AN: As promised, Bucky makes a reappearance for this chapter. I'm also going to bounce between the siblings, as a way to show the extent of how their separation is affecting them. I figured it's important for me to mention that Odin doesn't really get better, he's not going to have a redemption arch where he becomes this loving and amazing father. So, fair warning, if any of you are huge supporters of Odin realizing his mistakes and learning from them then I wouldn't recommend continuing with this story, because as far as Odin is concerned he gets a whole lot worse.

Chapter 12: A Shattered Trio

Winter was pissed.

No, pissed didn't even begin to cover it.

Winter was fucking furious.

His soulmate was in pain and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He just had to grit his teeth and act like he didn't want to put a bullet into the person causing his mate to feel helpless. Every nerve in his body was on edge as complete heartbreak washed over him, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

He was being sent out on a mission and he could hardly even focus while the scientists in front of him took his vitals. Winter briefly entertained the thought of painting the world red until his mate was revealed to him. If there was even the slightest chance that plan would work than no force in this fucking world would stop him.

But it wouldn't, and that only pissed him off more. Winter had gotten used to the small bursts of emotion that he would feel randomly throughout the day, each one serving as a reminder that his soulmate was out there, that she was alive.

Sometimes the longing that would come from his mark would wash over him like a whispered caress against his skin, sending fire racing through his veins that could never be stomped out. It was times like those that Winter allowed his thoughts to drift.

Would she fit into his arms perfectly? Would her heartbeat race at the sight of him? He wondered if she could find a home in his blood-stained hands. He had lived so long in the goddamn dark that he longed to know if she would glow when the sun hit her skin.

There was not a moment that went by when Winter wasn't thinking about his soulmate, usually trying to picture what she would look like, how she would sound. But now the only thoughts that raced through his head were ones where she was suffering, ones where her face was stained with tears.

The arm of the chair twisted and groaned underneath the weight of metal fingers as they made their permanent imprint.

Instantly guards stood at attention, watching him warily, waiting for the infamous Winter Soldier to once again lose control. Hydra had gone through more scientists and guards when Winter was out of cryofreeze than ever before.

But they wouldn't get one because for once Winter felt in complete control. He sat, eyes narrowed at the ground, the voice in his head repeating one thing over and over again.

Find the fucker who caused her this pain, and pay them back tenfold.

Winter tried to ignore the hope that sprung in his heart at the thought that this might be the mission where he would finally find her. He ignored it because all too often he felt the sharp stab of disappointment when he was escorted back to base with words that still remained unspoken.

Maybe New Mexico would be different.

Thor's day just kept getting worse and worse, with no end in sight. He had been ripped from his home, his mother, his soulmate, his friends, and his siblings. The two people he swore never to abandon were now beyond his reach.

His father had sent him to Midgard. It wasn't a hard conclusion to jump to, of course his father would send him here, where he obviously thought he'd learn some sort of lesson among the weaker species.

He had tried calling for Heimdall, demanding he be brought back, needing to go back. Didn't his father understand? If war with the Frost Giants truly was coming, how did him being down here in this realm help anyone? His little sister and brother would have to face that challenge without him there to protect them. That was not something that was okay with him.

Then those Midgardians had shown up with their incessant talking, distracting him from what he was trying to do. Just when he had been ready to turn and growl at them to shut their mouths, there was a violent shock running through his veins and everything went black.

"C'mon Elysia, I promise it doesn't hurt that bad." A young Thor held out the dagger, trying to show his little sister that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Do we have to cut our palms?" Elysia eyed the sharp blade warily, although she knew Thor would never hurt her it was still scary to think about having someone as young as them handling a weapon. At this age Odin and Frigga had made it very clear to the three of them that they weren't allowed to play with anything they found in the training area, and yet here they were.

"Father says there's nothing stronger than a blood oath." Loki's soft voice broke through the barricade of fear surrounding her, trying its best to soothe the raging ocean she seemed to float on. He had been the first to allow Thor near with his blade and stood waiting for his siblings to follow suit.

