Holding On

XV

"Asgard," Loki repeated. The word seemed almost foreign to him. The place he used to call home had become a stranger to the god. His eyes scanned the room, roaming to the others. They stayed silent, awaiting his response and allowing him to process the words that had just been thrown at him.

They knew of his feelings towards his old home and Odin, but Loki had to go back, especially when they had Thanos looming over them. The team had yet to figure out about Loki's dreams, but the mere capture of the god of mischief was enough for them to be cautious and want him fully protected.

"Loki," Thor inched towards his brother, cautious not to startle Loki while he was thinking.

Maybe traveling back would not be such a dreadful idea. Perhaps the people have changed - surely they know of my sacrifices. Loki's mind weighed the options. Maybe Odin will welcome me home, maybe the people will cheer when they see me.

But then he remembered the sour truth of it all. There would be no parade awaiting his return, only angry Asgardians and chains.

"Not yet." His words were harsh. Loki knew his actions would have worse consequences than the ones he was given for New York. He knew that without Freya Odin was less likely to hold back, less likely to conceal his anger. After all, Loki was the reason she was dead. But it seemed like Thor didn't care about the harsh manner Loki spoke in, the smile that spread onto his face was evidence enough. He only cared that one day his brother would be willing to join him at their home.

"Alright it's settled then, Loki will eventually return to Asgard and all will be right in the world. Can we have lunch now?" Clint sighed impatiently. The others turned and glared. "What?" he shrugged his shoulders confused. His stomach grumbled in the background, further making his point.

Director Furry was a strong man. He had made the Avengers team from scratch and even convinced the heroes to work together for the first time to take down Loki during the battle of New York. To say that Furry wasn't a fan of Loki would be an enormous understatement, especially after the god of mischief had killed Agent Colson, the right-hand man of SHIELD.

So, as you can imagine, Furry wasn't particularly happy when he saw the Avengers, along with Loki, standing outside his door like a group of teenagers outside of the principal's office. Anger had immediately settled in, and it didn't look like it planned to leave anytime soon.

He pressed a button under his desk to open the door and buzz in the team.

"What could you possibly want?" Furry snapped as he looked at the pile of documents that had settled on his desk. It was tall, easily a foot, with documents so classified that the president couldn't read them. The hopeful look that was spread over the Avenger's faces quickly disappeared. Loki held to the back of the group far away from Furry's view. The same feeling he got when he saw his father rose to his stomach. Why did he have to be such a disappointment?

The Avengers had already told Furry about what had happened to the mischief god before Loki snapped back into reality. The tales of brainwashing and mind control had drifted through the air, though Loki could still smell them. Although he stood at the back of the group and was covered by many, he could see Furry staring at him like darts into a board.

"The faster you agree, the faster he will be back on Asgard and away from Earth," he heard Tony say from the front of the room. Furry's stare didn't falter.

"Fine, but if he gets into any trouble before you get him outta here, I'm taking every one of you down." Furry rubbed his head as he told the hopeful news. A new headache probably caused by the team already raving inside.

The others nodded before turning their attention to Loki. The god just stared, ready to be lectured. He was waiting to be told how he would once again be locked away in the tower to make sure he would stay put and out of trouble. Instead, the words that came out of the Captain's mouth were very different.

"How do you feel about staying upstate?"

Hopeful.

Morgana had been busy in her room, mixing potions and creating hexes, each unique in its way and each fooling Thanos into thinking Loki was suffering. She knew of the risks that came with such a task, but Loki had cared for her in the past. Even if he no longer remembered it, she did. Long ago, she had promised him her life, and now she was fulfilling it.

The children of Thanos were estranged from their father. Gamora had gone off long ago to travel the galaxy and serve the alliance with Ronan the Accuser. Currently, she was searching for the Orb, planning to betray the two and earn her freedom. She has only told Morgana of her plan, knowing that she hated their father as well. Nebula had stayed close to their father. She had even been on the ship that Loki escaped from, though she too disagreed with his schemes and planned to overthrow him.

Morgana threw more peculiar items into the pot. It only bubbled and boiled in return. No melting in the floor where the concoction had spilled over or sizzling the spoon in which she stirred it. In fact, the spells she brewed weren't even charmed to Loki. They had been connected to one of Thanos' many soldiers so just in case one didn't go the way she planned Loki would be out of the range of fire.

Thanos had built himself a bigger and better ship after Loki's escape, and his ideas of intimidation had only grown with his improvements. Vents had been installed throughout the ship allowing the echoing screams of his victims to catapult at full volume. Their screams were still heard bouncing off the steel walls late at night, scarring his minions to do anything he asked.

So when Thanos demanded that a few of his highest-ranking soldiers travel to Earth and find the god of mischief, they agreed without hesitation. The soldiers, led by Major Jamor, had prepared the ship for Earth. Each soldier had sworn his loyalty to the Mad Titan, pledging that if they failed any task the worst punishments available would come their way. It wasn't exactly their choice when they swore, family and friends held at gunpoint definitely played a large role in the matter.

Their ship was quickly loaded and sent off into space with a count of 10 soldiers including the Major aboard. Food and resources were packed deep in the ship for their travels. Their mission was simple: find Loki and bring him back to Thanos. How hard could it be? Surely they didn't know about the guard that had grown around the young god. He now had the support of the Avengers, "Earth's mightiest heroes," surrounding him. If Thanos' minions were to find him, they would be sure to put up a fight.