AN: Another short one, sorry! But this is all Loki and I haven't had much of him in the past few chapters. There's sorta a bigish reveal at the end so I didn't want to add any more. Waverly will be in the next chapter. Thanks again to all those who reviewed and favorited! I hope you like!

I own nothing.

Chapter Twenty One:

Loki crept swiftly and silently through the deserted halls of the palace he had grown up in. Signs of the Frost Giant occupation were everywhere; broken artifacts, patches of ice, the frozen bodies of servants. Loki held his spear tightly, ready to attack at a moment's notice. His senses were on edge and he felt magic prickling at his fingertips. He and Waverly had split up upon entering the palace. She had gone to the upper floors with her brother, in search of Frigga. Loki chose to descend into the depths of the palace. There would be Jotuns in the weapons vault, he was sure of it.

As Loki crept down a stone staircase hidden behind a tapestry, he couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right. Livarre's words swam in his head. Something wasn't quite clicking. There was a missing piece to this puzzle. Sure, the Jotuns had waged wars against the Asgardians for millennia. Odin's adoption of Loki ended that for a time. Then, Loki killed Laufey. That single event, well, that and the fact that he had almost destroyed their realm was apparently what motivated Livarre to hunt him down. But how did Livarre build up his forces so quickly?

Loki knew he had done great damage to Jotunheim when he had attempted to destroy their race. The realm itself sustained great physical damage. The lives lost, well they were uncountable. And those that survived, many were weakened or without their powers. So, how did Livarre build such a strong army? The Jotuns hatred of Loki couldn't have been the sole fuel for the flames, so to speak.

The weapons vault was unnaturally cold. Loki slipped quietly around a corner and hid himself amongst the shadows. Perched on either side of the casket, the source of power for the Jotuns, were two large giants. They were armed with stolen Asgardian weapons, in addition to being nearly all-powerful, being so close to the casket.

Why haven't they taken the casket back to Jotunheim? Something definitely did not add up. Loki magicked away his spear and Asgardian garb and allowed his body to revert to its natural form. Slinking into view, Loki smiled warmly at his brethren.

"Brothers," he said, "I am here to relieve you."

The giants exchanged a glance. "Livarre said nothing of a replacement."

Loki confidently strode towards the casket. His silver tongue laid out a sweet lie for the two fools to consume. "Yes, that was before he required your assistance in questioning the Asgardian wrench."

The giant on Loki's left raised a thick black eyebrow. "The queen?"

Loki nodded. "She is being most uncooperative."

The other giant looked at his partner, then at Loki. "Livarre had traveled home. Why is he back?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "You question the king?"

The giants exchanged another glance. "No," they said as one.

"Then go to his aid. I can protect our casket."

As the giants began to walk forward, Loki allowed his Asgardian form to take control of his body once more. His spear materialized in his hand and he sliced swiftly though the necks of the confused Jotuns. Their lifeless bodies dropped to the floor and their blood pooled around Loki's feet.

"Idiots," he muttered. He stepped around his fallen brethren and surveyed the casket. He felt a rush of adrenalin through his veins. Though he despised his Jotun blood, he couldn't deny that he was more powerful in the presence of this magical device. That, added to his silver tongue and self-taught sorcery, and Loki was undoubtedly one of the most powerful beings in all of the nine realms. He had the gifts of both the Jotuns and the Asgardians. Not many individuals could say they had skills acquired from multiple realms. Loki couldn't prevent the hunger for power that had once again gripped him. He could leave, right now. He would take the casket, find Livarre, kill him, and take the Tesseract. With both powerful artifacts at his disposal, he would be unbeatable.

Loki reached out for the blue, glowing source of his Jotun power. His hand stopped just short of grasping the casket. There was something ferociously battling the lust for power that had consumed his heart.

Gritting his teeth, Loki searched desperately for a definition for this competing feeling. His breath quickened as did his pulse. It was another sort of hunger, another kind of lust. Not a craving for power, but a craving for companionship. He wanted the girl; Waverly. She had awakened a hunger in him, much like the casket and the Tesseract fueled his thirst for power.

Loki heaved a strained sigh. He let his hand fall back down to his side. Waverly would not follow him on a path of destruction and dictatorship. She had no desire to kill, enslave, and rule. But, she was hurt. She was angry. She had been used and manipulated just as he had been. Could he twist those emotions and make her as power hungry and vengeful as he was?

