Chapter Seventeen: A Grateful Universe

Finally, after all these years of planning, Thanos had accomplished his goal. The Mad Titan sat on his home planet, basking in the glory of winning. His people said he shouldn't do it, but they went extinct. He was the only one left because he was smart enough to figure out a way to save other populations from dying off. Depleting resources was a problem that many civilizations faced. It was a serious issue; an issue that Thanos just fixed. There couldn't be a lack of resources if the population didn't have to share. He didn't want to kill any more than was necessary. If half the population died, then the other half could thrive. No, Thanos wasn't a murderer. In fact, he considered himself a philosopher and a hero. If he hadn't killed half the universe, the universe would die slowly. Thanos grated mercy to everyone living, including animals. He wasn't stupid. If he killed half of the universe's plants, the animals and other civilizations wouldn't survive. The plants were needed for food and resources. Plants were needed for life to continue, so Thanos decided to keep the plants alive. Besides, he was always fond of plants and how they grew without complaining about problems. They were beautiful creations, so Thanos left them alone to live.

Titan was a beautiful plant. It was sad that his home was destroyed because his people used up all the essentials for living. Thanos wished his family was here to congratulate him on saving the universe, but alas, he was alone. Thanos sat alone thinking to himself. The pesky Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy had tried to stop him from being the hero he was. He had stabbed Tony Stark in the stomach, but he was alive. He was kept alive because if Thanos had killed him, then that would mean the population of the universe would lose a person and one more person would die an unfair death.

Thanos sat there crying for his beloved daughter, Gamora. Her death was necessary to complete his goal. He always believed that the ends justify the means.

He also did this for Hela, the wonderful young lady he was in love with. They had met once when Hela was collecting the souls of his dead family. Hela was nothing more than a child, but Thanos fell in love almost immediately. The way that death radiated off her was irresistible. Thanos didn't know who her parents were or if she was related to anyone; the girl was so mysterious. Nevertheless, he had tried winning her over by killing people, famous and whole civilizations; and presenting their dead corpses to her. Every time she was shocked speechless by the loving gesture. He had shown her his plan a few decades back. She had seemed upset at the idea, but he gave her time to think about it. She still hadn't responded and he hadn't seen her in quite some time. Hopefully, this would get her attention; nothing could resist the power of the Infinity Stones.

The sun was setting on Titan, painting the sky orange and pink. Thanos hummed quietly to himself as he watched the sun go down. Once it turned dark, Thanos stood up and went inside his new home. He had used the reality stone to return Titan to its former glory. A tall, stone building stood over a garden full of flowers of many colors. The main hall had tall, sweeping ceilings made out of gray stone. Elaborate designs of ancient symbols covered the walls. A throne of black marble stood at the center of the end of the main hall. The Mark of Thanos decorated the wall behind the throne. Tall windows, standing about twenty feet tall, looked out to the garden.

It was an upgrade from his former ship, Sanctuary. Thanos slouched down on the throne and rested his gloved hand on the armrest. The chest wound that Thor had given him was not healing very properly; in addition to his weakened state from using the full combined power of the stones.

Thanos was tired and slightly lonely. He had lost his children, the Black Order. Gamora was gone. He couldn't find Nebula. His army of Outriders was killed off by the Avengers. Loki, his pet and personal slave, was dead.

Loki! Thanos sat bolt upright as an idea popped into his head. Thanos summoned the power of the soul stone. An image of an Asgardian bathroom with some modern human upgrades formed in front of him. The image focused and Loki walked into the frame. The Asgardian sorcerer splashed water on his face and sighed. He lifted up his shirt to stare at his reflection. The tattoo that Thanos had given him pulsed in and out of focus, the black ink startlingly dark against the pale skin.

"My pet," Thanos said quietly and watched Loki jump.

Loki looked up in shock and gasped. He backed against the opposite wall and stared in horror as he saw Thanos looking back at him through the image.

"Even in death you still try to betray me," Thanos growled. He had an inkling of what Loki was plotting against him, and he was not happy about it.

"How?" Loki whispered, his eyes wide with terror. Oh, those beautiful green eyes of his. How Thanos longed to watch them shine with tears after the Asgardian begged for mercy.

"I own you, my pet. I am connected to you. I hear your thoughts. I thought that by killing you, the chance of me dying would decrease," Thanos snarled. "Apparently I have made a mistake. You are much more enjoyable alive." Orange light started pouring from the soul stone, reaching for the image. The light passed through the mirror on Loki's end and pulled Loki into a tight embrace.

Loki screamed as he was enveloped in orange light. A second later, he was gone. The image blurred and fizzled out. A flash of orange light filled the main hall. The light faded, and Thanos watched as Loki crumpled to the hard floor.

Loki groaned and pushed himself to his feet. Thanos stood up and towered over the boy.

Loki gasped and backpedaled as quickly as he could. He tripped over his own feet and fell back down on his rear. He tried to scoot away from the Mad Titan, but Thanos picked him up easily by the neck. Loki summoned his magic and pressed his hand against Thanos' head. Thanos grunted and threw Loki toward the wall.

"You should thank me," Thanos bellowed angrily. "I brought you back to life and this is how you repay me?"

Loki groaned as he sat up. He summoned a dagger in his right hand and swung it at Thanos. Thanos dodged it easily and grabbed Loki's wrists. He pulled hard on his wrists, lifting Loki's arms above his head.

Loki squirmed and tried kicking Thanos' legs. Thanos ignored the blows and dragged Loki to the center of the room. A chain with handcuffs attached appeared from the ceiling. Thanos cuffed Loki's wrists and spun him to face the throne; his feet barely touching the floor. Thanos sat back down on the stone chair and grinned savagely as the young sorcerer pulled on his restraints in an attempt to free himself.

"I thought you would be grateful to be alive," Thanos stated.

Loki glared in response. He had given up on the chains and focused his energy on being stubborn and resistant.

"I have you here, chained up, as your brother and his friends rush over to try and stop me. I am not a murderer." Here, Loki scoffed. "I will regret killing them in front of you, but it has to be done to ensure the safety of the universe. With me gone, the universe will wither and die. I am only getting rid of the problem."

Loki bit his bottom lip. There didn't seem to be a safe way out of it. Yes, he was glad that the Avengers trusted him enough to follow through with his plan, but he didn't want to put them in further danger. The idea was to catch Thanos off guard and then attack. Now, they had lost the element of surprise and Thanos was ready for them. Not only that, but Thanos could use Loki as bait and leverage against Thor.

Loki bit his lip so hard that it started bleeding. Thanos noticed this and was in front of Loki in a few long strides.

"You still enjoy pain, don't you?" Thanos asked and wiped the blood off with his finger. The purple alien stared intently at the red blood on his finger. A wicked grin etched itself onto Thanos' face. "Pain. Pleasure. Death. This will be enjoyable."