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imagine-loki · 2 years ago

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Loki's Daughter

TITLE: Loki's Daughter CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 15: Lies & Corruption AUTHOR: travelling-classicist ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Avengers: Endgame AU Loki that gets away with tesseract has been using it to explore the universe. During his adventures, he comes across a little girl with developing but oppressed magical abilities. Intrigued (and subconsciously lonely) Loki keeps her around. RATING: T for graphic violence/PTSD

AO3 Link: Here NOTES/WARNINGS: TW: PTSD

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Chapter 15: Lies and Corruption

Kuna hesitated, her hand hovering just above Loki’s arm. He was fast asleep. In his hand, he held the scanner they had stolen. She did not like the sight of it. It made her feel queasy. She brushed the feeling away and lightly shook his arm.

“Loki?”

His eyes snapped open, and he grabbed her wrist in alarm. Kuna pulled back hard; her breath caught in her throat.

“Oh,” Loki sighed, letting go of her wrist. “I’m sorry, darling. A bit jumpy, I suppose.” He yawned. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.” He was exhausted.

“I found us a place to sleep that’s better,” she said quietly, staring down at the ground.

“You did? You mean you went out there by yourself?” Loki looked around. The wild forests of Torileena were not at all safe. But Kuna knew them much better than he did.

“I-I didn’t go far,” Kuna said, afraid Loki would be upset. “I made sure nothing came to eat you.”

“Oh well I’m glad for that,” Loki said, smiling weakly. “Well, let’s see what you found.”

He stood shakily. He was surprised at how very weak he still felt. Their fight on Ynatu had been more than draining for him.

The scanner they had nicked lay on the ground by the roots of the giant tree they had been sleeping under. Loki stooped, picking up the scanner and tucking it away in their satchel. Kuna eyed him nervously. He looked tired, almost sick. He had a big cut above his eyebrow, and she knew he was battered from the battle.

Kuna took his hand and led him through the thick underbrush of the forest. They climbed up and over roots and wound their way through a maze of strange plants. Loki supposed he had not had much time to study the flora of Torileena the last time he was here. At least the underbrush wasn’t his focus when he had first seen the towering trees that populated the forest. Even the forest floor was strewn with tall plants and trees that seemed to thrive in the ever-constant shade of the canopy.

They approached a large root that Kuna climbed up on. She froze, her head swiveling. Loki watched a moment and then glanced around. Had she seen something? He did not want another encounter with Torileena’s ferocious fauna. Kuna’s stillness was becoming unnerving. Loki was nearly about to speak when she turned and looked down at him.

She offered him her hand to help him climb up the root.

“Did you see something?” he asked, taking her hand.

She shook her head. “I thought I heard something, but I think it was just a keelaroo.”

Loki sighed. “Please, tell me that’s not something that wants to eat us.”

Kuna giggled. “No, it’s like a, um… it’s like a little rat with bouncy legs and little, tiny horns.”

Loki looked around. Kuna continued. “They’re small and they hop around on the forest floor looking for bugs.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“They make a lot of noise, though, for such a tiny creature. Their footsteps are loud. Sometimes they can sound like a kapka with their loud feet.”

Loki heard a sudden rustling from somewhere close by. Kuna looked with him. “There’s one!” she cried.

Loki followed it with his eyes. Kuna was right. The creature was small, no bigger than a squirrel with some similarities. It had a long skinny tail covered in fur and a rat like body. Its legs were long and rigid, allowing it to hop along the ground with some speed. On its head were two tiny twigs of horns. It sat up at Kuna’s exclamation and screamed at them. The call was high pitched. Loki noticed huge, sabre-fangs in its mouth. He jerked at the noise and grimaced. The keelaroo took off into the forest.

Kuna laughed at it. She took Loki’s hand again and helped him down from the root. It was warm on the forest floor. There was no wind. The giant trees seemed to catch all the wind in their branches hundreds of feet above them. Loki gazed up the enormous trunks. It made him dizzy to look all the way up to the top.

Before long, Kuna stopped in front of a massive stump. The tree that had once occupied the space had fallen. Its hollowed-out and rotting trunk lay several meters away. The trunk was big enough to fly a skif through, Loki observed. He looked up at the surrounding trees and found that many of the plants and saplings around the trunk had burst upward and were climbing at dizzying heights to reach even a lick of sunlight.

Kuna led him up to the stump. She pushed a few loose leaves and branches out of the way and revealed a hole near the bottom of the stump where two roots had separated. She crawled inside.

“Come on!” she called from the hole.

“Okay,” he said, smiling. He crouched and crawled in behind her. He wasn’t overly fond of tight spaces. He wasn’t sure this hollow would be a good idea, but he didn’t want to upset Kuna.

He crawled in and his mouth fell open. The hollow was massive! More like a cave than the inside of a tree.

“I made sure nothing lives here,” Kuna said. “I think something did once. There were bones. But they were really old and there wasn’t a path leading out like there is to an animal den.”

“Very smart,” Loki commented. “Plus, I don’t think a kapka could fit through that little hole.”

The hollow was cool and smelled like wet earth and moss. Kuna had made hammocks out of vines and strung them between exposed roots in their subterranean den.

“You did all this while I was asleep?” Loki asked, still looking around the hollow in wonder.

Kuna nodded. “Oh, and I gathered up a little bit of food too. Look! There’s some fruit and nuts and I even found some mushrooms!” She showed him a small pouch she had made out of a large leaf. She opened it, revealing her bountiful forage.

“Goodness, you were busy! How long was I asleep?” Loki asked.

“I don’t know, I think we slept for a few hours. I didn’t want to be outside when night came. Nighttime is scary here. I don’t like the dark.”

Loki looked down at her, a sad expression on his face. He had not wanted her to feel the need to do this. She had a habit, no doubt beaten into her, of taking care of more menial tasks like cleaning and setting up their camp. Loki had tried to get her away from doing that lately. He wanted her to experience a childhood, not employment.

He sat down in his hammock. She walked up to him and put her hand on his knee. He smiled at her.

“Thank you for doing all this, my love,” he said. “You didn’t have to. I should have been awake.”

He looked down at her. The scrape on her forehead had bruised and the marks on her neck from that wicked net were still bright red, turning blue and black in some areas.

She reached up and touched his face. “You have a cut on your eyebrow,” she said, softly.

“Oh,” he said, feeling it with his hand. “Don’t worry about it, my love.”

She frowned. She was worried about it. He looked tired. There were circles under his eyes and his eyelids drooped low.

“You look sleepy,” she said.

“I am,” he said, chuckling a little.

“You should sleep!” she replied. “And I’ll cook up some mushrooms. Here, you can eat what’s inside!” She handed him her little leaf bag. She took out the mushrooms and then pointed to the other fruit inside. “Those are azuronia, and that’s a needle-nut, those berries are frostvines.”

Loki smiled at her knowledge of these fruits.

“These are called summercaps,” she said, holding up the mushrooms. “And I think I saw some trundleweed outside that would go really good with them.” She took off out of the hole.

Loki stood and followed her. He wasn’t going to let her go out by herself again. Not if night was falling and the woods were filled with so many deadly beasts.

“No!” she cried when she saw him. “You need to sleep!” She pushed on his legs to make him go back into the hollow.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’ll sit out here with you. What can I help with?”

She frowned. “You sit,” she ordered, pointing at the hollowed-out trunk of the giant tree that had fallen. Loki rolled his eyes, smiling. He walked over to the tree and sat.

Kuna bustled about collecting stones and sticks. Loki picked up a few stones from around his feet and rolled them to her. She looked up and glared at him.

“I can do it!” she said.

“I know. And I can help,” he told her.

She grunted in frustration and knelt down. She made a circle out of the stones she had gathered and dug up the leaves and needles from the center of the circle. She gently placed in some sticks and larger branches, then stood and began searching for something on the ground.

“What are you after?” Loki asked.

“Sparkstones,” she said. She stooped and picked up a little rock and tested it against another.

Loki looked around quickly and then flicked a finger towards the firepit. A little green flame shot from the end of his finger and landed on the kindling Kuna had stacked inside. He smirked as smoke tendrils started rising up from the branches.

Kuna heard the pop and crack of burning wood behind her and spun around. Little flames were starting to lick their way around the edges of the branches.

She growled and glowered at Loki. He was looking around, pretending he had not just lit the fire. He looked back over at her and gasped.

“How did that happen?” he asked with false surprise.

Kuna pursed her lips and stood. She walked over to a small tree and broke off a long twig. She pulled her dagger out of its sheath and stripped it of its bark, tossing the pieces onto the fire. Before long, she had all the mushrooms spitted on the stick and had propped it up over the flames.

Loki came over and sat down opposite her. She pulled out a handful of a plant from her pocket. The leaves were long and had dozens of smaller, blade like leaves jutting out the length of the stem. She stripped these little leaves and mashed them up in her hands before sprinkling them over the mushrooms as they cooked. Loki could smell an earthy aroma rising from the flames. It made his stomach growl.

Kuna must have heard it because she pointed at the leaf bag he still held and ordered, “Eat!”

He opened the bag and pulled out a blue, egg-shaped fruit. It had the fuzzy texture of a peach on the outside but was a sky-blue color.

“That’s azuronia,” she said again. “It’s my favourite.”

Loki bit into it. Recoiling, he stuck out his tongue at the foul taste that filled his mouth. Kuna laughed.

“You’re not supposed to eat the skin, silly!” she giggled. She stood and joined him at his side. She took his fruit and peeled it in quarters, revealing an even deeper blue fruit flesh dotted with hundreds of tiny black seeds.

Loki eyed Kuna with suspicion. “Are you trying to trick me into eating something nasty?” he asked. “Because if you are— “

“No! It’s good, I swear! Watch.” She took one out for herself, peeled it, and took a bite. “Mmm.”

“Alright,” Loki said, taking a bite of his azuronia. The contrast between the bitter taste he had just experienced and the overwhelming sweetness that now filled his palette was intense. He had never tasted anything so sweet. The fruit was so ripe, its juices flowed from the corners of his mouth. “Oh my! That’s delicious.”

“That’s why they’re my favourite!” Kuna said. She put the rest of her azuronia in her mouth and stood again. She turned the mushrooms on the spit.

Loki watched her. “Who taught you about foraging?” he asked.

“The other slaves,” she said with a shrug. “When I started living with Masters in the wild, like on Torileena, I had to find all the food myself, so the other slaves taught me what was good to eat and what to stay away from.”

“Do a lot of Masters live in the wild?” Loki asked. “They sort of struck me as the homebody, snooty type. Though I guess the ones I found you with here were hicks.”

“Mmm, sometimes,” Kuna explained. “Torileena is mostly wilds. They can’t build any big cities here because the trees are always moving.”

Loki choked on his fruit. “They’re what now?”

“They have to migrate. So, it makes it hard to build anything. They build a town and then the trees come through and tear it up. Trees don’t obey magic and if they cut them down, the trees get mad.”

“The trees migrate,” Loki repeated. Kuna nodded.

“Yeah. To places with more water or better soil.”

Loki raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Smart trees.”

Kuna nodded.

“Did your education come only from slaves?” he asked.

“I don’t have education,” she said, sitting down next to him. “Just what you’ve taught me.”

“You know how to forage and how to make a camp and a fire. You know far more about this planet’s ecosystem than I do. You knew a lot about Ynatu as well. This is all education; things you know.”

“Mmm, well, the Masters didn’t call it that. They went to school. They got education there. I’m—I wasn’t allowed to go to school. Slaves can’t go to school. Freepeople have their own schools, but I don’t know what they learn there. Maybe how to work in fields and factories?” She shrugged.

“And you don’t remember what your parents were? Masters, Freepeople, or slaves?”

Kuna shook her head. “I think maybe they were Freepeople. They couldn’t be slaves because slaves can’t sell themselves. And I don’t know why a Master would sell their own child to slavers.” She sniffled. “All I can remember is when my parents brought me to the auction. Everything before that is fuzzy.” She rubbed her head.

Loki nodded slowly. He presumed the curse that had been placed on her was partially responsible for her lack of memory. Trauma did its own damage. A curse on top of it, especially one so effective as Kuna’s, was enough to erase any memory.

“Well, we’ll figure it all out,” he said.

Kuna’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know if I want to.”

“I understand,” Loki said, putting his arms around her and lifting her onto his lap. “It’s hard to think about.”

She nodded and pressed herself back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“Why did we need to get the scanner?” she asked.

“Because we want to know where your parents are,” Loki reminded her. He found it peculiar that the curse seemed to affect her recent memory as well as her past memory.

“But why?”

“I think they are responsible for cursing you. Or they know who does. So, we’re going to go to them and make them lift the curse.”

“But if they were Freepeople, they couldn’t curse me. They can’t have magic.”

“’Can’t’ and ‘don’t’ are very different,” Loki said. “I think they do. I think, they had learned how to hide their magic from masters but perhaps they couldn’t hide yours. So, they cursed you to hide it.”

Kuna stared at the fire. She clamped her jaw shut. A little whimper escaped her lips and then she whispered, “I don’t have any magic.” She clamped her jaw shut again before she could add, ‘sir’, which she knew Loki didn’t like to be called.

“This curse forces you to say that,” Loki said, gently petting her arm. “When I was reading that book on curses, that’s what I learned.”

“The cursed book?” she asked, flatly.

“Yes, that one. The curse you have makes you do a lot of things you don’t realize. It makes you forget things relating to magic. And even to the curse itself. Curses are like this, you see. They’re like parasites. They don’t want their host-that’s you-to get rid of them. It feeds on your magic. It makes you weaker while it gets stronger, making it impossible for you to use your magic or talk about it and so on.”

Kuna sighed. She was still not accepting of the fact that she was cursed. Loki had told her, but it didn’t seem real. But Loki was smart. Much smarter than her or even the Masters. She believed him but it wasn’t easy.

The mushrooms began to sizzle on the spit. She hopped up and pulled them off the fire, happy to get away from the uncomfortable conversation. She grabbed another big leaf and dropped a few of the mushrooms onto it, handing it to Loki. She took a bite of one of hers right off the spit.

Loki took the mushrooms. They smelled delicious. Kuna kicked a bit of dirt onto their fire, slowly putting it out. The forest was beginning to darken with the falling night. Loki stood and followed Kuna into their hollow once the fire was out.

Loki settled into his hammock and took a bite of one of his mushrooms. It made his mouth water with the delectable taste. Whatever Kuna had seasoned them with made it even more enjoyable. He ate slowly to try to savour it.

“You’re an amazing cook,” he said. “This is delicious.”

Kuna blushed. “I like them,” she said in a small voice. She still was not used to receiving compliments.