With the encouragement of both her brothers, Elysia tried to summon every inch of bravery she had and stuck her palms out towards Thor, "Be quick please." Trying to distract herself, she looked at the flowers that surrounded them as they stood in the center of their mother's garden.

Both boys knew that she was still frightened, the slight shaking of her hands gave it away, but they were proud she was trying her best. Using one of his hands to cup hers, Thor gently dragged the blade across the soft skin of her palm before quickly doing the same to the other one. To Elysia's credit she didn't make a sound.

Not wanting to wait a moment longer, Thor turned the blade to himself and replicated the cuts he placed on his siblings upon himself. There wasn't much blood, just enough to accomplish their goal. "Okay, hold up your hands now." One by one each of them connected their bloody palms, forming a circle with their bodies.

Together the three of them repeated the blood oath they had modified to fit their needs, "Under the name of the house of Odin we pledge to tie our lives to one another. Let the sacred bond between us three be witnessed by the Allfathers of old and may the grace of Valhalla see fit to bless it."

The three small children giggled as they felt the promise between them settle deep into their bones. Feeling elated, Elysia glanced up at her big brothers, admiring the way their eyes gleamed with the same excitement, "Till the end, right?"

The sunlight seemed to bounce off the petals of the flowers surrounding them, encasing them in the faintest of glows. Thor and Loki smiled brightly at Elysia, not a hint of weariness that lined the faces of their elders present.

"Till the very end little sister. Nothing and no one can ever truly tear us apart now."

The images of the bonding his siblings and him had performed before Elysia had been deemed unstable in their early years faded as Thor's eyes opened to reveal more Midgardians standing above him.

"Hi. Just taking a little blood."

Thor could hardly believe the sheer audacity this Midgardian had to try and perform experiments upon him. Yanking his arm from the grip the man had on it, Thor let his full ire be known. "How dare you attack the son of Odin?" His head spun briefly as he sat up, and before he knew it there were more hands placed upon him, trying to push him back down.

There was no way in Hel this would be allowed to stand.

Thor then did what Thor did best, he fought. They kept rushing at him but he refused to stand down. He cursed his father for taking his strength. Earlier he had battled Frost Giants and won and now it was taking all he had to subdue these small Midgardians.

Suddenly there were bodies crowding him from every angle, pushing him up against a strange door. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered, Thor refused to give in. He would get out of this, this prison, and he would make his way home.

"You are no match for the mighty-" There was a sharp prick in his backside and once again everything started fading to black. Why in the nine realms had his father sent him here?

Elysia and Loki took time to collect themselves before they both made their way to where The Warriors Three and Sif would be resting, awaiting the news of what had happened during their explosive family argument.

The siblings pushed open the doors while heavy hearts, still not wanting to believe that today was anything more than a nightmare that they would wake up from any minute. Elysia couldn't stop the traitorous tear from slipping down her cheek when she locked eyes with Sif, who was in the middle of nervously pacing. How was she supposed to stand in front of her friend and admit that she hadn't been able to protect the woman's soulmate, her own brother?

The lack of Thor and the sight of lingering tear tracks on both Loki and Elysia's cheeks did nothing to ease the nerves twisting in Sif's stomach. Her heart dropped when Elysia shook her head, but it wasn't until she spoke that Sif felt like someone had ripped the ground out from under her.

"Odin banished him."

Elysia had never felt so powerless before. Thor had slipped through her fingertips and she was left with nothing more than memories that haunted her. Things she once looked back on fondly where replaced by the image of his face as he was sent hurtling into the Bifrost, the sheen of tears that glossed over his eyes as Odin disowned him, and the way he flinched back subtly as his character was put under attack by the one man he looked up to the most.

Looking at Sif now, seeing the way the young woman seemed to curl into herself, brought it all back. Reminded her that she had to bring Thor home, not just for her and Loki but also for their lifelong friend whose heart was intertwined with his.

