I walked confidently down the long corridor with Echo at my heels. Odin had summoned me to the throne room, with a state of urgency that I could not ignore.

As I entered through the giant doorway I saw Heimdall, Thor, Odin, and Frigga clustered before the giant throne that dominated a huge portion of the room.

"I'm sorry I'm late." I called, my voice echoed through the large room, reverberating off the gold pillars that stretched all the way to the ceiling.

When I finally got close enough to see their faces, I could see that Frigga was crying.

"My lady, what's wrong." I said suddenly worried.

Heimdall turned and looked at me, his golden eyes cold. "Loki is alive."

Three little words. Three little words that made me stop dead in my tracks. It had been one year. One year of mourning, one year of finally getting over everything that had happened.

I took a step back.

Honestly why am I surprised? This is just like something Loki would do.

"How long have you known?" I asked Heimdall, trying to keep my voice even.

"Two days." He replied.

"Two days? And I'm just finding out now!" I shouted, suddenly angry.

"Cade has a point she and I should have been told as soon as you found out." Thor said evenly.

"We were unsure as to how it would affect you both." Odin said calmly.

I took in a few breaths, trying to calm down.

"But where has he been the past year?" Thor asked Heimdall.

"I don't know. Someone was shielding him from me." He answered mysteriously.

An unnatural breeze rushed through the room, chilling me to the bone.

"Who has that kind of power?" Frigga said, gaining her voice.

"I don't know." Heimdall replied.

That's a little dramatic.

"Where has Loki surfaced?" Thor asked breaking the silence.

"Midgard." Odin replied. A crow flew in from the open doorway and landed on his shoulder.

Echo stared up at it, and licked his chops.

"No Echo." I whispered.

He whined and sat down still looking at the bird.

"I want to go bring him back." Thor said loudly, looking over at his father.

"Without the Bifrost, that will be difficult." Heimdall interrupted.

"I want to go too." I said confidently. Everyone turned and looked at me. "If anyone should get him back it should be his brother, and his... friend." I finished.

Can't say his love anymore, I guess.

Odin, brought up one hand to stroke his beard considering what we were saying.

"It would take alot of power to get to Midgard." Odin replied still thinking.

"I can get us there. It will take a lot of energy, but I am more powerful than I was. I can get us to Midgard." I claimed, taking in a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" Odin asked skeptically.

I nodded. "I have been practicing."

When Loki "died" I went through so much pain and stress, that it unlocked my powers. I had been able to only teleport in the same realm, but now I could make portals and travel through all the realms. It took an enormous amount of energy, but I had been getting better at drawing on the power of my ancestors, which in turn gave me other powers I didn't realize I had.

"I will allow it, but you must bring Loki back." Odin answered. "And the tesseract."

"Wait the tesseract has surfaced as well?" Thor said suddenly anxious.

"Yes, and the humans are trying to do something big with it. I don't think it's a coincidence that Loki has reappeared at the same time the tesseract has." Heimdall said ominously.

"Well then we will bring that back too." I reasoned, itching to go.

I might hate Midgard, but the last time I was there no one tried to kill me, which was nice.

"What do you need to prepare." Odin drawled.

"Nothing." I replied. Obsidian grew warm on my wrist, no doubt ready for a fight.

"Nothing." Thor echoed.

"Alright, I will allow the journey." Odin said.

"Be careful both of you." Frigga said giving Thor and me a hug.

"Bring him home Cade." Frigga whispered in my ear.

"I will not let you down, my lady." I replied, giving her a small smile.

Heimdall, Odin, and Frigga all stepped back from Thor and I.

Echo whined softly, and looked up at me.

"You know I'm not going to leave you here, don't be a baby." I teased him.

I reached out my hand towards Echo, concentrating. He melted away, his body like mist and wrapped himself on my arm, forming the shadow of a wolf on my left forearm.

"You ready?" I asked Thor casually.

He nodded, letting his full battle armor shift onto his body. I allowed mine to shift onto myself as well.

We had to be ready for anything. Loki might still be holding a grudge.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes in concentration.

"Grandmother, give me strength." I chanted. As I spoke these words, her power washed over me like lava, strengthening my power. I focused hard on the energy and created a portal in front of Thor and me.

"Be warned, some others have taken an interest in him!" I heard Heimdall say.

Thor took my hand, and we stepped into the dark portal.

We landed on a mountain. The moon was bright and fat in the sky.

