The Gods Are Cowards

Loki stood in the field, out of breath and without knowing how he actually did what he just did. It had to be some kind of magic.

It must be the Jotun blood, he thought to himself as he inspected his hands. It must have been a trick of the eye, but he could have sworn there was something dark disappearing on his skin.

A disgruntled caw drew his attention back to the raven perched upon the grave stone. Dropping his hands to his sides, he approached it. Loki's face was void of emotion as he and the raven watched each other at a close distance.

The raven twitched its feathers and tilted its head, gazing at him with those beady yet fathomless eyes.

"Come, Ikol," Loki said, raising his arm before the bird. Ikol cawed noisily, but obeyed in a loud flutter of wings. The wind he wrought stirred Loki's hair.

Ikol settled himself on Loki's arm before walking sideways up to his shoulder. Loki could feel it as they walked back through the dead trees that his former self was present within the bird. He was not exactly sure how, but he was. Not quite the same way he was present before, but there all the same.

It took some time to get back within sight of the palace. Loki wasn't worried about anyone wondering about his disappearance, except maybe Sigyn. But she was so busy caring to Frigga's every whim that she probably hadn't even noticed he'd gone anywhere.

Once Loki got back into the gardens outside of Thor's rooms, Ikol lifted himself off his shoulder and perched himself on a branch instead. Loki lifted his gaze to him and frowned, but before he could demand that he get back here, Sigyn came running through the doors.

"Sigyn!" Loki called out in surprise when he saw her running towards him. She stopped just shy of him, her breath coming out in short bursts. Her brows were drawn together over worried and pained eyes. "What is it?" he asked when he got a good look at her. He grabbed her by her upper arms and dragged her closer. Sigyn stumbled a bit, but dropped the skirt of her dress in order to steady herself.

"I am so sorry Loki," she mumbled, not meeting his eye. Loki's stomach dropped and his heart clenched in his chest.

"Sorry?" he wondered, a line forming between his thin brows. "Sorry for what?"

Sigyn pressed her lips together and Loki knew that something was seriously wrong. She never liked to tell him anything that might upset or hurt him. There were so many horrible possibilities running through Loki's head and all of them had to do with Thor.

"Sigyn, what is it?" Loki demanded, putting pressure on her delicate shoulders. When she remained stubbornly silent, Loki lost his patience. "TELL ME!" he yelled shaking her roughly.

"It's Thor!" she yelled back, finally looking at him.

Loki froze.

Thor? What happened to his brother?

"He…Thor has fallen," she explained when Loki remained silently stunned, her voice choked with emotion.

"Tell me Sigyn," Loki said woodenly, staring straight above her head. "Is my brother dead?"

"No!" She head quickly, drawing Loki's gaze back to hers. "He isn't dead! Just captured or at least that is what they are saying..." Sigyn bit her lower lip worryingly to get herself to stop talking.

"Who is saying that?" Loki wanted to know, a feverish light brightening his green eyes.

"I heard it from Lady Frigga," Sigyn explained. "She was told right before she went to the council chambers."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "What else did you hear?" he wanted to know. There was something in Sigyn's face that told him that she wasn't telling him everything. And he would know. Loki knew every line, angle, plain, and expression of that face and what each one meant. How could he not? Hers was the only kind face he found in Asgard. But now that kind face was trying desperately to protect him from the pain of the truth.

And that only made him angry.

"Sigyn!" Loki snapped when she didn't answer him quickly enough. Sigyn jumped as if Loki had lashed out at her. He'd never taken that tone with her before. It scared her.

"They aren't going to rescue him," she admitted finally.

Cold anger washed over Loki's flesh and chilled his veins. "WHAT?" he roared.

Loki didn't wait for Sigyn to explain any further before he stormed past her. He didn't even stop when she called out after him. Ikol cawed and swooped above him, leading Loki's war path as he strode into the great hall leading towards the council chamber of the gods. His face was a mask of pure rage.

How dare they not go and rescue their king! His brother! He was the Mighty Thor! How could they not want to do everything in their power to save him?

