Miscellaneous Ideas Thread

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
This is good.
 

DhampyrX2

Well-Known Member
Hades was truly taken aback as he noted Sally's fully transformed state. So taken aback, in fact, that his first comment was "I thought you wore a special helm to conceal your full features?"

The shade of Hela's scowl deepened as she coolly spat, "I am but a shade of Hela given physical form. It is hardly worth expending the seidr and godly power needed to recreate my helm when simple shape-shifting does just fine. So long as my true self is wearing it I can look however I choose."

"And you chose a mortal form why exactly?" Hades inquired as he tried to regain his mental bearings. The last thing he had expected was to have brought the ruler of another realm of the dead into his domain. Or for Poseidon to have taken a foreign goddess as a lover.

Hela's expression darkened further even as he face reverted to that of Sally Jackson's while her clothes remained her usual green and black robes as she drily noted, "You of all people should understand that, Lord Hades. Are you not also condemned to stay in your realm with only the dead for company? Are you not also exiled from the presence of your family and left to rot alone out of sight?"

Hades' expression darkened as he bitterly agreed, "Indeed I am."

"Although you are at least allowed to jaunt up to Midgard should you find the time to do so. I am forbidden even that. So instead I have learned to send shades of myself instead to... circumvent a bit of my exile," Hela noted with an air of pride in her accomplishments.

"And why exactly did you choose to orchestrate the theft of my Helm and Zeus' Master Bolt on this excursion?" Hades interrogated with narrowed eyes.

Sally snorted in derision as she spat, "Oh do be serious. You do not have a reputation for abject stupidity and needless posturing like your oaf of a youngest brother. I rule all of Nifelheim. All those not bound for Valhalla are at my beck and call. If I wanted to bring war to the Greeks it would not be through starting a bout of petty infighting. Something you will see first hand if you insist on trying to harm my child."

Hades mulled that over for a moment before he asked, "Did Poseidon know?""

Sally's countenance grew somber and resigned as he declared, "No. He has only known me as Sally Jackson. We met when I was at a beach on Long Island looking to make contact with and check on my brother Jormungandr. Even knowing who and what Poseidon truly was he was... quite charming. To my knowledge he assumes me to be nothing more than what you refer to as a clear-sighted mortal."

Hades had enough experience with both his wife Persephone and his rather volatile sisters Demeter and Hera to avoid mentioning the small blush Sally developed as she described his brother as "charming." Instead he asked, "And your child? Is he aware of what he truly is?"

Sally's face bore a look of contempt as she asked, "And risk the wrath and interference of the Allfather should he discover him?"

Hades' left brow raised at that response until he took a moment to contemplate Hela's own situation and the rather dismal opinion Asgard was known to have toward the children of Loki.

"No," Sally continued, "Perseus thought us both to be mortal with a bit of seidrcraft we inherited from a many generations ago divine parent. And he was made aware of Poseidon being his father when you and that airheaded oaf that rules Olympus targeted him. It is safer for him that way."

Hades moved to his throne and sat down with a sigh at that. He knew all too well what it meant to have to conceal your children from your own family to keep them safe. He has been doing it for his children Nico and Bianca for decades keeping them in the cursed lair of the Lotus Eaters. "And I can assume your son is actually innocent of both thefts?"

"He would have nothing to gain from them. Nor would Poseidon if either if you took a moment to consider his actual personality," Sally replied.

"You do realize this puts me in a very precarious position? If I reveal you and your son's nature it could spark a war with the entire Norse Pantheon. But If I suddenly just let this go and release you Zeus will become even more paranoid and redouble his efforts to eliminate your child, which could still spark that very war. And the last thing I need is the increase in workload a war would cause. The costs in expansion of the Field of Asphodel alone are already driving me mad. Never mind having to hire more security ghouls or Charon constantly pestering me for a raise," Hades ranted.

"I understand all too well. Although I usually don't have to worry about paying anyone in Nifelheim beyond the staff that keep's the influx of new souls straight. You accidentally collect one soul bound for Valhalla and you have the Allfather and half the Valkyries breaking down your door insisting you are trying to pull something because you failed to catch a clerical error. Never mind the increases in paperwork," Hela griped back.

"Oh don't even get me started on the paperwork. I don't know of a god or goddess that doesn't deal with the dead that can even begin to comprehend that headache," Hades moaned.

"And Asgard forbid any of it isn't done perfectly. The Allfather is known to literally stamp things in his inbox mindlessly, in fact my father has slipped several royal decrees past him because of that, but if I have one report misfiled it's like Ragnarok has come early," Sally bitterly confided.

"At least he does his paperwork. Zeus is too busy cheating on his wife half the time to bother. I'm still amazed he has only sired two demigods against his oath with all the time he takes chasing mortal women," Hades spat disgustedly. Say what you wanted about the Lord of the Dead he loved every woman he was with. His love for Persephone was external and he felt every bit of the same ardor for his dear Maria before Zeus had killed her.

The two Death Gods smiled at being able to express their shared misery and frustration to a sympathetic and understanding ear for a moment before Sally chuckled nervously and replied, "I can't say much about Zeus' habits given my dalliance with Percy's father."

"Feh. At least Poseidon cares about the women he takes into his bed. Zeus would sleep with a rock if it had sufficient curves to attract his attention. And then he wonders why Hera is always so upset with him after he all but forced her to marry him in the first place," Hades noted with a roll of his eyes.

"The fact he is a caring lover does not make Poseidon any less married. I'm quite certain I will get more than an earful from both my father and my grandmother should they ever learn about Percy," Sally replied drily.

"If it makes you feel any better Amphitrite only seems to be upset when Poseidon chooses a mortal lover because they are mortal and she knows what it does to him to watch them age and die. She's never batted an eye when a nymph or naiad has caught his eye. The fact you are a goddess yourself will cool any ire she has toward your son once she learns of it," Hades noted with a shrug.

Sally thought that over a moment before shrugging the issue off herself. She had bigger things to worry about than an angry minor goddess thinking her a home-wrecker. And she would never regret her affair with Poseidon, especially when the result was her precious only child. Finally she asked, "So where does this leave us?"

"As of now, all we can do is wait for the arrival of your son," Hades replied evenly as he summoned a chair for the shade of the goddess in his throne room.

Sally took the seat with a muted nod of thanks as she contemplated the mess they were in. "I will defend him with my full self should Zeus try anything that could actually kill him. I don't care that he'll reform in a decade or two because of his godly nature. He is my only child and I will protect him," she warned.

"As would I in your position," Hades acknowledged with a muted nod of his head. "The best solution would probably be to allow him to finish his quest and release you once it's complete. Perhaps task him with recovering my Helm as well after he arrives as I'm certain it had to be the same thief trying to spark off a conflict on Olympus. Although I honestly don't see how you will hide his nature once he finishes it. Assuming he retrieves the Bolt he will have to deliver it to Zeus personally on Olympus and Zeus will sense his true nature there as easily as I could sense yours one you entered my Realm."

That brought Hela pause as she contemplated just how precarious Percy's situation really was. Her father might, might, be able to conceal Percy's true nature with his seidr but that would require her going to him to ask for his help. Could she really do that? Yes. For Percy she would do anything, even go on bended knee to Loki for help. Although even with Loki's aid it was a long shot. She had a feeling that all too soon everything would be revealed to both Olympus and Asgard and the very nation made her stick to her stomach. How ever would she protect her son now?

Finally she settled for a weak smile as she said, "I don't know. For now all we can do is wait."

Hades felt a rare bit of sympathy as he saw the pain and uncertainty flash across the eyes of his rival Death God's eyes. And it was that sympathy that prompted him to ask, "Well since we are waiting, tell me; do you play chess?" as he summoned board to appear between them.

Sally smirked as she moved her seat opposite of Hades' side of the board and replied, "What kind of goddess of death would I be if I didn't?" Although she noted her white pieces with a flicker of disdain before waving her had and transforming them into a vibrant emerald green.

"Green?" Hades asked.

"We of the House of Loki take our chosen colors very seriously," Hela replied with a serene smile.

"Well then, ladies first," Hades commented with a motion to the board as the pair did their best to wait out the days until Percy's inevitable arrival in the Underworld.
 

Fellgrave

Well-Known Member
Very nice. I'm glad to this is still kicking.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
Still enjoying this, very much. Loki slipping royal decrees past Odin is hilarious (albeit a bit scary).
 

DhampyrX2

Well-Known Member
Hela did her best to refrain from reacting as she felt her father's presence enter Nifelheim through the Hidden Paths. She had a pretty good idea of why he was here considering his recent encounter with his grandson. She did let out a little wince though when he unleashed a ridicuous burst of power to subdue her hellhound, Garm, without even breaking his stride toward her throne room.

Still, Hela did have an image to maintain as she schooled her features into a look of aloof neutrality before Loki as in sight. "Hello father. What a... surprise to see you," Hela greeted from her throne.

Loki's expression was icier than Jotunheim and Helheim together as he responded, "I would have words with you, daughter. Whether you want your retainers to hear them is up to you."

Hela suppressed a second wince as she gestured with her right had and dismissed the various spirits and servitors in the throne room before she replied, "Perhaps we should remove ourselves to me antechamber for the sake of comfort?"

Loki gave a curt nod in response before following his only daughter out of the room.

They were scarcely in the antechamber a moment before Hela tentative let out a respectful, "Now Fath-" only to be cut off by an irate Loki.

"No. You will let me speak first for once Hela Lokidottir. You will not hide behind your station, your circumstances, or even your resentment of me. Not with this," Loki seethed.

"Father you are taking this far too personally," Hela tried to counter only to take a step back at the look in her father's eye. This was not the usual "playfully mischievous" Loki. It wasn't even Loki at "dangerously devious." This was Loki fully unleashed. This was chaos itself given form. This was the hints few in Asgard ever saw of a force that could rival Odin and Thor in power. And for once that terrifying fury was directed at her. Hela's mouth went a little dry as she recalled a saying in Asgard: "There's is nothing more dangerous in the Realm Eternal than having Price Loki's full and undivided attention."

"Too personally?" Loki asked in a deadly whisper. "Too personally?" he demanded as his voice began to raise. "Too personally?!" he shouted with a wild look in his eyes. Loki stared into his daughter's eyes for several moments before growling in frustration and turning from her to calm himself. He did not want to unleash his ire on the goddess no matter how upset he was. She was still his daughter, after all. "A child, Hela. My first grandchild EVER. Did you not think I should have at least been informed of his existence?"

"It was safer for him..." Hela tried to explain.

"You sacrificed his safety the moment you chose some philandering Olympian for your lover, girl. Or did you fail to recognize the danger the boy is facing because of this asinine quest he is on," Loki scolded furiously.

His words struck a cord with Hela that brought forth her own ire as she hotly retorted, "How dare you. You have no right to judge me or my choice of lovers!"

"I have every right when his heritage puts my only grandson at risk of being being killed by some lightning throwing blowhard that makes your Uncle Thor look reasonable and intelligent!" Loki shot back.

"Are you seriously implying he is at any more risk from Olympus than he would be from Asgard? Or have you missed how the Allfather has treated every single one of your children, including me?" Hela hissed back.

Loki looked away in shame, the pain of his children's fates striking his heart like a physical blow. He shook his head ruefully as he noted, "Point."

Hela's own expression was harder to read with her helm hiding the upper half of her face as it did but her shoulders slumped in regret at her father's broken tone of voice. Curse motherhood for making her so much more receptive and perceptive toward the emotions of others. "Father..." she began before trailing off awkwardly.

"I would have helped you to hide him. To protect him. You have to know that. Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to learn of him because of a prayer he sent up hoping to rescue your shade?" Loki asked.

"You know full well that the more people that knew about him, the greater danger he was in, Father. You tried to protect my brothers and I too. That still did not stop accursed Odin from binding and exiling us. Can you blame me for wanting to keep Perseus from his meddling eye?" Hela asked.

"I know. But I still would have helped you," Loki insisted, his voice thick with emotion.

"I know. I don't think I really understood how much you tried to do for us until I had a son of my own to protect. Honestly, it made me hate the Allfather all the more for how he has treated all of us," Hela admitted.

Loki chuckled despondently as he noted, "Father will always put the good of the Realm Eternal before the needs of his family. One could never accuse Odin of being sentimental where we are concerned."

"He seems to indulge his eldest just fine," Hela noted drily.

Loki scowled in agreement before he flippantly replied, "Thor needs the extra attention. In many ways he's like an overgrown toddler still in need of a nursemaid to watch over him."

"A role you find yourself fulfilling more often than not," Hela acknowledged with a wicked grin.

"I try to split time with Sif and Hogun. Goodness knows Volstagg and Fandral lack the brains to reign him in when they try," Loki replied with a smirk of his own.

"If it makes you feel any better, Hades has been reasonable speaking with my shade. He will not impede Percy in his duty," Hela offered after a pause.

"I suppose I won't have to demonstrate my displeasure toward him, then," Loki noted sardonically. "Although I will still have to speak to his brother. Both his brothers."

"Father~" Hela warned with narrowed eyes.

"You can't blame for being concerned," Loki defended as he raised his hands in supplication.

"It's your own fault, anyway. I never would have encountered Poseidon had I not been at the bean to check on Jormungandr," Hela noted.

"That doesn't make the Greek any less married. The Olympians are not know for their fidelity," Loki replied.

"Not all of us can keep a Goddess of Fidelity as our little pet," Hela sniped back. She had never been overly fond of Sigyn. Although honestly, all Hela had against her was the fact that Sigyn was not her mother.

"That does remind me. Your stepmother wanted me to inform you she will be meeting with young Percy once this is all settled. She wants to know her new grandson," Loki commented with a sly smile.

"That Vanir... woman is no grandmother to my son. His only grandmother is Angrboda," Hela insisted with a snarl.

"Lady Rhea would probably disagree with you there," Loki replied with false innocence.

"Do not push me father," Hela warned.

"Hela, can you think of anyone, save perhaps Frigga, that would be better to Percy than Sigyn?" Loki asked earnestly.

"Fine. Assuming she can come up with a plausible excuse she can see him. Once. As a trial basis. But note he still does not know his fully divine heritage. I took a great deal of time to craft the illusion that makes his ichor look like red mortal blood. I will not have that nattering twit you married ruin my efforts to give my son a childhood," Hela finally conceded.

"If that is your wish. You can not hide it forever, though. He might be forced to learn the truth on this very quest," Loki noted. At the very least you know that the Olympians will discover it the second he steps foot on Olympus proper. The seidr needed to hide it when he is already half Greek would be such a beacon you might as well tell Heimdall and Odin now and save yourself the aggravation," Loki warned.

Helas face seemed to close up in sorrow as she replied, "I know." She paused for a moment for asking, "Father? If things become too dangerous?"

"You needn't ask. I would sooner embrace Sutur himself than let harm befall my grandson. If the Olympians, or the Realm Eternal, targets him I will stand with you. Always," Loki vowed.

"Thank you, father," Hela whispered with a tiny smile.

"You are welcome, dearest daughter. And now I must depart. I do not want Heimdall to grow too suspicious of my whereabouts and you usually have long since expelled me from your realm when I visit," Loki said with a sad smile before fading from sight without another word.

"Such theatrics. I hope Percy does not inherit that trait as he gets older. Valhalla knows he gets enough showiness from the Greek side of his family," Hela noted with a sigh.

Once she was certain Loki was gone Hela made a visible effort to purge herself of any visible emotions before returning to her duties as Queen of the Dead. After all, it just wouldn't do to have her subjects witness just how much she had changed over the last twelve years.
 

DhampyrX2

Well-Known Member
Percy was pleasantly surprised to discover his newfound grandfather (even if Percy believed them to be much more distantly related) had somehow slipped him a few thousand dollars in mortal money before they parted ways. As a result they were eating happily in a diner as they waited to change trains in Denver as Percy tried to puzzle out what was bothering him about their recent IM with Luke. He couldn't quite place it, but something about the head counselor for Hermes Cabin was bugging him.

Percy's mental musings were cut abruptly short as he heard the roar of a motorcycle engine outside the diner followed by an irrational sense of... anger. Percy shook his head a bit to clear it as he noted the Biker entering the diner and making a bee-line for their booth.

"Well, well, so you're old Seaweed's kid, huh," the biker asked without preamble.

"And I'm assuming that from the way I wanted to punch a wall when you came in you would be Claisse's father, Lord Ares?" Percy asked after nodding his head in answer to the question.

Ares smiled wolfishly before settling in to sit down beside Annabeth and across form Percy and Grover. "Good guess," he answered as he studied his newfound little cousin.

"Most of your lids look a lot like you. Especially when they're trying to maim me," Percy commented with an even stare.

"Yeah well, you gave as good as you got, kid. All's fair in war and all that," Ares shot back breezily.

"Isn't that supposed to be All's fair in Love and War?" Percy asked.

"You've never had 'Dite upset with you for being late for a date before, kid. There's nothing fair about making her upset with you," Ares warned with repressed shiver.

"I think I can safely say I never want to know," Percy noted with a wince.

"Good choice," Grover agreed despite his nervousness at the presence of the God of War.

"Thank you for replacing Clarisse's spear, by the way," Perce said after a moment.

Ares shrugged, unconcerned, as he replied, "Thanks for the sacrifice. I would have replaced it anyway. If my little girls is going to lead her brothers and sisters into battle she needs to be armed properly."

"I didn't mean to break it. It was only fair I at least ask for it to be replaced," Percy replied with a shrug of his own.

Ares studied the boy in front of him for a moment before shaking his head as he replied, "You really mean that, don't you? You got more respect than most half-bloods, kid. Usually they only treat me and mine with respect because they're scared of us."

"Clarisse can be pretty scary trying to give someone a swirly," Percy noted drily.

Ares chuckled at that. This kid had balls. It was a shame he had to go on that fool's errand to the Underworld. Ares would almost miss him. That musing brought him up short for a moment, as if confused with what he was thinking before he shrugged it off mentally and said, "Anyway, I have a little favor to ask you. You see, I left my shield behind in an abandoned water park near here while I was on a... date. And I want you and your little friends to get it for me."

Part of Percy wanted to know why Ares didn't just get it himself but he also understood that you do not mouth off to a god or goddess without reason. Besides, this was Clarisse's father and he really did not want to be on her had side again if he could help it.

"If it's not far and getting the shield will be quick I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pick it up for you..."

