When they arrived there, the guards left the room to leave them alone with Surtur.
"I hope you had a good night, Princes of Asgard."
Loki bowed his head.
"Indeed we had. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, it is not something we will forget."
The Fire Giant looked satisfied with the answer and rose from his throne, taking the three steps which separated him from the gods.
"You look better, Loki. At least strong enough to make a promise."
Thor knitted his brows in confusion while Loki raised his head to look the king in the eye.
"I am ready. But I hope the favor I owe you, will not interfere with my search for Thanos."
"There is no reason to worry about that. I will not collect the debt in the near future."
This time even Loki couldn't mask how little he liked this, but instead of voicing it, he held out his hand and the king did the same.
What seemed like an ordinary handshake to Thor at first, obviously was so much more as the claws of Surtur sank into the back of Loki's hand and the trickster's blood ran over their hands. So they must have made a blood promise, something Thor knew of, but never had made himself. It was not possible to break his word if a blood promise was made, so Surtur had now secured, Loki would keep it.
After a few seconds the king pulled back his hand.
"So how do you want to find Thanos? He could be anywhere."
"With a spell, of course. Finding him will not be the problem, but taking him out will be an almost impossible task. I do not know of a way to kill him, so I figured it would be better to send him back to his own world."
"You want to send him back to Titan? I am afraid I do not see the use in that."
"According to the old stories, Thanos killed thousands of its people by dropping nuclear devices including his own mother. I bet the Titans will not give him a warm welcome when he pops up again."
An evil smile spread on Surtur's face.
"I can see why they call you the trickster. I will advise my army to prepare for a battle to hold off his army of Chitauri while you try to fight him."
"That is most generous of you, but there is no need for that. We will have better chances of getting him into a fight if we surprise him. Thor and I will contact you once we have figured out when the time to attack has come. What I need from you, though, is more power."
"Why should I grant you that wish?"
"I told you Thanos has the intention to conquer all the realms and someday he might be strong enough to defeat you. I can prevent that, but even my magic is limited. I need more power to open a gate to Titan and force Thanos through it."
After some time of thinking, Surtur nodded.
"Very well, I can see your point. But as far as I can tell, you do not need my assistance in that. You already have the key to more power in you. You just need to find it."
Loki and Thor looked at each other, none of them had an idea what the Fire Giant was talking about.
"I am afraid I do not understand, Your Majesty."
"I am sure you will when the time is right."
He reached out and touched one of Loki's temples.
"You need to overcome the binding spell first. It is an obstacle preventing you from doing the right thing. You know what I mean?"
For a moment there was silence and just when Thor wanted to ask what Surtur was talking about, Loki seemed to get the point and his face turned to a cold mask.
"Yes, I do."
He turned around and left, Thor close behind.
When they reached their room again, the latter finally dared to ask.
"What has been going on in there? What was he talking about?"
Loki came to a halt in the middle of the room, closing his eyes and concentrating.
"Nothing you need to know. He just opened my eyes to some things."
"What things?"
Loki took his time with the answer.
"That I need to be the one to end this, not you."
"Why?"
"Because I do not want you to get hurt."
The confession made Thor shut up momentarily and allow Loki to continue.
"I am responsible for this and it is me Thanos wants. I will not allow you to get into the crossfire."
"Loki, no matter what you say, I will not leave your side. I have let you down once, I will not do it again!"
Thor took his brother's face into his hands and added.
"You are not alone in this!"
Loki felt something inside of him breaking at that. For the first time since they had left Asgard, he was able to believe that their journey could have a happy ending.
They stayed in that position for some time, then Thor let go of him and Loki closed his eyes to concentrate on the spell. He shut out everything and searched his mind for the traces of Thanos magic, examining all its details until he was sure he would be able to recognize it anywhere. Then he sent out a wave of his own magic into the universe. It took a few seconds until he felt the echo coming back to him with an image manifesting in his mind.
He opened his eyes and looked at Thor.
"He is in Jotunheim."
"Okay, but why this realm?"
At first Loki just shrugged, then realization hit him.
"Of course. It is perfect. Why did I not expect this?"
"Loki, would you please tell me what is going on in that mind of yours?"
"Think about it! Jotunheim has lost its king not too long ago. The Frost Giants do not know Laufey's son is still alive, all they know is I was left to die. So the throne has no heir. The most powerful are probably fighting each other to get their hands on the crown. Just imagine how desperate the rest of them is for peace. I bet they do not care who gets the power as long as the killing will stop. And then Thanos comes and promises them peace."
Thor had to agree, it was the perfect plan, but there was still one thing he didn't understand.
"But Thanos is not a Frost Giant himself, why would they let him take over their reign?"
