Sibling relationships outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust. - Erica E Goode
Trusting that the Valkyrie and Bruce where currently enacting their part of the plan in encouraging Korg to start his long awaited Revolution and the Ares was distracting the Grandmaster, the siblings made their way down to the ground level of the palace, with Loki leading the way
"Hey," Thor began as Loki was putting the codes into one of the security panels and Aphrodite was checking over the guns that had been given to them by Valkyrie, "So listen, we should talk."
"I disagree," Loki muttered glancing at him before back at the panel and putting in the last of the digits, "Open communication was never our family's forte."
"You have no idea." Aphrodite muttered tossing a gun to each of them then standing up between them as the doors slid open.
"Been quite the revelation since we spoke last, Loki." Thor said, "Hello," added smiling at the group of guards.
"Hi." Loki muttered before they opened fire, taking down the guards that were stood around the base of a statue that resembled the Grandmaster. Then they were forced to duck around the archway of the doors they'd just entered through when they were fired at in return.
"Odin brought us together," Loki huffed out, "It's almost poetic that his death should split us apart. We all might as well be stranger's now." He said before diving back into the fray forcing Thor and Aphrodite to follow him firing at any guards that got too close. "'Three children of the crown' set adrift." He added entering the digits to the elevator, moving to step inside when the doors opened but instead taking a few measured steps backwards.
Thor knocked the gun out the hands of the guard that stepped out of the elevator then Aphrodite wrapped him in her magic throwing him up towards the ceiling before releasing him letting gravity bring him back down hard.
"Thought you didn't want to talk about it?" She commented sarcastically stepping onto the elevator followed by each of their brothers.
Strategically, but not obviously to the trickster, Thor and Aphrodite had placed Loki in the middle of them, in case their contingency plan had to be put into use.
"Here's the thing. I'm probably better off staying here on Sakaar."
"That's exactly what we were thinking," Thor spoke so casually that Loki actually paused to take in what was just said.
"Did you just agree with me?" He asked with mouth slightly agape, he'd surely expected more of a fight.
"Yes." Thor shrugged, Loki in shock turned to his other side to see his sisters opinion and found her with nothing short of an innocent expression on her face.
"From the moment we landed on this planet I knew this place is perfect for you." Aphrodite said lightly, agreeing with Thor. "It's savage, chaotic, lawless."
"Brother, you're going to do great here." Thor finished.
"Do you two truly think so little of me?" Loki asked, his usual mirth gone from his tone.
Thor looked at him seriously for a moment before he sighed, "Loki, we thought the world of you. Thought we were gonna fight side by side forever. But, at the end of the day, you're you, I'm me." Thor spoke, sounding like he sincerely it.
"I don't know, maybe there's still good in you," Aphrodite said bringing his attention to her for the moment, "I'd even like to think that I've glimpsed it from time to time, but let's be honest your path has diverged from ours a long time ago."
Loki looked down in stunned silence at the fact that they seemed content to continue on life without him, granted they'd been doing that for well over a few years when they thought he was dead, and he felt little shame in admitting the fact that he may have grown slightly jealous of the bond that had grown so tight between the two of them. A bond that had no room for him as it would seem.
"Yeah," he spoke quietly before swallowing and nodding, "It's probably for the best that we never see one another again."
Thor nodded, reaching out to pat Loki on the back a few times, "That's what you always wanted," he said with a soft smile and they tree of them lapsed into silence before Thor spoke gains sounding perked up, "Hey, let's do 'Get Help.'"
Aphrodite smiled at that and had to cover her mouth to hide her laugh when Loki looked absolutely aghast at the ide.
"What?" he asked for good measure sounding quite displeased.
"'Get Help.'"
"No."
"Come on, you love it."
"I hate it."
"But it's great! It works every time."
"It's humiliating," Loki argued tossing his hands.
"I love it and find it quite entertaining," Aphrodite piped up, "Do you have a better plan?" she asked Loki raising her eyebrows
"No." he sighed.
"Then we're doing it." Thor said proudly
"We're not doing 'Get Help,'" Loki said, and his tone suggested that it was final.
Oh, how wrong he was.
The elevator doors opened to the floor that held all the Grandmaster's ships, a number of guards turning to the sound of the elevator opening. Thor, with Loki's arm draped over his shoulder, the trickster leaning heavily on him looking more annoyed than injured while Aphrodite supported his other side, telling the guards as if in hysterics "Get help! Please! My brother, is dying! Get help!"
