"Your highness, we insist you stay here," Fulla reasoned. She and Gefjon had both moved in front of the door.

Frigga turned around after retrieving her weapon from her wardrobe. "For your Queen, you will stand aside. I command it."

"Your Majesty, your safety – "

She didn't want to hear it. "Did you not hear that contact has been lost with that Stark man? I am now the only one here who can find him." Frigga would have insisted on going even if that wasn't the case. But the announcement of the lost contact had been made only five minutes ago and now the sense of urgency was even stronger.

Fulla pleaded, "Our duty is to ensure your safety."

Frigga knew she was putting her attendants in a difficult position, but she would protect them from any political or social consequences – later. Right now, she needed to bring back her son. "Either I dismiss you from service or you stand aside right now."

Fulla and Gefjon looked at each other and brought out their weapons: spears. As they extended the spears to their full lengths, Frigga took a step back preparing for an attack. Fulla and Gefjon reluctantly bowed with their spears pointing down. "We do not think this is the wisest choice, but we will accompany our Lady. We can best protect you at your side."

Frigga was touched. "Thank you."

Gefjon sighed out, "My Lady, just be careful."

Frigga nodded and motioned for them to follow her. She led them to the front doors where numerous fully-geared agents were running around and a helicopter was waiting. She saw the figures of Jane Foster, Bruce Banner, and Loki's clone standing to the side. Bruce and Jane were busy loading equipment on some trucks while the double unobtrusively watched. Frigga realized that he couldn't do anything to help. She wondered how much he had bended Loki's orders to notify them of her son's misadventure.

She stopped in front of them and looked expectantly at all three.

Frigga was surprised when her son's double spoke first. "I apologize for not being able to follow you."

"I understand your orders." Frigga decided to share an observation with him. "You share similarities with him. Apparently he thought to share his mischief with you."

He showed her a smirk, reminiscent of her son's. "I have been a nuisance for him lately, but I am sure he will appreciate my interference this time."

Frigga gave a tight smile and then turned to Jane. Jane was quick to say, "Sorry I can't fight. I don't know how much I can help but I'm going to stick around Director Fury after I'm done with this."

"Battles aren't only won by warriors, child. There is no shame," Frigga comforted her. Jane didn't look like she had anything more to say – ashamed on her inability to actively participate.

"I – uh – would love to go." Bruce scratched the side of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "But Fury explicitly told me to stay. This is a rescue mission, not one that needs a wrecking ball. His words."

Frigga laughed at this and patted Bruce on the arm. "I am certain other opportunities will be available in the future."

Bruce gave her a crooked smile – he wasn't sure if he wanted more battles to come, but if there were going to be any, then he didn't want to be left out. He was done playing the quiet bystander, especially now that there were people he would fight for.

Frigga tied her hair back as the wind from the helicopter's propellers pushed it in her eyes. In the middle of all the group of busy agents was Fury, standing with his hands behind his back. He turned around after exchanging some quick words with Romanova. Frigga didn't have time to wonder where the red-head was going off on her own as Fury directed his full attention to the Aesir. Frigga silently communicated with her eyes her faith in her son - faith in a good reason for all this trouble. Fury raised an eyebrow as he nodded. It wasn't an agreement; he was just telling her that it would all be discussed later. There was one topic he couldn't hold off though.

"Ambassador, I'm sure you won't listen, but at least for formalities sake, I ask that you remain here."

Frigga smirked. "Director Fury, your request is formally acknowledged and politely declined."

Fury nodded and offered his hand to help her up into the helicopter. "I had not expected the treaty to be put into full effect so soon. I've assigned Agent Barton here to watch over you. It doesn't look well on us to allow any harm to come to you. Hell, I need to figure out a way to explain why I'm sending diplomats to a battlefield."

Frigga didn't let go of his hand, but grasped it even more firmly. Her Aesir strength showing and holding him in place. "If this brings you more trouble, I will relinquish the title of Ambassador."

"That might raise more questions. Even if you don't have that title, you are still a foreign leader."

"As a leader then, I will fulfill my duty to bring back one of our own."

"Only a leader?" Fury didn't give her a chance to respond as he took back his hand and walked away to shout out more orders to the agents waiting behind him.

Frigga settled into her seat as Fulla and Gefjon compressed their weapons and jumped in. She turned to her right to watch Barton buckle in as the helicopter lifted from the ground. He had some kind of black paint on his face to help hide his facial features.

Barton noticed the stare and nodded politely. In a compartment underneath the seats, he pulled out a quiver and a sleek looking black rod. She had seen it back in the basement and recognized it as his bow. She matched his look and pulled out her weapon she had strapped onto her back. Like Barton, she snapped the metal open and deftly strung the bow with a shiny fragile-looking thread.

Barton looked curiously at the bow in her hands and searched for the rest of the weapon. "You probably don't need them, but I have enough arrows for you too. Different sizes and fletching."

