I sat back down in the bar stool, following me, Selene, who did the exact same thing. - So, what brings the goddess of Midgard to my humble tavern? - The wavy ends of her hair bounced with every movement she made, and they fell on her bust, it was literally hard for me to resist the urge to laugh at how funny it looked.
- I had a very interesting chat with a friend of yours, it was heartbreaking to think that you would betray me like this – I placed a hand on my chest to make it more dramatic, I could´ve gone serious, but in between the dance I kept drinking, so I was notoriously tipsy.
- You know I will always be by your side, but in this particular case I had to, it’s only a matter of time until I get your sorry-ass father between my grasp - Yep, I gave a loud, mocking laugh, hitting the bar table with one hand, and with the other clinging to it to keep from falling off the stool.
- What are you talking about? Loki has been dead for over...30 years now – the look on her face was fantastic. Shock, disappointment, regret and betrayal. - But the girl said if I helped her, I could get my revenge – the barwoman placed two drinks in front of us, - Well, she lied to you, obviously – I sip and finished the shot in a second, the taste felt smoother than before.
- Fucking bitch! - Selene was a bit short-tempered, but never lost herself like she did that day, which was very cute and attractive. - Cheers to that! – her purple waves of energy shook the earth under our feet, neither Anthony nor I was fazed, but with the rest of those present it did cause a bit of panic.
- You have every right to be angry, my love, but you need to relax or you’ll do to this tavern what Thanos did to the Avengers’s compound – I took her hand in between mines, as the earth settled and stopped moving. - That Stark bitch, I can’t believe it, she even had a ton of evidence, you know? - You know that high pitched beep that comes and goes, which is very annoying and you feel like your ear might explode? Well, that's what I was hearing as Selene kept spitting shit to the thin air. The name Stark kept hitting my head and, in my heart, I felt worse than any torture.
- My love, a bit of a question, Stark, as in the tall blonde? - she shook her head while drinking another shot, - That brunette bitch! You’ll see, my love, she’s going to pay for this – I took her hand again, - Selene, that’s not necessary, look at me darling – leaving kisses in her knuckles I managed to tone her down, I can’t say the same about me.
- You’re better than this, and you left those habits behind you, or don’t you remember what the x dudes did to you? - I took a lock of her hair, rough to the touch, and tucked it behind her ear, consequently also briefly stroking her cheek, - Leave the revenge thing behind, it’s not worth it, if you need to take it out on someone, do it on me – she scoffed, pulling my hand away from her.
- Tessa, don’t be ridiculous – Internally I screamed in “awe” because she wasn’t able to hurt me herself, - Love, you know I can’t die, a few punches and a probable disfiguration won’t do it either – I actually imagined the whole thing, the plastic surgery would cost billions.
- It’s not that, you’re right, it’s not worth it – I was actually proud of myself, I talked some sense in the most stubborn woman I know, besides my mother. - But it’s all I know – her teary eyes pierced something in me, I felt sympathetic, what’s a villain without a nemesis or a purpose? Not much I must say.
- Now that’s bullshit, you make beautiful pottery and music, you should do more, and besides, this tavern is amazing – she shook her head and muttered something that sounded like “You don’t mean it”, so I just laughed and stated while patting her back, - I’m serious, that poster of my uncle with the darts gives it the homely touch, I love it -.
- I’m so sorry Tessa, she tricked me, but I should’ve put our friendship first - she brought her hands towards me, holding my neck with her fingers to mark how serious her next statement would be, her gaze glued to mine, it made me feel uncomfortable at first, but I saw the intention.
She said nothing, instead she pulled my face to her. But, me being quicker in matters of instincts, my chin ended on her shoulder, she had tried to kiss me. When I was about to say something her body weight fell on me, so I took her on my arms and realized she was passed out asleep.
- Is she ok? - Roper asked behind me, - Just good old alcohol, nothing to be worried about, I’ll take her to the back while you two get ready, I’m taking you home -.
The truth about my relationship with Selene is a bit boring. We met when I was Strange's apprentice, she seemed interesting to me, since she came from another dimension, apart from that, she was so dynamic and easy to talk to. She taught me magic and spells, but most of them only served to destroy, so it is knowledge that I don’t use much.
We ended up being friends, then lovers, but we broke up when I told her about the prophesy, she said it was a lot to process and then she left me.
- I forgive you – I whispered on her ear, placing a kiss on her cheek before leaving. I can’t say I ever stopped loving her, but Morgan...she makes me feel different.
↢❉↣
I took a deep breath and blew the alcohol out of my body, the vapor looking as white as dry powder from a fire extinguisher. When I found myself sober, I took my friends back to their apartment.
- Morgan Stark was behind this? - Anthony asked as if he had suddenly returned to his fifteen years, while I sat on the brown couch by the window. - I can’t believe she used me, why is like this every time? I find something good and, somehow, destiny makes it bad or evil – a usual fucked up thing that also tormented my father’s story, but I didn’t know that then.
- Excuse me, how you know Morgan STARK?! - The red-haired whining adult baby lifted my legs from the couch to sit and lay them on his. Roper took off his long leather jacket, filled the kettle with water.
- She’s the one that prove my innocence in court, the girl in the picture – he opened his gorgeously delineated eyes wide open, like in a “OMG” fashion, - Hold the fucking phone, you’re telling me, that the girl that sent you the sexy photo – if looks could kill, he would’ve had a dagger in between his eyes.
- The same you clearly have a crush on – Roper added from the kitchen.
- What? I don’t have a crush on her, I barely know her – must I explain how that meant nothing to the only two people that know me better than myself?
- C’mon Tess, we saw the way you rushed back to her, and every time you have this specific stand when you’re thinking of her, you are head over heels for her – Anthony wanted to tickle me, I tried my best to stop him, but he could make me laugh when he managed to put his hands on my hips.
