Chapter One:

She had run away again. It was the third night after the funeral, and she had snuck out of her neighbour's house. It was just a temporary fix, she knew that. She had heard Mrs. Wilson talking on the phone. This wouldn't last forever. She would be taken somewhere soon, somewhere far away from her old house, her old room, her old life. But she didn't want to leave. She didn't want anything to change. She just wanted her mommy and daddy to come back.

It was Hela that had found the eight-year-old first. She had felt the distress days ago, but she had been too busy to escape Helheim. Now, she regretted not arriving sooner.

Her chocolate brown locks were tangled together as the rain and wind whipped the ponytail from side to side. Her clothes were ruined by the storm and mud as she knelt at the freshly covered graves of her adopted parents. Little cries and whimpers were heard, Hela closing her eyes at the sound she could hear from where she stood under a tree. It reminded her too much of when she had been ripped away from her father and brothers all those centuries ago.

"She's in pain," Fenrir padded to her side in his usual image when around their youngest sibling. He had altered his appearance as she grew, not wanting her to be suspicious that her fury friend was remaining a puppy. "Brother has remained in her neighbours garden since the accident. This is the third night in a row."

"She's grieving over the loss of the only family she has known," Hela pulled her jacket tighter around herself. She didn't grow cold. She couldn't remember ever growing cold. But seeing their sister is agony and unable to do a thing about it, it caused a chill to rise.

Most saw the Queen of the Dead as a heartless creature. And perhaps, it was true in a sense; she could be ruthless and uncaring. She needed to be for her kingdom of the Underworld. But there was only one single thing she would viciously care for. And that was her family.

"Go to her, sister," his muzzle nudged her.

But Hela shook her head. "She grew out of me years ago. You go, Fen."

Fenrir was halted before he could take a step towards the young girl, a mortal woman hurrying across the cemetery with an umbrella in her hands. The pair watched as she tried to comfort the little girl, lifting her up into her arms despite her protest. Hela ached, longing to reach out to her sister, and one look at her brother told her he was hurting just as she.

"She doesn't deserve such pain," a voice muttered, the sharp wind forming a figure beside Fenrir. "She's endured enough, and she's not even a decade old."

"Hello Jörmungand," Hela smiled tightly at their other brother. They were all there now, except for their last. But he was tucked away in Asgard, the only child of their father granted such a gift.

"Sister, brother," Jörmungand nodded at his siblings, his raven black hair falling into his face. He could have fooled many, looking much like their father. "Our littlest has been put through much."

"She has lost more than one family," Fenrir agreed, watching as the woman and their sister disappeared before beginning a slow trot towards the twin headstones.

Hela and Jörmungand followed behind, only to stop suddenly at Fenrir's stiffened form.

"Brother?" their voices unison in concern.

"Is that," Fenrir approached the graves cautiously, his nose low to the ground as he inspected the once muddy grass. "Is that ice?"

"What?" Hela came to his side, an eyebrow raised as she found the patch of rough ice that spread between the two graves. "That wasn't there before."

Jörmungand frowned as he peered around his siblings. "It appears we are not the only ones who have inherited some of father's gifts."

"This isn't normal magic," Fenrir shook his head. "This is more."

"It doesn't matter," Hela's gaze turned towards the direction their sister had been taken. "Magic is accepted here even less than Asgard. If she can produce this, she will need to be watched much more carefully."

Jörmungand's head tilted to the side as he eyed his sister. It was almost unnerving how similar his gaze was compared to their father. It was one of the reasons Odin had detested him the most. "I suppose it is a good thing she has meddling siblings."

"Don't act so innocent, garden snake," Hela snickered. "What would father think?"

"And you?" he rolled his eyes. "And the pup?"

"He would be grateful," Fenrir ended the bickering before it could truly begin. Midgard would surely fall into Hel should those two find themselves in an argument. "Father would be relieved to know she isn't alone."

"When did you become the wise one, little brother?" Jörmungand's lips twitched into a smirk.

Hela shook her head before a shudder ran down her spine. She was being requested back in the Underworld. Another body perhaps. Another soul to be tested. "I must take my leave. Helheim cannot run itself. I trust the two of you will keep an eye on her."

Jörmungand was already gone, a small, much tinier version of his true form already curling itself around Fenrir's leg. Hela bowed her head as the husky let a rumbling howl out before disappearing in a leap.

Alone, Hela sighed as she laid her hands on each of the headstones. They had been good parents to their sister. They had brought her a great deal of happiness, and likely would have until Loki had finally discovered her whereabouts. She would ensure their souls rested well.

"I promise I won't do it again. Please don't let them take me, Ms. Jefferson!" round eyes begged the older woman as her suitcase was lifted from the ground by a rigid man in a suit. "Please!"

The cold woman barely sent the child a glance as she waved at the man in the suit. For two years she had dealt with the mischief-maker, and she had had enough. It was always so cold whenever the girl was in the room, even when the heater was turned on. The damn girl always playing tricks on the other children in the orphanage in the wintertime, causing them to slip when they shouldn't be. Enough was enough. She was thankful when this man had come knocking on her door, insisting on taking this special girl off her hands. Good riddance!

"Please, please, please!" tears pooled in the startling green eyes. She didn't like these men. There was nothing about them that screamed warm and kind. It was because of what she could do, not that she meant to. She didn't mean for anything to happen. It hadn't been her…

The barking of a dog interrupted her thoughts, her head snapping to the side. There in the open doorway stood the familiar husky that she used to play with in the park every Sunday, the one that somehow seemed to find her even here. The girl immediately moved towards the dog, feeling a sense of safety and comfort in his mere presence. The suited man, however, intercepted her, standing in her path.

