The young man reached out hesitantly and held the Jotun casket, the casket his father had bravely fought over and won, he picked it up, it wasn't as heavy as he thought it'd be.
Slowly, as he watched, his skin changed to a shade of blue, one an Asgardian's shouldn't be. It spread up his arms, and onto his face, covering his whole body. His breathes came out quickly and ragged, what was happening to him?
"STOP!" Odin's voice bellowed, bouncing off the walls of the chamber.
Not turning around, still frozen in disbelief, Loki said calmly "What am I?" he swallowed, trying to remain calm.
"You're my son." The old man replied.
Turning around, body still not his normal colour, "What more than that." He hissed, his skin slowly turning back, "The casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it." He accused.
"No-" the young man walked closer "in the aftermath of battle, I went into the temple and found a baby…" Loki watched in shock as his father recalled what happened "Small, for a giants offspring, abandoned, suffering, left to die." He paused and looked at the young man "Laufey's son"
Loki didn't look back, he was stood, trying to understand what he'd just been told, "Laufey's son." He repeated to himself.
This was the truth, about why his father had preferred Thor over him, why he never felt like he fitted in. He was not from Asgard at all, not really. He was an enemy, in a place he thought was his homeland. He could feel tears choking him; he never knew his real family.
He looked up at the man he'd called father for all those years, "why?" the only thing he could think of, his mind a complete mess now, "You were knee deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?" he thought because Odin already had a son, why would he steal a baby to have another?
"You were an innocent child-" he started before Loki interrupted.
"No." he tried to breathe , "You took me for a purpose, what was it?" the room was silent, nobody knew they were in there, "TELL ME!" he yelled, feeling so betrayed he could burst into tears at any point.
"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance and have permanent peace. Through you" Odin said, calmly.
"Wha-?" Loki couldn't even finish his words, his breaths were shaky as he stared at the steps in front of him blankly, "So… you thought, by taking me, it would solve all your problems?" he accused, "…and, Laufey didn't care that his child-" he paused "that I was missing?"
"His people had taken such a blow, he would never have noticed."
"But I- " he half chuckled to himself, "It makes sense now, why you favoured Thor, all those years!" he shouted.
"Loki…" he tried to get in, "You are still my son –"
"But I'm not, and mother? I'm guessing she know's… Who else?"
"no one, we only wanted to protect you"
"Protec-…. Protect me from what? From myself? Be- " he stuttered over his words "Because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night! So, I'm just another stolen relic, locked up here until you find a purpose for me?" Loki was now on the same step as the man.
"Those plans no longer matter" he said, looking him in the eye.
After a few seconds of a deathly silence Loki shouted, his words filled with rage.
"No matter how much you claimed, to love me! You could never have a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"
Loki felt a tear roll down his pale cheek, he felt so angry that they had lied to him, never telling him what he was from the start. He started to walk up the steps to leave, when Odin placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
"Son, don't-"
"You have no right to call me your son." He spat back angrily before turning back and running up the remainder of steps, out of the weapons room.
Loki heard the great doors slam behind him, the guards stood outside watched, confused, as the young prince ran down the hall.
Turning yet another corner in the maze of corridors, Loki pressed his back against the cold wall, sliding down, he pulled his knees up to his chest, he didn't care if he was supposed to act like a man, to act like a prince of Asgard. He was hurting. He let cold, wet tears slip out from his eyes.
"Why me?" He muttered to himself, wiping his eyes, he tried to calm himself, he held out a shaking hand and stared at it. Shaking his head, trying to forget all he'd just learnt.
Loki sat in silence for about 5 minutes, contemplating the truth he'd just found out. No one dared walk down the corridor where the angry, volatile, young prince sat. they saw him and walked the other why, half out of not caring and half out of wanting to keep their lives.
Loki stood up, brushed his clothes and slowly started to walk down the hall, towards the great hall, where he knew his 'so called' mother and father would be, with all their advisors and courts men.