Pure as White

32 - Blue and Red Spiders

The trio made their way back to Astraea's apartment. Peter tossed his bag onto the counter and took a seat at the island. Kover followed suit, sitting next to him. Astraea wandered through the apartment, confused. There was an eerie silence; not a sound could be heard.

"Mason?" she called out, but was met with more silence. Astraea's panic began to rise. "Mason, answer me now!" The more she called out, the more panicked she became. She searched each room, finding nothing. Peter and Kover joined in the search, checking closets and hiding places Mason was known to frequent, but they came up empty-handed.

"He's not here," Peter called out.

"Not here either," Kover confirmed, right behind him.

Astraea felt the space around her grow smaller as her anxiety mounted. "Where's my son?" Her hand went to her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage; she thought it might burst out.

"Peter, do you feel anything? Your spider senses kicking in?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Peter walked to Astraea, gently grabbing her shoulders to make her look at him. She hadn't realized she was crying until Peter wiped away one of her tears. "Ash, calm down. We can't find Mason if you're in panic mom mode."

Astraea sucked in a deep breath, allowing her emotions and feelings to settle. She rummaged through her mind, thinking of all the people she'd come to know in the eight years she'd been here.

"Peter..." she choked out, clearing her throat before speaking again. "Peter, you um, you have an internship you need to get to. Give Tony my apologies for the absence and tell him what happened today."

Astraea began to gather her things around the house, her keys, cell phone, and a golden necklace with a red gemstone pendant.

"And Peter, remember, with great power comes great responsibility." With a small smile towards the two young kids, whom she would deal with later, but for now she was hyper-focused on finding her missing son. She didn't want to fear the worst, or the unfortunate real possibility that Loki had found out and had come for his only heir. What was she to do if he somehow found out, say that 'I was pregnant when I chose to relinquish my title to the throne and abandon both of you without a goodbye.'

Astraea huffed in frustration, her mind making the drive to Isabel Slate's house even longer than a simple trip down the street and across the bridge. Her son was missing, and her gut was wrenching.

"Isabel!" Astraea called out once at her door, knocking rapidly. "Isabel!"

"Turn around, I'm right here, blue," a soft voice spoke behind Astraea, causing her to jump. Isabel released a simple laugh while walking up to the porch, fiddling with her house keys. "What's wrong?"

"Mason is missing." Astraea choked out.

Isabel didn't look bothered by the information she had given her, causing Astraea to frown. "Isabel, I —"

Isabel cut her short, "Mason is at the museum. Your sitter, Katie, thought she'd have him back in time. You worry too much, blue."

The simple way she spoke and unlocked her door as if she had not a single care. The words settled into Astraea's brain, and she felt ignorant. "He had asked earlier, ugh, I should've known he'd trick the sitter into taking him."

Isabel smirked, as she shut the door behind Astraea. "Mischief does run through his blood."

"You're not funny," Astraea replied, rolling her eyes.

Isabel seemed to think she was as she giggled. Both women walked into the kitchen, where Isabel started a brew of coffee.

"How's that young boy you're mentoring? I heard there was an attack down by the docks, an illegal arms dealer got his ass handed to him by a 'spiderboy,'" Isabel said, making air quotes.

Astraea sighed, knowing Peter would hate that nickname.

"Honestly, I don't know. I haven't been the best mentor recently... My head feels spacey," she admitted, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Astraea spoke, unsure. Shortly after Mason's 8th birthday, she started to feel different. Her mind wasn't as sharp, her timing completely off, and the lack of attention; she couldn't focus on anything — and that bothered her.

"Tony wants to run some tests." Astraea looked at Isabel with worry. "I haven't agreed to it, but we both know that hasn't stopped him from asking." A tiny smile spread across her face. Tony Stark had become a dear friend to her over the years — a person she relied on regularly. His overbearing-ness was appreciated, but nonetheless, Astraea was also just too stubborn to try and figure out what was wrong with her — her fears seemed to win every time.

Isabel slid a steaming hot cup of coffee toward her dear friend. "Want a cigarette?"

"I thought you quit?"

"I did, but I stash an emergency pack outside on the patio."

Astraea giggled, grabbing her coffee while following Isabel out back. The two seated themselves on the patio set out back of Isabel's. A lovely rustic brick fire pit separated the two girls as they each took their seat. Isabel reached down and opened a small container next to her, pulling out a pack of Marlboro Blacks — handing one to Astraea.

"Do you think maybe... It's Loki?" Isabel asked, timidly.

Astraea sighed, taking a small drag of her cigarette; exhaling the smoke. Maybe it was Loki, the reasoning behind her decline in health. Their souls were still, and forever, bonded together. Her powers might be fading, slowly diminishing as time passed by, and soon she would be a mortal, in theory. But what about his powers?

"It could be? I don't know, I don't know anything, and the more Tony pushes me, only makes me worry more. But I think he's right. I think he needs to run some tests."

"Run some tests, huh? Do you think you'll like what they say?" Isabel asked, blowing smoke.

"No, I don't," Astraea responded, and it wasn't long until her phone dinged with the name "Tony" popping up.

"Well, there's my cue. Tony just found out what Peter did. I'll call you later. I'm going to go pick up my son and deal with Tony."