In the weeks that followed Perseus' fall, the tensions between the avengers were thick. Thor was not the brightest of Asgardians, he wasn't as smart as his fellow avengers, nor was he as witty as his brother, but he wasn't stupid,not by a long stretch, and Loki had taught him the value of observation a long time ago. It was only through his folly that he failed to pay attention to Loki's teachings in the past, not even realizing his brother's hurts and growing anger. Thor was an act-first-think-later kind of guy, and being unable to do anything to help his fellow warriors made him feel helpless, with little more to do than sit around and twiddle his thumbs. And he hated that feeling. As an Asgardian, he had a home to go to if Midgard fell, but he loved this planet and its inhabitants deeply, and to think of abandoning it seemed sacrilegious. These mortals were fighting for their own home, and Thor knew that while his friends did not resent him, it also did not help that he was the only avenger to be able to defeat their recent enemies.

Barton's sudden question had shocked them all, but none more so than Thor. Back then, he had only concentrated on dealing with the Chitauri as per his father's orders, leaving the aftermath of the attack to the SHIELD director and Steven Rogers. He felt guilty for leaving such responsibilities to them but like what his brother had said, he did not truly know the humans well enough to speak to them. That job was better left to those who had the charisma to affect the majority. That had been his job on Asgard, but as he was so often reminded, he was no longer on Asgard.

Thor spun the thought in his mind, he remembered questioning Loki atop that cliff side-who controls the would-be king?- and as hard as he thought, he could not remember Loki ever giving him an answer to that. Loki was a master of lies, but his brother was always fond of saying that the best lies were the truth. Yet, in that moment, he had deflected, with less than his usual grace. If that was true, if there truly was someone else controlling the strings, then perhaps his brother was not as lost as he thought. Thor let hope surge within him for a moment, before clamping down harshly on it. His brother was known as the Silvertongue and Liesmith, it would not surprise him that even if Loki was not the chitauri's leader, he still had been in league with whoever was behind the scenes.

That thought pained him, he longed for the brother who had fought beside him, not against him. He longed for the Loki that had laughed delightfully when a prank was pulled off successfully, who begged non-stop to accompany him on a hunt, who smiled so brightly at him when Thor accepted his gift. But still, doubt lingered in his mind, there was one more thing that was not right, something that his fellow avengers would not know about. He understood their resentment and hatred towards his brother, for Loki had invaded and nearly destroyed their home, but Loki, despite all his faults and anger, was still Thor's brother. He was still the person that Thor had spent most of his life with. He was the brother of Thor who had tottered after him when they were mere children. And even though Thor, who, thinking back now, could barely even list what Loki loved to do other than devour his books in a solitary corner, knew one thing for sure.

He knew that Loki crafted his own weapons more often than not, causing him to be mocked by the people of Asgard for his actions. It was unbecoming of a prince of Asgard to dirty his hands with coal and fire, but Loki did not care what his peers thought, he continued crafting his own weapons, imbuing them with his own power. He knew that his brother preferred fighting with his own carefully crafted weapons, especially the daggers that their mother had given to him, his favourite daggers. Their father had gifted Loki with a staff once, an ebony staff that had enchantments placed on it to strengthen it and a power source at the head of the staff. Loki had thanked their father, and promptly returned to his room to tear out all the enchantments placed on it. He had reconstructed the staff in terms of seidr, adding his own enchantments along with several crystals to the staff. When Thor saw his staff next, it also had an obsidian snake with emerald eyes coiled around its length. The staff had a pointed end that could pierce through even the hardest of armors, and near the power source, it had a curved head with a hooked end. All in all, the staff had made him uncomfortable, looking as wicked as it did. When Loki caught him staring, he had just smirked and twirled the staff expertly.

That weapon had brought death to many enemies, and Thor grew to appreciate its beauty, commending his brother for his work. But now that he was musing, he realized that he had not seen his brother use it for several centuries now. He had thought that the golden staff was the same one, that his brother had decided to change its outlook. Now, he was not as sure of that opinion as he was then. He remembered the blue colored orb pulsating in the scepter, casting a sickly glow on his brother. He wondered now if it did not have any effect on his brother's madness.

Thor made up his mind, he stood up, gripping Mjolnir from where it hung by the door and went up to the roof of the Man of Iron's tower. His exit was blocked by one Captain America, who glanced up at him from where he was sketching the city's skyline.

"Thor," he greeted, "Are you going back to Asgard?"

"Aye my friend, do not fret, for I would not be gone long." Thor replied.

Steve nodded slowly, then asked hesitatingly, "Are you...going to ask for help?"

Thor blinked at him, then cursed inwardly, in his musings about his wayward brother, he had completely forgotten about the situation they were in. He planted a smile on his face, much like how Loki always did, "Aye Captain, I will do my best to find someone who is willing to help us."

