Rhea had used AL to get directions to 177A Bleecker Street, she and her uncle making the journey on foot as it was not too far away. She had recently took after her grandfathers idea and uploaded Al to a pair of dark green framed cat eyed sunglasses. Tapping the side of the frame she read off the directions leading the way.

"Moms going to have a conniption." Rhea sighed as she shifted her sunglasses up causing it to scoop her jaw length black hair back out of her green and silver hazel eyes.

"Do not worry, we will retrieve Loki in due time. No need to tell your mother what happened." Thor smiled brightly.

"Because she'll have a conniption on you since you lost him?" Rhea looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Exactly." Thor nodded as they walked up the steps of a nice brick home that matched the other homes lined up on either side of it. Thor knocked twice before suddenly they were inside standing before a large round window where the silhouette of a levitating man could be seen.

"Thor Odinson." The man said drifting towards Thor and Rhea. "God of Thunder. And Rhea Lokidaughter, also known as Hex I believe." Thor held up his ratty umbrella, ready to defend himself as Rhea's eyes started to glow in tandem with her hands. "You can put down the umbrella, and stop the...glowyness."

Thor gives Strange a sideways look but then set his umbrella down, nodding to Rhea who followed his lead dismissing her building magic.

"So earth has wizards now?" Thor commented as they now found themselves in a furnished room.

"The preferred term is "Master of the Mystic Arts." And as I understand it you know one of my colleagues, Taylor." He commented.

"Yes, she mentioned there were others of her kind, but was rather mum on the details." Thor eyed the man. "Alright wizard, who are you?"

"And why did you take my dad?" Rhea glared at him.

"My name is Doctor Stephen Strange and I have some questions for you. Take a seat." Strange ignored her. Rhea and Thor were now sitting in high-backed chairs in front of a desk with Strange on the other side. "Tea?"

"Black." Rhea replied and the cups appeared in their hands.

"I don't drink tea." Thor looked down at the delicate tea cup dwarfed by his hand.

"What do you drink?" Strange asked.

"Not tea." Thor replied then found a stein of beer in his hand. He eyed it for a moment before kicking it back, but as soon as it was empty it refilled itself once again. Rhea took a sip from her own cup, her eyes peering over the rim at Strange.

"Nice parlor trick, really, but what you could give us is my father back…where is he?" Rhea asked in a cold voice.

"I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world." Strange told them. Rhea's eyes narrowed as he once again ignored her setting aside her cup. "Loki is one of these beings.

"He's no longer a worthy inclusion, I assure you." Thor told him.

"Yeah, right." Strange clearly did not believe. "Then why bring him here?"

"That is none of your business." Rhea crossed her arms. "My father is no threat so there is no need to keep him from us."

"Tell that to New York." Strange scoffed.

"He was brainwashed." Rhea's voice became dark.

"Is that what they tell you?" Strange shot back and Rhea's hands fisted.

"We're looking for my father." Thor quickly interrupted taking note of the subtle glow around Rhea's hand that had steadily been building since the conversation started. Thor reached out taking one of her hands in his to calm her down. Judging by the tingling sensation growing in his arm it was not working.

"So if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?" Stephen asked as Thor took his hand back, shaking it subtly to get rid of the pins and needles feeling.

"Promptly." Rhea glowered.

"Great. Then I'll help you." Strange said cheerfully.

"If you knew where he was, why didn't you call me?" Thor asked.

"I have to tell you, he was adamant that he not be disturbed. Your father said he had chosen to go into exile." Strange told him then shot him a confused look. "And you don't have a phone."

"No, I don't have a phone, but you could have sent an electronic letter." Thor pointed out. "It's called an email."

"Yeah, do you have a computer?" Strange asked.

"No. What for?" Thor asked.

"You should have contacted my mother or I then." Rhea crossed her arms.

"You're compromised." Strange replied.

"Compromised?" Rhea echoed lowly.

"You're the offspring of the enemy." Strange told her and Rhea sneered at him. "Do you know how many he killed?"

