New York, November 28th

Billy Kaplan had a lot of secrets.

Nobody knew that he could open doors without touching them, or make things fly, control water, fire, earth, and even lightning. He wanted to use his powers, show people what he could do, especially the bullies to shoved him inside lockers and called in a faggot. But he was also scared. He knew what happened to kids who had superpowers. They were taken by S.H.I.E.L.D. and no one ever saw them again.

People said they were being trained to become superheroes, but no one really knew because those kids never came back to their school or their parents.

Billy's life was pretty shitty. He was small, scrawny and he liked other boys. He wanted to be a superhero more than anything else and tell everyone what he could do. But he didn't want to leave his mom, his dad or his little brothers.

If only there was a way he could be a superhero and still be Billy Kaplan...

Still, things were getting better. Teddy Altman was the coolest kid he had ever met and he was as big of a nerd and Billy was. Teddy could recite all the Star Wars movies by heart, he owned all the Disney movies, he read all books from C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. More importantly, he was into superheroes as much as Billy was.

He realized he liked Teddy more than a friend when the blond boy had leaned over to show him something in his phone and Billy wished he could kiss him. But, again, he was too scared to tell him the truth. If Teddy didn't feel the same way, he would stop being his friend. Billy couldn't risk it. He couldn't bear the thought of Teddy looking at him with disgust and call him a faggot.

Then, they went to see the Christmas lights on Rockefeller Center with their parents and everything changed.

While Billy's brothers went ice-skating with his dad, Billy's mom was talking with Teddy's. Mrs. Altman was worried about one of her patients who had been injured and apparently Billy's mom knew him from the library his brothers went every Wednesday for story time.

While the adults were talking, Teddy and Billy walked around the Plaza, watching the Christmas decorations. Billy loved the lights and the tree, even though he was Jewish. His dad had told him that the tree was more than religion, it was a New York tradition that every New Yorker should be proud of.

Teddy walked alongside him, their shoulders often touching. Billy wished he could tell Teddy how he felt, but he didn't have the courage to make a move a possibly ruin everything. He couldn't lose Teddy.

That was when he felt a warm hand around his gloved one and he realized that Teddy had just grabbed his hand. With his heart racing, Billy stared at Teddy's blushed cheeks and he realized that he shouldn't have felt worried at all.

"Billy, I really like you... " Teddy said shyly.

The brown haired boy smiled and squeezed his hand. "Me too. I mean... I really like you too."

Teddy smiled back. Billy was so happy that he could have lightened the entire sky with his powers. But instead, they noticed a lonely backpack hidden behind a trashcan and there were wires coming out of it.

"Teddy is that...?"

Teddy noticed it too, his blue eyes widening as he also realized what that could be. They had seen enough movies and documentaries on terrorism to know.

"Billy..." Teddy muttered, just as Billy felt something stirring inside the backpack.

Without thinking, Billy raised his hand and sent the backpack flying over them, the people, the tree and the buildings. When the explosion happened, they felt the heat from above, along with the smoke and the flames.

As everyone began screaming and running around them. Billy found Teddy staring at him with his eyes wide.

"Billy, you...?"

Before Billy could explain anything, Teddy raised his head and frowned as if he was seeing something unpleasant.

"There are a couple of guys with ski masks running in the roof," the blond preteen said, his eyes focused on something hidden by the smoke.

"How can you tell?" Billy asked. At this point, they were alone in the Plaza, everyone had fled. Their parents must be worried sick about them.

Surprisingly, Teddy Altman smiled mischievously. "You're not the only with powers, Bill!"

In front of Billy's eyes, Teddy started to expand, growing taller and muscular and green, his clothes ripping in the process. In seconds, he had become huge and two dragon wings sprouted from his back.

"Holy shit, Teddy! You're the Hulk!"

"No, it's... I'm a shapeshifter. I can't turn into the Hulk, but I can change into some sort of Hulking? Hulkly? Hulkling? It's a long story."

"Tell me everything!" Billy exclaimed. "You're so cool! Can you fly? What else can you turn into?"

"Billy, the bad guys are in the roof..."

"Right! Right! We can go get them! This is so cool! We are superheroes, Teddy!"

