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"So, first things first," Tony said, sprawling on a chair once he had gotten through Thor's thick head, "How are we gonna get to Asgard?"

Thor crossed his arms and frowned thoughtfully, "That I do not know, however, I am most confident that my brother knows of a way to return to my homeland, or he would not have suggested it."

Tony groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face, "So we're relying on the homicidal god who went on a rampage in New York to transport us safely to Asgard? And speaking of, what happened between you two? I mean, one moment you're all leaping at each other's throats and the next you both are the best of buddies!"

Thor fidgeted uncomfortably, "I would not say that we are the 'best of buddies' as you have mentioned, too much exists between Loki and I to forget all our previous animosity. But we have both agreed to work to overcome the rift that has been drawn between us, and for that, I am grateful enough."

Steve smiled slightly, "It's great that you're making amends Thor, I hope you'll really work it out with Loki in the end. But we have another problem, are we or are we not going to call Natasha and Clint? And Phil if he wants to come along."

Bruce tilted his head thoughtfully, "I suppose we should ask them, but they are assassins, and I don't mean this in a demeaning way or anything, but assassins aren't exactly known for their altruism."

Steve nodded, "But we are a team, and even if they left, they left for a good reason."

"Cap, they left because it was getting too dangerous, they left to find a safe house to hole up in!" Tony said, throwing up his hands, "Besides, who said that they would wanna come back into battle? As Brucie boy said here, they're assassins, they're not cut out for battle anyway. And on that note, I would like to just say that its completely weird to be talking as if I'm going off for war."

Thor frowned, "But you are going off for war."

"Not the point Point Break, but really, what right do we have to call them back?"

Steve mulled over this for awhile, he wondered how it was possible for Tony to keep being able to surprise him after so long. "You're right, but shouldn't we give them the chance to decide for themselves?"

Steve's rhetorical question hung in the air, the four avengers waiting in silence for a decision to be made. For the second time in as many hours, the door opened to reveal Loki and Percy, of which the former seemed disgruntled and the latter slightly smug.

"So..." Tony drawled, taking in the looks of the two who just entered, turning to Percy, "I take it you're coming with us?"

Percy looked at him in surprise, "You're going to Asgard too?"

Bruce nodded, "And we're kind of deciding if we should call Nat and Clint along, you know, assemble the whole team like we did in New York?"

Loki glanced at the three mortals and gave his brother a sharp look; Thor just shrugged, indicating that he had nothing on mortal obstinacy. "We need to get to Asgard as soon as possible, we have no time for detours."

"Hey, if they agree to come along, that'll mean you'll have two master assassins fighting on your side. I'm pretty sure that's a big advantage for you."

Loki sneered, "And if they decide not to come along, then it will have been a wasted trip in which the time taken could have been put to better use."

Tony growled, "Listen up here Reindeer Games, I can accept that you've changed, that you weren't in control of your own little brain back then, but know this: we're helping Thor, our team mate, we don't owe you anything, and we don't have to follow your orders. And right now, we're doing this as a team. The whole 'all for one and one for all' mortal proverb which you won't know about because you don't have the team player spirit."

Loki scowled, "And I suppose you do then? Have the team player spirit I mean. What are a few more mortals going to do against the might of the chitauri? What good are two assassins against the strength of Thanos? What advantage can you offer that we do not already have?"

Tony grinned, "I thought you'd never ask honey. Yeah sure, we don't have your strength, we can't fight constantly like you all can, but we have one thing that sets us apart from you and every other being out there: our creativity. You guys do things in a straightforward manner, Thanos or whatever his name is, will expect you to do things that way. He will expect you to stick to your methods and he will plan accordingly. But us? We add the element of surprise." He said, spreading his arms out proudly.

In the background, Percy turned an inquisitive look to Steve and Bruce, both of whom just shrugged, their eyes focused on their friend who was expressing unexpected eloquence.

Tony pointed to Loki, "You need us because otherwise, you'll lose before the fight even begins."

Loki blinked slowly, a his lips curving into a smile after several moments of silence, "I have to say Stark, I am most impressed by your words, I had not expected much more than a man-child who sleeps with half of the population when we first met."

Tony reeled back, looking from Thor to Loki and back again, "Whoa wait, did anyone hear that or was I hallucinating? Because I could've sworn that you were joking horn head."

Loki tilted his head upwards, "You will find that I am most capable of jest when caught in the right mood." He turned to Steve, "Very well, we will find your two companions and leave for Asgard after, do not make me regret this journey."

Steve resisted the urge to salute and say 'yes sir!' settling instead for nodding his head in agreement. Loki turned to Percy, "Do you have any idea on how to find them?"

Percy grinned, nodding, "Of course I do, but are you gonna tell the council that we're leaving? Because they might just have a panic attack if we up and disappear like that."

Loki nodded, "I'll talk to your brother, while you find their location and tell Thor. If I am not done speaking to Triton then you shall leave first. Are we all in agreement of this plan?"

He smiled when he was rewarded with five nods. Percy got Bruce to help him create a rainbow, Tony following them both, claiming to want to see the magic show. Steve shrugged and followed after them, curious about how the Greek's mode of communication went. Loki headed out the door, spreading his magic out to find the heir to Atlantis.

