Alright, I think I could have given a bit more in the last chapter, so here's a little gift. Again, I'd love your reviews and comments. I want too know if my characters are fairly good or total mishaps. If Loki seems fairly out of character in this chapter, or anyone else, tell me!
Also, thank you for following me. You know who you are, thank you, it warms my heart.
Without further ado, lets get on with the story.
First off, I do not own any characters used in this story. Everything here is created and owned by Marvel and Stan Lee. I own nothing. (One can dream though.)
"Why?"
Loki raised his index finger to his mouth, brushing it across his lips, getting them a bit moisten in the process. He then lowered his finger to the book he had been focused on and used the it to turn the page with much more ease. Frigga had chosen such aged tales, that the pages had been seemingly attached to one another, leaving it up to him to recondition it.
"Why didn't you inform us you still lived, Brother?"
"I am not your brother."
He glanced up towards the entrance hall, the guards shifting uncomfortably under his sudden frown. It didn't take them long to remember his position. They proceeded to then send him a dirty glare, smirking to themselves. He rewarded them with a cheeky grin, before lowering his gaze back to his only distraction in bleak cell.
"We grieved, we thought you dead."
"How intoxicating."
A feminine scream entered the chambers, causing every prisoner to tense and glance toward the entrance. The guards who had taunted him earlier merely vanished at the sound, leaving the inmates in the dark about the situation.
"Do you not see what you caused, the pain, suffering?"
"I've always suffered."
Loki stood slowly, placing the novel along his bedside. His fingers dug into his palms as he paced over the end of the cell to earn a better look. Another scream pierced the dungeon, then another, footsteps exploding above their heads.
"They hadn't been prepared for such an attack."
"So naïve, your petty mortals."
Warrior cries and sounds of battle erupted rather quickly, causing Loki to flinch. He backed away from glimmering walls that kept him imprison. He paled significantly, color draining from his face. His green eyes danced swiftly in panic, this was not appropriate.
Asgard isn't supposed to be invaded so easily.
"Do not mock them, they had been able to capture you, did they not?"
"I allowed them too."
He quickly gathered himself, clasping his hands together. His magic was limited in here, but he had some. Illusions, his years of studies and training gave him numerous faces to wear. He couldn't change much, but he'd try. Meanwhile, the cries above raged on, the fray still never ending. He needed to rush an illusion, it would only be a matter of time now.
"Why?"
"It was entertaining, seeing your little pets squirm, the hope in their eyes."
He cloaked himself, ridding of the rags he was wearing and replaced them with his infamous leather, his cloak. He pushed his raven hair backed, getting it out of his eyes. It was getting to long, much to his annoyance.
"There is still good in you, brother."
"Need I repeat myself? I am not your brother, nor will have I ever been."
He drowned out the roar of combat, straighten his form, putting on a false smirk, and waited.
"Do you remember as boys, how we did everything together?"
"I remember being your shadow."
The door cracked in on itself, flying off its borders. What a shame too, that had been a lovely shade of fulvous. He rather liked it. The room explodes with color, the wailing louder. The cells shimmered before dispersing, starling most of the criminals. They hastily let out cheers of joy and made for a dash to cover or for the exit. Loki watched from his space, disgusted by their panicked and reckless state. There was no way to exit Asgard without permission, which they'd never get.
There was no where they could run to.
"I cannot be blamed for your tricks, you made a name for yourself."
Heavy footsteps echoed, ugly laughter shortly behind it. The sounds of bones, the escaping inmates bloodied bellows, and tortured howls quickly pierced his ears. Then as soon as they started, they ceased. Well, at least in the chambers, the ringing still continued above.
"Did I? Tell me, who deemed me as an outcast? I don't recall giving myself the pleasure."
It didn't help that the air suddenly felt thicker, that his throat seemed swelled. Loki's breath quickened as he suddenly felt another presence, a large and eerie one at that.
A deep sigh caught his attention, a rumbling much like Thor's, expect-
"I gave you a gift, where is it?"
It wasn't Thor.
"You can still change for the better, this doesn't have to go on forever."
"I rather like myself."
The steps that belonged to the voice closed in behind him, causing him to stiffen his posture. He swallowed quickly, raising his head, and forced it upon himself to turn and-
There stood Thanos, his lavender skin bulging with muscle. His strong jawline and out of place wrinkles still unattractive as ever. It's not like his cold, dark eyes helped his case, they being awfully small for such a large being. The Titan's attire consisted of traditional golden plates, shimmering and seeming to not be covered with marks of battle.
Oh, and he didn't seem very glad to see Loki either.
"I won't give you my pity, Loki."
"I don't want your pity, I want respect, something you earned without even putting in any effort. Did it occur to you that as you grew, you could do no wrong? No matter how foolish you acted, you didn't pay for it."
"Now Thanos, if you shall allow me to exp-" Loki plea was cut short as purple fingers wrapped around his shirt's collar, bring him closer to the Mad Titan's face. The illusion faded, leaving him back in the loose and filthy rags. His magic was too drained, he had nothing.
His hands flew to the hand, grasping it, trying to get some leverage against the tightening of his attire.
"My my, how the Prince has fallen." Thanos turned, flickering his hands at the surrounding Chituari, they snickered and ran back out the entrance-way, back to the battle. Loki glared into his cold, bottomless eyes, which sent another shiver down his spine. Thanos then raised two digits, brushing it against the God's cheek, as gently as a mother would to its child. Loki flailed slightly, horrified at the gesture. "Did you think you could hide, my little prince?"
"Forgive me, Broth-, Loki, I-."
"Too late, it is far too late to ask for forgiveness."
