Chapter 23 : THE THUNDER RETURNS
The light faded.
Thor stood in the observatory entrance, lightning still crackling around Mjolnir's head. His armor gleamed with power. His eyes blazed with something that might have been righteous fury or something more complicated.
"Brother."
The word came out wrapped in thunder. Not a greeting. Not a question. A challenge.
"Welcome home." Loki kept his voice level, refusing to show the fear that coiled in his chest. "Your return has been anticipated."
"Has it." Thor stepped forward, each movement carrying the weight of storms contained. "And was my death anticipated as well? When you sent the Destroyer to murder me?"
"I didn't send the Destroyer."
"Lies come easily to you, Loki. They always have."
"Check the vault records." Loki didn't retreat. Didn't flinch. "Check with Heimdall. The activation logs show no command from the throne. The Destroyer awoke on its own—responding to some trigger I still don't understand."
Thor's eyes narrowed. The lightning around him intensified, air pressure dropping in the observatory like a storm about to break.
"Convenient. The weapon that nearly killed my friends, that burned an innocent town, that hunted me across another realm—and you claim no responsibility."
"I claim the truth. What you do with it is your choice."
"My choice?" Thor laughed—bitter, disbelieving. "You sit on our father's throne while he sleeps. You hold power you've craved your entire life. And when the heir returns, a weapon 'mysteriously' activates to eliminate him. What conclusion should I draw, brother?"
He's not wrong to be suspicious. The circumstances look terrible. Any rational person would assume guilt.
"Draw whatever conclusion you want. But consider this: if I wanted you dead, why am I standing here?" Loki gestured at the observatory around them. "I could have fled while the Destroyer attacked. I could have sealed the Bifrost, trapped you on Midgard permanently. I could have claimed ignorance and let you die without ever knowing who was responsible."
"And yet you stayed."
"And yet I stayed. I watched through Heimdall's sight while you faced that machine. I watched you offer your life for mortals you'd known for days." He paused, let the next words carry weight. "I watched my brother become worthy of the hammer our father made for him."
Something shifted in Thor's expression. The lightning dimmed slightly. The storm-pressure eased.
"You watched."
"Every moment." Loki met his brother's eyes without flinching. "You were magnificent."
Thor's jaw worked like he was chewing on words he didn't know how to swallow. Suspicion warred with something else—the desperate hope, perhaps, that his brother wasn't the enemy he'd always feared.
"Heimdall." Thor's voice carried command. "Speak. What did you see?"
The Gatekeeper's response came measured and precise. "The prince did not command the Destroyer. I watched his face when he learned it had activated. That was surprise—genuine and profound. That was not the face of one who planned."
"You're certain?"
"I see truth, crown prince. It is my purpose." Heimdall's golden eyes moved between the brothers. "The regent did not send the weapon that nearly killed you."
Thor absorbed this. His shoulders loosened slightly—the fighting stance giving way to something more uncertain. He looked at Loki with new eyes, searching for deception, finding something else instead.
"Then who activated it?"
"I don't know." Loki spread his hands. "The vault records show no authorization. The trigger could have been Odin's sleeping state—some defense protocol activating when the throne lacked a true king. Or..." He hesitated. "Or something else is happening. Something beyond any of our control."
"That is not comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be comforting. It was meant to be honest."
Silence fell between them. Two brothers who'd spent centuries in competition, in jealousy, in the slow poison of comparison. Two brothers who might—might—have a chance to become something different.
"When I am certain of the truth," Thor said finally, "we will drink. And you will explain everything that happened while I was gone."
Loki almost smiled. The reference to Thor's endless drinking challenges felt like an olive branch wrapped in bravado.
"Looking forward to it."
Thor nodded once—sharp, decisive, still not convinced but no longer ready for violence. He turned toward the observatory exit, toward the palace, toward the family waiting for his return.
Then he paused.
"You defended my claim to the throne."
Loki blinked. "What?"
"Heimdall told me. The council wanted to discuss 'alternative arrangements' for the succession. You shut them down." Thor's voice carried something that might have been wonder. "Why?"
Because you're my brother. Because the original Loki's jealousy isn't mine. Because I need you alive to face what's coming.
"Because you're the crown prince. Your exile was temporary, not permanent. And because..." He searched for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Because I'd rather have you as king than become king myself."
Thor stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, something like a smile crossed his face.
"You really have changed."
"So everyone keeps telling me."
"Perhaps they're right." Thor started walking. "Mother will want to see us both. Come, brother."
Loki fell into step beside the crown prince—not equals, not enemies, not quite friends. Something in between. Something new.
It's a start.
The Bifrost bridge stretched before them, rainbow colors shifting beneath their feet. Behind them, Heimdall resumed his eternal watch. Ahead, the palace waited with all its complications.
But for the first time since waking in a god's body, Loki felt like he might actually have a chance at a real family.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people means more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' timelines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Timeline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access + 5 new chapters weekly.
Timeline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Timeline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the moment I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/Whatif0