Chapter 12: Asgard

Pietro and Eitri walked toward the grand halls of Asgard, their steps echoing on the golden bridge. As they approached the gate, the Asgardian guards were taken aback by the sight—a towering dwarf king and a man in the robes of a sorcerer.

Before the guards could react, a voice echoed in their minds, unmistakably commanding, "Guide them to the Allfather."

"Follow us," one of the guards said, his tone respectful yet cautious.

As they made their way through the city, curious eyes followed them. The younger Asgardians wondered who these visitors might be, while some of the older citizens whispered with recognition—Eitri, King of the Dwarves, and a sorcerer from Earth.

Upon entering the throne room, Pietro immediately sensed something was amiss.

Eitri's voice thundered through the hall, years of pent-up anger finally unleashed. "ODIN! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME TO HELP ME AND MY PEOPLE? ASGARD WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US!"

Pietro noticed a subtle twitch in the figure on the throne and quietly said, "Eitri, that's not Odin."

"WHAT?" Eitri's eyes narrowed as he took a closer look. "Loki?"

The imposter, disguised as Odin, began to panic. Before he could call for the guards, Pietro dashed forward, launching a punch aimed straight at him. But Loki, quick as ever, vanished just in time, reappearing several meters away.

Pietro closed his eyes, focusing all his senses. He could feel Loki's presence shifting, attempting to flee. In a blur of movement, Pietro lunged again, his fist colliding with a clone that shattered like glass against the wall.

More clones appeared, scattering in different directions. Pietro remained calm, his eyes still shut, waiting for the real Loki to make a move.

"Eitri, help me. Strike the air near me—there are more clones," Pietro instructed.

Eitri stood firm, swinging his massive fists through the air, shattering illusions with each powerful blow.

"Eitri, to your left!" Pietro called out, and Eitri's punch obliterated the nearest clone.

As the last of the illusions fell, Pietro's senses honed in on the one figure that hadn't moved. With lightning speed, he dashed forward, his right fist swinging toward Loki, who narrowly dodged to the side. Pietro followed up with a left hook, twisting his body with precision.

Loki tried to block with his spear, but as soon as it made contact with Pietro's fist, the illusion spell unraveled, revealing his true form.

"I thought sorcerers were extinct on Earth," Loki sneered, though there was a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"You thought wrong," Pietro replied coldly.

Eitri, though stunned, was not entirely surprised by the deception. "Where is Odin, Loki?" he demanded, his voice like rolling thunder.

Loki smirked, his form beginning to shimmer as he attempted another escape. "Guess," he taunted, transforming into a flock of birds. But before he could scatter, Pietro's hand shot out, grabbing Loki by the neck, pulling him from the illusion.

Pietro exhaled slowly, his grip firm. "You really made me work for this, Loki."

Loki, realizing he was caught, swallowed hard. He knew he had underestimated Pietro—and that mistake might just cost him dearly.

"You sent Odin to Earth, didn't you?" Pietro asked, his tone sharp.

Loki, ever the trickster, smirked. "Possibly."

Pietro's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Then, raising his voice, he shouted, "HEIMDALL! Relay this message to all Asgardians—gather in front of the palace immediately!"

The powerful voice of Heimdall, the one who had previously commanded the guards, echoed through Asgard, summoning its people.

"Let's go," Pietro said, his grip on Loki firm.

Loki, still scheming, weighed his options. Pietro was using physical strength over magic, a curious choice for a sorcerer. But with no immediate way to break free, he grudgingly followed.

As the Asgardians gathered, the large gates of the palace swung open. They gasped at the sight before them—Loki held captive by a sorcerer and flanked by Eitri, the Dwarf King.

"Your king, Odin, was sent to Earth by Loki," Pietro announced. "He's been masquerading as the Allfather all this time."

A murmur of disbelief rippled through the crowd. Loki, the God of Mischief, had fooled them all—perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise, yet the betrayal still stung.

Pietro continued, his voice steady, "Because of Loki's deception, the dwarves of Nidavellir have perished."

Loki, shocked by the revelation, finally understood the depth of Eitri's rage. The Asgardians gasped, horror dawning on them.

