Over the next several days I found myself a quiet guest in the palace in Asgard. I would have figured that I would have been a prisoner after fighting my way in, and the collateral damage, and the murder, but... No. I was given a properly prepared room and... I hadn't been told I had to stay in it but I hadn't been told I was free to leave, either.

Every evening a servant asked me if I would like to join the King for dinner, but each time I declined. I didn't need to eat anymore and, honestly, I didn't have much of an appetite regardless.

I didn't... I didn't understand. I know that what I'd been doing had maybe caused some trouble, and I'd beaten half of the Avengers in a fight, even if that had been... Why was I being treated so leniently?

I'd shrunk a little bit, after killing Blake. I hadn't noticed at first, but once I'd gotten out of the loop of denying that I'd meant to kill him I realized that my wings had vanished and in terms of height and musculature I was down to where I was after I got my enhancements from the Consultant, which I guess was my default height and muscle mass now. I wasn't as small as I felt, but...

This, this room. It was... Nice. Nicer than I was used to lately, nicer than I deserved. I was so confused about... Everything.

A knock came at the door. Was it evening already? "Young miss," came an honestly somewhat beleaguered voice, "once again his highness wishes to know if you would care to dine with him tonight. Shall I tell him once more that you lack both the need and desire to eat?"

I was about to repeat my answer from days past once again when I realized that... I'd probably never get answers to my questions if I never asked them.

"Actually, I think I will this time," I said back hesitantly.

"Oh... Alright then," the servant said.

I walked to the door and left the room, getting my first glimpse of the man and... Yeah, about what I expected. Generically Nordic dressed in vaguely medieval clothes. He led me through the halls of the palace until we entered a... I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but this room was just a small one with a single table. Thor was already seated and the castle servant left quietly.

The King of Asgard waved me over, "Ah, good. Come. Sit."

Awkwardly I walked over and took a seat opposite the God of Thunder.

"To begin with, I would like to apologize," he said, "when I had a room prepared for you I did not intend that you be confined to it. I won't say that you have free reign of the castle, as I doubt the guards would be pleased if you attempted to enter the treasury or armory, but you are no prisoner."

"...Why?" I asked.

"You need to be more specific"

"I invaded your kingdom," I said while counting on my fingers, "fought your gatekeeper, broke into a secure prison, freed a dangerous prisoner who almost broke reality and killed countless people, and killed a man and... Why? Why are you treating me like a guest? Common sense is that I should be in... The dungeons or something."

"When we met on Midgard," Thor began with surprising gentleness, "I told you that my enchanted hammer could only be lifted by those who were Worthy. I dare say, Maria Marshal of Midgard, if I may call you that?" I nodded. I wasn't really in the mood to correct people. "I dare say that I would never be worthy again, not of Mjolnir, not of my throne, not as a god, a king, or a man, were I the kind of person to look at a child in pain and throw them in prison."

I broke eye contact and looked to the floor. "I should be in prison."

It was at that point more servants came in carrying what I presumed to be dinner and after a few moments placed before me was a bowl of some kind of stew, a side of fresh bread, and an empty mug.

"When one goes too long without a proper meal," Thor began in explanation, "it sometimes becomes difficult to eat. I do not know if that applies in your case, but as a precaution, I requested that the royal cooks prepare something easy to eat and keep down." He lifted and uncorked a clay jug, "would you care for some mead?"

"I'm not old enough to drink," I said back.

"On Midgard, no," Thor admitted, "but Asgard is more liberal on such matters and I am quite certain that you are hearty enough to handle one mug without issue. Besides, I won't tell anyone if you don't."

He had me there. I held out my mug.

We ate in silence for a moment. I honestly couldn't tell you whether it was good or not, I'd gone too long without eating or drinking anything. Mostly I just tried to process the smells and flavors and textures and tried not to wolf it down as a visceral, reflexive reaction to filling a stomach that hadn't had food in far too long.

"No, I believe, before the food arrived, that you said that you 'should' be imprisoned," Thor began again. "But the question a is... Should you be?"

I thought over what exactly I'd done the other day. "I mean, objectively speaking..."

"Objectively speaking," Thor insisted, "you are a child who sought power in order to protect the world from the threat of Carnage. Correct me if I am mistaken in the order of events, but as you said on Midgard your quest for power began at first as a reaction to the events that cost you not one but two families but continued in part because you found that you enjoyed combat and the cultivation of power and in part because you made contact with the spirit of Cletus Kassady who for reasons I suppose are known only to him warned you of the power his symbiote possessed. During your confrontation with myself and the other Avengers," Thor paused to take a swig from his mug, "you claimed from my body the remnants of symbiotes that I myself had bonded to and presumably learned of the existence of accursed Promethium hammer Hellnir and came to believe that it would grant you the power you sought."

