So I redid this and made it an actual chapter. I think you'll be more pleased with it(No Loki isn't really dead). xD
Chapter 1 - A Hole in the Earth
Can you explain to me how,
You're so evil (how?),
It's too late for me now,
There's a hole in the earth (a hole in the earth).
There's a hole in the earth (a hole in the earth).
I'm out…
Can you explain to me now,
If you're still able, well...
I think you know the truth,
There's a hole in the earth (a hole in the earth).
I'm out…
I hate all of my friends,
They all lack taste sometimes.
There's a hole in the earth
I'm out..
There's a hole in the earth
Please take a bow...
This is the end (somewhere).
This is the end,
Somewhere...
There's a hole in the earth.
There's a hole in the earth.
I hate all of my friends,
I'm out...
There's a hole in the earth. –Deftones, Hole in the Earth
"Where are we again?" Sam whines from the passenger seat. He turns his head to look out the window, seeing nothing but flatland stretching on forever, the horizon dotted by occasional trees. The curve of the Earth was aglow with the last traces of sunlight before nightfall snuffed it out.
"Somewhere Oklahoma." Dean grumbled through a yawn. Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair,
"Wake me when we reach civilization." He said, letting his eyes close. Dean clicked on the radio to fill the silence with Motorhead. The rumble of thunder perforated the air. Sam opened his eyes to meet his brother's confused gaze. Both men leaned over the dashboard to look up at the night sky. Dean's brow scrunched up even more,
"There aren't any clouds." He stated bluntly. Sam was nodding,
"So what do you think that was?" he asked. Dean's lips pulled into an exhausted frown and he shrugged. A blinding light pierced the overhead sky, pure white edged in a flurry of rainbow color. Sam and Dean squinted, putting their hands up to block the light while trying to see what it was. A sharp sound, like a jet breaking the sound barrier, shook the sky. Sam covered his ears, scrunching up his face and Dean winced but kept his hands on the wheel. Like a bullet, the blinding light plummeted to the ground, crashing right in front of the Impala.
"HOLY SHIT!" Dean shouted in surprise as he slammed the breaks and tried to swerve. The pavement was broken and uplifted from the impact, making it difficult to move the car. On impulse, Dean accelerated the car and turned sharply in an effort to get away from the crash site quickly. A loud thud hit Sam's side of the car and suddenly they were flying. The car flipped once in the air before hitting dirt and rolling twice more. Dean was still screaming after the car settled, upside down.
"DEAN!" Sam shouted to shut him up, "Are you alright?" he asked in a calmer voice when Dean was quiet and looking at him. Dean was panting hysterically,
"DO I LOOK ALRIGHT!" he answered then slammed his hands into the steering wheel, "Son of a BITCH!" he cursed furiously. Sam was out of his seat, kicking his door open. Dean unbuckled himself and followed suit. After they crawled out and were on their feet Dean let out an agonized cry, putting his hands atop his head,
"My car!" he whined, "Oh baby…I'm so sorry…" he stroked the now dented metal. Sam stood at the edge of the crater, peering inside.
"Dean?" he called from behind his older brother.
"Look, I don't two shits about some fucking rock right now, Sammy!" Dean answered. Sam cocked his head in annoyance,
"It's not a rock, douchebag." He said nodding toward the crash, "Just…get over here and look!" Sam demanded. Dean sighed and stomped his feet like an aggravated child.
"Oh…shit." He whispered as he looked down into the crater. Crumpled upon the scorched dirt was a man. He was tall and lean with black hair and milky pale skin. Dean pursed his lips with interest,
"What the hell is that? Armor? Is he wearing armor?" he asked. Sam rolled his eyes,
"I'm pretty sure that's not the important part, Dean." He said, Dean looked at him in astonishment,
"Dude! That's fucking chainmail! I think that's important!" he responded.
"No, you think it's cool." Sam corrected. Dean gave an exaggerated nod,
"Which is important!" he answered, "Where can I get chainmail like that?" Sam rolled his eyes again. The familiar rush of air and rumple of a large set of wings alerted them to the arrival of an angel.
"What have you done?" Castiel asked as he leaned only inches from the fallen man's face.
"Yeah, hi to you too, Cas." Dean said, "I'm good, thanks for asking." Cas turned his deep blue-eyed glare to Dean, narrowing his eyes meaningfully for only a second before looking back at the man in the dirt.
"Do you know who this is?" Castiel continued. The boys shrugged in unison.
"Do you?" Sam asked voice laced with curiosity. Cas straightened up and stepped around the man before climbing out of the crater and facing the brothers.
"Yes." He answered in his ominous voice. A minute passed. The brothers looked at each other, then at Cas with raised eyebrows. Dean waved a hand for Cas to continue,
"And…?" he prompted. Castiel met both their gazes,
"He is Loki." He replied simply.
"Loki?" Sam asked in mild disbelief.
"Didn't we deal with a Loki already before?" Dean questioned. Cas looked at him,
"That was Gabriel pretending to be Loki." He turned around to peer at the fallen man again, "This…is the real Loki." He explained.
