ook, there we go. 

the chapter wasnt coming up all the way for some reason. 

anyway

enjoy

Music: The Clave's Curse (Mortal Instruments: City of Bones)        The Cave (The Hunger Games)

Edit: By FandoMinion eventually

Chapter Fifty-Six

~Nobody's POV~

With the addition of Natasha and Clint, the six of them decide to stay in one place until Archer comes to get them. Apparently, the two assassins have had an easier time avoiding the Velah than the others; they had only had one encounter with one and Clint, having spotted it from afar, had shot it down with an arrow that Thor had infused with the light of a dying star. In the meanwhile, the couple had been making it over the mountain before deciding to circle back to look for anyone else. They both have their phones, as well as some tracking devices, and, surprisingly, Jack's and Kyle's phones.

"Took 'em from the dead guy's body," says Clint with a satisfactory grimace.

"Yeah thanks," says Jack, "But they're out of battery."

As a response, Natasha tosses him a portable cell phone charger. Thea and Jack both leap up with excitement and then begin to argue about who gets to charge their phone first.

Kyle solves this problem by yanking the charger from their hands and plugging in his own phone. Neither Jack nor Thea are too happy about this.

"So no news from Tony?" asks Kyle over Jack's vocal protests. Thea has once again run away from any conflict and is now sitting quietly next to Natasha.

Clint nods. "Met 'im up at the plateau a couple days ago, and we thought about sticking together, but then decided it would be best if he could just fly around, dropping any Velah that get in his way."

Kyle raises his eyebrow, "So you can communicate with him?"

"You bet," says Natasha, tossing her red hair, which has gotten even loner over the past month and a half, "This is Tony we're talking about. He tried tracking you guys through your phones, but not only were some of them dead, but we knew the Velah had taken some of them."

"All right," says Kyle shrewdly.

"What about you?" asks Clint, "Do you guys know...?"

"We have everybody," says Kyle, "Everyone's in pretty good shape too. Jack and I definitely got the worst of it."

Clint frowns, "Why, what happened?"

While Kyle regales his and Jack's story, Thea maintains her silent state, occasionally looking down at the ground, but mostly staring into space. After Kyle is done, and while Clint begins to communicate with Tony, Natasha touches her shoulder. Thea jumps, but looks up anyway.

"Come with me for a couple minutes," says Natasha, "I want to show you something."

Thea gets up and follows Natasha for a couple hundred yards through the jungle. The pathway is getting steeper. Neither of them says anything.

Soon enough, they reach a flat place, and Thea's eyes widen. They're standing at the edge of a cliff, probably two hundred feet tall, overlooking the rolling, beautiful mountains of Ardhigiza. Flocks of birds fly by, calling loudly and swooping up and over each other. Thea feels the wind whipping her long blond hair around her face, tangling it in beautiful wildness. After taking in the wondrous sight, Thea sits down, crisscrossed next to Natasha.

Natasha pushes some of her own red hair from her face, "I'm not going to bother asking how you're doing."

Thea, now fully comprehending what this is about, crosses her arms and looks away, towards the distant mountain peaks.

Natasha sighs, "Look, Thea. I know you don't want to hear this. I'm sure people have told you over and over and over that it was not your fault that Leah died," Thea curls her lip in annoyance and pain, but Natasha continues on anyway, "But you need to understand it. Do you?"

Thea's stony, miserable silence is more evident of her feelings than if she had screamed at her.

"Thea, there is an evil in this world. An evil that we will never know how to fight. It's sneaky. It's cunning. This was what killed your sister. Not you Thea, because you're not evil."

A single tear trickles out of Thea's left eye and runs down her face.

"I'm sorry, Thea. I really am. But please, please do not label yourself as a killer. You're not one. I should know."

Thea swallows hard.

Natasha is quiet for a couple of moments, letting Thea collect her thoughts, if there are any left at all. Then, she says, "This was Videl. This was a monster that preyed on you and your family and continues to do so. He toyed with your mind and raised the knife in your hand."

Thea's words come out as a choked sob, "...could've... learned...I...could've...but I didn't..."

"What?" asks Natasha softly, "Thea, what are you talking about?"

Between gasps and tears, Thea says, "L-Loki was...t-teaching me how to...how to fight i-it. I...It hurt, so I st-o-opped. I...I could've...could've fought it!"

"No, Thea. Even if Loki had taught you, nobody knows if you would have been able to resist Videl's power. And Loki did not just stop because you wanted to. He stopped because he couldn't do it anymore." Natasha smiles somewhat, "Hard to believe, I know."

"I just...I just want this all to stop!" Thea cries, "I just want...it to be over."

Chills creep across Natasha's arms, and it is not because of the cold. She is remembering a time, more than six months ago, when Thea had said this precise thing to her on a plane on the way to a jungle.

Taking a deep breath, Natasha says, "It will be soon. As soon as we destroy that God forsaken pearl, I'm going to take you home. You can live with Max and Kyle, live with anyone you want to, and you're going to be happy."

Thea shakes her head and whispers, "I'm never going to be happy again."

