Choices

Chapter 149
"Loki this is perfect," Thor beamed feeling proud of his brother. He remembered, once upon a time, he used to think magic was nothing more than tricks. After everything that's happened since then, Thor has realized just how much magic could do, both good and bad.
He stepped outside his room thinking of the newly named Avengers Tower, and sure enough he found himself in the familiar hallway outside his room on Midgard.
Anyone could enter the room and find themselves in his personal chambers of Asgard because the room was now considered in a void space of a magical plain. However, anyone entering his room will only be able to exit and end back in their original domain with the exception of Thor.
This prevented enemies from using this pathway to go between Earth and Asgard.
It had taken Loki the better part of a year to complete it. As far as Thor was concerned Loki was a genius.
Happy with the results, Thor walked back into his room and out again thinking of Asgard. He found Loki waiting for him on the other side of the door. "Well?" Loki asked, impatient to know the results.
"It works like a charm," Thor smiled and placed his hand to Loki's shoulder. He squeezed it and tried to give Loki a look of pride. He couldn't deny things have been different between them. There would be no going back from the things they'd gone through. It had changed them both.
There was a small part of Thor that still didn't trust his brother. He worried that Loki may once again stray from his path of redemption to follow the one of hatred and mischief.
Still, he also had faith. The mistrust was but a very small part of him and was easily forgotten and pushed aside. "Excellent," Loki grinned. He'd worked hard on Thor's request and for that, Thor was grateful. "I think it's time to go and save Cephera from our son." Loki joked.
Ikol was now three and half years old. He was the height of Cephera's hip and he was a handful. His wickedness hadn't gone away though he understood right from wrong much better now than he used to. It often took both her and Loki to keep a close eye on him to keep him at his best behaviour.
"He is a child and will be a fierce warrior some day." Thor grinned.
"A hot headed warrior." Loki frowned.
"I believe I knew one of those once, he turned out okay." Thor continued to grin.
"I suppose so. But you never picked battles with your parents. Ikol has, on two occasions, tried to hit his mother, which he sorely regrets after the second time." Loki's frown deepened.
"It will pass." Thor assured him. Loki nodded and left Thor to his new room.
Thor turned back to the door and once again went through and out. He walked down the hallway of the Avengers tower and downstairs to find his friends.
"They have a facility here...," The Captain was saying pointing to a part of the global map Stark had pulled up around them.
"What have I missed?" Thor asked rubbing his hands together. It was time to get back to saving the Earth. HYDRA was still out there playing with technology they didn't understand and Thor was more than willing to help stop that.
"Hercules is back," Tony remarked. Thor had learned a long time ago to stop trying to understand every reference Tony made to his appearance. He knew some of them, but the majority went over his head and frankly it didn't matter.
He stepped into the vision of the map and allowed his friends to bring him up to speed.
(Loki)
"Ikol, put it down this instant." Loki was greeted to Cephera's tone high and irritated. He hurried into the foyer of their private quarters where he spotted Ikol holding a vase in his hands threatening to heave it toward his mother.
Loki was about to call his sons name but he found himself without words. Ikol stood, his eyes now trained on his Father. His skin a dark blue with the familiar raised markings that Loki once seen on his own hands.
It was the first time he'd ever seen his son as he truly was meant to look and Loki was unsure how to feel about it. He hadn't completely accepted his Jotun nature. He never embraced his appearance and never intended to. Seeing his son this way unsettled him.
"Ikol, listen to your mother." Loki finally found his voice.
"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father." Ikol snapped. Loki felt the sting of the words in a way he didn't think possible.
"Ikol!" Cephera cried, appalled at the words her son had spoken.
"What makes you think that?" Loki asked Ikol, walking toward him cautiously.
"Mika told me and his sister said so too." Loki suppressed his frown. Mika and his sister were children belonging to one of the servants that Ikol often played with inside the palace. Loki cursed their parents for spreading such gossip.
"Ikol, Loki is your father," Cephera assured him. Though it was a complicated truth, it was the truth nonetheless. Ikol was not old enough to understand the complexity of his conception.
"Let me show you," Loki told his son creeping up close enough to grab the vase from his sons strong grasp and set it aside. Loki tried not to let his apprehension show as he put out his hand for his son to take.
Ikol stared at him a moment, before placing his blue hand into his fathers. Loki felt the shiver as he allowed the magic that made him appear Asgardian fade. He watched his pale skin change to blue and creep up under his clothing.
He watched his sons still violet eyes widen. The violet made his eyes look so dark against the blue skin. The contrast was a little odd. "They said I was a Jotun. A monster from another realm." Ikol's little hand began to shake and Loki grasped it harder to steady him, to calm him.
