Okay! I'm back and with a few more important side notes. But first - reviews.
Guest 1: It will be explained in a couple chapters, don't worry!
deathtoanarchy: Thanks so much! Hopefully I don't disappoint!
AsDarknessSpreads: You're getting intuitive. ;) Thanks for the advice!
Guest 2: It may be meticulous, but all I'm doing is trying to avoid any confusion.
Winterlover6: Thanks, but you haven't seen (read?) anything yet! :P
omega2199: Thanks! I've never used a beta before and for now I think I'm okay. Thank you for offering.
Guest 3: As for parings, this is not a romance fic. Some things may be implied, but for the most part it is Percabeth.

I'm sorry to do this again, but I had to re-work a few things for the plot, and I have to specify a few more placements for the timeline.
- I said previously this occurs before Thor: The Dark World. That still stand, however, assume Loki was already placed in prison.
- This fic is placed at the end of the Amazing Spider-Man 2, (after Gwen's death) but before the 5 month absence of the wall-crawler. For the sake of the fic, this absence does not occur unless specified.
- This is based on the CINEMATIC Marvel universe, although small comic-oriented specifications of things may be implied for the sake of the plot. No background knowledge of the comics is needed. If anyone is curious, any small tidbits of information will only be taken from Earth 616.

BEFORE I FORGET - I INCLUDED A SETTING IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AS WELL, AS NOTED IN ITALICS UNDERNEATH THE TITLE.

Chapter Two – Imprisonment

Date Unknown
Time Unknown
Asgard

Waiting was never one of Loki's strong suits.

After all, it involved patience, much of which he lacked these days. Especially after his ordeal with The Other, where he had foolishly assumed following his plans would have been interesting, possibly even successful, but alas anything that needed to be done right had to be done by oneself – alone. Loki had allowed his mind to be influenced and all it did was limit his prowess and end in failure. However, it was nothing more than distasteful in the grand scheme of things.

His prison was a joke.

The Asgardians all believed him contained and powerless, but none of them knew the power he held. They could guess, they thought they knew, but in their comparative perspective he was nothing short of all-powerful due to their meager standards. The mortals had even thought muzzling him was going to stop the simple strings of words that crushed men and fooled Gods. The all thought mere chains would limit his movements. The treated him like he was a mortal. They thought him weak.

Well, Asgardians weren't known for their intelligence.

Despite all this, Loki didn't dare let them believe otherwise, for the sheer-amount of his power was a mystery to all but himself, and he intended to keep it that way as long as he could. It was true that his power had weakened while on Midgard, but the Asgardians were absolutely foolish to think he was powerless.

After all, even upon his entry to Midgard he had held the barest minimum of his power, small fragments regained only through the might of the Tesseract. With that he had managed a war, and the Avengers barely had him defeated. The thought made Loki grin. Now, he was back on Asgard and finally he could feel the energy surge throughout his veins with renewed vigor, finally giving him the reprieve he needed after so much deep-space exploration.

It wouldn't be long before he would set his next scheme in motion. In fact, all things considered, it already was.

The Asgardians and mortals alike had thought his journey to Midgard a failure, but what they hadn't known is exactly how many times prior he'd been to Midgard. They thought his first corporal journey there had been when he used the Tesseract to open a gate into the realm – which was considerably easier than his other methods in retrospect – although, that had been the later of many journeys.

In fact, he had been banished by Zeus to Tartarus on multiple occasions due to his dwellings on what they called Earth, (admittedly, he had caused chaos for his amusement) but Loki wasn't about to relive those experiences. Nor was he going to commemorate the fact that Aphrodite had escaped his enslavement simply because Zeus could not fathom it. Hence his second "vacation" to the realm of the damned, and Loki wasn't keen on reliving those older memories either. They had practically been half a millennia ago.

