An End and a Beginning

Athena and Thor raced around a corner, able to hear Loki speaking from within the open doors of Odin's bedchambers, another sign that something was wrong for the doors to the royal bedchambers were always closed, "…swear to you, mother, they will pay for what they've done today," Loki was saying, "I will end the Jotun threat, now and forever! And I will make you proud."

They raced into the doorway, stopping short when they caught sight of Loki, dressed in his ceremonial horns and holding Gungnir in his hand, hugging Freya. Odin appeared to be safe, lying on his bed, a soft golden glow layering him as he healed and rejuvenated himself. There were two dead Jotuns on the ground…and Laufey dead at the side of Odin's bed as well.

"Thor!" Frigga gasped, rushing to her eldest son's side, hugging him tightly, her delight evident in her voice, though Thor and Athena kept their gazes on Loki, watching him.

Loki's eyes flickered to Mjolnir and up to Thor, "Found its way back to you, did it?"

"No thanks to you," Thor frowned.

Frigga tensed and took a single step back, looking between her sons, unsure of what happened, "What?"

Athena flinched at that, she knew how much Frigga loved both her sons, despite the fact that they weren't her own. That was one thing that she admired so much about the Queen of Asgard, Frigga's unending love for the children she raised. If only some members of her own family had been as accepting there would have been far less bloodshed and fighting and she was quite sure that 'family dinners' would have been far more pleasant if they'd all gotten along in that way.

"Of course you kept that all hidden from her," Athena muttered, shaking her head at Loki, but she expected it. Of the rulers of Asgard, Loki favored Frigga more, as Thor favored Odin just a hint more than his mother. Of all the people in the realm, Frigga would be the one person Loki would never wish to disappoint.

"Why don't you tell her?" Thor glared, "How you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends? To kill Athena? To kill me?"

Loki tensed at that, at Frigga turning to him in alarm at Thor's words, "It must have been enforcing Father's last command."

"No," Athena shook her head, "Sif told me when he'd fallen into Odinsleep. It was after he'd commanded ME to go to Midgard. And why should the Destroyer choose to enforce the command NOW, days later? Unless he was commanded to do so."

"You're a talented liar, brother," Thor agreed, stepping away from his mother to face Loki, "Always have been."

Loki smiled at that, "It's good to have you back," he told Thor, before growing entirely too serious, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to destroy Jotunheim."

And then, before any of them could so much as blink, he lifted Gungnir and fired a bolt right at Athena, sending her flying through the walls and out the side of the palace, leaving her to plummet to the ground.

"Loki!" Frigga gasped, but Loki's sight was on Thor who turned and instantly took off after the woman.

He knew them both, he knew how they fought, he knew their personalities. Just as Athena had studied Thor's battle maneuvers, he had studied them both. He knew the care they had for each other, but he also knew their focus points. Had he thrown Thor through the wall, Athena wouldn't have rushed after him but stood her ground and attacked HIM instead. She would go right to battle mode, trusting that Thor would be alright now that he was immortal again. But he knew Thor, when someone he deeply cared for was in danger, his first thought was always to protect them, to ensure they were alright. He knew that if he attacked Athena, it would be distraction enough for Thor to follow her fall than to race after HIM, and that was what he needed.

He cast his mother a single regretful look before he turned and rushed out of the room, leaving Thor to race after Athena.

~8~

"Athena!" Thor shouted, landing in a crouch beside the reflecting pools of the courtyard below only moments after Athena crashed into them with an enormous splash. He ran for the edge of the pool feeling the worst but Athena popped up in the water with a sputter, though he realized she was splashing quite a bit and seemed to be struggling in the depths of the pools, just a little deeper than she was tall. He reached out and managed to grab her flailing hand, tugging her towards him and hauling her up over the side as she coughed…and he realized something, "You can't swim?"

It seemed absurd, that of all the skills she possessed, swimming was not one of them. But then again, they hadn't really spent much time swimming so he had never seen her in the waters much…if ever now that he thought about it.

"Never wanted to learn," she muttered, coughing a little more as she managed to get herself out of the pools and slump against the side of their high ledges.

