A/N: Hola! :) This is my second Thor series, my first Thor/OC, and is the third story in the Heroic Hymns, Strategy :) The first story (Humility) is listed under the Thor section of this site while the second (War) is under the Avengers. As fair warning, this will NOT be a Jane/Thor story or a Thor/Sif story ;) This series will be my attempt to incorporate an original character into the Dark World movie. This story will be based around the movie but will also include some original scenes/moments :) This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily :)

A brief description of my OC, Athena: She's a tall woman, with pale skin and blonde hair that is a bit long, and gray eyes. She tends to wear her hair half up, half down, but with a bun in the top half. Her bun has a small stick in it that Thor gave her that is really a very delicate dagger. She tends to wear brown leather armor, a breastplate from her brother (along with a stolen sword from another brother), with a coin necklace under it. She has a charm bracelet made by her siblings that she doesn't wear often. For a reference, I picture her to look something like Rosamund Pike :)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Thor or things from the movie/comic, just my OC and some original aspects...otherwise I'd be able to buy Sif's armor :)

~8~

Imprisonment

The day had come, it was finally time for Loki's sentencing. The trial had been…upsetting and disturbing and had only reinforced the opinions of the Asgardians that Loki had truly just…lost himself, had let himself fall into the darkness that was always in the brutish Jotuns, and turned himself into a monster. There hadn't been many of them there for it, the Warriors Three and Sif had been present, having been there when they'd all gone to Jotunheim. Frigga was there as well, as Queen and 'mother' to Loki, along with Odin, of course, and Heimdall too. Thor had been standing to the side during it, Athena right beside him, gripping his hand in support, though neither could say who had grabbed whose hand first. Well, she knew it was Thor, but she understood why, it wasn't easy to watch the man who had once been your brother stand trial, even harder to listen to him speaking so vehemently and bitterly against you, your family, your home and people and past and…it had broken Thor's heart to hear how Loki had come to resent him and everyone else.

Frigga had left the hall in tears, hearing the venom that Loki was spewing about everything. She had squeezed Thor's hand and released him, knowing that he wanted to go after his mother, that he truly did not want to stay there and hear more and more about what Loki was saying, currently on the topic of so eloquently describing how pleasant the sound of the man whose eye he'd gouged out's screams were to his ears as he held him down on the table till he stopped moving. Thor had sent him a glare that only made Loki smirk wider before he strode out after their…no, HIS mother. Athena had remained there in Thor's place, listening with a churning stomach to what Loki was saying, of the glee he had in destroying New York, of how he'd now been denied a third kingdom because of the pitiful Asgardians, of how his only regret was that he hadn't killed more mortals and created more destruction and devastation. Odin had been at his wits end at that and banished him to the dungeons to await his decision on the punishment he would be given.

She could tell that it was a difficult think for Odin to bear, to sit there, as rigidly and posture perfect, on his throne and listen to Loki speaking such vile things and the to rein in his anger so that he could try to give himself time to think clearly about what he should do. It was a…tricky situation for all parties involved. A majority of Asgard knew Loki only as their prince, not as a Jotun. But his crimes were very well known and there was the law to consider. It was hard, because the royals of Asgard should not be above the law, but the idea of execution, as was the punishment for such a crime, did not seem feasible in terms of it meaning the death of a prince, 'brother,' and son. And she knew that if Odin ordered the execution of Loki Frigga would never forgive him, which made it equally as difficult a decision to reach.

She was sure that Odin, the moment Loki was done speaking, had wanted to do that terribly, to order his swift execution, but she had seen him glance at her and seem to be reminded of her role, advisor, wise woman, someone meant to keep Thor from making the same rash decisions and had held off. She was…concerned though, it should not have taken Odin looking at her to realize he needed to think this through logically. The Odin that she and Thor had left when they'd gone to Earth to retrieve Loki and the Tesseract, he had been borderline paranoid at times, fearing that betrayal was around each and every corner. It was like his emotions were getting the better of him more and more and the fact that Loki had actually gone and done all that he had of his own freewill with no consideration to Asgard or her welfare or the heart of his mother, it had broken something in him.