"Help him!" Thor cried one last time at the guards rushed over and he grabbed Loki, picked him up flinging him at the guard's knock them all down and out in one go.
Much to the delight of Aphrodite as she couldn't help but laugh as they all hit the ground.
"Classic," Thor smiled sharing in her delight.
"And it still works," she said her laughter subsiding, "Say why did you stop throwing me?"
"Well because he hates it." Thor answered easily tossing a hand towards where Loki was getting to his feet and Aphrodite nodded.
"And I still hate it." Loki added straightening out his rumpled clothes, "It's humiliating."
"Not to us, it's not," Thor responded.
"Now," Aphrodite said looking around the room and was impressed with the number of ships that sat there untouched, "Which one's the ship he told us to get?"
Loki pointed at a sleek, shiny looking ship. "The Commodore."
"Right." Thor nodded and they started towards the ship, when Aphrodite heard a familiar hum only recognizable to very few who knew what it was and didn't have to turn to know that Loki had made a duplicate of himself, instead giving Thor the signal they'd discussed running her hand over her collar.
"Though I feel it won't make much of a difference." The duplicate continued to speak as the real Loki moved towards a control panel.
"Loki," Thor sighed, not at all surprised as they stopped not bothering to pretend for a moment longer and the duplicate disappeared at they turned to face the real Loki.
"I know I've betrayed you many times before, but this time it's truly nothing personal." He said pressing a few buttons on the panel that set of an alarm in the room and probably throughout the palace as well if they had to guess. "The reward for your capture will set me up nicely."
"Never one for sentiment, were you?" Thor asked sounding a little disappointed.
"Easier to let it burn."
"Always the hard way with you." Aphrodite commented and Loki narrowed his eyes in confusion before it turned to clarity when Thor held up the remote to the obedience disk that he'd stuck onto Loki during their short ride in the elevator.
Contingency plan.
Loki frowned searching himself for the disk, but before he could find it Thor pressed the button at the top of the remote, shocking Loki to the point he hit the ground, convulsing in pain.
"Oh that looks painful," Aphrodite said after she and Thor had walked over to the panel and leaned down over Loki's convulsing form, "You're becoming predictable brother."
"See it's always the same with you, we trust you, you betray us. Round and round in circles we go," Thor added kneeling down beside him, "But, Loki life is about - it's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just wanna stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could more, I'll just put this over here for you," Thor said before standing and tossing the remote over his shoulder. "Anyway, all got places to be so, good luck. I guess."
Aphrodite smiled sadly down at Loki, "Bye brother." She said before following Thor in boarding the Commodore.
Thor sat in the cockpit Aphrodite was behind him, opening and closing drawers looking for weapons while he was examining the buttons and controls, "Alright, I can figure this out. It's just another spaceship." he flicked switch and the doors to the hanger began to open, Aphrodite fell into the co-pilot seat and he cast a glance over to see the look of pure disgust on her face, "Did you find anything?" he asked as he guided the ship up and out of the hangar.
"I don't want to talk about what I found." She responded stiffly looking vaguely nauseous.
"Loyal Sakaarians," the Grandmaster's voice came through the comms, "The Lord of Thunder has stolen my ship and my favourite champion. My General has betrayed me," They flew out of the palace and through the hologram of the man, "Sakaarians, take to the skies. Bring him and Aphrodite down. Do not let them leave this planet."
The people of Sakaar did as told and soon they were being chased by numerous of the Grandmaster's other vessels. Thor grunted, "Hang on." And began steering the ship from side to side in an attempt at evasive maneuvers. Two of the ships caught up to them before there were blaster out of the sky by another familiar ship. It was the Valkyrie, along with Bruce if they had to guess.
"Open the doors." The Valkyries voice suddenly came through the comms and Aphrodite leaned forward pushing the button to do just that while Thor continued to fly the ship as best he could. "I hope that you're tougher than you look!" the woman continued to speak through the comms, but it didn't sound like she was talking to them.
"Why?" Bruce asked in return. Then suddenly there was a flying scientist landing in a heap inside the ship through the opened hatches. "Shouldn't we be shooting back or something?" Bruce asked panting as he stumbled his way to the cockpit.
"Yes, we should," Thor answered.
"There are no weapons on the ship," Aphrodite told him before he could reach forward to start pressing buttons.
"She's right it's a leisure vessel," the Valkyrie echoed over the comm.
"What?" all three of them called back.
