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Chapter 16:
"Brother calm yourself," boomed Thor; how his brother could be both, loud and soothing completely baffled Loki, but unfortunately, his brother did not succeed in calming him down.
The war with the Jötunheim was finally over, and they were not about to embark on a war with Midgard anymore. The ban of traveling outside of Asgard had been lifted and Odin removed his spell making Asgard free from lockdown.
Currently, Loki was frantically pacing in his chambers with Thor watching him in worriment, unable to soothe his brother's nerves.
"Loki, Loki!" Thor planted both hands on Loki's shoulders, "Listen to me, brother. The All-Father has lifted Asgard from lockdown, it has only been months and we can now search for Odette Arielle."
Loki's forest green eyes bore desperately into Thor's sapphire blue ones, and he spoke in a dull voice, "Yes, it has only been months in Asgard, brother. But you are forgetting that time moves differently in Midgard. Months for us could be years for them."
Loki was worried that Odette thought he had abandoned her. Loki was scared that his Grænngimsteinn would never forgive him; Odette Arielle was the only constant in his life, the only person other than his mother Frigga to ever defend him, the only person that was always firmly planted on Team-Loki.
Loki didn't know what he would do if his Grænn gimsteinn hated him.
"Then let us make haste to Heimdall and have him open the portal. We will visit Odette Arielle ourselves instead of waiting for her. She must have given up after sensing the All-Father's magic barrier," Thor proposed; he would do anything for his little brother, and he knew how important the Lítil stúlka was to him.
"Yes, yes. Come Thor, let us not dawdle." The two Asgardian Princes rushed over to Heimdall who grimaced, having expected their arrival and knowing that they wouldn't like what he had seen.
"Heimdall. We ask that you search for Odette Arielle," Thor boomed politely, with a small nod of acknowledgement.
Heimdall's golden eyes never detached from the depths of the Bifröst as he answered his two Princes, "I have been expecting you, and so I spared time needed to search for her. She is currently in the city of New York. I will transport you there at once. However," Heimdall finally tore his eyes from the Bifröst and the two Princes were shocked at the sorrow in his golden eyes, "Beware. You must prepare yourselves for what you are to see."
"We will Heimdall," Thor answered at once.
"Enough with the riddles, I need to see her," Loki growled. Heimdall bowed his head and moved his scepter and the two Princes found themselves traveling down the Rainbow Bridge and landing in an empty alley.
Loki closed his eyes immediately, letting his magic feel for Odette Arielle's familiar aura. "I can feel her. I can sense her." Loki frowned in puzzlement once he had opened his eyes, "Though something feels off about her."
"What are you insinuating, brother?" asked a confused Thor.
"Her aura has changed … it is darker, more powerful. Mouth-watering in a way," Loki tilted his head unable to convey his proper meaning, "Potent, I presume you can say."
An anguished scream from the corner of the alley abruptly broke them from their lingering thoughts, and the two Asgardians rushed over to detect the disturbance. However, nothing could have prepared them for what they walked into.
Suddenly, Heimdall's riddle made much more sense and Loki and Thor could do nothing but gape in shock and disgust at what lay before their very eyes.
There was blood on the wall, and a dead body of a man lying in a puddle of what they assumed to be his own blood, his eyes staring blankly toward the sky, and his face frozen in torment, unbearable pain etched on his features.
There was short figure looming over the dead body, and her back was to them. Loki and Thor could only detect that she was a female with long, curly, ruby red hair … ruby red hair …. No!
"I didn't know I would be having an audience. This was supposed to be a private event," the girl spoke without turning around; she had a musical voice, but instead of hearing the familiar bell-like voice, they heard darkness seeping through her tone; evilness. "What is your purpose here? If it is to save this filth then you are too –"
Three different gasps surrounded the air as the girl finally turned around to face the two Asgardians, and all three of their faces was etched with shock; Thor and Loki however, had a mixture of horror blending in neatly with the shock.
"Loki?"
It was Odette Arielle, his Grænn gimsteinn. No … it cannot be. But it was glaringly obvious; she looked older, definitely not four of age anymore. Her features were the same, but more pronounced. She was more beautiful than before. However, her childish innocence, her angelic features, was all but gone.
Emerald green eyes that shone with innocence and delight were replaced with blank, cold and ruthlessness. Eyes were the mirror to the soul; and from what Loki could see, it conveyed death, struggles, darkness and hardships … things a young girl should never have faced.
