ALTHEA✓AVENGERS

Chapter 57

"Hey Thea." Bruce greeted her. A smile on his face upon seeing his best friend. He missed her the most. Althea didn't wait a moment before launching herself in to his arms. She could feel tears building up in her eyes as she hugged his as tight as she could. She didn't wanna let him go. What if he disappears again? That was the only thought that was going on her mind. She was afraid that this was not real. That he wasn't here.

"Thea, I have to tell you something." He said pulling away from her reluctantly. She wiped hear tears away before nodding her head. "Your brother's—They're, they might—" She didn't let him finish. "No! No! No! Please No! Don't! Don't! Don't!" She exclaimed and backed away slowly. Tears started streaming down her face as she thought about the worst. She can't lose them too. Losing them would mean that she lost the last part of her family.

"They're fine. They escaped." Bruce lied which made Stephen stare at him in confusion knowing the truth. Bruce couldn't do it. He couldn't tell his best friend about what happened to her brothers. He knew how much she loved them and she'd go back and forth to hell for them.

She let out a relieved sigh before wiping her tears away. "I think you guys have a job to do." Pepper said out loud which made all of them to snap back and walked through the portal. Althea walked in with Stephen and sat on a couch while Tony pulled Bruce back having skeptical about the whole situation.

"They're not alive, are they?" He asked Bruce who nodded his head. He let out a sigh knowing this would break his best friend who had just came out of the pain of losing her father. "I couldn't do it, Tony. I couldn't." Bruce muttered looking at Althea who accepted a cup of tea from from Stephen and smiled at him. Tony patted his back before walking further in and sat on the couch beside her.

"At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then, boom!" Wong started creating a hologram of the galaxy. "The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals hurling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence." The Wizard continued which made her stood up and took a couple of steps forward and come to a stop beside Stephen who nodded at her which she returned with a half smile.

She had listened to this story a thousand times and knew it's origins. Her father used to tell her this as a bed time story. At the thought of her father, a sudden wave of grief consumed her. She took a deep breath knowing the mission is important and there are lives at stake and she couldn't break down now. Not when they're counting on her.

"Space." Stephen said pointing towards the blue stone which was in the Tesseract. "That's Reality. A real pain in the ass." She added pointing towards a red stone which made Wong let out a chuckle which earned a glare from Stephen.

"Power." The Wizard continued and gesture towards a purple stone. "Soul." She continued and pointed towards a yellow stone. She shivered at the thought of the place the soul stone resides in. She has been there only once and it was enough to traumatize her.

"Mind." Stephen added and gestured towards the fifth stone which resides with Vision. "And time." The Wizard continued which made her look at him with confusion. Her eyes widened once realization hit her as the Wizard revealed the last stone which resides in his necklace.

"You're a Stonekeeper." She realized which made the wizard nod his head in confirmation. "Tell me his name again." She heard Tony saying which made her look at him. "Thanos. He's a plague. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki." Bruce said which made everything click on her mind.

"The attack on New York. That was him. Son of a bitch has been playing us for the past 5 years." She said upon realization. She was gonna kill Loki when she finds him for not telling her about this even though she asked about this multiple times. He would always steer away from the subject.