Sorry for the wait, guys. My cat was being an ass and chewed through the wifi cables, so it was down for a few days. Which sucks. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I only own Nyx, sadly.
"You want us to fight an army of zombies, all to save Loki's and your lives." Stark said in a perfect deadpan.
"Undead warriors." I muttered, unable to help myself.
"Not the point. The point is-"
"The point is," Steve interrupted, "how do we know we can trust you? That you won't just help the enemy?"
"Because if they succeed Hela will kill me and Loki."
"What if we don't care-" Barton started, but was cut off by Thor.
"I will not let my brother be claimed by anyone, not even the Queen of the Dead. There is no question as to whether I will fight. My friends, if not for the life of my brother, please fight to defend your world."
Oh yeah, completely disregard me, Thor.
"How would we even take on a tonne of zombies, anyways? There's only six of us." Banner pointed out.
"Eight, actually." I added dramatically.
"No. No way. I'm sorry, Thor, but I refuse to fight if Loki will be there. It's not happening." Barton started retreating slowly, hands up in a placating gesture.
"Yes it is. Thor, you say that Hela and her armies will conquer Earth if we don't defend it?" Natasha said, a hand wrapped around Clint's arm.
Thor nodded.
"Then I'm in, and so is Hawkeye." She yanked him back to stand next to her, and after one of the famous Widow's glares, he muttered a 'fine' under his breath.
"I'm game, too. Just defending the world from another hoard of aliens." Steve sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
"The Other Guy can't turn down another chance to smash somebody into the floor, so I guess I'm in too." Banner sighed, cleaning his glasses on his shirt.
"Not in my tower again, buddy." Stark warned, then passed a hand across his face and sighed. "I guess I will help too... It's just like Loki and the Chitauri. Piece of cake, right?"
Nobody answered. I felt the need to break the silence, and shatter the uplifted mood. "Hela is a lot more powerful than Loki. And her armies are a lot stronger than the Chitauri were, not to mention there are a lot more of them."
"We have two gods and a goddess on our side. At least," Banner added, taking in the looks he was getting from the other Avengers, "we think we have you and Loki on our side."
I glance at Thor, remembering his threat. 'Hela will be the last of your worries.' "You do."
"Have you told Loki any of this?" Natasha asked, her head tilting.
"Loki cannot know anything." Thor booms. "He would sacrifice himself to Hela driven by centuries of self hatred, and I-" I clear my throat, frustrated. He looks at me before continuing. "And we cannot let that happen."
"He's not dumb. He'll figure out something's up." Banner said.
I nodded. "Which is why we have to do this quickly, before he has the chance."
Loki's eyes narrowed as he leaned against the door. He had been suspicious ever since he had seen her go into Thor's room the other day. He hadn't been able to hear what they were saying, but he knew that if Nyx had been talking to Thor, it was definitely important. And then after, when Nyx left the Tower, it made him even more suspicious. As far as he knew, she went to the Void and stayed there all night. He didn't follow her, because he was sure he would get caught. It wasn't worth the risk, he trusted her.
Now he wasn't so sure.
He had overheard the conversation between Nyx and Thor in the hallway, and he was confused. Nyx was working with Thor and the Avengers? And what is this about a plan? Why didn't she tell me? He was confused and angry, so he followed her here. And now he had heard everything he needed to hear.
Thanos wants me. If I don't go to him, Nyx will die. Hela has power over Nyx, somehow, and is using her to get Thanos.
They are trying to fight her. They will all die in the process. I can't lose Nyx.
Gritting his teeth, he summoned his magic and teleported into Helheim. I He shook his head, trying to fend off the memories as he trudged through the grounds towards Hela's palace.
Left to die by my parents in Jotunheim. Odin should never have found me. I should have died there, like I was supposed to.
Falling from the Bifrost. I was supposed to die in the Void, not survive. If I had died it would have saved Nyx and everyone else a lot of trouble.