"Thank you, Agent Barton, but no need. This generates its own arrows when the string is pulled."

"A bow that's impossible to dry fire – which makes it more dangerous."

Frigga recognized his keen interest in her bow. "When this is over, I will see about providing you with one."

Barton looked up immediately with a surprised look. "Thank you."

"No, thank you. Do not think I am oblivious to your reactions whenever my son is around. I will not ask what had transpired, but know that you impress me by coming here despite what he had done to you."

Speechless, Barton breathed in a slow breath and swallowed before he spoke again, "I don't think I'll get past what happened before - ," Barton closed his eyes and looked away, " - but he's an ally now."

Barton didn't see her smile and instead flicked his bow open as they got closer to the SHIELD research lab. He unbuckled from his seat, strapped the quiver on his back, and snapped on the grappling hook to his front. He turned around to offer a harness to Frigga, but she shook her head.

The peaceful moment was interrupted by blasts of gunfire and rockets. The helicopter turned a sharp left and everyone scrambled to get a grip on something bolted down.

"Loki is close." Frigga looked down, searched briefly and pointed to a door encased in ice. "Quickly now, he's behind that door."

"The helicopter can't get close enough. We're being shot at," Barton yelled over the helicopter's propellers.

Frigga looked below at the SHIELD agents entering the compound. Some of them, including Rogers, had already dispatched a few of the enemies on the rooftop. "I will provide you with cover fire."

Barton gave her a disbelieving look. A single arrow at a time was not a good distraction.

Frigga didn't bother to argue back and made her point by drawing her bow string and aiming at the people crowding around the frozen door. A sparkling arrow flashed across the space between the string and limbs of her bow. She released – the arrow flying and exploding near the door. The explosion blasted the men away. Barton whistled as she drew again and released another at a different group of men firing at the helicopter.

Fulla and Gefjon jumped off the helicopter. As Barton did not have the fortitude of an Asgardian body, he had to lower himself with the rope. Frigga fired another series of arrows before jumping after the three.

Tony was not a considerate person – especially in social situations – but he sometimes knew when to hold his tongue. This was one of those rare moments – Loki growling could only emphasize the epiphany. Tony quickly realized how much Thor had left out when he had used the adopted excuse. Loki was adopted, certainly, but the mind-numbing part was: he wasn't even an Aesir. From the shock and perhaps fear on his blue face, Loki had wanted it to be kept a secret. Tony decided that he wasn't going to bring it up again unless necessary.

Tony flipped his face cover back open, took a chance, and snapped his fingers in front of Loki – relieved at least some of his suit was still functional. The sound and quick motion seemed to snap Loki out of whatever he was going through. "More important things to think about."

Loki shook his head. His eyes quickly cleared and determination settled back in. "Can you fly?"

Tony wanted to ask his own questions but there was no time for that. "Arc reactor's fine. Limited mobility on the arms, but the legs don't look like they'll be coming back online anytime soon."

"I can't teleport us out." Tony noticed that this was the first time he had heard Loki use a contraction. This observation was followed by others: the stiff way Loki was holding himself, the softer than usual voice, and the rapid blinking that could only come from exhaustion.

"Running low?"

Loki nodded. "I was already low when you arrived. Breaking your fall became the main priority at the cost of an easy exit. Easy to freeze water, the other molecules – not so much."

Tony looked behind him at the ice-encased door. That was probably just frozen water then. Hmm, another ability of his to study. "You got that door covered for a while but it won't stop them from coming up the stairs."

Loki's eyes flicked down the stairs. "I can carry you, but it would be too slow - and boisterous."

Tony didn't think that was a good idea either. "I never built this suit to come off easily. It'll take some time to remove manually and - ."

Loki held a hand to request silence and then tilted his head. "Two groups of men: one behind this door and the other below us. I had frozen the steps to make their climb more difficult."

"The others are coming, so if we can cage ourselves in here until they come … " Tony suggested.

"I considered that, but unless you can fire your repulsor and collapse a part of the stairs, I just do not see it happening. Those men will eventually reach us. As for me, I can't condense that much air that quickly. I need – " Loki suddenly stopped and looked at Tony's chest. "I need a direct link with your reactor. It may provide me with enough power – not enough to teleport – but to cage - ."

"Just call it ice fortress. Sounds better than cage alright?" Tony interrupted and then winced thinking about pulling out his reactor. "Anyway, how long would you need it?"

"I'm estimating as long as I need to sustain our fortress. They are coming. Quickly," Loki demanded from Tony.

Tony didn't like the sound of that plan and decided to share a secret of his. Secrets were just coming out all over the place tonight. "The reactor's not just a power source for the suit, it also keeps me alive."

Loki halted immediately, wondered briefly how and then promptly considered another option. "Can you split the power?"

"Yea, just open that hatch on my arm there. There's no wiring to connect, just direct contact, do you see what I'm talking about?" Loki nodded and followed his instructions. "The arm's going to be useless now."