Her face wasn't crinkled up with happiness and her usual beaming smile when setting eyes upon Loki was missing. Her face was impassive and cold; she used to be a little girl that wore her emotions on her sleeves, however the two Asgardians could detect none; only blank disinterest.
"Grænn gimsteinn minn," Loki whispered in a pain-filled voice, his eyes desperately imploring her to come forward, to say something, to do anything other than stand there as still as a statue.
Thor and Loki noticed a sharp blade lay comfortably and deftly in her hand, the steel blade dripping with the Midgardian man's blood. Odette noticed their eyes trail down to her handy knife, and without another word, she Shadow Traveled away from the scene and into Lee and Lexi's apartment, where they were currently packing their possessions to move into one of her London manors.
"Brother, that was –"
"I know who that was Thor. What happened to her? She seems a stranger, yet I know she is my Grænn gimsteinn," Loki wept, his hand angrily brushing a stray tear from his desolate face.
Thor placed a comforting hand on Loki's shoulder, "We need to leave brother. The Midgardians shall congregate here for the body," Thor pointed a hand at the disturbing corpse Odette left behind, and together, the Asgardian Princes disappeared from the crime scene, just as a waitress approached the alley with hands full of garbage.
Her scream resounded throughout the alley, and her co-workers from the restaurant dashed outside to see what the commotion was all about, their eyes widening and their jaws dropping at the gruesome scene.
Thirty minutes later, there was Red Tape barring the citizens who were crowded around from entering, and the NYPD was congregated around the body, along with a couple of Crime Scene Investigators.
"This is just sick, this is urgh, God!" Detective Holden spat out in disgust, his eyes glaring at the writing on the wall with revulsion.
"Detective Holden!" turning around, he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Director Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. and two of his best agents following behind him as a sort of buffer, Agent Natasha Romanoff and Agent Clinton Barton.
"Director Fury, good, my officers called you after all. We're out of our element here, we cannot catch the perpetrator. This is some messed up shit!" Detective Holden growled, a hand sliding frantically through his mop of hair before tiredly running down his face.
"Shadow Swan has struck again, and this time the message was painted on the wall instead of being carved on our victim's skin," Nick Fury inspected the scene, his eyes not straying too far from the grafitied wall; 'Shadow Swan' written with the victim's blood.
Agent Clinton Barton studied the scene with inquisitive eyes and shook his head, a frown making its appearance, "This doesn't make sense. Shadow Swan's M.O is to carve her name onto her victims. Why would she conspicuously write it on the wall?"
"I was waiting for one of you to ask," Detective Holden grimaced, "Shadow Swan left us a parting gift right under her name. Take a look."
The Director and two Agents from S.H.E.I.L.D. walked closer to the grafitied wall before recoiling backward in shock, horror and disgust. A piece of the man's anatomy was nailed onto the wall.
Natasha's impassive face melted into horror, "Is that a –"
"Yup. That's the victim's penis alright," one of the CSI, Jake Williams, spoke up from his place on the ground next to the victim's body.
Agent Barton's hands unconsciously cupped his privates in fear as though Shadow Swan may appear out of thin air and chop his off, "I cannot imagine how much pain our victim was in. Shadow Swan is one sick bitch!"
"Oh, our victim was in a world of pain long before he died," Jake Williams spoke up, and everyone turned to him, keeping their ears open for his analysis. "C.O.D, exsanguination. After slicing his penis off, she stood over him and waited for him to die. There are no other injuries on him, except some bruising from which she obviously kicked his ass."
"What can you tell us about this, Shadow Swan?" Detective Holden spat the name in disgust. Jake Williams grimaced when he went over to the penis nailed to the wall, and began demonstrating with his hand, "As you can see, the slice is a clean cut. Shadow Swan used a sharp steeled blade. There are no curves, no edges. It took one slice; Shadow Swan is definitely very skilled and deft with a blade."
Detective Holden's phone began ringing, and he stepped aside to answer it in private. Once he was gone, Fury's blazing eyes were on two of his best agents, "We've been after Shadow Swan for over two years. We need to catch her and soon!"
"So, DNA came through. We now know who our victim is," Detective Holden said as he walked back over to them, his face looking deeply disturbed, "And you won't believe this. Our victim is Horace Waldor, the Brooklyn Molester. We've been after his ass for fifteen years. He's raped a myriad of females from Brooklyn rating from ages six to twenty."
Everyone gaped at him in shock at the revelation.
"Did Shadow Swan just do the state a favor?" Natasha spoke blandly, "Because a pedophile deserves castration."
