Ace of Hearts [Loki Laufeyson] BOOK I

You Promised

The chapter after this will be the last.

3rd Person POV

When a cloud of cards suddenly surrounded Loki, he was perplexed. After all, why would Jay be trying to protect him? He was doing fine - taking out Giants before they got too close to him and such - so why would she be...

His gaze snapped up to the mountain, and through the wall of cards rotating around him, he could scarcely see Jaylynn with a spear through her chest. His eyes widened as he tried to run forwards, but the cards wrapped around his wrists and dragged him back towards the portal. The Giants were almost all through the circular hole, so all that was in his way were the dead bodies left over from the battle. He tripped over disembodied limbs as he was pulled back by Jay's cards. Loki's mouth hung open in a painful scream as he fought against the magical pull, tears starting to fall down his cheeks. 

He felt a sudden rise in temperature and found himself on the roof of the building back in New York. The God let out a wail, his voice filled with agony and grief as the portal flickered in and out of existence. There was a huge explosion behind him, causing him to whip around and take a look around the city. There were Frost Giant bodies riddling the black pavement streets, ice littering the ground and forming large spikes on the sides of the buildings. The comm in Loki's ear suddenly crackled to life, Tony's frantic voice filling his head. 

"Where the hell is Jaylynn?" Tony shouted, hopelessness evident in his voice. The God hear the sound of repulser beams and bullets throughout the city. 

"S-She..." Loki looked up, his eyes widening as the red wisps dissipated and the cards fluttered to the ground before he whipped around and looked through the portal. The last thing he saw of her was a body falling off the mountain, glowing blue mist following her to the ground. "No...no no NO!" He cried, running to the portal and practically throwing himself at the rip in time and space. Instead of feeling the cold sensation of the snowy planet, he was met with concrete. 

"Loki, tell me she made it out of that portal too," Tony growled, and Loki could hear the sound of rockets approaching the roof. "Loki!"

The God sat up, his eyes glued to where the portal had closed as tears dropped to the ground. He didn't look back as the sound of metal boots clanked to the ground, and he barely flinched as he was pushed to the ground by a metal foot. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the gold and red suit with glowing blue eyes, the billionaire raising his arm before the repulser started charging up. 

"YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT HER!" The man screamed, his voice cracking as the mask of the suit flipped up to reveal his grief-stricken face. After all, he had just lost his only daughter. "YOU PROMISED ME SHE WOULD BE SAFE! YOU PROMISED!" 

"I...I'm..." Loki could barely speak, his mind simply replaying Tony's words over and over. He was supposed to protect her. She was supposed to make it home to her friends...her family...Him. Iron Man's arm was suddenly knocked aside, the blue beam firing down at the ground beside Loki's head. 

"Tony, don't," Steve stated quietly, the other Avengers quickly joining them on the rooftop. Tony dropped to his knees, putting his head in his hands. Loki simply laid there on the ground, staring up at the now cloud filled sky with emotionless eyes. 

They had won. The Frost Giants were all dead, the battle was over, they had saved New York.

So why did it feel as though they had lost?