Disclaimer: I do not own Angel or BTVS or Marvel comics. Only this story is mine, not the characters.

This story follows "Metamorphosis" but could be read alone. Odin brought Cordy to Asgard at Willow's request to see if he could free her from her coma after the events of Angel season 4.

Chapter 1: Asgard's New Princess

*****Still in Asgard*****

Cordelia Chase knew she'd been having a lot of bad days. First, there was the fact that her memory of the past year was a blank. There were flashes but nothing substantial. A growing sense of wrongness filled her. Something bad had happened to her. The senses that had been first honed on a hellmouth and then in Los Angeles, the city of all kind of non-angelic beings, were blaring loudly.

The old man said again, "You are safe."

The kindness in his eyes reminded her of her late grandfather. She looked down at what she was wearing. It was a shimmering white night gown of some kind. "Well, the threads are nice," she said. "But I have no idea where Asgard is or who you are. Who is she?" She pointed to the attractive older woman next to him.

"I am Frigga. His wife, queen of Asgard," the pretty woman said with a friendly smile.

Although she still felt discombobulated, Cordy began to relax. There clearly wasn't an imminent threat. If she was queen, it made the old guy king. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cordelia Chase," she said as she swung her legs to the side of the bed. Her head felt dizzy, and she winced.

"Be careful," Frigga warned. "You've been in a coma for a few months. Don't try to get up yet. Your body needs time to adjust.

"A coma?" she asked in alarm. "What happened? Where's Angel and Wesley? Gunn?"

"Your friends are safe back on Midgard," Odin replied.

Cordelia frowned in confusion. "Midgard? Where's that?" she asked.

"Earth," Frigga answered. "Your friends know two women who are dear to us. Willow and Tara. They asked us to help you when their magic could not bring you out of your coma."

Cordelia's eyes widened in alarm. If something had been so wrong that Willow couldn't help her, it was pretty bad. Then she realized what they were saying. "Wait! I'm not on Earth?" she asked in a panic. "Since when do we know people on another planet?" Then she thought of Pylea and relaxed. "We're in another dimension?"

"Not exactly. Asgard lives in one of the nine realms that I protect. It's still the same dimension as yours but another planet," Odin explained.

"Seriously?" she said. "Cool!"

"You were possessed by a demonic force of some kind. They used your body as a vessel for an Old One of great power," Odin explained.

"Aaaghh! What is wrong with demons that they think I make a perfect demon mother?" she asked in horror. "Did Angel tell you that that is the second time I have been impregnated with demon spawn? Can you imagine the horror?"

Odin tried to keep a serene look upon his ancient face, but the young human was so different from the two young witches. He fought the desire to smile and mostly won the battle.

Frigga, though, looked properly sympathetic. "That is truly awful, my dear!" she sympathized.

"Unfortunately, the last one was particularly powerful and evil. I was able to remove enough of the taint to wake you up, but it will take some time before you can return to Midgard," Odin explained.

"Oh," Cordelia said with a frown. "Can I call and let them know I am okay?"

"No," Odin said. "However, I can contact my chosen warrior Alexander Harris. He can relay the message."

Cordelia's mouth fell open in shock. "Xander? Xander Harris is your chosen warrior? Seriously? The Zeppo?" she asked.

"It is because of Alexander that I chose to help you. It was he that contacted me, beseeching my aid," Odin explained.

Cordelia looked confused. "Seriously? How? He's not a witch. He has no powers," she said.

"He is a human who gives selflessly of himself to keep the hellmouth from consuming Earth. I found him worthy," Odin explained. "He showed me you. Our minds are connected. He showed me that you, too, were worthy of my aid."

Cordelia was struck speechless. Then she gave a faint smile. "Yeah, well, I saw his potential first!" she proclaimed. "But then he had to go cheat on me and break my heart. It's always Willow or Buffy with him. Hard for a girl to compete."

"He has chosen to share the Slayer's burden even though the calling is not his own. I believe you did the same them with your vampire friend, Angel," Odin said.

"Xander told you that?" she asked, surprised.

"He told me some, but Angel himself told me about your gift of foresight that you use to save people," Odin shared.

"Not even the All-Father can see the future," Frigga said. "It is an extraordinary gift."

Cordelia felt confused again. "Who's the All-Father?" she asked.

