"The decision is yours, Loki. Remain in Asgard, and carry out the punishment I assign to you until I believe you have repented for your crimes, or return to Midgard, stripped of your magic, where you shall remain in your brother's care until the time you are truly worthy of the name 'Odinson'," Odin, Father-of-All, stared down from his golden throne at the Once-King Loki Laufeyson-Odinson.

Loki emitted an impressive growl, despite being bound by a muzzle-like device. Neither option was appealing. Glaring up at Odin, he made a short jerky motion with his chin to emulate his desire for the muzzle to be removed. Odin raised his hand and the device fell away, clattering noisily to the gleaming golden floor.

"Speak," the Allfather commanded. But Loki remained silent, briefly contemplating his next move. The choice was rather obvious to him. Return to Midgard where he could give Thor, the great oaf he was, the slip and go into hiding. Then he would be able to research a way to return his magic. He knew that if he remained in Asgard there was no way possible for him to escape the torture and punishment 'his father' Odin had prepared for him. Loki was also aware that Odin was not the forgiving sort, and that he would most likely be trapped in eternal torment; hidden as the shameful monster that dared to turn away from a family that had so 'graciously' welcomed him, with all their lies and deceit.

"I would rather spend my time among pathetic mortals, thanin a realm where I am seen as nothing but a monster," Loki's face twisted into a mask of fury.

Odin stood, his expression drawn down in resignation, "Very well." Raising his staff, he struck the floor with one end, creating a loud, sharp clang that reverberated through the entire throne room. A cry of astonishment rose from the onlookers as a bright flash of light enveloped the trickster, and hid him from view. This left Loki looking down at his arm in horror. What skin he could see was covered in tattoos of runes running across his skin in complicated patterns.

"Those runes will prevent you from doing anything but the most basicof spells. You will not be able to break them by physical or magical means. You are hereby cast from Asgard, never to return." With that said, Odin stepped back and swept his cape aside as he exited the room. As the crowd dispersed, Thor moved from his position by the throne to stand beside Loki, and rested his hand on the other god's arm to lead him away. As was becoming a habit, Loki growled at him and wrenched out of Thor's grasp.

"Brother," Thor pleaded, "please, do not be like this."

"Do not touch me," Loki sneered in answer, stalking off down the vast hall towards the massive door that led to Heimdell, and in turn, the Bifrost. Freshly magically shackled, there was no need for him to be bound and he'd been released from the bindings that had physically restrained him.

"Brother!" Thor called after him, rushing to catch up. Swiveling on the spot, Loki abruptly turned back to Thor, who nearly ran into him.

"I am no brother of yours!" he shouted. His face was mere inches from Thor's. It showed rage and madness clear in his eyes. "Stop speaking such lies, Thor. It does not suit you," he continued, outrage seeping out of his expression, leaving him looking sickly and weary. "No one would be a brother to a monster such as I, if they were given any choice." He turned to leave.

"Loki," Thor breathed. His voice betrayed his sorrow. "You will never be a monster to me. "Loki scoffed. "I will be in my room until you are ready for our departure," he said frostily. Thor watched him leave, his brow knotted in a combination of emotions.

Retiring to his room, Loki glanced around at his possessions. He found that he could not bring himself to care about any of it. It was all worthless, meaningless. Most of the items in the room only served as a painful reminder of the family he was not truly a part of and the life that he did not belong in. Most were mementos and trophies from battles fought with Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three. There were also many tomes that he had received from his mother over the years. Snarling in fury, he lashed out, sweeping his once 'treasures' to the glimmering floor, causing as much destruction as he could in the hopes of quelling the maelstrom of emotions within. He raged until he was exhausted, and there remained nothing that wasn't broken or spilled. Then he sank down to lean against the bed amidst the wreckage.

That was how Thor found him sometime later. He didn't comment, knowing that Loki would just retaliate against any show of affection or pity. Instead, all he said was, "It's time."

Loki shot a venomous look as he rose to his feet, but didn't speak as they made their way to the Bifrost. Thor nodded to the solitary figure on the shattered remains of the once beautiful bridge. Although the bridge no longer worked, there were still ways to travel between the realms, but they required a lot of energy.

"Heimdell," Thor greeted, "We seek passage to Midgard."

"Keep him out of trouble," Heimdell looked at the trickster with distaste.

