Hey guys! Here's the new chapter I hope y'all like it as much as I do. This chapter is centered around the beginning of Calliope's friendship with Steve, and why she will end up respecting him so much. From what I've learned in the past it's the little moments in life that end up meaning the most to people. Also, this will give a little light to how both Calliope and Steve feel about the situation they're in. In the Avengers movie, I noticed Steve was very angry and it made sense because they brought back the same thing he lost his whole life for, so of course he's not happy. I think it will help Steve in the future to have someone like Calliope in a way they can relate to one another.

I don't own Marvel just my OC's

What I'm doing could be seen wrong depending on who's perspective you ask. Spying, being nosey, or rude, but I like to think of it as simple curiosity. Plus, Steve hasn't noticed me yet so what's the harm, right? All I'm doing is keeping an eye on him and last time I checked it's not illegal to do that.

"Is there a reason you're following me, Calliope?" an irritated voice asked me. Darn it, I spoke too soon. This is why bad things happen to me. I always jinx myself when it's not necessary to do so. Ugh, one of these days I'm going to learn my lesson, but not today.

Accepting my fate, I walk towards the Captain instead of keeping my distance. Once we're standing in front of one another I notice he's still frowning at me, and I realize I haven't given him an explanation as to why I was following him. Quickly, I try to explain the situation as to not anger the super-soldier any further. "Well, it's just that, um, okay I'm gonna be honest, so bear with me. You look angry, and I'm nosey, so I wanted to see where you were going, and what you were doing because I have nothing better to do in the meantime... It would have been a different story if it wasn't so obvious you look ready to hurt someone... just saying."

"Well, at least you're honest," Steve says as he sends me a small smile. However, his smile doesn't stay for long as he breathes out a long sigh. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Um, yeah sure."

"Alright, but before I ask, do you mind coming with me?"

Bewildered as I am, I decide to follow him anyways. As I said, I have nothing better to do at the moment, so why not. We keep walking until we find an empty room Steve feels is safe enough to converse without being overheard. I wonder what this is all about, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. Without wasting a single second Steve turns to me and asks, "Do you trust S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"No," I reply almost immediately. I may not understand why he's asking me this question, or what any of this is about, but that won't stop me from answering him either. Plus, who in their right mind would trust an organization of spies? They're trained to deceive everyone they know, including each other. I learned from my past mistakes, and never would I ever, put my faith into this organization again. If I can save someone else from the trouble of learning all of that firsthand as I did, then I will. The Captain doesn't deserve to be betrayed by these people.

"Why not?" he questions me a bit desperately. I'm aware Steve is more frustrated than confused as our conversation continues, but I can also tell he isn't frustrated with me. I wonder what happened to him recently to make him doubt those around him. Just an hour ago he was ready to find the Tesseract and finish this once and for all. Now, he looks like he wants nothing to do with any of this. Although, there is one thing that's bothering me. Why would Steve care about what I have to say about S.H.I.E.L.D.? No one cares about my opinions, so why would he? Maybe this is some sort of trick? Nah, I don't think Steve is the type to trick someone for his benefit... Eh, whatever, it doesn't matter anyway since S.H.I.E.L.D. already knows I hate them, so it shouldn't cause a problem if I tell Steve.

"Because-" I pause for a quick second. I can't tell him my entire back story, I hardly know the man in front of me, and I don't trust him with that piece of information yet, or anybody else for that matter. I know I have to say something to explain why I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. since I doubt Steve will accept it just because I said so. Also, Steve wouldn't have gone through the trouble of getting us alone if it isn't for something important. Finally, I say, "They lie, keep secrets, and they don't care who gets hurt by their actions."

"I was afraid you would say something like that," Steve mutters as he leans against the wall right behind him. I guess the answer I gave him didn't help him in the least, and if anything, it may have made things worse. I should probably leave him alone to think things over now, but I'm too nosey for my own good. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I'm feeling lucky today.

"Now it's my turn," I announce to the man. "Do you mind telling me what all of this is about?"

Steve informs me about the conversation he had with Stark and Banner. Apparently, not only does he disagree with them, but I can tell by the way Steve is describing it, Stark is not his favorite person in the world. Steve doesn't sound childish when he explains what happened, but anyone can detect the hint of irritation lacing Steve's voice when he speaks about the genius.

"Stark has a point you know."