"That's right so far," I confirmed.

"Thus, your intentions while not pure, were noble. Your encounter with Sif was an unfortunate matter of miscommunication," Thor continued, "had you claimed that you were on a quest for the power to defeat a great foe you have found a more hospitable welcome."

"Uh, I started that fight, actually," I corrected.

"Well then you are not completely innocent," Thor admitted, "but that does not change my overall point. You did not know of Blake's imprisonment, you couldn't have. I didn't know of it, and the spells my brother used to conceal it were strong enough to hide it from the all-seeing eyes of the guardian of the Bifrost. You released him by accident, and then my brother did use his forked tongue to provoke you into cleaning up his mess."

Thor's eyes narrowed. "And rest assured, Maria Marshal of Midgard, that I have had words with Loki regarding both his treatment of Blake and his manipulations of you."

"That's all well and good but I still killed someone who didn't deserve... Shouldn't I be punished?"

"The purpose of punishment is to discourage further wrongdoing," Thor countered. "I saw with my own eyes the reaction you had when you realized what you'd done. No just punishment I could lay would be more effective than your own remorse and grief."

That kind of made sense but at the same time didn't sit right with me. "But, still, I mean... He could have gotten better. If, if someone had helped him, and..."

"Yes, he could have," Thor admitted. "And now he likely never will, barring his resurrection or reincarnation. But that is not your fault. And do make note, that I have done everything in my power to ensure that his soul finds the peace in death that was denied to him in life."

"Okay, I guess..." I thought of the memories I'd inherited from Blake's codex. "I take back my condolences. Your dad was a dick."

"True, often enough," Thor agreed. "Though I must admit that I find myself somewhat confused by why someone with such compassion for others has chosen the name 'Massacre' for herself."

"...It started as a reminder to myself," I began, "of how I got this power. Then for a little bit, I was working with criminals and needed a tough name to... You know. And then... After the venom virus, I couldn't go back to being just Maria anymore, and then I realized how much I... How much I loved all of this, and... Maria Marshal is dead. My name is Massacre, and I'm a monster." And I was considerably less okay with that than I had been.

That made Thor laugh. "My apologies, child, but, I have known many a monster in my time, and you are not among their number."

"I've killed," I explained.

"So have I," he countered.

"I enjoy violence."

"So does most of Asgard," he replied, "our idea of paradise is literally a never-ending battle to the death without care or consequence."

I had no answer, so he continued.

"What you have explained to me," he said, "and what I have observed, paints the picture of a young woman who has the heart and soul of a warrior and yet detests needless bloodshed, holds great compassion for others, and who has gone out of her way to levie help when it was needed. There is a word for people like that, Maria."

I looked away. "I'm no hero," I insisted. "The reason I want to fight Kassady... It's not for justice or to protect others. It's not even for revenge, it's just... I wanted to kill him, to destroy his legacy... Because I wanted to. I had no greater reason, I... The whole thing is fundamentally selfish."

"Many people think that being a hero is a major decision that defines their entire life forever more," the King of Asgard began, "but the truth is that being a hero is about making choices in the moment. For example, just the other day I learned of a delightful young woman who risked the wrath of the Queen of Limbo to try and restore the memories and sanity of a man in pain for no apparent personal gain."

Right. He'd gone to Limbo when Sif told him I'd vanished into the Embassy. "Who told you?" I quipped.

"The Queen of Limbo," Thor said which shocked me. "I dare say that Madelyne Pryor hates you, Maria Marshal, but she felt compelled to admit that what you had done for poor Ben Reilly was a good deed after verifying that you had not harmed him."

"That, that's not being a hero," I stutted. "That's just... I'd have been a real ashole if I'd just left him like that."

"Sometimes," Thor insisted, "having such a thought and then acting on it is all it takes. Whether you call yourself Maria or Massacre, you are no monster."

I finished eating. while thinking that over "So now what?"

"Are you satisfied, Maria, By the power you have acquired thus far?"

I avoided eye contact. "...No. Kassady said that I needed to be a god if I wanted to have a chance against the new and improved Carnage. I'm strong, but... Something's missing."

Thor hummed. "Then I shall make you the same offer that the Avengers made you when we met on Midgard: Submit to supervision, and in exchange, you will be provided with training, lodging, and the 'smoothing over' of your legally questionable actions on Midgard to the best of the abilities of The Avengers. Additionally, I will offer this, should you agree, then I am willing to help you become the god you wish to be if you are willing to let me teach you how to be a good one." He extended a hand. "What say you?"

I thought it over. "What if I refuse?"

"You are free to leave at any time," Thor admitted in a reassuring tone. "Even if I wished to hold you prisoner, I lack the means to do so given your current abilities and power."

I thought about it some more. "Eh. What have I got to lose at this point?" I took his hand.