A/N: Chap 5 review responses are in my forums as normal. And with this chapters, we know now where we are. This Chapter takes place right before the events of the first Avengers movie. Thank you for reading and reviewing.


Chapter Six: Illusions of Grandeur

It was the Eldest-Thanos' personal Other-that met them. Swan knew the pomp and circumstance that Thanos employed. Even the most powerful of beings were required to speak through his intermediaries unless he wished to speak to them personally.

The Other was hatched, augmented and raised solely to serve Thanos' will. When Swan brought Loki to the edge of the static slab of Chita stone that served as the petitioner's hall, the Other marched forward to meet them. In this place, on stone islands the Chitauri viewed as sacred, the Eldest of the Others held precedence.

"Who enters our realm, Daughter of Thanos?"

"He calls himself Loki of Asgard, Eldest."

"Odinson," the Other hissed.

Faced with the cybernetic mask of the Other, with Maw nearby but Thanos facing away in his golden throne, Loki Odinson lifted his chin bravely. "I am."

"You are far from your shining realm, Asgardian," the Other declared. It began pacing around the lone stranger. Swan knew everything the Other saw was being transmitted to the Chitauri queens, and to Thanos himself. The sensor suite in the Other's skull read the biometric data to confirm Loki's claims.

She stepped away to allow Loki to stand alone.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid my brother Thor and I had a bit of a falling out." Despite the danger, Loki kept his voice light, almost playful. "He objected to my taking the throne and attempting to destroy Jotunheim."

"What of the vaunted Asgardian Bifrost, Odinson?"

Maw's high, reedy voice snatched Loki's eyes from the Other. "Do you speak for Thanos?"

"Any who dare speak in mighty Thanos' presence do so only by His Grace," Maw said. He lifted off the stone and drifted closer while the Other stepped back. "You are a prince of Asgard, and yet you fell through the void without the benefit of your Bifrost. What is the status of Asgard's greatest weapon?"

"A very good question," Loki said with a brittle smile. "The answer to which carries a certain value, methinks. I have heard of Thanos. Of his power and his crusade. What value would my answer, or I myself, have to such a powerful being?"

"Your life for a start," Maw said flatly.

It astonished Swan how brazen the Asgardian was. Rather than be cowed, he merely inclined his head. "For my life, then, I can tell you that the Himinbjorg has been destroyed. The rainbow bridge remains, and my father Odin can still wield its power, but for any other purpose travel between the Nine Realms will cease until it is repaired, or unless the Allfather personally deems it necessary."

The Other slid forward. "How was it destroyed?"

"And what will that answer be worth, Creature?"

The Other, like a Chitauri, was genetically incapable of humor. "You dare bandy words in our presence?"

Thanos spoke from his throne; the Other bowed and slid away. "Tell me, Asgardian. Since you seek value in words, what is it that you wish for yourself?"

Loki raised his chin and looked at the back of Thanos' golden hover throne. "I wish my birthright restored. I am rightfully a king. My birthright was stolen by Odin, and by my brother. I wish it returned to me."

At last, the golden throne spun around. Father wore his armor that day. He stood and stepped down onto the stone, towering over everyone. "A king?" His tone dripped sarcasm. "I do not see a king before me. I see a sniveling child bereft of his toys. But don't worry, little Asgardian. I'll make sure to extract every drop of value you have."

Thanos reached to grab Loki's head in his massive hand; the hand passed through nothing. Swan couldn't help but blink as the perfect image of Loki disappeared, only for him to appear behind her. One arm wrapped around her neck, while a dagger pressed against her exposed skin.

"This is Asgardian steel," Loki said in her ear. "It will pierce anything. Give me a ship, and I shall leave you in peace."

Thanos stared at them for the longest time, and she could see the laughter bubbling just under the surface. "Must I kill him, father?" Swan asked. "He's very pretty."

Maw shook his head. Thanos, though, chuckled aloud. Before Loki could threaten her further, she grabbed his knife hand. Loki was strong-though not as strong as Augullux the Betrayed-but that strength was nothing compared to Vers or Cull Obsidian. Or Swan. She pulled his hands away, then ducked her head and pirouetted from his arms while twisting those limbs until he had no choice but to drop his pretty little dagger.

