The Middle of The Tip of The Iceberg
Chapter 11: The Middle of The Tip of The Iceberg
Loki paced the bedroom, picking the palm of his hand. They were in one of the small hotels in Athens. Stella slumbered away on the bed, her torn, bloody shirt and bra in the trash, along with bandages stained with her blood. He had difficulty healing her. After she got stabbed, her blood was flowing from the wound so he grabbed the healing stones from his coat and used it on her. Gold mist appeared on her wound but it didn’t completely close. The bleeding stopped but the edges of her wound had become swollen.
He then decided to use Midgardian medicines on her, in the hopes of letting the swelling subside. He managed to enchant the pharmacist into giving him anti-inflammatory and anti-tetanus shots, which he injected into her himself, on the directions of the said pharmacist.
He also cast an enchantment on the night manager and the whole hotel they’re currently staying at. The hotel was not a big one and there were a few people in it, unusual for a hotel in a tourist-heavy area, thus it was easy for him to enchant the place. When he placed her on the bed of the hotel, her wound opened up and bled again, a sign that the healing stones were not working on her. A fever was already beginning and he thought of translocating them back to the Avengers tower but it would have been too risky. She might perish in those 3 precious seconds.
He looked at her, pale and cold sweat trickling on her forehead. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried over someone dying but he feels like he’s the one going to die because of it.
It was 8:30 in the morning. Every 30 minutes he checks her breathing. She’s breathing alright but her temperature is still rising. “Alright, what’s wrong?” He asked no one in particular, trying to shake off the anxiety.
He thought of going to the hospital but he doesn’t have Midgardian currency for it and tricking everyone in the hospital will require too much effort. He scans the Midgardian medicines he got for her.
10 AM. She stirred. Loki observed her from where he was sitting, on the window sill, overlooking the bustling street below. She tilted her head into the pillows. Loki pulled a chair to the bedside. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and unconsciously pinched his palms once again. Stella slowly opened her eyes. She searched the room and found Loki’s anxious face.
He gulped. “Stella?”
Her eyes scanned his face then opened wide with horror. “Where’s my sword, Loki? Give me my sword,” she said hurriedly and sat down, her flight and fight responses toppling over each other inside her. “Where are they?”
He placed his hand on her stomach. “Stella, calm down.” She was still struggling, pushing his hand away from her. “Stella. Stella. Darling…” She gazed at him. “It’s alright. Calm down. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
Her dark brown eyes searched for familiarity in Loki’s greens. “Loki.” She loosened her grip on his arm, relieved. “Loki.” She placed a hand on his cheek. Loki was not wearing his Asgardian leather attire from yesterday. Instead, he replaced it with black shirt and jeans.
He nodded and slipped behind her. He let her lean on his torso. “I’m here,” he mumbled in her ear and loosely wrapped his arm on her stomach. Loki took a whiff of her hair. He savored the moment of her against him. The soft cloth of his garment and her bandages were the only things between them. I don’t know until when this will last.
She was still looking around, her eyes wide, anticipating an attack. Her whole body hot to the touch and tense. “Stella calm down, you’re injured,” he crooned. Stella’s breath slowed down when she realized nothing was going to happen to them. Loki closed his eyes. “Trust me.”
Stella closed her eyes and calmed down. “Are they dead? Did you kill them?” She whispered. Her head fell back on his shoulder, eyes fixed on the bare, white ceiling.
“No. We killed them,” he whispered back and nuzzled her dark curls. “How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy,” she muttered. “Heavy.” She caressed Loki’s left arm that was wrapped around her and she snuggled on it. “Cold.” He opened his eyes and found her clutching onto his arm for dear life. He never realized she was this small against him. She’s tall, taller than the Black Widow but right now she’s frail. Delicate. That made him want to protect her more.
“This feels nice,” she commented innocently. Loki let out an “mmm”, his chest vibrating against her. Loki’s voice was soft and she couldn’t resist feeling warm inside. She wanted him to talk her into calming down. She wanted him to tell her a story with that low, soft voice he was using. She knew there was no magic involved but this voice Loki has right now felt like magic.
Loki can’t help but smile. He unconsciously stroked the bandaged side of Stella with his thumb as she took a moment of silence in his protective arms. Then she moved down a little, dragging him down the bed. With his arms still around her, he let her do it. She turned to face him. He looked at her but her eyes were closed. She wrapped an arm over him and pressed her cheek on his chest. It must be the medicines, he thought, not getting his hopes up.