Yes he could. But would he? No. He knew he couldn't manipulate her. He would never be able to use his magic against her. She loved him with such pureness, such innocence. No matter how much angst he harbored, how hurt and angry and vengeful he felt, he just could not envision himself using his magic to negatively impact the human girl.

But, on the reverse side of things, was her love for him enough to allow him to let go of all the pain and anger in his heart? Was her love worth turning away from these selfish desires to rule and instead, becoming good once more?

He would be happy with her, not matter what path he chose; that he knew. But the thought of just forgetting all the pain he had been put through, forgetting the anger, the hurt, the way he was used. Forgetting the shadow he had always lived in. Forgetting how he was the unloved son. How could he just let all that go?

She had done it. She had been lied to her entire life. She was nothing more than a science experiment. Yet, her undying love and devotion to her brother and his team was, Loki couldn't deny it, moving. She was a human; one of the weaker minded creatures of the nine realms and she had moved past such primal instincts of revenge and retaliation. Surely he, as a god, should be better than that?

Loki closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He didn't know what was going on in his mind. He didn't know what side he was on. He was confused and he didn't like it. He had never felt so out of control, so vulnerable

Clenching his spear so tightly that his knuckles turned white, Loki banished ideas of domination for the time being. He would assist the girl and Thor, as he had promised. Then he would plan his next move. He was in a vulnerable state at the current time and was in no position to make a decision that would alter his life forever.

"You are a coward."

Loki spun around at the sound of the cold voice. His eyes fell on the sight of his biological brother, standing in the doorway of the weapon's vault. The Frost Giant's face was contorted in an evil grin. Livarre walked slowly towards Loki.

"You have our race's source of unlimited power at your fingertips, yet you do not take it for yourself. You, who so often carried on about glorious purpose and how you were meant to rule." Livarre laughed. "You are pathetic."

"I will be in no man's debt," Loki said slowly. "No matter what realm he may come from. Once I sort out my affairs, the casket will be mine, along with the Tesseract."

"Why not take them now?" Livarre stopped an arm's length away from Loki. The two Jotuns glared at each other with intense hatred. "Why not seize this realm for yourself, like you so desperately desire?"

"You are brash and arrogant. When the time comes, I will rule this realm."

"Your time won't come," Livarre said in a low voice. He took another step towards his younger brother. "You have run out of excuses and places to hide, Loki."

Loki allowed a sarcastic smile to spread across his face. "Um, no. I really think I still have the upper hand here. You have a mindless army powered by nothing but hate. Hate for me. I have a desire and passion to rule these realms, as I rightfully should."

Livarre rolled his eyes. "You are a dramatic creature."

"I have the Avengers palm of my hand. Right now, I am untouchable."

"No, they have you." Livarre was now just inches from Loki. "You are in their debt."

"See, that is where you are wrong."

"No!" Livarre yelled. Loki actually took a step back. Livarre's eyes were filled with not only anger and hate towards the dwarf giant, but a pain that Loki had known once before. "You are the one who is wrong! Do you not remember how you nearly destroyed us? Left us for dead? Your own flesh and blood?"

Loki gripped his spear tighter and shifted his feet into a fighting stance. Livarre's eyes were now full of madness. Loki had the feeling he was going to discover what the missing piece to all of this was.

"We were nothing. Cowering, wounded. Then he came. He would have finished where you did not. But he offered us a bargain."

Loki remained silent, allowing Livarre to carry on with his mad rant.

"He would restore our realm to what it was before you so foolishly tried to destroy it. He would return to us our power and our strength. But if, and only if, we brought him you." Spittle rained from Livarre's lips as he shouted at Loki. "I have no use for you. I do not care whether you live or die. You are a runt and an exile. I had no desire to bring your pathetic soul to Jotunheim and have you taint our land with your failure. But he ordered it! And so it had to be done."

Loki was not one to experience fear. He could only remember a few brief instances in his childhood when he had felt real fear. And one rather recent occasion that had caused his stomach to bubble. But that was more apprehension than fear; at least, that was what Loki told himself. But now, seeing the madness in Livarre's eyes, hearing the pain in his voice, Loki had to admit he was feeling rather uneasy.

"He can cause pain like nothing you could imagine in your darkest nightmares," Livarre went on. "I tried to con him. I tried to take my power and run. But he does not work like that. You cannot escape from him. He found me. I was brought to my knees. He will bring you to yours." Livarre's rant stopped and he stood panting. His orange eyes were locked on Loki's face.

Loki watched his brother in silence for a moment. Though he already knew the answer, he asked, "Who, brother?"

"The one you have betrayed. The Other One."