kill her unless she had to. Mallory was also the most confused when Alex said that he was a she, and almost started arguing, and was angry when Alex and Magnus stood in the battlefield chatting instead of fighting. At dinner, Mallory was very suspicious that Alex was a spy sent by Loki, but was angry at Halfborn when he called Alex an argr, defending her. The next day, Mallory watched Alex to make sure she didn’t try anything.

    In The Ship of the Dead, they were both on the Quest to stop Naglfar from Sailing, and were both friends at that point. Mallory liked the name Alex named the ship and told her that she loved it. Mallory and Alex also put up the mooring lines up together when they arrived in Norway. Alex also defended Mallory later, saying that she did the right thing by killing the thralls.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Alex helped Halfborn make a surprise anniversary present for Mallory and kept it a secret from her. Alex mentioned how she would rather face a dragon than Mallory, because she could get angry. Alex also complimented Mallory, saying she and Halfborn were so cute together it made her sick. Mallory later rushed to Muspellheim with the others to help her when they found out she was facing Surt.

    Tj viria

    T.J, a good friend and floormate of Alex

    T.J and Alex met when T.J, Halfborn Gunderson, and Mallory Keen, visited his room to welcome him. Alex yelled insults at T.J and then turned into a cheetah. However, T.J was the least angry about it. When T.J met Alex the second time, T.J pointed a rifle at her (in weasel form) and threatened to cook her, and Alex told him to put the rifle down or he’ll wrap it like a bow tie. T.J laughed and introduced himself and everyone politely, and Alex promised not to kill him unless she had to. T.J also called her she and respected her pronouns, and wasn’t confused like Mallory was. However, T.J was still scared of the child of Loki, and told Magnus to keep an eye on her, since he didn’t want to get killed by her. T.J was also suspicious of Alex after she ran away from the, after battle, letting them get killed.

    By The Ship of the Dead, the two had become good friends and trusted each other. Alex ended up going to York with Magnus and T.J to find Hrungnir. T.J helped Alex set up supplies in the pottery studio and get clay. Alex and T.J argued about what song they should play on the radio, but they both agreed to play Duran Duran. Alex also told T.J about duality masks and the two spirit people in Mexico. T.J also quickly corrected himself when he said the world argr, because he knew Alex didn’t like that term. The next morning, Alex and T.J joked around and both agreed that they weren’t going to kiss Magnus. T.J and Alex ended up fighting Hrungnir the next day, and he told Magnus to help Alex, showing how much he cared about her.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, T.J used Alex’s room to get to Helheim, since she has branches of Yggdrasil in there. T.J also rushed to Muspellheim to help Alex when he found out that she was facing Surt.

    Hearth viria

    Hearthstone, a friend.

    Hearth and Alex met in The Hammer of Thor. Magnus introduced them and Alex promised that she wouldn’t kill him. Since Alex didn’t know ASL, her comrades had to translate everything Hearth said back to her. Alex also called Hearth’s personal tune, perthro, depressing when she found out the meaning behind it. Hearth also got angry at Alex when she said that she didn’t like Sif and crossed his arms, not wanting to talk to her at the moment. Hearth also joked with Alex when she was going to marry Thrym, saying she would have happy years and many children.

    In The Ship of the Dead, Alex had learned a little ASL at that point. Alex helped save Hearth by telling Aegir that eating elves and dwarves were against her religion. Later, Alex heard how Hearth faced his father and expressed sympathy, saying that it was awful and she couldn’t imagine. Alex also sewed Hearth a new pink and green scarf, which a Hearth was very grateful for, and held it like a holy relic.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Alex called Hearth a rune master, showing how much she respected his magic. Hearth later rushed to Muspellheim to help her when he found out that Alex was facing Surt.

    Blitzen-Viria

    Blitzen, a friend.

    Blitzen and Alex met in The Hammer of Thor. Magnus introduced them and he recognized her as the other child of Loki, and Alex promised not to kill him. Alex and Blitzen got along very quickly, talking to each other, and both agreed that they should cut Magnus’s hair. Alex also reluctantly agreed for Blitzen to take a little of her blood to fix Tiny's bowling bag. Alex also helped Blitzen by bringing him water and meals when he needed them. Later, Blitzen thought that Alex was crazy for bad mouthing Sif.

    In The Ship of the Dead, Alex helped save Blitzen from Aegir by saying that eating elves and dwarves were against her beliefs. Blitzen also taught Alex how to make a sweater vest out of chain mail. In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Blitzen went straight to Muspellheim to help her after finding out that she was facing Surt.

    Amir Fadlan

    Amir Fadlan, the boyfriend of her half-sister

    Alex and Amir met in The Hammer of Thor, where Alex was acting as him and Sam's male chaperone, watching them fight on the roof. Alex went with Sam and Amir to the Bifrost so they didn't do anything irresponsible. Alex later ate falafel with Magnus, Sam, and Amir, where Alex embarrassed him by saying that he shouldn't sit next to Sam. Alex began to like Amir very quickly.

