AN: Hey, look, another chapter already! Whoo! Watch out, cuz this chapter got some feels. Anyone see Guardians of the Galaxy yet? That movie is awesome and you must see it. I'm planning on putting two characters from that movie into this story, probably by the next chapter. Don't worry, this story shouldn't contain any spoilers for the movie, because this story takes place before the events in GOTG. I listened to a lot of Hunger Game music while writing this chapter, particularly Safe and Sound.
Still don't own anything, but the plot line.
I am sick of being teleported without a warning! Lara complained in her mind as she popped up in front of her manor along with Thor and Loki. It was daytime, but cloudy again as usual. Her hands went to her hips as she said, "Well, that was kind of a complete waste of time."
"I don't think so. Jory might yet change her mind..." Loki trailed off into his thoughts. Lara planned to speak to him about the conversation with his daughter, but it would have to wait for another time. She had an idea.
"What do we do now? The others are still in Asgard. Heimdall was instructed to send them back when they are done." Thor spoke, crossing his muscular arms.
"I think I know of another person we can ask for help... But first we'll have to locate her." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Oh? How? And who?" Loki asked.
"Someone from long ago." Lara headed for the entrance of her home. "I need to make a phone call."
xOxOx
"Please, Loki, I'm bored!"
Take a deep breath. Don't try to kill him. Again. Loki inhaled deeply through his nostrils trying to keep his temper in check. He lay on one of Lara's white couches near the fireplace, reading an intriguing book from the library. Or at least he was attempting to if Thor would leave him alone. Lara had been on the phone for about an hour now, contacting different people. Thor had previously been able to entertain himself, but now required aid for this project. The situation reminded Loki of when they were younger, when times were simpler.
"You should consider reading a book." Loki suggested, trying to stop a smirk from creeping on to his face. Thor deadpanned and Loki continued, "Oh, never mind. I doubt Lara has any picture books on hand anyway."
Suddenly, the book Loki was reading was wrenched from his hands. Now it was ridiculously like they were younger. Loki jumped to his feet. "Aren't we a little old for this?"
"You can read anytime, Loki. Right now would be perfect bonding time!" Thor beamed setting the open book pages down on the coffee table to keep Loki from losing his place.
Loki refrained from rolling his eyes. "And what do you suggest we do?"
"Hmm..." Thor looked around. His eyes stopped on Winston. "Winston! Do you have any ideas?"
Winston froze in his cleaning duties, utterly surprised to be talking to two Norse gods. "What do you have in mind? A physical activity? Or perhaps a board game?"
"Something where we'll have an equal chance of winning." Loki provided, silently hoping he wouldn't regret allowing himself to get involved.
"Or something where you don't win or lose." Happy that Loki seemed willing, Thor offered.
"What would be the point of playing then?"
"Winning isn't everything, Loki."
"Isn't it?" Loki crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "That's what I was taught in our... 'family'."
Thor was unsure how to reply, knowing Loki's words were slightly true. Odin always pushed his sons to be the very best, but perhaps there were times when he was too rough. Thor could recall a few times when he thought Odin was being a little cruel, but the golden son would never allow himself to speak against his father. Thor wondered if he looked too highly on his father.
Winston thought for a moment when an idea sprang into his mind. "How about a training stimulator that Lara occasionally uses?"
"What kind of training stimulator?" Loki asked with piqued interest.
"She uses it for combat training. Perhaps it may not be strong enough to prove a challenge for you two, but it's worth a shot." Winston replied, heading to the tech room. "You two could battle it together."
"It will be just like old times." Thor grinned.
Loki chuckled at Thor's enthusiasm. "Hopefully not exactly like old times. You probably shouldn't use Mjolnir. No reason to destroy Lara's home." Using magic, a sword appeared in Loki's hand, teleporting it from his room. "It's not what you are used to..."
"It will do fine." Thor took the gold sword and swung it, adjusting himself to its weight. Loki also used magic to cover themselves in their battle armor.