"I do not think Thanos just came there and asked for the throne, he probably used magic. Either to disguise himself as a Frost Giant or to influence their thoughts. With no one left who has a rightful claim to the crown, their will can be bent easily."
"So you think he is powerful enough to get into the mind of an entire race?"
"He is a Titan and therefore more powerful than anything we have ever encountered before. So yes, I think it is possible."
"If we want to fight him, we need the other Avengers. There is no way we can do this without help."
Loki nodded.
"I know. Let us head to Midgard."
Asgard
Tony had never felt more uncomfortable in the presence of so many people. He and Silver were following one of the king's guards through the throne room, the gazes of the other Asgardians at their rears. Maybe it would have been better if that Heimdall guy had escorted them, at least he had believed them.
When they stopped in front of the impressive golden throne and looked up to the old man sitting on it, Tony had never felt more tiny. There was an aura of power surrounding this god and despite his age, his gaze was the sharp one of an experienced warrior.
The guard bowed his head and Tony and Silver quickly imitated the motion.
"Allfather, Heimdall sent me to bring you these humans. They claim to be friends with the prince."
The old man rose, motioning with his stick for the guard to leave them alone and the other Asgardians quickly followed until the only other listeners of the conversation between the king and the humans were two ravens, one at each side of the throne.
"You are just humans. How come you know my son?"
Tony, noticing how Silver shivered under the king's gaze with dilated pupils, decided to be the one to answer him.
"Not long ago, we fought by his side to protect our world from his brother."
Realization dawned on the man's face.
"Thor has mentioned a group of extraordinary humans called The Avengers."
"Technically, he is also one of us."
Tony didn't realize he had said something wrong until the man's face changed with anger.
"How dare you put the prince of Asgard down onto the level of your kind? You are beneath him, little human, and you are lucky I am even hearing you out!"
Tony bowed his head again to calm the king's anger, but couldn't help but think of the obvious difference between Thor and his father although he couldn't put his finger on it, yet. He was glad when the voice of the man sounded neutral again.
"So how have you managed to get here? I am sure Heimdall would have contacted me if you had called for him."
"Well, actually Loki sent us here."
There was silence until the king nodded for him to continue.
"The Avengers including us met up again with your two sons to fight the creature behind the new alien attacks similiar to the ones Loki had led. We lost track of their leader Thanos when he used portals to jump between the worlds, so in order to find him as soon as possible, we separated. Silver and I had just met up with Thor and Loki, when the latter sent us away to another world and that's how we ended up here."
"So Loki tricked you?"
"Sort of. It seems like he didn't want us to either slow him down or get hurt."
"You are a fool if you believe he cares about you, so you should rather rule out the latter."
The words sent a pang of hatred through Tony and he had to swallow to keep his mouth shut. He began to understand why Loki had turned out to be like he was now.
He was glad to hear Heimdall's familiar voice behind him.
"Your Majesty, I must disagree. The tendency to care too much about those he loves is the reason why he lost his way in the first place. You should know that more than anyone else."
Tony frowned but didn't dare to speak, expecting the king to burst out at the disrespect Heimdall showed him, but nothing happened. So he actually valued the latter's opinion and that gave Tony the courage to ask his question.
"What do you mean, it was the reason why he lost his way?"
For a moment Heimdall and the king glared at each other as if they had a different opinion about that, but finally the former answered.
"Loki felt like he could never live up to his parents' expectations and that he came always second after Thor. This jealousy is without a doubt why he turned on Thor two years ago. The need for his adoptive parents' love made him murder his real father, Laufey, and when all he got was rejection, he let go. Of Gungnir that was preventing him from falling into the abyss. Of the one person he has called his father in all his lifetime. Of everything."
A heavy tension hung in the air after these words until Silver joined the conversation.
"So Loki is not Thor's real brother? I didn't know that."
Tony had to admit it was a good question, he hadn't known that either.
"No, our king Odin found him after the victory over the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. He was left there to die by his father Laufey, their king."
"But why did Loki kill his own father?"
"To prove his loyalty to Odin. To show the bond of blood didn't matter to him."
Tony nodded and added, "I guess, considering the twisted mind of his, it does make sense."
The angry voice of the Allfather snapped him out of his thoughts.
"It does not matter why he betrayed us. Even if he once was capable of love, you just said yourself he let go. There is no hope for him."
Heimdall's facial expression showed how much he disagreed, but he obviously considered there was no use in fighting with his king – or at least he didn't want to. Tony remembered how much Thor had held on to the hope that some part of Loki was good. He had always thought it just was because of their bond as siblings, but knowing their back story, it made so much more sense. According to Heimdall's story, there had been a time when their love had been mutual. When he now thought back to Loki's recent behavior around his brother, the hurt in his eyes, he couldn't help but think that not all hope was gone. After all, nobody could hurt you more than the one you love the most.
