This Is Stella's Reality

June 12, 2015

Loki sat beside me, and together, we stared at Odin and his council.

It truly was a spectacle. All of Asgard was watching. Thor sat with the court as was royal protocol. Steve, Bucky, and Bruce sat amongst the crowd right behind Loki and I.

My hands were clasped together firmly, mimicking Loki's handcuffed wrists beside me. He leaned into my ear. "Try not to kill Odin in front of the whole country," he joked.

I glared at him as Odin silenced the crowds. He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at me. "Nymph," his voice was like nails on a chalkboard. "Tell the council and all of Asgard who you are and why you have been sought out as Loki's council."

Anxiety shot through my chest, but I willed it away. Standing, I stared at Odin. My voice echoed through the silent chambers when I spoke. "I am Stella, daughter of Hades and Persephone. My witchcraft has made me prolific in mind reading and thoughts. Loki has asked me to pull memories from him in order to prove his innocence." I clenched my fist to stop my trembling.

Loki was in my mind, Relax, darling. They're like sharks. They will sense your fear. He fed me soothing thoughts of tea and warm firelight in an attempt to cease the hammering of my heart.

Slowly, I breathed a bit easier. Odin and his council still stared at me intensely. The court was silent, only the occasional cough erupting in the distance.

"Loki," an elderly man so fragile he looked as if a breeze could snap his bones spoke. "Rise with your companion and recount your tale."

So he did. Loki stood beside me, towering above my head as his voice thundered through the halls. He told Asgard of The Other, the burning sensation of the scepter taking control of his mind, his thoughts unable to break through the spell.

I tried to read the room. They were unsure what to make of his words. They did not want to believe him. He had dishonored them and the throne; however, they felt as if he was telling the truth.

My heart skipped a beat. We have a chance.

Odin silenced the soft murmur that had begun to rise. "Nymph," the name sounded like an insult on his tongue, "speak."

"Loki's thoughts have told me the same. I relived those memories with him. The Other saved him from his fall from Asgard's bridge. His wounds were tended to, and he was revived at the cost of his mind's freedom. A throne, he was promised, but as all things, it came at a price. The scepter that man wielded was a leash attached to the collar around Loki's free will. He was not in control of his actions. It was The Other that wished to rule Midgar. He is the one that sent Loki to earth in order to retrieve the Tesseract and open the portal for the chitauri."

My voice reverberated from the walls of the throne room. Well done, Loki said to my thoughts. A slight smile pulled at my lips.

A woman sat forward; her face was stern and riddled with lines and wrinkles. Her eyes were harsh as a hawks when she stared at me. "Why should the Crown of Asgard listen to a daughter of Hades? He is an untrustworthy force, conniving and deceiving. In our eyes, you are no different. Olympus and Asgard have long history, not always pleasant. For what reason should we believe you?" Her voice was nasally and jarring in my ears, sending unpleasant acid rising in my throat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Loki cut me off. "For as much as she is Hades' daughter, she is Persephone's as well. That kind and gentle goddess' blood runs through her veins as strongly as the black magic of her father. Regardless, I do not think you wish to disrespect the long standing truce between Asgard and the House of Hades. Such questioning of the god and his lineage could be seen as an insult." His voice was smooth and unwavering as he spoke.