"We are not monsters. The Jotun people did bad things long before you were born and some people fear them. But you and I are not monsters." It took Loki a long time to accept that about himself. He hoped his son would as well.
"Why do we look like the Asgardians then? Are we undercover?" Ikol asked little tears in his eyes.
"I've looked like an Asgardian all my life. I was never told I was a Jotun, I found out on my own. But I am more comfortable looking that way. You looked like them to protect you from a man who wanted to hurt me and your mother. Someday, we shall tell you the whole tale" Loki promised. "But know that I am your father and no matter what your race, we love you."
Ikol let go of Loki's hand and hugged himself tightly around his neck. Loki stayed bowed to one knee in his sons arms until Ikol finally let go. His little blue face wet with tears.
"If you want to stay looking as you were born, we will not mind. That is a decision you must make for yourself now." Cephera had come over and was smoothing her hand along her sons dark hair.
"Grandfather is blue," Ikol said looking to think it over. "Can I be both?" He asked.
"If you chose it. The magic that hides your appearance is something you can control if you so wish it. Like you are now." Cephera smiled at Loki who returned the smile. It was a much better option then to force Ikol to stay in his Asgardian form. Perhaps, if Odin had told Loki sooner, he might have chosen to accept his blue skin.
"Can we go to see Grandfather?" Ikol begged.
"I have to go see my friends on Earth." Cephera frowned.
"I can do it." Loki offered. "Besides, I have things to discuss with your father." Cephera's smile returned. She knew which plans he spoke of. He meant it when he talked of a home of their own. Now that he was done with his task for Thor he could set his mind to their home in Mechanova.
(Cephera)
"Hello Tony," she said entering his workshop where the team was gearing up.
Tony looked over her way and without a word he grabbed a brown paper bag off his work table and handed it to her. "Instructions are inside," he said. "Gotta go, save the world and such. You know how it is." He told her and hurried back off.
Cephera called out a thank you and watched them all wave at her as they went out the boarding deck door. Not waiting to get back to Asgard, Cephera opened the bag.
Inside was indeed instruction.
"Experimental drug 001,
As a willing participant in this trail run we will not be held responsible for any side effects but will promise to help you with anything severe.
We cannot guarantee instant pregnancy, nor pregnancy at all. If more than one fertilization should occur I express my apologies now, but remember you are the one who wanted the kids.
Take a pill once each day, preferably at the same time everyday. Come back in two weeks for analysis."
Cephera read the note and rolled her eyes. Leave it to Tony to make himself sound like a disclaimer. Cephera pulled out the bottle of pills and eyed them. She was excited to try it and at the same time worried.
Tony's note didn't exactly ease her mind, but if this worked, she and many more of her people would have such a better chance at creating life, and it was worth the risk of whatever side effects would happen.
Not wanting to wait, or change her mind, Cephera popped open the bottle and swallowed the tiny orange pill.
They'd done a lot of research in the last year and a half. There seemed that there was no rhyme nor reason to their ovulation. For Cephera she hadn't heard that beep since that single time, for her sister she heard it only once as well.
The difference was that Seraphin had an opportunity and took it. She was now four month pregnant with a second child. The pills would help make it so ovulation happened more often instead of months and years in-between.
Cephera had personally volunteered to be the first to try them. She wouldn't risk her people to try them until she knew it was safe. She did this for them and herself.
Loki had expressed his concerns, but she made it clear she intended to go through with it and that was the end of that near argument.
No matter her troubles with Ikol and his temper. It hadn't deterred her from wanting another baby. Ikol was a good boy when he wanted to be and she was sure he'd grow into a fine man once he got his emotions under control.
She felt that today's events with Ikol and the rumours were a stepping stone toward that brighter future and she hoped she was right.
Cephera's father had been pushing her lately to finally being Ikol's training and Cephera felt that at last, she was ready to agree. Maybe the training would give him a better sense of responsibility with his strength and a good way to expel the negative emotions he so often felt.
It wasn't an easy road, but her life was on a path she could at least find hope in. She only wished she knew how Suvia was fairing. Was she alive? Had they all survived? Was Tyr still out there somewhere?
What about Thanos? All those questions remained unanswered, and until the day came that they found those answers they would always wonder if they were safe.
Cephera folded the bag down after putting the container back inside and left the tower. She would head to Mehcanova to see what mischief her husband, father, and son were getting in to.

Notes

Major apology for not posting yesterday. It was my first time missing a post. I made an announcement on my social media but I know not all of you follow me there. I was in the hospital yesterday but I am out now and I am fine. I am doing well! From now on, if possible, I'll change my fanfic description if I cannot post that day to let you know.

Oh! And another YouTube video is going up today! Come subscribe to my channel or simply watch it. Search for SSyasumi if you haven't already found me there!