Hello! Hope you are having a great week! I've been working on this chapter for a while, and I really think (hope) that you're going to enjoy it...

*Important Note* I have finished editing Blue Moon and part of Three Tasks and have changed the following:

* Thea is now thirteen at the start of Blue Moon, so now, in Ei Diafol, she will be fourteen in a few months. Subsequently, she was in seventh grade and is now in eigth.

* The boy who frightened Thea was a junior in high school, and the incident occurred during a high school/middle school dance that Bryce persuaded Thea to go to.

* Jack and Thea NEVER had a romantic relationship. In Blue Moon, funny circumstances happened so that most of the Avengers tease them that they are "in love". 

* Darcy is NOT Thea's aunt. I thought this would bring up too much legal problems, and wanted Thea to be isolated as much as possible.

All right, here is the chapter... bracing myself mentally for the school week on Monday...so it begins...

Edit- Me [check back either tonight or tomorrow for some Fandominion edits on Instagram]

Music

When the Stars Go Blue (Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz); Davy Jones-Score (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) (LISTEN TO IT ON REPEAT DURING THE CHAPTER. THE FEELS.)

Hope you like it!!!!!!

Chapter Seven

Thea tries to avoid going to the dinner spectacularly. 

When Thor sent a request that she wear a dress as was customary standards in Asgard, Thea pretended to not pay attention, and proceeded to hide the dress behind an elaborately carved chair. When, as the sun set completely, a soldier knocked at the door and told her that Thor would be by in a couple minutes to pick her up, Thea calmly inspected her fingernails and completely ignored him. 

In fact, it very well may have been that Thea didn't go to the dinner at all if it weren't for the aging servant woman who bustled into the room and, after several minutes of persuasion, got Thea to change into the dark navy dress, although Thea mostly did it to stop the chatter. The dress was lovely and soft, but since the sleeves only reached the lower part of Thea's elbow, she began to feel uncomfortable and exposed. When the servant woman had turned away, Thea grabbed some golden bangles from the vanity and put them around her left wrist, an action that at least somewhat hid the self-inflicted rawness of her skin.

Thea, however, drew the line when the woman offered to fix her (messy) hair, and feeling relatively satisfied, the servant retreated from the room after Thea gave her a murderous look, which was so fierce, it reminded the woman of Loki. 

It was also possible that Thea would have changed back into her cut-off jeans and old plaid t-shirt had it not been for Thor knocking on the door. 

"Good evening, Thea," says Thor with a genuine smile when she reluctantly opens the golden door. "You look splendid!" 

This isn't completely true. Although the navy color somewhat brightens Thea's skin, it does nothing for her dull and puffy eyes, messy hair, and skinny frame that looks almost malnourished from her neglect. Nonetheless, Thor offers her his arm, but she stands there, staring up at him with an almost defiant expression in those desolate green eyes. 

Covering the awkwardness up by putting his hands behind his back, Thor clears his throat and gestures towards the long hallway. He begins to talk about typical Asgardian dinners and matters of the state that Thea has no interest in whatsoever, and eventually, she tunes him out and follows behind him silently. 

They reach a cozy rectangular room with a long, elliptical wooden table seating twenty down the middle of it, already set for a meal. It is relatively dark inside, lit only by the multitudes of candles hung about on the arms of an iron chandelier and along the back walls, and it smells vaguely smoky. 

Already, there are several figures milling around, but Thea recognizes only Volstaag and Sif among the Asgardians. Thor greets several of the guests with broad smiles and firm handshakes, and then steers Thea towards the back of the room. He puts a hand on her shoulder, "Would you like to sit next to me, Thea?" 

She is about to say that she doesn't even want to be here in the first place, but she is interrupted by the chaotic entrance of Fandral...and Loki. He scans the room, but before he can see her in the large crowd, she quickly turns away and looks up at Thor's compassionate face, "Yes." 

He nods and gestures to a seat adjacent to the one he is standing next to. Keeping her eyes glued to the wooden table and the elaborate settings, Thea sits, tucking her skirts around her and hastily arranging her bangles so that they cover her gaunt wrists. As people sit down around her- she doesn't see it, but Thor nods to Sif so that she will sit next to Thea, a request with which Sif complies- Thea looks down, playing with her fingers. Within the next moment, Thea feels someone's eyes on her, and fidgets even more, but does not look up.

Sif quickly realizes that Thea will not be a chatty dinner companion. Although, at Thor's probing, she eats a little salad, Thea only nibbles at the meat and instead mainly just sits there, staring at the table or at her lap. Her face grows flushed from all of the commotion, and as the voices get louder and more boisterous from the onset of drink, she begins to grow more uncomfortable. All she wants to do is go back to her room and not have to be near anybody- actually, why she really wants is to go back to Midgard. 

