Hi all! Sorry this was so late- I've had a hectic and partially crappy week and a half. But anyway, this chapter was originally twice as long, but I split it up. 

Enjoy!

Edit: eventually me or lokidottir

Music: On Stranger Tides; Pirates of the Caribbean, on Stranger Tides 

      Chapter Forty-Two

~Thea's POV~

My face is still sore as Nat, Tony, Kyle, Jack, Steve, Archer, Loki, Max and I begin to walk down to the lake- Thor, Clint, and Bruce have elected to stay behind to watch over Jane and Leah.

The moon is now completely up, and it casts a pale glow over the ground around us. There's a slight breeze across the lake, causing goose bumps to form on my arms and legs. Clint hands me a jacket, which I appreciate.

"Have you ever met a mermaid?" I ask Archer as I throw the jacket on.

He glances at me, tall and red-eyed. "Once. Rini and I came across the lake while we were hiding from Videl and his group of miscreants. We met one named Isi. She used her powers to keep her sisters from attacking me, even though it was treason. She also showed Rini and me a refuge beyond an underground cave. A small cabin surrounded by trees. Rini and I used that place often, one time staying there for a week."

"So is this Isi still around?" asks Tony. He's not wearing his armor at the moment, but he's carrying a satchel across his back. I know that the star-encrusted rock from Myrinea, which he has done nothing but complain about the entire journey. "Because she could potentially be very helpful if we're trying to get some bloody pearl back from the watery depths."

"That's what I'm hoping," says Archer, who is still walking in step with me, "Isi is gentle and kind."

"Which leaves about, what, four or five murderous, flesh-eating mermaids?" I glance behind me to see Kyle, with his eyebrows creased.

"More," says Archer, "Much more."

"...How many more?" asks Steve concernedly.

Archer shakes his head, "I don't know."

*

The surface of the water has a glistening surface as the moonlight reflects off of it. It looks serene as the ripples come up to reach the shore. I am utterly tempted to touch the smooth water, and apparently, Jack is too, but one very frightening look from Max (who doesn't have a hard time looking frightening) and Loki (who definitely doesn't have a hard time looking frightening) stops us in our tracks.

"I think you're going to stay near me," says Loki, pulling me away from Jack, "You are a troublemaker if I ever saw one."

"You're one to talk, the self-proclaimed god of mischief," I retort, trying to pry his fingers off of my shoulder.

"Oi," says Jack as Loki flicks my cheek, relatively gently, especially since it's him, "She's not an eight year old; let her go."

"She's not an eight year old?" Loki peers down at me with mischief in his eyes, "Really, I did not notice."

"I think Thea is going to behave," says Max, who is walking behind us, "Right Thea? Jack?"

"But of course," Jack says lazily. I can practically touch the not-giving-a-crap tone in his voice.

"Of course!" I say in my most angelic voice, blinking at Loki innocently. He rolls his eyes, but lets go of my shoulder.

Five minutes later, we have reached the inlet that Archer has described. Here, the water is completely and utterly still, and not a ripple turns the surface. Which is odd, because there are fragments of rock scattered all around the tiny inlet, like chocolate chips on a cookie. It's eerie. Very eerie.

"Now what?" asks Tony, looking around expectantly as if the mermaids will just appear.

"I'll call Isi," says Archer. He steps onto on of the flat rocks, brings his hands to cup around his mouth and then calls out a hauntingly beautiful call, similar to a Native American call that I've heard at countless school conventions. It echoes across the water, sending shivers down my spine.

There are a few minutes of tense waiting, with everybody nearly completely silent. Then, my eyes widen as I see a V of ripples moving towards us, or more specifically, towards Archer, slender and smooth.

A head emerges from the water, and there's a murmur from the party as the mermaid holds onto the rock in front of her, elbows on the stone, looking up on Archer. She's beautiful, the sort of ethereal beauty I know I could never obtain. She has long blonde hair that continues down underneath the water, wide gray eyes like a doe, paperlike skin with little scales running up and down her arms, and a pearly white smile. She is wearing nothing, and although her modesty is slightly covered up by her elbows and the rock, I can't help but feel uncomfortable. 

