Betrayal
Chapter 16: Betrayal
The next day, Bruce and Natasha were outside Jericho’s holding cell when Stella entered. Natasha said a soft ‘hey’.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Stell?” Bruce asked as she put on her comms.
“I have to. I want to,” she said blankly, her heart starting to exhaust itself. “We don’t have time.”
“Natasha can do it. We already have the truth serum.”
She walked to the door and pressed her thumb on the biometric scanner. “I don’t want to use the truth serum. Use that when I’m gone.”
“Are you sure?” Bruce asked once again. Natasha was silent on the corner, observing everything.
“Yeah, I am.” She wasn’t. She was afraid and enraged. Afraid because of, well, the looming death or life sentence she was anticipating when she steps in Olympus and enraged because she will have to face Jericho. Stella composed herself before she entered the cell. Jericho sits in the middle of the room. He stood up when he saw her. Anger overflowed within her as she entered the room.
"Ah, sister. It's been so long." He spread arms like welcoming her into his house. He was wearing the cuffs Stella and Tony created - the cuffs that restrained magical energy. “You know I badly want to hug you but I guess you’ll kill me if I do and I want to catch up with you. It’s been years.”
"Jericho, how dare you," she said with spite.
"How dare me?" He laughed. "No, you must understand the situation, Stella. I am doing this for the good of everyone."
“Listen to yourself, Castle. That’s not you. This is not what Athena taught us.”
“Ares taught me so much more than Athena. He told me that sometimes you have to start the fire and fight for what you want, and that’s why I’m with him.” He stopped 2 feet away from her. "We are paving the way to accommodate a greater society." His dark brown eyes flicked evilly to her.
"You sound like Hitler. And how exactly are you going to do that?" She crossed her arms on her chest. "How did Ares get to you? You know very well what he's capable of."
He shrugged as he sat on the edge of the desk. “Bumped into him one summer in Amalfi. Told me straight up he was Ares. Cool dude, I have to say.”
"Why does the son of Hermes work for Ares?" There was no time for jokes but Jericho just whistled a tune, actively annoying her. “Fine you won’t answer that? How about this: how did Ares enter Asgard? Is it through dark magic? How did he gain access to dark magic?”
Jericho threw his head back. “Can I at least get a lawyer?” He asked sarcastically.
“Don’t be such a diva Jericho. It doesn’t suit you.” She watched him shrug. “Since when were you working with Ares?”
“Ever since the world began, I guess.” She was getting frustrated albeit expecting Jericho’s demeanor. She already knew it would lead to this.
“Why? We fought side by side against Stheno.”
"Why did I join Ares? Uh, isn't it obvious?" He smiled slyly at her. "Ares wanted to send a message. Who else can do the job better than Hermes' son?”
“He could’ve just marched to me and told me his word.”
“Oh no.” He waved a finger at her. “Be careful what you wish for, Stella.”
“I handled Stheno just fine.”
“This is the god of war we’re talking about. The god of chaos, unlike Athena.” Jericho walked to the glass and stared at her. “I would pay to see that match. The children of Zeus fighting one another and that includes you.” Stella glared at him. “Iris didn’t want to join the cause so I saw an opportunity to become greater than who I was before."
“Iris wouldn’t do what you have done.”
“That’s why I did.” He stepped forward. “Athena said I was too brash and too much of a trickster to become a guardian so she chose you.” He held his hands on his back. “Now, look at you. The guardian who doesn’t have her pow- OOF!”
Stella back-slapped him.
Jericho staggered back and placed a hand on his cheek. “Yeah, I don’t think staying near you is a good idea.”
“Is that what this is? Working for someone who wants destruction? Who has the blood of the innocent on their hands because you weren’t chosen as the guardian? Are you doing this out of envy?” Stella sneered. “You could’ve worked for the greater good of the realms! We could be working together as brothers and sisters in arms, in Athena’s name.”
Jericho sized her up, closing the gap between them. “You don’t understand. Work for the greater good and be clouded by your shadow? Huh. No thanks. And besides, you might have forgotten the custom. There should only be one guardian.”
“Ï’m not here to listen to your rants and whines.”