Rhea was quiet for a moment and that scared Thor more than anything else. At least it did before a smirking grin spread across her lips.

"Let's see if that horse of yours is as high as you think it is." A dark humored light igniting in Rhea's eyes.

"Rhea..." Thor started, but Rhea wasn't listening to him as she leaned forward bracing her hands on Strange's desk.

"You know you're pretty famous? Read about you after your accident." Rhea tilted her head to the side. "The comments were full of patients you didn't want to see because you feared for you reputation. They seemed pretty happy about your accident." Rhea taunted with a bitter chuckle as she walked around the desk right up to Strange who by this time had stood to his feet. "I believe the report attributed it to driving while on the phone. Dumb mistake for such a smart man." As she spoke Strange's glare became darker, and darker the two locked gazes, neither backing down. "Tell me Doctor, do they still shake? Still hurt?"

Stephen stared down at Rhea with a dark look mirrored in her own eyes, the tension thick as it flooded the room. Thor cleared his throat awkwardly trying to relieve said tension and break their heated stares which were making him feel on edge.

"Anyway..." Thor drew out as moved around behind Rhea taking hold of her shoulders and pulling her back lightly. Neither sorcerer broke their glare though. "...my father no longer needs to be in exile. So if you could tell me where he is, I can take him home."

"If it gets rid of the brat, gladly." Strange brit out behind clenched teeth, Rhea sneering back at him. "He's in Norway." Strange told them and suddenly they were standing by a bookcase. Strange took down an ancient book, flipping through it, as Thor held onto the bookshelf to steady himself. "I'm just seeing whether this incantation requires any Asgardian modifications." Rhea snatched the book from him. "Hey…"

"It doesn't." Rhea barely glanced at it before shoving it back in his hands. "You sure you can make a tracking spell, this looks a little advanced for you."

"Yes, I do know how to make a tracking spell, I don't need advice from a child." Strange snapped.

"This child had been trained in the magic arts since she was a toddler, how long have you been studying?" Rhea raised her chin defiantly as Strange sneered down at her.

Suddenly they were all across the room at Strange's work station, the doctor grumbling under his breath about annoying know it all children were. Because Thor was still touching the bookcase, he had magically brought it across the room as well.

"Oh, we don't need that." Stephen said and Thor was back across the room, books falling off the shelf and Thor's beer spilled over the rim. He was queasy and unsteady from the teleportation if his pale countenance was anything to go by. Rhea remained upright arms crossed and a glare affixed to her features having had more experience with magic of this kind that her Uncle.

"Will you stop doing that?" Thor grumbled.

"I need just one strand of your hair." Stephen said.

"Let me explain something, my hair is not to be meddled wi-!" Thor was cut off when Strange appeared behind him plucking a strand of hair. Strange extended the hair, infused it with magic, did a few gestures that created a bright light and suddenly they were at the bottom of the stairs back into the entrance way. Strange was standing at the base of the stairs while Thor was rolling down them followed by Rhea walking down them. Beside Stephen a magic portal leading into a peaceful meadow was opened up.

"We could have just walked." Thor struggled to his feet.

"Obviously he uses magic to compensate for is old age. The elderly of earth can't move around like they used to after a certain advanced age." Rhea informed Thor in a loud whisper who nodded in understanding completely missing that she was antagonizing Strange.

"He's waiting for you." Strange ignored Rhea.

"All right." Thor nodded.

"Don't forget your umbrella." Strange reminded him.

"Yes." Thor extended his arm and held out his hand. Soon crashing noises were heard, lots of crashing noises. Strange leveled a look at Thor who gave him a fake look of apology. "Sorry..."

Finally the umbrella flew into his hand, Thor having to shake bits of glass and rubble from it.

"And my father?" Rhea prompted.

"Yeah, right." Strange formed another portal and screaming could be heard coming from it. Loki suddenly dropped out of the portal landing hard on the floor. He staggered to his feet with Rhea's help.

"Dad, you ok?" Rhea asked.

"...I have been falling...for thirty minutes!" Loki bit out, on edge and confused,

"You can handle him from here." Stephen said to Thor.