"Does he?" The blond challenges. Steve really doesn't want to believe Stark, so hopefully, he'll listen to what I have to say. He has so far, perhaps the trend will continue just a while longer. If he ignores my advice then that's on him.

"Do you remember when we first met I told you I worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. once before?"

He nods his head at me, interested in what I have to say, which makes sense. I mean, what's a 17-year-old doing on an assignment like this anyways? If anything I should be in school right now. However, I made sure nowhere in my records did it say what had happened to me. It's a part of the contract I signed in order to be sent to prison by S.H.I.E.L.D.

"When I was working with them they kept trying to hide some pretty important details from me and my partner. Those details were so essential that without them the mission turned disastrous. We lost so many opportunities and people. We could have saved all of them if they had told us the truth," I said quietly, still traumatized by what transpired that day. "Look, you don't have to listen to us, but you seem like a good man at the very least, so I'm going to be straightforward with you. Don't trust anyone here or you'll regret it, Steve."

"No one?"

"Not a single person, Steve. This isn't the 1940's, where you can leave your door unlocked and nothing would happen to you. This is the 21st century, and you can't even go to school without being wary about your surroundings because a shooting could occur at any second. Don't even trust your own shadow because if you do it will only stab you in the back and claim you enjoyed it."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Something like that, yeah..."

"Then, does that mean I can trust you?"

Stunned by what he just said, I almost didn't know how to respond. I mean, why would he even consider me, a 17-year-old girl, trustworthy? He just met me. Why would Captain America think it's a good idea to trust some nobody. I don't even trust myself!

"You would consider trusting me? Pfft- No one in their right mind would trust someone like me," I said in disbelief, laughing bitterly at the end. This guy has to be out of his mind. Either that or there's still some part of his mind that needs defrosting.

"Why not?"

"Because... I'm me," I respond since that should be enough for anyone to distrust me. Yet, it isn't enough for the man in front of me because he continues to look at me, waiting for an answer that would convince him he should stay away from me. "I'm a convict, a weapon of mass destruction, and to most an annoy self-destructive kid! Why would anyone in their right mind trust me? No one ever has before, so why should you?!"

Other than Cristina and Christopher, no one has ever trusted me with anything, not even Clint. I've always been looked down upon by other people. In the past, I was just an honest hard-working kid, but even then people thought I was a crook. They would rather trust people who stabbed them in the back than give me the time of day, so I learned not to expect anything from anyone. Why would that change now?

Steve looks at me for a minute, and it slightly unnerves me to have him look at me with those honest blue eyes where nothing seems to hide. "Because you're different."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, since I got here, you haven't lied to me once. You haven't treated me like I'm clueless just because I'm from the '40s, and you don't hide how you feel. You're blunt, and it's something that I appreciate considering how many times I've been lied to since waking up. Believe it or not, the first thing someone told me when I woke up was a lie. I always believe in telling the truth, and that's what you do. By the way, I read you asked to be incarcerated, so technically you wouldn't be considered a convict. You haven't been charged with anything," he explained before snapping his fingers. "Oh, before I forget to tell you, you're wrong."

I'm so amazed by his little speech I almost didn't catch the last thing he said. "Excuse me? What am I wrong about?"

"You aren't a weapon of mass destruction. You're just a young woman with powers."

I let out a small laugh at that, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think you're the only person who believes that."

"So be it. This isn't the first time I believed in something others couldn't see, and I doubt it'll be the last. I'll stand by what I said because I firmly believe you're an innocent person. You aren't an object who should be considered a weapon. If anything you're a hero, Calliope."

"I'm no hero," I whispered so quietly I thought he didn't hear me, but he does.

"I saw the video, and I read the files on you, there is plenty of proof to show me otherwise. You may not believe it but I'm sure others will say the same as I did," the blond said as he started walking away, but I called out to him to stop. "Yes?"

"Where are you going? What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to look for some evidence, and check if Stark is right."

"Alright then, let me help you," I offered before I could stop myself. Steve looks confused, and it's easy to understand why. I basically told him I didn't trust him to his face, and he shouldn't trust me either. Nonetheless, here I am offering him my assistance in something illegal. It's a good thing I live in a maximum-security prison or else I might actually be worried. Plus, what else do I have left to lose if I help this man? The only thing S.H.I.E.L.D. can do is yell at me and stick me back in solitary confinement, no harm is done. Hopefully this time I won't have any visitors. "You're gonna need a partner to back you up, and since I'm too curious for my own good, I think I'm your best shot. By the way, do you even know where to start looking?"