"Do you know what those marks on your arms mean?" Loki whispered quickly to her.

Swan said nothing as a length of polycarbonate wire wrapped itself around his body at Maw's telekinetic command, locking the Asgardian's arms and legs tightly to his sides.

"Well done, sister," Maw said. "I shall extract his knowledge in your name, Father."

"Do so, and share if you find anything of interest."

Maw floated toward his laboratory; Loki Odinsson trailed after, staring intently at Swan as he disappeared to his doom.

~~Titanomachy~~

~~Titanomachy~~

Loki's screams reverberated through the palace. It was not the first time she listened to Maw work his tortuous powers, but it was not common. For all his many traits, Thanos rarely indulged in causing pain for pain's sake.

Swan could not sleep, nor concentrate on her studies. It wasn't that Loki was enticing or handsome enough to distract her beyond that first sense of confusion at his brazenness. Ron-Yogg was handsome as well, and just as articulate and well-mannered. No, it was what he said before Maw took him away. There was, in the phrasing of his question to her, an answer she had been seeking for the whole of her waking life.

Could he have the answers to who I am?

The screaming stopped near morning. Curious, she dressed herself in her palace robes and made her way to Maw's lab. Father was there, speaking with Maw over the unmoving, ragged-looking Asgardian when she arrived.

"Ah, daughter, your fish has produced a feast for us."

With that greeting, she felt it safe to continue into the lab. "I'm glad, Father. Is it worth his life, or must I kill him?"

"Let's find out," Thanos said. He nodded to Maw, and with a slight gesture of Maw's fingers, a surge of energy woke the Asgardian.

Loki sucked in a desperate breath. His black hair was tangled partially over his face, but his torture left him too weakened to care. In the air over his head, an image formed. It was a brilliantly glowing blue square, shimmering with energy. Even the image of it made Swan wish to hold it.

"Where did you see the Tesseract, Asgardian?"

"What is it worth to you?" Loki grinned wildly as he said it, as if he had not just spent the past day and a half being tortured.

Thanos sighed. Maw bowed his head. "My apologies, mighty Thanos. I have failed to prepare him adequately. Perhaps permanent cerebral implants will be more useful."

As the two discussed how best to destroy the being before them, Swan stepped forward and leaned over the paralyzed Asgardian's head. She'd never been so close to a humanoid her own size before. He said nothing as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Father will kill you," she said softly. She knew the others could hear, but she met Loki's gaze alone. "He will give you no more consideration than an insect. He's destroyed whole worlds, because his purpose is all life, across the universe. You're brave, Loki Odinsson. I can see your strength, and the pain that drives you. You cannot beat him. But you could help him in his mission. Serve him. Those who serve Thanos well are rewarded well. If you cannot rule in Asgard, would you rather not serve under one as powerful as my father?"

From behind her, her father asked, "You would speak for this one, daughter?"

She straightened and moved around the table until she stood at Loki's feet and faced her father. "Only if he agrees to cooperate. I cannot help him if he resists. But he is Asgardian, father. He survived the void where most sentients would perish. He has powers you do not possess, and knowledge you seek. If he could deliver the Tesseract to you, would that not be worthy of reward?"

"Are you sure you're not just being swayed by a pretty face?" Thanos said.

Careful to crouch her lies in truth, she made a point of caressing Loki's cheek. "He is very pretty, father, that is true. But I could just as well enjoy his face mounted in a preservation cube. I think only of his potential to serve you."

Thanos turned and stared with a flat, firm expression on his large face as he studied Loki. "You seem to have swayed my daughter, Asgardian. I'm tempted to kill you just for that. Her grace has limits, and at my word she will take your head from your shoulders. I tire of your verbal jousting. Tell me about the Tesseract, or I will have Maw rip your mind apart."

"Well, when you ask so nicely…" Loki still had his manic smile, as if somehow he wanted to die. "The Tesseract was held in my father's vault on Asgard. Beyond even your mighty reach. Father might be old, but he still wields the Odinforce. He could bring all the power of Asgard itself to bear through Gungnir."

