SHIELD Containment Room.
"Loki?" Thor blinked, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing here?"
"I had to see you," Loki said, his voice laced with a mix of genuine pain and practiced deceit.
He was angry. Furious. He had just learned his entire life was a lie. He was a Frost Giant. A monster. And yet, looking at his oaf of a brother, he still felt a pang of... something. Pity? Or maybe just the need to hurt him back.
"What happened?" Thor asked urgently, stepping forward. "Tell me. Is it Jotunheim? Did the Frost Giants attack? I can explain to Father! I can fix this!"
Thor clung to hope. If he could just talk to Odin, explain his side, maybe this whole "Exile" thing could be reversed. He had calmed down since his outburst. He realized he was wrong. He just needed a chance to apologize.
"Father is dead," Loki said flatly.
The words hit Thor like a physical blow.
"What?" Thor whispered, his legs giving way. He stumbled back, leaning against the wall for support.
"Your banishment," Loki lied smoothly, "the threat of a new war... it was too much for him. You know he was already weak. He couldn't take the strain."
"You must not blame yourself," Loki added, twisting the knife. "I know you loved him. I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen."
"And seeing you fail to lift Mjolnir..." Loki glanced at the hammer sitting in the crater outside. "It broke his heart. It was the final straw."
"The crown has passed to me," Loki announced, his face a mask of solemn duty. "As the second in line."
Thor slid down the wall, burying his face in his hands.
"I... I killed him?" Thor sobbed.
He thought of the diary. Odin held on for a few extra years.
Thor had assumed that meant Odin had a few years left. But now he realized... those years were already gone. He had used them up. His arrogance had pushed his father over the edge.
"Can I come home?" Thor asked, his voice small and broken. "Just to say goodbye?"
"The truce with Jotunheim," Loki shook his head, "is conditional on your exile. If you return, it means war."
"And Mother..." Loki paused for effect. "She forbids your return."
"She blames you," Loki whispered. "For Father's death."
"No!" Thor cried out, shattered.
His father was dead. His brother was King. His mother hated him.
He had lost everything.
"I am so sorry," Thor wept. "Thank you for coming to tell me."
"Goodbye, brother," Loki said coldiy.
He turned and walked away, fading into thin air before he even reached the door.
Thor sat alone in the room, his world destroyed.
"Goodbye," Thor whispered to the empty air.
Click.
The door opened. Nick Fury walked in.
"Goodbye?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow. "I just got here. You kicking me out already?"
Thor looked up, wiping his tears. "I wasn't speaking to you, Son of Fury."
"Then who were you talking to?" Fury asked, scanning the room. "The air conditioning?"
"My brother," Thor sniffled. "Loki. He was just here."
Fury froze.
Loki. The future invader. The "Third Princess." The Trickster God.
"He was here?" Fury asked sharply. "I didn't see anyone enter or leave."
"He is the Master of Magic in Asgard," Thor explained dully. "His illusions and stealth are unmatched. Mortals cannot see him if he does not wish it."
Fury's single eye narrowed. Invisible infiltrator. Great.
"So," Fury pulled up a chair. "What did he say?"
Thor took a deep breath, his voice trembling.
"My father is dead," Thor said. "And I am the cause."
Fury paused. He remembered the diary entry. Odin held on...
But he also remembered something else.
[Loki's Lies 101: "Father is dead." Don't believe him!]
Fury looked at the devastated Thor.
"Thor," Fury said carefully. "Did you see a body?"
"What?" Thor looked confused.
"Did you see your father die?" Fury pressed. "Or did your brother just tell you he died?"
"Loki would not lie about this!" Thor insisted. "He is my brother!"
"He is the God of Mischief," Fury countered. "And according to Lucas, he's a Drama Queen who wants the throne."
"Think, Thor," Fury urged. "If Odin is dead, why didn't the hammer's enchantment break? Why are you still unworthy?"
"If the spellcaster dies, the spell usually fades," Fury reasoned (using logic he learned from Dungeons & Dragons).
"But Mjolnir is still locked. Which means Odin's command is still active."
"Which means," Fury leaned in, "Odin is alive."
Thor stared at Fury. Hope flickered in his eyes.
"You think... Loki lied?"
"I think," Fury stood up, "we need to ask someone who can't lie."
"Lucas."
"We need to trigger that diary entry," Fury declared. "Now."
Read ahead with 70+ chapters now with daily updates!
Get 25% Off this weekend!
@patreon.com/Authorizz