Burned

1.12: The Pilot

WITH THE FLAMES IN HER EYES, SHE BURNED.

The moment Loki had spoken the words, all seven Witches were pointing at him with their palms. Out of them were beamed little splinters of glass. I immediately closed my eyes, covering them with my hands and preparing for a lot of scratches in my skin. What I expected to feel like sharp sand being moved by wind on my body, felt like nothing. Nothing happened. Carefully, I opened my eyes, only to see that Loki had created a golden dome which functioned as shield around the two of us.

'It's Artemis, isn't it?' Loki had asked me, not even having to focus on the shield to keep it standing.

I nodded. I knew this man from the Battle of New York, but I needed the confirmation that this was the same man. 'Who are you?'

'Loki Odinson, of Asgard,' Loki introduced himself properly this time. 'Now, Artemis, I'm going to lower the shield. Once I do so, get to the ground in an instance. Do you understand?'

'Y-Yeah,' I simply responded.

Before I could prepare myself mentally or physically, Loki had already made the golden dome disappear. Without thinking I followed Loki's command and immediately threw myself onto the grey asphalt. At the same time Loki didn't even move. Nonetheless he sent an energy wave in a circle around him, making the Witches fall on the ground. With wide eyes I stood up. Never had I ever seen someone do something requiring that much power without so much muttering a spell or moving their arms.

'Oh my God,' I whispered, still unable to process what just had happened.

'You're not particularly wrong,' Loki had joked, even though I wasn't aware back then who he was.

'What's going on?' I asked, turning to face the Sorcerer. My brain was finally working again. 'How come you're a Sorcerer, but you're not in a Community?'

'I'll answer all your questions in a minute, Artemis,' Loki simply told me, after which multiple Lokis appeared.

Okay, what now?

I knew that those were illusions, they had to be, but when the seven created Lokis began to fight a different Witch, I got really confused. In the past I had a class about illusions. One of the main laws of illusions, was that illusions couldn't be touched. Your hand would go straight through the hologram, as it was just a matter of playing with light, not with matter. But, then again, this was Loki, for all I knew he was playing with matter instead of light.

Then the one Loki who wasn't busy fighting, the real one, turned to me with a smile. 'Good. Now, what do you know about magic?'

'Ehm, w-well,' I began, still looking around myself warily, 'I know a few spells like how to manipulate aspects of life, mostly plants.'

'Odin's beard, they really haven't even taught you the bare minimum,' Loki scoffed, after which he extended his hand. I just looked at it. 'Well? I don't suppose you know how to teleport with your knowledge.'

So, I took his hand. As I said before, you could tell a lot about a person by just a handshake. When I lay my hand in his, he grabbed it carefully. His hand was cold, but not bothering. He didn't have a firm grasp or a strong one, his was more of the soft sort. It was a really strange mixture, as his look was really cold and distancing, while he acted like he was genuinely caring. He was a complicated person, but every puzzle had its solution.

'Loki, let her go.' I heard as soon as Loki and I had teleported to another place.

Loki obeyed and let go of my hand, although it probably was because it was weird to hold hands with a stranger instead of truly listening to another one. Right in front of us were you who looked at Loki without turning your gaze for so much as a second. Morgan was right behind you with widened eyes, also looking at Loki. Wanda's fingers tingled with red whips while next to her were  Peter and Harley. All of you were looking at Loki with a protective shimmer in your eyes.

'No greeting?' Loki asked with an ever-lasting grin on his face. 'Not even a "We thought you were dead!"?'

'Still trying to kill everyone and rule Earth?' Morgan asked, fire in her brown eyes.

Loki shrugged, I only watched, for some reason slightly trusting the Asgardian. 'It varies from moment to moment. Morgan Stark, was it? Daughter of Anthony?'

'Talk about my father one more time, I dare you,' Morgan whispered dangerously, stepping closer to Loki. You held your arm in front of her to stop her and gave her a warning look.

Only for just a split second, Loki turned to me. Something about the way he stood, or maybe it was the mischievous shimmer in his eyes, or the smirk on his face, told me that he was up to something. He then turned to Morgan again. Suddenly my senses sharpened. I didn't lose the two out of my sight, knowing that if I would, something was definitely bound to happen and it wouldn't be something good.

'The Stones were too powerful for such a weak creature as men,' Loki continued. 'He was a fool.'

Morgan broke.

The helmet close, Morgan pushed your arm away and immediately she shot an energy blast out of her with repulsed. It would've hit Loki in the chest if he wouldn't have created a shield in front of him. He moved his hand, but before he could even so much blink, I broke, too. Loki got blow of his feet and landed on his back fifteen feet away from us. With just my impulses I created a glass-like wall between you all and Loki and me.

'What the hell was that?!' I yelled out at Loki, walking towards him.

Loki had already stood up again. He still had a grin on his face, but this time was more of a smile than a smirk. 'I needed to know your potential.'

'By attacking Morgan?!' I exclaimed, not finding the reason valid enough. 'For someone who has just beat seven powerful Witches, you're very stupid by hurting her.'

'You had to act out of instinct. And what better instinct is there than by threatening someone you love?' Loki had responded, walking to me, too.

'I-I- I don't love her,' I only responded, stuttering.

I mean, yes, I did love her, as a friend. When you care about someone's well-being, both physically and mentally, you loved someone, right? But I didn't love Morgan in the way Loki had implied. I wasn't in love with her. That was the whole thing with me, I didn't fall in love. I was named after the goddess of hunting, the goddess who swore to remain a virgin maiden for ever, I couldn't fall in love. Right?

'Clearly,' Loki told me sarcastically. He held out his hand again. 'Come with me.'

I looked at his hand with a cautious look in my eyes. 'Come where, exactly?'

'Away from them,' Loki explained, nodding at you who were desperately trying to break my wall. I knew Wanda was trying to read my mind. 'Away from the Witches.'

'Why would I come with you?' I asked. I actually didn't really want to go with a complete stranger to God knows where.

'Because as long as you're here, the Witches will continue to find you. You're putting your friends in danger, along with yourself. Come with me and I promise you, I give you my word, I will protect you,' Loki offered.

I turned to you all. For some reason tears welled up in my eyes. I was putting you in danger. It was really selfish of me to not even think of that fact. You were all willing to put your life on the line for such a childish feud between the Witches and me. Maybe you were all willing to bet your life on it, but I wasn't. I had to stop thinking about myself, something I had done for every second of my life. Loki was right, I had to come with him. It was the right thing to do.

'Whatever he's telling you,' Morgan yelled, her voice a bit muffled by my wall, 'it's not the truth!'

Morgan, only a blind person would believe that.

So, I placed my hand in his. The second he teleported us away from Earth, I made the glass shatter and where my feet were placed, there lay now a silver bow."