"Do you?"

I only gave him a smirk as I instruct him to follow me. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from earlier who walked me to my room just so happened to mention a few other things, including the hull hangar which has a secured storage room labeled 10-C. If I had to guess she must have been a fan of mine, Clint told me I had a few during one of his visits. She must have wanted to look cool in front of me because I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to know that, but hey, I'll take all the help I can get. When we arrive I realize the door couldn't be opened without the proper security clearance. I was about to force it open until Steve asked me to check if anyone is nearby. I quickly look around and inform him that the coast is clear. Walking to the door, he forces it open, motioning me to go inside. Carefully, I sneak in making sure I'm quiet so I won't draw any attention to us. Steve follows me inside leaving the door wide open behind him.

"Shouldn't we close the door? If we leave it open it'll look suspicious, and someone will come looking for us," I point out to the man. Steve nods his head at me, so I jog back to quietly shut the door behind us. When I turn back around, it's to find Steve staring at me, his mouth slightly agape. "What?"

"Nothing, I just forgot you have super strength. If I had remembered earlier I definitely would have allowed you to open the door instead of prying it open myself." He told me with a small smile. Steve starts to look around the storage room when he asks, "Where do you think we should start?"

"...I have no clue? I've never done anything like this before."

"Alright then, the best thing to do is probably get to the second level. I don't see any stairs so we might as well jump up to the catwalk over there. Give me a second, and I'll pull you up."

Just as Steve gets ready to jump up to the catwalk, I gently but firmly put my hand on his shoulder. I put my arm around his waist and fly both of us to the catwalk. Considering the look on his face, I can safely assume I freaked him out just a little bit. Quietly I joke, "I believe you also forgot I can fly."

"I did, but I'm glad you at least stopped me before I did something unnecessary."

I roll my eyes good-naturedly at him as we begin our search for his so-called evidence. It's quiet at first and I'm not a big fan of that. Maybe it's due to the fact I've never done anything like this before, or because it feels like a trap, but I decide something needs to fill the silence. "I heard you have a good memory."

I don't bother turning around to look at the captain as I continue my search. I thought he wasn't going to answer me, but a moment later I hear, "I do, it came with the rest of my… abilities. I can memorize different things in a matter of seconds and retain that information for years it seems. Not that I'm trying to show off."

"Oh no, don't worry. I only brought it up since you forgot my powers, yet you have an excellent memory. What's up with that?"

"Well, you have to admit with everything going on it's kind of hard for me to keep track of everything. Even I'm not perfect."

"I know what you mean," I quietly say to the man as I move a crate out of my way.

"Do you?" Steve mumbles, although I don't believe he meant for me to hear that. Before I even finish turning around he's already apologizing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it's just… everyone keeps telling me they understand, and none of them know how it feels like to be in this position."

"You're right, I don't know how it feels to be you or face the challenges you deal with each day," I state, agreeing with every word he said. Turning back around, I continue my search as I try to explain what I meant. "What I was trying to say is, I understand how it feels to get thrown into a situation like this, and have no idea how to deal with it. To come out of it with your life in complete disarray and be expected to keep marching on as if your whole life didn't just come apart at the seams. To keep fighting when you're just exhausted, and it's the kind of tired no amount of sleeping can fix. You feel so tired you just don't want to do anything or talk to anyone. All you want is for everything to stop for just one second. However, the world has a different idea as they give you a job you have no choice but to complete. Hell, you could be inadequate when it comes to the mission requirements, but they'll throw it to you anyway. They even expect you to get it done perfectly without all the information. Simply because you're different! They'll put you on some sort of pedestal, all alone, and tell you they understand how you feel... In reality, they have no clue how it feels to be like you. So once the job is done, and you've lost it all, they expect you to move on like a robot, but you can't... Now you're by yourself and your world is spiraling down the drain. Nothing can stop it."

"You aren't alone," Steve tells me as he places a hand on my shoulder. "Not anymore."

The way he said it sounds like he's telling himself as well. Like there's finally someone out there who understands him, or perhaps I'm looking into this far too much. Still, what he said somehow affected me more than any of Clint's little speeches ever have, and maybe it was because I know Steve has gone through something similar as I have. In the end, it's comforting having someone who understands you. Afterward, we settle into a comfortable silence as we search everywhere for our "evidence". I don't know how much time passes as we search for something incriminating, but it's becoming clear to me that without a specific item to look for, we really don't know what could be considered proof. Maybe we missed it without realizing it? I mean, it's possible considering neither one of us know what we're doing.