"Excuse us. We are amiss," Frigga said. "My husband is Odin, the King of Asgard and rule of the Nine Realms. His title is All-Father as he is the most powerful being in the Nine Realms."

"Wow! That sounds mega cool!" Cordy said, impressed.

The couple wasn't quite adept at Earth colloquialisms, but they could follow the spirit of her words.

"A light repast will be brought to you, child," Frigga said.

"That's good. I'm starving!" Cordelia said.

"In the morning, I will work with cleansing you further," Odin said.

"Can I take a shower after I eat?" Cordelia asked, feeling grimy.

"I will have a servant help you," Frigga said.

"A female, right?" she asked.

"Of course," Frigga said with a smile.

Cordy looked around at the large room that was obviously a medical room of some kind. She'd been in worse places.

*****Two Days Later*****

After two days of staying in the medic room with only a few visits from the king and queen, she was finally allowed to go to her own room. It was like a five-star hotel room. She beamed at the servant who took her to her new quarters. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" she gushed, hugging the servant. The servant, a young girl of about eighteen, had been tasked with caring for their guest. Her name was Nokemi, and she found the human strange but kind.

"Kemi, look at this place!" Cordy exclaimed. "Are all the rooms this nice?"

"This is the palace of the All-Father," the servant replied.

Cordelia laughed and jumped on the bed.

"Your clothes are here," Kemi said, gesturing to the closet.

"I have clothes?" Cordelia asked, her eyes widening. She jumped off the bed and ran to look. Beautiful gowns were hanging.

"In the drawers is under things in your size," Kemi told her.

Cordelia flashed her that wide smile of hers. "I love being a princess again!" she exclaimed. She felt like one staying here.

That evening she was able to dress up in one of the nicest gowns that was a deep purple and had jewels sewn into the borders and trim. It flowed downward even as it hugged her figure. The girls were on prime display. Although her hair had grown to her shoulders, she had Kemi pull it up into a French twist, leaving her attractive neckline on display. She looked stunning and knew it.

When she made it to the dining room, the king and queen were at each head of the table. Two men were on each side. One was a brunette and one a blonde. The blonde looked vaguely familiar. Both men stood when she entered.

"Lady Cordelia, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person," the blonde said, flashing her a warm smile.

His smile reminded her of Gru, so she returned it. "Thanks. It's good to be able to join you," she said. Thor held out the chair next to him for her to sit in.

"You look beautiful, my lady," the man said.

"Thanks. I had these beautiful gowns in my room," she said. She smiled at the queen. "Thanks, guys, for the clothes. They are so incredible!"

"They look lovely on you, dear," Lady Frigga said.

"You know that the proper address for my mother is, your majesty or Lady Frigga?" the blonde said.

"I'm an American," Cordelia said with a shrug. "And guys whose name I don't know, don't get to tell me what to do."

Loki grinned in amusement at the woman. She didn't seem overly charmed by his brother—that was a first. And Thor was right. The human looked exquisite.

"Forgive me," the man said with a bow. "I am Thor Odinson. Their son and heir. That is Loki, my brother."

A lightbulb went off in Cordelia's head. "You're the guy who led the alien invasion in New York City, endangering countless clothes stores and killing hundreds?" she asked.

"He did do that," Thor admitted in shame. "But we imprisoned him for two years. He's reforming."

Cordelia couldn't say exactly what came over her. However, to the onlookers, she took on a white, celestial glow, and a beam of light shot out of her, hitting Loki and knocking him from his chair.

Both the All-Father and his wife stood up in alarm. There had been no sign of the human having such power. Frigga ran to her son's side to check on his welfare.

Thor was torn. Was the woman an enemy or a wronged party? When the woman's face ceased glowing, he relaxed. He was used to his brother angering people on first meeting. Even his sweet Jane had decked Loki when they first met.

"Cordelia, please calm yourself," his father said.

"What happened?" she asked, blinking at the mess of the table and Loki getting slowly to his feet. He eyed her warily.

"Why did you attack my son?" Lady Frigga asked angrily.

"I did?" Cordelia asked in surprise.

"Are you a sorcerer like Willow and Tara?" Thor asked.

"No, I'm not a witch," Cordelia said. Then she blanched. "Well, I have these visions that were killing me because they were too much for a human body to handle. Angel asked for help on my behalf. They made me part demon, so I can bear the visions. They used to give me these agonizing headaches like you wouldn't imagine. Now it's nothing. Or it was. Not sure if I still have the visions."

