The Truth About Lies

by foxy11814

Thor knew his father had kept secrets from Loki. Supposedly, he had done it for Loki's own good, but now Thor knows how his brother felt. Loki's parentage isn't the only family secret Odin has kept over the years. He has one or two about Thor as well, and now they're coming to light. How will this affect Thor's relationships with his father and his brother?

11. Chapter 11

Sorry it took so long to get this posted! I hope you enjoy!

The Truth About Lies Chapter 11

Odin stood at the railing on one of the palace balconies and tried to focus his own eye and attention onto Midgard. He was trying desperately to spot either one of his sons but had thus far been unsuccessful. He knew Frigga would be hysterical if she were still alive. Despite the fact that Gaea was really Thor's mother, his wife had loved Thor as her own and had always been fearful of the day that the Midgardian goddess would one day try to take him.

Now that day had arrived, Gaea had succeeded, and he had no idea how to get Thor back. He couldn't even find them!

Sighing for the millionth time, he turned away from the railing to see Sif and the Warriors Three behind him. "News?" he asked, already knowing that they didn't have any but asking so they would tell him why they were really there.

"No," Sif answered, "but we came to beg an audience, my king."

"Speak."

Sif looked at her companions briefly before talking aloud. "We're worried about Thor," she revealed. "We know he has fled with Loki to Midgard. With your permission, we would like to go after him."

Odin stepped towards them and said, "I thank you for your concern and volunteering, but we cannot find him at this time. You would be merely roaming Midgard since I have no direction to point you in."

"Well, it's better than doing nothing!" she cried spiritedly. She then squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then stated calmly, "I'm sorry. It's just that…we have to get him back. There is no telling what Loki is doing to Thor. He might have already betrayed him."

Odin shook his head and replied, "I don't think we should be worrying about Loki right now. I think we should be worried more about Gaea."

"Gaea? Who's Gaea?" Volstagg asked.

Odin turned back around and stared across Asgard. "This knowledge goes no farther than who is currently here. Do you understand?" When he looked back to see them nod, he answered, "Gaea is Thor's biological mother." He heard Thor's friends inhale sharply, but he ignored it and continued speaking. "She is currently hiding Thor from me on Midgard. It's a place where I cannot see."

"Heimdall?" Fandral questioned.

"He cannot find him either."

The Warriors Three blew out shaky breaths while Sif gritted her teeth momentarily. "Don't see you, All-Father? This is why we must go to Midgard! We must find Thor! She might never let him go and we'd never see him again!"

Odin looked at the young woman and considered her words carefully.

=)=)=)

Oceanus paused at a double door that had several golden lightning bolts painted across its white surface. Or at least, Thor had initially believed it to be paint. When he scrutinized the doors a little more closely, he saw that the bolts were actually large pieces of shaped gold that had been fused with the white marble that surrounded it.

When he glanced back at Oceanus, he saw that the Titan was grinning brightly. "Mother always decorates our rooms to suit our particular gifts."

"Particular gifts?" Loki inquired with a brief squinty glare.

Oceanus nodded and opened the doors widely. Thor and Loki stepped into the room and their jaws dropped. The room had several stories to it that ascended to a glass ceiling that allowed them to see the Midgardian sky. This surprised the Asgardian brothers, because they had thought Gaea's home was completely underground. Before either could ask any questions on this, Oceanus answered Loki's initial question.

"All of Gaea's children have gifts. Thor is the God of Thunder. People have always assumed that he inherited that gift from Odin, but it is possible he received it from our mother, as well."

Loki frowned as he took in the very posh decorations of the bedchambers. The brothers observed that the room had couches and chairs made from various animal hides which were spread across his room obviously for company. There were even tables that were decorated with pictures from their past that they hadn't even known existed. There were several of Loki and Thor standing together when they were children. Curiously, Thor allowed his eyes to drift upward as did Loki. From there, they could see a few rooms on the second floor which probably contained several bedrooms, and as for the third floor, they couldn't tell apart from the glass ceiling.

Settling his eyes back on Thor's newfound brother, Loki asked, "And, what is your gift? I assume it is different than Thor's."

Oceanus nodded once and replied, "I can control water hence my name."

When Loki raised a brow disbelievingly, Oceanus lifted a hand and water suddenly flew from a faucet in the kitchen without having to turn the knob. It floated across the room in a straight line to the Titan. He then balled the water up and bounced it up and down in his hands without spilling a single drop onto the floor. The smirk he adorned annoyed Loki so much that he leaned towards Thor and mumbled, "Do light him up while he's holding that water. Let's see how funny he thinks that is."

Thor pursed his lips and then replied, "Now, be nice, Loki. He is my brother." At the intense frown that settled on Loki's face, he continued, "Just like you are, and I would very much appreciate it if you would try to get along, at least for now."

