The entire realm had been in mild chaos the night before after the warning from Valder. But, now, in the early morning, it had simmered back down. There were more guards on patrol around the common homes and the supervision of the border had increased dramatically. Thanos wouldn't be getting in undetected. That was certain.

Hena pulled her sheets tighter around her frame, eyebrows furrowing slightly. She opened her eyes, feeling very numb and nauseous. It took all took brief of a moment before she remembered with a sharp stab of fear. The intense emotion faded quickly, but she would not be able to relax again until the next evening when sleep claimed her. It had only been about seven hours since the group had finally separated for the night. But, seven hours to them would feel substantially longer to Loki in Jotunheim.

As Hena dressed and left her rooms, she hesitantly reached out to him. Her mother had advised against it, but Hena was too anxious to refrain.

However, she couldn't pick up anything from Loki, other than knowing he was alive. The distance between Anaheim and Jotunheim was farther than Anaheim to most of the nine realms. The borders were not as weak as Midgard's had been when she'd sensed him there. Their mind connection had grown stronger even in their brief time together, but it was hard to maintain when one was so weak.

"Hena."

She nearly jumped as she turned to see Thor. He was approaching her from down the hall. She imagined he wanted to talk with her, but this place was also unfamiliar. He wouldn't want to get lost.

"Have you spoken to your parents this morning?" he asked, his voice forcibly plain.

She shook her head "No, I haven't seen them. But, they'll probably be in the dining hall."

"The others too then." Thor said, falling in pace with her. They walked together in silence. She felt smaller than ever as she traveled beside the broad shouldered Asgardian. His face always seemed to rest in a sad and worried state, though he was really just deep in thought.

They came to what must have been the dining room and Hena pulled open the two doors. A guard immediately moved back and out of their way, having heard them approaching and intending to open it for them.

Svleiva looked up, eyebrows raised. Fandral and Volstagg were both in there with her, along with Hawkeye and Captain America. Laura was sitting a little ways off with the children. Their quiet conversations hushed briefly before continuing.

The table was lined with different foods and delicacies that would hopefully suit anyone who came to their realm. Fruit was probably the most abundant.

"Did you rest?" Svleiva asked, peering closely at her daughter as she approached. The queen was just lightly beginning to show a rounded stomach from the child she was carrying.

"Yes. Not well. But, yes." Hena replied honestly. She glanced at the table, realizing how hungry was at the moment. It had been a while since they'd had a proper meal. Then she returned her gaze to her mother "Where is father?"

"In his rooms. He remained awake with Odin through the night. They are desperate to get to Jotunheim. Along with worrying for the potential battle here."

"Have they found anything at all?" Hena asked numbly.

"Nothing of consequence. They've exhausted several methods already. They have not stopped since we parted last eve." Svleiva replied sadly "If Odin were in Asgard among his own power, I believe he would risk summoning dark magic again. But, he cannot do so on Anaheim. And your father cannot travel to the nine realms without permission. Even if he were to use the alternate power."

"Then all we can do is try and find a pathway from here to Jotunheim." even as she said this vehemently, Hena knew that chance was close to none.

Svleiva watched her countenance fall with a mother's eyes.

"Don't give up hope. The two of them may yet come up with a way to get here. They are intuitive about these things. And, fatherly protectiveness rules both their actions."

Thor stared at her silently, glad and surprised to hear her say that. Neither of Hena's parents had seemed to have a favorable view of Odin the last time he'd seem them on Earth.

"They're returning to the Thanos' realm to get the weapons taken from you." Svleiva continued "Sometime soon."

"Going back?" Hena echoed in concern.

"Yes. We cannot attack Thanos with the numbers we have. We can only prepare. Now that your father has been there, he can more easily sense his position."

"Father is going?" Hena sounded even more scared now.

"Not him. But, it is not a confrontational venture. They should not be fighting."

