Ania-Present
"Mom! Thokk stole my books again! I'm going to get them back!"
I teleport in front of her and stop her. "Sphine, we have to leave. Your aunt has another job for me," deep breath "on Midgard."
She stared at me. That was her only reaction, just staring. "Mom, this the 3rd time. When are we settling down?" My heart broke as her hazel eyes started to water. "Just tell me we aren't going to New York, I don't want to remember dad."
I sighed, nodding. "We're going to Washington DC, Hel needs me in the White House, her brother is going to meet me there with keys to a house, car, and safety deposit box with everything we need." I wrapped my arms around Sphine, holding her as close as I could. "I love you, Sphine and I'm sorry I'm moving you around so much."
"I'll be fine mom, I've done it enough it doesn't hurt as much." Sphine's words were almost silent. She lifted herself onto the toes of her left foot to spin around. "I'll be packed and ready in an hour."
If there was anything I could say about my daughter, it's that she worshipped punctuality. Within an hour, her bags and boxes were packed and stuffed into the multi-realm car. Flicking my fingers, the door opened allowing me to get behind the wheel.
As I drove, I started thinking of how much had passed. Sphine and I lived at the edge of a forgotten realm where time was in flux. Has been three years or three hundred? Is Loki still alive, is her father still alive? How much has changed since the 2000s? My gaze flicked to Sphine. What happened to the world she knew?
“Mom, I’m sorry.” Her voice drew me out of my own head. “I’ve taken for granted what you’ve done for me.” She looked up from her book to look at me. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Sphine, don’t apologize just because I’m in a bad mood. You have every right to not like the life we lead.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something actually.” Pressing a button, I put the vehicle on auto pilot, and reached for a small box that was in the pocket of Sphine's seat. “As you know, I am part of the Mourners for the Siblings of Death,” Sphine nodded, confusion visible on her features. “Hel as well as Anubis have asked my opinion of taking on a new Mourner and training her myself.” My finger ran over the seal imprinted on the cocobolo wood. I take in a deep breath and hand the box to her. As she opens it, I continue. “It’s entirely up to you, but if you want to be a Mourner, then activate the crystal in that necklace when we get to Midgard.”
I smile as tears start to fall from her eyes. “Thank you mom!” She leans over to hug me. “I want to do this.”
“Alright, training starts when we land.”
π π π π π π π π π π π π π π π
“On your left!” Sphine's arm swung around, knocking the official straight in the nose and putting him down for the count. “Target up ahead.”
We made our way through the dimly lit hallway, guided by the bright blue light. “Hey, can this be my first?” I smile proudly and nodded at my daughter.
“How?”
“The throat. Back up is the wrists.”
“Okay, go in on three.” Sphine stood at the left side of the door frame. I stood in front of it. “One, two,” SLAM! My foot made contact with the door, parallel to the handle patch, making the door swing open and hit the wall to the right of it. Sphine slipped in and manage to drop the target in less than 5 seconds.
Proud mamma moment!
“What does Hel want again?” Well, not everyone is perfect first time. I hold up my necklace, signaling her to check her crystal. “Oh right. Alohomora.” A few seconds of scanning the information later, Sphine walked out with the guy’s arm in her arm. “We have a bag for this?”
I laugh and throw a duffle bag on the ground. “Come on squirt, let’s go get ice cream and fries.”
“Yes! I am starving!”
π π π π π π π π π π π π π π π
“Mom, can I put your hair up?” I look up from my phone to see Sphine with a bag of hair ties, bobby pins, and other hair things with a comb and brush in her other hand.
“Sure, it’s still wet from the shower. Should be easier.” She smiled and jumped onto the bed. I leaned forward to let her kneel behind me. “Nothing too outrageous. We’re meeting Hel and Anubis for dinner, and I think Hades and Persephone are showing up with their daughter, Melinoe.”
I couldn’t see her, but I knew that Sphine scrunched up her nose at the mention of dinner tonight. “Fine. I’ll do a braided updo then.”
I turned on the tv to provide some background noise when my phone went off. “Speaking of Hel,” I mumbled, answering her call. “This is Ania.”
“Ania! You’ll never believe what a contact inside SHIELD sent us.”
“Less stalling Hel, what was sent?”
