Okay, guys, you get an early chapter! Because I'm getting up early tomorrow and can't sit at the computer 'till 2am. Or I... *shouldn't.*
Ehm, anyway, this little bit at the beginning was an attempt at saying "I didn't forget about the Avengers," but I promptly forgot about them afterwards, so, uh... yeah. :D
"Alright, Loki's in his cell and Thor in his room," Tony plopped down on the sofa in the common room of the Avengers Tower, everyone else was already there and seated. "Now what?"
"We should – we should tell Fury," Steve voiced what everyone else was thinking and dreading.
"No fucking way," Clint lounged in his armchair, legs on the armrest, "he would personally send us after Thor to fetch him."
"That is probably true," Bruce pushed his glasses up with one finger, tone nervous, even though he was the only one in the team considered utterly unkillable – even by Fury. Though to be fair, up until today he shared his "unkillable" status with Thor, before the god's actions this day caused his status to be revoked.
"Well, we don't have to tell him right away," Tony offered, "let's deal with the situation ourselves before tattling to daddy."
"And you have a plan?" Bruce met Tony's eyes, knowing what he was going to say – actually, it wasn't hard for any of them to figure out as it was not much of a plan anyway: "Let's just wait until Loki wakes up and try to get some info about Thor from him."
"If we are lucky, maybe they even both wake up at the same time."
"When did you become the optimistic one, Romanoff?" Tony jabbed.
"I'm simply not blind," Nat said with what could have been a little knowing smile, but it vanished quickly. "It only depends on how blind is Loki himself."
"Is this all of them?" Thor asked, panting, as he met with his brother and niece in the middle of the blood soaked battlefield. By now the heavy shower had subsided into a drizzle and was decreasing still. Hela's subjects were already cleaning up the bodies, many of them injured but not seriously enough to impede movement. Others were moving away those who had been less fortunate in that regard and who were now wailing in pain.
"The few remaining alive are being hunted down as we speak," Loki answered, though he was looking at his daughter – reporting the situation to the commander.
The goddess nodded as she received the information. "This battle was won much more quickly and with considerably less destruction of the realm than any of the previous ones. And there is no doubt about your contribution in this, Thor," she turned to the god in question.
"I was glad to help," he inclined his head, but she continued:
"You will be a great asset to our forces and we will soon rebuild the realm anew. Now go rest with the other warriors, you have earned it." Her tone allowed no further discussion and when Thor opened his mouth to speak anyway, he caught his brother's warning look and a quick jerk of his head in the direction of the retreating warriors. 'Let me deal with this,' Loki's eyes were saying, unseen by Hela behind her back. Thor paused, pursed his lips with slightly furrowed brows in an expression that almost looked petulant, but then nodded curtly and left. It was obvious he didn't like to have no say in this situation, being sent away like a child when adults wanted to talk.
Loki released a silent sigh of relief and steeled himself for the upcoming conversation. "My daughter..."
"Father," she turned to face him, quickly drying hair swishing around her cheeks and despite the singed and occasionally dirty armour and apparent exhaustion, her pose was proud and regal, shoulders squared and head held high. And for the first time ever, Loki truly realized that he was but a former prince, now a criminal and a fugitive, standing before the mighty and feared queen of Helheim, the Goddess of Death, who also by the rules of the Nine Realms had currently the sole right to and absolute control over his soul. And he was intending to ask her to let go of the one man whose fighting prowess helped so immensely in the latest battle to defend her realm. Oh, he did not doubt her love for her father but even he could not simply ask her for anything, especially something so disadvantageous for her kingdom.
Not that he was not going to try, of course. "The battle is won and if the reports we were getting from Eisa and Einmyria are indeed as correct as your sisters claim, not many enemies yet remain. There might be one, at most two such wide scale attacks as this one, with which I will of course gladly help you when the time comes. There seem to be several new elven archers and I have also noticed a very courageous group of Vanir warriors I have not seen here before. With them, as well as the seasoned warriors dwelling in your kingdom for many times longer, the defence of the realm is the best since the beginning of the attacks-"
"Please, father, just get to the point,"Hela interrupted him in a bored tone. "You want me to revive Thor."