"Would that not be a useful skill?" he commented, trying not to think of how that meant that she'd literally nearly drowned just then after surviving a blast from Gungnir (he would have to commend her brother for his fine craftsmanship on her breastplate when he finally met her family).

"Last time I tried to learn," she wheezed, "And every time after, my uncle tries to drown me. So no, I do not wish to be near the water."

He gave her a look that clearly displayed his disturbance at the thought that her own uncle would actually try to drown her, and it had to be actually drown her for her to fear swimming and the water.

"My uncle holds a grudge," she muttered, wringing out her hair, "I beat him in a contest, he tries to drown me whenever he gets the chance."

"Your family is…"

"I'd be careful what you follow with Thor," she cut in, "If you'd forgotten, your brother just tried to kill you as well and appears intent to destroy…"

Her words were cut off when a thunderous sound echoed through the air and they spotted the Bifrost being opened, "Jotunheim," Thor breathed.

Athena nodded, "We must stop him…"

He reached out and grabbed her arm as she made to rush in that direction, "You stay here," he ordered, "Athena you were just thrown through the walls and nearly drowned!" he argued when she pulled her arm away and stalked in that direction.

"And your brother just proved he's a traitor," she shouted back, "You will need my help!"

Thor would have groaned at her stubbornness, and she thought HE was more stubborn than Mjolnir. But he had little time to think on that, knowing that arguing would waste time and, truly, two against one would better their odds at stopping Loki, so he hurried to her side, grabbing her by the arm and lifting Mjolnir into the air, picking them both up on the winds of a storm as he'd done on the way to the palace. They soared into the air, flying across the Rainbow Bridge, towards Heimdall's controls where they could see the energy was roaring uncontrollably within, the Bifrost open as Heimdall had warned them not to do on their way to Jotunheim as it would mean utter destruction. They landed just outside the doorway to the control room, glancing at each other before nodding and striding in, allowing them to see that the controls weren't just open, but they were freezing from the energy building around them, forcing them to remain open.

"All these years," Loki called from where he stood beside the controls, "And no one's ever dared to use it as a weapon."

Thor rushed for the ice, Mjolnir raised to smash through it, when Loki sent a blast at him with Gungnir still in his hands, blasting him back though the bolt only hit the ice in front of him. Athena cautiously stepped back, moving to the side, her eyes flittering between Thor groaning on the ground, to Loki stepping away from the ice towards him, and the ice itself. She caught Thor's eyes and gave him a nod, making her way around Loki from behind, trying to get closer to the ice to try her hand at breaking through it while he distracted Loki.

"You can't stop it," Loki told him as Thor staggered to his feet, "The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart."

"Why have you done this?" Thor frowned.

"To do what Father never could. To destroy their kind forever. When he awakens, he'll see the wisdom of what I've done."

"That's hardly wisdom!" Athena spoke before she realized she'd done it, "Loki I tried to STOP Thor doing this! This is NOT a wise move for any king to make!"

"Then go ahead and try to stop it," he waved her off, knowing that the sword in her hand would not be enough to break through the ice, unlike Mjolnir, which was fine. He knew Thor and Athena were trying to 'distract' him so that she could hack at the ice, and that was all his plan as well for if Thor was fighting HIM then Thor couldn't use Mjolnir to truly break through the ice.

"You can't kill an entire race," Thor shouted, pulling his attention back to him.

Loki eyed his brother critically, "What is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You, who would have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed," Thor stood straighter.

"So have I," Loki's grip on Gungnir tightened before he slammed it across Thor's face, "Fight me!" he demanded, swinging it at Thor again.

But Thor caught it in his hand, lifting his hammer as though to return the attack but stopped, catching sight of Athena behind him, shaking her head as she struggled to get the ice even slightly chipped with her sword. He, instead, flew past Loki, right for the controls, trying to be quick and get some sort of large size chunk of ice off of them before Loki could react. But his brother was quicker than he anticipated and he felt himself blasted back by another bolt from Gungnir midair.

He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet, "Is the throne really worth what you've done? What you would become?"