Winston pressed a series of buttons and then pointed to his right. "Go through that door. The room is specifically designed for this type of exercise."
The two gods did as they were told and they entered a room that looked like it was altered to resemble a tomb in a desert area. A mechanism clicked behind them and the door was locked. Loki raised an eyebrow at Thor and the Thunderer shrugged. They continued forward cautiously, prepared for whatever would attack them.
Loki heard pebbles clacking against the floor behind him and dust tumbled from the ceiling, covering his shoulder. He didn't need to look up to know what would happen next. Loki shoved Thor to the right, knocking him to the ground. Loki rolled to the floor with a grunt just as the thing from above landed between them.
The creature was mechanical with a bulky frame and four limbs. Loki hadn't been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this. The robot lunged at him and Loki sliced at it with two daggers. Thor charged with a battle cry and his sword held high above his head. He brought it heavily down on the training bot's back, but it seemed to have little effect on it.
Loki pushed himself away from the robot with his back feet, still using his two daggers to deflect the enemy's metal appendages. He felt his back hit a sandstone column and he rolled to the left just as the robot crushed the spot he had previously been in. Loki turned his back to move away from the mechanical foe, but it swatted at Loki in the back and he flew over a statue, his feet hitting it as he went over causing him to land awkwardly. Thor sprinted over to where Loki had fallen.
Thor ducked behind the statue next to his brother. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fantastic." Loki coughed from the sand. "We need a strategy. This thing is stronger than I thought it would be."
"Obviously." Thor chuckled. "It slammed you across the room like a ragdoll."
Loki glared. "Well, then. Maybe it's your turn." He shoved Thor out from behind the statue and right into the path of the droid. Thor was unprepared as he was thrown across the room into a column, knocking it down. Loki snickered at Thor's predicament. Until the droid turned on him. Loki used magic to duplicate himself. The robot attacked an illusion of him while the real Loki went to Thor's side.
"Have fun? Being thrown like a 'ragdoll'?"
"Shut it." Thor growled, standing and wiping the grime off himself. "How do we defeat it? Our weapons aren't very useful against this opponent."
"I noticed. This thing isn't so different from other creatures we've faced."
The robot threw a large chunk of sandstone towards them and they bother quickly dodged it. "It has a hard interior, like armor, like any warrior. But also like any warrior..." Loki began.
"Beneath the armor is still fragile." Thor finished. "How do we get underneath it's metal shell?"
"Leave that to me. I just need you to distract it." Loki disappeared and Thor was left to his own devices as the droid leapt onto him.
The droid trapped him with its two front limbs and Thor started to take a stab at the middle part of the robot. Two extra arms unfolded from its midsection. On the end of each was a small, rounded blade that spun around quickly. Thor dropped his blade and grabbed the two new appendages to halt them from getting any closer. "Anytime, Loki." Thor grumbled, fighting hard against the robot's strength.
The technological rival jolted suddenly as if something landed on it and Thor assumed Loki had hopped on to its back. Loki stabbed at a back panel until the end of it stuck up enough for him to pry off. Under the metal were tons of wires of all different colors. Loki shrugged and began cutting as many wires as he could, hoping Lara wouldn't mind about the damage. Finally, the robot started to power down and it leaned on its two front arms. Loki gave it one last quick jab to insure it was dead. He slipped off its back and helped Thor stand up.
"Well done. Does Lara really train with this thing?" Thor wondered out loud.
"It wouldn't surprise me, honestly." Loki noticed how horribly he and Thor were covered in dirt and sand. "I think I'll go bathe myself in a Midgardian shower." He walked over to the door, but realized it was still lock. "Um, Winston? You can let us out now." Loki heard a strange whirring noise and an 'oomph' behind him. Before he could look, Loki was slammed in the back so hard he broke through the lock and the door and rolled to a stop in the tech room.
Loki groaned painfully and so did Thor who was the thing that had hit Loki in the back. The black haired god shoved Thor away and attempted to stand. He could see the robot through the hole that he had just created. What does it take to stop this thing? Loki thought as he tried to use magic to heal his scrapes and bruises. The god of mischief hadn't noticed Lara and Winston standing in the tech room, conversing.