"We should never have let him go."

Elysia wanted to groan. It was never about letting Thor do anything. "No, we all should've been firmer in telling him we wouldn't go." If she had just put her foot down in regards to her disagreement, tried harder to explain all the reasons that it wasn't a good idea, than perhaps none of this would have happened.

Fandral, who was nursing his wound, delved into his sparse supply of seriousness. "Well, at least he's only banished, not dead. Which is what we'd all be if that guard hadn't told Odin where we'd gone."

At that Elysia thought back to a few hours ago when Loki had shamefully admitted that he had been the reason Odin was able to find them. He had been so hesitant and mentioned it so quietly, as though he truly believed that she would be upset with him over such a thing. She did her best to reassure him that he did nothing wrong, even commending him for being brave enough to know they would be in need of assistance.

However it was easy for her to forget that no one else in the room knew the reasons behind his actions. They were born of love and concern, nothing more or less.

"How did the guard even know?" Volstagg looked at them all and Loki finally drew his gaze up from the floor.

"I told him."

Elysia just wished that there was more confidence in his tone when he spoke. There were a great many things for the two of them to regret about this day, but that was not one of them.

Fandral sat up, wincing as he did so, and looked back at Loki as though he hadn't quite heard him correctly, "What?"

Clearing his throat, Loki stood a little taller. To anyone besides Sif and Elysia it looked as though Loki had gained a sudden confidence. But both women knew that it was merely false bravado, something Odin instilled into all his children. "I told him to go to Odin after we left. He should be flogged for taking so long." Elysia knew that was merely the frustration speaking. Loki had a bad habit of shouldering the blame whenever something went wrong between the three of them. "We should never have reached Jotunheim."

Volstagg raised his voice in disbelief, "You told the guard?" There was a hint of anger hidden behind those words, one that stemmed from the misconception of betrayal.

Elysia was quick to snap back, intolerant of any disrespect aimed at her brother. "Watch your tone." Her voice was hard, and it matched the look Sif had sent to Volstagg.

Loki begun to fidget with his hands, a nervous tick he picked up from Frigga when they were younger. There was a plea to listen in his words, "I saved our lives, Thor's life. I had no idea father would banish him for what he did."

Elysia didn't appreciate that Loki felt he needed to explain that he meant no harm on his brother. Such a thing should have been common knowledge. "He did what I should've done. It's because of him that the situation isn't worse." She was quickly growing tired of having to explain Loki and herself to Thor's friends.

Sif looked back at the siblings with a new gleam of determination that warred against desperation in her eyes. "Loki, you must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind."

Being reminded that in this instance, the one that mattered most, Loki couldn't do a thing only made him volatile. Tears burned in the corners of his eyes, "And if I do, then what? The three of us love Thor more dearly than any of them. If there was even the slightest of chances that talking to father would work do you not think Elysia and I wouldn't have already tried?"

Loki refused to lose hold of his emotions in the presence of The Warriors Three. So he turned swiftly and made his way out of the room, feeling like a weight had made a permanent home in his chest.

Seeing the crushed look on Sif's face, Elysia hurried to do damage control. "What my brother means is that there is nothing we want more than for Thor to be back with us. But until father thinks he has learned whatever lesson he is supposed to, anything we say in his defense will be discounted. There is no use trying to talk him out of it. Trust us, mother already tried and not even her tears swayed that man."

If Loki and Elysia thought it would help, they would've already stormed to Heimdall and demanded he send them to Thor's location so they could retrieve him.

But of course Odin couldn't make anything easy for them.

They couldn't just wander into Midgard and spirit Thor away. Odin had stripped him of his power, ripped Mjolnir away, they couldn't reverse that damage on their own. Unless Odin gave him his powers back, Thor would be nothing more than a mere Midgardian in Asgard, and at the current moment that was the most dangerous thing he could be.

