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Chapter Text

Midtown, Manhattan, New York, USA, 2018

           Midtown school of Science and Technology, established in New York City in 1962.­­ Supposedly home to the best and brightest young minds New York has to offer. You would think the class difficulty would be a testament to that.

           But Peter is bored. Him and Ned were sitting side by side in their calculus class, avidly taking notes on derivatives and antiderivatives that they both could do in their sleep.

           Ned glances over to Peter to tell him something but the words die on his lips. Shocked speechless, Ned stares at his best friend’s fingers. His best friend’s blue fingers, and not the kind of blue that could come from a pen. It looked as if the skin of Peter’s fingers were turning a light shade of sky blue and creeping upwards.

           Peter’s spider sense alerts him to the eyes on him and he cautiously looks around. After a few confusing seconds of not being able to find any danger Peter spots Ned, eyes blown wide in shock.

           “Hey, what’s wrong dude?” Ned meets Peter’s eyes briefly then returns to his internal panicking and staring blankly at his best friend’s fingers.

           “Peter your fingers, they’re blue.” Peter looks down.

           “Huh?” Peter looks down at his hands, they are indeed blue. “Holy crap!”

           “Is there a problem Mr. Parker?” The calculus teacher turns from where he was writing equations on the smart board.

           “No sir! I, uh, just thought I saw a spider. Sorry sir! It won’t happen again, sir.” Peter leans over to whisper to Ned. “What the heck, dude!”

           “I don’t know, man! Do your fingers feel cold at all? Or numb? It kinda looks like your circulation got cut off, dude!”

           “I guess they’re a little cold, but not like I lost circulation. It’s more like I’ve been out in the snow too long. But we’ve been inside all day and there’s only like a foot of snow out there.”

           “Yea, but it is January. Do you think it could be because you have trouble thermoregulating?”

           “I don’t think so.” Peter, staring into space pensively, tucks his hands into his armpits, and hunches in on himself to try to warm them up. “When that happens, it feels more like I’m going to sleep. I didn’t even notice my fingers getting colder because of how cold it is outside.”

           Peter pulls his hands out and flips them over between him and Ned.

           “The blue is gone.” At this moment, the bell rings. With no decathlon practice today, both boys b-line for the front doors of the school, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with a certain entitled brat.

           “Do you want to sleepover at my house tonight?

           “Sure! Just let me tell Aunt May where I’m going to be and grab a change of clothes and I’ll be right over!”

           “Awesome, see you soon!”

           “See you!”

Chapter Text

Stables of Asgard

           Sleipnir is tired. He is also in pain. You would think that having eight legs would make a guy less easy to tire out, but with Odin nothing is ever easy. Odin and his damnable spurs.

           The “great All Father” himself wanted to view all nine realms before noon, aside from Niflheim of course, and Sleipnir is the one who is currently paying the price for it.

           His jaw aches from the too tight bit and Odin’s constant harsh pulling of the reins. The saddle was too loose and Mr. All Knowing King doesn’t believe in saddle pads, so now there are friction burns on his back and sides.

           Despite the fact that Sleipnir’s eight legs make his speed paralleled by no other, Odin requires his pairs of legs to be shackled together, restricting his movement, and making it painful to gallop. And now there are deep gashes on the fronts of his hips from the spurs that are definitely going to add to the scars that are already there. He releases a heavy sigh.

           Sleipnir is tired; of the pain, of the abuse, of the constant guard outside the cell stable he is kept in. And really, he just misses his mom, and his siblings; Jor, Fen, and sweet little Hel, all the while still mourning the loss of Vali and Nari.

           This is all those stupid bróðirs’ fault. Odin’s four sons with Frigga; Balder, Tyr, Hodur, and Bragi, have always loathed his móðir, Loki, because he was Frigga’s favorite. The only child out of six to whom she could teach magic.

           Sleipnir had had enough. He is going to free himself of his current tormentors and then go find his mom. Their connection will guide him.

           There is a two-minute gap between the changing of the guards outside of the stable and the current shift should be coming to an end any moment now.

           The two guards left. Sleipnir lined his back legs up with the door. He raised all four of his hind legs and kicked the door at the henges, handle, and lock. The door flew across the stables, smashing into the opposite wall.

           Sleipnir didn’t wait to see if anyone had heard his escape. He galloped over the land of Asgard, then the sea, and with one final burst of strength Sleipnir leapt into the sky and galloped toward where his seiðr told him Loki was.

           “Hold fast Móðir, I am coming to get you.”

Chapter Text

Somewhere on Midgard

         Loki lay bound and in agony against the rock where his adopted bróðir had dragged him.

         Baldr was Loki’s greatest tormentor, relentlessly abusing Loki for a whole slew of reasons he believed justified his actions.

         Baldr believed himself invincible and deserving of being the favorite son. He was jealous of Frigga’s attention on his adopted bróðir. Loki’s magic was something not just anyone could learn. One had to be born with the gift.

         This jealousy turned to anger, then to violent rage all of which was aimed at Loki. Loki took the abuse in stride; broken bones, internal bleeding and damage, not to mention the mental damage and self-worth issues.

         But Loki grinned and bore it for the sake of his adopted móðir, the only person other than Thor who was ever kind to him.

         Loki was tired of it. He could not take the pain anymore and he knew Baldr’s only weakness, mistletoe. He was twenty six and had a bone to pick with the world, in whatever small way he could.

         Loki crafted a spear out of mistletoe and handed it to his blind bróðir Höðr, who was an excellent marksman despite his disability. Höðr never actively abused him, but he didn’t try to stop Tyr or Baldr either.

         Baldr was showing off his invincibility, as he often did, by allowing their bróðirs and friends to throw weapons at him. They all bounced off, as usual. Höðr throws the spear, it pierces him straight through the heart and Baldr dies instantly. There is no time for him to even be shocked that he was not as invincible as he thought. Just here one second, gone the next.

         For the crime of killing his own full blood bróðir, Höðr is sentenced to death. It matters not that he had no way to know what the spear was made of or that there was even a possibility that his bróðir could die. Such is the way of Odin’s justice. Loki, and his Æsir family also, is punished for orchestrating the death of his adopted bróðir, Baldr.

         Loki’s adopted bróðir Tyr turns one of Loki’s twin sons, Vali, into a wolf. Vali is driven to madness by the stripping of his human faculties and the overload of wolf senses and instincts. In his confusion, Vali accidentally kills his twin bróðir Nari, and then is put to death by Tyr. 

         Tyr, God of law and justice, Odin’s law and justice, drags Loki to a cave on Midgard, deep beneath the surface. Tyr eviscerates Vali and Nari in front of Loki and uses their entrails to bind him to a large stone in the middle of the cavern. Loki is distraught, the last of his children violently stolen away from him in the most horrific way possible.

         Loki and Sigyn can do nothing but watch as someone who is supposed to be their family rips apart the dead bodies of their children. Loki lets out a pathetic sound followed by a whimper and Sigyn kneels beside him, her features stealed over. She will not give Tyr the pleasure of seeing how much this is affecting her. She emphasizes with Loki, however. His father had taken away all of his children one by one and is using them as bargaining chips in some deranged game of chess.

         Tyr places a venomous snake on Loki’s chest and instructs it to drip venom into his eyes. Sigyn tried her best to catch all the venom, but every so often she would have to empty the bowl. This led to Loki being burned from the acid like venom, he was too overwhelmed with grief to even notice the pain. This continued for the next ten thousand years.

.oOo.

         Sigyn heard the distinctive gallop of Odin’s mighty steed Sleipnir and felt both hope and fear. Hope that Odin’s visit means this punishment is over and fear that things might get significantly worse for them. The sound grew louder and louder until it was as though thunder itself surrounded them.

         When Sleipnir trotted into the cave and saw his móðir tied down he rushed to his side. Loki was out of his mind in grief and pain, moaning and muttering nonsensical things, tears and burns covering his face. Not even aware enough of his surroundings to acknowledge the presence of his first-born son.

         Sigyn heaved a sigh from her very soul. “Sleipnir, you must take your móðir to a safe place for him to recover. The Æsir will not come looking for him until Ragnarök.” 

         “Thank you, Auntie.”

         “There is nothing to thank me for, Loki and I were forced to marry, and it has ended with the loss of my children. If anything, you are giving me a second chance. I think I will try to help others in similar situations. Keep each other safe.”

         Born is Sigyn, the goddess of devotion and compassion.

         Then Sigyn was gone and Sleipnir was left to tend to his móðir. He must find a safe place for them to recover and reside for the duration of their time on Midgard.

Chapter Text

West Village, Manhattan, NYC, USA, 2018    

         Peter presses the buzzer to Ned’s apartment in West Village.

         “Hey dude! It’s open.” Ned’s voice comes through the intercom. Peter makes his way up to Ned’s floor of the building.

         Before Peter has the chance to even knock, Ned grabs his raised arm and drags him through the apartment to his bedroom.

         “Just set your stuff down anywhere. My mom is ordering pizza so it should be here soon.” Ned sits in the spinney chair at his desk while Peter flops down on Ned’s bed. He spins the chair around to face Peter. “So, has any more of your skin turned blue?”

         “No, I think maybe it was just from the cold. Besides, I can’t think of any spider species that can change its skin color at will.”

         Ned turns around and types quickly at his computer. “Well, there is the white banded crab spider, it can change its color to catch insects trying to pollinate flowers.”

         “If it was a new spider power shouldn’t all of my skin have turned blue? And why blue for that matter, shouldn’t my skin have turned brown in order to blend in with the desk?”

         “Maybe you were feeling blue? And your body took it literally?”

         “I don’t know dude.” Peter dragged his hands through his hair, grabbing handfuls of it at the back of his head and lightly squeezing.

         “Boys! The pizza is here! Come get some while it’s still warm!” Ned’s mom calls from the kitchen.

         “Yay food! I’m starving.” Peter jumps up from the bed.

         “Peter, you’re always starving, ha ha.” Both boys scramble to get to the kitchen.

.oOo.

         “Good night, Peter.”

         “Night Ned.”

         Both boys settled down to sleep for the night.

.oOo.

         Ned looks around blearily, woken by snoring. Ned was confused. Peter doesn’t snore. Ned turned over and came face to face with…

         Himself? What? After the solid minute it takes for that to register Ned lets out a shocked (totally not girly) shriek.

         Peter is jolted awake and jumps into a fighting position, then promptly falls over. He feels heavy. Groaning with the effort it takes to get back on his feet, Peter looks around and meets Ned’s terrified eyes. Peter has a vague sense of déjà vu.

         “What’s wrong dude? Why are you screaming?” Peter groggily looks at Ned.

         “Peter…Is that you?”

         “Yes? Who else would I be?”

         Ned rummages around his room. He finally finds what he was looking for and holds up a mirror to Peter.

         “Why are you showing me a picture of yourself, Ned?”

         “This is a mirror, Peter.” Peter visible blue-screens.

         “What? No, no no no. That’s not possible.” Peter scrambles away from the mirror until his back hits the bed frame, “Ned! What’s happening to me?”

         “I don’t know!”

         “What do you mean you don’t know? You’re my guy in the chair! You're supposed to know these kinds of things!” Peter forces himself into taking some steadying breaths.

         “Well, I don’t know this ! I don’t even know what this is !”

         Peter’s form starts to waver and melt away back into his own body. Both boys stare at each other in shock, breaths heaving and trying to make any kind of sense of what just happened.

         Peter closes his eyes and tries to gather his thoughts, taking some deep breaths. When he feels a little calmer, he reopens them. Ned stares at him with renewed shock.

         “What is it now Ned?” Peter is tired and a little exasperated and distraught. Ned walks to his bathroom and turns on the light.

         “Come here Peter, let me see your face in the light.” Peter wearily walks over, stumbling slightly. “I don’t know how to tell you this dude, so I’m just gonna say it. Youreyesaregreen.” Peter rushes to the bathroom mirror. His eyes are, in fact, a vibrant green now, rather than the chocolate brown he has always known them to be.

         “This is all a dream; I am going back to sleep and when I wake up in the morning my eyes will be back to normal.” Peter flops down in the bed and cocoons himself in Ned’s comforter, he is back asleep almost instantly.

Chapter Text

Asgard, 2011

          Odin has mandated an audience with his youngest son, Thor. Thor was the most brash and head-strong of his children. He is always getting into duels with the soldiers, and he has more enemies than he does comrades. Odin thinks Thor needs a lesson in maintaining a level head before he will be useful in the defense of Asgard.

          Thor strides down the corridor towards his Faðir’s throne room. The messenger spoke of information his Faðir thought he was finally ready to be given. As Thor approached the door, the guards raised their spears to allow him passage.

          “Faðir, I received your summons.”

          “Son, greetings.” Thor kneeled before his Faðir’s throne.

          “What is it that you wish for me to know.”

          “It is about your móðir…” Thor’s head jerks up to meet his father’s gaze with concern.

          “Móðir? Is she hurt?” Odin slams his scepter into the ground in anger.

          “Do not interrupt boy!”

          “Apologies Faðir.” Thor bowed his head once more.

          “Your móðir is not Frigga.” Thor bodily flinched. The shock on his face was visible. “You are the spiritual child of myself and Midgard.

          “Midgard, the Earth? How is that possible Faðir?”

          “I am all powerful, such things are of no consequence to me.”

          “Yes… Faðir”

          “You are dismissed.” Odin waved his hand in finality.

          Thor stumbled out of the throne room, his mind elsewhere. By the time Thor was back in his own mind he was frozen in front of his móðir’s quarters. His móðir Frigga opened the door without him having to knock.

          “Am I correct to assume Odin has told you the truth of your birth?”

          “So it is true? You truly are not my móðir?”

          “Oh child, I will always be your móðir. Just the same as I am Loki’s móðir and the móðir to my four biological children. I love all of you equally.” Frigga opened her arms in welcome. Thor embraced his móðir and came to a decision.

          “I must go to Midgard.”

          “I know my child, I know. Be sure to look out for yourself. The beings who inhabit Midgard are very different from us. They are far more delicate and short-lived, but also, they are full of life and wonderment.” Thor took his móðir’s words to heart.

.oOo.

          The Bifröst spits Thor out in a sandy wasteland known locally as New Mexico. There, he meets Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, and Erik Selvig.

New Mexico, Arizona, USA, 2011

          During his crash landing, Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is thrown somewhere into the desert. In his scramble to collect his treasured hammer, he does not see the iron beast approaching and thus gets hit by a van.

.oOo.

         After escaping the medical facility, Thor hears the townspeople talking of a meteor crash in the desert. Believing this object to be his hammer, Thor knows he must get to it before he can start his mission.

          Thor finds a shop that sells animals and requests a horse from the vendor. After being told that horses are not sold there, the Midgardian woman known as Jane Foster arrives in her iron beast and offers him a ride.

.oOo.

          A Midgardian quasi-military group calling themselves S.H.I.E.L.D. has overtaken the area where Mjöllnir is located.

          In a meeting with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Midgardian by the name of Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr., it is agreed upon that Mjöllnir will be returned to Thor on the condition that Thor will join a group Fury is putting together to protect the earth from extraordinary threats.

          The next year the Chitauri attack.

Chapter Text

Ned's apartment, West Village, NYC, USA, 2018

         Ned and Peter are woken by knocking on Ned’s bedroom door.

         “Boys, it’s time to get up, you have to leave for school in fifteen minutes!”

         Peter darts to the bathroom and freezes in front of the mirror.

         “I can’t go to school like this, Ned! What will people say about me suddenly having green eyes?”

         “Maybe they won’t notice? The only person who might notice would be MJ but she hardly talks to us. Don’t worry too much about it, dude.”

         “I guess you're right.”

         “Breakfast?”

         “Breakfast.”

Midtown school of Science and Technology, Midtown, New York, USA, 2018

         Peter and Ned have two classes then a morning break, two more classes then lunch, two afternoon classes, and Decathlon after, depending on the day of the week.

