Thanos' Daughter

Chapter 11

     The flight was long and I'll admit that I dozed off for a few hours. When I awoke, a blanket was draped across my body. I stretched my arms and looked around.

     Loki was reading from a file Barton had given him before we'd left. He glanced up as I shifted. "Ah, you're awake. I was just about to rouse you myself. We're nearly there. The pilot said we'll be landing soon."

     I brushed off the blanket. "Did you give me this?" I gestured to the blanket.

     Loki nodded.

     "Why?"

     He looked up. "Because you were huddled in a ball. I thought you might be cold."

     "Oh, well thanks," I didn't know what else to say. Loki had no reason to be kind to me. I couldn't understand his reasoning.

     The loudspeakers cracked. "This is your captain speaking, we're just passing over Strasbourg. We should be arriving at the airport shortly."

     Loki stood up from his seat. He stretched his arms over his head. "Thank Odin, I was starting to wonder if we'd be stuck up here forever."

     I glared at him, knowing that he was just tormenting me. He knew how much I hated letting someone else fly.

     He smiled back, acting for all the world like a demure human. I wanted to punch him.

     The pilot told all passengers to go back to their seats. I thought it was a bit redundant since Loki and I were the only ones on board.

     We coasted to a stop in the runway a few minutes later. Loki climbed out of the plane first and I followed. I stretched my arms over my head. My body was stiff from the ride. I hadn't been sleeping in the most comfortable position.

     Another car waited for us a few yards away from the landing zone. It sped closer and stopped in front of us. The person in the passenger seat hopped out and opened the door for Loki and me. The god slid in first and I scooted across the seat after him.

     The car sped away and we rode in silence.

     I rested my head against the window, staring out into the starry skies. The stars visible from Earth weren't nearly as bright as the ones I could see on the Dark Moon, but it was enough to make me feel slightly nostalgic. I leaned back against the seat. The absence of my wings made me squirm. I couldn't help but miss the warmth, and even the tiny sense of freedom they provided.

     The car turned a sharp corner and Loki was thrown into me. He flushed as our heads whacked together while we tried to de-tangle ourselves.

     "Sorry," he muttered.

     I nodded but didn't want to comment on the awkwardness of the situation. There was enough tension between Loki and me as is.

     The car rolled up in front of a grand building. It was tall, with wide arching windows and massive white pillars. There were numerous other cars parked at the front of the building already. We were the twelfth car in line, but fortunately it moved quickly. When it was our turn at the curb, the soldier in the passenger's seat jumped out and opened the door for us. I scampered out first and Loki glided out after me.

     I tried not to notice how graceful he was in comparison to me. He moved with the elegance of a king, while I walked with the posture of a warrior.

     We walked on the large red carpets that lay on the floor, leading towards the entrance to the building. There were at least a hundred humans outside. Each one was dressed in their finest, like me. They all wore expensive looking evening apparel and lots of jewelry. I felt completely out of place among them, even wearing the rather regal looking dress. I'd never been to a gala before. The Dark Moon isn't exactly renown for their parties. I had no idea what I was supposed to do.