Lara quickly stood in front of the droid with her hand up and commanded it to: "Stop." The training robot powered down and remained off.
"Of course, it was that easy." Loki mumbled as Thor moaned a little as he pushed himself off the ground.
Lara bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Have some trouble, boys?"
"Oh, shut up." Loki growled as he rubbed his back and hobbled to a shower.
"It's not that strong. They are gods, how did they have so much trouble with it?" Lara turned to Winston with the question.
"I put it on its hardest difficulty. To make it more challenging for them."
"It certainly seemed to work." Lara commented as Thor began to brush himself off.
xOxOx
Lara lay on a couch in her private bedroom, thinking back to her phone conversation with Zip. She needed him to come back and locate a specific someone for her. He was of course hesitant, but after some convincing, with money, he eventually agreed. Zip had left her service after the fire and Alister's death. Lara didn't blame him, but she was sad to see him go. Another friend she lost.
The door opened and Loki stepped in, clothed in Midgardian apparel. His onyx hair still wet from the shower. "Am I bothering you?"
"No." Lara answered quietly, still lost in her thoughts.
He moved to sit on the same couch and Lara repositioned her feet to make room for him. He sat down and she stretched her legs out again and set her feet on his lap. Loki chuckled, but said nothing. "How was your phone call?"
Lara sighed. "Not so great. He decided to help, but not until after I practically bribed him with money."
"A friend of yours?"
"Once."
"What happened between you?" Loki rubbed her bare leg.
"He used to work for me. Zip was the one who ran the tech room in the foyer." Lara explained. "But then the manor was attacked and... our friend, Alister, was killed. I believe Zip blames me for the death, but he has never said it. He left shortly afterwards and we haven't spoken since. Until now."
"Well, he chose to come." Loki replied after a moment of silence. "That means something. What exactly do you require him for anyway?"
"I need him to find someone for me. I'm good with computers, but nothing like him. And Tony might have been able to accomplish this, but who knows when he'll be back."
"Who are you looking for?"
Lara took a deep breath. "Amanda. Her name is Amanda Evert." Loki didn't respond, giving her time to continue. "We were once very close, best friends. She was an archaeologist like myself back then. We were on a dig together in Peru. We had been so excited." Lara reminiscenced wistfully. "But that one last day of our dig changed many things." Loki's hands glided down from her legs to her feet, gently massaging.
She was surprised by Loki's tenderness, but remained focused on her story. "That day in Paraiso, everything went to the worst. It was horrible. Parts of the tomb began to collapse and our fellow diggers started turning up dead. We at the time had no idea what was causing these misfortunes. We didn't discover until later that we were being attacked and hunted by a monster. Unlike anything I've ever seen before. It resembled black smoke. Towards the end of the ordeal, Amanda and I were cornered by the creature. It was about to kill me, but Amanda... She barely rescued me in time. She had touched a stone that actually controlled the monster, but we didn't know that yet. The tomb's ceiling cracked and water began to flood the whole place. I barely made it out alive. Amanda was not so lucky. I tried to save her, I truly did, but... there wasn't enough time. I thought her dead for years. Then she revealed herself and tried to kill me, hating me for 'leaving her behind'." Lara sighed. "I blamed myself for so many years."
"I'm sorry, Lara." Loki whispered. "How will she be of much help?"
"She still has the stone that controls the creature. Amanda has determined how to tame it and use the power for herself. Not exactly a god, but still powerful. She might not be friendly to me, but I doubt she'd like to rot with the rest of planet Earth."
"And you believe your friend, Zip, can find her so we may speak to her?"
"Amanda went into hiding after our last... 'battle'. The last time I saw her was in Nepal. If anyone can find her, it'll be Zip. I just hope it'll be easy. We don't have much time." Lara sat up and gazed into Loki's eyes. "But now it's your turn to do some talking. Is it true what Jormungandr said? About you abandoning them for a better chance at the throne?"