"Yeah of course." Thor shook Strange's hand. "Thank you very much for your help."

"Good luck." Strange nodded.

"Handle me? Who are you?" Loki demanded then looked to Rhea in concern noticing the glare she was shooting at the doctor. "Did he hurt you?"

"He tried to verbally demean me, but alas in a battle of wits he was severely found lacking." Rhea sighed dramatically.

"Brat." Strange grumbled.

"Old Geezer." Rhea shot back.

"Loki." Thor saw the look in his brother's eyes. Loki drew his daggers, ready to attack Strange.

"..you think you're some kind of sorcerer? You think you can insult my daughter?!" Loki glowered. "Don't think for one minute, you second-rate..."

"Bye-bye." Strange gestured with both hands and moved the portal over them, but not before Rhea dropped a small metal ball. Strange sighed as it was once again quiet except for the annoying beeping sound. He had just spotted the ball when the beeping ceased and he barely had time to let out a grown before it exploded in green sparkles. "Brat…"

-0-

Strange had transported them to a beautiful, undisturbed piece of nature where the ocean met towering cliffs. Thor and Rhea remained upright as Loki landed chest down on the ground, the portal closing behind them.

"Dad, I'm starting to worry about your recent bouts with gravity." Rhea sighed, once again helping him up.

"Father?" Thor spotted the lone figure first, standing at the other side of the meadow at the cliff's edge, waves crashing below. Odin was dressed plainly in humble human clothes, stark contrast to his usual golden armor.

"Look at this place." Odin said as they approached him. "It's beautiful."

"Father, it's us." Thor said cautiously.

"My sons." Odin greeted then smile to Rhea. "And my granddaughter. I've been waiting for you."

Loki still found it surprising to hear Odin call him his son while Rhea ran up hugging her grandfather. Somehow Rhea had formed a great bond with her grandfather as he sought to redeem himself in the eyes of his sons and Vanessa.

"We've been so worried for you." Rhea said as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"There was no need for that." Odin smiled down at her gently.

"We've come to take you home." Thor said came up to them.

"Home, yes. Your mother, she calls me. Do you hear it?" Odin smiled serenely. Thor and Loki exchanging worried looks as Rhea furrowed her brows gazing up at her grandfather.

"Loki, what happened to him?" Thor asked his brother who looked unsure. Odin turned to Loki, who stiffened slightly out of habit, but Odin smiled comfortingly.

"Nothing has happened to me Thor." Odin reassured him keeping his eyes on Loki, a proud look in them that Loki had come to find there in recent times. "I have kept an eye on you though Loki, as well as Vanessa, and Rhea." He hugged his granddaughter to his side. "You and your wife have both been good stewards of Asgard in my absence, Frigga would have been proud." Loki was moved by this gesture, letting a soft smile form on his lips. Thor reached out placing a hand on his brothers shoulder also giving him a proud smile. Odin gestured to them both to follow him. "Come and sit with me." Odin led them over to a nice sized rock overlooking the ocean and took a seat, his sons and grandchild following suit. "I don't have much time.

"I know that we failed you, but we can make this right." Thor said taking a seat next to Odin on his right while Rhea remained next to her grandfather on his left with Loki setting next to his daughter. For a time they set in silence taking in the oceanic scene.

"I failed you." Odin admitted grimly. "It is upon us...Ragnarok."

"No, I've stopped Ragnarok. I put an end to Surtur." Thor told him.

"No. It has already begun. She's coming. My life was all that held her back, but my time has come. I cannot keep her away any longer." Odin told them with a troubled look, Rhea reached out taking his hand in hers comfortingly.

"Grandfather, who are you talking about?" Rhea asked as he squeezed her hand in thanks for her empathy.

"The Goddess of Death. Hela. My first born." Odin turned to Thor. "Your sister."

Everything seemed to go dead silent for a moment as what he said sunk in.

"What?" Rhea breathed out breaking the silence.

"Her violent appetites grew beyond my control. I couldn't stop her, so I imprisoned her. Locked her away. She draws her strength from Asgard...and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless." Odin informed them with a tired sigh.

