They all took seats and listened to Idunn's story. Early on, Odin had realised that the apples would give him an advantage in his quest for the throne. He was clever enough to pretend to be her friend. Years passed before the goddess realised she had been far too naive and trusting. She had no reason to suspect anyone of anything at the time. Bor was fighting against the other realms, but Asgard was relatively at peace. Odin was more often than not fighting by his father's side. His son loved it so much that Bor had given him the title of god of war.
In all fairness, Bor lacked the vision to know what to do with the realms once the piece would be reached and how to use them. The older king's main goal was to put an end to the internal battles. Sometimes war was the only way to put an end to all the fighting. Idunn guessed Odin wasn't the patient type, and Bor had never really taken the time to listen to his son and his grandiose ideas. The apples would be out of reach for anyone who would need their abilities. Only Odin would have access to them. Smart move.
Odin murdered his own father on the same day Idunn was cast away in the meadow. In the last years, the god of war had been able to win over a fair amount of the warriors to his ideas for the glorious future of the Aesirs. Heimdall was loyal to the royal family. He had never said which member exactly. Odin surely had found the words to convince him. The watcher's abilities had given Odin the perfect moment to strike.
Bor was stabbed in the back in the middle of a battle with the Jotun, and somehow, the blame of that event had been put entirely on the Frost Giants.
The Aesirs left the battleground under the guise of giving the defeated king a proper burial. None of the people of Asgard commented on the fact that because Bor had died on the battlefield, it should have granted his passage to Valhalla, making the need for a ceremony superficial. More than that, the Valkyries might not take his soul at all this way. The wound in the old king's back wasn't mentioned either. At least for what Idunn was aware of.
The apples' powers were impressive, but they didn't have the power to bring back the dead to life. The goddess of youth couldn't have helped Bor even if she had wanted to. Idunn had been prepared to support Odin in his grief when he had come to her following the passing of his father. They were friends. She wanted to be there for him. She had only seen the smile on his lips when it was too late. Odin had cast her away in a magical meadow, moving the golden tree in its centre. Idunn had no idea he possessed magical abilities. He had hidden his capacities well. She had been there ever since.
"I had absolutely no idea. I have always believed I was the only one. Bor's passing was the main reason we were still at war with Jotunheim, even centuries after. The other realms were mainly quiet. The fate of the dark elves had scared them all into submission. That's why, I suppose, he also locked me up."
"Odin started believing in his own lies." Idunn simply said.
"That's why he never loved me back then," said Loki.
"He always disliked having evidence of his wrongdoings right in front of him."
"How come he kept me alive then?"
Nobody around him had an answer to give him. Certainly not one that would be acceptable in any way. Naturally, they were somewhat glad that Loki was there with them, in one piece. It also meant hundred of years of abuse or down right torture at the end of the man Loki thought, for the main part of his life, was his father. Nobody in his right mind would be happy about that.
"It is not what I wanted," said Hela, her voice so low it was hard to hear. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was just so overjoyed. It didn't seem so important that the father was a Frost Giant. I was prepared to start a new life. Odin didn't need me anymore. He had Frigga and Thor. I was naive enough to believe that it would be sufficient for him."
The team left the Asgardians to their conversations. There was so much to say, to explain. Some things, Tony and the others didn't need to know. It had been a long day for all of them. The tower was large enough that everyone would have their own room. He had made sure of that when the building had been built. Back then, Tony had thought the Avengers would come and stay there. Perhaps they would want to build a family at some point. The genius had thought about every possibility. At least now, the rooms had a purpose.
Because of everything that had just happened, Tony's mind was all over the place. Sleep had never come easily for him. Being a genius came with downsides. His brain never shut down, not completely.
If nothing else, he could at least make improvements to his armour. Friday had helped him choose a new CEO within the ranks. The AI was obviously keeping an eye on the company anyway and she was doing it well. It wouldn't hurt for Tony to check on how Miss Fox was doing. Pepper used to expect him to attend meetings here and there. More frequently than he had intended. That new woman didn't seem to need him, which was strange. On the other hand, he wasn't wasting precious time away from his creativity or his Iron Man's duties. Miss Fox only wanted upgrades, and she seemed to know when to release them. Stak Industries had never done better apparently.
Starkium had allowed humanity to advance greatly. Tony might have put his name on the new element, he had not kept it all for himself. Scientists from all over the world, with varying backgrounds, including engineering and medicine, were experimenting with it. The possibilities were endless. Many of these studies were founded by SI. When they weren't, the company received a portion of the future profits, even if relatively small. Some people were outraged by this, but it was impossible to please everyone.
"It really puts our daddy issues into perspective don't you think?" said Hope.
Tony had not realised she had followed him down in his workshop. He had gotten lost in his thoughts. She wasn't wrong. Howard had been a shitty father, but in comparison to Odin, he was a complete angel. He was sure Hope shared the same sentiments.
"I had a glimpse of Loki's childhood and I really wanted to hit Odin hard. It would not have hurt him but it would have been so satisfying for me."
"I can't believe I'm going to say something like that but I'm glad he's dead. It should have happened a lot earlier. Hela and Idunn could have stayed in their respective prison forever. I can't even imagine what it must have been like."
"I hope we never have to find out."
Hope was examining everything as she walked through the workshop. Tony had the impression that she wanted to stay with him and have a talk. He would be patient. He had so much he wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure now was the right time. With the way their lives were going, that perfect moment might never come.
Idunn and Hela's stories, if anything, should have taught them not to push things down the priority list. If they didn't act now, they could end up in a lifetime of loneliness too.
Chapter 36
Start from the beginning