But here he is, wrapping his arms around Stella.
“Can I go back to sleep?” He heard her say.
“Sure. I’ll be here.” Loki purred and she snuggled closer as if there was still space for her to move in. Loki chuckled and pulled her closer to him. The sun was starting to peak outside, threatening to overpower the airconditioning of their room. Loki waved his hands to thicken some of the curtains to contain the low temperature inside. He also pulled the blanket on her when he felt her shiver.
Loki was not the one to grow fond. As much as possible he didn’t want to involve himself with anything that required emotional attachment. But as he wrapped his arms around this woman sleeping with him on this bed in the middle of Athens, he can’t help but think of the pace his heart was beating. She might be hearing how his body was reacting to this position. He hoped that she wouldn’t mind, that her head would be too fuzzy and too drugged to mind his violently beating heart. He never imagined he would intimately wrap someone again with his arms after Amora.
His eyes flicked to the ceiling as if he saw her there. Amora. She was long gone. She was once his lover but Odin has cast her out of the realms to die. He felt his heart drop and he found himself clutching Stella closer as if she was Amora. Loki closed his eyes and drank in Stella’s scent: coconut, ylang-ylang, and a hint of blood from last night’s fight. This was not Amora. This was Stella.
The more he took in Stella’s scent, the more his mind clutched on her name and image, the more her strong scent stimulated him in a way he couldn’t imagine. He opened his eyes and directed his attention somewhere else. He saw Stella’s sword sitting on the other nightstand and he pictured it. Pictured Stella wielding the sword, slashing shadow warriors last night.
He rolled his eyes as the throbbing pleasure within continued. Thinking of Stella fighting didn’t help to subside the feeling. He looked at his trousers and, yep, he’s hard. He moved his body to face the ceiling so his godly boner won’t disturb Stella’s peace but left his left arm under her. It’s not yet time, he thought, this isn’t the right time, the right moment. Hel, there’s no right time. Everything’s wrong. This feeling is wrong.
Loki was idling in his thoughts when he felt the weight being lifted off from his arm. He checked on Stella and she was pushing herself off the bed all of the sudden. “I can barely breathe. It’s hot.” She straightened up, threw the blanket aside, and looked at her bloodstained, bandage-covered torso. She gasped. “What happened?”
Loki pushed himself up to sit, ruffling the blanket to cover his bulge. “You managed to get yourself stabbed.”
Stella dropped her head when she realized something. She was not wearing her shirt. “And you saw me topless.” She peered at him over her bare shoulders.
“You were bleeding. I had to patch you up or else you would die.” He moved closer to her and let his fingers lightly dance on her arm. Stella jerked upon his touch. Loki pulled back his hand, wondering what was wrong. “Is there something wrong, darling?” He voiced out.
Stella’s hand began to shake but she clutched it, trying to hide it from him. “No. Nothing’s wrong.” There’s tension in her voice. She raked her hair with her fingers twice, clearly agitated.
“Is there something that made you upset?”
Stella was surprised at Loki’s voice. It was the most caring voice she has heard from him since they started working together. It eased the tension inside her a bit. This is ridiculous, she thought. Of course, he needed to get that shirt off me, I was stabbed, for crying out loud, Stella!
Loki waited patiently for Stella to reply. Her back was still facing him. Deep inside, he badly wanted to know what troubled her.
“I’m...I’m fine.” She peered over her shoulder and gave him a weak smile. He heard her voice crack but he didn’t let himself push the topic. It was not the time. He trusted her reply.
Stella pushed herself out of the bed and studied herself in the mirror. “Wow. How injured am I last night?” She ran a finger on the pink line on the bandage and pressed it, feeling a numb pain from the wound.
“Don’t!” Loki interjected and Stella jerked, facing him wild-eyed. “Don’t poke your wound. It might open.” She dropped her arms to her side and looked back at the mirror. “You were bleeding profusely last night. You might want to sit down. Your complexion is scaring me.” He patted the empty side of the bed.
She opened the closet. “Where’s my shirt?”
“It was covered in blood.” He summoned a dark green shirt and dangled it from his hand. “You can have this.” She said thanks and put it on. “Green looks good on you.” He smirked. If they were in Asgard everyone would think Stella was loyal to the young prince.
