"So, what did you like to do, back in Norway? I mean, apart from hunting deer."

They sat in the library, and Peter was trying to get Hela to talk to him again. The Norse girl kept her mouth shut though, only throwing occasional annoyed glances in his direction. Finally, Peter decided to push his luck. He unpacked his favourite possession, a state-of-the-art camera, and flashed a picture of Hela, right at the moment she peered over her book with those big green eyes of hers. They widened in surprise and mistrust.

"What… What is that contraption you have there?"

Her voice sounded almost scolding. Peter patted the camera.

"My camera. It's just like any other camera really, although it's a rather modern design."

"Can I hold it?"

Hela had that look again, the look of a curious child once again on her face. Peter handed it to her, smilingly. She clicked the on-button, startling when the lens came out of the machine. Open-mouthed she turned it around in her hands. She wanted to ask what it did, but she had seen that Peter expected her to know, and she didn't want to embarrass herself by asking.

"A camera…"

"You make a lovely model for photos. Would you mind if I took a few pictures of you?"

"Can I see them?"

"Of course. Here, I'll show you the one I just made of you."

Peter clicked to the picture of Hela peering over her book. She understood now what the contraption he called "camera" did, but it didn't cease to amaze her.

"What do you think?"

"How wondrous…"

"Photography is my hobby. I make photos of everything, but especially of things I think are beautiful."

It was a hidden compliment, but Hela still caught it. She smiled.

"I like it. I didn't have a… hobby, back in my homeland, I just liked to take walks on my own. Later I was appointed to be… the person to arrange certain things. For my father, among other people…"

That confused Peter a bit.

"Arrange things?"

"Make sure everything goes as it should, lead people to their rightful place, discuss and send through complaints…"

"Oh, like a secretary? Isn't fifteen a little young for a job like that?"

"I liked doing something useful. It was and I suppose is often very unthankful work, but it gave me a purpose."

"I see."

Once again, Peter's image of Hela shifted. So she hadn't only been discriminated, she also had been working like an adult before she came here? No wonder she was so mature… The closest thing to working Peter had ever done was sending some of his pictures to a small local newspaper, so he couldn't really relate.

"I liked it, in a way. With responsibility comes respect."

Peter bit his lip. It reminded him… With great power comes great responsibility… Hela sure had to be a strong girl…

(Pagebreak)

Time passed, and neither Hela nor Peter told anything of their frequent encounters to their caretakers, or of the continuous exchange of information and experience they did. Loki became impatient with Hela though because she lingered too long on the assignment he'd given her, and she also noticed his nightmares became worse and worse, leaving him trashing in his bed, screaming even, and unwilling to talk about it in the morning. It worried and pained her, as did the assignment. With responsibility comes respect… She had told that to Peter, and she truly believed it too. Yet the responsibility she was now asked to take up… It made her wish she had never met the Parker boy, never seen anything good or remarkable in this realm of mortals…

(Pagebreak)

"So… You and the Queen of Creep are an item?"

Justin grinned at his friend. Peter blushed.

"No, we're just friends."

"Aha, and that's why you always hang around after school to talk to her, even when it's raining."

"I have an umbrella."

"Correction, my friend. She has your umbrella. So tell me, are you an item or not?"

"Not."

Justin looked disbelieving. Peter sighed and added.

"…Yet."

"Of all the people, you have the best chance of success… From what I know she has befriended no one but you. And the stories… man, if you had to believe them all that girl is the devil herself!"

"How so?"

Peter asked curiously.

"Well, for one there was this thing in Biology, the teacher scolded her when she hadn't made her task, and before the hour was over, all the plants in the room were dead. As in, completely-dried-out dead. And then there was this thing in Chemistry, the guy is a perv and apparently he had put his hand a little too high on her leg while explaining something. In the break I saw him in the med bay, with his coffee cup frozen solid to his mouth. Explain that to me!"

"Maybe… Maybe she's a mutant."

Peter speculated. Justin slowly nodded.

"So… You're saying that perhaps she can really suck the life out of things?"

"Maybe. I don't care, really. Mutants are people too."

Being one himself, Peter really hated mutant-based discrimination. He hoped Justin wasn't one of those humans-first-militants…

"They sure are. My dad doesn't think so; he hates them. I think they're okay, as long as they don't try to take over the world or anything. But then, I just don't like people trying that, mutant or not."

Peter grinned relieved. It was very possible that Hela was a mutant. He had looked up some things about Norway, and though they were rather lenient with immigrants there was a rather strong anti-mutant movement. Perhaps that was what she had meant…

(Pagebreak)

"Where is the sacrifice?"

