Avengers: The Goddess of Magic

Chapter 5: Past

The Avengers stood together in the one room in the tower that was completely magic proofed. If a witch even entered, they would become ill. Morgan (then Hecate) had engineered it herself. There was such a room for every avenger, just in case.

"So we know it's not her." Steve said, drawing his hand across his face. "It's pretty clear that whatever is now in control took control and didn't want to talk about the possibility of the memories coming alive." Tony nodded and said "the real question is, if our Hecate isn't in control, who is, and why? Why did it take so long? She touched the sword hours ago."

Natasha spoke up "warding. There's warding around our brains. Hers, mine, Phil's, and Clint's. She put it in years ago, built off of it every time she learned a new protection spell. To get in control, whatever it is had to get past all of that."

Clint nodded "it was years of spellwork and whatever this is got past it in just a few hours." Tony said "what about Loki's mind control, that got past it. Fast." Natasha said "that was different. She couldn't ward against the Tesseract. She spent weeks trying, but it wouldn't work. So she told us to be careful."

"Right" Steve said "because SHIELD was using the Tesseract to bind her magic." Tony said "those files. We have access to those?" Steve said "yes, she downloaded them onto the compound's system." Tony pulled up the file, throwing it up on the wall of the room.

"She didn't want to read them." Steve said, looking at the brightly lit files. "Couldn't bear to do it. Couldn't bear to think that Coulson could do this to her, hide these things from her."

They were all quiet for a moment, remembering the grief that had all but consumed Hecate in that time, the dark magic that had practically destroyed her.

SHIELD had been another source of pain. They still wanted to control Hecate, only stopped by Hecate's promise that she would turn them to stone where they stood if they touched her.

Tony spoke up then, breaking them all out of their thoughts. "We need to save her. To do that, we have to figure out who she is." They all nodded and looked at the files.

Name: Hecate Adams; originally Morgan Fay

Sex: female

Family: none. Last of her lineage

Powers: witchcraft; possessed by goddess.

Details: possessed at a young age and then sold to a HYDRA lab for testing. The lab chipped her with technology that allows the subject to present as herself, not the goddess.

Goddess: extremely dangerous. Released once before under SHIELD protection. 64 dead.

There was a video below it. Tony clicked on it hesitantly, and they watched.

Hecate was sitting in the lab, Coulson by her side. "No one can know about this" he said, his hand gentle on her shoulder. "I'm... possessed?" Hecate asked, eyes shimmering with fear. "Yes" said Coulson, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Don't worry. We're going to get her out of you, I promise. And if we can't, the chip-" "I want my memories erased." Hecate interrupted, looking up at him.

"If you can't get her out of me, if this fails, I don't want to know." She desperately grabbed his hand as he tried to speak again. "No, listen. I know myself. I won't be able to stop wondering what would happen if I released her. I would break and we would die."

Her hands were trembling, eyes wide with panic. Coulson nodded slowly and said "if that's what you really want. I'll bury the file and erase your memories on the very small chance that this doesn't work."

Hecate nodded and Coulson said "Hecate. This will work." She nodded and said "I just wish... I wish Nat and Clint could be here. I know they can't, that it's dangerous, but..." Coulson hugged her gently. "You know they can't. It's been getting stronger. We have to do this now, and protect them. I'll be here every step of the way."

Hecate said "do you have it?" He nodded "I won't use it. Not if I can help it." Hecate stubbornly said "use it. It's a god killer." Coulson looked at the blade he'd taken out of his briefcase. "I won't hurt you." Hecate said "better me than others. She massacred an entire race. She won't hesitate to kill humans. I've seen her mind. The captivity killed any sense of mercy."

A woman with markings on her body stepped out and said "child, it's time." Coulson stood up quickly and said "you promise this won't hurt her? You won't hurt her?" The woman placed a hand on Hecate's shoulder. "She is one of our own. We protect our children. She shall live."

The woman lead her into the next room where other witches with similar marks waited. The woman hugged Hecate and said "I'm so sorry, Morganna. We failed you, my daughter. You should be learning to cast a levitation spell and earning your first marks, falling in love, not this."

Hecate smiled, tears shining in her eyes. The woman continued "you were never meant to be a soldier, child. I'm sorry." Hecate hugged her gently and said "if you can get the goddess out of my body, it's all forgiven. This is her fault, not yours." She took the blade that the woman gave her and sliced open her arm, taking out the chip.

The ritual began, the witches chanting in unison. Hecate's skin began to glow gold, the Queen in control. She roared, a battle cry that shook the walls and caused the camera quality to go in and out of focus.

The Queen killed the witches wearing Hecate's face. Blood covered the goddess and Coulson tore into the room, panicked. He stabbed Hecate with the knife, slamming the chip into the wound on her arm, yelling to the last witch remaining to put the chip back.

She cast a spell and the wound on Hecate's arm sealed back up. Hecate growled, deep undertones to her voice "you can't stop me, mortal." "No" Coulson said, pushing the knife deeper into Hecate's shoulder, "but that chip can."

He twisted the blade and activated the chip. Hecate screamed, eyes flashing and pouring out light.

The camera cut out and the Avengers stood there, stunned.