Avengers: The Goddess of Magic

Chapter 8: Spells and Swords

Hecate stood on a cloud, looking at her home. Olympus. It had been so long. The air smelled just as sweet as she remembered, gentle strains of music floating up from somewhere within the city.

She was brought back suddenly, hearing laughter she hadn't heard in many years. "Hecate, come on! Lets go!" Hecate laughed following her up the hill. "I'm coming my love, remember, I'm a delicate old veteran, you must make allowances for me."

Medea laughed, standing up on her tip-toes to kiss Hecate. "You're a strong warrior queen, the day I slow for you is the day that the grass turns purple." Hecate kissed her passionately, resting her forehead against Medea's.

"If you wish it to be so, I shall cast the spell." Medea laughed breathily, kissing her once more. "You treat me too well." The two sat down, opening the picnic basket they had brought. "I treat you as a princess, which you are."

Medea teasingly said "a part human princess." Hecate smiled, unlooping her belt and removing her sword from around her waist. "About that." Medea looked up surprised, "what?" Hecate took her hands, holding them within her own.

"I require a priestess. Someone to help carry my magic and to help regulate the balance of the world. I want to give this power to worthy individuals, starting with you my love. You could live forever, with me."

She pulled a ring from a magical pocket. "This is my symbol, Hecate's wheel. If you choose to wear this, it shall bond us through time. I love you, and I cannot bear to lose you, the mere thought drives me mad. Will you stay with me?"

Medea nodded, too overwhelmed with joy to even speak. She took the ring, slipping it on her finger. Hecate smiled, tears falling from her eyes, causing flowers to bloom below them. "Is that a yes?"

Medea pushed her back, kissing her lovingly. "A yes indeed. I love you more than the sky loves the stars and I am contented knowing that we shall be together forever." Hecate smiled and the two lay there, joy making the wind whistle happily.

Hecate shook herself out of her memories, pushing down the bout of emotions that threatened to take her over. She was here to reclaim her kingdom, not reminisce the past. She started down the air, passing the hill without looking. The queen was coming home.

Cap stood in his bedroom, looking at the photo of him and Morgan. It seemed wrong now, knowing that there was a goddess beneath her smile, biding her time. He shook himself out of his daze, looking around the room.

He knew they needed three magic doers to get to Olympus, they'd figured out that much from the books in Morgan's immense library of grimoires. Something was bothering him. Natasha entered the room and Steve said "Nat, you remember the day we fought the Chitauri and Loki?"

Natasha nodded, "a year ago now." He frowned, turning to face her. "I got a call that there was civilians in a bank being held by three of them. I went to check it out and everyone ran when I said to except this teenage girl. Someone had thrown her to the floor or she fell when everyone was running."

Natasha nodded and Steve continued. "I threw one over the railing and I thought it was dead, but it wasn't. It got up and attacked her. She didn't run, she fought it. I turned around when she screamed and saw her punch it with glowing hands."

Natasha's eyebrows raised and he said "she looked scared, like someone was going to catch her and hurt her for doing it. It jumped on her and I killed it. She said her name was Della. Her father came back in yelling about superheroes and that I needed to get away from his daughter and she flinched."

Natasha said "you think she was a witch." Steve nodded, pulling out his sketchbook, flipping through it. "She had a design on her arm, the thing ripped her jacket." He showed her a sketch of a teenage girl with a tree growing up her arm, a design etched into the trunk.

Natasha's eyes grew and she said "Steve that's the mark of Hecate's disciples. She made them eons ago, the first witches. They were the ones that Phil called to do the spell to kill Hecate's presence in Morgan's mind. She killed every last one, it's in the file. There's no more."

Steve frowned, "didn't one survive on the video?" Natasha shook her head. "She lived long enough to put the spell back on the chip binding it to the tessaract but she died soon afterwards, no one except for Phil and Morgan survived that day."

Steve suddenly said "what if she added to the spell." "What do you mean?" Natasha asked, frowning. "What if she put it so that the magic would be reawakened in another new witch when the chip was removed again, a safeguard against Hecate getting out again."

Natasha nodded and said "and when Morgan took the chip out on the Helicarrier-" Steve finished "Della got her powers." The two ran to tell the others and find Della.

Della, at this moment, was sat on a roof in town talking to Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman. She'd found out about him while practicing a mind reading spell in chemistry class. The two had grown close, although while Peter was close with Tony Stark, he kept her secret, despite protesting.

"If you let me tell Mr. Stark-" Della cut him off. "We've been through this Peter. It's too dangerous, it my parents found out I'd be in real trouble." Peter sighed and said "Mr. Stark told me to look out, there's some goddess on the loose. He wants me to-"

His phone rang and he answered it. "Mr. Stark, hello?" Della touched her ear, spelling to listen in on the call. "You go to school with an Adelaide Bowen?" Della gasped and Peter asked "why?" Tony sighed "so you do know her, let me guess, she's the girl sitting next to you right now?"

Della stood up and said "where is he?!" Tony flew up and said "yeah I'm going to need you to come with me." Della shook her head, backing up and jumping off the building. Tony sighed and said "Hulk you got her?" Hulk leapt off the side of the building and grabbed her out of the air.

Della screamed and tried to cast a spell to free herself. Hulk landed on the ground and grunted out "stop." Della was shaking and Tony landed next to her, his mask coming off. "Hello Adelaide, care to explain why you ran?"

Della struggled and Peter landed next to them. "Let her down!" Tony shushed him. "We won't hurt her, I promise." Della shook her head, "whatever you need I can't I'm human, nothing more. Please, I'm going to get in trouble."

Cap arrived then and said "hey Della, remember me?" Della softly said "yeah," tears beginning to fall. Hulk grunted and let go of her, saying "little witch, no sad." Della wiped the tears from her face roughly and said "I can't be seen with you."

Peter swung down from the building, putting himself in between Della and the Avengers. "Leave her alone!" Della quietly said "Pete, it's okay, I don't want you to get in trouble." Tony raised an eyebrow as his mask came off. "Look, we need your help."

Della backed away, darting away from the Hulk before he could grab her again. "Sorry, I don't feel like losing everything I have." She vanished, a bumblebee flying past Hulk's heads as they frantically searched for her.

Peter took off, giving them a scornful look and Tony sighed "great. Would've been nice to know that she could just vanish." Steve shook his head, throwing his hands in the air. None of them took notice of the journalist on the sidewalk, or his camera that was pointed at them.