         It was currently the morning break, Peter’s most hated time of the day. The teachers were in their classroom and the students had little to no supervision.

         Consequently, it was Eugene “Flash” Thompson’s favorite time of the day, otherwise known as beat-Peter-up time.

         Flash had Peter cornered in the boys’ bathroom.

         “What’s up Penis Parker? Finally grow tired of your shit colored eyes? Where did you even get those cheap looking contacts? Walmart?” Flash and his cronies laughed. “Let’s see if we can knock them out, shall we?” Peter was prepared for the right-hook, and the kick to the stomach that followed. That didn’t mean they didn’t hurt though.

         Peter knew any wound that Flash could inflict would be healed by lunchtime, but he had a part to play. So, he curled his body into as small of a ball as he could and waited for Flash to grow bored of this beat-down and Peter’s unresponsiveness.

         “Poor Penis Parker. Your parents died to get away from you. Your Uncle got so tired of you he stepped in front of a bullet protecting some rando on the street. Who are you going to kill next? Will it be Ned? Or dear, sweet Aunt May?” Peter’s eyes flashed red, and Peter viciously attacked Flash while trying to reign in his more animalistic instincts.

         Ned burst into the bathroom and body-tackled Peter off Flash. Flash takes this opportunity to book it out of the bathroom.

         “Peter? Hey, man, you gotta calm down.” Peter’s rage slowly dissipates, so too does the red in his irises. “Dude, your eyes were red.”

         “What?”

         “Yeah man, when you went all rage beast on Flash, your eyes were red. They’re green again now, but they were red, like blood.”

         “What is happening to me?” Peter whines and presses his face into Ned’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

Gagra, Abkhazia, Georgia, 2011

         Sleipnir did not think about what they had bound his móðir with as he untied him. He lays his unconscious body across his back and climbs out of the cave. There is a wooden sign that says Veryovkina.

         A portly tourist couple were talking about a pretty mountainside town called Tbilisi that they were planning to visit, a city in the same country of earth they were in. It sounded like a place his móðir would like. Not many people know but, Loki loved and was fascinated by nature.

         Currently they were in a place called Gagra, which was an airy seaside town, but it was overrun by tourists. So many Midgardians and noise would not be conducive to his móðir’s healing. No, they need to be somewhere calm and quiet.

         Sleipnir walked slowly to ensure his móðir did not fall off or get jostled around too much. The trip from Gagra to Tbilisi took a bit over five hours. What is 190 miles though when your móðir needs a safe place to rest and heal.

         Sleipnir found a vacant, two room cottage and broke the lock. He placed his móðir on a couch.

.oOo.

         Sleipnir has spent the last few days familiarizing himself with the area they are currently in. They are close to the northeast coast of a body of water called the Black Sea. It seems mostly devoid of Midgardians, most only staying a day or two at a time. His móðir had yet to wake up and Sleipnir was beginning to get worried, Loki usually healed faster than this. He has scouted the area to be sure there are no signs of his Uncle Tyr or Grandfather Odin and gathered food and supplies for the two of them.

         It was a week and a half later when Loki started showing signs of waking up. Quiet, incomprehensible mumbles become shrieks of rage and pain. Loki thrashing in his half-asleep state. Sleipnir is at his móðir’s side in an instant, but hugging him only makes Loki panic more. Flailing around, scratching gouges in his arms. Loki gives no indication of even being ablr to hear Sleipnir talking to him. He is forced to watch his móðir be in this state until Loki finally realizes where he is on his own. 

         Finally, finally! Loki tilts his head just so, in the direction of Sleipnir’s voice.

         “Móðir, móðir it is okay, I have you. You are not there anymore, you’re safe, I have got you.” Twenty minutes of sweet nothings later and Loki was calm enough to be coherent.

         “Sleip, barn  is that you?”

         “Yes Móðir, I escaped, then came to find you as quickly as I could.” Loki returned his son’s hug and tucked Sleip’s face into his chest and cuddled him close.

         “I have missed you so much. I thought I would never see you again. You do not understand how happy seeing you makes me, my child.

         “I do Móðir, I have missed you as well. It pains me to bring this up so soon, but do you know where the others are? After they took you away, we were separated and were forbidden from contacting one another. Our seiðr bond has weakened significantly.”

         “Yes, I feel them. We will retrieve your siblings.” Loki moves to stand up but immediately tilts and stumbles to the side, he is caught by Sleipnir before his head hits the floor.

         “Móðir, you need to rest first. You have been held captive for the last ten thousand years. You should not try to move around too much. Has your sight been returned to you yet? That serpent left horrid scars and damage.” Sleipnir assists Loki back down to the couch.

         Suddenly there is a low grumbling hiss and the sound of the ground being disturbed from outside of the cottage. Sleipnir shifts to his giant form and is on his hooves in an instant, stalking to the door, prepared for an attack. The door creaks open and Sleipnir lunges at the intruder.

         “No! Sleip stop!” Loki falls to the ground in his panic, arm outstretched, but Sleipnir halts his attack. “It is your bróðir. He must have been able to sense me, like you did.”

         The door opens fully and a green snake the size of a large python slithers in. Two sets of green eyes meet and the snake lunges at Loki, turning into a 19-year-old boy mid leap and falling into his Faðir’s arms. Sleipnir shifts to his Æsir form and hugs his móðir and bróðir.

         “Faðir, Bróðir, I have been alone so long.” Jörmungandr cries in his family’s arms. Loki places a hand on his cheek, wiping away tear tracks.

         “I know Jör, but we are together now, and we are going to get the others.”

         “Yes, Móðir just needs to rest to regain his full strength, then we may retrieve Fen and Hel.”

.oOo.

         “Móðir, you should return to the couch. The floor must be causing you pain.”

         Jörmungandr and Sleipnir extricate themselves from the jumble of limbs and help their parent up. Each boy grabs one of Loki’s arms and lifts him.

         Loki, Sleipnir, and Jörmungandr moved off of the floor and onto the couch, sitting side by side.

.oOo.

         “Sleip, Faðir, breakfast is ready!” Loki, Sleipnir, and Jörmungandr all sit down to eat.

         “How are you feeling today, Móðir?”

         “I am well. Thank you for being such a reliable son, Sleip. Jör, this is delicious.”

         They continue to eat in peaceful silence until Loki speaks again.

         “We need to rescue Fen and Hel at the same time. If we do not, Odin will realize I am no longer bound, and it will be impossible to get them both. Fen is bound on an island in Asgard. Jör, Sleip you will go to Niflheim and retrieve your sister. You should both be able to get past the guards. Jör, you must be extra careful. Niflheim is a frozen wasteland, the cold will not be good for you.”

         “I will be okay, do not worry.”

         “We will get Hel, Móðir. Do you have a way to free Fen?”

         “If I give him some of my power, he should have enough strength to break free.”

         “Are you going to be alright going to Asgard Faðir? We were all treated horribly there, but you worst of all.”

         “I will be fine; my focus will be on Fen. I need to make sure he is safe.”

         “We understand. We will have her out before they even know we were there.”

         “Go well, my children. Protect one another.”

Chapter Text

Ned's apartment, West Village, Manhattan, NYC, USA, 2018

         Peter and Ned were back in Ned’s room.

         “Have you found anything?” Peter is lying on Ned’s bed with an arm thrown over his eyes.

         “No, there is literally nothing about a spider that can change its eye color. All my searches just keep coming around to that white banded crab spider. It still doesn’t explain your eyes though. Sorry dude.”

         “It’s fine. I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually.” Peter lets out a weak groan.

         “You feelin’ alright?”

         “My head just decided to try to kill me all of a sudden is all.”

         “I can get you some Excedrin and a cool towel if you want. That always helps my headaches go away.”

         “That sounds great, thanks man.”

         Ned returns with the promised medicine and towel. Once the sharpness of the headache has dulled Peter falls into a restless sleep.

.oOo.

         Ned is worried about his friend. Peter has been tossing and turning since he fell asleep. After a few more minutes, Ned gets up and starts building a nest of pillows and blankets around Peter. Being surrounded by coziness seems to settle him some and Ned is able to readjust the towel on Peter’s forehead.

         An hour and a half later Peter wakes up from his nap.

         “Have you found anything?” Ned lets out a startled shriek.

         “Jeez man! I didn’t realize you were awake. Does your head feel better now? Holy crap your blue again!” Peter takes a second to digest his best friend’s word vomit, then scrambles for a mirror. Sure enough, the top half of his face was blue.

         Ned sits on the floor beside Peter to get a better look at his skin.

         “Hmm, it’s not just blue.” Ned runs a finger over Peter's forehead. “There is like, a raised design here. Oh that’s crazy.” Shock evident in his eyes.

         “What? What is it?”

         “The part I just touched just went back to normal.” Peter gasps.

         “The towel!” Peter flings around blankets until he finds where the towel landed in his mad dash for a mirror earlier. Peter picks it up and returns to the floor where Ned is still sitting. He holds it in his hands for a few seconds then places it on the floor. Sure enough, his fingers and palms are now blue. Both boys stare at Peter's hands for a solid minute before either of them speak.

         “Dude, you’re like a human thermometer!”

         “Ned! That’s not helpful! How am I gonna live like a normal kid if my skin turns blue whenever I get cold? I already have enough temperature issues! How am I gonna hide this? It’s not like I can just cover my skin all the time! What am I gonna do?” Peter’s breaths become slightly ragged. It feels like he is breathing through cotton. His grip on his hair is painfully tight, a few strands floating to the floor.

         “First you’re gonna breathe, Peter. Follow my breathing; in two three four, hold two three four, out two three four, in, hold, out. You with me now dude?”

         “Yeah, thanks Ned. This is why you’re my guy in the chair, you always know how to help. Sorry I freaked out on you.”

         “It’s all good man. You suddenly got a new power that has nothing to do with spiders. It’s okay to be a little stressed. Maybe the skin has something to do with how you turned into me last night.”

         “I forgot that happened.” Peter groaned “What is going on?”

         “I don’t know dude. You have shapeshifting, color changing, and green eyes that sometimes turn red. Maybe you’re part of the reptilian race that secretly runs the government and they brainwashed you so they could use you to spy on humans.” Peter lets out a breathy laugh.

         “Ned, we’ve been over this. Lizards are not running the government. We would definitely know if they were.”

         “It’s possible! With all the species of aliens probably out there, who's to say that our government isn’t being run by some alien lizard race?” Peter’s mood visible lightened at his best friend’s antics.

         “Okay Ned. Can we focus please?”

         “Oh, right, yes, sorry.”

         “It’s fine. I needed the distraction. Seriously though, how am I gonna deal with this?”

         “Can you try to turn into me again? On purpose this time though?”

         “I’ll try.” Peter closes his eyes and focuses on what Ned looks like; brown eyes, brown hair, tan skin, freckle. After a few minutes of steady breathing on Peter’s part and anxious fidgeting on Ned’s, Peter’s skin starts to darken. Slowly but surely the features that make Peter, well Peter, melt away and are replaced with ones that are an exact match to Ned’s.

         “Woah dude, you did it! We could totally be twins! We definitely have to prank someone with this someday. Oh, it would be so awesome! You, this, is so awesome! Say something.”

         “Like what?”

         “O.M.G. you sound just like me! Try turning into someone else.” Ned bit his lower lip as he waited impatiently for Peter to transform again. The short hair belonging to Ned suddenly grew rapidly and lightened to a reddish color and his skin faded to a healthy teasing peach.

         “Huh, shifting that time was a lot easier. But this also feels like an invasion of my aunt’s privacy. I think I want to be me again.” With a grimace Peter focuses on what his own body feels like, and the foreign features melt away.

         “Maybe the more you do it the easier it will be?”

         “Yeah, that makes sense. I’m kinda hungry now though. Does your mom have any snacks she won’t miss?”

         “Of course dude, sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

         Peter laid back on the floor, arms behind his head. First, in 9 th grade he got bitten by a pocket-sized biohazard, then in 10 th grade he decided to become the friendly neighborhood web slinger, and now this, all before he is even legally an adult.

         Ned returns with a root beer, energy bars, and salt and vinegar chips.

         “Thanks man, my stomach is trying to eat itself.” Peter stretched an arm out towards Ned so the other boy could hand him a snack. Said snack is promptly placed in his hand.

         “Thanks.” Ned doesn’t move or speak as Peter starts munching down on an energy bar. A few seconds of stilted silence pass.

         “Why are you being so quiet, dude? It’s weird.” Still hearing no noise from Ned, Peter glances over to find Ned standing in the doorway with a look of shock on his face.

         “Peter, I think we just discovered another new power.”

         “What are you talking about man? I haven’t even moved.”

         “That’s my point exactly! You are lying all the way over there and I am here. I didn’t hand you the bar! It floated into your hand!”

         Peter lets out a tired groan. “I don’t want to deal with this right now. I say it is now sleep time, time for sleep. Goodnight Ned.” Peter grabs one of the blankets strewn around him on the floor and cocoons himself into a little ball and falls asleep instantly.

Chapter Text

Lyngvi, Asgard

         “We’ll keep the pup here; he will grow into a great guard dog.” If only they had remembered their own prophecy.

Asgard

         When Fenrir was small the other Æsir would always come and play with him. But that changed as he got older. Fenrir grew bigger and bigger, until the only one who would come near him was his Uncle Tyr.

         Fenrir stayed alone in his cage for a long time. The only people he saw were the guards  who brought him meals, but even they just threw the food at him and left as quickly as they came. It was just another monotonous day when a couple Æsir came. The other gods finally want to play with him! They say they want to see how quickly he can break out of a chain. Fenrir is strong, so of course he agrees. They bind his paws and neck with a chain they call Loeding. He breaks free immediately, he tippy taps his front paws in excitement. Is his strength not impressive?!

         A couple weeks later they say they have forged a new chain, and this time they believe he will not be able to break free. Fenrir, slightly suspicious, but still happy to receive attention, wagged his tail and agreed. They call this chain Dromi. They loop the chains around his chest this time, but Fenrir breaks out of them just the same. The gods look a little frustrated but they clap, and praise him for being able to break out.

         For a third time, the gods say they have a chain that he can not break out of. They invite him to the island of Lyngvi in the great lake of Amsvartnir. The gods show him the new chain, Gleipnir, it looks like a plain ribbon. Fenrir feels anxiety settle in the back of his throat. The gods must have done something to the ribbon, it smells strange. Unease begins to pool in his stomach.

         As if sensing his trepidation, the gods lunged at him as one, even his uncle who he thought of as a friend. The gods encase his legs in the ribbon and wrap it so tightly around his chest and neck he can barely breathe. Uncle Tyr is trying to pry his jaw open. In the struggle Fenrir bites his hand off. The other gods wrench his jaws apart and Tyr stabs a sword through his mouth and into the ground, its hilt preventing Fenrir from closing his mouth and muffling any noise he tries to make.

         The Asgardians leave Fenrir to suffer in silence, all alone, for years.

Niflheim, 2011

         Jörmungandr and Sleipnir make it to Náströnd, the shore of corpses. Sleipnir alters his form to look like an emaciated horse to better blend in to the scenery, Jörmungandr curled around his neck.

         They sneak past the venom castle on the northern shore. Hel is kept deeper in Niflheim in a place called Helheim where she is guarded by the canine Garmr.

         The boys wade through the freezing waters of the river Élivágar and finally make it into Helheim. Jörmungandr sneaks up behind Garmr and bites him in the carotid artery, killing him instantly. He doesn't like to cause others pain if it can be avoided. Sleipnir turns his upper body Æsir, runs to Hel, and gathers her in his arms. Jörmungandr coils back around his brother’s neck. He opens a rift in front of them and all three siblings disappear through it. 

         They have successfully rescued their baby sister.

.oOo.

