Contest of Champions

40

Although I do eventually wake Peter up so I can get some rest, I sleep little. My mind is too wired to allow me to doze off. I hear Peter murmuring to himself but I ignore him, turning away to face the wall.

It doesn't take long before my body begins to overheat and I start to sweat. I toss and turn, attempting to be discreet about it so as not to disturb Peter, but he's too engrossed in his conversation with himself. Normally, I would inquire into such a conversation, but my own thoughts hold my attention tonight.

Hela's question rings in my head, taunting me with I am the goddess of death. What are you the god of again? I still don't have an answer for her, and I don't want to think about her words. It makes me feel inadequate, like I'm nothing.

Swear to me. Gamora's words mix with Hela's, forming an unintelligible jumble in my head as Veers' question joins them.

I feel like you are from my past. Are you? Do you know me?

I lied to Veers, I swore an oath to Gamora, and I never answered my sister.

I'm not sure if I would ever have broken the cycle of words had Peter not suddenly exclaimed. "What? Thirty seven minutes? That's insane!"

I jolt upright, turning my wide eyes to Peter as he looks over at me, his mask snapping back from his face. It takes me a moment to realize he's perched upside down on the ceiling. A red light glitters on the floor, displaying what looks like a circular version of Peter's mask markings. "What?" I demand. "What's thirty seven minutes?"

Peter looks sheepish, hitting something on his wrist. The light disappears. "Uh, the time I've been on watch."

I narrow my eyes at Peter and then sigh. Having to look at him upside down is giving me a headache, and I have to try hard to resist tilting my head. "Who were you talking to?"

"You heard that?" he asks me, lowering himself down from the ceiling.

As he lands, right side up, I lift an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm not deaf."

"I was talking to Karen," Peter murmurs. When he sees the bewildered and wary look on my face, he adds quickly, "She's, uh, she's the suit lady." My expression morphs to one of genuine puzzlement and he finishes lamely, "She's programmed into my suit, to help me out and stuff."

"What was the light?" I query.

Peter gestures to his wrist. "My district token, like your tree pin. It's from Mr. Stark."

"Yggdrasil pin," I correct him. "The tree is Yggdrasil."

"Who gave it to you?" he asks curiously.

I hesitate. In that moment, I've very conscious that my pin, while a gift from Nebula, came to her hands from Thanos. I'm not sure I want to admit that before the spying cameras. "A friend," I answer, and Peter seems to understand I don't want to talk about it any further.

"I'll go back to keeping watch," he says.

Wearily, I nod and lay back down. "And Parker? Relax."

"Okay, Loki."

I manage to doze off a couple times throughout the night, but my sleep is fitful. Finally, I let myself admit that sleep would continue to be fruitless and get up to relieve Peter of his watch. He seems very grateful to be able to go back to sleep and gets out of the web hammock he strung for himself by the door to bound back into the bed.

Splashing water in my face helps cool me down a little and wash the sweat from my skin. Sleep is growing more elusive every night. The little rest I was able to get has rejuvenated me enough to stay alert, but I grow fearful of the days when I cannot rest, cannot restore my energy.