Weakness | Loki [Book One]

Chapter Ten

I laid down on my back, watching the stars slowly make their way across the sky. Asgard was quiet; the only sound was the ocean hitting against the bridge. The metal of the palace was cold against my back, but I didn't mind it. In fact, it helped to keep me awake. 

"Delta?" I heard Loki called, somewhat frantically. 

"Yeah?" 

"Delta! Thank Odin. I thought you'd--"

"Why would you think that? Am I not allowed to look at the stars?"

"Not if you don't tell me." Loki laid down on the roof next to me. 

"You were sleeping."

"Then wake me!"

"You hadn't slept in days."

"I don't care." 

We laid there in silence for a while, each thinking our own thoughts. 

"We have different constellations here, you know," Loki said. "Same stars, different perspective."

I actually didn't know that. "Seriously?"

"Mhm."

"Cool." 

A while later, the sun rose again. The stars faded out of view, replaced by the sunlight reflecting off the bridge. The golden dome spun, too. 

"What's going on over there?" I asked Loki.

"I don't know."

"Let's go see." We transported from the roof to the front hall of Asgard, where Thor and a Midgardian woman were running towards the infirmary. We followed behind them, anxious to know what was happening. We waited with Thor as a diagnosis was given, and the Allfather himself showed up.

"The Aether," was the only thing I heard him say. 

"The Aether?" I said. "I thought it was destroyed centuries ago."

"It cannot be destroyed, only contained," he told us. "She will die with and because of it."

"There has to be something we can do," Thor said desperately. 

"We can only do nothing. Malekith will soon come after it. We must protect the Midgardian until then, but beyond that, we can do nothing."

"Could we trick him?" I asked. "If he can remove the Aether, we could possibly destroy it in the process."

"You would risk everything for a mortal?"

"Yes," Thor and Loki said at the same time.

"I will not allow it. Dismissed." He sent us, along with Jane, out of his presence. 

"Screw that," I said. "I say we get out of here and kill Malekith before things get out of hand."

"You would disobey Odin?" Thor asked. 

"Is that so bad?"

"You have been spending too much time with Loki." He considered the idea for a moment. "Do you actually think we could do it?"

I nodded. "Loki, you know a back way out of here, right?"

"Of course."

"You three find one of the flying boat things and get out of here as under the radar as you can."

"Where are you going?" Loki asked. 

"Well, there has to be a distraction, right?" I grinned mischievously. "I'll catch up. Svartalfheim, right?" I ran off in the opposite direction from the others, weaving through the hallways. I made my way to the roof after collecting some small rock-like objects on the way. I teleported one at a high speed towards the support system of a defense turret, sending a dark column of smoke into the air. I sent another, which hit the controls and made it fire into the air. 

I slid down the roof as soon as Asgard's defense ships came flying towards the gun. I teleported to the opposite side of Asgard where Thor, Loki, and Jane were flying across the water. I would have to time the jump at just the right time to avoid splattering myself against the rocks. 

I ran alongside the cliff, nowhere near as fast as the skiff, but gaining momentum nonetheless. As it got closer, I leapt off the side, plummeting down towards the boat. 

I nearly missed the skiff altogether, but I caught the side and swung myself in.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Thor asked. 

Uh oh. "Dunno." I really needed to come up with a better answer. 

I sat back and grinned as we neared a rock in the middle of the ocean. 

"Loki?" Thor said. 

"If it was easy, everyone would do it," he said. I knew he could've just as easily transported us there, but this was more his style, more showoff-y. 

We skidded against the inside of a crevice and the multicoloredness of the Bifrost began to surround us. 

"Ta-da," Loki said blandly as we arrived on Svartalfheim.