Chapter Summaries

Lake exposed and killed the false Namor McKenzie, rescuing Dorma with Tethys’s help. Dorma revealed that Steve Rogers was Tethys’s father, leaving Lake stunned by Steve’s many legendary connections.

• Namor McKenzie ordered the guards to kill Lake, but Lake used the Neptune Trident to prove he was the real king and struck Namor into a wall.
• Tethys freed Dorma while Lake reclaimed the trident, severed Namor’s hands, and killed him.
• Lake transformed into Kanon and introduced himself to Dorma as Tethys’s chosen partner.
• Dorma told Tethys that Namor was not her father and reminded her to seek a particular surname when she reached the land.
• Dorma revealed that Steve Rogers was Tethys’s father, and Tethys listed his many titles while Lake privately wondered how Steve had gained so many allies and relationships.

Lake, posing as Kanon, met Dorma and Tethys and accompanied them to the abyss where Sea Giant Nereus slept. Nereus awakened at the arrival of the King of Midgard, but his words about a former king left Lake wondering whether another King of Midgard existed.

• Lake told Dorma that he had come on behalf of Hungry Giant Mottos to meet Nereus, and Dorma recognized him as Kanon, King of Midgard.
• Dorma returned the Sea King's Trident to Lake, then asked him to help Tethys settle Atlantis's affairs and hand the throne over to her; Lake agreed.
• Dorma led Lake and Tethys to a chasm connected to the Dark Dimension and explained that Nereus had said the King of Midgard could awaken him.
• Dorma thrust the Sea King's Trident above the abyss, and Nereus answered from below before Lake introduced himself as Kanon, King of Midgard.
• Nereus laughed and said that the former King of Midgard had finally appeared, then emerged from the abyss as an old man.

Lake met Nereus, who promised him a future gift and revealed that their meeting marked the start of Ragnarok for the Aesir. Nereus presented the purest darkness as Tethys’s dowry, and Lake accepted the gift with a promise that his world would have a Sea God.

• Nereus greeted Lake and acknowledged him as the future King of Midgard while Tethys introduced Lake as the man she had chosen.
• Nereus told Lake that he could not yet provide the ocean born from the world's fundamental elements, but promised Lake would receive what he wanted when he returned.
• Nereus explained that he could foresee Midgard's fate but lost sight of it after telling Lake, and said their meeting had started Ragnarok for the Aesir.
• Nereus led Lake to the purest darkness and offered it as Tethys’s dowry.
• Lake declared that his world would have a Sea God.

Lake promised Nereus a share of the power in the most resplendent darkness, and Nereus drew Odin away from Thor’s coronation to give Lake time to absorb it. After Nereus warned that Ragnarok had begun, Odin hurried to consult the Fates, fearing the turning gears had been set in motion by someone else.

• Lake agreed to promise Nereus a share of the most resplendent darkness, intending to absorb it while Nereus distracted Odin.
• Nereus expanded across the barrier into Asgard’s ocean and attacked Odin’s palace during Thor’s coronation.
• Odin interrupted Thor’s coronation, ordered Thor and the others to guard the vault, and confronted Nereus behind Asgard’s defenses.
• Odin accused Nereus of helping the Frost Giants steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, while Nereus warned that the gears of Ragnarok had begun turning.
• After Nereus vanished and the floodwaters swept through Asgard, Odin hurried to the Fates to learn what had caused his sudden unease.

Lake absorbed the Dark Giant’s remaining consciousness, learning that the Aesir had sacrificed Midgard and that the Giants’ curses had set Ragnarok in motion. After Nereus helped him, Lake left the abyss determined to make the Aesir atone while keeping his identity and plans hidden until he could face Odin.

• Lake absorbed the Dark Giant’s consciousness and pure darkness, strengthening the Chaos Universe and advancing his own life level.
• Lake learned that the ten realms had originally included Midgard, which the Aesir later sacrificed, and vowed to make Odin and the Aesir atone.
• Nereus explained that Odin could not currently descend to Earth, but Heimdall might be able to observe the abyss from outside the World Tree Universe.
• Lake and Nereus left the abyss as Nereus recounted the histories of the Giant race and Midgard.
• Nereus warned Lake to stay hidden until he was confident he could oppose Odin, then prepared to return to sleep.

Lake staged Namor McKenzie’s removal and prepared Tethys to inherit Atlantis, while Nereus’s warning about Odin’s preparations for Ragnarok remained in the background. Tethys took the throne and won the people’s support as Atlantis’s new ruler.

