Disclaimer: I don't wn anything
The Avengers followed Thor down the long halls of the palace. For Tony, Bruce and Steve they all looked the same: floor so polished you could see your own reflection in it, twice the height of their common room back at the Tower, which was pretty tall, pairs of marble columns facing each other every few feet, some halls had windows facing the city, but the huge chandeliers were the most ridiculous thing.
A few feet length and other few feet diameter, definitely custom-made because there was no was Asgard had chandelier manufactures and even if they did, they doubted they worked with gold and pearls. It was all 18th century Versailles with a side of Sci-fi. Everything was shiny and gold most of the time.
Natasha and Clint, who had been saved from death by paying attention at the surroundings and having a good sense of direction, kept in mind which way they were going. That's why they knew that the main gate was far behind them and they were heading north-east. Odin probably wanted to make sure they were as far away from the gate as possible.
They had walked pass dozens of rooms which didn't look like they were occupied. The huge palace couldn't have guest rooms just there. Thor turned right and so did the others. He stopped and opened a door on his left. He took a step behind, leaving the rest enter first.
The room was spacious, elegantly decorated and they were relieved to see other colors besides gold. It was silver, but still, it was progress.
They realized the room in which they were in was a common room and there were five doors, each belonging to a different bedroom. Thor opened each door and showed them the rooms, letting them chose where they would sleep. The rooms were all the same. A double bed with soft-looking bed sheets, a wardrobe full of clothes in different sizes and colors, a table at which a least ten people could eat and a window, though not all rooms had windows. After inspecting and choosing their rooms, they all returned to the common room. Thor sat on the sofa and put his head between his hands.
"He's not the Allfather" Thor mused. Even though he had known his mother had told them the truth, seeing that man instead of his father, it made it all real.
Steve patted Thor on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, buddy"
Clint lowered himself on the sofa, next to the god. "Now that we're here, what do we do?"
Bruce rubbed a hand over his face, tiredly and answered. "I think we should find Odin first. I don't think we can convince the asgardians that their king is a fake."
"Are we sure Odin's even alive?" Tony asked. He looked at Thor who looked offended. "I'm sorry Thor, but are you sure this guy killed him?"
"He couldn't have. I do not know who this impostor is, but he is of no match to the Allfather's greatness" Thor stood up and started to walk around the room. "I believe doctor Banner is right. My people wouldn't believe anything without proof. But I have friends who have trusted me even when my father told them not to. They will believe me and we will have more heads to think this problem through. Make yourself at home, as I shall find my friends and you will meet them" The god turned towards the door and left.
Natasha sighed and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Well this is going to be interesting."
Loki had been in his cage, staring at the ceiling when he heard the alarm go off on the Hellicarrier. He should know what it sounded like. The last time he had been o Earth that alarm went off because of him. He saw trough the little window on the door the top of about five agents' heads running towards the command center. Then another group of three agents and another one. Loki was getting more curious with each passing second. He thought briefly about trying to hear what was going on, but decided against it. He knew Fury had cameras throughout the room and even if he knew Coulson had turned them off the last time he visited Loki, there was no way of telling if someone turned then back on or not. Besides if there was really something going on, he would need every last bit of power to do something. Save himself first? Help them? He would decide that when the time came.
He had been there for merely a day, but he did have visitors besides Agent Coulson. The woman, Maria Hill came to check on the agents guarding him and checked the state of the cell.
Barton told him about her. She was Fury's right hand and his second in command. After what Fury did for Coulson, Loki would have guessed he'd have put the agent as Deputy Director. Agent Hill must have been impressive. From her determined posture, sharp tone and from the way the agents guarding him were looking fearful until she left, he'd say she earned her position.
Steve went to investigate the room he had chosen. He opened the wardrobe and saw all the asgardian leather clothes and some dresses. He looked down at his Captain America suit. He didn't think he would be comfortable in armor. Not like Thor who, even though inside the Tower wore normal clothes, he insisted on wearing the armor at every SHIELD meeting or anytime they had to be interviewed.