"Aye," Thor agreed, "I shall do my best." With that, Thor and Loki found themselves hurling through a pocket of space towards Earth. They landed with a loud boom and shockwave in the same desert where they would have been deposited by the Bifrost… were it still available. Loki knew there was another, easier way for them to reach this miserable realm, but didn't bother to inform Thor. Yes, it meant more work for himself in the long run, but he really loathed making the thunder god's life any easier. He was still filled with cold fury and extraordinarily spite.

"Come, brother, we must inform my friends of our arrival," Thor held Mjolnir in one hand, and offered the other to Loki. Loki hated him more in that moment than ever before. He felt weak without his magic, like he hadn't felt since he was a young child still learning how to harness the power, and yet, he couldn't refuse that hand this time. Whether he liked it or not, he depended on Thor for transportation. Clenching his teeth, he reluctantly took the offered hand, and braced against the force of the wind which ripped the air from his lungs when Thor launched into the sky.

In less time than should've been possible, they arrived at what once was the ruins of Stark Tower. Now, it was in a state of repair, scaffolding, wood, and metal cobbled together in an attempt to bring it to its former "glory". They landed roughly at the very top of the tower, on what appeared to be a helipadof sorts. Unused to this physical mode of transportation, Loki stumbled when his feet hit the ground.

"Please remain here until I have had a chance to talk to them," Thor ordered. He walked to the glass doors and let himself into the building. Loki had no choice but to obey, bile rising in his throat at the thought. Without his magic, there wasn't any wayfor him to leave the roof, other than jumping, and as immortal as he may be, he was not invincible. A fall from this height was likely to kill him. Scowling at the door Thor had left through, Loki sat down against the nearest wall, which was more like a pillar and would do nothing to prevent his fall. At this height the wind was strong, and whipped his hair around his head and into his face. Annoying, but bearable. What wasn't bearable though, was Thor.

Oh, how he hated his brother. How he despised this filthy, primitive, disease-infested realm. What disgusting, simple creatures. They were hardly worth his notice. One day, once he had found a way to break the enchantment Odin had placed on him, he would rule this puny world. Without him to command them, they were sure to destroy themselves. And yet… it would be so very amusing to watch the world descend into chaos, and burn.

Absently staring off into the distance, Loki let himself fall into a meditative state, spreading his awareness out. Powerless as he currently was, he was still able to do this simple thing. He knew the mortals still had the staff he had received to lead the army of Chitari. Such an item would guarantee massive power at his disposal. Letting his mind drift, he felt the seductive call of the staff, its power pulsing and beckoning him, calling for him to fall into the sweet embrace of madness. Yes, he yearned for it like the touch of a lover. The power caressed his consciousness, whispering and stoking the fire of rage that burned within him. Loki breathed deeply and shuddered, lost in the flow of magic. This was good. The connection was very strong, meaning the stupid mortals had been unable to destroy the source of power. Therefore, it was logical to assume that it was "hidden" somewhere on the planet. Now it would just be a matter of biding his time and waiting for the moment he could steal it away. It meant "playing nice", as it were, with the mortals, to keep them from attempting to lock him up or some such thing.

Even the thought of working with the "Avengers", as they called themselves, made his skin crawl, but he wasn't called the Liesmith for nothing. It would take little effort for him to integrate himself into their group, and maybe even get them to foolishly begin trusting him. All he would need was a little flattery here, a subtle shift of attitude there. He was interrupted from his musing by the door blowing open and Tony Stark storming onto the platform. Thor trailed behind.

Loki looked up mildly at the enraged man from his seat on the ground. He stood up calmly, as if completely unconcerned by the current events. Once on his feet, though, he found himself thrown back by a punch to his jaw, leaving him dangerously close to the edge of the building.

"Tony!" Thor cried, moving to help his brother by restraining Stark. Loki drew himself up and leveled his gaze at Tony.

"NoThor, I don't care what you say about him being powerless! This son-of-a-bitch has to for the damage he caused. People DIEDbecause of his actions," Tony hissed, pulling away from Thor.

"Losing his magic is payment enough," Thor told him gently, "to lose his magic like this is equal to you losing the use of your limbs."

"That's not nearlyenough!"

"Stark," Loki cut in, finally drawing their attention back to him. "Do you know the feeling of having your entire being… hollowed out? To feel empty, broken, and as if everythingprecious to you has been destroyed?"

