Another chapter is here and tomorrow is my birthday, it's become a good day I think. So just some information, I have changed the ending slightly but it still has basically the same ending result. There are about 8 chapters left I think but this could always change. Now please enjoy!

Chapter 25

He was swallowed up into Bifrost and seconds later materialized on the rainbow bridge. Heimdall stood with his back to him and didn't say a word as he appeared. He didn't even acknowledge his presence. Thor set off quickly down the bridge. He knew he could easily use Mjolnir to fly there and it would be a hell of a lot quicker but he preferred to take the slower way. The time he had between now and reaching the palace was important. He needed to figure out exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to go about saying it.

But when he reached the palace every thought he had had raced from his mind until he was left with nothing except the directions to the hall he needed. Once he reached the doors, he pushed them open wide and continued forward, not caring at all about the sudden silence that came with him entering.

"Allfather I must speak with you immediately," He shouted, looking up into his father's one eye.

"Now is not the time Thor, I am busy," Odin replied.

Thor looked around the large hall and at all the assembled Aesir but didn't seem fazed. "This is urgent."

"By your manner I can see that but I am in a meeting. Wait outside." It was not a suggestion, it was an order, an order that the thunder god paid no attention to.

"Your council can wait, your family cannot," Thor said defiantly.

The Aesir began to whisper and mutter to eachother. Thor suspected that they were commenting on how he was an insolent child and was definitely not ready to sit on Asgard's throne. Their words meant little to him at that moment. His last words seemed to have stirred something inside Odin and he looked fuming.

"I am not instructing you as your father, I am ordering you as your king. Leave this hall, I will deal with you later." Thor opened his mouth to protest again. "If you do not I will have the guards remove you themselves."

Glaring at his father, Thor spun on his heels and marched out of the hall. The doors were shut firmly and he was left to wait outside while the meeting continued, this time uninterrupted. He paced back and forth more times than he could count. It started to grow frustrating, he felt like a grandfather clock that just swung from side to side, not meant for anything more. He sighed angrily and flopped back against the wall and slid down it to the floor. He drummed his forehead against his arms that rested atop his knees.

He raised his head when he heard very hurried footsteps. They grew closer and as they did they got louder and perhaps even faster. A few seconds later his mother rounded the corner. She stopped when she saw him and a wide smile appeared on her red lips.

"Thor," She cried. "The guards said that you had arrived home. It's been so long since I last saw you."

He got to his feet and managed a small smile before he was pulled into an embrace. Frigga hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. When she pulled back, she frowned at him. He was her son and she could read him like a book. She knew there was definitely something wrong.

"What is the matter? Why have you come back so suddenly and why are you choosing to stand outside the council room?"

"I...er..." Thor hesitated. He really didn't know how to explain this to his mother. He knew that once he told her of Loki's, and now Tony's disappearance, she would go out of her mind with worry. "I came to discuss something with father."

Frigga wasn't convinced by his quick words. "I've known you since you were a baby, I cradled you in my arms and rocked you to sleep. I have watched you grow up Thor and I know when something is not right so tell me the truth."

"You're not going to like it at all," Thor sighed, slumping once again against the wall.

"I don't care, please just tell me."

And so he told her how Loki vanished and then he came back but then he left again and wasn't seen since. He said how Tony had gone out of his mind with worry and how he had shown the clips of Loki's almost breakdowns. The last thing he spoke of was how Tony had now gone missing as well and there was no trace of him anywhere. When Thor was finished he looked over at his mother. She bit her lip and said nothing but her shoulders shook, betraying her sobs that she had tried so hard to hold in.

"Mother, do not cry, we will find them," Thor murmured kindly, hugging her again. She latched onto him and wept into his shoulder.

When she stood straight again her face was tearstained and her hands were shaking. "I...I just wish it wasn't him Thor. Why is it always Loki? Everything in all the realms seems to be against him and whenever her fights his way into the light, another cloud comes along and he is forced back into darkness. He was even happy with this Tony and now he is gone too. I...I...wish I could just shrink him down, make him a child again so he could spend every waking moment at my side like he used to. I knew he was safe then."

"We will find him. We will find both of them. I promise." He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly before kissing the top of her head gently.

She nodded and attempted a watery smile. That was the moment that the doors opened wide behind them and Odin appeared. He walked towards them and just stood and stared at Thor, an unimpressed expression firmly on his face.