"Guys, I suggest we change our clothes in something more Asgardian." Steve raised his voice for the others to hear him.
"Yeah, you're probably right, Steve. I'm sure the dresses will fit you. I promise to tell you if you look fat in them." He heard Tony's response and sighed. He was glad he brought a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with him in a rucksack.
"Didn't Thor say something about a guy who could see what's happening on Earth?" Bruce asked Clint who was still sitting on the couch.
Barton raised his eyes to meet the doctor's and answered. "Yeah, Heimdall or something. But shouldn't we wait for Thor? His mother said this Heimdall dude has to do anything Odin tells him to. I don't think we can trust him, even if he suspects Odin."
Tony sighed. These assassins and their trust issues. He remembered how hard it had been for Natasha and Clint to trust the team. "We're not going to do each other's make-up and spill our secrets, Barton. We just want to find out whether Fury or Loki lost their cool first."
Natasha, who hadn't spoken a word since Thor left, stood up abruptly from the chair she had been sitting on and walked towards the door. The sudden movement made the others stop bickering.
"Where are you going?" Tony asked frowning.
"To powder my nose" she replied and walked out of the room.
Bruce and Tony raised their eyebrows at each other and the turned towards Clint, in a silent question.
"For the last time, no I have no idea what roams through her red head, but I'm sure as hell she's not going to 'powder her nose' " Clint barked at the other two Avengers.
"Guys, I suggest we change our clothes in something more Asgardian." They all heard Steve yell from his room.
"Yeah, you're probably right, Steve. I'm sure the dresses will fit you. I promise to tell you if you look fat in them." Tony answered him. Steve was the only one who might have to change since he insisted on wearing his superhero suit. Natasha and Barton were also wearing their tight leather costumes, but theirs weren't looking out of ordinary for the asgardians.
Tony cast a look at the big golden chandelier hanging from the roof and muttered. "My suit would have matched every room. That's what I call accessorizing."
"What is happening here? Hill!" Nick Fury barked at the agent while pacing towards the control room. Agent Maria Hill was half running to keep up with the director.
"No idea, sir." She said and raced forward arriving in the circular room seconds before Fury. They both stood frozen looking through the windows of the Hellicarrier. Phil Coulson ran towards the room as soon as the alarm went off and nearly knocked Fury off.
All three saw something they had hoped they wouldn't see ever again and prayed it wasn't real. They had never been too lucky.
Outside it was quite warm and nice with few white clouds. A typical summer day. Of course that's not what made three of the most deadly people on the planet freeze. It was the hole in the sky. A circular black hole and through it you could see some stars. For some it would be a weird yet cool astrological event of some kind. Or a black hole which could potentially swallow the whole Earth, Moon and eventually the whole galaxy. In that moment, Phil Coulson, the man who died to save the earth would have given anything not to be what it really was. A portal. A portal through which a big bunch of aliens came running and killing not so long ago. Through the portal entered once more in their world, the Chitauri army. Some of the grey-skinned reptilian humanoids kept descending towards straight towards whichever city was right below the portal, while the rest scattered in all directions. The aliens kept flowing into this world like a black cloud. Probably thousands of aliens to invade the Earth once more.
Phil Coulson decided he needed a vacation.
Natasha sighed when she escaped the room full of idiots. Back at home she had managed to handle them all only because Pepper had been there. She wanted to find out more about the guy pretending to be the Allfather and she couldn't do that with the morons on her tail. She kept in mind each turn and each room so she wouldn't get lost. She didn't doubt she could find a handsome asgardian to show her around, but she had always counted on herself to get out of a situation.