         Hel had barely been three thousand years old when they were all separated. Now at 13,000 she hardly has any memories of her siblings at all. The only thing she knew for sure was that her seiðr had never felt more at peace than it did in this moment.

Lyngvi, Asgard, 2011

         Loki is not panicking. No, definitely not. Loki is currently in the form of a tiny, harmless garden snake slowly making his way to his son. His injured, lonely, sad son. Once he is within a few inches of Fenrir, Loki transforms into his Æsir form.

         ‘Faðir. I wish you were here. I am tired of these illusions.’ Fenrir thought.

         Loki recognizes the look in his son’s eyes from his own time being tied up and helpless.

         “My son, I am very much real.” Loki places his hands on either side of Fenrir’s face.

         Loki places a couple fingers on the blade in Fenrir’s mouth and banishes it. “Faðir? Is it really you?”

         “Yes, barn. Fen, I am going to push my power into you. I need you to use your strength to break your bindings. Can you do that for me?”

         “Yes Faðir.” Fenrir shifted his weight as best he could to get into a better position to break Gleipnir.

         Fenrir felt his Faðir’s seiðr flow through him. He focused his power into his leg muscles and tore at the ribbon with his teeth. 

         They must have been making too much noise because Tyr and a horde of warriors were on the horizon and quickly advancing towards them. They would be here within three minutes.

         Loki, still pushing seiðr into Fenrir, used his other hand to drain strength from the ribbon.

         Two minutes.

         *Snap!*

         Fenrir has his front legs free.

         “They are almost upon us! Pull harder!” Fenrir clawed at the knots around his hind legs. Bringing bits of fur and flesh with the shreds of Gleipnir.

         The pounding of hooves could be felt through the ground now. One more leg free.

         Thirty seconds.

         The knot around Fenrir’s paw was not budging.

         “Loki! I will chain you back to that rock if it is the last thing I accomplish in this lifetime!”

         The Asgardians are here.

         The knot will not break.

         “Fen! Do you know how deeply underground they have anchored Gleipnir?” Lines of concern are etched into Loki's face.

         “No! Why?” His eyes wide with panic.

         “We are going to take the whole thing with us and discern how to break it when we are away from here!”

         “We cannot just leave!” Fenrir sent a worried look towards where he was caged.

         “We do not have a choice!” Loki places both of his hands on the ground near Fenrir’s paw. He feels through the ground with his seiðr and pulls along the natural cracks and weaknesses in the rock and soil.

         “It is done! I am getting us out of here!”

.oOo.

         “Curse the Norns! You, inform Father, Loki has escaped his imprisonment and has taken the wolf. Separate the pups, put them in cells, and have at least three guards watching them always.

         …

         “What are you waiting for! Go! Now!”

         “Yes Prince Tyr, it will be done.” The warrior bows and hurries away.

Chapter Text

The Cottage, Tbilisi , Abkhazia, Georgia, 2012

         Fenrir has slight scarring around his neck, wrists, and ankles, even in his Æsir form. In his natural form though, the scars are covered by his fur.

         Hel has settled in well. She built on the few memories of her family she had and has come out of her shell a lot. Being alone for ten thousand years of your life will make someone quite antisocial.

         The days pass slowly and quickly at the same time. It seems almost unreal that they have all been together for a whole 10 months after not seeing each other for ten thousand years. They are each taking this one day at a time. It feels like they could be found any minute by Odin and sent to the far corners of the nine realms.

         Sleipnir and Fenrir enjoy being able to run and race with one another again, Jörmungandr usually coiled around one of their necks. All three boys dote on Hel as well, and they all love Loki. A lot of the time you can find the whole family relaxing in a cuddle pile. Sometimes with tea or hot chocolate, always with lots of blankets.

         Today was one such day. All the kids in their natural forms. Loki is leaning back against Sleipnir’s side with tea and a story book. Fenrir’s head in his lap and Hel leaning on his right side with a hot chocolate. Jörmungandr curled around Hel’s and Loki’s waist, some coils resting against Sleipnir and Fenrir too. Loki is reading to them from a Midgardian children’s book called This way, Charlie . Hel likes all the animals, and the older siblings are brought to tears every time.

         Even after the years of torture and screaming, Loki’s voice was still smooth and soothing, just how they all remember from their childhood.  

         Of course, this calm moment is when everything goes to shit.

         A blast of energy pulsed through the cottage knocking the kids out and leaving Loki barely conscious.

         Creatures with pasty green skin and yellow eyes storm into the room in some kind of sick imitation of a military march. The leader of the brigade gestures for a few of the soldiers to separate the members of the family and extricate Loki.

Unknown Location

         Loki wakes up chained and in an anti-magic cage. He looks around blearily .

         Three feet from Loki was a solid gold throne. The being who sat upon it was a hulking beast with purple skin, wearing a dark blue tank top and pants with gold armor over top.

         “Well, look-y here, the birdy has awakened.” The being pulls a chain attached to Loki’s cage and the whole thing is dragged towards the throne.

         “Who are you? What do you want with me!” The beast pulls another chain, this one connected to a collar around Loki’s throat. Loki’s head is jerked forward with such force that his face slams into the rough bars of the cage.

         “My name is Thanos. You will obey me and assist me in taking over the Earth.”

         “And if I refuse?”

         “That is not an option for you, half-breed. You obey me or I make you do my bidding by force. Is that clear, little bird?” Loki grits his teeth.

         “Abundantly.” Loki growls out. Thanos lets the chains fall to the ground with a clang and kicks the cage away from him. Loki rolls and collides with a wall sending him back to unconsciousness.

.oOo.

         The next time Loki awakes the room is quiet. He lays still and listens to make sure there is nobody else in the room. Loki gingerly sits up, his whole-body sore from being thrown around.

         After one last glance around to be sure he is alone, Loki assesses the absolute insult that are the iron cuffs around his hands and ankles. To think that these lower species believed that iron could hold him.

         Loki tried to access his seiðr only for it to spark and fizzle out, leaving an emptiness in his chest.

         “Curses” The hollow feeling in his chest persists, adding to the panic bubbling up from his stomach. As the panic builds, so does his desperation. He just got his family back and they were already separated again.

         Loki, disheveled and desperate for escape, starts slamming the cuffs into the bars of the cage. Again and again, over and over, the crash of iron-on-iron deafening. To no avail. Loki swings at the bars once again, misses, and falls to the ground with the momentum. All he has to show for his efforts are bloody wrists and bloodshot eyes.

         “Are you quite finished?” Loki startles and whips his head towards the sudden condescending voice. Thanos is there, sitting on the throne. “No response, huh? Well, this cute little display is not going to help you. Be a good little pet and wait patiently until I have use of you.”

         “I WILL NEVER SUBMIT TO YOU!”

         “Yes, you will.” The satisfied grin on Thanos face is the last thing Loki sees before the world goes dark once again.

Chapter Text

The Parker’s house, Forest Hills, Queens, New York, USA 2012

         Peter, May, and Ben were sitting on the couch watching the 5 o’clock news. The reporter on screen was talking about how government officials had been making strange movements over the last two days.

         There were rumors going around that something was stolen from a highly secure facility somewhere. Something that could be dangerous if used incorrectly.

         There is a muffled sound outside, like rocks crumbling. Peter rushes to the window, his aunt and uncle right behind him. There is a hole in the sky over Manhattan. From behind them a long piercing grainy sound comes from the tv. An Emergency Alert system message is on the screen; repeating the message ‘this is not a test’ and ‘get to cover’.

         Ben scoops Peter up in one arm and grabs May's hand with the other. He pulls them both down the basement stairs, and the three of them huddle in the corner listening to a dusty battery-powered radio.

         Peter’s last view through the window was of Ironman Flying up and shooting the aliens down with his repulsors.

Stark Tower, Manhattan, NYC

         Selvig was putting the final touches on the tesseract accelerator when Ironman got there and shot at it. Loki has an energy shield up, so he and the tesseract are unharmed. Loki points the scepter at Stark’s chest, his power flowing through it. When the mind stone fails to take over Tony, Loki tosses him over the balcony of Stark Tower.

         A tear in space opens above the Stark Tower, aliens pouring through it. Ironman is shooting them down as fast as he can, but they keep coming.

         Thor is fighting Loki on a balcony of Stark tower.

         “Brother! What has happened to you? This is unlike you!” Loki can not respond. Thor gets the chance to pin Loki down and takes it. Now that there is a brief moment of calm Thor notices his eyes.

         “Your eyes, they are blue? Loki? Can you hear me?” Loki could hear him but it was as if he were talking through water. Loki breaks through the wall around his mind for a second.

         With effort, Loki grits out, “It’s too late to stop it.” The words are forced and strangled, and then the wall comes back two-fold.

         “We can, if we work together.” Loki stabs Thor in the side with a dagger. Thor’s grip loosened and Loki breaks free and disappears.

.oOo.

         Thor and Captain America are fighting aliens on the ground.

         Black Widow is riding on the back of one of the aliens with Loki shooting at her from behind. Hawkeye shoots an arrow at Loki, but he catches it without even looking at it. It explodes and Loki falls onto the balcony of Stark Tower.

         Loki flips his hair out of his face. With no immediate directive, Loki stands idle as a puppet waiting to be moved by its master. It is when the Avengers defeat the remaining aliens that Thanos brings him back to space. Loki’s body moving on its own. Words not his own coming out of his mouth, in his voice.

         “Send the rest.” The second wave of aliens is double the size of the first.

         “Alright, listen up. ‘Till we can close that portal up, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything, call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter, anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or you turn it to ash.”

         Hawkeye looks at Ironman, “You wanna give me a lift?”

         “Right, you better clench up Legolas.” Ironman grabs Hawkeye and flies off.

         “Thor, you gotta try to bottleneck that portal, slow ‘em down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up.” Thor twirls his hammer and shoots into the sky. Captain America turns to the Black Widow. “You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk, Smash.”

         All the Avengers get to their assigned tasks. Buildings being slashed by the giant flying aliens (later identified as leviathans); glass being flung everywhere. There are smashed cars, fires, and alien carcasses all over the street.

         Ironman flies a nuclear missile into the tear, the blast pushes him back through the portal just before it closes.

The Parker’s house, Forest Hills, Queens, New York, USA  

         After about three hours the city was quiet. The small family of three wearily uncurl from the corner where they took refuge. They exit their basement into a world that now knows they are not alone in the universe.

Somewhere in Space

         Loki is knelt down in front of a golden throne. His arms are shackled behind him. The cuffs are attached to a collar around his neck by a chain. Thanos walks to Loki and grabs the chain, jerking Loki’s head back at a painful angle.

         “You stupid half-breed. You failed! You had one task!” Thanos tosses Loki’s limp body to the ground and sends a kick to his stomach. Loki is sent flying into a wall, cracking the stone behind him and a couple bones with it. 

         “Toss him through a portal when your done playing with him.” Thanos retreats to his throne as two Chitauri guards haul Loki’s body up. Thanos sticks his arm out behind him, palm open, and rips his control from Loki’s mind leaving Loki in a catatonic state.

.oOo.

         Loki, bruised and broken, completely locked inside his own head, is tossed out into deep space. Frost starts to form on his cheeks almost instantly.

Chapter Text

The Cottage, Tbilisi , Abkhazia, Georgia, 2012

         Jörmungandr is the first to wake up, still coiled around Hel. He transforms into his Æsir form and pulls her into his lap. Fenrir starts waking up on his own so Jör scoots over to Sleipnir. Moving his hooves out of the way, Jör shakes him at his frontmost shoulder. Sleipnir startles awake.

         “What has happened? Where is Móðir?”

         “I do not know, I think they took him!” Jörmungandr's breaths become progressively more shallow. He hugs his sister tightly to his chest in a crushing grip. Sleipnir transforms but leaves his second pair of arms out. He pulls his brother and sister into a grounding hug.

         “Breathe bróðir. Can you feel my chest? Match your breathing to mine.” Sleipnir takes exaggerated breaths and waits for Jör to calm down.

         “Fen, come here. We are going to pool our seiðr together and search for the thread connecting us to Móðir.” All four siblings sit in a circle and hold each other’s hands, or paws in Fenrir’s case. They focus on melding their seiðr together and then stretching it out as far as it will go. Reaching out past the borders of the country they are in. Then past the edges of the earth, as far out into space as they can manage before the exhaustion sets in and they must stop.

         They pass out as soon as their seiðr is depleted.

.oOo.

         It has been three weeks, and they still have not had any luck in locating their parent.

         Sleipnir is out on a grocery run. The store he goes to is run by an old married couple. They had honeymooned in Abkhazia and fell in love with it. When they retired from their jobs in the states they moved here and opened this store together. The store always had a few televisions playing international news from different countries.

         Sleipnir does not pay any mind to the TVs and goes about getting what he needs off the shelves. As he is checking out at the counter, he hears one of the TVs mention his uncle. He hadn’t realized Thor was on Earth. As he is walking out, an all too familiar face appears on the screen. Sleipnir shifts into his giant form and sprints back to the cottage.

         He slams the door open.

         “I found him! Móðir is in a place called New York! In North America!” The siblings gather all their belongings. Jörmungandr shifts to his giant form and wraps himself and Hel to Sleipnir’s back. Fenrir carries their bags, some on his back, some in his mouth. When they are sure they have everything they set off for New York.

.oOo.

         Everything is over by the time they get there and had been over for a week. Apparently the story on the TV was a rerun.

         “What do we do now?” Fenrir dropped the bags in his mouth.

         “We find somewhere to live, and we keep searching for Móðir.”

         The siblings find a condemned warehouse to hunker down in. Sleipnir and Jörmungandr find part-time jobs. Sleipnir at a coffee shop and Jörmungandr at a used bookstore. After about three weeks they have enough to pay rent for a small apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

.oOo.

         It was a Tuesday. Jörmungandr was at work when he felt it. His Faðir’s seiðr. Sleipnir must have felt it too because he appeared out of thin air in front of him.

         “You felt it too brother?”

         “Yes.”

         “Let’s go get our Faðir back.”  Fenrir and Hel are at the apartment. All four siblings grab coats. Space is cold, you know. Sleipnir is the fastest in his giant form. Jörmungandr and Fenrir take on their Æsir form and all three siblings get on Sleipnir’s back.

         Jörmungandr, Fenrir, and Hel channel their seiðr into Sleipnir to help him gallop faster. They reach Loki in five minutes. He is floating in space, all alone. It seems like even the stars are shying away from him. It’s cold, and dark. Loki’s skin is completely blue from the cold. He is covered in frost and ice. Limbs stiff and immobile from floating in the frigid temperatures of space for they don’t know how long. Fenrir shifts to his giant form, hoping all of his fur will help warm his Faðir up.

         They decide that Fenrir will carry Loki back to Earth, since he is the warmest. It will take them longer to return but that might be for the best. They do not want to jostle their parent too much.

         It takes them three Earth days to make it back. They lay Loki on the bed in the bedroom. Fenrir brought in a space heater and the others piled all the blankets they could find on top of Loki. Fenrir, in wolf form, and Hel, lay on either side of Loki with Sleipnir folded onto the floor next to the bed. His head, slightly longer than her torso, lay beside Hel. Jörmungandr, in the smallest form he could manage, looped his body around Sleipnir’s neck and settled his head and one coil on Loki’s stomach. All they could do is wait and hope Loki wakes up soon.

Chapter Text

The siblings’ apartment, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NYC, 2012

         Loki slowly wakes up. The first thing he notices is he is surrounded by warmth. He looks around blearily, there is artificial light leaking through the window; he is in an unfamiliar place. Loki is in too much pain to even try to sit up, so he just lays there, staring at the ceiling above him. Waiting, for what, he doesn’t know. Just waiting. Time ticks away, the room starts to become brighter. The sun must be rising. The room is filled with the orange of the sunrise and the other occupants of the room finally start to rouse.

