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Spoiler Alert!
Warning! This page contains spoilers for 9 from the Nine Worlds. |
Thomas Jefferson Jr. is a Norse demigod son of Tyr and a freed slave. A veteran of the American Civil War, Jefferson became one of Odin's einherjar. He was killed during the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina.
History
Early Life and Death
Thomas Jefferson Jr. was born to Tyr, the Norse God of Justice and his mother, a runaway slave. While he was ten years old, he pointed a stick to a white man playfully. His mother would later on scold him for this as she said the man would've shot him with a real gun. She then shook him telling him that she couldn't bear to lose another child.
In his teenage years, T.J. saw a poster asking for men to join the military. Since his father was Tyr, he saw this as a personal challenge he couldn't refuse and later on joined the army.
While in the army, his friend, William H. Butler complained over the hardships of their people, but T.J. didn't mind and was proud of being a part of the army and the fact that the Union had given him an actual gun.
During the assault on Fort Wagner, while enemy fire withering, a Confederate soldier, Jeffrey Toussaint, called T.J. out to fight man-to-man. T.J., being the son of Tyr couldn't turn down the challenge and so accepted. T.J. then shot Toussaint once in the chest and came closer to stab him with his bayonet. However, by then, T.J. was shot about thirty times by the other Confederate soldiers and died. He then ended up in Valhalla.
But T.J. wasn't the only one, his enemy Jeffrey Toussaint also had ended up in Valhalla. The two spent about fifty years killing each other every day. T.J. was afraid that the two would end up like Hunding and Helgi- immortal enemies. But eventually T.J. gave up and he never saw Toussaint again.
In Series
It was revealed in The Ship of the Dead, that T.J. and Halfborn Gunderson once hated each other at some point. But Mallory managed to make them befriend each other.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
The Sword of Summer
T.J. invited Magnus Chase to breakfast with the rest of the residence of their hall. He explains how the nine worlds work and that a person can leave the hotel anytime with or without permission, but discourages it because the results could be dire. The horn then sounds for training and the hall mates head out. During the battle practice, he tries to take a hill but is killed. He and the others cover Magnus' escape to Midgard.
He, Halfborn Gunderson, Mallory Keen and X are enlisted by Gunilla to take Magnus back to the hotel. They try to apprehend him in Midgard but are stopped by Hearth. They and two other Valkyries approach them on Lyngvi and he and his hall mate disobey Gunilla to arrest the four. Surt and his minions arrive and the einherjar fights them until Magnus sends them back to Muspellheim. When the island is vanishing he pulls out a Frey Boat and they sail away. When they arrive back at Valhalla, they are brought before the Thane. As they are being sentenced, X says Odin wishes to intervene. T.J. tells him not to talk but the half-troll reveals himself to be the all-father. He then clears them all of their charges. He attends the funeral for the fallen Valkyries the next day.
The Hammer of Thor
T.J. is first seen with Halfborn and Mallory trying to catch their new hallmate. After meeting up with Magnus, the four explore their new hallmate's room and are shocked to find the symbol of Loki. After lunch, he tells Magnus its time for battle training.
They are introduced to their new hallmate and are shocked to find that he is actually a she. They charge into battle until. Magnus starts to smoke and Alex decapitates him. At dinner he and the others talk about Magnus's dream. After dinner, T.J., Halfborn, and Mallory escort Alex back to floor nineteen.
T.J. along with Mallory and Halfborn appeared to Magnus and his friends' aid when they charged into battle with T.J. bayonetting giants while the others fight other enemies. T.J. left the battle without a scratch.
The Ship of the Dead
He, Mallory and Halfborn are readying their supplies and and stunned by Magnus' neon yellow boat. They load and set sail to stop Loki. They four steady the ship and avoid plunging into the void and wind up in Boston Harbor. They pick up Sam and Alex and head out to pick up Blitz and Hearth when nine women come out of the water and drag them in. They surface in a soup pot and are fished out by Aegir. He invites them to a meal, consisting of Blitz and Hearth. He helps Mallory support Halfborn as Magnus, Sam and Alex free Blitz and Hearth. Just as they start to eat one of Aegir's daughters calls out Magnus by name. After Aegir calms down and agrees to let them leave, if they could escape his daughters. He uses his byanette to fight one of the maidens and escapes when Njord arrives and Hearth takes out a wall. He surfaces and goes bellow deck to get food while Magnus, Blitz and Hearth talk with Njord.
