The portal opens into a secluded area of Asgard, which Loki was actually hoping for. He and Lorelei will not be noticed as easily in this shady part of town, wearing dark hooded cloaks that hide their faces.
It takes almost no effort to blend in among the riff-raff. His blue skin will not be noticed since everyone else is worried about having their pockets picked, or trying to avoid being stabbed in the street.
Lorelei's hand tightens in his as he pulls her along. It wouldn't be good to linger in these parts too long or people will start to become a bit too interested in an undoubtedly good looking woman traveling with her single companion. With an annoyed growl, Loki has to stop yet again and yank the sorceress forward when she pauses to admire a man selling a pure white engraved boar's tusk.
"Don't pull me so hard," she complains. Loki grimaces, his mouth setting in a straight line. He ignores her and continues on. People are already starting to glance in their direction and he doesn't like the attention at all.
"Don't make such a scene. People are starting to stare," he tells her in a quiet but calm voice. She gives him an amused look.
"Relax. You act as if you owe someone money," she says close to his ear. He looks around quickly. He actually does know quite a few people down here, most from his youth. He had been quite foolish back then, often making fools of them and retreating back to the safety of the palace.
But these sorts of people do not forgive debts or being embarrassed so easily. It's all about status down here, and he's sure that his being a prince of Asgard will either get him found dead in an alley or sold to the highest bidder or held for ransom. Together, they transverse through the huddled crowd of people and into an artificially darkened alleyway.
"You sure do know your way around," Lorelei tells him with an impressed air in her voice. Loki scoffs just loud enough to reach her ears alone.
"In my youth, yes. How else would I find the necessary instructions in which to practice the spells even the most renowned of sorcerers would not dare touch?" When Lorelei raises her eyebrows, he rolls his eyes.
"Don't act like you know nothing of these parts. I know even your magic has its limits and needs a few...special additives every now and again," he adds as an afterthought to dampen any ideas the woman may be getting.
When they manage to make it back to Asgard, Loki has Lorelei drop the wards she'd put up to keep them hidden. As he expects, Heimdal will see them almost instantly and alert Odin. He smiles ruefully, almost preferring the tactic of surprise. He pulls up the hood of his cloak and takes Lorelei's hand in his own. He still has reason not to trust her even if he is her only way back into Asgard's good graces.
Together, they weave through the crowds of people. Loki leads them to a secret passageway into the palace. He feels a bit apprehensive showing it to her, but there is no other way in without attracting attention to themselves, which is the last thing he needs at the moment. Perhaps being dead to everyone who doesn't need to know otherwise can be a good thing.
"My, my Loki. So many secrets. Were we a bad boy in our youth? Perhaps sneaking out to lay with the pretty young maidens of the kingdom," she whispers into his ear. Loki scoffs.
"Do not attempt to liken your childhood to mine Lorelei." He smirks at her scandalized look and pulls his hood up a bit more. He cannot risk being recognized now. At least not yet. There it still so much to be done.
They come to a narrow opening and Loki turns his body so that he can squeeze through. Lorelei follows, making a small complaint if soiling her dress when she sees the centuries worth of caked up dust on the walls.
When they emerge, they are standing behind a column of stone. They are well hidden from the Allfather's gaze as he speaks with a man Loki doesn't know. He frowns, not liking the subject of the conversation. The two men are speaking of a disagreement between territories. Something that could mean the start of a possible uproar among the public.
They speak for another half hour before Odin sends him away. Loki waits a couple minutes before making his move. As soon as he steps out into the light, Loki can tell Odin is not in a good mood and hasn't been for quite some time.
Odin frowns when he sees his newly "dead" son standing before him. His frown deepens as Loki approaches him. He is obviously trying to make sense of his sudden appearance. The king puts his hand up in a halting gesture, so Loki obliges him and stops himself from coming any closer.