"Archer," she says. Her voice is much more lyrical, innocent, and girl-like than I had imagined, "You have come back."

Archer kneels down in front of Isi, "Yes I have. But it's on urgent terms. Since the Velah have been vanquished, my brother has sought out the Mother of Pearls to regain our power."

"And why should I help the whims of the devil's spawn?" asks Isi, practically growling between her teeth. I realize that she and Archer have at least one similarity besides the translucent skin: she has fangs.

I'm also fairly certain that Videl isn't really the devil's spawn, although quite frankly, I'm open to imagination.

"Because to not would prove a demise for an innocent girl and her family," says Archer. He inclines his head behind him, and Isi's bright, large eyes shift over to me. I don't realize that I am squeezing Jack's hand until he winces slightly.

"Sorry," I whisper.

"Yep," he says. He can't seem to keep his eyes off of Isi. Even though that's the case for the majority of the men- uncharacteristically including Steve and Loki- I feel a twinge of jealousy stir within me as I watch Jack's unblinking gaze.

Isi, however, is still looking at me. "What is your name?" she asks, beckoning me forward.

This time, nothing but Natasha's slightly creased forehead stops me from approaching the water- I could probably jump into the lake and nobody would notice. I crouch down on the rock next to Archer. "I'm Thea."

She has let go of the rock and is now bobbing up and down in the water, still looking at me. "So much darkness for one so young."

She doesn't look any older than Peter or Archer, but maybe mermaids age differently. There is certainly some scale of knowledge to Isi that I cannot exactly place.

Deciding to speak up since everybody- except Archer and Natasha- else is too tongue-tied to do it, I say, "If you could help us...it would be wonderful."

She blinks at me slowly- she has extraordinarily long lashes. After what seems like eternity, she says, "I will help you, Thea."

With that, she looks at Archer and smiles, then turns and dives down. As she plunges into the water, I see her tail for the first time as it flips over the surface. It's gossamer and huge, probably the length of my arm span.

As soon as she leaves, Kyle whistles lowly. Then, his eyes narrow as he looks over at me as I stumble back to shore, hopping on various rocks, "What are you doing over there?"

"I was actually being helpful, unlike you, who was just staring at her."

Kyle gives me a look.

*

We all sit along the shoreline, a bit too wired up to do much but just wait. Jack, apparently having snapped out of his... whatever it was...slouches next to me, "So we wait for Isi," he says her name in a sort of admiring tone that makes my lip want to curl, against a thick tree, "And maybe she'll give us the pearl. It could be that simple."

"Maybe," I say, deciding that the best way to punish Jack will be to be as short with him as possible.

"I mean it seems like she could manage it. Although there are probably a lot of really protective mermaids down there. Then again, I think she can manage it."

"You just said that." I practically snap.

"Well sorry," says Jack, not seeming to notice my tone. "But blimey, a real mermaid, Thea, the boys will never be able to-"

I stand up and let Jack continue talking to the tree while I stalk away from him. I lean lazily against another tree, staring out onto the lake.

"Oh, someone is cranky that their little boyfriend paid more attention to the fish than you."

"Go away Loki," I growl, "I'm not in the mood."

I don't hear him go away, and turning around I say crankily, "Besides, you were just enthralled with her as everyone else with a floppy mind."

He snorts, "Thea, darling, if there is something I know that you have picked up from me, it is this: people are easier to deceive if they think that you are playing along with their whims."

"So when I'm pretending to listen to you, it's because I'm making you easier to deceive," I say with another angelic smile.

Loki rolls his eyes.

"And are you saying that you're happy that I've learned how to, let's see, lie and deceive, from you?"

He snorts, "You are plenty capable of lying and deceiving most people on your own. You're a naturally sneaky little girl. My, my, what happens when you get a boyfriend and Max and Kyle have to put up with you trying to get away. Oh wait, you seem to have a boy, but he's paying more attention to a mermaid."

His wicked smile vanishes as I lash out, and before I know it, my leg has kicked out, my dagger has come out from its sheath, and Loki now has a bloody gash on his hand.