She knew well the story of how Odin had come by Loki, he had taken Thor aside, wanting to tell him the whole truth but Thor refused to go or listen if she was not beside him. Her presence, he claimed, both calmed him and gave him strength to hear what his father was going to say and to hear it through to the end. Odin had taken Loki in first as leverage, hoping to use the babe as a sort of bargaining chip with Laufey, to try and create some sort of surrender in the Jotuns, that he would not give back the giant's son if Laufey did not agree to all his terms. Laufey had pulled one on Odin in revealing that Loki was a mere bastard child and that he cared not for the boy and all that had come from that was the reaffirmation of the original treaty, that the Jotuns stayed in Jotunheim and the Asgardians stayed in Asgard.

Odin had then thought that he could raise Loki to be a prince, to be loyal to Asgard so that, when the truth was finally told to him, that he would be willing to take the Jotun throne and that he would create an alliance with Asgard, that he would be able to use the Jotuns like a second army. From what Odin had said, he planned to tell Loki at a young age what he was, to do so gently, so that he would grow up always knowing and unresentful of Odin but feeling a debt to the man for taking him in when his true father hadn't wanted him, to raise him and clothe him and teach him and care for him and that he could return the favor by ruling Jotunheim as a secondary source or resources to Asgard, repaying the debt with riches and strength from the Frost Giants.

But as Loki grew older, Odin said, he grew more attached to the boy, had begun go care for him, had begun to think of him as his own. Seeing Frigga embracing the lad and raising him beside Thor, like brothers…he couldn't bring himself to tell Loki the truth. He had tried, numerous times, he claimed, to set Loki down and tell him, but when his 'son' looked up at him with his wide blue eyes and called him papa or father his heart cracked and he couldn't do it. So he'd kept the truth from Loki, his plans for putting Loki on the throne of Jotunheim started to fade into the background and he began to look at Loki as an Asgardian prince instead of a Jotun one. It had reached the point that he never wanted to tell Loki the truth, that he wanted his boy to remain just that…his boy, his son. He knew as well, by that point, that Thor had gotten to Loki and told him stories about how monstrous and vile and wretched the Frost Giants were and to tell a boy that he WAS one? He couldn't do that to the lad. He had once said that both boys were born to be kings, and it was true, Loki, even as a bastard, could have ruled Jotunheim if Laufey's children were dead. And he had been truthful in saying that only one could ascend the throne, because by then he hadn't even been thinking of returning or sending Loki back to Jotunheim, by then…he was already his son.

This betrayal…it was tearing Thor's family apart and for that, Athena had almost wished that Loki had died falling into the abyss if it would spare them this pain.

And now the betrayal was coming to a head, Odin had made his decision and they were all to gather in the throne room, those who had been there for the trial and the guards, all meant to make sure that Loki didn't try anything or try to harm someone or try to escape. Odin was already waiting in the throne room, on his throne, with Thor standing beside him, the Warriors Three on one side, Heimdall and Sif on the other, but Athena was not inside, not yet. There was someone who had refused to enter, to join Odin till she had had a word with Loki before he entered.

And there he was, the god of mischief himself, walking towards the hall, his wrists and legs bound in chains, chains that wrapped around his chest, a metal collar around his neck with even more chains attached to it that the guards were holding, mimicked with the metal wrapped around his waist with chains too. He was walking slowly, as was expected with how much he was restrained, his skin was paler from his time in the dungeon, his hair only slightly longer than it was in New York.

But it was his expression that had Athena tensing. He didn't look worried at all. She knew what the Allfather's punishment was likely going to be given Loki's relation to the royal family, but it appeared Loki did as well, or he had that much faith in his mother's care for him. But it wasn't even that he was unafraid to face Odin, that he was grinning as though this were all a joke, it was that he didn't seem fazed by what was going on or why this was happening to him. He seemed to give little care or concern to the horrors he had committed both on Midgard and on Asgard, he was perfectly at ease and carefree as well.

