Chapter Text
Asgard - Odin's Throne Room
Thor snapped the chains harshly, causing Loki to almost fall from the sudden jerk but he kept his feet at the last second. The seething crowd that surrounded them laughed at the image the trickster presented, trussed up in chains so tight he could barely move and a muzzle that cut into his cheeks and silenced the Silvertongue.
The crowd around them laughed and jeered, thrilled to see the lesser prince humiliated and in chains, a position that many had wished for for many years. At the base of the dias that led to the Throne, stood the Warriors Three with smug proud looks on their faces, mostly on Fandral. But it was Sif who seemed the most pleased of everyone there, she had a look that seemed in equal parts smug, thrilled and amused, though Loki never expected any different. Sif had hated him from the first day they had met as children and she had never changed her opinion since.
Odin sat upon his throne with an impassive gaze that did not allow any to know what his innermost thoughts were, and by his side stood his wife. Frigga had tears in her eyes, her misery at her youngest's suffering clear on her face, and her own suffering in not being able to respond or protect him from a people who had never accepted nor liked him.
When they reached the bottom of the dias, Thor knelt to his father and King, giving a sharp tug on the leash he held to remind his brother to do the same. Loki though, refused to bow to someone he no longer thought of as kin or King, remaining tall and proud before his once-father.
The crowd gathered in the Great Hall were not at all pleased by the Silvertongue's continued defiance, neither was Odin himself, judging by the glare he threw at the one he called son for millenia. But it was Sif who took exception the most, the fury she displayed at the blatant disrespect to Thor and Odin, and at Loki's smile that he threw her, and she left her post to force him down. The second she moved though, she cought the ire of her King for breaking protocol, and she slinked back to her position with a sulk.
"Loki Laufeyson," Odin's voice rang out through the hall, silencing the noise from the crowd. "You have been brought here to answer for the crimes you have committed against three realms, Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim. You have committed treason against your King and Realm, committed acts of an atrocious nature against innocents and tried to commit genocide on a people that could not defend themselves."
Jeers and taunts sounded out, yells of monster and beast directed at the prince. The Court of Asgard that helped the King run the realm were gathered around close to the royal family, and they also joined in the bullying with glee, finally giving voice to their hate and dislike they had held against one they thought unworthy of their golden world.
"This is not a trial, your fate has already been decided," at this Frigga gasped and turned to her husband, a horrified look in her eyes accusing Odin of betraying her and her son. "Your guilt is unquestionable and as such, your punishment will befit your crimes. You will be stripped of your magic and your tongue, publically lashed and finally marked as a slave and sold."
Frigga cried out at this, devestation upon her heart and furious towards her husband's actions. Thor hung his head, sadness for the one he called brother going through him. The only thing he could think of to help him would be to wait for the auction and buy Loki himself to be his personal slave. He was sure that his brother could learn to live in his new station, and eventually build his own life within the constraints that would be placed upon him for being a Jotun slave. He would be grateful to his brother for saving him, and he would once again have the little brother he had lost a year previous, and this time he would not be able to leave.
"Before your sentence is carried out, I hereby strip you of your title as Prince of Asgard as you are not my son. As you are not Aesir, you are also stripped of your citizenship and any other rights and privelages awarded to you previously. I declare you without family or home in Asgard, I declare you nithing, unworthy of the protections of Aesir law and unworthy of the rights of an Aesir."
Odin's proclamation was followed by cheers from the Aesir gathered there, amusement and pleasure in the hearts of those who enjoyed seeing the once proud prince forced into the position of the lowest of beings. So low that they were not even considered people, just property, add to that his status as a nithing, meant that soon they would be able to do as they wished and no-one would be able to stop them. For many in Asgard it was something that they had wished for, to be able to put the dark prince in what they believed to be his proper place, beneath them.
Gungnir slammed into the stone beneath it as Odin took back the magic wards and binds that bound citizens of Asgard to the Laws of the Realm. Thor watched as glowing magical ties came into view and danced around Loki, twisting and turning before suddenly breaking and dissolving into a shower of light.
