A/N: Shifting is winding down. I'm still enjoying writing about Olivia and hope you all are too. Anyway, here's another chapter for you all. Happy reading :-)
My every step seemed to resound with finality. The wind continually battered against my cheek and I winced from the harshness of it. I knew that each moment, I drew nearer to possibly losing everything. It was frightening, how greatly love could hurt you. It gave another power over you in such a way that it could crush you.
It didn't help, of course, that when I had looked into Hel's vessel, I realized that we were living in a parallel universe. Loki had never met me in the other world. I didn't even exist. He was doomed to be killed during Ragnarok, the Asgardian version of Armageddon. Not only that, but his true love was someone else entirely. Someone who was still very much alive in the universe in which I lived. How was I supposed to cope with the knowledge that there could be, if the opportunity presented itself, a chance that he would leave me?
I mentally smacked myself for sounding so pathetic. How clever Hel had been. In showing me what I was, she had enabled me to see far more than I needed to. I began to question if I had truly made the right decision in staying present in his life. Perhaps, even if I was a paradox, if I had just walked away he would be where he was intended.
Internally, I felt a great unease at the thought. No, this wasn't the other universe. This was the only one that mattered to me and it was the one that counted. I had seen countless other universes, thousands upon thousands. How very many there were, all created by the alternate decisions that could be made. My own life had created hundreds of alternate realities. It was enough to drive anyone mad; how I had managed to stay sane was beyond me. I shook the thoughts from my mind as we approached the great doors to the palace.
"The dead likely swarm these halls." Thor cautioned.
"Olivia, it would be best if you remained between the rest of us." Sif stated pointedly.
"Fine by me."
I moved to stand in the center of the five of them as Thor opened one of the doors. The door creaked upon opening, revealing a dimly lit interior. More corpses lay on the ground, their faces frozen in terror. The door closed with a resounding "thud!" I observed the twitchiness of my companions, their general unease. I was right there along with them.
"Where shall we seek your father?" Sif whispered. "The same cell Loki was placed in?"
Thor nodded in assent and I wrinkled my brow in confusion. "So, do you guys not have a dungeon? I thought castles had dungeons?"
"Loki was not placed in the dungeon. He is far too dangerous for that."
"Oh. Somewhere nice and solitary then?"
We continued stealthily moving through the hall, stepping over the cold corpses of semi-frozen Asgardians. An eerie moan traveled down the nearest hallway, causing us to all freeze in our tracks. Not a moment later, a small group of dead warriors floated towards us, their weapons hanging lazily by their sides. Upon noticing us, they snapped to attention.
All at once, they screamed, an alarm that rang through the halls of the palace. "That's very not good." I muttered anxiously.
They were upon us in a flash, hoards of the dead attacking from every direction. I remained in the center as best I could, the others defending themselves with great clanging and effort. I began to think that our mission would end in failure, unable to foresee a winning outcome. But then there was a loud scraping sound, like nails on a chalkboard magnified a thousand times. I covered my ears in disgust, my teeth grinding together. Instantly, the dead warriors shrieked in disdain, rushing away in herds.
"Is anyone there?" I heard a small, feminine voice ask. From the shadows, a petite form emerged. Her long, brown hair was tangled into knots and the robes that she were didn't seem to fit her quite right. She had the general appearance of gritty survival, her brown eyes alert.
"Jane?" Thor inquired incredulously, rushing forward to take her into his arms. I watched him kiss her hair repeatedly, holding her close. "I trusted that you would be safe."
"I looked for you everywhere but I couldn't find you! I've been limited to traveling through the crawl spaces."
"I am sorry that I left-"
"Tell me you have something that can stop all this?"
"I do, indeed."
"Am I the only who's wondering what that noise was?" I finally asked in alarm.
"That's the sound of their master's call." Jane stated with anger. "Whenever Agmundr needs them, he emits that sound. I've tried to trace it and find out what it is but, again, I've been limited."
"Agmundr?" Fandral inquired with shock. "Surely, you must be mistaken?"
"No, it's Agmundr. He's the one behind all this."
"So, who exactly is Agmundr?" I interjected, unsure of the subject in question.
"Agmundr was captain of the palace guard. He has betrayed us all! For what?"
"That's not all, guys. Guess who's been helping him as of yesterday?"
"Hel?"
"That's who he works for. No, Loki came back yesterday. The first thing he did was order a fresh batch of executions." My heart sank at the news. Hel was winning thus far, having resurrected the evil in his heart.
"Loki? But he died! He was taken by the-"
"That was just part of her plan." I stated flatly, my jaw tensing at the thought. "Manipulate him into staying when I failed to play her game. I have a fairly good idea of what she said to him."
"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met." Jane stated with interest.
"Doctor Olivia Grant." I replied, the two of us shaking hands.
"Jane Foster. Doctor Grant? I went to one of your symposiums at Harvard once."
"Oh, I'm sorry." I grimaced at the thought. Those symposiums were always full of people who loved to hear themselves talk. In the process of trying to make things interesting, I had done said some strange things.
"No, no. I thought it was pretty interesting. I mean, I had originally come to hear Doctor Faroud Hajik talk about anti-matter but I think he was sick that day. But I stayed for yours and it was really good."
"Thanks."
"What are you doing here?"
"It's kind of a long story..."
"Oh, okay. Well, come on. We should probably get out of here before they come back."
She led us down another corridor before stopping at a small grate in the floor. One by one, we jumped down the opening. The cold seeped into my clothes, my breath visible in the pale moonlight that streamed through the small openings in the walls. "I never knew this existed." Sif stated with surprise as we walked on.
"I was desperate and decided to jump down one at the last minute. Not all of them go places but this one does."
"My father-"
"They have him locked up in the pit beneath the castle. Where your brother was, actually."
"We must find him immediately. He will know what to do with Hel's ring."
"We have to make it past this bend up here, first. That's where Agmundr and Loki like to spend their time, so there are always plenty of guards."
I noted the information carefully. When the opportunity arose, I had every intention of doubling back and attempting to reason with Loki. We had just reached the bend in the tunnel when I could hear voices above us.
"I don't care if you have to search every nook and cranny of this castle! Find her and bring her to me! Go!"
"Are you certain she's here?" Loki inquired quietly.
"I would bet my life on it. You will have your revenge and we shall have our victory! Now come, let us climb to the roof and examine our good work."
Their footsteps faded away into the distance. "Let's go!" Jane whispered intensely, moving quickly down the way. I walked with them, slowing my pace ever so slightly as to slip away unnoticed. It was easier than I had expected and I watched as they rushed on ahead of me.
Stealthily, I returned to where we had waited a moment before. I climbed up the stone wall, listening and watching for movement. When I found I was alone, I slid the grate carefully from its place and crawled onto the floor. Quickly, I returned the grate to its place, looking around nervously.
I knew what I would have to do if Loki was lost. He could not be allowed to continue; Hel would wreak havoc upon every inch of the universe if he remained. As much as the thought pained me, I would have to kill him. Better me than someone who hated him. At least I would be kind enough to do it quickly, if need be. I gritted my teeth at the thought.; sincerely hoping it wouldn't come to that. With great anxiety, I began the ascent of the staircase to the roof, hoping against hope that he could still be saved.