Percy instructed Bruce to hold onto the hose, the water arcing in the air gracefully, each droplet reflecting the light of the bulb hanging overhead, an iridescent shimmer in the air. It wasn't the best rainbow he'd ever made, but beggars can't be choosers. He dug through his pockets for a drachma, praying fervently that he had one spare, ignoring the sarcastic questions posed to him by Tony. He hid a smile when his fingers brushed over a smooth, cold surface, sending a thought of thanks to his father, a warm feeling encompassing him almost immediately after.

He took the drachma out; moving away from Tony's swiping hands as the scientist tried to get a good look at the ancient currency, saying, "O Fleecy, do me a solid! No one specific, just want to talk to you.", throwing the drachma into the mist. Bruce, who was standing in a position such that he could see both sides of the water spraying out from the hose in his hands, was expecting the coin to pass through the liquid and hit the sink behind it. As it was, he nearly dropped the hose when not only did the coin not pass through the water, it vanished completely.

"What –"

Percy turned to him and grinned, "Iris-messaging, although Fleecy is actually the one who handles all the incoming calls while Iris mans her stall." The avengers all gave him weird looks, before jumping out of their skins when the water swirled and revealed a stout, muscular girl with frizzy white hair that reminded the mortals of Albert Einstein, her eyes switching back and forth dizzyingly. A grin adorned her young face when she caught sight of who was standing before the screen of water.

"Percy!" the nebulae chirped, falling into her wind speech for several seconds while Percy laughed at her excitement. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I forget myself sometimes, and I'm so excited to see you! Hardly anyone ever wants to see me, it's always, 'Iris show me this person, Iris, show me that person' and no one even knows that Iris doesn't even do her job!" Fleecy complained loudly, making Percy smile.

"How are you doing? Is one drachma enough?" Percy asked, the cloud nymph blushing – she turned into wind for a moment and reformed.

"Please," she rolled her eyes, "You don't need to pay that much, special customers don't need it! And I'm doing fine by the way, thanks for asking, nobody ever asks about me, it's always some demand or the other. Hmph! Ungrateful idiots."

Percy hid a smile at the disgruntled nebulae, her speech intermixed with shrills and whistles that were unique to her kind. Beside him, Tony, Bruce and Steve were all in varying stages of shock. Percy sighed, he had thought that ever since their introduction to this world, they'd be prepared for the unexpected by now, guess that wasn't the case after all.

Fleecy blew a strand of hair out of her face, but her breath hitched in her throat as she finally caught sight of the three mortals that were standing around Percy. They were on the edges of the Iris-message, which would explain why she didn't catch them at first, but inwardly she cursed up a storm. "Oh dear Iris!" she screeched, making Percy wave his hands frantically as he tried to calm her down, "I am so fired! I'm sorry Percy, I didn't know that there were mortals around you! Oh posh, Iris is going to fire me, Zeus is going to kill me, oh I am such a stupid –" she lapsed into a series of clicks and whistles, distressed to the point where she kept dissipating and reforming rapidly enough to make the demigod dizzy.

"Fleecy – Fleecy listen – Fleecy!" Percy shouted, his voice carrying over the cloud nymph's hysteria. When she paused – finally – to listen to him, he continued, "Fleecy it's alright, they're with me, Uncle Z gave the green light for them to know." His eyes slid to their gaping visage, "Or at least, I'm assuming that he gave the green light because Triton told me that he told them all about us."

Fleecy blinked, her black eyes becoming white and then grey and back to black again within the span of a few blinks. "Are you sure?" she said hesitantly, wringing her hands together.

Percy smiled at her reassuringly, "Yeah no worries, if anyone says anything just tell them to come look for me okay?"

Fleecy smiled gratefully, "You're such a nice person Percy!" she chirped, her demeanor changing again, "It's now wonder you had so many calls in the past few years."

Percy blinked, narrowing his eyes, "What do you mean so many calls? I haven't received a single Iris-message in the past three years."

Fleecy huffed, "That's because Iris said not to put them through. She told me to divert any calls that were meant for you, said that right after she came back from Olympus three years ago."

Percy blinked, so that had been the reason why he had received no calls from his old life, Iris had for some reason decided to give him a clean break, although if what Fleecy said was right, then she had most probably been ordered by one of the Council.

The aquatic demigod shook his head, now was not the time for such thoughts, "It's nice to talk to you again Fleecy, I've missed your cheerfulness. Unfortunately, this isn't just a social call."

Fleecy smiled, "I know, I'm not stupid, but I appreciate that you even bothered to talk to me in the first place, and not jump at me and make demands like everyone else. What do you need?"

Percy grinned at her, "I'm looking for two people, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov, could you find their location for me please? I didn't want to make a call because they're not aware of this whole...Greek situation."

Fleecy blinked, the color change in her eyes slower this time, and nodded, "Give me a moment, I'll need to check outside the Greek/Roman boundary. Any other information that you can tell me about them?"

Steve stepped forward, "Clint has dark brown hair, cropped, and is an expert archer. He's also about 5'8"*. Nat is his partner, the two of them won't be far from each other, but she usually wears a leather suit and has red hair." He hesitated slightly, then continued, "There should be another person with them, his name is Phil Coulson. If I'm not wrong, the three of them shouldn't have gone their separate ways, but it'll be good to keep an eye out for him too."

The platinum haired nymph smiled brightly and told them to wait for a moment, vanishing from the water mirage.