Teddy grabbed Billy with his claw-like hand and together they flew towards the rooftops. Billy pulled down his hoodie to hide his face, he didn't want some terrorist to out him.

"What about you? Are you like... telekinetic?" Teddy asked just as they landed on the roof.

Billy grinned under his hoodie. "You'll see!"

Helheim, December 2nd

Loki's lips curled into a smile as he buried one of his daggers into Bor's abdomen, in the exact place his liver should be. The old king barely had time to grunt before Loki stretched his right arm and stabbed him in the neck with his other dagger, piercing several vital blood vessels and his trachea.

Bor grabbed his throat and tried to speak, but to no avail, his words were drowned by his blood. In a matter of seconds, his grey eyes rolled, and he fell to the ground. After one final groan of pain, his body stopped moving.

With his head throbbing, his muscles sore and bruised, Loki glanced disapprovingly at his blood-soaked hands. This was why he did not enjoy close range combat.

Before he had time to walk to the nearest fountain and wash away the sticky blood, Bor suddenly let out an angry shout and sat on the ground.

"We are not done, boy," the old king said angrily.

With a sigh, Loki watched as Bor pulled out the daggers from his body and his injuries quickly healed themselves, leaving only the blood he had lost soaking his clothes and pooling around his muscular body. After hours of training, the spacious hall was covered with it.

After Frigga had been named a servant of Hela, Loki spent the following weeks recuperating under his mother's loving care. He regained weight, only eating canned goods from Midgard, and strengthened his emaciated muscles.

Today had been the first day his mother had been summoned by Hela and forced to leave his side. Though Loki wanted to go with her, Frigga insisted that he should stay in bed and rest. No more than ten minutes after his mother had left, King Bor burst into the room, grabbed Loki and dragged him across the Palace to the hall where they were currently. The old King tossed the boy various weapons and ordered him to fight him to the death. Loki's bewildered expression was met with a punch to the face, which quickly prompted him to grab a spear and try to impale him.

Twelve hours later and the old man would not stay down.

"I have murdered you six times already, King Bor," Loki said, wiping his dirty hands on his already bloodstained gray shirt.

"And have thrown your tiny ass across the hall eight times," fully healed, King Bor stood up and picked up his sword. "Does that sound like a victory, boy?"

Loki pressed his lips and said nothing. He had already learned that talking back to the former King of Asgard was a waste of energy. Instead, he took a long breath and picked up his daggers.

"You are slow and unfocused," Bor went on. After completing a fight sequence, the old king proceeded to tell Loki everything he did wrong and how much a disgrace he was as a warrior. "A thousand years of training with the best tutors on Asgard and this is what you can do? Pathetic! I've seen peasants better trained than you."

The young boy tried to focus on the daggers in his hands to keep them from shaking.

"I cannot imagine how Odin could take this. You shame the entire Royal family! Thank the Norns you are not of our blood."

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

Loki's jaw clenched as he faced Bor. He wanted to rip his whole head off.

The old King obviously noticed Loki's anger, but that only made him sneer. "Spare me that look. You know I speak the truth. You know how weak you are. How in the Nine Realms could you ever think you could best—? "

Bor was suddenly silenced as a dagger pierced his throat.

"Wha—?" the auburn-haired man said just before Loki threw his other dagger at his head, stabbing him right between his grey eyes.

"Shut up," the boy muttered.

However, before he could pull the daggers again, Loki kneeled on the ground, his skin changing from pink to blue from his hands to his forearms, and he froze their surroundings. The ice spreading fast until Bor was encased in it, unable to move a muscle.

Loki felt his insides burning. He tasted blood inside his mouth along with his tears.

Soon, his Jotun skin receded, and green flames materialized between his pale hands. His mind was blank as he launched the flames at King Bor, focusing only on his rage and hatred towards this man and his wish to see him burn.

Unfortunately, Loki could not hold the flames for very long. Already exhausted and nauseous, the raven-haired child fell on his knees and gasped for air as the hall was filled with smoke and the unmistakable scent of burned flesh.

He looked up and saw Bor's charred body lying in the ground, silent and lifeless.

Did I… What did I do?

