Blue Moon| Book 1 | An Avengers fan fiction series| *under editing*

55- Rest for the Weary

Hi again! 

So sorry, but this is another short chapter. I've been busy with my surprise, which will be revealed in the Author's Note. :) 

Please enjoy... love you all!

~Sierra

Chapter Fifty-Five

~Thea's POV~

I run for about five minutes, not exactly caring where I'm going, as long as it's away from the pool of crocodiles. I hear Loki behind me, and know that he dearly wants to yell at me for getting so far ahead, but he knows that it's a dangerous thing to do. 

Finally, I slow down as we approach an upward slope that angles to the right. Coming up behind me, Loki says, ever so slightly out of breath, "If I had to choose between saving you and a random mongrel on the street from being shot." He glares at me. "I would pick the dog." 

"I know you don't mean that," I say innocently as I trek up the path, which is growing difficult, as the sand is pilfering around me in little clouds. I'm going to have to knock it out of my sneakers at the top. "You just said you cared about me two days ago."

Loki opens his mouth, then closes it. Five minutes later, as I am, in fact, shaking out my sand-filled sneakers, he says, "Thea, you are so naive."

I don't bother to answer, but sit down and listen to the radio. Tony has apparently successfully gotten everyone across the pond, which makes me feel much better. "What would have happened," I wonder aloud, "If Tony had accidentally dropped someone in that infested pond?"

Loki rolls his eyes dramatically. He's very annoyed with me right now, and I take pleasure in that. "I was also really worried about, like, the crocodiles running after us inside the tunnel. They can apparently run very fast."

"If you do not-"

"But here's the bright side," I say cheerfully, getting to my feet. "If they did, you were behind me. Guess who they would have eaten first!"

Loki snarls. 

I smile inwardly as Loki stalks after me, his scepter clanging on the ground. "What does that thing do, anyway?" I ask, pointing at it. 

"It blasts annoying girls into a thousand tiny fragments."

"Ah." I say, because this is probably true. 

Twenty minutes later, I realize that not only are my limbs beginning to tire, but I'm also hungry. I hadn't eaten much today because of nerves, and as Loki and I walk through the seemingly endless tunnels, I begin to dig through my rucksack. I pass through the photo of my family, the letters from my mother, some extra clothes, my water canister, and finally, pull out half a granola bar. 

"Loki," I call, because he has refused to keep up step-by-step with me, "How much longer will we be walking?"

"How should I know?"

"I don't know," I say innocently. "I was thinking that you deity folk might have some sort of hyper-sense. Because, apparently you do know everything." I blink my eyelashes at him. 

Loki's nostrils flare from temper. "I do know that you're being peevish, annoying, exasperating, obnoxious-" 

"Loki, I don't need synonyms for the word 'annoying', I think you've made your point very clear." 

I hear him cursing under his breath behind me, and I smirk. I know it's not particularly nice to play my nerves off of Loki's temper, but I can't seem to help myself.