AN: I'm sorry! I know I said Tuesday, but my computer refuses to connect to the internet for some reason. I'm going to have to update from my dad's computer until further notice, and I'm only at his place on certain days, so updates are going to slow down and solely depend on when I can get on a reliable computer. Sorry again!

Thanks to all to Followed, Faved and Reviewed! Virtual cookies to you all!

Thanks to the guest Ann for giving me an idea!

"JARVIS"

"Speaking"

Video

On with the tale!

OOOOOOOOOO

"Sir, there is something on the camera that pertains to your search."

"What! Which camera?"

"The one in this room, sir."

"JARVIS, I need you to show me that footage right now!"

"Just a moment sir."

All of the Avengers raced to the monitor, looking over their shoulders to see if they could see the green eyed trickster.

Bruce was taking deep breaths, using his meditation techniques to prevent The Other Guy from tearing apart New York to get to the 'puny god'. Clint was pacing angrily, punching walls at random. Tony was furiously typing on his holographic computer, trying to figure out Loki's next move while glaring at Clint for punching his walls. Natasha was assisting Bruce in staying calm, while trying to get Clint to stop breaking Tony's stuff. Steve was pacing in and telling Tony to go faster. Whatever Loki was up to, they had to put a stop to it.

Suddenly, Loki himself appeared on the camera. But he wasn't standing in the room. His reflection was caught in a mirror. He appeared to be laughing at something, presumably the Avengers. Then, he gasped, nearly doubling over. He lifted his head, eyes shining blue for a brief moment. He was panicking. He looked like the apocalypse had just begun. Then, a pair of wings a shimmering gold that could put Asgard's great palace to shame sprung from his back, and a second later he was gone.

Silence. The Avengers stood stock still, to shocked to do or say anything. For once, Avengers Tower was encased in silence.

"What the actual fuck was that?!"

Well, it couldn't last for long. It was against the laws of nature. Everyone turned their head towards Tony, the man behind the outburst.

"I mean seriously, what the hell? How did Reindeer Games even get in here? Thor, you said he wouldn't be able to!"

Thor was pale. After Tony's outburst, his eyes had moved back to the monitor as if it would give him answers. He shook his head.

"He shouldn't have. The Allfather himself barred this tower from him. There should be no possible way Loki, or any of his magic for that matter, to get in this tower."

"Okay, so that means that Loki shouldn't be able to get in here himself, or send an illusion in here. But how did he do it?"

That question left everyone feeling uneasy. Odin Allfather was supposed to have high authority. No one, not even Loki, was supposed to be able to get passed his shields. But Loki did it. And from the way he didn't look strained in any way, it could be assumed that he did it easily. That was bad news. Very bad news.

"Hold up," Clint but in, "He was laughing. He looked like he was enjoying himself. What if that's what he's been doing these last six months? Purposefully getting caught on camera so we would run around like maniacs while he laughed at us?"

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "It would explain why he's never actually involved in anything and why there's no rhyme or reason to where he shows up."

Steve shook his head. "It doesn't add up. Loki wants to rule the earth. Why would he do something like that?"

Bruce sighed. "We can come back to that later. Let's look at the other parts of the video. He doubled over gasping, his eyes turned blue, he panicked, grew golden wings, and disappeared. First of all, that eye change is making me uneasy. JARV, can you run his eye color by Clint's when he was under the Tesseract's control? I want to see if it's a match."

"Of course Dr. Banner. The results are: Match."

"So wait a minute. Does this mean that Loki is being controlled by the Tesseract?" Steve said.

Tony cocked his head in thought. "It would explain why he doubled over. Someone suddenly invading his head would come as a shock. It also explains the panicked look he had. But it doesn't explain the wings or how he was able to get passed Odin's shields."

Thor gasped. "My brother has always moved his shoulders similar to how a bird would ruffle their wings. I used to poke fun at him about it, and all he would do was smirk as if he knew something I didn't."

Natasha frowned. "You don't think he's had them this whole time, do you?"

The thunder god sighed. "I do not know. I used to believe I knew everything about him, but I believe it is fairly clear by now that I did not. Loki did not just go insane when he learned of his adoption. The truth is, he had been slowly sinking into madness for centuries. When he was made aware of his lineage, his mind could no longer take the weight and shattered. I will admit that I probably had a large part to play in the loss of his sanity. Looking back, there were signs. Little things that he would do, a sudden hysterical edge to his voice, a brief crazed look in his eye. I dismissed them at the time, though now I wish I hadn't. If I had not been so blind, if I had taken action then, gotten him to a mind healer before his psyche was broken beyond repair… The point is, I did not and do not know everything about Loki. It is entirely possible that Loki has always had wings, and simply hid them from everyone. Especially if he can do what he appears to be able to, that is to say, make them appear and disappear at will."

