Disclaimer: I don't own Thor, but I do have a nice sphinx carpet for sale.
Loki had a plan (a good plan) for how to get his kids back. As he blinked some more life into his dim green eyes, he began to call some magic to put his Very Good Plan into action. Yet, when he heard some chains in the room clink, he quieted the flickers of light. Those hadn't been his chains.
He then heard breathing, and decided he might have to revise his Very Good Plan.
…..
When Sven had first seen the sphinx's black eyes peeping from over the window sill, he had grinned at the woman's face, thinking it was funny that such a creature had made it to the cottage unnoticed. As the woman's paws and face disappeared, only to reappear moments later squeezing through the large never-used doggie door, Sven continued to grin, thinking that perhaps his father might let him keep the beast. While the animal gently bit him, applying paralyzing saliva and placing him on its back, Sven started to wonder if perhaps he could play some sort of game with the female. When the creature did the same to Sarai, Sven realized they might have a situation on their hands.
He didn't mind playing such dangerous games, but heaven help you if you brought dear Rai-rai into them.
Cradling what little magic he had picked up from watching his father, Sven kindly asked the Midgardian dirt to remain in the shapes that the small sphinx's giant paws had molded it.
He would have grinned then, if his face hadn't been paralyzed. His father would come for them.
….
If Darcy thought it was odd when her doting husband hung up the phone so swiftly on her, she didn't let on.
At least, not to the government workers around her.
She was currently back in America trying to explain the mysterious disappearance of Jane Foster, and quite happily pointing the S.H.I.E.L.D. in all the wrong directions. After Loki had made some semblance of peace with the avengers and dropped off the map, the whole team had subsequently disbanded. Thor and Jane disappeared, and Darcy moved out of the U.S. That was that. Unfortunately, several government idiots hadn't wanted to cut off all ties with Asgardian technology, and so were in the midst of trying to regain contact with Thor. To do that, they needed to find Jane. To find Jane, they needed Darcy's help.
But Darcy wasn't about to let her old mentor be found. And so she was here, away from her family, raking in money she didn't need, and pointing people in the wrong direction.
All for the sake of Jane, who could finally get some peace with Thor.
Darcy sighed a little, and re-counted the days until she could go home.
….
"Who is there?" Loki asked the darkness, wondering if he should stun the creature with some simple fire magic, or let it think he was as weak as them.
"Me thinkssss he talksss to yous, Asssenath." A dim fire flared up from closer to the ceiling than the floor as the small voice made Loki's spine tingle. More than one beast? He could work this to his advantage.
"I… I don't know… What should I say?" A tentative female voice floated through over the stone walls. Loki also heard chains slither across the floor as whatever spoke paced back and forth.
"Says Hellosss," The dry voice answered. Loki shifted a little, wondering if he should interrupt or continue to wait it out.
"Oh, um, a- alright then, my name is Acenath, and you would be, um, who, sir, and uh, what k- kind of creature?"
Loki clenched his teeth to make sure the sigh didn't escape his mouth. Stuttering. Blast.
The plan had been to use an illusion to make one of the creatures look like him, teach it some clever lines and lead whoever had captured his kids away. With such memorable voices, however, the man who captured the creatures was sure to know who was talking, and see through the facade.
"Oh! H-how rude, I didn't, um, tell what I was, er, am. Uh, oh dear, I'm a sphinx," Loki thought some unfavorable things about the idiot creature here, "And Quadir here i-is a fire salamander." That would explain the smell of sulfur.
Loki reexamined his resources. An idiot sphinx, a talking fire hazard, and a handful of magic.
Brilliant.
….
Sven felt the life gradually return to his fingertips. The man who had helped him off of the mud-crusted sphinx had set him on a blue fainting couch, putting his sleeping sister on the floor next to him.
If there was one thing Sven learned from his father, it was to watch and wait.
If there was one thing Sven had learned from his Uncle Thor, it was to not wait too long.
Still, right now seemed to be the time to wait as he paused for the real man of the operation to walk through the double doors. The man who had helped him off the woman-creature didn't seem diabolical enough to be in charge. His mother would say that wasn't a good enough reason to say someone was bad. His father would say to trust his instinct and see what happened. The man helping Sven picked up Sarai and took her from the room.
That made anger flash across Sven's face.
"I suppose you might wish to try something vaguely heroic, Sven?" This voice came from behind him. Sven casually turned to see who was talking— that's how his father would handle the situation. Act like he wasn't mad. Act like this wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Sure, he got kidnapped all the time. Was he supposed to act impressed?
"I see you got more of your mother's Midgardian blood than your father's Asgardian roots." The man had walked around to the front of the sofa, swishing his cape for the still sleeping Sarai and her brother.
Sven grinned.
The man looked ridiculous. Evil, but ridiculous.
Sven knew his father would have appreciated the dark clothes and black aura, but laughed at the presentation and melodrama.
He wished his dad would come soon.
….
Quadir's bird cage opened and he scuttled down his savior arm, noting that the fire on his back didn't burn Loki's forearm or shoulder.
Said savior bent to unlock the cuffs on Acenath's oversized paws, broke the lock on the door, and shot up the stairs as the brown-furred creature followed behind him.
'The Plan' was in action. They would be home within the hour.