War with Laufey was no longer an empty threat, it was coming and it was coming soon. Bringing Thor back without powers would be leaving him weakened and open to an attack.

Bringing their brother straight into the arms of war, defenseless, was unacceptable.

Elysia pleaded for Sif to understand their position with her eyes, and to her immense relief Sif nodded in acquiesce. All she wanted was for Sif to understand that even though they couldn't fix everything right now, they would never give up on him.

Amidst the silence no one had noticed the look of contemplation that crossed Hogun's face. "Laufey said there were traitors in the house of Odin."

There was a chill that ran up Elysia's spine at what Hogun was suggesting and she missed the dark look that passed over Sif's sharp features. It was no secret that the two dark haired siblings didn't get along with the three males that Thor had claimed as friends. Despite their differences not once did Elysia think that they would ever come to question the love they held for their brother.

The thought incensed her. How dare this outsider question the loyalty that bound the three of them together. Such a bond was not his to judge or put to the test.

"A master of magic could bring three Jotuns into Asgard."

Elysia blinked before she was in front of a surprised Hogun. In a move she had seen her father preform many times before, she reached out and grasped ahold of his throat before shoving him against the wall. She was so tired of people assuming the worst of Loki, so tired that happiness seemed to keep evading them on this day.

Hogun had no idea of the tears the two of them had shed over the unjustness of it all.

"I should cut your tongue from your mouth for even implying that Loki would betray Thor or I. He would never place the people he loves in danger. Never." She let go and watched with blank eyes as he stumbled on his feet. "If I ever hear such words come from you again, Thor will not be the only one who finds himself banished."

She swept out before she was tempted to turn around and finish the job. Thor was their brother, and that meant something to them. They would personally move the stars out of the sky for each other, and this time would be no different.

Watching Elysia tensely walk away had Sif aiming her sour look at Hogun. Did he not grasp how offensive his statement had come across? The Warriors Three didn't know Elysia or Loki well enough to make predictions about them, they'd barely even spent a day with the two.

While many on Asgard were happy to see that their princes and princess cared deeply about one another, few truly understood the connection between the three, and Sif was one of the lucky ones. She was honored that Loki and Elysia had accepted her into their hearts so readily. Perhaps she shouldn't have liked the claim that the royal children placed upon her all those centuries ago as much as she did, but their kind of ownership was not one to shy away from.

They gave her a sense of belonging, gave her people she could call home.

When the universe paired her with Thor, they weren't just giving her a soulmate, they were giving her a brother and sister as well.

Sif's voice may have been quiet, but the harshness of it filled the room. "Perhaps I don't say it enough, but I consider Loki and Elysia to be my family, and an insult to them is an insult to me. If you are the friends you claim to be you would know better than to ever even insinuate that they would be capable of betrayal to each other."

Sif waited a moment, wanting what she said next to truly sink in. "Thor loves his siblings more than anything in this world, more than me." There was the truth. Thor valued his siblings over his own soulmate. And that knowledge brought her no pain. She supposed that many would be jealous not to be the center of their soulmate's world, but Sif didn't see it that way at all.

A soulmate was someone who came into your life, who burrowed a way into your heart and made a home of it. A soulmate was designed to be an eternal companion, someone you can always count on, someone who strives to give you happiness.

A soulmate was not designed to take the place of the people in your life that you already cared about. A soulmate didn't make everyone else unimportant. They simply enhanced your life with more love, they didn't replace it.

Thor and Sif met when they were young, long before primary lessons even began. She had grown up with the royal children, seen their struggles firsthand. If anyone deserved all the love in the world it was the three of them. She would never do anything to diminish the amount they could find in this life.

"You got off easy because Elysia can be far too forgiving at times, and that is her burden to bear." Sif didn't care if these three men looked at her differently after this. "But make no mistake," She'd rather burn these bridges than the ones she had with Thor, Loki, and Elysia. "I will finish whatever it is that she cannot, and that includes you." With one last lingering glare, she slipped out to follow after the siblings.