Tony watched as Loki's fingers dug underneath the plating and then involuntarily drew back. Connecting to the reactor was always such a rush, Tony thought.

He heard gunfire outside and the sound of running feet a few floors below. His mind was flooded with so many thoughts – several of them about Pepper. He was in the middle of thinking about how she would be able to carry the company further when he saw his own breath puffing in front of him. He felt a little of the cold seep in through the suit and looked around as ice crystals started to grow where Loki had his other hand on the floor. Tony watched as larger crystals spiked from the steps of the stairs and trained further down. In the next moment, he heard the men below stumbling and falling down. He laughed at their shouts of incredulity – it was cut short when he heard explosions outside.

"Oh God no, they're just going to blow us up," Tony complained.

He looked at Loki and caught a strange look. Tony wasn't sure if he saw relief or dread – those two didn't mix well. A moment later something punched through the space between the door and doorway. And then another. They were sharp and hot: cutting their way through the ice and the hinges. The door collapsed in and Tony gazed into the battle-ready faces of Fulla and Gefjon. Behind them stood Frigga and Barton facing away from the door, covering each other's backs. Barton fired one more arrow before turning around.

All four looked to Tony first who was nearest to the door and then to Loki. Tony thought they looked just as surprised as he did when he learned about Loki's color change.

"Looks like the play date's over. Your mom's here to pick you up." Tony thought it was funny, but apparently Fulla and Gefjon didn't. They swung their spears forward threateningly and one of them disdainfully whispered a word he didn't understand: Jotunn.

Still trapped to a defunct suit, Tony became the unwilling spectator to the erupting chaos.

Loki simply saw blood red. That rush of anger he had pushed to the side returned in full to completely consume him. He was blinded and lost all consideration for the people around him – his sole focus on the two people in front. How dare they? How dare they do what, he didn't know – all he knew in that moment was the rage and he buried himself in it.

Loki leapt forward as he broke off an icicle and threw the chips at Fulla. The distraction was enough for him to grab both their wrists and wrench them at an angle until he heard two identical pops. The sound of broken wrists and the subsequent clanging of dropped spears preceded his pounce and mad grab for their throats. He didn't see Fulla and Gefjon, his mother's trusted servants – just two unknown low-lives he needed to asphyxiate.

He heard shouts, pleads, and distant rumbling but it wasn't enough to restore any sense or logic.

Thor entered Earth's atmosphere and coasted to a slower speed. His father had also sent Huginn to lead the way. The raven flapped his wings a couple of times before flying off to the east. Thor cautiously followed, aware how often humans were in the air. He wanted to avoid these airplanes – to give them a wide berth. He'd be fine if he accidentally crashed into one, but he didn't think the passengers would be. Besides, he had gotten an earful from Agent Romanova when he had torn into her plane to retrieve Loki the last time.

Freyja's cloak ruffled in the wind but held him steadily in the air. He flew over large expanses of green before finding himself in a concrete jungle. He saw Huginn dip lower and he copied it. The bright lights of New York City were almost blinding but not enough to hide the small light show on the outskirts of the city. Small explosions and flashes sparked the night. Thor was sure Fury had a cover story ready for the public's ear in the morning.

"Huginn, return to Father. Thank you for guiding me."

The bird squawked in return before flying directly up. Thor took a deep breath before making a bee-line to what Tony called a party. He pulled out Mjollnir from its place at his waist and clenched the handle. Under his other arm, he held the case carrying the ancient artifact. Thor agreed with his father; he didn't know if giving this to Loki was a good idea. It was a painful reminder as well as a test of trust. Tonight Loki would gain a weapon – a tool potentially more dangerous than Mjollnir.

Thor hovered over the SHIELD compound. He let out a frustrated growl as he saw too many people in black fighting each other. He couldn't tell enemy from friend. Where should he start? He saw Steve in dark blue fatigues racing across the rooftop. The pale color of his mother's dress quickly pulled Thor's eyes to a spot on the roof. A momentary flood of relief swept through him as he found her completely unharmed. It was soon replaced by apprehension as he recognized Fulla and Gefjon melting the ice around a metal door. Thor was in time to witness his brother under the influence of a frost giant's infamous bloodlust – and the quick responses of his fellow Avengers.

Thor gritted his teeth as he dived forward. In the midst of the screaming and movement, Thor threw Mjollnir at Hawkeye to knock the arrow off target. His boots crunched and crumbled the cement under his feet as he turned around to intercept Steve Roger's vibranium shield. Thor flung it in the opposite direction as he summoned his hammer back into his awaiting hand.

"Forgive me, brother." Loki was going to criticize him in the morning for his crude choice, but Thor would welcome that than be a witness to a double murder. Thor carefully aimed and threw his trusted hammer at his brother's head.

AN: All I can say is Ouch. Guess what's in the box. XD Don't worry about Natasha and Bruce. They'll get more scene time later.