Nothing is Sacred

Smoke plumed from Loki’s palm. But it didn’t hurt. In fact, it was almost tingling after firing the ‘seidr’ at those women.

Amora and Karnilla would never match him in skill. Was the thought that popped into Loki’s head.

Except that Loki didn’t know who Karnilla was.

Loki took a step backward and touched his head as an image flashed through his mind. He was next to a fountain, and the water was turning to ice, it was out of his control. But Karnilla helped him stop it, she laughed at him, calling him a ‘jotunn’.

“Are you alright?” A new voice called from above. Loki’s revelry ended and he looked up at a spandex clad youth.

“That’s debatable.” Loki said. “What are you?” He asked with interest.

“I’m Spiderman!” The kid said as he landed next to Loki. “I’m here to respond to a threat.”

They both looked to where the Avengers were back in battle. Thor was looking for him though, quite frantically. Loki waved, trying to signify that he was fine.

“I have spider powers. Pretty cool during an evil villain takeover. What are your powers?”

“Mostly reason.” Loki said as he dusted himself off. “Although I may or may not be a God.”

“Huh.” Spiderman said. “Can’t say I’ve met any of them.”

Loki was about to fire off something about Tony Stark’s ego when there was a sharp pain in his head and a sense of foreboding. What the Hell? He thought as he scratched his head.

But something told him there was danger nearby. Above them.

“Could you get me atop a building perchance?” Loki asked politely.

“Can’t you use your God powers?”

“I’m a Norse God, not the Islamic one. No flying horses for me sadly.” Loki said.

“Oh.” Spiderman said. “Which building?”

Loki guessed that the youth was probably in shock. After all, two evil witches don’t show up and tear the city apart every day. But if Loki’s hunch was correct, then someone more dangerous was on the way.

“I’ll direct you. It’s nearby.”

Loki and Spiderman stepped outside and took off on a web right as Thor showed up. Loki flashed him a brilliant smile and said, “Take care of Amora and Karnilla for me!”

Thor did not look pleased. But Amora attacked him before he could take off after them.

Spiderman sang as they swung through the streets, a coping mechanism Loki was sure. He couldn’t blame the boy. He was still in shock himself. He had woman’s parts, magical powers and someone else’s memories stirring in his head. He would need to take a week off after this.

“Over there.” Loki pointed.

They landed and looked around.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Spiderman asked.

“Not entirely.”

But right as Loki muttered the ‘y’ the sky above them swirled and they both backed away.

“Is a drone going to fly out of there?”

“Close but no cigar.” Loki said. “The God of Drones is on his way, you could say.”

Drones were used in war after all.

The heavens opened up and the Norse God of War Tyr descended onto the rooftop in front of them. Loki was glad that the mindfuckingly freaky premonitions were true.

Even if they resulted in an angry buff guy who looked like he could kill both of them in one swipe glaring at them.

“Tyr.” Loki said. The word rolling off his tongue easily, another thing he was choosing to ignore.

“Loki.” Tyr said as he crossed his arms and popped his neck. His gray eyes looked Loki over from head to toe. He laughed. “It looks like life in Midgard suits you.”

Loki glared. “It was peaceful.”

“You know what else is peaceful? Death.” Tyr said with a smirk.

“I don’t like him.” Spiderman whispered.

“I think I agree.” Loki whispered back. “If you want to flee you can. I won’t blame you.”

“I can’t leave you up here with the crazy guy! He has an axe.”

Loki rolled his eyes. Amora and Karnilla had potentially infinite abilities with their magic. Yet Spiderman was worried about Tyr’s axe. Loki liked him.

“Why are you here?” Loki asked as he tried to take a threatening stance. If everyone was right about him and the God of Mischief being the same, then shouldn’t they be scared of him? He was the God of chaos and mischief. Both were pretty scary.

“To finish the job and kill you and Thor. And then we’ll go back to Asgard and kill Odin and end the monarchy.” Tyr said. “The reign of the All-Father has been long and we tire of his tyranny. We shall govern Asgard in our way.”

Loki blinked. The three of them were radical revolutionaries. Now that Loki thought about it, Thor had talked about how there was a revolution. They were tired of their King, and wanted something else.

Loki felt… Torn.

On one hand, he hated monarchy. That was why he hadn’t moved to England, even though they were vastly more secular than America. At least here the people were partly responsible for who led them. And the idea that Odin ruled only because he had a certain person’s blood running through him, and then Thor taking over only because he had been born to Odin was appalling. The people should have a choice in who leads them. Rome was a tantamount example of this with their mostly troubling Julio-Claudian dynasty.

But yet if what Amora said was true, then these people had tried to kill him before. He knew people had to die during revolutions typically, they were not peaceful. But she had seemed to relish killing him.

He wanted the Asgardians to have democracy if they wanted. But these three did not seem fit for the job.

“Sounds like a dictator to me.” Spiderman shrugged.

“Quiet yourself Mortal. You are in the presence of Gods.”

