"Two hours at full speed" Coleson replied, "but Loki's..." he paused, checking the tracking data, "not moving anymore..."

"It's possible he's found a way to ditch the trackers" Grant offered, "We should keep heading for the fountain."

Ceres excused herself and found a quiet room.

"Meow." Coco's head popped out of her sling purse.

"I know.But what if he gets his memories back and no one's there... No one's there to help him deal with all those emotions... He'll flip. He'll freak out."

"Me-ow." He said crawling up onto her shoulder.

"Teleport there? Coco, remember the last time we tried teleport magic?"

Meow

"I suppose we did have two people...And with just you and I..."

Judging by the speed that Loki had been travelling with Moon before their trackers mysteriously stopped working, they were going to beat the Shield plane there by at least half an hour. That was more than enough time for him to make any wish that he had decided on.

Then Ceres made up her mind. She'd have to risk it. She just prayed her magic wouldn't blow up another limb... She'd just finished healing her arm up.

She drew the circle and after a few mins of pumping herself up, she used it.

Around and around she tumbled. Always a terrible feeling teleporting. But this time, there was a burning sensation in her chest. It was so unbearable that she missed her target by about 3kms or so.

She rolled into a bush as she came out the the teleport and grabbed her chest in pain. Coco looked at her with concern pawing her. She pulled the shirt down to look, black vein lines had appeared from her gem and outward, slowly fading back to normal by the ends of it. The dark magic inside her Soul gem reaching out into her vessel like fingers, grabbing at her.

After a min or two, the burning sensation seemed to past. Coco came down from a tree and confirmed they were just a bit off from their target location.

She got to her feet and started walking as fast as she could, looking at her book for guidance.

The forest had really grown in over the years. It had become an nearly impenetrable wall of vines, trees and brush, laced with thorns and poisonous plants.

After finally getting through all of that it actually cleared up quite a lot. There was only the occasional tree to stretch it's branches across the sky and mask the area from above although it still let in enough light to see clearly. Streams of sun broke through here and there, lending a mystical and warm feel to the place.

The fountain itself was more of a pond, half of it was tucked into a shallow cave-like space created by an outcropping of stone. While Moon didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, Loki knelt before the water while gazing into it's depths.

Celeste had small cuts all over her legs and she'd fallen over a couple times so she was covered in dirt and she'd gotten stuck in the vines a couple times, her long hair getting tangled in it.

It got so bad that she pulled a vine off and wrapped her hair in it to keep it from getting caught on any other vines.

Celeste stopped a few feet from Loki when she finally came to him, "...Loki?" She called out.

Loki startled a little, rising back to his feet as he turned to face her, "Ceres? What are you doing here?" he questioned, he had disposed of the trackers, how had she'd known where he would be?

"I'm here because I was worried about you. Don't worry, Shield hasn't arrived and probably won't for at least a half hour..." She took a step forward, "...Why didn't you tell me you were having night terrors?" She asked.

Loki sighed, "because I barely remembered what they were even about" he replied, "And how could you let Shield know of this place? Do you know what these mortals would do with this kind of power?" he demanded

Ceres was about to say something and then sighed. Telling them was probably not the wisest idea. "...Loki, although I'm better I'm still not completely all here. I say things I shouldn't." She tapped her head, "I needed a backup plan if I couldn't get the teleportation magic to work. At least Coleson is good at removing this type of information from the records... Come to think of it, they probably won't get too far anyways, there's several magic barriers in place along the way." She shook her head, she was rambling again, " So is that why you're here? To find out what these dreams are about?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I figured it out." Loki replied, "They're my memories, trying to resurface again and I know that it all makes sense when I'm dreaming but when I wake up I can't recall any specifics. I can't keep living like this."

She smiled softly, understanding where he was coming from. "I know it's tough but are you really willing to pay the price the fountain asks for those answers?" She asked. "There are other ways we could view these dreams of yours... This fountain has always asked for such a high price...Usually something Ironic to the wish. Like asking for Youth but still passing away when your time comes.." She knelt down by the edge of the pond, "But if this is what you want, then I'll stand by you."

The shimmering surface of the water seemed average enough but if one were to look deeper it was as though the water turned black, going down so deep that it never ended.

"You misunderstand" Loki replied, looking to the water as well, "I do not want to remember everything. The only thing the dreams leave me with is how it all made me feel. I expected anger, to feel robbed or that some great injustice had been done to me. From what Thor told me happened that only made sense to be my motive.
But all it has left me with is sorrow. It cuts deeper than anything else and it is the first thing I experience every morning and the last that crosses my mind each night. I understand why I did everything. Why I wanted to rule Midgard. Why I challenged Odin. Why I despised Thor and nearly started a war.
If I had only succeeded in one of those things then I would still have a place in History. Good or bad, the realms would remember Loki of Azgard, and not only in passing as the untrue son of Odin and Frigga, or false brother of Thor. I would have been proud to stand as only Brother and Son to such as them. So let me forget and be so again."

