Selvig calls MJ, Flash, and Ned in to clean up the mess they've made of my room. Frigga trails after them, stopping in the doorway. "Ah, good, you're ready," she says with a smile when she sees me. Is it just me, or do I detect nervousness in her smile? Odin must have told her about Thanos' talk with me, although they know nothing about why he wished to speak with me. "Shall we head out?"

"Yes," I answer, stepping toward the door, Selvig behind me. Goose meows and trots after us, his tail held up in the air. We exit my room and accompany my mother down the hall as the prep team begins to pack up their equipment.

"Don't forget," my mother says, turning to face me and holding out her hand, an object sitting on her palm. "Your Yggdrasil pin."

The smooth, engraved wooden pin had been a gift from Nebula, last year, before I left for the Contest. She had gotten it from her father, Thanos, and told me it was to remind me not to lose.

I suppose it did its job.

Frigga pins the carved tree to my jacket, over the golden circle. Selvig looks a bit annoyed she chose that particular spot but I smile at her. "Thank you, Mother," I tell her as she gently touches my face.

"Good luck, Loki," she says, smiling lovingly up at me. "This is your time. Enjoy it." There's a note of sadness in her voice.

Well, it will be a tad bit hard to enjoy knowing Thanos has threatened to kill me at the end of it, but I don't tell her that. Don't want to put a damper on the festive mood here.

We're heading toward the balcony, where I suppose the Champion Tour will begin filming. I see Jane in the columned corridor ahead, talking with Thor, and Hela and Valkyrie are standing nearby, Valkyrie gripping a bottle and Hela watching Jane with raised eyebrows, like she wishes to contradict everything she's saying. I don't see Veers yet.

Selvig pats me on the shoulder. "See you on the Statesman, Loki," he says, before walking away.

I notice now Odin is also with the small group ahead, but I don't see any Kree. Hela did say after we won that she was being given mentorship over Veers, so I suppose there's no need for Ronan the Accusor, Korath the Pursuer, or Minn-Erva to halt their busy lives to tour the galaxy with their champion. She's got Hela, Valkyrie, and Thor to guide her now.

That wouldn't be much consolation, if I was Veers.

A shadow moves behind one of the columns and I glance over. My heart almost stops.

It's Gamora.

"Give me one moment, Mother, I believe I forgot something," I say, turning. "I will hurry back, don't worry."

"All right, Loki," Frigga says, continuing up the corridor toward the others as I head back down the corridor slightly before ducking behind the columns.

Gamora is looking at me, arms crossed. Her hair falls in waves over her shoulders and her eyes are hard, her expression impassive.

"Well?" I say, my tone acidic. "Come to bid a tearful farewell? Have me swear to do whatever it takes and then turn your nose up at the results?"

If looks could kill, I would be dead on the spot.

"My father was here," Gamora says, after a moment of infuriated silence. "What did he want?"

"What, you upset he didn't say hello?" I ask.

"He did say hello," Gamora says quietly. "What did Thanos want?"

I spread my hands, giving her a slight smile. "My cooperation."

Gamora steps closer to me. "Loki, what did my father say to you?" Her voice is serious.

I'm silent, wondering whether to continue stonewalling her or tell her the truth. "He told me I must mend what I broke," I say eventually, my voice quiet. "Or I must correct the Balance, as a sacrifice."

Gamora's eyes don't leave mine. I stare down at her, into her eyes, and it comes over me how beautiful she is. It's always in moments of silence, after arguing, that I realize this. But I can't say it; I never say it, I've never told her. The way things have been going, I never will.

There's another long silence, during which we just look at each other, neither moving. I wonder briefly if she's going to kiss me again but then dismiss the idea. Thanos told me to stay away from her and I'm guessing that kissing her will not help my case with him.

"Do it," Gamora says finally.

"Why?" I ask, unable to help myself. "There's nothing for me to come home to, is there?"

Gamora frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"Gamora, in order to obey your father, I have to be in love with Veers."

I don't know why I say it. I probably shouldn't have told her at all. But Gamora has always been my best friend. If I am to tell anyone, it should be her.

Gamora rips her gaze away from mine, looking down. I wait in silence, wondering if she's going to say anything or attack me or something.

"You know we could never...." I begin eventually, unsure exactly what I'm trying to say. My silvertongue seems to have failed me again. "Gamora, I am not allowed to love you."

"It's never been done," Gamora said, lifting her eyes to meet mine, and I see resilience there, a resolution forming. It scares me. "That doesn't mean it's impossible."

"Gamora, Thanos warned me," I say flatly. "He told me to stay away from you."

Gamora looks away from me again, staring down the long line of columns. I continue, keeping my voice quiet and level. "You know as well as me. This...what we believed could be was nothing but a mirage, an illusion. I fell for it once. I cannot fall again." Or I will die.

She whips her head around to meet my gaze and I hold it, not shrinking away. Her words from our simultaneously first and last kiss ring in my mind and I'm sure they're present in hers, as well. I was prepared to do whatever it took. But I know whatever it takes, it'll never be enough.

"Let us bid a proper farewell," I say. "From now on, we are nothing."

Gamora nods. "Which is exactly how it was always meant to be." Her voice is harsh.

"Yes," I answer, my own tone hard. "We knew this to be true."