"I never wanted the throne!" Loki snapped, "I only wanted to be your equal," Thor swallowed hard at that, his words from Jotunheim echoing back to him once more, how he'd told his brother, in a fit of anger, to know his place. Loki was right, his place should have been equal to his, "Now fight me!" Loki hissed, swinging Gungnir to the side, sending Thor flying that way.

"I will not fight you, brother!" Thor rose to his feet.

"I am not your brother," Loki glared, "I never was."

"We are not what we are Loki," Athena called, moving to Thor's side, seeing it was useless to keep focusing on the ice she couldn't break instead of stopping Loki so that Thor could work on the ice, "We are WHO we are. We are a sum of our parts, not just one. You may have been born a Jotun, but you are just as much Asgardian as I am, as Thor is, as any one of the people at the end of the bridge are. Do not do this."

"This is madness," Thor agreed.

But that was the wrong thing to say entirely as Loki just grinned, "Is it?" he started to laugh, but they could see tears starting in his eyes, "Is it?!" and the man starting to shake and they realized…it truly was madness, Loki had gone mad, "IS IT!?" he fired Gungnir at Athena, blasting her to the side as he advanced on Thor, "What happened to you on earth that turned you so soft? Don't tell me Athena finally wormed her way into your conscience," he sneered, but started to laugh when he saw Thor cast a concerned glance at Athena, who winced as she stood, her leg clearly injured from her fall, "She has, hasn't she?" he laughed harder, "All this time the Mighty Thor, whose only love was battle and bloodshed, has fallen for a woman," he shook his head, "Perhaps, when we're finished here, I'll be sure to see your woman fall."

Thor let out an angry growl and launched himself at Loki, ignoring Athena's shouts of his name. He knew very well that his brother was baiting him, but he also knew that Loki was trick and clever, as clever as Athena and he truly did fear that, if he did not end this and end it now, Loki WOULD go after her and he would beat her. She was already injured, she had already endured enough, from him, from Earth, from everything, he would not have her more gravely harmed than she was. No, he would protect her, as a true warrior did.

Athena flinched as she watched the brothers fly at each other, making hits and landing blows with their weapons and looked around, trying to think of some way to stop all this, to stop them, to stop the Bifrost, but there was nothing. The energy was building around them and she knew that, not only would Jotunheim likely be destroyed, but they would be too if they remained in that room much longer.

"If you care so much for the Jotuns, then die with them!" Loki shouted, swinging Gungnir at Thor, Thor catching it with Mjolnir, locking the two in a battle for strength.

Athena took a breath and ran at them, knowing what she had to do to get them out of that room. She lifted her sword and brought it down right in the middle of both weapons, sending them all blasting apart and onto the Rainbow Bridge, all of them rolling across it…though Loki rolled off the side of it.

Athena panted as she forced herself to sit up, hearing Loki calling for Thor's help and knowing Thor would rush to help his brother regardless of what had just happened…but then she saw it, a few feet past her…was another Loki! And judging how he too was wincing as he struggled to stand, and how Gungnir was beside him, she knew that was the real one.

"Thor no!" she shouted, pushing herself to her feet to run after him, "It's a projection!"

But her words were too late, for just as Thor turned to her, Loki magically appeared behind him and swung Gungnir at him, knocking him to the side, hurling him across the bridge, leaving him rolling to a stop just at her feet. She quickly knelt down, helping him sit up when a score of Lokis appeared around them, all projections, magical copies of him that weren't real.

"I was always more clever than you," the Lokis echoed.

"Yet still not clever enough," Thor groaned, gripping Mjolnir and swinging it down onto the bridge, his other arm going around Athena to keep her safe as the bolt of lightning he summoned struck all the Lokis till only one was sent flying backwards, the real Loki.

"Clever," Athena praised with a small smile as they got to their feet.

"Can you stop the Bifrost?" he looked at her.

"I need time," she muttered, casting a glance at Loki as the man struggled to move.

Thor nodded and moved to his dazed brother, before placing Mjolnir on his chest, knowing the hammer would hold him down as he stepped past the man with Athena, the two getting as close to the Bifrost controls as they could without getting sucked in. Athena looked down, seeing bits of stones and debris being sucked towards the energy, it was too much, too powerful. She could see the controls themselves starting to crack, the walls of the small observatory-like structure that held it beginning to crumble.