In fact, the only flaw Loki could find in his present plan was the lack of interference from the Midgardian Greek Gods. They hadn't bat an eyelash during his assault on what was practically their doorstep, leaving the supposed Avengers to counter his army. Perhaps they had believed in mortals for once, but Loki doubted. Something must have happened to force them not to play a hand. Even more so, during that ordeal Loki had hoped to anger the Gods, force them to reveal themselves to the mortals that no longer worshipped them. Since they hadn't, as Loki had predicted, it was fortunate Loki set his plan years before, or else he might have failed his true objective. There were plenty other pieces arranged in his favour, and now all he needed was an appropriate pawn.

He hadn't realized, that with the monarchy of the Greek Gods, mortals weren't their descendants. As the Gods once overthrew the Titans, he had thought those insolent beings were the next step to overthrow the Gods. Undoubtedly it had been a rare moment of utter stupidity, one that almost jeopardized his plans. Loki had forgotten one key element, something perhaps so obvious he couldn't fathom it being that simple.

Silently, he pressed his palm against the magical barrier of his cell.

It was foolish really, for Odin to condemn him to an Asgardian prison, especially one that used sorcery. Sorcery was his weapon, and any who thought they could wield it against him – well that was frankly idiotic. It was times like this where Loki actually attempted to comprehend the stupidity of Asgardians, considering that very same stupidity would factor into his plans. Sometimes, he just couldn't grasp how such simplistic matters were overlooked.

It was also times like this where Loki deigned the possibility that they weren't stupid and that he was just smart. However likely, he couldn't allow himself to truly believe it or else without a doubt he would become careless.

Loki couldn't have that, now could he?

Feeling the barrier shimmer and wane under the pressure he applied through his fingertips, he moved them in a soundless melody. It was comical really, considering it wouldn't take more than a second for him to break through it, considering it needed only a pint of brute force and a significant amount of knowledge. These barriers were meant for the underdeveloped thoughts of the criminals ensnared into Odin's trap. None of them had the keen sense of mind that allowed Loki to understand the way the density of the wavelengths shifted underneath his fingers, to calculate the number of realities this fabric of space and time entwined with or how a simple precise movement would disable this realm for barely a quarter-second.

All he had to do, Loki thought as he let his fingers dance atop the shimmering surface, is find the origin of the barrier. It couldn't have been larger than a needle point, but with his senses trained to create and dismantle sorcery it was an easy task.

Each day Loki would stand here, place his hand on this particular part of the barrier, and reassure himself of his escape if necessary. He was never trapped. He had known how to leave his prison the moment he was locked inside it. The reason he hadn't escaped already (because he surely could) was for one simple reason: it was not time. Too many variables were still unknown, too many circumstances not planned for. All he could do for now was plan and wait for the time when he could set the major parts of his plan in motion.

He had a feeling he would be called for soon enough. If the events he had set in motion proved fruitful, he wouldn't even need to escape his cell himself. For now, to any that saw him, he was but an illusion of peace, reading without a care whatsoever. But, if they could they wouldn't see him leisurely relaxing, he would be there analyzing, planning and scheming for every one of the scenarios that could occur between now and forever.

Lowering his hand from the barrier, a slow pulse reverberated throughout it, stabilizing the barrier once more. The guards trained to watch the prisoners were as always motionless, usually never moving anything but their eyes. Loki locked eyes with the one that was watching him. The guard looked right through him to the illusion of himself reading a book. These guards may have seemed alert to all the other prisoners, prepared for any diversions that any may attempt, but Loki knew better. These guards were not analyzing, they were scared. Some of the nine-realm's most dangerous criminals dwelled in this stronghold and the guards were dreading the moment any of them attempted to escape. In fact, the guards' gazes may have been scrutinizing towards the cells' occupants, but ever since Loki had been walked into the dungeon he could sense the terror he caused them.

After all, when he was first brought to his cell, he had been bound by a number of chains infused with sorcery, which the Asgardians thought were powerful enough to contain him, and they had even dared to re-muzzle him with the cursed object S.H.I.E.L.D. had made. Admittedly, they had added enchantments, even if Loki didn't see the benefit of doing so otherwise than terrifying the guards on duty.

All the guards knew the tales of how Loki could turn their minds to mush with barely a word.

