Infinity Stones?
If he hadn't known what the Aether truly was, the words might not have shaken Thor. But now... he subconsciously glanced at John's right hand. On the silver gauntlet, gems of different colors pulsed with a soft, inner light.
Odin was all too familiar with that power. He, too, had once collected them. Just before he was about to step into an abyss of his own making, he had chosen to pull back. No one understood the corrupting power of these artifacts better than him. The Tesseract, previously hidden on Midgard, had now been returned to Asgard's vaults. John's purpose for being here, at this exact time, was deeply suspect.
Thor started to speak, but Odin cut him off, his voice firm. "Thor, take your mother and leave."
"Father, John, he..."
"Go!" Odin's tone was absolute, leaving no room for debate.
Thor cast a worried look at John, then obeyed his father, helping his mother and Jane from the room. As Frigga passed Odin, she reached out and squeezed his hand. Odin returned the gesture, a silent reassurance passing between them.
After everyone had gone, only John and Odin remained.
This was to be a conversation between two kings.
"You are collecting them." Gungnir, Odin's spear, struck the floor, the sound of metal on stone echoing in the chamber. His one remaining eye tried to find something, anything, on John's face. "Those things will lead you to eternal damnation, Wizard-King."
"Is that so?" John's wand spun between his fingers. He glanced down at his right hand. "It sounds like you once possessed them."
"Yes, I did." Odin's voice grew heavy. "That is why I know what kind of insatiable desire lies beneath that seemingly endless power. My conscience led me to abandon them and become the Guardian of the Nine Realms."
"Guardian?" John chuckled softly. "Not the God-King who stands above the Nine Realms?" He mercilessly dismantled the benevolent image Odin had crafted for himself. "Did you abandon them? Or did you fail?"
Pacing slowly through the royal chamber, John's voice dripped with mockery. "You've worked so hard to create an image of a king who loves his people. Has this long performance made you forget who you truly are?"
"What are you talking about?" Odin frowned, his grip tightening on his spear.
"You don't remember?" The curve of John's lips was pure, cutting amusement. "You are not a guardian, Odin. Admit it. You are a conqueror. After you banished the past you couldn't bear to remember, did you think it would all simply dissipate with time?"
Hearing this, Odin stared intently at John. "What, exactly, do you know?"
"Know what?" John grinned. "That you banished your own child for your ridiculous, misguided turn to righteousness? You created her, molded her into the perfect warrior, taught her cruelty, and taught her conquest. When you needed her, she was your finest weapon, your most prized child. But when you no longer needed her, she became a humiliating stain on your past, a truth the benevolent God-King Odin could not face."
He stopped directly in front of Odin, their faces inches apart.
"Admit it, Odin. This is who you are. You spent a thousand years making her a monster, then abandoned her in an instant. Your own child, who bled for you, was banished to an eternity of darkness, while your adopted son, who destroyed half of New York, is allowed to remain in Asgard? Tell me," John asked, his voice low and dangerous, "is this your idea of kingship? Sacrificing your own children to praise your own greatness?"
Odin's face was a taut mask of control, fighting not to be broken by the onslaught of words. But the fact that John knew still stunned him.
"How do you know this?" Odin took a deep breath, the pain in his eye undeniable. "Did you come to Asgard for her?" He guessed the reason for John's arrival. The research into dimensional magic, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Tesseract—they could all be means to free her. The thought made him grip Gungnir tighter. He would not allow it.
"Me?" John scoffed. "I'm not like you, Odin. It was just a timely invitation. I came to fulfill an appointment. I don't use my friends. You do."
He raised his right hand, and the three gems sparkled.
"You don't need to fear that I will act against Asgard. Although your arrogance is enough to drive away any guest, the Wizard-King forgives you, you confused old man." John spoke each word with deliberate precision. "This is an equivalent exchange."
Odin looked at John for a long time. He took a step back and shook his head. "You don't understand what those things demand of you. It's not that I do not love my children, but more love must be given to the worlds they would destroy."
They were different.
John applauded slowly. "You want to be a saint? Then you must first step down from the throne of a god-king."
"I also forgive you, Wizard-King," Odin said, his anger replaced by a cold resolve. "This is an equivalent exchange. But Asgard does not welcome one who would bring ruin to the realms." He had issued his order. In his eyes, John was too dangerous. Whether it was because of Hela or John's own ambition, Odin wanted him gone. He didn't even want Thor to be friends with him. This kind of person was more likely to befriend Loki.
"After the Dark Elves are defeated, do not set foot here again, Wizard-King." Odin turned and left, his final words echoing behind him. "Heimdall will be watching you."
John watched him go, his face unreadable. The silver on his right hand faded back into a simple ring. He glanced around the empty chamber.
"Self-proclaimed, arrogant god."
Thor found John and apologized profusely for his father's actions.
"Sorry, John, uh... Wizard-King." Remembering his mother's words about respecting the Wizard-King, Thor felt incredibly awkward. It was as if a close friend had suddenly been revealed as his mother's secret idol. He had gone to see Odin after learning that Heimdall would be monitoring John, but had been met with an impatient dismissal. He couldn't understand why his great father would be so hostile.
"You don't need to apologize, Thor," John said, shaking his head. "And I don't resent your father."
His thoughts exposed, Thor managed a relieved smile. "That thing on your hand... is it really what I think it is?"
John didn't hide it. The silver filigree spread across his right hand again, revealing the gems embedded on the back of his gauntlet.
"Infinity Stones?" John shook his head. "No, not exactly. I know what you're asking," he interrupted before Thor could form the question. "I made this by extracting the energy of the gems. Strictly speaking, it's only a weakened version."
Thor didn't quite understand, but he nodded anyway.
"I do have a question for you, Thor," John said, looking at him with keen interest. "What kind of king do you want to be?"
"A king?" Thor hesitated. A few years ago, he would have answered with unwavering conviction. But his recent experiences, quelling rebellions across the Nine Realms, had made him question if he was truly qualified.
"Let's rephrase," John said, stroking his chin. "If a blood relative were to compete with you for the throne, what would you do?"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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