forewarning
this book will jump back and forth between the present and flashbacks in order to build characters and plot; flashbacks will be in italics. like the movie, there will also be location jumps, which will be stated.
also, no spoilers in this chapter, since this chapter only contains original content and is set just before the movie starts.

❝ THE RISE OF THANOS ❞
( KEEPERS OF THE STONES )
i. he is here
chapter one

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SPACE, PRESENT DAY

Helena had never felt so beaten in her life. Not when she heard of the great Odin's death. Not when she fought alongside Thor against his own brother, Loki Laufeyson. Never had there been a moment in her life where she felt as if she had truly lost, a moment where she was no longer in control of her own fate.

Not until now.

The Asgardian could remember feeling ecstatic when her fingers first wrapped around the orb that held the Power Stone. For once, something she was stealing was actually hers, and that made her body tingle with triumph as she pulled the Stone from the Collector's limp hand. Of course, she had not killed him, only because she didn't have time. She had seen the large, dark spaceship following her to the planet. She knew it was Thanos and his men, hoping that she'd lead them right to the Power Stone.

They were hot on her tail, making her end the moment of pure excitement rather quickly as she saw the ship's shadow grow over the surface of Knowhere. Helena shoved the orb into her vest pocket before taking off in a sprint to her own, significantly smaller, spaceship. The silver paint glinted in the light of a near moon. Her heart was pounding in her armor clad chest, and the only sound she could hear was the wind whipping past her as she quickened her run.

She momentarily forgot about Thanos' ship as she finally reached her ship, climbing up the released ramp before hitting the close button with her fist. The brunette slid into the pilot's seat, turning the ignition and firing up he engine. She pressed a series of colorful buttons in rapid motion, and with a pull of a lever, the ship began to hover above the ground. As it rose higher into space, Helena pulled out the orb, regaining her breath through panting, and pulling as hard as she could at it, muscles shaking as she forced the orb to crack. The magenta glow of the Power Stone illuminated the Asgardian's face, adding to the bright blue hue of her eyes.

Helena did something no being that wished to live would do, and held the stone in her palm, closing her fist around it gently. The intensity of the gem burned slightly in her hand, but she was born to handle the Power Stone.

She was made to protect it, just as she had done in her past life, her first life. The original Keeper of the Power Stone's spirit, Theodosia Leventis' spirit, chose her for a reason.

And that unknown reason proved true as Helena opened her fist again, and found the Stone embedded into her palm, the pale skin surrounding it fitting around it like a glove. A perfect fit. Her face lit up in awe as she felt the strength of it flow through her veins.

She was quickly snapped out of her amazement when something knocked into her ship, knocking it sideways and out of its auto pilot mode. The sudden jerk sent her flying sideways because of her lack of a seat belt, and she hit her head off the control panel, leaving a resonating cracking noise as it bounced back up.

" Damnit. " She swore under her breath as she pushed herself to her feet, the emergency alarm blaring loudly, the red flashing light glowing periodically; Helena steadied and sat back into the seat, buckling herself in this time, and gripping the control wheel.

She could see Thanos' ship just beside hers, and the difference in size was laughable. Helena pushed forward, the ship kicking back and releasing a stream of exhaust and flames as it soared away from the enemy ship quickly.

Helena was no star pilot, but she was pretty okay, if she had to say it, so she was a little taken back when she felt another attack on the rear of the ship, lurching her forward. The thief kept a tight grip on the wheel as she took a hard turn, trying to shake Thanos from her tail.

It was of no use, though, because the next hit was heavier, and more damaging. It came at an angle, moving northwest into the back of the ship again. The alarm was still ringing, and it was starting to almost fade in Helena's ears, the cherry colored light blinked furiously at her, and even the ship was telling her they weren't going to make it. Nosediving, the spaceship shuddered as it hurdled down towards a lifeless planet that she did not know of.

Giving up on trying to pull the ship back up, Helena unbuckled her seat belt and stood carefully, holding onto the edge of the seat to keep upright. She held out the hand with the Power Stone, forearm muscles straining as she willed it to help her, pleaded with it to keep her ship from being completely decimated.

She would say it worked, since she didn't die on impact as the ship slammed into the rocky surface of the planet.

Helena felt as if she had been shot in the head, a striking pain radiating throughout her skull when she first came to, soon realizing that her ship was upside down. She was staring up at the floor, clutching a hand to her head as her other raised above her face, using the dim light of the Power Stone to see through the dust kicked up from her fall.

She assumed that the ramp was most likely broken, and figured that the easiest and safest way out was the windshield. The Asgardian cautiously sat up, pushing herself to a crouching position. Broken pieces of equipment was everywhere, but at least the ship was in one piece, and so was she. Helena kept her hand on her head as she made her way towards the front of the ship, climbing over the control panel to get to the windshield.

