So, just to give a warning, I'm getting into more mythology stuff in this chapter, which I'm changing a little and modernizing. I hope you don't mind. Also, a personal message to wolftattoo, even though I don't know if you're still reading to see this, Thor did not choose to become King of Asgard. He said he'd never betray them. That's quite different. At the end, he said he'd be back to talk to Odin and that's all he could give him right now, so things are still in the air with that decision.

Everyone else, I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and please let me know if you like the story and the direction it's going. Thanks!

The Truth About Lies Chapter 21

Thor walked beside Gaea quietly. She was leading him somewhere; he had no idea where. When she suddenly turned to the left, he followed her into a huge dining room which was similar to the one in the Asgardian palace. It had plenty of room for numerous guests. Looking back at his mother, he knew she must have her other children over often.

A sudden feeling of—was it jealousy or maybe sadness?—came over him. It was obvious his mother had a loving relationship with the rest of her offspring. He almost resented that she gave him up and it seemed without much of a fight. Looking around the room, he realized things didn't seem so bad here. She said he would be safer in Asgard—that's why she gave him up. Safer from what?

Before he could contemplate that question, he was startled from his reverie by a loud voice yelling, "LITTLE BROTHER!"

Stepping around a large pillar which blocked his view of only a small portion of the room, he saw Oceanus sitting across the room at a table. He was eating dinner and there was another plate across from him with no one else around. His stomach growled loudly when he realized he hadn't eaten since the early morning hours. So much had happened since then…

"Oceanus," Thor greeted. He started to walk towards him when Gaea grabbed one of his wrists. He turned back questioningly and she smiled at him, almost sadly.

"I won't be joining you for dinner. I need to prepare for an arrival," she told him as she rolled her eyes as if she were annoyed.

"Whose arrival?" he asked, curiously.

The smile morphed into one that was obviously forced. "We'll talk about that in the morning. I have to go. Oceanus will stay with you until nightfall and then he'll show you back to your room. We don't have a lot of time."

When she turned around abruptly and walked out hurriedly, Thor looked back at Oceanus determinedly. He strove over to him and asked, "Where is Gaea going? She said she had to prepare for someone's arrival?"

Oceanus' eyes immediately lowered menacingly. "Yes, she does that every night." He could hear the hate dripping from his brother's words.

He sat down at the table in front of him. He looked down at the food—from the looks of it, it was wild boar with various side dishes, some of which he couldn't name—wishing he could eat it right away, but right now, concern was overwhelming him. "Why? Who visits every night?"

Oceanus leaned forward and whispered, "Uranus."

"Uranus?" he questioned aloud.

"Shhh!" Oceanus snapped as he looked out a window. He sighed then and said, "It's still daytime, so we're okay. I just don't want to draw his attention to us so soon. I'm sure Mother wants to keep the fact that you're here a secret for as long as possible."

Thor looked back towards the door and asked, "Who is he? Gaea didn't seem to like that he was coming and you…act almost as if you're scared?"

Oceanus immediately scoffed. "Scared? Me? No, little brother, I'm not scared. In fact, none of us are, but we've been training and preparing. We have a plan to get rid of him once and for all. And, as for who he is, he's our father…well, not your father but mine, as well as the others'."

Thor widened his eyes. "And, you want to get rid of him?" He was genuinely surprised.

Oceanus nodded and looked back out the window. "He hurts Mother."

"What?" Thor stood abruptly and asked loudly, "And, you just put up with it? Who is he to do this? How is he even able?"

Oceanus shook his head almost irritably. "Sit down, little brother. Just listen, okay. You don't understand. Uranus, he was born from Aether, so he is also a god, like Mother."

"And, is he more powerful?"

He smiled. "No, but Mother doesn't want to kill him. He is the father of her children, after all."

Once again, Thor widened his eyes in disbelief. "But he hits her?!" He was outraged!

"No," he said with another shake of his head. "He doesn't."

"But you said…"

"Uranus hates us. He hates all the children he's had with Gaea and recently, he's gotten in the habit of—how do I put this?—burying our younger siblings in Tartarus."

"Tartarus?" Thor questioned.

Oceanus suddenly smiled and said, "Yes, Mother is going to have to spend some time with you. You should know our planet as well as you know Asgard."

He nodded suddenly and replied, "I will learn, but tell me…Tartarus?"

"It's a pit deep within the Earth. That is what causes Gaea pain, literally and figuratively, that he's throwing her children in there."

Thor sat back in his seat as he contemplated Oceanus' words. He brought a hand to his mouth as he propped his arm up with his elbow on the arm of his chair. His father's warnings were now circling around in his mind again. Was this the reason why Gaea had him? To fight her husband? Consort? Whatever he was? If so, she waited around for a long time. That almost seemed improbable. Then, a thought hit him. "Wait!" He sat forward and glared at Oceanus. "If Uranus is throwing Gaea's younger children in Tartarus, why isn't Cronus there?"

Oceanus smiled and said, "He's the youngest of the Titans, not the youngest of Gaea's children. You are the youngest, but thankfully, he had no reason to go after you since you were in Asgard."