Suddenly Heimdall stiffened, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Thor is calling for me."
He turned around and hurried away into the direction they had come from just yesterday, Silver, Tony and Odin following close behind. In one swift motion, Heimdall plunged his sword into the slot in the middle of his watchtower and opened the Bifröst.
A few seconds later two tall silhouettes appeared in the stream of bright light. Tony exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding upon seeing Thor and Loki without visible damage.
At the same time, Silver stepped forward.
"What the hell were you thinking when you sent us away? We didn't know where you were heading or if we would ever see you again!"
While Loki didn't seem impressed at all, Thor grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes with a calming expression in his own.
"We are truly sorry we made you worry, but we needed to get you somewhere safe. The realm we entered after we had sent you to Asgard, is not very friendly towards any weaker species, so I am glad Loki forced you through the portal."
It was exactly what Silver hadn't wanted to hear but just as she was about to protest, Tony grabbed her wrist and stroked the sensitive skin with his thumb, a silent suggestion for her to save the anger for later when the king of Asgard wasn't watching.
Thor nodded thankfully to him, then turned to Heimdall.
"Thank you for taking us up here. We need to search for our friends, but we do not know in which realms they are. Do you think you can help us finding them?"
"That should not be a problem. I have sent two of them to Midgard yesterday. Hogun had found them. Their names were Hawkeye and Captain America. I can send you to them and search for the others afterwards."
"Good. We know Nick and Natasha stayed behind with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. while we were out searching for Thanos. So, Bruce Banner is the only one still missing."
Heimdall nodded, but before he could say or do anything, Odin stepped in.
"Thor, my son, what is the meaning of this? There are only four days left until the moon is full and you are wasting those last precious days by helping these humans?"
But it was Loki who stepped in front of Thor, his voice like venom.
"These humans have to deal with the same enemy we do. Once again our destinies have been entwined, just like your spell has implied. So what are you even complaining about?"
"How dare you speak to me like this? You are still a prisoner of Asgard and I have not made my sentence concerning your future. You should show me some respect!"
Thor's hand came up to his brother's shoulder, signalizing him to let it go. While he was pulling Loki back, he turned to Odin.
"Father, we have no time for this argument. There are still a few days left for us to prove he has been influenced. Until the moon is full, his destiny is in my hands, not yours."
Father and son stared at each other for a little while longer, but in the end the former gave in.
"Fine, we will talk when you come back."
And with that being said, he left them alone.
When Thor turned around, his brother looked at him with a puzzling expression and it hit Thor how his words must have sounded like.
"Loki, I am sorry, I had to say it like this, but I needed to convince him to leave this to us. You know, I would not actually bend your will by using the bond, right?"
Loki's expression didn't change, but he nodded.
"I know you do not want to. That does not equal you not actually using it."
It was something Thor had never given any thought to. He had never considered there could be a situation where something else might be more important to him than Loki's free will.
"I wish I could say you are wrong, but I just cannot."
To his confusion a little smile spread across Loki's face.
"I know. I would do the same."
Thor had the unnerving feeling that Loki's words had a deeper meaning than he was able to realize, but Tony interrupted them.
"Guys, as much as I appreciate this bonding moment of yours, we need to find the others first."
The two brothers nodded and lined themselves up next to Tony and Silver while Heimdall opened the Bifröst again.
"Good luck, Princes of Asgard. I will contact you once I have found your missing friend."
And then the four figures were sucked into a stream of colors.
Midgard
When Loki felt ground under his feet again, the surroundings looked quite familiar. They were standing in the middle of New York's greatest skyscrapers, just in front of the Avengers Tower. To be more precise, they were in the middle of the street, cars coming to a halt in front of them and many people staring at them in a mix of surprise and horror.
Quickly he grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him up from the ground while Thor did the same with Silver. The two humans were awake but a bit disorientated from the harsh ride, maybe even hurt, so the two gods pulled them into the direction of the tall building. Both let out a relieved smile when they managed to enter it and were greeted by some agents they didn't know.
The younger one of them held his badge up which listed him as Agent Grant Ward.
"It's good to see you again, Mr Stark, Ms Rakastava. Everyone here was quite worried about you."
He commented the sight of the two gods with an unmistakably hostile gaze, but otherwise chose to ignore them.
Silver immediately let go of Thor and allowed Agent Ward to help her into the elevator. Tony tried to follow them on his own, but overestimated his body and nearly stumbled to the ground, Loki's arms coming up just in time to catch him and his voice next to Tony's ear.