"Well good!" Dean said, "One less pay in my ass to hunt down and kill later." He turned on his heel and started to head for his wrecked car.
"No." Cas said, "The true God of Mischief would never come to this planet. He views humans as of little importance and a blemish on the universe."
"Wow, he sounds like a great guy." Dean commented, earning himself an annoyed glare from Sam.
"He fell." Sam told Cas, "He just fell out of the sky." Cas turned his gaze up at the stars and narrowed his eyes, as if searching for something.
"He fell from the Bifrost." He clarified.
"The what?" Dean wondered. Cas turned to him again,
"The Bifrost Bridge. It links the Nine Realms and makes travel between them possible." He explained, but neither of the brothers seemed to be more enlightened at all. "The question is why did he fall?" Cas continued, "And, perhaps more disturbingly so, how did your car kill him?" Dean cocked one eyebrow,
"Well, not for nothing, but cars tend to kill a lot of things." He said. Cas was shaking his head,
"To someone as powerful as Loki, being hit by a car would be no different than a bee sting." He told them. The brothers exchanged glances of indifference,
"Regardless, he'd dead." Dean said.
"It was an accident." Sam said, "What can we do?" Cas sighed,
"Run and hide." He answered.
"What?" the boys asked in unison.
"Loki happens to have a very passionate and powerful Thunder God for an older brother. What do you think he's going to do when he finds out his baby brother has been murdered?" Castiel's narrowed eyes were deadly serious.
"Hunt down and kill the bastards who did it." Dean answered in a heavy voice. Sam looked at him,
"Why do you say that?" he asked, confused. Dean looked at him with love and fondness swirling in his hazel eyes,
"Because it's what I would do." He said. Sam's brow pulled down in a look of sympathy and he nodded once.
"I'll see what I can do to find you both protection. I've never dealt with an Aesir in person, so I'm not sure what to expect." Castiel told them.
"A what?" Dean asked, but Cas was gone. Dean shook his head, "Freaking angels." He grumbled. Sam was peering down at Loki again, looking as if someone had just run over his cat.
"Should we bury him?" he asked Dean.
"Well I'm sure we shouldn't leave him here." Dean answered. They both turned to look at the Impala and let out sighs of irritation.
"Fuck." Dean cursed under his breath.
"Let's flip it over and hope it still runs." Sam said.
"Can you see her, great Heimdal?" Thor had asked that same question every day, after he'd destroyed the bridge.
"Yes." Heimdal replied every time.
"What is she doing?" Thor whispered the question, desperation and loneliness coming out in a strain.
"She believes she's finally found a way to reconnect our worlds. She's rather excited." Heimdal said and this answer perked Thor's head up. Thor stepped closer to the Gatekeeper,
"Truly?" he sounded like a hopeful child, "This wonderful! I must tell Father. I trust you will let us know if it works?" Thor called as he jumped unto his horse. Heimdal nodded,
"I am certain that if it works we will all know." He replied. Thor chuckled and rode off at top speed. Thor was off the horse before it even stopped completely, he threw the throne room doors open and didn't bother to stop and bow.
"Father! I have great news!" He announced and then back peddled as he observed the council members seated around a long table. He ducked his head in embarrassment, "Forgive me." He whispered, not meeting anyone's eyes. He stood in silence as the meeting wrapped up and the elder political leaders filed out of the room.
"What is it that drove you to such rude behavior, boy?" Odin called once he was seated back in his throne. Thor stepped forward with renewed glee.
"Heimdal says that Jane believes she found the way to fix the Bifrost." He explained. Odin sighed. Thor frowned at the obvious annoyance and exhaustion in the old man's exhale.
"You miss her that much, do you?" Odin asked in a soft, quiet voice. Thor's confusion increased,
"Of course." He spoke like it should have been as obvious as the nose on his face, "I love her." Odin rubbed his temples for a moment,
"Then I have a confession." He sighed again and then looked up to meet Thor's blue eyes, "Thor, I could repair the Bifrost at any second, if I wanted to. I have that power." He told the young man. Thor looked like he'd just been slapped with a dead fish,
"What?" he breathed, eyes flickering across the floor before anger contorted his features, "And you thought it wise to keep this information to yourself? Why?" he barked. Odin studied Thor for a long moment.
"Because I know that as soon as the bridge is accessible again…" he paused to weigh his words, not wanting to entice any more anger from the young man, "You will leave." He finished. It was obvious all over Thor's face that he didn't understand and he was letting his anger get to him. He threw out his hands,
"Of course I'll leave! That is the whole point! I want to see her again!" he shouted. Odin frowned,
"And when will you come back home? If ever?" he asked, voice still soft, too exhausted to fight with his passionate son.
"What nonsense is this? You think I will abandon my home?" Thor asked and then his face softened with understanding. He took the few small steps up to meet his father's throne and placed a gentle hand upon the old man's shoulder. He smiled, "Father, I will always come home." He promised. Odin couldn't help but smile at that beautiful face and he gave a soft nod.