“Hmmm, laying down your colors now, aren’t you?” She bantered and sat at the foot of the bed.
There’s a mischievous smile on his face. “So you know how that works?”
“Of course. I’m not a naive mortal.”
“You’re delirious.”
“You wish I was, but I’m not.” Loki smiled, relieved the snarky Stella is back. She eyed the drops of blood on the floor. She stood up once again and followed the trail, ending at the wastebasket filled with bloodied bandages and cotton. “You might wanna dispose of this yourself. We’ll scare the housekeeping with all the blood that’s in there,” she said as she moved to watch the street on the window.
“I’d rather not. Scaring them is a good idea. There are vials and syringes at the bottom of the basket. I’ll let their imagination go wild.” Loki snickered.
“God of mischief, eh? They’ll be screaming bloody murder.” Stella looked around.
Loki noticed a stain seeping through the shirt on her injured side. He stood up and walked to her. “Stella, do you feel any pain?”
She looked at him, a little confused. “Uh, no. I just feel weird.” Loki flattened his palm on the stain. She looked down at his hand against her torso. “What are you doing?”
Loki removed his hand from her. “Can I check your wound?” She pulled up the bandage, revealing a sticky, opened wound. “Oh no.”
Stella turned to the mirror and saw her wound for the first time: the lesion was swelling, and a clear liquid dripped with the blood. “That definitely does not look good.”
Loki gulped. “I did everything. I used the healing stones, gave you medicine. Can I heal you?” She nodded, permitting him. A green mist appeared on his hand. He cast a healing spell on the wound but Stella started to scream in pain.
“Stop! Loki! OW! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!” She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed his hand and gripped tightly, trying to push him away but the pain immobilizes her. Loki gasped in horror and stopped the spell. Her necklace glowed green and Loki felt his magic stinging his hand. He caught her as she collapsed.
That does not happen whenever he casts a healing spell. What went wrong? “That was a healing spell.” He places his hands on her hips to keep her steady. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know that would happen.”
But at least he discovered something: the protection charm he placed on the necklace works even on him.
She sobbed and muttered curses under her breath, the pain coursing through her veins. She felt like her nerves were getting fried. She held onto his arms to keep herself up, her nails digging on his pale skin. “The...the room’s spinning. Everything hurts,” she declared then she fainted.
Loki caught her just before she fell. “We need to go back to the tower.” He wrapped his arms around her, summoned Stella’s stuff from the nightstand, and they disappeared from the room. 3 seconds later they were on Stella’s bed in the Avengers tower. He carried her and ran through the hall.
“Loki? What happened?” Natasha saw them pass by the common room where she was working on a laptop.
“She was stabbed last night. She’s still bleeding.”
Natasha ran her eyes down Stella’s torso. There was a dark stain growing on her right side. “Jarvis, tell Banner to meet us in the medical bay,” Natasha called out and they entered the elevator. “So what happened?"
"On the way down we were attacked by Ares' army. She got stabbed." Loki reported. “I used the healing stones on her but it didn’t close the wound.”
"Maybe the daggers or swords they’re using are enchanted, that's why it’s canceling your magic?”
Loki heaved. “I hope that is not the case.”
"And Athena?"
Loki hoisted Stella. She was going in and out of consciousness. Natasha picked up Stella’s other arm and threw it over her shoulder. "Nowhere to be found. I can't call her. I am not a Greek god."
They arrived in the medical bay. "Who is it? Stella?" Bruce asked and Loki carried her to the operating table. Natasha asked him to stay out and he stayed by the door, looking out for Stella through the room's glass window. His forehead creased in worry.
He pressed the intercom button near the door. "Agent Romanoff." She looked up. "I'll go stay upstairs. I need to inform Thor." She nodded and he left. Loki appeared outside the door again and pressed the intercom. “By the way, if it’s helpful, I have injected anti-tetanus medicine on her last night.”
Bruce looked at him through the door’s window and smiled. “Thanks, Loki. We’ll take care of it from here.” Loki left for the second time around. “JARVIS, I need to know how much was the anti-tetanus dosage in Stella’s blood.”
“3,000 units, Doctor Banner,” the AI replied.
“Thanks, Jarvis.” Bruce pulled the gloves. “So, what are we going to do?”
Natasha’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? She got stabbed,” she pointed out.
“I know,” Bruce stressed as he clipped the pulse oximeter on Stella’s finger. “I meant her shirt.” Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed two pairs of scissors from behind her, giving the other one to him. “We’re cutting it up?”
