"Uh... no." Carter looked a bit puzzled.
Though well educated and experienced in clerical work, she still considered herself more of a soldier and fighter. She had never been particularly interested in cultural or historical studies. Even her knowledge of Dracula came from myths, literature and movies.
"Tiamat? What's that?"
In fact, Carter wasn't the only one—most people in the world had never heard that name.
Compared to Greek or Norse mythology, stories of Tiamat had a much smaller reach.
They were mostly confined to the Mesopotamian region.
Unless someone specifically studied it, they wouldn't know anything about it.
"Well, what if I say Gaia? You've heard of her, right?" Josh asked instead.
"Oh, of course—Mother Earth," Carter nodded immediately.
"Tiamat is the Mother Earth from Mesopotamian mythology. Everything on Earth originates from her. In fact, the mythology of Gaia was largely influenced by Tiamat's stories spreading westward," Josh explained.
He wasn't making this up.
Maybe things were different in other worlds, but in this one, there was no doubt—the true Mother Earth was Tiamat.
As for Gaia, Josh knew the Greek gods existed in the Marvel universe, so Gaia likely did as well.
But when it came to the title of Mother Earth, Gaia simply didn't qualify.
"You're not seriously telling me that this Mother Earth actually exists, are you?" Carter squinted at him. If she hadn't figured out where he was going by now, she might as well retire early and start raising kids.
"As unbelievable as it sounds… yes, she does," Josh admitted.
Without holding back, he told Carter everything about the Celestials and the Eternals.
He had no choice—the pressure they brought was simply too great.
It wasn't something he could just shoulder alone, even with his advantages.
At the end of the day, he was still just a human—strong, yes, but still mortal.
He needed to vent.
He needed someone to help him carry that mental burden.
That was where he differed from a certain future Iron Man.
But not just anyone could handle that kind of pressure.
Carter, with her strong sense of justice but without Captain America's rigid idealism, was the perfect choice.
And so, all that pressure now landed squarely on Peggy Carter's shoulders.
By the time Josh finished explaining everything, Carter had no words left.
She could only take sip after sip of her vodka.
Once upon a time, she had thought that Red Skull and Captain America were the peak of human power.
But after meeting Josh, revelation after revelation shattered that belief.
Aliens.
Inhumans.
Galactic empires.
The progenitor of vampires.
And now, God-like Celestials and their tool—the Eternals.
At this rate, even if Josh told her that there were beings above the Celestials, she probably wouldn't be surprised anymore.
Of course, she didn't say that out loud.
Otherwise, Josh would have gladly told her—yes, those beings did exist.
Seeing Carter completely stunned, Josh suddenly felt a lot better.
Maybe this was why people liked to talk about their problems.
It felt great to share the burden.
"Well, there's no need to worry too much. The Celestials don't usually bother with us mortals. And when you think about it, Tiamat's existence actually ensures Earth's safety until the Emergence happens. If we can somehow keep the great Mother Earth unharmed while preventing the Emergence, that would be even better... Having a Celestial as a backer? Tsk tsk, Earth's civilization would dominate the universe!"
Feeling much better, Josh patted Carter on the shoulder.
Carter rolled her eyes at him.
Now she understood why he couldn't sleep and why he had dumped all this on her.
So she was just a trash can for his worries, huh? And now he was playing the good guy, trying to comfort her?
What a schemer.
Of course, that was just her joking with herself.
Deep down, she was actually quite touched.
Why had Josh shared such an important secret with her instead of someone else?
Because he trusted her.
"...Josh."
Carter hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"What?" Josh turned to her, confused.
"I saw them." She clenched her jaw.
"Saw who?" Josh frowned. Something about her expression didn't sit right with him.
"The Wakandans. The escaped general, T'Pani. And the woman who fled Wakanda with him that day." Carter sighed heavily.
"What? Where are they?" Josh's expression became serious.
"In a remote town in Brazil. I was tracking war criminals and passed through there. They were disguised as civilians, but I still recognized them... I'm sorry, Josh. I kept this from you for so long. I just... couldn't bring myself to report it. They've given up everything, and they even have a child now..." Carter dropped her head, her voice heavy.
Despite how most countries had portrayed Wakanda as an evil, oppressive force—worse than Nazi Germany and Red Skull combined—Carter and most of the soldiers involved knew the truth.
No matter how righteous the justification, that war had never truly been about justice.
Yes, Wakanda had invaded Ethiopia and interfered with the founding of Israel.
But as a soldier and an agent, Carter hadn't had the power to change anything.
All she could do was carry out her mission.
That was the nature of war between nations—purely a matter of power.
But things were different now.
To her, Wakanda was gone.
There were only a handful of survivors left.
Why continue to hunt them?
So she had chosen to keep their secret.
If not for tonight's conversation with Josh—if he hadn't shattered her worldview again, making her feel grateful—she might have taken this secret to her grave.
Josh hadn't expected such an important piece of information to come out of a casual conversation.
An unexpected, but welcome surprise.
"Don't worry. I won't take their lives. When this is over, I'll find them a safe place where no one will bother them."
Understanding what Carter was worried about, Josh didn't try to explain too much.
He just patted her shoulder and made a promise.
And he had no reason to lie.
After all, he didn't need their lives.
He just needed Vibranium.
--
IMPORTANT:
Gonna pick up pace again, 2 chapters per day from now on.
Every 100 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter. (Come-on there is no limit this week, give me your POWERSTONES)