End of an Era - Avengers: Endgame

Twelve - The Black Order, the Children of Thanos

Sanctuary II, Thanos's Ship - Space

Millennia Ago

Thane's death continued to haunt her - always. It would never leave her, forever with her.

Their son's death was still so close, the wound still cut open and deep, a wound that could never be fully treated. A wound that would never fully heal. 

That was why she became so angry when Thanos brought the first of his stolen children back to the ship.

He had started going on balancing missions alone, Adonia no longer joining him. Part of her no longer saw the point. She had wanted to build a strong foundation for a fulfilling life and  future for their son, and now he was gone, forever. For good. He had no future, so why bother building one? She felt so betrayed, and this only cut the already deep wound even further. 

"How could you?" were her first words to him when he presented the first of the new children, Ebony Maw, to her. 

"My Lady Mother." The child swept down to his knees in a low, dramatic bow.

"On your feet!" she snapped back at him.  "And do not call me 'Mother' again." With that she had stormed off, refusing to see either of them.  

How could he?

How could he?

She would no longer take part in any balancing missions after that, now knowing that he would bring back stolen children, for this continued, despite her forbidding it, and her refusal to accept it. This was how the Black Order was eventually formed.

It, the Order, began with, and as, four stolen children: Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian.  Thanos's most formidable warriors, and his most loyal and devoted followers. Undoubtedly his favourites.  He called them 'my children'.

She hated it, all of it.  But what she hated even more was that he had them calling him 'Father' and she 'Mother' in response to him referring to them as 'my children'. The very thought of it made Adonia scoff and roll her eyes.  Mother. Father. My Children... As though they were a family. 

They are not our children. They are not my children. They never will be. 

We are not a family. 

"Leave us." Adonia stormed into the throne room where Thanos was speaking with Ebony and Proxima, wanting to speak with the Mad Titan herself.

They bowed their heads in compliance. "Mother."

There it was again. She gritted her teeth to the point of the pressure being painful.  "I am not your mother. Do not call me that," was all she said. She didn't look at them when addressing them this way. How she hated that, and how she hated how insistent Thanos was that they refer to her in this way, even though he knew very well how it made her blood boil. 

Again, how could he?

How could he betray her like this? And more importantly, how could he betray Thane? How could he just replace their beloved son? Just like that? How could he fill a void that could not be filled?  She just could not fathom it. 

She didn't connect with any of them, did not want to connect with any of them. In fact, she did her best to keep her distance and actively avoid them at all costs. 

But then she arrived. The little girl that would change her life. 

 It wasn't until a blue-skinned, blue-haired girl arrived that Adonia changed her view of the Order. The girl's name was Nebula of the Luphomoid race from the planet of Luphom. She was not quite as skilled a warrior as the others, but was rightly determined. That, and she was as survivor.  This definitely intrigued her adoptive parents, and intrigued her adoptive mother enough for her to allow herself to grow closer to the little girl. 

The others took hold of Adonia's resistance to them, and eventually stopped trying, gravitating towards their adoptive father. They still bowed to her and referred to her as 'Our Lady Mother' or simply 'Mother' though. 

These warriors - his 'children' - Thanos treated differently than the rest, this much was clear. They led his armies, stepping in for Adonia's absence, and became leaders and representatives of him. They became the most feared group in the galaxy. The Black Order, the five children of Thanos. Not only just his warriors, but his children also. 

And then five became six. 

(Thank you so much for reading and, as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :))