Struck in Reverse | T. ODINSON

Chapter 19

📍 Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Asgard | November 2017

Loki and the Sakaarian gladiators jumped off the Ark and onto the bridge, joining the fight against Hela's forces.

"Did you miss me?" Loki asked. "Everybody on that ship, now."

The Asgardian refugees began pouring onto the ark. The only way onto the Ark is a narrow plankway, so there was an immediate bottleneck effect.

Thousands of frightened people are all pushing for a chance at salvation. It was mayhem.

Loki walked through the crowd to Heimdall.

"Welcome home. I saw you coming," Heimdall greeted him.

"Of course you did," Loki said before joining Heimdall and the gladiators in fending off Hela's encroaching minions.

Maleficent continued using her powers to wield away Hela's army with all her enchanted creatures.

On the balcony, Hela was perturbed but not enraged.

Hela had both blades locked on Thor's wrist as she flipped him and grabbed him by the throat, "A valiant effort, but you never stood a chance."

Thor looked up from his friends and Maleficent protecting his people as they frenziedly board to Ark to the twilight stars coming out over Asgard.

There was a glimmering of stardust in the sky.

"You see? I'm not a queen, or a monster like your beloved," Hela said, making Thor flash a vision of his father on the cliff he last saw him. "I'm the Goddess of Death."

"What were you the God of again?"

At Hela's words, Thor found himself facing his father as he was on his knees and an eye missing.

"Even when you had two eyes you were only seeing half the picture," Odin told him.

Thor heaved defeatedly, "She's too strong. Without my hammer, I cannot-"

"Are you Thor, God of Hammers?" Odin asked him, making Thor look up, meeting his gaze. "That hammer helped you control your power. Focus it. But it was never the source of your strength."

"It's too late. She's already taken Asgard," Thor insisted.

"Asgard is not a place. Never has been," Odin replied, gesturing around him. "This could be Asgard. It is wherever our people stand. And right now, those people need you."

Odin turned to go, but Thor spoke to him, "I'm not as strong as you."

"No," Odin answered him with a smile. "You're stronger."

As Odin turned to leave, Thor finally found hope in all of this.

Tilting his head back as Hela tightened her hold on him, black clouds gathered overhead.

"Tell me brother, what were you the God of again?" Hela taunted him, making Thor clench his fist, small arcs of electricity forming.

Then, the loudest crack of thunder anyone has ever heard resonated through Asgard.

Hela looked up in surprise, seeing Thor's hand before a bolt of lightning engulfed them and the whole palace.

All around Asgard, everyone looked up at this massive strike.

Loki smirked, knowing his brother was back as Maleficent watched Thor dives into the mountain of Butchers, trying to reach for him.

The army exploded as the lightning burst through them when Thor landed on his feet.