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Guest 3: Oops (as you'll see later).

Chapter 10

Aeria gasped.

Suddenly everything was bright - too bright. A blinding white, a searing pain. She doubled over, her face scrunched up, and continued to blink, rubbing her eyes.

Wait.

What the hell just happened?

"Are - are you okay?" said a voice. British. Aeria already hated him.

She stumbled back, continuing to blink rapidly.

"Wh-who - wha-"

The demons were gone.

The black was gone.
Everything was gone.

A hand rested on her shoulder, cold - but comforting. Aeria looked up, continuing to blink.

"I can't see," she explained. "Too bright."

"Ah," said the voice. "Yes. I understand." There was a snapping of fingers and they were in a different place, less bright, and cooler, too. Aeria's eyes finally adjusted.

"Thanks. Who - oh. Huh."

Before her stood a man with long-ish midnight-black hair, vibrant green eyes, a crooked grin, and a suit with gold horns and a green cape. Loki.

Loki, Loki, Loki. There was something about - oh, yeah. He was her father.

Aeria gulped, taking a step back. "You're - you're Loki, aren't you?"

"Guilty," said Loki. Her father.

Damn.

Aeria rubbed the back of her neck and realized finally that the chains were gone. She grinned and clenched and unclenched her fists, letting cold (beautiful, beautiful cold) spread throughout her body. Frost crept up her skin, silvery blue, providing a comforting blanket. Loki stared at her, his smile faltering.

"So," he said.

"Yep," she replied.

"You're my daughter."

"Appears so."

"Interesting."

Aeria glanced around them, blinking a few more times and rubbing her eyes. They were still stinging - if you were surrounded by complete black for who-knows how many weeks on end, they would hurt, too.

"Where are we?"

They appeared to be in a room with shaded lighting, giving the walls a grayish tint. Loki glanced at the walls, the ceiling, and shrugged.

"Someplace on Earth," he said. "I do not know. Nor do I care."

"Well, I care," Aeria huffed. "We have to get back to the Tower and let the Avengers know that I'm okay."

"Let them know?" Loki sneered. "They sent you away! Cast you into isolation! Why should you care about them, and why would they care about you?"

Aeria's heart sank. She combed through her dirtied white hair with her fingers and frowned. "I don't - they didn't send me away. SHIELD did, cause I - I -" she stopped, her fingernails digging into her palm. Loki leaned forward, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Did what?"

"None of your business, dad," Aeria spat. Loki recoiled with a look of disgust.

"Fine. We will visit the Avengers Tower if we must, but know this, Aeria Lokidottir." (Aeria winced at the name.) "Do not be surprised if the Avengers act hostile towards you and I. After all, we are Frost Giants, yes?" He scowled. "We are the enemy. Foolish, weak, monsters."

"I'm not a monster," said Aeria, her voice small. Loki arched an eyebrow.

"That's where you're wrong, Aeria," he replied smoothly. "We are both monsters. Killers. Murderers."

"I'm not -"

"Do not deny it, daughter," Loki snapped. Aeria flinched. "We are not welcomed. We are outcasts. Rebels. We do what's right, but what's right for us is never right for them." A grin unfurled on his face. "But perhaps, when we see your beloved Avengers, I will get to have a chat with my brother again."

"And we can have guacamole!" Aeria exclaimed happily. She hadn't eaten anything good for the past whatever-weeks. Twice a day, every day, a tray containing a cup of water, a slice of bread, and a little bowl containing chicken broth appeared in her cell. More than once Aeria spilled it on herself - after all, she couldn't see anything. It was completely black, save for a little shaft of light speckled on the floor from the air filter above.

Aeria worshiped that little light.

Aeria and Loki stepped out the door. Instantly Aeria doubled over again, the light too much for her sensitive eyes. Loki ushered her back in and snapped his fingers. A pair of sunglasses appeared on Aeria's head, blocking out the light. Aeria blinked and glanced at her-her father.

"Uh, thanks," she said. "And how do you know what these are?"

"I searched for the thing that blocks the sun," he replied. "What are they?"

"You don't need to know."