Tony poked Percy in between the shoulder blade, "You have got to tell me how that whole shit works, because I'm not going to accept 'magic' as an answer." He whispered furiously.

Percy nudged the scientist back, "It's not like I even know your scientific jargon in the first place! How am I supposed to even explain it to you when I don't even know how it works? The first time I heard of IM, I thought it stood for Instant-Messaging." The demigod deadpanned.

Fleecy buzzed into appearance after awhile, holding a stack of papers, "Well, I think I've found them, they're in Washington, so thankfully close, but they're underground."

"Can you find their exact location? Or lead us to it?" Loki interjected, appearing behind the avengers.

Fleecy recoiled in shock, stuttering, "Um – well, I could give you an approximate location – but not where they are exactly – unless you want coordinates?" she squeaked, slipping into her native tongue at the end.

Loki raised an eyebrow causing the nebulae to stutter out a few more words and several numbers at them before she swiped her hand through the water, barely getting out a 'Bye Percy!' before the message ended. The five of them blinked at the now empty space before them, four heads turning to Loki. The god scowled, "What? It isn't as if I forced her into telling me where their location was."

Percy grinned at Loki's discomfort, "Well did anyone catch what she said? I think she gave us some coordinates."

Bruce nodded, "38, 53, 42 north and 77, 02, 10 west."

Tony stared at him, flummoxed, "How the hell did you even catch that?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, "Scientist, remember?" he said dryly.

"She said that they were in Washington right? Tony, get JARVIS to bring up their location, and Loki, what did Triton say?"

The god grimaced, "I told him, but he's going to have to tell the Council, which might take awhile."

Steve sighed, "Well at least it gives us time to reach Natasha and Clint. Have we thought about the mode of transport yet?"

"Mrs O Leary can ferry us there." Percy piped up, cringing when a resounding 'NO!' echoed within the small confines of the washroom.

The six of them stood in a loose circle in the darkened alleyway, Percy putting his fingers to his lips and whistling loudly, the shrill sound making Steve, Loki and Thor wince due to their heightened hearing. Loki had covered the alleyway with his spells, allowing them to remain above ground without the chitauri on their tails. The three mortals stood around dejectedly, trying to avoid all thoughts on the hellhound that had brought them back. It wasn't the creature itself so much as the feeling of shadow travelling, something that made Percy laugh even though he didn't understand why they didn't like the mode of transport.

Thor was just confused.

He had been unconscious when Loki transported them and he had not experienced the hellhound's mode of travel so he was looking at his fellow team mates in confusion as they groaned again and again at the thought of their transportation.

The thunder god glanced at Loki, and at the sight of a wicked smile on his brother's face, he felt trepidation pool in his gut.

All too soon, the faithful hellhound bounded out of the shadows, and Percy intercepted her before she could pounce on anyone else, whispering their destination in her ear. She knelt down on her front paws, and Steve, Tony and Bruce climbed on her back for the third time, sighing. They gripped onto her fur tightly and clamped their mouth shut as the hellhound bounded off into another shadow.

The three non-humans stared at where they companions had vanished, Loki saying, "Shadow traveling should not be that bad yes? I was under the impression that it is similar to teleportation."

Percy nodded, "Yeah I didn't like it at first, but it's an acquired taste. Sorta. After Nico dragged me around several times and that one trip to China... Well I got used to it, and it became fun after that. Kind of like roller coasters."

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, "And what is this...roller coaster you speak of Perseus?"

Percy grinned, "Oh, it's a ride that we have on earth, there's a car, and a track and we sit in it, and the track goes up and plummets down, sometimes upside down and the whole ride lasts for several minutes. It's really fun, you should try it some time."

Thor gulped, his face paling dramatically.

There was no more time for hesitance as Mrs O Leary came back, minus the three avengers, and Percy, Loki and Thor climbed up her back.

The shadows darkened and elongated, spitting out three seemingly ordinary human beings and a huge dog onto muddy ground, tall trees rising up on either side of them, the air filled with moisture and the buzzing of insects. Shrubbery adorned the base of the trees and sparse grass bent beneath their shoes, intermixing with the wet soil in which their footprints were imprinted upon. A heartbeat later, the same shadow grew and deposited yet another three beings, radically different from the first three who arrived.

Where the first three people had been dressed in normal shirts and pants with a jacket thrown over, the second group of people were even weirder. Two of them had shoulder length hair slicked backwards, one of which held what seemed to be a silver hammer in his hand, donning a silver armor along with simple combat boots.

Thor stumbled down from the hellhound's back, blinking rapidly to calm his racing heart. "What was that?" he cried.

Loki slid off the hound's back gracefully, shifting aside to allow Percy to land on the ground beside him. The demigod patted the dog's side and sent her off, her loud bark echoing in their ears.

The six of them looked around, surrounded by trees that stretched upwards and covered the sky with their green arms.

"So how are we going to find them in this forest?" Bruce asked, keeping his voice down cautiously.

"Tony?" Steve asked, turning to the genius.

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, shrugged, "I'm flattered that you think I can track them from out here, but that'll probably mean I need to hack into SHIELD's mainframe and use their program, I don't have the database which contains all the agents' profiles in my system." He blinked, "Huh, I could do that actually, JARV –"

"No, that would take too much time and we are much too open here." Loki cut in, his hands swirling with magic.

The four avengers stared at him in shock, "You know I've been meaning to ask you," Tony started, narrowing his eyes at the god, "Since when could you use your magic?"