"Hello, father," he says quietly. Odin regains his composure and addresses his son with a hint of suspicion in his voice. Loki sighs as Odin begins to realize that perhaps there is a reason for Loki's actions.
"We believed you to be dead," the king says softly. Loki's lips twitch in the smallest of smiles. He faintly sees the look of regret in Odin's eyes. Before everything that had happened, he might have relished that look. Now, it stirs bitter feelings in his heart. He swallows thickly.
"It was a necessary ruse while it lasted. Now, however, I have a different agenda and I cannot wait any longer. I have sensed a great presence approaching and there is to be an even greater war than the last," he says. Odin shakes his head.
"Do you think I do not know there is to be a war? Thanos has taken the Tesseract and consorts with his allies to use it to-"
"No," Loki says, cutting him off curtly. Odin's brow furrows.
"Thanos does not have the Tesseract," Loki tells him slowly. The Allfather eyes him for a long moment before nodding.
"I see," Odin says quietly. Loki takes a deep breath, looking behind him to where Lorelei stands. She is growing restless, fearing capture at any moment. He gives a slight shake of his head when she tries to step forward. He turns back to his father.
"Allfather, if you would just let me explain the reasons as to why I have come here in such secrecy, then you will see my need for such things." After a few seconds, Odin nods.
"Contrary to what you may be thinking now, I actually did die. But, I was revived. Because of the Tesseract." Odin's head snaps up to look at him when he says this. Loki scowls when the king begins to speak.
"No, I do not have it. I...hid it. I had to. It is for the best I think. There are things about it that we never knew. Maybe we will possibly never know again." Loki takes a moment to sit down, feeling the strain begin in his chest. He stifles a groan, forcing himself to continue. He waves his hand when Odin sees his distress.
"I'm just tired. I have been dead for three days after all," he says with a grin. Odin sighs but allows him to continue anyway.
"I gave Thanos a false cube. Loaded with just enough energy and so well crafted that he was not able to suspect a thing. That was until someone or something alerted him to its falsehood. Now I fear, he will return and slaughter us all if we do not prepare ourselves accordingly." This pulls a look of outrage from the king.
"Then why did you do it? If you knew what was going to happen, then why would you put all of us in such danger?" Odin demands.
"I had no choice!" Loki shouts. There is a sudden flare of anger that rises in his core. How can Odin not see that there had been no other way? Thanos would have destroyed all of Asgard to get to the Tesseract. He tells Odin so and to his surprise, the king merely scoffs. Loki reins in his anger. Now is not the time to be fighting one another.
"At the moment, none of that matters. For now, we must concentrate on the matter at hand. Which is preparing ourselves for an oncoming attack," Loki insists.
"Where is the Tesseract, Loki?" Odin asks. The god looks up at him, meeting the older man's gaze with a look of calm resistance.
"Hidden in a pocket of time, never to be breached." Loki watches as Odin's eyes narrow, putting two and two together.
"You were unable to use you unable to use your own magic...so you must have involved another. Who was this person? They must be found immediately," he declares. Loki nods.
"Which brings me to my next matter." Loki turns his head and beckons Lorelei forward. When Odin sees her, he tenses holding Gungnir in a defensive position.
"The spell used to conceal the Tesseract can only be undone by the both of us. I have promised Lorelei that in return for her assistance and her loyalty, she is to be granted complete amnesty for her crimes against Midgard and will be pardoned as of today." Loki tells him this in the calmest voice he can manage. A look of cold fury explodes over the king's face.
"That was not your decision to make," the king growls. Loki shakes his head and goes to step in front of Lorelei when Odin goes toward her. Odin glares at him.
"And now you have also brought a traitor into the heart of the kingdom as well. That was reckless and irresponsible of you." Loki sighs tiredly.
"Odin, please, at least, try to understand. I am doing this for the good of all the Nine Realms. It is the least I can do after what has happened." When Odin's brow softens, Loki sees this as his opening for the king to see reason.