"Alright." He rose from his chair and took up his great spear, "Let us get you to Earth then." He led the way out.
It took no time at all for Odin to stand at the shattered edge, raise his hands, and speak some ancient incantation. Thor, Sif, the Warrior's Three, Heimdal, and a handful of guards stood watching in awe as the rainbow bridge weaved itself back together. Odin turned to face them when it was finished. The All-Father smiled at his son and gestured to the end of the bridge,
"Go now. You've made her wait long enough." He said. Thor threw his arms around Odin's neck and crushed him lovingly. After a moment he pulled back to look his father in the eyes,
"Thank you." He whispered, "I will keep in touch. And I promise not to stay away for too long." He said. Odin nodded. Thor smiled and waved to his friends and then all but leaped into the Bifrost, headed for Earth.
His senses slowly came back to life and the first thing that registered was that it was hot. Far too hot. He began to swift and squirm, getting a feel for his location. He sniffed the heavy air, pine and dirt. He knew his eyes were open but there was nothing save complete darkness. Buried, he realized.
"Damn it." He cursed aloud, "They buried me." He took a deep breath, and choked on it. The air was too thick with dirt, he had to get out before he suffocated. Common sense told him he was facing up, so he planted his hand firmly on the pine above him, fingers splayed. He closed his eyes and focused, searching for the surface. When he finally found it he held his breath and teleported. He winced as the noon sun burned his eyes. He covered his face and blinked rapidly for a few minutes until he could see. He turned in a slow circle, trying to identify his surroundings. Nothing looked familiar in the least. That meant he was Midgard, the one realm in the universe he'd never cared to study and the same one that Thor was banished to. He groaned in annoyance. He looked down at himself and saw that his armor was still intact, more or less, but his helm was missing. Probably still in the pine box, he figured. Sweat dripped off his chin as the sun continued to beat down on him and he decided that he hated this planet already. With a wave of his hand his armor retreated and he was left in just the under shirt and his black pants and boots. He looked down both ways of the road, that he'd been buried on the side of, and couldn't see an end to either so he just went on a whim and started walking. There would be civilization at some point, he knew that. As he walked he tested the full strength of his power. The reservoir had kept him alive enough to heal, and he had enough to get out of the ground, but past that he felt his magic fleeting. There wasn't much and he knew the longer he spent on Earth without a chance to recharge it would only continue to drain. He needed food and water. He glared up at the sun again, and an ice bath, he decided. Then after all his necessities were handled he'd get to work finding the imbeciles that buried him. By the time a town came into view he had his shoes and shirt off and was panting like a dog. Much to his appreciation, a restaurant was the first building he reached. He stumbled into the air conditioned little diner and swore that it felt like Valhalla. He sighed pleasurably as the cold air rushed over him. A small woman standing behind a podium stared at him,
"Do…do you need help, sir?" she asked. He turned his emerald eyes on her,
"No. I need food and water." He looked around the diner and spotted an empty table at the far end, away from anyone else, "Might I sit?" he asked the girl without looking at her. She was nodding as she gathered up some menus,
"Of course! Anywhere you like." She answered but he was already halfway to his destination. He slumped into the cool, cushioned bench with another content sigh. The girl was placing a menu and silverware down in front of him,
"Did your car break down? Did you walk far?" she asked. He didn't bother opening his eyes as he answered.
"I do not understand your first question. But yes, I walked rather far." He spoke quietly, obvious exhaustion seeping out in his breathless voice.
"Would you like some water?" she asked, he heard slight confusion in her small voice. She was wary of him. He smirked.
"That would be nice. And food." He heard her scratching down an order on her little pad of paper,
"What kind? What would you like to eat?" she asked. He let out a long breath,
"It matters not, as long as it's edible." He replied then waved a hand to shoo her. He was getting a headache from her repeated questions. She brought him a pitcher of water and an assortment of things to eat. He greedily inhaled all of it. She had watched from her place at the podium, mouth agape, as he literally licked the plates clean. When he appeared to be finished she approached him,
"Can I get you anything else?" she asked, picking up some of the empty dishes.
"No. Where is an inn?" he asked as he rose from the bench. She looked up at him, wide eyed,
"A what?" she whispered, obviously startled by his sudden close proximity. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at her,
"An inn. A place to stay for the night?" he clarified.
"Oh…uh…" she turned her gaze away, "Like a hotel? There's one right across the street." She told him. He walked past her,
"Thank you." She jumped for him suddenly,
"Wait! You have to pay for all this!" she said. He turned to give her a strange look,
"Pay for what? I've done nothing." He was honestly confused. She looked flabbergasted as she gestured to the table littered with dishes,
"The food. You have to pay for all the food you ate." She explained. He snorted in amusement,
"Do you know who I am?" he asked playfully. Her eyes went wide as he stepped closer to her again, she looked up into his iridescent green eyes and slowly shook her head. He grinned, razor thin and just as sharp, and she flinched.
"I am Loki, royalty among insects, a god among mortals…" he spat the word like it was dirt on his tongue, "And I do as I please." He turned on his heel and was gone.