The second they touched the floor, deep mocking laughter rang out, causing everyone to freeze and the hall to become silent. Thor looked up in shock at his brother as the chains and muzzle fell from him with a clatter, letting that laughter ring out unhindered by any restrictions. Sif cried out in anger and launched herself forward, drawing her sword as she went, with the Warriors Three following close behind.
Loki threw his arms out, a blast of pure magic tossing all those heading towards him back into the floor and walls. With another wave of his hand he pushed Thor back against the steps of the dias and pinned him there. No matter how much Thor tried to lift Miljnor, it wouldn't move from where it had fallen.
"Loki!" Odin bellowed as he stood, bringing Gungnir to bear on him. "Enough of your foolishness! You will submit to your fate, it has already been decided."
"My fate?" Loki looked upon the man he had once called father and felt nothing but hate and disgust fill him. "You have no say over my fate, All-Liar."
"I am King, and you will serve your sentence under Asgardian law," he walked further down the steps, drawing Loki's eyes to him and allowing his guards to make their way forward.
"Wrong, Odin," Loki sneered, joyful mirth dancing in his eyes. "You yourself have declared that I am outside Asgard's laws, which means that they no longer bind me or can be applied to me."
"That is not what it means to be nithing, boy," Odin stated, trying to take back control.
"It doesn't matter what you think it means, the fact is that your little light show just broke every tie that forces any Aesir to answer to your laws. I am no longer beholden to you or any law of the Nine Realms, and I take my leave of this accursed realm and its despicable people."
With a furious bellow, Odin unleashed Gungnir on the man he used to call son, but to the astonishment of all those witnessing what was happening, the beam bent around the God and then seemed to be absorbed into his skin. Shocked, he tried to stop Gungnir, but regardless of his intentions the weapon continued to pour its power into the blow.
Mere moments later the spear fell silent, spent of all its power and Loki glowed briefly before looking upon the king with shining emerald eyes that burned with power. Then he extended his hand towards the hammer and with a jolt of surprise, Thor saw a swirling vortex flow from Miljnor to Loki until it too died.
"You seem to forget, All-Liar, that it was I that enchanted both Gungnir and Miljnor, that it was I that had them made as a gift to you. And now I take back that power, and all the spells that I have placed over Asgard in the millenia that I have been serving as arcane mage to you," and so saying that, he lifted his hands and he was bathed in energy.
All the magic that he had poured into making Asgard a safe and stable environment to live was drawn back to him. No spell he had set in that realm remained intact, no scrap of magic was left behind as he scoured the realm clean of all magic bearing his signature.
"What are you doing, brother!" Thor yelled, trying to be heard over the thundering that the magic was creating as it was swirled to Loki. "Stop this now! Stop hiding behind your magic and be a honest for once. You are of Asgard, magic is beneath a warrior, you should know this."
Unfortunately for him, Loki took no notice and continued withdrawing his magic until all had returned. When he finally stopped and looked around, Asgard was already changing. Colours were less bright, flames and torches had all gone out, plunging entire areas of the city into darkness and even the air seemed less vibrant.
"No. I am not of Asgard, and I never was. I'm free of this backwards realm for evermore and I will not be bullied by anyone ever again!" Loki looked like an entire world's weight was lifted off his shoulders, like he could finally breath. "I will not mourn a single one of you," and then he looked towards Frigga, "except for you, Mother. You I will always claim to be my mother, but you are not my brother and Odin is certainly not my father."
Loki looked up as the rising sun set its first rays of light onto the palace, setting the hall alight with a dizzing display. Then the entire room shook, knocking more than a few people to the floor.
"Their here," he whispered to himself before looking back once more to the people who should have loved him but only ever bullied and hurt him. "You Aesir so despise magic, and think that magic has no worth. Well your about to find out how much 'worth' it has, that shaking just now was parts of Asgard breaking off underneath us, without my magic keeping the realm together, entire sections will cease to exist shortly."