"Asgardian pride should not get in the way of the other lives at stake. There is no reason for all of Asgard to fall defending the Nine Realms against one enemy."
"So," Fury begins in a conversational manner. "How are you Stark?" The question seems a bit odd at first. The inventor cocks his head to the side.
'How does he feel?' he thinks. Of course, the most natural response to learning of your boyfriend's sudden death is and should be sadness. But...no.
There's a lot of anger that's for sure. Firstly, at Thor for waiting a whole fucking day before deciding that it was apparently ok to finally say something. And the fact that he had to be coerced doesn't help any. So of course, there's that.
"How are you feeling Stark?" the Director asks again. Tony pauses in his thoughts, realizing he's just sitting there rambling around in his head like an idiot. He clears his throat. Tony shrugs nonchalantly.
"Never been better. Figured I'd better come down here and let you see that I am perfectly ok to get back into the field. You know how Bruce is. Just because he's got a bit of an anger management problem, he has this sudden need to fix shit that doesn't need fixing." Fury takes a moment to adjust some paper on his desk that is out of place to no one but him.
The dark sunglasses the inventor is wearing are heavy on his face and the lenses are so dark, he can barely see through them. But they do well to hide the redness of his eyes and their strained exhaustion, so they are deemed necessary.
He just wants to curl up into a quiet little corner and forget the whole world, but thanks to Bruce and his feelings he has to sit here and listen to Fury drone on and on about useless nonsense.
Tony stares into the Director's one remaining eye. Actually, he's staring at the man's forehead since the singular optical organ staring at him creeps him out. Like a lot. He's even had nightmares about it.
The inventor is distantly reminded of Thor's dad anyway. Those thoughts lead to Loki and...'Oh here we go again,' he thinks as he begins to feel a tightness in his chest and his eyes begin to well up again. Fury doesn't seem to notice.
"Stark, I don't think Bruce's concern is misplaced, but I'm not saying that it's unnecessary either. I know you had a rather close relationship with Loki and..." he trails off as Tony visibly pales.
"Sir, I don't really feel that now is an appropriate time to be talking about my personal life. Why don't we just skip ahead to the part where you give me a gold sticker for doing all my homework and I can go home and take a nap." Fury sighs tiredly. He's getting nowhere with Stark and it's starting to piss him off. He's just a simple man after all. He decides to try a different tactic.
"Alright, Stark. Here's an idea. I think it would be good if we were to turn part of Stark Tower into a headquarters for the Avengers," he says. The inventor stares at him for a long moment. Then an unexpected smile breaks out across his face. It feels odd, even to him but he just can't help it.
"You don't have to say anything about it now. Take some time to think about it, and then get back to me with your answer," Fury insists. Tony raises a single eyebrow.
"Sure," is all he says before rising to his feet. Things just took an unexpected turn and he's starting to get a headache. He thinks he actually will take that nap. And a drink. Lord knows he needs one.
Lorelei watches with a slightly amused expression as Loki continues to pace back and forth. He's been at it all day and she begins to think that he's walked around so much that he can't possibly stop now.
"Someone's a bit antsy," she says quietly. Loki turns to glare at her, proving her walking theory wrong.
"How can you be so phlegmatic about this whole situation?" he demands angrily. She smiles at him, smoothing her skirts around her. Frigga had arranged for Lorelei to be bathed and clothed in fine silks and ribbons and the woman isn't complaining one bit. In Loki's personal opinion, she was enjoying this too much.
"Come now, Loki. Don't you realize that there is nothing to worry about now? I have been clothed, fed and given a spacious room in which I may rest. Who would do that to a possible prisoner?" she asks. Loki frowns. She has a point.
"I still must return to Midgard," he tells her. Lorelei rolls her eyes to the heavens.
"Then go, for Valhalla's sake! You are starting to annoy even me." Loki simply crosses his arms and sits.