"Then what use are you?"

"Because it was removed, by Odin himself, six centuries ago. He received a portent that led him to believe he could not keep the Tesseract on Asgard. Instead, he took it to Midgard and gave it into the keeping of those mortals who worshipped him."

"Where is it now?"

"Still on Midgard," Loki admitted. "And I can find it there. I can sense its power from across the galaxy. With the right tools, I can easily overwhelm the minds of the mortals on Midgard to pinpoint it precisely. I could even fetch it for you without Heimdall being able to stop me. My magic can cloud his sight. Would that not be of value to mighty Thanos?"

Even in his surrender, the wild creature cast his spite at his betters. Thanos was above such petty concerns. He crossed arms as thick as Swan's body and considered the Asgardian carefully. "What do you want for this service, Asgardian?"

"As I said, my birthright," Loki said. "If not of Asgard, then Midgard. My brother adores the mortals. My taking it from him would be a delicious irony."

"It occurs to me if Odin still wields the Odinforce, any fleet approaching the Asgardian realms would be in danger," Maw said. "How would you propose dealing with that risk?"

Loki did not even hesitate before answering, as if the answer were obvious. "The Tesseract was used by our great grandfather, Buri, to create the rainbow bridge and the Bifrost, It can be used to create portals to anywhere in existence. Once I locate it, I could use its power to transport myself there, and then fashion a larger portal to allow an army to come through directly into Midgard's atmosphere. By then, it would be too late for my father to act. He would send my brother, but with the right tools I could easily defeat him, too. Thor is mighty, but he is also stupid."

Swan had not studied the nine realms of Asgard. Even though they all fell within the same universal quantum string flow, which the Asgardians called Yggdrasil, the worlds themselves were galaxies apart.

What she did know, though, was that from her campaign against Augullux she still had an intact hive ship, two million Chitauri warriors and twenty leviathans. It was not enough to conquer a civilized world, but for a world that had no space travel or warriors like Ahl-Agulla?

"My forces alone could take the world," Swan said. "They are in stasis at the moment."

"She could also be useful in overseeing your interests," Maw noted to Thanos. "She is fully healed, and her new armor shall be finished in a matter of days."

"I will consider it," Thanos said, ending the discussion.

~~Titanomachy~~

~~Titanomachy~~

Swan knew her arguments had won her father over from the fact that they housed Loki in a palace chamber, rather than the hive dungeons. He had no freedom to move about, and three Chitauri soldiers stood inside his chambers at all times, but he was not tortured any further.

She had no doubt Loki could defeat his guards, but with their neural links to the queens and the Other, all would be instantly alerted to his attempt.

It took all her will not to go to him. Maw chastised her for juvenile infatuation, and just the accusation was enough to make her cheeks warm. In truth, it was safer to let Maw and Father think she was infatuated with the Asgardian, rather for them to learn how desperate she was for information on her own past.

If she went to Loki-if she proved unable to control herself-they would not trust her to oversee his infiltration of Midgard.

She buried herself in the sciences. She traveled to the Sanctuary II with Maw and studied the warp engines of a Q-ship, even spending hours partially dismantling and reassembling the engine until Maw was satisfied with her new-found expertise.

And on the third night of captivity, father called her to spar.

She arrived inside the battle chamber of the palace in her under armor and saw her father just inside the door. He wore loose mauve clothing that displayed his powerful frame while providing dignity. He tossed her a Titan single-bladed sword. He normally used a two-bladed sword, but it was taller than she was and unwieldy even with her strength.

"Maw tells me your studies go well," he said casually as he led her toward the center of the chamber.

"He is a good teacher, father. I am honored by his time."

They assumed position; swords held at the ready as they bowed using the etiquette of Thanos' youth. He struck first, as he always did, and the sheer brute power of his blow was enough to force her knees to bend and her arms shake. She deflected, spun and struck with one wing.

Not only was Thanos stronger than Cull Obsidian, he was faster. He lifted the targeted leg above her strike while spinning his own blade down. She rolled clear and slashed with her own sword to deflect his second blow.