Loki raised his blood-stained hands. He had been training to control his Jotun change in the previous months to various degrees of success, but he had never done something like this. Usually, he could only focus on the change for a short while and frost burn what came in contact with him. He had never frozen an entire surface willingly, let alone an opponent.

The use of fire also came as a surprise. It was one of his oldest spells, but he had never done something this destructive.

Though the use of magic tired him after using it for a short while, his powers seemed to have diversified. Some of his spells felt even stronger than when he was a grown man.

He wondered if it had something to do with his encounter with his other self. Ikol, the Magpie God. Perhaps, it had been more than a mere encounter and they were more intertwined than he believed.

Tossing these questions aside, Loki slowly stood up and limped towards the burnt remains of the former King of Asgard. It was a grisly sight. The man's face was gone, leaving only the shape of his skull and a few glimpses of burnt muscle and bone. His armor was blackened as well, seemingly fused with its owner's remains.

Usually, Bor would have regenerated by now. Minutes had passed and yet the old King remained lifeless on the floor.

Loki felt a lump on his throat. He could not have truly killed him, could he? They were in Helheim and Bor was already dead. No one could kill an undead.

Slowly, the boy kneeled beside the corpse, searching for any signs of life.

"King Bor?"

A charred hand grabbed his wrist, causing Loki to scream from the top of his lungs. He tried to pull away, but the hand, little more than blacked skin and bones, pulled him down.

"Cease your yelling, boy. My damn head hurts enough as it is," the corpse of King Bor groaned.

Loki went silent, though his whole body was shaking like green leaves. He watched as the old king's flesh healed itself, bones disappearing beneath the muscle, skin and finally auburn hair. After a few minutes, Bor was restored to his former glory, his hand still holding Loki's small wrist firmly.

With his free hand, Bor pressed his temples and sighed before standing up and dragging Loki towards the fountain. The smaller god said nothing, he was waiting for Bor's angry retribution. However, as they reached the fountain, the old king handed a bucket of water to Loki and then grabbed one for himself.

The child watched as Bor removed his armor and cleaned himself, his expression solemn but not angry. Slowly, Loki removed his shirt and washed the blood and grime from his pale skin. They were silent for a long time, with only Loki warily glancing towards the former king from time to time. He could not help but notice the many scars across his muscular torso, obviously from his time as a living warrior. Loki's chest, on the other hand, was devoid of any muscle.

"Have you ever heard of the Reise?" the old man asked suddenly. Loki looked up and slowly shook his head. "I did not expect you to know. When my father was a boy, fathers and sons would leave their homes and travel across the realms once the boys reached puberty. It was a sacred tradition. A father would leave his home with his son and travel together. They would hunt, fight, train together… and by the time the son returned to Asgard, he was considered a man. A son who had inherited his father's wisdom and strength."

Bor filled another bucket with water and began cleaning his bloody armor.

"Slowly, fewer and fewer families continued to go on a Reise and the tradition all but died out when I became king. Leaving the Realm defenseless to travel with one of my sons was unthinkable. So, I trained my sons personally. They had tutors, but I insisted on training with each one of them as frequently as I could. However, I regret not having the opportunity to go on a Reise with them. There are no words to describe the strength of a bond between a father and son who went on such a journey together. Still, I made sure I prepared each of my boys for what was expected of them."

Loki finished washing himself and his clothes. After muttering a quick drying spell, he stood before the former king, frowning.

"Why are you telling me this, King Bor?"

"Odin never trained you, did he?"

Loki forced himself to not look away from Bor's piercing grey eyes. "No. He did not. His duties as king would not allow him the time."

"But he did train Thor."

Again, Loki had to muster all his strength to not react to Bor's words. The old man was a sadist asshole and he would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting him.

"They had sparring lessons, occasionally. I was told once I reached Thor's level, I would be trained personally as well. But, alas, the All-Father never deemed me worthy of his personal tutelage. Looking back, I believe he never intended to train me at all."

Bor put on his armor and turned to the child. "Odin should have never adopted you."

The boy's mouth dropped open. Bor's words, spoken so coldly and straightforwardly, felt like a punch on Loki's chest. He immediately pressed his lips into a thin line and tried to face the old king with an equally emotionless expression. It should not be this difficult, those were words he had thought countless times. He knew Odin regretted adopting him, he had all but said so when he told Loki that his birthright was to die as a child on that frozen rock. He knew all that.