"...Loki." Ceres slipped her hand into his. If this was his wish, then she would not stop him. "Dear, sweet prince of Azgard..."

"Please stop calling me that" he sighed, he looked exhausted and he was sick of hearing the word prince where it did not belong. That went for 'brother' as well, everytime Thor said it was a like a stab in the back, a secret mocking of his position. Though he knew it wasn't meant as such.

"I'm sorry... but to me... you are and always will be my prince. I may not have gone into great detail about my past before I met you but I lived a very sheltered life. My parents were killed and my sister, Vesta's soul gem had been tainted. My grandfather feared it was the handiwork of some dark force... So he kept me hidden from the world.

I had no friends and I was hardly ever allowed to leave the family estate. I ran off to the park once while Grandfather was busy and healed a girl's knee... That's when Shield showed up and Grandfather begged them to help keep me safe...

Even at the academy, I wasn't allow to leave without permission from others. I was caged...

But then you showed up and took me away. And although you had alternate motives, for the first time in such a long time, I felt... free. You were the prince that scooped me up from my ivony tower and let me see the world from a new perspective. That the world wasn't such a dark and scary place...

Those two weeks were the happiest I had ever been."She put her hands on her chest, enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling the memories brought back to her.

"Hm. Well that does explain a few things" Loki commented. It actually explained a lot, why she was with shield, why she was so determined to try and help him.

She rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry, I guess I didn't really go into much detail when you woke up. But I won't call you a Prince of Asgard. From today on, you shall be Loki, Prince of the Ambrosia Crest." She said tapping him on both shoulders.

He could tell that she was trying to make him feel better and some part of him wanted to pretend that it was working but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He had come here alone, quite purposely alone to deal with this because he knew no one could cheer him up. They had all been trying and quite frankly, failing.

Turning away from Ceres he looked back at the water. "I-"

"I know your wiiisshhhh" the voice that echoed from the pool spoke slowly, drawing out each precious word in that half-whispered tone. "I see all desiresssss"

"Then you know my offer" Loki replied, "You may have my unwanted memories"

"Memories are previous things" the voice replied, "wanted or not they make you who you are"

"Well I do not wish to be who I am, but who I was" Loki hissed, "Will you do it or not?"

"But that is not what you desire" the pool began to bubble and a form started to rise from it's depths. Made of black water and taking the shape of a woman, "I see what you want, what your heart aches for." she spoke with the voice of the pool but the lips of a woman that made Loki's stomach churn. Ceres had never bet her before but she had seen portraits on the walls of Azgard in her previous visits.

"Frigga is dead" Loki told the form of his mother.

"Death is not final" the water replied, "not if you are willing to pay the price..."

Ceres turned her head to Loki and gave him a look of, "DON'T. THat price is too high and she may not even be the same." on her face but she didn't say anything. She would support him no matter the choice, so she bit her lip.

After a long pause of silence, Ceres finally spoke.

"Loki, I know you miss her but what the well will ask for and give you won't be worth it. Bringing someone back from the death... the cost is so high... no person could possibly pay it."

"Actually" the pond plied slowly, "he is one of the few who can. For a life to be given, one must be taken of equal value. Of equal love. Your life" she eyed Loki, "is one of such value"

"Frigga was loved across nine realms" Loki frowned, "How can I compare to that?"

"The nine realms are ruled by one. Whomever the King of Azgard loves, that person holds the love of worlds."

"Somehow I got the impression that Odin's not a fan of me anymore" Loki glared

"I speak not of Odin" she grinned and suddenly something became quite clear. Over the last few weeks, Thor had been much less present and even when he did show up he could only seem to stay for a few hours at a time. There was always something else he had to get back to.

((...i'M CONfused. Who's SHE? The well? Is the well a girl? And What the crap is the well asking for? I'm going to work.))

((The well took on the persona of Frigga, Loki's mother, so right now it's a 'she'. However it changes depending on who is there, it always takes on the image of one's truest desire. So if someone wanted to be forever young, it would take on the form of a younger them.))

You never said the image if frigga wad talking!!!!

Yeah I did...

she spoke with the voice of the pool but the lips of a woman that made Loki's stomach churn. Ceres had never bet her before but she had seen portraits on the walls of Azgard in her previous visits.