Mischief and Magic

Chapter 2

Morgan paled and scrambled to her feet. Her eyes were wide. She knew she'd been stupid to yell for her dad, but she hadn't been able to help it when he'd been thrown out of a window. They were on like the 50th floor. He couldn't survive falling out a window from that height.

Except that Jarvis had finally sent one of his suits to save him. He would be ok. Jarvis would make sure of it.

Morgan, on the other hand? Was in a shit-load of danger. She was no match for a god. She was just a teenager with a big brain and untied shoes. She had no weapons, no superpowers, no skills that would help her against a god.

She looked up at him. Gods, he was so tall, over a head taller than her. He was close enough that she could appreciate his leather armor, could appreciate that if he weren't currently trying to take over the world, she could admit how attractive he was.

Except he was trying to take over the world, had just thrown her dad out the window, and was looking down at her, scepter still in hand. He chuckled at her reaction. "Calm, little one. I will not harm you. My quarrel is not with you," he reassured her. Yes, he was trying to take over Midgard, thanks to torture and mind control. But he had a plan, and harming an innocent child had no place in that plan.

But the Starklet was a curiosity, which piqued the god's interest.

Morgan's eyes were still wide, there was still a logical fear in them as she looked up at Loki. "You just threw my dad out a window," she reminded him. That wasn't exactly the most trustworthy behavior, especially when her safety was in question. She should run, but she knew she stood no chance. She evaluated all of her options. Her eyes were too intelligent, too knowing as she looked over the god, his scepter, all of it. The pieces clicked into place. Her mouth spoke the words before she consciously decided to: "The scepter is controlling you too," she said softly. She'd been watching the footage and the footage from Jarvis, thanks to some inherited technological hacking skills. She knew what the scepter did. She knew the signs.

And she saw all of them in Loki's eyes.

His eyes widened in surprise that this little mortal child had figured out what so many others hadn't. Even Thor hadn't realized the truth. And Thor knew that Loki's eyes were emerald green, not the blue of the scepter that they currently were. There was a moment where he was tempted to break his word, to attack the girl or ensnare her mind. But she was no part of this. He needed the team to stop him, yes, but he didn't need to hurt the girl to do that. Besides, she still intrigued him. And she had seen the truth.

So he shook his head and gave her a smirk. "I suggest you find a better place to hide than behind the bar. It's too easy to get to."

Morgan was surprised he was letting her go, more than surprised. She would be an excellent hostage or pawn. She wasn't stupid enough to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. She turned to find somewhere safer to hide from the battle, to flee, to get out of the tower.

She knew the tower was a risk now that it was Loki's target.

She hadn't appreciated just how much of a target it was until a bomb flew in, landing between her and Loki. She stared at it in horror while it beeped its countdown.