“Now you tell me why Athena begged Asgard to spare his youngest prince. You know what he is.”
Stella straightened up, the tip of her nose almost touching his. “Don’t you dare drag the deceased into this conversation.”
He chuckled and moved back a little. “Athena asked a criminal to help you for the greater good? Is that it?” Stella clenched her fists. “You might have forgotten what he did in this city, Lords. He almost killed everyone in a day. And you accuse me of working with someone who wants destruction when you are deep into that!”
She could feel her ears heating up. “He was under the influence of when he invaded New York. He was used, a part of the grand scheme of things orchestrated by the unknown.”
Jericho guffawed. “That’s the most extra way of saying ‘he killed people.’ And how sure are you with that? Whether you like it or not he has, and let me quote you, ‘the blood of the innocent on his hands.’” He brought his hands behind him. “And it took one stab from the Greek guardian to end his life,” he jeered.
With all her might, Stella tackled Jericho to the ground, straddled on him, and threw a punch to his face, which he blocked with his hand and he shoved her whole body off him with the other.
Outside, Bruce grabbed Natasha’s arm. “Should we intervene?” He worriedly asked.
“I am not sure but I’ll be on standby in case,” Natasha answered as she slowly moved to the door.
Back inside, Stella landed gracefully on the floor and grabbed Jericho by the waist like a wrestler. Jericho thrust an upper-cut to her torso but she blocked it. With another shove he managed, Stella landed back first on the ground, Jericho choking her.
“You asked me a while ago if I did this out of envy, yes I did.” Stella tapped his arm. Jericho saw Natasha on the door and he smashed the cuffs they placed on him and a yellow beam struck the door, shutting the door with magic.
“Bruce.” Natasha tried all her fingers on the scanner. “Bruce! It won’t open!” She raised her wrist to her lips. “Hang on, Stella. I’m coming in.”
“I’m trying!” Bruce replied as he typed on the laptop. “I can’t! JARVIS! Override this door, please!”
Jericho laughed when he noticed Natasha and Bruce panicking outside. Stella banged her fist on his arm to let her go. “Ares told us he wanted the guardian dead. Looks like I’m the one who can accomplish the task.”
“Would...you want...to kill...your sister?” Stella muttered while choking.
Her words buried into Jericho as she saw his expression change into recognition. His face softened and made him remember his best friend. His childhood friend.
Stella saw Jericho as she saw him before. Her Jericho Castle who would help her get away with all the trouble they would end up in back in Athens. Her big brother in Athena’s temple. Jericho loosened his grip on her neck.
Stella kicked Jericho on his groin that sent him reeling on the floor. She pushed him away from her but, because of her weakness, she couldn’t stand immediately. Jericho grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back to him.
“You think you can fully trick me, sister?” Jericho snarled the last word, sending chills through Stella’s spine. He wrapped his long, calloused fingers on her neck and pushed her to the floor, choking her again.
Despite Stella losing the ability to live after she found out she killed Loki, she wanted to survive this. She didn’t want to die choking. She frantically kicked Jericho off her, tears streaming down her face. With her anger mixed with anxiety, she started hitting Jericho on the chest until she felt an immense weight being lifted off her.
Jericho became airborne, engulfed with blue mist. She looked at her hands and blue vapors appeared. “JARVIS, what’s my energy level?” She asked. Her watch lit up and it showed her 80% but her healing capacity was down to 40%. Just this time, Stell, she told herself and raised her hands to Jericho, and ropes of blue emerged and it wrapped around him.
“Let me go, Lords!”
Stella pulled him down to the chair. “No, I don’t think so.” The ropes broke from her hands and she pushed herself off the floor but she collapsed. She was exhausted. She crawled to the door, ignoring Jericho’s jeering, and placed her hand over the yellow sheet and her blue energy broke the enchantment like glass.
“You’re welcome,” he chided.
She turned to him as the door opened. “We’re not yet done, Castle.” Natasha came in and helped her up.
“What happened?” A dumbfounded Bruce asked when the door locked behind them. He grabbed a chair and Stella sank on it.
“I have no idea.” She pressed the button on her watch. “It says my energy has increased to 80% but my healing capacity is down to 39%. Dammit.” She was chasing her breath.