Thor frowned thoughtfully, "Now that the man of iron has mentioned it, I too have been wondering about that brother, does the oath not hold?"

Loki grinned cheekily, "Oh it holds alright, or rather, it held, the Norns themselves have relieved me of it. Then again, it does not matter much since I have been using my powers since that first ambush."

Everyone save Percy and Thor stared at him in horror.

His hands swirled with green light as he cast a locating spell, much like the one he used to find Thor in the base. He tracked the archer's location, since he wasn't familiar at all with Romanov and Barton had been under his control for awhile

"Wait, wait, wait, what the hell do you mean by you've been using your powers since Afghanistan?" Tony shouted, throwing his hands up as he caught up with the god who had started to move away in what seemed like a random direction.

Loki focused on the spell, giving some of his attention to the annoyed scientist beside him, "Simple," he said slyly, sliding mischievous green eyes towards the genius, "You removed the bonds placed on me, but did you ever replace it?"

Tony's jaw dropped, as did the others' while Loki just threw his head back and laughed, striding forward confidently. Percy patted Tony's shoulder encouragingly as he walked past, smiling, "Well you should be glad that he didn't try to do anything else during that time, and that the other parts of the oath still held."

"You knew?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Well, I knew after he brought me to Tony's Malibu mansion, but seeing as I didn't know the binding words..." He trailed off, grinning and sprinting to catch up with the god who took the lead.

"Months." Tony said, slightly dazed at the revelation. "Months. He's been having his power back for months and we didn't even know." The genius repeated.

Bruce sighed and steered his friend through the woods, feeling slightly shocked himself. Thor just cocked his head to one side, silently observing the relaxed pose of his brother ahead of him, so different from the maniacal, power-crazed god that had entered Midgard with the intention to rule it. It reminded him of the time when his brother was young, before the two of them had been separated by mocks and jeers and stereotypical standards of Asgard.

And it made him smile as he took up the rear of the party, their roles ironically reversed.

The group traveled in silence and in pairs, Loki and Percy taking point, with Tony and Bruce in the centre, and Steve and Thor bringing up the rear. Despite not fully trusting the wayward god, Steve conceded the fact that the god hadn't done anything for them to dismiss him just yet, save running off mid battle – though that was one fight which he figured was a lost cause anyway. Being at the back allowed him a good view of his team mates – the ones who were with him, and he marveled at how far they had progressed since the beginning.

It seemed strangely ironic that the person who had brought them all together, who had given them a common cause to fight for was the same person who was leading their little group now.

Thinking back on the events that had unfolded in the past year alone, Steve counted himself lucky and praised god that his friends were all safe and unharmed. He sneaked a glance at the taller god beside him, counting it a blessing that they hadn't lost him, either at Afghanistan or in New York, when the chitauri had ambushed them and separated them. Ahead of him, Bruce laughed lightly at something Tony said, and Steve felt his heart clench at the thought of how he had left his friend behind with the horde of chitauri while he ran for his life.

He couldn't even bear to look at Percy, seeing the boy in the flesh brought back the nightmares that had plagued his mind since he saw the video that Tony had showed him.

A heavy hand rested on his shoulder, making his jump slightly, berating himself internally for getting so caught up within his own thoughts that he'd forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings. He looked to his right, seeing Thor smiling at him.

The thunder god's eyes twinkled, "Not everything is your fault my friend, some things are beyond our control."

Steve blinked, "How did you –?"

Thor sighed, his gaze turning forward as he continued putting one foot in front of the other. "Despite what my brother says, I do know how to read others' emotions, I am just not as good as Loki is. I too have wondered much about that myself, about whether I am a good leader who is worth following into battle with."

The thunder god heaved another sigh, "If you must know Captain, I once led a group of my friends into battle. While I can acknowledge their prowess on the battlefield, and commend their loyalty to me, upon deeper reflection, I realized that it was foolish of me to do so. That day, luck was on our side, our foes were numerous and we were outnumbered yet all of us managed to survive with no mortal injuries. It was only through luck that we made it to back the pickup point, and of course it helped that my father arrived when he did."

Thor exhaled, looking down at Mjolnir solemnly, "That is not the only folly I have made, but it is one of the worse ones. When I had been exiled to Midgard, I thought to myself, what if my friends had perished on Jotunheim? Fandral and Sif nearly did, and if it weren't for Loki, I would have lost two of my dearest compatriots. And of my brother, I did not even request his presence alongside me, merely commanded it. He advised me against challenging Laufey, but I did not heed it and told him to know his place beneath me. It shamed me to think and reflect and realize that Loki could have easily been felled by the Jotuns and I would not have known until it was too late. I could have lost my friends and my brother and for what? A tantrum I threw because I could not become king.

"My father always tried to impart to me the teachings of a good leader, and once, I thought that meant being strong in battle, able to fell countless foes and forge ahead despite the odds stacked against me." Thor looked regretfully to Steve, "I now know that being a good leader means knowing when to retreat from a battle to save your men, even if it tastes of cowardice. I know that being a leader means to make decisions that are for the best for the majority, not for oneself. You embody all this and more Steve, you are a good leader, and you should not doubt yourself. All of us believe in you." He smiled gently, "We would not follow you otherwise."