Sif would fight to protect them from anything, even the ones they called friends, because she knew they'd do the same for her without a second thought.

That's what family did.

That's what love meant.

Find the senator. Kill the senator. Make sure there are no witnesses.

Winter's mission parameters were fairly simple this go around. The only aspect that might prove to be an issue was getting to the senator alone. Winter wasn't too keen on having to dispose of doctors and nurses who decided to stick around the room. He was also supposed to confirm that there was a briefcase among his personal items, but Hydra was sending in another team to actually confiscate it. Winter was more assassin than spy anyway.

Climbing through the cramped vents of the County Hospital was not something Winter particularly wanted to do, but it was hard to walk through a hallway with a metal arm and not attract attention, so up the vents it was. His long hair kept falling in his eyes as he maneuvered, but Winter remained unwilling to cut it.

There was no privacy in Winter's life. There were eyes on him constantly, cameras lined the walls of the small cell he called home. If he let his head hang, his hair would fall like a curtain around him, providing the smallest amount of space where he could allow the cold façade in his eyes to melt to reveal pain as his mind waged its daily war against him.

Hydra kept trying to instill their ideals in him, that they were shaping the world for the better, but Winter didn't care. All he knew was that he belonged to them and he did what they asked, no matter how bloody his hands got in the process. But there were times that it felt like his soul, something he thought had been burned out long ago, would scream at him and demand things he could never quite work out. There were holes in his mind that tried to stitch themselves back together, but the agony it caused had Winter shutting it down every time.

So he would leave his hair just long enough to cover his face, that way his handlers would never be able to search it for another reason to wipe him again.

"How dare you attack the son of Odin!"

Winter was pulled out of his musing by the loud commotion that broke out underneath him. The statement definitely captured Winter's attention and he made his way to the ceiling vent before looking down to see a large man in a hospital gown fighting off various doctors and security officers.

Winter might have been amused if it hadn't been for the sharp jolt that went through his body at the sight of him. It was the same kind of shock that he felt whenever his soulmate allowed him access to her emotions, only this was somewhat diluted in its intensity.

Caught off guard, Winter flung himself backwards, barely catching himself from slamming into the vent's wall and giving away his position. How in the ever-loving fuck was this possible? The urge to shoot himself in the foot to see if this was nothing more than a dream was high. Hoping that his soulmate was in New Mexico was just that, a hope, nothing more than wishful thinking.

Scrambling back to the opening of the vent, Winter gazed down at the man who was currently throwing people across the room as he fought to reach the door, trying to be absolutely sure that this blond man was the one he felt drawn to.

Guess Stevie was wrong, our mate might be a fella and not a doll.

Searing pain shot through Winter and he pressed his forehead to the cool metal of the vent, gritting his teeth against the pain as he tried to force that goddamn fucking voice, which kept rearing its head, back into whatever crevice it continually tried to crawl out of. Winter watched through squinted eyes as a needle was shoved into the man's skin and he slumped over immediately.

The pain finally started fading once the security officers and doctors left the room after restraining the man onto one of the beds. When he was sure the coast was clear, Winter used his metal arm to rip the vent covering up before dropping down silently on the floor below.

This detour wasn't part of his mission, he was supposed to be checking to see if the senator was alone, but his feet refused to move any direction that wasn't near the unconscious man in front of him. Looking at him, there was no burst of warmth that often filled his chest when he thought about his soulmate, just a faint tugging in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't what Winter imagined it would feel like when he met his soulmate, but he couldn't think of any other logical reason why he would feel a connection to the man.

It was confusing but Winter wouldn't rest until he figured it out.

There was an incessant prodding in the back of his head and a feeling rose up in his chest. It wasn't something he ever remembered feeling before but attached to it was a heavy dose of nostalgia that he couldn't seem to shake. Protective instincts Winter thought long gone reappeared as he looked down at the golden-haired man.

