FINALLY I'm back haha. 

:D Hope you like this chapter! 

~Songs~

All of the Stars- Ed Sheeran

Edit: Me

Chapter Thirty

~Thea's POV~

"Stay back, Thea," says Natasha, who is closest to me. She doesn't need to worry. What am I going to do, walk up to Archer and hug him?

The unicorn, in the meanwhile, snorts again and then begins to make its way across the pond, its hooves splashing ever so gently. Then, to my shocked eyes, it approaches Archer, who reaches out and strokes the unicorn's mane, which nuzzles the Velah's chest. 

Archer, if I hadn't known better, would ensure calm over me instead of panic. He's wearing some sort of leather jacket that is not fastened so that it hangs loosely over his bare, toned, porcelain chest. There are several ashen scars streaked across it. The sunlight reflects across the pond at him, throwing his face into a light. His eyes, unlike Videl's sharp amber ones, are a light crimson. Also unlike Videl, his cheeks are not flushed with health; they're pale and emaciated, and his whole person has the appearance of a handsome ghost. He's looking at us with nearly as much caution as we are of him. 

"Who are you?" asks Steve loudly, from across the clearing. 

At his voice, the unicorn shies, but Archer puts his hands on the creature's chest, speaks to it quietly, and it becomes still. 

"My name is Archer," he says. His voice doesn't have the air of ego that Videl's does, and it is softer, more innocent, more melodic. 

"Are you a Velah?"

Archer pauses. "Yes." 

"You're Videl's brother?" 

A much longer pause. 

"Yes." 

"Well, son, if you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you get out of here." says Steve, his hands subconsciously moving towards his shield, which is strapped onto his back. 

"Videl is going to kill you." 

Steve turns back to Archer. The unicorn has arched its body around the young Velah protectively. "What?"

"Once he regains his power," says Archer, still not moving from his unicorn shield, "He plans on using a serum to kill you all."

The silence that follows is very loud. 

Then, Tony says, "Yeah, so what are you telling us this?"

"I don't know. But I know that my brother is malicious and blood-thirsty." 

"And so are you."

"Blood thirsty, yes. Malicious, no." 

"What's the difference?"

"I only take what I need to survive. Just like anyone else." Archer still looks anxious. 

"Okay, what do you want?" asks Steve. 

Archer hesitates. Then, he says very quietly, "I want to help you. After you take the pearl to the house of my forefathers, I will get my strength back. I can help you escape before Videl kills you." 

"Assuming you're telling the truth," says Steve, "How are a) we supposed to trust you, and b) what's in this for you?" 

"The only trust I can give you is the evidence in front of you," says Archer, "I haven't hurt anyone."

"You're a vampire," says Steve, and Archer visibly winces from the word, "You suck blood out of innocent people." 

"I can't help it," says Archer softly. His voice is choked, "I can't help it. I try to just attack animals, like I do on this planet naturally, but on Earth, sometimes I...I just can't."

There is some more silence, and I fiddle nervously with my backpack straps.

Archer looks at Steve, "Will you accept my offer? My brother will be looking for me soon."

"Videl's here?" I squeak, before I can stop myself. 

Archer's eyes dart over to meet mine, "Are you Thea?" he asks. 

"Y-yes," I say, ashamed of the shudder in my voice.

Still looking at me, he says, his lips slightly curled, "Yes, Videl is on Ardhigiza. We are both looking for you. If you agree to my offer, I can return to him and lead a false trail away from you before returning to you." 

"How did you find us?" asks Thor, who has stepped protectively in front of both Leah and Jane. 

Archer lies his hand on the unicorn's gossamer neck, "This is Miryen. He favors young girls, and I knew he would be able to find Thea before any other creature on this planet." 

"How does he like you then?" asks Tony, "To me, it's like the sort of dark-light thing going on here." 

The Velah shrugs, "I saved him from a dark fate. The Velah favor unicorn blood even more than human blood. When I was a boy, and when Miryen was a colt, I rescued him from out of the palace. I paid dearly for it," Archer gestures to the scars on his chest, "But my conscience was clear that I had saved something more virtuous than myself." 

Thor says, "How do we know if you will keep your word? You say you are going to your brother. What if you betray us?" 

"Because one of you will accompany me, if you wish," says Archer, "Miryen will know if Videl is anywhere near; he loathes him. It will take no more than two hours, for I know for a fact Videl is hunting along the coast." 

There is more silence, and then Archer says, "You have deadly weapons that could be used against me. If I make the slightest act of betrayal, you will be free to kill me." 

"Yes, that part was obvious," says Tony.

"I'll do it," says Natasha. 

All eyes turn to stare at her. 

"What?" asks Clint.

"I'll go with Archer," says Natasha, "I know when I am being lied to, and he seems honest to me." 

"No, you can't!" I exclaim, "He's going to kill you!" 

"Thea, why would he want to kill me?" asks Natasha, with that I've-already-decided air about her, "He's not lying."

"He's a monster!" I ignore Archer, who has winced again, "A blood-sucking, murderous, vile, cruel-"

"Thea, have you ever met him?" asks Natasha, "You've met his brother and expect the same."