    In The Ship of the Dead, Amir still didn't know what to think of Alex, but Alex cared for him and promised to watch over Sam for him. Alex also still acted as his male chaperone sometimes, when he was male. After he got back from the Quest to stop Naglfar from Sailing, Alex acted as his male chaperone and went to Eid with him and Sam.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Amir was able to tell what gender Alex was from his voice, and could tell he was male. Alex later came to Blitzen's Best to look for Amir and complimented him to Stan, calling him tall, fit, and attractive. Alex and Sam ended up saving Amir from Stan and took his necropants off with his garrotte wire. Alex teased him after, joking about him being terrified of Sam, and agreed that it would suck if he became Stan's private ATM.

    Adrian is Alex’s friend who she made before she died. The two were very close, but Adrian committed suicide. Alex was heartbroken when she heard Adrian’s voice passing Helheim in The Ship of the Dead.

    Sif

    Sif, Alex’s mentor and friend

    Alex met Sif in The Hammer of Thor when she and the others were sent to Bilskirnir. Alex did not like Sif at first, calling her vain, and making fun of her palace name, making Hearthstone and Blitzen angry. Sif also did not like Alex at first, calling her it. Sif ended up helping Alex get ready for her marriage to Thrym, and Alex told Magnus that if she didn’t come back, she’d have strangled Sif and hid the body. However, Sif made Alex look amazing and Alex was very thankful, causing Sif to say maybe she should judge people so quickly. In thanks, Alex made a vase for her.

    In The Ship of the Dead, the two met again at Vigridr and they hugged, and Sif asked her if she got a new sweater vest.

    Family

    Alex was born out of an affair between his/her father and Loki. After Loki opened their eyes to the Nine Worlds they were never the same again. Alex was abused by her father throughout her childhood for being a genderfluid demigod, and no one did anything to stop it. Mr. Fierro also hated that his father accepted her for who she was. Mr. Fierro abused her emotionally (and implied physically) so badly that Alex would have to escape to her Abuelo’s house. The two look alike, with Alex having her father's petite build. He also resented Alex for not wanting to take over the family business, and calling her pottery trash.

    When Alex was fourteen, her father snapped and threw pottery at her and threw her down the stairs, injuring and bruising her. Mr. Fierro told her to be normal, and if it was that hard, and Alex retorted that she was normal. Mr. Fierro expressed his disappointment, saying that she understood the craft of pottery just as much as her grandfather, but Alex corrected him, saying the art, not craft. Mr. Fierro then told her she wouldn’t get any money from him, and it would go to his real children, and Alex said she didn’t want his money. He then disowned her, and slammed the door of their house.

    Alex has hatred for her father, and says that he doesn’t have feelings and care about her at all. Alex has trauma from the abuse she was subjected to from him, and because of that, she had a hard time with other people and will assume that people won’t accept her. Alex is also sensitive about her past, and is uncomfortable telling people about him, except for Magnus Chase, and even he doesn’t know all the details.

    While Alex's relationship with his/her paternal step-mother is unknown, it is assumed to be negative as she did not interfere when Alex's father abused him/her.

    Loki viria

    Loki, her mother.

    Loki, the God of Mischief, is Alex's biological mother. He had an affair with her father and told her family about the Nine Worlds He has had contact with Alex through his/her life and taught him/her how to make a weapon out of anything. When he recognized Alex during Valhalla's battle training, he tried to kill her by causing Magnus to self-detonate by channeling his energy through him. Upon escaping, Loki willed Alex to die. This attempt however failed.

    Loki warns his child to stay away from the Quest to find Mjolnir and tries to kill Alex during the wedding turned fight. However, Alex managed to resist him. Alex ended up defeating him during the flyting in The Ship of the Dead.

    Alex does not like her mother at all, and admitted that she did not like him very much when she entered Hotel Valhalla. However, because of her parentage, people thought that Alex was a spy at first.

    Samirah Al Abbas

    Samirah al-Abbas, her half-sister.

    When Sam met Alex for the first time, Alex freaked out and punched Sam, giving her a black eye, because he thought he would be the same gender forever. The two ate dinner at Hotel Valhalla together, and Magnus could notice that it was very awkward from across the room. Sam mentioned to Magnus that she was not bothered by her genderfluidity, but was bothered by her constant shapeshifting, and how Loki will use that to take control. Later, Alex chaperones Sam and Amir on the roof of the Hotel, because she needed a male chaperone, and later ate lunch at Fadlan's Falafel with Magnus.

    Throughout the book, Alex and Sam become friendly with each other and both agree that Sif is vain. Alex also volunteers to marry Thrym instead of Sam because she vowed to marry Amir. Sam told Alex she looked gorgeous in her wedding dress and guarded the bathroom door when she got nervous. After Loki took control of Sam again, Alex volunteered to teach her how to resist Loki's power, and Sam declined. Alex became angry at Sam afterwards. Sam later stated to Magnus that Sam is everything she isn't, fluid and reckless.

