Chapter Eight
Disclaimer: Everything but the plot is Marvel's.
Loki opened his eyes hastily when the icy water hit his face. He spent the next few minutes coughing and spluttering. When he had recovered enough to breathe normally, he looked around. He was sitting upright, propped against a bookshelf, still in Stark's library. Every single member of The Avengers (except Bruce, who wasn't there,) was glaring at him. Barton was holding an empty pitcher, so apparently he was the one who had awoken him so suddenly. Chthon's host was nowhere to be seen. Elation and dread instantly began warring within Loki. Where was she? What had she told the Avengers? He tried to push himself to his feet and found he couldn't move his legs. No wonder; looking down, he saw Mjolnir pinning him in place.
"I don't suppose you will remove this if I ask politely?" His eyes locked on Thor, who folded his arms.
"No, Loki. Whatever possessed you to attack a defenseless mortal?"
Loki smirked at the irony of that question. The girl was far from defenseless, and the fact that Thor had used the word 'possessed' so casually... He suppressed a humourless laugh.
Steve strode right up to him, furious.
"I'd love to know what you think is so funny! Wanda's still unconscious because of you. I thought you were supposed to be on our side now? Why would you do that?!"
"It is not my fault she was injured!" Loki snapped.
"Oh, I suppose she knocked herself out just to make you look bad, right?" Clint's voice was oozing sarcasm.
Loki closed his eyes for a moment, slowly counting to ten. He finished counting, and sat up straight, meeting the eyes of every one of them.
"If I tell you why I did what I did, will you all promise to hear me out without interrupting, no matter how strange or impossible it sounds to you? I swear I am going to tell you the truth."
"Wow, stop the clocks, you're actually going to be honest?" Tony's expression was somewhere between stunned and highly amused- did the man take nothing seriously? Loki scowled.
Natasha studied Loki intensely. "Something is obviously worrying you... alright." She folded her arms, keeping her eyes on Loki. "I'm at least willing to hear what you've got to say. I'm not guaranteeing I'll believe you, though."
Steve nodded. "I agree, I'll listen, but no promises, Loki."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "This had better be a good story. I don't take kindly to people trying to kill my guests."
Thor stood there in silence, seemingly lost in thought. Clint threw his hands up in exasperation- he couldn't believe the others were even considering trusting this guy! He slumped against the wall in resignation. As far as he was concerned, anything Loki said was a lie, but he'd go along with it for now. Plenty of time to catch him out later...
Loki took a deep breath before speaking.
"I imagine I will have to start this at the very beginning, with the true origins of life on earth, as only Thor will understand if I do not fill in some vital information first."
"Oh, goody, a history lesson," Stark rolled his eyes.
Thor frowned. "Does this-"
"Your uncle is possessing the girl," Loki interrupted. Perhaps if Thor knew the gravity of the situation, he could keep the humans' stupidity reigned in long enough for an explanation-
"Ve?"
So much for that plan. Loki grit his teeth together. "Chthon, you imbecile! Remember, the demon you encountered when you were fifteen?"
"Do not be foolish, Loki, there is no way-"
"Yeah, uh, no, time out!" Tony looked at both the Asgardians in confusion. "Who or what is 'Cathon', and since when do you have a demon for an uncle, Thor?"
"Oh, for..." Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. "There are several omnipowerful beings in the universe known as Elder Gods. They were the first life forms on earth, billions of years ago. Thor is the son of Jord, the spirit of life on earth, and the darkest Elder God, Chthon is possessing Wanda Maximoff. Any more pointless questions?"
Stunned silence filled the room. Clint was the first to recover, shaking his head.
"What a load of bull!" He glanced around at his teammates. "You aren't seriously buying any of this, are you? It's ridiculous!"
"Is it, though?" Natasha's voice remained as calm as ever. "A few years ago, none of us believed in Asgardians. Who's to say there isn't something else out there?"
"Come on!" Tony exclaimed. "I can accept the existence of aliens that were once thought of as gods, but godlike beings that evolved on earth? Please!"
"Whoa... have we missed something?" Bruce led a pale-faced Wanda into the room, looking around in bemusement at all the shocked faces.
Loki resumed his efforts to shift Mjolnir from his legs, wanting to be as far away from Wanda as possible. Thor looked at his brother's panicked face, then glanced at Wanda warily. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.
Thor spoke slowly. "Wanda...my brother believes there may be more to your story than you have revealed." He didn't want to sound as though he was accusing her of anything, but if Loki was right...