*****

Percy would later come to regret those words as they returned from a harrowing ordeal in the Tunnel of Love ride at the waterpark that ended with them being broadcast for all of Olympus to see. If there was one thing Percy hated it was being made fun of. He had a mean streak a mile wide and twice as deep toward bullies in general and he hated being taken advantage of.

So it was, he was in less than a pleasant mood as he tossed the shield to Ares and noted, "You're a jerk."

"Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of kids instead of me and my lady," Ares noted with a proud smirk.

"You could have mentioned it was a trap before you sent us. It would not have cost you anything," Percy noted as he tried to keep himself from forming a trident of ice in his hands. Or even drawing his Uru dagger in his anger.

"Meh, more fun this way. You kids looked good on TV," Ares dismissed with a wick grin. "Now, I was going to set up a ride for you three to Los Angeles but it seems one of you had the sense to keep his money on his instead of in his pack so you'll have to settle for this," Ares added as he conjured a blue nylon backpack full of clothes, provisions, and gold drachmas and tossed it to Percy.

"Thank you Lord Ares," Annabeth quickly interjected before Percy's obviously rising temper could get them into trouble.

"One other thing, Kid. You mom's not dead," Ares added.

"What?" Percy asked with a look of shock mixed with hope.

"She disappeared in a flash of gold right? That was teleportation, not death. Hades likely has her as a hostage. Oldest trick in the book to control somebody," Ares noted.

"I'm not exactly easy to control," Percy replied with narrowed eyes.

"Whatever you say kid. Now you better hurry up before you miss your train," Ares dismissed before vanishing in a burst of flame.

"He's right, Percy. We need to get to the station," Annabeth said as she dragged Percy along with her.

But as the trio made their way to the train one thought kept repeating itself in Percy's mind. If Hades already had the Master Bolt, why would he need to kidnap my mother to try to control me?





AN: There's another snippet. I'm kind of thinking of skipping the Lotus Casino this time around just to be different. And obviously Percy and the others won't need the pearls from the nereids in Santa Monica as Hades knows this is a set up already.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
Still loving this.
 

DhampyrX2

Well-Known Member
I don't know what my Loki kick lately has been about but I have another alternative ending for the first Thor movie that I thought I would put down for input. We know space was warped in some strange way from the overloaded Bifrost when Loki let go and fell to into the Void since it closed up just after he fell through. What if it was warping time and space together?

When and where did Loki end up instead of in the hands of Thanos? I'm thinking say 1906-ish on the land of Oz, more specifically the Wicked version. Now as to why so early? Simple Loki will be found and nursed back to health not by Elphaba or Glinda but by the Thropp second descending, Elphie's mother Melena.

And no, I'm not suggesting this be a case where Loki becomes Elphaba's father instead of the Wizard. In fact I would see it starting just after Elphie was born and Loki resonating with some of the prejudices and problems she faces as they make him think of his own problems. In fact, given that Frex was not all that interested in what he thought to be his eldest daughter, I would actually suggest that after tine getting to know Melena that she would name Loki Elphaba's godfather.

Now that's not to say I won't screw with things a little more than Loki happening to just be there, of course. First off, well let's say it won't be Turtle Heart that could possibly end up being Nessarose's father. In fact that might be why she was able to read from the Grimmerie at all and make a spell from it work. She too was a mixed child, just not a mix of Ozian and Midgardian.

Now I see kind of three relative acts here. A kind of prologue establishing a friendship between Loki and Melena, culminating with him promising to watch over Elphaba before Melena's death and Frex basically telling him to GTFO after Melena dies giving birth, which prompts Loki to watch over her and maybe teach her a few small things from the shadows.

The second act will have Loki, still unaging but knowing how to hide himself in a place like Oz, as a student a year or two ahead of Elphaba and Nessa at Shiz. He will see their development, as well as develop a dislike for Horrible Morrible as the girls come to matriculate. He might even subtly push Elphaba to pursue Fiyero and try to get Glinda to be more willing to give him up.

The third act, much like the musical, would be running concurrent to Dorothy's arrival. The trick being Loki is not about to let Fiyero get himself killed to save Loki's goddaughter. And Loki... will be less than pleased over the death of his youngest daughter in the form of Nessarose. Without realizing it, Morrible will have just attracted Loki's full and undivided attention. Worse yet, this is a Loki still presumably in possession of the Casket of Ancient Winters since we never say it returned to the vault after he put it in his dimensional pocket after freezing Heimdall with it. Ragnarok might be coming to Oz in the form of a pissed off Loki.