And they stepped out once more.

The light was still harsh, but not nearly as bad. They were standing at the edge of a cobble-stoned street with buildings pressed together on either side. It was crowded - cars were rolling down the roads, people were running across, others were walking down the sidewalk with bags in their hands, people walked their dogs and pushed their carriages.

"Look for signs that can tell us where we are," Aeria instructed Loki. He frowned, as he wasn't used to little girls telling him what to do, but this made sense, and he complied. People stared at both of them as they wandered around, searching for any sign of where they might be - and if they were both a little smarter, they would've realized they could've just asked anyone.

"There!" Aeria called, pointing. "Salem, Massachusetts. Huh. That's kind of near New York, isn't it?"

"How would I know?" Loki muttered. Aeria rolled her eyes.

"Right. Now we just need a map. Do you have a phone?"

"A what?"

"Never mind. Come on, we'll figure it out. I'm pretty sure that if I go east or something… maybe west…."

"Hey!" Loki shouted, causing many heads to turn. He pointed at an old woman across the street. "You! You have a pho?"

"Phone," Aeria corrected.

"Phone?"

"I-I -" the woman stammered. Loki rolled his eyes.

"In the name of," he started, and marched across the street. "Hello?! Do you have a pho?"

"Phone!"

"Phone?"

"T-take it!" the woman cried, shoving her phone at the god of mischief. "Just take it!"

"Wonderful," he said with a smile and turned back to Aeria. "I've got it!"

"Jeez," Aeria said, groaning. "Loki, you do not just steal phones from old people!"

"Do you want me to give it back?" Loki spat. Aeria paused.

"No. Come on, come on. Let's figure out how to get to Manhattan."

"How, exactly, did this happen?" Fury shouted.

Tony leaned on the edge of the table, his arms folded. He made one of the agents punch him in the face repeatedly so that it would look like he put up a fight.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I fought, Fury. I did. I really did. Loki just got past me. He got past all of us. I would've summoned my suit, but -"

"Don't bullshit me, Stark, we have video cameras," Fury growled. Tony rubbed his eyes, groaning.

"Then you should promote Agent Clarkson," he said. "Cause she got a mean right-"

"Shut the hell up!" Fury yelled. Tony bit his tongue. "Our main purpose was to keep the girl under surveillance so that she wouldn't -"

"No," Tony shouted, standing up and taking a step towards Fury. "No," and he jabbed his index finger at his chest. "You were telling Aeria that she was weak. That she was a monster, a killer. You kept her in isolation. You -"

"She is a killer!" Fury insisted. "Stark, she is not qualified to be an Avenger or an Agent of SHIELD. We don't even know whether or not she's on our side!"

"Of course she's on our side!" Tony argued. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"She has lived her whole life with Stane, Stark. On his side."

"Are you kidding me? She didn't even know it was him!"

"We don't know that."

"You've read her file, Fury. You've seen the videos. Never in a million years would Aeria be on Stane's side."

Tony turned, his breath heavy.

Fury scowled. "Find her, Stark, and bring her to me."

Stark faced him once more.

"I'm beginning to think that you're the one who's not on the 'good side,'" he muttered. Fury met his eyes.

"Do not test me, Iron Man," he said. "You heard what I said. Go."

And so Tony did.

As far as they could tell, the Avengers tower was empty.

"Where is everyone?" Aeria wondered out loud, staggering inside. She flew to Manhattan, clutching onto Loki. It was awkward - he was sort of helping, but his flying charms weren't that good and he kept losing altitude. She was already exhausted, her head pounding, her blood on fire, and flying hundreds of miles didn't help.

"Hello?" Loki called.

"Hello," replied JARVIS. Loki yelped. Aeria laughed and twirled around.

"Hi, Edwin," she said and glanced at Loki. "That's JARVIS, our AI."

"What is a… AI?"

"Artificial Intelligence."

"...Oh?"

"Like talking magic," she suggested, and Loki nodded in understanding.

"I see you're back, Miss. Aeria," JARVIS said. Aeria beamed.

"Yes, I am."

"I presume the Avengers know about this?"

