Chapter Text
“As amusing as this is,” Loki smirked, reaching up to brush the gun away. When he couldn’t move Natasha’s arm, because that was who was holding the weapon, not the Black Widow, his smirk cracked for a split second.
The Black Widow, who he had asked Agent Barton about, was deadly and ruthless, emotionless. This, however, was Nat, his soultwin, his sister in bloodshed, and Nat had only one person she would truly sacrifice herself for without hesitation. Loki had taken him away once before, causing them to join a team of superheroes to save the world.
Now, the world had been saved not only by the Avengers, but also by others who had banded together. That included the Winchester brothers and hunters like Bobby Singer. Her family was expanding whether she agreed or not. With Thor’s revelation about his long gone friend, Hymir, it made some sense, but it also made her feelings stronger that she would remove any threats to her family. Number one on her target list was supposed to be locked away on a distant planet, his powers taken away.
“Brother!” Thor thundered, stepping forward, Mjolnir held tightly. “How did you escape?”
“He has not escaped,” an older voice rumbled from the lead table, where Odin was wiping his hands after tossing down the bone of what he’d been eating.
Thor strode over to his father and bowed deeply, trying to keep Loki in his peripheral, where he could see Clint standing frozen, Natasha still holding the weapon to Loki’s head. The other Avengers were on alert, having moved to surround Clint in support. Dean Winchester was standing with an arm hovering in front of Sam’s chest protectively, as he eyed the threat of the trickster god.
Sam Winchester had paled a bit, his eyes wide.
“Father,” Thor murmured. “I am pleased to see you are awake and hale.” He waited tensely for Odin to grunt. “But I cannot allow my brother to bring harm to my friends again.”
When Odin grunted again, Thor glanced over at his mother, who looked pained.
“Your brother is wearing a collar created just for his crimes.” Odin scowled over at Loki, who flinched and dropped his head, contrite.
Thor finally noticed the ring of rough stones barely peeking from Loki’s ornate tunic neckline. They were the most plain things he’d ever seen Loki wear and looking closer, he could see how they seemed to weep where they connected, the smudged green slime leaking out leaving behind irritated, red skin. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother spoke up first.
“Loki will cause no ill, Thor.” She looked uncomfortable, letting her concerned eyes dart to where Loki stood. “My Lady Natasha, please put away the weapon as I promise he cannot act against any of you.” Her eyes darted to plead with Clint to understand.
“What does it do?” Clint asked, which surprised her.
She lifted her head higher as Odin huffed a laugh.
“The stones are from the everlasting fire of my sisters, the Norns, who you met.” Queen Frigga said as she clenched her hands in front of her. “They are enchanted with the venom of Jörmungandr, Loki’s own offspring. Any actions considered evil or unwanted…even dark thoughts, cause the venom the weep from the stones.”
“The stones constantly scratch his flesh,” Odin growled. “It has no time to heal, so the venom enters through the wounds.”
“And I cannot die,” Loki hissed. “But it burns.” As he turned his snarling scowl onto Odin, the stones appeared to twist around his throat and they could see the venom leak. Loki flinched where he stood, blinking through the pain.
“It cannot be removed except by his mother or I,” Odin leaned forward menacingly towards Loki. “And the enchantment also contains him within the walls of the palace.”
“For eternity?!” Thor asked, mouth wide. Queen Frigga closed her eyes.
“Until I release the darkness in my heart,” Loki snarled, grunting from the venom as it attacked him again.
The feasting hall was mostly silent, small whispers from the revelers. Until a snicker came from nearby. As it was a female laughing, the group all stared at Natasha as she uncocked the gun, putting it away quickly. She was smiling, her shoulders quaking.
Then another voice snickered.
Clint’s face broke into a broad smile as he unfroze as thought his bones had melted. He bent over, taking his eyes from Loki. He guffawed with his whole body, joining Natasha as she laughed openly, as though she’d never heard anything so funny.
Both of them were laughing so hard that the Asgardians were staring in shock. The other Avengers smiled tentatively, figuring if the two master assassins felt safe enough to take their eyes off the deranged god, they must have seen something more.
Dean snickered, watching them nearly doubled over, only stilling when Sam took a hesitant step towards Loki.
“Sammy,” He warned softly, gripping the front of his brother’s shirt.
