"I had to get out of the prison", Loki pulled himself back as Chiara's wide eyes starred at him in disbelief. "It was my plan".
"You risked the life of your son and parents and brother to get out of the jail you brought yourself in?"
"I cannot live in prison."
"you will always be in one." Chiara's voice choked, and she breathed in anger as she almost yelled at Loki, "you will always be in a prison because no one can love you."
"You should go." Loki said again.
"No!" Chiara grabbed his collar. "You can hurt me; you can abandon me; you can risk my life but don't ever dare to hurt my son! He loves you! I could not raise him to hate you and now he loves you. He thinks you can save him and then you put him in danger to get out the bars you created for yourself! My son is not your puppet!" She breathed heavily as tears ran down. "He loves you. He thinks that you can help him, that you can teach him about his powers. He thinks that he can be the better version of you!"
"I don't have a better version!" Loki yelled back and pushed her back
"You have just proven that. My son almost died! You don't have to love him but do you really have to hurt him?"
"You should go now."
"Why don't you just drill a dagger in his heart now and get it over with? He will never stop loving you, and you will never be good enough for him. One day he will know it and it break his heart. Will you be satisfied then?"
"Satisfaction is not in my nature."
"You know what. I truly wish for you to become king. I really hope that you will become the ruler that you want to be because maybe then people won't have to die by your hands."
She walked out of the room and rushed toward her son but midway she fell on her knees as tears began to wash her face. However, she quickly wiped them away when a voice from behind interrupted her. "He is lost". Chiara turned around and briefly looked at Frigga before she answered, "He has chosen his path."
"I do not believe him."
"You are a mother. You want to believe the best."
"I am his mother and I know his worse."
"He killed hundreds of people in New York. Jace is just another casualty for him."
"You are letting go of your lion heart."
"I can't have a lion heart right now. I have son with a golden heart that trust his father and loves him. I can't afford to be brave." Chiara stood up on her feet. "I don't owe Loki anything."
"But he owes you."
Chiara walked away without answering but when she reached her son's room, she stopped and took a deep breath. She looked in and suddenly it seemed that Jace was just sleeping. His wounds seemed healed and he was breathing as he did when he was a small baby. She walked in calmly and stroked his hair as she sat beside him.
"I don't know what to do, Jace. I can't trust him. I can't afford it when you are on the line. I can't lose you. I need you to understand that. I need you to come home with me even if you will hate me for the rest of my life. I can't live without you." She kissed him and lay her head beside his and listened to him breathe. The silence, the rhythmic breathing and the darkness rocked her to sleep until a sudden crash sounded from far away.
The sun was up and Jace had moved a little. It took a while but Chiara heard the sound again. It was as if someone was hitting the floor with something. She followed sound to the great hall where Zogo lay in chains in front of Odin. The room seemed grayer than before but she walked in anyway. "What is going on?"
Zogo laughed loudly, "The great Odin is bargaining for his sons. He wishes to save the world he has broken. This thief thinks he can stop me from taking what is mine. He took my son and now it is my turn."
"You can't have Jace."Chiara said in vain.
"You can't stop me." He spat in anger.
"I can and I will. Bring your greatest army, it will no difference to me!" Chiara shouted.
He laughed again but the guards pull his chains and forced him on his knees. "I will tell you what I told Loki. I will take his son, and there is nothing he could do about it."
"I don't need Loki to protect my son. He can do what he likes but he will never hurt my son again."
He laughed again and again. "I told him that his sacrifice would mean nothing. Asgardians are only beasts that know nothing but to steal."
"His sacrifice? What are you talking about?"
"He should have run when I gave him the chance!"
There was a pause and Odin glanced at Chiara as she narrowed her eyes in amazement and stated with a choke voice, "He didn't tell you about Jace. This wasn't his plan."
Zogo laughed for a longer time but his laugh was bitter and poisoning. He was laughing at her. He was laughing at her lack of trust and fate. He was laughing at her lost lion heart.