Natasha started cutting from Stella’s sleeve. “I’m buying her another one.”
They proceeded to assess Stella’s wounds in silence until Bruce spoke. “He looks...weird," he remarked.
"Who? Loki?” He nodded. “When is Loki not weird?" Natasha replied.
Bruce started cleaning and stitching Stella's gash. "No. I mean, he doesn’t sound like the usual Loki."
"What even is the usual Loki?"
“You know. That someone who doesn't care about anything? Sounds like he cares even for a wee bit.” Bruce started placing bandages on Stella’s wounds. “He was worried when he walked in here with Stella.”
“Yeah, I noticed that when they suddenly appeared on our floor. He was panicking.”
“If he wouldn’t care, he wouldn’t give Stella anti-tetanus shots. But I don’t know what’s going on in his head. Anyway, why were they in Athens? Mission? And what did he do to infect this wound so bad?”
“Stella wanted to talk to Athena but she couldn’t use her energy to teleport so she asked help from Loki.” She passed a cotton pad to him as she explained. “Loki said they were attacked on their way down from the hill.”
“Why didn’t he immediately bring Stella here after the incident?”
“I have no idea. There must be something that won’t allow them to teleport.” They heard a tap on the door window. Natasha looked up and it was a worried Tony. Tony mouthed “how is she?” Natasha checked her vital stats and gave Tony a thumbs up. He signaled that he’ll be waiting in his lab. Natasha nodded.
“Keep an eye on Loki. There’s something more to this.” Bruce told Natasha as he gazed on Stella’s face.
Loki entered his room and marched to the ornate basin that was sitting on the desk. He dipped a finger as if testing the liquid’s temperature, before bending over it. A golden ceiling welcomed his sight. His eyes darted from side to side, wishing and hoping he could see a shadow. Then he heard doors opening and the unmistaken sound of the Mjölnir being dropped on a rock floor.
“Thor!” He called out.
“Loki?” He heard Thor reply from a distance. “Where are you?”
“Check your vessel,” he advised.
Thor’s smiley face appeared. But his smile disappeared when he saw Loki’s somber face. “What happened? Is there something wrong?”
“Stella and I were in Athens last night. She needed to see her sister. When we left the hill we were attacked. She got stabbed.” Loki reported.
“And how is she? Is she well?” Loki shut his lips tight in reply. “Oh no.”
“I have no idea what is in their daggers and swords but the healing stones did not work on her.” Loki gripped the edges of the desk. “She’s in the medical bay being stitched by Banner as we speak.”
“The dagger Stella picked up days ago, is it still there?” Thor inquired.
He forgot about that. “It’s…” He paused, trying to remember the setup of Stella’s room. If I was Stella, where would I keep the dagger? “I think it’s in her room. She didn’t bring it to Athens. I’ll check on it after this.”
“Very well, brother. We shall end this communication so you can find answers as soon as possible. I’ll be back soon.”
Loki stood straight and didn’t take a moment to recollect himself. He dashed to Stella’s room, his eyes scanning the whole place. He marched to the nightstand and checked the drawers. He took a step back and thought of the other places Stella could hide a dagger. Then he thought of checking the gap between the mattress and the headboard. There it was, wedged into the tight space. He pulled the dagger and gripped the hilt, feeling the low purr of energy. The dagger glowed green and it highlighted the carvings on the blade. It was an enhancement spell written in ancient Greek. No wonder this dagger could break through their shields. If this could break our shields then it must affect Stella as well.
“Jarvis, where is everyone?” He asked as he left the floor.
“They’ve convened in the lab, 10th floor.”
“Bring me there.” The elevator doors closed.
In the lab, Bruce was telling everyone present about Stella’s condition when the doors slid open and Loki entered, donned in his usual leather attire sans the coat. “How is she?” He asked no one in particular.
“She’s stable. We let her sleep for a while. Good call on the tetanus shot.” Bruce commended him. “But why was her wound badly infected?”
“I also have no idea. I made sure everything was clean before I touched it. Though it started swelling when I used the healing stones on her, a reaction that never happened before,” the god replied. Then he showed them the dagger. “It has an enhancement charm, that’s why it can break through our shields.” Natasha extended her hand and he gave it to her. “You can try it.” Loki summoned his shield. It disintegrated when Natasha slashed it with the dagger.
