Loving this storyline! It is coming out quite naturally and with all this extra time on my hands, it is nice to escape from the crazy world and write. Thanks for everyone's support!
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"Come, my child," said Odin, putting out an arm. "We have much to discuss."
Odin's manner had changed considerably, and he no longer held himself defensively and with his shoulders hunched in anger. A glimpse of the Sea of Space was visible beyond the balcony behind the All-Father. The steady buzz of Asgardian life floated through the still air, and everything felt oddly normal. Odin looked once more like the kind, stable man that had once cradled Avi in his arms. She did not trust this rapid fluctuation in his behavior. "Am I to see my father again?" she asked, not moving any closer.
"Tony Stark is no longer your father," replied Odin. "He is merely someone in your life."
"He said he didn't give me up," said Avi, her heartbeat maintaining a steady, fast rhythm. "Loki told me that I came here because Stark was anxious about my abilities. He did not want me harmed on Midgard due to my…uniqueness."
"Loki often tells tales as he chooses, with little regard for detail," said Odin, sitting down on the couch he had beaten Avi over. She knew he was trying to appear approachable. "I am telling you what happened. Stark came to me and conveyed that he was incapable of caring for you. I can only imagine it was negligence that brought a pregnancy onto my daughter Freya in the first place, and the boy was unwilling to commit to fatherhood."
Odin's words struck like a knife to Avi's heart. To hear her life referred to as a careless mistake was very hurtful, but she kept a stoic face and listened.
"I told him that you would be in the best of hands here, but once he left you, he must realize he was to have no further contact with you." Odin sighed, his eye getting a faraway look as if remembering the exact moment Tony had spoken with him. "He agreed, and Frigga took you into her arms. We never saw Stark again. His name was not so much as spoken until Loki waged war on Midgard."
"You gave him no choice," said Avi, glaring at her father. Her face felt hot and flushed, and she could feel a headache coming on. "He was scared and came to you for help, and you created your controlling terms."
"I did what was necessary," said Odin.
"Necessary?" cried Avi.
The voice she spoke with was terrifying.
Avi herself froze when she heard the deep, distorted voice. She looked in shock at the All-Father and took a step back, confused.
"Avila," said Odin, standing slowly and putting a hand outward, "come to me, my child. You are tired." He did not exhibit any surprise but acted as if he had expected it.
"No!" cried Avi, her heart racing. She suddenly found the need to be very far away from Odin. "Leave me alone!" Her voice was natural again and in her ordinary tone.
"Child, you must listen to me," said Odin, walking deliberately toward her, "let me help you."
"Help me?" cried Avi, tripping on a floor pillow and stumbling awkwardly backward. "I…what is wrong with me? Who was that?" As she spoke, she turned to glance in the gold-framed mirror, stretching from floor to ceiling. What she saw made her stop and stare.
Her eyes flared with lightning.
"Papa!" she shrieked, dropping to her knees. In seconds, Odin was above her, his arms drawing her close to his chest.
"Hush, my child," he soothed, "you are safe."
"What is this?" cried Avi. A wave of claustrophobia swept over her, and she pushed away, freeing herself from Odin's grasp. A half crawl, half run, brought her to her feet, and she tripped toward the mirror, gazing in horror at the girl looking back. Could that be her? Not only were her eyes ablaze, but electricity zapped at the tips of her fingers, the bolts wrapping about her legs and boots as they shot back and forth. "What is happening!"
"Calm yourself, child," said Odin, appearing much calmer than Avi believed her should be acting. "Breathe deeply and control your emotions." His words and disposition angered Avi, and she felt rage bubbling up in her stomach.
Suddenly, she understood.
"I see all."
Odin stopped, and for the first time that day, a look of fear crossed his face. "What do you mean, Avila?"
"I see all," repeated Avi, and she did.
Odin stood before her like an open book, the pit of his soul raw and exposed. Never had the All-Father looked so small and helpless to the girl, and she wondered what had ever made him appear mighty in the first place. Avi knew his past, and she saw his heart. The king of Asgard was powerless to stop anything she chose to do. Every war he had raged, every battle he had won seemed so trivial. His strength was her weakest.
"Your love is superficial."
"I know not what you mean," said Odin, stepping backward, his hand held out.