“Okay, calm down,” Natasha said and passed a water bottle to her. “What was your energy stat before this?”
Stella wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “Line of 6.”
“I think your energy regenerated when you were under intense pressure.” Bruce pressed something on the laptop and a holoscreen appeared in front of him. “Your heart rate and blood pressure increased while you were there.” He pressed another button and it was images of a brain scan. “Your brain also emitted waves that depicted heavy stress.” Bruce typed something and the image changed into Stella’s nervous system. “As you can see, while you were being choked.” He pointed at something at the image, near her heart. “There was a buildup of energy in this area.”
Stella and Natasha looked at the image with awe. “That’s me?”
He nodded. “I thought of scanning you while you were there. The watch helped.”
“Where’s Stella?” They heard Tony over their comms.
Stella raised her wrist to her mouth. “Yes? What’s up?”
“Faiza and I received a notification from your watch. Says there was a spike on your energy.”
“Yeah, that’s what happened.” Bruce interrupted. “JARVIS, send the scan to Tony and Faiza.”
“Is there a way for her to heal faster?” Natasha asked Bruce.
“That I still have to consult Doctor Faiza,” he replied.
“How in the world did your energy jump from 60 to 80?”
“JARVIS, send my initial interview footage to Tony,” Stella commanded the AI and it confirmed, saying that the footage has been sent.
Natasha leaned on the desk. “So if your energy showed up when you were in there, does that mean all you need to start up your energy is to be under immense pressure? Just like the Hulk?” Stella leaned on the chair’s backrest and drank some more water.
“You fought the prisoner?!” Tony said.
“Yeah, she did,” Natasha replied with a smirk.
“Number one rule in the Avengers, don’t initiate a fistfight with the prisoner.”
"Tony, that's bullshit," Natasha scoffed.
“I’m not an Avenger and we were talking about personal stuff,” Stella stated. She looked at Jericho through the monitor. “I can’t go back there now, can I?”
“I won’t let you,” Natasha said. “Let’s calm down for a bit before we continue the interrogation.” She bent and squinted. “Stella, you have bruises on your neck.”
Stella held her neck. She couldn’t feel any pain. “Leave it. It’ll just disappear in days.”
“You should get some rest. You look like you’re about to shut down in a while.” Bruce suggested.
Stella yawned as the idea settled in her head. “I guess I need a nap.” She stood.
“I’ll go with you.” Natasha moved and placed an arm across her back. “Call Steve.”
Bruce went back to face the laptop. “Will do. Tony?”
“On my way.”
“What will they do?” Stella asked Natasha when the elevator doors closed.
“They’re going to transfer Jericho into a cell that negates his energy.” Natasha watched her hold onto the rails of the elevator like she was holding on to dear life. “How are you feeling?”
“I might crash as I hit the hay. Is there a way for Tony’s satellites to track the energy signatures of the tesseract?”
“I think so. I’ll ask him.”
“I might be doing that as soon as I wake up.”
The soft ping of the elevator told them that they have arrived on their floor. Natasha pulled Stella’s arm over her shoulder and they walked to Stella’s door. Stella thanked her and as she had predicted, she fell and instantly fell asleep, not even bothering to change. All she managed was to kick her shoes off.
Instead of waking up hours later, Stella woke up the next day. It was an eventful sleep, constantly hearing and seeing Loki as her memories with him flash in her dream. But her exhaustion prevented her from waking up. She sat on her bed and took a moment to sit in silence, facing the window.
It has been 4 days now and there are no signs of any Greek messenger showing up at the tower to warn her about what’s to come. It usually happens instantly and it’s her and Iris who does the job.
Maybe I’m just fooling myself and it wouldn’t happen? Maybe it will happen but they’re still thinking of who will get me? Should I turn myself in?
Maybe it was an accident and they will do nothing about it. Maybe Thor’s right.
Then she started thinking of what could have happened if Loki didn’t die. She had admitted to herself that she had missed the snarky, sassy Loki she was working with. She missed seeing him roll his eyes whenever he’s annoyed. She chuckled as she remembered how they walked around the Persepolis, hand in hand, acting like a couple out on a vacation, though no one wears a suit when they go on a vacation.
