The Avengers: Family Ties
Prologue: Into Odin's Sleep
"Odin asked for one drink from the well, but he did not get this until he gave one of his eyes as a pledge."
—The Prose Edda
Blue energy rippled across the glass ceiling in waves shattering it with precision. Instantly what was once a peaceful market turned into chaos as everyone scrambled to avoid the falling shards. Creatures born out of the worst nightmare suddenly blinked into being and started firing blasts of dark energy at any human in firing distance. Screams of all pitches filled the air as loved ones were cut down in front of each other with no mercy.
Just as the slaughter reached a fever pitch another ripple of blue energy opened a portal in the already chaotic market. It was much bigger and began filling the building with a chilly wind. If one cared to stop moving long enough to look they would see a dark world covered in snow. The wind carried this snow into the building in rapidly increasing gusts. The dark elves stopped their rampage and turned to the portal with dread. The Jotun were their longtime enemies and rivals when it came to the conquering of Midgard and they were not interested in a confrontation. A roar shook both the world beyond and the building it had manifested in. Through the portal leaped a terrifying monster. It stood even with the ceiling and its dark grey hide already dripped with elven blood. Without missing a beat it snarled and devoured the nearest elf with horrible ferocity. The elves tried to surround the beast to confuse it but all that did was enrage it.
One brave elf took a flying leap at the beasts back attempting to fire his weapon as he went. With a sharp crack his shot landed just to the side. The reason being a long frostbitten spear had whistled through the still open portal skewering him before the shot could land in the beast's weak point. The beast whirled around only to whimper instead of snarl. This was the beast's mistress and it knew better that to snarl lest it wanted to lose its head. The Jotun female stood taller than the average woman but was shorter than she should be. The dark elves surrounding her and her beast began to chatter with anticipation. Surely at her stunted height she wasn't a full Jotun and therefore less of a threat. She wore traditional fur lined leather armor and had a short sword at her hip with two daggers attached to each thigh. Her scarlet eyes evaluated the elves before her and scoffed. This was the best that Malekith had to offer? As one dared get close enough to fire his weapon she called her lance to her with magic and used the blade to decapitate it so fast the others became immediately frightened. As they tried to retreat and regroup the Jotun gave a battle cry calling her beast to devour them all. They didn't even have a chance to get very far before they became beast bait. She gave a throaty chuckle at the happy noises her beast was giving between crunches of bone and sinew.
Just then a familiar mighty hammer came blasting through the wall knocking her to the ground and slamming into her beast carrying both hammer and beast back through the portal onto Jotunheim soil. Once something passed through the portal it began to rapidly close. She had no chance as it sealed just seconds before her jump could take her through. The hit from Mjolnir had dazed her enough that instead of recovering and landing on her feet her body skidded across the tile and slammed into a vendor cart. She groaned and shove the contraption off and away from her body. The lancer stared forlornly at where her way home had been only to snap her head sideways as she heard someone shouting at her. A male Midgardian in strange blue clothing was shouting at her pointing a small metal weapon in her direction. She snarled and leap up and onto the metal frames that had once held the glass ceiling together. She sprinted across it and dropped into a side alley. She immediately flattened against the brick and chanted a quick illusion spell to make herself unnoticeable to the human eye. The strange man sprinted past her into the street only to be flattened by one of the metal contraptions the humans used for transportation. She almost felt bad but still giggled at the bad timing. Dispelling the illusion she immediately scanned the area and felt as Thor and Malekith had their final confrontation. With the dark elf leader vanquished she decided her assistance was unnecessary and conjured a glamour to look human and hid her weapons from human perception.
Exiting the alley rapidly she blended in with the injured that were rapidly fleeing Greenwich smoothly. She could find a way to fit in until she could find one of the Liesmith's shortcuts to Jotunheim. Finding said shortcut when the Silvertongue always covered his tracks was going to be difficult but not impossible and she was sure to get some entertainment out of the Midgardians in the meantime.
One hour earlier in Asgard
The Allfather watched the guard approach with a heavy heart and an even heavier soul. He had felt the tremors when his adoptive son's magic had snuffed out after causing waves of energy only moments before. The chaotic element to Loki's magic had always made it stand out. He watched the guard stop and look up with sympathetic eyes.
"Forgive me my liege, I've returned from the Dark World with news".
"Thor", he asked with dread. For if one brother was most likely dead than the other had no doubt been in a grief stricken rage destroying all within sight and not that hard to spot. He turned to face the guard and sensed something familiar as he spoke.
