"You guys done playing with each other?"

Quinjet. Night. Daphne

Natasha was watching the skies carefully, listening to the sudden thunder that erupted. Daphne, standing in the middle of the flying structure, noticed that the storm started as soon as Loki boarded the Quinjet. She tensed infinitesimally, closing her eyes while breathing deeply. She hoped it didn't mean anything foreboding and that it would end soon.

"Not a word," she heard Natasha say. She looked at the redhead, slightly puzzled as to who she was talking to, when she noticed her put her hand to her ear - listening to her headset, she suspected.

"Why are you working with them?" A deep voice asked her.

She turned to see Loki staring at her intently, seeming to delve into the depths of her soul. He was tied and cuffed to his seat he was occupying. He was quite attractive, she supposed, but she wasn't into the whole 'take over the world' kind of guys.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, befuddled.

"I asked why you were working with these mortal scum. You're not exactly human, so why? Someone of your power would be more suited to a leadership role, one above the humans."

She laughed. "Why? You thinking of recruiting me? A sweet gesture, but I'm fine with being a part of the 'mortal scum', thank you." She started to turn away from the delusional God.

"There's a darkness in you."

She froze.

"Something powerful and all-consuming, if you must know. So, in answer to your question, yes. I am trying to, as you say, 'recruit' you, because you secretly want this. World domination, I mean." He grinned at her maliciously, enjoying her sudden inner turmoil.

She gradually twisted back around to face him again, her face blank. "You're the God of Mischief and Lies. Why would I believe that?"

"Because you feel that, deep down, it is true," he answered slowly.

She stared at him for a few minutes. He smirked, thinking he had broken her. Then she surprised him by laughing loudly.

"Yeah, you got me! I am completely and utterly evil with my sarcastic wit and endless stream of coffee and chocolate. I guess I should bow down to your superior ways, and beg you not to tell anyone my deepest, darkest secret."

Loki sent her a glare that seemed able to freeze the earth over multiple times.

She scoffed and after taking one last glance at Loki, she edged her way towards where Steve and Tony were standing, whispering to each other.


Steve

"I don't like it," Cap admitted to Tony, turning when he heard Daphne behind them and he smiled at her briefly before facing Stark again.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" He asked in a joking manner.

Steve ignored his jibe. "I don't remember it being ever that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?" Tony teased with a neutral expression on his face. Steve glared at the older man, getting tired of his irresponsible antics.

"What?" he questioned, baffled and a bit exasperated.

Daphne decided to butt in. "It's like calisthenics," she informed him. That didn't lessen the confusion and it annoyed him.

Tony picked up on her explanation. "You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a Capiscle," he jested.

"Tony!" she hissed at him, glaring at him with a look that said 'you went too far'.

Steve, however grateful he felt that Daphne tried to help, rose up to meet Stark's ego match. "Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," he drawled out, distaste clear in his tone.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

Daphne scoffed softly, beside him. He glanced over at the young woman and saw her eyes glaze over, gaining a far away look, signalling deep thought. He wondered what she could possible be thinking about so hard.

Thunder rumbled through the sky, followed instantly by a massive bolt of lighting that violently shook the Quinjet. Daphne stumbled on her feet, snapping out of her reverie, grabbing hold of Steve to keep herself steady, a look of fear running through her face. A tingly feeling shot through Steve's arm when she grabbed him. He dismissed it for now, not wanting it to distract him.

"Where's this coming from?" Agent Romanoff wanted to know. Nobody answered for they didn't know.

More thunder was heard above the Quinjet and Steve saw Loki staring out of the window nervously. Daphne's grip on Steve's arm tightened as more thunder roared.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightening?" Steve remarked, though harsher than he intended it to come out. He didn't see the glare that Daphne sent him at the comment.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," he said, somewhat vaguely.

"Oh my God," Daph whispered. He shot her a quick questioning look before it happened.

A blinding flash of light hit the roof of the Quinjet, shaking the jet roughly. Tony put the helmet back on his suit, ready to fight. The sound of the metal ramp opening startled them out of their thoughts. A large figure came onto the Quinjet, holding something that looked like a hammer. The dark figure became clearer, revealing a large, muscular man with long, blonde hair. He was dressed in this strange battle armour.

Stark strode over to the large man, holding up his arm to blast him with his repulsors, when the stranger pulled back his hammer and smashed it into the Iron Man suit, sending him flying back into Steve and Daphne. The man swiftly cut Loki free, grabbed him by the throat and jumped off the Quinjet with the God of Mischief in his grasp.

The three, painfully, got up, preparing to go after the stranger.

"Now there's that guy," Tony whined, much to Steve's annoyance.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked.

"It was Thor. God of Thunder," Daphne clarified. The other Avengers just looked at her. "What? I actually read, unlike some people."

"Think the guy's a friendly?" Steve queried, pleased that he had learnt another trait of the mutant woman.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki, or kills him, the Tesseract's lost," Tony replied gruffly, as he walked towards the edge of the ramp, preparing to follow both of the Gods. The mutant woman slowly followed him.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Cap warned him, agitated with his 'one-man army' approach.

"I have a plan. Attack."

Iron Man stepped off the edge, flying after the pair. Steve exhaled sharply and went to the side to grab a parachute. Daph was still standing next to the exit, staring down into the thunderous sky, seeming tense. Then, without warning, she leapt from the safety of the jet, and plummeted down towards the ground.

