Secrets and Plots

AUTHOR'S NOTES; TRIGGER WARNING FOR CHILD ABUSE!

Wazzup. Double uploads. Whooooo. I know it's been awhile but deadass, I update in order and it's been taking a while to get through this round of uploads. If your ever wondering where the hell I am, check my profile. You'll see my latest update and in the notes, I'll make sure you guys know what's happening. I hope this double with 10 k words helps though.

As always, check out the rest of this series, which can be read independently or as part of a souls journey through reincarnation! I know this work is the newest and smallest right now, but fear not! I'm not stopping even if it takes a while. 💙 thx so much for the support and reading, especially those of y'all who follow the series. See ya soon!

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XXXXXXXXXX

I can't help the whoop of delight that escapes me as I dive, wings snapping closed as I hurtle towards the waves, peels of laughter ripping free as my hair streams out behind me. Pulling up sharply, I let my hands brush seafoam crests as I blaze towards where I sense Loki's magic just below them, nothing but the ocean and the moon around me, even the lights of the far off coast long gone. I'd learned the spell to conjure wings from Princess Freya herself, the same spell some of the Valkyrie used when they had the magic toand fought on their own rather than using a pegasus mount. I suppose my mother's blood runs strong.

The realization makes me grin.

See, we had come to Malibu to find Tony, but that's not the only thing we had planned while in Midgard. 

Sensing Loki near, I launch myself into the sky once more, flipping and finding myself suspended in the air, the world frozen for a single, perfect moment, the moon and stars far above my arching body and ocean beneath, before my wings vanish and I'm diving headfirst into the waves. With a deep breath and a rush of cold water, I'm under the sea. Bending the water around me with magic, I swim deeper into the dark, alien genetics and powers protecting me from the pressure and temperature as I go deeper, my friend a beacon becoming me onwards. Occasionally, I'd use my magic to get a lung full of air or to warm myself, but overall the journey was calm, even when all light vanished from around me.

Eventually, I find a bubble of magic and light, and then I'm slipping through and into the arms of my closest friend, the water disappearing from my body. "Hey."

I scoop him into a tight hug with a laugh, lifting the much taller god off his feet and twirling him much to his exasperated amusement. "Hello, Starlight. How did it go? The Midgaurdian didn't try anything, did he?"

I snort, setting him down. "I'm not sure if I should be insulted by the idea that any midgardian could hurt me, but I'll simply consider your concern as a show of your affection. Also, if Tony was scum, I'd not have helped him in the first place."

"That's true," the trickster god agrees, tilting his head in acknowledgement, even as his hand cupps my cheek. "He seemed decent enough, I suppose."

I smirk. "You would say that after he admired your beauty and tried to lure you to his bed."

I cackle at Loki's outraged sputters, noting his embarrassed aura. Deciding to give the man a reprieve, I change the subject to the matter at hand. "Well, did you find him? Can we go in?"

Loki beams, a sweet, elated thing entirely unlike his more normal mocking smirk, completely forgetting our earlier conversation in the face of his excitement. "Yes, I just need to borrow your strength, if… you'd lend it to me?"

"Always," I agree immediately, handing him my hand with ease, something he takes into his own with almost delicate care. Doing magic, especially sharing it with another, can be extremely intimate, and I know how much my unwavering trust in him means to Loki, even after a full year of friendship. "Honestly, are we not practically shieldbrother and sister?"

Loki freezes, eyes wide. "Would you… want that with me?"

I give a flat look. "Of course, you idiot. I do so hate it when you speak as though your presence is something to abhor."

He stares, and I just roll my eyes, tightening my grip on him and dragging him further into the barrier. Our little pocket was pressed against another much larger and much stronger barrier of magic, and I frown trying to examine the enchantments down here, my stomach twisting as I realize how fucking dark it is outside our little solid barrier. Anyone, whether they relied on their eyes or not, chained down here in the dark for years, all alone,… they'd go bloody mad.

"Let's visit Jormungandr, then," I state grimly. Together, we pour magic into the seals guarding Loki's son and binding him into the middle of the ocean, jimmying the enchantments, not to break them, but to alter them. We couldn't free the kid without bringing down the wrath of that old geezer and his army on us, but he won't notice if we just mess with them a bit.

"Got it," Loki grunts, and with relief, I pull my hands from him, stopping the heavy drain of my energy, and I watch as a hole appears in Jormungandr's prison. I doubt there are many other magic users who could manage such a feat with only two people, so it was rather lucky Loki and I were both strong enough. Loki staggers slightly and I steady him. "Let's go."

I shake my head, waving him off. "No, go have your moment with your son. I don't want to scare him. I can meet him after."

He pats my shoulder gratefully and eagerly vanishes, and I amuse myself by sending light orbs into the dark water around us, watching a few curious fish, and even an octopus, interact with them. After a few hours, Loki comes back to shake me from my dozing. "Nova, wake up, darling."