"You do," Odin said. He moved around the table to get closer to her. Taking her hand, he peered closer into her eyes. "However, you are not part demon."

"I'm not?" she asked in surprise.

He was silent as he tried to understand the implications. Then he spoke, "A celestial has altered you. It's probably why you were chosen as a vessel for the Old One. A regular demon-human hybrid would not have been able to handle a birth. You didn't birth a child but a fully grown Old One. Only a woman touched by a higher power could have done such a thing. The aspects of demon are always grotesque, reflecting the nature of more demon origins. What we saw was white—it was pure like the sun."

"Seriously?" Cordelia asked, stunned. "I'm a celestial being?"

"Somewhat," Odin said, nodding. "Loki is immune to magical attacks. Whatever power came out of you wasn't magical in nature. It was power inside you. That power had to come from somewhere."

Cordelia grinned. "Way, cool! That means I have something no one else on Earth has! Not just these visions of death and murder but something even better!" she bragged.

"You will need to learn to control this. Your anger at Loki's actions on Earth caused your power to activate without conscious thought on your part," Odin explained.

"Huh," Cordy said with a frown. "That's kind of freaky." She looked at Loki. "I could apologize since I didn't actually mean to attack you, but since you thought it was okay to invade my planet, you'll just have to get over it."

Thor laughed—loudly. Cordy couldn't help but smile at him. She didn't notice Loki's annoyed expression.

*****A Week Later*****

After a week of living the life of a princess, Cordelia was ready to go home. Paradise was all well and good, but she was bored. Then Lady Frigga introduced her to Lady Sif, and Cordy finally made the first real girlfriend she'd ever had besides Willow. She supposed Buffy was her friend, but they were never close. She had thought Willow had been her friend then she'd kissed Xander and hurt her deeply. Fred was her friend, but she was more like a little sister. They were too different to be close. Wesley and Angel were her best friends. And Gunn. Then she realized something. Cordy didn't know how to make friends with other women. Women found her brass and off-putting, or they were jealous of her.

Lady Sif, however, was a fighter and a lady—her title declared her to be one. Thor had introduced her to him and said she and his Warriors Three were his closest companions.

"You have your own Scooby Gang," Cordelia said with a grin.

Of course, they were confused and didn't get her reference until Thor's eyes lit up. "Scooby-Doo! I have viewed that dog on the television box that Jane has!" he exclaimed. "He is quite an eater—that dog. He puts my friend Volstagg to shame."

"Thor and I are going to train. The Warriors are vising their families. Since my family is Heimdall, I am here," Lady Sif explained.

"The hottie with the weird glasses is your brother?" Cordelia asked with a grin.

"Hottie?" Lady Sif asked in confusion.

"Oh, I know that one! Darcy says I am a hottie," Thor said proudly. "It means hot stuff as in stud muffin as in attractive to the ladies."

Cordelia laughed at him. "You really are a just a pretty face, aren't you?" she asked.

"I believe my Jane finds all of me pretty," he declared proudly.

Lady Sif rolled her eyes. "He's insufferable, isn't he?" Cordy asked knowingly.

"You have no idea," she said.

"Oh, I do. I have several close guy friends. I know how it is," Cordelia said. "I'm pretty bored, so how about you let me join you?"

Thor looked surprised. "You are a warrior?" he asked, looking out her doubtfully. Although he knew that Clint's sister was a tiny warrior, Cordelia seemed too much like a real queen to fight.

"Well, I grew up on a hellmouth and literally fought for my right to graduate in high school when our town's mayor turned into a forty-foot snake at graduation. Then I went to Los Angeles and spent four years helping Angel fight forces of darkness there. I don't get as much action as everyone 'cause I'm vision gal, but I can hold my own," she shared. "Before my coma, Angel was teaching me sword play."

"Really?" Lady Sif asked eagerly. "It is rare that I get to spar with a woman. Would you like to change and join us?"

"Sure," Cordelia said, excited.

