The Great War || Loki

Chapter 41 - Loki

I contact Aphrodite and she gets me in Omnipotence City without being noticed. We run to Selene's family's champers and scan the whole place.

I was not prepared for the sight I witnessed when I opened the doors to the dinning room. There are four bodies on the floor and blood is everywhere. Two have been decapitated, one was poisoned and the other has bled out; I recognize the dagger in his neck immediately.

"It's over..." her low voice comes from the other side of the room.

I turn around and find Selene balled up in a corner. I didn't even see her when I came in and walked right passed her. She is holding her knees up to her chest and is almost shaking. There are splashes of blood on her clothes and dress.

I pull her dagger out of her brothers neck and I wipe it from his blood. I cover it and save it for later.

"You did all of this?" I ask as I approach her slowly

"Yes, I did. I did it. It's over" she keeps repeating.

"Let's go" I suggest.

She nods. I reach to pick her up but she stops me. "I am fi--". She cuts her sentence short as her eyes meet mine. If looks could kill, my glare would probably incinerate her on the spot.

I pick her up and take her out of the room. We leave Omnipotence City and return to Asgard without anyone other than Aphrodite knowing.

I don't let go of her until we are alone. I let her sit on the edge of the bed and I walk away to get a towel. None of us spoke as I helped her clean the blood off her skin.

"How can you be so smart, and do the stupidest thing anyone would do in your position?" I break the silence

"Don't start..." she rolls her eyes

"No, I will. Because you ran away alone. You thought I was going to stop you if you told me?"

"Of course you would".

To be fair, I would.

"You would have locked me by force in that panic room if I told you" she adds

"Excuse me?"

"You say you want to keep me safe, but you can't do that by locking me up in rooms. I am not a valuable possession that you hide in a safe forever. I was choking in that tight room when you left me alone. The only difference between that room and the dungeon they used to keep me locked in is the name"

"Hey. Don't you dare compare my actions to theirs!" I raise my voice.

She closes her eyes and buries her face in her hands. "I am sorry. I didn't mean it that way" she says. "I am exhausted. I was exhausted of being scared of them. They shouldn't scare me so much anymore. So, I took a decision. And maybe you are right that it was stupid to go alone, but I was gonna be damned if I was going to let them hurt me again. I knew what I was walking into and how it was going to play out. I could do it and I did it. If I told you, you would have stopped me and we would continue to exist in this fear. Now it is over...".

She shuts her eyes and smiles relieved in the end. "It felt good. There are very few things in life that feel better than revenge" she admits. "Watching my sister choke and die right on the dinner table. Seeing the worried expressions on my family's faces. Antagonizing my father. Driving that blade in my brother's neck and witness the life leave his body. Hearing my mothers cries as she lost her golden child. Cutting her head off with my sword without giving her time to even realize what happened. Watching my father admit defeat and taking his head as well with the same blade. Feeling their warm blood on me... I felt free. Like I could finally breathe. I don't regret a thing. I'm glad they're dead, and the only thing that makes it sweeter is knowing that I killed them. So now I can't wait to close my eyes and sleep better than I have in centuries. Because I will never be afraid again. I will never feel weak again".

I listen to her speechless. I understand where her rage is coming from and I cannot blame her. I mean I tried to kill my own brother and I didn't actually hate him as much as she hates hers. I just never thought that she could become so cruel, but in the end everyone has a breaking point.

"It is over" she repeats. "We are free. What could you possibly be mad at?"

"At the fact that you went in all alone. If you didn't want to upset me, you could have taken anyone; Thor, even my mother would help you -it would need more convincing though. It is not that I don't have faith in you or I am underestimating your skills. It's just that the last time you pulled something so stupid was when you jumped in front of a blade for me" I remind her. "I can't lose you again"

"And I can't live trapped in again".

We both fall silent again. I drop my head and sit besides her. I put my hand on her knee and rub her with my thumb. She places her hand over mine and I hold it.

"I will work on my communication and sharing skills if you work on loosening up with the overprotection" she suggests

"Deal" I reply.

She rests her head on my shoulder and I lean on her as well. As I hold her hand, I brush my fingers over her ring.

"We are free..." she says once again. She is still trying to convince herself.

"Yes, we are, my love" I kiss her head. "Do you want to go wash yourself and change into clean clothes before laying down?" I suggest

"Yes, I should do that" she replies and she stands up

"Do you need me?"

"No, no. I will be right back".

That night she really slept better than she ever had. She almost didn't move, let alone have any new nightmare. Maybe this was the only way to deal with the problem after everything they put her through. Maybe this is what she needed in order to finally let go. The only thing I am sure of is that I am never going to hold this act against her.