We all sit in candle light as Serei tells us what she found out from Arishem. That none of us are real, we can't grow and evolve because we aren't alive. I'm honestly not surprised, after all my dealings with Arishem, I knew he was keeping something from us. I knew I was different from the other Avengers, gifts aside. The others, however seem both shocked and confused although I can't tell which is worse. "So you're saying we're basically fancy robots?" Kingo asks after the silence threatens to swallow us whole "And our past memories are stored somewhere in space?" It honestly isn't that outlandish compared to others things we know about the universe.
"And Arishem made the Deviants." Sersei explains again patiently for us. I shake my head, clasping my hands together "I'm sorry Thena." I tell my friend "You tried to warn us." She doesn't react, like the trained solider she is, betraying nothing but I know she is grateful for the apology. "The last time Arishem reset your memories, something must have gone wrong." Sprite muses gently and Kingo looks over at her "What do you mean?" He asks. "Well, that's what Mahd Wy'ry is, isn't it?" She counters "All this time, Thena was remembering all the other planets we were sent to and everyone dying during the emergence."
Gilgamesh tips a hand across his face "I thought were were heroes." He says "Turns out we're the bad guys." I place a hand on his hand and offer him a small smile. "None of us knew Gil, our memories were stolen from us." He gives me a weak smile and squeezes my hand in his. "We've helped the celestials expand life across the universe." Kingo argues from across the table "That's not what bad guys do. That's what good guys do." I shoot him a glare and retort "While killing millions of others in the process."
Sersi raises her head from looking at the table and speaks up "we have to stop the emergence." I am so shocked she agrees with me I could leap across the table and kiss her. I refrain myself however. "Sersi." Kingo says "we have no right to stop the birth of a Celestial." She leans forward ignoring him "There has to be a way Tiamut can emerge without destroying the Earth. We just have to delay it until we figure out how."
Gilgamesh, still holding my hand asks "Could Druig control its mind? Maybe put it to sleep?" It's not an outlandish theory although I doubt that he has the strength to do that, even if he is one of the most powerful in the group. "Put it to sleep?" Sprite repeats "Are you serious?" This makes Thena finally speak up as she explains "Gilgamesh asked Druig to put me to sleep once." Everyone looks at him in confusion and he laughs nervously "So I could go on vacation to Fiji, you know?" Kingo then, clearly annoyed we've gone slightly off topic, raises his voice "We're talking about a Celestial ok?"
I glare at him again and lean forward "We have to try Kin, just because you haven't got anyone you love here doesn't mean the rest of us don't ok?" Kingo then turns to his valet and in Hindi tells him to go home. While they have a moment I let my eyes settle on Ikaris who is silently pacing, he normally has something to say in these sorts of situations which is why I am confused as to why he is so silent now. It doesn't seem right. Kingo and Gilgamesh start talking about the beer when Ikaris then very dramatically says "We need to go. Now. Find the others. Once we're all together, we'll decide what to do about the emergence."
-
We arrive in the Amazon. A place that became like a home to me for so long, that owns a piece of my heart as well as my soul. We reach the village, where everyone is working peacefully together. Sprite goes up to one of the men working and asks if he has seen Druig before he suddenly gets taken over and Druig's vouch comes from the man's mouth. "Hello Sprite." he says before a set of doors a little further away spring open to reveal him.
My breath is caught in my throat at the sight of him and I have to restrain myself from launching myself at him. Druig gives us a cocky smirk "I missed all of you." He says before shooting me a wink "Please, make yourselves at home." He then motions for us to join him in the building he just left. On the way in, he stops me and tilts my chin so I look up at him "I missed you." he says quietly, I batter my eyelashes at him "I missed you too." I say before our lips connect. Just as the kiss starts to deepen someone clears their throat, we pull away and Sprite is standing in the doorway.
"Can you two make out later" She asks, looking at us in disgust. we follow her silently into the building. Druig settles facing all of us and I sit with Thena and Gilgamesh before Sersi starts explaining everything. When she is done Druig finally says "You've given me a lot of bad news in one go my lady." I try to not to smile at how casual he is about the whole situation as Sersi asks "Will you help us?" He stares at each of us for a moment, his eye lingering on me before he replies "I am glad that..." But then is cut off by Sersi's phone ringing.
Kingo leans over and tries to whisper "What's your service? I'm not getting any bars." I hear gently snoring from beside me and see that Gil is asleep. Thena and I share a look before she nudges him awake. "Do you all remember this forest?" Druig asks drawing the attention back to him "Beautiful. It's the last place we all lived together. I've protected these people for 20 generations now from the outside world and from themselves. Your kind, my friend, you will be responsible for your own extinction one day." He peers down at Karun who is extremely intimidated by him.