         Fenrir is the First to realize Loki is awake. Wagging his tail, he starts laying wet doggy kisses on Loki’s face.

         “Ack! Fen? Fen!” Loki’s voice is weak but warm. He frees his arms from the mass of blankets and wraps them around his son’s neck. All this commotion wakes the others. All of them hugging and cuddling Loki.

         Loki has a tired smile on his face, happy to be with his family again.

         Sleipnir tends to Loki’s wounds, with the help of Hel and Jörmungandr. Loki's jötunn form was still clinging to his skin and his extremities, protecting him from the brunt of the frostbite. Once they have Loki's wounds wrapped up Jörmungandr brings him an earth remedy, chicken noodle soup.

         Loki starts to regain his health. Starts being able to get up and move around on his own. Becomes less catatonic.

         Years go by and the family of five settle into life on Earth. Things take on a sense of normalcy and are calm, for a while.

Chapter Text

         The days go by normally, well, as normal as they can go. With, you know, superpowers and whatnot. The strength of Peter’s magic is growing little by little each day.

         He is slowly learning to control it, or at least not have it going haywire at every little inconvenience. His food didn’t get cooked all the way through in the school’s microwave one day and his magic burned it to a crisp. He stubbed his toe and a table exploded into splinters, and then vanished in his panic. 

         The weather being cold helps him hide his discolored skin and prevent it to a degree. The hardest things to cover so far are his nose and cheeks. They turn blue frequently and will not stay covered by a scarf. Peter has resorted to stealing Aunt May’s old makeup most days.

         Peter hasn’t been taken over by anger since that one time with Flash in the bathroom. He almost lost control when someone was trying to kidnap a little girl off the street but Spiderman was there to save the day and his mask covered his red eyes, so everything worked out.

         Peter had just finished his patrol. For once his backpack was exactly where he left it. There is a slight chill in the air but otherwise it is a beautiful night. Peter decides to walk home the normal way rather than swinging there like usual.

         He is about halfway to the subway station when his spider sense buzzes to life at the base of his skull. He is not in immediate danger, but someone is definitely watching him.

         Just as he is passing a small supermarket, he sees a woman walking the opposite way down the street. He doesn’t know why she stands out to him. All he can make out is she has waist length black hair.

         Peter takes the E train to the 67th street station. It’s a three-minute walk down Queens Blvd. to his and May’s apartment building from there. As he is walking up the stairs to exit the station, the same woman from before is walking down the stairs. Peter glances at her but they do not make eye contact.

         Peter is walking down Queens Blvd. when his senses pick up on the presence of someone following him. He walks past his building, all the way down to McDonald Park. He stops in the center of the circle of trees in the middle of the park. The woman stops behind him.

         “What do you want? Why are you following me?”

         “I was led to you, we are connected.” He turns around to face her.

         “Well, you’re being kinda creepy, miss.” Peter goes to walk away but his magic is urging him to stay.

         “You feel it too, do you not? The pull.” Peter is shocked, how could she know? 

         “M-maybe. What do you know about it?”

         “It is your seiðr, it is me it is calling out to.”

         “Why?”

         “Because we are family.”

         “What!?”

         “You are my son.” Aaand that's when she lost Peter. 

         “Ok! I’m leaving. I had a mom already and her name was Mary.”

         “We will see each other again.” That doesn’t sound like a threat at all. Peter climbs up a building as soon as he is out of sight and waits for her to leave before going home. 

         Peter sees the woman on his way to school the next day. And on the way home. She is the only thing standing still in all the hustle and bustle of New York. 

         The day after that, he sees her walking through the halls of the school during morning break. No one else seems to notice her, not even Ned.

         “Ned, do you see that lady?” Peter points at what looks like a blank wall.

         “What lady?” Ned looks at Peter like he has two heads. 

         “The one over there standing by the bathroom.” Peter is exasperated at this point. Ned squints his eyes and looks in the direction Peter is pointing. 

         “Peter, there is literally no one over there. Are you feeling ok? Maybe you should go home early.”

         He keeps seeing her around for the next two weeks. It finally get slightly more than irritating. 

         Peter walks into an alley after school, the woman follows him there. Because of course she does. 

         “Why do you keep following me?”

         “I just want to talk with you.”

         “Okay fine, you have five minutes.”

         Peter follows the mysterious woman down the street a little ways, to a coffee shop around the corner. Peter gets a hot chocolate, and the woman gets an oolong tea. Peter feels oddly calm around her, like he hadn’t realized he was stressed and suddenly the stress is gone or a pressure in his head that is finally dissipating. 

         “So, what did you want to talk about?” Peter is weary but curious all the same.

         “You are my son.”

         “I already told you…” Peter is interrupted mid-sentence.

         “Look at me.”

         Peter looks at the woman’s face. Now that he is closer he can see that her hair has a red undertone. She has scarring around her eyes, which are now red. Blue is slowly creeping down the skin of her cheeks, starting from around her eyes. Peter is speechless. He stares with wide eyes.

         “By your reaction, this form is familiar to you?”

         “Yeah, when I get mad, my eyes turn red and..”

         “And when you get cold, your skin turns blue?”

         “Yeah.” Peter’s response was more of an exhale than an actual word.

         “We are Jotun, well, half Jotun. You are also Æsir.”

         “What? But how?”

         “My father took you away from me and hid you away.”

         “Your father?”

         “Yes, you may have heard of him, Odin?”

         “Odin?! But that’s Thor’s dad!”

         “Yes, follow me.”

         Peter hesitates but ultimately decides to follow the woman. She has such a calming aura. Once they are out of view, down an alley, she spins around, and a hole opens up in the pavement below him. Unbeknownst to peter One of the woman’s abilities is being able to create dimensional rifts. 

         She sees the look of betrayal on Peter's face, and the last thing he sees before everything goes black is the look of apology on hers. 

         Peter wakes up on a green couch. He looks around and notices a little girl staring at him. She yells in a language he does not understand. 

         “Faðir! He is awake!” The little girl runs off into another room. The one he is in is filled with mismatched bookcases, all of them overflowing with books. There are plates with candles, melted and fresh, scattered throughout the room; on the side tables, on top of some of the bookcases, even a couple on the floor by what looks like an oversized dog bed. The room gives off an overall comfy vibe.

         A man with shoulder length black hair walks out from the same doorway the girl just ran into. He makes his way over and sits in a plush chair next to the couch. 

         “Hello, I am glad you are finally awake.” Peter sits up and turns to face the new person. He looks slightly familiar, but he doesn’t think he has ever met this man before.

         “Who are you?”

         “Oh yes. You are most familiar with this form.” The man turns into the woman who had been following him around.

         “Whaaa, how did you do that!?” The female form melts away.

         “Magic, or more specifically, seiðr.”

         “You said I had that too, right? Say-deer?”

         “Seiðr, yes.”

         “So you’re an alien?”

         “You could say that.”

         “Does that make me an alien too!?”

         “Haha. I suppose so.” The man lets out a soft warm laugh.

         “Weird!”

         “Quite.”

Chapter Text

The siblings' apartment, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NYC, 2018

         Loki spent his days calmly. He would pick up odd jobs here and there, mostly finding lost pets and items. Most of the time he was familiarizing himself with Earth and making connections to the beings that live here.

         Loki felt the need to stay close to home recently. He spent time with his kids when they were not off doing their own thing. Plus he had been trying out different earth hobbies to occupy time.

         It was a cool evening. Loki was sitting in a plush chair perpendicular to the couch in the living room. It was a light brown, soft material. He had set the space heater in front of the chair and wrapped himself up in a dark green blanket. Just because he was Jotun did not mean he liked the cold! Quite the contrary, any weather that could force his skin to turn blue was not weather he liked.

         He had just snuggled in with a book when he felt a tug on his seiðr. Loki groaned a slight protest but got up anyway. He had a feeling he knew what, or who, this was, and it was important for him to go. The last missing piece of their family may soon be returned to them.

         Loki chose a female form to go out more often than not. Too many people would be able to recognize him otherwise. He could completely alter his appearance if he wished but he felt the most comfortable in this form or the male alternative. Other forms were…itchy. 

         Loki put on a light green sweater and some black fur-lined sports tights. She pulled on some warm, black, waterproof boots and followed the pull of her seiðr. One of the conveniences of having innate powers is she can teleport on feeling alone, she does not need to be able to see where she is going or to have been there before. A mental image is helpful but not a requirement. 

         She steps out onto a street, she can tell she is still in New York, but she does not know exactly where. She starts walking. The area, while still full of people, is not nearly as busy as it could be. Through the crowds she spots a boy walking towards her on the opposite side of the street.

         Instantly, she knows this is who she is being pulled to. The boy looks to be in his late teens, he has green eyes and light brown hair that darkens to almost black at the roots. He slightly flinches and glances around. They pass each other and she sees him enter a subway terminal.

         Her seiðr tells her the child is getting further away. She opens a rift and steps through it.

         Looking around, she sees another subway station, 67Av. The boy passes her as she is descending the stairs. Once she is sure the child has exited the station she teleports to the top of the stairs and follows him, gradually closing the distance between them.

         “What do you want? Why are you following me?”

.oOo.

         The child does not believe he is her son. Loki did not expect him to believe her right away. Instead of forcing the issue she decides she will follow the child until the time when he is ready to talk again.

         The pull was growing stronger by the day. The boy must feel it too. Her child, who Odin stole from her. Þórfreðr, Þórðr for short, was one year younger than Vali and Nari. The three brothers were always so close. There was no sibling rivalry between them whatsoever.

         After two days Peter agrees to talk with her. She drops Peter through a portal to their apartment, then steps in after him.

         Hel is the only one home when he gets there. Loki’s feminine features melt away into his masculine ones.

         “Faðir! Who is this?” 

         “He is your bróðir.”

         “I have another bróðir!?” Hel questions in a shy but excited voice.

         “Yes, child. He is 4000 years older than you, but he does not remember us. He should have just turned 1700 five months ago.”

         “Aww, why is he sleeping? I want to meet him!”

         “He will wake shortly. You may wait here if you wish.”

         “Yes!” Hel sits beside the couch. Her face almost touching Peter’s.

         It is almost 20 minutes later when her new brother starts to wake up. As soon as she is sure he is fully awake, she jumps up to get her father.

         “Faðir! He is awake!” She informs in an excited whisper. Loki had been reading a book. Books mean quiet time. Loki easily gets absorbed in whatever he is reading, therefore all the kids try not to startle him when he is reading.

         “Thank you for letting me know, princess.” Loki rises from the large bean bag that is in the bedroom. With the apartment being 1 bedroom 1 bathroom, they make use of the space they have.

.oOo. 

         Just as Peter and Loki finish their discussion Jörmungandr and Sleipnir walk through the door. Hel walks up to her brothers and gives them hugs to welcome them home.

         “Hello Faðir.”

         “Hello Móðir, who is this?”

         “This is Þórðr, he is Vali and Nari’s younger brother.” Everyone is silent for a moment, missing their siblings that were taken from them.

         “Why do I not remember him, Móðir?”

         Loki switches back to English to answer. “Sigyn and I hid him because he was born with Jötunn features like I, where Vali and Nari did not. Odin would have killed him otherwise. When Odin did eventually find you, he saw fit to use you as leverage against me.”

         “What? My grandpa would have killed me!?” Peter's disbelief turns morose. “Wait, I had brothers?” More family he never got the chance to know.

         “Yes, they were twins, a year older than you and a year younger than Jör.” Hel grabs Loki’s hand.

         “Father, we should all introduce ourselves!”

         “Good idea princess. Do you want to go first?”

         “Yes! Hi Peter! I’m Hel and I’m 13, in Asgardian years.” Hel was thin but not unhealthy. The left side of her face had her skull exposed, and can we just stop to appreciate that Peter was not freaking out about that? Her skin is pale and has a slightly gray pallor to it. Her eyes are black with white pupils, and her hair is a shiny silver with black underneath.

         “I am your oldest brother, Sleipnir. 23.” He had black skin that looked like it had sparkles embedded into it, four arms, and lean muscles. He looked like he was a professional sprinter, just you know, less human. And tall, at least 6’3’’, with purple eyes, and his hair is long and a cool shiny black.

         “Jörmungandr, 19.” He looks like a mini-Loki, just with shorter hair. His hair is slightly longer than his chin with long bangs that hang in his face. “We also have another brother who is 21.”

         “Yes, have either of you seen Fen today?”

         “He said he was going off world for a little bit.” Hel replied helpfully, she was home when he left.

         “Hm.” Loki was slightly worried but trusted Fenrir to be able to take care of himself or reach out if he needed help. 

         Jörmungandr sits next to Peter on the couch and Sleipnir sits on the floor in front of him. He climbs into Loki's lap and settles down. 

         “So, all you guys are my family?” Peter receives nods with varying levels of enthusiasm. 

         “And Thor is my uncle?” Loki lets out a soft chuckle. 

         “It would appear so.” Loki has an amused smirk on his face. 

         “Oh, cool. This is all weird, but cool! Can I tell Ned? What do I tell May? Does May know?”

         “The choice belongs to you, with whom you want to tell.”

         “And May?” 

         “I do not know if she was informed of the circumstances of your birth. That is a question you should ask her.”

Chapter Text

Peter and May's apartment, 103-10 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY, 2018

         Loki opened a portal that dropped Peter right in front of his apartment building. 

         Peter is still in shock. First he gets weird new powers that have nothing to do with spiders. Then he gets stalked, and it turns out that his stalker was his dad! Or mom!? He's not really sure. This is insane. Well, maybe not so insane with how their world has become. But still! It's unexpected, at the very least. 

         He unlocks the door to his apartment, May is sitting on the couch when he walks in. 

         “Where have you been, Peter?! It's almost 10!” 

         “Sorry Aunt May!”

         “Where were you?”

         “I met someone.”

         “Oh! A girlfriend?” May pokes Peter’s shoulder in playful slyness, the corners of her eyes crinkling with her smile.

         “No, no! Nothing like that! Someone claiming I was their son.”

         “Oh Peter,” May pulls Peter into a hug. “There are a lot of weirdos out there.”

         “I think they were telling the truth, though.” Peter’s voice is muffled by May’s shoulder, hugging her back.

         “I always wondered. When your parents brought you here to meet Ben and I, it was so sudden.” May pulls Peter to sit on the couch. May pulls a pillow to her and hugs it to her chest. Peter does the same and curls into the corner of the couch.

         “Your parents, Mary and Richard, they were always traveling for work, we hardly ever saw them. Ben and I thought it would be plausible for us to have never met you before, but it was weird that they had never mentioned having a son. When we met you for the first time, you were seven. Ben and I overlooked it because we were excited to have a nephew, and a niece on the way.

         “Niece?”

         “We’ve never talked about this before?” Peter shook his head. “Mary was pregnant when their plane crashed, with a girl. They were planning to name her Teressa.”

         Peter’s eyes start to well up with tears. In the last six hours he has found out that he has three dead siblings. Two he can’t remember and one he never had the chance to meet. May sees this and holds her arms open. Peter crawls to her and curls into her side. May wraps her arms around him and continues her story.

         “Mary and Richard met on a job. They were both on a joint task force between the F.B.I., C.I.A., D.O.D., and S.H.I.E.L.D.. Mary worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Richard worked for the C.I.A.. Most of their missions were overseas.”

Classified location, Norway, 2008

         “What is the status of the team investigating those energy readings?”

         “They are almost at the site, sir.”

         “Good, keep me updated.”

         “The team is sending a message, sir.”

         “Put them up on the screen.”

         “Director Fury, this is Mary Fitzpatrick reporting in.”

         “Go ahead.”

         “We have arrived at the source of the energy disturbance. There appears to be a large runic circle, about three meters in diameter. There is residual energy in the area. Mr. Parker and his team are collecting data and samples now.”

         “Good work agent Fitzpatrick. Report back when you find something.”