Natasha closes her eyes briefly. Something about the girl's words has pierced her own rugged heart. She can't quite place it, but Natasha is remembering a time, many years ago, when she was Thea's age and she was just as alone as her. But the life Natasha has now is not the one she wants for Thea. She knows it is dark and unforgiving. Yet she still wants to help this girl in any way she can.

"Yes." Says Natasha finally, "Yes, you will be happy again. Maybe you don't believe me. But I promise that you will. One day. Time heals all wounds. And that's a pretty crappy saying for you to hear right now, but I guess it's the truth."

Thea shakes her head, but doesn't say anything. She is too busy biting her lip, trying to control her all-too-frequent tears.

"Yeah, the world sucks sometimes," says Natasha, looking out into the mountainside. There's a yearning look in her eyes, "I know it, God knows that you know it, and lots of other people do too. Depression hurts. I know the feeling of being trapped and alone. But then, there are people that pull you back out of that hole you're in, brush the dust off of you, and give you a second chance."

Thea nods very very slowly.

"I need you to stay strong Thea, for just a little longer," says Natasha, "There's some Velah ass that we need to kick." Encouraged by Thea's tiny smile, Natasha continues, "We have work to do. And knowing you, you're not gonna stop until you get everything you want." She reaches forward and takes Thea's hand, "You're going to do great things, kid. And I know you're hurting right now probably more than you've ever hurt before. But stay strong. It's a lesson I learned too late in my life."

Thea suddenly buries her head in Natasha's shoulder, hugging her. Natasha, not used to this sort of physical affection, hesitates, and then wraps her arms around the girl's thin body.

Thea does not cry anymore. Her tears have been run dry. And although the sorrow is still weighing down in her heart, Thea's conscience is a tiny bit lighter. But only a tiny bit.

*

Tony catches up with them just as Archer appears from the eastern sky. Tony looks no worse for wear, although a bit tired, but he greets them all with a smile. Archer, in the meanwhile, looks drawn and stressed. He's been avoiding detection for days now, and the strain is catching up with him.

"So what's the plan?" Tony asks as they all gather around a large oak tree with overhanging branches. "If we want to get to the palace and take this Pearl, we're going to have to take the Archer Express. If you get my point, the hills are alive with the sound of hungry Velah."

"Point taken," says Natasha dryly.

"Right now, our best bet is to stay segregated," says Kyle, "It's harder to find us. When we take the Pearl, though, we'll need to be together."

"It will be easier said than done," says Archer, "The palace is under heavy guard now. My father will know that we will be trying to get the Pearl, sooner or later. His goal is to find us and kill us before that happens." He says this bluntly, as if having his father hunt him down to kill him is nothing new. Perhaps it is not.

"Okay, so we meet up at the palace," says Tony, "Sooner than later. Send in a group of us to go crush the Pearl. Wait a minute, how do we even destroy it?"

"The same way you kill a Velah," says Archer.

"What about you?" asks Jack, "Will it kill you?"

Archer shakes his head, "The Pearl gave the Velah great power, and the ability to move between worlds and the ability to vanquish other species, and Imeldi blood strengthens that power, which is why Videl wants Thea's blood. With the Pearl gone, we will rely only upon ourselves and this land to survive, but perhaps it will be for the better."

"Done deal," says Tony, "Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, one more thing," says Kyle, "Jack and Thea are staying behind." He ignores the cries of anger from the two kids, "And there will be no arguing about it."

"Actually, there will be," says Loki quietly.

Kyle looks irate, "Excuse me? Archer just said that Videl wants Thea's blood."

"Thea has just as much right to fight for the eradication of the Velah than anyone else her. In fact, she has more of a reason. There's no point in stopping her. And for that matter, there is no point in stopping Jack either, if Thea gets it into her head to come with us."

"Face it Kyle," says Natasha, "The two of them are coming with us. We can protect them better that way."

"Fine," growls Kyle, "But if anything happens to them, I'm going to blame the freak with the horned helmet."

"Consider it done," says Loki calmly.

*

Meanwhile, in the Velah palace, plans are being formed too.

"I want them killed!" exclaims Mansar, stalking through a stony corridor, his elegant robes flowing behind him regally, "It's calamity enough that the two prisoners have escaped, and for my own son to have turned his back on us, but if they breach the palace and take the Pearl, then all is lost!"

There are two figures striding behind Mansar. One is Videl. The other is Leeviah.

"Calm yourself, Father," says Videl in a smooth voice, "These mortals have little to no chance of entering the palace once again. Our guards are heightened, excepting the two you slayed for failing to capture them. As for the girl, you may leave it to me personally that she will be acquired within days."

"You killed her sister. Now, she will want death for you," snarls Mansar, "Next time, do not be so foolish!"

"Oh, honestly, that was just a bit of fun! You should have seen the way she screamed," Videl winks at Leeviah, who tosses her hair and smirks, "It was positively delicious."

"Then kill the sister after you have Thea," snaps Mansar, "I do not want our people in danger just because of your little hunts."

"Believe me, now she will want to come find me, as you have pointed out," says Videl, "And I will be waiting for the girl," Videl's eyes dilate with anticipation, "Oh yes, I will most certainly be waiting for her." 

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DUN DUN DUN

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