"How are you holding up? I'm sure this is all pretty..." Maria Hill asked as she sat a plate in front of me. It had a sandwich and a cup of fruit on it.
"Intense?" I offered with a smile as I picked up half of the grilled cheese sandwich. She nodded her head and sat down next to me.
"Um, it's been strange to say the least. Being here, seeing him again. He's nothing like I remembered and I feel like I'm the only one who cares about that." I explained softly while staring at the sandwich in my hand. I wasn't hungry but I knew I should eat something. All I've eaten since I've been here is Nutella, and fruit snacks pair with a dozen cups of tea.
"You think someone's controlling him?" She asked skeptically and I couldn't help but to nod my head.
"It sounds crazy when you say it out loud. I probably sound crazier trying to explain it but...I trusted the man I knew, the man who raised me. The person in your cell? He's not him. It's like he's brainwashed, I mean when I spoke to him, he was so sure I was an imposter. It's as if the person, the thing behind all of this told him I was dead or something. I just don't get it." I sighed in defeat. She let out a hum as she took in my words before she also sighed.
"I'll look into it. You try to eat some of that, okay?" She asked and I nodded my head. She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she left.
"Thank you." I called after her but she either didn't hear me or just didn't respond.
🐍⚜️🐍
45 minutes later
The team was still arguing in the lab and because I didn't want to sit and listen, I decided to take a walk. Explore the Helicarrier.
I'd been walking around the lower level when an explosion went off. I felt my body being flung into the wall and groaned on impact.
"Ow." I winced slowly pulling myself up as the alarms began to blare. I needed to find Thor, or anyone from the team and I needed to do it fast.
"All hands to stations! All hands to stations!" A voice called over the PA as I staggered down the hall. I was using the wall for support as I walked, given the pain in my side I wouldn't be surprised if my rib was broken or something.
I could hear everyone frantically running above me which let me know that this wasn't normal. We were being attacked.
"Come on Emerald. You can do this." I whispered to myself as my pain was slowly starting to fade. I quickly began to run towards the direction of the main control room.
However just as I turned the corner I collided with someone and we both fell.
"Oh goodness, I am so sor-Loki? What are you doing out of your cell?" I asked shocked and panicked. He stared at me for a moment studying my face before his expression hardened.
"You can drop the act dear. I demand you take off this mask of my daughter at once! My daughter would never even think of involving herself in something as dangerous as this." The god scoffed causing me to sigh sadly while looking at the angry look on my father's face. Just when I thought maybe he'd come to his senses. I slid down the wall next to me, staring up at my father. Alarms blaring loudly around us and even though he was mad somehow I felt safe to sit here with him.
"Do you know what Odin did the day after you died?" I asked the god before me crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. He copied my actions and slid down the wall across from me before waving his hands. A mist covered our bodies and I knew he'd made us invisible. We could no longer be seen or heard by anyone but the two of us.
"Oh Please, by all means tell me some rehearsed stories made by-"
"He took me to Asgard, he tortured me for three days. He believed that if you weren't dead you would have told me, or at the very least would come to save me. But in the end you never came and I accepted that my father was good and truly dead. He was gone. You were gone. I lost consciousness, thinking to myself at least I'd see you again. But then I woke up. And do you know what happened after that?" I asked softly no real emotion in my voice at all.
"Do tell..." He spoke hesitantly as if he was starting to believe me. Like really believe me.
"I woke up at my grandmother's house, in my bed. And I was blue. I find out I'm a frost giant and the one person I could talk to about it is dead. My father was dead. I got my Hogwarts letter and my father was dead. I turned 11 and you missed my birthday because you died. I made friends knowing they'd never get to meet my father. I started school knowing I'd never get to tell you about it. I turned 12 and you missed another birthday. I'm at the top of my class and somehow it never seemed like enough because I could never tell you about it. The one person I wanted to see, to talk to was dead. The one person I needed was gone. I don't have a mother, Loki and when you left....you took my father. So do forgive me if I tend to sound selfish or like I was raised on privilege but I WAS! You raised me to be the princess of Asgard! With a gold spoon in my mouth and now here you stand and you want to say I sound stuck up? Do forgive me for saying that I place blame on you. As you were the one who was solely responsible for my upbringing." I sneered before rushing to my feet. My sadness and confusion had been suddenly replaced with anger and I wanted to get as far away from him as I could.
I glared down at him one last time before turning and running away.
🐍⚜️🐍
"Where the hell have you been?!" Fury asked as I entered the control room in the middle of the ship.
"I got hurt while exploring. Couldn't exactly call for help." I muttered gesturing to the fact that I didn't have an earpiece in. Agent Hill immediately turned around handing me one and I put it in.
"Somebody's gotta get outside and patch that engine." Hill said and I heard her voice echoing in my ear as Nick gestured for me to follow him.
"Stark you copy that?" Fury asked over the commotion around us.
"I'm on it." I heard Tony's voice reply in my ear.
"Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section, then get to the armory." Fury instructed as the two of us rushed around, him leading as I blindly followed not knowing what else to do. Then it finally hit me, how the hell did my father get out of his cell?!
"Romanoff?" Fury called before pausing as he waited for her to check in.
"We're okay." She replied, her voice sounding strained. Wherever she is, she's probably hurt.
"Aphrodite, I need you to listen to me okay? This is about to get very ugly and I need you safe or your grandma will have my head-"
"Are you afraid of my nana?" The words falling from my lips before I could stop them. I quickly clapped my hand over my mouth with wide eyes. He gave me a look before he continued speaking.
"As I was saying, I need to you be as far from the danger as possible so...go down to the detention section. Your father is going to keep this off of him so no one will be down there." He explained and I quickly nodded my head.
"Okay, okay I'll go." I agree before turning and rushing away.
🐍⚜️🐍
"We've got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. Call-outs at every junction." One of the agents said over the PA. I could hear panicked footsteps from the floors above and below me as everyone prepared for our possible evacuation. I'm just trusting that Thor didn't drag me up here to get me killed at this point.
I was running down several flights of stairs occasionally looking over my shoulder, when I heard a loud roar close by.
"Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit!" I hissed as I turned around not wanting to come face to face with the hulk. I'd read enough articles about the damage he could cause to know that I couldn't possibly fight him off without help.
So I started running back up the stairs but I stopped when I was met by a man I hadn't met before. He was dressed in all black and he was holding a bow. His eyes were an unnatural blue.
"Hello there." He spoke before reaching out to grab my arm, however he was unsuccessful as I sidestepped. I quickly grabbed his wrist yanking him down the stairs before trying to run again.
He quickly regained his balance and tried to grab my leg but I kicked him away.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed when he tried to grab at me again but I rolled out of the way.
"Your father wants you protected!" He insisted.
"We have the Hulk and Thor on Research Level 4. Levels 2 and 3 are dark." The same agent called over the PA as I continued fighting the man in front of me. He was clearly brainwashed like my father was but I had no interest in going wherever it was he was planning to take me.
"Go away!" I yelled grabbing his head and slamming it against the wall like Thor had taught me when I was younger. The man quickly dropped to the ground and I ran off after making myself invisible.
"Escort 6-0, proceed to Wishbone and engage hostile. Don't get too close." Hill's voice said in my ear piece. I ignored the command as I knew it wasn't for me.
I needed to find a new way into the detention section.
🐍⚜️🐍
I was walking down the hall when I heard Thor yell.
"No!" I peaked my head around the doorway just in time to see Thor falling through an illusion of my father.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" My father asked smugly after revealing himself once the door closed and I sighed. I was sad to see that he hadn't changed, clearly I hadn't been able to get through to him the way I'd thought.
I slowly walked further into the room completely undetected. The perks of inheriting my father's powers I could also use them against him.
I watched as Thor attempted to break the glass but let out an involuntary gasp when the entire cell shook around him.
My father laughed before walking over to the controls as he began to speak.
"The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" He asked and his guard let out a grunt before dropping to the ground.
"Move away, please." Agent Coulson said firmly while pointing a large gun at my father who slowly complied with him command.
"You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer." Coulson explained. Why does everyone keep saying that? My father fought the destroyer, I saw it. Why would he send it just to fight it?
"Even I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?" Coulson asked powering the gun up but he was never able to fire it as my father, the man of many illusions revealed himself yet again.
"No!" Thor yelled as my father stabbed Phil in the back and I gasped watching as the man dropped to the ground.
He then casually walked over to the cells controls and opened the hatch before pushing the button. Dropping the cell pod from the helicarrier all together. It was then that I finally made myself visible.
"Loki." I whispered not having the strength to make my voice any louder and his entire body froze as he turned to me.
"How long have you be-"
"Would it matter? Would it have stopped you if you knew I was here to see it? To see what a terrible person my father truly was? You really are just as bad as they say, aren't you? You abandoned me and I was still rooting for you but here you are!-"
"You don't mean that, Gem-"
"You killed Thor!" I screamed with tears streaming down my face as I pointed to where the cell had just been moments ago. He stepped towards me with his hand out and I immediately stepped back.
"No, Loki. I'm done." I sighed turning to leave the room.
"Aphr-" He was cut off by a blast that had me spinning on my feet.
"So that's what it does." Phil smirked and I gasped running to his side.
"Shit, Phil I- Fury...I'm gonna need a medic in the detention center. Coulson is down." I said pressing the button on my ear piece.
"Hey kid, get out here okay? You don't...you don't need to see this. Okay?" Coulson whispered but I shook my head.
"No, I'm not gonna leave you to be by yourself. At least let me stay until Fury gets here." I insisted and he weakly nodded his head in agreement. So I sat with him and held his hand while we waited for the medics and fury which didn't take more than a minute.
Once they arrived I was escorted out.