“It is something.” Natasha ran her fingers on the blade.
“Be careful, you don’t know how the blade can affect you,” he advised.
“How did you know that it was enchanted?” Steve asked Loki.
“He has magic, Steve.” Tony deadpanned.
Natasha gave back the dagger to Loki. “Well, that and the spell is etched on the blade, written in ancient Greek,” he told them and let his hand glow and showed them the highlighted inscriptions.
“Can I see it?” Tony asked him and Loki passed the dagger to the former. Tony placed the dagger under a camera and projected the inscriptions in the holoscreen in the middle of the room. “I don’t know Greek, Jarvis?”
“It’s a binding spell,” Loki replied first. “And that is ancient Greek. The spell bound Ares and the wielder of the blade.” He pointed at a line. He scrunched his forehead. It has been centuries since he last read an ancient Greek text. “That’s ‘to break all barriers.’ That would be our shields.”
“How about man-made energy shields? Like electromagnetic shields?” Bruce asked.
Loki bit his lower lip. “I hate to admit but I have no idea.”
Bruce looked at Tony, who tilted his head. “We can try,” Tony told him. He just shrugged back.
“Is there anything that talks about injuries?” Natasha asked.
Loki scanned the inscriptions and pointed at one. “Something here says bringing immense pain to whoever is on the other end of the blade.” His eyes darted across the room, specifically to Natasha and Bruce. He parted his lips but there was no sound coming from it.
“How was she when she was stabbed?” Bruce asked. Tony collapsed on a stool. “Was she in pain?” Loki shook his head, still confused. “Does it mean it does not affect her?”
“I used my healing stones on her but the wound did not close. Hours later her temperature rose, an infection was beginning. Later the wound bled. I used a healing spell on her but she screamed in pain.” Loki told them.
“Then whatever enchantment that was passed on to her must’ve canceled your magic?” Steve deduced.
Loki dropped his head and sighed. “Possibly. But I hope it’s not permanent.”
Natasha and Bruce looked at each other. Steve sighed and shifted on his seat.
“Or her body can heal, given her human physiology, but whatever is on the dagger can cancel your healing spells?” Bruce added.
“Maybe.” Loki acknowledged.
“Can she heal herself?” The doctor inquired.
“No, she can’t,” the god replied.
“We’ll know if she’ll wake up screaming.” Tony flatly said. Everyone shot him a look. “I know it’s dark humor but that’s the only way we find out.” Loki let out a heavy breath and groaned. This was getting trickier and they have just started. “Let’s just wish her demigod status can override the enchantments. That’s our only hope right now.”
Stella woke up feeling a little better. If feeling less than a pulp is better. She studied the room she was in. The light was dim; the walls were white. Two bags of liquid - transparent and red - hang above her. Two strings dangle from the bags. She traced the strings and it ended on her arms. Something was clipped on her finger. A constant beep in the background. There’s an itchy sensation on her nose. She poked her nose and her finger met a plastic tube.
She noticed the buttons on her right side and pressed one. The lower half of the bed rose. She pressed another button to lower it and then another button. This time the upper half rose and she sat. She shed her blanket aside. She was now wearing a white loose shirt and black pajama pants; her nerves twitched when she realized this but she quickly shoved her anxiety under her mental carpet. Stella, for the love of god, they need to change your clothes because sleeping in jeans is the most uncomfortable feeling ever, she thought. She peeked through the neck of her shirt and Loki's tight bandage was replaced with a square and little rectangles across her body. New bruises emerged on her skin. She poked the stab wound and she felt that the skin was back together.
"Good morning, Stella." A voice greeted her over the intercom.
Stella rubbed her face. "Who's it?" She croaked.
The door opened. "It's me." Bruce entered. "I stitched you up. How are you feeling?"
"I feel like this is the most comfortable bed ever." She leaned back to the bed.
"You're on good meds. Enjoy it while you can." They chuckled.
“How long have I been out?” She asked.
“Almost 24 hours. We let you sleep to help you recover.” Then Bruce remembered one of the binding curses on the blade. “Do you feel any pain?”
Stella brought her arms above her head and stretched, her joints cracking. She felt some of her wounds on her torso sting and some numb pain from her bruises but that’s it. “Some stinging here and there but nothing else.” She dropped her hands and placed one at the base of her back. “But I think my back is stiff. I need to stand.” She moved to leave the bed. Bruce stepped forward and helped her off it. “Thanks, doc.”