Eitri's voice boomed, filled with sorrow and anger. "The one responsible for this destruction is Thanos, the Mad Titan. He slaughtered my kin, and if not for this sorcerer, I too would have fallen. Thanos is gathering the Infinity Stones."

Loki's heart raced at the mention of Thanos. As the gravity of the situation settled in, he seized the moment. With a subtle flicker of magic, he created an illusion with use the smell, taste, touch and mind—it make Pietro believed he still held him, while the real Loki slipped away, using invisibility to escape.

Pietro, did not sense weird anything change at all.

Meanwhile, Loki, now with a smirked. 'He's after the Infinity Stones. I need to leave Asgard as quickly as possible,' he thought, as he is holding the Tesseract, the blue glowing cube teleporting away.

...

All of Thor's closest allies and the finest warriors of Asgard were gathered in the room: Lady Sif, Hogun the Grim, Fandral the Dashing, Volstagg the Svelte, and even Heimdall. Pietro stood among them, seething. He had been outwitted by Loki, and it gnawed at him. The realization had come too late, whispered in his ear by Bast.

"Loki's gotten away with the cube," Pietro muttered, frustration heavy in his voice. He knew all too well the danger that Loki posed when left unchecked.

The gravity of the situation was not lost on the others.

"Can you reach the All-Father, Heimdall?" Eitri asked, his voice laced with concern.

Heimdall shook his head. "It's not possible. I've already tried."

"He's in the Odinsleep, isn't he?" Pietro guessed, his mind racing.

"Highly likely," Heimdall confirmed.

Lady Sif, ever the warrior, spoke up. "Shouldn't we gather our forces and take down Thanos? Earth has the mightiest heroes, and with the sorcerers and Asgardians united, we can stop him."

Pietro, still brimming with frustration, had another plan. "I've got a better idea. I know where Thanos is. If we gather our strongest, we can ambush the Mad Titan."

The room fell silent with shock. "You know his location?" Heimdall asked, voicing the surprise of everyone present.

"Yes," Pietro replied firmly.

Hogun, ever the skeptic, questioned, "How could you possibly know?"

"I can see the future," Pietro answered simply, and that silenced any further doubts.

Pietro continued, "Let's prepare ourselves. We regroup in three days. Agreed?"

The others nodded in agreement. The resolve in the room was palpable.

As the group began to disperse, Eitri caught Pietro's eye, signaling that he needed a private word. They left the others to their discussions.

"Hogun, Fandral, search for Odin on Earth. We need our king back," Lady Sif commanded.

"Got it," Fandral replied, already planning the search.

"And Heimdall, can you bring Thor back? We have a lot to explain to him," Lady Sif added.

"I've already sent word," Heimdall reassured her.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Eitri spoke to Pietro. "Send me to Nidavellir. I need to forge a weapon."

Pietro nodded and opened a portal. "Do you need help restarting the forge?"

"No, I can handle it," Eitri said as he stepped through the portal.

With a wave of his hand, Pietro closed the portal and opened another, this time to Kamar-Taj. He needed to speak with the Ancient One.

As Pietro entered the room, he found the Ancient One and Wanda calmly sipping tea. He took a seat beside Wanda, and the Ancient One greeted him with a knowing look. "The Mad Titan, am I correct?"

"Yes," Pietro confirmed, the weight of the impending battle evident in his voice.

"How many do you need?" the Ancient One asked.

"Just the two of you," Pietro replied. "We only need to kill Thanos, and I know where he is."

Wanda, who had been silent, furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Pietro turned to her, his expression serious. "We're planning to attack an alien warlord who wants to erase half the universe."

Wanda's eyes widened in shock. "You just keep raising the stakes, don't you?" Despite her concern for her brother, she nodded resolutely. "I'll help."

Pietro pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

The Ancient One smiled at the siblings' bond. "What about me, Pietro?" she teased lightly.

Pietro grinned and started to move towards her. "I can hug you too, if you want."

The Ancient One laughed softly. "I'm just kidding, Pietro."

They all smiled, the tension easing just a bit in the face of what lay ahead.