Loki supposed his punishment was going rather well. He had expected, and hoped, a death sentence awaiting his return to Asgard. That was not what he got. Odin had been rather, merciful he would say, in his punishment, letting him sit in the weapon's vault. Locked in another glass cage, much like the one he'd sat in on the Helicarrier. He no longer wore anything resembling his princely clothes, only a green tunic and black pants. He hadn't bathed in what seemed like forever but Loki knew it had only been two weeks. Not that he did anything in here to get himself dirty. No, Loki rarely moved in his cage, preferring to sit on the bed that had been given to him. A small affair, covered in a blanket, and a far cry from what he had been used to.
But Loki saw no reason to complain. At least he was being left alone. That's what he deserved. And no one, save Thor, was willing to give him company. And Loki wished to see Thor least of all. The oaf only served to remind Loki of all that he was not. Loki simply closed his eyes and wished that he had never been born.
"Father," Thor greeted, kneeling and raising a fist over his heart, "you wished to see me?"
Odin gave a small nod, gesturing for his son to rise. Thor rose and followed him as he walked towards the balcony.
"It has come to my attention that there is trouble brewing on Midgard," Odin stated solemnly, gazing at Asgard in the setting sunlight. The city was bathed in golden light, appearing as glorious as it was meant to be. Thor raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"Then I shall go remedy whatever problem has arisen, Father," Thor said taking a step back. Odin raised a hand to stop Thor.
"It is not so simple. You must understand a few things as well Thor, before you take your leave," Odin said, glancing at his son. He sighed before continuing. "On Midgard, they have many superstitions. Ghosts are a favorite of the Midgardians, though none exist. Another is vampires. They are beasts who feed off of blood. Midgardian blood. Some say that the bite of a vampire shall turn the victim into one of the beasts. But this is not true.
"To turn a victim into one of their own, a vampire must have the strength to stop just before the Midgardian's heart ceases beating. If they do not, the victim will die. If they stop too soon, the victim will remain comatose until the body cannot handle living and they will also die. It is very hard to turn a Midgardian into a vampire. Not many have the strength. There are only a few of these creatures that reside on earth. Perhaps a couple hundred at most. And they are centralized in one of the continents of Midgard."
"So you want me to kill these beasts then," Thor stated, grabbing Mjolnir which hung at his side. Odin shook his head.
"These vampires are dramatized by the Midgardian culture. They rarely cause harm to the public. They are ruled by a monarch and she has been keeping them well under her hand since she came into power. She is rather young for a monarch, she was only just becoming an adult when she herself was turned. She's been ruling the vampires for around two hundred years now. Any vampire that harms the Midgardian public is rogue and taken care of by her forces.
"They are rather peaceful creatures, when not provoked. But trouble is stirring and there are whispers of a rebellion. If this rebellion gets out of hand, the Midgardian race may be threatened. Though it may be hard to turn a Midgardian, there are enough vampires to create an army should they need one to control Midgard."
Thor was at a loss. "Father, I am still unsure of what you want me to do," he said slowly, weighing his options. Odin began walking back towards the throne room as the sun began to set on Asgard.
"I want you to travel to Midgard and help their monarch. She will need assistance and has sent for help. She knows not of the Nine Realms but has heard that you watch over Midgard and has asked you to come to her aid. You will go and help her," Odin replied, sitting on the throne as Thor seemed to think about this. It was a moment before he spoke again.
"What help will I be Father? I know nothing of these creatures, nor do I know how to help them in their time of need," Thor said still lost.
"You will do as she asks, council her, and aid in whatever way." Thor gave his father a nod, turning to leave the throne room.
"There is one more thing, Thor," Odin said slowly. Thor stopped and faced his father once more. "You will take Loki with you, and he will aid her as well." Thor gaped at his father before giving a hesitant nod.
"Should I tell him now?" Thor asked warily. Why Loki's punishment was suddenly being lifted was beyond Thor and he had no idea what his father was planning.
"Yes, go to him and tell him of what will happen and have him ready himself in his chambers. You will leave at daybreak." Thor gave another nod, slipping out of the throne room. He paused in the halls.
What purpose would Father have in sending Loki? Surely he had not gone soft and just decided to let his brother go unpunished. Of course, Loki had been locked up for almost two years since his transgression against Midgard. But his father must have some purpose. Perhaps he was seeing if Loki had changed his heart? Or maybe he thought Loki's council would be wiser than his own? That would be likely. Thor chose not to think on it, rather he walked slowly to the weapons vault, opening the large door that sealed it and closed it behind him, knowing that down these stairs, his brother was waiting in his cage.
Thor walked down the stairs, looking into the cage as it came into view. Loki was where he always was, sitting on his bed, eyes closed in thought.
"What do you want now, Thor?" Loki asked as Thor reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Can't I come visit my brother?" Thor joked as he approached the glass. Loki cracked one eye open.
"Your visits always come with talk of my justification. I tire of it Thor. Either say something new or leave," Loki stated, closing his eye again. Thor frowned and thought of how to broach this subject.
"Father has given me news and I want your opinion," Thor said, sitting down on the stairs that led up to the cage.
"Alright."
"On Midgard, there is a band of creatures, vampires, who drink the blood of the Midgardians," Thor said, pausing, "their is a rebellion brewing and Father wishes for me to go help their monarch."
"I see no problem," Loki drawled, opening his eyes to look at Thor, "go help their monarch. Tell him to fix the problem or fix the problem for him. Simple. Even a man with no brain could figure that out, Thor." Thor smirked at his brother's insult.
"I value your input. Good to know you're going with me as well," Thor said, standing. Loki looked at Thor warily.
"I don't think I heard you correctly," Loki said. "What does Odin want?"
"Father," Thor said, stressing the word, "wants you to go with me to Midgard to help solve this problem."
"So the great Odin is relieving me of my punishment?" Loki teased, standing to face Thor. "What could have softened his heart? Surely not your begging, Thor."
"Loki, I have no thought as to what Father's thoughts are on this matter," Thor tried to reason. He pressed the button on the cage to lift the glass. Loki's stare did not waver as it rose, leaving no barrier in between them. "All I know is that your council would be greatly appreciated and this may be the chance for you to redeem yourself. Please, Loki, I need you to help me."
Loki gave Thor a careless stare and took a step out of the cage, glancing around the weapon's vault like he'd never seen it before.
"So when do you leave, Thor," he asked, not looking at him.
"Tomorrow morning," Thor replied, still looking at his brother. "Loki, say you will go with me."
Loki scoffed.
"I doubt you would have let me out otherwise," Loki said glancing at Thor, "Besides I'm not too inclined to go back to my cage anytime soon. Perhaps this mission will prove . . . interesting."
Thor hoped his brother was not going to ruin this, his chance at redemption, and simply clapped him on the shoulder and ushered him out of the vault and towards their chambers.