"Miss Walker?" he knelt to her level, trying to catch her gaze.

"Shoo you!" Ms. Jefferson tried to push the growling dog out of the doorway. "Before I call the pound on you."

The girl tried to shift to the side, to move towards the dog, but the man only moved along with her.

"My name is Phil Coulson," he offered a small smile. "I'm going to take you somewhere safe, all right?"

"I don't want to go with you," the 10-year-old shook her head. "I want to stay. I can be a good girl."

"You won't have to worry about any of that where we're going," he assured. "We can help you, you know. We're not the bad guys."

Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips forming a pout as she crossed her arms stubbornly. She didn't trust this man. Something in her gut told her never to trust where he wanted to take her.

Another bark sounded from the door and Ms. Jefferson sent a swift kick in his direction. Growling, the husky twisted and began down the steps and through the yard.

"Everything is going to be all right," Coulson held out a hand for her to take. "You'll see."

But she didn't see. She didn't want to. So she made his life incredibly difficult, causing the man to lift her and forcing her towards the SUV awaiting them at the curb. She screamed and kicked, but nothing changed her fate.

"Sir," Coulson closed the door, a sigh sounding as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. She had been more trouble than he had expected, but it wasn't his frustration that was getting to him. "We have her. We're on our way to the compound now."

"Were there any complications?"

"She didn't want to leave, but there were no display of her abilities," Coulson informed, gazing over his shoulder and through the darkened windows at the silhouette of the girl. "Is this really necessary? She's just a little girl, sir. Surely…"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Agent Coulson. Bring the girl to the compound; those are your orders."

The agent sighed heavily but agreed against his better judgment. "Yes Director."

Thor knocked for the third time on his brother's door, eying the Warrior Three and Sif as they stood at the end of the hall, waiting on him to begin their hunt. But Loki had locked himself away once again, with only his books and his magic to keep him company. He had complained to their mother, of course, that this behaviour was getting out of hand. He had become far too reclusive in the last few years, keeping to himself unless forced by their father. Frigga had only assured him that his younger brother would come to them when it was time.

Thor had never been a patient man in the past, however.

"Come now, brother," he roared through the door, knocking for a fourth time when there was no answer. "You've been locked away in there for too long. Join our friends and I on our hunt. It will be one that stories are told of!"

But there was no reply. Not a single sound that returned to acknowledge the invitation. Sighing, Thor gazed down at the prized weapon at his side. A grin formed on the blonde Prince's lips.

"I'm sure Mjolnir would enjoy a great battle with the beast that is your…"

Before he could finish, the door swung open, revealing a furious God of Mischief.

"Do you know what today is, brother?" Loki hissed, his orbs narrowed into mere slits. His hands were curled around the frame of the door so tightly that the wood began to creak in protest. "Do you realize what this date means?"

Thor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, uncertain why today of all days, his brother would be so manic.

"Today was to be her Nameday," unnoticed by both brothers, ice began to form beneath Loki's grip on the door as his anger grew.

Realization dawned on the eldest Prince, a sigh sounding as he bowed his head in shame. He should have realized the cause of Loki's fury. He had been distant since that dreadful day only 10 years prior. A decade felt like a mere flick of a wrist to Asgardians, but each year had been painfully slow for the father that had lost his youngest daughter, just like all the others. But this poor little girl, barely even a few weeks old, had been ripped from their lives so suddenly that the pain remained even to this day.

"Brother…"

"No," Loki's halted the pity he knew his brother would condemn him with. He didn't want his pity, nor his sympathy. He simply wanted his daughter. "Four, Thor. Four children taken from me. And you expect the pain to be any less? I will grieve for however long I wish, and nothing you or mother do will change that."

"Father did what he thought was…"

"She was two weeks old!" a faint green hue began forming around the dark Prince, his tall, lanky form shaking as the anger rolled off of him in waves. "And he took her from me."

"We don't know that," Thor insisted. "Father wouldn't have…"

"He took the others away. He only kept Sleipnir for his own selfish desires, not because his was my son. Do not defend him to me."

The thunder God could only nod, looking away with the guilt he had felt since that night his niece had been taken from her crib. He, the heir to the throne, the mightiest warrior Asgard had ever witnessed, and he hadn't been able to protect his own kin. He refused to believe, however, that their father would have been so cruel. Hela, Jörmungand and Fenrir had only been taken from Asgard once they had grown, developed into the forms they were today. But her, the tiny little girl that Loki had brought into their realm not even a few hours old, she was gone before her own chambers had been constructed.

"You are not alone, brother," Thor offered, knowing it would only fall onto deaf ears. "Mother and I, and even father, we can share your grief."

Loki only snorted in response, rolling his eyes at the ludicrous statement before twisting and shoving the door in his brother's face. Thor was left alone, staring at the door as if waiting for Loki to return and state he only needed a moment to prepare for their excursion. But just as it were every time before, Loki did not return, and he didn't join the five as Thor blindly always expected. It would be many years – perhaps centuries – before his brother was ready to accept the loss of his daughter.

A/N: I have quite possibly far too many fics on the go, but it's honestly impossible to ignore these fantastic characters. So this is happening. So a lot of this will be set in the Movieverse - with helpings from both the comics and mythology (and my own little ideas as well). Thank you to those that have reviewed, followed and favourited. It means a great deal. I was a little worried writing in the Avengers/Thor universe, so it takes the stress off knowing I'm not completely doing a terrible job. There will be updates the next two days as I already have those chapters finished, so keep an eye out for those.