“I don’t know if I would consider you a God.” Spiderman murmured while he stroked his mask. “Here on Earth we worship this one God, this real nice guy. He wouldn’t try to destroy our city like you.”

Loki decided that now was not the time to criticize Christianity. That would have to wait until he had saved his city. Even though everything Spiderman thought he knew about his God was wrong and flawed.

“You should go back to Asgard.” Loki said. “Killing me and Thor is not so important. Especially if we’re here, while you’re there.”

“But Loki. I have to kill the next two in the line of succession. If I don’t then the throne will fall to you.”

What. The. Hell.

How is Loki in line for the Asgardian throne if he is not even from Asgard?

He had been told in the past that he had regal stature. He had no idea how true it would turn out.

“Well it appears that you’re shit at killing me.” Loki said. He held his arms out. “Why not try again? And maybe you can actually try this time.”

And before Loki could even blink, Tyr had shoved Spiderman off the side of the roof, and then reached out, grabbed Loki’s neck and held him suspended over the city.

Loki’s stomach felt like it plummeted as he looked down at the street below him. It was all so small, so very far away. Surviving this fall would be a miracle, and Loki didn’t believe in those.

He grabbed onto Tyr’s hands and the other man just laughed.

Loki blinked, and the ground below them was different. It was galaxies and stars, a light filled distant sky. They were at the edge of the Bi-frost, and Loki was in the outfit he’d seen on the guy in the mirror. Tyr was holding him just like this, suspended over the bi-frost.

But how?

A memory. They had done this before.

Loki’s vision went dark, and he felt his hands weaken as he lost the ability to breathe. And blackness overcame his vision.

When Loki opened his eyes next he was basically suspended in space. There was a large vast of nothing around him, and he was alone. Did Tyr drop him? And did he die?

“You’re not dead.”

Loki turned his head and saw the himself from before. The man who had smirked at him in the mirror.

“Oh. It’s you.” Loki said as he stared at himself. The guy did look alarmingly similar to him. “Are you the reason that I don’t remember anything?”

The other Loki looked uncomfortable. “Yes.” He admitted. “I was a bit rash in erasing my memories. I’ll admit. But if I hadn’t done so you would never have existed.”

The other him sounded like some sort of fucked up parent. ‘I made a mistake, but it made you so it’s definitely not a mistake anymore.’

Loki rolled his eyes. “Stop acting like you have the moral high ground. And start explaining. Why did you do it?”

“I thought that I was going to die.” He said solemnly. “I fell, and I did not think I would survive. And instead of drifting through space indefinitely, regretting everything I decided to erase my memories so that death would be easier. I had no idea that I would wind up in Midgard.”

Loki blinked. “Are you telling me, that everyone thought that I was dead? Including myself?”

The other Loki laughed. “Indeed. I had so many happy memories, with Thor and Mother, and sad ones as well. And in the emptiness of space there was nothing to do except remember. And it was maddening. So I sealed them away. And somehow, afterward, I ended up on Earth.”

“Why would I believe you?” Loki asked. “This could be a long acid trip. That would explain the uterus.”

The other Loki raised his eyebrow in such a ‘Loki’ gesture that it hurt. “I assure you, the uterus is completely normal. And quite fun. Once I unseal your memories you’ll see how much fun your clitoris is.”

Okay. That was TMI. But there was another part of that statement that was troubling.

“You’re going to give me the memories? Does that mean that you’ll die?”

“I will stop to exist. That is correct. But I am you. I am a creation of your mind and the sealed away memories. But thinking of me as a separate person is not correct. You and I are the same. And once I give you the memories, we will be completely the same person.” The other Loki explained.

“Why didn’t you give them to me earlier?”

The other Loki smiled. “Well. As you Mortals are fond of saying, knowledge is power. You weren’t going to unlock any of the memories until you gained knowledge of yourself. The more you learned, the easier it became to feed them to you.”

“Okay.” Loki frowned. It didn’t make complete sense. But then again, Loki was sitting inside his mind with a past version of himself discussing a magical spell that had been used to seal away his memories. While his physical body was being held above New York in a strangulating hold by a mad-man who called himself the God of War. And distantly, Thor the God of Thunder was fighting with his friends the Avengers against two powerful sorceresses.

Reason and rationality were all Loki had at this point. And it was turning into a stretch to hold onto them.

A pale hand settled on his shoulder. He looked up into his own green eyes. They were almost affectionate, this close to him.

The other Loki’s face was in a half smile. “You know. I think I am proud of you. I have never known a Mortal to be as strong willed or as strong as you. You’re right about all of it. Gods and men, there is little difference. You’re on a good path, Loki of Midgard. But now it is time to be Loki of Jotunheim again.”

Loki wrapped his hands around the other’s wrist. “Are you sure?”

The other Loki nodded. “Take care of Thor for me?”

“Of course.”

And with one last smile the other Loki’s cold fingers pressed into his temple.

Loki only heard screaming for just a bit.