"Would you explain your behaviour back there," He said. It wasn't a question. It was an order.

"Oh Odin please don't be angry with him, he really needs to talk to you."

"I already know Frigga. I know what he wants to talk about."

Frigga blanched. "What? You know what has happened to Loki and Tony?"

"Yes. I am very aware of their situation."

"Why haven't you done anything?" Thor demanded, turning on his father. "Why haven't you sent word? Why haven't you tried to help?"

Odin held up his hand to silence his son and it worked. Thor stared at him angrily but said nothing as he turned to Frigga. He laid a hand on her arm and guided her away. Before he rounded the corner he told Thor to go to his room where he would meet him there soon.

Thor flopped down on his bed and let out a very frustrated sigh. Why did he feel like a child? Why was his father treating him like one? He had just been left on the sidelines to watch as his mother was guided away to be told who knew what lies. How could he not have said he knew? Why was he doing nothing?

Bringing his hands up to his face, he scrubbed it and sighed again. Why was he doing what he was told? Sitting in his chambers wasn't going to do any good. He got up to leave but as he got halfway to the door, it opened and Odin entered. He shut the door behind him and then walked forward, stopping a few paces in front of his son.

"Before you bombard me with all your complaints and questions I will tell you I already know what you will say so it would be best if you just stay quiet."

"I don't believe you know everything I want to say," Thor said dangerously.

"Remember who you are talking to Thor," Odin snapped. "I will answer what you want as long as you remain patient and do not interrupt me. Are we agreed?"

"Yes," Thor muttered irritably.

Odin gestured for Thor to sit down which he did reluctantly. He sat on the very edge of his bed and watched his father lose himself in thought. When it seemed that he had worked out what he wanted to say or where to begin, he blinked then started speaking. Thor leaned in closer, eager to hear what he had to say even though he knew he would not like it.

"I knew that Loki was missing, I could sense that something was wrong. I can tell you that he was taken by the Chitauri along with your friend, Tony. For now they are both alive but they are in bad shape."

Thor sprung to his feet and threw his hands in the air. "What? That's it? You're not going to explain anything else, not say where they are? Why aren't you helping? You haven't done anything to help save your son. I thought he was your son no matter what blood ran through his veins."

"I cannot interfere with this Thor, no matter what my instincts are telling me."

"Why not?" Thor demanded.

"Because Loki was banished from Asgard, that is why he was sent to Midgard. It was not only to make penance for what he has done, it was because he was no longer allowed to step foot in our halls. The Aesir do not know of his current situation but it is most likely they will vote not to help anyway. There is no way around our laws and as king I must follow them. Someone who has been banished is beyond our help."

"So your duty as a father means nothing?"

"The duty to our realm-"

"I don't care about our realm," Thor shouted. Odin jolted in surprise at the anger in his voice. He opened his mouth to silence Thor but the thunder god kept going. "I don't care about our laws. I don't care about your duty. He is my brother and he is your son. One of my best friends has also been taken, he has stood beside me against many foes and was also there when we first went against Loki. We didn't know eachother and yet we fought together. Over time he was the one that brought Loki out of the shell he had hidden himself in, he taught him to feel happiness, to feel worth something and to feel love. Can you tell me those things mean nothing and you would rather stand by your throne than watch all of that progress be wasted? Can you tell me that you would be content to sit by and watch Loki sink back into darkness?"

"I will never be content with that."

"Then why don't you help?" Odin's mouth was left hanging open, all words gone. He closed his mouth with a click and just stared at his son. When Thor spoke again his voice was softer. "What you just said were excuses not reasons. Please father, help us."

The Allfather just stared at his son, marvelling at how wise he had become. When he had been sent down to Midgard, he had not been the man that he had wanted Thor to grow up to be. He was arrogant, self-centred and was not fit at all to be king of Asgard. But now Odin swelled with pride as he watched his son stand before him and defy him in a way that he never thought possible. Thor had grown up from his young stubborn self and now Odin could truly see the king he was destined to be.

"I will do my best to help you and your friends," Odin said quietly, happiness welling in his chest as he saw the hope flood back into Thor's eyes.

"Really father?"

Odin just nodded before setting off for the door. "Work needs to be done and I must go and talk to your mother again, I left her quite hurriedly and she was still very upset."