She checked her band. Her energy has maintained 80%. For her healing capacity, fortunately, it increased to 50%. She wanted to test her energy, see if it’s still there because if she wouldn’t end up in prison, she might as well work on strengthening her energy.
After drinking coffee, she went down directly to the firing range at the bottom of the tower to let it all out. She decided to put herself under immense physical stress to make herself feel the spark inside. Once she got in the range, she walked to the computers and programmed the drones to fire at her. She stretched for almost 30 minutes and then attached the cuff that commands the drones. When she entered the arena, the drones hovered above her and red dots showed up on her body.
She started moving when the drones started firing rubber bullets. She dodged and flipped effortlessly. She would use her energy to stop the onslaught of bullets from a drone and toss them out of the way. Sometimes she would make the bullets explode mid-air. It still took great effort, she felt her arms and legs weaken and her chest tightens but she pushed herself.
At the 30th minute, a rubber bullet hit her on her left shoulder blade. “AH!” She fell on one knee and another rubber bullet hit her on her stab wound. “FUCK!” She hissed and slammed a hand on the cuff, stopping the onslaught of rubber bullets. She pressed her right hand over her stab wound, crying hot tears, her forehead flat on the rubberized floor.
“Oh my god, Stella!” It was from Tony. She felt a hand over her right hand and she was turned to lie on the floor. She saw Tony by her head and Bruce was pressing on her wound. “JARVIS told me you were down here and hurt and you programmed the drones to hit you?!” Tony barked. Stella chuckled through her tears. “Are Greeks sadists?”
Bruce gently removed her hand from the wound. “Oh, okay. Excuse me.” Tony stood up to turn his back from her when he noticed what Bruce was trying to do. Tony decided to go to the computer to disable Stella’s command.
“What did we tell you? You can’t do any strenuous physical activity while it’s not yet completely healed.” Bruce peeled off the bandage pad and Stella hissed. “Good for you it didn’t open but a bruise is starting.” Then he placed a pad that cooled the wound and pulled her shirt down. “Can you stand?”
Stella wiped the tears from her face and pushed herself off the floor. He helped her up. When she stood straight, she felt the numb pain throbbing. “It’s numb but I think I can handle it.”
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” Tony stormed back to the arena.
“Tony…” Bruce held out a hand to him, an attempt to calm the billionaire down.
Tony ran a hand on his already red face. “Do you have a death wish?”
“You know I do.”
“Dammit. Is that why you programmed all the drones to attack you? Even turned the berserk mode on!” Tony spread his arms, worry, anxiety, and anger already blazing inside him like a molotov cocktail.
“What’s a berserk mode?” Bruce asked.
“It’s when you activate the drones to shoot real bullets.”
Stella recovered from her shock of being hit on her stab wound and Tony barreling in the arena when she started to explain. “I did that because it’s the only way for my power to show up. I need to be attacked.”
Tony blinked. “You what?!”
“I am not even sure if it’s effective. I just wanted to try it out.”
“You could’ve killed yourself!”
She shrugged. “I’m not dead.” Tony face-palmed and Bruce just chuckled, amused by the whole situation. Stella’s reply reminded him of how Tony usually replies to questions and concerns about his well being. “I just thought my powers would be like the Hulk. Showing up when I’m under immense physical stress.”
“Yeah, that was our hypothesis yesterday after her energy threw Jericho,” Bruce informed Tony.
Tony glanced from Bruce to Stella. “Physical stress, huh.” Tony turned his back on them and walked to the arena door. He turned his cuff and his iron gauntlet appeared on his hand. “Then parry this, you casual!” He whipped on his heels and fired at her.
“What?!” Stella’s eyes widened and she shoved Bruce out of the way, then she shielded her face with her right arm while her left arm extended to the blast. She then felt energy explode on her, expecting death.
“Tony, What the hell’s wrong with you?!” It was Bruce’s turn to shout, his neck starting to go green.
Tony took a step back as Bruce stomped towards him. “Okay, calm down, Big Guy. No need to show up right now.” Tony pointed a finger at Stella. Bruce flipped his head to her and his skin on his neck went back to normal.
