Finding Home

Chapter 14 - Loki's Return

I winked at him, my small smile no doubt just as devious. "Oh, you definitely showed them they were wrong, but trust me, you have yet to show them just how wrong they were." He looked at me quizzically, but I just shook my head, opting not to explain. "We're here."

He looked back up just as we rounded the corner to see Thor holding a dagger and looking sad. Loki smiled mischievously, and I instinctively knew his plan. I pulled an illusion around myself, making me invisible to any non-magic user.

Loki walked up right behind his brother. "My favorite dagger, you found it! I thought I lost it forever." He said and plucked the blade right from Thor's hands, sliding it into the empty sheath at his waist.

Thor spun around and grinned when he saw Loki. "Brother! You are alive!" He grabbed him in a giant hug.

"You know I never stay dead long, Brother." Loki said, smirking.

Thor's booming laughter was definitely worth the headache it caused as he agreed heartily. "No, you never do."

They began talking and I smiled gently before walking away to give them some privacy.

I decided I might as well go find some of the mortals to check in on. They were fascinating to me. They had courage, and they each had a characteristic fitting of an Omega. Steve was loyal and patient, Natasha was strong and deadly, Tony was intelligent and loyal, and Wanda was strong, independent, and loyal. Out of them all, Wanda was probably the best fit for an Omega, but I wouldn't be extending any invitations. Terra needed defenders, and this team was all they had left.

The first person I saw was not someone I recognized. A teenager was tinkering with something in a workshop. I quietly watched as she worked, standing a few feet away. Her hands were steady as she carefully placed one last gear in place. She pressed a button on the bracelet and disappeared. She reappeared across the room a second later and smiled at her success.

When she still didn't notice me, I spoke. "Hello."

She whirled around and aimed a gun at my head. "Who are you?" she asked when I made no attempt to attack.

"My name is Percy," I said easily, as though there wasn't a gun aimed at me.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I was simply looking for some company."

She kept her gun aimed at my head.

I sighed. "You need not fear, I have no ill intentions."

She thought about it before carefully lowering her weapon and nodding. "I'm Shuri."

I smiled kindly. "May I ask what you were working on?"

She seemed to debate whether to tell me before saying, "It was something I've been having trouble with. Today was the first time it worked, but it's still only for short distances. I'm trying to make a teleportation device. The goal is to make it able to jump across the world."

I gestured to the bracelet. "May I see?" She handed it to me and I quickly examined it. I tapped the center piece as I said, "Have you thought of combining the technology with magic? I know it is not a common practice among mortals, but I could help you."

She looked at me skeptically. "Magic? No offense, but you don't look like a sorcerer."

I laughed lightly. "I am not, but I am an immortal. I'm fairly good with magic, but I can get Jack if you would prefer a trained sorcerer."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. What's in it for you?"

I shrugged. "If we accomplish it, perhaps I can make some for my team in case of an emergency?" I said.

She agreed. "Seems fair."

We got to work. I snapped my fingers and conjured up a book from the library. I flipped through the pages, muttering to myself. "Illusions, no. Conjuring, no. Elemental, no. Transformations, no." Finally I stopped flipping. "Aha! Here it is. Teleportation."

She read over my shoulder. "Would merging this spell with my technology work?" she asked.

I thought for a moment before nodding. "It should. I have performed it multiple times, so it should not prove to be too hard to alter it to integrate with the device."

"Wait, if you can already teleport, why do you need my tech?" she asked.

I sighed. I had been wondering when she would ask. "To put it simply, using magic takes energy, and teleportation magic is especially taxing. After teleporting multiple people, it would be difficult to fight, and while imbuing an object with magic is useful, it has a limited number of uses. With your technology, not only would we be able to conserve energy in battle, but we would also be more efficient in hostage situations and evacuations. This could save trillions of my people."

She nodded, accepting my answer. We got back to work, and soon it was ready. We had tested it and determined that it does work long distances. After some more tinkering, and I was certain it would work throughout a galaxy, I smiled and shut the book. On an impulse, I gave it to Shuri.

She just stared at it for a few minutes. "Percy, I'm not a sorcerer or an immortal. I can't do magic."

I shook my head. "You have magic inside of you, I can feel it."

She smiled and took the book. "Thank you."

We talked for a while longer, until the sun began to set. I bid her farewell and went to find Loki. It was time to go home.

When I found Loki, he was smiling as his brother talked animatedly.

I interrupted, "I am truly sorry to interrupt, but I must speak with Loki."

Loki followed me a little ways away. "What is it you wish to speak with me about?"

"I am offering you a position on Team Omega. If you do not wish to accept, I must bring you back to Elysium," I said, discreetly crossing my fingers and hoping he would accept. I wanted to get to know him better.

Loki bit his lip but nodded. "I accept."

"Splendid. Say your goodbyes. We will return, but it will be many years for us," I said.

He walked back over to Thor and they said goodbye to each other. When he was done, I opened a portal to leave when Rocket came up to me.

I looked at him questioningly. "Yes?"

"Gamora... she died, like Loki," he said. "Would you be able to bring her back?"

I thought about it before saying, "Rocket, I can bring people back to join my team if they qualify. I will meet with your friend, but I cannot guarantee she will be able to join."

He nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

I smiled back and opened a different portal. "Well, Loki, it appears we will be making a couple more stops."