"Wait, I can fix this."
Before Tony was able to understand what was happening, a warm feeling rushed through his body and his vision stopped spinning. He didn't remember the last time he had felt this good – at least physically.
"Now, that was an experience – thanks I guess."
He playfully shoved Loki's shoulder which caused the trickster to tighten his grip around Tony's stomach and force him to stay in place.
"You are welcome. But do not grow accustomed to it. Usually I am not this nice."
Tony was about to respond with a joke when he noticed Thor's face darkening with something that looked an awful lot like jealousy. It was ridiculous that he now couldn't even touch Loki without upsetting his brother.
"Thor, relax, I'm just developing some sort of fragile friendship with him, nothing more."
Surprised Loki turned around to Thor who sighed, apparently annoyed with himself.
"I am sorry, Tony, I am not doing this on purpose, it just happens."
Loki stepped closer to him, a smug smile on his face.
"I like your jealousy even if there is no reason for that."
He leant forward and gave Thor an innocent kiss causing Tony to gasp in surprise.
"Okay, what did I miss? Last time I saw you together with Thor, you were terrified whenever he just came near you and now you're kissing him?"
Thor and Loki were saved from having to give an answer by a familiar voice coming from the elevator.
"Finally, it's been about time."
They turned around to look at Steve smirking at them, just when Natasha and Nick came down the stairs. Loki's gaze remained fixed at Steve as the superhuman clapped him on the shoulder and Tony could see in their eyes that apparently Steve had known this would happen – or at least suspected it.
Nick came closer, shaking Tony's hand before turning his gaze to the brothers.
"So now, we have a Norse God pairing? Great."
His voice was thick with sarcasm, but everybody seemed to just ignore him as Agent Ward came back.
"I brought Silver up to her room. All of you should rest just like her. There are rooms for every one of you."
Nick looked at the others.
"First we need to set up a plan."
But Steve already motioned for the others to follow Ward and commented that suggestion.
"No, we can't plan anything as long as we don't know what happened to Bruce. We need to watch out for ourselves, that includes him."
Nick wanted to argue about that, but Loki quite literally took Steve's side.
"He is right. Last time we saw him, Thanos had him brainwashed, he still could be. If we do not want to get an unpleasant surprise, we need to find him first."
Nick let them go, but he obviously didn't like this one bit.
The team took the elevator to the highest floor where their quarters were. Steve, Tony, Thor and Loki had their rooms at the north side while the ones of Nick, Natasha, Clint, Maria and Grant were at the south side.
Loki was glad he was with the half of these humans he liked the most since he still couldn't stand the sight of Nick and hadn't had much to do with the two agents who were probably still pissed at him for killing off their comrade.
To his surprise Steve didn't disappear in his own room, but followed Loki.
"There's something we need to talk about."
Loki opened the door to his green colored bright room and let Steve in, ignoring the curious glances of Tony and Thor who were still in the corridor. After Loki had shut it behind him, Steve flopped himself onto the bed.
"Loki, you are an even worse team player than Tony and now you are signing up for our plan? What are you up to?"
Loki walked to the large window and took in the impressive height.
"You would not believe me."
"Try me!"
Loki knew it was pointless to refuse him further information, as the leader he deserved to know.
"I have unfinished business with Thanos and I want to keep my brother out of this. As long as I am sticking to your plan, I will not draw his suspicion and I might be able to get into a situation where I can opt out without him noticing it first."
Steve had expected many things, but certainly not this. It was a very simple but yet profound reason and once again Steve found himself wondering how much goodness Loki was hiding from the outer world. The thought gave him the courage to ask something he had been rolling around in his head since their last conversation.
"How much do you love your brother? There has always been something special in the way you look at each other. As if it was only the two of you and no one else was there."
Out of old habit Loki wanted to laugh it off, but it felt like an insult to his feelings, so he decided to tell the truth instead.
"I love him more than I have ever loved somebody in my whole life. I think I always have. But I am not sure yet where this is heading."
When he looked at Steve again, he found the man smiling at him.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just…it's nice to finally understand what's going on in your head. And to know you are not a power thirsty maniac, but just helplessly in love."
Loki smirked and watched Steve leaving his room, a wave of sympathy for the human welling through him. He began pacing through the room impatiently, feeling too useless and after a while he decided to search for Bruce as well. He was slowly getting used to this locating spells, although he had to admit it was way harder to find somebody when he had no connection to him unlike the magic link he shared with Thanos.
After half an hour Loki was sure, Bruce was not on Midgard and he reached out further, beginning with Svartalfheim, the last place he had seen him.