During their voyage, he talks with Magnus about being baited and explains how he died and how he got over his killer.
They arrive in York and he, along with Magnus and Alex, scout out the city while Mallory, Halfborn and Sam keep watch over the big banana. He keeps thanking locals for not siding with the Confederacy. The trio runs into Hrungnir, who challenges them to a contest for the location of Kvasir's Mead. He picks to take on him and Alex. After Alex rents out a pottery studio the three get to work. He starts cutting slabs of clay for Alex to use. They have dinner at a fish and chip restaurant and return to the pottery studio for the night. Alex takes a chair while he and Magnus make makeshift beds in the back. He tells Magnus about seeing valkyries in James Island, South Carolina before they go to sleep. In the morning he finds his sniper glasses and leaves to fight Hrungnir when Alex brings their clay soldier to life. The group meets Hrungnir at King's Square and the fight starts. T.J. manages to take out the giant's left eye and dodges his strikes. However he is grabbed by Hrungnir and is about to be crushed. The giant lets go and he is healed by Magnus. He slashes away at the giant's tends and he tells them the mead is heavily guarded in Flåm, Norway before T.J. punctures his heart, causing it to explode. He gets a peace of shrapnel stuck in his for head and they head back to the big banana. When they get back Halfborn jokingly lights a match in his shrapnel.
When Magnus and the others return they tell the crew about what happened in Alfheim. They make it to Flåm and split into teams of two to find a train station. He goes with Halfborn and Alex in one direction with Magnus, Sam and Mallory go in the other. He is impressed that Halfborn was able to take Baugi on his own. He is disgusted with Mallory for killing the thralls. They leave Flåm and arrive in Jotunheim in the morning.
After they can no longer break through the ice they decided to walk to shore. He offers to make a fire with his gun powder before Skadi invites them in to explain themselves. They bath and have a hot meal. The giantess tells them Loki will launch Naglfar by noon the following day. He complements Skadi for being anti-slavery. She gives them permission to spend the night. When he is woken up by Magnus he yells CHARGE!. After breakfast he struggles with his skis. They group then sets out on their way to the Ship of the Dead.
They arrive and he, Blitz, Hearth, Halfborn and Mallory split up from Magnus and the children of Loki to distract the trickster's forces and give Magnus a better chance to flyt Loki. He starts the diversion with an explanation. He walks over to watch the flyting during the ceasefire. He is concerned when Magnus is losing but is pleased with his complement about how he fought Jeffrey Toussaint and how that flint shrapnel from killing Hrungnir is a badge of honor. The group makes it to the edge and escapes the hoard by jumping off the ship at Sam's request. They make it out just as the harbor freezes over.
They spend three days at sea. During this time he tells Hearth about his war stories. He spots land and Mallory identifies it as Vigridr, where they will die during Ragnorok, and are greeted by the gods. He meets his father for the first time and goes to the feasting tent and hands over Loki. He is given an autographed copy of Orin's new memoir and a Turkish bathrobe. They return to Valhalla for a feast and he tries to teach his friends the marching themes of his battalion.
9 from the Nine Worlds
Speaking of Trolls...
He is in his room with Hearthstone using a rune to project written down swears. The son of Tyr is laughing at the act until Hearth receives an emergency call and leaves, much to T.J.’s confusion.
Nice Doggy
After eating some of the pizza Mallory brought back from Midgard, he falls asleep in the lounge and ends up in Helheim. He sees Thor run by dragging a tree and a harp. A dog soon runs by and he realizes that the dog is Garm the guard dog of Helheim who is destined to kill his father during Ragnarok. Just then a woman appears and she transports him to a throne room. She reveals herself to be Hel and has his mother brought before her and has the guards start to rip her apart. She tells T.J. to come to Helheim. He wakes up and goes into Alex’s room to gain access to Yggdrasil. Along the way he is insulted by Ratatosk.