Athena took a breath and looked to the woman standing beside her, her arm looped through Athena's, "If you wish to speak, my Lady, it must be now."

"Perhaps it was not what we think," Frigga murmured, her gaze, filled with tears, locked on Loki, "Perhaps he was not manipulated by the Chitauri but…you said they tortured him," she turned to Athena, clutching her arm, "What if this was his means of escape? He must have known that, to attack Midgard, would draw one of our Realm there, that at the very least Heimdall would see him. What if he attacked so that Thor would come reclaim him? What if this was his way of escaping the Chitauri and stopping them taking over the universe and…"

But Athena shook her head, "It was not," she answered quietly. She could see the desperate hope in Frigga's eyes that there was still some way to find Loki innocent, that his entire stint on earth had been an elaborate ruse to return home even if it meant being a prisoner, "There were other ways to attract our attention, other things we would return to Earth for. The Chitauri were trapped at the other end of the universe, Loki could have waited for us to find him and we could have left with the Tesseract, but he chose to attack. He chose to fight," she let out a sad breath, "And he spoke of wishing to have done more harm before," she added, knowing it upset Frigga to hear, but knowing she needed to be reminded of it, "Loki could have explained it all to us if it were true. He wanted to attack Midgard, he wanted to rule it, he wanted to hurt the mortals. I am sorry, my Lady, but…the Loki you raised is gone."

"I refuse to believe that," Frigga whispered.

"Then do not," Athena gave her a nod, knowing that no mother would ever give up the belief that their child was innocent in some way and there was no point in arguing with her or upsetting her more, "But you must speak your missive and speak quickly, the Allfather can only be kept waiting so long."

Frigga nodded, turning back to Loki as he drew nearer, "Loki," she called, pulling his attention to her.

"Hello mother," he cracked a smile at her, "Have I made you proud?"

Frigga's expression fell even more at that and Athena squeezed her hand to offer support at how that question was meant to stab at her and hurt her, "Please," Frigga whispered in a plea to whatever was left of her son, "Don't make this worse."

Loki lifted an eyebrow as though that were the most foolish question he'd ever heard and held up his bound wrists, jingling his chains, "Define worse."

"Enough!" came the shout from Odin within the throne room, the doors opening to reveal the Allfather at the end of the room, on his throne. Loki gave Frigga one more grin before he turned and was led inside, right up to the throne room, Athena and Frigga following behind her. Odin looked down at Loki, seeming more weak and weary and old by the moment, "I will speak to the prisoner alone," he told Frigga, knowing that being around Loki and seeing him like this would upset her terribly.

Loki, for what it was worth, waited till Frigga had left the throne room before he started laughing, "I really don't see what all the fuss is about."

Athena shook her head at him as she moved to stand with Sif and Heimdall, watching the goings on. She knew that Thor had wanted her to stand with him, but she was not his wife nor his queen or betrothed, it was not her place and at times like this, where the laws were in such questionable conditions with the crimes committed and who the criminal was, she couldn't bend the rules more than they already were and not feel guilty about it.

"Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes?" Odin stared his former-son down.

It was just as Athena had discussed with him after the trial, when he had sought her out in private for her own opinion of the matter, without Thor there to watch her words around or Frigga near to try and censor the true horrors of what Loki had done. She had told him that she looked in Loki's eyes as often as she could during that time in New York and even on Asgard…and she saw no guilt at all, no burden, no feelings of pity or regret in him for what he'd done. He saw it now, he saw how lightly he was taking this and no one but a true monster would define the loss of life, the destruction of two worlds, and waging war, on top of numerous other crimes as being 'not a big fuss' as Loki had called it and be so flippant about it.

"Wherever you go there is war, ruin and death," he continued.

Loki rolled his eyes at that, "I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God," he cut in, giving Odin a dark smirk, "Just like you."

