Thor's punishment began exactly as Odin intended.
And immediately went wrong.
The Great Scripture Disaster
Thor sat at a massive desk, quill in hand, copying the Asgardian Scriptures.
"One hundred thousand pages," he muttered.
"One thousand times…"
He squinted at the ancient runes.
"…Is that a rune for 'valor' or 'goat'?"
Thor shrugged and kept writing.
Hours later, Odin walked past.
He stopped.
Slowly turned.
"…Thor."
Thor looked up proudly.
"Yes, Father!"
Odin picked up a page.
Read it.
Silence followed.
"…Why does this passage say 'Odin rode into battle on eight goats'?"
Thor blinked.
"…Is that not correct?"
Odin's eye twitched.
Escape Attempt #1
Later that night—
Thor tiptoed through the palace halls.
"I'll just… take a short break."
He reached the gate.
It slammed shut.
Odin stood there.
"Back."
Thor sighed.
Escape Attempt #2
Thor disguised himself as a guard.
Loki glanced over.
"…That helmet doesn't fit."
Thor froze.
Odin appeared behind him.
"Back."
Escape Attempt #3
Thor tried flying.
Lightning struck him out of the sky.
He landed back at his desk.
Odin's voice echoed.
"You now copy it five hundred more times."
Thor screamed.
Loki's Proper Training Begins
Elsewhere—
Alexander watched Loki practice with his new daggers.
"Your stance is sloppy," Scáthach said bluntly.
Sif nodded.
"You rely too much on speed."
Loki gritted his teeth.
"Again."
They trained him relentlessly—
Precision.
Timing.
Killing intent.
Loki improved rapidly.
Alexander turned to Morgan.
"Magic."
Morgan smiled.
"Gladly."
Ciel floated beside them.
"I will oversee efficiency."
Loki was suddenly buried under spell diagrams, rune circles, and theory.
"…This is worse than Thor's punishment," Loki muttered.
Alexander smiled.
"No. This makes you dangerous."
Odin's Dilemma
Odin sat alone on his throne.
Three names echoed in his mind.
Thor.
Too reckless.
Loki.
Too cunning.
Alexander.
Odin smiled faintly.
"He never wanted it."
So Odin removed Alexander from consideration.
Then another name surfaced.
Hela.
She had changed.
No longer sought revenge.
No longer desired the throne.
Because of Alexander.
Odin sighed softly.
"She would refuse."
And Odin knew—
She loved Alexander.
And Odin did not oppose it.
Blood did not define family.
Alexander was his son.
And Odin found himself looking forward—
To a future where Hela smiled freely.
A Mother's Visit
Frigga arrived in Hel, as she always did every few years.
Hela greeted her calmly.
"You've changed," Frigga said gently.
Hela looked away.
"…Perhaps."
Frigga smiled knowingly.
"And when will you confess?"
Hela froze.
"M—Mother!"
Her face burned red.
Frigga laughed softly.
"I look forward to that day."
Hela said nothing—
But she didn't deny it.
Back to the Scriptures
Thor collapsed over his desk.
"…I hate books."
Odin's voice echoed from afar.
"Five hundred pages left."
Thor sobbed.
And Asgard continued—
Chaotic.
Growing.
And quietly hopeful.