How I was tempted to scream for Mom in that very moment, but I all could do was whisper her name under my breath. A whisper that did not escape Loki's ears. A wave of doubt washed over his face, as if the thought of dealing with another petty Midgardian seemed too much to handle, as if his abilities really were faltering.

I didn't know what I wanted to happen next. As terrifying as the prospect was to be undiscovered, so was the thought of my mother getting involved with this delusional intruder. She surely knew I was home; my car was currently parked in the driveway. But she made no efforts to communicate, probably assuming I was already cooped up in my room, in my own little world. But oh, was she wrong, and I didn't know if I should be grateful or not.

Covering my mouth with his free hand, Loki pulled the two of us back into my room, all the while giving me the death glare. He then released my hands, but simultaneously tightened his grip over my face, a grip more than adequate enough to keep from going anywhere. Locking the door behind him, he proceeded to lodge the largest book I had laying around that would fit under the door, effectively preventing the opening of the door even without the lock, from both the outside, and inside.

I was now glaring back up at him, but rather than inspired by defiance, it was more so pain that was currently feeding my anger. If nothing else had yet proved this intruder to be someone other than simply Tom Hiddleston, his grip most certainly did.

By now the only realistic explanation for my circumstances that I could think of was that I myself was the delusional one, but that didn't make the pain, fear, or anger any less real.

Scrabbling at his hand for release, air was the least of my worries, I just didn't want a fractured jaw or cheekbones. His visage had completely shifted from the uncertainty of mere moments before. He now had the disdainful look of someone who had just found a spider and had no qualms about killing it asides from the risk of making a mess. And I was the spider.

Naturally, there was nothing I could do but hope for the best, or even just for not the worst. And if it weren't for the God of Lies' ability to interpret intentions, such a wish would not have been fulfilled.

He replaced his firm grip on my wrists before, mercifully, abandoning his attempt to gag me. Putting a finger to his lips, I was more than happy to comply with his request for silence. I wasn't particularly inclined toward getting my face crushed and I was plenty wary of dragging my mother into an identical situation.

Loki then demanded in a hushed yet aggressive tone,

"How far are we from New York City?"

"I, I don't know. At least halfway across the country, but I don't know exactly."

His glare deepening, I quickly added,

"But I can pull up a map, if you want."

"How about I'll do it and you just tell me how."

"There's a phone in my pocket, you can use that."

After he pulled out my phone, I directed him in the use of the map with little hesitation, although I didn't have much of a clue of why he needed to know such information, my only guess was that his reason had something to do with S.H.I. . However, I was indeed tempted to try to direct him to call 911, but even if I did I knew I wouldn't hardly get to say anything before he would find a way to stop the call, and that's just assuming I could trick him in the first place.

Loki then interrupted my train of thought,

"Do you have any money? And how much?"

I started to answer his question only to give him a question of my own,

"If you are going to New York City, how exactly do you plan on getting there without drawing attention, seeing that you weren't able to disguise your self from me. Everyone know who you are-"

"Of course they do. Surely much of New York City is still in ruins after what I did to it, so at the very least all of you pitiful mortals ought to fear my name by now, but that doesn't mean they know what I look like."

"I think they do. And you are not infamous for mass destruction, you are a famous character who was just in multiple movies, millions of people have seen your face."

"That's ridiculous. I am well aware of your the wasted resources used in entertainment by your culture, unlike my brother I actually spent my younger years trying to learn something, but your 'Norse mythology' hasn't seen popularity in centuries. And how could my expressions of power be simply ignored?"

"They never really happened except in movies, that's what. You are supposed to be merely a figment of some comic writers imagination!"

By now both Loki's and my own voice had risen a fair amount above our previous whispering, and it would seem I was only one of three people to now be aware of that fact, as the two of use froze at the sound of approaching steps amplified by the hardwood flooring. This was followed by a knock at the door.

"You alright? Did you bring a friend over?"

There wasn't much I could say that would require follow up questions or effort on my mother's part spent toward opening the door. But, just as I was about to the deny the presence of another person and make an excuse for the locked door, I made the idiotic decision that I would try to prove myself right, that Loki was just a character portrayed in film.

"Yes, to both those questions. Just give me a minute to get the door, the handle recently broke and it's really hard to open from the outside."

Looking back at my captor in order to plead for release, I found my self subject to Loki's evil-eye for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes, and I whole-heartedly returned it.

After what I had said there was no going back, and Loki was very much aware of that. And, eager to prove himself right, it took him only a moment of consideration before releasing my now very bruised wrists. Rushing to the door, I tried removing the book current functioning as a doorstop, but with no success. Now giving Loki a pleading glance asking for help, he smugly approaching and gently slipped the book out of its socket between the door and the floor.

Standing back up, I swiftly unlocked the door and pulled it open, simultaneously apologizing for the wait.

-To be continued