They parted. "Better," he said as they reset. "Always stay moving-never plant your feet until you're confident and ready for the final blow. Or until your opponent leaves you no choice."

"At which point, the fight is already decided," she said. "It was how Vers beat me. She had greater mobility."

"Yes. Augulux too. His move inside your guard would have killed anyone lesser. If he had been stronger, he might have done you grievous harm."

She bowed her head and tried to hide the stab of self-hatred over the murder of the champion. "Yes. He was a skilled warrior."

They engaged. For all the power of his blows, twice he pulled strikes that could have hurt her, while she kept her own wings hard but not sharp as she managed a score or two. They parted.

"I studied the footage of your campaign," Thanos said. "You were shot from the sky because you were distracted."

Her cheeks warmed. " , yes. I listened to a leviathan's death song as it destroyed an Agulla weapons nest. It was a beautiful moment. It moved me."

He lowered his blade and looked intently at her. "Your heart is strong, my little swan. You are driven by compassion for all around you. Your brothers and sisters do not understand it, but I do. Because I am the same. We do hard, terrible things so that others may live. Many have and will die at our hands, but those that survive will be stronger for it, and lead more full lives. But you must not let the fates of lesser beings distract you from what must be done."

A single stride brought him before her; he knelt down so that he could look at her face-to-face. "More than any of your siblings, I see myself in you," he said gently. "Perhaps I am not as beautiful as you, but your heart is powerful, and your vision clear. But I need to know, daughter. I need to know that you understand our mission."

"I do, father." The worst part was that she did; she understood his motivation and could sympathize with it. The loss of Titan scarred him in a way few could understand. He was the last and only of his kind, and hated with all his passion the idea that others might suffer such a fate.

The conviction in her voice must have registered. "What is this Loki to you, daughter? What is it that draws you?"

"He is pretty, but no more so than the Kree," she said. Abruptly she thought of what to say. "It was his power. Did you see it, father? The illusion he cast? It was powerful enough to fool us all, and he used the power without any preparation. Asgardian magic! Imagine what I could do for you with such gifts. If he will not teach me, at least I know where the information is. Asgard will fall to you in time, as all things do. I would have their knowledge, their power...and their magic. And Loki, with his jealousy and treacherous heart, could be the key to gaining it."

Her own treacherous heart surged at his approving smile; at how good it felt when he took the back of her head and pulled her forward so that he could kiss her forehead. "Oh, daughter, you bring joy back to my heart."

He stood and looked down at her, still smiling. "Very well. I will gift this Loki of yours a weapon that will...encourage him to serve us. The Other will monitor from here; but you shall accompany him as my voice. You will ensure the Asgardian does what he promised and gets me the Tesseract. If he betrays us, kill him however you see fit. Your new weapons and armor will be ready soon; see to your forces."

"Thank you, father!"

~~Titanomachy~~

~~Titanomachy~~

When next she saw Loki, Swan knew at a glance that father's 'gift' had corrupted the man.

Bedecked in repaired Asgardian armor and leather, with a horned helm that made him look almost like some crazed beast, Swan saw in Loki's pale face and strained expression that the stone which powered the spear of father's "gift" altered him.

When she entered his chamber, she found him speaking to an apparition. It was an older woman, reaching out to him like a mother to a son. Somehow, even here in the heart of Sanctuary, Asgard was able to speak to him.

Loki saw Swan in the doorway, and grinned. "It is not a good time." He waved the scepter, and the apparition faded.

"How did that being speak to you here?" Swan demanded.

"Do you think time or distance could stop the Queen of Asgard, or take from her an opportunity to chastise her wayward son?"

Though he smiled as he spoke, his tone sounded ragged and raw. She had no fear of him, even with the scepter. "She has magic as well?"

"She was raised by the witches of Vanaheim, and taught me a smidgen of that power," Loki admitted. "I am told that you are to be my shepherd, in case I stray."

"I am."