    In The Ship of the Dead, the two go together on the Quest to stop Naglfar from Sailing, and become close. The two came up with a plan to free Hearthstone and Blitzen from Aegir and the Nine Billow Maidens. Throughout the quest, Alex helped Sam make shapeshifting her own, making Sam completely break her control of Loki by the end of the book. Alex even bought a cell phone with no purpose but to keep in touch with Sam, and texted her while she was fighting water horses. Sam was very supportive of Alex's relationship with Magnus, and Magnus could hear her smiling when they held hands. Sam also encouraged Magnus to talk to her sibling. At the end of the book, Alex was invited to Eid with Sam and Amir, and Alex went as their male chaperone.

    In 9 from the Nine Worlds, Alex called Sam to save Amir when he was kidnapped by Stan. Sam also rushed to Alex’s aid in Muspellheim with the others, when she had to face Surt.

    He was a Mexican sculptor who accepted Alex's genderfluid identity and was interested in reclaiming his Native culture. He taught Alex pottery and about the two spirit people of Mexico. When things got bad at home, Abuelo would let Alex stay for the night. The two would go camping frequently. Sadly, he died before Alex turned fourteen.

    In The Ship of the Dead, Alex heard his voice from Helheim, and was saddened, since she had almost forgotten what he sounded like.

    Etymology

    • Alex is a gender neutral name - fitting, as Alex is gender fluid. The name comes from Greek "Alexandros", which means "protector of mankind."
    • Fierro is Spanish for "iron."

    Trivia

    • The conception of Alex as a genderfluid character was most likely inspired by Loki's shape-shifting abilities and his two feminine forms – a mare that has become a mother of Sleipnir, and an elderly woman called Thokk who was responsible for Hel not resurrecting Balder.
    • Alex is female most of the time but occasionally has "very male days”.
    • Alex is the third canon LGBTQ+ demigod (after Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, and not counting the Hunters of Artemis) to be introduced in one of Riordan's series, as well as the first confirmed LGBTQ+ Norse demigod.
    • Alex has some similarities with Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
    • Alex is the second known demigod of Mexican descent, the first is Leo Valdez.
    • According to Amir Fadlan in This Is Why I Hate Clothes Shopping, Alex’s voice changes depending on Alex’s current gender.
    • Alex uses pronouns associated with whatever gender Alex is at the moment, rather than gender-neutral pronouns.
    • Due to the suffering Alex endured in life, it could be possible for her to learn to use Rune Magic.
    • Due to Alex being male the second time he kissed Magnus, their kiss is the first same-gender kiss in any of Rick Riordan’s works.
    • Alex is the second known character with heterochromia, the first being the Manticore.
    • Alex is the third known mortal main character who have the shape-shifting ability, the first being Frank Zhang, and the second being Samirah al-Abbas.
    • Alex is the first character, outside of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, to have a tattoo despite being underaged.
    Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
    Core Series: The Sword of Summer | The Hammer of Thor | The Ship of the Dead
    Main Characters: Magnus Chase | Alex Fierro | Blitzen | Halfborn Gunderson | Hearthstone | Loki | Mallory Keen | Samirah al-Abbas | Sumarbrander | Thomas Jefferson Jr.
    Secondary Characters: Randolph Chase | Gunilla | Natalie Chase | Amir Fadlan | Alderman
    Minor Characters: Annabeth Chase | Frederick Chase | Helgi | Hunding | Vala | Junior | Lars Alhstrom | Stanley | Inge | Percy Jackson | Stan | Alviss | Miles | Wildflower | Sunspot | John Henry
    Norse Gods: Freya | Thor | Balder | Ullr | Frey | Odin | Heimdall | Vidar | Sif | Frigg | Tyr
    Minor Gods: Skírnir | Mimir | Ran | Hod | Hel | Sigyn | Aegir | Nine Billow Maidens | Njord | Kvasir | Holler | Forseti | Glum | Lofn | Sól | Idunn
    Jotnar: Surt | Gerd | Norns | Utgard-Loki | Harald | Ymir | Geirrod | Gjalp | Greip | Thrym | Thrynga | Tiny | Little Billy | Hrungnir | Red | Tattoo | Gunlod | Suttung | Baugi | Skadi | Hrym | Eggther | Norns
    Monsters: Jormungand | Ratatosk | Vedrfolnir | Nidhogg | Fenris Wolf | Lindworm | Wight | Brunnmigi | Siersgrunnr | Garm
    Magical Creatures: Dwarf | Elf | Sleipnir | Stanley | Marvin | Otis | Hulder | Nøkks | Vatnavaettir | Nisser | Troll | Raven | Hugin and Munin
    Related Content: Rick Riordan | Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds | 9 from the Nine Worlds
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