When he had entered his cell, his bonds had been removed and they had called upon his mother to soundproof it so none of his words would reach the ears of those around him. If anyone knew how dangerous his voice was, it was Frigga. His adopted mother was one of the only beings in the world Loki truly cared for, and she understood him more than any of the others. She felt his desire to rule, wept at his imprisonment and wished anything but using her sorcery against one of her sons.

Loki had not said a word as she did it, out of respect for her. In the brief moments where he had been un-muzzled and audible, he could have disrupted the minds of all the guards present and even gone so far as to upset his brother further. But, he hadn't, and now he could now scream bloody murder and none would blink for he was muted to all but himself. Loki didn't mind. He could restore sound to his voice whenever he pleased – be it by leaving the cell or simply breaking the enchantment – though he hadn't as he did not care to goad the guards anyway. It was better to let them all believe he was powerless. His voice was a very lethal weapon, but it was far from his only one. It might have been the most resourceful and perhaps the weapon he was most skilled at, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Slowly, he walked around his confined space, contemplating the scenario of his imprisonment.

It was perhaps obvious, but his sentiment dulled his insight on the topic. At first, the All-Father had wished his lips sewn shut by none other than the Enchantress whom was another prisoner skilled in manipulating the minds of men. If she had bound her curse into the thread in order to stop the flow of truth and lies alike that resounded from Loki's mouth, only she would be able to undo it. It had shocked Loki at first, but nonetheless he had laughed. It seemed so human to disable speech in such a way, to bind the gap with a needle and thread, to stop the silken strung syllables he manifested simply by rendering him unable to speak. However, furthermore to Loki's amusement, Thor had refused the idea, claiming it cruel and that even his brother had not sunk so low as to be muted permanently in such a disrespectful way. Loki hadn't known whether to be touched or offended. Having his lips bound by the Enchantress seemed invigorating, the introduction of a new dilemma that would simply strengthen him further. In the end Odin had surprisingly agreed with Thor and the result was instead using Frigga's sorcery to soundproof his containment.

Loki closed his eyes, and when he opened them he was free of his cell in a reality none could see. He had not actually escaped, he simply created an illusion of himself to which he focused his conscience. He looked back towards where the guards watched his visible illusion casually flip the page of a novel. He then proceeded to walk alongside the guards on watch and further down into the dungeon. He spared no glance to the creatures of the nine-realms idling in their cells. They were not of importance. That was until he viewed the golden hair of a maiden whom sat curiously in her cell, her eyes turned towards him. If he didn't know better, he would have guessed she sensed his presence.

The only disappointment Loki felt towards the path taken for his muteness was that he would not meet the Enchantress. The tales of her power were thrilling, as she used much of the same web as Loki to ensnare her victims. He was curious however, on why her power only worked on men. He supposed that it was possible she wasn't skilled enough to manipulate women, but somehow he felt it was more of a preference. The marvels of speech were wonderful, but to limit it like that, Loki couldn't help but feel like there was wasted potential. It was a shame that he would not be able to turn her into a pawn like many others, due to the fact that he would not have the circumstantial events to do so.

That was unless he convinced Thor that he was so utterly wretched that the only way to refute his behaviour was to condemn himself to such a fate of silence.

Looking at the women before him, Loki wished he could have a conversation with her to truly understand what it meant to speak to someone as compelling as himself. Nothing he did was for naught however, as one day he was going to speak with the women that might be able to control his mind as he could many others. In fact, he might just consider altering his plan slightly to include her involvement.

In actuality, having the Enchantress in his plan would further the chance of success, and if not, could escape failure almost completely unscathed. It was ideal. Loki would only now need to enmesh her to his will…

That was when Loki decided that since it was ever-boring in his cell, he might as well create some chaos in the form of some much-deserved entertainment. It was in this moment that he was committed himself to meeting the Enchantress, simply because he felt like it. Nothing could deter his carefully thought out plans anyway, not even the loss of his voice. It was time to convince Thor that he did need his lips sewn shut by none other than the bewitcher of men.

Therefore, Loki supposed, it was time for some mischief.