Loki's Downfall

XII

"I'm a conspirator, an accomplice. If you kill him, you have to kill me too."

"What are you talking about, Serena? You aided in his arrest. Besides, you were dead up until a few days ago. You're not guilty," Thor explained. All day I've been trying to argue my case, to anybody who will listen, but nobody ever believes me when I say I'm guilty of the same crimes as Loki.

Thor walked away from me at first, but I followed eagerly. "What's going to happen to us?" I asked. Thor spun around, a scowl on his face. "Him. Not you and him. Just him. Just Loki. And I'm not certain yet, it's for the war council to decide," he told me, then he went on walking. Again, I trailed behind.

"War council? What have they to do with Loki's crimes? They know nothing," I pointed out. Then again, since they know nothing about Loki, maybe I could go plead my involvement to them. "There is no king, the council is in charge," Thor replied to my previous question.

I sighed and kept quiet for the remainder of the walk, for I knew where Thor was heading. The dungeon, where Loki was most likely being kept. Though I was as quiet as possible, once Thor walked through the black doors to the dungeon, two guards stepped in my way, blocking me out.

At first I tried to explain I was with Thor, but they didn't listen. They didn't even acknowledge I was there. Soon I started yelling inside at Thor. Then when that didn't work I started cussing up a storm, yelling for anyone who would listen. I even tried pushing through those guards a couple times, but to no avail.

Soon Thor came back up to the doors, silencing me. Or at least trying to. Of course it didn't work. I wanted to see Loki, and these obstacles were making big mistakes by getting in my way. "Let me see him!!!" I roared while attempting again to push through the two guards.

"Alright! That's enough!" Shouted a voice from behind me. It was a familiar voice, but I was used to automatically connecting it to Loki...

I turned to see Odin coming toward the doors. Thor was the first person to react, pushing through the guards to run to his father. I didn't react at all. Not that I wasn't surprised, of course. "You're alive!" Thor rejoiced. Odin wasn't smiling at the reunion, but instead he glared at me. All the sudden the brave beast inside me turned into a cowardly mouse, and I slouched and looked at the ground.

"Let her see him," Odin told the guards. They complied by stepping aside for me. For a second I was beaming, but it felt rude not to say hello to the King after this period of thinking he was dead. At this point I honestly couldn't care less though, Loki's my number one concern. But before I took off into the dark of the dungeon, I ran to Odin and embraced him. "Thank you!" I said, pulling off and sprinting away with tears already stinging my eyes.

On a normal day the dungeon would scare me. Plenty of mean looking creatures are imprisoned here, and they have tempers to match. But none of this phased me today. I was just trying to find Loki. But it seemed like I ran and ran, his cell was nowhere to be found. I'd finally reached the end of the dungeon, confused as ever. I looked all around, my hands running frustratedly through my ratted hair.

In the corner of my eye I saw a dip in the stone floor. Another staircase. Without hesitation, I ran to and down it. I went maybe fifty more feet underground before reaching a smaller area that only inhabited one cell. That one cell contained Loki. He was laying on the floor, looking a little different, I could tell that much even from this far away. And guess who was already down here waiting outside the cell?

Luka.

Half panting, half sobbing, I walked toward the cell, and Luka watched me. Under the light of the beaming forcefield and pure white interior of the cell I could tell he was holding back tears.