Weariness washed over me, and the urge to sleep was very strong.

No. I have to find Loki, get it together Cade.

"Cade, are you alright?" Thor said really concerned, putting one of his hands on my shoulder. "You look really pale."

"I'm fine." I said waving his hands away.

Thor shrugged and looked up into the sky. "Where do you think he is?"

"Well, my power should have sent us to this exact spot, so Loki must be around here somewhere." I reasoned, looking around.

I looked up into the sky and saw a shadow cross over the moon.

"Thor..." I began to say.

"I saw it." He replied rising into the air.

I followed close behind him, all weariness gone in that moment of excitement. We rose swiftly and realized that there was a giant metal structure flying in front of us.

"What the hell is that?" I said to Thor.

"I think Jane called it a plane. Do you think he's in there?" Thor shouted over the roar of the wind.

"My powers have never steered me wrong." I replied, my sight on the metal plane that blended in with the night. "Thor can you give us some cover please, I feel exposed out here."

Thor nodded and the sky roared loudly around us. Clouds rolled in covering the landscape below us and the moon above, the only thing I could still see was the plane in front of us.

We landed onto the cool metal roof of the plane, shaking it beneath us.

"I'll go in and get him." I shouted to Thor.

"Cade, are you sure you want to go in alone?" He replied.

I nodded. "I can handle anyone and anything in this plane Thor, and if I can't Echo will be right there with me."

He shook his head. "Okay."

I took a deep breath, balancing myself on the roof of the plane, and placed my hands on the smooth metal, concentrating hard. A portal opened beneath my feet and I landed in a crouch inside the plane.

Loki was strapped to the wall, while a small group of people stood towards the front of the plane. There was a man in weird metal armor and a man dressed in red, white, and blue, a giant shield strapped to his back.

"What the hell?" The man in armor exclaimed, turning to me.

"Cade!" Loki exclaimed, actually smiling. I waved my hand and telekinetically severed the straps that bound Loki.

The man in armor raised his hand towards me, a bright glow emanating from the palm. "If you make one more move I will fry you like an egg." He threatened.

The man next to him removed his shield from his back, positioning it in front of him.

"I don't want any trouble." I said calmly.

"Then don't touch Loki." The man in the red, white, and blue replied.

"Sorry. Can't promise that." I shrugged and grabbed Loki's arm, telekinetically throwing open the back door of the plane. Wind whipped at my hair as the air rushed through the open door.

I lunged forward pulling Loki with me towards the open sky, as the man in the suit of armor opened fire. He shot a bolt of energy that crackled above my head as I leaped from the plane.

"Thor, come on!" I shouted, flying quickly to the ground, trying to put as much space between me and the metal man as possible.

Loki was holding on to me tightly, his arms wrapped around my waist, and for a second I imagined that nothing was wrong. I imagined that the past year hadn't happened and everything was okay, but as my feet struck the ground everything flooded back. When we landed, Loki didn't let go of me. He held onto my waist tightly with one hand and pulled my face towards his with the other.

"Cade you have no idea how much I missed you." He purred, pulling my lips closer to his.

Is he really going to kiss me?

Thor landed suddenly, and ripped Loki away from me.

"You have no right to do that, not after everything you did." Thor said angrily.

"It's nice to see you too brother." Loki quipped, still not taking his eyes off of me.

There was something wrong with his eyes, I couldn't place it, but something just seemed off.

"Where is the tesseract?" I asked him calmly. I could still feel my heart beating out of my chest.

Had I wanted him to kiss me? It had been a year and I still wasn't over it.

"I missed you too Cade." Loki replied winking at me.

Thor growled. "Do we look to be in a gaming mood!" Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder rumbled loudly.

"You should both thank me. With the Bifrost gone, how much power did the Allfather have to muster to get you both here." Loki jested.

"None." I replied coldly. "I did it."

Shock filtered over Loki's face, but he recovered. "Then you must have gotten more powerful than when we last met." He said.

A vision of the bridge flashed through my mind, but I shook it off.

Thor moved forward, placing his hand on Loki's shoulder. "We thought you dead."

Loki laughed coldly. "Did you mourn?"

"We all did." I murmured.

"You cut your hair." Loki said suddenly. "Because of me?"

I didn't answer.

"Father said-" Thor began, but Loki cut him off.

"Your father!" He spat.

"We grew up together, played together, he is your father just as much as mine. Do you not remember that?" Thor reasoned with him.