Steve blinked in surprise, really, he thought, he should stop being surprised by the people he was surrounded by. It seemed as though everyone had a hidden wise man within them. First Tony, now Thor. Steve shook his head, that was probably one of the longest speeches Thor had made that wasn't about Jane.

He inclined his head towards the hammer wielding avenger, "Thank you Thor, that means a lot to me."

At the front of the group, Loki turned his head back and called out, "We're near."

They all crowded behind where he was standing in the shadows of several low hanging branches, a lone bridge stretching out before them, disappearing into a huge building with thick steel doors.

Tony whistled, impressed, "You think that's it?"

"I don't think, I know that they are within the compound." Loki said.

"One of Fury's secret bases," Percy said, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the exterior of the decrepit building. "It's not an official SHIELD hideout, but I've heard rumors about it before. And by rumors I mean Director Fury mentioned it in passing to me."

"He told you that he had a secret base in Washington?" Bruce asked.

"No, he mentioned that he had places that were off the grid." Percy responded, trying to spot any cameras or hidden weapons. The building might look as though it was about to collapse any moment on the outside, but he was more than sure that there were hidden weapons capable of taking out any intruders.

"So how are we going to get in? If this is really Fury's secret base then I'm assuming that there's some kind of recognition system and a defense system, which might actually be more of an offense." Tony supplied, typing rapidly into his phone.

Loki pursed his lips, "I would suggest that either one or all three of you present yourself first. Thor, Percy and I will hang back until you have explained everything to them."

"Why should I not go too brother? Or Perseus for that matter, is he not an agent of the same organization?" Thor asked confusedly.

Loki rolled his eyes, "The last time they saw you Thor, you were under the chitauri's control. And if Barton sees me, he's more liable to shoot me and pretend that I was an intruder before letting me in. as for Percy, the last time they saw him, he was dead, and as you know, chitauri are shape-shifters so Romanov and Barton might think that they're impersonating Percy. After all, resurrection isn't supposed to be common for mortals."

"You're just saying that so that if we get shot you guys can run." Tony deadpanned.

Loki pressed a hand to his heart, "Oh woe be me, the man of iron has figured out my nefarious plot to take out half the avengers in one go, whatever shall I do?"

Percy face-palmed, Bruce sighed, Steve and Thor stared at the god, and Tony snorted, pointing at him, "If we die Reindeer Games, I'm coming back to haunt you."

Loki grinned, "My daughter rules over the dead, you think I am afraid of you little mortal?"

Tony sniped, "Bring it on Dasher!"

Steve rolled his eyes, separating the two physically, "You two, stop squabbling, Loki, Percy, Thor, stay here until we give the all clear. Tony, Bruce, come on, and Tony, stay behind me."

Steve held his shield out in front of him, the round disc angled to deflect any blows that came his way. Bruce stood beside him, the two of them covering Tony. The genius could hold his own in battle, especially in the suit, but as fast as it could unpack, there would still be several seconds where the scientist was vulnerable. Bruce had the hulk, and his transformation took less time, making him the less vulnerable of the two. According to Bruce, the 'other guy' just spit out whatever bullets he took when he transformed.

The three of them crossed the bridge, looking out for any surprises. It wasn't until they were in the shadows of the huge building that a camera slid out of its hidden position, fixing its unblinking red beam on them.

Steve halted, looking directly into the camera lens. "Hawkeye, Widow, it's Steve, I'm with Tony and Bruce. If you can hear me, show us a signal. There's been some new information that's come up after you both left with Phil, and we need to discuss it, preferably not out in the open." He paused, wondering how to introduce the other three but decided to throw caution to the wind, "I don't know if you can tell, but we're not alone, Loki is with us, as is Thor, and...Percy is too. I know," he cut in hastily as several guns popped out, the grey barrels aimed straight at them, "I know you're thinking of the chitauri, but I can vouch for all three of them. It's not what you think, and it's to do with the information we've gathered over the few days. Clint, Tasha, will you let us in?"

He held his breath, eyeing the guns warily, the silence hanging in the air like the calm before a storm. After several long seconds, they felt a slight tremor beneath their feet, a low rumble building up as the door slowly rolled open, displaying its interior black maw for them to see. Taking it as a sign for them to move in, he turned to where Loki, Percy and Thor were standing, beckoning them over.

When the other three had joined them, they walked into the base, instinctively forming a loose circle to keep an eye out for either direction. As they ventured further into the building, the door closed behind them, leaving them in pitch black darkness. Above them, several rusty light bulbs flickered to life in the dimness, their illumination barely enough to light their path.

The musty smell of the abandoned building brought unpleasant memories back into Percy's mind, reminding him of the base that he had gone down in and never came back up. He grimaced, clenching his hand into fists, trying to banish the memories of his ambush and the betrayal of his partner. Loki looked at him in concern, and he shook his head, stepping closer to the older god, taking comfort in Loki's presence.

Soon enough, they reached the end of the hallway, stopping short as they saw Clint aiming his arrow at them.

Steve held up his hands, having placed his shield back on his back, "Clint," he said lowly, "It's us, put down your weapon."

The archer never wavered, staring straight at Loki. "I know it's you Cap, its not you I don't trust, its him."

Percy stepped forward, "Clint, he's on our side, has been since he came here –" he cut himself off when the arrow swung to point at him instead.

Clint narrowed his eyes, "I saw you die, we all did, and forgive me for not believing that people come back from the dead like that." He said sarcastically.