"At least for now?" questioned Loki. He was clearly shocked.

Thor shrugged and whispered with an even softer voice than he had before. "I don't know him or Gaea. Just because things are okay now doesn't mean there aren't reasons to be cautious. Father has problems with Gaea for a reason and I doubt all of them concern me."

"I should say they do," Loki responded.

"But we don't know that."

They pulled apart and noticed that Oceanus no longer had the water in his hands. The Titan was simply watching them again. When he was sure he had their attention, he said, "I'm pleased that you are here, Thor. Mother has wanted to meet and bring you here for so very long. I am very happy to meet you, too. I would like to get to know you and maybe one day you would consent to meet the others."

Thor nodded without glancing at Loki. His first instinct had been to turn to his younger brother, but he tensed to stop his neck from moving in that direction. "Maybe," he responded.

Oceanus continued to smile and said, "Well, I shall leave you now. I'm sure you and Loki have much to discuss since Mother wanted me to bring you here. I hope to see you both at dinner." With that, he stepped into the hallway and shut the door firmly.

As soon as they heard Oceanus' monstrous footsteps clobber down the corridor away from them, Loki turned to face Thor and commented, "He's kind of smug and yet soft. I don't like him."

Thor huffed and shook his head at his Loki's words. "Sometimes I think you don't like anybody, brother." He made his way to the staircase and continued speaking. "He has been nothing but hospitable so far to me and you. I meant what I said, I think you should try to get along with him while we're here."

He ascended the stairs and Loki quickly followed. When they got to the second floor, they opened several doors to find bedrooms as well as empty rooms that weren't decorated at all. Thor assumed Gaea left those empty so he could do something them. With a shrug, he made his way up to the top floor and gasped.

The room was completely made of glass and it was a bedroom. It was decorated with several wardrobes, dressers, and tables, but what caught his attention was the bed. It almost matched the bed he had in Asgard even down to the silver and red sheets. He approached it to get a better look when he noticed a picture frame that he didn't have in Asgard on the nightstand. He picked it up and turned it to examine the picture.

Immediately, Thor turned around and flopped down blindly onto the bed. He stared at the picture in his hand and held it so tightly that the glass broke.

Loki had arrived in the room in time to see the glass and Mjölnir fall to his brother's feet. "Thor, what is it?" he asked, making his way over to sit beside him. He looked at the picture and frowned. It was a miniature painting of Gaea and she was holding a tiny golden-haired baby that was obviously Thor in her arms. At that moment, Loki looked at his brother with genuine concern and Thor found himself focusing on him. It was the only thing either could do at that moment. "Are you okay?" Loki asked.

Thor looked back down at the picture and admitted softly, "I don't know. This is…all suddenly hitting me now, brother. Frigga really wasn't my mother. Gaea is." Thor set the picture back on the nightstand face downward, dropped his head into his hands, and asked, "Why would Father and Mother lie to me about this?"

"I don't know," Loki replied. He placed a hand on Thor's knee and squeezed it comfortingly as the skies around the room grew dark and thunder boomed softly in the distance.

Thor met Loki's gaze then and asked, "And, why is Gaea suddenly getting involved in my life now?" When Loki shook his head, Thor asked even more questions, "And, how could she give me up? Why did she give me up?"

Loki shrugged and said, "Maybe you could ask her. We are here and she undoubtedly knows you will have questions."

Thor groaned and then replied, "I don't even know if I want to know now. This is a lot to handle."

"You do," Loki insisted. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. You'd still be in Asgard, choosing to believe the All-Father's lies. You want to know, and at least you have someone to ask to answer all of your questions. I, unfortunately, am not so lucky."

Thor looked at his brother as lightning crackled across the skies and thunder boomed above them. As the rain suddenly began to pour, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, brother."

"For what?"

"I know this has to be hard on you. You have gone through something very similar, and I was not there for you as I should have been. I…hunted you and dragged you back to Asgard to go to prison. I…I've been an awful brother and I don't understand why you're here with me now after everything I have done to you."

Loki looked up at the skies as the storm intensified and asked, "I don't have to worry about your emotions cracking that glass over us, do I?"

Visibly startled, Thor snapped his head upward and looked at the sky. "I guess that answers my question if it is the real sky." Taking several deep breaths to palliate the storm surrounding them, he looked back down at his feet before closing his eyes once more.

=)=)=)

Odin stood beside Heimdall and smiled. Sif and the Warriors Three were behind them, standing silently, as they stared down into Yggdrasil from the Bifrost Bridge.

"Do you see it?" Heimdall asked calmly.

The All-Father nodded. "Yes, it's him. I know my son's storms anywhere. I may not see him, but he's there."

He turned to Thor's friends and said, "Your request is granted. Go to Midgard and bring my sons home."

"Sons?" they all questioned in shock.

Odin simply nodded.

=)=)=)

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