Many in the hall were shocked by the news that the Silvertongue had imparted. The Aesir were firmly in the belief that they were all powerful and that Agsard was eternal, but they didn't believe that was mostly due to the magic of the mages that had placed countless spells on a broken world to hold it together.
"Soon, Asgard will not be able to hold together and it will break apart. See how powerful you are when your world falls down around your ears!" Loki spat at them.
Then with a flare of light and a cackle of mirth, multiple figures suddenly materialized around Loki, figures that quickly resolved into people that, while Thor may not have seen them in many years, he had never forgotten a single face. Before them stood legendary trickster gods and godesses from every pantheon, beings capable of great destruction and ones that reveled in chaos.
Eris, Nemesis, Keres, the twins Moros and Momos, Hermes, Set and Kapua had arrived in Asgard to lend their fellow trickster their strength and power, not that he needed any help. They had already moved through most of the realm causing mischeif and mayhem by the smallest of tricks, creating havoc for all those who had acted against Loki or had caused hurt with actions or words.
"Come, Loki," Eris, her long midnight hair flowing behind her, held out her hand to beckon Loki on. "Your finally free of Asgards bonds, free to do as you will."
"Yes, come, come," a young dark haired man darted around above their heads, Hermes, the fleet footed messenger of the Greek Gods. "Stuff to do, people to do it to," he continued with a laugh.
"Absolutely, my friends," Loki turned towards them, walking away from his once family, leaving Thor pinned to the floor and looking at them with disgust and fury.
"Loki! You would abandon your family? Leave us to go with those cowards and tricksters, they are nothing but liars and traitors," he had to get his brother to see the truth of the matter. That those he called friends were nothing, unworthy of association with an Aesir prince, but that he and his friends here were the only ones that would care for his wellbeing.
"Family! What family?" Loki turned with a snarl, hurling his words at Thor and Odin. "You have never been my true family, my friends are my only family now. They have never treated me with scorn or ridicule, never insulted or hurt me, they have only ever cared and loved me for who I was, not for who they wanted me to be. And they have never, never, tried to make me change for their own pleasure."
He stalked towards them, fury in every movement and wrath flashing in his eyes. "I've had enough, no more! I've washed my hands of all of you. You may do as you will from now on, I will not be there to catch you or clean up your messes. From now on you'll have to make do with your own talents, I will not gift you with my magic ever again."
With that said and nothing else holding him back, Loki turned to the friends that had kept him sane for the many years the Aesir had tried to break him, and without a backwards glance, swept them all into a portal and left Asgard, never to return for many years to come.
Frigga finally let her tears fall as she watched the child of her heart leave, possibly for the very last time, and her heart was breaking with sorrow. Just as Loki's silhouette was starting to fade, she felt her thoughts touched by another.
Mother, please do not cry. I will always consider you my family regardless of who my birth parents really are, and should you ever need me, I will come. Do not despair, I'm finally free to live my life as I choose, not to have it chosen for me. Her son's voice was getting fainter as the portal dissipated, but she felt her heart lighten at his words. Goodbye, Mother.
Good luck, my son, and take with you all my wishes and hopes.
Asgard - A few moments after Loki left
Thor was finally released from whatever spell kept him pressed to the floor, just in time to almost end back on the floor again from another tremor that shook the entire world. As he struggled to stand, he witnessed Aesir screaming and panicking as they felt their world shake as though caught in the jaws of some massive beast.
"Father! What is happening?" Thor frantically searched out his father and mother to see if they were alright, before quickly glancing at his friends to check their health, although he only saw Volstagg on his feet.
"The magic and spells that were keeping Asgard safe have been removed or severely weakened," Odin was quickly thinking. He needed to stabilize the realm before irreparable damage was done. "Thor, take the guards and fetch me every seidrkonur and seidrmenn in the city and bring them here."
"Father? Seidr users?" he could not understand Odin's command, what could weak cowardly magic users do to stop what was happening in Asgard. "Tell me how to fix this and I will gladly undertake this task."
