Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, or anything else that finds its way into these pages. No disrespect intended, only homage, no profit made, only entertainment intended. If you're a fan, read it, if you don't like it, stop reading. Simple as pie.

Rating: M for Mature.

Spoilers: MANY

Chapter Nineteen: Taking Care of Business

You get up every morning from the alarm clock's warning,

Take the eight fifteen into the city.

There's a whistle up above and people pushing, people shoving,

And the girls who try to look pretty.

And if your train's on time you can get to work by nine,

And start your slavin' jobs to get your pay.

If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I'm self-employed.

I love to work at nothing all day.

-"Taking Care of Business," by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Some institutions, rather than change their admissions policies, chose to close their doors forever. The Mages Guild, for one, shut down after millions of years. It was unfortunate, but there was still the College of Winterhold, the Synod Mages Guild, and the Psijic Mages Guild, and if people wanted a new, all-inclusive Mages Guild badly enough one day, they'd build it anew. Clan Centurio enjoyed a great influx of invite requests, mostly from Aesir nobles wishing to please the new King. The increased popularity would no doubt help the clan a great deal.

Loki had bigger worries on his mind for the time being. The Aether presented a problem, as it would draw Malekith to it wherever it was, and if Jane Foster found it then the whole series of events leading to Frigga's death could be triggered in some modified fashion as well. If he could properly contain it, and then, perhaps, hide it away within the Sanctum Sanctorum, a place outside this dimension, all presumably would be well. He found the best smith in the realm and set him to work on a container, and then went to Midgard to seek the Infinity Stone.

The Concurrence was only just starting to come into alignment, so the rift was not open very far. He could not enter it as he was, so he changed into the form of a black cat and entered that way, then changed back once inside. He took the container out of his jacket and approached the monolith containing the Aether. Drawn to his energy, the ephemeral stone immediately moved toward him and he caught it in the container and sealed it up. He headed back to Asgard. One problem hopefully dealt with, but another remained.

Hela.

Praying that this would not be his last act as King, he found the rift to Helheim and entered.

Helheim was not a place of fire and brimstone. That was Muspelheim, one of the two lands that existed before Time. Helheim was dark, and cold. Not frozen, but chill. The darkness and chill of death, something an Immortal could never fully understand.

"Who comes to this place of Death?" The voice was female.

"I am Loki, Son of Odin. I sought the throne as my birthright, but Father tricked me. He made promises and broke them, then trapped me in this place."

"Son of Odin, eh? That makes you my little brother. And it seems you fared as well as I against the old man. But take heart, Brother. The old dog is weakening swiftly. Soon he will die, and we shall go free."

"I did not know I had a sister. How came you to this place?"

A low chuckle. "The same way you did, Brother. Betrayed by my own father. But when I go free, I shall have the Throne, and my vengeance, at last."

Loki shivered at the chill in her voice. It was colder than the death chill of this land.

"I am the eldest," she said. "By rights the throne is mine, and believe me when I say, you do not want to fight me on that, Brother. But I could always use a good lieutenant. What do you say? Will you join with me?"

"My brother Thor is powerful," Loki said. "He will not be easy to overthrow, and the people will not fall in line to you either. Why should I follow you?"

"Because I have the powers of DEATH!" She said, and cackled. Loki heard insanity in that laughter. "I will settle this Thor and the people will fall in line or they will perish!"

"I… cannot compete with that. I will join you."

"I like a Nord who knows when he is outmatched. Let us seal our bond with a handshake, Brother." A pale female hand appeared before him in the darkness.

"A handshake? So impersonal. You are my sister! Give us a hug, Sis!" Loki seized the hand and drew the rest of her into his arms, and released his long-confined powers of fire.

"Oh bugger," she said. They were her last coherent words.