"Are you sure? " Loki asks.
"Yes I'm sure reindeer games" Tony responds rather exasperatedly, " the tracker said she was here."
"Why would she be on midgard?" Loki asks again.
"You said HYDRA was working with laufey. Maybe they dropped her here."
"So in one week, there was no trace of her and now suddenly you find her? That too on midgard? "
"Why do you care? She is not your friend right? "
"I did not mean that. "
"Right. You also didn't mean to flatten Manhattan. You didn't mean to kill people. Well they're dead and Manhattan is scarred. Nothing changed just cause you didn't mean it. Get over yourself."
He kept quiet. He knew Tony was right. The past week had been torture. He hadn't slept for more than a few hours, which had also been plagued with nightmares. He hadn't eaten well either. The others had boycotted him. Thor sympathized with him, but he knew it was his own Fault.
"We'll go" Natasha says, "even if it is a trap at least we'll know if she's.. "
"She will be fine! " lokis snaps, earning a glare from Natasha.
That night they all got ready. Weapons were distributed and even Loki got a gun. They set out for the site where they thought Beth would be.
The metal disc that Bruce had placed in her could be tracked and although they hadn't been able to track it for a week, it suddenly showed up on their radar. The trip was silent, no one spoke. When the plane reached above the target they all got ready to rappel down.
"Brother, if we do find lady Annabeth, you will treat her with the respect she deserves."
Loki kept quiet and nodded his head. He was hoping that he would find her. He would make it up to her and tell her of what a fool he'd been. Everything would be fine then.
They all entered the building. It was empty, there were barely lights. It looked like an abandoned warehouse. As he walked they saw a cloth over a box like structure. It was a big box. Lokis heart beat faster. He walked toward the box and pulled off the cloth. Beth was there tied up, gagged and bleeding. She looked so pale and sickly that he didn't realize what she was trying to tell them. Then her eyes went wide and she screamed, her screams muffled by the rag in her mouth. Something hit Loki on the head and everything went black. The last thing he saw was her in that cramped up box screaming.
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"Brother? Are you awake? " thors voice boomed out.
Loki opened his eyes slowly and looked around. They all were in a glass room. It had a common wall with another room. he got up and saw that Beth was in that room. She had leaned her head on the dividing glass and was asleep. He got up and ran at the glass.
"Beth? Beth? You're alive."
She woke up with a start and stared at him. She looked sad.
He stared at her. She was pale, there were scars on her face and hands. She was wearing nothing but a white sports bra and shorts. Her ribs could be seen. There were some large scars on her stomach, shoulders and legs. Yet after all that, she still looked so pretty.
"Beth? Speak to me love. I need you to talk please."
She bent her head down. And a tear fell from her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. I was scared of committing and I ruined the best thing that had happened to me. Please talk. Say some stupid, irrelevant thing that makes no sense, ramble on about anything. I will never tell you to shut up again."
When she didn't say anything he sat with his back against the wall.
"An octopus has three hearts."
He turned and stared at her.
"Two pump blood to the gills and one.. is for the rest of the body." She whispered in a cracked voice and slowly looked up, she smiled a little and leaned her head against the glass.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"You should be. Idiot. " she said while still smiling.
She looked over at the other avengers who were also smiling.
"Its nice to see you again. I missed you. "
"We searched everywhere. " Steve said.
"I wasn't on earth. I was on jotunheim."
"But we attacked jotunheim while searching for you. " Thor said, "their king was already dead."
"I know. I killed him"
"You killed laufey? " Loki asks.
"Yeah, I don't think your dad approved of me, seeing as he carved me up like a Turkey on thanksgiving." Her voice grew stronger.
Lokis eyes went to her stomach. So that's what those scars were.
"What happened to your hand? " he asked.
Her hand was bandaged till her elbow.
"Uh.. I pulled laufeys heart out and got burned. "
Everyone stared at her confused. She sat up and faced them
"The touch of a frost giant can give frost bite. Their heart is so cold that it can burn you. One day he had finished his... 'torture session' and had turned away from me. My ropes had come loose. I could remove my hand. I thought of all that he had done. I let anger control me. And when he turned, I pushed my hand through him, caught hiis cold heart and pulled it out. That's when they brought me here and used me as bait for you."
Footsteps were heard. Beth immediately sat straight.
A lady walked in. She seemed in her late forties. Her hair was pulled into a bun.
"Caretaker." Beth acknowledged.
She simply stared at her. The door opened and ten guards walked in and began dragging her out. She went without a fuss. Everyone protested against it. But she went without a word.
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The door opened and they threw Beth in. She slumps on the floor. Everyone rushed to the glass.
"Beth? "
"Lady Annabeth."
She slowly groaned and got up. Her eyes were a fierce blue and all her veins were black. She spat out blood and sat up. Her white clothes were red and a large gash was on her arm. She had a fresh bruise on her face. She looked angry. She stood up and began pacing the box.
"What is she doing? " Steve asked.