"No! This is not something you can 'fix' with brute strength, my son. This can only be stopped by reapplying the spells that the nithing stripped from their rightful place." Odin was livid, how dare that ungrateful brat dishonour him in this way. For centuries he had been successful in demonifying those who practiced magic, and had driven out or killed those that had posed a threat or were too powerful to let live. All that were left were a few lower-class hedge witches that would be next to useless in what he now needed, but maybe their raw magic could be of some use.
Chastised, Thor retrieved Sif and the Three and then left to follow his father's wishes, putting a hand on his mother's shoulder to comfort her, knowing that she was feeling the loss of her youngest son.
When Odin turned to his wife to tell her to prepare for a seidr summoning, the glare he recieved from his usually quiet and obediant wife would have killed any lesser man, and as he reeled back in surprise she slapped him as hard as she could, the sharp crack of the blow silencing every courtier still in the hall. She turned on her heel and stormed off while he was still in shock over the blow, plans already going through her mind for she knew that Odin would not hestitate to drain every bit of magic out of her if he thought it would be of benefit to him. She had to leave as soon as she could, for although Thor was safe due to his being Odin's heir and having no magic of his own, she would not be so fortunate.
Midgard - Forest of Dean, England
With a flash of green Loki and his family appeared in a wooded area, surrounded by the sounds of an old english forest. As soon as everyone had landed, Loki turned around and was overwhelmed by the others in a massive hug, which he returned with enthusiasm. He couldn't believe that they had come to back him up, there wasn't a single Aesir, not even his oft celebrated brother, who would risk their lives to help him.
"You fool, you silly, stupid, brave, adorable fool," Eris sobbed into his shoulder, holding tight to the greatest friend she had ever known as he hugged her back just as tightly.
"Eris, thankyou," he breathed, holding even tighter. "I can't believe you came."
"Of course we came for you, we will always come for you." She huffed slightly at the shake of his head, knowing that due to how his family had treated him he was not that trusting of others, and did not believe that any would die for him. "Do you remember who it was that came to Olympus and defied my father, Zeus in order to protect and save my children? Who was it that risked life and limb to challenge the King of the Gods and made it so that he could never touch them when he lost that challenge?"
"Me?" Loki giggled wetly into her hair, remembering the incident she was talking about.
"Yes, you, when no other sane being in any realm would even consider helping me or my children."
"That's easy, I'm not sane," and everyone laughed at this, as none of them or indeed any trickster from any world could ever be considered truly sane.
"Why are we here, Loki?" Hermes inquired, taking a look around the peaceful wood. "Midgard was never your favourite realm, and while what you've been up to recently has all been part of a plan, the mortals might not be the most friendly at the moment."
"What do we care about what the mortals are friendly to or not?" Set asked. "We will do as we wish like we always have done, there is nothing in this world that they could do to harm us."
"I know, I'm not concerned about trouble with them, I'm just wondering what we're doing here."
"We're here to meet an old friend, one that's going to help us lay low for awhile until we decide what we're going to do," Loki informed them.
"Do? About what exactly," Nemesis wanted to know why Loki had summoned them when he had first arrived on Midgard before the invasion.
"Do you remember when Moros and Mercury both had the same dream about a calamity that would befall the Nine Realms and then flow into all the other worlds?" Loki questioned, to which they all nodded, recalling the distress the two had been in when they had initiated a gathering of all those who could be trusted. "I know what he's planning and we need to prepare for his arrival, because he is coming and we're going to need all the help we can get to stop him."
Eris and the others all looked at each other, it wasn't often that Loki, one of the most powerful gods, thought that they needed assisstance. Whoever they were up against must be powerful indeed.
"So why are we here again?"
"To meet me," a voice that held untold ages sounded out and with a rustle, a tall figure walked out of a tree. He was dressed in flowing robes made of the greens and browns of the forest, blending him into his environment perfectly, a horn hanging on his belt and a torque around his neck. But by far the most spectacular thing about him, was the great antlers that rose from his head, an imposing feature on an already fantastic form.