"Katniss, stop being melodramatic! It isn't as if we've never seen a revival before, if my memory serves me right, Coulson died before too!" Tony exclaimed, stepping in front of Percy protectively.

"Yes well Coulson's case was a clinical one, he flat lined, they brought him back, he recovered." Clint said flatly, "I saw the kid die, and I'm not taking any chances with this shit. Or did you forget about that chitauri who almost killed you in Afghanistan Stark?"

Tony scoffed, "A lot of things nearly killed me in Afghanistan bird-brain, Percy isn't one of them."

Percy huffed and pushed past Tony, startling him and everyone else as he stalked towards Clint, stopping only when the tip of the arrow was a millimeter away from his chest. Percy narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Clint, "Well, go on, what are you waiting for? Didn't you want to shoot me?"

Clint started, his bow never wavering but his heart filling with doubt. "Get away from me." He spat out, lifting the arrow higher.

Percy tilted his chin upwards, mentally apologizing to Loki who he could feel thrumming with energy behind him. "No, you wanted to shoot, so go on, shoot. Or are you too afraid to Clinton?" He sneered, his green eyes flashing.

Clint narrowed his eyes, his frame wracked with tension but not rising to the bait, "Prove that you're him, that you're not some chitauri in disguise."

Percy groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, "Do you really think that a chitauri would be standing here and talking to you instead of taking the first opportunity to gut you?" He asked incredulously, throwing his hands up.

Clint shifted the arrow, "Yeah well I've learned that those bastards are unpredictable, they'd do anything to make you believe what they want you to believe."

Percy sighed, "Fine," he said, holding his palm up, slowly, with the dank and humid air in the building, a bubble of water condensed in his hand, floating above it and flowing between his fingers, "You asked for it."

In a split second, the water crystallized into a dagger that Clint recognized well, from the intricate design on its hilt to the precise length of the blade and the minute scratches on the sharp end of the dagger – in short, it was the exact replica of the dagger that Clint had strapped to his thigh, the only dagger he never ever used as a throwing weapon. It contained his memories and his connection to his past, and a grand total of three people knew its significance and its existence. Natasha was one, his partner, as did Phil, who was his handler. The last person was standing in front of him, and Clint's tense frame finally relaxed.

Seeing the ice sculpture, Clint finally put down his arrow, pulling Percy into a hug, "Damn kid," he whispered, "You have got to tell me how you did that."

"Are they clear?" a voice rang out behind them.

The group spun and faced Natasha, who was aiming both guns at them from the back, each weapon focused on the two Asgardians, her eyes fixed on her partner.

Clint nodded, and while Natasha stared at him and Percy disbelievingly, she lowered her weapons in the end, demonstrating the trust she placed in her partner.

"That was all?" Tony sputtered, "He just had to show you a knife?"

Clint glared at him, "Did you want a tougher test princess? Because I could totally give you one. Hint, it involves a hell lot of arrows and you being a pincushion."

Steve sighed at their renewed banter, and asked Natasha, "Do you have somewhere we can go so that we can discuss what to do now?"

Natasha nodded, turning on her heels down another hidden hallway, "Follow me boys."

She led them to what seemed like the far side of building, stopping to scan her finger on the lock mechanism before the door slid open. They stepped through, the door revealing yet another hallway. This corridor was much shorter though, and there were many plastic drapes that covered much of the room, making them have to push the irritating material out of their faces as they walked.

An out of place hospital bed occupied the back of the huge room, a dark skinned man lying on it, bandages covering almost every inch of his body, making him look like a mummy. If it wasn't for the fact that it was Fury on the bed, Tony would have long cracked a joke. That being said, the bald director glared at the genius through his lone eye, challenging him to say anything about his physical state.

As though they were students late for class, the six of them stood around the bed, Fury eyeing each one of them critically, giving an exasperated sigh when he saw Percy in the group. "Can someone tell me why I am currently seeing a ghost?"

Percy scowled, "I'm not a ghost director," he sniped, offended at being compared to one of his uncle's residents, "And how long have you been hiding here anyway?"

Fury raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Last I checked kid, you were deader than a doornail, so would someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" he shouted, everyone jumping up.

Steve hesitated, "You see sir... it's kind of a long story."

Fury glared at him, spreading his arms out, "Does it look like I'm going anywhere?"

Phil stood from where he had been sitting beside his boss, his face expressing none of the shock that he felt at the sight of his third protégé entering the room. He looked to Clint and Natasha, both of whom shrugged at his inquisitive look. The ex agent of SHIELD waved the six of them towards a stack of chairs and boxes, "Sorry about the accommodation," he said benignly, "we weren't exactly expecting guests."

Steve shook his head and smiled back, while Fury's potent glare washed over all of them from his reclined position on the bed. "Well?" he demanded, "Get on with it."

Percy sighed, looking to Tony and Bruce and Loki, who rolled his eyes and crossed his legs gracefully, gesturing for him to take the floor. Percy turned back to his boss, gulping at the intimidating stare that was now turned his way. "Well you see, this whole thing kinda starts way earlier, like, before I joined SHIELD. And its highly complicated but I'll try my best to put it coherently." He took a deep breath, "You know the thing about Greek myths? Yeah well they aren't that much of a myth..."