Thor let those words settle in his mind for a moment. So, maybe Uranus was the reason she gave him up, after all! Pursing his lips together, determined, he asked, "So, what's the plan?" Thor finally picked up a fork and shoved some of the boar into his mouth. His stomach had shot a sharp pain throughout his torso, demanding food.

Oceanus shook his head and replied, "Mother doesn't want you involved in this. She knows what Odin has been telling you. This whole affair would be the very thing Odin would use to prove that he's supposedly right. Besides, Cronus and I…we have things well under control. You'll see."

Thor scooped some of one of the side dishes into his mouth and ate it. He looked down at the plate and pointed at what he had just eaten. "This is really good. I like it. What is it?"

"Peas," Oceanus said with a smile, clearly amused.

Thor ate a little more and announced loudly, "I want to know your plan. I know Gaea doesn't want me involved in this, so it doesn't matter what my father says or thinks on the subject. I'll know the truth."

Oceanus' smile spread into a grin and said, "Well, I can't really argue with that, can I? Fine, I'll tell you, even though we probably won't let you get involved. You see, Mother has decided she's had enough of Uranus and his actions, so…"

The sudden sound of the dining room doors slamming open loudly interrupted their discussion. Both Thor and Oceanus stood abruptly, but the former relaxed when he saw who stood there.

"Thought you could leave me, brother?" Loki asked sarcastically. He then glared at Oceanus, who was glaring right back.

Thor sighed and shook his head as he sat back down. "Not at all, Loki. I left a note to tell you where I was. I knew you could follow if you so wished."

Loki walked towards them and went to Thor's side of the table. He smiled at Oceanus before he grabbed a fork and started eating off of Thor's plate.

Oceanus' eyes narrowed even more as he folded his arms and said loudly, "You can have your own plate. I can call…"

Loki smirked and interrupted, "I prefer Thor's."

Thor shook his head with a roll of his eyes but was soon surprised when he heard Oceanus' reply. "Yes, I can see that. You do seem to want everything Thor has, don't you? Jealousy, perhaps?"

Instantly, Loki jumped to his feet and Thor did, as well. "Brother!" Thor exclaimed as he grabbed Loki to hold him back from whatever he might do. "Just drop it, okay? Let it go. He doesn't know us." He then turned to Oceanus and said firmly, "Do not speak to my brother like that again. If I have a problem with what he's doing, I'll take care of it."

Oceanus arched an eyebrow and lifted his hands in acquiescence. "Fine. My apologies."

When Loki sat back down, Oceanus smirked at him but then turned his attention back to Thor. "In light of the new arrival, I think we'll finish our discussion later." He started to finish the last bit of food on his plate, but Thor insisted.

"No, Loki can hear. If anything, he could help us."

Loki turned to look at his brother, leaned in, and whispered, "Are they already wanting favors, brother?"

Thor shook his head at him and then looked back at Oceanus.

The Titan stared at Loki, almost as if he were assessing his worth as his eyes roamed over Loki's body. He then let out of a puff of air and said, "I don't see how someone so small could possibly help. Besides…"

Thor shook his head determinedly and said, "You might be surprised."

Loki wrinkled his nose in hatred and said, "Oh, trust me, he will be soon enough."

Before his brother could say anything more which would obviously turn into a threat for his older brother, he demanded, "Tell us."

The Titan looked back and forth between them for several seconds and then looked out the window. The sky was getting a little darker, but it still wasn't nightfall. Thor knew Oceanus realized they didn't have a lot of time to argue about this if he was going to tell them anything. So, he wasn't surprised when Oceanus suddenly leaned forward and whispered, "Mother is making a special sickle. She is going to give it to us to use against Uranus. We are going to make sure he can never bury another one of our siblings. Also, he won't dare come back to Mother…"

Thor and Loki looked at each other. When Thor turned back to Oceanus, his brother smiled and said, "Mother should be the one who tells you more if she wants you to know." He suddenly stood and announced, "I should really get you to your room, so Uranus doesn't see either one of you." He then looked at Loki and told him, "I'm actually glad you're here. With Uranus here, it would be better for Thor to have an outsider with him."

Loki gritted his teeth and Thor could tell he was about to spout insults at the Titan, but Thor leaned over and whispered, "He means someone that is not a child of Gaea."

Loki turned to him and said loudly, "I know when someone is trying to upset me, Thor. I am going to have so much fun with this one when the time comes."

"Brother," Thor hissed, "you promised to try to get along."

Loki smirked. "I did nothing of the sort. Besides, I am not the one being antagonistic, here." He smiled at Oceanus and asked, "Am I?"

Oceanus was no longer grinning. He simply walked away and said, "Bring your food. I know you're still hungry, but I want to get you back to your room with time to spare."

Thor grabbed his plate and goblet as Loki glared at Oceanus' back. When Thor stood beside him, Loki mumbled, "I don't think we should trust him."

Thor upturned his lips slightly. He knew why Loki was saying those words, even though his brother would never admit it. Still, he kept up their usual banter and didn't address the deeper reasons behind Loki's words. "You don't trust anyone, brother."

=)=)=)

Yes, this chapter was all about Gaea, but don't worry, we will get back to Thor's decisions and realizations about his birth soon enough. Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know!