Loki froze in his ministrations and broke eye contact with her. "Aye," He whispered. "It's true."
Lara knew there was a long story behind this so she snuggled close to him and beckoned him. "Tell me."
"To fully understand this situation, I will tell you how Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel were created. In mythology, I know it is written that Angrboda was their mother and gave birth to them, but that's not exactly true. Angrboda, I once referred to her as Ana, was a magic user like myself. We met and became close, but we were never lovers. We only shared a love for magic and pushing it to its limits. We one day decided to experiment with life, to see if we could create it without having to wait nine months. And we did discover that it was possible. First, we created Fenrir. Understand we couldn't just spawn life from nothing. Fenrir was conceived from a part of my life and a wolf's life. Ana chose to design Hel next, but she only offered part of her own life to create Hel. That is why Hel is half-alive, half-dead. Lastly I formed Jormungandr, with another part of my life and a snake's. I was only ecstatic that we had managed to do something so powerful, but Ana soon grew attached to them as if they were are own children. I didn't care much at the time and I spent little moments with them.
Eventually, Odin detected what we had done and came to Ana's home with Asgardian warriors. She grew afraid of what they planned to do and attacked the intruders. She was quickly slain, killed for only protecting the things she loved. I teleported to Odin and pleaded for him to spare them. I'm not sure why I did that, but I couldn't bare to watch the infants killed. Odin was surprisingly merciful and agreed to let them live, but he banished them to different realms. Fenrir landed somewhere unheard of, Jormungandr to Midgard, and Hel to Niflheim, where she soon became ruler of.
Soon after, I decided to travel to them, to insure their safety; they were only babes. I fed and sheltered each except Hel; it was impossible for me to reach her in the realm of the dead. I only saw Hel on very rare occassions, so I've never much considered her my daughter other than the fact I was present when she was created. It was while they grew older when I became especially attached to Jory. I taught her to read and write while Fenrir and I grew less and less interested in each other. Finally, there was a time when I was just visiting Jory. And then Odin found out about my excursions and the All-Father called me to the throne room. He informed me it was unwise for a possible, future King to dabble with such... such 'monsters'. I wanted to snap at him to watch his tongue, but I knew there was truth to his words. I became less and less careless about hiding my journeys to my children and the other Asgardians were becoming aware. They would never let someone like me become a king, unless I changed my ways. Odin's words persuaded me to make one of the worse mistakes of my life."
Flashback
(Before the Thor movie)
Loki gazed down at the leather bound book in his hands as he materialized in a meadow with talk stalks of light brown grass. The last book, he thought numbly. The sky was dark gray, fitting for what was to happen this day. Trees of orange and red swayed in the wind on the edge of the meadow. It wasn't much of a surprise that Jory would choose to live here.
"Papa!" The cry broke Loki from his thoughts and he smiled at the form of his daughter running towards him. He crouched down as she leapt into his arms and hugged him. "Did you bring me another book?"
"Yes, I did." Loki started to hand her the book, and then quickly pulled it out of her reach. "I'm starting to think the only reason you enjoy my visits is for the book."
"What?!" Jory exclaimed as if the idea was ludicrous. "Of course not, Father. I love you." She gave him another hug to prove her point.
Loki chuckled, trying to cover the sadness that overflowed him inside. "I know, darling, I am just jesting with you." He gently kissed the top of her head.
His young daughter grabbed the book from him. "You're mean." Jory began examining the book, excited for something new to read.
"Did you enjoy the last book I brought you?"
"Oh, very much so." She grinned and pulled another book from her shoulder bag. "Here you go." Loki took the already-read storybook from her and used magic to transport it home. "When will you teach me to do that?" Jory asked with wide eyes.
You'll never be ever to teach her your magic, a voice shouted in Loki's head. He ignored it and lied, "Perhaps when you are older."
Jory nodded, her ebony ponytail bouncing. "Okay." She opened her new book and a golden envelope slipped out. "What's that?"
