Trust No One
Chapter 4: Trust No One
Loki did not expect her to be this headstrong. For the whole duration he was impressed by her thrice: first was when she fought the man; second, when she pinned him to the wall; and third, when she lashed out. She seems to be a mix of him and his brother Thor: smart and strategic like him, bold and fearless like his brother.
“Yes, I agree. Though I had expected her to do that.” Loki has not noticed that he said his first thought aloud until Thor replied to him. They were standing in the elevator going up the top floor of the Avengers Tower to meet up with the others.
Loki clasped his hands in front of him. “She does not seem to be one who can work with us, let alone for S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“But in the end, she sounds like she is willing to help Asgard.” Thor tilted his head towards him as he spoke.
“Isn’t that unusual?” Loki glanced at him. “Someone from another realm wants to help us?”
The elevator doors opened and they heard Tony say “Welcome back!”
They entered the floor and Tony was with Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff. “Tony filled us in. How did it go?” Bruce asked them.
The brothers looked at each other, unsure who would speak first. “Well, she seemed to know what happened in Greece,” Loki replied.
“Yes, we all know what happened there,” Natasha said. “How is it our concern? And why are you here?” She directed the question to Loki. "And why do you look like you're okay with this?" She now faced Stark.
"Hang on, Romanoff. That’s too many questions in one sitting. I know you have a lot of questions. Don’t worry, we have all night,” Tony replied.
“Yeah, you better explain.” She crossed her arms on her chest and straightened herself on the couch, swiping her hard, sharp eyes on everyone in the room. “I’m armed,” she said when she glowered at Loki. Loki smirked at her, taunting her but this doesn’t phase her.
Tony walked to the bar and poured himself a whiskey. “Uh, you want a drink, Nat?”
“I’d want to hear this sober.”
“Alright. So, first question. How is it our concern?”
“It was not done by any human, that’s what he meant,” Thor added. “And with the population of Kalambaka missing, it seems that they will not stop there.”
“As for Loki?” Natasha interrogated.
“Odin’s orders.”
“That doesn’t sound as comforting as it should be.” She stood up and followed Stark to the bar and poured herself a glass of whiskey.
“I thought you wanted to hear this sober?” Stark wondered.
“The more my questions are answered, the more I want to make myself get drunk.” She side-glanced Tony. “Don’t worry, I don’t lose my aim when drunk.”
“I know that.”
“Which brings us to the next question.” Natasha raised her glass to Tony. “Why the hell are you okay with this?”
Bruce turned to Loki while this was happening. Loki let out a menacing smirk, sending shivers down Bruce’s spine. “Yeah, why is he here again?” Bruce added.
“Odin asked me to look into the disappearance of the people from Kalambaka as we believe it was an act of sorcery. Seems I’m the only capable Asgardian who can work on it.” Loki replied arrogantly.
“Well, basically, that,” Thor said flatly.
“That’s the reason why Fury and I allowed it,” Tony answered.
Natasha’s jaw fell and her face scrunched. “Fury is okay with this?” Her voice rose.
“This is insane,” Bruce muttered, slumping on the couch.
“I would agree with Banner. Totally insane,” Loki stated.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to let the big guy smash you once again.” Bruce raised a finger at him. Loki gulped, legitimately scared for the first time in his life.
“And who is ‘she’?” Natasha finally asked. Thor, Tony, and Bruce looked at Natasha like she just admitted she wrestled a grizzly bear. “Of course I’ve read the file but I need more than what’s written there.”
“She’s the Greek demigod,” Loki told them.
“And what’s so special about her?”
Oh, if you only knew, Loki thought, remembering how she snatched Ares from him. She was dauntless.
“I think it’s best we talk to her, if possible,” Bruce suggested.
“I also heard Fury wanted her to work with us, did she say yes?” Natasha continued, returning to the couch where Bruce was.
“She did not explicitly say yes to working with the Avengers but she is always willing to work with Asgard,” Thor explained. Loki was just pacing around the room, listening to the group discuss.
