The Secret Asgardian (An Avengers Fanfiction)

Chapter 46: Rescue

46. Rescue

The air smelled damp and earthy, and the room ahead was pitch black. I could hear faint breathing as we walked down the stairs, heading into the black abyss. Clint clicked his fingers as he reached the bottom, and flames flickered to life in the torches on the walls.

The room was split in half by a wall of metal bars. A thick, heavily locked gate was the only way into the huge cell, where the prisoners were being kept.

Clint jogged up to the door, grasping one of the bars and staring into the cell. Three people were chained to the far wall. Natasha was in the middle, her head hanging down as the thick metal chains forced her to stand and pulled her arms up.

About a meter to the side of her was a man. He looked ancient, with a mass of wrinkles and a long flowing white beard. His grey eyes surveyed us from under thick eyebrows, which pulled together in confusion. He looked unnaturally skinny, and wore a long dirty toga that looked like it used to be white.

The final prisoner was a woman, on the other side of Natasha, and I immediately recognised her. The long nose was a dead give-away, and her platinum blond hair was lank and filthy. Her eyes widened as she focused on Diana, who looked back with identical brown eyes.

“Mother!” Diana cried out, and ran to the gate.

There was a snarling sound, and suddenly a huge beast leapt from its corner of the room and came into view, baring its teeth at us.

With a lion’s head and torso, and a goat’s back end with a snake as a tail, I knew it was the Chimera. The green snake snapped at us, hissing, and the lion’s canine teeth glistened wetly in the light. Its front paws clawed at the ground as it watched us, and its back hooves clacked against the stone floor slightly as it shifted impatiently.

Tony let out a low whistle, and Thor looked the monster up and down, mentally calculating whether it was a match for him. Clint flashed us a smile, producing a key from his pocket.

“So, who wants to fight it?”

We stared at him, and he chuckled softly.

“When I open this door, it will attack us. The only person it won’t attack is Loki. I suggest that only two of us go in, it’ll be easier that way for one person to get Natasha out while the other distracts the Chimera. So ... who wants to go in?”

“I’ll take on the beast,” Thor said firmly, a small smile of anticipation on his face as he lifted his hammer.

“I’ll free Natasha and the other two,” I said quickly, and Clint smiled grimly.

“That’s the right answer. You and Thor are quicker than us anyway, and probably have less chance of getting eaten.”

“Hey, I’d like to see that freaky lion-thing try and chew through this suit!” Tony said indignantly, tapping his metal chest. Clint ignored him.

“I’ll open the gate in a moment. Kid, go and stand next to Stark. Thor, Eldrid, come here and get ready to move.”

Diana scooted away, and stood next to Tony while Thor and I moved forward. I flashed Thor a grin.

“Ready, uncle?”

“As always, Eldrid.”

“Three, two, one – go!” Clint shouted, and pulled the gate open.

Thor threw the hammer as the Chimera pounced, sending it flying backward into the cell. I darted inside and Thor followed. I heard the gate slam shut quickly behind us, locking out any possible aid.