• Nereus warned Lake about Odin’s past efforts to weaken the elemental giants, then returned to the deep sea to sleep.
• Lake purged Namor McKenzie’s loyalists and reassured Tethys that his harsh methods would make Atlantis welcome her rule.
• Lake, disguised as Namor McKenzie, ordered every household to send a daughter to the palace, prompting Dorma to stage a confrontation and summon the Water Elemental Giant.
• The Water Elemental Giant removed the unconscious Namor McKenzie from Atlantis, announcing that Nereus would take away the tyrant and continue protecting the city.
• Lake handed Tethys the trident, and she declared herself Atlantis’s new ruler; the people quickly answered with cheers of hope.

Tethys was crowned queen of Atlantis and began issuing benevolent decrees, while Thor defied Odin’s orders and led his companions to Jotunheim to confront Laufey. Odin arrived as Thor’s party faced the Frost Giants, and Laufey warned that war and death were coming regardless of where Odin fled.

• Dorma crowned Tethys queen of Atlantis, and returning residents welcomed her rule after Namor McKenzie was taken away.
• Thor lost his temper after Odin refused to attack Jotunheim, and Loki encouraged him to confront the Frost Giants.
• Thor persuaded Sif and the Asgardian Warriors Three to travel with him through the Bifrost to Jotunheim’s Frost Gate Mountains.
• Thor confronted Laufey, but the Frost Giants surrounded his party after Laufey taunted him.
• Odin arrived and ordered Thor to be quiet, then admitted his son had caused the trouble and urged Laufey to avoid a future massacre.
• Laufey told Odin that fate had set war and death in motion, and ordered him to take Thor and leave.

Odin banished Thor to Earth and fell into Odin’s Sleep, while Loki learned that he was Laufey’s son and became acting God-King. Odin told Frigga that he had entered his sleep early to expose the enemy behind Ragnarok and planned to study Earth through Thor.

• Odin returned from Jotunheim with Thor and the others, then argued with Thor over his defiance and the attack on the Frost Giants.
• Odin stripped Thor of his badges and divine power, banished him through a passage to the outer universe, and threw Mjolnir after him.
• Loki confronted Odin at the treasury after discovering his Frost Giant origins, and Odin told him his account of finding and raising him.
• Odin collapsed into Odin’s Sleep, and Loki took on the duties of acting God-King.
• Odin told Frigga that Loki’s discovery had triggered Ragnarok and that he had entered his sleep early to draw out the hidden enemy.
• Odin explained that he had sent Thor to Earth to investigate why Nereus had chosen the planet.

Odin sent Thor to Earth after stripping him of his divine authority, intending to use him to investigate Earth and lure its people into studying Mjolnir. When the hammer landed in New Mexico, Lake suspected Odin was behind it and handed the case to S.H.I.E.L.D. while asking Hermione to uncover his plan.

• Odin explained to Frigga that he had cast Thor down to Earth as a show of peace and a way to investigate the planet, while planning to restore Thor’s power when useful.
• Lake returned from Budapest to New York, and the Supervisory Bureau detected a hammer-shaped object that had landed in New Mexico.
• Lake connected the hammer’s arrival to his recent meeting with Nereus and Thor’s fall, then ordered the Supervisory Bureau to let S.H.I.E.L.D. handle the case temporarily.
• Hermione appeared in Lake’s office, and Lake told her that Thor had come to Earth and asked her to figure out Odin’s intentions.
• Hermione said a Tree of Wisdom would be as important as the Force Tree, and Lake readily agreed.

Lake recognized that Odin had sent Thor to Earth as bait, but Hungry Giant King Mottos revealed Loki was plotting with Laufey while Odin slept. Lake realized Odin’s true target was the Frost Giants, especially Laufey, and the chapter left him reassessing Odin’s scheme.

• Hermione warned Lake not to cause more trouble, then helped him consider why Odin had sent Thor to Earth.
• Lake concluded Odin wanted enemies to attack Thor while believing Odin was asleep and unable to intervene.
• The Red Queen alerted Lake to trouble on Seifer’s side, and Lake traveled to Scotland, where Mottos urged him to kill Thor.
• Lake told Mottos that attacking Thor would play into Odin’s trap, since Thor’s death could free Odin from the ancient pact.
• Mottos revealed Loki had contacted his father, Laufey, and Lake realized Odin’s real target was the Frost Giant King.