Stella was covered in a blue bubble and Tony’s blast was also covered in blue, held by the invisible energy coming from Stella’s extended left hand. Her eyes were still closed. Tony smirked and released a sigh. Bruce laughed.
“Good thing it worked,” Tony said.
“Faiza will kill you if she finds out,” Bruce said before he approached Stella and called her. “You’re still alive, Stell.”
She opened her eyes and saw that she was enveloped in blue. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh…” She looked up and her jaw dropped when she realized Tony’s blast was still airborne. “Oh my gosh!” Her force shield disappeared and she made the blast dissolve into her energy. She gazed at her hands, giggling like a 5-year old who was just given a bag of candy. She checked her band and her energy went up by 85%. Her healing capacity was surprisingly maintained at 50%. “It’s back!” She told the men and then zeroed in on Tony. “Do it again.”
Tony furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. “Yeah, you really fit this team. Stubborn.” Tony sent another blast to her and she expertly caught it with her magic, making it disappear in thin air.
She jumped around and squealed in delight, clapping as she hopped past a smiling Bruce and hugged Tony, who took a step back when she crashed into him. “Thank you!”
His eyes went down to her. It was a complete flip on her mood. “Uh, you’re welcome.” He awkwardly patted her back. Deep inside, he was happy to see her smile.
She released him and approached Bruce, clapping his arm. “Thank you too, Doc.”
Bruce patted her back. “No problem with that.” He grinned.
“Now I know that I can disintegrate photon blasts, all I need to know if I can deflect other kinds of magic thrown on me,” she told them.
“Are you thinking of sparring with Jericho again?” Tony asked.
Her lips twitched upward in amusement. “Not really. I was thinking of Loki but he’s dead.” The men looked at each other, Bruce frowned. “But, why not? In a controlled environment?”
“No.” Tony protested. “I won’t let you do that.”
She giggled. “Calm down, I have no plans.”
“Come on, now.” Tony led them outside and he started talking about interrogating Jericho. Stella went to the changing area to return the cuffs. “At least she’s happy,” Tony told Bruce when she was out of earshot.
She nodded and followed them when Tony glanced over his shoulder but all she was thinking...hoping that Loki should’ve been here to help her test her energy and pushing it to the limits. The looming dread of her life sentence disappeared when her energy reappeared.
The three of them entered the elevator and she leaned back to the wall, staring at the LED panel by the door and thinking of how Loki talks, how he smiles, how he says her name, how he smelled of pine with a hint of mint, how he wrapped his arms around her when they were in Athens.
She closed her eyes when her thoughts lingered on it and bit her inner cheek when she started to feel the heat in her core, imagining Loki before her, imagining Loki’s lips on hers. Her thoughts ended when the elevator beeped to her floor. She dropped her head. It’s useless to think of these things when he’s dead.
After changing, Stella headed down to the room where they transferred Jericho. She pressed her thumb on the scanner and the door opened. She entered, pulled a chair into the middle of her space, and sat.
There was a glass between her and Jericho. It was one-way glass. She was the only one who could see him. He was sitting on his chair, slumped and legs spread apart.
“I know you’re out there, Lords.”
He was not supposed to know.
Stella walked to the control panels and with a press of a button, the glass revealed her to him. “How did you know? You were not supposed to see beyond the glass.”
Jericho ambled to the glass. “You are forgetting something. We have been partners for years that we have learned to pick up minute signals emitting from each other. Even after all these years of us being separated, I can still pick up yours. Can’t you feel me?” Stella just looked at him, unsure of the situation for the first time. “You don’t seem mad, unlike yesterday. You were fuming,” he mused. “What changed?”
“I’m still mad,” she replied in a steady voice. “I can’t believe all of these, Jericho. Of all people, it’s you. I knew you could play both sides but I have never imagined you to turn your back from Athena and the oath we have sworn.”
“Stop.” He raised a hand. “Stop right there. I have sworn no oath. It was just you.”
“Are you telling me you fooled Athena into thinking you are still working for her?”
