Odin was standing on the balcony, gazing down at Asgard, as Gibbs walked toward him. Bishop and DiNozzo had told him about Frigga's death and how Loki had left on a quest for avenge her. Gibbs had felt a pang on learning that. The queen of Asgard had been nothing but respectful and generous to him and his agents.

"The Convergence shatters the borders of the realms as it draws nigh," Odin murmured as Gibbs reached the entrance onto the balcony. "Why, Frigga, did you have to leave me?"

Gibbs halted, not wanting to intrude on the king's grief. He remembered grieving, after his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were killed in that car crash, the one orchestrated to prevent them from testifying. That had been a dark time, when his world had stopped spinning and crashed all around him, shattered into sharp pieces that drew blood whenever he stooped to touch them.

NCIS had been the only thing that had saved him, and kept saving him, every day.

"Agent Gibbs," Odin said, not glancing back. "What can I help you with?"

Gibbs walked up to the balcony, resting his forearms on the railing. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said quietly.

Odin sighed, looking down. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the balcony railing. "Have you ever lost your only love, Agent Gibbs?"

"Yes," Gibbs replied, his voice low. Odin glanced over at him as he continued. "Yes, I did. Car crash. Lost both my wife and daughter."

"My condolences," Odin murmured. "How does your world continue, after a catastrophe such as that?"

Gibbs was quiet for a moment. "Barely," he admitted. "But you've still got your two sons, who are grieving their mother just as you are grieving your wife. They're not all gone."

"I know," Odin said, pressing his lips together. "They have left to do what I only wish I could."

Gibbs closed his eyes. He had taken justice – in the form of his Marine sniper rifle – into his own hands when Shannon and Kelly had died. Pedro Hernandez, the one responsible for their deaths, had been alive one moment, and then dead the next, with blood trickling down his face from the bullet hole, dead center of his forehead.

"My agents told me Dark Elves attacked Asgard," he said, glancing over at Odin.

"Yes," Odin murmured, his gaze distant. "They weren't extinct. But they will be. I will make sure of that."

"This has something to do with the Convergence," Gibbs prompted.

"Yes," Odin said, meeting his gaze. "The Dark Elves' attempt to bring back the primordial darkness took place during the last Convergence. Now they rise again, seeking the Aether to rebuild their damned City of the Darkness." He sighed. "Loki said the Aether was split between two hosts. Do you know where the other is?"

Gibbs nodded. "She's with me and my agents. Currently, she's here."

Odin turned toward him, his brow furrowing. "I would like to meet her. To see, for sure."

Gibbs tilted his head. "Yes, sir."

"I have one more question for you, Agent Gibbs," Odin said, after a moment of hesitation. "How did you earn my son's respect?"

Surprised at the question, Gibbs drew back slightly. After a moment of silence, he tilted his head. "You'll have to ask Loki that yourself."

****

Kate lay still under the Asgardian soul forge. "This is exactly like what Abby has in her lab," McGee marveled. "Man, this is so cool. It's like straight out of the Lord of the Rings! Or some comic book!"

DiNozzo repressed a grin at McGee's enthusiasm. The computer nerd hadn't been able to visit Asgard back when most of the team had gone with Loki, back when his headaches were bothering him. Of course, McGee didn't get the tour that Thor and his friends had given Bishop and DiNozzo – which had included a stop at a bar that DiNozzo didn't remember at all, thanks to the strength of Asgardian liquor.

Hovering above Kate was a cloud of red particles, shaped into human form. The healer manipulating the soul forge frowned at them. "Strange," she murmured.

"Strange also really liked the soul forge," McGee enthused. DiNozzo wrinkled his nose at the thought of the arrogant surgeon who had removed the energy source causing Loki's headaches from his brain. The guy had been a jerk, and DiNozzo hoped he never had to deal with him again. But he had been a helpful jerk, he had to give him that.

The healer glanced at Odin. "The energy signature is not unlike the one who found in Prince Loki's mind, but with its own differences. They are similar but not the same."

Odin's expression was grim. "It is the Aether," he murmured. "The same energy that resides in Loki. The Aether has indeed divided itself. But for what purpose?"

"What is the Aether?" Kate asked, not moving a muscle as she stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"A weapon, crafted from a primordial relic of great power, meant to bring back darkness over the realms," Odin stated gravely. "But it has never before divided itself between two hosts. I do not know what the ramifications of this will be."

