Chapter 30

His feet hit the ground hard and he stumbled back a few paces to stop himself from falling down. He had forgotten what it was like to travel by Bifrost, it was an experience he liked but hadn't missed. With his footing now secure, he raised his eyes to the tall strong figure standing not too far away from him.

"Heimdall," Loki said, nodding politely at the gatekeeper.

"Loki Laufeyson, I didn't expect to see you again."

"So this is a nice surprise then," the god replied, working hard to keep the forced smile on his face to try not to show his growing unease.

Heimdall surveyed Loki for a moment, taking in his usual Asgardian garb, his saddened appearance, his pained stance with a quick flick of his eyes. "I would not say that, no. Seeing as on your return, if you ever did return, I was told to alert Asgard to your whereabouts so that you can be escorted to your cell."

Loki stood frozen for a second. Then, just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard the quick footsteps of a group of people approaching. A moment later they came into view and walked straight towards him, weapons raised. He raised his hands in defeat, finally letting the smile slip from his lips so they could settle into a thin line.

Much to his dismay, the group that had entered were Thor's much loved friends the lady Sif and the warriors three. They all wore their battle armour and wide grins on their faces as they approached. The grins were not kind, they held none of the joy or pleasure that they would if it was Thor standing in his place. There was pleasure in their smiles, but it was the sick kind of pleasure. The pleasure that people took in causing pain. And they still hadn't lowered their weapons.

It was the harsh jangle that caused him to wince. Loki broke eye contact with Fandral to glance down at what he held in his other hand. As Loki's eyes skimmed down, Fandral smirked before letting the wound up chains fall to the floor. They clattered to the ground but he held one end firmly in his grip.

"Good to see you Laufeyson."

Loki suppressed the hiss that threatened to escape at the mention of his name. The others could see him strain and they all chuckled lightly.

"I can't say the same," Loki replied, working to keep his expression impassive. "It was so nice to not lay my eyes on your repulsive face for so long. But alas, I see it again, and I believe it has grown even more ghastly."

"I believe your wit has failed you, your taunts no longer affect me," Fandral said. "Perhaps spending such long amounts of time around dull mortals you have begun to lose your touch."

"I can assure you that most mortals are still far smarter than you."

"Hmm I doubt it... and they also lack such basic skills. They were not brought up with the knowledge that Asgardian's are. They are not taught about the nine realms and about good and evil. They are not instructed on who are monsters and who are not." Loki's eyes widened. Thor had told them. How could he have ever done that to him? After all his support and continued habit of calling him brother, how could he tell the people that Loki disliked most about his true parentage? "And they are also not taught how to wield weapons."

Fandral stepped forward deftly, thrusting his sword forward with a smooth flourish. The blade stopped a few centimetres away from piercing Loki's chest. The dark haired god was ashamed to admit that he flinched.

The warriors three and Sif burst into roars of laughter, clutching each other's shoulders for support.

"Oh dear Heimdall please never allow me to forget this day, the day Loki, the god of mischief, flinched at an oncoming attack. Have you forgotten how to fight? Have you lost all your little magic tricks that you used to use? Come on, do something," Fandral chuckled, shoving Loki harder than necessary in the chest.

The god's temper began to rise, and as he was shoved backwards that was the last straw for him. With a quick flick of his wrist there was a loud crack and Fandral fell to his knees, clutching at his nose that was now gushing blood.

With the initial shock over, Fandral clambered to his feet and glared at Loki before nodding to the others behind him. They nodded back and then marched forward and took hold of Loki, attaching the chains around his body until he was bound and only able to move his neck freely from side to side. His ankles had a chain running between them so when he walked his usual large stride was restricted to a small shuffle.

"Now that you're finished, can I actually do what I came here to do?" Loki asked, an unamused expression on his pale face.

"I don't think you are in any situation to ask anything of us. We are to take you to your cell where you will remain until someone realises what a waste of space you are and actually makes the right decision to have you executed," Sif said in response, enjoying the way Loki's face darkened.

"But I must speak with the Allfather immediately, it is a very urgent matter," Loki insisted, trying to stop walking. Every time he did, his chains were given a hard tug and he was forced to stumble forward and keep a good pace.

"I'm sure he will be thrilled to learn that, except that none of us will tell him."

"But I need to, I have to speak with him now. Something terrible could happen and I must stop it." No one responded or even paid attention to his words. He couldn't believe what he was about to do but he knew it was one of his only options. "Please, please help me."