"Cernunnos," Loki dipped his head towards him. This was the one they'd come here for, one with the power and the knowhow to help them. "Thankyou for coming, old friend. We need your help."
"You have it, child," he looked over the group, then more closely at the Silvertongue, noting the tiredness and stress in his stance and face. "Come, lets move this somewhere more comfortable," and saying that, he turned back to the great Oak he came through before and touched its bark, calling forth elemental magic to open the pathways between worlds.
He stepped through, the rest following behind Loki as he walked through without a care, well used to the old magics that pervaded the woods of old England.
Asgard - A few days later
Thor looked up as the palace trembled once again, something he was quickly getting used to. His friends were with him in a private dining room for special guests of the Royal family, waiting for his father to inform him of what he was expected to do.
As if thinking of him summoned him, the King of Asgard walked in, drawing all attention to him. Thor had noticed that his father was looking far older than he used to before everything had happened, before Frigga had left unannounced and took with her a great wealth in the knowledge of seidr that Asgard desperately needed at this point. They still hadn't been able to discover why or where she went, but he hoped that she would return soon for Asgard needed her.
"Thor," Odin called his son to him. "Asgard is failing, we need the traitor brought back to reinitialise the spells keeping our environment from falling even further. His magic is the only thing that can save us."
"What good will the beast's magic be?" Sif was confused. She had been told her entire life that those who used magic were the lowest of the low, unworthy of the slightest consideration. "Magic is a worthless and cowardly endeavour."
"His magic is needed because I say its needed," he was not pleased by her interruption and he showed his displeasure for all to see. "You will go to Midgard and find him, bring him back to me so that we can fix this."
"Yes, father. I will take my friends with me also, if it pleases you. They will be a great help in tracking him down." Odin agreed to this, and in short time they were ready to go.
"Do not forget, my son, that he is a cunning and sly beast. Do not take anything he does or says at face value."
"Of course. Don't worry, I will complete this task you have set me, and I will bring him home to answer for what he has done," and so saying, Odin sent them off with the power of the Tesseract, straight to the home of one of Thor's pet humans.
Midgard - Stark Tower
Thor and his companions were set down on the landing pad that Iron Man used to de-armour, looking out on a city still covered in rubble and debris from the failed invasion. He strode towards the door, calling out for any of his new shield-companions to announce his arrival.
"Mr Odinson," a voice to which they could not see any owner, made itself known as they approached the entryway. As Thor glanced towards the ceiling from where it came from, his friends jumped and brandished their weapons, casting around for any threat they could see. "Master Stark sends his greetings and asks that you make yourself at home. He's down in the lab right now and will be up in a moment."
"Thank you, voice-in-the-ceiling, please inform Man of Iron that I have news for the avengers as well as the agents of SHIELD."
"Very well, sir, I shall inform them myself."
His Aesir friends questioned him as to what manner of being was one that could speak but not be seen, Sif speculated that it was a magician that used invisibility or somesuch, but he could not explain it any better than that it was an invention by Tony Stark that acted as his servant.
A few minutes later, after they had looked around at what Midgard found to be wealth and finding it lacking in the granduer of Asgard, Tony finally arrived with a message from Fury. The Quinjet he had sent for them raised some eyebrows among the Aesir but the trip went off well, and a few hours after arriving they were on board the helicarrier, ready to impart their news to all gathered.
"Alright, we're all here, what is it you want to tell us?" Fury was impatient for things to get rolling.
Clint leaned foreward, eager for information, "So what's the verdict, hey? What did that bastard get for what he's done? I hear your big into torture and eternal punishment, is there any way we can get up there to watch?" He was dieing to hear what that asshole was suffering through for what he had done to him, and he wanted to see it with his own two eyes.
Thor looked uneasily at his friends, unsure about how his news would be taken. Tony noticed the silent communication and it didn't take a genius to figure out that something had gone horribly wrong.
"What's happened?" Tony demanded, "What's that bastard done now?"