Yet, his eyes stubbornly filled with tears. He was such a stupid, pathetic child.

"Odin was a fool, filled with impossible plans," Bor went on. "If his goal was to bring eternal peace between Jotunheim and Asgard by placing you in the throne, he should have prepared you for that role from the start and made you his ward or even a war prisoner. Trained you to become the next king of Jotunheim and guaranteed your loyalty to Asgard."

Loki took a long breath. He remembered his conversation with his mother. "Odin's plans for me were dropped with the birth of Laufey's second son. My claim to the throne would never be accepted even if I bested him in battle. I would have to kill the entire Jotun court and perhaps not even that would be enough for them to accept a runt as their king."

Bor grinned. "Smart boy. Indeed, my son's plans would have been dashed by the birth of a perfect male Jotun heir sooner or later. Odin's big ideas often have glaring flaws… and consequences."

Loki smiled maliciously. "Indeed. Odin was a fool and so I was for ever believing him. The best thing he should have done that night was crushing my skull against that frozen rock."

Bor moved his hand towards Loki so quickly that he didn't have time to react. Before he could move away, he felt the former king's strong, calloused hand around his head. At first, Loki thought he was going to squash it, but he felt the fingers ruffling his hair.

To the young boy's surprise, Bor kneeled in front of him, moving his hand from his hair to his face, holding it so Loki would look him in the eyes.

"Odin made a mistake by adopting you and your crimes against Asgard deserve nothing less of painful execution. However, things have changed. You turned against Farbauti, fought Ymir's influence to save Frigga, and… you're not a grown man anymore," Bor told him, his grey eyes fixed on Loki's green ones. "The fates brought you to Odin, just as they brought you to this hall and to me. Despite my son's reasoning, he did adopt you and give you his name, that makes me your grandfather. As such, I will make sure my grandson is raised properly. Odin may have neglected your education, but I will not make the same mistake, boy."

"But I…!"

"Do you want to protect your mother?"

Loki's eyes grew wide. "Of course I do!"

"Make no mistake, the moment you enter a battleground, your mother's priority will be your safety. She will risk her life and her mission to save you. So, do not give her a reason to worry about your wellbeing. You swore to be her Agent. I will make sure you will not stand in her way. Are we understood, boy?"

With Bor's fingers still holding his chin, Loki nodded. The former king was right. He was weak. As he was, he would be nothing but a burden to his mother. He had to grow stronger and fast. Enduring Bor's training was the least he could do.

"Yes, King Bor."

"Do not call me that, boy. I am not your king, do not address me as such."

Loki stared back at Bor, confused. "Yes… sir."

Bor sighed and stood up. "I'm your grandfather, boy. That is how you should call me."

The metal doors opened and Frigga entered the hall, her blue eyes wide and worried as she noticed all the craters and blood before finding Loki and Bor.

"Mother," Loki called out as his mother walked up to him and inspected his cuts and bruises.

"Loki, you should be resting. How do you feel? Is anything broken?" she immediately began pouring her healing magic on his bruised arm.

"I'm fine. It's just a few scratches."

Frigga looked up at her father-in-law, frowning. "Father, he needs to rest. Why did you take him without my permission?"

"He has rested long enough, girl. It's high time he began his training and from what I could see, he still has a long way to go. What sort of education did my useless son give him?"

Frigga pressed her lips and stared at Bor coldly. Loki could not help but feel uncomfortable. "Mother, it's alright..."

"No, Loki. It is not. King Bor, I assure you, Odin and I gave Loki the best education available. I am sorry if it doesn't meet your standards, but the way we raised our children is none of your concern."

"None of my concern? Like Hel, woman! If he falls on his sword during a battle, he will bring shame to this entire family!"

Loki was torn between awkwardness and an emotion similar to joy. He had never been the center of attention when he was growing up, nor had been important enough for family members to argue about his education.

It felt nice being the center of attention for once.

"Loki!" a happy voice yelled from the corridors.

Loki turned to the door, his lips curling into a happy smile the moment he saw Verity run across the hall towards him. He opened his arms and hugged his best friend tight. It felt like they hadn't seen each other in ages and he realized how much he had missed her.

