the sun in your eyes ☼ loki

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦

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"I've seen a copy of that book before," Loki frowns, glancing at the letters used. "It is of the Kree civilization. Their book of mythology." He reaches over to trace his fingers on the book's spine.

Carol nods. "It's their mythology book, yeah. Some of it are similar to the myths in Wakanda, which is how we all came together."

Anya is already doubting the situation. "Myths? You're basing my origin on myths?"

"There is a specific myth, Anya. Dating back thousands of years ago," T'challa voices. "Involving gods who walk among us."

"But what do I have to do with myths?" Anya isn't exactly convinced since this whole dinner took a turn.

Carol opens the book in the middle and shows her a drawn figure of a woman. It briefly reminds Loki of how the Scarlet Witch has its own chapter dedicated to it.

Anya raises her brow. "Is that supposed to be me?"

"No..." she shakes her head. "Your mother."

Anya softens and she stares at the drawing of a woman, holding what seems to be the sun in her hands.

Carol sighs. "The legend goes that one of the few members of this ancient family went down to Earth and met a man. She fell in love with the human and had a child. The family finds out about the human, and got angry because the child was a half-breed. There has never been half-breeds in their species." Carol flips the page of the book. "It's said that the offspring would have a certain power that the family was afraid of."

As she listens, Anya finds the story even more ridiculous, but she couldn't help her curiosity. Disney would be annoyed. "Then what?"

"The legend ends with the father and child being dead." Fury finishes with his usual business-like tone. "They were apparently killed by the family." Fury appeared emotionless despite his words.

Another tear slips from her eye and she quickly wipes it. "So... let me get this straight. You think that my... mother is some weird alien from space... and her family killed my father?" The more she spoke, the more it felt ridiculous.

"Your mother isn't some weird space alien, Anya." Fury sighs. "The Wakandans here call those beings as Sul-Eryons. Gods who walk among us, but never interferes."

Carol shakes her head. "You were supposed to be a myth."

Loki softens, recognizing the name but unable to connect it anywhere since his focus was on Anya the entire time. She shakily exhales while standing up and the chair scrapes against the floor loudly. Loki watches her with concern as his eyebrows knot together.

"This has been a great dinner. Thank you for having me, T'challa. Excuse me." Anya walks away.

As instinct, Loki follows behind her after glancing towards the others. They were all looking at him with worry, but none of them followed. It was as if they knew that Loki can handle this.

"Anya. Anya, wait." Loki grabs her arm and pulls her back, only to see her tear-stained face and her twisting expression.

"Did you hear what they were saying? They're ridiculous! I needed to get out of there," Anya grips her hair, ruining the style that Loki did for her. "I can't believe Fury believed any of that bullshit. Out of all people! Fury! Who does this Carol Danvers think she is?"

Loki places his hands on her shoulders. "Anya, breathe."

She inhales and covers her face with her hands. "That completely threw me off. We need to focus on telling them about the Multiversal war. Not concentrate on some aliens that they think I came from." She tries chuckling but end up gulping as the rush of panic settles in her body. Loki stares at her and Anya does the same with him. Slowly, her eyes falter in surprise. "You believe them."

"Sul-Eryon sounds quite similar to a story that my mother told me when I was a child. The family of Solarions." Loki shakes his head. "It is a myth. Just stories to tell children at night. I don't think anyone has ever seen a Solarion before."

Anya gulps and turns around to catch her breath. "I need to think."

Loki grabs her wrist. "No. Talk to me. I'm not leaving you alone."

She meets his blue eyes and sees the sincerity in them. It was as if the Loki she knew was surfacing, and she is overwhelmed by how much she misses him. "Do you believe them?"

"I don't think it is wise to ignore them. T'challa is a king after all. I don't think he would make an effort to bring you here if he didn't believe himself to be correct."

"Believing is different from something being the truth. You can believe in something that wasn't real." Anya trails off. "I mean, we all did. Look where we are now. A war."

Loki wavers and he reaches for her shoulder to comfort her. Then, he pulls her in for a warm embrace. Anya shakily sighs, and closes her eyes before she wraps her arms around Loki.

Loki frowns, and something tugs inside his chest. This may not have been the best time or place to discuss what happened to them, and he was grateful when someone else walks up to them.

Carol Danvers appears apologetic and she approaches Anya. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Anya nods at Loki and he leaves, but not before giving Carol an intimidating look. Anya keeps her eyes on the ground even as Carol stands in front of her. "I'm sorry for blowing it all up on your face. I've been looking for you for months. I feel like if I didn't find you and tell you what I knew, it would haunt me."

The young woman looks back at Carol with a saddened look. "The first four years of my life was blank. The next three was fake. My childhood was spent in a school for assassins. I was traded like an animal as a teenager. I was brainwashed. Tortured. Forced to kill." Anya closes her eyes as she remembers glimpses of what her life had been. "The only time I've ever been free was when Natasha and Steve saved me from HYDRA and let me join the Avengers." Anya steps towards Carol and her eyes slowly turns into a glint of rage. "Nineteen years of being someone else's slave. And now you're telling me that the only family I have left was the one who killed my father and left me alone to suffer all of that. And my mother did nothing to stop her family."

"We don't know—"

"Exactly. You don't know. I don't know who you are, but it's not your place to tell me who I am." They share one last gaze before Anya turns to walk away.

"I was just like you." Those words make Anya stop walking. "When I was kidnapped from Earth, people made me believe that I was Kree, and that we were on the right side of the war. When I found out that I was being lied to, I did everything I could to find the truth."

Anya softens, but she doesn't turn around to make Carol see the look on her face.

"I didn't believe in any myth until I saw what happened to you during our fight with Thanos. On the planet Hala, I heard stories of a godlike species who live in a place inaccessible to anyone who aren't one of them. Only people of their own can find the entrance to their home. It's why no one has seen one of them before."

Anya finally turns to face her. "And what makes you think that I want to see the people who apparently killed my father?"

Carol musters a small smile. "Because it was said that the mother never stopped loving her daughter. She never stopped watching over her from afar."

Anya's bottom lip wobbles as her eyes fill with tears. "But that's worse. Don't you see how that's worse? Everything I've been through, and my mom who seems really powerful, just stood by and watched."

The smile fades from Carol's face, and Anya shakes her head in disapproval before she walks away.

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