"I would ask you to, at least, kindly consider this option at your leisure," Loki bowed lightly. He considered adding 'my queen' but he already felt the servility brimming over his level of bearability, not to mention how very dishonest it would sound at the moment.
Hela arched an eyebrow. "And for what reasons should I do so? There is not much to think about; the current situation benefits us both, do you not agree? I have the crown prince of Asgard, the legendary God of Thunder, right here in my hands, even though none ever doubted he would depart to Valhalla when his time comes. I feel disinclined to turn my back at such luck." – Did Loki's shoulders sag a little? – "And what about you, father? Would it not be beneficial for you if your greatest enemy stayed here where he cannot meddle with your schemes? You should rejoice at this occasion."
Yes, his shoulders definitely sagged. He kept his expression impassive, just slightly respectful as a diplomat would talk to a royal, but it was far too obvious to Hela that he was as far from rejoicing as one could be.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she was being too cruel to her father, but quickly chased the thought away. Even the God of Lies had to eventually face the truth. But Loki wasn't going to give up easily, instead trying different tactics:
"Even dismissing the fact that my 'greatest enemy' ended his life so pathetically even I with my trickster ways find this victory insulting, there are other ways to make use of this unexpected opportunity." He paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. "As I said, your realm will be guarded. The Asgardian was a great help but we can easily make do without him. No, his real value is in his royal status. Just think of the possibilities. For a hardened ruler of the Realms, the Allfather would surely promise you almost anything for his heir's soul."
Hela tilted her head in appreciation of the reasoning. She did not, in fact, think of that, as she knew she would have to revive Thor either way lest her father turned into a puddle of mopey sadness.
"It is a brilliant idea," she said thoughtfully, "it is common knowledge that Odin-King loves his sons dearly."
"Son," Loki corrected her.
"I'm sorry?" she frowned lightly, confused.
"You said sons," Loki elaborated, quite sure she did it on purpose, "everyone knows the king has only one child."
"Oh, of course," the queen blinked innocently, "I apologize for the slip of my tongue."
"No need to apologize, my queen," Loki said, a little stiffly, but still in the polite tone. "So what do you think? I daresay there must be something you would wish to ask for from the ruler of the gods."
"Hmm," Hela smiled a small greedy smile. "I am sure he would not hand me over the sovereignty over all of the dead, but there is still... one thing only he can grant me. Excellent advice, father," she beamed – though still managed to look regal, "let us freshen up briefly and then I shall send a message asking the Allfather to open negotiations."
Loki nodded in response to her praise and contemplated asking to go check on Thor but found no way to do so without sounding concerned, so he followed his daughter and prayed to the Norns that Odin suddenly did not become a wiser ruler – and that Hela's conditions would not be too audacious.
It was but a short while – the battle might have ended maybe half an hour ago – but to Loki, now cleaned up and dressed in more casual clothes, it already felt like weeks. He was prowling around the castle in anxiety, not even a thought spared on the food Hela's servants prepared for him. Being dead, he technically didn't need to eat anyway, but it would help him replenish his magic – that is, if his knotted stomach allowed him to take even a bite.
Measured steps echoed on the floor of polished black stone from the hall ahead of him and their owner soon appeared before his eyes too, although Loki already recognized the person by the steps alone. Hela also shed her armour and washed herself, but her current look could not really be described as any more casual than before. She was dressed in a flowing black gown, the hems sweeping the floor gently, and a very dark green cape made of similar material. Fine silvery chains embedded with emeralds and onyxes gave the seemingly plain clothing a regal look and she still wore her crown of black and silver spikes.
"I have sent the message to Odin already," she spoke up as she reached him, knowing very well what his first line of inquiry would be, "and I proposed the meeting to take place here, in my kingdom."
"What?" Loki paled. He did not like the idea of him and Odin staying in the same realm for even a moment, much less so close that he could "accidentally" meet him. No, he did not wish to face him ever again and of course Hela knew it... oh, she surely found it really funny, he could almost see her laughing on the inside.
"Would my terms not be more easily agreed to when the king sees the... place his son would be staying at for eternity otherwise?" There was certain sourness in her tone as she acknowledged the disdain the Aesir, living in their palaces of gold, held for her home. Loki was frowning for the same reason, as well as for the fact that Hela had a good point.