Now one thing I need advice with is how to play things once the "third act" so to speak, starts? I pictured Oz, Ev, Ix, and the rest of the Baum universe as a kind of dimensional pocket that's Underhill and possibly Elsewhen from reality. In other words, as Baum himself established, the "Fairy Queen" Lurline was a creature of magic. Possibly Elfin Magic, which could be related to either Alfheim or Svartlheim. That kind of temporal dilation possibility leaves it possible for the post movie Odin or Frigga (rather than ones from around 1925 or ones [barring Frigga] twenty years from the current timeline) to be the ones to sense it if Loki starts using his full powers and possibly unleashing the power of the Casket. So it could be a Thor that understands what is going on that would show up to stop his brother from killing the leaders of Oz, only to get forcefully told that this is vengeance for killing Loki's daughter outright and trying to kill his goddaughter in the bargain. I don't think even Sif could deny Loki his pound of flesh there and Thor might actually want to help avenge his niece.

So, how does this little idea sound to people?
 

DhampyrX2

Well-Known Member
Of all the things to put into words I had to go with a third act reveal in Asgard instead. My mind is far afield indeed.


It had been two weeks after Thor's return from Asgard after confronting what they had all believed to be Loki, only to discover it had been a Chitauri infiltrator wearing the Trickster's form when they caught the beast trying to access the Vault and the Infinity Gauntlet within it. The ensuing battle had been intense enough that the creature, who could never take the kind of damage an Aesir or Jotun could, reverted to his natural form before expiring.

Needless to say, all of Asgard was in an uproar over the matter as it raised several more questions than it answered. The biggest, of course, being "Was Loki really still alive?" and "Did he have any idea this impostor was running around wearing his face?"

For his part Odin could only hope that his second son was alive and unaware or that he had perished. The alternative, given the infiltrator's target, was that Loki was in the hands of Thanos the Eternal or one of his agents. It was not a pleasant thought to consider.

Thor was perhaps the happiest with this outcome as it allowed him to contact his friends on Earth the very moment the Bifrost had been repaired with the power of the Tessaract and inform them of his brother's innocence. Granted, it had more to do with a matter of security as Fury needed to be concerned with other shape shifters, but he could at least tell his friends that it was not truly Loki that had attacked them. Stark was already trying to work on devices to ferret out any Chitauri, or other shape shifters, that might try to infiltrate SHIELD.

But even within Thor there was a pall of uncertainty as he returned to Asgard. He still did not know Loki's true fate. Was it right to mourn his brother once more? Was he truly gone?

The answer to the question would come after nearly another year of uncertainty as three different people on Asgard sensed a change in the very fabric of reality.

Odin sensed a release of power the likes of which he had not felt since the Winter War. The Casket of Ancient Winters was stirring. Not released fully, yet, but stirring as if in anticipation. And considering it had been in Loki's possession the last time anyone had seen it, that spoke of who exactly might be drawing upon it.

Frigga sensed a great bellow of rage and sorrow that resonated through her and the magic in her blood. The last time she had felt anything like it had been when Loki's children had been banished from Asgard and he fought to keep them at his side. Something terrible had happened to her son. Something that wounded him down to his very soul.

Heimdall saw a ripple of power in the veils between this reality and those that run beside it, beyond the branches of the Yggdrasil. Something had stirred in a side reality that the Light Elves of Alfheim would refer to as Underhill or Elsewhen. The Gatekeeper of the Bifrost peered long and deep into the Void, trying to see past the veils where he had first seen the ripple, only to recoil in shock once he accomlplished the task. Heimdall knew the King and Queen must be informed as soon as possible.

*****

So it was that an hour later Odin, Frigga, and Thor, were gathered together with Heimdall to hear his report.

"Loki lives," Heimdall reported without preamble, eliciting a gasp of shock from the youngest Aesir in the room, but not from the King and Queen.

Thor took note of the reserved faces of his parents and asked, "You knew?"

"Little more than an hour ago I sensed a stirring of power I had not felt since the Winter War from the Casket of Ancient Winters. I suspected it could be Loki as the Casket was last in his possession, but I was not yet certain," Odin informed him.

Thor turned to his mother who informed him, "I felt a tremor in my seidr. A burst of great pain and sorrow. I last felt anything like it when your brother's children were removed from Asgard," Frigga noted with tears in her eyes. For Loki to lose control of his emotions so completely something terrible must have happened.

Thor took in that information with a contemplative nod before he turned to Heimdall and asked, "Where is he?"

"A land called Oz within a pocket dimension in what the Elves would call Underhill. One that seems to have a small connection to Midgard given that there are two Midgarians that seem to have found their way there independently of one another," Heimdall informed him.

"A shadow path perhaps? One we could find and use to reach this place from Midgard?" Thor asked.

"No, my Prince. The pocket realm is also Elsewhen. It is tied to a period nearly a century in Midgard's past. And judging by what I have seen, Loki has been there at least twenty years by the local reckoning. Perhaps more," Heimdall explained.

