Mischievous Games│Loki

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𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂 (𝒏.) - 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅

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EVER SINCE SHE WAS A CHILD, Artemis Barton always hated when all eyes were on her. Maybe it was because she had spent her life holed up inside Clint Barton's country home- away from the majority of people. Or, maybe it was because she always wondered whether people were trying to figure her out. And at that moment, with every Avenger staring at her, she couldn't tell which one it was.

Artemis knew that she had let her temper get the best of her when her eyes landed on the greasy little prince that had messed with her uncle's mind.

During her brief conversation on the phone with Clint, he had told her a quick synopsis about what had happened during the Battle of New York, but most importantly what had happened before.

She had rushed over to her uncle as quickly as she could, not bothering to sleep or eat until she had found herself in front of the ostentatious Stark Tower.

Artemis was excited to have seen her uncle and she was happy that she had given Loki at least a fraction of what he deserved, but now she was uncomfortable as all the Avengers continued to try and figure her out.

"Clint, seriously?" Tony said, walking over to Artemis and handing her a glass of water. "You thought you could keep something like this hidden from us?"

Artemis was relieved that Tony Stark's on-guard nature had dissipated as soon as he learned that Artemis was related to Hawkeye. Not that Artemis was afraid or nervous around the oh-so-humble Stark- she just didn't believe punching him would be a great first impression.

"Trust me," Clint said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his lips curled up in a smile. "There's a lot more where that came from."

Clint and Artemis shared a knowing look, fully aware of what he was talking about. Only Natasha and Artemis knew about the rest of the Barton family.

"It's not entirely Uncle Clint's fault," Artemis spoke, defending him after she took a sip from the water, looking at Stark expectantly. "He was only trying to protect me. He never wanted me to get involved in any of this."

As Artemis spoke, she tried to ignore the feeling of a particular set of eyes beating on her back- Loki's

She could feel his presence, even from the other side of the room. His bright green eyes were filled with rage and she could see a little bit of blood trickle down from underneath his mouth restraint. She smiled in his direction as she raised her eyebrows at him, like a challenge, as if saying- well what are you going to do about it?

Loki looked shocked for a moment at her not-so subtle expression. Artemis could tell that he was trying to say something, maybe reprimand her for being so playful with her expression- so defiant.

However, Steve Roger's voice drew her eyes away from Loki and back to the conversation she had floated out of.

"What made you think that now was the time to take her out of hiding?" He asked, his soft smile making Artemis feel reassured and calm. She smiled because Clint had always told her about how Steve Rogers could make anyone feel like there wasn't a problem in the world.

"She has some...interesting abilities," Clint explained, winking at Artemis who promptly rolled her eyes at her annoying uncle. "Even from a young age, Artemis has always possessed the keen skills of a hunter. I taught her how to shoot a bow and arrow when she was only five years old. Nat started training her on how to fight when she was eleven."