“‘Work with Asgard’. So you’re saying you guys know each other since way back?” Bruce asked.
“Yes. She is Olympus’ guardian for the realms, including ours. She has a seat in our war room.” Thor settled on a couch adjacent to theirs. Tony followed and sat on a solo couch between Thor’s sofa and Nat and Bruce’s couch.
“Should we trust her?” Natasha asked the two mortals around her.
“If Thor and Loki trust her, then I will too,” Bruce answered.
Natasha leaned closer to Bruce. “I would be cautious around people Loki trusts.” Loki heard this and his lips curled up sardonically.
“Thor sounds like he trusts Loki on this one,” he whispered back.
“If you’re saying you can’t trust people who trust Loki, does that include Thor?” Tony gestured to him. Thor frowned.
“I fully trust Lady Stella,” Thor assured them.
“How about you, Reindeer Games?” Stark asked Loki. “What do you think of Detective Lords?”
He turned to them. “I never thought my opinion would be valuable to you.”
Tony sighed and turned back to Thor. “Did you convince her?” Tony asked then the alarms went off. “Jarvis, what’s happening?”
“Someone landed on the helipad,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. They all looked out of the glass and saw a person’s silhouette. Natasha pulled out her gun and went out to the helipad. “She seems to have appeared out of nowhere.”
She? Loki thought and he stepped forward, going after Natasha. The figure raised its hands to signal peace. He then threw flares on the platform to light it up.
“Loki, it’s me. I come in peace.” Stella showed up, still wearing her white and gold armor.
“Agent, you can put your gun down,” he instructed Natasha, who just gave him the side-eye. “That is her.”
“How can you tell? And why should I listen to you?” Natasha replied, still suspicious of the whole thing.
“Loki? Thor? What’s happening?” Stella asked cautiously.
“Because I know her.” Loki and Natasha were still staring each other down until he decided to unarm Natasha. She fought for her gun but he held it high and froze her in place. “I’ll return this to you after, don’t worry,” he said and her gun vanished, making Natasha curse in Russian. Loki then walked to Stella. “Stella Lords, I’m sorry a-”
“Ares is missing,” she said urgently.
“What?” he said, surprised. Loki removed the enchantment on Natasha and they walked back inside, Natasha keeping her distance from Loki and the newcomer and continued to internally curse him. “Thor, Stella said Ares is missing.”
Thor approached Stella. “I came back, everyone’s dead and Ares’ cell was empty,” she explained hurriedly.
“Okay, hold on.” Tony interrupted. “What the hell happened and who is Ares?” Stella blinked at him, just now noticing the billionaire. "I believe you are Detective Stella Lords."
"I'm sorry." Stella composed herself and extended a hand for Tony to shake. "Yes, Stella Lords. And you must be Tony Stark?"
"Yes, you got it."
"Fury mentioned you." Tony, Bruce, and the especially suspicious Natasha looked at Stella. "You must be from S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Not quite," Natasha spoke.
"I'm Bruce Banner." He shook Stella's hand.
"We're what you call the Avengers, or what Fury calls us," Natasha answered, her guard still up. "Fury said you know what happened in Greece?"
They sat down and Bruce offered her a seat. "Yes. Two days ago we found Kalambaka ravaged. Empty, but ravaged. We couldn't find any bloodstains nor gunshot holes on the walls. I suspected that the victims were obliterated through magic, through sorcery."
"How can you say it was an act of sorcery when you have not seen what happened first hand?" Bruce askes.
Stella opened her palm and a blue flame appeared. "I can pick up any magical residue. That's how I found out."
"And the place was vibrating with residual sorcery," Loki added.
"You've been there?" Natasha asked.
Of course. Loki badly wanted to retort. But I have to painfully play nice now.
"When the three of us were there, we were attacked by a Mres warrior and one of Ares' half-mortal sons," Stella continued.
