Always Mine (An MCU Fanfiction)

32. The Golden Cage

Casey's P.O.V.

It had been almost four years since I ended up in Asgard. 

After eating one of Idunn's apples, I stopped aging. While the gift spared me from growing old, it came with a painful cost. One day, I would outlive everyone I loved on Earth. My telekinetic abilities have grown stronger as well. No more headaches. No more nosebleeds. No more collapsing from overexertion. Yet no amount of power could erase the ache of missing my friends and family.

It hadn't taken me long to realize that Loki was masquerading as Odin. The disguise fooled nearly everyone in Asgard, but not me. The trickster never explained what had become of the real Allfather, and whenever I asked too many questions, he would skillfully redirect the conversation.

Keeping me hidden had become one of his favorite hobbies. 

The majority of Asgard believed Loki was dead, so my presence presented a problem. Consequently, whenever other Aesir were nearby, Loki had devised his own solution.

A flash of green light.

A burst of feathers. 

And suddenly I was a sparrow.

At first, I had hated it.

The transformation was always instantaneous. One moment I would be standing beside him, and the next I would be fluttering indignantly onto his shoulder while warriors, servants, and nobles walked past without suspecting a thing. 

Over time, however, I had become accustomed to it. 

I looked out over a balcony with the same view I'd seen when I first arrived. Every day, I found myself watching the horizon and thinking about home.

I missed my family.

I missed my friends.

I missed the simple things like phones, Wi-Fi, and being able to send a text message whenever I wanted.

No one in Asgard had even heard of unlimited data.

For years, I had searched for a way to contact Earth. Occasionally I noticed two ravens watching me from the rooftops, towers, or tree branches. The same pair. Every time.

I was beginning to suspect they were Hugin and Munin themselves.

A sudden flutter of wings drew my attention. One of Odin's guards had entered the courtyard below.

Before I could think twice, green magic wrapped around me. My stomach dropped. The world rapidly expanded. Or rather, I rapidly shrank. One second I was standing on two feet. The next, I was perched on the railing.

A sparrow.

Again.

I chirped indignantly.

This had become one of Loki's favorite solutions.

The moment another Aesir came too close, he transformed me into a tiny brown bird. It wasn't painful. Just humiliating.

The guard passed beneath the balcony without a second glance.

Within moments, a familiar green shimmer appeared. My body stretched upward. Feathers became skin. Wings became arms. And suddenly I was human once more.

I spun around. "Loki!"

He stood there looking entirely pleased with himself.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You turned me into a bird again," I glared.

"It was necessary."

"It was not."