(Originally published in "The Many Adventures of the Avengers and Friends")
"No, no, you're missing the point. There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top." - Tony Stark, "The Avengers"
Or is there?
Multiverses have the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
°2018°
¤¤¤
"We have to do it for Dad, honey." Maya's mom said. Maya burried her face in her pillow, upset and scared.
"But I don't wanna go to New York! The further away the better." Maya argued again.
"It's all the same anyways, Maya. It's not just in New York, it's all over the world. New York is just where it's centered."
"And you know just as well as I do that the position didn't open up because the last guy 'resigned.' The last guy is probably dead, Mom. That could be Dad!"
"Maya, we don't have a choice. If Dad refuses, he's dead anyways."
Maya sighed and looked at the moving boxes her mom had pulled into her room. They left in a week and a half and Maya wasn't happy about it.
"I miss being eight. Before all this crap happened." She reminisced. She could barely remember when all the TV channels were interruped because of an emergency broadcast. She was in her and her sister's room playing with Arianna when Maya heard the local news broadcast interrupt the TV from downstairs. She couldn't remember what had been on before, but she and her sister were both curious. Of course they were too young to understand what was really going on. All they could remember was the news reporter talking about "Invasion," "United Nations," "Surrender," and "Mythology."
Shit got real when the president came to speak on the news to confirm what the reporter had said. He gave a quick statement before the reporter came back on TV to explain in further detail. Being raised in a Christian household, Maya had immediately assumed Judgement Day. But odd names started to come out of the report that weren't ones she had learned in Sunday School. Rather, they came out of the book of ancient Myths and Legends her Uncle and Aunt had bought for her and her siblings.
Maya had left Arianna at the top of the stairs to keep listening while Maya went to look for that same book. It was on a high shelf, so she had to pull her desk chair out to reach it. She climbed back down and started turning the pages. Egyptian mythology was the first tab. Maya read those names carefully. Ra... Anubis... Nut... Hathor... Nope, not Egyptian. She sat next to her sister as Maya got to Greek Mythology. Zeus... Athena... Hades... Not Greek either. Then she got to the Norse section. Odin... Freya... Wait-
That couldn't be right. The news report had mentioned Loki, but the picture on the news didn't match the description in the book at all.
The news then mentioned something about a "partner in crime," or a wife. Her name was Olivia. But in the book, any mention of a wife led to the name Sigyn, a benevolent woman of loyalty. It certainly was a far cry from the other woman on the news, looking a bit like a picture of an Evil Queen in a child's storybook.
Maya was sure it was some sort of massive prank or hoax. Yet, if the president had to come on and explain...
Maya and Arianna had gotten really scared after that, leaving the book at the top of the stairs and hiding in their room. They heard the muffled noises from the TV covering the United Nations meeting, the public getting their first good look at their new rulers. Maya's brother was at a friend's house and a frantic phone call from Maya's mother brought him home really quick.
The following family discussion was mostly blocked out by Maya these days. She sort of wished she hadn't taken her childhood for granted. Life only got harder for that as money and morale grew short as the years went by. Gone were the days of big birthdays and the comforts of church on Sundays. Luckily they were in California, completely across the land from New York....
Well, not anymore.
Maya's father's expertice with finances had landed him a job in New York. The Royal Palace, to be specific. They had to move out and quick.
"I know, Maya, but it's for our survival. Start packing your things." Maya's mother hugged her before leaving Maya alone in her room.
***
"What luck you have." One of Maya's friends, Jamie, said as Maya explained the situation at lunch during school.
"I know! Living here is bad enough, thousands of miles away. But now I'm gonna live right around the corner from the Palace! And my dad's gonna work there! I'm scared that we're gonna get word one day that it was off with his head and we're gonna be without Dad and destitute!" Maya cried, punctuating her words with a slicing gesture with her hand like the Queen of Hearts.
"Even if I wasn't forced to throw out my old mythology book, I woulda done it anyways." Another of Maya's friends, Jessica, said. "Bullshit on paper. 'A beautiful yet demure woman with a kind heart.' Bull. Shit."
"The loyalty part was accurate, though." Jamie added.
"Oh, right, my mistake. The innate sense of loyalty makes it the exact same woman. I guess the book failed to mention how much of an evil, psychotic, sadistic... Well, bitch she was!"
"Hey! You gotta be careful what you say!"
"Oh, fuck modesty. She killed my uncle because he 'looked at her wrong.'"
"Still, you should watch what you're saying. You could be shipped out and have your mind controlled to keep you in line."
"That's just a story."
"Really? Lookit what happened to Trent. He played with those bananas to mock the King, he's absent for a week, then he comes back with blue eyes and pontificating about how great life is. Tell me that's not fishy."
Jessica opened her mouth to retort, but closed it once she realized Jamie was right.
"You know you guys aren't helping." Maya finally spoke up, lifting her head off of the table.
"Sorry. Rumors are just so rampant it's hard to not talk about it. It's crazy what people have heard." Jessica apologized.
"Oh, tell me about it. My cousin told me they don't send bodies back to families. They just send them a glass jar of their blood." Jamie said, wiggling his fingers.
"That's nothing. I heard they murdered a servant because she accidentally walked in on them doing the frickle-frackle." Jessica said.
"Ew." Maya groaned.
"Yeah, well I heard that the Queen has a dragon." Jamie retorted.
"I heard they can manipulate the elements like on 'Avatar.'"
"Well, I heard--"
"Guys, you're really not helping. And you made me miss Avatar even more." Maya said. Like many things, Avatar had been internationally banned for promoting "Rebellion Themes" that could give the people ideas.
"It's like we're living in an alternate reality where the Fire Nation won. The Queen even acts like Azula, you can't deny that." Jamie said.
"Yeah..." Maya sighed as the lunch bell rang. "Well, I have a week before I leave. Let's try to make the best of it."
"Agreed. You'll have to send us your new address so we can write to you."
