Uncertainties
Chapter 5: Uncertainties
Stella couldn't stay still. She kept on pacing in her room since Loki left. She tried lying down but couldn't get a wink. She has been awake for 30 hours now and she even crossed timelines. Wonder how many hours by now, she thought.
She needed to talk to someone but was unsure if she could trust anyone in the building. So far she can confide to Thor but not entirely. She stood in the middle of her room and raised her hands. Let's see how this smart building can handle magic. Her hands glowed blue and she waved it around her. A ball of blue static appeared in front of her and sent a second wave to the ball as if attacking it. A small boom was heard. She stood in silence, trying to listen if anyone woke up.
"Jarvis, did anyone wake up?" She looked up as if expecting to see someone or a camera.
"Everyone is still asleep. That boom you made cannot be heard outside your room since the rooms are soundproof. Your boom is just as loud as someone slapping you hard."
Stella chuckled at the image of someone slapping a robot. "Have you ever been slapped?" She wandered around her blue ball, studying it.
"I have not been slapped before and I could not imagine how that will go."
"Go to sleep, Jarvis. I'm sorry for the disturbance." The room sat still, except for the blue ball pulsing in the middle. Stella opened her palm and the ball cyclones its way back in her palm. But before it was completely extinguished, she clasped her hands over the ball.
She opened her eyes and she was in the middle of the Parthenon. Blue mist danced around her as she swapped her Earthrealm outfit to an appropriate Grecian dress. A floor-length, cream tunic dress bordered with gold and black patterns and intricately-designed gold brooches pinned on each shoulder. A gold band cinched her waist. Although she's wearing a dress, Stella's gold cuffs remained. "Athena? It's me, Stella," she called out.
The Parthenon changed before her eyes. The damaged columns rose and a roof appeared above her. Inside, the white and gold curtains flowed against the night breeze. Potted trees and flower bushes fill up the courtyard. After 20 years of going back and forth here, she is still enchanted by the transformation.
"My sister," a woman in her mid-30s said.
Stella faced the source of the voice and bowed. Athena placed a hand on her shoulder. Stella looked up and rose.
Athena still looked immaculate after all these millennia, especially with her slate grey halter dress, exposing her bony but strong shoulders down to her elbow. From there the cloth extended down to the floor, trailing as she walked. A gold collar was sewn to the dress. And, like Stella, she opted to retain her gold cuffs along with her gold breastplate. Her long, black hair is pinned up in a loose bun (because these goddesses love their loose buns). Whatever Athena does with her hair, it never fails to accentuate her sharp, dark brown eyes, slender nose, and full lips.
"What brought you here so late at night?" Athena asked.
"Like you ever sleep," Stella teased.
"I don't, but you do." Athena smiled and studied her. "You badly need sleep."
Stella closed her eyes and felt the sting. "Right. I will after this." She stifled a yawn.
"Tell me," Athena led her up to the sitting room adjacent to the throne hall. "What bothers you?"
"You really can feel it, can’t you?" A small smile playing on Stella's lips as she side-glanced at her.
"I am a god and I am your sister. Of course, I will know." Athena sat down on the other end of the couch. "I can feel there's something bothering you."
Stella took a moment to breathe in the fresh breeze flowing through the palace. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure how I would work this out." Athena tilted her head and looked at her curiously. Stella felt uncomfortable with her sister's silence so she added, "I know you have perfectly laid down everything, but I don't think I can execute it as you expect me to."
Her sister gave her a serene smile. "Stella, I do not expect perfection from you."
"Ouch?"
Athena waved a hand at her comment. "I made you a guardian because I believe you have the right balance of chaos and peace. I see that you can handle both perfectly. You are also the most strategic pupil I have ever taught. And it shows on your detective work."
"Mortal detective work is far different than this."
"You have defeated Stheno when she attacked this temple. You also went after the demigods who meddled with human affairs. Aren’t those credits enough?"
"Uh, that…" Stella trailed off. She looked around aimlessly. "I was working alone. This time it's different. The Asgardian brothers are on the case and a few mortals, too."
"So this is what's bothering you?" Stella glanced at Athena, expecting her to be disappointed, but she still isn't. "Speak of it more."