It echoed through his mind, seemed to come from every direction, left him wandering in the dark, struggling through slimy masses he couldn't identify to reach the source of the sound.

"You promised a sacrifice worthy of Her greatness… She has granted you enough of Her time already, you worm of creation!

The slimy masses closed around Loki, and he swore he could feel a hand around his ankle, fingers on his shoulder, as the horrible voice seemed to approach him from all sides.

"If you fail again, Asgardian, She will not grant you her touch, not even if you beg like the pathetic monster you are!"

The voice screamed now, deep and frightening, and suddenly Loki's surroundings weren't dark anymore. Corpses surrounded him… Corpses, decomposing, rotting bodies, moaning and grunting, their gooey limbs and decaying fingers wrapping themselves around him, pulling him apart… An unimaginable agony flashed through him as the mouldy faces grinned, and he then noticed he was decomposing as well. He screamed, as the invisible voice's bawling laughter echoed around him.

(Pagebreak)

"Father. Father, wake up!"

Hela shook her father. She had never interfered before, but now she had felt her father's agony like a dagger in her chest. Loki never let his emotions escape his grasp if he could help it, so she had figured he must have completely lost control.

"Loki Laufeyson, WAKE UP!"

With a shock Loki sat up, his eyes wide open as if he was still seeing whatever terror had haunted his dreams. He trembled and moved his lips without making a sound. Hela softly wrapped her arms around him, rocking her father until he had calmed down a bit. She heard him softly whisper.

"D-don't… I d-deserve…"

She shook her head.

"You don't deserve it. No one deserves it. Shush now. Try to sleep again. The dreams won't come, I will keep them away."

They lied down, and Hela kept her arms around Loki, wrapping his mind in the tendrils of her magic. Soon he slept, leaving his daughter awake and worrying next to him. It was the assignment. She had to complete it fast; there clearly was a connection between her father's pain and the long wait before she could complete it. That thought stung her almost as bad as Loki's anguish had. Peter, and that ridiculous friend of his, and all those others, young minds that might invent things like cameras and telephones and ice-cream, if given the chance to grow up… Hela felt she was crying. Life clearly took pleasure in torturing her, the ambiguous goddess of the Dead, by placing her for choices she couldn't make.

"Haven't I served you well, Life?" She slowly mumbled. "Haven't I done my duties to you as well as to Death? Wasn't I loyal and devoted? Why do you place me for this choice?"

Once again, the universe remained silent. Hela cried bitter tears as she clung to the sleeping figure of her father…

(Pagebreak)

"Is he even trying?"

Tony asked the team as he evaded a green bolt of magic energy. Loki had appeared to wreak havoc, as usual, but it in opposite to the other times, this time there appeared to be no plan at all. The guy was just randomly shooting magic at people, incinerating trees, breaking windows… The Avengers had more work with clearing the premises than with actually battling Loki. As he threw a big piece of debris at Loki, Hulk yelled at the green-clad man with his deep, bellowing voice.

"PUNY!"

That instilled a rather unexpected reaction in the god. He seemed to shrivel, barely evading the debris, and then disappeared in a green flash, leaving the Avengers staring at the empty spot.

"Did that just really happen? I mean did Hulk literally chase Reindeer Games?"

Stark laughed out loud. Natasha answered.

"Maybe he remembered what happened the last time Hulk called him puny…"

"It could be a trick. Perhaps he's just waiting to show up again as soon as we turn our backs."

Clint, as always, was being mistrusting.

"No. I don't think he's coming back any time soon…"

That was Steve. He had been standing the closest to Loki, and he had seen that expression of pure shock and fear when the Hulk yelled at him. Whatever that had reminded Loki of, it couldn't have been good…

(Pagebreak)

In school, Hela avoided Peter. In class she didn't so much as look at him, in the breaks she was nowhere to be found, and at noon she wasn't at their usual spot in the library. Two days it went on like that, and Peter wondered what he had done wrong. Things had been going great; they had done many things together (going to the fair, to a shopping mall, to the movies…) and for every activity he had come up with, she had granted him a bit of information about herself. Peter had honestly thought things were okay between them. And now all of a sudden she avoids him like the plague?

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Really Justin, cut it off."

"Man, everyone notices. You and Creepy Eyes were practically inseparable and then all of a sudden she can't stand the sight of you… What did you do? Been under her skirt too soon?" Peter punches his friend, hard. Justin yelps.

"Auwch! I was only joking man!"

"Sorry. I don't know what I did. Two days ago all was fine, and now she's doing everything in her might to avoid me. I just don't know."