"Do I look like I'm trying to hide?" Loki voice was strained, but clear. It wasn't a lie either, he hadn't run like the others. He gave Thanos a reassuring grin, ungrasping his hands and raising them as if he's shrugging. "Perhaps It was the Chitauri's poor execution of power, they fell rather quickly in battle, such a useless spec- " His words were once again interrupted as he was slammed into the wall in the back of his cell.
"Do not try to persuade me, Lie-smith, you toyed with the mortals." The mad titan snarled at him, which was pretty ugly. His features scrunched up, and disorientated. Reminded him much of a bile snipe, perhaps a pig too. No, pigs could actually be quite attractive.
Loki let out a surprised yelp as he was slammed against the wall again, then again, and again. he felt something wet on the back of his head, his back flaring up in pain. He didn't dare use his sorcery though, Thanos wasn't one for his games. He wasn't in any condition to summon enough of it to defend himself anyway.
Thanos hesitated in his next movement, brushing back Loki's tangled locks as the God squirmed under the touch, eyes widening in silent fury. "I will not be betrayed again, you failed me and for that I shall dispose of you." He grinned, devilishly. "What a shame, you had such potential." He loosened his grip on Loki's neck.
Loki sucked in the much needed air, only to have it ripped away as Thanos rammed his gauntleted hand into his gut, repeatedly. He gagged, his lungs quickly filling with wet substance. Blood, he assumed.
"Why weren't you pleased with what you had?"
"What I had, wasn't and would never be mine. Truly can you not see it?"
Thanos seemed to want to cause Loki the most pain possibly in a short time, because it kept coming. Raw skin on raw skin, raw skin on metal. Beating him like he was the beast had back in Midgard, even though he could sense the glove he wore. Thano's gauntlet was shimmering, a powerful presence, reminding him of the Titans stolen power. He still had one stone, why wasn't he using it? Perhaps he didn't see Loki worthy enough. No one ever really does.
"Who's fault is that, Loki?"
Now he was going to perish, surrounded by walls, with no way to fight for his pride or life.
When had he become so weak? How could he let it come to this? When he fell into the Void, he expected to meet once again with Hela, permantly. Was it his fate to always have such bad luck?
He couldn't even defeat mortals.
The Invasion itself had been quite simple when he first appeared on Midgard, seeing that it was also much of an improvement from the Void. The mortals so fragile, so easily manipulated. The Archer didn't sway from him, Thano's scepter had worked pleasantly.
Well, expect for the Man of Iron, it didn't work. It hadn't been his fault; the mortal shouldn't have been able to fight against the mind-stone.
"Not mine."
They had another power source, much like the tesseract. Which was odd, he didn't recall being told of another. It was smaller, much smaller, and happened to be stuck into the chest of the so called 'Iron man.' Why the chest? Above his heart too, mortals could be so confusing and foolish. If he was stricken carefully, he could be fatally wounded. Hearts are such vulnerable things, did he not know that?
Yet, the circular disk of energy, that blue heart, had been able to sway the stones manipulation.
So, should he be blamed if it didn't work? Should he be blamed for his failure?
No, not at all. No individual could have predicted such an outcome.
Thanos didn't know either, perhaps it was for the better.
Thanos would fall to the mortals, just like he had.
Oh how pleasurable that would be... he'd enjoy witnessing it. Then, when the time came, he'd end it. End his suffering, end everything.
Loki internally smiled to himself, he could enter this game once again. He just needed to set up the pieces and put it in motion. He swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, sputtering at the attempt to speak. He coughed hoarsely, then tried again, louder. Finally-
"IT DIDN'T WORK!" Loki let out a screech, breathing heavily. Oh, he that didn't take much acting, his health was faultering. He broke away from those thoughts, he'd fix that later; his body was still on fire.
Thanos halted in his assault, narrowing his cold eyes into Loki's widen pupils, even raising his nonexistent brow. "What lies do you sputter this time, Loki?" The Titan sneered, his lips twisted upwards, entertained with the God's dying pleas. "Amuse me with your last breath."
Loki was set down, nearly collapsing. He shook slightly, licking his lips. Perfect, he hope he looked pathetic. That was his only chance, the only way to prolong his life. Plus, he'd get his revenge against Thanos, with the much appreciated bonus of killing Thor and his pitiful display of heros.
"The Scepter-" He was breath came out wet, "Didn't wo-rk on all of the mortals."
All the amusement drained from the Titans face, his expression darkened. "No soul in the nine realms should be able to withstand it, even you crumpled under its presence. The mind-stone is beyond any spells anyone could conjure" His attention was back to Loki.
The God forced himself to swallow his urge to snicker, he was manipulating an Titan for goodness sake, and instead gave off his infamous sly grins. "Has that ever been proven?"
Purple features twitched, Thanos seeming to pounder. If the Lie-smith be wrong, he'd easily be able to dispose of him. However, if he was right...
"Show me."
Loki gave him a genuine smile. "It would be my pleasure."
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"I'm needed elsewhere, but I shall return, there is still much things you've left unanswered."
"Where's the fun in knowing everything, Thor?"
"To prevent suffering."
"Oh my, you've truly don't know do you? Well, I didn't expect much from you anyway - You can't prevent anything, you can't prevent the end. We're all going to get hurt, there is no protection for the weak, no protection for the lost. You don't see Thor, you blind oaf, you don't see. Blinded by your glory, blinded by your pride."
"-Then tell me Loki, tell me what I missed - tell how I'm wrong, what I'm too blinded to see!"
"Should I be surprised that you don't bother to figure that out yourself?"
"Tell me."
"Crave the truth, don't you? Bravo Thor, you usually don't use your head."
"Tell me!"
"Impatient, are we."
"TELL ME!"
"Have your companions ever mentioned that you've got quite a pair of lungs?"
The truth is that we're never safe.