Captain America opened his mouth as if to volunteer, but stopped. Hawkeye glanced at him, waiting for him to speak, but the soldier seemed to be rethinking.

"Eat something." Svleiva invited quietly "I'll go and see if they have come any further."

Hena didn't move as her mother slid past her, actually wanting to go with her. But she stayed where she was.

"How is Lila?" she asked "Were they able to help?"

After a moment of silence, Hawkeye glanced over, realizing she was talking to him.

"Oh. Yes, it did for a little bit. They were able to do something similar to what you did, but she didn't stay that way. They said they'll keep monitoring her."

"They're very investigative. I'm sure they'll be able to remedy whatever Thanos did." Hena said gently.

Hawkeye nodded, but he didn't look as certain.

The guard by the door reached to open it again. This time, it took a moment before Mazi appeared in the doorway. Her eyes brightened as she saw Laura and all three of her friends at the table.

"Lila!" she said happily, beginning to walk over.

Fortunately, the sound of the voice roused Lila from her silent, nervous stupor. She turned from her mother as the princess came up.

"I'm so glad you were able to come to Anaheim!" Mazi exclaimed excitedly "I told you we have the best fruit."

Laura nodded at her with a smile as Cooper and Nathaniel stepped up.

"How do you live in such a big house?" Nathaniel asked bluntly, eyeing the walls.

"We have lots of things we have to do in here!" Mazi replied with a hint of reprimand. She twirled briefly, arms raised to show how grand the room was. Then, she got onto one of the chairs and stood tall.

"This-"

"Mazi." Hena said sternly "Don't stand on that."

Her sister glanced back swiftly before getting down with a sigh.

"I forgot you were in here."

"Mother, Father or I are always around, don't worry." Hena replied teasingly "Besides, that doesn't seem like good rule following."

"Apparently I could improve." Mazi said with a nod. She looked back at the mortals "I have been wanting the lemonade you guys have. We don't make that here, which is sad. I will just have to go to Midgard all of the time."

"You're welcome at our house." Laura told her in amusement.

"Thank you!" Mazi replied boldly. Then she moved her gaze directly to Lila curiously.

"Do you want to come with me? I can show you around all of Anaheim."

"She isn't feeling very good right now." Laura replied "Hopefully she'll be better later today."

"I want to go." Lila said with a very faint sound of indignation. Her mother looked down in surprise.

Hawkeye drew in a deep breath. That was a good sign.

Hena smiled as Mazi beckoned her friends eagerly.

"I can show you the other children too. We can all play in the pools and go into the forest!"

"Not right now. It might best if you stayed in the palace." Hena suggested.

"Daddy has sent out a lot of soldiers." Mazi observed. Her eyes widened in a broad smile "We are very safe!"

"Yes, we are." Hena chuckled lightly at her sister's enthusiasm. There was good in every situation to her.

Laura helped Lila from the chair and steadied her for a moment. But, then all of the children were on their way. Mazi somehow seemed to understand that the mortal girl wasn't quite ready for anything too intense. She walked by her, talking in a hushed tone. Hena watched, feeling very warm towards her sister right then.

"I'm going to go and see my father." Thor said, backing up from the table. He hadn't touched a thing on it.

"Perhaps you shouldn't bother them now. Svleiva will tell us if anything has changed." Fandral ventured.

"I need to know what they're planning. My hammer has still not returned. War right now would be very dangerous for all of us, but we'll fare better if I can get it back. And then I'll use it to kill Thanos." Thor replied quietly, stepping back and turning towards the door.

"Do you think he knows?" Hena asked, looking at the ground.

The God of Thunder paused, unsure of whom she was speaking.

"Loki." Hena said, looking as if a thought were really weighing her down "Do you think he knows we came for him?"

"To get him from Thanos?" Thor asked, turning back slightly. He blinked, scowled, and kept out a loud exhalation.

"I hadn't thought otherwise. Do you have a reason to think he did not?"