Loki fumed all the way to the massive double doors that barred his way. Two guards posted outside of the doors watched his approach. They used their spears to block his way as Loki drew nearer.

"You cannot enter!" one of the guards, Loki didn't care which, told him angrily.

Without stopping, Loki ignored their warning and ducked under the spears, much to their surprise. When he was past, he used both hands to shove the great doors open with an effort fueled by rage.

They swung open wide and rebounded off the walls. Loki wouldn't be surprised if he made a mark on the walls or the door. He hoped he did.

Balder was at the forefront of the massive stone table at the center of the room where it was mounted upon a dais lit under the light shining in from the high windows around the circumference of the room. Balder made where he was standing seem like the head of the table though it was round and there was no head of the table.

He was cut off mid-sentence when Loki stormed into the chamber.

"You have no right to-"

"Shut up," Loki said without raising his voice.

The shock of his rudeness commanded the attention of the room. But Balder was more thickheaded than that.

"How DARE you speak to me that way!" he bellowed.

"I'd prefer not to have to speak to you at all," Loki replied, still keeping his composure though he was seething inside. "However, since you are all traitors, I'm forced before you now."

"Traitors?" Ve, brother of Odin and uncle to Thor repeated as if he hadn't heard Loki the first time. He rose to stand beside Balder. "That is a serious charge."

"And I am justified in accusing it," Loki snarled. "It has come to my understanding that Thor has been captured by the enemy and you refuse to rescue him. Is that not true?"

"Thor has indeed fallen," Freyja confirmed. "But there is nothing we can do to get him back."

"You mean nothing you are willing to do because you are all cowards!" Loki snapped. Then he looked at each and every one of their faces. There was something in their expressions that Loki had never seen before.

It was fear. They were afraid. But they were the gods! What had they to fear?

"What has got your tail between your legs?" Loki demanded, disgust in his bearing. "Who is this enemy?"

"That is of none of your concern," Balder said while clenching his fists.

"Thor is my brother! It is of my concern!"

"You forget," Balder said with sickening smugness, "That Thor isn't really your brother."

Loki's angry expression fell from his face to be replaced by a pale and very alone little boy without his big brother there to protect him.

Loki swallowed his unease. He refused to give up when Thor's life was in peril. "You are the gods," he began with a more appealing tone. "Midgard is under our protection. You have to go after Thor and defeat this enemy!"

"Thor, the best of us, has fallen to the Serpent." Freyja felt obliged to point out. "What makes you think we can defeat him when he cannot? Not even with the Avengers on his side?"

The Serpent? Loki wondered. Is that who they were up against?

Freyja shook her head, not catching her own slip up of information. "The Avengers must defeat this enemy on their own, for if we open the Bifrost, the enemy will cease control of it and then have access to all other realms including Asgard," she emphasized. "Call us traitors, but we are trying to protect all the other realms under our protection. It's what Thor would have wanted."

Loki clenched his fists in frustration. "Are you not even willing to try?"

"No," Balder snapped angrily. "Now leave this chamber before I have you thrown out."

"There has to be another way to get to Midgard without using the Bifrost!" Loki reasoned, growing desperate.

"Guards!" Balder bellowed.

"We can find another way!" Loki pleaded, ignoring Balder. "I can help!"

Rough hands clamped down on his shoulders. Loki turned his head to either side to see the guards that had been trying to keep him from the chamber now trying to drag him away.

"Get your hands off me," Loki commanded through clenched teeth while trying to wrestle himself from their grip. "I am a god, you dull creatures! And I will not be bullied by-"

Thwak!

Loki dropped to the floor unconscious. Balder gave the spear back to the guard with a satisfied sneer on his bearded face.

"I've waited a long time to do that," he admitted and the council room filled with quietly uneasy laughter. "Take him to the dungeons."

A/N: Hello my loyal and wonderful readers! Just wanted to take a moment and thank you for sticking with the story this far! We still have a long way to go! And remember, I appreciate your thoughts and encouragements more than anything! So THANK YOU!