"Did you see what caused Loki so great a distress as we felt him through the veil to this realm?" Frigga asked as she noted that even if the realm was Elsewhen it seemed like time was running ten times faster there than it did here.

"I did not see the event itself, but I did overhear hear him discussing it with a few others, my Queen," Heimdall replied. "Apparently a sorceress in the employ of the local ruler, although Loki implied she was the real power behind the throne, has killed a young woman named Nessarose, the youngest daughter of an old friend of his, while trying to flush out and capture her elder half-sister Elphaba. Loki had been asked by the woman to watch over both girls on their mother's deathbed and was named their godfather. He did not take the attack upon them well."

Frigga more-so than any of the others in the room knew her second son. Knew what drove him and what would scar him in such as way. And so she asked, "Which girl had been Loki's child?"

"Mother?" Thor asked in shock.

"I know what kind of pain I sensed in your brother, Thor. An honor debt, even to one he cared for deeply, would not have been enough to pierce the veil between realities," Frigga explained. Her attention returned to Heimdall as she coolly demanded, "Which one?"

"The younger. The sister that had been killed. Although Loki seemed to care for the elder sister as if she were his own. He was training her to control her own magic even as he fought to control his own power. The Casket is calling to him," Heimdall informed them.

Frigga let out a yelp of despair in mourning for the granddaughter she was never allowed to know. Her poor child, to have such happiness ripped from him like that. Especially as a tool to flush out someone else. This sorceress clearly had no honor.

"You said that this was done to flush out the elder sister. For what purpose?" Odin asked worried over the political dynamic of the situation.

"From what I have gathered now that I can look into the Veil, the girl refused to become an agent of the local ruler. She discovered he was a powerless Midgardian who was manipulating the people of the land into following him. He wanted to use her magic to better secure his position. After her refusal, she was branded "wicked" by the his lead sorceress to discredit her and hunted as an outlaw," Heimdall explained, glad he had overheard the conversation between Loki and Elphaba that brought so many details to light.

"A coward. A liar and a coward that strikes at our very house," Thor growled as his ire grew. How dare these people murder his niece as part of plot to capture her sister?

"That explains why the Casket is stirring. Such pain and rage would call out to summon Ymir's power and release the Fimbul Winter," Odin noted gravely. "Thor, gather Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. You must go to this Oz and retrieve your brother."

"Father, surely you would not deny Loki his right to a father's vengeance?" Thor asked in shock.

"Nay. He may deal with this witch that has slain his daughter he sees fit. And if he insists, he is allowed to bring his... stepdaughter back with him for a time. But you must not allow him to release the Fimbul Winter. Even though he is Laufey's son by birth he has no idea of how to truly control the power of the Casket. If he gives in to its siren call he may well bring Ragnarok to us all without meaning to," Odin explained. "Now go, and bring your brother home. I will summon the power needed to send you there and, if necessary, bring you back. The Tessaract will be invaluable in that endeavor."

"Aye, father. I will stand with Loki as he deals with this poor excuse for an enchantress and then bring him and my new niece home," Thor promised with a bow to his parents before heading out to gather his friends for the quest. And as he went he secretly hoped Loki would grant him the honor of striking a few blows with Mjolnir against the foul curs that had dared to harm his family.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
It hath mine interest, strongly.
 

Tennie

Well-Known Member
Here's something that could apply not only to crossovers, but also fics set only in one particular work:

The plot of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the published work and its adaptations) involves a contest in which whoever manages to acquire one of the five Golden Tickets that reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka has sent out could go on a tour of his exclusive factory. Five kids each win a Ticket, but it turns out that four of them have significant flaws that lead to them getting into trouble and subsequently being disqualified (and, in the 1971 film at least, the winning kid avoids being disqualified himself by perhaps the barest of margins).

Now, in CatCF fanfiction, it's quite common to see a "Sixth Golden Ticket winner" (typically an original character, but sometimes a crossover character) appear (naturally, the actual quality of the fics tend to be variable, with most--from my experiences at least--being toward the bad end of the scale).

However, unpublished drafts written by the book's author, Roald Dahl, show that he originally had seven Golden Tickets and a corresponding number of winners (and yes, the two other characters also end up getting their comeuppance); however, he evidently decided that he had too many characters and excised those two out of the book.

So, if one wants to do so, one could resurrect the other two Tickets, perhaps having one go to one of the originally-planned characters, and/or either one or both Tickets could go to crossover characters and/or characters created by the fanfic author.

So, there's some food for thought...
 
A small snippet of an idea for a Percy Jackson X F/GO idea.

"Hm, okay so the formula would be... I = mv2 - mv1 = m(v2 - v1)."

"Hm-hm."