His answer was plain to see as the colour drained from Tony's face, making him look sallow.

"It is a thousand times worse than that," Loki added. He sneered and stalked off, determined to remove himself from the sickening presence of Stark. Loki bolted through the door, refusing to admit, even to himself, how shaken he was by the encounter.

"Should we not go after him?" Thor frowned, brow creased in worry.

"Nah, JARVIS won't let him mess with anything and will notify me if he even thinks of trying to leave the building," Tony ran his engine oil covered hand through his hair, clearly trying to calm himself.

"If you are sure," Thor responded with a nod.

"'If'?" Tony scoffed, "JARVIS is my creation, and the most advanced Artificial Intelligence in the world. I'm not worried about a so-called 'God' who is currently about as powerful as a kitten."

"Even kittens have claws," Thor advised, but dropped the subject. "Where are the others?" he asked as he followed the shorter man back into the tower, to the penthouse.

"Here and there," Tony waved his hand lazily in the air. "Agent Romanoff and Legolasare off working on some top secret mission for SHIELD. Cap's gone on a road trip across the country, and Bruce stays here at the tower." They reached the main living area, where Loki had thrown Tony out the window during the battle. Construction was still underway, and sheets of thick plastic draped everything, although the window Tony had crashed through had finally been replaced.

"Drink?" he asked, walking up to the fully replenished bar. Thor politely declinedand stared out the window in dismay at the scars still evident from the destruction caused by the battle.

"I will take you up on your offer of refreshments, now," came a voice from the sunken couch at the other end of the room. Startled, both Tony and Thor turned towards the sound to find Loki casually draped over the plush couch as if he were royalty. Torn between wanting to scowl or smirk in response, Tony's face contorted into a comical expression. Instead of acknowledging Loki, he continued his conversation with Thor, only now he made two drinks instead of one.

"Nick's gonna give himself an aneurysm when he finds out Tricks is here," Tony remarked, lounging against the bar. He left the drink on the counter where he made it. He may have given into the request, but there was no way in hell that he was going to play servant to the god as well. He could come get his own goddamn drink if he wanted it.

"You have such a strange manner of speaking, my friend," Thor shook his head, "I agree though. Fury will be displeased with my father's demand."

"Displeased is a huge understatement. This is going to be one hell of a shitstorm. SHIELD's gonna be all over him. They'll want to lock him away, and probably interrogate him as well," Tony warned. "Not that I'm going to stop them or anything," he glared at the aforementioned god. Loki glowered back before turning away and staring out the window as if something out there had caught his attention and was more interesting than Tony Stark. But Stark couldn't even find it in himself to be offended by Loki's lack of interest.

"I will not allow that," Thor crossed his arms over his chest, "he is here to learn the error of his ways and to redeem himself. Not unlike how I did when I was banished to Midgard. What better way than to remain here and help to protect the people and this planet?" Tony opened his mouth to retort, but promptly snapped it shut when he couldn't refute Thor's logic.

"Fine," he pouted, "but I'm not playing babysitter, ever. And you get to deal with Jolly-One-Eye, and his team of misfits when they get back, whenever that is. Just a heads up: Barton's most likely going to try to shoot him in the eye with an arrow. He was verydisappointed that he missed the chance before you guys went back yonder. Plus, I'll be surprised if Bruce doesn't automatically Hulk out at the sight of him. Speaking of which-" He slammed back his drink and placed the glass down beside the full one set aside for Loki – it figured the bastard wouldn't come get it himself. Probably was just trying to powertrip him. Ignoring Loki, Tony mock saluted Thor as he passed, making his way to the elevator, presumably to go warn Banner of their new house guest. "While you're here, my house is your house, buddy. Feel free to wander around and use whatever you'd like, but that doesn't apply to him," Stark pointed to Loki, giving him stink eye as the elevator closed in front of him.

Only after Stark left did Loki raise himself off of the sofa and saunter over to the bar.

"We should see if there are any available rooms for you to stay in, brother," Thor commented as he approached. With another venomous look, Loki knocked back his glass, emptying it entirely of alcohol, grimacing at the taste.

"As you wish," he spat, slamming the cup down roughly.

Sighing, Thor led the way to the very elevator Stark had left in.

Loki followed, seething to himself. As they waited he began to plot.

He would not allowthis torment to be his life.