He was compelled to reach out and loosen the restraints that were wrapped tightly around his wrists. Winter wouldn't undo them completely, that would leave far too much unwanted suspicion that would undoubtedly lead to questions, but he would give the man a chance to escape. He wanted to know what the man would do with the opportunity.

It took every inch of his willpower to stop him from taking a peek at the man's inner right wrist, wanting desperately to know if he would feel anything at the sight. But Winter mentally berated himself. That wasn't how it worked, there was no way to cheat when it came to soulmates, the words had to flow naturally or they wouldn't mean a thing. If this man was his soulmate then Winter wouldn't allow their bond to begin coated with deceit. His life was full of enough lies already.

No matter how much he fucking wanted to, Winter knew that if the words were going to come out of his mouth, they needed to be genuine and unprompted. This was the only thing he was willing to respect enough to play by its rules.

Casting one last look at the sleep induced man, Winter hoisted himself back up into the vents and settled in, all thoughts about completing his mission pushed aside until he uncovered what had drawn him to the man who claimed to be "the son of Odin", whatever that meant.

Had time been kinder to Winter he would have remembered exactly when he had felt this before, this primal urge to protect a stranger. The answer lied in a memory that had been burned out of him deep in the heart of an icy Russian winter, the ghost of a little girl with red hair faded into the wind.

That was why he didn't recognize the feeling of familial bonds when they snapped into place.

Elysia knew Sif was following behind her, knew that she should probably ensure that she didn't continue to follow her to Loki's destination, but the knowledge that Sif was family through her bond with Thor had urged Elysia to allow her closeness. Perhaps she would be able to help.

Elysia followed Loki's energy to the Vault, a place she would never truly feel comfortable around ever again, and knew it was only a matter of time before Odin would come. She entered through the side door that their father was unaware they held knowledge of, but kept her distance by waiting behind the wall, torn between wanting to give Loki his privacy and wanting him to be able to use her presence as a source of strength. When Sif hesitantly made her way through the same door, Elysia took hold of her hand and shifted so that they could both lean against the wall, remaining out of sight.

Sif didn't know why she had entered the Vault, knowing that unless Odin had allowed it such a thing was vastly improper, but her heart told her that she was needed here. She was shocked to see Elysia hiding, but she followed because that's what her dear friend wanted. When Odin entered through the main doors Sif unconsciously held her breath, gathering by Elysia's suddenly stiff posture that this confrontation would not be a peaceful one.

Sif may not have known what was said in their last family discussion, but she would stand beside Elysia and Loki regardless of their stance.

"Stop!"

Odin's voice rung out through the room, catching Sif off guard, but Elysia only had ears for the labored sound of Loki's breathing. It wasn't hard for her to guess what he was doing, all she prayed was that he would find the answers he sought after. She'd be there to help him deal with the consequences.

Loki held the Casket in his hands and wanted to recoil from the connection he felt towards it. He wished the evidence would stop pointing towards the one thing he wished wasn't true. "Am I cursed?" This was his last-ditch attempt at finding any other reason for his current affliction.

As per usual Odin would only reveal the bare minimum, "No."

Loki didn't understand why Odin couldn't be forthcoming, not even when it mattered the most. "What am I?" His voice was rough, thick due to tears he desperately held back. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that he would have to ask this question, never thought that three words could have the potential to throw his world into disarray.

"You're my son."

Elysia wasn't the only one whose teeth ground down at Odin's response. Even Sif could tell that the Allfather was doing all he could to avoid this topic.

At his vague reply, Loki looked down to see that his hands had once again turned blue, the color spreading up his arms. He wanted to scratch at this color until it detached itself from his skin. Loki placed the Casket back on its perch and turned to pin his father with a hard stare, "What more than that?" He didn't expect Odin to answer him, so he continued and made his way to where the older man was, having not moved from his position on the stairs. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

The tension in the room was high. Had Odin known that Elysia and Sif were right around the corner, listening to every word, he may not have been so candid. "No, it was not. In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and found a baby." Elysia's nails dug into the stone beneath her hands. "Small, for a Frost Giant's offspring. There it was, abandoned, suffering, left to die." The air was ripped from Sif's lungs. "Laufey's son."

