NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A GOD

Anxiety was building in Octavian's gut. He was watching helplessly, along with Eitri and Groot as Rocket climbed into the pod, with Thor clinging to the hull of it. He couldn't bare to think what would happen if the god of thunder died in the endeavour - as far as Octavian knew, he could be the key for stopping Thanos. If he died, then everything Libertas had worked so hard for would Collapse. The mere thought made his stomach churn. 

"Wait!" Octavian said, waving at the pair. The two stopped what they were doing, turning their attention onto him. "This is really dangerous. Is it necessary?" 

"It's very necessary. With a threat as destructive as Thanos, we must ensure we have the ability to vanquish him. This is the only way." Thor went about tying a knot of rope to the pod, his hands working quickly as he carried on. "Besides, it's rather fun, isn't it?"

"Hell yeah it is." Rocket lent out of the pod door, addressing Octavian directly. "Look I get your scared or whatever, but it'll be worth it."

Octavian simply nodded, his silence interpreted as approval as the pair continued with their work. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking as Rocket shut the pod door, and Thor clung to the outside of the pod with little protecting him from the dangers of this foreign planet. The pods engine began humming, and Octavian swallowed his protests as the pod went into the air, Thor still attached to it. 

They were adamant on going through with it. Octavian just prayed that everything turned out the way it should. 

Octavian couldn't hear any of what was going on, watching tensely as Thor jumped from the hull of the pod to the ring surface. The cable was in his hand, and swiftly he began to swing the cable around, sending the pod flying in circles. If it had been any other kind of situation, Octavian would have been snorting at the thought of Rocket stuck in that pod, screaming as he was being dragged around at a dizzying speed. 

Eventually, Thor relaxed his grip on the cable, allowing the pod to fly straight away from Nidavellir. Thor was dragged behind it, shards of metal flying into space as Thor's feet dug in, desperately trying not to be torn away. 

Octavian held his breath. 

The fire from the pods engine grew, and from the way Thor was gripping even tighter onto the rope, Octavian knew that the pod was moving faster. A loud creak filled the air at the action, and Octavian's brows furrowed at the sound. Another creak snapped the silence, and it was only as the rings slowly began to move that Octavian realised the source of the sound - it was from the rings. 

It was working. 

Octavian held in his cheers, but he couldn't hold back the smile growing on his face. Maybe everything would be alright after all. 

"Well done, boy." Eitri complimented, gaping in amazement as the feat Thor just created. Octavian held the same awe. Here was the proof that Thor Odinson was a god - he brought life back to a corpse of a planet. 

The rings finally moved into place, perfectly aligning with the star. The moment they were in place, the star burst with light. Octavian stumbled back, arm raised to cover his eyes. Rapidly, he blinked, his eyesight returning just in time to see a single pure pulse of light beam from the star straight through the rings. The light shone directly into the forge, and just as when Octavian believed that things were going to be okay after all, it all fell apart. 

A bang echoed through the room. The light was cut off, and suddenly everything seemed more dreary than it had before. Octavian stared up at the forge, mouth open as his brain was running at a million miles an hour. Why would that happen? 

"Damn it." The dwarf cursed. "The mechanism is crippled." 

Octavian turned to the man, confusion clearly written all over his face. "What does that mean?" 

"With this iris closed I can't heat the metal." 

In that moment, Octavian felt his whole world crumble. They couldn't do it. They couldn't create the weapon they needed to kill Thanos and now he would destroy this reality just like he'd slaughtered his own. His whole purpose was weakening with every breath - what was the point of him being there if he couldn't kill Thanos? Octavian thought back to all of the sleepless nights, the hunts, the days spent pushing luxury and opportunity away all for the same reason he stood on an alien planet, and it was all about to be for nothing. 

"A few minutes, maybe more. Why?" 

Octavian looked up at Eitri. Only being able to hear one side of a conversation wasn't easy, and his curiosity was piqued. At his next sentence, it was replaced with worry. "That's suicide." 

"Excuse me?" Octavian butted in, voice raising. "What's suicide?" 

"Thor is going to hold it open." 