"I'm just afraid that this is the case. He wouldn't have been aware of our absence either way. But I want him to know we came."

"He would have been able to sense us, wouldn't he?" Volstagg asked "Even if he was not fully conscious."

"I believe so. He woke at Odin's touch. Surely that would mean he recognized it. But, I do not know how much power he was able to exert." she looked over at Thor "I just want him to know that we came. That Odin came for him."

"If he doesn't know now, he'll know when we find him." Thor replied firmly.

Hena didn't reply and after a moment, he realized what she was inferring.

"He's not going to die there." he said firmly "He stayed on our side when the easier decision would have been to go with Thanos. He gave everything he had to get us out. And now I'm going to do the same."

"We've called in the bordering realms. They should be here within the next day. They will be ready to fight when we are. Their populations are far smaller than ours, however. They will not lend as much aid as any of the nine realms could." Valder said, writing something on the bottom of a piece of parchment. He handed it over to one of Adden's men and they exited the room to deliver it to the intended party.

Odin's eye followed him briefly before flicking back to Valder.

"I'm hoping that Thanos decides to look the other way right now. He may not want to come here after the interaction we had. He won't know we are ill-prepared for an all out war. Unless he has spies among the realms. What more do you know of the invasions you have sensed?"

Anaheim's leader shook his head slowly "They stopped this past week. I feared the worst for Hena and the others when that happened."

"When did you first notice they were missing from Midgard?" the question wasn't particularly pertinent to anything, but Odin was curious how well the God of Death could hide his actions.

"A few days after we left. We cannot look to Midgard, but Hena would not respond to our attempts to communicate with her. We made to return to Earth, but could not. That was when we knew something was wrong. I was trying to send word to Asgard, but...that avenue is rather difficult. As you know."

"Perhaps after this, we can reconcile that." Odin replied with a nod.

"I think that would be best." Valder said, turning slightly to another guard entering the room.

"Prince Thor is outside." he said. Odin's eyebrows rose.

"Send him in." Valder replied, beckoning with his hand. The soldier retreated to do just that without another word.

"I believe I know what he wants to address." Odin waited with his gaze on the door.

"His hammer." Valder said grimly and the Allfather nodded.

They stood in silence until Thor appeared in the doorway. He didn't hesitate as he came in, even though he was entering a king's private quarters. He was more sensitive and humble now, but he could very much improve on his prudence in many situations.

"Thor." Odin said in acknowledgement.

"Sorry for the interruption." the God of Thunder replied, redeeming himself a bit as he addressed Valder more than his father "But, with the possibility of war on this realm at any given moment, I need to speak with both of you."

"Mjolnir." Odin said plainly, allowing Thor to skip the introduction "Whatever bind Thanos holds over your capability to call her, I cannot break it. Traveling to Midgard when we can will change that."

"Have you found a way?" Thor interest perked noticeably.

"No. Not yet." Odin said shortly "But Midgard will be the easiest one to access out of any of the nine realms. For now, you'll just have to make due without your hammer."

"Then nothing more on reaching Loki." Thor just made the statement, although it was really an invitation for an update.

"No." Odin replied with a slight glance away.

"My wife and Hena will try and monitor, but Jotunheim is quite far away." Valder added "Well they update me, I will be sure to update everyone else. And, if we breach Midgard, you'll be the first to know. We have a unit ready to travel to Jotunheim when we do."

"May I request to be part of that team?" Thor asked.

"Yes, I intended that. Adden has volunteered to lead, but if you are to join, both of you can collaborate." Valder said, nodding.

Thor left his gaze on his own father for a moment, wondering why he was as reserved as he was acting. This was not his realm, but that would not normally make him so distant.

So, the God of Thunder excused himself and allowed them to return to their conversation.

"This part of the realm actually looks a lot like your land on Midgard." Hena said, pointing over towards a distant forested area. She smiled slightly "It was a bit surprising when I got there because I had only ever heard of the heavily populated places in your realm. I suppose I should have imagined that there would be quiet places as well."

