A/N: Sorry this took so long, but it's been a long week. Enjoy!

Phil watched the energy signature bloom across the screen. It replayed over and over, and he enjoyed watching the Fitz and Simmons try to figure it out. But, he'd been watching them for the past two hours. He needed coffee. Fast. Only one way to fix that. He quietly left the two scientists to their devices, and went to the break room, where he had seen one of the go-fers prepping a kerafe. He poured himself a cup, and leaned back against the edge of the counter.

"Coulson?" Director Fury's voice cut through the silence of the break room. He snapped to attention.

"Yes sir?"

"Where are Loki and Miss Foster?" Coulson took a long sip of his coffee, feeling the burn go straight to his gut.

"Last I saw, Loki was in his cell, and Miss Foster was on her way to her own. Why do you ask?"

"Loki's on the loose again, and Miss Foster is nowhere to be found. I was wondering if you knew anything about it." Coulson's face was completely blank as he took another sip. He shrugged noncommittally.

"Is he causing trouble again?" Fury shook his head.

"No, just the opposite, actually. It's got me worried."

"I'll look into it, sir."

"Good. I wanna know what happened. If we've got a mole, I wanna find out who it was." Coulson drained his coffee, and threw the cup away.

"Of course, Director." Fury gave him a peculiar look, before leaving the break room in a flourish of coattails.

"Don't make me regret letting you go, Loki." Coulson muttered to himself, straightening his tie. He went back to the lab.

Thor found Jane in one of the common rooms, sitting before the fire. It had been two days since he'd been restored.

"How have you been holding up?" she asked. Thor gave her a small smile.

"I was just about to ask you the same question. But, since you asked first…" He took a deep breath, and glanced out into the garden. "After much discussion with my father, I have decided to go after Loki." Jane looked puzzled.

"But he's dead, Thor. You can't bring a dead person back to life…"

"The bridge between the realms of the dead and the living are real, and they can be crossed. It's just a matter of finding a way to convince Hela to release his soul."

"Do you really think that she'll allow that to happen?" Thor looked grim.

"Her argument is with Odin, not with me. And now that I am no longer a child, I am not so easily overcome."

"You're not going to do anything too horrible, I hope…" she said, beginning to worry.

"No, the only people who will suffer are those who deserve it."

"What will she do to your dad, then?" Thor scowled.

"I am ready to let Hela deal with Odin as she sees fit. I cannot stand behind his actions towards Loki or his children."

"What's this about Loki's kids?" a new voice entered the conversation. Darcy stood in the doorway, watching them. Thor motioned for her to come join him and Jane.

"Come in and sit, then. I'm only telling the tale once."

"May I listen in too?" Fandral asked from his spot before the fire. Thor and Jane both glanced at each other, surprised. Neither of them had noticed him sitting there.

"Uh, how long have you been there?" Jane asked. Fandral shrugged.

"Long enough. I wasn't going to interrupt, but if Thor was going to tell something no one else was supposed to know, I was ready to take my leave…" he replied, bowing slightly.

"You may stay, if you wish, my friend." Thor glanced across the room, and then back to his listeners.

"Fandral remembers that Loki was married to a Jotun woman, named Angrboda. She had run away from her home, and lived among the Aesir, using a spell to conceal her heritage. They had been married for quite some time, when it was discovered that she was pregnant. Odin heard, from a particularly unreliable source, that the children would be a danger to himself, me, and all the realms. So he acted without thought, killing Angrboda, and somehow bribed the healers into letting him take the children. Loki was told that the children were stillborn." Jane was shaking her head in disbelief.

"That's horrible…" she whispered. Thor smiled sadly.

"Yes, it is. But the day the real trouble began, Loki and I were out on the practice field with Sif and the Warriors Three. Our sparring was interrupted when a little girl, no more than 13 mortal years of age, came out to us. She was dressed all in black, and had covered her face in a hood. She said that her name was Hela Lokidottir, and that she had come searching for her father. She sought his aid in freeing her brothers. Loki, of course, was surprised at this turn of events, and told her to leave, and that he had no daughter. But she drew back her hood, and the other five of us saw clearly that she could be nothing less than a child of Loki. Her face was the mirror image of his, in female form. Loki saw this and disappeared from the field. Hela was heartbroken, and vanished as well."