There it was, the confirmation of withheld information.

Loki was gutted, feeling like he would be sick any moment. A sheen of tears coated his eyes as the very essence of who he was changed. He couldn't even look Odin in the face, and in complete disbelief the words fell from his lips, "Laufey's son?" Before he could stop it, his chest started heaving under an invisible weight. He didn't understand any of this, "Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?"

Making eye contact with his struggling child, Odin told him the same thing he told himself every time he looked at Loki. "You were an innocent child."

Elysia didn't know who Odin was trying to convince more, Loki or himself.

On the same page with his sister, Loki shook his head, "No, you took me for a purpose. What was it?" There was no way in all the nine realms that Odin had done something like that out of the kindness of his heart, that wasn't in his nature.

But Odin remained silent, and with every passing second Loki's vexation grew. His life was crumbling right beneath his feet, he could practically feel his loved ones slipping away from him as his heritage was revealed. There had to be a purpose to this whole ruse, there had to be a reason his life was now falling apart. He needed there to be something. The angry plea sounded broken the moment it slipped out of him, "Tell me!"

Elysia's heart ached at the sound of her brother's request. But there was no emotion on Odin's face, just a resignation that could be located through his tone. "I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about and alliance, bring about permanent peace through you." There was a pause, as if he was determining whether or not to say it. "But those plans no longer matter."

It was like a slap in the face to be told that your existence was useless. And the tears that fell from Loki's eyes were a testament to it. "So am I no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?" His tone grew hotter with each word, "Am I nothing more than the monster who you told stories about when we were children?"

Odin had the audacity to be exasperated by what Loki said, "Why do you twist my words?"

Sif silently scoffed and wondered why Odin would choose such awful words in the first place.

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning, why didn't you?"

Growing tired of being judged, Odin stared back at his son, a hardness in his eyes that didn't surprise Loki. "Do you not understand what I was sparing you from? Do you really think the people would accept Laufey's son sitting upon the throne of Asgard? I buried the truth to protect you! Everything I have done has been for your benefit."

Blow after blow rained down upon Loki and both girls longed to take him away from this. When he swallowed down another round of tears, his words came out no higher than a whimper as he looked up at the man he had called father his whole life. "But why lie to me all this time? Why not tell me the truth?"

Odin's explanation caused an uproar within Elysia and Sif.

"If you knew where you came from, your true heritage, you would never find peace. You would spend the rest of your life always looking over your shoulder, waiting for the moment when someone would realize what you are."

Elysia had heard enough. She was tired of the lies. It seemed as though they were peeling back layer by layer with no end in sight. Her family was falling apart at the seams, their bonds being stretched to the point of breaking. But more than all that, it was the way Odin was once again twisting the situation that moved her to action.

Leaving Sif to stay behind the protection the wall provided, she stepped into the light. The soft sounds of her footsteps falling against the stone sent the two men reeling. Loki wasn't necessarily surprised that Elysia had followed him here, but the fact that she now knew without a doubt that he was indeed a monster behind this glamour, was a hard pill to swallow. If she hadn't flinched back from him in fear before surely she would now.

Odin hadn't seen his daughter since she had foretold a future filled with nothing but suffering awaiting him, and the calm indifferent mask that painted her face gave him no hint as to her current state of mind. He never imagined being estranged from all his children, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Why couldn't they just do what they were told without questioning it? He opened his mouth to speak but was halted when Elysia breezed right past him without a single glance in his direction.

She positioned herself between the two and a dull ache spread through her as she took note of the similar stance she had taken earlier when it was Thor she was supposed to protect. But this time would be different. There was no Frigga here to stop her, no fear that she might hurt her mother in the process of trying to protect her brother.