Athena had to bite her lip from pointing out to Loki that there was a difference between being a distant god that mortals prayed to, that only got involved when there were serious issues about…and being a dictator and ruler on the ground. Odin had never ruled the people like Loki had been planning to do on Earth, he had never tried to force them to their knees and control their will like Loki had. Loki had been planning to slaughter and destroy to get his way instead of being a wise man and a good leader.

"We are not Gods," Odin reminded him, "We are born, we live, we die. Just as humans do."

"Give or take 5,000 years," Loki shrugged.

Odin let out a long sigh, "All this because Loki desired a throne."

"It is my birthright!" Loki snapped and Athena could see Thor's hand on Mjolnir tighten its hold, knowing that his mind had gone to all the lessons they had shared of how to rule wisely. It had been Frigga's idea, she knew, that Loki be taught that alongside Thor. Too many times on earth a second son came to the throne unprepared because he had not been taught how to rule like the firstborn had.

"Your birthright was to die!" Odin shouted just as loudly and Athena understood now why Frigga had been asked to leave, Odin wasn't as emotionally stable as he had been before his Odinsleep ages ago. He might have made his decision on what to do with Loki with a clear head and he would hold to that decision, but what he said in the interim was fair game, "As a child. Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in you would not be here now to hate me."

Loki frowned at that, "If I'm for the axe then for Mercy's sake, just swing it," he grumbled, sounding more annoyed and exasperated than truly frightened, "It's not that I don't love our little talks it's just…I don't love them."

"Frigga is the only reason you're still alive," Odin told him, emphasizing that. Frigga truly was the ONLY reason he hadn't been sentenced to execution, no one, not even she or Thor had defended Loki or pleaded for Odin's mercy, they all knew that Loki was too dangerous, that if he was willing to do all he had in the past, what else would he do in the future? But Frigga had been insistent and in tears, begging Odin to believe that Loki could be redeemed, begging him to remember that the boy had been raised as his son even if father and son no longer saw themselves as such, "And you'll never see her again. You'll spend the rest of your days in the dungeon."

"And what of Thor?" Loki's glance drifted to Thor, "You'll make that witless oaf King while I rot in chains?" he sneered at his former-brother.

Athena felt a small smile creep its way onto her face when Thor didn't react, didn't let on a single emotion on what he was feeling at those words, at the utter hatred in Loki's voice, merely stood there beside his father, supporting his decision with his silence, and proving himself a wiser and more capable king than Loki could hope to be. He had learned to control his anger and he had learned to hold his tongue, to not rise to the bait, to not let his jealousy or other baser emotions control him and his actions.

Odin straightened at the slight against his firstborn and true heir, "Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done. He'll bring order to the Nine Realms and then, yes, he will be King."

Odin stood and banged Mjolnir against the floor and the guards turned, leading Loki away, Odin remaining there for only a moment, only till the doors closed behind Loki, the Warriors Three and Sif going with the guards to ensure that Loki would make it to the dungeons without incident. Odin turned and strode out of the room, Heimdall giving a bow to Thor and a nod to Athena before he turned and left the room, needing to get back to his post at the Bifrost Entrance. The Bifrost controls had been refashioned and were being tested as they spoke, Heimdall was overseeing them, making sure that nothing was going to go wrong and ensure that the passages between realms could be recreated.

That just left her and Thor alone in the throne room.

Athena watched with a small smile as Thor finally let out the breath she knew he'd been holding before he stepped forward, seeming about to sit on Odin's throne as the weariness hit him, before catching himself at the last minute and moving to sit on the top step that led up to it instead, placing Mjolnir beside him and leaning in to rest his elbows on his knees, his head in his hand. She shook her head and made her way up the steps, moving to sit on the other side of him, pulling her sword from its sheath and setting it down beside her, making Thor look up at the small clinking noise the metal made on the stone. He glanced at her a moment, a small smile coming to his face at her action and how she was mimicking him, making them both even as they sat there, unarmed.