I grunt, and let him pull me up and through the newly made door to Jormungandr's unfortunate home. It's… better than I expected, but not good. It seems to be an underwater cave that looks out into the ocean. There are, thankfully, some lights built along the stone walls, but it's basically empty. There is nothing but cold stone, and a single sleeping cot and I grimace at the idea of a child living here in what's essentially torture.

"Jor, come meet my friend," Loki murmurs softly.

From the shadows emerges a teen. He was thin and drawn, utterly pale from lack of sunlight, and his green eyes were wide. He looked just like a 13 year old Loki might, and my heart breaks. I smile warmly and crouch, hoping it puts him more at ease, but all he does is stagger over and practically collapse to the hard ground in front of me. My eyes go wide when he reaches for me, and tugs himself towards me, burying his head in my shoulder.

Touch starved, my mind whispers and understanding daws on me. 

This kid has not seen anyone in more than two centuries. It's not completely unreasonable for him to be clingy to someone deemed safe by his father, or perhaps he simply wants any contact he can get. I feel my heart break once again for Loki and all his children.

Carefully, I gather the shaking child into my arms, summoning my wings back just so I can cradle him more tightly in them, turning him into my chest and rocking him gently. "Hello, little one. I'm Novahna.

"Hello," he whispers shakily, hands carefully fisted in my feathers, green eyes peeking up at me. I smile, opening my wings to pull Loki into the impromptu cuddle session, something he joins with a shy smile of his own, conjuring his own wings to wrap around us, though they looked far more like that of a dragon than a bird.

I sat for a while, listening to my friend and his kid as they quietly talk about everything and nothing. Jor does ask about his siblings and the pained smile his father gives him as he talks about the short visits he's given with them has me blinking back tears.

Eventually, we have to leave, and Jor is devastated even though the brave boy says not a word of protest, not wanting to cause his father pain even as his eyes water. Luckily, I came prepared to make Jormungandr's life just a bit more bearable until we can break him and his siblings free using a combination of conjuring and summoning.

The two forms of magic were both used to bring things into being, but were inherently different. Conjuring is the conversion of magic to a physical object. Generally, these objects aren't permanent, like my wings, and would eventually disappear after a time if not enchanted. Summoning, however, is the process of taking an already existing object and transporting it through space. Naturally, objects farther away are more magic intensive. For example, my swords were in my chambers in Asgard, but I could call them into my hands by summoning them here using the same paths of the yggdrasil, which connected the nine realms, that I take when teleporting between worlds. Theoretically, with enough magic, I could manually summon them across the billions of miles, but without the Yggdrasil's own magic aiding me, I'd probably just kill myself from the magical cost, if it worked at all. It would also take a stupidly long time and the swords would probably crash into a bunch of things. It would be overall stupid and inefficient.

Letting my magic, typically blue and silver, coat the room. I cover the cave in summoned and conjured items. There were enchanted lights, rugs, books, and art purchased from Vanaheimr, Midgard, and Asgard. I got the kid a battery powered music player and enough battery's and music to last him years, although we'll hopefully be getting him out far sooner, more soft clothes than he actually needs, and a magical heater because it way to fucking cold in here, especially for a litttle snakeling. The cave is now filled with nice smelling soaps and candles and uncountable amounts of candy and snacks that won't go bad anytime soon. We filled the space with every damn thing we could think of.

It's not enough, not fucking close, but it's all we can do.

The kid cries. I cry. Loki cries too. It's a mess, but at least it's better then where we started and I suddenly have a boost of inspiration for all the horrible ways I can torture that crusty, dusty, one eyed bastard after ripping that power he's so adoress from him.

The imagery of Odin boiling in poisonous oil for all eternity is suddenly making itself at home in my mind.

As we say our goodbyes, I wipe away tears from the scales decorating Jor's cheekbones and eyes, leaning down to press a kiss to the kid's head. "This will be over soon. We will get you free."

The kid doesn't look like he believes us, but he nods anyway. When we finally go, using magic to rise from dark waters just as the sun begins to break over the horizon, Loki asks me to be his shieldsister and I agree, and we make our vows right then and there hovering above the ocean at sunrise with only Heindel, the sea, and the sky is our witnesses.

XXXXXTONYXXXXX

"Anything, Jay?"

"No, sir. Just like the last time you asked, all of 33 minutes ago." I wince, wondering why the hell I'd made my AI so sassy,… or at least, why I made it so sassy to me. "Miss Nova and her friend seem to have appeared out of thin air. Earlier that day, the two were on camera shopping at various stores for what looks like a variety of things. After which, they headed to the club, and Miss Nova came home with you. Her friend

left the club soon after the two of you, and then his location is untraceable."

