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Chapter 4

Moira felt the silence, and opened her eyes only to be blinded by the stark, white emptiness. Panic flooded her chest. She had not been summoned since her days at S.H.I.E.L.D. and she knew that this time things were no longer about her, but Lea instead. She was beginning to feel like a tigress whose cub was in harm. Regaining some composure, she opened her mouth to speak and said "No." And, without warning the void began to close as she was sucked back to reality. She leapt upright in her bed as her dream broke. Immediately, Joe's eyes shot open with concern.

He spoke softly. "He visited you?"

Moira nodded and slowly pulled herself out of bed.

"Go back to bed, dear," Moira said in attempt to console his worry. "I'll be okay."

Lost in thought, Moira walked drowsily to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water and sat down. This could not be good… Maybe, it was time to let her daughter live her destiny.

Moira woke up to the warm sun shining through her bedroom window. Joe must've left the curtains pulled open for her, knowing she hadn't slept well. Funny how that was, in sickness and in health, Moira had always felt strengthened by the sun. There was just something about the way the sunlight enveloped her body that made her feel strong and protected. She stretched her body working out the tension in her neck and back from her relatively sleepless night. Her dreams had haunted her, even after her vision. She had seen him kiss her daughter in her despair. She had also seen him destroy her in one single touch. They were old dreams that always remained fresh. She remembered what she had once been told; they're recurring because they are the future. The dreams were her consequence for turning him away. She knew would've slept better had she spoken the man that visited on dire occasions. She had entered the realm of sleep where she saw only the white void, a place that she feared. She had known immediately why he had come to her, yet she could not come to accept the reality and urgency in it. She had known for years that this day would come.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She would deal with it in her own time. They could not fault her for her hesitance; she was, after all, a mother. She rose from her bed and strode to the window. The sun was the perfect thing to wake up to in her moments of frailty. She would take her visions into consideration when she spoke to Lea today. It would take time for her to accept her own responsibility in the events to come. Her role would be small, and her daughter's monumental. And, even though Moira never intended to leave her daughter out on a limb, but she was still having trouble throwing her into the eventual tragedy to come.

Moira decided it was time to get on with her day as per usual. She threw on her well-worn silk robe, and went out to fix herself a pot of coffee. As she opened her bedroom door, her mother's voice bombarded her. Panic grabbed Moira's throat. God, they knew, too.

The Disas Elders had gathered around in Moira's living room.

"She's not old enough," Moira said as calmly as she could, knowing that there would be disagreement to follow her statement.

Gaelyn Disas's voice was as patient as always even in this tense moment, "She's about to face the greatest adversary of her life. She will have to be ready."

Gaelyn could sense the pain and panic that had shrouded Moira's heart. Each of them had a specific and special gift, other than their visionary ways. Gaelyn had been born with unnatural wisdom and patience, and the ability to understand one's true feelings. Moira had been given the mental strength to control the visions and the ability to control inanimate objects with her mind. Each of the Disas offspring were uniquely gifted, none two alike. Gaelyn's own mother, Cloren, was blessed with the gift of commerce. She had uncanny business sense, and tremendous luck.

Cloren remained silent as her daughter and granddaughter exchanged their words. She knew she was nearing the end of her existence. It had been prophesied that her death would give Lea the moment of weakness to allow Loki into her heart. She was almost at the age of 90, and she had lived a long, prolific life. She regretted nothing, and even welcomed the angel of death.

Moira and Gaelyn continued to bicker, before Cloren spoke, "I have written over all of my monetary wealth to her, as well as the cottage that lies at the mouth of the lakes. She will need the support in this battle. It is time. He visited me last night, urging me to be strong in my last moments. I will not let you two ruin what are to be my last weeks on this Earth. Gaelyn, follow your intuitions. Moira is Lea's mother just as you were hers. Moira, you must learn to curb your instincts and let your daughter grow to become the person she was destined to be. You both know what will come upon us. We must be strong for her, all of us."