"Er, yes they do."

"Wrong. I am dialing Mr. Stark right -"

"No!" Aeria cried, holding her hands up to the invisible force. "Please don't. I just… want to keep this a secret, for now, you know?"

"Aeria," Loki began, wandering around the floor, "What do you plan to do once the Avengers find out I am on Earth and you have escaped?"

"Celebrate?" Aeria muttered, shrugging. "I don't know. Come up with a plan. As a team, I mean."

"I do not think that the Avengers consider you as one of their own anymore, Miss. Aeria," JARVIS commented. Aeria's face fell.

"What do you mean?"

"You have exhibited dangerous and reckless behavior that resulted in many deaths. That is considered a crime. And since you escaped from the Zoo, I can only assume that that's where you'll be going when they find you."

Aeria huffed.

"Well, I -"

"The talking air is not wrong," said Loki, leaning on a countertop. "This is dangerous, my daughter. They will find both you and I and imprison us. Midgardians do not like people who are different than them, daughter."

"I'm not your daughter," snapped Aeria, a fire lighting in her eyes once more. Loki's face split into a grin and he shrugged.

"As you wish, daughter."

"I'm - Ugh! Come on."

"Come on what?"

"We need to get you some better clothes. You can't be parading around in that gimmick of yours."

"Gimmick?" Loki echoed, glancing at his clothes. "This? This is Asgardian fashion! High-end beauty! Better clothes? No!"

Aeria found him a rather fashionable black suit and tie. She started to pull his hair into a man-bun but he blatantly refused. Eventually, the two made their way back to the kitchen to get guacamole and chips.

"Aeria?"

They both whipped around. Loki raised his hand and Aeria grabbed it and forced it down, her fingernails digging into his hand. He grimaced.

Peter Parker stood before them, dressed in baggy pants, a science pun tee, and a black zip-up hoodie. Earplugs dangled from the neck. His backpack fell to the floor with a thud.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Surprise?" Aeria offered with a shrug. Peter's mouth fell open and didn't shut.

"Wha-what - who's that?"

"This?" Aeria pointed to Loki. "Oh. This is. My. Friend."

"Hello," said Loki. Peter narrowed his eyes.

"He looks old," Peter observed. "Who is he? What's his name?"

"Lo-"

"Lloyd," Aeria answered. "His name is Lloyd Laufersun."

"Lauferson?" Peter repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Aeria, come on. Drop the act. Who is he?"

"I told you!" Aeria protested. "Lloyd Laufrey-Laufersun. He helped me escape. He used to be a SHIELD agent."

"Oh, yeah." Peter hopped onto the table. "How did you escape?"

"I told you," Aeria huffed. "My friend, Lloyd, here, helped me. He, uh, turned good. And stuff."

"You mean he turned against the Avengers? SHIELD? The world?"

"Oh, you can't honestly believe that the Avengers were for me being captured," Aeria drawled. Peter blinked and shifted around.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "I mean, yeah, none of us, I mean, I wasn't, I don't know about Steve, but Tony and me and Nat and, uh, I don't know about Thor, and -"

"What?" Aeria shrieked. "They - no. That's beside the point. Anyways, this is Lloyd,"

"Hello," said Loki with a wave and a devilish grin, "My name is Lloyd."

"I know," said Peter. "She mentioned."

"You know," Loki began, wagging an index finger at the teen, "I don't like your tone -"

"Lo-Lloyd!" Aeria snapped. "Shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up," Loki growled. "I'm your -"

"Loose acquaintance and ally, yep," Aeria agreed. Peter's eyes narrowed further.

"Okay, Aeria? What's going on? Karen, call the Avengers. Tell them that Aeria's here."

"No!" she exclaimed. "Peter, no. Please."

"Too late," Peter said with a shrug. "Aeria, just tell me what's going on."

"Shall I smite this mor-"

"No!" Aeria shouted. "Loki, don't. I mean. Lloyd. Lloyd, don't.'

"Loki?"

"A slip of the tongue," offered Aeria. Peter gestured wildly with his hands.