"Shadow Swan is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. Nailing Waldor's damn cock to the wall screams personal. Means she had a personal vendetta with the victim," Nick Fury growled; he hated the fact that Shadow Swan was succeeding in confusing him.
"She's sending out a message," Clint refuted, "Shadow Swan wants all pedophiles and rapists to be scared of her. She's out to get them."
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
It has been six months since a hysterical Odette barged into Lee and Lexi's flat ranting and raving about her run-in with Loki and Thor.
Odette paid Bree a visit in Georgia and together they combined their unique brands of magic to cast a cloaking spell on her, hidden from Heimdall's prying eyes. She knew that was how Thor and Loki found her after she killed Horace Waldor, and the only reason she hadn't thought of cloaking herself before was because it had been four years since seeing anyone from Asgard.
Lee and Lexi moved into one of Emrys' manor in London, it was only twenty minutes away from Potter Manor and it was expertly hidden; even the old codger Dumbledore wouldn't be able to locate the place.
Odette would bring little Harry to Lee and Lexi's who adored him, and constantly spoiled him with toys and treats. Harry had his own room in the manor and would take naps there whenever Odette visited them – if they weren't Shadow Traveling out of London.
She had placed an alarm around little Harry's room that would alert her when either James or Lily were approaching his room. Odette would quickly transport him back to his cot, and the Potters were none the wiser that their youngest child was barely at home.
Finally, Odette decided it was time to face the music. Six months after her run-in with the Asgardians, Odette dream-walked to Asgard to confront Loki; Lexi was right, she couldn't keep hiding from him forever.
She silently made her way to Loki's chambers and knocked twice. When she heard Loki's familiar voice bid her entry from inside, she took a deep breath and walked in.
"Wha –"Loki's words died in his throat when he saw his Grænn gimsteinn standing by the door, her soulless emerald eyes staring at him. "Grænn gimsteinn minn?"
"Yes, it is me," she answered in clipped tones. "However, I don't know why you would call me your green gem, when you didn't bother visiting me for four years," she glared at him, and Loki flinched at her tone and impassiveness.
Loki took a few careful steps towards her, his eyes beseechingly staring into hers, "Odette, I wanted to, believe me. It killed me, not being able to see you. We were at war with Jötunheim; they wanted the Casket of Ancient Winters. The Jötuns declared that they would massacre Midgard if the All-Father doesn't hand it over."
While Loki explained his side of the story, Odette didn't give anything away, her face remained stoic and blank, and Loki's voice turned desperate – he needed an emotion out of her, he needed a sign that she forgave him.
"To protect Midgard, the All-Father placed a ban; he used his own magic to bar anyone from entering or leaving, and he had Heimdall block the Bifröst. It has only been four months in Asgard, and four months since I have last seen you. Please say something Grænn gimsteinn minn."
So, Loki never abandoned her. All these years, Odette thought he left her to rot, that he never cared for her and it was all an act on his part. Odette couldn't have been more wrong. Looking into Loki's desperate and forlorn forest green eyes, she could see the truth shining through, but Odette wasn't the same girl Loki knew, and the future depended on whether or not he would be able to accept the new her.
"It's been a bit more than four years, Loki," Odette informed him, her eyes roaming around his chambers, "Everything looks the same."
"What happened to you Odette? I'm not a simpleton, nor am I a dullard. You are not the same girl I last saw. I can see it with my own eyes, and I can taste it from your aura," Loki hissed angrily; he wanted her to trust him, but Odette had closed herself off, and shut him out. "Tell me Odette!"
"Don't you dare think you can demand anything from me and I would simply comply, Loki Odinson!" Odette spat, her eyes darkening to black for a moment before returning to its emerald green. "I am not the same innocent little girl you once knew. Your Grænn gimsteinn is gone, she is dead!"
"Don't say that, you are right here-"
"Physically, yes." Odette snapped, her eyes boring into his, "Emotionally, no. I am not the Odette Arielle you knew. I am different. Don't ask a question if you can't handle the answer."
There was silence in Loki's chambers for a long while; Loki and Odette sat in opposite sides of the room, both lost in their own thoughts.
Loki finally broke the silence with two firm words, "Tell me."
Odette's eyebrows rose skeptically, "Are you sure you can handle knowing? I have only confided in two others, and I trust them. I would only tell you because of our past, our relationship depends on your actions. So, are you sure you can handle knowing?" Odette repeated.
"Yes," Loki whispered, his eyes never leaving Odette's.