The warriors three and Sif stopped dead and turned to look at him at the same time, wide smiles firmly back on their faces.

"Did you just plead with us, Laufeyson?"

"Yes," Loki said bitterly. "Please, I need your help. I would not ask if it was not really urgent."

"Hmm, well we would help but this is far too fun and really, we don't want to help you. Your problems are not ours."

With that there were no more words said and Loki was left with no hope. Then another idea struck him. It wasn't very good and very likely wouldn't work but he had to try. This was for Tony. This was for his love. He needed to fix things. If he was locked up in Asgard there would be no hope and no way to ever even see Tony again. He couldn't take that. He couldn't live with the thought of never seeing those beautiful deep brown eyes again.

Throwing caution to the wind, Loki turned as far as his chains would permit and called back to Heimdall who was watching them walk away down the rainbow bridge.

"Heimdall please, please tell the Allfather that I must see him. I know you have been watching, I know you know what I know. I know that you have seen what has transpired between him and myself and you have seen how much I care for the mortal. That cannot be faked, so please, please help me. You have heard my words, you know what I want. Please convince the Allfather to speak with me."

His chains were tugged harder and he stumbled onto his knees.

"Stop stalling and come one," Fandral spat, losing his patience.

Loki got to his feet and sent one last pleading look to Heimdall before walking along without complaint.

It wasn't long until he was thrown unceremoniously into his cell and it was sealed with magic that he could not break. He was left there alone, his only company being the other occupants in their cells around him. He made no effort to talk to them or even to acknowledge their continued screams and taunts at him. Instead he settled in the corner of his new prison and thought about everything he had thrown away. Why had he been so stupid?

Pepper drove up the drive to Tony's mansion. She was tired, more than that, she was absolutely shattered but she couldn't stop. She had to get back to Tony and make sure he hadn't blown anything up or hurt himself. Rhodey had never messaged her that he had arrived so she wasn't sure what to expect when she got inside.

Opening the glass front door quietly, she slipped inside and removed her heels. This was for two reasons. One, because they made a loud noise when she walked on the wooden floor and she didn't want to draw Tony's attention to the fact that she was back yet. And two, he feet hurt from wearing them for hours on end and she really needed a rest from them.

A sigh escaped her lips as she slid her feet out of the constricting shoes. She lined them up neatly by the door and walked off into the house, her feet only making soft pattering sounds rather than loud clicks. She entered into the living room and saw Tony exactly how she had left him. He was in the exact same clothes, the exact same position, the only thing different was the increase in the amount empty bottles that surrounded him. Tears fought to cloud her vision but she forced them away. Now wasn't the time for emotions.

A noise came from behind her. Turning her head, she realised it had come from the kitchen. Moving closer, she entered the overly large room and found Rhodey preparing a sandwich.

"When I arrived here I wasn't expecting that." He jabbed his thumb in the general direction of Tony. "Warn me next time before I come here and find him a wreck." Rhodey kept his voice low as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, my head was everywhere and I needed someone here quickly, someone he trusted. I thought maybe you could talk to him."

"Talk to him? He's been pissed the whole time, and when he's not drinking he's sleeping it off. I haven't been able to get one sensible word out of him, I don't even know what's going on. I've tried to get him to stop drinking but he won't, I try taking the bottles away but that went badly too. He threw one straight at me, I only just managed to dodge before it shattered. What the hell is going on? Is it because of what just happened in the cave?"

"Umm not entirely, no. Just sit down." He followed Pepper's words and took a seat on one side of the kitchen island while she sat opposite him. "What do you know of Loki?"

Rhodey was silent for a moment, thinking. "Not much, he was the one that lead the alien invasion thingy, he sorta caused Tony to have his panic attacks and after his trial he was sent to the Avengers tower."

"Well he was also taken just like Tony was a month ago. From what I've heard I think Tony was taken because of Loki." A puzzled look crossed Rhodey's face but he said nothing, letting Pepper continue. "You don't know this yet but Tony and Loki have been err...involved with eachother...they are in a relationship...well were."

"What!" Rhodey shouted then lowered his volume. "What? I'm confused. Tony is, sorry was dating crazy god Loki. Why? When? What? How come he never told me?"

"Probably because of the reaction, it's safe to admit I didn't take it well." Rhodey chuckled quietly but stopped when she glared at him. "They got together about three or four months ago, I don't know the why's behind it but I know that Tony was happy which is probably why he is a mess now. Loki ended it between them."