Jarvis shows me the clip again. Mr. Sexy Button Up strolls out of the nightclub and down an alley. The weird thing is that while the CCTV catches him going in, the camera on the other side doesn't catch him ever coming out. It's pretty obvious that Nova's friend is likely as interesting as she is.

They were a complete mystery, and dammit, I wanted to know.

"What the hell?" I mutter, picking up my 4th cup of coffee only to find it empty. "None of this makes sense. Why reach out to me? She said she was trying to build trust, but why me out of everyone? My money? My mind? My fame? And what the hell is she if she isn't a human or a mutant? What are the other options?"

"Aliens, Sir," Jarvis offers.

I snort, my hand going to fiddle with the band of metal around my wrist. I'd taken it off and examined it with every test and sensor I could think of. It was just a silver bracelet in composition. It did, however, seem to give off some very interesting energy readings, but nothing harmful.

I definitely shouldn't be wearing a bracelet given to me by an unknown person with unknown motives and unknown abilities. Still, I can't bring myself to get rid of it, so here it is, once more attached to my wrist. 

I was an idiot who was going to get themselves killed.

 "Sir, your godfather has arrived," I pause, before nodding and heading out of my lab to meet my godfather. I hadn't wanted to believe anything Nova said about Obadiah, but I'm starting to change my mind. Jarvis's hacking had shown that Obi was moving large amounts of money, especially in offshore accounts, and that several board members were also receiving a fair amount from him for "miscellaneous company expenses''.

"Obi," I greet, watching the flinty smile on his face and accepting the hug he gives me, even as it makes my skin crawl.

"Tony! Are you ready for Afghanistan? That Jericho missile is about to make us a lot of money!" His smile is wide, but I can't tell if I'm imagining the coldness of his eyes. Maybe my silver angel is just a devil in disguise, but… maybe she's not. What if Obi has been the one deceiving me all along.

"The trip coming up pretty soon," I agreed, smiling easily. "I've just been working on some side projects."

"Hmm, yeah. You've been quiet recently. It's almost been a full week without any sightings of Tony Stark bringing models home or getting black out drunk," Obi laughs, and it's the first time I see his words as a jab to my character rather than a joke in good fun. Has he been aiming barbs at me this whole time? Am I imagining things or is this the first time I'm really seeing the truth? God, I'm going crazy- "Must be one hell of a project.

Making a snap decision, I invite him to the bar. "It's nothing. Just a new coffee machine."

"A coffee machine?" His voice is flat, and this time I don't think I'm imagining the disgust and disdain.

"There isn't anything I can't make better," I shrug casually, analyzing every twitch and shift of his face behind lowered lids as I pour him a shot. "Coffee's important, Obi."

My silver angel will stay between Jarvis and I for now since I can't trust anyone, apparently. 

"Right. Well, maybe focus on, you know, your job? I'm sure you can think of something more… explosive," Obadiah snickers like that joke was worth the breath he used to make it. "Something useful."

I force my shoulders to stay relaxed. Has it always been like this? I'm only useful when I'm making bombs? I feel my blood freeze at the thought and decide that, for the sake of my sanity, I need to not follow that line of questioning.

Not now, maybe not ever.

"I'm just giving my creative juices something to get them flowing. Don't worry, Obi." The room is starting to feel too small, and I need him gone. "Hey, Obi, I'm kind of in the middle of something…"

"Ah, no problem, Tony. Just don't forget Afghanistan," Obi says easily, walking out.

"Pepper won't let me. Don't worry about it!" I wave him off, smiling until the door shuts behind him. "Jarvis, track him."

"Already on it, Sir."

XXXXXNOVAHNAXXXXX

"Your highness," I greet cheerfully, bobbing into a curtsy. 

"Lady Novahna! Please, feel free to simply adress me by name. You are the shieldsister of my brother! Formalities need not be held," Thor beams boisterously.

I grin. "Thor. I have a matter to speak with you about."

"Of course, my lady, follow me." He escorts me to a sitting room connected to his chambers, calling for refreshments politely. Thor is kind, even to servants, and he cared for his people! But he is also kind of an idiot, and almost unbearably arrogant. He wasn't ready to be king, but one day, he might make a very good one.

After we settle, I begin. "You know of my abilities, yes? Particularly, I'm referring to the fact that I hold domain over foresight, like your royal mother."

Thor immediately leans forward, going uncharacteristically serious. It seems Frigga managed to beat the importance of that ability into his thick skull. "Yes, my lady."

"Good. Do you know why your father has imprisoned your brother's children?"

Thor reels back, eyes wide. "I- what? What do you mean imprisoned?"

Hoh, boy. This was going to be a longer conversation than I thought. Looks like the crown prince has been kept ignorant.

XXXXXXXXXX

"But, why?" Thor roars, and I silently thank the gods, the primordial ones I worship, not the ones walking around here, that I put up a sound barrier.