"So then v1=242m/s and... v2=258m/s equals... 720,000 kg m/s!"

"That's right!" A small clap resounded throughout the room in the small apartment.

Percy Jackson leaned back with a yawn, feeling his back crack comfortably as he rolled his head around.

"These physics problems are torture! What's the point of knowing these stuff when we break them anyway?"

On his bed was a girl with her golden-blonde hair in a ponytail. in her lap was an open textbook indistinguishable from all the other books that surrounded them, near him was a paper book titled "DSTOMP: The Demigod Standard Test of Mad Powers."

"Hey! Physics is an important subject, don't you remember when I saved your life with it!" Annabeth said in false anger smiling while clicking her pen.

"Wait, really?" Percy said tilting his head.

"Remember our first quest Seaweed Brain? I-"

Percy drank in the normalcy of this scene. Only a few months ago was he fighting a giant evil robot with the face of a Roman Emperor, now here he was studying for University.

He wished for this to never end, no troubles, no saving the world just him and Annabeth together.

Which obviously meant things had to go wrong.

He immediately straightened up. Eyes dashing around the room as his senses scanned the room.

Annabeth held gave him a knowing look face filled with worry.

'You sense that too?'

He couldn't not sense it, it was like someone had shocked him with electricity, the back of his head buzzed.

He jumped off the bed and quickly exited his room in a run.

Entering the small living room he found... nothing out of the ordinary.

His stepfather Paul Blofis, was standing and rocking his baby sister Estelle while singing a small tune. His mom Sally Jackson was working on the couch, reading glasses on her face as her fingers moved across her laptop.

There was no worry on their faces, unlike the demigods, they couldn't sense whatever was worrying them.

"Percy, Annabeth what's wrong?" Paul asked.

Sally looked up from her laptop, noticing the pen in Percy's hand.

Percy himself was breathing heavily as running a marathon. Seeing his family fine didn't make him feel better, in fact, it made him feel worse. Knowing that his parents and baby sister could be in danger.

"I...Don't know."

He strode towards the window and opened it, peering out he saw people, no monsters, nothing. Just people walking around doing their things.

He lifted his head and stared at the sun, the light of Apollo's ride forcing him to squint.

'It's as if we're being watched.' Percy thought.

And then the world lit on fire.

It was in an instant.

Buildings or shelter provided no protection, they burned all the same.

Sally, Blofis, and Estelle didn't even have time to realize what was happening when they turned to ash, incinerated without pain.

"Per..cy."

Annabeth lasted longer, managing to stretch out her arm to him and say those final words before turning to dust.

Percy wasn't granted a painless death.

In the first second the flame didn't hurt, the power of his father Poseidon protected him.

But even the power of the Gods wasn't infallible.

He screamed as his skin melted, flame entering his lungs and roasting his voicebox.

His powers went wild, water appeared around him and disappeared just as quickly into steam.

Blood spurted out of his own vessels as they popped into steam.

Despite the pain as his nerves were charred he reached out a hand to where Annabeth once stood, in so much pain that he couldn't even think.

And then the floor burned away, and he fell into black, feeling nothing.

In that black, he saw.

A city just like Manhattan, covered in ever-burning flames.

A girl with white hair and in black who could only be described as a Witch, surrounded by dragons.

And the weirdest, a man in purple standing in front of the giant automaton that had attacked Camp Half-Blood. in front of him was a woman in red brandishing a weird zig-zaggy looking sword.

"Haaah!"

Percy jumped out of his bed hitting his head on the frame and landing on his nose.

"Haah...haah...hah."

Each breath came out heavy and labored.

It wasn't day, nor was everything on fire.

Before he could gather his thoughts his phone on his nightstand rang.

"Percy, we need to talk." Rachel's voice came through.

"Is it about the world suddenly turning on fire?" Percy asked.

"...Yes."
Just to note, this isn't a prologue or whatever. This is just something to reign in and control my thoughts. I'm still deciding how I want to write the story. Which is why this is super unpolished.

But to explain, Percy's having a dream where he sees Goetia burn everything and he sees some of the singularities.

As for why he sees only three singularities. It's because I just finished Fuyuki and Orleans and Septem are based on what I read from Timeless Academia.

If, when I do write this crossover this probably won't actually have this happen, or if I do it will be way less explicit. Maybe have Goetia pull a Kronos and actually notice Percy spying and do something.

Also as the vision with Septem shows, I am thinking of adding more Percy Jackson elements than just Percy Jackson. Like Nero from TOA. Also trying to decide if I should try to fuse the world's more, like Magus's knowing about gods and shit and maybe Percy being chosen by Chaldea instead of being suddenly sent there like Ritsuka.

Still have a lot to think about. So just chew on this for now.
 
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