"The Allfather announced the punishment that Loki was to suffer, a punishment that the court supported, but before it could be carried out the Allfather removed Loki's status and citizenry of Asgard. What we didn't know was that those ties kept him bound to the law of the realms and Odin's rule. When those ties were broken there was nothing left to stop him, and he took all the power he had embedded in our realm and left."
Before he could continue, Fury leapt to his feet and began shouting. "What the hell to you mean he took power and left?!"
"Over the millenia of our lives, Loki has embedded his magic into the fabric of Asgard, spells and weavings that keep the realm functioning. He was even the one to create our most powerful weapons and defences, and he took back all the magic he had gifted us with. The Allfathers powers were for nought against him, not even the full power of Gungnir could affect him."
Tony scrunched up his nose at this, before asking the thing that had been bothering him since Thor first arrived. "Thor, where's your hammer?"
Thor looked ashamed before replying, "Miljnor was forged by Loki and Ivaldi, imbued with my brother's magic that gave it its powers and gifted to me along with Gungnir for my father, and Brísingamen for my mother. He has taken Miljnor's power back, and she is now nothing more than an ordinary hammer." His head fell as he felt once again the loss of something so dear to him.
"Loki made that hammer?" to say Tony was surprised was an understatement. "Mr Phsycopathic Conquerer is the one that created probably one of the most powerful weapons we know of?"
"Yes, he always had a fascination in how things were created and spent many years under the tutelage of the greatest of the Dwarf smiths, Ivaldi. He is also unmatched in seidr use in weaponry and almost all other forms of magic. The last thing mother told me before she left was that we would be very surprised at the strength of Loki's magic once we find him. She said that she'd never seen him at full power, not once, due to most of his strength being tied up in Asgard's protection." He sighed heavily for a moment, "If she is correct, then returning him to Asgard will not be easy, but we must take him back. Once returned, father will take his magic and return it to its rightfull place stabilizing Asgard's framework."
"We allowed you to take him on the belief that you could contain him, not for you to let him raom free with even more powers," Fury was livid, absolutely furious with the Aesir for screwing up what he had hoped would be a quick execution of a war criminal.
"We did not anticipate the effect that removing the protections of Asgardian law would have, we didn't know that he was planning on the Allfather denouncing his status to that of nithing. By removing the protections we also inadverdantly removed any hold we had over him, and he moved far to quickly for any seidrmenn to respond, and he's abilities make it almost impossible for any warrior to stop him when he fights dishonourablely."
"Well, what's done is done," Bruce butted in, "there's nothing we can do to change it. The question now is how to we find him again?"
"Just before he left, his friends from years ago joined him, which will be even more of a problem if they decide to fight on his side."
Clint laughed derisively, "Friends?! Him? Who would ever be friends with that lunatic?"
"Do not mock them Clint Barton," Thor chastised. "They are very powerful individually, but combined they are almost unstoppable. Their known to you mortals as Trickster Gods and Goddesses, Loki is known as the God of Chaos, Mischief and Fire, as is his best friend, Eris. She is the Goddess of Chaos, Strife and Discord of the Ancient Greeks, and along with his other friends, they can cause many problems for us."
Steve snorted, unbelieving of naming these aliens gods. They were just aliens, not divine beings.
"The easiest way to find him, would be to track down one of the easier to find tricksters," Hogun noted. "We can then use them to get Loki."
Natasha nodded, "So which one would be the best?"
Thor thought a moment, then had a brainstorm, "Coyote! He's known for favouring North America, so he should be the easiest to reach." Finally, something they could do to get thing on track, there was only so much waiting around Thor could take.
"Right," Fury stood, getting their attention. "Avengers you have a go. Find this Coyote, get Loki and get him the fuck off my planet. And this time, don't screw it up," he said, pointing the finger at the Aesir, who only nodded, before joining the others in their quest.
