For we once so loved the world by HowlingDarkness95

Chapter 46

The mood on Asgard was a somber one.

The chitauri hoard that invaded the realm eternal may have been defeated, but Thanos had won in the end. When the realm's defenders had been busy with the invasion, a small group of chitauri had been sent to the vaults to retrieve Asgard's most prized possession – the Infinity Gauntlet. The artifact which Odin had spent most of his energy trying to protect when Thanos himself came to Asgard's shores. And it was now in his hands.

The Avengers were all gathered in the healing room, each finding their own corner to mope. They chatted quietly amongst themselves, talking about inane things and generally not addressing the elephant in the room. Their eyes skittered away from the prone figure lying on the bed, swathed with bandages. The pale face, the sunken cheeks – the avengers tried not to let their eyes linger on what could be their worst failure in all of their history together.

They looked up when the door opened, revealing the last member of their motley crew. Thor looked at each of them and cracked a smile, though it looked more like a grimace. He was wearing his armor, but his cape was nowhere to be seen. The god ran a hand through his disheveled hair, dirt and grime staining the golden locks. "How does he fare?" he asked quietly.

One would not have thought the god to be capable of speaking quietly, but it seemed that these few days were full of surprises.

Steve shook his head, looking at the form on the bed sadly, "No change. The healers say that he's doing fine, but he's still refusing to talk or even interact with people."

Thor nodded his head gravely, the news disappointed him, but he had expected just as much.

"So what about you? Any news?" Tony asked, for once, not even finding the energy to crack a joke.

Thor sighed and shook his head, "We are tending to the wounded, and mother is trying to get our defenses to a significant level with the other mages. Father is drained from the constant use of his magic, but he too is gathering his strength. I have spoken to Heimdall, but so far, there has been no sign of Thanos or the chitauri."

Natasha, who was sitting with her back against the wall, spoke up, "What I don't understand is why they're taking so long to attack. It's been two weeks. They have what they wanted, why are they waiting?"

"To gather their army? Strengthen their forces?" Bruce commented, cleaning his glasses.

"They don't need to do that do they? I mean if he – Loki – was telling the truth then this Thanos guy has more minions than Gru does." Clint chipped in, not looking up from where he sat on the window sill.

Tony turned to give the archer an incredulous stare, "Since when did you watch Despicable Me?"

The archer flipped him off.

Steve sighed at his team mates' antics, and did so again when he caught sight of Thor's dejected face at the mention of his brother. "Thor, look, I'm sure that there's some reason for what Loki did –"

"Whatever reason my brother may have had, that is no excuse for his actions." Thor said, frowning darkly. He walked over to the bed, looking down at the boy who had changed their lives, resting a hand on Percy's head, "I will not forgive him for what he has done."

Loki gasped as he hit the floor harshly, sucking in a breath and rolling to his feet, launching straight into a sprint without pausing to take a breather. He dashed through the alleys, following the map he saw in his mind's eye. The god risked a glance backwards, cursing mentally as he ducked, narrowly avoiding a blast which sailed past his ear. He wove through the street, shoving others out of the way, ignoring their indignant cries and angry shouting. His pursuers were catching up to him, and if only he could just reach the collection point –