"By half-mortal, you mean Ares is a god?" Bruce asked. Stella nodded. Bruce's eyes widened, "okay, more gods. They're real."
"As real as we can be. I went back to Olympus, planning on interrogating Ares but found no one. He's on the loose." Stella waited for a comment from the three of them but they just looked back at her, deep in thought.
"But how do you know Thor and Loki?" Tony asked her.
"My father is Zeus, I was born to a mortal. Growing up, my half-sister Athena trained me in military skills and sorcery in secret, keeping it from our father. Then she made me a guardian for the realms.”
“But when Athena made you guardian, did Zeus find out?” Bruce asked.
“He did and he let me. He can’t do anything about what Athena does. Anyway, unbeknownst to Earthrealm, Olympus and Asgard have been working together for the protection of all the realms. A few months ago, I was in Asgard because Ares attacked Loki." he looked at her upon hearing his name and they locked eyes. "What did he want from you that night?"
"He was asking for the mind crystal. The scepter."
"Where is it now?"
"It’s," Tony paused to look at Loki, “classified information.”
Stella nodded in understanding. “Of course.”
Natasha shifted on the barstool she was sitting on. "If Ares is looking for the scepter, then this might be the battle of New York once again," she said and Loki felt like an icicle sliced through his heart.
"Hopefully we can prevent that from happening again," Thor added.
"The only thing we need to do is to stop Ares with minimal damage," Stella suggested. “I don’t want any more mortals to die.”
"Uh, for minimal damage, I don't think we have the same definition of 'minimal'," Bruce commented.
"If we're going to do something to stop another possible threat, then I'm in," Natasha said after a few moments of thought and she glances at Tony and Bruce.
Tony looked back at her then to Stella. "Of course, I am too." Bruce patted his shoulder in solidarity.
"As for us," Thor added. "It has been our mission to protect the Nine Realms."
“Fury told me that I can work with you. Thor also told me the same thing.” Stella was studying them, unsure if she can keep up working with a whole new group (who are not Olympians nor soldiers) with different personalities and unknown backgrounds.
Natasha was also watching Stella for any signs of her lying.
“Take my word on this, Lady Lords. I have worked with the Avengers and I trust them with all my heart,” Thor assured her.
Stella stood straight. "It would be an honor to fight alongside the Avengers then," she said and made a small bow. She waved her hand towards herself and shed off the warrior suit, revealing a black knitted sweater, ash-colored jeans, and black leather boots. She kept her hair up in a bun though. Loki didn’t notice he was already staring at her until she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Do you keep your wardrobe in the palm of your hand?” Stark asked and she chuckled.
“Yeah. Kinda like that.”
"Convenient," Bruce muttered.
Loki walked to Natasha, her gun dangling from his hand. “Here you go, Agent Romanoff.”
Natasha snatched the gun from him and checked the magazine. The bullets were still there. Natasha then stood up and aimed the gun at Loki. He raised his hand, trying to calm down the Black Widow.
Tony stood up. “Okay, maybe it’s a good idea not to start shooting anyone right now, Nat.” He patted her shoulder.
“Maybe not snatch my gun from me.” Natasha cocked an eyebrow at Loki.
Loki just smirked. “I’ll take note of that, Agent,” he replied, amused. Natasha lowered her gun but maintained the irritated scowl on her face.
After hours of talking and getting to know each other, Tony pulled Stella aside. “Do you have a place to stay here in New York?”
“Not yet. I’ll just have to rent one.”
“You can stay here, y’know. There’s a vacant place so you don’t have to rent.”
“I think, I mean,” Stella sighed and smiled politely. “I think I’m good. I can handle it.”
“I think it would be better for you to stay here, security-wise,” Natasha interrupted.
“Actually that’s another the reason,” Stark pointed out. “And you can use this tower’s resources to help you find Ares.” Stella looked at both of them. Natasha gave her a reassuring smile for the first time tonight. She thought of it for a minute. Why not? They could also help me with this, though I can’t see how as of now. She thought.