"Controlling" Bruce replied. He knew what she was doing. He had tried it before," the monster in her is hyped. She wants to hurt something. She is trying to control it by exerting herself. Don't talk to her. Just let her be." He warned as he saw Loki move close to her. Loki nodded and sat near Thor. He had found her. Was he too late?
The caretaker walked in at that time. This Time she was alone. She walks over to Beth's glass. Beth looks at her and glares.
"What? " she spits out.
"Beth, please agree. They won't hurt you anymore if you agree. Please Beth."
"My name is Annabeth stone. Only my friends call me Beth. Not someone who wants to use me like you." She said and sat down in the center of the glass cell. She was fidgety and kept scratching the floor with her nails.
"Beth.. "
"Stop calling me that!" She got up and slowly began walking over to the glass, " who do you think you are? I will get out of here caretaker. And when I do, I will make your life a personal hell. You will regret ever second of your pathetic existence and you will beg for the release of death, this, I promise you. "
"I kept you alive."she said.
"YOU DIDN'T LET ME DIE! There's a difference."
"I wanted to.. "
"WHAT? wanted to what? I know what you wanted. You wanted to make me a monster who would do as you pleased. Well look at me now."
She bent her head down.
"I SAID LOOK!" She banged the glass. Doreen slowly looked up, " you got what you wanted didn't you.I'm a monster."
Every one else looked on as she fidgeted and were surprised at her temper.
Loki was heartbroken. He blamed himself. If he hadn't caused a fight, she may have been out With him and he would've saved her.
she went and sat against the glass. The caretaker walked out and a gas was flooded into the boxes. All of them fainted.
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He groggily awoke. They were In a different room. It had walls and one glass side that was conjoined to Beth's room. There wasn't any source of light in their room. Only Beth's room had a light in the center of the ceiling. They could see her. She was stirring.
"Beth? Darling? "
"Oh my head hurts." She sat up and looked at them, " I'm sorry I lost control."
They smiled at her. A guard came by and pushed a plate toward her through a small door.
"Food for Beth. " he said simply.
"Call me that again and I'll rip your spine out, you mewling quim. " she said in a monotonous tone and threw the food in the corner. It was probably poisoned.
" we have two assumptions" Tony Said, "one, she has spent too much time with Loki. Two she is not in a room. She is in a box." As he said this she got up and began to look around.
"You see our walls? " he continued, " they're joined at the corners like a normal room. Her's aren't. Hers is a box with...... adjustable walls." As he spoke, tears welled in his eyes. She stared at him.
"Am I missing some vital piece of information that you two apparantly know? " Loki asked looking at their expression.
"Loki? Come here." She called him toward the glass. She placed her hand on it and he did the same. She smiled.
"I.. love you.You are a good person. Never let anyone tell you different. Give my love to your parents."
He didn't know why she suddenly said that, dread filled him," I love you too. I will. " She kissed the place where his hand was and smiled, tears fell across her cheeks.
She looked at the rest of the avengers, " guys, you're the only family I've known. I've never been so happy. Thank you. I love you all. Please fight them. Never give up. And tell Fury.. I forgave him and that I love him too. Loki, adopt coco please. "
"Why are you.." Natasha begins and never completes her sentence as a loud sound is heard. The wall moved by half a foot.
They looked at Beth and realised why she had just said all of that. She began to cry. They all ran toward the glass and started hitting the glass furiously. The wall moved again. She began to cry more.
"No! Beth! Try to move it. Do something." Loki cried out desperately. He keot hitting at the glass knowing it was futile. He could not lose her. Not again. Please.
She was drained she knew it. She went to the other wall and stood, ready for death. Tears falling in a continuous stream.
She looked at them, as they attempted to break the glass. Bruce had turned into the hulk and was banging the glass furiously. Tony stood there with tears falling. She looked at Loki who was across her, he was crying too.
She remembered all the times she and Loki had joked around and Her first kiss in that garden.She remembered how he looked when She wore that dress. She remembered laughing with Tony and how sweet Bruce was to always help her with his calm smile.
How Thors voice always boomed and how he was always happy to see her. She remembered her lessons with Clint and how she nearly hit Tony. She remembered how concerned Natasha and Steve were for her when she had fallen from that building.
She had had a family. It may have been for a short while, but it was hers.
The wall began to move in a continuous slow motion.it had broken the light on the ceiling and everything was dark. It finally came half a foot away from her. No one could see her. Everyone was shouting. So much noise. They kept banging away, screaming her name.
She let out a last scream as the wall closed on her and the scream stopped abruptly, as the walls joined. A sickening crush was heard.
Silence. No one breathed.
A light in their room flickered on. They could see thick blood splattered in the sides, a trickle of blood flowed through. Everyone stood shell shocked.
She was gone. Annabeth had died.
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This was a really sad chapter to write. I really loved Annabeth, she was my own first creation. But I guess all things come to an end. And yeah I cried a little. I cried a lot. No song can emphasize my emotion.
Please don't be upset and keep reading. They still have to defeat HYDRA. Yeah.. I'm gonna leave it here.
Love you Annabeth stone.