Chapter 13 – To Live Like Gods
Ophelia breathed in the universe.
Its immortal majesty cradled her like a lost child come home as she hurtled through the Bifrost. Stars spun in lazy circles through space, painting the story of life and loss to trillions of souls.
Light shattered around her, bleeding vibrant reds and cool blues at the naked eye. A kaleidoscope of beauty and eternity surrounded the awestruck hero. Peaceful chaos settling within her as her eyes took in the source of her power.
A simple picture couldn't even compare to this. Some piece of those heavenly entities existed inside her; she carried these ethereal giants with her every breath.
'What a terrible privilege to have' Ophelia thought as the Bifrost cut through the cosmos to reach Asgard. She was almost disappointed when her feet found solid ground. The rainbow light was replaced by a solid gold observatory-type room.
Thor and Jane landed beside a heaving Ophelia as the Bifrost whirled to a stop. In the middle of the room stood an armoured man resting his sword on what looked like a dial. Ophelia had read up extensively on Norse Mythology after the debacle of New York. After researching the myths and legends of the Asgardians, she guessed that the man in front of her was Heindall. The watchman of Asgard.
"We have to do that again." Jane breathlessly spoke, a giddy grin on her face until she noticed the armoured man.
"Hi." She awkwardly said.
"Thanks for the warning at least." Ophelia directed at Thor, gasping from the journey and leaning her hand on the wall for support.
"Welcome to Asgard." Heimdall greeted, a secret smile on his face as he looked at the two newcomers. His golden eyes lingering on the armoured Ophelia a moment longer, sensing a hum of familiarity for some reason.
"Can I get some water?" The brawler asks, her face scrunched with heavy breath.
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As Ophelia nurses a cup of wine, Jane is poked and prodded by an ensemble of Asgardian medics. She asked for water, but the brawler isn't complaining in the slightest.
If there was one word to describe Asgard for her, it would be heavenly. A planet that lived in perpetual springtime, the sun always shining with clear blue skies and a never-ending harvest. Even the royal palace made the realm of Asgard look like the inspiration of heaven. Towering spires of solid gold piercing the sky like lances, a crowning jewel for the nine realms.
Leaning against a column as Jane is being tended to, Thor looked to Ophelia in expectation.
"Okay, I'll admit this is really cool." She lifted her goblet in appreciation to him as he bowed his head theatrically.
"Are you talking about Asgard or its wine?" Thor whispers covertly, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Both to be honest." Ophelia took another swing of the goblet as Thor nudged her arm with a soft chuckle.
"Be still." They heard a nurse order Jane, a golden projection of her body hovering above. Thor sobered up and walked closer to the commotion with trepidation, Ophelia observing from the back with cautious eyes.
"This is not of Earth, what is it?" Thor asked one of the nurses as red energy is detected inside Jane.
"We do not know, but she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her." The nurse replies, a solemn look passing on her face.
Ophelia was afraid of that, but to hear it confirmed caused a stirring of dread in her stomach. She hadn't known Jane for long, mere minutes if she was honest, but Thor was undoubtedly in love with this woman.
And Ophelia couldn't stand the thought of Thor losing the ones he loved.
"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane asks inquisitively, her eyes locked on the projection.
"It's a Soul Forge." A different nurse replies absentmindedly as she does her work.
"Does a Soul Forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?"
"Yes." The nurse confirmed. Jane's intelligent observations earned an impressed look from the nurse and a mental note from Ophelia to bribe her to do the maths portion of the Delacour's coursework.
As Jane whispered something, the god of thunder gazed lovingly at the scientist. An endearing smile on his face.
"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" The voice sounded from behind Thor.
A lightly armoured old man entered, commanding the authority of the entire room as all eyes followed him. In a way, Ophelia was reminded of Nick Fury and his all-consuming presence as he expected respect from all those he met. They even shared a penchant for eye patches. But this gilded patch made Ophelia recognise him as Odin. Thor's father. The King of Asgard.
And he did not look pleased.
"She's ill." Thor defended.
"She is mortal. Illness is their defining trait." Odin retorted, briefly meeting Ophelia's eyes and curling his lip in distaste before ignoring her again.
A flash of white-hot anger spiked inside the brawler at the Asgardians casual dismissal. Her dark green eyes momentarily ignited into rippling pools of violent orange light.
"I brought them here because we can help her," Thor explained.
"They do not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table." Odin announced as he walked around the observatory table. Turning off the machinery.
