Sorceress of the trees: omg! That's a funny misguided happenstance due to my inability to use symbols to separate the scene changes and the like but I have fixed the problem. :)

Sidney loves fiction: as always your kindness and love for my work makes me smile. I actually backed myself into a corner with Thor. I wasn't sure what do to with it. Happy I figured something out.

Poodle warriors: I aim to make people laugh sometimes. :p I'm sure something will be figured out someday.

Loki's dreamer: hot and bothered...good!

Doctor Loki love: glad to have you back! Hope you had a good time! Glad to have made you laugh and just to ease your mind she is still taking the potion. Sorry no babies...yet. :p they have much bigger problems coming up! Dun dun da!

Chapter 15

As quick as life had begun to take on a whole knew meaning of happiness for them it changed just as quick. Sometime during the night while all but the guards slept an intruder snuck inside. Under the cloak of a well placed spell he blended in well with the surroundings and was unseen by anyone. His goal was the Byfrost to allow access for his army to enter into the Realm Eternal.

With the gatekeepers eyes trained elsewhere reaching him was easy. All it took was a touch to the gatekeepers dark flesh and he froze in realization that they were under attack but the magic used on him made him unable to move. The intruder who had a hold of him slowly worked his magic and Heimdell was no longer a threat as he lay on the floor of the dome. He opened the gateway to the army waiting for him on Joutenhiem. The frost giants had turned into great allies after their world had nearly perished at the hands of the very man they were there to retrieve. The entire army was ready in mere moments collected along the bridge.

(Loki)

Loki woke to the blood curdling screams released from somewhere inside the palace and those of outside. He was on his feet in seconds and peered out the double glass doors to view the problem. His eyes grew wide as he recognized the very beings he had once used to try and conquer Midgard. The 'Others' had kept their promises. They had found a way to get to him. When he turned Cephera had sat up in bed her eyes hazy with sleep. Loki swiftly went to her.

"I want you to go to my secret chamber and do not leave until I come for you." He told her pulling her from the bed.

"What's going on?" She asked confused and nervous.

"I do not have time to explain. We are under attack and I need you somewhere safe." He pressed.

"Why cant you come with me?"

"Because it is me they seek and if I run there is no telling what will happen to Asgard or its people." He told her hastily.

"What if you don't come for me?" She asked suddenly. Loki paused to look at her.

"If I do not make it back to you then Thor will take care of you. I will tell him where you are." He said to her. She latched her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her soft body pressing tightly to his as he returned her kiss. Loki's head jerked up as his bedrooms doors burst open. Cephera vanished quickly and Loki was left to his own devices against the beings he once commanded and others he didn't recognize.

(Still Loki)

Loki had not been allowed to dress. He was escorted to the throne room in new chains and found a horrendous sight laid out before him. Odin sat slumped in his throne his eyes showing signs of life but very little. Thor was at the bottom of that staircase also in chains and also lingering on life. A man chuckled as Loki was brought in. Loki looked to him and scowled. It was clear this man was their new leader.

"Welcome Loki. Welcome to the introduction of your torments for failing to deliver that with which you promised." He said grinning and opening his arms wide. "Chain him to the floor." He commanded. Loki watched as large spikes were driven into the floor and he was chained to them. "Is this everyone." He asked looking about. It was then Loki saw the warriors three and Sif chained to a far wall in much the same manner.

"There was a girl with the traitor but she disappeared before we could apprehend her." One of the men Loki had not seen before until his room told his boss.

"Could she be a threat?" The leader asked looking annoyed.

"Her disappearance was through the use of magic. I know nothing more." The minion looked weary back at his master.

"If she is seen she too is to be caught and chained down." He finally decided. He walked closer to Loki and forced Loki to look into his face by gripping his cheeks in his broad hand. The man was dark in skin colour and his eyes were blue "Do you know who I am?" He asked tilting his head at Loki. Loki felt a jolt of something pulling at his soul and then stop.

"Why would I know of someone as lowly as you." He replied smoothly. The man only laughed and let Loki go.

"Fool." He muttered. "It doesn't matter though. You are not the only reason I am here. Once we enter the weapons vault I will have what I came for. Like you I have also been tasked to retrieve an item. But unlike you I will succeed."

"And what have they promised you in return?" Loki ventured the question from sheer curiosity.

"In return they will help me track and locate a special someone. A girl with a very special ability that will soon outlive her usefulness." The words stirred something inside Loki and he suddenly felt fearful.

"And who are you that I should know you and that you should seek the help of Thanos." He asked dreading the answer.

"I am Demos. And I am your captor and Thanos' humble servant if he truly can help me with the thing I seek most." He grinned and Loki tried to keep his stony face. He hoped with all hope Cephera was safe in his secret chambers and that she did not venture out.

"So what now? You bring me to Thanos and the 'Others' so that I may receive the tortures promised to me." Loki said changing the subject easily.

"Not quite. Until I get access through the spells and charms keeping us from entering the vault you will remain my prisoner but I will not make you wait for torture." Loki could here the sadistic tone to his voice.