She didn't notice the eyes that were watching her. Ever since she'd knocked Loki on his ass with her power, he couldn't help but watch her. She, of course, barely acknowledged his existence. Even now when he was in the same room, his brother gave him a cursory nod and both women ignored him. Lady Sif's contempt was well-known, but the new woman had decided to hate him without knowing him. Why one bad day's work on his part would condemn him forever was beyond his understanding. Humans were an unforgiving lot. He tried to kill his own brother, and yet Thor didn't hold it against him—much.

After a week of observing her, Loki had determined that Cordelia was an extraordinary woman. Although he found her brassiness a bit unsettling, her lack of infatuation with Thor made her all the more appealing to him. He had observed them closely the past week and found nothing about Thor seemed to attract Cordelia, which was gratifying to realize.

He followed them into the sparring room. Lady Sif gave him a cold look but didn't object to his presence. Unfortunately, Cordelia was more vocal. "Look. It's my stalker," she said.

"Excuse me?" Loki asked, not appreciating her description of him.

"It seems like everywhere I go you are there," Cordelia said.

"As immortals, life can grow repetitive. You are interesting and new," Loki said easily. "I'm sure after a while, you'll prove to be as dull as most humans I have met."

"Except for Lady Willow and Lady Tara," Thor said. The he winked at his brother. "Lady Tara especially, right, brother?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cordelia asked. "You know they're both lesbians? Lovers of one another?"

Loki smiled in amusement. "Yes, I am aware," he said.

"He became quite good friends with Lady Tara. She shamed him into behaving like my brother again," Thor said, elbowing his brother.

"I've never actually had the pleasure of meeting Willow's girlfriend. I was friends with her boyfriend and first love, Oz. He's a werewolf and a really great guy," Cordelia said.

When Loki didn't seem surprised by that but Thor did, she knew that Loki was really friends with Tara. How strange!

"Are we going to spar or what?" Lady Sif asked impatiently.

"By all means, my lady," Thor said, gesturing.

Lady Sif and Thor sparred enthusiastically for a time. Cordy was impressed at the girl's moves. "I bet she could beat Buffy—she's really good," Cordelia observed.

Loki straightened as she spoke and initiated conversation with him for the first time. "I have not seen the Slayer in battle, although I have heard much about her," Loki said. "Tara said she beat a hell god with a magical hammer similar to Thor's more majestic one."

"I missed out on that one. L. A. may not have a hellmouth, but it has millions of people and an evil law firm promoting more evil, so it kept us busy," Cordelia said.

"Do you miss your friends?" Loki asked.

"I do. I've got to get back to Angel. I'm sure he's a mess without me. Odin says I should be able to go home soon," she said.

Loki nodded and then he watched as Cordelia took her turn sparring with Lady Sif. All of them were surprised when Cordelia could actually spar with a sword. Lady Sif, of course, could have disarmed her at any point and did eventually. However, Cordelia met her blow for blow for several minutes.

Thor clapped. "Well done, my lady. You are quite fierce!" he said with admiration.

"Yes, it's—ah!" She yelled as a short stab of pain hit her head and images flashed. "Oh, it's a vision. I see fire. No, wait. They're demons—some type of Fire Demons. They're appearing in a place I've never been to. I see a guy—a very pretty guy with a sword."

"What?" Thor asked in alarm at her description.

"Fire demons?" Lady Sif asked in surprise. "They are in Muspelheim. Why would she know about them?"

"No!" Cordelia said. "They are not at their home. They are here. Or rather they are near Asgard somewhere. I kept seeing this guy. He's blondish but not like Spike. He's got this sword. He's fighting them." Her eyes opened. "If you don't get to him, he's going to die."

"Why would she get a vision of a guy with a sword? All the men here have swords," Lady Sif said in bemusement.

"Yet only one is known as the finest swordsman in all of the realms," Loki pointed out.

"Fandral?" Thor asked in alarm. "Fire Demon are about to hurt Fandral?"

"He's in Vanaheim," Lady Sif said. "We must go to him now."

"Thank you, my lady," Thor said, squeezing her hand. He and Lady Sif ran off.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," she said weakly.

Loki reached for her arm. "Let's have a seat. You seem out of sorts," he said.

"Well, my visions weren't supposed to hurt me anymore. That one wasn't as bad as others I've had, but there was a stabbing pain that caught me off guard," she admitted as he sat her down in a chair.

Loki instructed the guard that never strayed far from him to bring her some refreshment. The guard stepped into the hall. A short moment later, Cordelia was given a drink that tasted fruity.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at him. Then she realized it was Loki and narrowed her eyes. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked with a careless shrug. "You are a guest in my home."

"Don't think I'm going to suddenly start trusting you, bucko! I know a conniving blackguard when I see one!" she told him with a suspicious look.

"Of course," he said, enjoying her frankness. "I expect nothing less. But maybe you should go lie down in your room? I will tell the All-Father what has occurred."

"Okay," she said. "Do you think Thor will get there to save that guy?"

"Thor and his Warriors Three have been by his side, along with Lady Sif, since they learned to battle. I cannot imagine that he would fail to save his closest friend," Loki said.

Cordelia's eyes widened. "I saw a vision of someone close to him?" She asked. Loki nodded. "Wow! That's a first. I didn't know my powers would work here. I thought they were just earthbound powers."

"It seems you are extraordinarily gifted, my lady," he said, giving her an admiring glance. Then he took leave to share his news.

It wasn't until the next morning that Thor returned during their morning repast to give them the good news.

"We made it just in time. The Fire Demons had just begun to engage Fandral and his men," Thor shared.

"He is unharmed?" Lady Frigga asked.

"Oh, a singe or two. Nothing of import," Thor said dismissively. "Lady Sif stayed to investigate how they got through Vanaheim's defenses."

"It appears we owe our guest a great thanks," Odin said, smiling at Cordelia.

Cordy liked attention and normally basked in it, but there admiring glances made her flush. Too much Asgardian approval at once. However, she could get used to it.

*****A Week Later*****

It was time for to say goodbye. Odin had declared the day before that she was fit to return home if she wanted to. Lady Frigga, of course, did not want to say goodbye to another human she'd grown to care for and tried to convince her to stay.

"Lady Sif could do with more female friends such as yourself, and Fandral was most smitten with you," Lady Frigga said.

Cordy grinned. It was true. About five days earlier, he had appeared with Lady Sif to thank her for her divine intervention. He was an incorrigible, but Cordy had liked him immensely. The way Loki looked upon him with annoyance was even more amusing to the former cheerleader. Flirting with Fandral had been fun, but it made her homesick.

"My visions are meant to help the champion of Earth—Angel. I can't just abandon him," Cordy said. "But maybe Thor can bring me back for a visit some time?"

"It would be my pleasure," Thor said.

"Do you think it's safe to let her go back there unescorted?" Loki asked.

"Thor, you will escort Cordelia to her friends," his mother told her.

"I, too, would like to go," Loki said. "We could see Tara in Sunnydale—and Willow. She told me they would be there until the term ends in May."

"Probably want to be there for apocalyptic season," Cordy said knowingly. "It's always in May for some reason."

The Asgardians were all staring at her in bemusement. Although Willow had been often casual about the horrors of her home, she didn't have the same frankness that Cordelia possessed.

"So it's apocalypse season?" Loki asked. "All the more reason that I should go make sure the women stay safe."

Cordelia laughed at him. "If Willow can restore Spike's soul with basically a wave of her hand, she can totally keep her girl safe," she said. "Face it. Men are now irrelevant except for reproduction needs. But give us time, and I'm sure we'll figure out how to reproduce without them!"

Odin found her amusing while Frigga looked more than a bit unsettled. Thor was aghast as Loki laughed at her. "I'm sure you will," Loki told her. He looked at his father. "Can I accompany Thor to Earth?"

"You know that SHIELD does not want you on Earth, Loki," Thor pointed out.

"It will be just for a day. We'll go see Tara and Cordelia can visit her hometown and friends before we take her back to the city of angels," Loki said.

"Los Angeles," Cordelia said. Then she grinned. "I would like to go see the old haunts and see Xander again. To thank him for sending Odin to help me."

Loki frowned, not liking the idea of her ex in the picture in any way. Then he brightened when Cordy continued, "I haven't gotten a chance to see him since he hooked up with that demon chick, Anya. Can you believe he's dating an ex-vengeance demon? She was the Patron Saint of Scorned Women. Xander obviously feels like he still needs to be punished for cheating on me."

"I look forward to seeing him again," Loki said with an easy smile. Although he'd briefly met the human when he'd went with the All-Father to Earth, he hadn't paid the man too much attention. Now, though, he would see just what kind of man Cordelia was attracted to.

*****Chapter End*****