Loki lifted an eyebrow and looked the youngest Winchester up and down. His eyes were observant and whatever he saw, his own eyes widened. He spun his head to look closer at Clint and Natasha, then Dean, then the other Avengers. His eyes went unfocused, then he stepped back.
“Interesting,” Loki said, his focus narrowed on the man he had known as Agent Barton.
Sam sighed. “I agree. It is interesting that Gabriel would hide from his family in the norse equivalent of his older brother.”
“Dude,” Dean said almost to himself as he recalled what he had been told about the Loki who had mind-controlled Clint, made him kill so many people, and who had invited the Chitauri to Earth so he could be made ruler. He looked closer at the tall, slender man, the near opposite of the smarmy archangel who had used his name, and he understood what Sam had seen.
Loki stood straighter, looking closer at the Winchesters. He sniffed.
“I am nothing like Lucifer and his foul ilk.”
All of them were shocked when Sam reached out a hand to lay it gently on Loki’s shoulder. None of them were more shocked than Loki himself, even as Dean, Clint, Natasha, and Thor made to step forward in various degrees of protectiveness.
Loki’s eyes went wide, first looking at the hand on his shoulder, then into the face of the man that hand was attached to. He had kept a wary eye on the Christian apocalypse as the outcome could redirect the prophecies of Ragnarok that had imprisoned his own offspring. He’d been disgusted by the archangels, but had also viewed the humans as insects upon Midgard.
He shrugged Sam’s hand off his shoulder, then brushed hand over his tunic as though getting rid of anything Sam had left behind.
“Samuel Winchester,” he sniffed haughtily, “and his brother, the other one.” He smirked when Dean scowled. “I had understood both of you failed to do your duty as, what was it you called it? Oh yes, ‘angel condoms’.” He sneered, grunting as the stones around his neck twisted again.
“Brother-,” Thor pleaded.
“It’s okay,” Sam said, smiling serenely, his arm in front of Dean’s chest to keep him from bodily attacking the bound god. He looked Loki in the eye when he said, “It’s not fair that your children have paid for what they ‘might’ do, rather than being allowed to be free and prove they are more than a prophecy token.”
Loki’s smirk fell, his face going pale, before he snarled and leaned forward sharply, snapping at Sam.
“YOU pity ME?” Spittle flew from Loki’s mouth as he strained against the pain from the venom. “How dare you!?” He raised an arm as though to slap Sam, but Thor was faster, flashing between them, his hammer held to strike at Loki if he actually attacked the young man.
“Peace, brother,” Thor demanded, thunder rumbling through the palace.
It was when Thor blinked, looking sideways in confusion, that Loki blinked and followed his gaze.
Sam had reached out, taking Mjolnir from Thor’s hand. The feasting hall was crackling with tension as Sam simply allowed it to hand limply from his hand at his side. Dean, stock still, took a deep breath, not taking his eyes off the slender god who was gaping openly at Sam and his ability to handle Mjolnir.
“We’ve all let fear for loved ones guide our actions,” Sam sighed, looking down at the hammer, as though listening to something it was saying. “It’s that fear that spawns anger and then hate. And that sometimes makes us make the wrong choices.” He looked up to meet his brother’s eyes. “But if we can let go of the anger and the hate…,” He turned to take in Odin, who was lightly scowling. “…we can find new, common ground to rebuild.”
“Humph,” Loki gruffed. “You speak of compromise, but should that not be both sides?”
“Aye,” Thor replied, relaxing from the protective stance.
“Whelp,” Odin scoffed. “The Seeress herself gave me these prophecies.”
“Where is she?” Tony piped up. He had boldly sidled up to the Winchesters and while he held his head up as he stared at Odin, the others could tell he was well aware Odin could wipe him away like a stain if he wanted.
“She was risen from the dead by my husband to tell him of his future,” Queen Frigga said, holding her face blank. This had apparently been a long-standing argument. “She returned to Helheim once her prophecies were received.”
“So,” Tony pondered loudly. “You bring her back from her eternal rest, then put her away like a used toy?” He loosened up and winked back over his shoulder at Steve, who facepalmed. “You ever think she might have been a shit-stirrer?”
“Shit….stirrer?” Thor asked. Tony waved his hand vaguely.
“Someone who just says or does stuff to stir up shit. Trouble-maker.” He nodded sagely over at Clint who had one eyebrow raised high.
“And why should I listen to you?” Odin thundered.