"What's this coming from?" I cry out, "You don't trust anyone! You're like me! You...you're going to get yourself killed!"

"Thea, I'm not going to get killed," says Natasha calmly, "I've been avoiding death for half of my life. I'm pretty good at it." 

"Natasha!" I wail. 

"I'm going," she says, "And I'll be fine." 

"No," says Clint, "I'm going with you." 

"No," says Natasha, "I'm fine. I'll just need some stuff from Thea first." She gives me a pointed look, and I immediately understand, even though I'm still horribly troubled about this plan. 

I lower myself on the ground, where my backpack is obscured by a bunch of rocks and take out the cloak. Surreptitiously, as everyone begins conversing loudly, I hand it to her, and she stuffs it in her own pack. She also takes my stiletto sleeve. 

"Be careful," I say quietly. 

Her green eyes look up to meet mine, and she says softly, "I will. Besides," her tone drops even lower, "I have this." 

She has pointed up to her ear, and I stare. She still has the microphone. And probably her phone.

"Okay." I say, slightly less nervous now. "But still be careful." 

She chuckles, "I will." 

"If you pull something," says Clint, glaring at Archer as Natasha begins to splash across the pond, "I will personally take your head off." 

Archer bites his lip, one of his fangs protruding out from his mouth, "In that case, I swear on my life I will not harm her." 

"Let's go," says Natasha, ignoring everyone else's anxious looks, "I want to be back in two hours, like you said." 

"Or less," says Archer. 

*

For the next two hours, we are on tenterhooks. I take to pacing the clearing until Loki snappishly tells me off for annoying him. Too nervous to bother arguing with him, I instead sit down next to the pond and splash some of the water around. 

At around three, New York, Earth time, something approaches from the foliage, and my head jerks up so quickly, I'm surprised I don't crick my neck. 

I first see Miryen appear from between the plants, his horn rising magnificently from his forehead, his eyes gentle but still wary as several of the men stand. 

Then, Natasha steps out into the pond and before I can help myself, I have run across the pond, splashing water in Bruce's and Maria's faces as I do so and thrown my arms around her. 

"Hey Thea," she says casually, "See? No foul, no harm."

Sure enough, Archer also appears from the thick forest.

"Did you see...him?" I ask Natasha, not wanting to say Videl's name aloud. 

She shrugs, "Yep, and now I know why you get the creeps from him."

"So what's the plan?" asks Steve, still looking at Archer suspiciously as Natasha returns my stiletto sleeve to me (which, for the first time, I fasten onto my arm). 

Archer takes a deep breath, "I will help you recover the pearl from the Women of the Lake, and then onwards to my father's palace. Miryen can sense Videl for miles, and should provide us with a lookout. If we are careful to keep out of wind of Videl's scent, it should be done relatively easily." 

Steve nods shortly, crossing his arms. 

In the meanwhile, Max speaks up, "All right. We'll go with you. But you see these daggers?" he holds up one of his own star-infused weapons, "And Thea's knives? You make one wrong move..." He makes a violent gesture in Archer's direction, and although from the outside the Velah doesn't appear to be frightened, his eyes display is fear. He reminds me of a doe, ready to run at any second. He can't be any older than Peter.

Coward. 

"Is that understood?" Max is using his frightening tone that he had used when I had tried to use my (weak) double-powers to play hooky. 

"Perfectly," says Archer quietly. 

*

~Nobody's POV~

Archer, it soon transpires, is a pleasurable, even kind-hearted travel companion. He usually defers to the suggestions of the others, but if he feels strongly enough about his opinion, he will speak up. When they reach yet another small pond, he demonstrates how to catch sikles, plump, trout-like fish with four fins on each side and transparent eyes. If cooked, he tells them, they are pleasurable to human taste. 

Miryen closely follows behind Archer like an overlarge, loyal lapdog. If he is not with his companion, the unicorn clops next to either Leah or Thea. Once, he even bravely nuzzles Jane's shoulder. 

A few hours later, the majority of the party has grown to accept Archer's quiet yet dominating presence. Jack, although still strongly suspicious for Thea's sake, even strikes up a casual conversation with the young Velah. 

Thea, however, is still deeply distrustful of Archer, and if he comes too close she, like Miryen with the majority of the travelers, shies away. When Archer tries to help Leah over a large, fallen log that had been struck by lightning, Thea snarls and pushes the Velah so hard, he topples over onto the dirt. "Get away from her!" she hisses between clenched teeth, her eyes flashing red so that she looks like a vindictive cobra

"Thea," scolds Thor softly as Archer scrambles to his feet, looking taken aback, his face smeared with mud, "He is helping us."

She ignores Thor and stalks away, the two daggers, emerald and silver, dangling from the belt around her waist. 

The only other person who is suspicious of Archer is Max, who stays by Thea's side constantly during the afternoon, his eyes tracking Archer like lasers. Surprisingly, even Loki doesn't seem to be much troubled by the Velah's presence. 

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