Bruce’s lips twitched upward. “Good to hear you’re not in any tremendous pain.”
Stella stopped pacing and pouted her lips in confusion. “It’s just a stab wound and some slashes.”
He blinked at her statement. “Yeah, yeah.” That’s weird, he thought.
Stella sat at the foot of the bed, the tubes of her IVs stretching. "By the way, where's Natasha, doc?"
"She and Cap traced the source of the tracker. Traced it back to Nevada. They should be on their way back."
"Nevada? What are they doing there?"
Bruce sat on a chair by her bedside. "They are checking out the area. Do a few interrogations on whoever they can lay their hands on."
She sighed. "I am missing on all the fun. How about Loki?"
"Last I know he’s upstairs. You need to rest and you still need to work on your sorcery, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve been meditating and focusing on my energy. Athena made me drink a potion, too. Good to hear she’s not kicking me out of the guardianship.” Bruce smiled sympathetically as she checked her hands. “Looks like I’m doing good. So far I can heat Nat’s cold coffee.” She turned to Bruce. "Dammit, we didn't get to eat gyros."
He chuckled. "There's a Greek restaurant downtown."
She grinned. "Hope it's as good as the real thing."
There was a knock on the door. Bruce stood up and peeked. "I guess I have to get going. I need to go pick up something downtown. See you later." Bruce gave her a small salute.
She gestured back. "Pretty please get me some beef gyros, Doc? Extra onions, please. I'll pay you."
Bruce stopped at the door. "Sure." He smiled.
He left the room and Loki entered and closed the door behind him. He came in picking on his palm, again. Her lips curled up upon seeing him. "Hey."
Loki took a deep breath and nodded. "How are you feeling?" He dropped his hands.
"Much better compared to the last two days. I think I can have a throwdown against 5 of Ares's kids." She said with a little strain in her voice.
"Are you certain you want to do that? You barely have your magic." His voice was toneless.
"I slashed the first guy who tried to hold us down last night." She replied as a matter of fact.
"And you were stabbed after," he added, still unamused.
"In my defense I was fending off 8 demigods in one go, stabbing them straight to the heart."
Loki’s lips twitched ever so slightly and crossed his arms in frustration. "For a warrior who was trained by a respectable goddess of war and wisdom, you are reckless." He exhaled. "Good thing I was there with you."
Stella’s eyes dropped to the floor and she chewed on her lip, unsure of what to make of his statements. “How are you?” She asked instead of giving another snarky remark.
Loki looked up at her as he sauntered to the chair across her. He was not sure what she meant by her question. “I’m good, thanks.” He sat. “By the way, the dagger is enchanted,” he told her.
Her head tilted slightly to the side. “It is?” Loki held out his hand and the dagger appeared. She picked it up and studied it. “Oh yeah. ‘Bound to Ares, this blade shall destroy all barriers. Bound to the wielder, this blade shall bring immense pain to whoever is at the other end of it.’” Stella read the ancient Greek inscriptions without difficulty. “I haven’t noticed this before.”
“That was the kind of dagger that was used to stab you when we were in Athens.”
Her eyes flicked to him. “I don’t feel any pain aside from the normal kind of pain from a stab wound right now. No wonder Doc Banner asked. You told them about this?” Loki nodded. “Now I am nervous. What if it’s a delayed effect?”
“I hope it does not get to that.” Loki ran a finger on his lips. Stella’s nervousness was infecting him at this point. Then he remembered she was wearing her necklace when they were there. He lit up. “But what if a protective spell was put on you?”
“Huh. Lucky me. I hope Athena did that. Dipped me fully in the Styx.”
Loki hoped the protective charm he placed on the chain helped her counter the binding spell on the daggers. But what he still cannot understand was why Stella screamed in pain when he tried to heal her with his magic.
“By the way, you tried healing me with your magic, right?” Stella asked as if she read Loki’s mind.
“Yes, I did.”
“Was it supposed to be that painful?”
He shook his head. “That’s what I don’t understand. I don’t know why that happened.”
“Then it must be this?” Stella studied the dagger.
Loki gave her a troubled look. At this point, he doesn’t know what has happened to her. He glanced at the glass wall connected to the door.
There was too much happening inside him, it was making him feel nauseous.