"Grandmaster uses it for his good times, orgies and stuff."
"Did she just say the Grandmaster uses it for orgies?" Bruce whispered at them
"Yeah…" Thor responded slowly, looking at the controls warily and now understanding his sister's ill look from earlier a bit better, "Don't touch anything."
The Valkyrie's ship overtook them leading the way to the wormhole, but she was quickly caught up by a three ship who seemed to be making it their mission to take out the warriors' as they fired shot after shot at them.
They were forced to watch, helpless, and the Valkyries ship blew up right in front of them.
"No!" Bruce and Thor cried out seeing the ship go up in flames. But a spec flew through the air from the flaming ship and landed on the edge of the Commodore gripping the window tightly.
"Did you see that?" The Valkyries asked in delight.
"Yeah," Aphrodite called back, "Get inside!"
The Valkyrie looked over her shoulder at the remaining ships still in pursuit before responding, "In a minute!" she pulled herself up the window and onto the top of the ship before running down the length of it and off the back landing on one of the pursuing ships.
"I should probably go and help…" Thor mumbled, starting to rise from his seat, "Here, take the wheel."
"No!" Banner reached out to grab his arm trying to keep him in his seat, "I don't know how to fly one of these!"
"You're a scientist. Use one of your PhDs."
"None of them are for flying alien spaceships!"
"Boys!" Aphrodite cut in loudly bringing their attention to her as she stood from her seat, "Why don't you let the girls handle this one?" she said before moving to the back of the ship where the hatch was still open, and dropping through it to land on the ship that was below them.
She ripped the ship clean in two using her powers and tossed the pieces at two of the other ships, exploding them upon impact.
"You know," Aphrodite called to the Valkyrie over the sounding of gunfire and explosions as the Valkyrie cut into another ship with her sword. "I'm starting to think I might have misjudged you."
"Funny," the other women yelled her response as well, "I was about to say the same about you."
Aphrodite smirked and from there the two of them worked together to destroy the dozens of remaining ships, the Valkyrie with her famed sword and Aphrodite with her powers.
The Commodore split off from the pack leaving only one vehicle in pursuit of it, while the women worked to destroy the last of the ships.
Another ship was suddenly that wasn't before there lowering its massive weapons towards them and Aphrodite was about to destroy it as easily as she had the others before a smirking face inside of it caught her attention.
"Ladies," Ares greeted and she and the Valkyrie shared a look before running and leaping at Ares' ship landing on top of it on either side of the cockpit's window just before he opened fire on the last few ships. Then he boosted the throttle speeding up to catch the Commodore which was now free of its last pursuer.
The Commodore went high suddenly, pulling up above them. They looked at each other and nodded Aphrodite knocked on the glass signalling that it was time to go and, Ares opened the glass dome that covered the cockpit before climbing out, the three of them leaping up and managing to jump right through the open hatch door, landing on floor of the ship with ease. Bruce was in the co-pilot seat near most of the controls and quickly shut the door after them just as the ship they'd been on crashed straight down and exploded under them.
"Guys we're coming up on the Devil's Anus!" Bruce warned as the three of them crowded into the cockpit, Bruce giving his seat so Aphrodite could co-pilot the ship then he Ares and the Valkyrie took their seat.
As they got nearer and nearer to the wormhole the ship began to shake and veer slightly even as Thor tried to keep it on course.
"Here we go!" Valkyrie said out loud.
The small group braced themselves as the ship was sucked into the wormhole, violently jerking from the power of it. The computer systems began beeping frantically and the lights dimmed the ship's occupants groaning in pain as they were pulled closer and closer to the wormhole.
Aphrodite took a deep breath and her eyes shifted to gold as she let her powers reach out and cover the ship, levelling the computers systems and cloaking it in a protective bubble, even as the other occupants had fell unconscious from the strain, she steered the ship straight on and through the nearly blinding light of its epicentre, and a moment later the ship was launched out of the wormhole, into the quiet stillness of space.
When the ship balanced out the unconscious people began to stir, blinking open their eyes to glance around at the emptiness of space around them and the fact that they had made it off of Sakaar with their lives, and the ship intact.
But that wouldn't have been without the help of one person Thor realized as he saw the gold energy fading from around the ship.
"Sister?" He said casting her a worried glance as he took the controls once again.
"I'm fine," she answered giving him a reassuring nod to say that she really was, "We're here."