At one point, she gets jostled by a passing ambassador, who is by now rather clumsy on her feet, and she grabs the table from the suddenness. For some reason, as the man apologizes, laughs and walks away, shouting loudly at Fandral (who shouts back equally loudly), Thea feels overtly shaken. 

Loki had noticed the scene-then again, not many people could not have- and also notices that Thea bites her lip and remains very fidgety. Seconds later, for the first time, she looks up, and Loki sees the bright drop of a single tear trickling down her freckled cheek. He also sees the complete emptiness in Thea's now-watery green eyes that Thor had described and he had formerly observed. 

Turning slightly, Thea jumps slightly, because she's now staring right into Loki's eyes. His eyes are gentle as they look at her, and for a moment, she doesn't move. But then, she feels the warm traitorous tear on her face, and she jerks her head away, bringing her hand up to her cheek.

Taking a deep, shuttering breath, Thea focuses on the graining on the wood table in front of her. Next to her, Thor is laughing loudly about something, and a burning anger flows through her- she clenches her fists on the chair handles so hard that her knuckles turn stiff and white. 

Thea yelps when someone sets his hand on her left shoulder. She turns around to see Loki  kneeling beside the chair, looking up at her. She widens her eyes, half in anger and half in trepidation as she turns away, determined not to look at him. Her lip is trembling, and although her voice is wobbly, she manages to say, "G-go away!" 

"Thea," says Loki softly. 

"No!"

"Thea," he repeats, squeezing her shoulder, "Come on. You don't want to be here, I know it. I can take you to your room, and then I'll leave you alone. I promise."

She doesn't move; her back is still to him. 

He squeezes her shoulder again, "I'm not asking. Let's go, Thea." 

His voice is stern. Thea slowly turns around, and Loki is surprised to see not malice, but grief, aching loneliness, and most of all, tears that keep running down her face. Her eyes are still fighting him though, and she curls her lip in frustration.

Based on his expression though, she knows that she can't argue with him. While Loki says something to Thor, Thea very very slowly stands, rearranging the bangles on on her wrist, trying to cover it up as much as possible. Loki's eyes dart over to her, but she doesn't take any notice of him, except for the fact that he pulls her all the way up. 

Both of them are silent as they walk through the palace's halls, the only sounds the treading of their footsteps. Normally, Loki walks at his normal pace- or faster- which ordinarily forces Thea to practically sprint to keep up. But now, he knows that if he does this, Thea will just purposely slow down and sneak off, so he caters to her speed, something he is satisfied to see annoy her. 

At the golden entrance that leads to her room, Thea marches through the doorway, her chin held high in the air, and begins to swing the door shut. 

But with a bang, Loki catches the door. 

"You said you would leave me alone!" 

"I know I did," Loki slips through the opening and closes the door behind him, "I lied." 

Thea's eyes widen in anger,"Go. Away." 

Loki leans against the door and crosses his arms, "No." 

Thea's voice has turned guttural and savage, "Go. Right. Now. Get-"

"No."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" 

A vase sitting on the table next to her cracks, the curtains whip back, and two small streams of flames erupt from her fingers, completely burning the flower that had fallen from the vase. 

Loki raises an eyebrow.

"Wh-what...wh..." Thea whimpers as she looks at her trembling hands. The tips of her gloveless fingers have tiny strips of steam floating from them, and the skin is pink. "What is HAPPENING TO M—"

"What you need to do, Theodora," says Loki firmly, walking towards her a couple feet, "Is calm down." 

"N—"

"I am not going to ask again. Take a deep breath." 

"SHUP UP!" 

At her shriek, flames erupt again, and this time hit Loki square in the jaw. As Thea claps her hands on her mouth in shock and in pain, he shouts and staggers back against the door, clutching his face, which hisses as little strands of blue skin begin to heal it. 

He looks up at her, and his eyes are narrowed. Thea takes a step back. 

Before she can move, he has lunged forward, taken her by the elbow, and pulled her across the room. She tries to tear her arm away, but he forces her to sit down on the made-up bed. She tries to kick him, but he just acts as though this has no affect whatsoever on him, then kneels down in front of her. 

"All right, Thea, your time is up," says Loki as Thea glares daggers at him, "You need to start talking and you need to start talking right now." 

She curls her lip again, making her look nearly demonic. Loki's eyes fall on her small hands, which are still trembling, burnt, and cracked. She hastily puts her hands behind her back, but Loki says, "Do I need to grab your wrists, or are you, for once, going to cooperate, and let me see your hands?" 

