Infatuated with a God

Chapter Six

A week had past since it was revealed that the man in my dreams was Thor's brother, Loki. Thor had apologised for his actions, explaining his surprise at seeing the brother he grieved in my artwork. That night we had tried to think of explanations for the weird dreams. Steve and Natasha seemed to settle on the fact that I must have seen him in articles about the attack on New York in 2012. It seemed plausible enough, although we all had doubts. I tried to accept it, but even in the articles I could find that had images, they weren't good enough quality. The dreams were too vivid, his features too clear for this explanation. We all worried that he was involved with Hydra in some way, but Thor explained that this could not have been the case either. He had not been to Earth long enough to form such connections before 2012, and afterwards he was in a guarded prison on Asgard before his passing. So, we all settled on the articles from my research being the cause of my dreams. He appeared in my dreams only one more that week. This time I went to call out his name, but no voice left my throat. Knowing I should, I managed to compel myself to follow him, but lost his in front of a residential care home. Instead of feeling comforted by this dream in the way I previously had, I found myself frustrated. I tried to sketch the road I found him on, but it just looked like every busy street in every city. Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried to remember the building I had followed him to. Shady Acres the thought occurred to me. Quickly opening my laptop, I typed the words into the search engine, expecting (or rather hoping) to find nothing.

My breath stopped as it displayed a care home in New York. I glanced at the clock, cursing as it showed me it was 6am. Regardless, I know that Thor would want to know. He had pestered me every day this week about any possible dreams. I understood his need to hear more, I think a part of him believed this was a sign that his brother was alive and on Earth. I shuddered at the thought of the egomaniacal God hiding out on the planet he sought to destroy. I knocked lightly at Thor's door, surprised when it opened. He was wearing red cotton trousers and nothing else, causing my breath to leave me quickly. His muscular body towered over mine, and I quickly forced my eyes up to meet his before I was caught gazing. He rubbed his bloodshot blue eyes that looked almost bruised with how little sleep he seemed to be getting.

"Lady Kaya! Have you come with news of a dream?" I smiled as I heard the hope in his tired voice and nodded. He gestured me into his room, and I gasped at the size. It was completely luxurious and light a complete opposite to my décor. His room too included hints of gold, but also of red, both of them contrasting the white of his room. The door that would lead to my bathroom was ajar, displaying his bedroom. I swallowed, noting to thank Stark for giving me a more modest room. I would feel so lost in something of this size.

Thor gestured for me to sit on one of his sofas and sat down next to me. Using FRIDAY, I pulled up the address as I spoke.

"When I saw him, I realised I was in a dream straight away. I was unable to speak to him, but I did manage to follow him further this time. I lost him outside a care home. Then when I looked it up, it actually exists." Thor studied the screen in front of him.

"And you have never been to this Shady Acres before." Reluctantly I shook my head.

"The only two places I've been in New York is the compound and the tower. But Thor this doesn't mean–"

"It is okay, Lady Kaya. I understand that his does not prove the theory he is alive. Still, I believe I would like to visit this Shady Acres." I nodded in agreement, and we made plans to visit the city after breakfast. Returning to my room, I send a message to Natasha and Steve to inform them of our plans before getting ready for the day and reading a book. I was surprised that they allowed me to do this so quickly but understood that they also wanted to fully understand what my dreams meant. Breakfast was unusually quiet, everyone was seemingly on edge for different reasons. I tried to start polite conversation, but no one seemed to bite. It didn't help that Wanda was absent.

The plane ride to New York was over quickly, to your relief. Thor was so absorbed in his thoughts about his brother that he made for poor company. Not that you could blame him. He clearly wanted his brother to be alive, he seemed to be holding out on one last miracle. It was surprising to see this side to Thor, who was usually so warm and happy to everyone he met. It didn't seem like much could plague his mind. I moved over to sit beside him, knowing that he would need comfort if this hope was crushed. I looked up and saw the lock of raven hair braided into the right side of head. Without thinking, I reached out to touch it softly. It felt so smooth in my hand, curled so flawlessly around his own hair that it felt like a natural part of his own. He peered down at me, a gentle calmness settling over his face.

"This is his hair, right?" A small smile spread across his lips as he nodded.

"It is a way of honouring the dead in Asgard. My father wears a strand of my mother's on his left side as if falls on the side of his heart. I felt it only right that my brother should be commemorated. He died a warrior's death." I removed my hand from his hair and settled it on top of his, trying to provide him what little comfort I could. "I am sorry for threatening you, Lady Kaya."

"It's okay Thor, I understand that you did not mean to."

The rest of the journey continued in silence, but it was no longer completely uncomfortable. I kept my hand in his, occasionally stroking the top of his hand with my thumb mindlessly. When we landed at the old Tower I was surprised to see Stark waiting for us there, the rest of the building mostly vacated besides a few boxes that was still left. It was weird to see this place empty but didn't overly bother you as you spent more time in the compound now. Stark looked more worried than the others. I remembered overhearing talk of his PTSD from the invasion and my heart went out to him. He handed us an earpiece each, making sure that if anything stood out to contact him and he would be there. And so, I stood on a cold spring morning in the middle of New York City, wondering aimlessly towards the general direction of the care home. Thor and I had split up, he was looking in the general vicinity as I made my way directly to Shady Acres. This hadn't been the plan, but Thor was drawing in a crowd of devoted fans who wanted photos and autographs, meanwhile the busy streets seemed to suffocate me. I was a block away from the building when I began to feel a sense of Déjà vu. Looking around the street, I realised that it was the same one from my dream, minus the handsome god. However, instead of the comfort I had felt in my dreams all my hair seemed to stand on edge. Something wasn't right here, but no one else seemed to feel it. The closer I walked to the building, the stronger this feeling got.

There was an energy here unlike any I'd ever felt. I was used to the way my magic felt, and Wanda's was similar to mine but still felt different to me. This was almost completely different, it seemed to call to my energy and wrap itself around me. It pulled me closer to the home which stood alone on the corner of the street.

"Thor... I found the building. But something doesn't feel right... I don't know what. It's like I can feel my magic reacting."

"I'm on my way." His voice sounded worried in my ear. Unable to help myself I entered the building and followed the source of the energy. There was limited staff here and so no one seemed to question my presence, likely assuming I was here to visit a relative. I eventually came to a room where the power was the strongest and took a deep breath before walking inside. The room was fairly bland, a mixture of browns and beiges. The room was undecorated with a simple single bed, chest of draws and an armchair. I didn't expect to just find an elderly man staring out the window. He seemed completely unaware of his surroundings and of the green glow that seemed to swirl around him. Unable to prevent it, my magic began to glow in a golden mist around my hands. I reached out to touch the green, but it seemed to fight against him. With a groan I pushed back, letting my natural instinct take over. This energy seemed hostile, but it felt warm like it was trying to consume me. Emptying my mind, I pushed as hard as I could against it and with a snap it was gone. The old man moved in the chair, holding his hand up to his temple. At the same time Thor barged into the room behind me but dropped his hammer to the ground as the man turned to face him.

"F-father?"