         “Will do, sir. Fitzpatrick out.”

.oOo.

         They have been at the site for two weeks so far. Mary is on her way to the research tent when a thick fog starts to roll in. There is a current in the air that makes the hair on her arms stand up. She places her hand on her gun but doesn't pull it out of its holster. 

         She hears footsteps to her left and whips her gun out. There is an older man carrying a child. He pauses at the edge of the fog, small wisps of it floating around him.

         “I mean you no harm, human. I have been watching you all since you got here.”

         “You’ve been watching us? Why?”

         “Because the device that was containing this child, the casket of winters, was stolen by an enemy. My destroyer was able to retrieve the child. Now I need to be rid of him.” If the Jötunn found out they had a prince with ties to the Asgardian throne it could undermine his authority. 

         “Destroyer?”

         “Appreciate the information I have freely given, woman! Do not ask questions!” The air pressure changes, it becomes heavy, like it is pushing down on her. 

         “He is blue.”

         “Yes. He has a spell on him, he will take on the form of whomever I decide to give him to.”

         “And that is me?”

         “You and your scientist partner.”

         “Why us.”

         “Enough questions.” The man dropped the child at her feet and disappeared. The fog went with him. Mary holstered her gun and bent down to get a better look at the child. As she turned him over to see his face, his hair turned a light brown and his skin turned peach. She gathered him in her arms and continued on her way to the research tent. Richard was the only one still working this late at night. 

         “Hey Mary. What brings you here so late?”

         “I was on my way to see you, and somehow I acquired a child.” 

         “You’re pregnant?” Richard spins around from his work station and sees the child. 

         “Whaa? Where did he come from?”

         “He was thrown at me, literally.”

         “Does he have a name?” 

         “Þórðr is embroidered into his shirt.”

         “So, Peter? That is a nice strong name.” Richard was taking this in stride. He has a son now, okay.

         “As for the reason I was coming to see you. I am pregnant.” Richard’s eyes widened and he promptly passed out. Mary let out a soft laugh. What is she going to do with him? What are they going to tell Ben and May?

Peter and May's apartment, 103-10 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY, 2018

         “And then their plane crashed?”

         “Yeah, then their plane crashed. I’m so sorry Peter. I larb you.”

         “I larb you too Aunt May.

         May and Peter fell asleep just like that, curled together on the couch. Both of them taking comfort in the familiarity of each other. 

Chapter Text

Midtown, Manhattan, New York, USA, 2018

         It was finally Friday. His week has been a rollercoaster and he is happy it is almost the weekend. Gym was their second to last class of the day. Whoever thought it was a good idea to do physical exercise right after they had just eaten, he doesn't know, but that is how it is. 

         As it was the last Friday of the month, they were doing the Captain America physical fitness test. He and Ned paired up as they always did. Peter told him about Loki claiming to be his dad. Now Ned was firing questions at him while holding his feet down for crunches. 

         “So what all did you guys talk about?”

         “Loki said my mother was an Asgardian and I had two older brothers.”

         “Had?”

         “Yeah, apparently my uncle killed them.

         “Thor killed kids?!”

         “No, no, no, a different uncle. Loki says he had four adopted brothers, but he killed one, and his dad killed one. Now he has two brothers; Tyr, the one who killed my brothers, and Thor.”

         “Crazy, dude.”

         “No kidding.”

         “So does this make you a god?”

         “Maybe?”

         “Dude! Two god parents makes a god kid!” Peter didn’t think Ned’s eyes could get any wider. “Holy crap my best friend’s a god!”

         “Shhh. Not so loud Ned!”

         Peter glanced around and saw Flash looking in their direction. He hopes he didn’t catch any of their conversation. Peter didn't know how he could explain away this one if he did. 

.oOo.

         He and Ned have a chemistry lab report to finish, so they decide to go to Peter's apartment. There is a Dunkin’ Donuts at the exit to the 67 th subway station. They decide to stop in and get frozen chocolates and donuts on their way. 

         “So, what are you gonna do?”

         “I don’t know yet.”

         “Did you tell May?”

         “She kind of already knew.”

         “That Loki is your dad?”

         “No, that I was adopted, sorta.”

         “Ooooh. Oh! This is where your new powers came from?”

         “Yeah, he said I was half Asgardian. The other half is Jötun, which are ice giants, I think? That’s why my skin turns blue, his does too.”

         “Does he know about Spiderman?”

         “I don’t think so? He didn't mention it at least.”

         “Are you gonna see him again?”

         “Probably? He didn't give me a phone number or anything.”

         “Would he even know what a phone is?”

         “I didn’t think about that.”

Chapter Text

Peter and May's apartment, 103-10 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY, 2018

         A soft hissing noise woke Peter up. There was a green piebald ball python coiled up on his desk chair. Peter definitely does not jump up and cling to the ceiling, nope. The snake lifts its head and smells the air. 

         Jörmungandr had been practicing making his giant form smaller. This morning he decided to try to imitate an earth species of snake and sneak into his new brother's apartment. He would say he was successful. Almost as soon as he felt the air move his brother was no longer in his bed. He was on the ceiling, what? As far as he knew, none of his other siblings nor father could do that. 

         Peter releases his grip from the ceiling and lands softly on the floor. He approaches the snake cautiously, and carefully picks it up. The snake curls around his arm and nuzzles his hand. There is a feeling in the back of his mind that he should put the snake down.

         As soon as his brother puts him down, Jörmungandr transforms into his Æsir form. 

         “Hello Peter.”

         “Jörmungandr!”

         “Jör.”

         “What?”

         “Call me Jör.”

         “Oh. Okay. Yor. Cool. Wait, how did you get in here?” Jörmungandr just gave Peter a look, “Magic, right.”

         “Not magic.”

         “???” Peter’s eyebrows scrunched together.

         “It’s not magic, it’s seiðr.”

         “Right.”

         “I opened a rift into your apartment and followed your scent to this room.”

         “Cool.”

         “Yes.”

         “Sleip and I are here to take you to Father. Get dressed.” Jör left the room to give him privacy. 

         Peter put on some jeans and a green science pun t-shirt that said ‘Be like a proton, always positive!’, and went to find Jör. 

         Once they get outside, Jörmungandr starts walking towards someone Peter had never seen before. He was olive complected and had his black hair up in a messy bun on the top of his head. Once the stranger heard them coming up behind him, he turned around. He looked vaguely familiar. It wasn't until he greated them in the same accent Jörmungandr had that he recognized who the stranger was. 

         “Whoa Sleipnir you look different!”

         “Yes, the last time you saw me I was in my half giant form.”

Loki's apartment, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NYC, 2018

         Loki was sitting on the couch reading a book when they all walked in.

         “Father, we have returned.” 

         “Good, come sit, we have a lot to discuss.” All three boys sat around Loki. Peter and Jörmungandr on either side of him, and Sleipnir in the chair. 

         “Peter, I am sure you have noticed changes in your physiology? Other than the skin and eyes, of course. ” 

         “Uh, yeah. I think my hair is getting darker too. If I focus really hard I can look like other people. Oh! I levitated something to me before! Uh, I feel like there was something else, but I can't remember it right now.”

         “That is perfectly alright. It is amazing you can do that much already. The enchantment is not even fully broken yet.” 

         “Enchantment? Wait, there's more stuff I'll be able to do? Peter had enough on his plate already! New powers were not on his to-do list! 

         “Yes, as you should biologically be turning 18 this year, your powers should be coming in full. The spell Odin put on you has been slowly breaking down over the years you have spent on Earth and with us also being here, it is deteriorating more quickly.”

         “What do you mean biologically 18?”

         “We age the equivalent of 1 earth year every 1000 years. If Odin had kept you frozen you would still be 7 but with the spell, you aged in earth time and therefore technically are the age you should be. Once the spell wears off completely, though, your aging will slow down to the same rate as ours.” 

         “Oh, so I’m like, really really old?”

         “Ha ha, yes, we all are.”

         “Cool, cool cool cool. So um, I’m gonna like, outlive all my friends? And everyone I know? May?

         “Yes, I am sorry Peter. We still feel time pass the same way as midgardians do, we just live significantly longer.”

         Jörmungandr leaned forward to look at Peter, “As someone who has been trapped here for ten thousand years. I can attest to time passing by the same way.”

         “Jörmungandr is right, I was trapped here as well. Unfortunately I was to, preoccupied, to realize that I was this close to one of my sons.”

         “When Sleipnir came to midgard, though, I was able to feel the connection in our seiðr and go find them.”

         “And we all have the say-der stuff?”

         “Yes, you all get that trait from me. My seiðr, our seiðr, is innate. We were born with it. It is something you have to feel and guide, it can not be forced into submission. Peter, as you are half Æsir, you will not have a giant form like your brothers and sister. My mother taught me Asgardian magic and you can learn that too, but you have to know how your innate magic flows through you before you can start learning other things. Asgardian magic should be easier for you to learn then it was for me.”

         “I guess if we are talking ‘bout powers there is someth…” A guy falls through the doorway to the apartment. The door slams against the wall and leaves a dent. From what Peter could see of him he has unruly dark brown hair and golden tan skin. He lands face first in the entryway, two puppies following at his heels. One, the lighter one, jumped onto his back, the other one noticed the people in the room looking at them and sat nervously by the door, tail tucked under his paws with only the tip flicking back and forth. 

         Loki flinches at the sudden commotion and jumps up. Once he realizes there is no danger he rushes to the new person. “Fen, are you alright barn?”

         “Fine Faðir, just forgot how to walk on only two legs. Can't open the door as a dog now can I?” Loki grabbed the puppy from off Fenrir’s back and helped his son to his feet. 

         Now that Peter could get a better look at him, he noticed the guy. His brother? Jör had said they had another brother who was 21. Had golden eyes and a plethora of bulky muscles in places Peter didn’t even realize you could have muscles. The dude was buff, but not hot guy buff, he had the kind of muscles you get from doing manual labor, like working on a farm or something.

         “I am sure you could manage.” Sleipnir and Jörmungandr get up to hug their brother.

         Sleipnir had heard rumors of Fenrir having kids, The offspring of the fierce Hróðvitnir ; he was unsure if there was any truth to them. Fenrir did have the most freedom out of all of them for a while, before he too was locked away because others feared his power. It seems the rumors were correct. 

         Fenrir was ecstatic to be back with his family again, that they could all finally meet his sons. His Faðir had scoped Hati into his arms. Skoll is sitting right inside the door, Fenrir turns and picks him up. 

         Everyone moves back into the living room. As Fenrir sat on his dog bed in the corner, he finally noticed the stranger in the room. How his wolf nose did not pick up on the new scent before he doesn't know. 

         Their eyes meet and there is a startlingly familiar aura around the boy. He feels just like them, like their Faðir, that is probably why he did not sense him at first. He obviously means no harm, but he smells of power, one different from their own. It is an odd scent, he does not know what to make of it. 

         “Fen, this is Peter. He is, was, Vali and Nari’s younger brother. Peter, this is Fenrir.” Peter gives a small half aborted wave and Fenrir nods in acknowledgment. Now that introductions are done and everyone is settled back into a seat Loki looked at Fenrir with an expression that very obviously conveyed that he was supposed to explain where he picked up two children. Loki was not fooled by the children’s current forms.

         Fenrir sat up a little straighter under all the attention. “Everyone, these are my sons. This is Skoll, and the one in Faðir’s lap is Hati.” Both boys transformed into their Æsir forms. Skoll gave a little wave and Hati said ‘hello’ to everyone.

         Hati looked like a mini Fenrir, He had dark brown hair and sunkissed skin. The only difference is one of his eyes is green. Skoll also had one green eye and one gold eye, but it was opposite to Hati’s. Skoll had black hair that shined red when light hit it and pale skin just like Loki, Peter, and Jörmungandr. 

         “Boys, these guys are your uncles, aunt, and grandfather.”

         “So we don't have to hide anymore?” Hati's little voice spoke up. 

         “No, pup. We are safe here.” 

         “Yay!” 

Chapter Text

         “Sir, Loki has been detected in Brooklyn.” Up until this point, Tony had been serenely working in his personal lab.

         “Say that again!?”

         “I have collected pictures of Loki from street cameras in and around Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.”

         “J.A.R.V.I.S., call an Avengers meeting. Tell them to go to the usual conference room.”

         “Very good sir.”

.oOo.

         “Okay team, we have evidence that Loki is back on Earth.”

         “Straight to the point as always, huh Cap.” Barton had his bow and arrows laid out in front of him on the table, sharpening their points. He still has a bone to pick with a certain Asgardian, and he doesn't mean Thor. 

         “Tony, can you pull up the pictures your A.I. found?” Tony pulled up the images on his hologram screens and spread them around the table. 

         “It looks like he is just walking around aimlessly. Do we have an address for him?” Natasha asking the important questions as always.

         “J.A.R.V.I.S. triangulated his location to one block in Bay Ridge, but the cameras never show him going into a building. The only other places he shows up are in one picture in Manhattan and two in Queens.”

         Clint puts down the arrow he was inspecting. “Should we call Thor? Loki is supposed to be locked up on Asgard right?”

         “No, he disappeared before he could be arrested in 2012.” Steve stares pensively at all of the images rotating around the table. “Look, he is in front of the same building in three of these.”

         “Whelp, that’s as good a place to start as any. Right Capsicle?”

         “Right, everyone, suit up.”

.oOo.

         Fenrir had just left to take Hel and his sons to the park down the street. Loki, Jörmungandr, and Sleipnir were cuddling on the couch. Ever since the pups moved in, there has not been a quiet moment. It was nice to have the apartment so lively, but Loki enjoys this quiet relaxation just as much. Spending it with two of his sons was even better.

         Jörmungandr is half asleep, Loki’s hand running through his hair lulling him to sleep. Sleipnir sees a strange flash from the building across from them. Like the sun reflecting off metal. He gets up and crosses the room to the window.

         He speaks with urgency. “Móðir, the Avengers are outside!” Loki snaps his head to where Sleip is looking. 

         “Stay here, do not let them see you! Send word to Fen through your link. I will return.” With that, Loki was gone.

         Loki stepped out of a rift on a street directly opposite of their apartment building. The avengers did not notice him coming up behind them. “Hello Avengers, to what do I owe this pleasure?” They all spun around, startled. All with weapons pointed at him. 

         “Loki, you are under arrest for your crimes against planet Earth.”

         “I take it you are not willing to hear me out on this matter?”

         “...”

         “I did not think so. I will come peacefully.” The Widow appeared from somewhere behind him, vibranium, anti-magic cuffs in hand.

         “Stay where you are and this won’t hurt.” The Black Widow approaches Loki with the cuffs; as a dog catcher would approach with a catcher pole.

         “Those are unnecessary.” Loki grimaced, looking over his shoulder at the approaching red-head.

         “I think it would make us all feel better if you wore them, now don’t move.” Loki flinches slightly as the cuffs click into place, dread pooling in the bottom of his stomach.

         Sleipnir is able to do nothing but watch as his móðir was taken, again. The avengers chain the cuffs to a seat in the quinjet and raise the ramp. And then they are gone.

.oOo.

         The world muted around Loki, all he could hear was a high pitched continuous ringing in his ears. Images of being tied to that rock in Veryovkina were flashing behind his eyes. The few moments the images let up, Captain America, and Bruce Banner look like they are talking in slow motion, but the words do not reach his ears.

         “Banner, what is wrong with him?”

         “He appears to be having a flashback of some kind. He is completely unresponsive.”

         “He did look uncomfortable when Nat put those restraints on him.”

         Natasha scoffed at him. “Would you prefer to wear the cuffs Tony? It’s your tower he attacked. Loki is a threat to national security. We can’t take any risks when bringing him in.”