The Valkyrie swallowed hard, standing up from her seat followed by Bruce and Ares, staring at the planet, her face a mix of emotions, "I never thought I'd be back here."
"Neither did I." Ares added giving Aphrodite a meaningful look.
"I thought it'd be nicer," Bruce observed, "I mean, not that it's not nice. It's just...it's on fire…" he stammered and indeed it was. Asgard looked like it was in ruins, fires everywhere, buildings utterly wrecked.
"Look here," the Valkyrie said reaching forward to the console, bringing up a screen to show what a scanner had picked up, "Up in the mountains," a map appeared, a cluster of dots dot lodged within a mountain, that had to be the stronghold Heimdall had mentioned, "Heat signatures. People clustered together."
"She's going after them," Aphrodite pointed out seeing the green dot quickly making its way up the side of the mountain.
Thor nodded, "Ok," he took a breath, "Drop me off at the palace, I'll draw her away."
"What?" Aphrodite asked head snapping towards him, "And get yourself killed?"
"The people trapped down there are all that matters sister," Thor stated firmly, "While I'm dealing with Hela you help them get everyone off Asgard,"
Aphrodite's jaw clenched but she ultimately gave in, "Fine, I'll help guide the evacuation."
"But how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Bruce asked leaning forwards slightly.
Thor smiled, "We have a man on the ground."
Aphrodite glanced over hearing a loud thumb and say her brother dropping a large gun onto the Commodore.
"Now it has a gun," he said simply and the Valkyrie nodded kneeling down by the edge of the ship to speak to him.
"We'll take it from here." She assured.
Thor nodded and held up a wad of white and gold fabric before placing it down onto the floor of the ship nonchalantly, "I found this in the armoury," he said feeling pleased at the look that washed over her face as she ran her hand over the fabric he turned to speak with his sister when the Valkyrie's voice caused him to pause.
"Your majesty," she called looking off to the side slightly before looking back at him, "Don't die." She finally said and Thor raised his eyebrows, "You know what I mean." She said before grabbing the bundle and turning away to leave the siblings to their moment.
"I don't like this," Aphrodite told him plainly.
"I know."
"You shouldn't have to face her alone."
Thor squinted slightly at her, "I'm not alone," he said reaching out to place a hand on the side of her neck and encouraging her to look up at him, "I have you, and the moment I need you I'll call. But for right now, the people need you more." His lips quirked slightly, "If you're going to be their Queen, you should get used to leading them."
Aphrodite stared at him in shock before leaning forward and pressing her forehead against his in an all too familiar gesture, one of love and comfort. "Stay safe." She instructed.
"Same to you." Thor said as they pulled away and Aphrodite made her back onto the Commodore.
"Brother," she called once she was on board and the ship began to lift, "If you die in there, I'm going to kill you."
Thor smiled and inclined his head to her before the ship lifted up and took off in the direction of the Rainbow Bridge and Thor made his way into the palace.
Aphrodite flew off the Commodore and landed in the path of Hela's skeleton army in between them and the Asgardian refugees, she was at one end and Heimdall was at the other with weary eyes on Hela's pet wolf Fenris who was being shot at by the Commodore.
Skurge stepped out from the army giving her a once over before yelling, "Heimdall!" over the sounds of frightened refugees and rushing waters, "The sword!" he finished but Heimdall paid him little attention.
There was the sound of another person landing next to her and she turned already knowing who she'd find there.
"You didn't think I'd miss this did you?" Ares asked with a grin unsheathing his twin swords and spinning them around.
Aphrodite returned his grin as her eyes went gold and her powers encased her hands, "Of course not." She said just before the army charged forward, and so did they.
Thor groaned as Hela pinned him against a wall with her hand around his throat, and she was early growling at him, "Here's the difference between us. I'm Odin's firstborn, the rightful heir, the saviour of Asgard, and you're nothing."
She picked him up and tossed him over her shoulder conjuring another blade and moving to stab him, but Thor dodged it and broke it from her armour, yet as quickly as he did that another one appeared.
He tried to duck that one as well, and succeeded punching her in the face, Hela returned it before there was another blade in her hand and she was dragging it across his midsection. Thor grunted and doubled over slightly while Hela circled him mockingly.
"So simple," Hela sighed with mocking in her tone, "Even a blind man could see it." She swung her blade toward his hunched over form catching his eyeball in the process and ripping it clean from the socket with the sharpness of the blade. She sneered at him her face curled in disgust as she made a mocking sound of sympathy, "Now you remind me of dad.