"Shall I meet you in your study?" Thor asked.

"Yes, I will be there shortly."

They both exited Thor's chambers, Odin went left and Thor headed right. When reaching the end of the corridor, the thunder god descended a flight of stairs and carried on walking until he reached a thick wooden door halfway down another corridor. Sticking his hand inside his pocket, he withdrew a key and fitted it into the lock. The lock clicked and he walked through the door, shutting it behind him. Only Odin and himself had a key for this room which Thor had always found odd. He had been given the key many years ago on a loan to prove he could be trusted. He was only supposed to keep it for a short time but Odin had never asked for it back and he had never been willing to give it up. He had hardly ever needed to enter Odin's study but it was nice to think that he could if he ever had the urge. Now inside he paced up and down slowly, staring at the shelves and shelves of books. He had never had the interest in reading like Loki had and his brother had always been jealous that he had kept the key because he had access to all these wonderfully undiscovered volumes.

He missed his brother. Though not bound by blood, he would never stop being his brother and he couldn't bare the fact that he was in danger once again. Loki had been his best friend when he had been growing up. When he got to a certain age he had neglected that fact and he had come to pay the price. He was determined to find Loki and repair the bond between them. It had been shattered but he believed it was fixable.

He didn't have to wait much longer for Odin to appear. Frigga was following him closely. Her face was far more composed but Thor could still see the stains that her tears had left behind.

"Though I have agreed to help you I still cannot abandon the laws. I will tell you what I know but I cannot go with you to save them."

Thor didn't like it but he nodded anyway. There was no point arguing, Odin had agreed to help and he was about to receive the information her sought.

"They are being held in a cave for now. I cannot give you a precise location but from the glimpses I have caught it is in a heavily wooded area. I believe to find it you will just have to use trial and error, if they are not in one location then move onto the next. The Chitauri aren't many in number but they can still put up an equal fight, do not overestimate them. I don't know the state that Loki and Tony will be in so I will warn you it could be bad. I have overheard odd things and I know that they cannot kill Loki until his immortality has been removed but they plan on killing Tony before they leave Midgard. I don't know how long they will take before they do that."

Thor felt his heart plummet. Even if he saved Loki and the god was returned to his normal health, he would never be the same without Tony. If Tony was killed before he could get to them then all hope of mending his bond with Loki would be gone. He knew Loki had not voiced it yet but he could see it in his eyes that he loved Tony. If Tony was not returned home with Loki then he would not be returned home at all. His new home was Tony, wherever he was that is where Loki would be.

"Are you sure this information will be enough to find them," Frigga asked frantically, pulling Thor away from his thoughts.

"With the use of Midgardian technology I believe that they can be found. The information narrows down the general location. The time consuming part will be getting to each one and scouting it to make sure that Tony and Loki are there."

Frigga nodded in understanding then glanced over at her husband. "Is that all you know?"

"Yes, I realise it is not much but it's all I know for now. If there is anything that I discover I will send word to you."

"Thankyou father, I think it's best I leave now, there isn't much time."

Thor walked towards the door but the sound of his father's voice made him pause and turn back. "Good luck Thor, bring them both home safely."

"I will do my best." He smiled hesitantly before disappearing through the door.

The trip back down the rainbow bridge was quick. Soon Heimdall was ready to send him back through the Bifrost and back to Earth.

Tony's floor of the Avenger's tower was surprisingly full when he arrived. All the team was there minus Clint, he and Fury were due to be there any minute. When they both arrived, all of them gathered around to hear the new information that Thor had. They listened well and took everything in their stride. It was Steve who suggested using JARVIS to locate possible locations that Loki and Tony could be.

The scans were fairly quick but there were still many possible locations that they could be. Some of them were by the coast but Thor thought that they would not likely be there. When JARVIS removed these from the list it was significantly shorter.

Fury said that they could use the helicarrier and then use separate planes to check out each place. Thor agreed this was a good plan but said they couldn't split up for this. He was taking into account Odin's warning that the Chitauri were still dangerous. He didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. If things got very heated when they found Loki and Tony they might need to work with the plan that someone would have to get them out safely while the others took care of the Chitauri. Once everyone was agreed, they left quickly even though it was very late. There was no time to waste when their friends were in danger and they knew that they could help.

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