~ Chapter 13 ~

The sound was subtle but there were not two things that Loki hadn't missed. The sound of a pained scream, and that it belonged to his brother.

"What's happening?" he asked while sitting up. Hela looked stunned for a moment before gathering her wits.

"Nothing. Nothing for you to concern yourself with." she made no success in calming the man.

"No. Something is happening. I can hear it." Loki pushed away from Hela and started to swim upward, toward the sound.

The Queen grabbed her father's wrist as powerful as she could muster, yanking him back.

"Don't go! Please, father. Stay here with me. Don't leave me again." her eyes looked so pained and on the brink of tears that it tore at Loki's heart. Even if he hadn't seen her grow up he was still proud of her. Proud of all his children.

He turned around he reached down to gently place his hand on her cheek. His eyes turned soft and a smile to the woman who now looked like a little girl in his eyes.

"I love you." he whispered. "I've always loved you and your brothers."

The grip on his wrist loosened and he took the chance to start swimming again, leaving behind a little girl.

A whimper left her lips before her hands clutched at her heart.

"You are so cruel." she accused. "I love you too, daddy."

She sunk into the darkness of the water as Loki was ascending to the surface of his mind.

When Loki opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was fire. A sea of fire that cast long shadows over the splendid view of Asgard.

The second things was his sons, all grown-up and powerful as he had hoped they would. Together.

The third thing he noticed was the smell of blood. Blood that was burning and running in floods. The blood of millions of Asgardians and his parents mingling.

The fourth thing he noticed was Thor, caught between his sons with no way out.

His children must have noticed the shift in him because they all halted their attack and turned to look at him.

The feelings inside him were a mess. His body hurt. Asgard was burning. His children were with him. His foster parents were dead. He was free. Ragnarok had come. And then there were Thor. His brother and nemesis. His tormentor and his savior.

His mind quickly coming to the conclusion of what had happened since he was in the cell being raped.

"We will protect you, father."

He could hear those words in the deep of his mind. He had been held inside his own mind by his children. His daughter had used his body as a vessel since she couldn't leave Hel herself. Being blood family made his body the ideal vessel for her in Asgard.

"Oh, stupid children." he said sorrowfully. "Why did you bring down Ragnarok for my sake?"

His children looked like they were about to say something when a blurry avatar of Hela appeared, between him and the others.

"Because we love you, father." her voice sounded cut and short compared to earlier. "We couldn't stand to see all those men putting their hands on you. It tore at us that we were powerless to defend you, unless we brought judgment to Asgard." her avatar flickered. "That's why all souls will answer to me when Ragnarok has passed."

Sleipnir threw his head once, his mane spilling over his long neck, one of his eight hooves scrapping the stone.

Hela nodded once at her brother. "Even if Ragnarok spills blood on our souls, it won't change our wish to protect you."

It all sank in. The powerlessness. The sorrow. The anger, both at others but also at themselves. The helplessness. He saw how they felt their only chance was to bring destruction if they wanted to protect him, but it still tore at his heart.

"I'm not worth it." he shook his head. "I'm not worth all this."

"We disagree." All eyes were firmly focused on Loki. "To us, you are worth everything."

The only sound was the cracking fire. The death and destruction around them becoming so much more. His body feeling tired and just as old as it was. All his life had out a mark on his body and left him tired and drained.

"Loki?"

The trickster turned his green eyes to Thor who was looking at his with a face he couldn't place.

Happiness? Confusion? Anger? Hesitation? Hope? Disgust? Distrust? Endearment?

Loki couldn't figure it out. He opened his mouth to answer when a spear pierced his chest. The pain was just as sudden as the surprise before numbing away. Blood spilled from his mouth where words should have come instead. His hands stained with his own blood and all sound faded out.

Barely aware of his body working, Loki turned slowly around to see who stood behind him.

In the blood stained throne room stood Heimdall, broken, injured, bleeding, one arm less and one all-seeing eye missing.

Turning back he saw Hela's mouth open in a scream before she threw her arm through the air. Despite their animal features, he also saw the disbelief and panic on his sons faces. Their muscles taunt with delayed reaction and the blind rage he knew would soon over take them all.

His brother's eyes widen and a look of pure horror crossed his face. He too was screaming something, but Loki couldn't make out what it was. Thor tried to reach out to him but his dominant hand was just uselessly hanging by his side, muscles twitching from miss firing signals.

The stone floor was neither hot or cold when his raw knees hit it. There was little reaction in his mind from the impact as he fell to the hard surface. No surge of pain when the spear's tip hit the floor and moved backward in his body, clawing and ripping his flesh.

I can't die yet. I haven't told them anything. I can't die yet.

"Let me guide your soul." Hela's voice whispered in his ear.

He no longer had the strength to hold his eyes open and let them close with the last sight being Fenrir launching into the throne room, Sleipnir rising to his full height and together with Jormungandr went for Thor.

I entrust our souls in your care.

Was Loki's final thought.

It was like the eye of the storm. Everything was calm and still for that perfect moment that makes even time stand still before Jormungandr wrapped his whole body around Asgard and crushed the city to pieces with his mighty strength.

The Midgard Serpent let out a vibrating bellow, signaling the end of Ragnarok.

TBC