"What the hell, Aeria? Loki? As in the god of Mischief?"

"And sorcery," added Loki. "Yes. My name is Loki Laufeyson. This is my daughter, Aeria Lokidottir."

"Wait," Peter practically shrieked. "Daughter? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna have it."

"Peter, please," Aeria tried, but he cut her off.

"Aeria, you lied to me," he said.

"Lied to you? I never -"

"Loki's your father? You're Asgardian?"

"I didn't -"

"Save it, Aeria," he spat. "You went off and nearly killed yourself. I could've helped you! I could've helped you find them -"

"This isn't your fight, Peter," Aeria protested.

"Isn't my fight? They killed hundreds and hundreds of people. I wanted to help you find what they did to you! To the others!"

"It wasn't about them, Peter!" Aeria cried. "It wasn't about them! It was about me. I wasn't going to 'avenge' them. I was going to get my revenge. Yeah, for Brooklyn, but for myself. I was going to make them pay. I was selfish, Peter, and -"

"You still are! You're just so… so selfish, and murderous, and - you're a monster, Aeria. A monster."

Loki's fist clenched and edged towards the blade hanging from his pants.

Aeria stared at Peter, her friend.

Her friend.

Sorry, her brain told her.

I guess not.

"Peter?" she whispered. He hopped off the table and stalked away.

"That's it, Aeria," he snapped. "I'm getting SHIELD and the Avengers. It's over."

And he was gone.

And she was alone.

Save for dear old Lloyd Laufersun.

She stood there, silent, for a good five minutes, before Loki had the nerve to tap her shoulder.

"What?" she shouted, whipping around and slapping his hand away. Loki recoiled. "What do you want?"

"Asgard," he said.

"And? What about it?"

"We should go."

"As a vacation? Loki, what do you mean?"

"Escape to the Nine Realms," he said. "If my brother finds you, he will destroy both of us."

"I thought you, like, redeemed yourself."

"I still have no gained the trust of my brother, nor the Allfather, nor the Asgardians. Odin does not even know that I am on Midgard."

"I - I don't know," Aeria stuttered. "I can't. I have to rescue the other kids. The other gifted children."

"Leave that to SHIELD and the Avengers," Loki said. Aeria narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

"You really believe that? That they'll rescue them and not lock them up?"

"Well -"

"I want to, Loki," Aeria whispered. "Trust me. I want to escape more than everything. But I can't leave them."

"We'll bring them with us, then," suggested Loki. "I want them to be free as much as you do, daughter."

"I'm not -" Aeria sighed. "Yes. I guess. It'll be a difficult transition. I don't - yes. Okay. Let's do it. Let's rescue them and get the hell out of Midgard."

Loki grinned.

"Wonderful!"

And so they did.

They rescued Ian William Montgomery first, from the Brazilian Compound. They rendered him unconscious so that he could sleep, be at peace. He had dark brown hair, a round face, and chocolate-brown skin. His body, though scarred, wasn't ruined as Aeria's was. She was thankful for that, that she was the one to bear the pain.

He was terrified.

Aeria knew the feeling.

Then it was Robin Ash Matthews, from the Kenyan compound. He was tall, with sandy-brown hair, a crooked nose, and tan skin. He seemed overly crooked - many teeth were crooked, his fingers were bent as if they were broken and not put together correctly. Again, though scarred, there wasn't such a burden of pain in his eyes.

He was terrified.

Aeria knew the feeling.

Then it was Madeline Felicity Waters, from the French compound. She was cute - small, thin, pale, with sunflower-blonde hair, leaf-green eyes, a splash of freckles. She was shivering, her arms clutched around her in her cell, bits of dried blood hanging from her skin.

She was terrified.

Aeria knew the feeling.

They were all unconscious when the two of them (Loki and Aeria, that is) loaded the three of them into a stolen pick-up truck. Aeria nearly laughed out loud on many occasions at the ridiculousness of everything that was happening. They were rescuing three fourteen-year-olds from prisons designed by Tony Stark's ex-best friend, who happened to be a psychopath who was supposed to be dead.

And it was wonderful.

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