Disclaimer: Thor belongs to Marvel and the Vikings, not me.
Hela is in desire of a weapon. Not a sword or a knife, but a being she can use to escape her prison, this Hel she is to call home for all eternity. It is a dark, gray land, with mist covering every corner. There is no light for the lost; no light for those the Allfather has cast aside.
Your father, her mind reminded her, you were his firstborn, yet he locked you up as if you were nothing. As if she wasn't the reason Asgard is shining with gold and glory. Odin, a man who has waged more wars than any living being, dares to call her out on her violence. She has only done what he had asked of her, yet she is the one who must suffer. Hela knew she will never hate another man like she hates the King of Asgard. She is aware that she will break free after her father's death, but Hela also knew the old man. He will turn everyone against her, and she is aware even she might not be able to withstand Asgard's might. Not alone.
There is one saving grace to her imprisonment, however. She is able to break free, although not at full strength. The last time she tried that, she'd been defeated by the Allfather after slaughtering his best warriors. But she can send part of herself, a tiny fraction of her power to the outside world. It is not much, as she is only a little stronger than a ghost, but it is much better than the wasteland she finds herself in.
Besides, it wasn't about escaping. It was about planning. Hela must prepare for her eventual escape, and she must ensure there will be at least one person on her side.
For that, she did what she always had done, and sent a piece of her outside Hel and into the rest of the Nine Realms. There was war. The Jotuns had convinced themselves to be stronger than the Aesir, and attempted to cover all of Midgard in ice and snow. Hela can appreciate that; seeing the mortals frozen in fear and pain had been one of the best experiences she'd had on that realm. Odin of course came to the Realm's defense, and came with his army to stomp down any dissent from the Frost Giants. Hela scoffed. Her new brother's birth had softened him more than she thought.
She'd journeyed all the way to Jotunheim, with its gleaming crystal buildings and shiny ice castles. That wouldn't last. Once they lost, she knew what Odin would do-steal their Casket and let them rot. Just as he'd done to her.
But her plans did not revolve around saving the Frost Giants. Hela couldn't care less of the fate of the creatures. Her purpose was simple, to prepare. She approached the palace cloaked in an illusion of invisibility, a trick her mother-no, Frigga- had showed her. Once she reached the main gates, she revealed herself, and said, "I must see your King."
The Jotuns looked around, bewildered. Here was an Aesir woman, announcing herself to the enemy. They must've thought she was a fool. But they complied, and brought her inside, though she was surrounded by guards. Once inside the throne room, one guard said, "My King, we have apprehended this Asgardian woman. What should we do with her?"
Laufey glanced her, his red eyes taking in every inch of her body. "Ah, Princess," he rumbled, "how nice of you to visit." He recognized her. Of course. Odin could manipulate the memories of his own people, but not the Jotuns. They were far too different for that to work. "Leave." All his soldiers scrambled away at his loud voice.
"Now," questioned Laufey when they left, "why are you here? Shouldn't the Chief Executioner be aiding her father?"
She glared at him. "Odin has cast me aside. I owe no loyalty to him. My only wish is to reclaim my birthright."
The Jotun King continued to stare at her with his red eyes. He was analyzing her, trying to search for trickery, for deceit. Smart of him to do so. "And how is coming to me going to do that? You aren't here at full power, are you? The Gatekeeper would have certainly noticed otherwise."
Heimdall was the main reason she couldn't leave Hel at full power. He would've caught her in an instant. Sending a weakened fraction of her being was the only way. "I am here," she said, "to offer advice. Odin is dead to me. I want to see him fall, as well as the rest of my family."
Laufey laughed. "Well, if this isn't a beautiful beginning to an alliance."
Over the next few months, she offered advice to the Frost Giants. She pointed out old weaknesses of the Asgardian armies, and told the Jotun generals the plans Odin was most likely to make. "He is tricky," she warned. "He is a liar, a manipulator. Never trust anything he says or does."
Of course, the same thing could be said for her. Her information was useless. Her advice wasn't helpful. But she portrayed herself as a traitor to her people, one hardened by bitterness and betrayal. They were willing to listen to anything she had to say. Her main concern was Laufey. He was the reason she made this whole excursion in the first place.
"My Lord," she told him when they were alone. "You are lonely."
He scoffed. "My wife is dead." Farbauti, his queen, had died giving birth to her second son. It was a loss he'd never thought he would experience. Losing her was the most difficult thing he'd ever gone through.
"I know." Hela whispered. "It must be so hard, to lose the ones you love. But, if I can make things better, for just a second..."
Laufey laughed. "Does the Goddess of Death wish to be my bedmate?"
She raised her head, showing him her beauty. Hela was aware of her looks, it was another power she held over others. "Before, on Asgard, I was never allowed to be with anybody. Odin only let me be a weapon." Stories like that were perfect ways to get others to her side. She hadn't pursued any relationships, but it was because she didn't want to.
But Laufey appeared to take the bait. He leaned down, and whispered, "I know what it feels like to hurt by the Allfather, Princess."
Hela had gone through many things. War, conquest, being locked in an eternal prison, and having to watch her father enchant his own people to forget about her existence. But it would all be worth it. Soon, she would look down at all the Realms as their Queen. And Odin-she would either watch him die, or kill him herself. There would be no other way.
She looked down at what she held in her arms. It would be her key to defeating the Aesir, and taking her birthright as she was born to do. Her weapon would ensure of it.
Hela walked closer to the temple. Odin had all but won. She'd left Laufey as soon as she acquired what she needed. There was no reason to stay and let the Allfather find her. But before she returned to Hel, she had to do this one thing.
She ripped open the temple doors and walked in. The Casket sat on the altar, its power lighting up the room. She snorted. The so-called "Heart of Jotunheim," was the weakest relic she'd ever seen.
There was shouting outside. Odin and his armies were approaching. She had to get this done fast.
"Goodbye, my son," she said. The baby continued to wave his arms happily, babbling nonsense she didn't even try to understand.
Her son. Her weapon. Hela knew her father had grown soft, but he was still smart. If he came into the temple and found the abandoned son of Laufey, as indicated by the family markings, he would not leave the child. He would take him to use.
But this relic wouldn't belong to Odin. No, he would be Hela's. She would whisper into his ear, sow thoughts of betrayal and discord in his mind. He would rebel against the Aesir, and his power would weaken them. She smiled. Once she was free, her son would come to her aid.
After all, what son would betray his mother?
AN: So, I wrote this fic because I believe the theory that Hela is Loki's birth mother. They just look really similar, plus I like the idea of Thor and Loki being uncle and nephew as well as brothers. So I figured the way that could work was Hela could send a tiny piece of herself outside of Hel to interact with the outside world (kinda like how Frigga can send a projection of herself into Loki's cell, but in this case Hela is a flesh-and-blood person. Odin also has no idea Loki is his grandson, and Laufey didn't even know he had a kid with Hela. Anyways, please leave any criticism in the comments, and thanks to anyone who read this!