Nether World - Cernunnos's Sanctuary
What could only be decribed as a massive tree house spanned three mighty Oak trees that had twisted their boughs together to help support the structure. The peaceful surrounds where filled with birdsong from an incalculable variety of species, some that had not been seen in the mortal world or any other for many years, along with numerous other animal species.
Cernunnos had guarded this sanctuary for millenia, and shown very few the beauty he had preserved here. It was an ancient forest, the very first, the one all other forests were decended from, the birthplace of old magick and Cernunnos himself, the First God, older than any other.
Loki used to wander through Cernunnos's home often, almost everytime that things became too much back in Asgard, the hurt to great, he would come here to this peaceful, elegant landscape. It didn't hurt that the owner of this private dimension was perhaps the most understanding being he had ever encounted, there was nothing that Loki could do that he would not try to understand or forgive. There were many times that he had dreamed and wished that he belonged here instead of with his 'family'.
The babbling of the gentle brook that flowed into a beautiful lake sounded just outside the window he sat at, generating a calming effect inside the comforting house. A phoenix trilled as it glided in to land on the window sill, happily taking the offered morsel of food that he held out, before gliding away on wings of shifting flame.
Other tricksters had arrived over the course of a week, crowding the cosily built home and the surrounding woods, but contrary to most people's opinions in regards to mischief makers, the gathering had not created untold chaos, but rather an atmosphere of jolly making.
Tricksters were most comfortable with other tricksters, but when left alone together they did not devolve into chaos, but rather acted like immortal versions of the mortals that held sleepovers. This occured because they had no need to guard themselves from the hurt that most beings would inflict on them due to their not understanding the nature of those with mischief and chaos in their hearts.
Discussions had been raging long and constant about what course of action would best suit the current dilemma. Loki had laid out all he knew about the threat, a threat that if unchecked, could irrepareably damage the very fabric of the universe. So far they had all agreed that Thanos, the Mad Titan, needed to be stopped, his plan for dominating the known universe and making a gift out of the deaths of almost all life too extreme for any of those here.
His insane quest to court death by wiping out all sentient life had not gone down well with his daughter, Hela, Kali or Hades, and they had pledged their power and armies to Loki in the destruction of Thanos. Having those three was a great boon to his plans, their armies were both vast and undefeatable due to their undead nature, making conteracting the Chitauri possible.
Their biggest problem now was the Infinity Gems that the Titan had already collected and keeping the Infinity Gauntlet out of his hands. Loki knew that Odin and Thor would never trust his words or agree to hide the Gauntlet, as they would never believe, like they had not believed for centuries, that he spoke the truth. He would have to find another way to protect everyone, but with the help of his friends and their friends and family, he was sure they could prevail, even if the danger was great.
As he once again looked out, he noticed Eris out by the standing stones that stood as guardians alongside the lakeside. She jumped slightly as he suddenly teleported to her side, and she laughed and slapped his arm for the scare.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that!"
"A thousand times more, love. I'll never get tired of that trick," Loki giggled as she became even more affronted.
"Brat!" she hissed, before snuggling into his side as they rested at the base of one of the massive stones. "So anymore thoughts on how we're going to stop Thanos?"
"A few. We now know how will fight by our side, and they will bring even more once the true battle starts. Unfortunately, I still can't think of any other way than luring him to Midgard, as it is the most accessible of all the realms. Also, there are large areas that are uninhabited, and if we can get him there, we can bring our full might to bear on him and his followers."
Eris leaned away to look at him, "Then that is what we'll do. Everyone is gathering all they need for this, but it will still be some time before all are ready, some have spread their magic far and wide and its not easy to travel around like it once was."
"Very true, but we'll need every bit we can get if we're going to succeed. I and the other fire elementals will wait until just before we begin to claim back the fire we gifted to the mortals, their terribly weak without it."
"Good, with all the elemental magic on our side, we'll be better than ever before," she jumped up and dragged him with her. "Come on, enough seriousness for one day, time for some fun," and with that she ran off to drag all she could find into the games they played.
