A fourth child!?
Loki was a smart man. With just one sentence, Russell had given him plenty of information to analyze.
For instance, both Hela and Thor had been beaten up in the arena, and they had come in order. By the time it was his turn, he was already the arena's third-generation star attraction.
But...
Where would Odin get a fourth child?
There had never been one before, and there never would be one in the future.
It was not that Loki was maliciously slandering his old father. The facts were right there: Odin's hair and beard had turned white, and he was already of an age where people started reminiscing about the past. If he were to somehow produce a fourth child, wouldn't he die on the battlefield?
So this was his way of saying he had no intention of letting him go!
Loki had a "fuck me" he wanted to say, but intimidated by Russell's strength, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
He had figured it out. Russell had trapped him in the arena, and on the surface, it looked like he had walked into the trap himself and fallen for Thor's scheme of sharing hardships together.
But in truth, even without Thor's sweet talk, Russell would have found some excuse to lock him up.
For no other reason than the throne of Asgard.
After all, he was Hela's brother-in-law, the husband of the first heir to the throne. Once the obstacles before her coronation were removed, Hela's throne would be secure.
As for why Thor had been released, Loki understood. That guy posed no real threat. Promise him a general's position where he could charge into battle, and he would be more loyal than anyone.
For a moment, Loki was overcome with sorrow. Competition for the