Ethereal

Chapter 17: I Promise

She stared at the dark sky with a gun in hand, her hair a mess, dirt and blood all over her face. The screams echoed in her ears, the gunshots, and the grenades exploding.

She wore a military uniform, all torn apart.

She watched as a metal container dropped from the sky, her golden eyes reflected the calm before the storm. As soon as that metal container hit the ground in front of her, a loud explosion occurred, blowing her away along with the debris with a ringing ear and pain shocking her body.

Her eyes snapped open from the shock.

Serena gasped, staring at the golden ceiling. She touched her chest while looking around, this wasn't her bedroom or apartment and she was alive?

The last thing she could remember was she was drowning and that Dreykov replaced her.

He got rid of her just like how he wanted.

The air smelled familiar and the cool breeze. A heavy weight was on her stomach and she looked down to see it only to find a woman sleeping with her head on her stomach, an arm around her.

Serena blinked, feeling relieved to see the Goddess of Death hugging her, she was well and alive but she looked more tired than usual. She looked skinny and paler, especially with those dark circles under her eyes and her dry lips.

She quietly brought a hand up, gently running her fingers through Hela's hair, waking the goddess.

Hela pushed herself up, eyes wide as she reached for the blonde "Darling!" a fragile smile cracked on her lips as Serena pulled her closer

And that hug was enough for Serena to feel all the life she lost come back to her, the warmth, and the peace. She tightly wrapped her arms around Hela's waist, her face buried in the crook of Hela's neck, telling the goddess that she doesn't want to let go.

Not again.

For the first time, she felt relieved to be alive.

Because she had Hela.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before a knock on the door interrupted them. Serena felt Hela shift away while she remained around her arms, she already made herself comfortable there anyway and has no plan of pulling away.

"Who is it?" Hela called

"It's us, sister!" Thor's voice came from the outside

Hela rolled her eyes, muttering another language Serena couldn't understand before opening the door with a flick of her hand. The blonde has mastered almost ten languages but she couldn't determine which language Hela spoke.

The doors opened, and two tall men walked inside. Thor was holding a tray of food while Loki was holding a rope and handcuffs? The two stared at her, a mix of relief and worry in their eyes.

Serena frowned at the sight "Why are you holding those..." she gestured to the things Loki was holding

"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Hela sighed, crossing her arms "Don't tell me you were planning to tie me in a chair, put anti-magic restraints on my wrists, and force a spoon in my mouth."

Thor shrugged "You haven't eaten for days."

"It was the only solution we could think of besides letting you die in here." Loki agreed, proudly showing the restraints he was holding

Serena glared at Hela "You haven't eaten for days?"

Hela blinked, shrugging "I-Darling, your life was on the line and I had to do everything to bring you back! The least you could do was be thankful!"