"There's no way to stop it," she shook her head, "It'll keep building and destroy Jotunheim, but it'll branch out towards Asgard as well," she looked down, pointing at the edge of the Rainbow Bridge, already they could see that it was starting to crack, the energy seeping along it.

"What do we do?" Thor breathed, at a complete loss, but so was Athena.

"Look at you," Loki's voice called to them, jeering at them, "The Mighty Thor and the Wise Athena. With all your strength and cleverness, what good does it do you now?"

They looked down at the bridge one more, Athena kneeling down and pressing her hand to the edge just connected to the Bifrost control room…there were white cracks spreading through the bridge. She gasped and looked up at Thor, the man realizing what she had at the same time. He swallowed hard and looked up at the Bifrost entrance and then her, "Step back," he told her.

She nodded, knowing what he was planning, what he was also asking her to do. No doubt, the moment Mjolnir was off him, Loki would attack, SHE would distract him now and let Thor work. She quickly stood and stepped back, as Thor lifted his hand and summoned Mjolnir to him. She watched as he lifted it to the air, summoning the lightning to the hammer and turned, walking along the bridge towards Loki who was starting to stand, moving herself between him and Thor, but far enough away from Thor and nearer to Loki to keep him as far away from Thor as she could.

She felt the first strike against the bridge reverberate up her legs without even seeing him slam Mjolnir onto it, she could hear the cracking getting louder.

"Stop!" Loki tried to run for him, "What are you doing?!"

But Athena rounded on him, sending a swift kick to his chest to knock him back, stumbling to the ground as Thor slammed another hit to the bridge.

Loki looked at Athena, "You can't be letting him do this!" he hissed at her, his eyes frantically turning to Thor s he lifted another blow, "If he destroys the Bridge, you'll never see your family again!"

Athena's jaw tensed, hiding her surprise at his words, at his knowledge, before swallowing hard, "So be it," she told him, aiming her sword at Loki to try and hold him in place.

But Loki glared at her and lashed out, swinging his leg at her, taking her by surprise and sending her toppling to the ground as he ran for Thor, grabbing Gungnir as he dashed past. Thor lifted Mjolnir one final time, drawing even more lightning to him and brought it down with a last blow, shattering the end of the Rainbow Bridge, causing an explosion of energy blasting out from it, sending both him and Loki falling back into the air as the observatory fell off the bridge and down into the abyss below.

"Thor!" Athena shouted, seeing both him and Loki falling off the side of the bridge and ran for them.

She was too late…

But someone else wasn't.

Odin Allfather appeared on the side of the bridge, awakened from his sleep, and grabbed Thor's ankle, Thor holding tight to Gungnir, Loki clutching the end of it, both brothers dangling there as their Father held them aloft. Athena scrambled to the edge, looking over the side at the two men.

Loki looked up at his father, "I could have done it father," he whispered, "I could have done it. For you. For all of us."

But Odin shook his head sadly, "No, Loki. No."

Athena closed her eyes for only a moment, recognizing that tone, disappointment, but then her eyes flew open as she heard Thor cry out "NO!" to see that Loki had let go of Gungnir and let himself fall into the abyss as well...

~8~

Athena stood at the balcony of the feast hall of the palace the next night, looking out at the dark sky. She'd been there ever since a bit before sunset, watching as the sun faded and the moon rose. There was a feast going on behind her, a celebration of sorts.

She couldn't understand that.

Well, she could, they had much to celebrate. Odin had awoken from Odinsleep, a sleep even Frigga had feared he would not. Thor, their prince, was back and his exile ended. Even the destruction of the Bifrost entrance seemed to garner cheers as, even though it meant they could not go out to other realms any longer…it meant none could come to them, especially what remained of the Jotuns. She knew those were all fine reasons to celebrate, but she felt unsettled in her heart for two large reasons.

Thor.