"What kind of dad denies his own daughter?" Darcy asked, her opinion of Loki taking a dive.

"One who believed that his children were dead. Loki went directly to Odin and confronted him. The All-father had no choice but to confess all that he had done. He had changed one of the sons, Fenrir, into a wolf and bound him on an island where none would find him. The second son, he had transformed into a serpent and sent him to Midgard, where he thrived, and grew so that he now encircles your realm."

"Midgard, that's Earth, right?" Darcy asked. Thor nodded.

"Indeed, Lady Darcy."

"Why haven't we ever seen him, then? If he's so huge…" She glanced around, feeling somewhat foolish for asking. "I don't get it." she folded her hands and put them on her lap. Thor nodded.

"You raise an excellent point. But Darcy, you live now in an age of skeptics and nay-sayers, who look upon us as mere myth. Many may have seen Jormagundar, and mistook him for something more acceptable in their eyes. One of the coils of his body could be mistaken for whale coming up for air, or the waves caused by his writhing were merely caused by storms at sea."

"Seems reasonable, I guess." She said. "So, what will Odin do if we try to free them?"

"Odin won't know. But once he finds out, he certainly won't approve."

"Sounds like something Loki would say." Fandral commented. Thor smiled.

"We have a plan, then."

Loki watched Hela for a few moments.

"You know, if you want to free your brothers, you're going to have to bring me back."

"And why is that?"

"As of now, I have none of my powers. You need my help for this. You've been trying on your own for years, but have only been met with failure. I will help you, if I have my powers." Hela nodded.

"Very well, but if you're trying to betray me, I will make sure that the next time you die, you stay here." Loki nodded.

"I accept that." Hela smiled and took a hold of his hand.

When Loki opened his eyes again, he was standing in the room where his body lay. Hela carefully removed the shroud, and looked over at Loki expectantly. Loki nodded, and took his own hand. Hela whispered a quiet spell, and slowly, his spectral image melded with the cold flesh and bone. A soundless scream filled his mind, and he knew no more.

It was only a few minutes later that he opened his eyes, as himself. He smiled when he sensed the familiar feel of the magic dancing at his fingertips, his heart beating, and fresh air filling his lungs. He sat up, and put his feet on the floor.

"It's good to be back." He said quietly. Hela nodded.

"Let's find you some more suitable clothes." Loki nodded, and took off the black tunic that they had dressed him in for his funeral. He caught sight of the stab wound on his chest, and felt a little dizzy. Despite all this, he lurched across the room, leaving a trail of blood. He tripped and fell. Hela was at his side in a matter of seconds. Loki stared up at her, helpless. Hela placed her hand over the gash, and closed her eyes. A few moments later, his side was whole again.

"I'm sorry for what I did, Father. I acted without thought. The person I should have gone after was Odin." Loki sat up and pulled her into his arms, holding his daughter as though she was a small child.

"All is forgiven, my dear girl." He kissed the top of her head, and glanced around. "Now, about those clothes you mentioned?"

Odin watched as Thor, Fandral, Darcy, and Jane rode off. He had an idea of where they were going, but he knew that there would be no stopping Thor. The public's favor was leaning towards Thor at the moment, despite his seeming love for the traitor prince. Word of Odin's crimes had already begun to spread among the people. Odin heard two sets of footsteps approaching. A pair of guards came before him and bowed. The king turned to look upon them, his face expressionless.

"What brings you here?" The guards looked at each other nervously. The first one spoke up.

"My lord, the body of the trickster is missing."

Well then.

"What do you mean, it's missing?"

"It's gone, no sign of it anywhere."

"Take me to the room where he was. Now." The guards bowed once and led the way.

Upon entering the room, Odin noticed blood on the floor, and the discarded death-clothes. The trail of blood stopped about half-way across the room, and from there the only traces of blood were from the footprints that led to Loki's old bed chamber. The king opened the door cautiously, not sure what he would find. Clothes and chests of drawers were strewn everywhere, and the trail of bloody footprints led straight to the window. Odin turned to the guards.

"Find him."