"You're alright! I knew it!" Verity said, moving her head so she could inspect Loki's face. "It's really you, isn't it? You didn't forget?"

The boy blinked before he remembered that he had briefly forgotten who he was under Farbauti's control. "It's me, Verity. I don't plan to forget it anytime soon."

Verity smiled and noticed his bruises. "What happened? Were you on a fight?"

"No, no! I'm fine. I was just training."

Verity looked behind Loki, towards Frigga and a grumpy Bor. "With your Grandpa?"

Loki blinked and glanced towards the old king, his words still fresh in his memory. His feelings towards Bor were complicated. The old man was brunt, ruthless and proud. A true example of an Asgardian warrior and King. He did not seem to appreciate Loki, however, he was also critical of Odin's actions and decisions and, despite his claims that Loki should have never been adopted, he had claimed him as his grandchild.

Aside from his mother, no one else had accepted him back into the family after what he had done. Not Thor. Not Odin.

Instead, he had replaced him with a better son.

"Yes," Loki finally answered. "I was training with my... Grandfather."

Maybe it was time for Loki to move on as well. He had to leave Asgard, Thor, and Odin behind, bury them in his memory as they had buried him. He had his mother back, and now a Grandfather. He could have a new family.

A small movement caught Loki's attention and he saw America Chavez leaning against the metal door. She had apparently cut her hair shorter and looked grumpier as ever.

"Hello, America," Loki said, but to his surprise, the tanned girl looked away from him, her expression sullen. What was it now? Was she mad that he had been caught? That was hardly his fault. Maybe she was still pissed about his secret heist. She did say they were going to have words. That usually meant a beating.

"Chico. I see that you're still alive," she finally said.

"Yes. Sorry to disappoint you."

Instead of another witty remark, America looked down at her sneakers. Her behavior was starting to freak Loki out.

"Just make sure you're not captured again."

As Loki was about to ask what was wrong with her, Verity pulled his sleeve and asked him when he was coming home.

"I've been watering your plants, but there are a lot of letters on your mailbox. And it's almost Christmas! I wanted to show you the tree and the Christmas lights on The Rockefeller Center! There was a terrorist attack, but nothing happened and no one got hurt so everything is fine. Oh, right! It's almost your birthday too!"

Loki had almost forgotten his apartment and his life in New York. Now that Verity was here, he realized that he missed his Midgardian home, his bedroom, his books, and his games. Also, he had missed a lot of appointments with Dr. Altman and a lot of story afternoons in the library. He was slightly worried they had gotten a replacement storyteller.

"Loki will go home soon, Verity," Frigga told the little girl. "You'll be able to celebrate his birthday together."

"Really? Cool!"

Loki faced his mother. As much as he wanted to leave Helheim, he did not want to leave his mother behind. He had finally gotten her back and he didn't want to live alone again. How could he help her if they were on different Realms?

"Actually, there's something else I wanted to tell you, son," Frigga said, noticing Loki's worried expression. "I've talked with Queen Hela and we've come to an agreement. When she doesn't need me, there is no need for me to stay in Helheim. Originally, she was planning on sending me back to Valhalla and wait for her orders, but if there is another place where I can stay..."

"You can stay with me, Mother!" Loki exclaimed, grabbing his mother's hands. "I have an apartment in Midgard and an extra room! You can come and live with me! It's nothing special and it does not hold a candle to your chambers back in Asgard, but I'll make sure it's worthy of you!"

Frigga laughed and caressed his cheek. "Darling, I'm sure it's wonderful. Thank you."

"You're spoiling that boy rotten, Frigga," Bor grunted.

"Father if I ever need your advice on how to raise my son, I will ask you for it."

"Don't think you're escaping my training, boy," Bor said, staring down at Loki. "Norns be damned if I allow my grandson to go into battle this ill-prepared."

And so, it was decided. Loki returned to New York a few days later and prepared the spare room for his mother with the best furniture he could find. He needed to return to Helheim frequently for his training sessions with Bor, but he would spend his remaining time back in Midgard, living with his mother.

No treasure, power or even the throne had ever made him as happy as the moment he saw his mother walk into his apartment so they could start their new lives together.