"I think we must learn from our mistakes sir." He replies nervously, Druig clearly annoyed by the humans presence uses his power to make Karun smash his video recorder. "Oh no you didn't." Kingo says before standing up, I silently roll my eyes as a dick measuring competition starts between them. "Okay, new rule, no more possessing people's valets." Kingo says before Druig squares up to him, a cocky smile on his lips "Oh where is your sense of humour Kingo?" He asks teasingly. Kingo just stares at him "You are not a god. You know that right?" He asks and Druig laughs "How ironic. Kingo, the movie star."
Finally I stand up and clear my throat "Stop with the dick measuring, we have other important things to talk about." Ikaris kicks off of the wall and comes over to me. "Let's just go." He says "He's wasting our time." But then Druig rounds on him now. "Ikaris." He announces "I missed you." We all know that's a lie, they have always hated each other and no amount of time apart was ever going to change that. "Are you gonna charm me or threaten me?" He asks sweetly and Ikaris turns to face him "I mean, there's a third option, if you prefer that."
This time I step in between them and glare up at Ikaris, letting power radiate from my body. Letting him know who is more powerful "Back off Ikaris." I warn as the power snakes to my eyes just as he meets them. He swallows before stepping back. "Druig this is serious." Sersi says standing up, "I'll tell you what's serious." He says walking towards her now "I've just been told I've been sent on a suicide mission for the past 7000 years, and that my entire existence is a lie. So excuse me for not giving a shit."
That feels like a punch in the gut, that despite living here with these humans for hundreds of years, he doesn't care enough to protect them anymore. Doesn't want to fight for them. He storms out and Kingo announces "Druig sucks." I growl angrily and cross my arms "Seriously Kingo?" And he gives me a sheepish look.
-
We decide to stay for the night and try to look for the others tomorrow. I sit with Thena and Gilgamesh a little away from the village, I don't want to see Druig right now. Now that he is willing to give up on humanity. "I don't like this place." Thena tells us and I lay down to look at the trees around us "Druig needs time to think." Gilgamesh says "and Sersi wants us to wait." Thena ponders for a moment before saying "I couldnt recognise myself in Sprite's illusions."
I smile and lock hands with her "Those were the good old days."I muse, moving my head from side to side "Us three, fighting side by side. Being totally badass." Thena looks down at me, her white her framing her face. "What if I can't fight anymore?" She asks, I frown and sit up "Of course you can." Both Gilgamesh and I say at the same time. She looks between us with raised eyebrows "What if I hurt you again?" Gilgamesh scoffs and nudges her shoulder gently with his own. "Come on." He says "You know who you are. You're Thena, goddess of war."
Thena chuckles lightly before saying "Thank you." Gilgamesh shrugs "For what?" He asks and Thena stares at him as she answers "For always taking care of me." He looks away awkwardly. "I'd do it again." He answers and I wish these two had more time to explore each other in more than a friendship way, I know they would never consider it now but maybe back then, before Thena lost her memories they could have been something great together.
Gilgamesh then clears his throat "So Noel, you and Druig huh? How long have you two been back together?" I groan and fall back into the grass, both of my friends look at me with a smirk. "Are we really talking about this?" I ask and they both nod. I sigh and roll my eyes "The Avengers, we were uh, we were having some issues a couple of years ago. I came here for a break." Thena snorts and Gilgamesh smiles. "So that's why you two are acting all lovey dovey again." She muses "It's new." I look up at her and roll my eyes again. "It's not new Theen, it hasn't been new for over 6000 years."
She snorts again and hits my leg with her own "You were ready to go to war with Ikaris back in that building for him." She points out "You haven't wanted to do that for a while." I play with a strand of my dark hair, avoiding eye contact. "I would go to war for any of you, Thena. You know that." Gilgamesh chuckles from the other side of her "Except Ikaris." A smile dances along my lips. "Yeah well Ikaris is a dick." I muse making us all laugh.
As we make our way back to camp, we see Ikaris flying overhead fighting a Deviant. We don't say anything to each other, we just rush forward even faster. We manage to find Ikaris just as he is about to be killed by a Deviant. Gilgamesh goes flying forward and throws the monster off of him, the beast comes flying towards me and I throw my energy out in spears towards it. Both spears stab into the Deviant making it squeal in pain. However, as me and Gilgamesh fight the Deviant, Thena lapses into one of her episodes and starts attacking Ikaris.