Loki snatched it before she could pick it up. "Something for you to read after I leave."
A quizzical expression crossed her face, but she only replied, "Oh, okay." His daughter carefully placed the envelope back into the beginning of the book. "What will we do today?" Jory cheered up.
Keeping it from trembling, Loki bit his lip. "Actually, darling, I need to speak to you." He gripped both of her arms.
Her face fell slightly. "What's wrong, Papa?"
Loki had practiced this over and over before he left Asgard, but now that he was in the moment, the practice proved worthless. Nothing could ever prepare him for this. "All-Father has-... He has found out about my visits to you."
Jory gasped. "Does... does that mean you won't be able to come back anymore?" A tear slipped down her cheek.
He quickly wiped her face, feeling his own eyes tearing up. "I'm afraid so, min kjaere. But I promise I'll-..."
"Why don't you just stay here with me? Will All-Father really care if you stay on Midgard? You could live in my home." Jory interrupted hopefully.
Loki hesitated, his want for the throne and his want for his daughter were battling. He didn't always care about having it, but if he was king, he could change many things. If he was king, Jory wouldn't have to live alone anymore, Fenrir could get help, and he might even be able to see Hel. His path to the throne of Asgard would be difficult, but he would be king one day. "I-I can't, darling. I have to go back to Asgard. I-..."
"But why?" She demanded. "You don't sound happy there. You complain about it. Why won't you stay with me? Please, Papa, I don't wanna be alone." Jory burst into to tears and hugged him tightly. "Please don't leave me."
Loki held her tightly, crying into her hair. "I- I'm sorry. I have to. It will be for the best. If I stay in Asgard, I can become king someday. For you. For your siblings. As king, I could let you come back to Asgard. We would see each other all the time then."
"But you could see me everyday now if you stayed here. And what if you don't become king?" Jory sobbed. She pulled back from and stared into his eyes. "You're... you're lying."
He flinched. "What? No, I'm not. How could you even think that? I love-..."
"You just want the throne for yourself! It's the only way you'll be happy." Jormungandr shoved him away. "Leave! And don't ever come back!" She ran off into the woods, her cheeks still wet.
"Jory! Jory, wait! Please..." Loki collapsed on the ground. "Come back... I love you."
Present
"That had been the last time we spoke." Loki stated, his voice muffled by his hands which were covering his face.
"Oh." Lara was unsure of what to say, slightly disgusted that Loki chose the throne over his own daughter. "How... how could you?"
Loki looked up. "What?"
"To me it sounds like you received exactly what you deserved. Leaving your daughter like that-..."
"You don't think I've thought of that?" Standing up, Loki hissed. "You have... you have no idea. How much I hate myself..." He hung his head.
Lara suddenly felt bad. It was many years ago and it was obvious how much he regretted it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just... shocked, I suppose. I guess I could relate to her."
"'Relate to her'?" Loki turned to her.
"After my mother disappeared, I saw little of my father... He never understood that I needed him. He wasn't the only one to lose Mum... And now he's gone."
"I'm sure your father grieves over his choice as much as I do, Lara." Loki bent over and kissed Lara fervently. "Perhaps he knew of your heartache and decided to do all he could do to fix it, by trying to bring your mother home to you."
"Perhaps..." Lara said absently, her lips still brushing against Loki's.
There was a knock at the door, and after Lara leaned away from Loki, Winston stepped in. "He's here."
xOxOx
The three of them stepped down the stairs and entered the foyer. Thor was introducing himself to Zip and Zip looked horribly intimidated by the god of thunder. Zip nodded in greetings towards Lara when he saw her and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Loki trailing behind her. "Your new boy toys, Lara?"
"Oh, shut it." Lara replied jokingly. She gave him a slight hug and he surprisingly returned it.
"So what's up? End of the world again? And who are these guys?"
"Yes, it is. And this is Thor and Loki." She smirked and headed to the tech room.
Zip glanced back and forth between Thor and Loki and then followed Lara. "Wait, Thor and Loki? As in...?"