She bit her lip nervously.
Bruce blinked. "Wait...what? What's going on?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Loki's defence for attacking Wanda is that she's possessed by some kind of ancient demon. Thor seems to have taken him seriously."
"Right... ok. I've heard weirder things, I guess..." He hadn't actually, but he did notice Wanda deliberately taking a few steps away from him. That, in Bruce's book, meant there was something going on here. 'And who says demons aren't real?' He thought to himself. 'A few years ago, Gods weren't real. Neither were monsters like the hulk...' He frowned in contemplation.
"I haven't." Steve frowned. He had heard a lot of bizarre things since waking up in the 21st century, but Loki's suggestion was by far the strangest. Steve Rogers did not believe in demons, he was a God-fearing churchgoer... Yet Loki seemed so certain, and Thor believed him...sort of. And obviously something had happened last night...
Natasha's eyes were on Wanda- The red-headed assasin knew a guilty expression when she saw one.
"Why don't you tell us your side of last night's adventure, Wanda?" She didn't really believe Loki's tall tale, but he himself certainly seemed to. And her gut instincts said Wanda was hiding something. She held the younger woman's gaze for a long moment. Wanda broke eye contact first, nodding slowly.
"I suppose the whole story had to come out sometime... but my problems began a lot earlier than last night." She took a deep breath, steadying herself. Every set of eyes in the room was on her now.
"This whole thing started when I was ten, when Pietro and I," she stumbled a bit over her brother's name, the pain of losing him was still fresh, "when Pietro and I still lived with our parents, in Wundagore Valley."
Loki's eyes narrowed- he knew the secret of that place from his studies of the Elder Gods... it would be a dangerous place for any magic-user to live.
Wanda continued, oblivious to Loki's reaction.
"I can't remember exactly when it started, but I began feeling drawn to Wundagore Mountain, I could almost hear a voice calling to me, and yes, I know that sounds insane. It frightened me, but I couldn't ignore it. At one point, I heard the voice say that all the crops would fail that autumn. I made the mistake of trying to warn the farmers." She shivered slightly at the memory. "The people in my village were superstitious. When my warning came true, they blamed me, and a mob was unleashed on my family."
Bruce ignored the inexplicable part of the story, and looked at her sympathetically.
"Is that how they died? In a fight with the other villagers?"
"Yes...and no. That was when my powers first appeared, to deal with the threat, but... I wasn't the one who used them, then."
"What do you mean?" Steve looked confused. "If you weren't using your powers-"
"That was the first time Chthon took possession of her." Loki cut in cruelly.
"Oh for God's sake, will you stop saying that?!" Clint exploded. "I don't know what actually happened to Wanda ten years ago, but there has to be a simpler explanation than the garbage you keep feeding us! There's no such thing as demons!" He glanced around at his teammates for support: Natasha had a thoughtful line on her forehead, meaning she at least was taking Loki seriously. Tony's expression was openly mocking, but there was worry in his eyes. Bruce was wringing his hands, obviously trying to grasp this new knowledge- no help there. Thor just looked severly concerned, though about who, Clint couldn't tell- the god wasn't looking at anyone.
He looked at Wanda. "You can't seriously believe this. He's brainwashed you somehow, or he's just controlling you to do what he says. Hardly the first time you've done that, is it, Loki?" He spat. He began to pull Wanda out of the room. She didn't need to hear any more of this snake's lies!
"Clint, calm down." Wanda's voice was quiet, even as she pulled out of his grip. "I never knew exactly what was influencing me that day, but I've had nightmares of it ever since. I can't rule out the 'demon' possibility, as much as I want to." She looked hesitantly at Loki. "You seemed to know something was wrong with me earlier, before you... asked to speak to the demon. How?"
Thor's head jerked as if he were in a car that had suddenly braked without warning.
"Loki, you did what?! As if your meddling with him did not cause enough trouble last time!"
Bruce's eyebrows rose. "So this 'Chthon' is real, and you two have crossed paths with him before?"
"Unfortunately." Thor's voice was dark. "And it is not something I care to recall. I cannot fathom why Loki would attempt such a thing again."
Steve shook his head. 'So now there is a possibility of something existing that we don't understand, I have to assume Thor's telling the truth...' "Loki, if you've worked with this creature before, why should we believe that you're not doing so again?"