Sniffling as she tries to stop crying, Thea very slowly brings her hands out from behind her back. Loki takes them and holds them up, turning them around and looking at the slightly pink skin, "Somebody is having trouble. Aren't you, Thea?" 

Loki scarcely has time to jump back before Thea brings our something with a flash and aims it at his neck. 

It's her emerald dagger.

"For heavens sake!" growls Loki, "Stop this!" 

"GO AWAY!" 

With a flick of his wrist, Loki grabs the dagger from Thea's hand and throws it across the room, where it clatters loudly. 

"WHAT THE HELL!?" 

"Calm down Thea," says Loki, grabbing her hand. Instantly, she clutches it- and then snatches it away when he cries out again as his fingers burn, "Thea!" 

"GET OUT OF HE—"

The door bangs open, and someone with golden armor and a long red cape barges inside. Thea immediately stops screaming, and Loki immediately stops trying to grab her in an attempt to calm her. 

"What is going on?" demands Thor, "Loki, I told you to stay away from her!"

"She needs help!" says Loki. "She needs—"

"HOW DARE Y—"

"Shut it!" Loki whirls around, "She does need help, she needs my help!" 

"NO I DON—"

"BOTH OF YOU, PLEASE STOP TALKING!" 

Loki and Thea stop trying to out-shout each other. Thor puts his hand to his forehead and says quietly, "Loki, I told you to leave her in peace. She does not want you right now."

"No I do not w—"

"She doesn't want anybody right now," Thor speaks over Thea, "Can you not see that, brother?"

"That's why," Loki says furiously, "She needs—!" 

"No, Loki," says Thor, shaking his head sadly, "No." 

"So am I to assume that you're taking her side then?" demands Loki. 

"No. I am taking nobody's sides in this matter," Thor turns to Thea, "So as for you, young lady, you must to learn to control your temper. You could hurt someone like you just now hurt Loki"

"I didn't mean to!" 

"No, you never mean to, do you, Thea!" Thor's voice rises, "But you always seem to hurt people anyway, just like Loki, just like Max, just like your sister!" 

Thea staggers back, covering her mouth in one hand. 

"Oh, you went too far!" growls Loki as Thea crumbles to the ground, sobbing. 

Thor's face has paled, "Thea...Thea, I am so sorry. I didn't mean...I know you...Thea..."

"N-no, you n-never mean it, d-do you?" chokes Thea, tears streaming down her face as she stands, "B-but you s-still hu-hurt people!" 

As she begins to push past them, Loki grabs her wrist. When she cries out in pain, he says, "Thea, lis—"

"No! You're a murderer, just like I am a murderer and a monster!" she spits, and yanks her arm from his grasp before running out of the room, her bare feet pattering on the floor. 

Loki whirls on Thor, "Why did you say that?" 

"You know I didn't mean it!" 

"Oh, I'm beginning to think that you did," hisses Loki. 

Thor's eyes are drawn and pained, "And what about what she just said to you? That you're a murd—"

"Do you really think that that's my primary concern right now?"

"Just leave her alone, Loki!" 

"As if you could do any better!" 

Thor sighs. Then, as Loki begins to walk out of the room, he says, "Where are you going?"

"Well thanks to you," says Loki, "Not to Thea!" 

Loki vanishes around the corner. Thor leans against the door and closes his eyes. He had spoken harshly and without thought, and he knows it. He desperately wants to go after Thea, to apologize to her, but he knows perfectly well that she will refuse him. So instead, he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. On his way down the hall, he stops a handmaiden and tells her to find Thea, if possible, and to please send her to bed. Then, he leaves, looking for his brother. 

*

Dear Max,

Thank you for your letter. You will be happy to know that Thea has arrived to Asgard safely. I know now why you are so desperate to send her to us. Her eyes are dead. She knows not how to control her powers, and lashes out at people. She carries her dagger with her everywhere, as if afraid that someone will attack her, and she shies away from all aid. Even, or especially, towards Loki, she is particularly vindictive, but that comes at no surprise to anyone. My friend, she is weak in mind and heart, and my own heart aches for her. 

I am traveling to Vaneheim tomorrow morning, but shall return by the evening. Thank you for entrusting me with Thea- it means much to me.

Sincerely, 

Thor

*

Loki walks through the hallway as the moon rises and the stars begin to twinkle. He approaches a balcony that overlooks the back part of the palace. The fighting courtyards are deserted, as are the lower corridors and cloisters, with only the occasional shadow flitting too and fro. 