“It was Athena’s mistake, you see. She hasn’t seen it coming.” Tears fell from Stella’s eyes. She still couldn’t believe her best friend had turned to the dark side. “Ares needed a messenger, so he sought out for me. He already knew how Athena trained me and he took me in, said it would be a waste of my abilities if I were not to be part of his army. He told me I was born to command, like every other child he has.” Stella wiped her eyes. “Oh, sister. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he mocked.
“Damn you to hell, Jericho!” She sneered. “I trusted you!”
“And how is that my fault? Did I ask you to trust me? I didn’t. Now -” he held his hands behind him - “you have to be careful. Loki is just like me and my father.”
She flicked her eyes to him. “He’s dead.”
“Oh yeah, you killed him. Forgot about that. Sorry,” he said nonchalantly, tilting his head. “I just don’t get it. Why would Athena ask Asgard to let you work for their trickster god? If Athena wanted someone like that why didn’t she ask me?!” Jericho exclaimed.
“If you didn’t betray us you would be here and Loki would’ve been alive!” Stella’s chest hurt so badly she wanted to fall on her knees and cry everything out. If Loki was here she would ask him to put her in an illusion to mask her tears.
If Loki was here she wouldn’t be this distraught.
She huffed and wiped the tears. “Where is Ares?”
Jericho spread his arms. “He’s everywhere. He has eyes and ears everywhere.” He smirked. “You know what he told me? If you weren’t the guardian, he would make you work for him. He knows what you’re capable of.”
“Is that what you’re here for?”
“I thought I was here to spite you?”
Her eyes lowered as she realized. “The scepter.”
He grinned. “Smart girl.”
Stella’s lips parted but she shut it right away. “What do you know about the scepter?” She asked with a hint of urgency.
Jericho walked closer to the glass and stopped when he was just a few inches from it. “I know a sizable amount, enough to know how to use it.”
Stella pressed a button on the panel and the glass frosted. She took deep breaths as she tried to process everything. She could hear Jericho chuckling behind the glass. Jericho was saying something but she couldn’t focus. She left the room and walked aimlessly at the corridor, trying to figure out who to talk to.
She stopped at the end of the hall, where the windows show the Manhattan skyline. “JARVIS, where’s Natasha? Or Thor?”
“Agent Romanoff is in the SHIELD headquarters. Mr. Odinson, on the other hand, is in the training room. Shall I inform him that you are looking for him?”
“No! No. I think it’s a bad idea. He’s impulsive.” Stella paced the length of the window. “Anyone else in this tower?”
“Mr. Stark is in his armory and is not to be disturbed.”
“Oh boy…”
“Mr. Stark asked what is up.”
Stella looked up. “Did you tell him I was looking for him?”
“Yes, because you seemed agitated.”
She stopped pacing. “Ask him if I can see him just for a sec.”
“He saw to meet him on the 12th floor.”
“Alright!” Stella ran to the elevator and pressed 12. She couldn’t stop tapping her foot while she waited. As soon as the doors opened she dashed out of the elevator, scanning the place to see if anyone else was in there. Seeing that she’s alone, she headed to the bar and poured herself a glass of white wine.
She was on her second glass when the elevator pinged, telling her Tony had arrived. “So, what’s up? JARVIS told me you were quite nervous and -” Tony stopped in his tracks - “are we here for a drink?”
“I need it.” She finished her second glass.
Tony continued moving to where she was and placed his palms flat on the counter across her. “So, what’s up? JARVIS told me you talked to the prisoner.”
“He’s here for me.”
He blinked. “What do you mean?” He raised a finger as if pointing at someone. “He’s here to bring you to Olympus? Isn’t that framing you?”
She shook her head. “He’s commanded to steal the scepter and use it to turn me.”
Tony folded his arms on his chest and scratched his chin. “Huh. Okay.” He sighed, thinking. “But he wouldn’t get away from his cell now. His half of the room has enough electromagnetic energy to stop him from using his energy.” The elevator pinged and they both turned to it.
Bruce appeared on the floor. “Hey Tony, Stella. JARVIS told me you were here.” He paused. “Is there anything wrong?”
Tony and Stella looked at each other. “So, are we telling him?” Tony asked.
“Tell me what?”
“Jericho was here to use the scepter on me and make me work for them,” Stella explained as Bruce approached them.