Odette nodded; taking in a deep breath, she began talking, her voice completely detached, "After the ball made for Charlus where they celebrated his fourth birthday, James Potter yelled at me for speaking with a couple of unsavory people and hit me."
"So it wasn't Charlus," Loki interrupted in a hiss. "It was your father that was hitting you all this time."
The only change in Odette's demeanor was the darkening of her eyes and she spoke in a cold voice, "Don't call him my father! James Potter is nothing more than a sperm donor in my opinion!" Loki's eyes widened – Odette Arielle worshipped her father; what else has changed?
"Anyways. I was hysterical after James left me alone. I was bawling my eyes out and yelling your name. I accidentally apparated myself into the streets of Russia," Odette paused slightly and Loki watched as she pulled a tiny object from her pocket and enlarge it with a wand that magically appeared into her hand.
It was a stoned basin with rune markings carved. She pointed her wand to the side of her head and began pulling countless silvery wisps that resembled a cloud-like gas and dropped them into the basin.
"What is that?" Loki frowned, his head tilted in confusion.
"This, this is a pensieve where one can store and view memories. The silvery substances are my memories. It would be quicker if you watch what happened," Odette approached Loki, levitating the pensieve and setting it onto the dressing table.
"One last thing you should know; apparating from London to Russia depleted my magic. Step in," Odette walked over and sat on his bed. Loki frowned in confusion, "You're not joining me?"
Odette scoffed, "I lived through it once already, why on earth would I want to relive it again?"
Loki plunged into Odette's memories and watched as Ivan Vanko grabbed her, followed by the months she spent living with him and being raped by him. How the innocence and the fire left her eyes, only to be replaced by despair and indifference.
He watched her time in the Red Room; how the Generals Petrovich punished her, tortured her and pushed her to kill at such a young age. How they had her murder her only friend and sort of older sister, Zelda and how that event changed her forever. Loki could do nothing but watch as she got tortured for months afterwards and then become a cold and ruthless assassin; a killing machine. He stared in dismay as they injected her with a serum, and how her heart stopped beating for a while.
Loki then observed as her magic had finally returned to her and how she killed Yasmine before traveling to Germany. He watched her kill the two other assassins and make her escape. The pensieve showed him how she evolved into Shadow Swan before it spat him back out, and Loki roughly clutched the carpet in his hands.
He didn't realize that he had tears streaming down his face, and when he looked up to face Odette, he finally understood. Whenever Odette showed any emotions she would be brutally beaten and punished; she was tortured not to feel pain. Loki wanted to murder Ivan Vanko, Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich.
"No," Odette said firmly, her eyes burning with malice and a sinister smile splayed on her face, "Those three are for me to kill. Me and me alone; I deserve that much."
She then took a few careful steps and engulfed in a hug which Loki eagerly returned. Pulling away, Loki said, "I don't care if you're different, you are and always will be Grænn gimsteinn minn."
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
Ten year old Odette Potter was currently sitting in a café in New York waiting for Lexi, who was shopping as usual.
After she had reconciled with Loki, he continued teaching her his brand of magic, allowing her to branch out and making her even more powerful than ever. Thor had been glad to see her, although he was still shocked from when he had last seen her over a dead body.
Fandral and Hogun were glad that they're Spýta-eldur had returned to them safely, even though she had a different nature than before, they accepted her as she was, no questions asked. Frigga cried a lot, before strangling her in a suffocating hug, and then cried even more – she knew that something tragic happened to the girl she saw as a daughter and dearly missed, to change her enormously, but she didn't pry, instead she showered her with huge heaps of love and affection.
Odin was disappointed in how she turned out; he could sense the blood of a fully-charged killer running through her veins, however, the dark aura he had felt before that was leeching onto her soul had vanished – he assumed that Odette Arielle discovered it on her own and found a way to extract it.
Lady Sif however; now that was an amusing reunion.
Sif never missed a chance to glare and cuss at Odette whenever she was nearby, until she had finally challenged her to spar. Sif scoffed derisively that a little girl thought she had a chance of defeating her, an Asgardian.
Odette gladly proved her wrong, none but Loki knowing the secret to her abnormal strength.
"You used magic! That's cheating," Sif screamed struggling from the tight hold Fandral and Hogun had on her.
Odette yawned loudly and crossed her arms, "In a battle, one must use all their resources to win Lady Sif. If I were someone else, you'd be dead, complaining in the Valinor about how said person cheated … of course, that's if you get sent there," Odette said in a cold tone.