         “I was just saying.” Tony slumps down into his seat, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. He doesn't know why he bothers to speak anymore. Nat always sides with Cap in the end. He sees the haunted look in Loki’s eyes, his green eyes. What? Weren't they blue before? Tony recognizes the look in Loki’s eyes, he is no stranger to trauma.

         Clint yells over his shoulder from the pilot’s seat. “Ten minutes ‘till wheels down.” Everyone buckles into their seats to prepare to land.

.oOo.

         Loki is listless as he is led to a room with no windows. It’s large and one wall is made of glass. He feels as though weights are attached to his ankles and his shoulders are slumped. Maybe giving himself up was not such a good idea.

         Loki eventually comes to and the first thing he notices is the feeling of eyes on him. Natasha Romanoff is seated on the other side of the table he is cuffed to. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are standing against the wall on either side of her.

         “To whom do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

         Natasha folds her hands in front of her. “We have some questions for you.”

         Loki waved his hand nonchalantly, well, as much as he could. “Ask away.” He said with a sigh, tiredness masked my mischief in his eyes.

         “Why are you back on Earth?” Loki rolled his eyes at this.

         “I never left.” Natasha’s eyes widened the slightest bit, but Loki caught the movement before she could cover it with indifference.

         “And you’ve been, what, biding your time until you can try to take over the world again?” Loki’s eyes darkened at this. He didn’t need to be reminded of his time with Thanos and The Other.

         “No, I have been living my life like any other Midgardian, something you people are currently interrupting. 

         “You want us to believe that you have just been quietly living on Earth for the last six years? Working some dead-end job just like the rest of us?” Natasha raises an eyebrow. 

         “Yes.” Loki leans back to present an air of calmness he was not feeling.

         “What would a god find interesting on a backwater planet like Earth?” Natasha links her fingers together and raises an eyebrow. “How can you stand to be in a place you failed to take over? Where everyone hates you, resents you, wants you dead for the damage you caused.”

         Wetness collects in Loki’s eyes but he does not allow it to fall. “You think I do not know of the pain I caused? Of the lives I ruined? I do know, and I have to live with that. You-” There is a strange buzz in the air. A static and pressure he knows all too well. “You may want to cover your ears.” Loki smirks at their confusion. There is a thundering crash outside of the tower and a shower of technicolor lights. Tony and Steve rush out of the room to greet the only other Asgardian they know. 

         Thor burst into the room, the other two trailing behind him looking confused and agitated. Thor has that effect on people. When he is on a mission he only has eyes for his goal. Today, that goal was, apparently, Loki. He is not sure if he should be concerned or relieved. His brother marches straight to him, ignoring all others, and pulls him into an awkward and slightly painful side-hug.

         “Why is my brother in chains? I request you release him at once!”

         “No can do, Point Break. Your brother is a wanted criminal, who threw me off my own building.” Tony directs an irritated glare at the brothers.

         “Tony is right. S.H.I.E.L.D. wants him incarcerated and questioned.”

         “My brother was not in his right mind. He had no control over his actions!” Loki hunches his shoulders in on himself more. He wants this conversation, interrogation, this whole day, to be over. Everyone talking around him like he was not even there is just bringing up memories of Asgard.

         Thor swings an arm out in his animated defense of Loki and he flinches slightly at the sudden movement. It seems that his movement is more obvious than he realized because they all stop their conversation to look at him.

         “If you are going to exile me from Earth, would you kindly do it already. Some of us have better things to do.” Loki added extra snark for good measure.

         “Better things, like what, exactly?” Natasha, ever suspicious, tries to glean all the information she can from him. Loki just huffs and rolls his eyes. Evidently Thor has had enough of trying to talk things out with his comrades because he grabs Loki’s shackles and rips them apart. Obviously they were only magic proof, not brute-strength proof.

         “How do we know he is safe to let loose?” Tony gestures at Loki.

         Loki rubs at his wrists and stands beside Thor. He can feel his seiðr thrumming under his skin again.

         “Loki has been on Earth all this time and has not caused any trouble. Besides, Stark, if Loki had actually wanted to do any harm when he attacked New York he would have. He could have killed the Captain if he had wanted to but he did not.”

         “What do you mean he could have killed me? Tony and I had him handled!”

         “No, Loki gave up and ran away. Your shield does no damage to him and we are much stronger than you mortals. Loki was able to hold back. He was brainwashed, same as Clint and Dr. Selvig.” Loki has the sneaking suspicion that one of his children has spoken to his bróðir about what happened to him. He does not know if he should be thankful or irritated.

         It's quiet in the room now, the three mortals having a conversation with their eyes and silent gestures. They finally seem to come to a decision. 

         “Fine, we'll let Prancer here stay. Under supervision, of course. I will set up a room for him on your floor. BUT, you are responsible for his actions.”

         Thor is smiling ear to ear, Loki just scoffs. “I am not a pet!” 

         “Quiet brother.” Thor slaps a hand over Loki’s mouth. Loki rolls his eyes.

.oOo.

         Thor and Loki sat in the main common room of the Avengers Tower. Stark went to prepare a room for Loki and the others disappeared. 

         “How have you been, brother? Everyone misses you.”

         “It is unbecoming of you to lie, Thor.”

         “ I missed you.” They sit in silence for a few moments before Thor speaks again. “Why did you not return when you were freed from your prison?” Loki flinches slightly.

         That, that struck a nerve. “A prison? Is that where you think I was?” Thor’s eyes widen slightly at the unexpected hostility from his younger brother. Fury visible in his eyes. “Your brother murdered my children! In front of Sigyn and I, in the most gruesome way he could think of!  We had to watch as Tyr turned Vali into a wolf and be driven to kill Nari. Odin, your father, had already taken my other children away so I would be forced to have Æsir children. AND THEN HE KILLED THEM TOO! 

         “Father would not have…”

         “Who do you think gave the order for my punishment!? Odin has always hated me! He told me of my heritage as a child and used it to torture me. Oh you have seiðr? Must be your monstrous blood showing itself. You can change forms? Go let a horse fuck you so I do not have to hold up my end of a bargain. You got pregnant? MORE PROOF YOU ARE A MONSTER!! Tyr ripped apart my children in front of me, ripped their organs out, and tied me to a rock on Midgard with them. I spent ten thousand years wrapped in the organs of my dead children! All while being BLIND because Tyr instructed a snake to drip its venom in my eyes. CONSTANT PAIN for TEN THOUSAND YEARS , do you know what that feels like? No, you don’t. You are the favorite child. The one Odin wants to hand his throne to. What reason do I have to go back there?”

         “I… understand, brother. I care for you, as does Mother.” Thor takes a hard look at his younger brother. There are scars around his eyes, as if the flesh was eaten away by acid. And he still had scars around his lips from when they were children. How could he not have realized just how inhumane his father’s punishments were. How he and Loki were not treated the same. He knew of the bullying from their brothers, but not from their father as well. He was unsure of what to do. What he could do. “Brother, I apologize.” 

         Loki's eyes snap up to meet Thor’s eyes. His gaze softening slightly at Thor's sincerity. “It was not your fault. We were children, all pawns in Odin's game.”

         A throat clears from across the room. Stark is leaning against the door frame. “I don't mean to interrupt this heartfelt moment, but I'm done with the room. If you would both follow me please.

Chapter Text

Avengers Tower, Midtown, Manhattan, NYC, USA, 2018

         Pepper Potts walks into Tony's lab. “Tony, I think you should look at this.”  She places a stack of papers on the workbench he is currently hunched over. 

         “What is this Pepper?” 

         “A tour group was given that test you and Bruce made.” 

         “What, did one of them cry?” 

         “No, one of them passed.” Tony dropped the 10 mm that was in his hand. 

         “What? JARVIS pull the group up on your cameras.” In one of the lower level R&D labs there is a group of twelve students meandering around the room.

.oOo.

         Peter and Ned sat in a seat together at the back of the bus. Their decathlon team was going on a field trip. Apparently their winning streak was bringing good publicity to the school, so they were being rewarded. Both boys were talking a mile a minute about what they thought they would see in the labs as Stark industries. Peter followed the news on Tony Stark even before he was Ironman, going to Avengers Tower was like a dream come true for him.

         They pulled up in front of the building and everyone rushed to get off the bus. Mr. Herrington led the group through the doors and to the front desk. There was a lady sitting there who looked to be in her early thirties or late twenties. She handed him a box of guest badges to hand out. As the box was being passed around a guy came out from a room behind the desk. He introduced himself as Harley and explained that he will be their tour guide for the day. He had a deep southern accent.

         “If y’all’ll follow me please. Once you scan your pass, JARVIS’ll register it to ya and you’ll be allowed inta any room where I’ve scanned my badge. Your passes will deactivate when you scan out of the building when the tour’s over. That way, y’all can keep it as a souvenir. Who wants ta go first?” 

         Flash elbowed his way to the front of the group and swiped his pass on the scanner. When his name came out of the speaker on the metal detector (it looks like a metal detector anyway) he was wearing the suggest look on his face that Peter had ever seen. 

         Once everyone was registered in the system Harley led them through some of the offices on the business side of Stark Industries. They got to meet one of their patent lawyers and walked through the room where Tony Stark announced he was Ironman. Now they were headed to the museum. Harley was talking about how the museum followed the entire history of Stark Industries and it even had Howard Stark’s hovercar from The World Exposition of Tomorrow . Apparently they added a section for the Avengers too. 

         Harley presses his badge to the scanner by the door and the whole group follows in behind him. Flash first of course.

         “You guys have 45 minutes to look around in here. After that, we’ll get to the part I know you're all the most excited for.” Harley sat in a chair by the door and started doing something on his StarkPad. 

         “Look Peter! It’s the original blueprints of the tower!”

         “That’s cool Ned.”

         “You didn't even look!” Peter’s attention was held by the schematic for the arc reactor. “Isn't it kind of dangerous for this to be out on display?”

         “No look.” Peter pointed to a section on the drawing that looked just the same as the others. “It’s missing a few pieces. If someone tried to build it from this, it would just blow up after, like, 15 seconds.”

         “Wow, you found that so fast!”

         “Heh heh.” Peter picked at a random spot on his arm. “Yeah, but I can’t analyse and write code as well as you can.”

         “Aww, thanks dude!” Ned pulled Peter into a quick side hug. They spent the rest of their time wandering between tables and showcases. 

         “Okay! Time’s up.” Harley waited for all the students to gather around him. “We are now going to one of the lower lever research and development labs.” They cheered and whooped. “But-”

         “Nooo.”

         “BUT, first we have a little test fer y’all that Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner concocted. They were bored one afternoon and had a few free hours, we don’t ask. Anyway, they made this test. Some of the interns thought it would be fun to try to take the test. Needless to say, a few of them cried and questioned their life choices. In other words, it's very hard and we don't really expect you ta be able to completely solve any of the problems but we thought it would be fun to let you try.

         Flash started boasting that he would be the first to solve all of the problems and they would make him an intern on the spot. SI’s first highschool intern, ever. The team just tuned him out. 

.oOo.

         “Which one is Peter Parker?”

         “That one.” Peper points to one of the boys on the screen. JARVIS zooms in on a kid with black hair wearing a green hoodie and some baggy black jeans. Tony spins around in his chair to face Pepper.

         “So Pep, how much trouble would it be to have a highschool intern working at SI?”

         “Does it really matter?”

         “Not particularly, thought I’d ask though.” Tony just grins while Pepper shakes her head.

         “I’ll get the paperwork started. You owe me.”

         “Of course, luce della mia vita.” Tony winks at her.

.oOo.

         Two weeks later Peter comes home to find Tony Stark sitting in his living room chatting up his aunt. Next thing he knows he is Mr. Stark’s personal intern and is having daily conversations with Dr. Bruce Banner and Mr. Stark about anti-electron collisions and quantum physics. What even is his life?

Chapter Text

         As promised, Loki returns to the apartment where he and his children live. Before he even has both feet in the door he has an arm-full of serpent, whose coils wrap around his body tightly. 

         “I missed you as well, darling.” 

         “Don’t ever leave again.” 

         Loki carries Jör with him and seats them both on the couch. All the other siblings gather around Loki, anxious to know what happened. Skoll wedged himself on the couch right next to Loki’s thigh, seeking comfort. There is a charge in the air, all the siblings waiting for him to speak. 

         “They wanted to punish me for the attack on New York.”

         “But that was not your fault!” 

         “I know barn, they did not know that though. They still do not, not fully. Also, Thor is back on Earth. And I know at least one of you has talked to him.” Hel shot a guilty look at him. He sent her a fond glare back. 

         “How did you get away? Did they let you go?” Jör asked from his place coiled in Loki’s lap.

         “No, Thor intervened and pleaded my case. I am required to reside at the Avernger’s Tower, under their watchful eye.”

         “I don’t want to be split up again!”

         “I know princess, we will figure something out.”

         Saying goodbye to the first place they had all been together was hard. The only thing that made it possible was the fact that they were not being separated again.

.oOo.

         “Unidentified individuals, contacting security.”

         “No J.A.R.V.I.S! These are my niece and nephews! They will be living on the same floor as Loki and I.”

         “You are Stark’s butler, correct?”

         “Yes, Mr. Odinson, an artificial intelligence.”

         “Call me Loki, I am no son of Odin.”

         “Noted sir.”

         “Are you required to report my children to Stark?”

         “Mr. Stark has access to all of my servers.”

         “Ah, but that is a non-answer.”

         “Yes, Mr. Loki.”

         “I have a proposition for you, a test of the Avenger’s observation skills if you will. Let us see how long it takes them to notice my children.”

         “If Mr. Stark asks me directly, I am required to report to him.”

         “Very well. This will be interesting.”

         “Indeed.”

.oOo.

         Clint had walked into the kitchen of the common room. All he wanted was some of the cookies left over from where Sam and Bucky were having some sort of baking frenzy earlier.

         He caught a shadow move out of the corner of his eye. If his eyesight wasn’t what it was he probably wouldn't have seen it. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened in the last few weeks. Moving shadows have become frighteningly common recently; he is beginning to think the tower is haunted.

         Sam, Clint, and Natasha were playing Mario Kart one afternoon.Tony, Bruce, and Harley were in one of Tony’s labs and Thor was giving Loki a tour of his favorite places on Earth. Sam set his controller down to refill their snack bowls and when he returned it was gone. It’s not like it fell between the couch cushions either! 

         They looked for it for an hour before they just used one of the extras. It wasn’t until two days later when Rhodey was pulling chicken out of the freezer to thaw out that the controller was found. IN THE FREEZER! 

         They made fun of Sam for a week! Thinking that he had taken it into the kitchen with him and forgotten it. But it happened with other things too, after that.

         Natasha had reported that things had been moving around on their own. At first it was overnight and easily written off as just having forgotten where she put something down. Now though, she would put a cup on a table and when she next reached for it, it was gone. Things like this usually end up in the freezer. Stark phones, too, had ended up there as well.

         Clint came prepared for such an event though. He now carries his bow and a few arrows with him at all times. Him, Natasha, and Bucky had thrown around theories about someone somehow phrogging the tower. Apparently they were right. Clint drew an arrow and aimed it where the shadow moved.

         “Come out slowly with your arms up, palms facing behind you. I know you're there.” He stands like that for four minutes before he lowers his bow. No one comes forward.

         In the morning all of the food in the fridge and cabinets acquired googly eyes. Pepper found that one and dropped her coffee in surprise. 

.oOo.

         “Faðir, it has been two months. They are no closer to finding us than they were at the beginning.” Jörmungandr flopped backwards on the couch in the shared living space of their floor.

         “Sleip was almost caught the other night.”

         “The archer just saw my shadow, Móðir. I was in no danger of actually being caught. I let him see what I wanted him to see.”

         “We will just have to be more obvious in our mischief then.”

.oOo.

         Everyone has had their beds short-sheeted at least once.

         Wanda said she heard dogs barking in the middle of the night, even though none of the Avengers have pets.