Loki was gone, they knew not where he was and, for all they knew, he had died in his fall. The second prince of Asgard, for they refused to tell anyone of his Jotun heritage, was dead. The Warriors Three and Sif had already spread word that it was Loki who had betrayed Asgard, had allowed the Jotuns in both times, had sent the Destroyer to kill his brother, and then tried to destroy another realm. People were celebrating his death as well. Which bothered her more than she cared to admit. She knew that it was, in part, because it would affect Thor and Frigga and even Odin deeply, the loss of their brother and son, and for them to be around people cheering and praising his demise…she doubted the others even considered that. It was also partly because…she understood how Thor and his parents felt, betrayal from family cut deeply but they were still family.

She winced as she heard Volstagg bragging about how they'd handled the Destroyer behind her, Fandral joking along and cheering that he'd gotten Hogun to smile. Sif was the only one she could hear that was expressing a sorrow for the Queen's loss as she spoke to Frigga. Frigga herself, she knew, was watching Thor sit among his comrades, quiet and solemn, but she could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head as he watched her stand there yet made no approach.

He knew that she was upset about something, t hat she was finding it difficult to be around the others, but he didn't know what was bothering her. He couldn't know either. Loki's words had gotten to her, not much, she'd been in Asgard so long that another few centuries wouldn't really matter, the Rainbow Bridge would be repaired, the Bifrost controls were already starting to be constructed again. It was just a matter of time before access to the worlds would be open. But his words had struck home and she tried her best not to think of them.

She just…didn't want to be there, really. She was never one for formal celebrations. Oh rounds and victory celebrations among warriors was one thing, but this was…formal and proper. She'd been forced to wear a white sort of dress with no sleeves and a low dip in the front, courtesy of Sif, a gold belt around her waist and a dress that flowed to the floor. Her wrist had a small bracelet on it, one that she only wore when she was required to 'dress up' as it was a memento of home and she only felt like wearing it when the opportunity was presented. She looked down at it, a small sort of charm bracelet that her family had given her when she left home, a charm for all her siblings. She would probably be wearing that bracelet more often than usual after Loki's words. Her hand went up to her neck, to a small necklace she always wore though. It was a small coin on a chain, something her father had given her especially, a sign of good luck and a connection back to them. She always wore that necklace, under her armor, under her clothes, but the neckline of her gown revealed it now.

She let out a breath, letting her hand drop to the edge of the balcony, stiffening as she heard Odin speaking behind her, to Thor as the man made his way towards her. She could hear his footsteps coming a mile away. She smiled softly though when she heard Odin tell Thor he'd be a wise king one day and it widened hearing Thor praise his father with respect, that there would never be a wiser king than Odin. She knew, whatever had happened, Thor was a different man now, loss and exile changed a person, being without family and relying on someone else made you different, and Thor accepted that. She could hear him say that he still had quite a bit to learn, but that he hoped to make his father proud. She didn't even need to hear Odin say it to know the man was already proud of him.

She glanced to the side when she saw Thor come to stand beside her in her periphery, the man silent as he had been since Loki had fallen into the darkness. So she remained quiet as well. One thing she had learned from Thor, when something deeply bothered him, it did not do well to push him but rather to wait.

"You were persistent in staying at my side," he murmured, making her turn to look at him, a silent gesture to continue, "You refused to leave me to face Loki alone," he turned to her as well, "Why?"

She sighed, "Family is…complicated," she began, picking her words carefully, "I am no stranger to betrayal among blood," she added, "In my family, we would sooner turn on each other and take different sides in a war than admit we are vain and arrogant and greedy. I have experienced betrayal from others, from friends and foe and siblings. My father had many mistresses. My brother took my other brother's wife to bed. My father killed my mother. My step-mother tried to kill my half siblings. It's…a mess of bloodshed and hatred and…and hurt," she swallowed and looked up at him, "I didn't want you to have to experience that alone Thor. I wish I'd had others with me when it happened to me and I just…wanted to offer a comfort, a knowledge that you weren't alone."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, he'd only heard bits and pieces of her family over the years together, more small stories of her siblings, but to hear her speak of it like that, with such violence…he felt almost guilty for being happy she'd come to stay with him in Asgard and train beside him, to escape that.