“But the scepter’s locked up now. No one can have it.” Bruce told them.
“Yeah. It’s safe.” Tony assured her.
“Remember you guys told me when Loki had the scepter, he asked Clint to recruit SHIELD agents and scientists to work for him? I was wondering if Ares knew how the scepter works, then someone from that group from 2012 is now working for Ares.” Stella proposed.
“I can get the list of the people who worked on that project.” Tony offered.
“Aren’t they fired?” Bruce asked.
He went to the drinks shelf and picked up a bottle of scotch. “Fury fired everyone who was involved in that scandal. Turns out there were non-SHIELD agents who were also involved, engineers, and scientists from different private companies. People from that group knew how it works,” he said as he poured himself a drink.
“Yeah. I agree. But this person, or persons, might be a demigod. I don’t think he has mortals working for him. I don’t know yet.” She shifted on her seat. “If only Loki is here to tell us everything about the scepter, that would have been great.” She felt a pang of guilt inside. Bruce patted her at the back.
“It’s not your fault, Stell,” Tony reassured her.
She bit her lip. “It’s...I...I was close to…” She took a deep breath. “Never mind. No use of thinking about what could’ve happened. It’s all on us now.”
Tony wanted to ask her if she’s still thinking of her impending prosecution but he held himself back. “Nat said you asked if it’s possible to scan the whole world for the tesseract’s energy?”
Stella’s attention was back on the case. “Yeah. Is it possible?”
“It is, but it will take time. I haven’t tried doing that yet. If we will do that we need to do the scan per region.”
“But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Bruce said. Stella was biting her nail as they spoke, thinking.
Tony pursed his lips. “It is. Though I need to back up the energy source of the building. The scan per region might take a whole day or more.”
“It might drain your resources,” she commented.
“Oh, come on. Money isn’t an issue here. I’m not saying this can’t be done. It can be done. It just takes time.”
“I don’t.”
Tony sat on the barstool across Stella. “You’re still thinking about that, aren’t you?” She didn’t reply. “You know what we talked about when you told us that you have a fear that Olympus might prosecute you? We decided that we would talk to Athena if that time comes.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” She sighed in disbelief.
“No, kid. We aren’t. It might sound insane but the world is crazier every minute. There were three gods in this tower. Bruce here -” he placed a hand on Bruce’s shoulder - “is the Hulk. Steve is a hundred years old but still looking younger than me. I probably need to try that cryofreeze sometime.” Stella smirked. “What I’m saying is, why don’t we give it a try? We have an immortal on our side. Thor told us Athena and Asgard are working together to protect the realms. They need you. We need you.”
Tony’s words were enough to bring back the tears. Bruce extracted his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Stella. She wiped her tears and grasped it. “You guys have to stop making me cry.” Tony snickered and Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. “I swear, it’s not helpful.” Bruce tilted his head as if telling Tony ‘see? Just don’t.’
“Well, that is if it happens. If they will really arrive and chain you up.” Tony gestured on the air. “But I think it won’t happen.”
“I don’t want to go against everything. I don’t want to go against you. I don’t want to be Ares’ puppet.” Tony’s throat moved, the emotions caught up on his throat as she spoke. Stella was scared and no assurance could calm her down. Maybe the only peace she could want at this time was a cell in Olympus. She brought her palms together and heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. There are just too many things running in my head.” She dropped her hands.
“It happens.” Bruce nodded.
Tony also nodded. “So, would you want to see how we’re going to do the scans?”
Stella retreated to her room after her long day. She closed the door and didn’t even bother turning on the lights since the full moon was bright enough to illuminate the room. She kicked her sneakers off and left it by the door. She walked to her bed and settled on the floor at the side of the bed, facing the windows. Her thoughts went back to Loki as she traced the glowing veins of Manhattan. She was thinking of him since yesterday and she was hating herself for it. Her nights were even worse since she could hear his voice and feel his touch in her dreams - or that’s what she thought.
“Ugh, stop!” She wanted to punch something. She stood up and picked up her pillow. “Stop this right now, Lords!” She smashed her pillow on the bed as she said each word. She tossed her pillow at the last word and let herself fall, back first on the bed.
“Missed me, Stella?”