Octavian's jaw dropped. "He's going to what now?" 

Eitri ignored him, continuing to speak down the comms to Thor. "You understand, boy? You're about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you." 

"No." Octavian muttered, spinning to Eitri. He stormed up to the man, poking him harshly. "You are going to tell Thor to get his ass down here right now otherwise I am going out there myself to whoop him a new one." 

He couldn't believe it. Thor was going to sacrifice himself for a weapon to kill Thanos. Octavian didn't want this. This wasn't right. If Thor died, there was a chance that in this reality, he was meant to be the one to land the winning blow against Thanos, and if he wasn't there... This would be a reality where they didn't win. 

Octavian really wanted to win. 

Eitri ignored Octavian once again, brushing him away from him as if he was a mere speck of dirt. Octavian's jaw was set, one phrase constantly looping in his mind - please don't die. 

Thor made his way to the mechanism, standing in it and grasping the two levers. He pulled them down towards himself. Slowly, the iris was beginning to open, with rays of light breaking through the gap. Eitri rushed to the forge as Octavian found himself unable to stop watching. 

He couldn't stop watching as the gods skin was cooking. He couldn't tear his eyes away as he saw Thor's mouth open in a scream, and he was grateful that he couldn't hear it. He knew it would be one to haunt his nightmares. 

Octavian wasn't paying any attention to what Eitri was doing, or how much progress he was making. He just cared about Thor, and how he was dying in front of him. 

Like all heroes, they have to fall. 

Thor's body slumped from the mechanism. His crisp body collapsed into the forge, thudding heavily onto the metal. Octavian rushed forward from where he stood, his fingers pressed to Thor's neck. Rocket joined him, eyes scanning Thor's body for any sign of life. 

Octavian felt nothing. 

He looked up, finding Rocket's hopeful gaze on him. "I think he's dead." 

Rocket shook his head. "No, Thor! Say something. Come on. Thor, you okay?" 

One look at Thor's deeply burnt skin was enough to tell Octavian that he was no where near okay. The fingers still pressed to Thor's neck gave the evidence for that. 

A clatter of noises behind them made Octavian's jaw tense. The axe. The reason that he couldn't feel a heartbeat was pushed to the floor by Eitri, the axe breaking free from the frame, still searing hot. Eitri punched at it with his metal fists, freeing the axe. 

"He needs the axe!" Eitri exclaimed. 

A vein pulsed in Octavian's, his words spitting like venom past his lips. "He doesn't need a fucking axe, Eitri! That thing is the reason he's like this in the first place!" 

"Shut it, human!" Eitri snapped. Octavian's fist clenched, and he pushed himself to his feet. The only thing stopping him was Rocket warning him to stay put. Blind to the fury he'd created, Eitri continued his mission. "Where's the handle? Tree, help me find the handle!"

Octavian's gaze dropped to the floor. His heart sunk at the sight - the weapon, the thing destined to protect them all, lay shattered in two pieces. The very thing that Thor died for, broken. All he could think of at the sight was his sister - he dragged her into this mission and now he would be the reason she was stuck in another failed reality. 

All hope was not yet lost.

In the corner of his eye, Octavian spotted Groot look up from his game. He reigned in his surprise, watching admirably as the talking tree extended his fingers towards the weapon rapidly. As his branches encircled the two parts together, he cried out in agony. Yet through his pain, he let his branches lock the two parts together to become one. Raising it above his head, he gave an almighty cry, chopping his extended arm off with his other hand. 

Before he could comprehend what was happening, the weapon levitated in a crackle of lightning, shooting towards Thor's twitching fingers. Octavian's eyes followed it's path, a grin growing on his face as he saw it's destination - he guessed you should never underestimate a god. 

-

hey guys! i figured since i've nearly finished writing this book i might as well start publishing this twice a week so ta da!

guys i'm so excited for christmas!! i have to revise over the break (lets be honest i will get very minimal done) and work but i can hopefully write too! i might even write a christmas one shot for this and other books! you guys excited for christmas?

thank you for reading, see you guys soon!

-thirdwheelchurchill