When Dragon Balls Descend Upon Marvel

Odin watched Loki's transformation in silence. He knew exactly why this was happening — when Loki was a child, he had placed a rune on him so that he would look no different from the people of Asgard. But the moment Loki came into contact with the Casket of Ancient Winters, the traits of his true bloodline inevitably emerged.

The blow hit Loki hard. He confronted Odin directly.

"That day when you returned from Jotunheim… the casket wasn't the only thing you brought back, was it?"

Knowing there was no point in lying, Odin replied,

"No. After the battle, I went to the temple and found a baby. For a giant's offspring, he was far too small."

"He had been abandoned there, left to suffer… left to die."

"Laufey's son."

As his father's words sank in, Loki realized the truth — he was not Odin's son at all, but the child of Laufey, ruler of Jotunheim.

A child Laufey had discarded. His voice trembled with disbelief.

"Why did you save me? You slaughtered your way through Jotunheim — why spare the son of their king?"

Odin's gaze softened.

"You were an innocent child."

"No, impossible. There must be another reason. What is it?"

When Odin stayed silent, Loki shouted furiously,

"Tell me!"

Odin thought for a moment, then said slowly,

"I believed that one day our two kingdoms could be united… through you. That you could bring an alliance — lasting peace."

Loki's voice was tight with pain. "What?"

"But those plans no longer matter," Odin said.

"So I'm nothing more than a stolen relic — locked away until the day you could use me?"

"Why twist my words like this?" Odin frowned.

"You could have told me the truth from the beginning. Why hide it?"

"Because you are my son," Odin answered without hesitation. "I hid the truth to protect you."

Loki's words faltered. "Because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"No—"

But Loki wasn't listening anymore.

"Now everything makes sense. You've favored Thor all these years because no matter how much you claim to 'love' me, you could never allow a Frost Giant to sit on Asgard's throne."

Seeing Loki's anger and refusal to listen, Odin felt a wave of helplessness. Then an idea struck him. Power flared within him, and he slowly collapsed to the ground, grabbing at Loki's pants leg as he pretended to faint.

Loki, who had been shouting moments ago, froze.

He'd… made the All-Father pass out?

He'd actually made the King of Asgard faint!

Stunned and panicked, Loki grabbed Odin's hand and confirmed that he was indeed unconscious. His heart raced.

"Guards! Guards, help!"

Several guards rushed in through the vault doors and carried Odin away.

Unseen by Loki, Odin's spirit lingered in the hidden space nearby, watching his adopted son's anxious expression with a faint smile. It still works… he thought. Now I just have to keep playing unconscious — and I'll get to see how Loki behaves in my absence.

…

New Mexico.

With Coulson's arrival, the site where Mjolnir had fallen was now fully under S.H.I.E.L.D. control.

Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, and Dr. Erik Selvig brought Thor to the PT Diner.

Jane asked as Thor devoured his food,

"How did you end up in that storm cloud?"

Darcy chimed in curiously,

"And how can you eat a whole box of pastries and still be hungry?"

Selvig said nothing, simply watching the man eat like a champion.

When Thor finished all the pastries, he downed his coffee in one gulp and held up the mug.

"This drink, I like it. Another!"

Then he slammed the mug onto the floor, shattering it. Darcy and Jane both jumped in surprise.

Jane quickly apologized to the approaching owner, then turned to Thor.

"What are you doing?"

Thor looked puzzled.

"It was good. I wanted another."

As they talked, Thor began to realize that the customs here were very different from those of Asgard. He agreed not to smash anything else. Then he overheard new customers talking — and learned where his hammer had landed.

"If you can take me there," Thor told Jane, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Jane was excited, but Selvig quickly stopped her, warning that Thor was dangerous.

"Jane, he keeps talking about Thor, the Bifröst, and Mjolnir — all myths I read about as a boy."

Darcy added,

"If you believe him, then you should also believe that dream I had about Dragon Balls the other night."

Jane muttered,

"Norse myths are recorded history. Can you look up your Dragon Balls?"

In the end, she promised Selvig she'd refuse Thor's request, and bid Thor farewell.

Meanwhile, Coulson learned that Jane and her friends had data on the storm that accompanied the hammer's arrival. He went straight to their temporary base and confiscated all their equipment and files.

Jane arrived just in time to see her gear being loaded away.

"What's going on here?"

Coulson turned to her.

"Ms. Jane Foster, I'm Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Jane frowned.

"What does that mean? Does this have anything to do with me? You can't just take my things!"

Selvig, having heard of S.H.I.E.L.D., pulled her aside.

"Jane, this is bigger than you realize. Let it go."

"No. These are my life's work," Jane protested.

Coulson explained,

"We're investigating a security threat. We need to requisition your files and atmospheric data."

"So by 'requisition' you mean steal?" Jane shot back.

Coulson pulled a check from his pocket.

"This should cover your losses."

Jane glanced at the check, her anger rising.

"These can't be replaced at RadioShack. Most of it I built myself."

(End of Chapter)

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