Illusions | Loki & Jane

12. The Banishment

The Allfather only struck his staff, Gungnir, once upon the ground, and the Frost Giants fell, defeated before they could wreak further havoc with the aid of the Destroyer. Odin strode into the vault with his sons, only to be met with an icy sight. The guards lay frozen on the floor, lifeless, while the Frost Giants lay vanquished. Loki felt a stirring in his conscience, but he quickly cast aside the nagging thoughts.

"The Jotuns must pay for what they have done." Thor declared, his anger palpable, just as Loki had predicted.

"They have payed with their lives." Odin replied calmly, his gaze fixed on the Casket of Ancient Winters. "The Destroyer did its job, and the Casket is safe. All is well."

Thor stared at him in disbelief. "All is well?! They broke into the Weapons Vault! If the Frost Giants had made off with even one of these relics—"

"But they didn't."

"I demand to know why!" Thor's fury was unmistakable.

"I have a truce with Laufey, the king of the Jotun."

"They just violated your truce! They know you are vulnerable!"

Odin sighed deeply, turning to his son. "And what would you do in my stead?"

"March into Jotunheim as you once did! Teach them a lesson; break their spirits so they never dare cross our borders again!"

"You think only as a warrior!"

"This was an act of war!"

"It was the act of a few, doomed to fail."

"Look at how far they got!" Thor retorted.

"We will identify the breach in our defenses. It will be found and sealed."

"As king of Asgard—"

"BUT YOU'RE NOT KING!" Odin's patience finally snapped. "Not yet," he whispered.

Loki caught the disappointment in Odin's eyes, knowing his father believed Thor was not yet ready. There was a flicker of hope, yet it was overshadowed by disappointment. Loki resolved to push Thor closer to the edge, ensuring even Odin would see his son as nothing more than a boy.

Approaching his brother, Loki found Thor sitting in defeat after upending a banquet table in his rage. "It's unwise to be in my company right now, brother," Thor warned. The Warriors Three and Sif entered, bewildered by the chaos.
Loki didn't let them distract him he was undeterred; he sought to guide his brother toward defiance against Odin without revealing it was Loki behind the wheel. He knew how to talk to his brother and he continued his manipulation, and it wasn't long before they set off for Jotunheim. Oh, Thor, you are so predictable, Loki thought with a chuckle.

All went acccording to plan. However, things took an unexpected turn when they found themselves in the midst of a fierce battle against hordes of Frost Giants and a colossal monster. Loki hadn't foreseen this escalation, nor the intervention of Odin and Laufey declaring a war. They did go a little too far, maybe.

"Why did you bring us back?" Thor breathed, adrenaline still coursing through him.

"Have you realized what you've done? What you've started?" Odin demanded, fury evident in his tone.

Yes, they had ignited a war, and Loki knew this was on his account and the burden lay heavy on him, yet he chose to remain silent, listening to the conflict unfold.

"... You'd stand giving speeches while Asgard falls," He heard his brother say.

"YOU ARE A VAIN, GREEDY, CRUEL BOY!" Odin roared.