The great hall of Asgard shimmered with cold, deliberate splendor.
Odin sat upon the throne, the Gungnir spear resting lightly in his grasp, its presence more symbolic than threatening. Beside him stood Frigga, calm and watchful. Below, Loki knelt in restraints, flanked by two ranks of Asgardian guards whose armor gleamed beneath the vaulted ceiling.
Thor entered with the visitors from Midgard and stopped at the foot of the dais.
"Father," he said, voice steady, "they've arrived."
Odin nodded, but his gaze drifted past them, settling instead on the bound figure below. He sighed, the sound heavy with years.
"Loki," Odin said at last, "is there anything you wish to say?"
Loki lifted his head. The defiance was still there, but it wavered, cracked by something close to grief.
"I could have destroyed Jotunheim completely," he said. "I did everything for you. For Asgard. But no matter what I do, you only ever see Thor. You never see me."
Silence followed. Odin's expression did not harden. If anything, it softened.
"I hope," Odin said quietly, "that time in the dungeons will give you the space to reflect. To understand what I tried to tell you."
He turned slightly, his voice carrying authority without force.
"Take him away. Confinement. Ten years."
One of the Midgard visitors, Rowan Mercer, let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Ten years meant Loki was out of play for a long while. For an Asgardian lifespan, it was little more than a pause. Mercy, by Odin's standards.
Thor stepped forward as the guards hauled Loki upright.
"Think carefully in there," Thor muttered, giving his brother a sharp tap to the back of the head. "If you come out like this again, I'll knock some sense into you myself."
Loki smirked despite himself. "Tell me, dear brother. Have you managed to lift your hammer yet?"
Thor grinned back. "By the time you're out, I will."
As Loki was dragged toward the doors, Thor added a parting kick for emphasis. Loki's laughter echoed faintly before the doors closed.
Odin turned his gaze to Thor.
"You still cannot lift Mjolnir?"
Thor straightened. "I understand your lesson now. I won't rush into war again. Lift the enchantment. Let me come home."
Odin shook his head.
"You have not yet proven that understanding. Until you lift the hammer, your exile stands. When you can wield it again, you may return."
From beyond the hall, Loki's voice carried back one last time. "At this rate, I might beat you home."
Thor only chuckled. Midgard, Jane, and a quieter life didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
"That matter is settled," Odin said, ending the exchange. His attention finally shifted to the visitors.
"You have my gratitude," he said. "Without your help, Loki's plans would have succeeded. As reward, I will grant each of you one reasonable wish."
Darcy's eyes lit up instantly. "A chest of gold?"
Jane grabbed her arm. "Darcy!"
Darcy winced. "I was joking."
Odin smiled. "Gold is as common as stone here. You shall have a chest prepared before you leave."
Darcy stared, stunned into silence.
Odin turned to Jane. "And you?"
Jane hesitated. "If possible… knowledge. Astrophysics. Anything Asgard can share."
"I'd like the same," Erik Selvig added quickly.
Odin nodded. "That can be arranged."
His gaze moved to Bruce Banner. Banner hesitated before speaking.
"I want the Hulk gone. I want to be normal."
Betty stepped forward, gripping his arm. "Please," she said. "Help him."
Odin studied Banner for a long moment.
"I cannot erase him," Odin said. "The Hulk is not a disease. He is part of your soul. Removing him would damage you beyond repair. But… I can help you merge. You will retain control."
Banner exchanged a look with Betty. She nodded.
"That's enough," Banner said.
Odin lifted a hand. Banner was drawn forward as if gravity itself had shifted. Odin placed two fingers against his forehead, murmuring words older than Asgard itself. Golden light pulsed around them.
Less than a minute passed.
"It is done."
Banner opened his eyes. He felt different. Whole.
With a thought, his body expanded, muscle and mass surging outward. The Hulk stood where Banner had been, but his face was calm, eyes clear.
"This is incredible," Banner said, his voice deep but steady.
He leapt, clearing several meters with ease, then quickly forced himself back to normal. His clothes hung in tatters.
He and Betty bowed deeply. "Thank you."
"Repair," Rowan said casually, flicking a hand. Banner's clothing knit itself back together.
Rowan couldn't help but stare at Odin afterward. The stories didn't do him justice. Anyone who could bind monsters like Hela and rule the Nine Realms was terrifying in ways power alone couldn't measure.
This wasn't a god who needed to prove himself.
This was a god who had already won.