"There was no sign of Thor or the weapon but…."
"What", he asked realizing where the familiarity he was sensing came from and realizing the incoming deception for what it was with an internal grimace.
"We found a body". The man in front of him pretended sympathy but Odin already knew who really stood before him.
"Loki", he stated this with certainty and watch his disguised son dip his head in confirmation and shook his head. To his credit the trickster himself barely flinched when suddenly his illusion was torn from him leaving him gasping in his actual form. He stared up at the Allfather in fury.
"How"?! He had cloaked himself with the strongest most complicated glamour spells at his disposal and had easily fooled the other guards on his way to Odin, had even fooled Heimdall upon entry to Asgard yet the Allfather had figured it out and seen through him.
"You may no longer be a child but I recognize this prank my son-". He was interrupted before he could continue.
"I am not your son", Loki shouted enraged that the Allfather continued the lies even now.
"I took you in Loki when you were but a babe and raised you as my own regardless of your origin", he shouted back tired of this same argument. He felt a sudden surge of weariness and knew he could put off the Odin's Sleep no longer and spoke quickly hoping that his youngest could read into his intent.
"I am not going to argue with you any longer. If the throne and Gungnir were the goals of this deception than you may have them". Loki stumbled back in shock. Surely this was some kind of trick to lower his guard. However as he glared at Odin he saw nothing but determination and could sense nothing but sincerity.
"Why, why now would you choose to give your power and position over to me instead of Thor"? None of it made sense. Odin had groomed Thor not Loki to take the throne in his stead, had made it very clear through favoritism that he had no place taking what was Thor's. Yet here the Allfather stood proclaiming Loki as the one to take his place.
"There are conditions of course", Loki scoffed not surprised in the least, "Firstly Thor must not know you are alive and that I reside in Odin's Sleep". That however did surprise him.
"You wish me to keep Thor in the dark"? The Allfather nodded much to Loki's shock.
"I give you two months. If you can keep up my appearance and stay quiet about our deception without revealing that you live you may keep the throne the entire century I rest". It was an amazingly easy deal in Loki's opinion. He was a showman at heart after all and maintaining the glamour would be child's play.
"And let's say I fail and reveal that I live to even one person, what then", he asked smirking. It's wasn't as if that was going to actually happen but he wasn't going into this without all the information available.
"If you reveal that you yet live then the role of all decision making will go to Thor in my stead. You will however retain Gungnir". It was a strange consequence. He would lose the throne yet retain the most powerful weapon in the nine realms. What Odin thought that would do he had no idea but the deal was tempting regardless of the unknowns.
"And what happens if I refuse your generous offer". He had been forced to fake his death after all and did not want to compromise if he didn't have to.
"Then I will throw in your eldest son's cell to join him in eternal imprisonment with no visitation". Loki snarled at the Allfather's audacity. To bring Fenrir into this showed no mercy. The poor boy was locked in his wolfen form and unable to communicate. To imprison them together would be emotional torture for his son. Then again it wasn't like anyone else would know. Very soon word would spread that he had apparently perished on the Dark World and no one would be looking for him. He thought on it but in the end could not and would not bring any of his children into this. They had all suffered enough for their association with him.
"I agree to your terms Allfather but where will you rest"? He couldn't very well go into Odin's Sleep in the so named chamber while a double ruled the throne. The Allfather smiled.
"I will rest under Fenrir's watchful eye. No one will look for me there". This was the third time in less than an hour that Loki was in shock. The whole reason Fenrir was forcibly transformed and chained had been due to the fear instilled by the prophecy of Ragnarok. For the Allfather to trust him to watch over him while he rested was unfathomable. It did however make sense in that it would be the last place they would look for Odin should Loki reveal the deception. The Allfather descended the steps and stood in front of Loki with his hand outstretched. Loki took Odin's hand and proceed to morph into the man's perfect double. With tired hands Odin held Gungnir out for Loki to take fully anticipated the man to attempt to kill him with his own weapon but while Loki was many things he kept his word and did nothing.
"Malekith has perished so prepare yourself for Thor's return while I go to my rest and should the nine realms fall into disarray you will have no more second chances Loki", the Allfather's words rang with finality as he disappeared.
A/N *phew* That took a while to plan and crank out. This fic has been in the works for over a year unlike my others and should have quicker updates. Please rate and review.