When Loki had finished, he laid back in his hammock. His eyes were growing heavy again. He was completely exhausted. The fight on Ynatu had depleted his magic almost entirely. He needed to rest to recuperate. He imagined Kuna was just as tired but was hiding it for his sake. He glanced over at her hammock. She stared at the ground, one foot hanging out of her hammock to gently rock it.

Loki took his satchel from his side and pulled out Kuna’s toys. She let out a happy gasp at the sight of them. He handed them to her, and she cuddled with them. Slowly, she fell asleep, Loki not far behind.

***

“What do you say, want to try this scanner on your chip?” Loki asked. For the first time ever, he was awake before Kuna. She knew what he was going to ask when they got up.

She pretended to be asleep.

“Kuna?” he said in a sing-song voice.

She pretended to snore.

“I know you’re awake,” he said. “You never snore.”

She stopped snoring and squeezed her eyes hard. He reached out and tickled her side. She giggled boisterously.

“You can’t be asleep and laughing,” Loki said, laughing along with her. “You’re not asleep!”

“Okay! Okay!” she said, pushing his hands away.

“Come on,” he said, sitting down on her hammock.

Kuna shrank a little. “Okay,” she said in the smallest voice.

“Are you scared?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Why is that?” Loki asked, a pang of sadness in his tone. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

Kuna shook her head. “No. But--” she sighed. “But--” She shook her head again. Her shoulders slumped. She looked up at Loki with big, sad eyes. Tears rimmed her eyelids. “I don’t want to see my parents again.”

“I can imagine,” Loki said. He set her on his lap. She turned into him and laid her head on his chest. “Anyone who would give up someone as smart and cute as you have to be a complete monster.”

She buried her face further into his chest. Her back shook a little with her tears. Loki stroked her hair.

“They’re mean,” she whined into his shirt.

“Yes,” he said.

“You’re not gonna give me back to them, right?”

“Of course not, my love. I would never give you away,” he said, looking down at her. He gently lifted her face with his finger. “We’re going to wherever this says your parents are, so we can find out who cursed you. Then, we’re going to go find them and make them take the curse away.”

Kuna whimpered a little and put her head back on his chest. After a moment, she turned around so her back faced Loki. He picked up Kuna’s toys and dangled each one over her shoulders, gently dancing them in the air to get her attention.

She grabbed them, hugging them tightly to her chest. Loki picked up the scanner and pointed it at Kuna’s back where she had shown him the chip was embedded. The scanner beeped. The screen lit up and a picture of Kuna filled the screen. Loki scrolled:

“No. K.43695

Age: 206 yrs

Height: 107cm

Sex: Female

Class: Slave

Current Owner: Master Ridolo Spontzi of Torileena

Previous Owner: Master Thelaneus Machaluci of Ynatu”

He tapped at a few things. Tapping on the owners let him see more about them which only disgusted him and made him hate them more. Tapping on Kuna let him see more about what she was considered ‘good’ at doing: cleaning, cooking, housework, laboring, gathering, even mining.

He looked up at Kuna. He felt an immense sadness and anger. What sort of people forced children to work like this? Asgardians had long since abandoned old traditions of keeping thralls, but even the thralls he had read about in old stories were treated better than this. He sighed and continued reading.

Finally, his eyes landed on a tab labeled ‘Ancestry’. He tapped on it. A web of info bubbles popped up on the screen with Kuna’s number in the middle. A family tree of sorts.

“Perfect,” he said, tapping on the bubble containing Kuna’s parents.

Father: Adres Kiranus

Mother: Lemora Kasiore

Location: Ynatu; Region: Vinaari

Coordinates: 61°21’36”N 96°02’43”W

“Kuna, I found them,” Loki said. “I love how precise this is. So organized.”

Kuna peeked at the scanner. She shook her head and looked away, muttering to herself.

“Ynatu,” he sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to going back there. “In a place called Vinaari. Do you know it?”

Kuna paused. “It sort of sounds familiar. I don’t know.” She put her hands on either side of her head. “Everything is so confusing. My head feels funny.”

“It’s alright, love,” Loki said, removing her hands from her head. “Don’t worry. We’ll go and talk to them –or I will, at least—and then we’ll go from there.”

Kuna groaned. She did not want to go. She did not want to see her real parents. Making a curse go away seemed hard and scary and maybe even painful. A cold feeling washed over her.

“No,” she said.

“Hmm?” Loki asked.

“No. I’m not going!” she cried and jumped out of the hammock.

“Kuna, wait!” Loki called after her.

“No!” She ran out of the hollow.

Loki grunted in frustration and followed her out, grabbing their things on his way. He burst out of the entrance hole and looked around. Leaves in the underbrush were parting quickly in front of him, showing the way she had run. He took off after her.

“Kuna, stop!” he shouted.

“No!” she called back.

“Urgh!” Loki tried to think quickly while dodging low hanging leaves and branches. He knew the parents' coordinates. Maybe that would be enough for the tesseract to get them there. He summoned the tesseract’s energy and projected it in front of them both with a thrust of his hands.

Kuna ran through the portal before she could stop. She looked over her shoulder, seeing nothing but darkness behind her. Upon turning to face forward again, a house appeared in front of her. She skidded to a stop as she stared at the unpresuming stone house.

She remembered it. Flashes of memories flooded her head. She was frozen to the spot.

“No, no,” she huffed.

Suddenly, she felt arms under her own, lifting her up.

“Come on,” Loki said. He carried her to a line of trees beside the house. He practically threw her onto the ground and ducked behind a bush. She peeked out and saw a group of men walking towards the house from another direction, that Loki had no doubt seen as well.

She sat back down. “No, no, no,” she repeated, thumping her head with her hand.

“Shh! Stop!” Loki hissed, grabbing her hands. He glanced at the group of soldiers approaching the house. They were dressed the same as the ones they’d seen in Yaarai.

He looked back down at Kuna. “Listen to me!” he said, harshly. She looked up in utter terror. He tried to calm himself. “I’m going over there. You are going to stay right here; do you understand me? You’re not to move.”

Kuna shook her head in agreement but was too stunned to say anything.

“Do not move from this spot, okay? I’ll be back to get you. Stay!” he ordered as he stood. His appearance changed in front of Kuna’s eyes.

His clothes transformed. His hair shortened and turned a dusty blond colour. Kuna’s eyes widened as he turned back around, and she stared up in the face of her Master Spontzi, the one Loki had saved her from. She opened her mouth to scream but Spontzi grabbed her.

“Don’t!” he hissed. “It’s me! It’s Loki. I’m going over there. Stay right here!” He let go of her and stomped out towards the house.

Kuna was left in the bushes, whimpering, holding her head and shaking.

Loki walked with purpose towards the group of soldiers. They turned and looked surprised. “What are you doing here?” one of them asked.

“Looking for my slave,” Loki replied. This was his plan. To fool these soldiers and to fool Kuna’s parents. It was hardly a plan. Kuna had ruined any chance he had had of planning this out. “I figured she may have tried to come back here.”

“Of course. You must be Master Spontzi,” another soldier said, making a bowing gesture with his head. The group nodded in agreement.

Idiots, Loki thought.

“Indeed, shall we?” He gestured towards the door. They approached and Loki banged on the door three times. “Open this door!” he shouted.

They waited a moment. Loki could hear scuffling inside.

“Can you believe he’s from Torileena?” Loki heard one of the soldiers whisper behind him.

“Not what I expected,” another whispered back.

Loki ignored them. He raised his hand to knock again, when the door opened. A woman’s face appeared. She was petite with brown curly hair the same as Kuna’s. He could see the resemblance in her eyes. They were big and green. The same eyes he always looked into when Kuna was sad.

“Are you Lemora Kasiore?” he asked, gruffly.

“I am,” she said. Loki could hear exasperation in her voice. He could sense her nervousness. “What’s this all about?”

“Where is your daughter?” one of the soldiers asked.

“I-I don’t have a daughter. We sold one years ago. For the money.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed on her. “You will let us in,” he growled.

Lemora opened the door and stepped aside. The men entered. The house was small; only two rooms. Loki looked around. On one side of this room there was a kitchen with a stone oven and counters, pots and pans hanging from hooks on the walls. On the other side was a table with benches. The centre of the room was dominated by a long hearth.

Loki focused his magic on Lemora. He was searching for any sign of magic but he felt none.

“Who else is here?” he asked. He needed to know what to expect. He did not know what Kuna’s father might be like. He did not want to be surprised.

“No one,” she said. He detected a lie.

“And your husband?” a soldier questioned.

“Out working in the fields,” Lemora replied, quickly. Loki could sense she was not lying about this. The husband wasn’t here. He suspected she was lying to protect another child hiding somewhere inside. “What’s going on here?” Lemora asked.

“Your daughter was spotted in an altercation at Yaarai’s auction house,” the soldier explained. “She was with a foreigner with powerful magic. She is a runaway and belongs to this Master.”

“I... Well, she’s not come here if that’s what you think,” Lemora stammered.

Loki smirked and then turned to face the soldiers. “Thank you very much, gentlemen. I’ll take it from here.” They stared at him, confused. “I won’t be needing you anymore,” he growled and flung his hand toward them. Conjured daggers shot out towards them, targeting their vulnerable throats. They all fell limp to the floor with barely a sound.

Lemora started to scream but Loki slammed his hand over her mouth, pinning her up against a pillar near the hearth.

“You’re going to tell me, right now, what you did to that little girl,” he growled in her ear. “And don’t think of lying to me.”

***

Kuna was still shaking. Every now and then, she would peek through the bush she hid behind and look at the house. The men had entered with Loki-Spontzi and the door had closed behind them. Now, all she heard was silence. Except, that is, for her heart which was beating in her ears.

For just a moment, she had seen a woman’s face. When she looked closer at her, a flood of confusing memories overtook her. She could hear her voice in her head, yelling at her. And then pain. The vague memory made her wince. It was hard for her to believe that she had forgotten what they looked like but the moment she saw her mother, she remembered.

Now, she watched, trying to calm herself. She wanted badly to get up and run away but Loki had been so forceful she was too scared to move. She fought with herself, her thoughts going around and around. Her mind felt shadowy. Her memory was shrouded in the murky lake of her mind. Here and there, a shadow would surface in flashes of painful memories before diving back into the darkness.

Kuna saw snippets of her life flash before her. Rather, she felt them. She felt herself being beaten. Fists, feet, rocks, sticks, she felt them all. Each blow of a memory made her flinch and wince. Vague images of faces appeared in her mind’s eye. They felt familiar but also brought on intense emotions of fear. She tried to follow their faces as the disappeared and reappeared in the darkness of her mind. It was as if light would just illuminate them before they vanished again. She tried hard to remember them; to focus on them.

A sharp pain suddenly tore through her chest like she had been stabbed. She folded her arms around her and whimpered. Her mind suddenly went blank. She looked around, confused. Where am I, she thought. How did I get here? She put her hands to her head and felt the little horned crown she wore. The one Loki had given her. She was suddenly reminded of why they were there.

She looked back at the house and crouched further behind the dry bush that was her cover. Despite her best efforts, the memories started to leak back into her mind. She put her hands on either side of her head to stop the flow, but it didn’t work. More and more memories poured into her mind, playing out in front of her eyes.

Then, she heard her own screams in her head. More pain washed over her. She could hear a man’s voice chanting something. She felt a burning sensation deep inside her as the chanting continued. It brought tears to her eyes.

She squeezed her hands harder against either side of her head, trying to stop the flood of memory. Gritting her teeth, she tried to open her eyes, but the world spun and spun. She hugged herself, rocking on the spot, trying anything to make it stop.

She was too overwhelmed to see the big shadow that crept over her.

“What do we have here?” a voice said. Her breath caught in her throat.

***

“Who was it?” Loki said, sharply. “Who cursed her? Was it you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lemora cried.

“I said, don’t lie to me!” Loki had her pinned to the pillar in the house. He pressed the tip of his dagger to her throat. He held her head back by her hair. “Tell me!” he shouted.

“You’re no Master,” Lemora said, her face was wickedly expressionless.

Loki glowered at her. He transformed back into himself. “How clever you are,” Loki snarled.

“Who are you?” she asked, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.

“I’m going to rip you apart if you don’t tell me who cursed Kuna,” he said.

“I’m not telling you anything,” she said.

“You want to do this the hard way?” Loki said, a villainess smile crossed his face. “We can do it the hard way.”

He placed his hand on her forehead, keeping a good grip on the dagger in his hand. She pushed back on him, but it did nothing.

At that moment, the door burst open, and a man stepped through. Loki jerked away but still kept a firm hold on Lemora.

The man at the door was large and had to duck under the doorframe as he entered. He dragged Kuna through the door, kicking and clawing at his arms.

“Put me down! Let go of me!” she cried.

“You don’t talk to me like that, runt!” He swiftly boxed her on the ear, and she stopped struggling and covered her face.

The man hauled her inside and slammed the door shut with his foot. “Look who I found skulking about outs--,” he cut off at the sight of the bodies on the floor. “What in hells is going on here?”

Loki dropped Lemora, who slid down the post into a heap at Loki’s feet. He turned towards her husband with venom in his eyes. The man glanced down at Lemora who was recovering herself on the floor.

“You must be Adres,” Loki said.

“Who? I ain’t no Adres,” he said. Loki raised his eyebrows and glanced down at Lemora. “What were you doin’ to my wife?” he asked.

Loki ignored him and addressed Lemora. “He’s not Kuna’s father?”

She hissed at him, “Don’t!”

“Ah,” Loki breathed, smiling. “Someone’s been rather naughty.”

“What’s he on about? What’s goin’ on?”

“Would you kindly let go of her” Loki said, pointing the tip of his dagger at Kuna. “She belongs to me.”

“You?” Kuna’s father growled. He looked down at Kuna.

“Caeso, don’t!” Lemora cried but the man let go of Kuna.

She ran to Loki and grabbed his arm. Loki pulled away from her and pushed her aside. She cowered behind him, her thoughts racing.

“You idiot,” Lemora shouted at Caeso. “He’s not a Master! Look at him!”

Loki could not help but laugh. Lemora and Caeso both turned to him.

“Your wife and I were just having a little chat,” Loki answered Caeso’s question, innocently. “She was just about to tell me who cursed this girl. Do you happen to know?”

Caeso’s eyes widened to the point Loki thought they would pop out of his head. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He looked like a fat fish.

“Any ideas?” Loki jeered.

Caeso glanced down at Lemora. Loki waited for them to make a decision.

In the silence, Loki heard a familiar but sinister sound of sharpened metal moving out of leather; a blade from a sheath. He rolled his eyes.