She bent down a bit, holding onto the lining of the windshield as she held her other hand in front of the glass, a beam of purple energy emerging from the Stone, shattering the windshield entirely.

Helena maneuvered her way out, watching out for shards of glass as she did. She jumped off the top of the ship, landing her feet on the dark planet's surface. She took a moment to glance around and try to recall what had just happened.

The ground was a dark blue-purple color, and it was rough, little patches of rocks everywhere. That was all that was there, though. No people, no plants, no moons, nothing except for her and the remnants of her ship.

And Thanos.

She didn't even see his ship before it landed, a few mechanical noises coming from it as it found a place behind her, just beside her own destroyed ship. Helena had half a mind to run, but it was pointless. She had no ship, and no where to go. Her only hope was to try and hold out against Thanos, and sneak onto his ship, and, hopefully, make her way to Earth, where she could alert the Avengers of his arrival in their galaxy.

But, something in Helena's heart told her that wasn't possible.

Her doubt only grew as the entrance to the enormous ship opened, a few aliens of different kinds, dressed in dark suits and evil faces, walked out. Helena assumed that they were Thanos' Black Order; she had heard stories of Thanos, and knew that none of the soldiers before her was him, since they were barely any taller than her, and Thanos was told to be bigger than any man of any Galaxy, a match for even the Dwarf Giants.

Her assumptions were correct. The monster himself walked out, heavy feet falling silent as he stepped onto the empty planet. Helena felt as if she had stopped breathing, and clenched her fist to remember exactly who she was.

Helena Eerikdottir, Asgardian. The greatest thief in the universe. Theodosia Leventis. The Keeper of the Power Stone. Protector of the universe.

Thanos and his Black Order got closer, walking towards her casually, as if they were coming together for a business meeting of sorts. Helena stood her ground, bringing her hand away from her throbbing head, holding it against her other hand.

" Sorry about your ship. " Thanos apologized, but it was emotionless; Helena was surprised he even attempted an apology, but then convinced herself that he was mocking her. " I wasn't trying to kill you, but I didn't think you'd take me seriously if I hadn't done it. "

Helena wasn't dealing with his games, and she wasn't going to try and be civil with him, either. She took half a step forward as she spoke harshly, " I know why you want me, what you want from me. And I can tell you right now, you're not getting it. "

Thanos let out a quiet sigh, glancing down at the brunette before speaking, his voice strong and regal, " I suppose I was a bit naive assuming we could do this the easy way. "

The Black Order took several steps forward, except for Ebony Maw, who stayed by Thanos' side, awaiting command. Helena was unfazed; she wasn't scared of the Black Order, she was more powerful than them, she knew it.

But they didn't attack, not how she expected them to. Maw tilted his head just the slightest bit, and raised a hand, long, pale fingers twisting and turning. Helena had heard many tales of the Black Order, but actually fighting them was different. She was told that Ebony Maw had the ability to bend the surrounding environment to his will, but she was unaware that he could just manipulate an entire ship.

She heard the sound of tearing metal, screeching, and turned around, seeing her ship levitating in the air. Every movement Ebony Maw made ripped pieces of the ship apart, until they were just dangerous shrapnel, turned and pointed at Helena. He's was going to fight her with her own ship.

The shrapnel came flying at the Asgardian, whirling around in circles near her. Random pieces would be hurled at her, making her rely on quick instincts and the Stone. Each hunk of metal that came her way, she'd face it and hold up her palm, releasing a blast of energy, completely obliterating it. But no matter how strong she was, she couldn't keep up as the remaining ship mechanics began flying faster, twisting around her like a tornado.

After the first piece of metal caught her face, leaving a long, open wound on her cheek, she started to lose it. She was caught off guard and panicked; every time she was hit, she'd send a beam of energy at it's afterthought. Spinning every which way, a sharp piece of metal finally struck her in the thigh, making her fall to the ground, crying out shortly and hands immediately moving to apply pressure, even though she could not find the wound itself.

Ebony Maw slowly lowered his hand, letting the ship pieces fall to the ground around Helena. The other members of the Black Order started to approach the injured woman, but Thanos held up his own hand, silently telling them to wait.

Helena flung her upper body up, finally seeing that the large shrapnel piece was still in her leg, going out both sides. Dark crimson blood poured down her thigh, covering her hands quickly as she pulled at the metal gently. The slightest movement made her leg explode into pain and forced a choked cry from her throat, so she released the shrapnel.

" Asgardians are supposed to be strong. The Keepers, even stronger. " Helena forced her eyes up to see Thanos towering over her, his Black Order still where they had been before. " You are not strong. "

Helena ignored his comment, as much as it irritated her to be insulted, and only raised her hand up at his face; the Power Stone's light could still be seen, glowing through the layer of blood.