"Good," Rhodey said bluntly. Pepper sent him another look. "Well obviously not because he's now pissed twenty-four seven and hasn't showered in three days but it is good because it's a weird relationship."

"Yeah I used to think that too."

"What changed?"

"I did, my opinion of them did. At first I thought it was disgusting and I hated Loki even more than before. But over time I started to see how happy Tony was and how much he cared for Loki and now I've seen just how much Loki cares for Tony in return and I know that I was wrong." Pepper paused, staring at the table top. "I was jealous and angry and lashed out unnecessarily at Loki, I hadn't realised then that people can change. That no one is past the point of being saved. Tony saved Loki and in return Loki fixed Tony. He completed him."

"That's deep and I'm not sure I believe you but right now that's not the problem. The problem is that they have broken up and Tony is most likely going to die of alcohol poisoning."

That's the moment that Pepper smiled. She didn't feel like smiling, she was far too tired for emotions but it found its way onto her face and stayed there without her trying to stop it.

"That's where Loki comes in. I've spoken to him and he knows he has been an idiot, I don't know why it took me talking to him to figure it out but it did. Anyway, he has gone back to Asgard and all we have to do is stall Tony for as long as possible until Loki gets back."

"So what, he wants Tony back?" Pepper nodded, the smile still on her face. "Then why is he in Asspark or whatever it is?"

"That's his business but he will be back soon. All we have to do is wait for him. Okay?"

It was Rhodey's turn to nod. He didn't really have any idea what was going on but if Loki getting back with Tony would stop Tony drinking then he didn't care. All he wanted was for his friend to be safe and happy.

He and Pepper headed in silence back to the living room where Tony was still passed out on the sofa. His breathing was even and he occasionally twitched in his sleep. But apart from that he looked fairly peaceful. If they could see inside his head then they could see his nightmares of Loki leaving repeat over and over again. Each time they were different. Each time they got worse until the scene was totally distorted and hot tears streaked down his cheeks, escaping from his closed eyes.

His cell was cold. That was all Loki could really focus on. He had brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them in order to conserve heat but it wasn't working very well. Another shiver. No one had yet been passed him and had actually acknowledged him. The guards continued on their rounds without pausing. Odin had not come to see him nor had he sent someone to fetch him.

The hours were dragging by and he had no idea if they had passed into days or not. Is this what his eternity was supposed to be like? Is this how he was supposed to spend the rest of forever?

He heard footsteps approaching and assumed it was the guards passing again. However, the footsteps stopped by his cell but he didn't look up. Not until he heard the soft hiss of magic and his gaze suddenly snapped to the barrier trapping him within. It was gone. There was no more shimmering gold surrounding him.

"Loki," A woman breathed, taking a step closer to him.

Loki's heart leapt and he was unexpectedly taken over by a strong wave of hope. Frigga. His mother stood not two metres away from him with her arms outstretched. Springing to his feet, he took three steps forward before being pulled into her arms. He wrapped his own tightly around her small frame while she clung to him, desperately willing for her sobs to stop.

"I have missed you Loki, but why have you returned? You knew that you could not come back." Frigga had pulled back and was now staring at him from arms length, her hands still holding his tightly.

"And I have missed you mother. I did not plan on returning then circumstances changed and I had to return because I must speak to the Allfather."

"Your father? What for?" Loki cringed slightly at the use of the word father. Hurt filled Frigga's eyes but she made no comment at his behaviour. "Heimdall alerted me to your presence in Asgard and how you were arrested. He told me that you had something of urgency to say."

Finding out that Heimdall had heeded his words and contacted someone had him eternally grateful to the guard. Though Loki had never taken kindly to him, he had obviously forgiven Loki for certain crimes if he was able to look past them and help him in his hour of need. Loki smiled at the thought of Heimdall helping him. With the gatekeeper watching he knew he was never truly alone. With Tony he was never alone either. That was how he managed to pull himself back to reality and concentrate on the matter at hand.

"Mother I would tell you of my problem but I would much rather speak with the Allfather first. If I tell you now you may try and talk me out of it and I cannot have your emotion playing on my heart while we discuss this because it will be hard enough as it is."

"Loki you are worrying me. Please tell me."

The raven haired god sighed heavily and held his mother's hands even tighter. "Please take me to the Allfather now so that we can talk." She opened her mouth to protest but he shushed her. "If he allows it then you can stay with us while we talk, do you find that more acceptable?"

Frigga nodded and smiled slightly before dropping one of his hands so that she only held one. She then began to lead him off down the corridor until they reached a flight of stairs that led to the upper floors of the palace.