No, this time she would rip apart anyone who tried to take Loki away from her, physically or mentally.

It took her a moment before she formulated her words, "And what was your intention when he discovered the truth? Because even you had to know that one day he would figure it out." Her head tilted to the side as she gave Odin a once over, as if she were trying to pry his true intentions from the depths of his mind. "Perhaps instead of seeing you as you really are, a manipulative liar who can't stand the sight of his own failures, he might be fooled into actually thinking you are his savior." Her words hit their target. Her tongue was like a well sharpened blade and she wielded it as though she were the Goddess of War herself. "Is that it? Was that your aim, father?" Elysia spat his title out as though it left a rotten taste in her mouth.

In hindsight she shouldn't have been shocked that he was once again trying to justify his actions, refusing to believe for even a second that he might have been the problem all along.

When Odin begun to breathe heavily and stumble backwards on the stairs, Elysia found that she couldn't be too concerned. In the back of her mind she knew what this was, she'd never seen it in person before, but she should have known that of all the times for him to fall into Odinsleep it would be in the middle of a confrontation he was losing.

However she was confused when he reached out to her and Loki.

Elysia stared down at his outstretched hand in detached contemplation. Regardless of what he had done, she couldn't help but hold onto a modicum of love for the man who had taken her in and raised her as his own. He had proven that he could tear them apart and yet she still wasn't sure if she could ever be capable of completely despising him. The heart was truly a treacherous organ. You could wish a person dead for what they'd done, and yet your heart would still cry out for mercy.

Maybe that was why she couldn't completely hate him, because the only thing Elysia actually hated was the man that Odin had become, not the one from her early memories.

She missed the Odin who danced across the throne room with Frigga in his arms, spinning her around to music that only they could hear. The one who would act out their bedtime stories, using his words to create a world that they could see in their minds. She missed the man who made her believe she was strong enough to reach out and touch the stars.

But that man had been overshadowed by bitterness and greed, had allowed his ego to fuel his fire. Elysia could never stand beside a man like that, could never condone any actions born of such a mix.

That was why she made no move towards him. Loki, although worried, was content to remain close behind his sister, the one who had yet to deceive or harm him.

It would have been so easy for her to reach out and take Odin's hand, to provide him with the comfort he was so obviously longing for, but she wouldn't. Elysia's hands refused to move towards the man who had caused her so much grief. She remained a silent bystander as their father slumped over, his eyes closing as he faded into unconsciousness.

Elysia didn't know which was more concerning, the fact that Odin may never wake again, or that there was a part of her that didn't want him to.

Looking down at the man who had always seemed larger than life, a disbelieving scoff escaped her lips. For the first time Elysia realized that not even he was untouchable to what fate decided. He was King of Gods and Goddesses and yet his soul did not outshine a single one of them.

Both siblings were pulled from their reverie when Sif decided to make herself known. She didn't know if she should give the siblings space or if they would even allow her near at the moment. The horrified look that crossed Loki's face at the sight of her was the deciding factor. She quickly made her way down the stairs, her hair whipping side to side, as she stepped around Odin's body and without hesitation, she pulled Elysia and Loki into a tight embrace.

Yes, finding out that Loki was Laufey's son was a shock, one she never saw coming, but that didn't change who he was at his core. He was still the same boy she played with during their lessons, still the same boy who helped provide her with excuses to be around Thor, still the same boy who was one of the first people to tell her that she'd make the fiercest warrior Asgard had ever seen. Loki was still the same boy she called family. And when love was genuine it couldn't be torn apart by anything, not even by the realization that he was the birth son of their enemy.

Elysia and Loki melted into Sif's arms, holding onto the comfort she gave with everything they had. Getting their father help could wait a few minutes.

Sif would never know how much she helped Loki just by simply accepting him.

AN: Okay serious question for you guys, because I need your thoughts: Hela. I'm really feeling a sibling vibe between the four of them that could be totally kickass, or I could just stick to cannon. Please let me know what you guys think!