I honestly couldn't help myself. Since I'm done with this chapter, I HAD to post it.

pinapplegoddess: It makes me happy that you feel that way actually (I hope that doesn't sound heartless at all). I'm just glad that you love this story so much. As for a sequel, I am in the process of planning/writing it. I actually have 27 chapters vaguely planned so far and six chapters written. I'm having far too much fun with it.

Wolflihood: I'M SORRY sometimes I just can't help myself because I'm evil on the inside.

LittleMissMia123: The prepare for the realness muahaha.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Gwen eyed Loki with a calm expression. She knew what she was going to do, but first she was going to see if she had to take such measures.

"Why are you doing this, Loki?" she asked.

He laughed. "Why not?"

"Because it's wrong."

"And who has given you the power to tell what is right from wrong?" Loki walked forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "There is no right and wrong. There is only power."

"I don't think power is what you want."

She watched him closely as he walked around her in a circle, stopping behind her. She turned around to see him.

"And what makes you think you know what I want?" he asked.

"I'm just saying that you want something else," she argued.

Loki came to a stop a few feet in front of her, a scowl on his face. "You make yourself sound like you know me. But you don't."

"No, I don't," she agreed. "But I know some things about you."

"Don't take everything Thor says for truth, Gwendolyn Powers."

"Oh really? That's strange seeing as he's the one who said you were adopted."

Loki frowned at her words. It seemed he wasn't expecting this, or at least thought that she wasn't going to try to fight back with words. But that was what Gwendolyn realized. She needed to fight words with words.

"Yeah, that's right Loki," continued Gwen. "Thor told us about that. How you're a - what was it? - a Frost Giant? He said that you always lived in his shadow."

"Thor was always favored," said Loki angrily. "I want respect."

"And how can you get respect if you take over the world?"

"You will all kneel to me one day."

"No, we won't. That's what you don't get Loki. You can't just take over a world. We will always fight back."

"Then join me."

Gwen's mouth opened slightly as she felt confusion. "What?"

"Join me, Gwendolyn. You will be spared."

"What about the others?"

"I cannot really say the same for them," answered Loki with a sickening smile. "They are not like you."

"How are they not like me?"

"You are different."

"We're all different."

"And is that why you all have your little group? Because you are all different?"

"Please, Loki. You can stop this."

"There is no stopping this," he sneered. "I am far beyond stopping."

"Don't be so sure about that," said Gwen. In that moment, she attempted something drastic. She wasn't sure if it was going to work, but she had to try. Focusing as hard as she could, she opened her shield so that it completely and temporarily dissolved. She then summoned all the energy she could around her and could feel her whole body tingling. With as much concentration as she could, Gwen controlled the energy that was creeping towards her and made it move until the energy was in a visible clump at her feet. She pushed it out into the air and started to make it circle her and Loki. To all those below, it looked as though some sort of electrical tornado was flying around them at a very fast speed.

Loki looked around, almost amused. He seemed pleased with what she was doing.

"You have been practicing," he stated.

Gwen didn't answer as all of her energy and concentration was put into the shield cloud around them.

"But unfortunately," continued Loki, "everything has consequences."

Gwen's skin began to pale and the skin around her eyes turned dark.

"You are still the same, confused lady I met all those months ago."

The lines reappeared in Gwen's face, the darkest they had ever been. Her face looked as though it was breaking into pieces.

"Yet, here you are as if you were a different person."

The lines extended down onto her neck and the rest of her body like she was made of glass.

"I wonder what changed that. Was it the soldier?"

Gwen felt her heart pick up its pace at the mention of Steve.

"'Tis a shame, really. I do not understand how he could look at you after what you did."

Gwen's breath caught in her throat the the energy cloud shield around them grew more intense. Loki smiled.

"How could someone love a monster like you?" mocked Loki. "How could someone look at a monster like you?"

Gwen's lips began to pale as well.

"You do not belong with them, Gwendolyn. You belong in a world where monsters are not feared."

Gwen knew what he was doing. He was trying to provoke her. It was far too obvious now, seeing as he was the one to make her have the accident. And with all the energy she was using around them, it only figured that he'd try to make her go

And so Gwen decided to try something new. She drew energy from what she thought could be the tesseract and watched as the energy cloud turned blue like the cube. Her green eyes changed to the same color, but she was still in control of herself.

"Look at this," said Loki, putting out his arms. "You have grown so much stronger. Strong enough to take out the city."

Loki looked Gwen in the eye.

"Say goodbye to your city, Gwendolyn Powers."

"ENOUGH!"

Out of nowhere, a figure came through the cloud. Gwen saw that it was Thor. He had both arms extended, his hammer in one and the tesseract in the other. It seemed by using the tesseract, he was able to get through the cloud without damaging himself.

"The mighty Thor!" mocked Loki, a smirk on his lips. "It is a pleasure to see you once more."

"Loki!" yelled Thor. "I grow tired of this!"

Loki laughed. "You make it sound like I should care."

"I'm ending this now!"

"You cannot stop me!"

"Loki, give this up! I am warning you!"

"Go ahead then!" Loki shouted. Gwen thought she saw a tear escape Loki's right eye and travel down his face.

"I do not wish to harm you, brother!"

"I am not your brother!" shouted Loki. "I never was nor will I be!"

"Stop this madness-"

"Fine! Take me back to Asgard and be the wonderful son you always are! The mighty Thor triumphs once again!"

"Loki," continued Thor, his voice quieter. "What has happened to you? What has happened to the man I once knew?"

"He died," answered Loki. "Now there is me."

With that, Loki extended his right arm and conjured a spear. He pointed it at Thor.

"This is your last chance!" said Thor, taking what seemed to be a battle stance.

"And I am not taking it!"

"Loki, do not do it!"

Gwen hadn't noticed how Loki was debating whether to shoot the spear at Thor or her. Then Loki frowned.

"You think you can change me," said Loki. "But I cannot be changed."

"I can help you, brother!"

Loki shook his head. "I cannot be helped either."

Suddenly, Thor yelled and shot forward and hit Loki with Mjolnir. Thor managed to grab Loki, who was in a state of confusion, and the two shot forward some more.

And the last thing Gwen saw before falling unconscious was the cloud around her disappearing and a portal opening, ripping through the night sky. She could see what seemed to be a palace on the other side of the portal and once Thor and Loki had gone through it, it disappeared.

And then everything went black.