Fury felt a world class migraine coming on. It had started with a small pounding in his head when Percy stepped into view, and the avengers walking alongside public enemy number one who he didn't even know was in town. Said pounding of his head just grew exponentially as Percy retold his story, talking about his background as a demigod and about the existence of another pantheon of gods right smack in the middle of New York.

Fury felt a vein in his forehead twitch.

Dealing with Thor and the destroyer in New Mexico had been bad enough. Add in the invasion that Loki brought to New York and Fury didn't want to even deal with gods or pseudo gods any longer. Now one of his best agents was telling him with a straight face that Greek myths were true. Fury was liable to have dismissed him without a second thought if not for two things. One, Thor and Loki were sitting in front of him as proof of the Norse pantheon, and two, Captain America was supporting his story. Along with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, two of the world's smartest scientists who did not believe in magic.

Silence hung in the air after Percy finished his story, his SHIELD training kicking in where he would have fidgeted with nervousness before. Fury narrowed his eye at Percy, staring at each and every one of them.

Finally, he turned to Steve, Tony and Bruce, "And you believe him? All of you?"

Steve nodded, as did Bruce, though Tony did so reluctantly. "We've seen proof sir. I don't want to call them gods, but their strength and power is undeniable."

Fury sighed, he was too old for this shit. When he signed up as the director of SHIELD, he did so to protect the world from the shadows of humanity, not from extra terrestrial life forms.

"Let's say I believe you, what has that got to do with anything?" Fury asked, tilting his head back to stare at them. "Say if I believe that whole nonsense about the gods and whatnot, what do you want me to do about it?"

Percy frowned, "Do? Nothing, we just thought that you should know the full story before we decide what to do."

Fury narrowed his eyes, but Loki cut in smoothly, "Asgard is currently under duress, and while my brother and I have mutually agreed to return to the realm to defend it, there was a slight complication in that particular plan when your group of mortals decided that they wanted in as well."

Fury turned his glare onto the god, but Loki had endured far worse than that to be intimidated, never mind the fact that the director's stare had an unnerving resemblance to the king of Asgard. "And here is the other problem," Fury drawled, "When the hell did this asshole come back to earth and who forgot to inform me?"

Steve stepped forward, "I take the blame for that sir, it was a mutual agreement not to let you know since Thor brought him back to earth at that point to help us – as in, our group personally – and we decided that he wasn't a threat back then."

Loki bristled at the insinuation that he was weak, but reigned in his temper at Percy's calming touch. He bit back a sigh, mortals were so troublesome.

Fury looked from Steve to Loki, asking, "So is he a threat now? Or did you all get warm and cuddly with public enemy number one?"

Thor growled, "Director, I respect your authority as the leader of Midgard's defense, but I cannot allow you to continue slighting my brother in such a manner. Loki is a changed man, he is not the same person as the one who invaded your city. I myself am guilty of not noticing that my own brother was trapped within his mind by the chitauri."

Loki sighed and pressed a hand against his brother's chest, pushing him back, he looked Fury in the eye, "I think, that we are digressing. Director, I take full responsibility for the invasion that happened years ago. Controlled or not, it was disgraceful of me to have been trapped by their magic when I should have easily broken free. That being said, the issue now is of your men, who are adamant in accompanying us to Asgard to fight."

He took a deep breath, taking the man's silence as a sign to continue, "You have fought against the chitauri, yes. You have seen their numbers, but what came into New York was but a small army of drones. Barely any intelligence and only capable of following mindlessly. In Asgard, it will be an outright war, especially with the mad titan leading his army this time."

"What do you want me to do? I'm not their keeper, I think Stark has said that many times before." Fury retorted.

"Look, I know you're gonna say that this is the adults talking and all, but has anyone considered that we might have something to say about ourselves?" Tony asked, glaring at both Loki and Fury.

"I agree," Bruce piped up, "No offense director, but I think that its our decision to do what we want, and we agreed on following Thor. He's our friend, and he came to us when we needed help, now is the time to return the favor."

"And if all of you goes, who will defend this planet? Did you think of that?" Fury demanded, "All of you, running off to save the world and you forget why you were even picked in the first place!"

"With all due respect sir," Phil interjected, "I think that Earth doesn't need to worry about its defenses.

Fury sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "So what, you believe all that mojo about Greek mythology?"

Phil smiled, "With what I've seen sir? Yes, it doesn't seem that far of a stretch."

Fury groaned, his head hitting the pillow lightly.

"And we're all off topic here." Tony said, rolling his eyes, "How about we get to the main reason why we actually came here?"

The genius turned to Clint and Natasha, both assassins standing together in one corner, the former glaring daggers into Loki's head. "We," he said, gesturing to himself, Bruce, Steve and Percy, "Have already decided to go to Ass-guard, and the whole reason we came here for was to ask you two if you wanna come. Granted, we didn't exactly expect to find Captain Sparrow here."

He turned in a circle, spreading his arms out, "Right, let me reiterate my point earlier. You two," he said, pointing to Thor and Loki, "Said that we couldn't come along because it was, and I quote, 'too dangerous for mortals'. Yes okay we know that the chitauri invasion was rigged, bla bla bla, but we can hold our own in battles thank you very much." He clapped his hands together, "Long story short, evil alien is about to invade Ass-guard, evil alien is extremely strong and relentless and evil alien has a swarm of alien minions following him. Got the story so far? Right, said evil alien wants to kill everyone in the universe to impress his girlfriend and so, like what I told Thor earlier," he said, his tone becoming more serious, "if we don't give our all and make a stand against Thanos, he'll just come for us after he finishes with Asgard, and then where will we be?"