“Yahh!” a boy leapt towards him from the second room, screaming.

Loki turned and swiftly caught the boy by his raised arm. He held a knife in his hand in a clumsy position. Even if he had succeeded in surprising Loki, he would not have done much damage. The blade was not even pointing towards him.

“Interesting approach,” Loki said. “And after you’d slapped me with this butter knife,” --Loki wrenched it from his hand-- “what were you planning on doing, you little rat?” His grip tightened on the boy’s arm. He squirmed and cried in pain.

Loki turned back to the parents, still holding the boy off the ground. “Start talking. I’m losing my patience.”

Both parents stood frozen to the spot, looking back in forth between each other and Loki. Kuna had moved to a hiding spot when her brother had attacked, cowering behind a chair.

“No care for any of your children, it seems. Very well,” Loki said, breaking the silence. He tossed the boy to the ground. He landed in a heap, clutching his arm. A flash of green lit up the room and the child disappeared. Lemora screamed. Kuna looked closer at the place where her sibling had been just a moment before. In his place was a rat, scurrying about. He hadn’t disappeared at all. Loki had turned him into a rat!

Loki scoffed and turned towards Lemora. She tried to make a run towards her husband, but Loki caught her by the arm. He slammed her back against the post.

“I’ll kill yo--” Caeso was cut short. Loki had flicked his wrist in his direction. With another flash of green, Caeso was now truly frozen to the spot. His hand outstretched, in mid-step towards Loki, his eyes darted back and forth but the rest of his body was still.

“Where were we?” he snarled at Lemora. “Ah, yes, Adres. An old flame?”

“He’s the one that gave her the magic,” Lemora confessed. She sighed, heavily, searching the ground for words. “I wanted to raise my station. I seduced a Master. I had hoped he would make me his mistress, but he was so drunk, he didn’t even remember me! I carried his disgusting child anyways. I told Caeso it was his. I hoped that it wouldn’t have magic and at first, I thought she didn’t. Then strange things started to happen. Things would fly off the wall when she was crying. Furniture would burst into flames! She was demonspawn!”

Kuna whimpered behind Loki. Her mother’s words were venom.

“Caeso blamed me,” Lemora continued. “He told me her magic was my fault. He thought it was from my side of the family. I couldn’t tell him what had really happened. That I’d been unfaithful. With a Master! So, I convinced him we could get rid of her. It’s not like it’s uncommon for children to be sold away. She was useless! We needed the money anyways. But her magic could never be traced back to us. They’d kill all of us. My son, my family, his. No one could ever know,” she said.

She lowered her head. Loki waited for her. He was impatient but at least now she was talking.

“And no one ever will know,” she growled. She lunged forward and Loki felt a searing pain in his abdomen. He let out a grunt as Lemora ripped a small knife from his side and rammed it back in.

“NO!” Kuna screamed.

Loki grabbed hold of Lemora’s wrist, yanking the knife out. Her wrist snapped like a toothpick in his grip. She gasped in pain as the knife fell to the ground.

He forced her back against the pillar once more, placing his hand on her forehead and forcing his way into her memories. Loki concentrated his magic. He held intense eye contact with her now terrified eyes.

He rushed through her memories. They passed him by like scenes out the side of a racing skif. He didn’t particularly care for any of these recent ones. He steered his way through her mind, focusing on Kuna. She had to be here somewhere. Then he saw her, and the scene he found her in was bizarre. There was a flash of a cave and Kuna. Like stopping a rewinding tape, he focused on this memory.

Kuna was tied to a table in the cave. A man stood over her. Loki’s skin prickled at the sight. Lemora stood nearby, watching, as Loki could see through her eyes.

Kuna struggled with the bonds that restrained her. She was frantic and terrified. Loki wished he could help her. He wanted to reach out and snatch her away from this terrible scene, but Lemora stood resolute.

The man turned and bustled over to a shelf filled with bottles of various colours and liquids. He was old and his body bent in awkward angles. He had a long grey beard that would have dragged the floor if it weren’t tied up in several knots. Charms and other trinkets decorated it. Loki even saw a bone or two poking out of the hair.

“So, you wish for me to take away her magic, is that right?”

“Yes,” Lemora said.

The man laughed. “You people are all alike,” he said. “You have no understanding of even the basic principles of magic.”

Lemora grunted. “What are you talking about?”

“You cannot simply ‘take away’ someone’s magic. It’s simply not possible.”

“We were told you could take her magic away.”

“Then you were told wrong, child. I cannot take magic away. I can only suppress it.”

“Then do that. What difference does it make?”

The wizard chuckled. “Do you know what happens when magic is suppressed?”

“Stop wasting my time, old man. Can you do it or not?”

He ignored her. “When magic is suppressed by something like a curse, one of two things can happen. The subject either submits to the curse or their magic fights back, oftentimes consuming the subject in the process. Neither turns out well for them.”

“Does it look like I care what happens to her? I don’t care what you do. Just make her magic undetectable.”

“Why is it that you wish to do this?”

“She’s dangerous. She could get us all killed.”

“Why not just kill her?” the man asked. Kuna gasped and tried harder to escape.

Lemora scoffed. “And have every Master from here to Honerquin asking why she disappeared? Our neighbors know who she is. If she suddenly disappeared without explanation, they’d become suspicious. Especially with that reward they’re giving out now for turning in lower-class sorcerers.”

“Afraid to be caught with a sorcerer in your family, hmm?”

“You know what would happen! I was told you’d keep our secret for a price. I gave you what you wanted, now do it!”

“Hmph,” the old wizard grunted. He hobbled back to Kuna. “Very well. The ritual is quite simple, but very effective,” he said. He had a high, rasping voice.

“Over time, the curse will begin to force her magic into submission by causing her pain with any urge to use or think about it. On the surface, I suppose it seems as though her magic has been ‘taken away’ but in reality, it is just being masked.

“A curse is like a parasite. It must feed on something. And curses love magic, particularly that of young ones. Such raw power at this age. The curse feeds off of the magic. Her magic fuels the curse which in turn suppresses her ability to use the magic outwardly and so on and so on.”

Lemora rolled her eyes impatiently.

“But I warn again. This can be highly dangerous. Her magic could become corrupted by the curse and overpower it, and her. The force it creates can be dea--”

“I told you, I don’t care. She’ll be well out of our hands by then.”

“Very well,” the wizard said.

Loki felt a growing darkness surround him. Lemora’s hatred for Kuna was seeping into him. He needed to get out before this wave of emotion overtook him. He felt a swirling sensation around him as he removed himself from her mind. Just before surfacing, he heard Kuna’s screams fade into the darkness.

He snapped back to himself. The pain in his abdomen seethed. “Who is he?” Loki demanded.

“His name is Atorius,” Lemora said. She was crying. “He lives on the Ember Peaks, on Ypintu.”

Loki let go of her. She choked and coughed as she fell to the floor again. Loki had not realized he was choking her. He did not care. His feet seemed to take him towards the door without his asking them to. He shoved the still frozen Caeso to the ground. He walked out the door without so much as a sideways glance at Kuna. His mind felt clouded with a dark, swirling storm. His breath came sharp. He shook his head, trying to shake the feeling but something inside was stirring.

Kuna scurried after him, glancing back at her distressed family. Her mother lay in a heap. Her father or at least the man she had known as father, teetered awkwardly on the floor, still frozen like stone. The rat that used to be her brother was still running around, occasionally leaping up on his mother’s leg.

Kuna stepped gingerly around her father’s statue body, giving him a wide berth and then ran out the door. Her nose and lip were bleeding from where Caeso had hit her. She wiped it away and ran to catch up with Loki.

Loki was at war in his head. He heard Lemora’s venomous words filling his ears. Then another’s.

She’s right, you know, that wicked voice said. She is useless. We’ve entertained this for too long. We’re leaving.

A blue portal opened in front of him. His foot lifted to step through without his command. He stopped, fighting every fibre of his body.

Go through! the voice rang in his ears. Stop fighting!

Loki grit his teeth. His whole body was shaking, trying to fight against himself. Lemora’s voice swirled around his head as well. He could feel her hatred still. He put his hands to either side of his head.

“Loki!” Kuna cried, adding to the noise swirling around him. “Wait for me!”

He felt another lurch in his body that forced him to take a step forward. The pain in his side was growing. The evil voice in his head was shouting, Lemora’s hatred was welling in his chest, Kuna’s screams rang in his ears. All of this happened in a split second. It was too much for Loki to take.

“Go away!” he exploded.

Kuna skidded to a halt. She gasped and tears welled in her eyes. Loki turned to face her. She was breathing fast and the look on her face was pure fear. He expected her to run away. Everyone ran away from him.

But Kuna clenched her fists and walked towards him. Loki’s eyebrows raised. There was silence in his head. All of him was surprised by Kuna’s bravery. She didn’t make eye contact with him. She grabbed his hand and led him through the portal. He allowed himself to be led. He felt a shift in the tesseract’s energy which he was using to keep the portal open. They appeared on the other side of the portal back on Torileena, back by their hollow.

Kuna let go of his hand. His other held his bleeding side. She walked away from him to the base of one of the giant trees and crouched down. He could see she was doing something but not what. He slumped against the outside of their hollow. He felt his head which now seemed to throb with a raging headache.

Kuna appeared in front of him. She had two fistfuls of moss in each hand. She crouched down beside him and reached for his side.

“Don’t touch!” he said, the words echoed in his head. Kuna turned away at his voice. “Gah!” he shook his head, putting it down between his legs. The anger that had been silenced moments before was creeping back up.

Kuna took a deep breath and reached for his side again. She pulled on his armour. The knife had slid through a small chink in the metal where his waist bent. He reached for her hand to pull it away but was taken aback when Kuna grabbed his wrist.

This time, their eyes met, and even though Kuna’s eyes were filled with tears, they were serious and unwavering. Kuna had never looked at him this way before and it caught him off guard. Or rather, it caught his other half off guard.

Kuna pushed his hand away and reached for one of the clips that held his armour together at his side. She freed it and pulled the armour off. Lifting his undershirt, she gently placed the moss on the bleeding wounds.

Loki took a deep breath and sighed. Her kind touch seemed to clear his mind. Tears suddenly flowed over his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for what I said. It-It wasn’t me. I mean, it was me but not...” he choked on his words. Kuna looked up at him. Her eyes were softer now. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or grabbed you like that. I’m so sorry, Kuna.”

Kuna said nothing.

“Please, forgive me!” Loki cried, putting his face in his hands.

He felt her arms surround him. It made him cry harder. Her embrace was warm. It felt like golden light shining on his darkness. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes again. He was breathing hard. She stood and helped him up, leading him into the hollow. Getting inside was slightly difficult for him as he had to crawl in but once inside, she made him sit in his hammock.

She picked up one of his feet and pulled the boot off. He kicked the other one off and laid back on the hammock. Kuna began bustling around; sometimes picking things up off the floor of the hollow, others dashing out the small entrance and back again.

She came to Loki’s side with a bowl of water and a cloth. She removed the moss and gently pressed the damp cloth against the wound. She cleaned around it with the utmost care. The bleeding had slowed to a trickle. She ducked down and popped back up with a different container and gave it to Loki. It had water inside.

Loki felt numb. Never had he lost his cool like that before. Ever. He felt dirty. He had always prided himself on being the calmer one. Thor always lost his temper. Often in the most damaging ways. Loki was composed and levelheaded. Not prone to outbursts of sheer anger. But this voice in his head, which he had heard almost constantly since his time with the mind stone and Thanos, was getting out of hand. He had always been able to push it down before; always able to lock it away somewhere deep in his subconscious, but no matter how hard he tried, it always resurfaced again, angrier, stronger, and more forceful than before.

Kuna popped back up beside him, bringing him back to the present. She pushed the cup towards his lips. He drank. She handed him an azuronia, already peeled and quartered. He smiled, weakly and took a bite. He knew why she liked them so much. The sweetness was hard to ignore.

He looked down at her. She was vigorously rubbing her hands together. Now and again, she would crouch out of Loki’s sight and stand up again, rubbing her hands.

Loki wanted to ask what she was doing but he was afraid if he opened his mouth to speak, the voice would take over again. So, he stayed quiet and watched. He shifted a little in the hammock so he could see what she was doing when she crouched down.

On the floor, she had placed a large, flat rock. She had emptied the bowl of the dirty water after she had cleaned his wound and refilled it with fresh water. On the rock was a paste of green mush he could not identify. She picked up the bowl and poured a little bit of water onto the paste before picking it up and rubbing it together in her hands. A grassy aroma wafted into his nose.

She repeated this process several times before standing and pressing the paste on the wounds. It stung for a moment but then felt cool and soothing. She pressed a large leaf over the wound site.

Kuna washed her hands in the remaining water and then her face. Her nose and lip had stopped bleeding. She stood and started to clean up, but Loki reached out and gently touched her back. She turned quickly but then stepped closer to him.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’ll be fine.”

She took his hand and held it.

“I’ll never yell at you like that again. Ever,” he said. “I promise.”

He took her pinky in his. She smiled and hugged him again. He held her, closing his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Kuna said.

“Why are you sorry, darling?” Loki asked, looking up at her as she pulled away.

“I’m sorry for getting caught by... my dad.”

“Don’t be,” Loki said. “Let me look at you. Are you alright?” He pushed some hair out of her face. Her nose looked fine now that the bleeding had stopped. She had a fat lip with a little cut.

She nodded. “It’s not so bad,” she said. “I’m sorry my mom stabbed you. I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Don’t worry, love,” Loki said. “I heal a lot faster than you do. I’ll be fine in a day or so.”

“Is the angry you still in your head?” she asked.

Loki sighed. “You don’t have to worry about that either,” he said. “I won’t let that out again. It’s a part of me I don’t want you to see.”

“But it’s a part of you,” she said. She shrugged and stooped down to pick up the stone and bowl. She crawled out the hole.

Loki closed his eyes and sighed.

#Loki #God of Mischief #Father #Submitted fic #travelling-classicist #chapter 15 #Loki's Daughter

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arctimon · 3 years ago

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Mischief...Managed?

So tomorrow, June 9th, the six-episode series Loki is going to start. Taking place with the alternate continuity Loki that cropped up during Avengers: Endgame, it will follow him as he worked with the Time Variance Authority (TVA, and an actual comic thing as I found out today) as they try to preserve the timeline that I’m sure he’s going to screw up unintentionally. It’s the same length as Falcon and the Winter Soldier (six episodes), but a second second is apparently in pre-production, so it looks like they already plan on getting more out to us for Phase 4. Loki has grown into one of the most popular characters (antagonist or otherwise) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it would make a ton of sense for Marvel to keep him in the spotlight with his own series.