(Cephera)

Cephera paced back and forth. When she had escaped to this room she had used her magic to dress and waited, and waited. She waited for well into the next night and Loki did not come. A whole day passed and soon another. She was anxious and hungry. There was no food to be had there and she had wanted so much to listen to Loki and stay there. But when Loki did not come and she could no longer stomach just drinking water she knew she would have to venture out. She would die of starvation if she stayed there. Two days without adequate nourishment left her weak of body and mind.

It took her an hour to finally decided she would have to go. At least to the kitchens to fetch food. She could teleport fast enough. But then she argued that she was also curious as to what was going on. Was Loki still there in Asgard. Was he alive? Why had he not come for her? She had to try and calm her curiosity. She would only put herself at risk by putting her nose into things she should not. Like Earth she could not fight a battle without raising a certain amount of notice and so she would lay low.

With a deep breath she teleported and reappeared in the kitchen. It were deserted. She quickly grabbed what she could fit into her skirt and dropped it all when she heard the scream. It was faint and coming from above. Above her was the banquet hall and the throne room among other things. It wasn't the scream that made her freeze it was the person who owned it. She recognized Loki's tones among them. Again another scream, still faint but enough to make her forget her previous battle with her curiosity. She began making her way up the servants stairs to the the banquet hall.

She peered out the doorway as slowly as she could when his scream sounded again. It took every ounce of her self control to not run to him. Instead she investigated her surroundings and found them empty as well. It seemed whatever was happening had everyone located elsewhere and by the sounds of it, it was in the throne room. She scurried across the floor as quietly as she could and got on her hands and knees to look around the corner into the hall. She saw several unknown guards standing back on to her and between their legs she could see Loki. She had to squint to view him.

His was smeared in blood and what looked liked burns but on his face was a smirk. His lips moved but she couldn't hear what he said from this far away. It was then she watched a liquid be poured onto his back and he arched and screamed again. Her legs carried her before she thought about it. She ran down the hall in her bare feet and used a darker magic then she normally would to take out the guards. The commotion she caused made others inside the room look her way including Loki.

His eyes widened in sheer horror at the sight of her and his look confused her. His lips formed the word 'run' but the words didn't escape his mouth before she was seized. The laughed that resounding off the walls and ceiling was one of pure delight and Cephera looked to its owner. Demos was looking back at her with his blue eyes shining in excitement beyond anything she'd ever seen.

She made to break free of the two guards but his words stopped her. "Try to escape my little run away and I'll kill everyone in this room." He warned as if reading her mind.

"If I stay they'll all die anyway." She growled glaring at him.

"And will you chance that?" He asked. Cephera had once though she had that answer. She had thought to flee as the lives of everyone everywhere was more important then the few who would currently die. But she could not stomach leaving Loki to that fate. She would not. She remained in the tight grip of his minions.

"That's the girl who was with the prince." A guard off to Demos' side said.

"Really?" Demos looked amused. He looked from her to loki and back to her smiling. "And what are you to my prisoner?" He asked. She watched him pull gloves from his pocket and put them on as well as a helm. "Can't be too careful around you." He said meaning her touch.

"I'm his personal servant." She said flatly.

"Really? Is that all?"

"What more could there be?" She said glaring.

"Don't treat me like a fool. You, simply a servant, found in her masters room far into the night with her master in such a state of undress. And now as you rush in here and your eyes trained on only him. This I can use." He grinned wide. "Prepare the circle." He ordered to his other servants who wore similar armour and had also put on helms and gloves. It seemed he stayed ready for her at all times. Compulsive obsessive creep.

Cephera was searching for a way out. Her eyes flitting to everyone and was sad to see he had drained them all. Everyone who could have helped her was sitting or lying down with the signs of exhaustion. Her eyes fell of Demos who had drawn closer to her his steps slow. She could hear the rattle of Loki's chains as he grew ever close. He was well covered. Unless she got a chance to poke him in the eyes she couldn't attempt attacking him.

When he was in front of her he looked down at her with that same smirk of confidence on his face. "I want you to know that your death will come slowly. You have avoided me for two centuries and I will make you pay for it. And your family will be the next to die slow and agonizing deaths at my hands." He promised her. He grabbed her upper arm hard enough to leave a mark and yanked her across the room. He paraded her to Odin. "But first you will do something for me." He growled. "Touch him."

"Why?" She asked. "What magic does he have that you can't get when I'm dead."

"I'll take no chances. If you should escape me again I at least still need to claim the item I came for. You will copy his magic and you will open the vault." he told her his face set into a hard look.

"No." She said. She cried out when the back of his gloved hand came across her face so hard she struck the floor and she heard a crack as her shoulder dislocated. She lay there with the pain slipping through her body but healing was easy. She healed quick before he had a hold of her again. "If you don't I will have you watch while we continue our work on your lover until either he dies or you concede."

Cephera didn't look at Loki. She couldn't handle the look she knew he would give her. He had yet to speak a word. She gasped as Demos pulled her off the floor and back to face Odin. Cephera reached out hesitantly and drew back when Odin's eyes fell of her a moment and then looked away. She felt as though she was betraying him after everything he had done for her but she reached her hand out once more and touched his face.