It was symbolic of sorts, or it had become such for them. Mjolnir, ever since Thor's return to Asgard, had become a symbol for how he was going to be the next king, how he was the prince, how he was meant to use the hammer to protect his people, to help build up the kingdom, and help defend it from the enemies it made. It was a symbol of his royal heritage, of his title, more so than it was just his preferred weapon of choice. It was similar to a crown to him, it was heavier than it was meant to be in his hands, a symbol of his future as a king, of the responsibilities he would need to bear. Whenever he set it down…it was his way of trying to show that, at that moment, he wanted to set aside his burdens and just…be Thor, not the Prince of Asgard, but just…Thor. So she would do the same, she would set her sword aside to show him, in that moment, she didn't want to be the future Advisor (or possibly future Queen as Sif loved to tease her about) but just be seen as Athena. It was how they understood each other, they were just being themselves, who they were without titles when they set their chosen weapons down.

She reached out and looped her left arm through his right lightly, leaning on him slightly as he turned towards her, looking at her with a small smile, resting his forehead to hers, looking in her eyes for a moment before he closed his and let out a long breath. Athena kept her eyes open as she just looked at him, able to see the tension in his face, it was harder than he was letting on, to be strong, to not act like a small part of him wasn't feeling the sting of his 'brother's' betrayal all over again. He was trying to be strong, to make it seem like he wasn't affected, because if he let on that he felt sympathy for his former-brother, that he didn't want to see him locked away (or executed) for fear of others thinking he'd be biased towards his ruling. Odin had already proven that he was biased in this decision to keep Loki alive. The man had committed crimes worthy of execution by Asgardian law but he was merely being detained instead. All for Frigga. But she also could see the relief in his eyes, that Odin was the king, that this and whatever might come of Loki being alive, would be on Odin's head. He was relieved that HE hadn't had to make the decision to banish or execute or imprison the man he had always thought was his blood-brother. She supposed it was slightly easier on Odin, no matter how much he loved Loki, he had always known that the man was a Jotun, that he wasn't his biological son, how he favored Thor and focused on him as his heir made more sense now. But Odin had known all along, Thor had been raised to see Loki as only his brother. It would have killed him to have to execute Loki had he been king.

She reached up her right hand to touch his cheek, gently stroking her thumb along his stumble till he opened his eyes and just looked at her. He offered her a small smile for her efforts, he had told her once, when he'd been half delirious from an infected battle wound, that he loved it when she stroked his stubble, that it made his entire body tingle (she had laughed quite loudly at the almighty Thor using the word 'tingle' in quite a slurred manner). She knew that it soothed him, and all she wanted to do was just try and ease his spirits, comfort him.

"Loki lives," he murmured to her, "I…do not know how to feel about it," he admitted.

"It is fine to be conflicted Thor," she told him, "He did terrible feats and you recognize that. Had you been in Odin's place, I have no doubt that you would do what was necessary to protect your people, regardless of your parents' wishes."

She was almost entirely certain of it. She and Thor had accepted in New York, that what Loki had done had been entirely his own doing and of his own conscience. It was one thing to be the one to make that revelation, and another to be told it. THEY had seen the evidence of it before their very eyes, they knew Loki differently than Frigga or Odin did. The Warriors Three and Sif, they would have been ready for Loki's execution for how he'd betrayed Asgard, they would have no sympathy for how he'd harmed his family in what he'd done. She and Thor would do so with a knowledge that Loki had been lost to them a long time ago. It was harder for Frigga to let go.

And, despite what Loki had done, and despite the brutal reality that Thor had been hit with in knowing that his brother was nothing more than a monster, she knew a small part of him would still think of Loki as the brother he had been. That part of him, though, would NEVER allow Loki to get away with anything, it would never accept excuses for him, and it would never trust Loki again, but it would still remember that, for a time, Loki HAD been a brother. And that part would feel guilt for what happened to Loki.

"But it cannot erase the centuries you both spent as brothers," she continued, "Betrayal from family is…" she shook her head, "It is hard to forgive and forget, because it hurts more than any other betrayal, and you can never look at them the same way. But it will never block the fact that they ARE family. So long as you never allow it to cloud your judgment and you never allow them to use their relation against you…it is alright to feel saddened over the turn of events."