"I remember a shadow. And when I rule this realm I will no longer be under that shadow." Loki said looking away from us.

"This realm is under my protection." Thor growled.

"And you're doing a marvelous job by the way. People slaughter each other while you moap around on Asgard. Where is the justice in that?" Loki taunted.

"You speak of justice, but you cannot understand that or ruling if you think yourself above your own people!" I commented loudly, over the howling wind. "The throne would not suit you."

"I have seen things that you cannot even imagine." Loki roared pushing Thor away from him. "I have been shown the real power of the tesseract and when I wield it..."

"Who has shown you this power? Who controls the would be king?" Thor snarked.

"I am a king!" Loki roared angrily.

"Not here! Loki please give up this poisonous dream and come home." I replied softly, putting my hand on his shoulder.

He paused, and looked at me.

He looked so frail and hurt that it wounded me to think of his exile.

"Come home with me." I whispered.

His hand found my cheek, stroking it softly.

"I can't Cade." He murmured.

Thor came closer to us. "Listen brother..." Thor said, but then he was cut off as someone slammed into him propelling him over the edge of the cliff.

The spell was broken and I stepped away from Loki.

"What the.." I watched Thor and the man who tackled him tumble through the air, and land in the giant forest of trees below us.

"Loki, stay here. I will be right back." I said over my shoulder.

"Cade wait!" I heard Loki yell as I launched myself over the edge of the cliff flying to where Thor and the metal man had landed.

"Do not touch me again." Thor growled to the man.

"Then don't let her take my stuff!" The man replied gesturing at me.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with." I snarled letting Obsidian lengthen into a sword in my hand.

"Well that was really cool." The man said looking intently at Obsidian. "Is it some kind of nanonite technology?"

"Nan- what?" I sputtered really confused.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just take it from you when I beat you." He said confidently, letting his helmet close on his head.

"This is beyond you, metal man. Loki must face Asgardian justice." Thor shouted, holding Mjolnir aloft.

The man in metal laughed then lunged forward to slam into Thor, but I was too quick. I grabbed his arm before he could make contact with Thor and threw him into the nearest tree. Thor let loose a bolt of lightning that slammed into the man pinning him to the fallen tree.

He stood up calmly. "Did you really just try to electrocute me?"

"Depends on how you look at it." I taunted, raising Obsidian in a challenge.

He shot a bolt of energy at me from the palm of his hand, but I rolled away. The second time I wasn't so lucky.

He shot another bolt at me, and I raised Obsidian in front of me, shifting it smoothly into a shield deflecting his shot, back at him. He flew to the right narrowly escaping the bolt of energy.

"You're pretty good." He complimented.

"I better be. I've been practicing for over 300 years."

"You don't look a day over 250." He replied. I could hear the smile in his voice.

Okay, he's funny.

He lunged forward successfully tackling Thor and sending him into the trees behind us. He raised Thor's head to his and head butted him. Thor didn't even stumble.

Oh he shouldn't have done that.

Thor head butted him back, sending him soaring across the clearing that we had made.

At that moment the man in red, white, and blue landed with a large piece of fabric holding him upright. As he landed he removed a backpack from his shoulders letting the fabric fall to the earth, his shield was instantly in his hand, holding it out towards us.

"I don't want to fight you." He called.

"Oh really? Because I really want to fight you." I called smirking at him. "Echo off."

Echo melted off of my skin, and formed quickly in front of me, a giant gray wolf with piercing blue eyes.

"Hold up is that a wolf?" The man in armor asked, completely confused.

Echo let loose an ungodly snarl that made even the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"We have all fought enough!" The man in armor said.

"Yes." The man in red, white, and blue agreed. "So how about you put the hammer down and put the wolf away."

"Yeah no, he loves his hammer, I wouldn't do that." The man in metal said, but it was too late.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" Thor roared. Thor launched himself forward and slammed his hammer down hard on the man's shield. A shock wave of sound kicked up dirt and wood all around us throwing Thor back into the tree line.

Great. I put a telekinetic shield around Echo and I, but I couldn't reach Thor.

Oh well, he's a big boy he can handle this, plus I really don't want any splinters.

When the dust cleared, I dropped the shield. We were all standing together in the clearing now.

"Are we done here?" The man with the shield asked Thor.

He nodded.

"Great." The man in metal said sarcastically.

What now?

I thought as I turned back and looked at Loki on the mountain above us.