Chapter Seven

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 The skiff glided over the dead realm of Svaralfheim, above dead plains and broken cities. Athena could only sense dark energy as they flew through the air...it did not make her feel at ease. Jane was still falling in and out of unconsciousness, and Thor watched over her with a small frown on his face. Loki looked down at Athena as he steered the skiff. He gave her a small nudge with his elbow. She turned her concerned eyes towards him. He lowered his voice, "You okay?"

Athena shrugged, "There is some weird energy here." She looked around them. "It – it doesn't feel right." She shuddered. "I feel as if this place is crawling beneath my skin." Loki frowned at her. "Once we heal Jane, I will be glad to leave."

Loki brushed the back of his hand down Athena's cheek. "Perhaps...once this is all over, we – we can – "

Athena rose a brow, leaning into his touch. "Yes?"

Loki swallowed, "We could – start again? A clean slate."

"That's a very big slate to clean," Athena retorted, her eyes teasing him.

Loki gave a low chuckle, leaning his forehead on hers, "I suppose it is, but if I know you, as I believe I do, you are always up for a challenge."

Athena gave him a small smile, "Alright." She stepped back and looked in his eyes. "But no tricks...not today."

Loki clenched his jaw. "Today might earn my freedom. My chance to make everything up to you. Why would I throw that away?"

Athena saw Thor watching them out of the corner of her eye and she turned her face to look at the God of Thunder. She felt her cheeks flush under his scrutiny. "So...how long has...this," Thor gestured between Loki and Athena, "been going on again?"

"Why, brother, jealous?" Loki smirked. Thor opened his mouth to give a retort when Athena clutched at her side suddenly. Both men instantly turned their attention to her. She gave a sharp cry of pain before collapsing to her knees. "Athena," Loki said, crouching down to her.

"You shouldn't – have brought me, Thor," Athena said. She looked up at Jane. "There's something – " she cried out again, "it doesn't like me."

"Athinoula..." Thor began.

Her shoulder began to shake and she leant her forehead onto the cool metal floor. She gave another grunt of pain. "Stop!" she hissed. She gave another hiss of pain before collapsing to the ground.

Loki's eyes were wide as he lifted Athena into his lap. He brushed her hair from her face and studied her face. Her eyes were closed, but scrunched up in pain. Her body gave another spasm and she groaned. "How – how do we stop it?" Loki said, looking up at Thor.

"I – I do not know," Thor said, frowning in concern.

Loki's frown deepened as he stared at Athena's pained face. Thor noted just how Loki seemed to be in pain himself, watching Athena, and being unable to help her.

Jane suddenly sat up, her eyes black, and she looked down at Athena. "Stop," she whispered. At her words, Athena stopped spasming and instead started gasping in relief. She clutched onto Loki's arms, and stared at Jane. "One and the same," Jane said again, before falling into unconsciousness again.

"Athinoula," Loki breathed in relief, "are you okay?"

Athena ignored him, pushing out of his embrace and crawling towards Jane's body. She stared down at Jane as if she held some universal knowledge that Athena searched for.

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"Athena?" Thor asked.

She waved them aside, "I'm fine." She looked up from Jane and before them. "We need to get to Malekith."

"What happened?" Thor insisted. "Why did Jane - ?"

Athena shivered, "The Aether...it...it showed me Blazier...it showed me my home."

"There's more," Loki said, perceptively. "What else did you see?"

Athena folded her arms over her chest. "It doesn't matter."

"Athena – "

Athena had closed her eyes, "My brother. It showed me...it showed me Tertius." She let out a shaky breath. "The Aether's nature is to destroy. It has shown me that it was the reason my planet was destroyed...not Jotunheim."

Loki and Thor were silent, unsure about what to or what to say. Athena curled up beside Jane, staring straight ahead at the dark plains of this realm. Loki went back to steering the skiff, whilst Thor covered Jane with a blanket.

"What I could do with the power that flows through those veins," Loki commented, staring at Jane.

"It would consume you," Thor said, looking up at his brother.

Loki gave a small shrug, "She's holding up alright...for now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never even know," Thor said.

"Athena is strong," Loki said.

Thor nodded, "Yes. But Jane holds a different sort of strength."

"Athena is also still listening," she said, not moving her gaze from ahead of her.

They were both quiet for a moment, before Loki spoke again. His voice was softer than before. "Say goodbye."

Thor's voice was laced thick with emotion as he replied, "Not this day."

"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing," Loki stated. "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you."

Thor rounded on his brother, "And will that satisfy you?"

"Satisfaction is not in my nature."

Thor's voice rose, "Surrender is not in mine." He looked towards Athena. "You would not say such things if it was Athena that was dying."

"I can have thousands of years still with her," Loki admitted.

Thor laughed, "Yes, but what kind of life? A man who will never be trusted by anyone, and a woman who will be discredited for her faith in such a man..."

Athena turned her head slightly to watch the two brothers. This was their fight, one she would not intervene in until someone was thrown over the edge of the skiff. She had often watched their arguments as children, and in the end they always found some kind of common ground.

"The son of Odin..." Loki laughed.

"No," Thor rose from beside Jane. "Not just of Odin." He stepped towards Loki, his eyes grieved. "You think you alone were loved of Mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust."

Loki sneered at Thor, trying to hide just how much that hurt him, "Trust? Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?!"

"What help were you in your cell?" Thor roared.

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