Both of the younger Disas in the room became silent immediately at her voice. They knew that Cloren was right, but it wasn't so easy to put their feelings aside. They all just wanted the best for her.

Gaelyn spoke first, "I will keep my distance for now, Moira. But, you must not dally much longer. When he finally descends, she will have to be ready. It will truly be a great trial, but we both know that she will be safe. She will not suffer more than our ancestors. We must train her as well as we can. She possesses the potential of all of us combined. It is our duty to guide her and teach her what wisdom we have. And, the earlier we start, the easier it will become."

Moira shed silent tears. She knew that she had to accept that it was time for the unavoidable. She felt like a mother whose child was leaving the nest for the first time. Lea moving out and pursuing her independence had not even been this hard. She knew that her daughter had always been strong. But, this was an entirely different case. This was real danger. She would be face to face with a demi-god… Not just face-to-face, but actually warring at his level.

Her silence spoke louder than her words ever could. Gaelyn and Cloren sat there in silence with her. They knew how she felt. They had been mothers once too.

Lea felt well rested as she went into work that night. Her resignation had gone smoothly. Clyde had understood that she needed time to herself for a while. He had even gone as far as offering to take her back is she ever wanted to start working for the bar again. She had always appreciated her workplace and the jovial nature of her coworkers and even her boss. Come to think of it, she realized she even loved the inflexibility of it all. The solid, stable schedule that it gave her had been a blessing.

She sighed and walked over to the bar counter to begin her last night of work. It would be tear-filled and difficult to leave the people she had grown so accustomed her, but it was time to let it go and fulfill what was her destiny. She knew that this is what she needed to prepare herself for Loki. She needed the time to herself. Money would be a concern, but she knew she could always move back in with her parents or even her grandmother. Whatever the case was, she would make it through, just as she always had. She felt stronger than she had previously let herself believe. Perhaps, it was the influence of 'The Watcher' that had led her to believe so. Even so, she felt moments of doubt. Would she really be able to handle all the events to transpire? She shook her head and tried to focus back on her work. She would have to deal with it when the time came. Until then, she could do nothing but allow herself to grow.

Work seemed to fly by that night. Lea felt exhausted by the end of it all. She glanced at her phone, the brightness of the letters and numbers seemed to glare at her in the darkness of the night, 2:32, 1 missed call, Mom. Not too bad, she thought. Early cleanup and no work for a while; God, she was nervous. She hit the call back button and dialed her mother.

Moira picked up nearly immediately, the phone had only rung twice. "Hey, sweetie. How was work?"

Lea decided to break the news to her without much trepidation. "It was good, mom. I quit. I need some time to myself." She had grown so much this week.

"…that's good, sweetheart. You'll need the time to start preparing for Loki. We'll start your lessons soon," Moira said as carefully and calmly as she could through her shaky voice.

"You're giving in? Grandma and Nana broke you down?" Lea teased unmercifully.

Moira laughed, "That's enough out of you, missy. You're still my child. Don't be disrespectful! We can talk more in person, okay? Are you free tomorrow evening?

"Mom, it's already tomorrow. And, yes, I'm free. What were you thinking? Pizza and maybe some wine?"

"Pizza? Good heavens, no! I have a figure to watch! Dad and I aren't that old yet," Moira giggled. "I'll be over at 5 with dinner. I won't object to the wine though! Just, not with your combination…"

"Ew, mom! Gross! I do NOT need to know about my parents' sex life!" Lea squeaked.

Moira felt the tension ease a little, "I love you. I promise we won't talk about all the dirty little fantasies that we play out, now that you're not here."

"GROSS! Stop it!"

"Okay, okay. That's enough! I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, sweetie."

"You mean, today! Bye, mom. I love you, too," Lea smiled as she hit the end call button.

Her mother was ready. Perfect timing. Lea was finally ready, too.