FLIGHT ✔P.M. ₂

chapter eighteen

LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, ALL the space ship parts were complete. The Guardians thanked Leo for his help, and the demigod returned to his mechanic shop and his girlfriend, of course without forgetting to say goodbye to Robin first.

The son of Zeus was with the group of aliens in the forest he had found them, helping them with their ship. Wanda has accompanied him. They weren't really doing anything, instead just standing at the side while Rocket did most of the work.

Everything was going fine, until almost everyone in the group just froze, with the exception of Robin, Groot and Rocket. Robin waved his hand in front of Wanda's face. She had just zoned out, her eyes unfocused.

"Hey, Cosmo, you in there?" He asked jokingly. He received no response. He frowned. That's unusual. Most people at least rolled their eyes at him. The boy jumped back when her eyes turned a navy blue colour. That was even more unusual than the lack of reaction.

He looked at the others, seeing that they were doing the same thing as Wanda - with the exception of Groot and Rocket, who looked equally confused. Well, Groot did at least. Rocket was too focused on his ship.

Robin chuckled nervously. "Okay, nice prank guys, you can stop now."

"I am Groot," Groot agreed.

Once again, they received nothing but silence. All of a sudden, almost robotically, the people frozen turned and marched in the same direction.

"Wanda? What the-" Robin didn't get to finish when a tree came falling down right where he was standing. He only briefly managed to roll out of the way and avoid getting crushed. More trees did the same, some random people with axes standing by them. Even from his spot on the dirt floor, the demigod could tell that these people had the same navy glow to their eyes.

"Don't touch my ship!" Rocket yelled, now having a gun in his hand and blasting the trees away from him and his space craft.

The people cutting down the trees gave up suddenly, and turned back around. Robin didn't move for a moment, but when nothing else happened, he did.

He looked around. Almost the entire forest had been cut down, at least around the spaceship. Footprints led back out towards the city.

"Guess you'll have to postpone your flight home, Dirt Monkey!" Robin called to Rocket as he looked off to where the footprints were headed.

Rocket, though he scoffed at the statement and nickname, knew the boy was right. "Just take me to see your buddy Stark," He said, nodding for his young tree friend to follow him as he ran after the demigod.

Robin stayed silent as he followed the trail all the way to Central Park. There was a group of people, the same ones who had the axes, destroying the statue of Christopher Columbus.

He stopped and crossed his arms, watching this happen with an amused smirk. "Oh, no, the Christopher Columbus statue," He said sarcastically, faking concern. "They're destroying it." He didn't sound at all bothered.

"Who?" Rocket asked, having caught up.

"Some racist bitch who quote unquote 'colonized' America. I hate that guy. Committed mass murder, kidnapped and enslaved thousands, forced young women to be raped, you know, the terrible stuff you should hate from a person," Robin replied, his tone becoming more angry by the second as he spoke.

Rocket smartly decided to drop the subject before the boy could join in with the vandalism and get into some trouble. "Let's just go find my family," He huffed.

"Right," Robin agreed, and the three rushed to the tower. For once, when they barged in, no one was waiting at the entrance. None of them thought anything of it as they got in the elevator and went up.

After a few antagonizing moments, the elevator stopped. Robin was the first to rush out. "Stank I don't know if you're part of Wanda's prank but I'm going to take my anger out on you anyway! What technology did you use for the glowing eyes? And what in Hades is the whole Lorax... thing..." He trailed off when he saw that no one but Thor and Loki was there. "The fuck?"

The two gods looked equally as freaked and confused. As far as eyes could see, anywhere people might've been standing was trashed. Furniture knocked over, carpet scrunched up. They must've been in a rush to leave.

"What kind of voodoo magic...?" Robin wasn't able to finish his thought, too confused as to what happened.

"It has to be mind control. The others just got up and left," Thor said.

"It would explain the eyes," Loki confirmed, though it was clear he didn't want to agree with his brother. He did have some experience in the mind control field. New York, 2012? Anyone remember that? Loki hoped not. At least Robin didn't. That boy was as clueless as a walking rock.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"Yeah, why aren't we affected?" Rocket repeated, which Robin really appreciated because he did not speak tree.

Thor shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't work on gods, which explains why Loki and I are not affected," He started. Loki and Robin shared a look. "I do not understand why you guys aren't."

"Probably doesn't affect animals or plants," Robin said. Though said in a joking tone, he was being serious.

"Why doesn't it affect you then, genius?" Rocket demanded, crossing his arms.

Robin tilted his head to the side and gave him a deadpanned glare. "Do I look like I know anything?"

Loki decided to step in before anyone could figure out the boy's secret, considering his terrible lying skills, as the god of mischief put it. "We should first figure out who's controlling everyone," He advised.

Thor nodded. "Good idea, for once, Loki," He joked. His brother rolled his eyes in turn.

Robin turned to look around the room and scoffed once he saw the TV. "Well, that might be a good start," He said, pointing at the screen.

On screen, was an oddly colourful man - read, alien - wearing a helmet with a large hypnotic swirl on the dead center. Obvious much? He stood on top of a tall tower.

"I am Groot."

"I know that's the guy I stole from, shut up!" Rocket replied.

"You what?!"