He has also been a character that I’ve taken a passing interest in for the sake of (you guessed it) his visit to Fanfiction Land (TM). But of course, you guys can see the problem, right?

He’s a god. And I’ve been able to get away with putting Avengers and side characters from Marvel into my stories, but this isn’t just some normal character. You’re crossing a pretty big line once someone like Loki gets thrown into the picture.

And I think the gods are interesting characters, just like normal human ones.

The conundrum is how you make them a part of the story without being the story, if that makes any sense. God are...well...gods. And even having one of them in a universe like Big Hero 6 would throw off the status quo. This is a verse where, barring Boss Awesome, didn’t really have superheroes, much less people living in Rainbow Land lording over the people of the universe doing whatever they do.

So I had to draw a little inspiration from San Francisco proper. And that led me to discovering this: The Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue.

Yggdrasil is a volunteer-led rescue facility in the Oakland-San Francisco area that services, treats, and cares for injured wildlife. They also deal with a lot of squirrels.

Now, who do we know that loves squirrels?

Not the person that dressed up as them or anything. So here’s the Big Hero 6 rub of it: Doreen is Karmi’s friend that she first meets working at Gramercy, Chef Bolton’s restaurant. They meet, they become friends (mostly because Doreen forces her to be), and things progress. After cameoing in Honey Lemon’s e-mail in Part Time (Chapter 5, “Honey Lemon and Fred Are In The Market”), she makes her first actual appearance during Hiro and Karmi’s “friend excursion” in Overnight (Chapter 6, “Candlelit”). Doreen also happens to be the only member of the Beta Team that hasn’t gotten their story yet.

But she will...because it’s going to involve her place of employment:

Time to make a quick stop to her boss's office.

“Mr. Laufeyson! Mr. Laufeyson!”

The tall, lanky man sighed loudly as he turned his chair away from the screen and toward the newcomer. “What is it, dear child? Can't you see I'm busy?” “I know. I just wanted to ask if I can take my break right now.” Doreen clapped her paws together. “My friends are here and I want to give them a tour and allofthecoolfancythingsbeingavolunteerhere-” “What have I said about speaking haphazardly in here?” “...That if I don't breathe, my brain will turn to mush?” “Exactly.” The man slicked back his hair and motioned at the crowds of people on the cameras. “It appears that you have done your rounds, so I don't see why you cannot-”

“Thanks, boss!” Doreen leaned over and gave him a quick bear hug. “I won't go far. I'm going to go meet them in Jotunheim at Mount Winterfire.”

As she hightailed it out the door, the man smoothed out his shirt, returning his gaze back to his work. “That girl is a handful and then some. I do not know how you were able to tolerate her, brother...”

It’s a good thing that he had a regular name that can be reliably used, huh?

For those of you who may be confused by what Doreen is saying, Yggdrasill is the World Tree, connecting the Ten Realms (or Nine Worlds in Norse Mythology) together into one big happy family. I thought it would be nice to make the Realms into areas of the Refuge. For example, Jotunheim has all of the concessions and restaurants. Niffleheim has all of the burrowing creatures. And so on and so forth. The Marvel Wiki has two pictures that I draw inspiration from for the Big Hero 6 version of the Refuge:

It sort of goes into the image that I want; a giant, sprawling lobby with exhibits and rooms, all surrounding by the largest tree anyone has ever seen. It’s not the real Yggdrasil, but that won’t stop certain villains from wanting to claim it as their own. Roots Of Your Labor (the title of Doreen’s story) will start after the set of one-shots that I’m doing right now. I want to get all of those out because the last of them (Artifact) will also touch on some subjects in Doreen’s story, but I’m not going to touch on that just yet. Now...if I could only draw buildings. Or giant trees. (By the way, just like Granville mentions in my stories, the real Yggdrasil is funded entirely on charitable donations, so if you would like to donate, you can go here, if you would like.)

#big hero 6 #big hero 6 the series #doreen green #squirrel girl #yggdrasil #yggdrasil urban wildlife refuge #yumr #mr. laufeyson #loki #donation #big hero 6 fanfiction #karmi #the best of friends

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arigatouiris · 5 years ago

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daughter of artemis // p.p — [14]

c h a p t e r f o u r t e e n

Pairing: Peter Parker x Demigod! Reader [Female pronouns]

Warnings: swearing; angst [a lot of it]; greek mythology rewritten [completely my interpretation of it, oops]; slightly based off the games god of war and assassin’s creed odyssey; hurt/comfort; cliche; fluff [on later chapters sometimes]; mentions of sex and gore; slight alternate universe

Follows events after Endgame, but Tony, Natasha, Steve, Loki are alive in this universe.

Word count: 4888

Author’s Note: I thank each and every one of you for writing back to me and telling me how I don’t have to update at anyone else’s will but my own. You can’t imagine how much this support means to me. Thank you all! And I do feel a bit sad that this story is ending, because I honestly had so much fun writing this. This is the penultimate chapter, and chapter 15 is the last one! However, I am writing a Bucky Barnes fanfiction too, which comes out soon, so if you want to be added to the tag list, please ask!

Also, I’m not taking anymore taglist requests for this story, so for those of you who want to be a part of the Bucky story’s tag list, just send me an ask! Thank you all!

14 // τέλος end

❅

Apollo had teleported them back to his temple at Phocis. (y/n) looked around in awe, Apollo’s temple was merely just a mile away from Artemis’ temple, but she had never been to his. Apollo had a soft smile on his face, but the minute he turned to his niece, his eyes narrowed.

“You’ve never been to my temple?”

(y/n) blushed with embarrassment, “Maybe, if you were nicer to me when I was younger, I’d have come.”

“Maybe, because you didn’t visit my temple, I was never nice to you.”

“You didn’t know I visited your temple until just a few moments ago, uncle.”

Apollo turned red with childish anger. “You could have still come, I’m still your uncle and the freaking Sun god.”

(y/n) chuckled. Deciding to walk to her mother’s temple first, she turned to Apollo’s shrine and walked over. She removed her shoes at a distance and headed to his shrine, just before kneeling down and putting her hands together in prayer. Apollo watched, a bit surprised, but feeling warm. If there was one thing that kept Apollo alive and well, especially where his strength came from, it was from the peoples’ prayers. There were people who believed Apollo did the right thing, and he desperately tried to protect humans and ward off evil, to the best of his abilities. And these prayers proved that his efforts were noticed.

Stay safe, sun god, you’re all I have, (y/n) prayed, giving her uncle a fit of coughs. Laughing, she grabbed her shoes before rushing out barefoot.

“I’ll meet you in a bit, alright?”

Apollo knew that her time in Artemis’ temple would not just take ‘a bit’, but he was willing to wait. After all, it had been five years since the girl set foot at her mother’s temple. She deserved the time she took.

Every time she set eyes on her mother’s temple, (y/n) was in awe. It wasn’t an outstanding building, not as outstanding as Apollos’, but Artemis’ temple resembled the feeling of home. Not having been here for five years, (y/n) noticed the roots and moss that had grown on the temple walls, little creatures had made the temple shrine their home, a sight Artemis would have loved. (y/n)’s heart warmed at the way her mother’s temple had changed, not in a bad way, and felt fortunate.

Suddenly, as soon as the girl set foot inside the shrine, her eyes widened. She heard her mother’s voice, almost a whisper, the tune she would hum on most days. The song, Time After Time.

Clutching on to the dagger, (y/n)’s eyes were vigilant. She took her dagger out and held it in front of her, looking at it as if she were looking at it for the first time. The humming grew stronger, but she felt no presence in the air. Her mother’s humming then turned to her mother singing, and (y/n)’s heart ached at the memory. It was as if her mind was playing a terrible trick on her, a trick she enjoyed at the time being, but knew would cause a nostalgic pain in her heart, later on.

(y/n) didn’t even realize she had closed her eyes, holding the dagger, standing right in the middle of the shrine. Squirrels and mice were scurrying along, with the soft singing bringing winds inside the temple shrine. Opening her eyes, she felt a presence. (y/n) turned to the exit of the shrine and saw a large stag, with unusual golden eyes that were glowing even in the daylight. The stag looked majestic, but fair—almost an albino, but albino stags had red eyes, as did most albino animals.

The singing stopped and only one sentence played in her ear. Looking at the dagger slowly, she thought of her mother’s words: One day, you may have to use this. For a hunt.

Her mother had told her these words when she gave her the dagger. Turning to the stag with surprise, she noticed how the stag then began to run away from her, thus concluding her suspicions. Her breath shook and a laugh exited her lips. It was never the henchmen, she thought before turning to the back of the shrine. Rushing over there, she found her mother’s ancient bow and a couple of arrows, and gripped onto the dagger tightly. She ran after the stag and paused, breathing the air around her. If this was a hunt, she knew what to do. Reading the footprints on the ground, (y/n) tracked the beast using its prints. After reaching near the beast, (y/n) hid behind a couple of bushes before marking her prey. She noticed the stag, bending down to eat grass, and the girl waited.

Most often, hunting was done incorrectly when the hunter chose to be impatient. You don’t hunt an animal you do not respect; her mother had always told her. The animal you hunt provides you sustenance and clothing, you must give it your time, your effort, your patience, as the animal gives you its life.

(y/n) smiled recalling her mother’s words. She waited for the stag to finish its meal, and head to the little stream to drink some water. While it was then about to graze on the grass, (y/n) mumbled a soft prayer, and shot an arrow to the beast’s backside, bringing the beast down in one shot. While it screeched in pain, (y/n) walked over to the stag and was mesmerized with the glow in its eye, tears filling her own at the realization of what was to come. Taking her dagger out, (y/n) kissed the hold of the blade, before muttering a prayer. Always show your gratitude to the animal whose life you are taking to provide for your own, her mother would tell her.

And in one stab, there was light all around her.

A golden glow exploded around her and she wasn’t really sure if she was in the same forest as before. Getting up slowly, she looked behind her and thought her heart would explode. There she stood, Artemis, surrounded by a golden aura, unmistakingly the most beautiful woman (y/n) had ever laid eyes on. It didn’t take long for her to start crying, for a child craving its mother’s love, and her mother standing right there after years of not having been able to meet.

And even if this was just a vision, (y/n) was happy she got at least this. Running to her mother, she embraced her, half expecting her hands to go through her mother, but was grateful for a solid presence, holding her back.

“The rat passed away a while ago, so this is me now.” Artemis’ voice was just the same as she had remembered.

Pulling back, but their arms still connected, Artemis wiped the tears off her daughter’s eyes.

“This… This was just a guess.” (y/n) let out, unable to look away from her mother’s face.

“A correct one.” Artemis said, winking.

(y/n) embraced her mother once more and breathed in. She knew that this was not permanent, but however this was possible, she was glad that it was. Five years of not being able to see her mother, or even hear her voice had caused a hole to form in her heart. This being possible meant that this was indeed a god’s blessing.

“How are you here?” (y/n) asked, a while later, still holding onto Artemis.

“A part of me has been in that stag for five years now. You’ve hunted well.”

(y/n) let out a dry chuckle, “I’m not so sure.”

“There we go again with the insecurity. My fawn, you’re so good at this. You have been so brave. I am so proud of you. It was not easy, (y/n), and I know this. You have come here all on your own. Realized things all on your own.”

“You sent me visions. Especially when I went to New York for the first time.”

Artemis chuckled, “I did not send you any visions, (y/n).”

Then what visions were they? (y/n) blinked a couple of times, but chose to fret on that later.

“Why didn’t you just tell me anything, mother?”

Artemis sighed once before brushing the girl’s hair off her face. Of course, everything would have been simpler if she had just told her daughter, as many witches and vicars did. However, Artemis knew that merely telling her would not be enough. The personality that came with (y/n) figuring things out for her own, and how she grew to nurture love than hate was something no one could teach her. Not even her own mother.

“Some things I cannot tell you, love. But, you have done so well.”

“I really thought that once I become a god, I wouldn’t feel so incomplete. But after meeting Pepper and… and my father, and Peter… I just…”

“Never be ashamed of what you are, love. There is that amazing quality about mortals that even gods can learn from them,” Artemis kissed her daughter’s nose and said, “They are the only ones who know how to truly live.”

(y/n) smiled, not completely certain, but satisfied. “I know the song now.”

Artemis smiled before saying, “I’ve loved that song. It’s the song that was playing when your father kissed me.”

(y/n) scrunched her face, “Why did you—?”

Artemis laughed before saying, “Tony and I loved each other that night. It was all I could ask for, being a god. There was a forever in that hour, and I knew everything that I had been missing out on before.”

“I didn’t need this answer.” (y/n) deadpanned.

A comfortable silence passed. Artemis hummed as she did years ago, listening to the wind and the chatter of animals around her. She looked beautiful in the forest, where she was meant to be. (y/n) could barely look away from the goddess, but this was her mother and this vision was not going to last.

“I’m not meant to kill Zeus, am I?”

Artemis turned, her wild hair flowing gracefully behind her. Her eyes were green, a radiant and beautiful green.

“You were never meant to kill anyone.” Artemis spoke, blinking slowly.

“But, the henchmen—”

“They are not of the living world, (y/n). They are merely moving stones and blood, and you are putting a stop to that dark use of godly magic.”

“What about Zeus? What happens now? What about Olympus?”

“Sometimes, prophecies happen without you having to complete them. When someone assigns you a prophecy, they do not take away your choice; they merely add you as one of the many catalysts that can bring about the change that’s mentioned. You might think that the dissolution of Olympus is entirely in your hands, but the fates are not as foolhardy to place such a big responsibility in the hands of a child.”

“But you once told me that even the movement of a butterfly’s wing can bring about a massive change.”

“Maybe, this needs the movement of a butterfly and not the efforts of a child.” Artemis winked.

(y/n) narrowed her eyes, “I do not understand—”

“You are not meant to, love. The oracle stated that you would bring about the dissolution of Olympus, but it is because you destroyed two henchmen did the gods start leaving. Now, with Zeus not even in his own cabinet, there is not a single god alive that trusts him. What you did, has already brought about the prophecy, (y/n). Now, even if you do not complete the entire ordeal, there is no one who can undo this.”

(y/n)’s eyes widened at her mother’s words.

“However, this took a great task,” Artemis said, smiling at her daughter, knowingly. “It took getting over that anger of yours. And Peter Parker helped you.”

(y/n) had understood his role in her visions. (y/n) knew that when she finished what had to be done here, in Greece, she would return to live a life in New York. What waited for her was a boy, a boy who could make her forget about whatever she had not known before. The boy, who was the very first person she met as soon as she was teleported into the place, as a 13-year old child.