“Okay, then. But I’m out the minute this is over,” Stella said.
“Hmm. Suit yourself,” Tony replied and Natasha led her to her floor.
Natasha made sure she could have Stella alone in the elevator. When they passed down 2 floors she stopped the car.
Stella raised an eyebrow, waiting for Natasha to engage. She kept her hands clasped on her front. Natasha faced her, a hard, grim look on her face. “Who are you?” She asked.
“I believe you didn't want my name,” Stella replied coolly, her eyes locked on Natasha’s. “I told you, I’m a Greek demigod who acts as a liaison for the realms, including Asgard.”
“Where were you all this time?”
“In Greece, being a detective. You know, Director Fury told me he had people monitoring me. That’s how he tracked me.”
The corner of Natasha’s lips slightly rose. “He has eyes and ears everywhere. How do you know the Asgardians?”
“As I had told you earlier, Athena and Odin have an agreement to work together for the good of the realms and all immortals. Quite a feat knowing Odin was not much of a diplomat.”
Natasha took all this in. She wanted to check whether Stella was a threat or not. She didn’t want to put her trust in the demigod for the fact that she saved Loki one time and they might have an agreement. Or Stella Lords might be Loki’s ally at worst.
But here she is, telling everything. Cool, calm, and collected.
Natasha pressed a button on the panel and the elevator car continued going down. “I’ll keep my eyes on you, still,” she told her as they entered their floor.
Stella smirked. “Be my guest, agent.” Natasha thought of not trusting her for a second because of the way she said reminds her of Loki.
Natasha left Stella outside a bedroom door. Stella opened the door and walked to the oversized windows that occupied half of the room. It was a breathtaking view of New York at night. A welcome respite after being attacked in Kalambaka, losing track of Ares, and being interrogated in an elevator. “Jarvis?” she said, unsure if J.A.R.V.I.S. would respond to her.
“Yes, Miss Lords?” he responded alright.
Oh, you did respond. She thought. “Turn off the lights in this room.”
“Lights turning off.” the room went dark and New York lit up even brighter. Stella peered at the sky and the stars that were more visible this time, although not as visible as it was back home.
Home. Wherever that may be.
“Looks like you have settled in.” Loki interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see him standing on the doorway. He changed into his Asgardian clothes but without the cape. “Your door was open so I thought of checking in.”
She chuckled, amused. “It’s for the meantime, anyway. After this, I’m back to being a detective.”
“What a waste of power and skills only to remain as such,” he said as he let himself in.
“Not really. You’d be surprised how many magical individuals get mixed up in mortal business.” She went back to studying the veins of the city.
Loki strolled aimlessly around her room. “Do they get incarcerated?”
“Not here.”
“Don’t you have a palace anywhere?” Loki asked.
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m not the kind of person who will sit down and wait for things to happen. It’s one of the things I can do to keep me on the ground. I’ve got more coverage.”
Loki stood next to her. “So, Detective, what is your next plan?”
“Remember when that man said ‘I am one of many’?” Loki folded one of his arms across his torso and rested his elbow on it, tapping his chin as he followed Stella’s verbal train of thought. “I might need to trace every half-mortal child of Ares and follow a few of them.”
“Every child? Isn’t that a lot?” he dropped his hands.
“I said to follow a few of them,” she emphasized. “I don’t have the luxury of time.” Stella turned to study Loki. His expression was intense like there is always something going on in his head. Of course, being the trickster god he should always be one step ahead.
“What are you looking at?”
Her eyes are still on him, rather pensive. “I have a question,” she turned to face him, though he was still looking over New York. “It’s kind of personal if you don’t mind.” her arms crossed on her back.
Loki glanced at her. “What is it?”
“After all these years, why did you decide to work with your brother?” she locked her eyes on his face. Loki gulped. He continued studying the veins of the city. The city he once tried to destroy with the Chitauri. Stella noticed Loki’s expression harden, though his green eyes were melancholic.
Dangerously melancholic.