It was around midday now and although Anaheim was still preparing, the anxiety across the realm had faded. Valder and Odin finally left the palace and came out to speak with the passing guards. They gave them each instructions as they passed, spreading updates to their defense plan every time.

Laura stared in the same direction, arms folded as she thought.

"Well, honestly, Earth-or...Midgard-is a little bit messed up right now. Nowhere near as organized and united as Anaheim seems. Clint was saying how impressive it was that your father could issue a warning to all the citizens and it didn't cause a mass panic."

Hena drew in a deep breath and raised her eyebrows "Our people are very mild-mannered, so I suppose a panic would look different. They're definitely scared. But, every citizen is required to be armed here. To prevent any one person or family from poisoning the throne or in cases like this where there could be an attack."

Mazi had lead the children around Anaheim, but she'd stopped to play in the courtyard where Laura and Hena were. The Warriors and a few of the other mortals were there too, but they were having their own conversations. Thor was not with either group. He stood nearby his friends, but his face indicated he was ruminating over their situation. So, they left him be.

"Mazi!" Cooper called her over. The princess was talking to Lila, but at the boy's insistent beckoning, she finally turned to him.

Hena and Laura both had to grin at the look on her face.

"Maybe they'll get married after all. They annoy each other enough." Hawkeye said, noticing it as well. Laura glanced over at him in stern amusement.

"Yes, you do get annoying." she replied.

"Hey, whoa. Shots fired." Hawkeye said, putting his hands up innocently. Finally, the solemn group let out a laugh at the vague insults between the spouses.

"Why'd you keep this one a secret for so long, Hawkeye?" Captain America asked, eyebrows up with a small smile.

"Hey, hey." the SHIELD agent kept his hands up pointedly as he looked at the group indignantly "I'll tell you the real thing we need to focus on here. I revealed a big secret. Now it's everyone else's turn. That's right, give something up."

"I'm a virgin." Tony replied plainly.

Svleiva made a slight glance in his direction, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

"And, my hair isn't naturally red, this is food coloring." Black Widow said, tilting her head smugly.

"You already knew about them. I would have opted out of this whole secret revealation thing if I were you." Tony replied "But, Rogers. Rogers needs a turn."

Captain America looked at him and then back forward, lips pursing a bit.

"Come now, one petty secret?" Tony asked.

"Why does it have to be petty?" Volstagg asked in return. He honestly was a very loyal and kind man, but sometimes his mind was a little dense.

"You missed the part where we kid with each other." Tony said, then cleared his throat loudly.
Hena breathed out in a faint laugh, but turned her eyes to the newly approaching guards. Even though the invisible invasions of Anaheim had stopped, she still felt wary of any and all soldiers. It would not be hard to impersonate one of them. So, she was consistently reading and scrutinizing minds. To her relief, all of them were real and loyal citizens so far.

"Dad, watch!" Nathaniel demanded. He did a rather rough forward somersault before jumping to his feet and swinging his arms wildly like he was fighting an enemy.

"Wow, impressive." Hawkeye said, with just the right amount of sincerity.

Hena's mouth curved as she watched all of the children begin to alternate doing their tricks for the adults. Cooper and Nathaniel in particular were competing for their father's approval. She had to give the mortal credit. He was very good at validating one without degrading the other. Although, after this last experience, Cooper was being a much nicer older brother.

As it neared Mazi's turn, she began rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Hena's happy smile broadened as she released a butterfly with a quick blow through her mouth. She'd mastered that skill for sure. It never failed to impress the other children.

But as Hena watched the fluttering illusion, her face slowly darkened and she glanced down at the ground. After a moment, she backed up and turned around from the show, looking sick.

Svleiva watched her as she passed, eyes concerned. But her daughter didn't say anything. She just walked towards the palace in silence.

Thanks for reading! You guys are so awesome! Happy Thanksgiving! *hugs*