Everyone remained silent after Tony's speech, and all eyes fell to the two assassins who looked at Phil and Fury. Phil shrugged, "I may have done field work once, but I don't think a war is my cup of tea, besides, we need to rebuild and take back SHIELD."

Fury growled, looking at his two best assassins, "That is what you two should be doing, weeding out the chitauri and the traitors in our midst instead of running off half-assed into some other planet."

"With all due respect sir," Natasha said, her voice even, "You told us to work with the team when you put us together. That is what we're doing now."

Fury sighed, "Whatever, SHIELD basically doesn't exist now anyway so my authority over you is moot. Do whatever you want but if you die then ill get to say 'I told you so'."

Loki rubbed his forehead, "And while you mortals stand around and argue your point, Thanos could have finished off Asgard and come for Midgard and you wouldn't even know it." He spun on his heel, intent on heading back the way he came, "If you cannot decide, then I will leave first."

"You think that only your issues are important?" Fury questioned, making Loki stop in his tracks, "You may think that you're above us, but this organization is important for us mortals, in a way that you probably wouldn't understand anyway. So stop disregarding every other problem just because you think that yours take priority."

"SHIELD works in the background, we ensure that the systems of the world run smoothly and we take out any individual or organization that might try to disrupt things." Phil continued, "SHIELD is the last line of defense, and if we don't get it back up and running again, no one will take the mantle of defending the world from its shadows."

Loki scoffed, throwing a contemptuous look over his shoulder, "And how good is an organization like that at weeding out the infected of the world when it cannot even do the same for its own system?"

The priceless looks of shock were worth the disapproving look that Percy leveled at him as he stalked out of the base, disappearing using his magic.

Loki inhaled the fresh air outside the base, leaning against the railing of the bridge, staring at the slab of concrete that he was facing. It wasn't long before the door groaned open, the rumble beneath his feet a telltale sign. He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around.

The person came to stand beside him, and he sighed, "You might as well say it all now."

"Say what?" Percy asked, "That you shouldn't have said those kind of things? That I'm disappointed that you demeaned them?" he turned to face the god, "Do you want me to say all those things? Because I won't. I don't like what you did back there, but I know why you did it."

Loki scoffed, "Do not presume to know my intentions, their little mortal organization is ineffective and full of lies and traitors in its midst."

"Don't forget that it's that very same organization that saved my life." Percy warned.

"I will never forget that," Loki replied, "But that does not change the fact that the enemy was able to slip into their ranks easily. Besides, if more of them stay, the less I have to deal with mortals."

"And the faster they can rebuild their organization. Right?"

Loki stubbornly remained silent.

Percy sighed, "You don't always have to do things in such a roundabout manner you know, sometimes you can just come out right and say it."

Loki sneered, "And when I do, who appreciates my goodwill? Who even believes that I would be doing it out of the good in my heart? No one." He said vehemently, "No one believes that, they only believe me capable of evil and destruction, never mind that they have killed for delight far more than I have. I am silvertongue and I am liesmith and therefore I am inherently evil."

In the next second, he found himself yanked around to face Percy, who's face was pinched with anger, "Do not ever – ever talk about yourself like that again." He hissed, his green eyes darkening, "I believe you, Thor believes you, and I know that your mother believes you too. No one is inherently evil Loki, not you, not me, no one. If you ever say that again I will gut you and string you up."

Loki's eyes widened, and when Percy asked, "Am I clear on that?" he nodded.

The god rubbed his arm at the spot where Percy grabbed him, commenting lightly, "You are one fearsome individual, I pity whoever has and will cross you."

Percy smirked, "Then you better hope that you never make me angry."

The door opened again to let out the four non-SHIELD members of the avengers, Tony scowling heavily.

"This was a waste of time," he snapped, "Those idiots can't see the point I'm trying to make. Whatever," he cut a hand through the air agitatedly, "We'll be the ones who support our friends."

Loki tilted his head, "I suppose that this means that they are not coming?"

"Don't assume anything asshole." Clint said, vaulting over the railing and onto the bridge. "We're coming."

They all turned to stare at him, wondering where he appeared from. They got their answer in the next second when Natasha climbed over the railing as well.

Seeing their puzzled looks, Natasha said simply, "Backdoor."

Loki stifled a sigh, looking away from Percy's smug grin, "I suppose that everyone is going then."

"Wait, we're going to Asgard now?" Tony asked.

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but a new voice cut in before he could.

"Of course not, you didn't think that you'd be leaving without paying the host a visit now did you?"

They all whipped around, weapons out, all of them save Percy and Loki stunned at the appearance of a random man in a jogger suit typing rapidly on his smartphone.

"Who are you?" Natasha demanded, "How did you find this place?"

The man blinked, looking up from his phone to see all the weapons pointed at him, "Oh dear, you won't be needing that," he said, waving his hands. In an instance, their weapons all disappeared, startling them.

Percy frowned and stepped forward, "Stop that, what are you here for?"

The man placed a hand over his heart, wailing dramatically, "Oh you wound me so with your disregard." But seeing the infamous death glare aimed at him, he cleared his throat and straightened up, "But never mind that, my name is Hermes, and you've all been summoned by the council."