Realizing that I am not doomed, I skitter away, but I feel Loki's glare even when I've escaped to Natasha's side. She isn't paying attention to me, but to Max, and so does nothing as Loki stalks towards me and grabs my arm.

Dragging me away from Nat, he growls, "I am going to teach you how to control yourself, and I don't care how I do it!"

I scream as Loki twists my wrist backwards, knocking the dagger from my hand. When I try to grab it back, he actually kicks me, not hard, but still sends me reeling on the ground, whimpering.

"You are going to kill someone one day!" Loki exclaims, his eyes wild. "You're impulsive and psychotic when someone angers you even in the slightest bit."

I can't believe nobody is intervening- oh wait Kyle and Max are off guarding the perimeter and Jack is still talking about Isi to anyone who will listen, "You hypocrite!" I yell. "You just hit me!"

"To be more specific, I kicked you," snaps Loki, "And I'll do it again if I have to. Honestly, do you want to be the killer of someone you actually care about?"

"I don't want to kill everyone," I snarl, "Just psychopathic lunatics like you, Lo- no, no, no, KYLE!"

I shriek as Loki walks towards me, looking murderous.

Suddenly, Loki goes falling to the ground, hard. And it's not Kyle.

It's Archer.

"Let her be," says Archer in the angriest voice I have heard from him this entire time, "She is trying, can't you see?"

Loki smirks as he gets to his feet, "Oh, I see. But unless she wants to kill someone, she needs to listen to me." His smirk intensifies, "And I also see that you think you have a sort of 'connection' with little Thea here. Both of you are prone to fits of rage. It's why you're so calm. You're trying to control that rage. Not unlike Bruce Banner and Thea."

If this is true- and based on the hurt flashing in Archer's eyes, it is- I'm amazed how calm he is as Loki continues to antagonize him.

"And it appears your brother has gone unhinged. You don't want to be the same way."

"His brother's unhinged?" I ask. "Wait...if we're doing comparisons, that means Thor is Archer...and Videl is you, Loki."

Crack.

I gasp as Loki slaps me across my cheek. Ignoring Archer's angered protests, Loki snarls, "Don't you ever compare me to that monster, Thea."

"But," I say in one last brazen show of bravery, tears pricking my eyes, "You already are a monster."

Loki's eyes widen, and my hand immediately goes to my cheek, because he looks like he is going to smack me again. But then, breathing heavily with anger, he whirls around and stalks away. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out of him one, because he seems to have eyes behind his head and two, because I don't feel like it.

"Thank you," I say softly to Archer.

He nods, the anger having fled from his eyes, "You're welcome. You don't deserve it. You do not deserve any of this."

Irony seems to follow me everywhere. Because just as Archer says this, the water shimmers and suddenly, Isi is thrown onto the shore. She is bloodied.

Behind her, still in the water, are about a dozen more mermaids. These ones are darker, more vicious, more violent.

One, with dark brown hair, silver eyes, and a silver crown around her head, says in a sultry yet horrific voice, "If you thought you could steal what is ours, what protects us, you are wrong."

And then she raises a long dagger from the water. Archer cries out and runs forward, but it's too late. The blade goes down, into Isi's throat.

I scream. So does Archer.

Someone grabs me and turns me away from the scene, and I'm sobbing.

"No, no, no, she doesn't deserve it!" I shriek. I can still hear the sounds of the dagger finishing its morbid job, "NO!"

Loki doesn't say anything- he is still angry with me and I at him. But he strokes my hair anyway and covers my ears to drown out the dying gurgles of Isi.

 '''''''''''''''''''

Hope you liked it! Please VOTE and COMMENT! :D 

Btw, I'm aware that Loki and Thea maybe have too many fights, but this one is actually important and sets me up for something later in the book. Just so ya know ;) 

Oh and also I really hated writing the end because I liked Isi a lot. :(

Ok, gotta go now. :D :D :D 

Thanks for all the love!

~Three Tasks Fact~

Gemma Ward, who plays Isi, is actually an ironic choice. In On Stranger Tides, she is the first mermaid the pirates encounter, but she is also the most vicious. I changed her character around a bit and made her my own. :)