“Okay.” Stella flopped down on her seat like she was lounging in her own living room. “First of all, the Asgardian brothers. I mean, I trust them, especially Thor. We’ve worked on some cases before. You remember that time, right?” Athena nodded. “But now I’ve met their mortal allies -”
“The Avengers?” Athena interrupted.
Stella tilted her head. “You know them?” She said as her head bobbed.
Athena smirked. “Of course I know,” she replied, still softly. “What about them?”
“I don’t know who they are.” Stella paused, unsure of what to say exactly. “I haven’t wrapped my head around the idea. I don’t know how to say this properly.” She studied Athena, who was sitting and waiting patiently for her to speak, like a therapist. “I know they became the world’s heroes but I’m not sure if I can fit in.”
“You can perfectly command your agents as a detective -”
Stella cut her off. “But I am not commanding them.” Silence. Stella chewed on her inner cheek, organizing her jumbled thoughts. “I think I said yes to Thor right away. I have not thought about this properly.”
“Are you saying you want to give up on this?”
Stella sat up straight immediately and shifted on her seat. “No, no! No.” She composed herself. “I mean, things are happening too fast. I could work on this alone but…” She trailed off.
“They need you. You need them.” Athena assured her.
Stella looked up to her sister, pursing her lips. This means one thing. It’s going to be bigger than I thought it would be.
“Give yourself some time.” Stella’s brow rose a millimeter. Athena raised a finger, signaling her to stop her apprehensions. “I know there’s no time for you to take a step back and observe, but I know how you work and you can figure this out easily. You can also trust these people. They trust you now.”
“I don’t think so.” Athena gave her a knowing look. “Nevermind, I’ll figure that part out on my own.” Stella brought her thumb to her lips and started to bite it. “Another thing, Ares killed all the prison guards and he managed to escape.”
“Yes, I’ve heard,” Athena replied patiently.
“Where are your students? The ones after me?”
“You know I have stopped training others because there are no more young demigods. You are the last one.” Stella sighed, feeling the weight of Athena’s reply. ”What else is on your mind?”
"Loki," she finally muttered.
Athena cocked her head slightly to the side. "What about him?"
"Are you sure about him? Getting into this? Remember how he used both the tesseract and the scepter to destroy New York? What if he'll do it again? Or what if Ares will make him do it again?" Athena nodded, encouraging her to speak more. "He's the god of deception, Athena. What if he turns? I don’t know where the scepter is but I think it’s just a few floors below us. I can feel it. He can even turn me or anyone in the team."
"I understand your concern about him, Stella. But have you opened yourself to every possibility?" Stella scrunched her forehead. "He can be a valuable asset for your mission. He's the god of deception, after all." Stella stared blankly beyond Athena. "I have talked to Odin about his behavior and his actions. When this happened, when Ares started to threaten Olympus, Asgard, and Earthrealm, we decided to let him work on this for the greater good of the realms." Stella shook her head and laughed nervously. "What is so funny?"
"I'm sorry, Athena. My sister. I," she bit her lower lip to stop laughing. Then her lips started to tremble.
Athena moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It is okay to doubt yourself, child. After all, you are half-mortal. The gods have asked a huge favor of you and we are grateful for it." Stella clenched her jaw, fighting back the tears, feeling overwhelmed even though this has been her destiny. But she still feels grateful that the gods favored her and trusted her to protect Earthrealm. She nodded and smiled at her sister. "I appointed you as a guardian because I know of your capabilities. I know your confidence. I know you can do this. And maybe," Athena's smile grew wider. "You can take my place when I retire."
Stella laughed. "No way. You can't do that. Olympus has no retirement plan!"
"I know. I just want to see you smile," they laughed. “Just remember. Right now, your priority is to prevent Ares from getting his hands on the mind crystal. We don’t need another extraterrestrial invasion to disturb Earthrealm.”
Stella opened her eyes and she was back in her temporary shelter (my room, she thought) in the Avengers tower. She checked the time on the nightstand: it was 3:30 AM. She crashed into her bed, not even bothering to change her dress nor take off the gold band on her waist and her gold cuffs. She looked at the white ceiling and drifted off to sleep.