"Odette Potter?"
Odette snapped back to the present, her emerald green eyes flickering to the two people that sat across from her. The man had navy blue eyes, chestnut brown hair, and a hard jaw, with a straight nose and strong cheekbones. He was a handsome man, and he had a muscled, lean body. The girl on the other hand, looked like she meant business; her hair was an auburn red and reached just below her neck, her eyes were cerulean blue, and she had a round face with pouty lips and a small nose.
Odette inwardly smirked to herself; she knew exactly who they were – Agents Barton and Romanoff of S.H.E.I.L.D. Odette found out that there was a spy in the Red Room with her numerous connections and she knew that Director Nick Fury had been looking for her since her grand escape in Germany; Odette also knew that S.H.E.I.L.D. was searching endlessly and wasting many resources on her counterpart, Shadow Swan.
Plastering on a fake look of confusion, Odette said, "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Yes. My name is Thomas and this is my partner Lisa," Agent Barton introduced themselves with a smile. "We work for S.H.E.I.L.D., Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate and we have come to offer you a chance to become an agent when you are older."
"Oh? And why would I want to do that?" Odette cocked an eyebrow, her eyes glaring into both Agents.
"Because you were trained to be an assassin, you could do a lot of good using your skills and become an Agent for S.H.E.I.L.D.," Agent Romanoff spoke up adamantly, her face stone-like, "We can protect you, but if you kill out there, then you'll find yourself in the slammer."
Odette chuckled dryly, a cruel smile pronounced on her small face, "Is this the winning speech Agent Barton over here gave you to get you to quit the Red Room and become an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Natalia?"
The atmosphere around their table lowered drastically, and the two Agents contemplatively stared at the ten year old in shock. Agent Romanoff couldn't completely hide her surprise at being called by her christened name; the last time anyone called her Natalia was when she was still in the Red Room.
"You know," Agent Barton simple stated.
Odette scoffed derisively, "You think I ran away from the Red Room to become an incompetent girl living on the streets Agent Barton? I make sure I know who is after me, who is stalking me and I am smart enough to disregard a silly pitch such as S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What's wrong with becoming an Agent and work alongside us?" Agent Barton demanded in a hard tone. Odette smirked at Agent Romanoff; thanks to Generals Petrovich, she knew everything about Natasha Romanoff, and one thing she was famous for was mental interrogation.
"I don't work for anyone. I play by my own rules, and do whatever the hell I wanna do. Comprende?" Odette leaned back, regarding the two Agents coldly, "Tell Director Fury to stay the hell away from me. No one is ever in charge of me."
At that moment, her phone vibrated alerting her that she had received a text message; Lexi finished and was waiting for her in the alleyway by the café since she heard the conversation with her vampire hearing and knew not to interrupt.
Standing up, Odette glared impassively at them, "I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, but really it wasn't."
Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff stared at her retreating back and once she left Clinton whistled, "Damn Nat! She's worse than you. I didn't think anyone could be colder or even more detached than you."
Natasha shrugged, "She's still out fresh from the Red Room, maybe in a few years she'll b –"Natasha's attention drifted over to a napkin spotted underneath the dollar bills Odette hastily threw on the table.
Clinton watched warily as Natasha snatched the napkin, "Nat, what is it?"
Leaning forward, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. No way, no fucking way! That wasn't … Shit.
Next time do your research properly,
You never know who you could be talking to,
Give Nick Fury my love,
XOXO – Shadow Swan.
Natasha stuffed the napkin into her pocket and the two Agents ran out of the café searching the streets for vibrant ruby red hair that would stand out easily in a crowd; for the girl they had been talking to for the last twenty minutes.
"She's gone! She wouldn't reveal herself and stick around to watch our reactions," Natasha growled.
Clinton cursed, kicking a pebble hard, "I can't believe we didn't figure it out ages ago, Nat! Shadow Swan emerged a few months after Odette Potter escaped from the Red Room! It was so glaringly obvious and we missed it!"
Natasha pursed her lips in disapproval of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s failure; "Come on, Clint. We have to inform Fury. I don't want to imagine what his reaction would be."
Unknown to the two Agents, a witch and a vampire leaned against the café's window under a disillusionment and silencing charm, watching the whole incident in amusement.
A/N: How did you like this chapter? We're finally nearing Hogwarts, YAY!
Grænn gimsteinn minn – My green gem.
Spýta-eldur – Spitfire.
Lítil stúlka – Little girl.