"That does sound like a reasonable course of action," he sighed.
"Oh and there is another thing," his daughter pulled out of her robed a piece of parchment: "A messenger just brought this, it is from Eisa."
"Oh?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "Any new development?"
"Not much," Hela shook her head lightly but passed him the neatly written message anyway, "Surtur still denies any responsibility-"
"That would not make much of a difference by now anyway," Loki murmured, eyes scanning the text.
"True," Hela conceded, "and at least he also made no moves against Glut and Einmyria thinning the remaining forces. Although we are still not sure whether he even knows about the killings or who is carrying them out."
"It does not matter," Loki looked up again, "their actions do not harm him and Glut is a far too powerful member of the court for him to risk turning his displeasure against her. The king of Muspelheim is not so foolish."
"You have great faith in your first wife."
"I daresay I know her quite well."
Hela smirked. "You do visit her quite often. More often than your current wife, or so it seems."
Loki didn't know (didn't want to know) where she was going with it, but decided to humour her anyway and explain what she surely already knew: "Do not doubt my love for Sigyn, it is merely easier and less dangerous to travel to Muspelheim than to Asgard."
Hela smiled as he played right into her cards. "Then maybe you should do something about it lest soon you will see Sigyn not more often than my mother."
"Oh, do not drag Angrboda into this," Loki grimaced, feeling like getting a headache any second.
"I will not, I will not," Hela waved her hands in front of her chest innocently, at the moment looking more like a mischievous girl than the queen, "this is only between the two of you, I have no intention to be involved in any way-" then she added under her breath "-in your 'now that I know I am a jotun as well I am sorry I said I hate you and want you to die' business."
Loki looked at her with a mix of guilt and irritation, so she changed the topic: "Anyway, what I was trying to say before-"
"Very well, I shall try to visit my current wife more often," he rolled his eyes, but still glad she dropped the issue with his second wife.
"Yes, yes," she waved a hand, "but you are not taking into consideration the easiest way to make your travel, as you said, 'less dangerous', are you?"
"If you mean what I think you mean-" Loki started as she started grinning, but then her eyes focused on something behind him – someone, as he heard the steps and turned.
"My queen," the servant said, panting slightly, "the – the Allfather have just arrived on the Bifrost site."
"Well, that was quick," she assessed in a light tone, "it seems that someone is quite impatient to get his son back." She dismissed the servant with a nod and turned to her father, who was even paler than usual and by the flitting of his eyes probably contemplating to flee.
"Let us not make him wait then," she smiled sweetly.
"Us?" Loki crossed his arms, a defensive position, almost as if he was shrinking into himself. "There is no reason for me to be there."
"Oh father," she let out her breath, "for all your supposed intelligence, you are acting pretty thick right now."
Loki bristled. "I do not care for your wanton attempts to reconcile me with my adoptive family!"
Hela stood unaffected by the outburst. "You cannot blame me for trying, after witnessing so many not-so-secret longing sighs and calling you mother and brother at night when the Chitauri plague your dreams." Oh he was never again going to stay overnight in her palace. "But-" she held out her hand as he opened his mouth for an indignant protest, -"this is not my current intention," she smiled rather smugly. "Apart from giving Odin a tour around his first-born's potential home, there was one more reason I wanted the negotiations to take place in my realm." She smiled. After being reminded of Thor's current predicament, Loki, still scowling, decided it was wiser to wait for what she had to say.
"Surely, you do not think the Allfather walked in here," she pronounced triumphantly.
Loki's angry wrinkles smoothed out immediately, his face shifting into a sudden cautiously happy realization.
"You are welcome," she punched him lightly in the shoulder as she passed him by and briskly walked towards the door at the end of the corridor. She didn't have to glance back or ask to know whether her father followed. She knew he would. Despite his anxiousness around his adoptive family nowadays, nothing could stop him from meeting with his biological one.
Yes, this is the chapter where the "Let's see how many members of Loki's family we'll be able to cram in there" game truly began. XD But don't worry, most of them are really only mentioned.