Thor felt his heart clench in guilt at the sheer relief on his friend's face, "Thanks a lot Thor, this means a lot, even if you don't find anyone, at least we tried." Steve said, giving him a smile that belied his exhaustion.

Thor nodded mutely, gesturing for Steve to step back. He then raised his eyes heavenward and bellowed, "Heimdall! Open the gate!"

The rainbow colored beam of light consumed the god of thunder and brought him home to the golden realm, leaving the symbol of America's hope alone on the roof.

The Bifrost spat him out into the golden observatory, where the gatekeeper, Heimdall stood. The two Asgardians greeted each other silently, mutual respect between them preceding the need for any formalities. Thor stepped out of the observatory, hesitating slightly as the golden spires of Asgard's central building loomed in the distance. He whispered an apology to his mortal friends and spun Mjolnir rapidly, taking flight towards the dungeons.

He landed at the entrance to the great hall of Asgard, choosing to walk from there to the dungeons to collect his thoughts before facing his wayward brother. He steeled himself internally, knowing that Loki would most likely be behaving like a cornered animal. The air became colder and damper as he descended into one of the darkest places of Asgard. He knew that his father's decision to block Loki's magic was a just one, however, he could still remember his brother's screams when they forcefully bound the magic away. He remembered his mother's furious screams at Odin for such a punishment. At the time, he had thought it lenient, the removal of power much like his own during his banishment, even telling his mother so. His mother's horrified look stilled his tongue from further comments, and it was only later on that he had realized that his brother had been born with seidr, he had not become a seidr-master because he learned how to manipulate the energy of the realm when they were younger, like the other girls who had learned from scratch. His brother was born with his natural talents. For such mages, their magic was akin to their lifeblood, and to bind it was equivalent to ripping their soul apart, each act of binding had different consequences. Some could not take the strain of having their seidr bound, while others could withstand the strain on their soul. Mostly, their minds fractured and they descended into insanity. Thor had paled and immediately pleaded with his father to lighten the sentence but Odin had refused him adamantly.

Thor sighed, he did not know what state his brother was in now, nor did he know how his mind fared. He felt guilt well up within him when he realized that he had not visited his brother once but clamped it down immediately, hardening his heart out of necessity. He would not let the Trickster manipulate him, no, not this time.

Thor inclined his head to the guards in front of the dungeon, "I'm here to see my brother." He said lowly. The guards looked at each other hesitantly, one of them stepping forward, "Sire, the king has forbidden anyone from visiting the prisoner."

Thor stepped forward, causing the young guard to take one backwards, "I am your prince, I would visit my bro-the prisoner. If the king questions you, tell them who t was that came down here, I will bear full responsibility."

The guards looked frightened still, but acquiesced without further protests, standing aside to let the crown prince into the dungeon. He walked forward, not giving the other prisoners a second look as he made to the last cell. Even before he had reached the cell, he heard a mocking laughter resonate out, "Well well well." Loki drawled, contempt dripping from his every word, "If it isn't the golden prince of Asgard himself." Thor rounded the corner, coming into view, he eyed the trickster sprawled on the floor, casually leaning against the wall, his arm propped on his knee. "To what do I owe the honor of being graced with your presence?"

"Enough games brother." Thor said, "I did not come here to play games."

"Ah," Loki chuckled, "Not a casual visit then? How you wound me brother, not visiting me once in this Norns forsaken cage and when you do, you come to me for help."

Thor furrowed his brows, "What? No, I did not come to seek your help, I came to find answers."

It was the darker prince's turn to raise his eyebrows, "Not here for my help? Surprise surprise, Asgard still stands."

"Enough Loki!" Thor thundered, raising Mjolnir threateningly. He felt a perverse pleasure at seeing fear flash through his brother's eyes momentarily at his actions. His brother always did bring out the worst in him.

Thor took a deep breath, "I want answers Loki, and you will give them."

"Well what is in it for me?" Loki smirked, spreading his arms out. The golden prince merely stared back at him silently.

The trickster rolled his eyes, flapping a hand at his once-brother, "Very well, go ahead and ask, I have nothing to do down here anyway. This place is so dreadfully boring."

"Did mother not give you books to read?"

Loki leveled him with a deadpan look that said get on with it you big oaf. Thor cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Who is the leader of the Chitauri?"

He was rewarded with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed look from his brother, "What? The Avengers and I have been in battle with the Chitauri recently, and they are much more organized than when you led them. The archer, Barton, pointed out the discrepancy between their fighting styles back then when you led them and now."

"Big words Thor, never knew you had it in you." Loki smirked, he rolled his eyes, grumbling at his bro-once brother's obliviousness, "You could have told them that right from the start Thor."