- Love shouldn’t be this complicated – I said when I basically ran away from him.
- Look Lassie, love is the craziest roller coaster in the universe. The rails change direction with every decision you make. It goes up, down, and sometimes it turns you upside down. But listen to this, you will never know how beautiful it can be if you haven't even bought the ticket yet – Roper handed me a cup of iced tea, along with a pinch on my cheek.
- I know it scares you, but you can't run and lock yourself in a high security prison to escape your problems, again. I say this because I am your friend and I love you with all my heart, go tell her how this makes you feel, and if she still dares to hurt you, I myself will break the legs of that illy-livered whore – and with that I’ll forever say I have the best friends in the universe, who love and support me no matter what.
They believed in me when no one else did, they pulled me out from dementia, and put up with me for five years!
- Hey! That's my thing – Anthony nudged him in the shoulder, making us laugh, me in between tears that fell on Roper’s shirt when I hugged him, - I love you guys, whatever you need just call, literally anything, you’re the best – it was the biggest hug, but probably the last.
- And Tessa – when I opened the portal to leave Anthony called my attention, grabbed my arm and placed a kiss on my cheek, - Promise me you’ll come back to us – I couldn’t do that, and he saw it, but for his sake I lied, - I promise -, he let me go and I crossed the portal.
The New York Sanctum, one of the three bases of the masters of the mystic arts, there’s one in London and Hong Kong, but in this one I learned a lot of the basics to self-control and energy canalization.
And also, it has been my home away from home.
The endless corridors full of treasures, which never really meant much to me, were the main source of entertainment when I was young. I could hear my own laughter as Wong tried to make nothing fall so as not to disturb Strange. I had had such a good time that I almost forgot who I was and what my destiny was.
The prophecy that tied me to my family, I had the misfortune to find it on one of the scrolls in the library.
"The Ragnarök prophecy predicts that the Serpent and Thor will fight again. In the fight, Thor will hit Jörmungandr with such force that he will send the snake back to the past, before it’s birth, the god winning the fight. However, Thor dies after taking nine steps, having been poisoned by Jörmungandr "
Again ... I suppose our first confrontation must have been when playing a bad joke I transformed into Loki, I thought it would make him laugh, instead he threw me a lightning straight to my face and cut my right eye, just a scratch above the eyelid that extended to the middle of my cheek, thank goodness it did not blind me.
When he stood up from his chair, with the Stormbreaker in hand, I undid the illusion and begged for mercy. I hardly remember what happened after, but I guess I made it out alive, other than that I have no memories of a previous fight.
There are many legends and stories about Thor and me, like the time he tried to lift me up, me turned into a cat, but could only lift one paw. Or when fishing, still resentful of having lost by not being able to get up, Thor tried to kill me, but his fishing partner released me, afraid that the prophecy of the end of the world would be fulfilled in front of his eyes.
I must admit, none of that would have happened if I had done what I had to do. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
After walking a while and realizing the place was empty, I ran upstairs to a little room Strange reproposed for me. The attic, the wind that the current pushed through the walls was freezing all the time, that’s why Wong didn’t wanted to get even close to the, as he used to call it, “refrigerator”, that made me laugh every time, cause’ I used to sleep fine in there.
Strange had replaced the rotten and cracked wood, making it safe to step on without fear of falling. the bed in the corner near the window, just the one that closed badly, allowing the current to enter. A shelf full of books, drawings and maps that he used to make when he was not studying, on it, gathering dust, a wide and long green box.
One of the things my uncle gave me after the war, besides the horned helmet that Loki left behind, was a box that I never dared to open. I did not have the motivation or the heart to find out its content, and my mother, in all her wisdom, advised me not to do so. At that age it wasn't very smart to challenge her.
I placed the box on top of the flowered sheets on my bed, staining my fingers with the dust of 15 years. It took me a while to take the lid off, because it had fucking tape on the sides! I laughed at myself for a second.
There was a dagger, a suit of armor, and a letter. And don't get excited, the letter was from Thor, I easily recognized his child's handwriting.
I unsheathed the dagger, the hilt was made of green Jasper with red spots, the stone seemed trapped if not tied by a snake carved in gold. The blade, whose pattern assimilated the texture of a tree log, began inside the snake's mouth and ended in a sharp and shiny tip. It was well balanced and elegant, with my name carved inside the green stone at the end of the hilt.
The armor, not to my surprise, was also green, leathered, and had golden details in the neck, bust and sleeves. What did amaze me, was that it had pants, and a long cape that could be attached at the waist to assimilate a gown, and a pair of boots without heels that matched the colors and style.
"Little Snake, I must say that at first I had no idea why my brother had not returned to you, or to your mother and your brother, but I had a dream.
So, I traveled to a distant planet and found this, along with instructions on when to give it to you. Your father knew what fate awaited you, he decided not to return, not because he loved you less, but because he thought that this way, he would prevent you feeling that you would disappoint or hurt him.
I know that for our confrontation I will not be in all my mental faculties, and the world will remember you like the monster who killed an Avenger, but fear not, I don't blame you for this, it's for the best and it's not your fault, my dear, don't even think about it.
See you in the past.
Sincerely, Thor.
Ps: You are NOT a monster! I should've told that to your father years ago"
I cried my eyes out reading the letter, and that’s all I'm going to say about it.
After the emotional rollercoaster, I took a shower, braided my hair, put on the armor, and against my better judgment I decided to finally use my father’s horns, with a small alteration, I added a stone in the middle, a blue one.
- Uncle, I hope you´re ready – I said under my breath, as I stopped before crossing another portal. I took a glance at the stash of letters I leaved for my friends and family, and I stepped again, being face to face to Morgan’s house.
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