Chapter Text
On his first visit to Jotunheim, Thor climbs one of the realm’s most unclimbable mountains; or at least, he attempts to. Odin directs Thor to this task after he insults the royal family twice before they even finish their greetings (the reality of giant blue men is much more daunting in person; Thor thinks he handled the situation remarkably well given the circumstances, and Odin believes he made a hasty decision in bringing his son along on such a sensitive mission). Regardless, Thor is quickly dismissed from the rest of the day’s proceedings and instructed to cause as little damage as possible.
Thor takes his frustration out on the hard, jagged ice and rock beneath his hands, striking at it with all his strength to make his picks sink deep. He's preoccupied and careless, and halfway up the seemingly solid stone gives way beneath the full force of his temper. Thor finds himself falling amidst an avalanche of sharp, stinging rubble, buried deep before he can reach Mjolnir at his belt and fly to safety.
He doesn't really mind, though, because at the base of this great mountain he finds something far more beautiful and precious than any fleeting sense of accomplishment he could have achieved had he succeeded.
He finds Loki.