When he arrives in the land of the dishonorable dead, he is transported to Hel’s throne room. She says that Garm ran away and she wants him to find him, as a son of Tyr Garm is naturally draw to him. She says that if he fails his mother will be tortured. She sends him out and almost immediately runs into Balder. T.J. asks if the god can help him, but he says Hel would not allow it. He notices the mistletoe arrow and, remembering a dog who got sick after eating mistletoe, asks Balder for the arrow. Gram soon finds him and gives chase. After a few failed attempts he manages to get the guard dog to swallow it. As he lures Garm back to him cave, the dog starts to feel sick and passes out and vomits after reaching his cave. Balder retreives his arrow while the son of Tyr is sent back to Valhalla. That night He’ll comes to him and tells him his mother will be spared and he can visit her. He accepts and tell her to ”Go to Helheim”.
I Play with Fire
He, along with Halfborn, Mallory, Samirah, Blitzen and Heart go to Muspellheim to help Alex fight Surt, only to find the child of Loki standing over the defeated fire giant.
Appearance
T.J. has dark skin, short curly hair, a lanky build, and is always described to be wearing his blue woolen coat from the American Civil War, with brass buttons and chevrons, and it is revealed that he was a infantryman.
As of The Ship of the Dead, T.J. now has a piece of flint shrapnel permanently stuck above his right eye after he fought Hrungnir. Because of this, The shrapnel does not ail him unless someone attempts to pull it out.
Personality
T.J. was the first of Floor 19 to greet Magnus properly upon his arrival, quickly earning Magnus' approval. He is overtly friendly and quick to put his trust in people. T.J. is quite talkative, Mallory claiming he "will take forever answering a yes/no question." He shows a resistance to breaking the rules, (possibly stemming from his father being the Norse god of law,) but ultimately his loyalty outweighs it. He is also shown to be brave and a natural leader, taking the head of Floor 19's charge in battle training. T.J.is also very optimistic and has to accept any personal challenge with saying "I ACCEPT".
Abilities
General Abilties
- Marksmenship: The son of Tyr is a good marksman, having fought with a rifle for over a century.
Magical Items
- Thomas Jefferson Jr's Bayonet - T.J. was given a bone steel bayonet by his father. He attaches it to the end of his rifle, which he ends up using more than actually firing the weapon.
- Frey Boat - T.J. possesses a Frey Boat, a small piece of cloth that can turn into a Viking longship. He used it to get himself and others away from Lyngvi before it vanished.
Relationships
Family
Ms. Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson Jr. respected his mother. He would constantly think of her in Valhalla.
Tyr
Up until the time he helped to apprehend Loki, T.J. has never met his father. He has mixed feelings for him. While he respects the god of justice, he hates that he must always accept any challenge. However when he finally met his father the two acted friendly with one another.
Friends
Magnus Chase
The son of Tyr was friendly with the son of Frey from the start. T.J. grew fond of Magnus very quickly, going so are as to disobey a direct order Gunilla to stand by his friend.
Halfborn Gunderson
After his death, T.J. and Halfborn would spend the next century as enemies before becoming close friends. After that, the two began to view each other as close friends and allies.
Mallory Keen
The two are close allies, although the son of Tyr tends to get the daughter of Frigg’s nerves.
Alex Fierro
At first T.J. was unsure of what to think of the child of Loki, however he quickly trusts Alex as a close friend and comrade.
Samirah al-Abbas
The son of Tyr sees the daughter of Loki as an ally.
Blitzen
Hearthstone
Trivia
- T.J. fought in the civil war, unknowingly alongside two other factions of Demigods. Specifically in fighting on the union side, he was unwittingly an ally of the Greek Demigods.
- According to Mallory Keen, he is less annoying than Magnus Chase.
- He likes occupying hills in battle, possible in relation to having fought in the Civil War and 'taking the high ground' in order to fire down on the enemy.
- One of Thomas Jefferson's thirteen children was named Thomas Jefferson, Jr.
- He is fascinated by airplanes.
- T.J. is the only known Norse demigod to have a known Fatal Flaw.
- Based on his official artwork, it is likely T.J. Held the rand of Sergeant in the military.
- However in an alternate portrait he shows no marker of rank, indicating a rank of private.