Aphrodite and Ares were working together to take out the undead army of soldiers along with a handful of the Asgardian warriors that must have survived Hela's destruction. Though they were all working efficiently they seemed to be getting nowhere as more of the undead keep popping up.
"We need to get the people out of here." She shouted to Ares freezing a soldier in place allowing him to cut through it with his sword.
"What about the dog?" he questioned his eyes alight with pleasure from the heat of being in battle again.
Before she could respond a solider dove at her and she caught them with her hands twisting around its decaying body and pulling both arms back leaving only its head exposed and sticking out which Ares cut clean off with one swing.
Then they heard a battle cry that was abruptly cut short by the sound of a body thumping against the glass of the Rainbow Bridge. They both paused glancing at each other.
"Please tell me that wasn't Bruce." Aphrodite said and Ares gave her a helpless look before flipping his sword around and driving it behind him killing another solider without even looking.
Then she heard the unmistakable sound of the Hulk's roar and realized that Bruce had transformed himself into the Hulk intentionally for the sake of helping them, even though he knew that there was a chance he wouldn't come back from it. She was concerned for the scientist but couldn't help but feel a little touched that he would do that for them, then she felt pride as she heard the wolf whine and knew that he was now contending with the Hulk.
"The man is the Beast!" Ares cried happily as he realized what just happened, he let out a whopping laugh then went back to doing what he does best.
Hela dropped Thor down onto the edge of the balcony and grabbed a fistful of his hair pulling his head up to see the battle currently taking place on the Bridge, of which it seemed like his people were losing, but Thor knew better.
"You see," Hela spoke close to his ear, "No one's going anywhere. I'll get that sword, I'll get the Phoenix, and I don't care if I have to kill every single one of them to do it."
Thor groaned and thought to himself that it might be time to let Aphrodite take it from here.
Aphrodite felt a tell-tale shiver up her spine and looked up at the balcony where she could tell that Thor was.
"He needs me." She explained to Ares when his looked was asking her why she suddenly paused.
Before she could take off to go and help him there was a loud rumbling sound and an absolutely enormous spaceship suddenly materialized from the clouds, a single figure standing proudly on the ramp as it descended, with their arms held open wide, and an extremely familiar horned helmet that she could easily make out from anywhere and she didn't know she missed so much or be so happy to see again.
"Your saviour is here!"
For some reason my playlist spit out Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway' while I was writing the scene between Aphrodite and Thor and it made the thing feel more like a goodbye than I intended, made me feel all the thing and I was like woahh, this wasn't supposed to be that emotional. But if you wanna feel the things too I suggest listening to that song while reading that part of the chapter.
Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi: Lol, imagine the testosterone in the room if that happens. One of them is a super-solider, the other a God, boy it wouldn't be pretty. If Ares will be in Infinity War is a surprise ;) .
BrittStar1199: Hope you enjoyed my take on 'Get Help' and I'm happy you liked Aphrodite's little message.
xLaBellaVita: Thank you, thank you. I know that two years can seem like nothing, but sometimes it could be everything.
Guest: Oh man does he love a good fight. I like your suggestions, but like I said whether or not Ares will be in Infinity War is a surprise.
Love. Fiction. 2019: : ))
MidnightPenguin: It's alright babe, loved hearing from you as always. And didn't that message and Steve's thoughts just tear us all up a little inside.
BlueBloodsSVUOrder: Thanks doll.
Ivana bocanegra: Love you right back.
Alright folks were closing in on the end of Ragnarok and the highly anticipated showdown between the two daughters of Odin, and Hela has made it very clear that she wants Aphrodite on her side. How do you think that will play out, or what would you like to see happen?
Also has anyone else developed kind of a soft spot for Ares? No? Just me? Why do I have so much fun writing him?
Also my list of face claims for Ares are Jason Momoa, Alexander Skarsgård (His more rugged appearance in the Legend of Tarzan) but I think the look that I'm going to go with is Henry Cavill, specifically some fan art I found of him when he was cast in a show called the Witcher, I took one look and I was like yup that's my Ares, right down to the scar. You can look it up yourself or PM me and I'll send you the link to the pictures I found and liked the most.
But like with Aphrodite feel free to imagine Ares however you'd like, that's just the image that I imagine when I'm writing him. Don't hate me Ivana bocanegra *hides behind the couch*
As always let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future. Leave me a review too, as you can see I'll be answering/responding to the ones can. So feel free to say or ask me anything.