At this point, Ophelia had to actively stop herself from blasting Odin's face and giving him a matching eye patch. Attempting to kill the father of her friend would be a bad look but oh was she tempted.
"Did he just...?" Jane looked around in disbelief at the audacity of the old man, "Who do you think you are?"
"I'm Odin. King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms." Odin declared. The brawler could tell where Thor got his theatrics from.
"Oh." Jane answered, taken aback by the king in front of her, "Well, I'm..."
"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster." He abruptly turned to Ophelia, his eye borrowing into her face, "Ophelia Delacour."
"I would be cautious on whom you insult. Your Highness." Ophelia took off her metal mask as she coldly smiled at the king.
A tense silence arose between the two as Odin narrowed his eye at Ophelia until he broke contact first.
"Something is within her, father, something I have not seen before." Thor diverted attention to break the aggressive atmosphere between his father and friend.
"Her world has its healers, their called doctors, let them deal with it. Guards, take them back to Midgard." Odin ordered curtly. Ophelia raised her eyebrows in anticipation as two guards approached her and Jane.
"I would not-" Ophelia started to say but was interrupted by a blast of red energy coming from Jane as the guards attempted to move her. "-touch her."
While Thor went to comfort a confused and drained Jane, Odin marched back into the room. Visibly distressed. As he hovered his hand over Jane's arm, writhing energy was revealed beneath her skin.
"That's impossible." He mutters as he looks at the energy running through her veins like a disease.
"The infection, it's defending her." A nurse muttered.
"No, it's defending itself." Thor answered.
"Come with me." Odin gravely ordered to the three of them. Expecting them to follow, he led them to a pair of floor-to-ceiling doors carved with intricate symbols. As the doors opened it revealed a small but heavily guarded library, filled with tomes that were probably older than her country.
"There are relics that predate the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them. The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had a dawn as they will have a dusk." Odin narrated as he showed the three a book yellowed with age. "But before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged."
""Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves comes to steal away your light." They were these stories mother told us as children." Thor revealed, a pensive look on her face as he read the book's animated images.
"Their leader, Malekith made a weapon out of that darkness, it was called the Aether. While the other relics often appeared as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever changing." Odin looked to continue with his tale, but he was abruptly interrupted by an alarmed Ophelia.
"Stones?" She looked at the king with urgency on her face.
"Indeed, there are six relics in total. The Aether's fluid form is unique to only itself." Odin answered, a curious expression crossing his face at the growing realisation on the young girl's face.
"Stones." She repeated, murmuring to herself as she paced back and forth in the library. "How rare is it to encounter these relics, Your Highness?"
"Incredibly so. No one has ever laid eyes on some of the relics. Only whispered by ancient civilisations that have long since passed."
"What if I told you we've already encountered three?" Ophelia stopped her pacing as she locked eyes with Thor, realisation blooming on his face.
"The tesseract, the stone on Loki's sceptre, and now the Aether." He breathed in shock, finishing Ophelia's sentence.
"What makes you believe they are the relics?" Odin straightened his back as he thought back to the events of New York, his brow crinkling in consideration.
"Long story short, I can sense the energy radiated by objects and people. The tesseract, the sceptre, and the Aether all have a very similar signature." Ophelia quickly explained, her hands waving in excitement.
"You said encountering the relics was extremely rare, but all of this has happened in the span of a year," Jane spoke up, her observation caused a shadow of concern to cross the king's face. Beginning to understand the ramifications of these relics falling into the wrong hands.
"We will discuss this at length later." Odin gravely spoke to Ophelia and Thor before continuing his tale of the Aether.
Ophelia's mind whirled with so many possibilities she couldn't pay attention to the story Odin told. She was brought back to attention as the king snapped the book shut, walking out of the library with frustration evident on Jane and Thor's faces.
An idea was brewing in her mind. A mad one. A dangerous one. But it could add a puzzle piece to the complicated picture she had been trying to build since the Battle of New York.
"Can you give me some directions Thor?" Ophelia inquired, a faux innocent expression on her face.
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"Have you lost your mind, Ophelia?" Thor questioned with his eyes widened in disbelief, "You won't get anything out of him."
"I don't need him to say much, I just need him to confirm an idea I have." She responded as she followed Thor to the dungeons.
She knew he didn't feel comfortable taking her to Loki, but she also knew he was even less comfortable with leaving her alone with him.