"We must be quick and quiet. The Aesir will not take kindly to you if you are seen."

They hurried along more corridors and flights of stairs. Luckily they passed no one except a serving girl that Frigga made swear to secrecy. Soon enough they came to a stop outside a room that Loki knew all too familiarly, Odin's study.

Frigga raised her fist to knock then dropped it, turning back to her son. "Try to be civil please, I do not know what you want but there is a good chance he will not grant it. Just do not react to harshly towards him, he is the king and cannot be seen granting favours to banished god's, even one of his son's."

Loki knew her words were wise but he did not have to like them. It made him angry that she was asking for him to be civil when it was Odin that had caused a lot of the arguments between them throughout the years. Still, he nodded and she raised her hand again and rapped her knuckled three times on the door.

A voice from within told them to enter. Frigga squeezed his hand reassuringly as he took a large breath, forcing his nerves down and his head up. As they both walked into the room the scratching of Odin's pen went quiet as he laid eyes on his new company.

"Loki," He said, standing up from behind his desk.

"Allfather," Loki responded.

"Why are you here? You were warned about what would happen if you returned."

"I have come to ask something of you. I would not have made the journey if I did not deem it an extremely urgent matter."

Odin made a gesture with his hands. "Then please continue with your request."

Taking one last fleeting glance at his mother, Loki committed her expression to memory, knowing that once he spoke again he would only see sorrow in her eyes after she knew what he wanted.

"I wish to be made mortal."

He had said it. The words were out and the room was totally silent. No one even breathed.

"Loki, my darling, please tell me this is not true," Frigga whispered.

"I cannot tell you that for it would not be true. This is my wish, this is what I have come to Asgard to ask."

"But why?" This time the question came from Odin. His expression was unreadable and made Loki slightly uneasy.

"As you know already I have been in a relationship with a mortal man by the name of Anthony Stark. Since we last spoke that has developed into love and I have now realised that I cannot stand an eternity without him."

"Why do you not request for him to be made immortal? I believed that that would have been your wish instead."

"I would never ask him to make that choice and I know he wouldn't want it. To outlive ones friends that are in ways closer than family is not nice and I wouldn't want him to face that. Eternity's are a long time and can feel longer with no one else except the one you love. I want to spend a few beautiful years with my love and my friends and live as they live with the knowledge that life will end and you will be at peace. I do not think death as bad and life as a mortal is even less so. There's hardly a difference between us and them and us to think we are above them is wrong."

"You have changed much Loki since you have lived on Midgard."

"I have," Loki agreed. There was a long pause. "So what is your decision?"

Odin took a long time to answer, choosing instead to stare out the window to his left. When he did speak again there was a change in his tone of voice, it was softer. "Though this will break your mother's heart and mine in the process I have decided to grant you this request."

Frigga stifled a cry from behind them and Loki found he couldn't bring himself to look at her. He was filled with joy that Odin had agreed but he was also saddened that Frigga was so upset.

"I have never been a good father to you and I know that. We, as a family, were never able to make you truly happy but with this man you are truly happy and I cannot deny you that. You have a right to be happy as well and if this aids you then I am willing to accept it. By making you mortal does not break laws as you will still be living on Midgard which is where you were banished too but you know it will have consequences, you know that without your immortality means that your magic will lack. You will not have the power you do now but the change will not be too great and when it gets close to your death you will no longer be able to control your Jotun form and you will take its form as you live out your final days."

Loki nodded, already knowing these factors. They hardly bothered him. Tony had been the one to convince him that he was not a monster and that his Jotun heritage was nothing to hate.

"Thankyou," Loki said quietly.

Odin could hear the sincerity in his voice and smiled. Though Loki had suffered much and changed until he was only a shadow of his former self, Odin could see clearly now how he had fought his way back. He wasn't the same as when he was younger and innocent but he was older now and wiser. He knew of his mistakes and had made amends. He had learned to love and realised that the opposite of love wasn't hate, it was indifference. He no longer felt that Loki hated him and that made him happier than he could say because he knew he deserved to be hated.

One man was to thank for this and that was Anthony Stark. He had saved his son's life without even knowing it and Odin was forever grateful. With this man he knew that Loki would live well and die happy.

An extra extra long chapter, I hope you liked it. Just a little message to say that there are only 3 chapters left now and one of them is an Epilogue. I just want to say how amazing you all are for sticking with this story for so long and I hope you continue right through to the end. Please review?!