Thor looked at her, shaking his head slightly, "I often forget," he remarked, "That you have family troubles of your own," he reached up his free hand to touch her cheek as well, "One day I should like to meet them."

"Not all of them," she laughed, "I've…quite the big family," she warned with a small smile.

"I should still wish to meet them, the men and women, the brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles that made you who you are," he gazed into her eye, "I don't think I could endure this if not for your support Athena, your understanding. Loki is my brother," he swallowed, "And he has betrayed us all."

Athena moved her hand from his face to her own, taking his hand off her cheek and just holding it, lowering it to their laps, squeezing it. This was a new level of intimacy they had developed, just sitting so close, small touches, they were used to wrestling, to full on physical contact or to lighter touches to the arm or back, but this…it was like they were connected, when their arms were entwined and sitting so close, their heads resting to each other's and staring the other directly in the eye, their faces so close they could feel each other's breath on their cheeks. It was new and different and she loved it very much.

"I fear…" he began again, his voice growing quieter with what she could hear was guilt and fear, "I fear that…if my own brother could betray me…"

"Who else will?" she finished for him, nodding, "I understand that. Every time my family fights, whenever one of us betrays the other, I…it made me close myself off to others all the more," she pulled away slightly to look at him fully, "You are…truly the first person I have opened up to, the first man I am…trusting," she took a breath, "With everything," she squeezed his hand, looking right in his eyes so he would see the truth in them, "I know what it is and how it feels to be betrayed by those you care for and love Thor, and I…I promise you, on my honor as a warrior, on my blade, on my life," she swallowed hard, "I will NEVER betray you."

Thor leaned in, hearing the truth of her words, and pressed his lips to hers, knowing that she understood the promise was the same for him to her even if he didn't say it out loud. She had been in Asgard for so long and she had told him that her family was healing from the pains they caused each other, right now it was him who needed the reassurance and the promise, the betrayal and sting was far too fresh and her comfort…that was what he needed right now, her comfort and her presence and her promise of trust and fidelity.

From the doorway to the throne room, a lone figure smiled lightly at the sight of the two so entwined and connected, their heart so light and relieved at the promise given to Thor, taking one more moment to look upon them before turning to leave them in their privacy.

At least one of her sons had found his way.

A/N: Bit of a long/extended version of the opening scene, but I really wanted to establish a lot for Thor and Athena and how they're handling the situation :)

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of War)...

I'm sort of half and half, I like Loki and Thor equally :)

From what I saw of the first Hulk remake films, they didn't really catch my interest, I do like MR's portrayal of Banner, but I'm not sure if it would be enough to do a Banner/OC story :/ I'm actually planning to make a wattpad within the next 2 weeks, but only because 3 people have plagiarized me on wattpad so far and now I feel obligated to make one there so that my real stories and real profile is made :( But the only problem is that I would only be posting the first chapter of all my stories there and not the complete stories, I really want to keep all the main reading done on one site (FF) and more to make the wattpad (and Quotev) sites like a bridge into reading it here, like a spark of interest and then a link to the rest of the story sort of thing. Only because I truly don't think I can keep up with updating three sites each time I put a chapter, some days that may mean 3 or even 4 chapters and to do that on each site is a bit much :(

I attempted one story where the torture was more detailed and also used the Tesseract's control to explain what Loki was doing and since I did one version like that I wanted to try another at the opposite end of the spectrum of 'what ifs' and things :) I think the pain could be from that, but there was also hints of pain before he was confronted by Steve and Tony that were semi-unexplained and made me feel like perhaps the Chitauri were responsible for that :(

I always felt so bad for Banner, I felt like MF really did a great job making the audience subtly aware that Banner was suffering even when not angry and wanted to include that :( But thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the stories :) If there wasn't a threat for copyright with the stories, I'd SO publish them, right now I'm just working on some original stories to hopefully one day publish, but I'll definitely let everyone know and post it everywhere if I ever got published ;)

Those are some very cool actresses :) I picture Rosamund Pike :)