"Good point, actually." Natasha observed. "How do we know you weren't trying to make a deal with this entity, and it went wrong?" She folded her arms.
Loki met Thor's eyes, hoping desperately that he would be believed. "He has Sigyn, Thor. He took her to prevent me interfering in his plans."
"Who's Sigyn?" Tony interrupted.
Thor ignored him, turning startled eyes on Loki. "Sigyn?! How, why? And how could you possibly know of that? You have not spoken to Sigyn since her marriage!"
"He taunted me with the knowledge in my dreams, hoping to bribe me into silence."
Thor scowled. "Are you telling me you knew of his attempt to possess someone before we even came back to earth?"
"No, I knew nothing of her." He gestured at Wanda. "He has another avatar filled with his essence. This being pretends to serve another, but manipulates his 'master' into doing what he wants. This avatar is the one who stole into Asgard and kidnapped Sigyn." Seeing that Thor looked unconvinced, Loki resorted to pleading.
"Thor, please. You know how much Sigyn means to me, in spite of everything that has happened recently. I cannot sit idly by and do nothing while she is in danger!"
"If, and I say if, I take your accusation seriously, why in Odin's name would you try and solve the problem yourself? Did we not both learn, centuries ago, that it is not our place to deal with the Elder gods?" Thor suppressed the memories of the huge, intimidating being who policed the universe, ending any threats of the Elders before they could truly become dangerous. "The sun-being almost killed you back then, Loki, why would you risk falling into his bad graces once more?"
"I hope to end this before Atum becomes involved once again. Please," Loki's eyes were desperate, and he humbled the last of his pride before finishing his sentence. "Please trust me... brother."
Thor's eyes widened. Loki had actually called him brother, once again? His heart swelled- he had never thought to hear that again... He would have rejoiced if the situation was not so grave. He thought for a few minutes in silence. Possession was not a power that Chthon had flaunted during their previous encounter, but that did not mean he was incapable of it, and the girl's power had given him an unnerving sense of danger. He met Loki's eyes.
"I will consider your words, at least. I assume Sigyn is in no immediate danger as long as you leave the situation alone?"
Loki nodded glumly. Thor glanced at Wanda quickly, his eyes full of foreboding. "There is someone I must speak with. I will return as soon as I may, preferably with help. I would reccommend you not use your abilities again until we know more of what is going on."
Tony scratched his head. "Does anyone besides me feel totally lost here?" Loki seemed almost in despair, and Thor looked like he had just had the shock of his life.
"No, join the club." Steve looked as baffled as Tony did. Clint nodded his agreement. None of this made any sense. Fear was beginning to infect all of them. If all this was real, what did that mean for their world? Natasha and Bruce appeared calm on the surface, but their minds were as shell-shocked as the others'.
"But..." Wanda felt uneasy. She had wanted more help than this. Her situation, her powers, all of it sounded more terrifying than anything she had imagined. Thor was just leaving? What if something else happened? Her eyes were fearful.
Thor's expression grew painfully serious. "Wanda, I do not know how to deal with this. I must consult someone who does." He glared at Loki briefly. "And you are to remain here, and do nothing, is that understood, Brother?"
"Does that mean you are forbidding me to draw breath, Odinson?" Loki sneered.
"Good idea." Clint muttered under his breath.
Thor glanced around at his mortal comrades, beginning to whirl Mjolnir enough to gain momentum to fly.
"Hey, hang on, you've only just arrived!" Tony protested. "And you can't just leave your brother here indefinitely!"
But Thor was already gone, flying off into the distance.
"Great." Tony huffed. "I need a drink." 'And I'm going to have Jarvis research on all the names I just heard: Chthon, Jord, and... Atum, was it? There has to be a rational explanation for the stories Thor seems to believe.'
The other Avengers eventually wandered off to entertain themselves. Clint, Natasha and Steve made their way to the gym to try and take their minds off things. Bruce, after a concerned glance at Wanda, had gone for a walk to clear his head- all this stress wasn't good for the other guy. Loki remained where he was, glaring broodingly at the sky. He wanted to be out looking for Sigyn, not stuck here because his not-brother said so!
Wanda had gone back to her room after Thor's abrupt departure, and was pacing restlessly back and forth, trying to make sense of everything she now knew.
Chthon...an Elder God...older than humankind... but what did it want with her? That made no sense... why?! She sat down cross-legged on the red carpet and tried to meditate again, to calm down- getting overwhelmed with terror wouldn't help her now. A sharp knock on her door made her jump. She got to her feet and opened it hesitantly.