Lake realized Odin had set a trap to kill Frost Giant King Laufey, but Hungry Giant Mottos refused to believe him and Lake kept the Giant from intervening. After the Giants’ feeding, Lake returned to the Supervisory Bureau, where Maria Hill questioned whether S.H.I.E.L.D. should handle the case.

• Lake warned Hungry Giant Mottos that Odin’s trap was meant to kill Frost Giant King Laufey, but Mottos dismissed the warning and said Laufey had sealed communications.
• Lake persuaded Mottos to stay in the valley rather than go to New Mexico, then spent the day calming the Hungry Giant.
• The next day, Lake’s Midgardians collected the food cloths and magical magnifying glasses, and Seifer stored them in Hermione’s enchanted document case.
• Lake and Seifer departed in the invisible aerial fortress, and Lake switched places with his clone at the Supervisory Bureau.
• Maria Hill asked Lake whether S.H.I.E.L.D. should take the case, and Lake explained that Odin had sent Thor to Earth as a chess piece and that their clash with Odin would come later.

Lake chose not to interfere in Thor’s arrival on Earth, calculating that letting the Destroyer fall would avoid giving Odin grounds to act against Earth while weakening Asgard. Meanwhile, Loki began his plan to ensure Thor could never return.

• Lake told Hill that S.H.I.E.L.D. should avoid intervening, secretly move its agents away, and let the Destroyer’s conflict with Thor unfold.
• Lake decided not to trust Loki, believing his Asgardian identity and extreme personality made him almost certain to betray an alliance.
• Two days later, Natasha Romanov led Supervisory Bureau agents to a Fantastic Beasts disturbance, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. to take over the hammer case in New Mexico.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken over the case, while Barton reported that the hammer’s mass exceeded that of any known metal.
• Loki used Gungnir to reveal the Destroyer in Odin’s treasury and ordered it to destroy everything and make sure Thor could never return.

Loki froze Heimdall and summoned Laufey to kill Odin while Lake monitored Thor’s battle against the Destroyer from Earth. Thor defeated the Destroyer, and Lake set out to claim its remains.

• Loki dismissed Heimdall and froze him with the Casket of Ancient Winters after Heimdall attacked.
• Lake’s Supervision Bureau tracked Sif and the Warriors Three in New Mexico, then watched the Destroyer arrive and attack the town.
• Lake chose not to intervene, while Hill explained that Natasha and Jack had gone to the Devil’s Triangle with Tony Stark.
• Thor was struck down by the Destroyer, then regained his powers when Mjolnir returned and defeated it.
• Loki opened the Bifrost for Laufey and ordered him to kill Odin while he slept.
• Lake told Hill to bring back the Destroyer’s remains, but his phone rang.

Lake secured the Destroyer for the Supervisory Bureau while the Bifrost shattered, cutting Earth off from Asgard and leaving Odin’s rule vulnerable across the Nine Realms. In Asgard, Odin approved Thor’s decision to destroy the Bifrost, while Loki’s attempt to destroy Jotunheim remained a grave threat.

• Lake ordered the Supervisory Bureau to take control of the Destroyer and later assigned its research to Tony Stark and Dr. Helen Zhao.
• Lake learned that the supernatural energy burst was the Bifrost shattering and explained that the destruction severed Asgard’s connection to Earth.
• Lake reasoned that the other realms could now rebel against Odin and remembered that letting the Bifrost be destroyed was part of his reward for not interfering.
• Thor mourned the Bifrost’s destruction, and Odin appeared, claiming his early awakening had weakened him again.
• Thor told Odin that he had destroyed the Bifrost to stop Loki from using Gungnir to destroy Jotunheim, and Odin agreed that Thor had done the right thing.

After Bifrost was destroyed, Odin prepared to contain unrest across the Nine Realms and considered using Loki’s fall to investigate Earth. At Immortal Castle, Lake argued with Emilia about their daughter Katherine’s long stay in Forks Town, then panicked when Emilia mentioned a rumor that Katherine was dating someone.

• Odin refused Thor’s request to search for Loki and ordered him to help keep peace across the Nine Realms.
• Odin watched Loki fall onto a desolate planet in the Death Titan Star System and considered using someone there to uncover Earth’s secrets.
• Lake learned Emilia had sent for Katherine and planned to confine her for a hundred years because she had stayed in Forks Town for nearly six years.
• Lake defended Katherine’s refusal to graduate and bargained with Emilia to limit any confinement to a month.
• Emilia revealed a rumor that Katherine was dating someone, and Lake reacted with alarm and asked who the man was.

