Author's Note: Hello my lovely readers! I'm very excited to be sharing this story with you all. This is my first fanfic and first time to publish. Feedback is greatly encouraged, what you think matters to me. I hope you enjoy!
"Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are sleeping at the bottom of our minds, waiting for our call. We have need for them. They represent the wisdom of our race." -Stanly Kunitz
The dim twilight streamed through the marble columns, casting long shadows over the cracked floor. In the center of the room the soiled, worn face of a once gleaming crest glittered wearily amongst the cobblestones; a sad reminder of glory days gone by. Five thrones set against the walls of the temple and five pairs of eyes shone with a silent challenge. Who would break the silence? A large, foreboding man with an unruly mane of russet colored hair brought his fist down on the tired arm of his seat.
"Something must be done. We cannot sit idly and let this opportunity pass us by!" His voice boomed in the cavernous hall, his eyes flashed with dangerous intensity, like the sea after a storm.
"What would you have us do, brother," a second voice cut the heavy silence, gentle but compelling.
A snarl curved the man's lips, "I would have us form a plan, and restore the glory of this realm!" His wild stormy eyes searched those of his opposition, looking for weakness. The second speaker rose from his place, dusty white robes sweeping the stones below.
"My brother, there are no spoils to be gained from the war of another."
Trembling with anger, the stormy eyed man opened his mouth to speak, but his elegant challenger raised his hand for silence. Dismissing his wild-eyed brother, he crossed to the center of the room, steel gray eyes holding the gazes of his fellows, behind his snowy beard his lips were set in a hard line of resolve, gesturing to his court.
"Brothers, sisters, wife… we have no quarrel with the realms of Earth and Asgard. Both realms have been shaken to the core by the horrors of treachery and war. There is nothing for us on Earth and Asgard is our sister realm, it would be a celestial crime to attack her."
"Perhaps, king and brother, we have not reviewed all of our options," a low, silky voice purred.
All eyes turned to the dark form of the third brother. Silky, ebony hair was tied loosely away from the chiseled face, his onyx eyes betrayed no emotion, but there was a natural seduction about them; he was a man not to be trifled with. He moved fluidly past the enraged stare of his first brother and joined his second in the center of the room, onyx orbs penetrating that steel gaze.
"You are right, God king," the dark man said, turning to address the assembled court, "it would be foolish to engage Asgard. She is our sister realm, her warriors are fierce, it is a fool's errand." He paused for dramatic effect, "But Earth, Earth is weak and frankly, I think it's time we re-established the universal order of the things with the humans."
"Hades, sit down!" the King of the Gods boomed.
Zeus pushed his hand forward, sending a bolt of lightning into the chest of his brother. Hades flew backwards, chuckling.
Their stormy brother, Poseidon, leapt to his feet, anxious to join the fray, "Brother Zeus, he is right! Let us reap the souls on Earth, take back our temples and our worship!"
Zeus whirled about to face Poseidon, "Enough! To challenge Earth is to challenge Thor, Odin's son. I will not quarrel with Asgard!"
Poseidon gritted his teeth and violently pulled his trident from its resting place by the throne. He brandished the point mere inches from Zeus's face, "You are a fool brother. Perhaps you are no longer fit to lead this mighty realm, you have let the glory of Olympus fall to ruin and you will pay in blood!" With one final frenzied cry, Poseidon turned on his heel and charged out of the temple.
Demeter and Hera remained in their seats, their glorious faces a mask of fear. From the shadow of a column, Hades' low laughter echoed. The God of the Underworld rose batting dust from his dark robes, "Now you see, brother? There will be war. Are you prepared to bring about the final fall of Olympus?"
Zeus watched helplessly as Hades swept by, watching until the black form disappeared in the fading light outside the temple. Hera and Demeter rushed to his side, looking into Zeus's face with pleading eyes. Zeus would not meet their gaze, inside his heart was breaking, for the first time since his ascending to the throne; Olympus would be torn by civil war.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters 0900 hours
Director Nick Fury hated speeches; he stood awkwardly in the center of S.H.I.E.L.D's main control room, uncomfortably aware that all eyes were on him. The Avengers, the countless agents, the military men, hell, even the janitors were waiting patiently; Fury smiled broadly, "The Avenger's Initiative, I have to say, was a complete success."
The room broke forth with enthusiastic applause and cheers. Nick Fury beamed with pride as many a soldier and patriot stepped forth to shake his hand, to congratulate the Avengers, and to grab at the complimentary beer that waited on the conference table. Amidst the joy, Nick Fury allowed himself a moment of private thought; had the Avenger Initiative not come through, where would Earth be? He grimaced at the thought and promptly pushed the idea away, now was a time for celebration.
As the party thinned out and dispersed, Nick Fury was left with the six people responsible for the safety of the world. "An Avenger's work is never done," Fury chuckled, grabbing for a file on his desk, "Please, sit down. We've got business to attend to."
In his entire career, Nick Fury never imagined that he would ever be saddled with a team like this. He scanned the room taking mental account. At his left was Captain Steve Rodgers, better known to all as Captain America. Sweet kid. Next was Natasha Romanov, the infamous Black Widow, probably not the best career investment now that he thought about it. Of course Hawkeye. Then Bruce Banner, looking a little less green, which was always a relief. The Asgard god of thunder, Thor and finally, last, but certainly not least, Mr. Tony Stark, alias Iron Man. The jackass was gulping down what appeared to be his fifth Budweiser, might as well count him out on this meeting.
Director Fury cleared his throat, "Mr. Stark if you could please set the beverage down for just a moment, I promise I'll try not to be too much of a bother to you." Fury raised an eyebrow at the hopeless grin Stark wore.
The playboy chuckled before downing the bottle. Relinquishing a belch, Stark turned to Fury. "I'm all yours, Director."
Nick Fury rolled his good eye before continuing, "Yes, the Avenger's Initiative was a success, but we're not done yet. We received intelligence earlier today stating that Loki had an ally on the inside," he gazed pointedly at Thor, "Somebody was harboring him in the time leading up to his capture. We think it might have been a double agent within S.H.I.E.L.D" The room sat in grim silence. "Unfortunately, given recent activity, we can't tell if any agents that have gone missing are fugitives or simply part of the steadily rising body count."
Captain Rodgers shifted in his seat; this kind of harsh talk always made him uneasy. Director Fury opened the file, tossing different packets to the assembled Avengers. "These are your new assignments."
Bruce Banner raised his hand timidly. "I'm sorry, Director Fury, assignments for what."
"We'll be using the buddy system," Fury chirped. "I'm pairing up each of you and sending you all abroad to keep on the lookout for Loki's man on the inside. And to deal with anything pressing that comes up."
Tony Stark grabbed at his packet and eagerly scanned the contents, "Staying here in the good ole U.S? Don't trust me out and about?" he flipped to the next page, "And got stuck with Shakespeare." He turned a weary glance at Thor. "Can I request a trade?"
"No," Director Fury shouted, "Don't screw this up, Stark."
Tony reached over and clapped Thor's armored shoulder, "I'm just kidding, man. You and me, we'll have a good time."
Thor turned his gaze to Stark, his blue eyes piercing, "Our goal is to protect this realm. I am not here to have a good time. I should be back on Asgard with my people."
Stark raised his hands in surrender. "Whatever, maybe we'll pop in on your girl. What's her name?"
Thor's look silenced any further comment.
"Okay kids," Director Fury chided, "Pack your bags, it's time to ship out."