As Loki begins to set his hands on the railing, he hears a soft muffled sound and turning quickly towards the right, he sees Thea lying on one of the marbled balcony seats, her back to him and her legs drawn up in a ball to her chest. 

For a moment, a brief moment, Loki begins to step forward. But then, he sighs and backs out of the balcony, walking away silently. He stops to inform a maid of Thea's location, and then leaves. He does not stop walking until he reaches the throne room. He looks at the golden throne, tilting his head backwards in agonized thought. 

"Gilsa found her, and took her back to her room."

Loki turns to see Thor walking in between the towering columns towards him, his face drawn and tired. As Thor approaches his shoulder, Loki turns back at the throne and says, "I'm worried, brother." 

"As am I." 

Loki looks at Thor, "I don't think you get it. I am completely at a loss as to how to help her. You know yourself that you do not believe that she needs to be alone, just as I do not believe it. But Thea refuses the both of us steadfastly." He sighs, "Especially me."

"Loki, you know full well why she despises you right now, and that the reasons are sufficient for it. I truly think that she will come to you soon."

There's a pause. Then, Loki says quietly, "I visited her in Midgard several days ago." 

Thor is surprised, "What?"

"She wrote angrily in that journal, in desperation, and I came to her. Thor, she was not the violent girl she is now- or at least at first. She allowed me to comfort her, and it was then, when her hard heart broke did mine too. I saw her anguish more clearly than if she screamed at me. She may have sent me away in a passioned fury, but brother, I saw her. I saw the girl that she truly is." 

"And now? Why now does she do this?" 

"Because that desperation is something she considers a weakness. And she shoved that desperation away in an attempt to stay strong, not knowing that doing so would reveal to me that internal torture." 

"I do not know what we can do, not when she is so cut off from everyone around her."

"I might suggest we try talking."

"And how did that work out for you, Loki?" asks Thor. 

Loki is silent. 

Thor shakes his head, "At least there is some good news in all of this. She may have called you a murderer—"

"So far, I see no good—"

"But called herself the monster, and not you. She no longer considers you a monster, Loki."

Loki stares,"That's your piece of good news?" He laughs humorlessly, "Then brother, you should know that I would forever prefer that Thea call me the monster instead of herself." 

*

Thea is still awake at midnight, when she hears a gentle knock at the door. But when she hears that knock, she leaps up from the bed, where she has been holding something sharp and dripping red. 

She hurriedly grabs a long jacket that she had brought, throws it around her shoulders and down her arms, and then kicks her dagger under the bed, just as the door opens. 

Both Thor and Loki are standing there. Thea puts her hands, which are trembling madly, behind her back and looks at the floor, "Wh-what are you doing here?" 

"Letters came for you," says Thor quietly, holding the papers out, "We are sorry for disturbing y—"

"Go away," whispers Thea harshly, for she has looked up quickly and seen Loki peering intensively at her. 

Thor nods to her, "Of course. I am traveling off-world tomorrow, but you should know that you are free to explore the palace. Stay inside, for there will be guards making sure that you do not escape. I should hope that you would not." He smiles at her gently, "Good night, Thea." He gestures to Loki, "Come along, brother." 

Loki backs out of the room, but his eyes are still on Thea. She swallows, then shuts the door behind them with a low bang. 

Then, she slides down the golden door, small sobs escaping from her mouth. She pulls up the sleeves so that she can see the horrific marks and red drops dripping from her tingling skin. Gasping from the pain, she bends her head down, tears flooding her face. 

Minutes later, her head still throbbing, she holds up the letters that Thor had brought to her, smearing small drops of blood on the parchment. 

Hi Thea,

We just wanted to say hi and make sure that you got to Asgard okay. We're spending the night in Stark tower (Tony let us in, miraculously) so that we can get your letters back as quick as possible. Hope you're doing okay. Have to go- Tony's yelling for us. 

From, Pete and Jack

There are two more letters, and glancing at the bottoms of them, she knows who they are from. But instead of reading them, she tears all three up and throws them to the ground. Standing, she staggers over to the bed and clutches one of the four posts, her shoulders heaving as she continues to sob. As she tightens the hold on the post, she cries out again as the cuts on her arms protest at the strain, and begin to bleed again. Thea lets out a short shriek and sinks down onto the mattress, her dress pooling around her, and the knowledge that the glistening-crimson, emerald-stuffed knife underneath the bed is the powerful demon that is forcing her to submit to her delirium. 

Please VOTE and COMMENT!!!!!! What do you think will happen..... uh oh!!

Love and God bless,  :)

Sierra <3