Lake and Emilia investigated rumors that their daughter Katherine was dating someone in Forks, while Katherine resisted being brought home and Lake promised she could stay until next year. The chapter left Lake reacting to Mephisto's fury in Hell over a missing person and his traitorous son.

• Lake told Emilia that his guards and the Red Queen had found no evidence that anyone was pursuing Katherine, and he dismissed her intuition that Katherine was dating.
• A maid reported that Katherine had injured the two guards sent to bring her home, and Lake learned she had forced their plane to return to Forks.
• Katherine called Lake in tears, complained that Emilia had tried to bring her back, and secured Lake's promise that she could stay until next year.
• Lake asked Emilia to accompany him to Forks, then projected his consciousness into Hell and found Mephisto raging over a missing person and his traitorous son.
• Mephisto attacked Lake with Hellfire and challenged him to come to Hell, but Lake vanished before the flames reached him.

Lake fought Mephisto in Hell after Witchcraft Demon’s departure weakened Mephisto’s hold over the dimension, but admitted he could not kill him while Hell still supported him. When Lake began to leave, Mephisto’s sword strike tore open a rift into Dormammu’s Dark Dimension, and Mephisto charged through it to confront Dormammu.

• Lake arrived in Hell and battered Mephisto, whose control over the dimension had weakened after Witchcraft Demon abandoned his inherited Hell origin and fled to Earth.
• Lake and Mephisto fought across Hell while its demon lords watched for a chance to exploit their injuries.
• Lake explained that Hell would not let him kill Mephisto while Mephisto held the largest share of its origin, then offered him a deal to surrender control of Hell.
• Mephisto refused Lake’s offer, drew a massive Hellfire sword, and threatened him as Lake began to leave.
• Mephisto’s sword tore open a rift into Dormammu’s Dark Dimension, and Mephisto charged through it, demanding that Dormammu face him.

Lake recalled the Ghost Rider plot and realized the escaped Witchcraft Demon could lead him to the elemental demons he needed for his Chaos Universe. He sent Katherine to Africa to confront the King of Kings alongside Paris, leaving Paris preparing to launch a campaign.

• Lake remembered that Witchcraft Demon had escaped Hell and planned to find the elemental demons, though he wondered where the fire demon was.
• Lake summoned Katherine and assigned her a mission to establish the Immortal Royal Family’s authority in Africa; she agreed to return with friends from the Cullen family.
• Lake and Emilia arranged for Paris to join the campaign against the King of Kings, with the Immortal Royal Family taking on his black mages and shamans.
• The Immortal Consortium contacted Paris about the threats to its African interests, and Paris’s foreign minister welcomed the chance to act with the royal family’s support.
• The Paris councilor called four other councilors together, vowed to take down the King of Kings, and burned his foot on hot tea as they watched.

Lake learned that a mage from Forks Town might be pursuing Katherine and planned to deal with him after finishing his work in Texas. He sent Tiffany to find Johnny Blaze, but learned she had tickets to watch Blaze perform in Bandera and wanted Lake to wait until afterward.

• Lake detected a mage's aura around Katherine and told Emilia to keep the suspected thief away from Immortal Castle.
• Lake planned to travel to Forks after handling matters in Texas and assess whether Katherine's suitor could become a live-in son-in-law.
• Lake returned to New York and asked Tiffany to locate Johnny Blaze so he could track Ghost Rider and the Four Spirits of Creation.
• Tiffany told Lake that Johnny Blaze would perform motorcycle stunts in Bandera next weekend and asked him to delay capturing Blaze until after she saw the show.

Lake traveled to Texas with Tiffany to watch motorcycle stunt rider Explosive Johnny and visit Hannibal Lecter, whom Lake knew from his time at Yale. The chapter ended as Lake entered Hannibal’s house and saw someone coming downstairs.

• Lake and Tiffany arrived near Bandera for Explosive Johnny’s warm-up stunt and the next day’s helicopter-jumping performance.
• Lake told Tiffany he planned to visit Hannibal, and she learned that Lake had met Hannibal at Yale while working as his paid assistant.
• Lake revealed he knew Hannibal’s identity as Casillas, the guardian of the New York Sanctum.
• Lake drove Tiffany to Hannibal’s house, entered alone, and searched the liquor cabinet as someone came down the stairs.