Of Numbers and Strange Friendships

Chapter 65

Something was bothering Loki as he watched their friends walk toward the palace. He knew something was wrong with this picture, with what was happening, but his pain and healing potion muddled mind was having trouble figuring out exactly what was wrong with the picture.

They were nearly to the palace by the time Loki figured out what it was. The idiots were going to confront the Allfather. Odin was one of the most powerful men in the nine realms, if not the most powerful man. Thor didn't have nearly his power, not when Odin controlled the Odinforce. The Midgardians stood no chance. They were invading a foreign realm without permission. They were going to confront the king and likely attack him.

They were going to be slaughtered.

Odin didn't abide by Midgardians in his realm. He would kill the Avengers for coming to criticize his punishment of his son, of one of his subjects. Despite that it was shitty of Odin to do, it was within his rights as the king.

Loki jolted when he came to that realization. He had to stop them before they got themselves killed. Odin wouldn't take mercy on them and there was no way they would survive.

"Loki?" Peter asked with concern and fear in his voice. It wasn't like Loki to jump from a 1 on the evil scale so quickly and easily. Not unless something was truly wrong.

/We have to stop them. Odin will kill them. There is no diplomatic solution here/ how could Loki have been so stupid to let them go to Asgard. He knew he'd been dead asleep and clearly wasn't in his right mind from the pain and healing potions. His brain was still fuzzy and he fought to focus.

"We can't. You said there's nothing we can do but watch," Peter reminded him. The look in his eyes was clear. He had thought the Avengers would win. Would talk to Odin, or rough him up a little to convince him to treat Loki more kindly. He hadn't thought it possible that the team could lose. Not with all of them working together.

And any other time he'd be right.

But not when they were facing the King of Asgard, the Allfather. Not when they were on Odin's realm with all of his power all of his guards and warriors at his beck and call.

Even Thor wouldn't be safe from Odin's wrath on that one.

/I have to try/ Loki replied. He looked to Wanda. /Keep the connection open. Please, witchling/ he said softly.

She nodded, her eyes wide with fear for their friends. /Anything for you/ she replied, opening herself and her magic to Loki to do with as he willed. She would do anything to help the people who had taken her in, to help her adopted older brother.

"What are you going to do?" Peter asked. They were supposed to be looking after Loki while he rested. They were doing a terrible job at that.

/What I have to/ Loki replied.

Before Peter could protest, Loki's eyes glowed green as he drained more of his magic. An illusion of Loki appeared in the hall of the palace, right in front of Thor and the group, before they got to the throne room to confront Odin.

"Brother?" Thor demanded, questioning why Loki was there. Loki should've been safe on Midgard. He knew this was an illusion, especially as the illusion's lips weren't sewn. That didn't stop him from worrying. Sending an illusion across the realms was quite a bit of magic.

"Thor, listen to me. This is madness. You're leading our friends to slaughter. The Allfather and Einherjar will kill them for storming the palace, for facing him. This isn't Midgard. He's the king here!" Loki told them, pleading with them, trying to save their lives. This wasn't a battle they could win.

"Loki, we're just going to talk to him..." Thor soothed, trying to calm Loki, to get him to go back to Midgard while they dealt with Odin.

Loki's nose wrinkled automatically. "With the fully armed team? That is about the worst lie you have ever tried to get past the god of lies," Loki scoffed.

At least Thor had the decency to look ashamed of trying to get that lie past Loki.

"Thor, stop and think. Look around you. We're outnumbered," Loki tried again. Six Midgardians against the Allfather were doomed to fail. Surely, Thor had to see that.

They'd had this conversation before, on the wastes of Jotunheim. Thor had lashed out at Loki that day. Thor fought to reign in his temper this day. He wouldn't hurt Loki again. Not when he finally had his brother back.

Before he could speak, gentle footsteps came down the hall. "Perhaps I can help with that," Frigga said calmly.

Loki and Thor both paled as they turned to their mother. The team stiffened and reached for their weapons. "Mother-" Thor protested. He wanted Frigga out of this, safe, like he wanted Loki. Neither Loki nor Frigga were behaving with his plans.

Frigga held up a hand for silence and no one dared contradict her. "We will speak to your father and attempt to convince him that his punishment was unjust. If that fails, I will deal with him. You and your friends have no authority to do so, despite your honorable intentions. Loki, dispel the illusion. You're in no condition to use that much magic," Frigga added firmly. The team wisely remained silent at the queen's orders. This was going far differently than they imagined, and their bloodlust had cooled some with the realization that they were doomed to fail.

Loki bowed his head to his mother. "Yes, mother," he agreed and the illusion shimmered away. Loki could still watch from the wall in the common room in the tower. He blinked back the haze of too much magic use while he was already fuzzy brained and focused on what was going on with the team.

/Mother will keep them safe/ he reassured the teens as they all watched.

Frigga led the group into the throne room and up to speak to Odin. Odin's grip on gungnir tightened when he saw his wife leading one of his sons and a group of Midgardians up to the throne.

Before Frigga could address Odin, before they'd truly reached the steps of the throne, a black cloud appeared in front of them, filled with what appeared to be green lightning as it grew in size. Thor wrapped his arm around his mother and pulled her back from it, shifting her behind him so she'd be safe from whatever it was.

He thought it to be Loki's magic at first. The color scheme was right. But it felt wrong. It felt of darkness, far more darkness than Loki had in him, especially since his time on Midgard.

The cloud grew and grew, the green light shining brighter.

Frigga gasped in shock and Odin's eye widened. He stood, shifting his grip on gungnir to face the threat. The team readied their weapons, moving to flank Thor, to keep Frigga safe from the outside threat. Despite that she was queen, despite that she was the only one who could face Odin, they still all rallied to keep her safe from a threat they were unsure of.

The cloud grew and grew until a pale figure in green and black stepped through it. She had long black hair and the feel of magic and Asgard around her. Thor thought it Lady Loki for a moment, but she clearly wasn't.

Even when she looked up at Odin and said with malice in her voice "Hello, father,"