"Whatever she is, we can stop her. We can face her together." Thor said confidently.

"No we won't. I'm on a different path now. This you must face alone." Odin looked into Thor's eyes as he took his hand, struggling to breathe.

"I love you my sons, my granddaughter, and give Vanessa my love as well." Odin turned to Loki as well placing his hand on Loki's shoulder then smiling at Rhea pressing a kiss to her forehead. For the briefest of instances, father son and granddaughter shared a quiet moment together starring back out over the waves. "Look at that."

"It's beautiful." Rhea's tears slipped down her cheeks as the ethereal sun-rays streamed down upon the ocean glimmering in the rise and fall of the waters.

"Remember this place. Home." Odin smiled as a warm glow washed over their faces and they turned to see that Odin was dissipating into golden stardust that drifted toward the sun, the All-Father was dead. They set together in silence mourning his passing, Thor moving closer to Rhea who was sobbing. Both Loki and Thor wrapped their arms around her on comfort.

"Brother." Loki placed a hand on Thor's shoulder.

The Thunder Gods face twisted with grief as he reached up gripping Loki's hand and holding onto his nieces as well glad of the comfort of his family, but to soon their moment was broken as the sky above darkened and the wind picked up. Thor stood up with Loki and Rhea and suddenly there was a great cracking noise behind them coming from a black portal that split open.

"Is this Hela?" Rhea looked cautiously between her father, uncle, and the portal.

"Just stay behind us." Loki ordered her as Thor slammed down his umbrella, transforming into his Asgardian armor with Mjolnir. Loki changed into his armor with a shimmer of magic and with a snap of her fingers Rhea changed into her Hex uniform sans mask and her hood back.

Sauntering out of the portal through mists of black and sickly green came a tall pale woman with black smeared across her eyes. She wore a body suit of black with a green shimmer to it covered in rips and her long black hair hung limply down her back. Hela took a second to consider her surroundings before her eyes settled on Thor, Loki, and Rhea.

"So he's gone?" Hela smirked darkly. "That's a shame. I would've liked to have seen that."

A tense moment passed in silence as they stared each other down, sizing each other up. There was no doubt a fight was on the way, you could practically feel the building tension in the air.

"You must be Hela. I'm Thor, son of Odin." Thor announced.

"Really, you don't look like him." Hela commented looking him up and down.

"Perhaps we can reach an arrangement." Loki tried.

"You sound like him." Hela scoffed, unimpressed. Loki shifted nervously and Thor's grip tightened on Mjolnir.

"Well you don't look like him either or sound like him for that matter." Rhea pointed out crossing her arms.

"And who are you?" Hela eyed her.

"Rhea, daughter of Loki." Rhea nodded to her father.

"Interesting." Hela eyed them all. "Kneel."

"Beg your pardon?" Loki straightened.

"As is." Rhea scoffed.

"Kneel...before your Queen." Hela manifested a pitch-black blade.

"I don't think so." Thor hurled Mjolnir at Hela with all his strength, but it stopped with a resounding thud. The mighty hammer caught with ease in Hela's hand. Thor stared in shock; his hand outstretched trying to call Mjolnir back to him. The hammer trembled in Hela's grasp, like a mini game of tug-o-war, but ultimately Hela kept possession. "It's not possible."

"Darling, you have no idea what's possible." Hela smirked and with a flick of her hand, shattered Thor's hammer. The blast of Mjolnir's destruction sent a wave of energy at them. Rhea quickly brought up a shield just before the energy struck them, though the impact was lessened it still forced them back a couple of steps. Thor was stupefied, in shock as he looked up to see Hela is running her hands back over her head to create the terrifying battle headdress. Loki's reaction was more panic as he pulled Rhea against him.

"Bring us back!" Loki ordered looking up at the sky.

"No!" Thor tried to stop them as Hela charged just as the Bi-Frost enveloped them all. They zoomed upwards, held inside this celestial beam warping them towards Asgard. Looking down they saw that Hel was in the Bi-Frost, behind them and catching up.

