A Demon in your Mind

How Far Love will go

Bucky shifted as he began to wake up, he realized the bed he was on felt different, and Altia was not in his arms. His eyes shot open, he was laying in his bed, in the compound, back on earth. He wore the same clothes he had been when he left all those months ago. He pressed the heel of his hands to his head and he tried to wake himself up. Surely this was a nightmare. This was a dream of some kind. He would wake up and Atlia would be there, pressed against him, surely.

He opened his eyes again, nope. Still in the compound. He stood quickly, that's when he saw the three old women surrounded in blue mist standing at the other end of the room. "What's going on?" He demanded. The women spoke in unison, "The bargain is complete. You have accomplished much."

Bucky advanced on them before he found his feet stuck to the floor at the end of the bed, "Where is Atlia?" The women spoke again, "Do not fret over her wellbeing." Bucky was getting angry now, "Don't fret over her wellbeing? Her wellbeing is the only thing I care about! Where is she?!" The women said nothing more, they disappeared in a swirl of blue mist and Bucky's feet were released from the ground.

He stumbled forward, she was gone, he was back on earth, and he had no idea what had become of her. He headed towards the door, but before he could open it, it flung open and Steve Rogers was standing in the doorway. "Buck! Friday said you were in here! You're back!" Bucky tried to smile, but he couldn't bring himself to be excited to be back, he was happy to see his best friend sure, but so abruptly...he was having a hard time processing.

Steve held Bucky's shoulders, "Is everything okay? It hasn't been a year yet?" Bucky shook his head, "I know! The fates...they wouldn't tell me why...they wouldn't..." He held back a rage that had begun to build, why had they sent him back so abruptly? He had to know. But how? Steve shook his shoulders, "Buck!" Bucky looked up into his friend's gaze, "She's...gone..." He whispered, Steve pulled Bucky into a hug, "Everything is going be okay." He tried to reassure Bucky, but he wasn't sure why he was back early or what he meant exactly by 'she's gone'.

Steve released him from the hug and held his shoulders again, "Where were you?" Bucky held his head for a moment then responded, "The land of the gods. Where Atlia is from." Steve let his friend go and raised a brow, "Atlia?" Bucky nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, "That's her name. I spent time where the Greek gods are from. We had to stay in a patch of the eternal forest under the watch of Artemis."

Steve exhaled a long breath, "Wow. So the Greek gods are like Thor and Loki." Bucky only nodded, he still couldn't believe he was back. Then Friday came over the intercom, "Intruders have appeared on the lawn." Steve and Bucky went down the hall and looked out the window. Sure enough, out the window two bare chested men with furry odd shaped legs and scarves were moving towards the compound. Bucky took off outside with Steve right behind him. Natasha and Tony coming from another hall not far behind them and Peter joining from another room. Each of them surprised by Bucky's presence.

As they neared the odd looking beings Bucky held out his arms, "Agreus! Nomios! What are you doing here?" Tony crossed his arms, "You know these things?" Bucky ignored him, the two satyrs seemed slightly out of breath, Agreus spoke, "We 'ad to come and tell you! When you weren't in the 'ut." Bucky's heart sank, "Tell me what?" Nomios looked concerned, "They took our Philoi to the Temple of Leto. To save 'er from the anger of Eros."

Bucky raised a brow and frantically asked, "Why is Eros angry?" Agreus looked at Bucky carefully, "You really don't know." Bucky was getting frustrated and worried now, "Don't know what?" Agreus sighed heavily, "Eros is angry you broke 'is curse." Bucky blinked, Eros's curse...there was only one curse Eros gave Atlia that Bucky knew of. He looked wide eyed at Agreus, "You mean she's..." He couldn't finish his question, but he didn't need to, Nomios nodded, "Yes. She is."