"Loki? What do you want?"
He spread his hands. "I came to apologise for my harsh words earlier, and for what I caused last night. This must have come as quite a shock to you."
His tone was sympathetic, soothing, but Wanda didn't trust him. He had been willing to kill her last night, after all... She folded her arms, moving so she blocked the doorway. He was not coming in here.
Loki sighed when she did not respond. "Look, I am sorry. I have just learned that one of my closest friends is being held captive, I think I am entitled to be short-tempered, don't you?"
"I suppose." Wanda admitted grudgingly. "But I can't help but think you came here because you wanted something."
"There's no fooling you, is there? There may be a way you can help me locate Sigyn, through your connection to Chthon. I do not suppose you would be willing to help me?"
Wanda considered for a minute- she, indirectly, had almost killed Loki last night, so she supposed she owed him something. But Thor had advised her not to use her powers... She eyed Loki suspiciously.
"What do I actually have to do?"
In answer, Loki barged past her into her room, and pulled the vanity mirror off the wall. He murmured a few Norse words over the reflective surface, then beckoned her to come stand beside him.
"Just gaze into the mirror while drawing on your power. I will focus on Sigyn, and hopefully, you will be able to show me where she is."
"Are you sure about this? It could easily go wrong..."
"It is only a scrying, I see no way that could cause harm. Now concentrate!"
A dim reddish glow appeared around Wanda's hands as she tried to put herself in the meditative state Bruce had shown her yesterday. A cool green light encompassed Loki's hands, and-
A woman with long blonde braids stood in a dark cave, her wrists chained to the walls, which were engraved with glowing blue runes of some kind. She wore an old-fashioned but beautiful gown, and she appeared terrified. A hooded and cloaked figure stood guard over her. All that could be seen of him was a misshapen grey hand with six digits. A small amount of daylight shone into the huge cavern, and the view outside was briefly illuminated.
The girl's eyes went utterly blank in a matter of seconds, and Loki tensed, not willing to fight Chthon again yet. Nothing happened, however, she seemed unresponsive, and the mirror was showing him nothing. He ground his teeth in frustration. Without warning, the mirror erupted in a column of fire. Loki recoiled from the searing heat, cursing. The mirror fell from his suddenly nerveless hands, and it fell to the floor with a crash. The noise seemed to waken Wanda from her trance. The glow around her hands died, as did the fire on the mirror. It continued smoking as she looked around, seeming confused.
"What happened?" Loki's voice was annoyed. "I thought I asked you to try and show me where Sigyn was, not try and roast me alive!"
"What do you mean...what happened to the mirror?" Her question sounded genuine.
"It caught alight." He sounded livid, like he blamed her.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" She was annoyed now. "You insisted on attempting this."
Loki glared at her. "I wasted my time on this for nothing!"
"Wait...didn't you see it?"
Loki's eyes widened. "Did you actually see something?"
Wanda nodded slowly. "I think so... assuming what I saw is real... your Sigyn is being held captive at Wundagore Mountain." She shivered involuntarily.
Loki's eyes gleamed. He walked out of her room without a word. She ran after him, afraid of what he might be planning.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I am going to retrieve my friend, where did you think I was going?"
"But you can't go there! Wundagore is where Chthon is strongest! Besides, didn't your brother ask you to stay here?"
"He is not my brother, and I will do as I wish. I did not ask for your opinion."
Wanda gritted her teeth- did Loki have a death wish? "Hasn't it occured to you how convenient it is that I saw this, exactly when you wanted me to? Anyone with a brain would realise this spells 'Trap!'"
Loki didn't even look back at her as he walked into the aircraft hangar. The cooler air made him shiver, but he ignored it. He could still hear Wanda following him, that worked to his advantage... He said nothing, meeting her gaze for a moment in silence.
"Fine, I'll come with you." Wanda sighed. Even though the last thing she wanted to do was go back to Wundagore, she knew those caves far better than Loki would, and he couldn't go alone...
He didn't speak to her again as they both climbed into the quinjet, thus she was totally unaware that he had cast an invisibility spell around them. It took Loki a few minutes to work out how to fly the jet, but soon they were well on their way.