Loki turned throwing two daggers at her which she easily evaded. Rhea thrust her hands forward sending out a blast of green fire, but Hela deflected it with one of her blades sending it back at her. It hit Rhea before Loki could stop it sending her tumbling out of the Bi-Frost.

"Rhea!" Loki screamed, but had no time to do much else as Hela plowed through him, sending him out of the Bi-Frost as well.

"Rhea! Loki!" Thor called out, but they were both gone in an instant.

Hela projected a jet black grappling hook and grabbed hold of Thor reeling him in like a fish, preparing to finish him off. Thor pulled up his legs, and kicked Hela with both feet effectively dislodging him from her grasp but also knocking himself out of the Bi-Frost.

-0-

Vanessa was pacing back and forth in the throne room as Sif watched in mild amusement. The warriors three as well as herself had known that Odin had vanished without a trace and Loki was doing his best to cover it up. It was only because of Vanessa that they had put up with the ruse while they searched for both the All-Father and Thor, but know 'the jig was up' as Vanessa had put it.

"This, right here, is why hierarchy is so out dated." Vanessa bit her lip. "If we had a democracy then we would have a fall back situation should a thing like this ever happen."

"We do have a fall back." Sif said and Vanessa looked up at her. "You."

"Well let's just hope Thor and Loki hurry up, a lot of people are pissed about our charade and it's not like they need a lot more ammo against Loki." Vanessa sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Lady Vanessa, Lady Sif." A voice called to them, Heimdall stepping around one of the pillars dressed in plain clothes and his hair now hanging in long dreds down his back.

"Heimdall." Vanessa said in surprise walked over to him. "It's so good to see you." She gripped him tightly by his upper arms, her smile becoming dark. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Preparing." Heimdall replied, wincing slightly at the pressure she was applying to his arms. "Before Odin left he charged me with preparing refuge for Asgard."

"Refuge from what?" Sif asked as Vanessa let him go taking a step back.

"Hela, Odin's firstborn daughter." Heimdall told them. "I regret to tell you that with the passing of Odin, she is now able to come back."

"Odin is…" Vanessa pressed a hand to her mouth.

"I am sorry." Heimdall empathized as Vanessa and Sif took a moment. Their relationship had started off rocky to say the least in the beginning, but time and communication had lead them to a better place as a family. "She is coming here to take her imagined birthright back."

"And let me guess, hells coming with her." Vanessa wiped away the lingering tears in her eyes.

"Indeed." Heimdall nodded.

"Then we need to prepare for battle." Sif said drawing her weapon.

"This is a battle that cannot be won, not by us." Heimdall told them solemnly. "And I will not lie to either of you, the loses will be great."

"Rhea? Loki? Thor? Are they...?" Vanessa gripped her hands tightly together.

"They are alive, but they are not returning for a time." Heimdall said then held out his hand. "Come, we must go before she gets to the palace."

"The people...I can't just leave them." Vanessa shook her head when Heimdall suddenly stiffened.

"She's here." He said grimly.

"Volstagg and Fandril are at the Bi-Frost." Sif said looking to Heimdall who shook his head. "They're dead already, aren't they?"

"I am sorry." Heimdall said as Sif closed her eyes in grief, Vanessa coming to her side placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hogun, he's at the gates." Sif said.

"He is giving us time to get away." Heimdall told her.

"No, we should fight with him." Vanessa stood straight.

"Heimdall is right, we must go." Sif said darkly.

"But..." Vanessa tried.

"Vanessa, you are the leader of Asgard right now." Sif said suddenly. "As the wife of Loki and the only one here with family ties to Odin, it all falls to you."

"She is right, you'll be needed if we are to save the people of Asgard." Heimdall said as they heard a great battle erupt outside.

"They can only hold her off for so long, come, now." Sif ordered. Vanessa peered toward the doors, toward the sounds of battle and death.

"Lead the way." Vanessa looked to Heimdall with pained eyes and he led the two women out of Asgard away from Hela where they would regroup the people until they could get them all to safety.