"There was a prophecy. It was misinterpreted by the king and now he believes Ragnorak will be brought by Loki's children," I answer calmly even as Thor hurls a chair into the wall behind me.

"Will they?" Thor asks.

I narrow my eyes. "Sit down, Thor."

"Tell me," he bellows, and I bare my teeth. Oh, hell no.

I flick my hand, sending the older god slamming into a chair, and with another flick, I bind him to it and drag the chair and god to sit directly in front of me, close enough that we were practically knee to knee. "Sit."

Thor, wide eyed and unused to being manhandled, let alone by a magic user, does so, mouth firmly shut. I glare, leaning forward to see his blue eyes with my weaker silver ones. "Tell me something, prince," I say mockingly. "What do you think will happen when powerful children are torn from their parents, abused, tortured, and isolated," Thor flinches at nearly every word I spit, paling at my venom. "-all at the behest of their grandfather, King of Asgard. What do you think would happen when they are left for fucking centuries to raise themselves knowing that all their suffering was caused by one of the people who should have loved them, and with full awareness of a people who they should have ruled over as princes and princess?"

It's true, too. Loki's children were technically royals in their own right.

"If those children one day came to destroy Asgard, tell me, would it not be the Allfather who set the wheels of fate into motion in the first place? Who brought this down upon his people with his own fucking hands?" Thor reels, gaping, but I'm not done. "Every one of the 9 realms besides Midgard, knows what Odin did, and I assure you, beyond Asgard, no one calls him a hero for it. His actions would be the real cause of Ragnarok, not the children he warped and harmed in his own idiocy and paranoia. Whether Loki's children brought Ragnorak or not, it does not excuse his actions, do you understand, Prince Thor?"

He nods, devastation on his face and I feel myself soften because this fool prince is one who can and will learn. "It's a moot point anyway because the children will not cause Ragnarok."

Thor's head whips up in astonishment before he laughs mirthlessly as I release his bindings, dropping his head into his hands. "That's somehow worse."

I nod. Those poor babies should never have been held accountable for actions they had not yet taken, but on top of that, they were actions that they might not have taken to begin with. Two centuries of torture because of one man's overinflated ego and desire to keep his power.

"What can we do?" Thor asks, the words almost pleading.

"When you are king, you must free them, and Loki," I state firmly. It's another reason I would not stand against Thor's coronation. My priority is the children. Thor would have his mother and Loki and I to keep him from making a complete mess, and he would learn, albeit the hard way, but I'm confident the damage can be mitigated. The children, however, cannot wait, and the best way is for Odin to fuck off into his nap and leave all his authority to his son.

"I understand," Thor states.

"You must not confront your father," I order, and I grab his arms tightly when he goes to argue. "No, listen. If you tip off your father, he could take precautions, like ordering their executions as his final act as king. We cannot risk it."

Thor blanches and nods, although I make a note to teach the soon to be king less trusting in the future. I wasn't lying but I could have been. "Speak to your mother. She and Heindal are both aware of the plan and can verify my words."

"Mother and Heindal?" Thor's eyes are wide, clearly shocked that the two most loyal to Odin would plot against him.

"Yes, the next two decades will be very complicated and we have far more to be worried about than just Ragnarok, I assure you." I grimace, as Thor slumps again.

Truly, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

XXXXXLOKIXXXXX

"Nova," I murmur, sliding my fingers into silver hair. My best friend is napping in the Asgardian sun beneath a tree, light bronze skin glowing. Norns, she is far too lovely. "Nova."

Pools of mercury appear through dark lashes, and she hums low in her throat, a sound that sends a shiver down my spine. Then, lazily, she shuts her eyes once more and lifts a hand to tug me down by the collar of my shirt, her hand running down my arm to catch my hand in her own, rolling on her side towards me.

I rest my head on pooling silver silk, entwining my fingers with hers. "Nova-"

"Rest Loki," she rasps slightly and I feel myself flush, relieved that her eyes aren't open. "Rest. The weight you carry on those shoulders of yours looks heavy. Put it down for a while."

"You're one to talk," I fire back, exasperated, but the soft breathing next to me and the warmth on my skin has my limbs feeling heavy and eyes falling shut. Hour later, I woke up to find her hair tangled around me and her knee in my side, but our hands still linked and I couldn't be mad, even when she laughed at the grass and twigs in my hair.

"What are we doing next?" I ask her as we head back to the palace.

"Midgard again. I think it's time for some more recruitment," she purrs, leaning on my arm, pupiless eyes glowing. I can't help the smirk twisting my mouth at the mischief oozing off her. It's a wonder she wasn't decreed to be a god of mischief and chaos herself.

Well, a gods' domain can change, so I'm still holding out hope.

"Recruitment?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Her smile is breathtaking. "To save the universe, obviously."

XXXXXXXXXX