Gamora holds my gaze. "Then go and say hello to your new life, Loki."

"And you to yours," I tell her grimly. "Goodbye, Gamora."

"Goodbye," she says, and stalks off. I don't watch her go, but immediately step back out into the corridor and walk toward the group, a sorrowful feeling filling my chest. I don't know what's worse; arguing with her or saying goodbye.

"Hello, Loki," Jane greets, smiling at me. I smile back, for I like Jane. She may be a mortal, but she's always been pleasant to me and has earned my respect.

Besides, she slapped me when I didn't show her respect.

Odin nods at me, his eyes worried. "What did Thanos wish with you?" he asks quietly as I stop beside him.

"To remind me of the Balance," I answer back in a similarly quiet voice. "That is all. Assure Mother all is well."

Odin seems to relax slightly and he places his hand on my shoulder. I'm so much taller than him now, it feels strange, him reaching up to take my shoulder, as if in reassurance. But all I am reminded of is an elder looking for support.

"Watch yourself, Loki," he says. "Please. Take care of yourself, son. Do not seek out war."

But always be ready for it. "I will." Odin seems very well aware of the danger, of how my actions in the Contest seem to be turning against me. Perhaps that is the reason behind his change of attitude toward me since I returned home.

I hear footsteps and glance up, seeing Veers coming toward us, Darcy just walking out of sight, most likely to meet us at the ship, like Selvig. I glance at my intended lover as she continues walking.

She's dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, a dark, thick denim jacket over the shirt. Her blonde, wavy hair hangs about her face, a light grey baseball cap on her head. Like me, she's dressed to blend in. Or, well, we'd blend in on a place like Midgard; not here, in Asgard, where nobody else wears anything like what Selvig and Darcy had drawn up for us.

Goose, who I've completely forgotten about, meows and trots toward her, his tail waving in the air. Veers smiles and drops into a crouch, scratching the cat's head before she rises and steps toward us. I hold out my hand to her and after a moment's hesitation, she takes it, coming to a stop at my side.

There's silence for a moment, and then Hela speaks. "We're just waiting for the Kree. They should be here within moments."

Veers stiffens. "The Kree?"

"Yes, your mentors," Hela replies. "Ronan, Minn-Erva, and Korath are all joining us for this tour."

"I thought you were my mentor now," Veers says, confusion written across her face. "Didn't Ronan sign me over to you or something?"

"He did," Hela answers, nodding. "But that was more of a residential issue. For the Champion Tour, the Kree are still your mentors. They were your mentors during the Contest, after all, when you won, and so they will be joining us for this."

Veers still looks confused and, admittedly, so am I. I had been under the impression that Veers had effectively been signed over to Asgard as our champion. But with the Kree still maintaining the influence of mentoring her, it is beginning to appear that it's not that simple.

"Look," Hela says. "You live in Asgard but legally, you're still a champion from Hala. So it's a joint tour, Asgard and Hala."

"So why do I live here?" Veers demands. "If I'm of Hala, shouldn't I live in Hala?"

Hela shrugs. "Well, they didn't want you. And I don't blame them. You shot Yon-Rogg to save Loki's life. It's not the best image to be displaying for Starforce, Veers."

I tighten my grip on Veers' hand as she glares at my sister. I know she hates being reminded of that, although it is true. Frigga is also giving Hela a reproving look, which she ignores. She looks a bit bored, actually, glancing down the corridor in search of the Kree mentors.

"Ah!" she exclaims. "Ronan! It's about damn time."

"My apologies," Ronan says as he, Minn-Erva, and Korath approach us. Ronan and Minn-Erva both sport the natural blue skin of their people, Ronan wearing his customary dark rugged armor with what appears to be a stylized red parallelogram with lines extending from the main body painted across his chest, his helmet a draping piece of armor. Black war paint surrounds his eyes, traces paths down his cheeks, and meets below his mouth. Minn-Erva, on the other hand, wears green Starforce armor identical to Veers', a bandolier slung across her body. Her dark wavy hair is styled to one side, falling onto her shoulder.

Korath, on the other hand, has dark skin, wearing a metal breastplate and armor plates on his arms, gloves concealing his hands. His eyes are bright blue and he has a grey goatee, an implant surrounding the crown of his head. Like Veers, he lacks the telltale blue of most of the Kree, which I believe indications an adoption into the culture. Veers told me once that it involves a blood transfusion from a Kree, the blue blood marking them apart from their previous life. Yon-Rogg had provided the blood for her transfusion.

I still wonder how she got from Midgard to Hala.

"Say your goodbyes here," Jane tells my parents. "Then we'll begin."

Frigga turns and gives me a hug. "Be careful," she whispers, and then she embraces Veers, who returns the hug. It took her a while to get used to my mother treating her like one of her own, but like Nebula, she grew used to it and now accepts it. My mother can't stand to see anyone treated as an outcast.

Odin hugs me briefly and nods at Veers. After bidding farewell to Thor and Hela, my parents watch us go as we walk down the corridor toward the balcony, and I wonder momentarily if I'll ever see them again.

Jane tells me to stand by the column on one end of the balcony while Veers is sent to the other side. The mentors stand back, in the shadows, and Jane also stands out of the way. The cameras below stare up at us and I wait for the signal to begin.