"No!" He yelled, rushing to the ramp, seeing nothing but dark clouds. He hastily attached the chute to his Captain America uniform.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," Natasha tells him.

"I don't see how I can." And now I definitely can't with Daphne out there, he thought. He couldn't describe it, but he had an overwhelming urge to keep her close and protect her.

"These guys come from legends. They're basically Gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that," he quipped before diving off the Quinjet, the wind whipping harshly around him as he fell.


Forest. Night. Daphne

Falling through the air was almost as relaxing as getting electrocuted for Daphne. So not much. Not when the only thing visible was the fast approaching earth. The fall would, for a normal person, end in a mangled and shattered body. But Daphne was not normal in the slightest, but she had to act quick or it would be her fate as well. She closed her eyes and imagined a bird. The way its wings soared through the air, ruffling its small feathers as it flew. The way its lithe, agile torso twisted and turned as it maneuvered through the sky. Golden wisps engorged her body while she fell and she soon felt a feeling of weightlessness. She opened her eyes when a new sensation filled her veins. She was no longer falling...

She was flying.

Vast, white wings protruded from her shoulder blades, tints of gold and black visible in the feathers. She laughed lightly, a euphoric feeling rushing through her as she soared. She flew closer to the ground, hovering slightly before setting down, her wings flapping gently. She surveyed her surroundings. Trees covered nearly every inch of her sight.

Sighing, she carefully ambled through the forest, hearing a crashing noise up ahead. Running towards the commotion, she saw Thor and Tony staggering up from the ground, circling each other, inside a clearing. The Iron Man mask was down so Daphne could see the look of annoyance of Stark's face.

"Do not touch me again!" Thor roared angrily.

"Then don't take my stuff," Stark jibed him.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," the God muttered darkly.

"Shakespeare in the park?" Daphne quipped innocently.

Both men turned to face her, startled at her sudden appearance. Tony started laughing loudly at her remark.

"Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" Tony cried out dramatically. Daphne hid her chuckle behind her hands.

"This is beyond you, metal man and strange woman. Loki will face Asgardian justice."

Daphne gasped, offended. "Tony! He called me 'strange'!" She huffed childishly. He chuckled amusedly at her.

"He gives up the cube, he's all yours. Until then, stay out of my way... tourist." The Iron Man mask slid back up and he started to walk away. Thor didn't seem to like that and raised his hammer, 'Mjölnir' she remembered, and threw it at his back, causing him to fly across the clearing into a tree.

"Okay," Tony started.

Thor raised his hand, calling Mjölnir back towards him. It flew into his outstretched hand, instantly. He swung his hammer towards Tony, summoning a ray of electrical energy. Tony flew up from where he was thrown and sped towards Thor, knocking him into a tree.

Daphne watched all of this happening from the comfort of a tree branch, sometimes giggling at the absurdity of the fight. Ouch, karma...

The God, kneeling on the ground, held his hammer up into the skies, creating a whirlwind of thunder and lightning, making Daphne tense up at the sound. The lightning poured from Mjölnir and into Tony as Thor aimed it at him, pushing Iron Man back as he tried to deflect the bolts.

"How about that?" She heard Tony mumble to himself for some reason, before blasting energy towards the God, forcing him to his knees.

Both men flew at each other, meeting in the middle and ascending high up into the air. She was waiting for them to come back down, when she heard a crash nearby. She sprinted to where the sound emanated from to see multiple trees smashed apart and strewn across the forest floor.

Thor was about to attack again when Steve came rushing towards the trio. The God and Iron man looked ready to pounce on each other, while Daphne just looked amused but tired.

"Hey! That's enough!" He yelled, looking at each of them individually, his eyes lingering on Daphne last.

"Excuse me. I don't know why you're looking at me for. I wasn't involved in this," Daphne defended herself.

"But you didn't try to stop it," he deadpanned.

"One, me getting involved would have meant more mess and would have wounded the egos of both of them," she started, gesturing towards Tony and Thor. "Two, I am not their mother. And three, it was way too fun for me to watch."

Steve nodded, accepting that reluctantly. He was about to talk, when he was interrupted.

"And anyway, that mean God over there," she pointed at Thor, "called me 'strange'. How rude is that!"

He chuckled at the woman, smiling wider when she started pouting.

He turned to face Thor. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here."

"I've come to put an end to Loki's schemes!" He declared boldly. Daphne started to think everything he did was 'bold'.

"Then prove it! Put the hammer down." Steve challenged him. Uh oh.

"Um, yeah, no! Bad call! He loves his hammer," Tony exclaimed worriedly.

Thor who got progressively angrier, snapped and lost all sense of tolerance. He raised Mjölnir threateningly. "You want me to put the hammer down?!"

He leapt into the air, towards Captain America and Steve crouched down, bringing up his shield for protection. When the hammer collided with the shield, a massive implosion of light reacted and flung them all through the trees. Daphne landed near Cap and Tony, her arm bending awkwardly underneath her. They all sit up slowly, eyes scanning through the remains of the wrecked forest. Daphne was the first to stand up as she rolled her right shoulder around, trying to loosen the muscle she had pulled.

"You guys done playing with each other?" She grunted out in pain, rubbing her neck to soothe the ache. None of them answered her. "Good."

Finished this chapter. What did you think? And what do you think of the point of view shift? I realise I forgot to ask if that worked... I learnt that 'amusedly' is a word, I checked on google. Will start working on next chapter tomorrow.

Love you guys

Jess xo