"The Aether is strong and corrosive," the healer said, zooming in on the red particles. "But due to her enhanced physiology, it is unable to use up her strength. A normal human would be greatly affected by the sheer amount of energy. What else it will do, I cannot know."

Kate sat up, the red particles disappearing. "So, the Asgardian, Loki, has the other half?"

Odin and Gibbs both nodded.

"Makes sense," Kate said slowly. "He was there when I got it, after all."

"So what? Kate and Loki are possessed?" DiNozzo asked, furrowing his brow.

Kate pointed at him. "I knew you'd say something like that!"

"Not possessed," Odin said firmly. "They are the Aether's hosts. What will happen, now that it has divided itself – what happens to its strength, its powers – I don't know. But the Dark Elves will be pursuing it regardless, for they need the Aether to achieve their goal of bringing about darkness' dominion."

"I'm guessing that's something we don't want," Bishop said quietly.

"Correct," Odin said. "Thor and Loki have gone after the Dark Elves, along with the Lady Hailstohm and the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Stars willing, they will stop them all." He looked at Gibbs. "But the Dark Elves will come searching for Caitlyn Todd, if given the chance. They will stop at nothing until they get the Aether."

"They won't get it," Kate snarled, sliding her legs over the side of the soul forge and standing. "I can promise you that."

****

Romanoff pulled her car into an alleyway, shutting off the engine. Checking her pistols, she quietly stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her, locking the car. She had called Jane, who had told her which building she and her interns had set up in. Romanoff had parked far enough away that anyone growing suspicious on sighting her car shouldn't connect the dots.

Slipping out of the alleyway, the Russian redhead crept down the sidewalk, the sun beginning its slide into the west. She saw no one as she approached the building that she and Fury had been called to when Loki and Agent Sniper had vanished through a window. Quickly, she crossed the street and ducked inside, pulling the old door closed behind her. Thankfully, the hinges didn't squeak.

Romanoff scanned the room, easing her pistol out of her holster as she moved stealthily toward the stairway. The shadows in the stairwell shifted and she threw herself into a forward roll, coming up on one knee with her pistol aimed at the shadows.

"Agent Romanoff?" an accented voice asked. It was male, and sounded Hispanic.

"Who's asking?" she returned smoothly.

"An ally of Jane Foster's."

For a second, Romanoff debated. This could be a trick, to test her loyalty to SHIELD. Yet, it could also be Foster just being cautious. Considering she went behind SHIELD's back in delivering the information on the Bifrost to Romanoff, it would be a good move to have some security. But who could it be? Romanoff didn't recognize the voice.

She made her decision. "Yes, this is Agent Romanoff. Who are you?"

The shadows shifted and a figure rose out of a crouch, descending the stairs. When he stepped out of the stairwell, she saw a short yet well-built man, his muscled chest pushing against his dark shirt. He held a pistol aimed at her.

"I am Agent Torres. Come with me."

****

Gibbs, Bishop, DiNozzo, McGee, Rogers, and Kate stood in the Himinbjorg as Heimdall lifted his sword Hofund in his hand and approached the pedestal to send the mortals back to earth.

"Heimdall, what can you tell me?" Gibbs asked quietly as they waited.

The gatekeeper paused, his amber eyes darkening as he turned their grim gaze on the NCIS agent. "Agent Gibbs, SHIELD has a hidden lab on Ghost Street. You may want to find it. Also, there is something in New Jersey Agent McGee needs to see." His gaze traveled to Rogers. "Camp Lehigh, Captain Rogers."

"Thanks," Gibbs said as Rogers' eyes widened, and Heimdall tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Can you see Loki?" Bishop asked quietly.

Heimdall glanced out the observatory window, his gaze growing distant for a long moment. "He and the others are on their way to find that which they seek."

"Hey," DiNozzo said suddenly. "Why couldn't you just tell them where the Dark Elves were, save them some time?"

"Because the Dark Elves are able to cloak their presence from my sight," Heimdall said gravely, turning his gaze on the agents again. "Very few are capable of doing so."

Kate glanced at him. "You can't send us back to Ghost Street, though. It will draw HYDRA right to us. We have to go somewhere else, hide out for a while. Since we followed Mars, Connor, Jacklin, and Barnes through the portal, they know we came from Ghost Street. We need to keep our distance, at least for tonight, to keep them from searching too closely."

"Any ideas?" McGee asked. "We're kinda wanted criminals now – we can't just stroll through the city."

"I have one," Rogers said, glancing at Heimdall. "I have a friend, in DC. I can trust him. Set us down a couple blocks from his house."