The boy whose eyes were always asking her to stay.

“It was always him, (y/n). An unexplained force of action let me know that Pepper would be the one who would make you believe in a parent again. It was the same unexplained force that made you cling to Peter’s form even when you never knew him. Without Peter, however, you would never have gotten over that anger,”

“Love changes you.” Artemis said, kissing her daughter’s forehead.

(y/n) shut her eyes and felt tears fall down her cheeks.

“I miss you so much, mom.”

Holding her daughter’s form close to hers, Artemis held her for the last time. Breathing into her child’s hair, a single tear trickled down the goddess’s eye, as she began to turn into the brightest light (y/n) had ever seen.

“I’m right here with you.”

When (y/n) could not feel her mother’s hands around her, she broke into a sob that wasn’t particularly sad. She had seen her mother, sought answers for all those years gone by, and was certain now that there was a closure to how she felt about her mother. Now, (y/n) was certain she could move on; now, she was certain that there was nothing holding her back.

There was only one thing that was left to do. Standing up, with her mother’s bow and arrows with her, (y/n) rushed to Olympus, bare foot, to meet a particular goddess who was the reason her hate began.

❅

(y/n) was wearing black tights and a white top, with a black jacket and no shoes when she entered the great palace of Olympus. Apollo stood behind her, feeling a tad bit awkward about her choice of clothing, and also feeling slightly nauseous once more. Leaning toward his niece, she didn’t think twice before asking her.

“Is Wang’s a good Chinese place?”

Narrowing her eyes, she turned to her uncle and snapped, “You’ve been ordering from Wangs? They have terrible food! It always messes up your… Uncle, is that why it’s been cloudy for the past few days? You’re constipated!”

Apollo turned red and looked away.

“Try Delmar’s next time?” (y/n) said, rolling her eyes, walking into the council chambers.

There was no Zeus, as expected. Athena, Demeter and Hestia were absent as well. Dionysus waved at (y/n) upon seeing her, still drunk, causing (y/n) to bow back at the god. Hera was not in the council, but this (y/n) had already known about. Aphrodite sat there, looking bored.

“You’re looking for the Boar, I take it?” She asked, staring at the child.

“Have you moved him?” Apollo asked, confused.

“No,” Aphrodite sighed. “No, he’s right there. But, he’s so weird. Sitting there like a freaking stone. Ugh, when is this place coming down already?” She frowned before looking at (y/n), “Hey, niece, you’re bringing this place down, right?”

“N-No, not really.”

Aphrodite screamed in anger before turning upside down on her seat.

“I am so getting the hell out of here. Uncle Hades said he had a spot reserved for me down there. Or I’ll visit Australia or something. Or I’ll go visit the New Asgard. I hear they have a beautiful Queen now.”

“Do what you want, Aphrodite.” Apollo said, grabbing the girl and taking her out of there.

“What’s happened to her?”

“Don’t pay her any attention. She’s hated Olympus more than any of us. Especially after Zeus made her marry—”

“Don’t say his name.” (y/n) frowned, feeling terrible for the both of them.

Heading to the cells, Apollo and (y/n) walked quietly, side by side. He was thinking back to five years ago, in these very halls, when (y/n) and himself shared a terrible relationship. Truth was, he had always wanted to get to know her, to hold his niece and tell her stories and recite poetry to her; he always had a soft spot for his sister’s daughter.

But he had never managed to get past his initial bitterness. For Artemis almost losing her spot in the council, and being looked down upon for getting pregnant in the first place, Apollo unquestioningly blamed the child, while he knew it was not the child’s fault.

It was a defense mechanism and even though it was wrong, he couldn’t stop after he had started. And till date, he deeply regretted his actions. Placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder, he brought (y/n) to a halt and looked down to the ground. Regret was leaking out of him, his eyes held the pain he had ever since (y/n) was born, and only hoped and prayed that she would one day see past his pretentious tough exterior.

(y/n) turned to her uncle and blinked, confused by his sudden halt. Tilting her head sideways, she noticed how uncomfortable her uncle looked.

“Are you alright? Is it your stomach?”

A moment later, Apollo embraced the girl, shocking her. He was shaking now; crying was something Apollo was not used to. (y/n)’s eyes widened before her hands flung around him, wondering what had gone wrong.

“I have been such a terrible uncle to you,” (y/n) was shocked at his words, “All those years… As Artemis begged me to give you a chance, I pushed you away… Afraid… I wasn’t… I wasn’t fit to call myself your uncle… I never hated you, I just… I am so ashamed—”

She pulled away and looked at her uncle with adoring eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek and all she could see was a broken man trying very hard to apologize to a child he considered his own.

“I love you so much, uncle. Don’t ever apologize. You’ve been the best.”

Apollo bit his lip and chuckled dryly.

“I love you, too, you stupid, reckless demigod.”

When (y/n) grinned at him a moment later, Apollo swore he saw his sister smiling back at him. He could suddenly feel her all around him, a golden glow that she would emit as they rode their chariots above in the skies. He felt as if his heart was lifted, and his eyes were wide when he heard a few words in his sister’s voice.

At ease, Apollo, it’s over now.

Turning around, the two of them paused in front of the Boar’s chambers, and Apollo wondered what (y/n) was going to do. If she killed this henchman, she would become a god. This was it. This was the final call, she was either going to do it, or not. Apollo prayed for the latter.

“Grandfather, I know you’re in here.”

Apollo’s eyes widened and he turned to his niece with shock. He then looked at the Boar, whose gaze was fixed at (y/n)’s form, and a gassy substance exited from his eyes. Apollo had seen uglier things, but the half melted form of the Boar, and Zeus’ upper torso, floating in front of him. Gods, he has the worst power ever, Apollo thought before scrunching his face.

However, the real question was how his niece came to know of this. Had she always known that Zeus was inside the Boar all along? How had she known something that he, a god, had not? It didn’t make sense to him.

“I know you’ve always had the ability to possess things. That’s how you’ve been wooing the ladies, too. Hercules was born that way, it was the oldest tale in the book. So was Hephaestus—”

“Silence, you insolent little trash! I will end you and remove you from this council—”

“Yeah,” (y/n) folded her arms together. “That’s the thing. There already is no council. No Kingdom left for you to rule. You can’t hurt me anymore, grandfather.”

If it were possible for a storm to brew inside the premises of a single cell, Zeus made it seem easy. Black clouds grew out of him and formed cracks in the walls, he could escape the cell as easily as one could snap fingers. However, Apollo was stunned to see how (y/n) was not moving. She watched the scene unfold in front of her with no emotion on her face. As if she were used to whatever she was seeing. And this was something that shocked even Apollo.

“The other gods now know where you are, you know?”

Zeus’ eyes were glowing white, and he paused for a bit.

“All that hiding to prevent the gods from knowing where you were, to escape questions from them for your lack of action. I’m standing right in front of you, and here you are, hiding in one of your lousy creations. I wonder what the other gods will have to say to you about this,” (y/n) said, smirking.

Apollo was impressed.

“I won’t lay a finger on you, grandfather. But, I cannot promise that she won’t.”

It was a second later did Hera arrive. She stood beside (y/n), and stared at Zeus’ form. Zeus held thunderbolt in his right hand and was about to shoot it down on (y/n), however, Apollo was not going to let that happen. Immediately summoning his bow, he shot down Zeus and impaled his hand to the wall, earning a nasty scream from his father. Apollo felt torn at doing this, but he was certain there was no other go.

“Hello, husband,” Hera didn’t sound pleased. Looking at (y/n), she scoffed, “Can’t believe I needed this runt’s help for this.”

Apollo turned to the Queen and looked confused. Her help? When did this happen?

“I banish you from Midgard. And hereby dissolve Olympus.” Hera said, rolling her eyes.

Zeus now had links attached to his hand, preventing him from using his powers to their complete extent. This is a punishment that a coward deserves, (y/n) thought before turning to Hera.

“What are you going to do now?” (y/n) asked, blinking.

“I’m going to leave this nasty shit hole,” Turning to the girl, “Take care of brown eyes, he seems to fancy you a lot more than you think.”

(y/n)’s eyes widened. She’s the goddess of marriage, she thought, turning away.

“I think I’ll m-manage.” (y/n) let out, stuttering.

“Nonsense.” Hera said, folding her arms.

She recalled how agile the girl was when she entered Hera’s room from the window. Hera noticed (y/n), and just when she was about to smite her, the girl raised her arms and bowed down. Hera knew there was no use hurting her after she had surrendered.

“I want to know where Zeus is.” (y/n) said, still bowing.

“So what? So you can kill him and turn me into a widow?”

“No offense, but he isn’t the best husband, really,” The girl looked up at the Queen, still kneeling down, “And no, I will not be killing anything today.”

Hera stared at her, “Ugh, I smell love all around you.”

(y/n) smiled, “His name’s Peter Parker, and I did pray to you about—”

“I heard you. Whatever. He’s the one who attacked you.”

“Who? Peter?” (y/n) asked, confused.

“No, malaka. Zeus. He resides in the Boar.”

(y/n)’s eyes widened, “Did you just swear at me?”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Hera turned to the child before sighing. (y/n) looked up at her and blinked a couple of times.

“You should kill this creature to become a god.”

(y/n) shook her head, “I don’t want to be.”

Hera chuckled darkly, “That’s why you prayed to me.”

(y/n) blushed, “Please.”

“What about the prophecy?” Apollo wanted to join in on the conversation.

“I didn’t complete my prophecy, I didn’t kill the boar, so I am still mortal and a demigod. It’s who I am.”

Apollo smiled, and when he looked at Hera, she turned away, frowning. Apollo turned away after that, and pretended as if nothing had happened.

“I am still a god,” Zeus bellowed, grabbing everyone’s attention. “What makes you think I won’t come after you?”

(y/n) smirked and said, “You are a coward, Zeus. Let me see you try.”

❅

This might be the last time, she thought as she stood in the temple of Artemis. She placed the dagger in the shrine and sat down, folding her legs. Apollo watched her, not ignoring the feeling in his heart that his sister was here recently. He was impressed with his niece’s growth, and what was more impressive was how calm she was.

“How did you know?” Apollo asked, still staring at her.

“How did I know what?” (y/n) asked, looking elsewhere, as the wind blew.

For a whole minute, Apollo saw his sister in her. She was one with nature at the moment, her hair swaying wildly in the wind, her eyes traversing across random things in the air, her legs bare feet and her heart wild.

“How did you suddenly know what to do?”

(y/n) smiled at nothing in front of her, “Peter made me understand that I had a life there. A family… He’s always been telling me what I wanted to hear, just… I never understood it until recently.”

Apollo chuckles. Being an oracular god himself, he knew how important Peter was in her life. Which might have been one of the biggest reasons why he made her see those visions in the first place. But, he wouldn’t tell her that at that moment.

“Funny thing is,” She mentioned, now turning to Apollo. “He told me he’s always wanted to see Greece. I wish I could show him mom’s temple.”

Apollo normally never just granted wishes on a whim, but this was his niece. Rolling his eyes, he realized that this made her his favorite mortal. And even though gods were not allowed to pick favorites, (y/n) was indeed out of the ordinary.

“You can.” Apollo said, snapping his fingers.

(y/n)’s eyes widened and Peter appeared out of thin air. Apollo looked unimpressed, and the girl stood up instantly and stared at the boy in front of her.

“You won’t believe what just happened!” Peter let out, his eyes wide. He must have been in school, she thought, since he wasn’t wearing his suit. “Where am I?”

Peter looked around for a moment before unconsciously letting out, “I saw people, (y/n). There w-was this vision sort of thing, and-and I saw this really, really pretty woman who was thanking me and I saw you…” Peter slowly turned to spot (y/n) in front of him, smiling up at him.

He blinked a couple of times and struggled to catch his breath. I saw this, he thought, recalling his vision. After the woman had thanked him, he saw (y/n), standing there and smiling at him, just as she was at this very second. Peter’s heart was rummaging against his chest as he took a step closer to her, and took her hands in his. She hugged him a second later, and Peter held her back, breathing into her, knowing from just her facial expression that everything was alright.

Pulling back, Peter leaned down to kiss her just before placing his lips on what looked like a palm. Jerking back violently, Peter grimaced at his english teacher, who was also the god of the Sun. Apollo scoffed before wiping his hand on the back of (y/n)’s jacket.

“This is a temple for god’s sake.” Apollo snapped, causing (y/n) to laugh. He walked out of the temple, leaving the two of them alone.

Peter looked at (y/n) and smiled, “Mr. Stark thought you left… I had to tell him you were coming back.”

(y/n) nodded, “There’s nothing for me here.” She said, finally, looking at Peter.

“So, what made you want to come back?”

“Don’t make me say something super cheesy, Peter Parker.” (y/n) rolled her eyes, leaning into Peter’s arms.

Peter kissed the side of the girl’s head and stood there, staring at the front of Artemis’ shrine. There was a statue of the goddess, filled with vines and squirrels running all over it. The sight of it warmed Peter’s heart, and he was certain that the beautiful woman he had seen in his vision was her. She was thanking him for letting (y/n) learn how to love, and he wasn’t too sure if he could take the credit.

She was always someone who knew how to love; if not anything, she knew how to love better than anyone he had ever met. Peter was simply there to receive it, and collect it, and preserve it.

I love you, he thought before turning with her, as she led him out of the temple. What Peter didn’t know at that second was how (y/n) had thought the exact same thing.

series taglist:

Those I could not tag, I’ve added your urls here!

@maddie-laufeyson, @mscoloneldanvers, @https://dancing-flame.tumblr.com, @daughter-of-stark, @spider-mendes, @nerdyandproudofitsstuff, @someonekeepstakingmyusernames, @alina-margaret, @yourwonderbelle, @viarogers, @https://huangsushii.tumblr.com, @eridanuswave @oliviaisnotlistening @mizpotatobiscuits @editsbyjenny @abbieroseb @justtrynagetthroughlife @secretlittlewonders @missmulti @shallowshawnshallowshawn.tumblr.com @eunoiametonia @adistiany @justletmesleeptillidie @ppunderoos @myheartonthemove @heir2chaos @honeybutterparker @truthdaze @mvmakki @-thatgirloverthere-@growingthornz @freddies-fried-chicken @jinxedleohttps://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/wrongyuckie@gogoca @kewl-r @death-by-viola @losersunitetonight @hungoverhellhound @ro2424 @https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/blackkookiebunn @absmiles123 @fxckingfat @ludwigvonbaethoven @xbabykookiix @madds-lolo @uwukinawa @sunflowernightss @diamonddia-mond @5knee @imsuperawkward @smileyishere92 @awkward-youtube-trash @spiderbabyx @theshortegg @samthesnoop @kaithezaftig @kissingg-incars @miamua-posts @jaayypasta @kimjeon7 @booksarebae2000

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dirigibleplumbing · 5 years ago

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writing update, Steve/Tony edition

this is for myself and self-accountability though obviously anyone who is interested is welcome to read and ask me questions!

