[A/N]: Here's your Second bonus chapter! Enjoy!!
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Jay, who'd been reading through the catalogue during the family drama, ran his finger down a page and paused. "Fascinating. The Tablet of Life and Time. The Warlock's Eye. Even a reference to something called the Eternal Flame." He looked up. "Your collection is quite extensive."
He closed the catalogue with a soft thump. "Alright, I've decided. The treasure of Asgard beyond mortal comprehension. I want access to the Bifrost."
The reaction was immediate and explosive.
Odin rose from his throne, Gungnir blazing with divine energy. Power crackled through the air, making Jay's hair stand on end. The Allfather's voice carried the weight of cosmic authority.
"ENOUGH WITH YOUR JEST! You want the Bifrost itself? The heart of Asgard, the connector of the Nine Realms, the symbol of our power and dominion?"
Ministers shouted their outrage. Warriors redrew weapons. Even Frigga looked shocked by the audacity of the demand.
Jay raised one hand, completely unbothered by the divine fury directed at him. "No worries. I don't need the whole Bifrost bridge. I just need a way to channel its power. Like this Stormbreaker I heard about." He pointed at Thor's Mjolnir. "Though I think it was just commissioned recently. I'd love to have a similar item."
The court went silent. Not with fury this time, but with confusion.
Frigga leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "How do you know about Stormbreaker? That was a secret project, known only to myself, Odin, and the dwarves of Nidavellir. Even Thor is unaware of its existence."
Before Jay could respond, two voices spoke simultaneously.
"He's the Power Broker."
Thor and Heimdall had spoken at the same time. Their words overlapped perfectly. Both had heard this explanation multiple times. Thor from the Avengers and Fury. Heimdall from his all-seeing observations.
"Secrets are his business," they finished together.
Jay grimaced. "Yeah, when you say it like that, it sounds really cringy. But basically, yes."
Odin lowered Gungnir slowly, divine energy dissipating. He studied Jay with renewed intensity, reassessing everything about this mortal who knew things he had no right to know.
Though he couldn't feel that cosmic spark in him anymore, he didn't want to take any risks.
When the Allfather finally spoke, his voice was heavy with reluctance.
"No. That's not possible. Stormbreaker is a king's weapon, meant to be wielded by the ruler of Asgard in times of greatest need. Creating a similar item and bestowing the Bifrost's power upon it would be disrespecting every previous king who ruled before me. Choose something else, mortal."
Jay was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed, long and heavy, and turned to Thor. He placed one hand on the prince's shoulder, his expression almost sympathetic.
"I sympathize with you, Thor. The King of Asgard, unable to honor the oath taken by his heir in his name." Jay paused, his eyes sliding to Odin and Frigga. "Then again, keeping one's word must run in the family. Tell me, was your firstborn also so... unreliable? Or wait." His smile sharpened as he turned to Thor. "I meant second-born. My apologies. You're the firstborn, of course."
[Image here]
The emphasis on 'of course' carried worlds of implication as Jay gave them a criminal side eye.
Both parents went rigid.
Frigga's breath caught audibly. Her hand flew to her throat, fingers pressing against her pulse point.
Odin's grip on Gungnir tightened until the ancient spear trembled. His single eye blazed, and for a moment, just a moment, something else flickered there. Fear.
The court sensed the shift immediately. The air itself felt heavier, charged with a secret that had just been dragged into the light. Warriors looked at each other, confusion mixing with growing alarm. Ministers leaned in, political instincts sensing blood in the water.
"What..." one courtier began.
"Enough." Odin's voice cut through the rising whispers like a blade. When he spoke again, his words were carefully controlled, each syllable measured. "What I meant was that creating such a weapon is... complex. It would take time. Weeks. And you would need to make an oath to fulfill the promises you made regarding my son's treatment during his imprisonment."
Jay's smile returned, warm and genuine. "Of course! I'm a man of my word."
"Then we have an accord. I'll send word when your item is ready."
"Perfect." Blue energy began to ripple around Jay's body. Space folded, preparing for teleportation.
"STOP!"
Frigga was already moving. She crossed the distance between her throne and Jay with inhuman speed, her elaborate gown trailing behind her like wings. Desperation stripped away every ounce of royal dignity.
"Please!" Her hand reached toward him, trembling. "At least let me see him! Let me speak to my son! He's been locked away for over two weeks now..."
Her voice broke completely.
"Just let me know he's alive. That he's not suffering. I'm begging you."
The Queen of Asgard, begging a mortal.
The throne room was utterly silent. Even the most battle-hardened warriors looked away, unable to witness their queen's anguish.
Jay paused. The teleportation energy dissipated. He looked at Frigga's face, really looked, and something in his expression softened.
He shrugged, pulling the card from his pocket and bent it.
"STOP!" Odin's voice boomed.
"WAIT!" Thor lunged forward.
"NO!" Warriors Three moved as one.
But Jay was already bending the card, turning it around.
Loki's voice erupted into the throne room, and it was nothing like the smooth, eloquent prince they remembered.
"I'VE BEEN SCREAMING AND HITTING THE EDGE FOR MORE THAN A WEEK!"
The voice was raw. Destroyed. The sound of someone who'd torn their throat to shreds and kept screaming anyway.
The image on the card showed devastation. Loki's face was barely recognizable. Bruised, swollen, one eye completely white and sightless, the other wild with the kind of madness that comes from absolute isolation. His armor was shattered. Blood crusted around his mouth and nose. His hands, visible at the edges of the card, were mangled.
"I SCREAMED UNTIL MY THROAT BLED! I POUNDED ON THE BARRIERS UNTIL MY HANDS BROKE! THERE'S NO ONE! NOTHING! JUST SILENCE AND MY OWN VOICE SCREAMING BACK AT ME!"
Frigga's hand flew to her mouth, a sob escaping. She reached toward the card, magic flaring, desperate to touch her son.
Jay pulled it back, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He fixed Odin with a cold stare.
"You have one month to get my item ready. Any second more, and I'll be tearing the card."
Blue energy erupted around him.
"JAY, WAIT..." Heimdall started.
But the Power Broker was already gone, taking Loki's continued screams with him.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Frigga collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Thor stood frozen, horror written across his features. The entire court stared at the space where Jay had been, his final threat still echoing through the throne room.
The Warriors Three stood frozen, their weapons half-drawn, utterly useless.
The ministers who'd been so vocal earlier were silent now, their faces pale.
Odin lowered himself back onto his throne slowly, suddenly looking every one of his countless years.
"Heimdall," he said quietly. "Keep watch on the mortal. If he makes any move to harm Loki before the week is up, I want to know immediately."
"Yes, Allfather."
Odin's single eye stared at nothing, his mind already racing through contingencies and ways to retrieve his son before this mortal decided to make good on his threat.
But underneath the planning, underneath the divine authority and Odin force, Odin felt something he hadn't experienced in millennia.
Helplessness.
Because his son was at the mercy of a mortal with power that eclipsed even Odin's peak, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
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