Midgard - Some weeks later
"Is this it?" Tony's voice was sceptical, not that Natasha could blame him. It was an uninspiring copse of trees but Thor inisisted that this was the best place to summon the one he called Coyote.
"Yes, this is it, Son of Stark," the loud fat one stated, moving forward with the bundle of herbs that they had to burn.
"OK, it just looks a little underwhelming for a portal point, that's all."
"That's why you mortals have never found any of the pathways," Thor came up behind them. "Most are so well hidden you'd never find them, unless you knew they were there."
Bruce looked back in interest from where he was scanning the ground. "Most?"
"Some are far more noticeable." At the go on look he got from both scientists, he continued, "the older pathways once acted like your highways, allowing great movement between this realm and others. One such gateway is the pyramids in Egypt and other countries, but perhaps the most famous would be your Stonehenge."
"Stonehenge and the pyramids are gateways to other worlds?" Tony exclaimed. "How did we not know this earlier?"
"Those gateways are well protected, Man of Iron. Stonehenge is still the most frequent way to travel to this realm, and as such, has the greatest protections."
Natasha whirled on him, her glare silencing anything else he was about to say. "What do you mean, its still in use? Are you saying that unauthorised beings have been coming and going and we haven't been made aware of it?"
"Well, yes, Lady Natasha. The Fae and the Pagan deities have been 'coming and going' for millenia, far longer than your civilisation has been around. Mortals have no authority over them."
"If their coming to our world, then yes, we do have authority over them," she was furious, another thing that the Aesir had 'conviently' forgotten to tell them, and now there was an unspecified number of aliens running around who-knew-where.
Thor sighed, "They've been here for a very long time, and to be honest, they gave you the basis of your culture. They will never recognise mortal authority or law in relation to themselves. But that is something to be discussed at a later time, we need to focus on why we're here."
Knowing that he was making a good point, Natasha huffed and turned back to business. Volstagg and Hogun had finished setting up the offering they were using to attract Coyote's attention and were already beginning the summoning. Nothing happened for a few minutes, and just when a few of the Avengers were begining to believe that this was all for nought, they could see a shimmer begin to form in the air before them.
A moment later, out stepped a creature that they couldn't believe was real for a second before the form imprinted onto their minds. It looked like a dog had mated with a human. It stood on two human legs with a human torso, but it had a long tail with a dog-like head and it was entirely covered in short brown fur. Its ears flicked between them before it opened its mouth to speak, the voice coming across as strangely smooth and rounded.
"Who was it that summoned me?"
Thor stepped forward commandingly, "It was I Thor, Prince of Asgard that seek your knowledge."
"What knowledge would that be then, Prince of Asgard?"
"We seek Loki, Odin Allfather has commanded his return to answer for his actions in removing magic that rightfully belongs to Asgard. We need to find my brother and return him, and I had hoped that you might be able to tell me where he has been hiding."
"I do know where he is, but tell me, why should I tell you?" Coyote cocked his head to one side, wondering how Thor was going to answer this question.
"Loki committed acts of an appalling nature and he was bound for his punishment before he escaped, and if that wasn't enough, he has damaged our realm most severely. You are the only one close by who can help us to find him, so I ask for your help in apprehending a traitor to our realm."
Coyote was thoughtful, he knew what had truly happened during the incident that Thor was talking about and he wasn't inclined to help someone who had bullied one he called friend for centuries with no remorse. But, on the otherhand, if he could show these mortals and maybe even Thor himself just how wrong they were, then perhaps their plans for taking down the Titan could move ahead with less underhanded tactics.
He nodded his head to those before him, "I will take you to him, but I make no promises beyond that. The rest is up to you."
"That is all we need," Clint was eager to get some payback for what that phsyco had done to him during the the invasion, and would take any chance he could get.
With that, he opened a portal to the Nether world, and led the way to Loki, but not before sending one of his messengers through first. No one could say that Coyote didn't let his friends have a heads up before he caused a little chaos, and he grinned as he stepped through with mischief in mind.
This was going to be one hell of a reunion.