Roots of Eternity

Chapter 29 - The Battle for New York

The city buzzed beneath us, loud and chaotic, as the Quinjet descended toward the streets of New York. The closer we got, the more my heart raced. The city was in chaos. Loki had made his move, and it was worse than any of us had anticipated. Buildings crumbled, people screamed, and the Chitauri army flooded through the streets like a plague.

Thor stood beside me, his eyes trained on the destruction below. His knuckles were white around the handle of Mjolnir, his jaw clenched tight.

"Loki's crossed a line this time," Thor muttered, his voice strained with both anger and sadness. "He has to be stopped."

I nodded, though the knot in my stomach tightened. I had never seen destruction on this scale. The earth itself seemed to groan beneath the weight of it, and I could feel the pain of every withering plant, every broken tree. But more than that, I could feel Loki's presence-dark, powerful, and filled with a hunger that frightened me.

"You don't have to do this alone, Helena," Thor said suddenly, turning to face me. His expression was soft, but his eyes held the same protective gaze they always had when I was younger. "You've already been through so much. I don't want you getting hurt."

I met his gaze, trying to steady myself. "I know, Thor. But I'm here now. I can't just stand by."

Thor's brow furrowed, and he placed a hand on my shoulder, as if to ground me. "You're still young. You're not ready for this level of destruction. Loki-he's dangerous. I've fought him before, and now with this army..."

"I'm not a child anymore," I interrupted, feeling a surge of determination rise in me. "I know I'm younger than you and Loki, but I'm not helpless. I've trained. I'm stronger than you think."

Thor's expression softened, but he still looked unconvinced. "It's not just about strength. You're not used to this kind of battle. You've never had to face your own brother like this."

I swallowed hard, my heart aching at the thought of Loki. "And you think it's easier for me to stand by and watch him destroy everything? I have to be there. I have to try and reach him."

Tony's voice came through the comms, cutting through the tension. "All right, lovebirds, we've got to move fast. Loki's about to unleash something big, and if we don't stop him, New York's gonna be toast."

I shot Tony an irritated glance, but Thor gave me a firm nod. "We'll do this together. But stay close. I won't let you face Loki alone."

The Quinjet landed, and the doors slid open to reveal the chaos of the streets. Smoke filled the air, and the sound of explosions echoed in the distance. As we stepped onto the pavement, the ground shook beneath us from the impact of another Chitauri craft crashing into a nearby building.

Steve Rogers, already on the ground with Natasha and Clint, ran up to us, his shield slung over his arm. "Loki's near Stark Tower," he said quickly, his voice steady despite the chaos around us. "He's got the Tesseract, and he's opening some kind of portal. We've got to shut it down before the entire Chitauri army comes through."

Thor nodded, his grip tightening on Mjolnir. "We'll take the fight to Loki. Helena and I can hold him off while you focus on closing the portal."

Steve glanced at me, concern flickering in his eyes. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

I hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "I have to be."

Tony landed beside us, his suit whirring as he touched down. "Let's go, then. We've got a city to save."

As we made our way toward Stark Tower, the streets were littered with debris and the bodies of fallen Chitauri soldiers. I could feel the weight of it all pressing down on me-the destruction, the fear, and the overwhelming presence of Loki's power. But I couldn't afford to hesitate. Not now.