I have... so many WIPs. even only counting pieces I have actively worked on in the last month, there are... a lot.

I’m pretty much just writing whichever story I feel like working on at the time, though I’m also aiming to finish 5 pieces to get a bingo on my round 2 Cap/IM bingo card. This round ends January 31 so that’s an average of 1-2 stories published a month if all goes well.

Steve/Tony fic in progress:

multi-chapter fluff, humor, dating, smut, sex toy, and armor porn sequel to “Personal “Use.” so far it is featuring way more of Morgan Stark than I thought I would ever write (this is not actually a lot, I just didn’t think I would write her ever in my entire life).

AvAc Scott Pilgrim fusion (in the spirit of “Steve Rogers vs. the 7 Evil Exes” but with a slightly different set of exes, some help from the League of Good Exes, some help and hindrance from the League of Ambiguously Chaotic Exes (AKA Loki), and a poorly timed kidnapping thanks to Doctor Doom

MCU smut, angst, and BDSM etiquette ranging from “...I guess that’s okay?” to “OMG WTF PLEASE TALK TO EACH OTHER.” starts soon after Avengers 1 and mostly parallels canon up until IW, where it ends and implies it will diverge further. I actually started this before IW even came out and would really like to get it done!

MCU post-Endgame-everyone-lived story where Tony befriends and starts falling for an anonymous contemporary artist via late-night conversations over Twitter DMs

a AvAc hurt/comfort arc reactor story

non-powered AU featuring a heatwave and new roommates

a sort of reverse of “Every True Thing” where MCU Steve and Tony have a spell cast on them that forces them to only speak to each other in lies. goes on embarrassingly long before anyone notices something is up. MCU, Natasha POV. this is technically complete except I can’t decide whether or not I hate it.

Steven Universe x phase 1 MCU crossover I started a million years ago

AvAc Steve struggles to pick a birthday present for Tony, then picks one. how is this a story, you ask? yeah... I’m... working on that.

Steve/Tony 616 stories I’ve written outlines and snippets of but need to to read and research a LOT of comics before I can do much more, yet I keep going back and writing more snippets that may not even be in line with canon:

what will someday be a long-ish volume 3 story

a volume 4 story set right after they defeat the Hood where perhaps Tony’s use of the Gauntlet didn’t go exactly as everyone thought (this one I almost know enough to finish)

a short and trope-filled Civil War fix-it that I also feel close to knowing roughly enough to pull off

a Steve 1st person story where I’m trying to be poetic and stuff, which will not be particularly long but will also span pretty much the entire fucking 616 timeline

a story that is difficult to describe without major spoilers, but features, among other things, a sort of present-day + retrofuture take on volume 1

a 616 x Marvel Noir crossover

some accidental time travel, this one is set in early canon so I could make this work

annnnd a shit ton of noncon Hydra Cap/Tony and Superior Iron Man/Steve, including one set in an ambiguous time right before volume 4 where 616 Steve and Tony end up in a very different universe

The reading and research is happening, but very slowly. This is in part because I keep changing my mind about which stories and bits of 616 to prioritize. Also I just bought a bunch of Squirrel Girl comics and reading those instead.

Steve/Tony fic I want to write but haven’t really started yet:

a Star Wars x MCU crossover. YES I SAID CROSSOVER NOT FUSION

a Great British Bake Off fusion

AvAc story where Steve and Tony get trapped in the Timeless Archives and discover that... the Academy’s library is bigger than they thought. Crossover with Discworld, Doctor Who (approximately Donna Noble era), and others

I am honestly considering writing something for Marvel Puzzle Quest. it wouldn’t really be a story so much as character summaries and descriptions of powers for 3490 Iron Woman, AI Tony, Hydra Cap, Superior Iron Man, Nomad Steve, a combo Steve & Tony character (like Cloak & Dagger, Rocket & Groot) etc. I have no idea if anyone has any interest whatsoever in reading this, as I don’t know many Stevetonies who play MPQ, and the people I talk about MPQ with online complain a lot about multiple versions of existing characters. (I for one love every single incarnation of Steve and Tony. I adore and covet the new Worthy Cap and had a lot of feelings about his event being called “Worth It.” I mean?!?!)

(Can you tell I love crossovers?)

Steve/Tony fanart in progress:

616 post-CW sad Tony set to Mitski’s “Fireworks”

3490 angsty Natasha set to Mitski’s “Your Best American Girl”

MCU angsty Tony set to Mitski’s “Goodbye My Danish Sweetheart”

the 1872 art I posted an in-progress screenshot of a million years ago

companion illustrations and slice of life snippets to accompany “I Am With You”

this is at the bottom of my priority list, but I am in the sketching and layout stages of a sequel to “Monochrome” (shocking everyone, it is not set to a Mitski song)

(Can you tell I love Mitski?)

if you have read or skimmed this and anything jumped out to you as something you’re really excited about, any excitement and encouragement is welcome!

#posts I created #my writing #writing update #stony #I always feel weird tagging these things with ships but my tags are for myself #sorry anyone seeing this in the ship tag who doesn't give a shit about me and my writing #it's not my fault tumblr works this way

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britesparc · 6 years ago

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Weekend Top Ten #373

Top Ten Thoughts on Avengers: Endgame

Spoilers ahoy!

It’s the end of an era as Avengers: Endgame is finally upon us. As I write this, I’m less than 24 hours out of the cinema and it’s still all percolating within my brain. This Top Ten, then, will be an almost stream-of-consciousness outpouring of my joy, sadness, and occasional twinge of disappointment at what is unquestionably a phenomenal end to the Infinity Saga, a satisfying sequel to Infinity War, and a whole lot of fan-service.

Like I said: SPOILERS AHOY.

“Five Years Later”: it was a long film. Three hours long. but crucially, it does not feel three hours. It feels big, weighty, epic, but it does not feel long. to say it’s considerably longer than the previous Avengers movies, it just flies by. In this way, it’s similar to the Lord of the Rings movies; breadth and depth but still a lot of pace.

“Move on”: the five-year time-jump was a little bit of a surprise (I didn’t think it would be quite that long), but it helped sell a universe torn apart by the aftermath of The Snap. What I was not expecting was for them to live with it. Okay, so the departed people came back, but won’t that cause its own problems? This is not the world we entered in 2008 when Tony Stark was blown up in the desert; it’s not even the world we left in 2012 after a stunted alien invasion of New York. Some people will have tried to move on, perhaps forging new relationships, just to find their old lovers returned. Younger siblings will suddenly become older siblings. People will have lost jobs and houses. It’s rather fortunate that, from the looks of things, Peter Parker’s entire class was snapped out of existence and then returned, otherwise he’d be a lot younger than his co-stars in Far From Home. Anyway, not just undoing the time-jump was a brave decision and sets the stage for some potentially interesting stories going forward.

“It has to be me”: I went in expecting deaths, and I was surprised. I was expecting a bloodbath, and it was actually relatively muted. I was surprised that Vision didn’t get resurrected, less surprised that Gamora (sort of) did, astounded that Nebula survived, and blindsided by Black Widow. I don’t think it’s just because she’s got her own movie out next year, but I honestly thought Black Widow would become the lynchpin of a post-Captain America Avengers team. Hey, who knows? Maybe she will…

“I really tried to bring her back”: this is actually my mum’s theory (she’s a big Avengers fan), but what if Bruce was successful? When he snapped his fingers, he wanted to resurrect Natasha, but claims he was unsuccessful. What if he’s wrong, and she is back, somehow? Perhaps compromised, perhaps changed? Maybe her solo film will be about bringing her back to the light.

“I knew it!”: I was practically crying with giddy joy when Cap lifted Mjolnir. The fact that Thor had expected it, and was actually pleased by it, was just delightful. But Cap’s fight with Thanos, armed with both his shield and Thor’s hammer, was just a fantastic piece of fan-servicing fantasy cinema. I kinda wished they’d gone whole hog and given him his own Iron Man armour to boot.

“Your majesty”: Thor’s development in this film was interesting, as he was almost used as comic relief. His depression made total sense given not only that he blamed himself for not stopping Thanos in time, but also the scale of the loss he’d suffered prior to, and during, Infinity War. All the same, it was a bit of shame to see the character he’d developed in Ragnarok rolled back a little bit, even if it does set him up for some nice solo adventures down the line (perhaps he’ll feature in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and I really hope Taika Waititi gets to make another Thor solo movie too). But considering how Loki stole the show in the first Thor and Avengers movies, and how The Dark World and Age of Ultron were a little disappointing (in different ways) in regard to the God of Thunder, the strength of Thor’s story arc and what’s being asked of Chris Hemsworth in the role is a huge improvement and bodes well for the future.

“I am Iron Man”: if I’d put money down, I’d have said Cap dies for-real in the film, but Tony gets his own stand-alone Logan-esque swansong. That was not to be; Cap survives, sorta, and Tony really does make the sacrifice play and die saving the world. Whilst I’m disappointed he didn’t get to say goodbye on his own terms, as far as last stands go, that was phenomenal. A great call-back to one of the most famous moments in the MCU, a brilliant use of his OP armour’s capabilities, and just a really cool image. Totally Tony, totally Avengers, totally the end. Sob.

“You gonna tell me about her?” Steve Rogers totally deserved his happy ending, and if he hadn’t somehow ended up with Peggy Carter, then I’d have been a little bit disappointed. But I just don’t buy that Captain America would choose to retire. Did he get stuck in the past? Did he decide to fight crime in the 40s and 50s? And if so, did he try to do anything about Bucky or Hydra? Or did he know that that future was his past and so, as Bruce and Nebula explained, he was powerless to change it? Regardless, the fact that what we saw in the film was, essentially, Cap quitting, it left a slightly sour taste in the mouth, even though him handing the shield to Sam was a triumphant passing of the torch. Oh, and one more thought on this topic: in the Russo brothers’ first film for Marvel (The Winter Soldier), Peggy says something about how Steve was even instrumental in introducing her to her husband (I paraphrase); I wonder if, even back then, the endgame (ho ho) for Cap was always going to be “go back in time and marry Peggy”?

“That really is America’s ass”: let’s not get too mired in the mud here, despite my “Cap don’t quit!” niggles. Because as big and epic and tragic as the film was, it was also hilarious. I really didn’t expect it to be quite as funny as it was (I’m not sure why, all the previous Avengers movies have been pretty funny). I was quite pleased at how much humour Captain America was given; his exasperated “I know, I know” when his younger self trotted out the “I can do this all day line” was another delight.

“Assemble”: just like Cap wielding Mjolnir, there’s a certain geeky thrill just to hear him say those words. But the army of Avengers emerging from Strange’s portals was a phenomenal sight to behold, and it’s really exciting to see where the MCU goes from here. Captain Marvel has essentially declared her domain to be space; likewise, Thor is off with the Guardians for the time being; Black Panther is busy being King of Wakanda; Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. So who do we have, the next time the Avengers need to Assemble? Sam Wilson’s Captain America; the Scarlet Witch; Spider-Man; And-Man and the Wasp; The Winter Soldier, maybe; I guess Doctor Strange; perhaps Valkyrie? And then save the big guns for when they’re needed? Anyway, it’s just fun speculating at this stage.

Okay, there we are, ten thoughts off the top of my head. It’s funny sometimes that a movie can be so bloody good but the thing that sticks is the niggles (like, where was Lady Sif at the end?! And I feel bad that they couldn’t find room for Paul Bettany just so he could get a lovely little pictorial send-off in the credits). It’s such an achievement, the likes of which I don’t think we’ve seen before and I wonder if we’ll see again. Just in the same way that Avengers united several heroes who’d (mostly) starred in their own movies, and we got to see them join up and interact in a way that cinema hadn’t shown before, Endgame gives us an epic series finale of a film, one that is dependent upon the 21 films that came before it and the hours and hours of character development devoted to its stars. Where do they go from here? Which heroes get their sequels, which new heroes do they recruit? Will we ever see more of Steve Rogers? Will a new generation – Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart – take centre stage? What will be the over-arching connective tissue that, in ten years’ time, leads to another epoch-shattering Avengers smackdown? And how – how, how, how – do they incorporate Deadpool, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men?! I’ve no idea (well, I’ve got lots of ideas but they’re probably wrong) – but it’ll sure be fun finding out.

Oh, and there’s still no sign of Death’s Head.

#top ten #marvel #mcu #avengers #avengers endgame #spoilers #avengers endgame spoilers

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pharaonicwolf · 6 years ago

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I saw Avengers: Endgame

THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE. DO NOT CLICK ON THE READ MORE UNTIL YOU ARE GOOD AND READY.

I just have one (1) thing in particular that I need to happy-scream about with other people who might possibly understand.

So I have this mental list of things I want but will probably never get from the MCU (Daredevil in the main universe? Wanda Maximoff becoming HBIC? A Loki: Agent of Asgard limited series? Deaf Clint? Squirrel Girl? KAMALA KHAN?), and over time I’ve mentally adjusted the likelihood of those things based on responses to the riskier aspects of the changing canon (Black Panther made a literal billion dollars; trolls pounced all over Captain Marvel). Endgame gave me something I was convinced would never happen:

My boy Sam Wilson took up the shield.

I HAVE WANTED THIS FOR LITERAL YEARS Y’ALL I CAN’T EVEN

I am SO READY for a T’Challa & Sam crime-fighting team-up, gang.