I should not be alive. So the best I can do is die to save the only person who matters to me.
As he reached the Palace, Gaum let him past without a word. Loki was sure he was imagining things, but did the hellhound's eyes betray sympathy? Did he know that Loki was walking towards his slow and painful death?
He walked through the hallways, taking in every detail of the Palace. He was not afraid. His stride was confident and arrogant, just like him. He entered the Throne room with a smirk on his face, all other emotions expertly hidden behind those eyes.
Hela seemed surprised to see him. She rose elegantly from her throne, her black eyes regarding him curiously. "Liesmith, what brings you to my realm?"
"I know that you wish to give me to Thanos in order for you to kill him. I ask that you take me, and kill him, but do not involve Nyx in anything. She does not know I am here." He replied smoothly. He gave away no reaction as Hela came down from her throne to stand in front of him. I am not afraid to die.
She grinned like a skull. "Are you telling me that you are willing to sacrifice yourself? To save Nyx?"
Loki nodded. I want this. "My Queen, eternity is a long time. Twice now Death should have claimed me, but I evaded its grasp. I refuse to have Nyx fight and die to save me. I want Thanos dead as much as anyone, I am willing to die if it means that he will no longer plague this universe."
Hela regarded him blankly. "I doubt it will be painless. He has a lot of rage towards you."
"I know what I am doing. Just promise me that if I go through with this, you will leave Nyx alone and unharmed." Loki needed to know that he was dying for a reason.
She nodded. "She concerns me no longer, I will not hurt her." Hela raised her arm and spread her palm across his chest. Loki tensed as he felt her power run from her hand and into his body, running through his veins. This is what I want. I am making the right decision for once in my life. "You are now bound to your choice. Your soul is mine." Her voice was quiet and soft, the complete opposite of what Loki knew she was. He stayed silent. For Nyx. To save her.
"Hold him." Hela ordered her guards. Loki was seized by men with skin missing in chunks from their bodies, blackened bones poking through the tattered clothes they wore. Undead warriors. Loki shuddered as he felt their bony fingers wrap around his arms, but kept his face carefully expressionless. Hela didn't need to know of the fear he was feeling.
Hela reached into her dress and pulled out a black stone. It was the size of an egg, and had bumps carved into the surface seemingly at random. It took Loki a moment to figure out that they were runes. She whispered words over it, too low for Loki to hear, then crushed it in her fist. When she opened her palm, it was full of shards of black glass that reflected in the starlight coming from outside. A black mist emanated from the pieces, released into the air, and slowly gathered into a large cloud in the centre of the room. Little by little, the mist cleared, revealing a shape standing in the centre of the room.
The first thing Loki saw was the eyes. Those eyes, too bright a blue to be human, had haunted his nightmares ever since his attack on Midgard. They shone as bright as the Tesseract itself, and pierced into him like hundreds of knives. He knew that this man had wanted him dead ever since he had failed him, it was only a matter of time before he was forced to look into those eyes again. Next came the face. His skin was a deep purple, a sharp contrast to his eyes. His chin was square, more so than could be natural. When he grinned at Loki, his white teeth looked unnatural against the dark skin. The figure wore an armoured headdress that covered most of his head and half of his face, and his whole body was heavily armoured. A long black cloak willowed out from his shoulders, meeting the floor at his feet. He held a sceptre much like Loki's own, only it was made of bone and seemed to have three times as much power emanating from it. It glowed blue like its owner's eyes, and seemed just as dangerous.
The figure, now fully corporeal, sneered at Loki. It's eyes lit up in rage and a fierce pleasure, it's face twisted into a snarl. This was the one person that could make Loki feel chilled to the bone, weak, like an ant about to be crushed by a boot. Loki gulped and fought to stay emotionless. This man haunted his nightmares. This man would make sure his death was as slow and painful as possible.
This man was Thanos. The Mad Titan.
There you go! By the way, I know I fail at writing Loki's POV. It's just so hard! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review!