Loki's P.O.V.

Staring down at the humans scattering themselves, watching them cling dearly to their lives as they ran for cover from the exploding glass and tumbling debris, thrilled me far beyond my expectations. Yes, I knew that it would give me some pleasure to watch them so weak and helpless; begging me to free them, but the reality of such a feeling was surprisingly different. I had not yet wandered back to Stark Tower to see if that mysterious woman still lingered there, but it was unlikely that she had escaped. Her strength and power were meagre compared to the metal that bound her, and for now, she was not my priority, even if I found my thoughts occasionally drifting back to her. How strange it was that I did not know her name, and yet I was curiously attracted to her. It was something about those eyes, familiar and inviting, that drew me in. Perhaps I was being foolish, but she seemed to ignite something deep inside me, and that, I could not explain.

Freyja's P.O.V.

"Freyja?"

I swallowed thickly, making eye contact with Tony, who had been the first to make the right connections and discover who I was after Thor. An array of emotions flickered across his face, each individual feeling changing quickly to the next, which made it more difficult for me to understand what he was thinking. His deep brown eyes were staring intently into mine, making me feel slightly uncomfortable at the understanding that the eyes were often considered to be the window to the soul. My gaze drifted to Steve next, who had a very puzzled look on his face, trying to make sense of what had just happened before him. Agent Romanoff was somewhere between being disgusted and impressed, and I did not even want to begin to fathom what the others were feeling.

"You've…changed," Tony remarked, his metal head tipping forward as he examined my change in physique from head to toe, somewhat pleased at how I had turned out.

"You can say that again," Natasha muttered.

"You've-"

"I didn't mean literally, Stark."

Thor smirked, and at any other time, I would have joined him in his amusement of the situation, but now my secret was sort of out in the open, I had nothing to hide behind. But you secretly wanted them to find out, didn't you? My subconscious voice rang through my mind, which reminded me that it was entirely my fault that I had now found myself in a rather difficult circumstance.

"I think the question we're all searching for is, who are you? Or more importantly, what are you?" Steve enquired, stepping forward to face me directly.

I hesitated momentarily before answering, "I am Freyja…of Vanaheimr."

"Of where?"

"Vanaheimr is the sister realm of Asgard, Captain," Thor replied before I had the chance to.

"A goddess?" he asked, to which Thor dipped his head in affirmation.

"I have come to help, in any way that I can."

"And what way would that be? We can't allow you to fight if you do not have the ability to protect yourself," Natasha also came forward, eyeing me carefully.

"Well, I can only help you if I am allowed to fight."

"Now, hang on sweetheart, how do we know that we can trust you?"

I scowled at Tony, slightly irritated that he continued to use that condescending nickname for me, but I was willing to overlook it, having little desire for a quarrel. Truthfully, I was unable to answer his question without it being a lie. They couldn't really trust me. After all, what I was planning for Loki wasn't exactly going to be me showing them that I was completely on their side. Before I could say anything, however, Thor decided he would reply for me again.

"I have known Freyja since we were children. We can trust her," he smiled at me in reassurance, which I returned, knowing full well that it did not reach my eyes, though he did not seem to pick up on that.

"Even so, how can you fight with us? Unless you have some power you're not telling us about," Tony said and everyone else except Thor nodded in agreement.

Thor started to walk in my direction, but failed to get very far as I held one of my hands up and watched him being thrown through the air, which resulted in him slamming into a building on the opposite side. Thankfully, he had missed the window, and instead his back had come into contact with a much harder surface that could not shatter, but would hopefully cause less damage, considering the brute strength that Thor possessed. There were a few gasps in surprise, and even I was shocked to find that I could do something with so little effort. Before, it had taken a little more concentration, but I was discovering that as I continued to use my abilities, it was beginning to feel as easy and as natural as breathing.

"Woah. Now that…was something," Tony whispered, trying to be quiet so I would not hear, but I picked up on every word perfectly.

It had been a long time since I had received praise for something, and the feeling I experience from the statement, even if it was from Tony, was perplexing. Perhaps it was similar to what Loki felt when, after many times of Thor being in receipt of praise from Odin, had received some also.

"So can I fight?"

Several glances exchanged between each of the Avengers, but their expressions and thoughts did not go unnoticed. It took a few moments before any of them had made a decision.

"Honestly, we could use all the help we can get," Steve answered, a look of concern on his face, and I nodded.

Thor, who had recovered from my small outburst earlier, came up to my side and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I know…considering your past with Loki, you might want to-"

"Thor, Loki betrayed me. You know what he did, and I find myself being unable to forgive him. So…I'm going to fight. Please don't worry, I think I can handle myself," I interrupted, shrugging his hand off my shoulder and turning in the other direction to face the bigger problem.

Glancing around at the destruction the recent Chitauri attack had caused, I noticed that the streets were eerily quiet. It was too quiet for my liking. But then, it was the calm before the storm.

I heard a crack from behind me, as if someone had stepped on a piece of glass. I whipped around, natural instinct kicking in and positioned myself into a fighting stance, only to find that I was barely a few inches away from him, the man who I loved, and who I hated. Loki. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then relaxed as the sudden realisation of my identity dawned upon him.

"So that's who you are."

TimeLady945: Even more crazy Loki next chapter ;)

ORgasmicPigeon: Your review made me laugh so much, so thanks for that! Hehe, and your wish is my command :)