SAM WILSON HAS AMERICA’S ASS

I am SO clenches fist FUCKING READY

#avengers endgame #avengers: endgame #avengers endgame spoilers #endgame spoilers

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ao3feed-lokiangst · 3 years ago

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How Loki Met Squirrel Girl

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/JedN1SQyk

by pinktwingirl

Hey guys! This is a brief one-shot that ties into my Endgame rewrite. Basically, it goes deeper into my headcanon that the girls who got a picture with Thor in Ragnarok were Squirrel Girl and Nancy, and how Loki came up with his plan to be resurrected. A tad confusing, I know, but I hope you enjoy! :)

Words: 1318, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Squirrel Girl, Doreen Green, Thor (Marvel), Nancy Whitehead, Tippy-Toe

Additional Tags: MCU Rewrite, thor ragnarok - Freeform

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/JedN1SQyk

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #loki #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #angst

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pinktwingirl · 3 years ago

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My MCU Rewrites, Basically:

Loki: I trust no one but myself. My heart is an empty, black void. I have no need for anyone in my life. Solitude is my only way-

(Squirrel Girl walks in)

Squirrel Girl: Hiya, Loki! ^_^

Loki: ….fuck

#mcu rewrite #mcu fanfiction #loki #loki series but with squirrel girl #endgame but with loki and squirrel girl #squirrel girl #unbeatable squirrel girl #the unbeatable squirrel girl #doreen green #dorki #loki x squirrel girl #loki x doreen green #squirrel girl x loki #doreen green x loki #marvel #mcu

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imagine-loki · 4 years ago

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Loki's Daughter

TITLE: Loki’s Daughter CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 12: The King of Books

Previous Chapter: Chap 11 AUTHOR: traveling_classicist ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Avengers: Endgame AU Loki that gets away with tesseract has been using it to explore the universe. During his adventures, he comes across a little girl with developing but oppressed magical abilities. Intrigued (and subconsciously lonely) Loki keeps her around. RATING: Fic is M; this chap is G

AO3 Link: Here NOTES/WARNINGS: Fluff and stuff

Chapter 12: The King of Books

Kuna and Loki returned to the lush, green planet they had left. Loki liked how quiet it was. It would be a good place for them to lie low for a short time while he studied the books on curses they had taken and figure out the best course of action for Kuna. Frigga had given him plenty of advice and forewarning about what to expect when lifting her curse.

“You will likely have to confront the sorcerer who placed this curse on her,” she had said. They stood in the dense forest of Asgard while Kuna covered her ears. Loki did not want her hearing anything about the curse in case it would cause her further pain. “If he is alive, that is. If not, things may be even more complicated.”

“How do you mean?” Loki had asked her.

“If he’s not, you’ll have to attempt to lift the curse yourself. The books you’ve taken may help you more in that regard. All I know is that it is incredibly dangerous for everyone involved.” She looked down at Kuna with concern. “Curses like these can become their own sentient entities. Parasites that can protect and defend themselves, often with devastating consequences to the host.”

“Yes, I think I’ve already experienced this,” Loki replied, thinking back to how Kuna had kicked him out of her mind when he had tried to see her past. “I believe it has already begun to protect itself from being destroyed. I fear for Kuna’s safety, if I try this.”

“It can be done, Loki, but coercing the casting sorcerer is likely the safest route to lifting it.”

“Hmm. That might be difficult. He’s protected himself by not allowing Kuna to speak about the curse or her magic at all. Even if we do return to her home system, finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“Well, you always did love a challenge, darling,” she said, affectionately.

They had bid farewell to Frigga in the forest and returned to the portal they had entered from. Loki did not dare use the tesseract on Asgard. The Allfather would surely have Asgard’s scholars looking for its energy signatures. The portal led out onto Alfheim where Loki could easily teleport them away to the safety of the green planet the tesseract had chosen for them.

They reappeared this time near a copse of trees in a deep valley. They seemed to be far from wherever they had camped last. The mountains were still visible but far in the distance and trees now dominated the landscape. Loki preferred the cover of the trees to the openness of the mountaintop. It felt more secure. They decided to make camp there. He set up the tent while Kuna explored the nearby trees.

“Don’t go too far,” Loki said. “I still find it strange that we’re the only living beings here.”

Kuna walked around the trees, feeling their bark with her hand. She could smell flowers and other earthy aromas that calmed her. She liked being outside, away from the nasty smelling city. She picked a suitable tree and climbed up it with ease. Loki was impressed.

He watched her hop from branch to branch with ease. She ran through the limbs of the trees, barely moving them as she went. Then, she crouched low and leapt from one tree to another and continued on bouncing through the branches like a little squirrel.

Loki smiled. It was nice to see her exploring and playing. He finished setting up their tent and began producing stacks of books, the books they’d stolen, for him to research. He picked a comfy looking tree and sat down, leaning back against it. A breeze whistled softly through the leaves above him and the grass at his feet. He had to admit that the tesseract had picked a nice planet for them to come to, though he still did not understand how.

He pushed the thought from his mind and set to reading his book Curses and Their Counters. It proved to be a long-winded, dense discussion on the morality of curses and why such magic should be banned from the modern grimoire. He rolled his eyes and set the book aside, picking up another.

Kuna spied on him from above, watching as he read speedily through each book and firmly set each aside. He shifted uncomfortably against the and rubbed his back. Grumbling to himself, he tossed another book away and picked up yet another. The stacks around him were growing ever higher.

Kuna quietly climbed down from her perch and snuck up behind him. Their satchel lay on the ground by the roots of the tree. Carefully, she put her hand into the bag, searching. Pushing aside her toys and various other items, her fingers landed on its decorated handle of the dagger Loki had purchased on Tenanci’i.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked, not looking up from his book.

“It’s a surprise?” Kuna said, wondering how he knew she was there.

“A surprise that requires a dagger normally ends up with someone dying,” he said, turning a page calmly. “Are you going to stab me?”

“No.”

“All right. Just don’t chop your fingers off.”

“I won’t!” She grabbed the dagger and ran off towards the trees.

“Walk!” Loki said. Kuna slowed, walking excitedly.

She approached a tree with long, hanging vines. She took hold of one and pulled, hoping it would come down on its own. But it held tight to its roost high in the tree. The tree itself looked wilted. Some of its leaves were still brown and the vines were starting to stifle the tree’s trunk and branches.

She climbed up to its tallest branches and began cutting down the long vines. When she had a nice pile at the base of the tree, she carefully climbed down and gathered them up. She wound them up in tight spools and looped them over her arms. Trouncing through the tall grass, she was careful to pass behind Loki so he wouldn’t see her surprise. She made her way back to the tree she had climbed before, tossing her vines on the ground, along with the dagger.

Plopping down on the grass, she began her work, unspooling the vines and laying them out in a grid around her. She stood and began to weave the vines in and around each other, over and under. Now and then, tying off an end and beginning with a new vine. When she was happy with her work, she hoisted it between two trees. She stood back, examining her creation. Nodding with satisfaction, she ran to Loki.

She stopped short, realizing Loki was deep in thought as he read. She was afraid to interrupt but excitement was boiling over her. “Loki?” she said, softly.

He looked up from his book at her. “Mmm? Please, don’t tell me you chopped off your fingers.”

“I didn’t,” she said, showing him all her fingers.

“Good,” he said. “What is it?”

“I made something for you.”

Startled, Loki looked back up. “You made something… for me?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She looked down at her feet, putting her hands behind her back.

He squinted at her and then smiled wickedly. “Young lady, if you stab me with that dagger…”

“It’s not the dagger!” she cried, laughing as he did. “Come and look!” She ran behind him and pushed on his back to make him stand. He purposely leaned back against her, smiling. “You’re so heavy!”

“Oh, all right,” he said, standing up quickly. Kuna fell forward on her face but jumped right back up again, grabbing Loki’s hand.

“This way! Close your eyes!”

“I don’t know if I like that.”

“It’s more of a surprise that way! Please!” she begged, looking up at him with big eyes. She pulled on his hand, making him lean over and whispered, “I promise I won’t stab you.”

“Oh, well when you put it that way.” He closed his eyes and let her lead the way.

She positioned him in front of the tree, making sure he was in just the right place to see her creation.

“Okay, okay. Open!”

Loki opened his eyes. Hanging between two trees was a beautifully crafted hammock. His lips parted in surprise at Kuna’s skill.

“It’s for you!” she said.

“For me?” he looked down at her. She nodded, smiling.

“So that you’re comfortable while you read.”

Loki didn’t know what to say. “It’s beautiful, Kuna. Where did you learn this?”

“All the slaves on Torileena know how make them. The Masters like to sleep in them to stay off the dirty ground. We put them way high up in the trees, away from all the scary monsters.”

“Where did you sleep?”

“On the ground,” she said. She took his hand again. “Come on! Try it!”

Loki climbed unsteadily into the hammock. It was the perfect size for him. He thought the vines would be rough on his skin but instead they were soft and supple. He looked down at Kuna.

“I love it but it’s missing something,” he said. Kuna frowned, looking around. Loki picked her up and set her down beside him in the hammock. “Ah. That’s better. Now it’s perfect.” She giggled and hugged him. “This is lovely, Kuna. Thank you.”

She cuddled next to him. He took out his book and began reading again. Kuna watched. She wondered what all the sticks on the page said.

“Does this book have pictures like the mushroom book?” she asked.

“No, I don’t think this one will have any pictures. If it does, they won’t be fun pictures,” Loki replied.

“Oh.”

“But I did manage to swipe a few storybooks from Odin’s study – I’m sure he won’t miss those either – they have lots of nice pictures in them.”

Kuna smiled for a moment, but it faded.

“Kuna, what’s wrong?”

“W-will you teach me how to read?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

“Of course, I will. We’ll learn with the storybooks just like I did.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Kuna’s smile returned. She laid her head against Loki’s shoulder. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until now. She slowly drifted off to sleep as the hammock swayed.

Loki tried to focus on his book but he too was quite tired. They were safe here and the hammock was far comfier than having to squish through the hivetent’s door, so he allowed himself to drift off as well. The matter of Kuna’s curse was not going to be solved in a day. He would need time to study and plan in order to ensure the curse was lifted properly.

For the first time in a while, he felt content with where he was. Kuna lay beside him peacefully. They were safe. He wasn’t rotting in some prison. He had an ally in his mother. He had half expected her to hand him over to the guards. He was sure Odin had brainwashed her with falsified stories of his exploits on Midgard. Heimdall could no longer see Loki at all so his visions only came from his sightings of Thor. Of course, he had the rest of Asgard to watch over; he could hardly watch the prince all the time.

Loki had been surprised by Odin’s rebuke of his eldest, most beloved son. It seemed he was content with leaving Thor stranded on Midgard to stew in his ‘failure’. Loki chuckled to himself. He could never think of a time when Odin had thought Thor had failed. Save, perhaps, for his most recent blunder with the Jotuns that had him exiled to Midgard the first time. This seemed far more serious. And it made Loki feel wickedly pleased with himself.

He hates you too, you know, the voice in his head echoed.

“Please. As if I care,” Loki spat in thought.

Oh, but I think you do.

“Why would I care what he thinks? He’s a…”

“He’s a murderer and a thief!” Laufey’s voice rang out in Loki’s mind, jarring his memory back to Jotunheim. He shook his head. He didn’t like to think about that dreadful place or the time he and Thor had gone there together; when he had learned what he truly was.

You’re a murderer and a thief too. Just like Odin.

“I am not just like Odin.”

But that’s all you’ve ever wanted to be, the voice was cool. Loki could feel the treacherous sting behind his words. Just like father.

“He’s not my father!” Loki shut the book in disgust with himself.

Pathetic.

“What does it matter now anyway? He hates me.”

Loki’s eyes opened. He looked down at Kuna’s brown hair. His jaw tightened.

Sentiment. For a child. Is this love?

Loki squeezed his eyes shut but was confronted by a sudden flash of memory. Sitting in the glass box on the helicarrier.

“Is this love, Agent Romanov?” he scoffed.

Agent Romanov’s voice echoed in his head, “Love is for children…”

Loki shook his head, rattling the memory away but her voice echoed.

Sentiment.

Loki’s eyes opened, settling on Kuna. His breath was ragged and heavy.

Sentiment, the word echoed through his mind so loud it seemed to rattle his in his skull.

A darkness settled over his vision, clouding everything. He tried hard to push the rage he was feeling down deeper. Imagining a bottomless chasm, he gathered all of his emotions and painful memories together and tossed them into the abyss. He seethed. He only felt angrier and more resentful.

“Loki?” Kuna’s voice broke him out of it.

He looked down at her. His eyes must have been fierce because she flinched.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Hmm? Yes. I was just thinking,” Loki responded.

“Who were you talking to?

“Hmm? Oh, no one.”

Kuna sat quietly for a moment. She did not like the way Loki had looked just then. The way he had been staring through her made her feel nervous. “I’m cold,” she whispered.

“Are you? Let’s go inside. It’s getting dark.”

He got up out of the hammock and picked her up, taking the book with him as well. They went inside the hivetent and he set her down on the floor. She took out their bedrolls and spread them out for them both. She quietly removed her toys from the satchel and climbed into her bedroll, bundling up in it.

Loki paced with the book open, trying to distract himself. Kuna watched him walk back and forth, back and forth. Her stomach made an angry growling noise. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to her. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Loki raised a brow, unconvinced.

“Kuna? Oh dear, you’ve gone to sleep,” he said in mock disappointment. “I was just about to ask if you were hungry. I suppose not.”

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up quick. “I am hungry!” she said. “Please!”

“I thought so,” Loki smiled and conjured some food for her. She munched happily while he went back to reading. “I can’t believe I forgot to give you dinner. If I do that again, just tell me. Sometimes I forget to eat,” he said.

Kuna couldn’t imagine herself forgetting to eat. She liked food too much. She took another big bite of dried meat. She would just have to make sure he did not forget to eat.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked, her mouth half full.

“I’m not very hungry right now,” he said, not looking up from his book. “Perhaps later.”

“Don’t forget.”

He smirked at his book. “I won’t.”

Kuna finished her meal and cuddled with her toys. She let out a big yawn, stretching her arms. Loki yawned as well. Kuna crawled over to him. He was intently reading a large brown book. She watched his eyes flit over the page. His finger traced a line down each side of the book as he read, before turning to the next page.

She looked at the big pile of books beside him. She started to reach for a big book with a pretty golden binding, but sharply pulled her hand away, jerking her head to the side as if she were hit. Loki noticed the sharp movement and felt a pang of sorrow for her.

“It’s all right, Kuna,” he said. His voice made her jump. “You can look at that one.”

She turned and looked at him. “Really?”

“Yes.”

She gingerly picked it up, opening its pages to find beautifully painted pictures. She gasped, staring at the bright colors and moving textures. Each picture gently flowed and undulated, giving movement to each scene. Characters bowed and danced on one page. Kuna quickly turned to the next and found the scene had changed to show a forest, the trees blowing in an imaginary wind.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Loki asked.

She nodded.

“Slaves were never allowed to touch books. Some Masters, like Master Machaluci, put magical spells on his books that blinded slaves that opened them and tried to read them.”

“That’s horrific, Kuna.” He took the corner of the book and pointed at the page. “These were stories that my mother read to me when I was a boy. These books have no magical spells on them. Besides the ones that make the pictures move, that is. You won’t go blind, I promise.”

Kuna looked back at the book. Loki turned the pages for her, showing her another image of a warrior fighting a giant blue monster with red eyes.

Loki huffed. “There are a few good ones in here, although, it’s been a long time since I’ve read any of these fairytales.”