Loki slid serpent-like from the sofa he'd rested on. He paced, nervously. "I sensed the tesseract awakening," he told her. "With the help of this remarkable scepter, I have influenced the mind of one of the mortals tasked with studying it. It will be ready in days."

"Father will be pleased."

"Yes, I'm sure." He paced around the room; around her. His gaze moved from the gold-infused chita stone tiles, to the dome overhead, to the distant stars arrayed beyond the balcony. "I was unaware that I was displaced in time when I fell through the wormhole. It has been a year since I fell."

"That must be difficult, to lose time like that."

He shrugged. "I could expect to see five thousand years, what is one lost? My concern is that repairs to the bifrost have begun. They are slow, but they begin."

"Will this impact our mission?"

He looked up at her, grinning thinly. "No. If my brother comes, we can handle him." His eyes traveled over her, from her face to her wings, to the symbols on her bare arms. She felt for a moment like she did when Maw or Thanos spoke about her, instead of to her.

Like an object to be viewed or used.

After a moment, Loki pulled his eyes away and resumed his nervous pacing. "It seems I owe you a debt. Your friend Maw was very thorough in his ministrations. I admit that death would not have been entirely unwelcome. Why did you speak for me?"

"You know why."

"I would hear you say it." He stopped his pacing, set his feet, and stared at her in challenge. "Tell me why you spoke for my life."

He knew exactly why, but she could understand why he demanded she speak of it. Just like with the Black Order, it came down to power. He sought power over her, in this place where he was all but powerless. He needed to establish dominance for himself with the mission ahead.

The realization did not surprise her, but it made her sad. He was so pretty, and so genteel when she first saved him, that a small corner of her hoped and wished that he could be an ally. Perhaps even a friend. That they could help each other escape Thanos. The way he held and kissed her hands distracted her thoughts more than once.

But as she stood and faced him with his manic need for dominance and his will already bent by the scepter, she knew this creature could never be more than an ally of convenience. He would betray her at a moment's notice, for the slightest of reasons. After all, if he could betray his own family, then what would it matter to betray her?

Power was an illusion. Just as he wielded his illusions, Loki clung to them as well. So, she gave him one more illusion to hold tight. "You have knowledge I seek. I would learn your magic. And I would know what these symbols on my body mean."

His chin rose as he got the answer he wanted and, so he thought, leverage over her. With the illusion of dominance established, he stepped right into her personal space, close enough she could smell his breath.

"Then I will give you a taste of that knowledge."

He lifted her hand, and through it the whole of her left arm, and then ran his own hand down her forearm until it rested on one of the symbols at the crease of her elbow. "That is Vanir cant," he said in a harsh whisper. She felt his breath on her cheeks. "The first language of Vanaheim, from millennia before the Nine Realms were unified. It is a name of power; the personal name of Freya of the Vanir."

Stunned, Swan looked down at the symbol, completely forgetting the odd nervousness she felt at his light touch. "What...why would I have that on my body? Am I Asgardian?"

His grin twisted. "You don't even know, do you? You're so desperate to discover the truth about yourself."

The arm with his scepter wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against his armor. She could feel the heat of her cheeks as he pressed against her. "Tell me, my angel, what would you do to know the truth?"

The treacherous part of her wanted so much in that moment to feel his lips against hers. It was that same longing that wanted Father's approval so badly; that wanted Proxima to hold her as a sister. It was nothing sexual, but just a desire to feel.

But she knew that the feelings, like Loki's belief in dominance, was all an illusion.

She gripped his chest plate and lifted him easily with one arm off the floor. "I can be kind, Loki," she told him sadly. "I can see your pain and anguish. But know that if you ever touch me like that again, I will remove your hands. And possibly your gonads as well, depending on my mood."

The brash, impossible Asgardian actually laughed down at her. "Well then, it's always good to establish the rules of a working relationship!"

Confused and a little exasperated, she put the strange being down.

Still he grinned. "I do not know if you are Vanir or not," he told her. "Not even the Valkyries of legend had wings; they rode pegasi into battle. But I do know this. Freya was the Vanir childhood name of my mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard. You might recognize her if you saw her. She was the apparition you interrupted."