"How can I trust that you will remain here?" he asks. The woman smiles and slowly climbs over to him. She straddles his lap and pushes her small, but effective bosom into his face. She begins running her hands through his hair wildly, much to his dissatisfaction.
"Perhaps you can take me to Midgard with you. I can persuade you if you like," she says silkily. Loki grunts as he pushes her away. Thankfully, she lets go when prompted.
"There is absolutely nothing you have that can possibly interest me," he tells her. The sorceress smiles knowingly.
"Oh so that's how it is, is it?" she says. Loki turns toward her, his brows inching together.
"How what is?" he asks distractedly. He's thinking he really should leave now. Otherwise, Thor will come and he'll have to face so many questions he. Doesn't. Want. To. Answer.
"You've gone and had a piece of that mortal builder and now he's turned you into a lovesick puppy dog," she says sweetly. Loki stares at her, a look of horror rising on his face. He has half a mind to throw her off the balcony.
"How dare you-" he sputters, but the loud crash from the other side of the room startles him into silence.
Thor bursts into the room, looking flustered and a little bit insane. Loki thinks the look does well to bring out the blue of his eyes, but he decides to say nothing since that look also harbors a bit of unrestrained fury. Loki sighs. 'Too late.'
There's an awkward moment where Thor just stares at him and Loki realizes that their parents are standing right behind him. Loki sits again when he starts to feel that annoying little ache in the middle of his chest and in between his shoulder blades. He makes himself inhale slowly and then exhale at a steady pace. Thor's mouth opens and all he can think is...nothing.
Loki can tell Thor is having a bit of trouble with his sudden reappearance. He attempts a small smile to encourage him.
"Hello Thor," he says quietly. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he realizes how hollow they sound even to his own ears. Too bad magic can't reverse time.
"Are you alright?" Thor finally asks him. Loki frowns, having expected a more complicated question. Like 'how are you still alive when I watched you die?' Loki groans, shaking his head. He runs a heavy hand through his hair and grins.
"I'm as good as can be expected," Loki answers in a voice that is steadier than he feels. Thor nods slowly, giving him a strange look. Loki guesses it's kind of odd seeing the man that died in your arms looking very much alive. He can't really blame Thor for his incredulity. He can see Thor is fumbling for the right words to say. When he finds them, they aren't really what he wants, but it's better than nothing and seem necessary.
"I think Tony will be quite happy to see you. He's been..." Thor says. The god pauses. He tries again.
"He was quite distraught to learn of your...demise. But I am sure that he will be much happier to learn that you are in fact alive and well." Loki closes his eyes. In all his haste with the Tesseract, he had actually forgotten about Tony. He can't shake this abysmal feeling that has come over him. It's hard to describe how he feels at the moment. Loki simply nods.
"I regret causing him any sort of discomfort. All of you in fact. But I was not able to make myself known sooner. I merely had to be sure," he says.
Lorelei watches as the two brothers converse, apparently amused that Thor is becoming more and more confused by the second. She smiles widely and rises to greet him.
"Why, hello Mighty Thunderer. I have often heard my sister talk of your glorious...power, but never did I think I would ever have the chance to see you in the flesh myself." The woman walks toward him with a seductive sway overtaking her hips. Loki stops her by wrapping an arm around her waist.
"I think the time for conversing is over now," he says quietly. He looks her straight in the eye as he speaks. For a moment, Thor thinks Lorelei is going to challenge his brother. But then she frowns and slowly backs down. She wriggles away from him as if he has burned her. Loki seems to take no notice of this and turns back to face him again.
Thor looks as though he wants to speak, wants to ask more questions, but he thinks better of it. The look in Loki's eyes gives him enough pause to reconsider. It unnerves him enough to realize that there is something different about his brother. 'It's the eyes', he realizes. Just for a moment, they seem dulled somehow and not as clear as they once were. He quickly drops his gaze.
When encountered, death itself leaves its own scars on surfaces that cannot be seen with the naked eye.