"Women… They're a mystery to us men… If it's of any help, I've heard that Creepy herself isn't doing great either. In Science lab she blew the fuses. All the fuses, simply when she hit the table with her fist… I think she's pretty upset about something."

"If she won't talk to me I can't help her. I can hardly ambush her, can I?"

"You know her better than I do. Seriously though, solve this shit because your mood's worse than a PMS'ing teenage girl."

Peter frowned at Justin, but didn't retort. He had indeed been in a terrible mood…

"I know you hang out after school, fat chance she'll go there on her own too. Maybe you can catch her there."

"Maybe…"

Peter remembered the graveyard-garden, and almost smiled again. If there were any place Hela would go to if she were upset, it would be there. After school Peter made his way through the vegetation to reach the small, closed off garden. Hela was there indeed, standing under the tree, his back to him. With his enhanced hearing he immediately caught what she was saying.

"… And I have done all you asked of me, all! Not once I have renounced my duties! Why must I choose? WHY?!"

That last word was spoken much louder than all the rest, and echoed through the garden. With a start Hela turned, seeing Peter. In no time she stood in front of him, hissing.

"How long have you been spying on me."

Peter shook his head, startled.

"I wasn't spying, only I just came in. I wanted to see you."

"Go away."

"I just want to know what I did wrong."

Hela shook her head, and Peter suddenly felt sick and trembling under the strong gaze of the girl. Her green eyes almost seemed to glow…

"Take my word for it, if it is worth anything to you. Go away, and stay away. No good will come to you if you insist on being close to me."

With that she walked back to the tree where she stood before, leaving Peter standing at the entrance. Yet, Peter didn't feel like giving up already... He followed her.

"I am your friend, Hela. If you decide to hate me all of a sudden you at least owe me an explanation!"

Hela didn't turn to him, but shook her head. Peter repeated his question.

"Please, Hela. I promise I will leave you alone if you just explain me what I did wrong!"

Now the girl turns, her face a grimace of sadness.

"Nothing, Peter. Nothing! You didn't do anything wrong at all! And still you did everything wrong! Why were you nice to me? Why did you show me all those things? Don't you see what you have done, what you have damned me to?!"

Tears ran over Hela's face now, making her clench her fists in powerlessness. Peter didn't know what to do.

"I don't see it Hela. All I wanted was to be your friend…"

Hela sank on her knees, crying. Peter crouched next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. It was the first time he actually touched her, and the cold emanating from her surprised him. She trembled under his touch.

"Peter… Why do you insist on making this hard on me?"

"Making what hard on you, Hela?"

Hela's crying worsened, and Peter didn't know anything to do except for pulling the girl closer. He heard the coldness of her voice, despite the sobbing, when she spoke again.

"Everything I care for dies and suffers, Peter. I know nothing else. I AM nothing else! Whatever my choices, I have no choice but to bring death and disease, for that is my purpose, my only gift to the world! I am a monster, in ways you couldn't even fathom, Peter Parker. Please leave me. Don't make this harder than it should be."

Peter didn't leave. Instead he held Hela close to him, while she sobbed against his shoulder.

"You are not a monster, Hela. You are a beautiful, intelligent and incredibly strong person. No matter what people say, no matter what people may have told you in your homeland, you are not a monster."

Hela's sobbing finally stopped, and Peter thought he had convinced her, but when she got up he only saw an empty sadness in her eyes. He wanted to say something, but then he noticed something weird. The grass around Hela's feet became brown and withered; it spread like a blotch of oil on water through the vegetation. The grass became brown, the flowers and weeds drooped and shrivelled, and even the moulds on the old tombstones dried out and became black. At last, the tree in the corner lost all it's leafs and perished, leaving the garden devoid of any green. Peter was convinced every living thing in the garden apart from the two of them was dead. Hela stared at him, determined, sad, awaiting his reaction. He heard her whisper.

"Can you see now what a monster I am?"

He stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his.

"No. All I see is a smart, breathtakingly beautiful girl with a strange power. You are not a monster to me, nor will you ever be."

Their faces were separated by few centimetres, their hands entangled, and Peter read not only sadness in Hela's green eyes, but also a glister of hope. Standing there on the now dead land, he bent closer to her, their lips brushing just a moment. And then Hela suddenly disappeared, dissolving in black smoke, a whispered apology hanging in the air around him.

"I am so sorry you will change your mind..."

(Author's Notes)

Yes, Loki feels, couldn't help myself... Cookies for reviews, I cherish them beyond words! If I get more than five reviews (yes, that desperate I am) I will bring up the whole cast in ballet outfits. Promise. So REVIEW PLEEEEAAAASE!