She moves to strike a killing blow when I throw a shield around him and Gil steps between them, blocking her blow. As Gilgamesh starts to calm Thena down, Ikaris and I circle the perimeter just in time to see more Deviants circling us. "Gilgamesh." Ikaris calls out in warning "A little help here." As he approaches the Deviants start to fly off. "They are headed for the camp." I say as we watch which direction they are moving in. Gil comes up beside me "Go. They need you." Ikaris flies away but I shake my head. "I'll stay with you." I say, he looks at me and summons his power "Ready?" he asks and I nod.
A deviant comes out of the bushes, the same one we were fighting earlier. It roars as Gilgamesh stamps his foot sending an earthquake towards the creature, it throws out its rope like arms smashing the pieces of rocks that are flying towards it and sending it back to us, only to be broken when I send a wave of energy to meet it. We continue to fight the Deviant until it notices Thena. "Shit." We both mutter before racing the Deviant to her. I throw up a shield around her as she struggles to keep control of herself "Thena" Gil shouts before turning to fight it.
However, the Deviant is too quick and pierces through his flesh. I scream at the sight, tears fill my eyes quickly. "Gil!" I shout but he shakes his head "Look after Thena." He sputters before it starts to take his power. This makes me hesitate, I've never seen a Deviant do that and I know that we theorised that the Deviant took Ajax's power after it killed her but now it's confirmed it makes me feel sick. Thena comes to, for long enough to look over at Gilgamesh in shock. I stop her from leaving the protection of the shield "Thena stay in there please." I beg.
I rush over to Gilgamesh as the Deviant starts to change. "Ajak." The creature says "Her memories. I understand now. I can see what she saw. So many planets. So much life destroyed every time a Celestial is born. Arishem used us and left us to die with each emergence. We just wanted to survive. And then he send you. I will kill you all for what you have done to my kind. You are not saviour, Eternals. You are murderers." The Deviant starts towards us and Thena flinches just as a bolt of heat comes rushing from nowhere.
Ikaris comes flying back from a distance and he is about to chase after it as it runs away before Thena shouts his name making him stop and come back. "Thena." Gil says through laboured breathes as we both sit beside him "Hey." Thena replies, trying to smile for him. "Remember." He says before he slowly collapses on the ground. Thena and I both start sobbing "No." She mutters and I stand up, my entire body shaking. Thena lays him down and I turn my anger onto Ikaris.
"You should have been here." I say stalking towards him, Ikaris' eyes snap towards me. "Noel." He says slowly but I ignore him "You should have been here fighting with us." I continue, my entire body shaking with anger, letting my power rise up inside of me. "But instead you were off saving your girlfriend and now Gilgamesh is dead." I throw my power at him and he narrowly dodges it so I take out several trees instead of him. "Noel stop." He says but I again ignore him as tears roll down my cheeks and I throw more of my power at him and Ikaris finds it harder to dodge it.
I don't even notice the others until someone wraps their arms around my middle and tries to pull me away but I just round on them. Druig stands behind me, face in shock as he can probably see the fury radiating off of me. "Where were you?" I shout at all of them "Gilgamesh is dead and none of you were here!" Druig raises his arms calmly and steps towards me. "Noel, there were Deviants everywhere, we barely made it out alive ourselves." I glare at him and let my power encompass me "But you did didn't you? What about Gil, what about Ajak?" I start sobbing again and I finally let Druig pull me into him. The others stay silent.
-
We have a small funeral for Gilgamesh by the lake and Karun starts speaking Hindi prayers. Druig has me tucked under his shoulder and I feel about ready to collapse from all of the grief I currently hold inside me. First Natasha, Steve and Tony, then Ajak and now Gil? When will it end? Or will I be cursed to watch everyone I love die while I stay here forever?
Thena stands in the water to scatter our friends ashes in the early morning after the funeral. Druig and I stand to watch her as Sersi joins us. "When I left." Druig starts "I thought about taking over the minds of every human on the planet. Violence, fear, greed all gone." Sersi looks over at him and asks "Why didn't you?" He slips his hand into mind and I keep my eyes on Thena. "Because without their flaws they wouldn't be human." He explains, I squeeze his hand and Sersi continues "Please Druig, you can't stay here anymore. These Deviants are trying to keep us from killing their own kind. They have a conscious now. That makes them more dangerous."
He just shakes his head "No Sersi." He argues "That makes them us. Eternals and Deviants. Arishem's children. But you're asking me to take control of a mind of a Celestial. I do not have that kind of power." I look between the two of them then, finally allowing myself to speak. "We'll need Phastos." I say, Druig scoffs and turns his attention back on Thena "Well, good luck." He muses "He gave up on humans a long time ago."