"What do you mean?"

Loki sighed exasperatedly, idiots, he thought, I am surrounded by idiots, "Tell me, how did you know of the Chitauri when you went to Midgard?"

Thor cocked his to one side, "Father told me about them."

"And...?" Loki prompted, "How did he know them?"

"He fought against them before." Thor said, frowning confusedly, feeling anger rise within him again at his brother's mocking, "What has this got to do with anything?"

Loki groaned, placing a hand over his eyes, shaking his head. The gesture was so familiar that it both sent a pang through his heart and made him puff up, feeling affronted, knowing that he had just been insulted but not knowing how.

"You stupid oaf," Loki said, "If Odin had fought them in the past, that would mean that they had a leader then, it would also mean that they have a leader now as clearly, the Allfather had failed to vanquish them!"

At Thor's continued blank look, Loki huffed, "If Odin fought them before I was born, and he never managed to defeat them, only drive them out of Yggdrasil, that would mean that I could never have been their leader because their leader is still alive!"

Loki glared at Thor, watching as realization finally dawned on him, "Honestly, it took you seven years* to realize that simple fact?" he snapped.

Thor felt his cheeks redden, and glared back at his brother, trying to cover up his embarrassment, "That is not all brother, the mortals, they face the chitauri yet again-" "So you have said." "-and the chitauri wield magic this time round." Thor said, continuing over his brother's interruption, "is there anything you know that could help?"

Loki snorted, "Like I care about those foolish mortals, and I'm not omniscient, how am I supposed to know what magic has been used when you refuse to tell me?"

"Brother, those mortals are not foolish, and they are certainly not what you think. Some are actually quite brilliant."

"To you, and your inferior mind."

"Loki! Enough!"

Loki snarled, standing up to face Thor, "You came here for answers, do not be upset if you get the ones not pleasing to your delicate ears."

Thor stared into his brother's poisonous green eyes glittering with madness and anger, "The chitauri have used concealing magic, much like the ones you used when we were younger. They have also shape-shifted into forms that allow them to escape notice." Thor hesitated here, not sure if he should tell his brother about the other enemies they faced. Loki had turned his back on him, but Thor knew without a doubt that his brother was listening carefully. "There is also another enemy of Midgard who uses magic, he uses it to strengthen his creations to the point where only Mjolnir is able to crush them."

"As I have said," Loki said, casually scrutinizing a fingernail, "I care not about your little mortal pets. If they cannot even handle their own enemies, then they are failures. Then again," he put his hand down, facing Thor fully, his bright green eyes piercing, "it cannot be helped that Earth's Mightiest Heroes are criminals and killers too, can it?"

Thor pressed his lips together, his brother's nonchalance grating his nerves. He turned and walked away from his brother's illuminated cage, stopping a few feet away from it, without turning back, he said, "That is not all, Perseus Jackson has fallen to the Chitauri, they have sent him into a sleep that he cannot awaken from. I know not what tortures are caged in his mind."

Thor ended his little speech and stalked out of the dungeon, never looking back once.

If he had, he might have seen the way Loki's back stiffened at the mention of the Midgardian hero. He might have caught the way his brother's eyes widened momentarily, the gears turning behind them. Loki stared into nothing, a single word escaping his lips in a quiet whisper, "Perseus."

Thor thanked the guards who stood at the entrance of the dungeon, walking slowly back to the surface. He felt glad to be out of the dungeons, the atmosphere heavy with silence and tension. Going to visit Loki was a mistake, he could barely control himself when his brother spat out barbs. He had never been as skilled with words nor had he been as quick-witted as Loki was. He stopped short in the middle of the corridor, earning him a few strange looks, curse him!He thought, in his rush, he had been sidetracked and had forgotten his original purpose. He scowled, stomping his way to his father's office. There were no court sessions today, and the next council meeting would not be anytime soon. His footsteps echoed in the vast hall, signaling his presence as servants and guards alike stepped to the side to make way for him. When he reached his father's office, he knocked heavily on the door, the banging sound echoing down the corridor. He waited for his father's sharp, "Enter!" before pushing the double doors open.

His father sat behind a wooden desk, running a critical eye over several sheets of parchment. His entrance caused Odin to look up, his lone blue eye assessing the crown prince standing before him. "Thor." He said, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

Thor hid a wince at the similarity of the greeting given to him by his brother earlier. But where Loki's greeting was full of contempt and derision, Odin's was that of concealed pride. "Father." He greeted back politely.

Odin waved a hand at him, gesturing at the large chair on the opposite side of the table, "Sit, sit. What would you like to talk to me about?"