Just before the energy shot out, Thanos moved in a swift motion, so quickly that Helena did not even see it - she felt it. One of his huge, rough hands wrapped around her throat, lifting her in the air. She could see the Infinity Gauntlet fitted on his other hand like a glove. It was empty, containing none of the Infinity Stones. Thanos threw her down, landing hard on the rocky surface, skidding a good few yards away before her body stopped, after a few rolls.

" I will give you one chance, and one chance only. " His booming voice ordered, and even with the intense volume of his words, she could barely focus on anything other than the awful ache throughout her entire body; on the bright side, though, the shrapnel was pushed through her leg on the fall.

Helena didn't bother trying to listen to the rest of his speech, weakly raising her hand one last time, feeling the last surge of the Power Stone building in her palm, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone. With a flick of his fingers, Ebony Maw sent a piece of metal to connect with her hand, pulling it forward and down, pinning it to a rock on the ground

" And, I'm even going to give you a choice. " Thanos continued, seemingly unbothered by her pitiful attempt.

Helena looked up through her tousled hair, blood smeared down her cheek, and black war paint smudged across her eyes. She looked like she'd just been through an entire army, and she felt like it, too. She could feel the shredded muscles in her thigh, and the bruised ribs she obtained from being thrown like a rag doll. Her head was still pounding, more intensely now.

" You can either hand over the Power Stone, " Thanos declared, staring down at Helena, an unreadable look in his eyes, " or we destroy what's left of your home, and take the Stone by force. "

Helena felt her heart drop, and she almost couldn't fathom what he said. Thanos noticed her confusion, and glanced up at the pitch black background of space; there were no stars shining tonight, because today was not a happy day. She followed his gaze into the sky and saw another ship traveling just outside the atmosphere of their current location. She assumed Thanos' threat meant there were Asgardians on the ship.

" So, what is your decision? " He asked, and, if Helena was being honest, Thanos was acting a lot more patient than she expected. Of course, she would never give up the Power Stone, she couldn't, it was her duty. She also knew that Thanos would not give up on retrieving the Stone.

" You're not getting this Stone. " Was all she said, through gritted teeth, starting to feel lightheaded; she began worrying that she would pass out, and Thanos would find a different means of taking the Stone.

" It's always the hard way, isn't it? " Thanos questioned, glancing over his shoulder at the Black Order; he waved Proxima Midnight over, and then, speaking to the remaining members, gave an order, " Destroy the ship. "

As Proxima made her way over to both Thanos and Helena, the latter started to realize exactly what he meant when he said he'd kill the last of Asgard. The planet itself was already gone, almost no hope for recovery thanks to Hela, but there were still Asgardians alive. Thor was still alive.

Which meant he was on that ship.

Either the Black Order were quicker than Helena anticipated, or she just wasn't very observant, but Thanos' ship lifted into the air, wasting no time to zip over to the ship. Proxima held her two forked spear over Helena's head, and Thanos leered nearby, watching as the Asgardian's face contorted into one of fear. Whether for herself or for her fellow Asgardians, he didn't know.

" N-No! " She managed to choke out a shout, her voice hoarse and dry; the pain circling through her body was exhausting and she felt as if she could sleep forever, but she needed to know the Asgardians' fate. " I'll give you the Stone, don't hurt them-don't kill them- "

Above her, Proxima let out what sounded like an angry growl, and Thanos barely moved before speaking, " You had your chance. "

Helena strained her neck to look up, and, just as the Black Order shot at the ship, the lasers' impact causing a huge explosion, Proxima slammed her spear into the Keeper's hand, tearing into the flesh around the Stone.

The explosion was loud, deafening, but Helena almost couldn't hear it over the sound of her own, ear-splitting scream. Not only was all the pain in her body redirected to her hand, but the Stone was shrieking in anguish, growing hot in her skin. Proxima didn't not let up, and she twisted the spear around, like opening a can with a switchblade, and, with a strong pull, she freed the Stone. As she lifted it with her spear, unable to touch it herself, Thanos held his hand out for it.

The Great Titan took the glowing gem in his hand, examining it, seeing that some of Helena's flesh and muscle was still melted to it. He smiled maliciously as he let the Power Stone find its place on the Infinity Gauntlet.

Helena couldn't register what happened, she couldn't feel the pain anymore, couldn't hear anything. She was numb, staring up at the sheet of space; her eyes found the destroyed ship first, as black fuzziness began to crowd around her eyes. Then, her eyes focused just the slightest bit, and she saw them.

The bodies of the remaining Asgardians, falling to the ground. Falling to their death. Falling to their doom.

And, her last thought before blacking out, was that it was all her fault.

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note.
no flashbacks here because I didn't think they'd fit, but we got our first look at one of the Keepers. This book is gonna be full of heartbreak and even I'm not ready