         Clothing started going missing, usually one sock out of a pair. 

         Small paw prints started appearing in odd places, like on mirrors or the inside of dishes.

         All of the bars of soap in the building were covered in clear nail polish.

         Clint had a grudging respect for whoever this prankster was. If he didn’t suspect this person was an intruder in the tower he would challenge them to a prank war.

.oOo.

         Loki, and his kids were finally settled into their new home. Despite what Tony said, their apartment took up about a third of the floor they were on. 

         “Can we bring Peter here?”

         “J.A.R.V.I.S.? Peter is another of my children. Will he also be included in our deal?”

         “Yes sir.” 

         “Would you like to go retrieve him lítill ormr?”

         “Maybe.” Jörmungandr crossed his arms over his chest.

         “Very well, be discrete. Inform him of our deal with Stark’s A.I..”

.oOo.

         It was lunch break when the day took a turn for less than normal. Jör slams through the cafeteria doors in all his thick, leather, emo-booted glory. The sound of the doors hitting the wall reverberates through the now silent room. Jör only pauses long enough to pinpoint where Peter is in the crowd. He still finds it unreal that he, Jör, Loki, and Skoll have almost copy/paste faces. 

         Jör sat in front of him at the table. To everyone else it probably looks like they are just staring at each other, but they were having a mental conversation through their seiðr bond.

         Jör wants him to leave school now, like right now. Peter knew they now lived at the tower, he had not previously known about the ongoing prank massacre of the avengers. It wasn’t really a war if the other side didn’t fight back, now was it.

         Peter can’t just leave school in the middle of the day because his brother wants him to. The temptation to see more of the tower was very enticing though. Jör says he’ll get Peter into the upper level R&D labs and he’s sold.

         “Okay, Ned, I’m leaving with Jör. He’s gonna sign me out in the office, then we are going to where he and my new family live.” 

         “Yo Penis Parker! Did May finally dump you off onto some other unlucky person? I told you she would eventually get tired of you. You in the system now? Maybe I should have my valet adopt you so we can hangout all the time. Ha ha, just kidding, it would be nice having you within arms reach though.” Jör’s pupils slit and he slowly turns around to face Flash, fury palpable in the air surrounding him.

         “What did you just say about my baby brother?” Jör’s tone is low and threatening, the words measured and calm, Flash shifts back a step but is not cowed.

         “Nothing but the truth! He’s an unwanted, unlucky, uneducated orphan whose family would rather die than be in his presence.”

         Quicker than the blink of an eye, Jör was toe to toe with Flash and was holding him in the air by his throat. The teachers must have heard the commotion because now they were rushing into the lunchroom. Jör gives Flash a good shake and drops him to the floor unceremoniously. 

         Peter and Jör slip between the frantic adults and walk out of the cafeteria. They portal away as soon as the doors shut behind them.

.oOo.

         Peter is met with the scent of clove and cinnamon when he steps onto the other side of the rift. It looks like a house rather than an apartment. The walls are Gallery Green and there are dark wood bookshelves lining several walls filled with books and other trinkets. Lit candles are spread all throughout the apartment. The home feels overall warm and cozy. 

         Peter can hear people talking in what he assumes must be a living room or den. Jör grabs his hand and tugs him in the direction of the voices.

         “Father, I have returned.” Jör held Peter in front of him by the shoulders and pushed him forward slightly. “And my mission was successful.” Loki stands and makes his way to his two youngest sons.

         “Hello Peter, welcome back Jör.” Loki pulls both boys into a hug.

         Loki guided Peter to sit on the couch, Jör followed and sat next to him. Sleipnir was laying on the floor in his Jötunn form beside Fenrir who was also in his Jötunn form. Hel was star-fished over both of their backs. 

         “Father? Jör? Can we paint our fingernails?”

         “Of course princess.”

         “Do you want pink again?”

         “Yeah! Peter, will you paint yours too?”

         “Oh, um, sure Hel.”

         “Yay!”

         Jörmungandr goes and grabs the box of nail polishes out of the cabinet and places it on the coffee table. He pulled out a black one for himself and set a pink and a green on the table. 

         Hel fell off Fen when Sleip shifted into his half-giant form.

         “Hey!” Hel looked up at Sleipnir, disgruntled.

.oOo.

         Loki heats up some milk on the stove while he is cutting up chocolate. At the same time, Peter walks into the kitchen to see if there is anything he can do to help. Sleipnir pushes up his sleeves to add butter to a pan on the stove with popcorn kernels. 

         A shiny bit of skin on Sleipnir's wrists caught Peter's attention. Peter notices his scars, they look like jagged bracelets and stand out on his dark skin. He must not have looked away fast enough because Sleipnir turned to him and held his arm out for Peter to look at more fully.

         “I am not ashamed of them, I just do not like answering the questions of strangers.”

         “Do you mind telling me what happened?”

         “My grandfather, Odin, required my limbs to be chained together at all times. Because of our nature, they never got infected, but I almost constantly had open wounds on my wrists and ankles. A few years ago I escaped from where Odin kept me constrained. In order to escape however I had to rip the shackles off. My skin was already weak from being injured for such a long time that the shackles mutilated the skin and ripped it to pieces. Once I found Mother and he was back in good health, he healed my wounds the rest of the way. It had been so long at that point that even with healing there were scars left behind.”

         “Oh, I’m sorry.”

         “There is nothing you can do about it. I have moved past it.”

         “Thank you for telling me.” Sleip smiled down at him and offered him a bowl of the freshly made popcorn.

         Once everyone is settled around the T.V. that Stark insisted they have, Peter found The Lion King and played it. Hel, Peter, and Jör start crying when Mufasa dies, and everyone else has tears in their eyes.

.oOo.

         Sleipnir shakes Peter awake, he doesn't even remember falling asleep.

         “Do you wanna go scare the Avengers with me?”

         “Uh sure, they won't be mad?”

         “Haha, they have not been able to figure out we are here. Stark hardly ever sleeps. On most nights around 3, he comes down from his lab to refill his coffee.”

         Sleipnir tells Peter the plan and they creep down to the common floor kitchen. Sleipnir starts rearranging the cabinets. He puts the last item back on the shelf as Peter runs in whisper-yelling that someone is coming. 

         Peter hears footsteps from a few floors away. He waits a few seconds before rushing in to tell Sleipnir so it doesn't look too suspicious. All of the cabinets are still open when he runs in and he takes a second to appreciate the ridiculous but satisfying display of every non perishable item organized by color. 

         “Hide!” Sleipnir stands in the shadow of the fridge caused by the guide lights in the hall. 

         As soon as Stark crosses into the kitchen, Sleipnir shifts slightly to catch his attention. 

         Stark still does not see him. 

         Sleipnir focuses his seiðr in his eyes to make them glow. Finally, Stark startles. 

         “Are you trying to give an old man a heart attack? What? Who are you? How did you get in here?” Tony was clutching his shirt over his arc reactor, trying to take deep breaths. Peter scurried back to Loki’s floor before he was noticed.

         “It took you long enough, Stark.” Sleipnir circles the kitchen island until he is standing directly in front of Tony, his eyes still glowing menacingly in the dark. “You so-called Avengers are not very observant. We are disappointed in you all. We have been watching you, waiting. But this charade has gotten tiresome.”

         “Who is we?” Stark flexes for a repulsor that will not come to his aid. Peter had kindly convinced J.A.R.V.I.S. that not having his weapon would make the lesson sink in more. 

         “You will find out in the morn.” Sleipnir surrounds himself in hazy seiðr and portals back to his floor. 

Chapter Text

Asgard       

         A sentry kneels before his king. A bead of sweat trailing down his temple. 

         “My king, Huginn and Muninn have returned.” 

         “Speak.” The sentry audibly swallows.

         “My king, the ravens report that Loki is free and all his children are alive and with him.”

         “What!?” Odin stands from the throne and slams his scepter into the ground, electricity sparking off of it in violent arcs. One of the tendrils almost hitting the sentry's knee. 

         Tyr walks into the room. “Apologies Faðir, I did not believe Loki would free himself from his bindings.”

         "We must stop him at once. Tyr, my child, gather a team of your strongest warriors and go separate them. I do not care if you have to kill them, get it done.” 

         Odin will not allow Loki and his offspring to live freely. They are the most powerful when they are together. Close contact makes that damn seiðr stronger. 

         Odin knew he should have never taken in Loki. At the time, the theft of Loki from the royal Jötunn court was an immense show of power. Odin's possession of Loki was proof of his subjugation of jötunhiem. Shortly following his triumph over the Jötunar, a völva delivered to him the prophecy of Ragnarok. 

.oOo.

         The congregation of thirteen women entered the Asgardian court unannounced and without permission. The lead völva crossed the floor and stopped just before the steps to Odin's throne. The others veed out behind her and kneeled, their staffs angled down in respect and nonviolence. 

         “Odin, the Raven God, we have come to you this day with a vision. The end of days is approaching, the Fate of the Gods, Ragnarok.” She drew an arc with her staff and a shower of gold seiðr fell from it, the light transforming into a cloudy image. 

         The sky was a void of black nothingness, ice and snow covered the land. 

         The faces of his subjects, gaunt and covered in blood and dirt. 

         A wolf consuming everything in its path, Jaws digging down into the ground and reaching into the sky. 

         The Bifrost falling. 

         A serpent rising from the sea and casting great tsunamis over the land, drowning all in their wake. 

         The sky splits open and bathes the land in fire. 

         A man in Asgardian armor with black hair that glowed like fire. Six shadowy beasts stood behind him, larger than life, another man standing to his left. The bodies of Æsir strewn at their feet. 

         He sees his own death and the death of his sons. 

         His kingdom in ruins. 

         The land falling into the sea. 

         Yggdrasil quaking, its great branches falling and dragging the realms with it. 

         “This is our fate, our twilight, our end. You have the power to save us all or forsake us. Your choices and actions will seal our fate. Think carefully on this and choose your actions wisely. We will take our leave but know this, we will be observing.”

         They left in the same ethereal manner in which they came. A silent beauty only to be observed from afar. 

         The moment Odin was certain they were gone his anger erupted, electricity and fog caging the room. 

.oOo.

         Bringing that child here has only brought him 36 millennia of irritation. That child could never be normal. No amount of correction could ever instill Asgardian values into that dotard head of his. 

         Not only was that child a burden, it sired more nuisances, even bore one. The punishment for that feat was immaculate. 

.oOo.

         Frigga had taken Thor to town with her, no one was here to hinder him from punishing Loki as he deems fit. 

         Guards drag Loki to the dungeon. This is the first time he has seen Odin in months, his móðir had kept him carefully supervised during his pregnancy. Of course he only wanted to see him to commit violence against his person. 

         Loki is forced to his knees in the middle of the cell, his hands chained together above his head. Odin steps out of the shadows once the guards have left. 

         “Frigga is not here to help you now boy. It is such a monstrous trait, that ability to get pregnant of yours. Your existence as a whole is despicable.” Odin brought a whip down across his back. 

         “It was your demand that led to my pregnancy.” Loki glared at Odin.

         “Silence beast.” Odin brought the whip down again, across his chest this time. “Receive your punishment with grace.” Again the whip cracked  across Loki’s skin. Again and again, blood splattering across Loki, the floor, the bottom of Odin’s robe, again and again, until Odin grew bored of the monotonous repetition. 

         Blood pooled slightly around Loki’s knees. He hangs limply by his wrists. Odin places the whip in a bag that was stored in a shadowy corner of the cell. 

         “Your absence has been felt by your brothers, they have stated they miss having you around. Nine months is a longtime to not be able to see someone living in the same place as you.”

         “Thor visited me, the others could have done the same.”

         “Thor, yes, he will be a great king one day. He has more patience than I do to deal with lesser beings, like you. Regardless, your brothers wanted to spend time with you and who am I to deny them their request? Boys!”

         Loki’s head snapped up, eyes wide in fear. Tyr and Baldr enter the cell followed by Bragi, Höðr trails in slowly after them, using a cane to guide his way. 

         “Hello my sons. It was brought to my attention that you missed your brother while he was ill. I am granting quality bonding time with it.” 

         Odin hands each of them a weapon; Baldr is given Odin's own spear, Gungir, Tyr receives a dagger, a seax for Bragi, and a spear for Höðr. 

         Tyr wastes no time in carving crude words and insults into Loki's skin, some crossing over the whip marks. Baldr runs the spear through Loki anywhere nonvital. Their one command was that Loki must live past this encounter. Höðr only pokes at Loki a bit with his spear, sometimes not even breaking the skin. He usually tries to stay out of things but he can not disobey his father. Bragi on the other hand was dragging the sea slowly across Loki's skin, making deep slow cuts. Some cuts deep enough to show bone. 

         Höðr left when he thought he had been there an acceptable amount of time and Bragi left when he grew bored. 

         Tyr glared at Baldr. 

         “You ran your spear through my work! Now slut looks like sot!” 

         “Apologies bróðir, but you have carved it in seven other places, must you whine about one ruined one?” Try only growled in response and began to carve elsewhere. 

         Loki's screams eventually turned to whimpers before he finally passed out. With no reactions from Loki it was no longer fun for Tyr. Baldr only stopped when there was no space left to create new holes. 

         Loki was left, chained and drowned in his own blood, bruises covering what little untorn skin remained. Forgotten.

Chapter Text

         The next morning found the Avengers sitting around the main floor common room. 

         “Okay Tony, what is this all about?” 

         Tony cocked his head back to look over his shoulder. “Give ‘em a minute Cap, you’ll see.” 

         “Them?” Steve says looking at Sam, Sam just shrugged his shoulders. 

         Not a minute later Loki saunters in holding a small boy on his hip. Followed by two adults, one holding an almost identical child, and two teenagers. The Avengers, minus Tony and Thor, all had dumbstruck looks on their faces. Tony looks smug and slightly amused.

         “Good morning humans, and Banner. You all must work on your observation skills.” Clint gave an offended scoff.

         “Alright reindeer games, I think it's time you explain who all of these kiddos are.” 

         “I will as soon as the Widow takes her hand off that gun.” Natasha had her hand shoved between the cushions of the couch she was sitting on. A slight twitch of her eyebrow was the only indication of her annoyance of being caught red-handed.

         “These are my children and grandchildren.” Loki gestured to the people behind him with the arm not supporting the child. “They have been living in the tower since I moved in. 

         Boisterous laughs escape Thor as the Avengers make noises of shock..

         “Aren’t you only like 30?” Rhodes questioned, “How do you have children old enough to be having children?” 

         Loki’s eyes got a slight far away look to them and his shoulders tense up. “I’m 36.”

         Rhodes takes note that he did not answer his question, but he leaves it be for now. He knows that look from some of the veterans he works with. 

         Hel steps forward and musters all of the attitude of a thirteen year old as she introduces herself and her brothers. Stance wide, hands on her hips. “I don’t understand how you are the world’s greatest heroes if you couldn't even figure out we were here, it’s been like a whole month.” Loki puts his hand on her shoulder and pulls her into his side. 

         “Hey kid, you can't talk to us like that.” Sam leaned forward in his chair. Natasha pushed him back down. Sam shook her off. “And you!” He got up in Loki’s space and poked him in the chest even though Clint told him to stop. “I knew we couldn't trust you!”

         “Sit down Wilson. Loki’s done nothing wrong.”

         “Done nothing wrong? He tried to take over the earth and he attacked us!” Loki flinched slightly at this, which went mostly unnoticed. 

         “And he threw me off my own building and you don’t see me overreacting.”

         “Tony has a point. All Loki has done since being here is staying out of our way. I may not trust him but he hasn't done anything wrong yet.” Natasha, ever the logical one, pipes in.

         “The Russian is correct

         “It was quite surprising that you all never noticed us.”

         “I noticed you!” Clint exclaims, jumping up from his seat.