Thor blinked in surprise, "Father, I have not said anything yet-"

"Thor, you have never come to this room of your own accord without wanting something. Now tell me, what is it you want?"

The glint in Odin's eye told Thor that he already knew what he was here for, but Thor went ahead and told him anyway, "The Midgardians Father, they are having trouble with the use of seidr."

"And?" Odin questioned.

"I would like to ask for assistance Father. I have little to no experience in the art of seidr, as such, I cannot offer them any form of assistance. I would that Asgard sends some form of help-"

"No."

Thor reeled back in shock, "Father?"

"I cannot spare any mage to help the mortals, Thor."

"Father you cannot be serious! Asgard swore to protect the realms, that includes Midgard. We are to help them in their time of need!"

Odin gave Thor a piercing stare, "Tell me Thor, are any of the mortal's enemies of Asgardian descent?"

"No Father, but-"

"Are you able to handle the spells used by them?"

"Yes Father, but-"

"Then there is no need for Asgard to interfere." Odin declared, ignoring Thor's shocked face.

"Father," Thor began, but was cut off by Odin, "No. Asgard cannot spare any help to the mortals, they have managed well enough on their own in the past, they will continue to do so now."

"Father they are under our vow of protection!"

"They are but mortals Thor!" Odin exclaimed, pinning Thor under his stare, "they have fleeting lives, they come and go. When one falls, another dozen takes its place."

Thor was stunned into silence, he had expected such comments to come from Loki, but not from his father. He watched as his father returned to scrutinizing the parchments before him, struck by how similar Loki and Odin were in that moment with their similar disregard about the mortals. Thor made to leave when an idea hit him, a conniving smile not unlike the one his brother often wore wormed its way onto his face, "Father," he said, waiting for Odin's acknowledgement. His father grunted, "You said that you could not spare any Asgardian to help the mortals."

Odin sighed and placed the parchments back on the desk, giving his son his full attention, "Yes I did Thor, what of it?"

"If you did not send an Asgardian? It would not hinder Asgard in any way for he would not be contributing if he stayed here."

Odin stared at his son for a moment, realization dawning on him at the implication in Thor's sentence, "No. Thor, that is madness, I will not allow such a thing!"

"Father," Thor pressed on, "it makes perfect sense. You cannot send any Asgardian mage, but I do not need one, just a mage that can help Midgard. If I take him, Asgard will not be affected. If I do not, he is of no use to Asgard either."

"Have you forgotten his transgressions on Midgard?" Odin demanded.

"It is precisely why I should take him! The mortals suffered directly, yet they have not had any say in his trial or punishment. This can be his attempt to compensate for his attacks." Thor argued.

"Why are you so adamant about setting your brother free Thor?" Odin questioned.

"I am not setting my brother free. I am trying to help my friends, you have made your wish clear, and you cannot or will not send any help from Asgard. Loki is sitting in his cell rotting away, he does not contribute to Asgard's benefit in any way at all. His removal from this realm will have no detrimental effects."

"None save the mayhem he undoubtedly will cause in whichever realm he steps foot on!" Odin slammed a hand on the table, the sound deafening in the great expanse of the room. Father and son were at an impasse, but Thor stood his ground. "Father, we have not given the mortals any form of reparations, wherein we normally do. It would damage Asgard's image if we were to withhold any form of reparation to the mortals. They were the ones who suffered the brunt of Loki's attack, yet we have not given them any help or compensation."

"You were sent to help them. That is reparation enough."

Thor said nothing, leveling his father with a heavy stare.

Odin eyed his son, wondering when he became so shrewd. Silence enveloped the room. Odin sighed heavily, dismissing his son with a wave of his hand, "I will consider it."

Thor knew that that was the best he could get out of his father. He only hoped that his father would see the logic behind his argument. He bowed and walked out of the room, his cape swishing behind him.

Odin closed his one eye, "Is this the right thing to do?"

"You know it is my king." A musical voice chimed beside him. Odin opened his eyes to see his queen standing beside him. Frigga smiled down at him, "Our sons belong together husband, they watch each other's backs in a way that no other being can."

"I would have believed that once, if not for the fact that Loki is now more likely to put the knife in Thor's back rather than watch it!" Odin snapped.

Frigga frowned at him, casting him a disappointed look, "Then, my king, you truly do not understand your own child."

Odin furrowed his brows, while Frigga continued, "If you truly think that Loki hates Thor, then you have wasted the millennia bringing up the two boys. This is my advice, Thor and Loki have always been opposites, they are two halves of the same coin, to use a mortal's phrase, they complete each other. Whether or not you heed it, is no longer my concern. I will only pray that my king will make the right decision."

Frigga bowed, and her illusion dissipated in a swirl of green light. Odin sighed again, wearily, he called for a council.