"What's this about?" He stopped walking as they reached the doors to the dungeons, moving to block Ophelia from entering. "What has you afraid enough to go to Loki for answers?"
"I've got a really bad feeling about this Thor. All of this! Everything that's happened since New York." Ophelia moved herself closer to Thor. "I've got an idea. It's a horrible one. But I need to know if it's right."
Thor looked at the grave expression on her face. The muted fear radiating from her eyes as the trigger-happy brawler found herself truly afraid for the first time in years. And if she was afraid, that gave more than enough of a reason for Thor to be afraid too.
"Very well, but I'm staying with you." He boomed, eliciting a small smile from Ophelia, "Jane has retired for a nap, so we have a few hours to spare."
"Wouldn't have it any other way partner." Ophelia nudged him as they both marched into the dungeons, walking past imprisoned marauders who jeered and yelled at them until they finally reached their target.
"I see you've finally graced me with your presence brother." Loki drawled from his cell; legs crossed lazily as he lounged on a decadent chair. "And you brought a pet. I hope you keep her better trained than the green brute."
"Do not test me today brother." Thor simply warned, his face blank and neutral as he refused to take the bait.
"Besides I'm the one who's here to see you." Ophelia drew the mad god's attention, his emerald green eyes glinted with mischief as they met hers.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" He mockingly asked, his eyes wide with unnerving attention.
"Thor if you would sum up Loki in three words, which ones would you choose." Thor looked to Ophelia in bafflement but obliged at her encouraging look.
"Deceiving, mischievous, and opportunistic," Thor answered.
"My, my what big words from my oaf of a brother." Loki bitingly said from inside his cell. The other two ignored his jabs.
"Does that sound like someone who would launch a full-frontal invasion in the middle of a city with no clear targets?" Ophelia kept her eyes locked on Loki as she made her rhetorical questions. "Does that sound like someone who would go flying through Manhattan, blowing everything up with reckless abandon?"
Loki's features darkened as Ophelia analysed his actions from last year's invasion. His gaze becoming less mischievous and more insidious as she continued to talk. Thor gained a thoughtful look on his face as he truly thought about Loki's actions during the invasion. And how truly uncharacteristic they were.
"If you truly tried to take over Midgard you would have employed more strategy. Impersonated one of the human leaders or ignited war from the shadows." Ophelia walked up to the barrier of Loki's cell as Thor spoke, glaring at the god as his face twisted into a cruel smile.
"Are you saying I'm innocent?" Loki widened his eyes dramatically, his mouth stretching into an exaggerated grin.
"I'm saying that you're a puppet, and someone in the shadows is pulling your strings." Ophelia brutally spoke as Loki's face dropped.
"I AM NO ONE'S PUPPET!" Loki roared from his cell, banging his fist on the barrier as his eyes bored into Ophelia. Irrational anger and a glint of fear coming from his eyes.
"This invasion wasn't done by you alone; someone is in charge of all of this." Thor caught onto Ophelia's train of thought, his voice a calm counter to Loki's, "Someone has engineered all of this to happen. None of this is by coincidence, it's by design."
"No." Loki spat out; his jaw clenched in anger.
"Three relics! We've seen three relics in a single year Loki! Something is stirring behind the scenes and I don't know what it is!" Ophelia cried out with clear frustration. "But you do."
"Take this as a warning," Loki breathed out shakily, his eyes flickering back and forth between his brother and Ophelia, "You truly don't want to know."
"It doesn't matter what we want, the less we know about this enemy the less of a chance we have of survival." Thor moved closer to Loki; his brows furrowed in concertation as he pleaded with his brother.
"You got caught Loki, this person will come after you too. For the sake of your own survival, just tell us who they are." Ophelia appealed to the god's self-preservation. Nothing came from the normally talkative god of mischief. His face flushed and his mouth pursed in belligerent silence as his eyes tracked the two in front of him.
"Come Ophelia, we can ask my father if he knows anything." Thor was about to guide Ophelia out of the dungeons until a quiet voice broke through.
"Thanos." Loki forced from his lips, sweat dripping from his forehead as if saying the name alone was physical labour. A haunted look in his eyes as he remembered his time under the Mad Titan, "His name is Thanos. And you cannot stop him."
A/N: To me the best part of Thor: The Dark World was seeing Loki's development. He's such an interesting character it's no wonder he's so beloved. As you can see I'm introducing the threat of Thanos a little early on, just hints because the Mad Titan becomes a very personal villain to Ophelia. Thanks for reading!