The Sweetest Rose-LokixOC

Chapter 44

"Liar." The icy venom in Loki's tone forced Stark to back up a few steps. "You are not Cassandra's father." He stalked forward twirling his dagger. "She was thrown away like trash." Flicking the blade forward, he pressed the tip to Iron Man's exposed throat. "Because if you were her father, I'd have to slit your throat for what was done to her."

Stark's throat bobbed reflexively. "I didn't know. In college I slept with every pretty girl who threw herself at me. None of them ever came forward saying they were pregnant." His dark eyes shone with remorse. "I wouldn't have been a good father, not back then. But I would have taken care of my daughter."

Excuses. Petty excuses. Loki increased the pressure of the dagger, and a trickle of blood rolled down Stark's throat. "You profess ignorance, so how have you come by this knowledge?"

"I found strands of hair on her pillow in the penthouse. I thought I might help her find her parents by running her DNA through the databases." A bitter smile curved the man's lips. He clearly didn't care he was being held at knife point. "To my surprise, I came up as a genetic match."

Loki lowered the knife and retreated. He had learned from his previous mistake with the Flerken. The choice about how to handle this belonged to Cassandra. Not to him. The dagger vanished into thin air. Besides, he needed Stark's resources to rescue Cassandra from his brother and whoever controlled Thor's mind. "When we rescue her, you will tell her."

Stark nodded, unwilling to argue.

No more hiding the truth. Loki would win Cassandra's trust back whatever it took.

Sirens whined, police cars skidding around the corner. "Handle this, Stark. Meet me afterward in the hotel room."

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While Loki waited for Stark to calm down the authorities, he picked up the journal Cassandra had been reading. He wasn't as well-versed in Latin as she was but carefully studied the sentences to decipher their meaning.

It was utter rubbish, leaving Loki completely disgusted with the legendary sorcerer. No wonder Cassandra had become so frustrated reading this ludicrous garbage.

'In the season of death, the moon shall rise. Cut to the quick. Drip a garland of red rubies.'

The balcony doors opened and Stark stepped inside. The Iron Man suit disassembled as he entered the room leaving the billionaire in his earlier clothes." I called the rest of the Avengers. They'll arrive by the morning."

Loki didn't inquire how things went with the police. He was still stunned and angry about Stark's revelation. How could this man be Cassandra's father? He scrutinized the billionaire, searching for any trace of Cassandra in his face.

They shared the same dark hair and complexion, but Stark looked nothing like Cassandra. She must favor her mother, whoever that might be. Loki found it appalling that Stark could not recall who the woman was.

A pained look crossed Stark's face. "This isn't easy for me, Shakespeare. I will do what I can to make things right."

"You mortals are always the same. Trying to justify your failings. I am not impressed." Loki said coolly.

"I don't give a damn about your opinion. This isn't about you."

Loki flipped a stiff yellow page and came across a drawing of the staff. The staff currently superglued to his hand. Loki studied the runes, muttering to himself as he translated.

'Look beyond your sight to the truth.'

A concealment spell. It had to be. Loki regarded the staff speculatively unsure if he even wanted to try and circumnavigate whatever spell the Merlin had cast on it. The wily old man undoubtedly had tricks up his sleeve.

The ornery relic belonged to Cassandra. He bit the tip of his thumb, thinking. Yet this was the first real clue he'd found in a long while.

Stark frowned at him suspiciously. "What are you up to, Sideshow?"

Loki tried to flex his fingers and found them completely immovable. The wood began to heat against his palm and the crystal atop the staff glowed. "So, you want to reveal your true form after all." He murmured and cast a revelation spell.

The image of the staff wavered for a second before melting away. Loki found himself clutching the bronze hilt of a sword. A line of runes had been carved into length of steel. He squinted. "Excalibur, sword of Avalon."

"Did you say Excalibur?" Tony stared at the sword, eyes wide with awe. "Son of a bitch. It's actually real!"

Magic pulsed off the sword in powerful waves. The steel sung as Loki sliced Excalibur through the air experimentally.

Cassandra told him of the legends surrounding Arthur, Camelot and the Merlin. Excalibur was the famed sword wielded by Arthur Pendragon to unite a kingdom.

To think it had been hidden all this time by the Merlin. This time Loki was able to unwrap his hand from the sword's hilt. He laid it reverently on the sofa. The flames from the fireplace rippled across the steel like water.

Stark came over for a closer look. "Amazing." Even he understood the significance. "The Merlin trusts her to wield it. Just what is his intent?"

Loki crouched down in front of the sword. "That is an excellent question. Unfortunately, the old wizard is out of our reach." The Merlin had entrusted more than his power to Cassandra. Was it her fate to use Excalibur against Morgan le Fey?

On some level the sword trusted him whether because of his relationship with Cassandra or some reason only known to it. "Will you help me save her?"

"Of course." Stark said.

Loki clenched his jaw. "I was talking to Excalibur."

"Because that's not a sign of madness. I'm not about to trust my daughter's life to you, Reindeer Games." Stark reached for the sword's hilt and was blasted off his feet. He slammed into the wall clear across the room, buckling the drywall.

Loki smirked, an unexpected fondness for the sword developing. He conjured a sheath and sword belt for Excalibur. "While you wait for your friends I have some business to take care of."

Rummaging around in the nightstand drawer, he fished out the bank vault key. Studying the page with the staff he had noticed a call sign listed, not unlike the system used by earth libraries.

Loki would explore every avenue to save Cassandra and the world.

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Water dripped onto Cassandra's forehead. She stirred slowly, every part of her body aching. Her eyes opened to pitch darkness. Panic clawed at her throat, but she swallowed it down. No. She had to keep it together.

Sitting up she carefully stretched out her arms on either side of her and felt around. Her fingertips brushed against a mossy wall, damp with moisture. Her shoe scraped against hard stone as she took baby steps to explore her surroundings.

Where the hell had Thor taken her? Shortly after taking flight, the lack of oxygen had rendered her unconscious.

Cassandra's head throbbed. She heard footsteps approaching. A few seconds later metal scraped against stone and the room was flooded with light.

She squinted at the shadowy figure in the doorway, her vision blurry. "Thor?"

A/N: Hope you liked this. We are firmly in thestart of the climax of the story.