“Because Mjolnir says she has been trying to tell you for millennia,” Thor said in awe, watching as Sam leaned heavily on the hammer as she helped him stay standing. “She says that you refused to listen, so she stopped talking.”
Odin scowled, then huffed.
“Husband,” Frigga said softly. “You would not heed Mjolnir’s counsel.” She turned to look over the group with a smile. “Would you listen to Hymir?”
“He is long dead,” Odin scoffed.
“He was,” Thor said, turning to face his father directly. “Please, Father. Allow your eyes to open. See the truth.” He gestured to the group that was gathered still near the entrance to the feasting hall.
Odin reached up to lift his eyepatch, staring at the group. His eyes opened wider as he saw the aura’s, the souls, connected amongst the group. He could see some part of the connection drifting back towards the Bifrost, perhaps back to Midgard. The brightest soul was also the most damaged, but even with the dark tears and roiling voids on the edges, it shone bold and strong. He could see the combined auras and recognized his old friend.
He swallowed.
“His heart was too big to be contained by a single human,” Thor said with a smile. Beside him, Loki deflated.
“I would not have succeeded either way,” Loki sagged. “I was destined to fail.”
“Not destiny,” Sam Winchester said. “Nothing is written in stone.” He turned to look at Odin, who had also sagged back, then to Queen Frigga, whose eyes were watery. “You can be guided by prophecy, or make your own path.”
*****
“Not sure I can forgive him that easily,” Clint said quietly, leaning over the balustrade, Natasha leaning her back against it beside him, watching his back. He looked over the landscape and wondered at all the families, all the gods, goddesses, until recently only mythological beings that had been born, lived, and died here.
“Not sure it’s forgiveness,” Natasha nearly whispered, leaning further sideways to press against him.
“Hmm.” He twitched to bump her with his hip. “I guess we all deserve a second chance.”
“And if he makes the wrong choice in the future?” Natasha said.
“Soul twin powers activate!” Clint stated loudly, straightening up and raising his fist to the sky. She rolled her eyes fondly as he chuckled.
*****
“You knew exactly what you were doing, you sly minx,” Tony chuckled at Queen Frigga as she delicately cut and buttered a piece of bread. When she didn’t do anything in response except to smile enigmatically, he shook his head.
*****
“Man, being an Avenger is an adventure,” Sam Wilson said, gesturing to the hall at large.
Steve looked around. He saw Sam and Dean were seated on cushions off to one side, Thor’s friends, who he had introduced as the Warriors Three, were drunkenly asking the Winchesters to share tales of daring with them. Dean was hoisting a mug of ale, sloshing it as he recounted something that had his brother shaking his head with laughter and breaking in with corrections to his exaggerations.
At the end of the high table, Tony was chuckling as he stuffed his face and talked with the Queen, who looked amused. On the other side of the room, Clint and Natasha were bumping shoulders and hips and making gestures he gathered were Clint-specific that made the deadly Black Widow smile fondly.
Thor’s father, the god, Odin, was sitting, sighing to himself, eyes flicking between his teammates, the Winchesters, and his own family, Loki included. He appeared very thoughtful and from what Steve had learned from a quiet, and very short synopsis from Sam, what had happened.
Sam Winchester’s mere existence had triggered multiple events, including saving the earth from destruction, bringing together hunters and the Avengers, and more. Now, that included possibly overturning an eternity of punishment of Loki’s children for crimes they hadn’t even committed yet. Loki would still have to be punished for his choice to attack Midgard, if only to anger his brother Thor, and thus Odin, but there was a chance now that he could be rehabilitated, and Thor could have his brother back, be a family again.
He watched Thor and Loki, who were sitting at the far end of the hall, far away from their father. Loki was thoughtful, different emotions crossing his face, from anger, to happiness, when he forgot to be angry. Thor continued to talk, seemingly to his brother, but Loki wasn’t answering. He nibbled daintily at the food in front of him as Thor quaffed ale and scarfed down roasted meat, but Steve could tell he was listening, even with half an ear.
Loki looked up and met Steve’s gaze. He rolled his eyes eyeward and Steve nearly choked as he recognized the look that Bruce often had when Tony was off on some ridiculous rant or the other, and he was letting him talk, even to just amuse himself.
Steve smiled, thinking of the others back on Earth, working with other superhero teams while they solved Asgardian politics with the man who had literally faced Lucifer.
“It certainly is.”