“Will you read some to me?” Kuna asked.

Loki smirked at her. “Sure.”

She settled in close to him. He read her stories of warriors and great battles, kings and queens, monsters and magic, and even of dragons. Those were her favorite. She stared at the beautiful pages as Loki read aloud, changing voices with the characters, and acting out their movements with his hands. Kuna had never heard such lovely and enchanting stories. They sent her mind on adventures through vast imaginary landscapes, fighting trolls and bandits, rescuing villages and saving kingdoms.

Loki wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but he looked down at her, showing her one of the images on the page, and her head gently fell against his arm, her eyes closed, a soft smile on her lips. He smiled, slowly closing the book. Gently, he picked her up and carried her to her bedroll, tucking her in with her toys.

Returning to his books, Loki quickly lost track of time. The books on curses were dense and often difficult to understand. Their archaic, long-winded musings on the morality of curses or the history of their terrible deeds were of no use to him. He needed to know how to lift them. And to know that, he needed to know how to cast them. He tossed one book aside and picked up another, furiously thumbing through its pages, skimming the text for anything that would help him.

He grumbled to himself as he finished another book and tossed it onto the pile. He ran his fingers through his hair. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he looked over at Kuna asleep on the floor. He groaned and put his head in his hands. They had practically ransacked Odin’s library for books on curses; there had to be something that they had stolen that was of use. That fat, old man did not keep these books locked away because they were strict, moral teachings. He knew how to use dark magic and kept it to himself.

He picked up another book and began reading. There were many spellbooks among his new collection, containing spells he had never seen before. Spells that doused the victim in an acid-like substance that burned their skin and spells that caused bad luck. While these spells seemed deliciously wicked to him, they were far from the curses he was searching for. He set these books aside for further study.

Loki continued reading until the morning light began to shine against the opaque walls of the tent. He hardly noticed; his nose buried into a book about a sorcerer who had been banished out of time for use of curses with the use of one of the infinity stones. He was surprised to see mention of the stones, but ancient Asgardians had been rather fascinated by them.

“Loki?” Kuna’s asked.

“Mmm?”

“Have you been up all night?”

“Mmm-yes,” Loki mumbled.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” He glanced up. “Oh, if you’re hungry,” -he conjured a pile of their supplies on the floor- “take whatever you like.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Thank you, Loki,” Kuna said, graciously. She picked up some fruit and bread. “Can I go outside?”

“Yes, sure. Just don’t go far.”

“Okay.” Kuna walked outside, turning back to look at Loki before walking out the door.

Book after book Loki read through and still he could find nothing of real value beyond anecdotal evidence of curses or didactic discourses on curses. He finally decided to take a break and stood, popping his back and walking outside to find Kuna.

The sun was hanging low in the sky now.

“Shit! Is it that late already!” Loki looked around for Kuna but could not see her. “Kuna?”

There was no answer. He called again but all he could hear was the wind through the leaves. He looked around at the trees, searching the branches for her. When he did not see her, he set off into the forest to find her. With a wave of his hand, he cast a spell on the ground to illuminate her footprints.

Tiny footprints glowed green on the ground in a twisting and turning about all around the tent and their little camp. Loki could see the prints exiting the tent were dimming while a trail of prints that led into the woods shown brighter than the ones around him.

“I told you not to go far,” he grumbled as he followed after them. “Now you’ve probably been eaten by some monster. I knew this planet couldn’t be lifeless. What was I thinking?”

He stomped through the brush, following Kuna’s tracks. She had wondered here and there, stopping occasionally to admire a flower or rock. Then the prints went up a tree.

“Great,” Loki huffed, finding himself increasingly annoyed by his new ward. He looked around to see where she may have come down again and picked up the trail on another tree she had leapt to. He followed them as she jumped from tree to tree, but they were becoming harder and hard to see.

He stopped and called for her again to no answer. The forest was still save for the occasional falling leaf. The lack of birdsong or crunch of undergrowth from small animals felt eerie to Loki. He looked around and realized he’d lost Kuna’s trail completely. He studied the trees but could no longer find the green glowing footprints. He was not amused. “Kuna? Where are you?” he called. “Please, don’t be dead.”

He cast the spell again hoping it would reilluminate the lost trail but there was no trace that he could see. He was going to start retracing his own steps to where he lost the trail when he heard Kuna’s voice in the distance.

“Hyah!”

A yelp echoed through the trees. Loki tore off in her direction, conjuring knives in his hands, ready to slay the unseen beast attacking her. He could see a clearing in front of him. He slowed, crouching in the shadows, and peeked through an opening in the brush.

Kuna stood in front of what was left of a long dead tree, a long stick in her hands. Loki searched the clearing for her assailant but found no one, just Kuna and the tree. The upper branches had long broken away, leaving only the hollowed trunk behind barely standing on its rotted stump, the tree stood only a few feet taller than Loki now; a fraction of its once great height.

Kuna squared up with the tree and swung her stick at the trunk, letting out a grunt with the effort. The sound reverberated through the woods. Pieces of bark rained down on Kuna. She swiped at them with her hands.

“The woodland troll threw boulders, but the hero’s shiny armor protected her!” Kuna narrated.

Loki smiled and tried to stifle his laughter from the bushes as he watched.

“Your boulders are no match for my sword!” Kuna swung again at the tree and it wobbled with the blow.

“Hyah!” she stabbed at tree as it wobbled back and it creaked and fell backwards with a crash. She leapt on top and plunged her sword through an old animal’s nest in the trunk.

“You’re defeated, woodland troll! You can’t hurt the village anymore!”

“Oh dear, what have I done?” Loki mused from his hiding place. “I’ve raised a hero.”

Kuna stood triumphantly on the fallen tree with her back to Loki. He took his chance and crept out silently from the bushes. He stalked her without making a noise. A wicked smile grew on his face with each step.

“A hero?” he said, laughing evilly. “A hero who’s wandered too far from home.”

Kuna jumped and fell off of her fallen foe. She turned over and grabbed her stick. She gasped. “The sorcerer!”

Raising her stick to swing at him, Loki made an elegant swipe with his knife, cutting the stick in half. It dangled by a thread in front of Kuna’s face. She gulped and looked up into Loki’s smiling face.

“Ahh!” She flung the broken stick at him and ran off into the woods. “Run away!”

“Hey!” Loki swatted the weapon aside. “You get back here!” He chased after her back into the underbrush. “Heroes don’t run away!”

Branches and vines smacked him in the face and caught in his hair as he ran. He quickly lost sight of tiny Kuna in the bushes and plants. He stopped and listened. Silence had fallen again. She was hiding. His ears listened for any trace of movement. He heard nothing. She was good.

“Yaaaahh!” Kuna jumped out of a branch above Loki’s head. He stepped out of the way and she flopped into a pile of leaves on the ground.

“You were doing well until just then,” he said, leaning over her. “The key to an air assassination is not giving away your position by screaming like a howler monkey.”

She groaned.

He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. “Now, the poor hero’s been kidnapped by the evil sorcerer.” He started walking back towards the tent with her draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “I’m taking you back to my evil lair. Whatever will the hero do now?”

“Stab!” Kuna jabbed Loki in the back with a broken stick.

“Yeee!” Loki yelped and let go of her. She jumped out of his hold and took off again. Loki watched her disappear through the ferns, cackling as she ran. “She really is my kid.”

He walked along, listening for her once more. He had nearly returned to the tent when her felt her presence behind a tree. She was breathing hard and trying not to laugh. He smiled and walked on. He created a clone that continued down the path. He crept around the other side of the tree and grabbed her.

“Raaaar!” he growled.

“Ahh! Cheater!” she cried. She fell backwards. “How did you know where I was?”

“Mouth-breather,” Loki taunted her. He picked her up by the ankle and carried her upside down back to the tent.

She giggled the whole way, swinging back and forth, trying to stab him with her broken twig.

“I think I’ll turn you into a frog,” he said.

“No!” she cried.

“Or maybe a mouse. They’re very quiet.”

“No! I don’t wanna be a mouse!”

“Or how about a homing pigeon. That way you won’t get lost.”

“I wasn’t lost,” she said.

“Well, you sure did wander far. Look how late it is!”

“Sorry,” she said. “Are you still going to turn me into a frog?”

“Nah,” Loki said, setting her down. “Just don’t do that to me. I thought you’d been eaten or something.”

“Stab!” Kuna jabbed him again, this time in the thigh.

“You little bilgesnipe!” he shouted.

“The villain let his guard down long enough for the hero to make her escape!” Kuna narrated. She jumped over a pile of books and rolled over her shoulder, leaping up and snatching her toys from her bedroll. “She rescues her friends from his evil lair and saves the day!”

“Sure, sure,” he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his thigh. “Saves the day.”

He sat down between the piles of books and found one of the ones he had been reading. Kuna bounced around the tent with her toys. She grabbed some food from the pile on the floor and stuffed it in her mouth. She stopped abruptly and looked at Loki. He was intently studying another book.

Darkness had settled on the tent again before Loki looked up. He had just realized how quiet Kuna had become. She was asleep on the floor, wrapped up in her blankets. Loki started to get up when his foot bumped an apple on the ground in front of him. He looked down. Kuna had made a small meal for him of fruit, bread, cheese, and dried meat with a cup of water from their supplies. He smiled and sat down again, picking up his meager meal and taking a bite of bread.

When Kuna woke the next morning, she glanced over at Loki’s bedroll, but it was empty. She frowned at it and turned over. Loki was sitting up against the wall of the tent, legs crossed with a book in his lap. His chin drooped to his chest as he snoozed.

Kuna stood, picking up Loki’s blanket and marching over to him. She nudged the book off his lap with her stick and threw the blanket over him. She gently tucked the blanket around his shoulders and legs. Finally, she set her toys on his lap in case he needed them. They helped her sleep.

Picking up his cup and plate from the night before, she walked back over to their pile of supplies and began organizing it. When she was done, she looked around for more inside things to do. The tent smelled of old books and ink and slightly of mildew. She scrunched up her nose. Her Masters would not have liked the smell. Or the mess. Looking around, she could have sworn she did not take this many books at Odin’s study.

She walked through the stacks of books and found their golden storybook. She traced the ornate knots on the cover. She wondered if Loki would be mad at her if she peeked inside at the pretty pictures. She started to open the cover but then put it down.

Instead, she occupied her time counting the books in the big stacks scattered around the room. She counted one hundred and seventeen. Loki snored softly as Kuna began to tidy up the stacks of books, straightening them and pushing them to one side of the tent. She put them all in level stacks with the spines facing out, neatly aligned with the curve of the wall.

She stood back and looked at all the books and then got an idea. She pushed a few stacks in around Loki. She used the books like bricks, building up walls until it looked like there was a castle around him with just his head peeking out above and his legs sticking through the gates. Then she sat back and waited and waited and waited.

She heard a long sigh from within the castle walls. “Kuna,” Loki’s calm voice came from behind the walls of books.

Kuna covered her mouth, wheezing with laughter. She climbed up a stack of books and peeked over the walls at Loki. He still sat, wrapped in the blanket.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You’re the King of Books,” she said, not able to hide her laughter anymore.

“You’re damn right, I’m a king,” he said. He settled into his blanket, getting comfy. “This castle is rather draughty. I think it needs a roof.”

Kuna gasped and jumped down, grabbing her blanket and throwing it over the top of the book castle. She got down on all fours and crawled towards the entrance.

“Can I come in?” She poked Loki’s feet.

“What’s the password?”

“Um, please?”

“No.”

“Aw,” Kuna sat back. “Pretty please?”

“It doesn’t matter how pretty or ugly the please is: no.”

Kuna frowned. “But I wanna come in too.”

“What’s the password?”

Kuna grumbled. She thought for a long time. “Um, password?”

“All right, come in,” Loki said, pulling his feet inside.

“Yay!” Kuna crawled into the small space, over Loki’s legs settled down by his side. It was dark now that she’d tossed the blanket over their castle. Loki conjured a little orb of light that bobbed up to the top of the blanket and hovered there.

“Do you like your castle?” Kuna asked, giggling a little.

Loki glanced around and then chuckled. “I think we should have taken more books.”

They both laughed. Loki put his arm around Kuna and pulled her up onto his lap. She squealed with joy.

“You’re quite the little trickster, aren’t you?”

“Can I be the Princess of Books?”

“Obviously.”

“You fell asleep reading last night.”

“I did.”

“And you forgot to eat again.”

“I did. Thank you for making me dinner. I’ve been doing a lot of studying and time feels like it’s flying by.”

“What are you studying?” Kuna asked.

“Um, well, these are books about curses.”

Kuna gasped. “That’s angry magic.” She shuttered. “Why would you wanna read about that?”

“I’m just researching curses. You’re right, they are rather nasty. What do you know about them?”

She shook her head. “It’s the worst magic of all.”

“Hmm,” he said. “Do you think all magic is bad?”

Kuna thought about his question a moment. “Maybe not all magic. The magic the Masters use was given to them by the gods, but most of the time, they used it to hurt us.”

“Why is that, do you think?” Loki asked her.

“Because we were bad,” she pouted.

“I don’t think so.”

She looked up at him. “I think they used it to hurt you so you would never question them,” Loki continued. “So that you would never try to run or stand up to them. I think they used it to control you.”

Kuna looked down, staring at her hands.

“I also think they may have used a curse on you, Kuna, to control you even more.”

Kuna’s breath caught in her chest. She breathed hard and clenched her fists. She felt overwhelmed by emotion and shook her head to make it all go away.

“No,” she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

“Now, now,” Loki said, gently consoling her. “It’s all right. I’m going to fix it. That’s why we took all these books. That’s why I’ve been staying up all night studying them. I’m going to figure out a way to lift the curse on you.”

“Why… why did they put a curse on me?” she choked.

“I think they saw you as a threat.”

“But I’m not a threat. I’m tiny.”

“You defeated a troll yesterday and then you stabbed a god. Twice! Not to mention all your other feats of bravery. Don’t underestimate yourself, my little raven.”

“But I don’t… I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember anyone cursing me!”

“That’s the point, darling,” he said. “They wanted to keep it secret even from you so that you could not tell anyone. But I’m much smarter than they are. I’m going fix it, all right?”

Kuna was practically sobbing now, sucking in hard breaths and forcing them out with all her might. It hurt Loki to see her reaction. He pulled her close and hugged her. She cuddled into his chest.

“It’s going to be all right,” he told her and gave her a gentle kiss on the head.

“They’re evil.”

“Yes, they are. And we’ll defeat them together.”

#Loki #God of Mischief #Father #Submitted fic #submission #loki's daughter #travelling-classist #chapter 12

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