"Your magic will not work on me," said Avi, utterly aware of the hold he was trying to get on her. "You will hear me speak. You were jealous of Stark winning your daughter's affections and taking her away from you. When she died, you hated him and used wicked magic to warp his thoughts, convincing him he was incapable of caring for me. When I was finally in your possession, it didn't take you long to see me exhibit raw power, and you did everything you could to bury it deep within me. Your spells were complicated, and only a great battle could break me free. As I grew, you treated me as a daughter, but the love you portrayed rested on pride and desire. You wanted me to be a symbol of greatness to Asgard."
"How dare you!" said Odin, taking a risky step forward. "I shall not be spoken to like this by a mere girl." The All-Father was scared.
"Tony Stark is different," went on Avi, ignoring Odin's shouts. "His love is the love a father feels deep within the soul for his child. He has been confused and lost for many years, divided over his feelings and his decisions. What would he say if he knew it was trickery that separated us?"
"Avila!" roared Odin, suddenly clothed in his armor again and standing taller than Avi had ever seen him. "You will cease this immediately!"
"Asgard is no longer my home," said Avi. "I will be here no more."
And she was gone. Odin was left alone in the room.
…
It was not blackness that surrounded Avi, but simply nothing. Her mind was blank by choice, for she could see every star in the universe but had no use for any of them. Opening her eyes, Avi looked out across the vastness of existence and rested on Tony, deep in animated conversation with Rhodey. He was scared and excited, with a mixture of anger flashing across his eyes.
"You will not see Tony Stark or me anymore, Heimdall," said Avi in a clear, smooth voice. Unbeknownst to the protector of the Bifrost, all sight of Avi and Stark was removed from him immediately. The brightest glimmer of light in Heimdall's eyes slipped away.
A flicker, as if a star flashed before Avi's eyes, breaking her concentration, and she felt her heart rate pick up for a split second. She gasped but pushed it aside.
Now she turned her eyes to Loki, pacing a hall. He was pausing now and slamming his fist against a high column, crying out in anger. Thor was pulling him away, trying to calm the enraged god.
"It is alright, brother," Avi said. She watched him stop and close his eyes, listening to her. "Odin will do me no more harm." Loki's eyes opened, and he appeared somewhat puzzled. Before Avi could dig any deeper, a sound like static and fingers on a chalkboard echoed painfully in her head, and she screamed, burying her face in her hands. She fought it off, but it returned instantly, lights beginning to flash in sequence around her.
"No," she whispered, but she could not stop it.
Within seconds, everything disappeared and she was alone, back to her self, floating in a sea of black ink.
A deafening roll of thunder split the world, and Avi shrieked, tumbling through space and time. "Loki!" she cried in terror, fighting to regain contact telepathically with her brother. Avi landed heavily on a concrete floor and lay there, breathing hard. Her body froze in terror, and she stared at her hands, holding her upper torso off the ground. Every inch of her body tingled with life more than it ever had before. Her muscles ached as if they had stretched to the limit.
"Avila? Kid?"
The voice seemed distant and like a dream. Avi focused hard, studying her hands and wondering if she had always had that tiny scar below her thumb. If time could move in slow motion, it was certainly doing it now, and the sound of footsteps racing towards her created a dull, lethargic beat in her head. A haze covered her thoughts, and she struggled to remember why she had just fallen. A distant memory, as if something that had happened hundreds of years ago flitted in and out of her mind, and she half-thought she was a powerful goddess, veins flowing with lightning itself. The thought vanished in an instant, and strong hands grasped her from either side.
"Avila!"
The voice came again, garbled and low. Avi decided it was Tony's voice. Yes, she could see him now above her as he rolled her over. He was waving his hands and looked confused.
Arms pushed underneath her, and she rose, pressed against a muscular chest. It seemed like the hardest thing in the world to switch her gaze between faces, but Avi finally forced her eyes to the right and saw Rhodey carrying her.
"Call, Tony!" demanded Rhodey, his voice suddenly clear and steady. "Fine, F.R.I.D.A.Y., call an ambulance! Tony, get it together, man."
For a few seconds, Avi could focus sharply on Rhodey's face, and he looked down at her as he walked rather quickly. She blinked, wondering why he was holding her.
"Hey, kid," he said, giving her a slight smile, "you're gonna be just fine."
"We gotta stop the bleeding!" came Tony's voice.
"Quiet, Tony," snapped Rhodey.
That was the last thing Avi remembered before her eyes slipped shut, and she was once again in utter darkness.
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Leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for stopping by to read :) So excited to bring Tony into the main story!