         “Only when we let you.” Sleipnir says with a bored look in the archer’s direction. Clint sits back down with a pout. “I only revealed myself to Stark because it was growing boring.”

         “So you six have been running around wreaking havoc in the hopes of being noticed?” Leave it to Rhodes to ask the important questions. 

         “It was mostly just me and the twins, but the others helped too.” Sliepnir crossed his arms over his chest. Loki patted him on the arm.

         “Does anyone have any questions for us?” Clint opens his mouth to ask something but Tony cuts him off.

         “Ok”, Tony claps his hands together, “can we wrap this up? My intern will be here in 30 minutes.” Clint shoots him a disgruntled look, but doesn't speak.

         Loki and his family take this opportunity to slip out of the room and go back up to their floor. Banner watches them silently.

.oOo.

         Peter arrives right on time as usual. J.A.R.V.I.S. lets Tony know of his arrival and directs him to the common room.

         A few of the avengers are talking over each other when Peter finally reaches the correct floor.

         “Hey kiddo, I know you just came from hell, sorry I mean school.” Steve’s indignant ‘language’ goes ignored. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” 

         Peter shuffles awkwardly around the avengers trying to not bring attention to himself. Tony has told him horror stories of how rowdy they can get when they are worked up. Slight agitation comes over him for Tony having to always deal with them on his own. 

         “Hey Tony, I didn't know you employed children.” Sam comes up behind Peter and ruffles his hair a bit too hard. Sam was one of the ones who was staunchly in Steve’s pocket and always gave Tony trouble. He’s also one of the only ones Tony doesn't have a nickname for.

         All awkwardness leaves Peter as he glares over his shoulder. “Fluorine uranium carbon potassium off!”

         “What?” 

         “Peter Benjamin Parker!” Tony can't decide if he should lecture his favorite intern on his language or laugh at his ingenuity. The fact that it went over Sam's head makes it that much more hilarious. 

         He decides on the ladder. “Come on kiddo, grab a sandwich from the fridge and let's go up to my lab.”

         The rest of their day was spent in engineering bliss.

Chapter Text

Midtown, Manhattan, New York, USA, 2018

         Peter is walking out of the bathroom when he is picked up and thrown into a bag. The material is scratchy against his skin.

         “Hey!” Peter exclaims.

         “We have the boy, Commander.”

         “Good, bring him to me.” 

         Peter hears the sound of wind rushing and can see a multitude of colors through the weave of the bag. He lands on a hard surface and is then picked up again. Whoever his kidnappers are are not very gentle in their handling of Peter and the bag he is in.

         “Hello? Mr. Kidnapper? Can you tell me where we’re going please.”

         “Quiet beast.”

         Peter made an affronted noise. “Rude! I hope you don’t kiss your mother with that mouth.” He should probably be scared, but there is no way for them to know he has powers.

         A short while later he was tossed onto another hard surface and not picked back up. Peter took this opportunity to wiggle his way out of the bag. He struggled with it for a moment when some of the loose thread on the inside of the bag got stuck around his left arm and head. It was oddly quiet the whole time he was struggling. 

         When he finally got free he immediately noticed a man missing half an arm directly in front of him. 

         “Bring the child to me, Tyr.” An older man on a golden throne commanded. The one armed dude, Tyr, grabbed Peter by the back of his neck and dragged him to the front of the room with more strength than should be humanly possible. “Place the magic canceling cuffs on him, he is one of Loki’s.” Peter jerked his head up at this. He doesn’t think he’s on Earth anymore.

Asgard

         Loki is sitting in Frigga’s garden watching the ducks swim circles in the pond. A frog hops every once in a while. He is leaning against one of the shade trees reading the newest book on magic his Móðir had given him. 

         An arrow comes out of nowhere and buries itself in his thigh. Loki lets out a shallow cry of pain only for laughter to be the response. Baldr hops the stone wall surrounding the garden and stalks over to Loki. He tries to throw up a barrier with his magic but the suppressor collar around his neck shocks him so hard he can smell his flesh burning.

         Baldr grabs him around his throat, grinding metal into his freshly oozing blisters, and lifts him off the ground. All Loki can do is claw at the hand choking him. Baldr uses his other hand to punch Loki in his exposed stomach and ribs. He curls into himself to the best of his ability but it does little against the onslaught Baldr was raining down on him. Loki is stoically silent, the only sounds being those of fists hitting Loki's rib cage and torso. Loki knows making noise only spurs his ‘siblings’ on.

         Loki’s vision is starting to white out when he hears yelling from the entrance to the garden. Thor must have been walking by and seen the commotion because he was now running this way. Thor shot a bolt of lightning through Baldr’s arm causing him to toss loki a few feet away. Loki landed with a bounce as Thor shoved at their older brother to make him leave.

         When Loki next came to, he was being princess carried by Thor. 

         “Móðir will be able to heal you, just rest.”

Asgard 2018

         Peter was locked in a dungeon. A fancy dungeon but a dungeon nonetheless. The guards tossed him in here a little while ago and left. The cuffs remained, unfortunately, making him unable to use his seiðr to contact any of his family. They also had the side-effect of making his head feel kind of fuzzy. 

         The old guy, who he found out was his grandfather, Odin, wanted to know if his powers had come unsealed yet and how much he had interacted with Loki and his children. He let it slip that the longer he was around his family the stronger his seiðr would grow. Peter guesses this is why he had them all separated in the first place. 

Avengers Tower, Midtown, Manhattan, NYC, USA

         Sleipnir was sitting on the couch with Fin, Hel, and the twins when Jör walked in. 

         “Hello.”

         “Hello, come join us.” Jör grabs his newly acquired Switch and sits in the beanbag to the right of the couch. 

         It must have been Hel’s turn to pick the show because Unicorn Academy was playing on the television. After being locked up for years, she was trying to catch up on all of the shows she missed despite what Midgardians her age equivalent were watching. 

         “Where is Peter?”

         “He hasn't come home yet.” Peter had been spending Friday and the weekends at the tower. He had a deal with J.A.R.V.I.S. so he was allowed out to do his neighborhood spider thing once everyone was asleep.

         “It’s past six.” Sleipnir checks the time to see it was almost six forty. He gets up to go find his móðir.

         Loki is reading a book in his bedroom when Sleipnir finds him.

         “Móðir, have you heard from Peter, Jör was asking about him.”

         “No, he should be here already.” Loki concentrates on his seiðr, brow furrowing in the process. His face pales and he jumps up. “He is in Asgard.” The urgency in his voice startles Sleipnir. Loki knows first hand how cruel his adopted brothers can be. The sudden flurry of movement thereafter by Loki and his family causes J.A.R.V.I.S. to alert Tony that something going on.

         Tony rushes up to Thor and Loki’s floor to see what is going on only to find them all disappearing into a portal of some kind. Without thinking he jumps in after them.

         Tony was trying to recover from what he assumes is inter-world travel when he feels someone pull him to his feet.

         “What are you doing here Stark?” Loki askes, alarmed. 

         “Saw you go through a freaky hole. Decided to follow.” Tony shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. 

         “Fine, stay close to us.”

         “Whatever you say, Rock of Ages.” Tony noticed they were in some kind of garden. There was a plethora of plants and trees artfully spread over the stone wall enclosed area.

         “So, where are we and why are we here?”

         “Asgard, Odin has taken Peter.”

         “Oh, ok, gotcha. And how do you know that?”

         “He is my son.”

         “Ah. Wait, what?” Tony, taken aback, exclaims. Loki just sent him a deadpan look as Thor went to go into more detail.

         “We do not have time for this.” Loki exhales violently. ”Brother, children, let us go.” They all followed Loki and Thor as they walked through long golden halls.

         “Do you two know where he would keep Peter?”

         It was Fenrir who answered this time. “Probably in the upper dungeons. It’s where the more important prisoners are held.”

         “Or the ones that are deemed less of a threat.” Jörmungandr added.

         The sound of feet pounding is heard from further up the corridor. They prepare to fight. A figure turns a corner and heads straight for them.

         “Dad! It’s me!” Peter darts down the hallway and launches himself at Loki. His arms are still in cuffs but the chain between them is broken. Loki relaxes his stance and plucks Peter out of midair. 

         “Barn! How did you escape?” 

         “They canceled my magic, not my strength. Also, I’m Spiderman.”

         “What?” Tony and Loki exclaim in unison. Tony recovered from the shock much more slowly than Loki did, a gobsmacked look sticking on his face.

         “No time! They're right behind me!” At that moment guards stormed around the corner, brandishing swords and spears. Tony shook out his shock.

         “I think this is when we run!” Tony yells as he engages his gauntlets and shoots some of the pillars holding the ceiling up. The rubble blocks the corridor and buys them enough time to get to a space big enough for Loki to make a portal for all of them.

Chapter Text

         “Where have you been?” Natasha yells over her shoulder, her back to them as she is otherwise engaged. Immediately after tumbling out of the portal and onto the steps leading to Stark tower, the group is surrounded by chaos. At the same moment, an arrow flies right next to Tony’s ear, so close he can hear it cut through the air. The Avengers were fighting Humans? 

         “You know, around.” Tony yelled flippantly. “Who are these people? We don’t usually fight humans.”

         “Whatever these guys are, they sure aren't human.” Natasha and Tony had to yell to each other to be heard over the sounds of fighting.

         “They are my father's first regiment.” Thor steps from behind the group. Him and Loki recognize some of the opponents from Asgard.

         Loki turns to his children. “You should go inside. It is most likely you they are after.”

         “That means they’re probably after you too!” Peter stands right in front of his dad. “Besides, we can help! Isn't that what Odin wanted in the first place? For us all to be separated? He said we were stronger when we were together.”

         “Peter is correct, Mother. We are prepared for this fight. Let us aid you.” Sleipnir put his hand on Peter’s shoulder, with his other arm around Jörmungandr’s shoulders. Fenrir flanked him on the left. 

         Loki let out a small sigh of exasperation. “Very well, be strong my children. Make me proud. Protect one another.” With that they were off and jumping into the fray. Peter pulled his mask out of a bag he had hidden nearby. 

         “Hey Peter! Or should I say, "Underoos.” Tony called, teasingly, up to Peter who had scaled a wall to get a better view of the battlefield.

         “It’s Spiderman , Mr. Stark.”

         “Ok Spider-kid. There is another wave coming. Natasha’s widow bites don’t have any effect through their armor. Think you can pull it off of them with your webs?”

         “I’ll try!”

         Steve and Bucky are standing back to back, fighting gold-clad soldiers as they come into range. Rhodey and Sam are flying in some kind of swooping military configuration taking out Asgardians trying to get away from the group and into the tower, Thor shooting them down with his lightning. Clint is hunkered down on a roof close by shooting down the ones who try to venture out into the city. All in all, they are doing a good job keeping the fighting to the block surrounding the tower.

         When the next wave hits, Jörmungandr, Fenrir, and Sleipnir shift into their giant forms. They all tower over everything around them. Loki uses his portals to stab unsuspecting enemies, knives flying from all angles.

         Jörmungandr’s body completely fills all of Park avenue on the left side of the tower and curls around the block. He consumes any opponent that dares appear before him.

         Fenrir is two stories tall, and his mouth is filled with serrated, razor sharp teeth. Some of the soldiers who see him try to run, but he is faster. Parts of the Asgardians lay in his wake. His maw, dark with blood and spit.

         Sleipnir is ten feet of pure muscle. His coat is a silky black and shines purple in the light. He is working on the outskirts of the battlefield to help funnel the Asgardian soldiers to the others in front of the tower. 

         Peter uses a web to swing himself at the last standing Asgardian and kicks him in the head, knocking him out cold.

         “Nice one, spider-kid!” War Machine calls from above.

         “Now look what you've done Mr. Stark!” Tony just cackles hysterically. 

         Everyone piles up the opposing soldiers in front of the tower for S.H.I.E.L.D. to come pick up.

.oOo.

         A flash of rainbow light explodes on Liberty Island bright enough that the whole sky is covered. Two figures at the front of a contingent of soldiers step forward and to the side. The soldiers behind them split down the middle and bow on one knee, revealing another figure at the back. The one at the back is lifted up and screens made of storm clouds appear all around New York.

         “Dear denizens of Earth, for your crime of harboring intergalactic fugitives your sentence is total destruction. If you hand over the fugitives, your sentence will be absolved.” The man, Odin, looks around at the rubble surrounding the tower from the previous fight. “Tyr, Bragi,” The two men at the front stand to attention. “Go find Loki and his brood, bring them here.”

.oOo.

         “Guys, we have new issues!” Peter alerts everyone else in the common room. The 10 o’clock news was already speculating who Odin, Tyr, and Bragi were looking for. Many thought it had to be Thor because of the style of armor the guards were wearing.

         “That is Odin's elite guard, they are more skilled than the soldiers we fought previously.” Loki sits on the arm of the chair Tony is currently occupying. 

         “Then what’s our plan to beat them?” Sam looks towards Steve. 

Van Cortlandt Park, New York, USA, 2018

         Loki, Peter, Sleipnir, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr are standing in the middle of the park, keeping a look out for Tyr and Bragi. The Avengers are hiding around the park making sure no one sneaks up on Peter and the others while also encouraging any people they see to leave the park calmly.

         A slight breeze cut through the crisp night air. Street Lights forming an eerie glow in the distance. Tyr and Bragi step out of the shadows flanked by most of the guards from the news cast.  

         “Hello Loki. Be a good boy and put the cuffs on, nobody has to die.”

         Loki tilts his head as if he was thinking about it. “Mmm, no.” His stout refusal incites an instant flurry of motion. The guards swarm towards Loki and his children, parting around their commanders.

         “Children! Grab my hands!” Loki pulls them into a semi-circle facing the coming army. “Focus on channeling your seiðr through me. Be careful not to drain yourselves.” As the power builds up around them the whole area is lit up in green light, so bright you can see the park as if it were day. When most of the soldiers are within range Loki, Peter, and the others all concentrate on their power and what they want to do with it. A huge rift opens under Odin’s guard and swallows them, everyone and everything falling into Muspelheim. Burning up before they hit the surface, too quick to even scream. 

         They close the rift before it could drain all of their power. Fenrir and Sleipnir shift to their jötunn forms and start taking out the twenty or so guards that were out of range of the rift.

         Loki and Peter walk calmly and with purpose towards Tyr and Bragi. Severed body parts flying as the two brothers tear through what remains of the army.

         They stop just out of spear range. 

         “This is not how you planned for this to go, is it?” Loki says condescending. Tyr is practically red with anger, his grip leaving slight dents in his spear.

         “Listen here slut.” Before he could finish whatever he was going to say Jörmungandr had shifted into a python and wrapped his whole body around Tyr’s throat.

         “I’m listening.” Loki throws a faux patient look and stabs Tyr in the stomach while he is distracted. His hands, which were trying to pry Jörmungandr off, are now cradling the wound. Loki stabs him again. And again and again. 

         His death brings Loki neither joy nor happiness, only relief that another of his tormentors can never harm him, or his children, again. There is no satisfaction in taking a life, only hard-won safety and security in the fact he is gone.

         Bragi moves to step into the fight but Peter cuts him off.

         “You want to fight too? You haven't seen what I can do yet.” Peter squares his shoulders and sets his feet into a fighting stance. Bragi seems to think better of it and steps back again.

         “Ah, no no, I’m good.”

         The air is thick with iron and defeat. Hel, Hati, and Skoll, sensing the end of the battle, come and join the rest of their family.

         “Hear me!” Loki’s voice echoed around the battlefield. The fighting ceased and all attention was on Loki. “Your commander is dead and your King has abandoned you. Surrender to me and you may return home.” Bragi was the first to take a knee.

         Peter stands to Loki's left, the rest of his siblings behind them. The remnants of Odin's army kneeling before them. The dawn breaks behind the family, the sun bathing the new rulers of Asgard in golden red light.