He wanted to understand but he couldn't. First, he doesn’t know what the dagger has and what kind of sorcery they were facing. Second, he was confused: did the enchantments on the dagger prevent him from using his healing spells on her? And third, he now feels like how he felt for Theo and the others back in the days. Theo was the only Midgardian he cared for but this time it felt like Stella made the cut. It takes something special for a Midgardian to have to charm him. If he could switch his feelings off he would, but there’s something in her that pulls him. He raised his head to examine her. She was deep in thought.
"You know," she started, "I think that you're not as dark as you want people to believe." His eyes dashed and locked with hers. Stella saw his eyes soften but his lips still shut tight.
Loki stood up straight. “Are you sure about that?” Stella heard it more as a challenge than a question and nodded. He grinned and shook his head. “Be careful, little one.” He frowned when there was no ounce of fear found on her face. “Don’t trust your assumptions.”
She saw a loose thread on the blanket and played with it. “I think I now see why Athena trusts you,” she concluded.
Loki brought his hands behind him. “Is that so? Pray, tell.”
She raised her head. “I see a man who’s trying to make a name for himself but he doesn’t know how. But deep inside, the answer’s there. It just needs a little push. Or a shove. That’s why you’re with the good guys now. That’s why you’re doing this. There’s good in you, Loki.”
He turned to face the door, took a few steps to hide his face from her. “Don’t get your hopes up, naïve Midgardian. I’m here for the tesseract. That’s all.”
It came out as an insult. Stella felt like it was a punch to her gut but she ignored it. She didn’t have any problem working with a deceptive Loki but deep inside she feels something more. She feels like there’s a mountain to conquer. She heard stories of him being selfish and arrogant. She acknowledged those facts and she has seen those but what she doesn’t understand was why people were not talking about how caring he can be.
Or was he not like this to others?
There must be a reason behind it.
"You never heard of what I have done in this city." He coldly replied.
"Oh, I heard them alright.” She remembered watching the battle unfold before her and Odin swearing Loki’s death. “But I’m not afraid of you, unlike the others."
He faced her, his face now dark but there’s a hint of sadness. “They’re right. Listen to them. You should be afraid like all of them. I was born to be feared by everyone,” he growled. “You shouldn’t even trust me.”
“I have already trusted you and you let me. Was that a mistake?” Stella just gazed at him, her heartbeat steady. “Then you let that define you? I trust Athena, and if she tells me to trust you, there’s a good reason why. She can see through people and she saw you.” Loki’s lips parted, his expression softened, but snapped his mouth shut. “There.” A glimmer of hope dawned on her face as she pointed a finger at him. “That right there is why Athena trusts you more than Thor. That right there is why I trust you.” Her lips started to curve in a smile.
He broadened his shoulders. “I believe it’s me she chose because Thor is not a sorcerer.”
“Well, aside from that. There’s something in you. I just want to know you, Loki.” She offered her hand - the hand that’s not connected to the IVs - with a smile.
Loki licked his lips and gulped, looking at her extended hand. What was she seeing? He thought as he clenched his fists. “I’m not here for a long run,” he blurted out. “Why are you doing this, anyway?”
She dropped her hand when he wasn’t accepting it. “I’ll answer that with a question: why are you saving me?”
He froze. For the first time, he doesn’t know how to answer a question. He could lie but it felt wrong. He could tell her ‘I just did that because we need you to locate Ares’ but he didn’t want to. He believes he can perfectly locate the god of war but deep inside something was nagging him, telling him that he needs her and not just for this case. For what else? Multiple words appeared in his head but he doesn’t know for what exactly.
He didn’t want to lie to her, too. Even at this point, he doesn’t even know why he is doing this to her. Why was he saving her anyway? Why was he taking care of her? Were his thoughts on the bed back in Athens real? Were those real? Is she for real? Who is she, anyway?
Stella watched Loki as he gritted his teeth, brows furrowed as thoughts ran through his mind like New York’s pedestrian traffic on a rush hour. Loki was silent but she knew she had located a part of his vulnerable spot. He isn’t what others perceived him to be. Loki wrung his hands, took a quick look at her, and fled the room. Her eyes followed him as he got out of the door until he disappeared. She looked up to the ceiling and chewed her lip. She took a deep breath and as she exhaled, tears started to fall from her eyes.
She choked on her saliva. “Hey, what the hell, Stell?” She muttered as she wiped the tears with her sleeve.