"It happened ages ago," she shrugged, "And while we still hold grudges, we have gotten better with time, made the choice to remove quite a bit of the source of our problems from our lives and…we're healing," she smiled.

"I am glad," he reached out and took her hand resting on top of the balcony.

"I am sorry as well," she offered, "For Loki."

"As am I," he nodded, solemn, before he looked at her, "You have always been at my side Athena," he started, "Always. Through my banishment, my return, losing Loki…even before, you have been at my side in training and advising and…I trust you."

"I trust you too."

"I care about you," he added, "More than I…more than I have any other."

She smiled at that, "I've come to care for you too Thor, more than I thought I ever could care for another."

He let out a breath at that, seeming encouraged by that, "I…am selfish."

"I think you proved yourself rather selfless recently," she reminded him, a small concerned frown on her face for his words.

"I meant…" he struggled to find the words, "I…don't want you to leave my side," he tried to speak, "I would like to have you always with me. As…more than training partners or sparring opponents or even as advisor and prince."

Athena fell silent at that, considering his words. Thor was not an emotional man, but she knew what he was saying, what he was asking of her and, while she had never in her life been interested in a man in that way…she would be lying to herself if she denied that she did feel that for Thor. She did care for him, she did…she did love him, very much. She had no idea when it had happened or even how, but…she did.

She smiled and stepped closer, "Do you remember what you asked me, before we went to Jotunheim?" she countered, seeming to throw him off slightly, "How you asked who provided me with the most challenging, dangerous, and worthwhile quest in all the realms?" he nodded at that, and she stepped closer, "While I haven't experienced a quest like that yet," she smiled wider, "I do believe that…YOU could."

"Is that so?" he started to grin, his free hand moving around her waist, tugging her closer.

She nodded, "I think, what you are proposing, would be just such a quest and…" she took a breath, "I should like to experience it with you."

Thor let out a happy breath at that, the light that was shining in the bleak darkness of losing his brother. He reached up his hand that had been on hers to touch her cheek, "I do love you, Athena," he told her, wanting it to be clear, wanting it said and known, "Very much."

She beamed at that, her own free hand coming up to rest on his large arm, "I love you as well, Thor."

He didn't even hesitate to lean in and press his lips to hers, ignoring the cheers and whistles that had erupted from the feast hall as everyone within was witness to their declaration and embrace, he couldn't bring himself to care, because he finally had Athena in his arms and knew he had her heart as much as he'd come to realize she had his.

To be continued…in…War!

A/N: I'm sorry this was delayed :( I'd hoped to be up and posting at the normal times by now, but yesterday I was made aware of another (13th now) plagiarism :( Or it might be a partial plagiarism? I'm really not sure what to define it as -sigh- But it always takes me a few hours to gather evidence, make my tumblr post, put the words and thoughts in order to describe it and then after it's all out in the open it takes me a few hours to be able to get into writing/editing again :( A general idea of what happened was that I'd been contacted in PM by someone about posting my stories in entirety on another site, I was given their word that they wouldn't touch my stories without my consent. I hadn't been able to respond instantly, and then I found out that the person, 4 days later, began to post my stories on the site they mentioned, in entirety, and without my consent :( I reported the stories, they were removed, but it just really upset me because I thought the stories would be safe even without a response because I hadn't responded with consent, and then it happened anyway :(

But...to make up for it, we'll be getting the next story for Thor, the Avengers, in just a few short hours! :)

So I just want to take a second to thank you all :') Anyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this story, you all mean the world to me and I love you all :')

Some notes on reviews...

Thanks :) It's mostly my parents who say that, my siblings tend not to care for the most part :/ I used to not tell people that I still watched animated cartoons when I was a senior in High School, because I thought that they'd think I was weird :( But then I ended up winning a trivial pursuit contest in class once because I learned a lot of the information from the cartoons and it was ok :) Just think, you now know more about time, space, the capacity to love, how indomitable humans are, and humanity in general than your relative does ;)

I wish I could publish a book of my own :) I'm sending out more emails and letters to literary agents to see if there's any interest so I've got my fingers crossed :) If I ever did get published I'd probably freak out and post a note about it everywhere I could think lol :) Thank you! :)