Loki remained silent throughout the journey, focusing on the ideas of freeing Sigyn, and dealing with the repugnant Other, once and for all. He refused to dwell on the less pleasant side of his plan. He was only doing this because he had to... They arrived at Wundagore all too soon. Wanda grew very hesitant- she had too many bad memories associated with this place, even though part of her felt as though it had come home at last. Loki let her lead, and she made her way slowly through the dank caves, at any moment expecting to hear that dreaded voice echoing from within the stone as it had in the past...
Nothing happened, however, and soon she could see the entrance to the cave from her vision. She stopped walking abruptly, gesturing at Loki to be quiet. She remembered that every sound they made would echo for at least two minutes.
"Is this it?" Loki mouthed.
She nodded. "I think so."
Loki gazed into the dimly-lit cave for a few minutes. "Yes, I sense Sigyn here." He murmured. He hung his head slightly, before turning to Wanda.
"I really hope you do not take this personally, girl, but I cannot allow Chthon to be reborn. No matter what I have to do to prevent it."
Wanda turned to face him warily, about to ask what he was talking about-
His dagger sank deep into her stomach. Pain turned her vision red, as blood poured from her wound, soaking the stone floor of the cave. She fell to her knees. She managed to look up at Loki in disbelief. His expression was almost regretful.
"I am so sorry... your sacrifice will mean Earth's survival. Is it not worth that?" He wasn't sure if he was asking that question of Wanda, or of himself... He waited until he was sure she would not get back up.
Casting a spell of concealment on the mortal girl's unmoving body, he ran into the next cavern. Strange blue runes were etched into the walls, floor and ceiling here, but Loki hardly noticed them, because The Other stood facing Sigyn, who was manacled to the wall. It had a sharp curved blade clutched tightly in its hand. Loki winced- the knife was identical to one the creature had used on him, while it tormented him on Thanos' orders...or its own. Sigyn's face was bruised, and one eye was nearly swollen shut, but nonetheless, her eyes widened when she saw Loki. The Other whirled instantly to see what had caught her attention.
"Well, well, the runtling prince, come to rescue his childhood love." It cackled obscenely. "Were you not ordered to stay out of our plans?"
"I am not overly good at following orders." Loki replied smoothly. The Other took a few unhurried steps towards him. Sweat beaded on his neck, but at least it was moving away from Sigyn.
"Such a shame... and by coming here, you will join this one in her pain."
"Release her, and I will stay willingly." Loki had never been so serious about anything.
The Other laughed cruelly. "I think not. You will both remain here, as witnesses when this world falls to our Chaos once again. And this time, nothing will stand in our way!"
It moved closer to Loki, raising the knife menacingly. He spoke quickly, playing for time.
"Does Thanos know the true identity of his 'servant'?"
"The titan? Hardly. He will serve a purpose, however, by distracting the team of 'Avengers' that thoroughly thrashed you in your battle for earth while I set my plans into motion. Once his role is fulfilled, he will achieve the reward he has always yearned for: He will meet Death!" The Other roared with laughter, and Loki lunged, grabbing for the knife.
He grunted with the effort of wrestling with this unnaturally strong being, receiving many shallow cuts and gashes for his trouble, and silently thanking the Norns that Chthon had not given this malformed creature magical abilities. Eventually, the Other's grip weakened, and Loki was able to wrest the blade from him. He then wasted no time in gutting the repulsive creature, and ran to Sigyn's side as soon as it collapsed. Using the same knife, he cut through her restraints, then supported her weight as she nearly collapsed on him.
Sigyn managed to raise her head despite her weariness, and stared at him, wide-eyed with shock. "Loki...what...how?"
"I will explain later. Come, we must return home." He ran out of the caves, pulling Sigyn after him, thinking desperately of the nearest hidden route back to Asgard. He never looked back.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.
Wanda Maximoff's eyes fluttered as her breathing slowed to almost nothing. She knew she was dying, and she was alone. She was afraid...it was so cold...
"You do not need to fear any more."
That voice...it meant something bad, she knew that, but she felt so weak, she couldn't remember why...
"Your time is done, mortal. But the one who tried to destroy us utterly will pay dearly for it soon enough."
"What..." It was the last thing Wanda managed to say before everything went black.
Dark clouds gathered over Wundagore Mountain, and scarlet lightning cleaved the sky.
Chthon stood up in his new form, rejoicing at having overcome the mortal's will at last. Now there was nothing preventing him from claiming this world. He laughed in exulatation at the thought. Soon, he would summon his true form back to earth, then all who had been responsible for his exile would pay...
To be continued...