“I’m sending you the picture now. Make sure you’re sitting down and don’t have anything in your mouth.”
I shook my head and looked at the message. It was a picture. A picture of a certain raven-haired individual. A certain green eyed, raven haired individual. “Hel, when was this?”
“A couple years ago. He was using magic to get through unnoticed, but Cavana noticed the magic and broke through it. Got this picture.” Three seconds of silence. “He’s coming back, Ania. You’re gonna have to accept that.”
Do I really have to? I mean, I could just, not. If I see him. I could just pretend not to know him. And the man has he changed since Sphine has seen him last, back in ’02. “Yeah, I know. But what are the chances of him finding me? Last thing he knew, we disappeared. No one knew where we went, except you, of course.”
A sigh came through the phone. “Yeah, well, about that…”
“Hel,”
“I might’ve tipped off a certain organization about you and he might find out that way.”
“Hel!”
“I mean he might not!”
Don’t throw the phone. It’ll solve nothing. “What organization?”
“SHIELD”
“Hel, if that eye patch comes knocking on my door, I’m blaming you.”
“Fine. Look I gotta go. Anubis and Melinoe are fighting about flowers. See you at dinner!”
“See ya.” Opening up the picture of Loki once again, I laugh. “Sphine. Have I ever told you why you should never break a promise?”
Her fingers secured the bun, making her free to lay on my lap. “I think once. Why do you ask?”
I project a picture of Nick Fury. “This man. If you see him, you run straight to me. He’s going to ask me a question and I’m going to have to say yes.” I look down. “We’d be placed on a team. And that team might be going after your dad.” Sphine’s chest stopped mid breath.
“He’s back on Earth?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he is.”
“Well, if it keeps us out of prison, might as well put him in.” She sat up and grabbed my phone, looking at the picture of her dad. “When was this?”
My head tilted to the right. “2 years ago, I think. In June. We just moved to Eloghar when this happened.”
She grunted and shot up. “I’m out of my favourite lipstick, can I run and get some from the drugstore?”
My head nodded to the bedside table where the keys and money was. “Grab me some liquid eyeliner. Thanks hon!” Sphine smiled, grabbed the things, and left. “That girl, so grown up.”
I got off the bed to start getting the room ready for what was certain to be a fashion show, knowing myself and my daughter, when a knock was heard on the door. I froze, thinking about who it could be.
Mrs. Foltz is gone for the weekend, Amy and her kids are still at daycare, no new neighbors since James, and he hates Sphine and I. There is a chance it’s Anth-
The door being kicked in interrupted my thought process. “Mrs Oladottir,” Fury. “You’re gonna come with us.” I turned around to see SHIELD agents holding a gun to my daughter’s head and Fury standing in front of them. “Please.”
“Please? Wow, did that hurt your pride?” Sphine laughed. It brought me joy to see one of the agents smirk at my quip. “Why would I go with you? It’s the last day of June, let me enjoy it.” He waited in silence. “You know I’m gonna say yes. Let me get our things. And let go of my daughter. She’ll help pack.”
She didn’t wait for the gun to leave her head before walking into the room. “Mom, is it time?”
I nodded silently, summoning my things into my bag. “Just get your things, honey.” I sighed. “Hopefully we won’t have to see him.” I turned to the eyepatch. “Who is on the team?”
“Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers are the ones I’m counting on. There may be some others that join as well.”
Romanoff was fine, Barton is good as long as Romanoff is around, and Rogers should be fine. “Okay, I have some conditions. Sphine and I have our dorm away from everyone else. I have full access to all systems and files. And we have full control over our powers. No power nulling collars I know you have.” Fury nodded. “Great, we’ll be at headquarters tomorrow night at 7 after dinner. We have some things to clear up before we go onto that ship of yours.” I pointed at the door and waved. “That means leave.”
“1900, we’ll be waiting.” And with that, the door shut.
We stood staring at the door in silence for a couple seconds when Sphine broke it by letting out a breath. “Shit, I hate him already.”
My eyes slide to her. We make eye contact before busting out in laughter. “Oh my gods. You are definitely my daughter.” I walk over to the closet where all of our fancy dresses were still hanging. “You get first choice, but remember, Anubis will be there. So watch the neckline.” She just rolled her eyes and went to pick out her dress.