"Steve, this is pointless unless we actually know what to look for and we clearly don't."

"Then maybe Stark is wrong," Steve mumbles to me uncertainly. "Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't hiding anything from us?"

"You're going to tell me this flying fortress that most of the world doesn't even know exists, or that technology like this is even possible, isn't hiding something from us?" I said with the look every man hates.

"I hope so because if that isn't the case then I don't know what I'm doing here."

It's must really bother Steve that S.H.I.E.L.D. might be keeping information from us. I mean, it's not like it doesn't bother me, but I'm just so used to this I expect nothing better from the entire organization. I guess you can say the trust I once placed on them is gone forever. No one in this world is going to convince me otherwise, which is why I can face the lies without batting an eye. Nevertheless, Steve isn't the same. His faith in people is still intact, unlike me whose broken and battered inside.

"Why is this such a big deal to you?" I can't help but ask him since it's causing him so much frustration. "Wouldn't it be best to let it go?"

"No, because no one should be lied to if they're working together. We're supposed to be working together not against one another trying to get the upper hand on our teammates," Steve said, looking down at me, but not in a condescending way. The way he spoke to me is similar to the way someone tries to reach those who are lost. "I'm not going to lose someone because of their secrets. I'll make sure you don't either."

This man continues to shake me to the core every time he speaks. Do men like this even exist anymore? I sincerely doubt it. Perhaps he's a fossil himself. A man from an era long gone. Sadly, there's no chance of saving someone like me.

"Why would you care if I lose someone?"

"No one should feel alone."

"Heh, It's too late for me, hot-shot. If I still had even one person cared for, I wouldn't be in prison. Here's some advice I sincerely hope you take. Don't focus on saving me, Steve, I promise, you won't get anywhere. The only reason I'm not dead yet is due to life being so cruel it steals the gift of peace away from me. I'm just an empty shell wandering around until the end. A phantom with a heartbeat."

The expression on Steve's face is heart-breaking. I'm used to people giving me that look, but I somehow hate seeing it on his face more than anyone else. I'm too tired to hold this conversation any longer.

"Let's keep looking," I insist, walking into the next room that has crates and cases stacked everywhere. "This looks like a good place to search next. I'll take this side."

Walking to the left side of the room, I begin to look for anything that might seem suspicious. This went on for a while until I reach the middle of the room where I find something I have no clue what to do with. It's a case with an odd-looking mask inside of it and next to it is a bulky-looking gun. I'm about to shut it when I see something that catches my eye, something that shouldn't be there. On the gun is an emblem of an organization that has been dead since the 1940s. Hydra.

"Steve come here."

"Did you find anything?"

I don't respond to his question, and instead, I move to one side so he can see the contents inside of the case. I can't see Steve's face, but I know if the organization I'm helping out has weapons I gave my life up to save the rest of the world from, inside of their storage room, I'd be furious. Hell, if he doesn't consider this evidence then I don't believe anything can convince him.

"Where did you find this?" He asked me, anger rolling off of him like waves on a beach. I waste no time pointing out where I found the case. Within the next minute, Steve is pulling out another case identical to the one we're looking at. More Hydra equipment is found inside and this time I can clearly see how livid Steve is when he peers over his shoulder to look at me. "Don't trust anyone, huh?"

"What are you going to do now that we found this?" I ask Steve as he starts to pack everything back into the cases. I'm not sure if Steve can do anything about this. I'm not even sure it's a good idea to let him do anything.

"I'm going down to the lab to show Stark and Banner what we found. They want to know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is hiding, so I'm going to let them see it in person."

"What are you going to do if Fury catches you with that thing?"

"Confront him," he fumed. The look in his eyes held no hints of hesitation as he stared at me. "Are you with me?"

"Yes."

I don't know why I agreed or why I feel so determined about something I don't even care about. Still, that doesn't change the fact that I walked down to the lab side-by-side with Steve Rogers.

I hope everyone liked this week's chapter and like always if you have any questions please let me know. Also, I know at this point we will be hitting mid-point of the Avengers movie but I'm planning to do more of her back story in the coming chapters and a few other things. If you have any suggestions please let me know.