Steve cocked his head. "But still, wouldn't he have at least told somebody about the fact that he has wings?"

Thor shook his head. "Not necessarily. My brother was always ridiculed for the fact that he was different. He did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. He was horrible in every weapon besides staffs and knives. He was not large and muscular. He prefered to use magic, what is considered to be a woman's art, instead of a sword. While I and my friends went out on dangerous adventures, he was more than content to stay home and read books. At the time, I and most of Asgard saw it as weakness. Now, I realize what fools we all were. He may have only been good at knives and staffs, but he was extremely proficient in both. He may not have been very large, but his smaller size proved to be highly beneficial in battle. His magic makes him a force to be reckoned with, even if he didn't possess the before mentioned advantages. While my friends and I went out to endanger our lives, he acquired all the knowledge Asgard had to offer. I believe that you Midgardians have a saying. 'Knowledge is power.' You couldn't be more right. I, and many others owe our lives to the fact that he stayed and read. He knew of weaknesses we did not. Had he not been there, or had he been what Asgard considered 'the perfect prince', I certainly would not be here today. But, no one viewed it that way. As I said, Loki was constantly ridiculed for his differences. If he discovered he had another, he likely would have hidden it for fear of his treatment becoming worse, especially if he could make it disappear at will. He probably didn't tell a soul, for fear of it being discovered."

Tony winced. "I get it. Shitty childhoods. They suck. From that info, it seems perfectly reasonable for the guy to go psycho. but what I still don't get is how he managed to get passed Big Daddy's shields. Combined with the wings, it almost looks like Reindeer Games' gone Angel on our asses."

Thor frowned. "Angel? What is that of which you speak?"

Steve cocked his head, but then a realization dawned on him. "Oh, guess they don't have Christianity in Asgard, do they? Well, in the Christian Bible, There is God. Not a god, just one. He created the universe. Mainly, four realms. Earth, Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. Earth, obviously, is where we humans live. When we die, we either go to Heaven or Hell, depending on what type of person you were in life. Heaven for the good, Hell for the bad. I suppose that Heaven could be compared to Valhalla, and Hell could be compared to Helheim. Purgatory is where anything not human goes when they die. In Heaven, There lived God and his Angels. Angels are winged humanoid creatures, said to be God's children and field operatives, per say. There were four Archangels: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel. They were Avenging angels, Heavens greatest weapon. All other angels resided below them on the hierarchy, though every angel, even the Archangels, had a specific job. Lucifer was God's lieutenant, Gabriel was his messenger. Then, God created Humans. God asked the Angels to bow down to man, but Lucifer refused. A long war followed, entailing the first sin committed by man, the creation of the first demon(a monster/torturer from hell),and a third of Heaven rallying behind Lucifer. At the end of the war, Michael cast Lucifer into Hell. He, Raphael, and Gabriel became the three rulers of Heaven after God left, though for some reason Gabriel just stops showing up. It's like he just disappeared. According to these texts, Lucifer will rise again someday, and bring about the Apocalypse. The Apocalypse is said the be the final fight between Michael and Lucifer, Heaven and Hell. If Michael wins, half the world dies and goes to Heaven, while the other half enjoy the Paradise Michael will bestow. If Lucifer wins, everyone dies, and Earth becomes Hell. That's about as far into a summary as I can go without getting into Jesus, and that's a discussion for another day."

Thor tilted his head. "I Doubt that my brother is one of these 'Angels', but if he were, I suppose that explains how he got in here."

Tony snorted. "There is no possible way your brother is an Angel. Angels are the good guys. I might believe that he was a demon. There's probably just a weakness in the shield around the Tower. We'll find it. Right now, we need to focus on Loki, and finding him. If he really is under the Tesseract's control, then we're in trouble."

Everyone nodded, and went back to trying to find the Trickster with this new information in mind.

Meanwhile, in another part of the country, Gabriel was walking in the town which hosted the largest gate to hell in the U.S. The gate that attracts witches to it like moths to a flame to this very day, despite the events in the late 1600's that should have acted as a deterrent. In other words, it was the best place for Gabriel to confirm that Lucifer was free. Gabriel was so caught up in his thoughts, that he barely noticed the sign that welcomed him to the town.

Welcome To Salem, Massachusetts