She walked towards a wooden door with gold models describing some sort of battle scene. She slowly opened it, cringing at the sound it made. Natasha quickly realized that it hadn't been the door to make the sound and that the sound came from the corridor on her left. She entered the room and silently closed the door. She didn't dare to move not even to look around the room. The sound was recognizable. There were two people walking towards her. She subconsciously put a hand on her gun. But the two didn't stop at the door and kept on walking. Two men, Natasha decided as she heard the distinctive sound their armor made, the same sound that told her when Thor was next to her in battles.
She let out a breath and slowly turned her back at the door so that she could see where she was. The room was dark, she had noted as soon as she walked in. The only light came from a window about seven feet high on the wall facing her. The window had bars and that reminded her of a prison. Yet it clearly wasn't. It was the weapons room. One of the weapons rooms. She remembered Thor telling her about the different weapons they used on Asgard, both magical for those lucky enough to bare the gift and normal weapons: swords, axes, bows.
The room was about half the size of the common room but Natasha didn't think too much about the room as her attention was stolen by the weapons in it. None of the weapons looked magical, so she guessed they kept those in more secure rooms. Probably because of Loki she thought and smirked.
She walked past the axes and bows and looked at the beautifully sharpened swords. She could fight with bows and axes, yes, but swords had always been her favorite up there with guns and widow bites, though a little impractical when what you do for a living is kill people. You can't really do that with a sword when you have to gain your target's trust. You can't exactly hide a sword in a tight dress. Her trail of thought was interrupted by a voice.
"What are you doing here?" a woman's voice asked behind her. Natasha gripped a sword and spun around to face the intruder. Though when she saw the woman in armor behind her, she remembered that she was the true intruder.
She also realized she shouldn't have picked up the sword. They were guests here at the palace. She could have played dumb and get out of it. Well, what's done is done Natasha thought when she saw that the woman too was in the attack position, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. Though the woman's sword look very different from the ones in the room. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the asgardian's sword grew another sharpened end, the woman's hand being at the middle of its length.
"I asked you a question" the woman's voice was sharp, demanding, used to command. She was fairly tall, with long black hair and blue eyes. Natasha didn't have time to catch any other detail because in a swift and quick move, the woman raised her sword and struck, aiming to stab the red haired woman. The Black Widow barely managed to block her hit, sword clutched tightly in her hands when the woman struck again with more force, almost knocking Natasha down if she weren't with her back against the wall. Natasha used that in her advantage and pushed herself forward, cutting the asgardian's arm. She did not seem to mind the fairly deep gash on her right shoulder as she did something to her weapon again, pushed a button, Natasha guessed, unless it was a magical weapon, and started using it as a sword again. There was no way Natasha could beat her in direct combat, unless she was faster.
Having trapped her between herself and the wall, Natasha kept on trying to block the hits hissing each time the sword cut her. Natasha ducked and she heard her opponent' sword cut through the air. Natasha profited after the woman's balance loss and drew her foot from under her and hit the woman, making her fall down against the wall. But as fast as Natasha was back on her feet and before she had time to point her sword at the woman, she was on her feet two and the game of strike and block kept on going. Natasha decided her new tactic and she started slowly making her way towards the wooden structures that kept the other weapons in the room. When she was sure she was close enough to it, Natasha ducked again and the woman's sword struck the wooden support which held the swords making a metal noise. Natasha had moved to side at time and put some distance between them. Before the woman could remove her own sword from the pile which remained after she smashed the whole support, Natasha raised her own sword and in a quick movement aimed for the other person in the room.
"Stabbing someone in their back, not very honorable" the woman's words warned Natasha too late because she already turned around and their weapons stopped each other, both women using their whole strength to disarm the other.
The red-haired woman could have sworn she saw sparks flying from where their swords collided. The sound almost made her cringe, but it also made forgotten memories of a little girl, in Russia learning how to pick up a sword for the first time, flood her.
The asgardian took advantage of her opponent's distraction and knocked Natasha down with a powerful blow in the head and Natasha was grateful in the last seconds of consciousness that the woman hit her with the back of her sword and didn't cut her head off.