"As in two Norse gods? Yes."
"What have you been getting yourself into since I've been gone?"
"Danger, adventure, myths. The usual." Lara replied. "Now, as I said, I need you to find Amanda for me and that's it. You'll get paid and you can walk out that door."
"Right." Zip sat down in his usual, comfortable office chair. "And why are we looking for crazy, smoke lady?"
"We are getting desperate and need all the help we can get for what's about to go down." Lara explained.
Zip rubbed his face. "Do I dare ask what's about to go down?"
"If you're so familiar with Norse mythology, then the best answer would be Ragnarok." Loki piped up.
The tech man cursed. "As in end of the world?"
"Not if we can help it. We will defend Midgard. Earth." Thor corrected himself.
"And who's 'we'?"
"Earth's best and only hope. I understand you have questions, but the faster we find Amanda, the better." Lara gestured to one of the computers.
"Right." He immediately started to work, clicking the mouse and typing away on the keyboard. "It shouldn't take that long. Unless she's traveled to another country."
"Thank you, Zip." Lara acknowledged gratefully. She stood, but then stopped. "Once you leave here... We aren't sure exactly how things will happen, but you might want to get a weapon. Grab anything from my armory on the way out."
xOxOx
She scrubbed away at the counter with an old dish rag as the last customer left. She muttered a 'come again' as the bell dinged with the opening and closing of the door. The job wasn't much, but the men paid her well for her low-cut tops and tight jeans. She blew as strand of blonde hair away from her face as she finished cleaning the bar.
Amanda then moved to the tables, placing used drinking glasses on her tray. While it was a dull and annoying job, it was also an inconspicuous job. Which was exactly what she needed until she decided where to go next. She was done with Lara and myths and legends. But where to go? Everyone she used to know thinks she's dead. Thanks again for that, Lara.
Would killing me make us even? Lara's last words... No, it wouldn't, but it would have made me feel better. Amanda thought in reply. The bell sounded behind her and she called out, "We're closed. Come back later tonight."
"I'm not here for a drink." Amanda froze when she heard the voice. Well, great.
She turned around slowly, only expecting to see Lara, but two men also stood with her. They were both at least six feet tall, but that was the only thing similar between them. One of them was slim, pale, and had black hair, his face composed of sharp angles. The other was muscular and had shoulder-length blonde hair. "Hello, Lara. I don't recognize your friends." She touched the powerful stone that hung from her black choker.
Lara held up her hands in surrender. "We mean you no harm, Amanda. Quite the opposite actually." She walked around the bar. "A professional archaeologist working in a shoddy pub. What are you doing?"
Amanda shrugged. "Just staying under the radar. Or at least I thought so. Who are the pretty boys you brought along?"
"...We'll get to that in a moment. I'd like to offer you a job."
"What?"
"Earth is about to go under another 'situation'. Like what would have happened if I hadn't stopped Natla."
"It's not your fault again, is it?" The blonde goth smirked.
"This really isn't the time for games." Lara crossed her arms. "Natla's alive. And she's the last person we need to worry about. We are about to have much bigger things on our plates. I need your help, Amanda."
"What makes you think I'll do anything to aid-..."
"Then don't think of it as for me, but for all of Earth. For yourself, since that seems to be the only person that matters to you."
Amanda bit her lip, thinking. She looked to the two tall guys. "Is what she said true? Are things really that bad?"
The one with black hair nodded. "It will be. Several gods have joined together against Midgard. We plan to fight back, but without proper help, it will be useless. If you'd like to continue living, I'd strongly suggest assisting in anyway you can."
She pondered on this for a moment. She had no wish to help Lara, but... she also didn't want the world to end. "First things first, what in the world is going on?"
Hopefully this chapter didn't make Loki seem even more like a jerk, but one night i was going to sleep and that plot bunny hopped onto my face and I just couldn't ignore it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please tell me what you think in a review or even a PM. Thank you so much for reading and I apologize for any grammar mistakes.