The Rise of Hel {Loki Laufeyson} Book Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

"I'll just be a minute." Max says, disappearing into a quarrentine cell in the basement. Of all the months that I spent here, just exploring every inch of the building, I had never found this wing of the compound. The walls are made of the same material as Steve's shield to keep the threats in and contained. I knock on it, the metal eerily quiet with each tap. I suddenly wonder if Loki kept something down here while the camp was still up and running. Maybe he kept a flesh eating monster down here in case any of his students got out of line and needed the fear of Norse Gods put into them. I certainly wouldn't put it past him to do something that terrifying...

Max yells from behind the door of his cell, the small window lighting up. What's happening in there?

The light gets brighter until finally, it's blinding and I have to look away, covering my whole face. It fades away and Max steps out, unscathed. "What the hell happened in there?" I ask, wide eyed.

"There was a tear in my suit. I needed to put on a new one. It's just... when I take the suit off, the electicity consumes me and it's like I'm incapable of controlling it. That's why I'm locked down here with Rhino and Curt." He explains.

I look around, noticing the other cells. I can tell which ones are inhibited because their names are on the front of the doors. 'Maxwell Dillon' is printed on the first cell door. 'Electro' it says below his name. 'Aleksei Sytsevich' is printed on the second door, 'Rhino' below it. 'Curt Connors' is printed on the third, 'Lizard' below it. My eyes trail to the fourth cell - the very last one. 'Harry Osborn' is the owner of the last one, 'Green Goblin' hanging underneath. I sigh, realizing that all the hope I had for him to recover was fake. Deep down, I knew all along that it was getting worse - his skin wasn't getting any better. But, where is he getting the formula if not from Peter?

My fingers graze over the nameplate, shaking my head. "Harry joins us down here sometimes. At least once a week, maybe twice depending on how bad it is." Max admits.

"I knew. I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

"C'mon. Let's go." He leads me up the stairs, my disappointment in Harry hanging over me like a dark cloud.

***

There's nowhere to walk outside, nowhere to walk inside either. Therefore, we just loop around the building, keeping close to the brick tiles. Loki may think that Hel would assume we'd never return here, but that doesn't mean he's right.

Max trails alongside me, close to my side. He tells me about his life before the accident - before he fell into the pit of electric eels and nearly died, but instead rose from the tank as a different person. Someone who could kill someone with just one touch.

"... so then you can guess what happened next."

I nod. "Spider-Man happened..."

"It was incredible what you did back there." He muses after a while.

I look at him. His mask is truly menacing but I can understand the meaning for it. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you fought a god and won. Imagine what you could've done with just a little more energy-"

I step back. "I'd rather not push it. I saw what was happening in that cell, Max. I'd rather keep the shocks to a minimum."

He shrugs. "Still, with just a slightly stronger push, you could probably stand a chance against Romanov."

I push him playfully and instantly regret it, feeling the shock straight up my spine, igniting every muscle in my body. It was exactly what he wanted me to do. "Max!" I feel my adrenaline levels rise and I start to laugh, my feet picking up the pace. I feel as light as a feather, like I could beat a Cheetah in a race around the Grand Canyon.