Natasha sat in Nick Fury's empty office on the Helicarrier, waiting for her boss to show up. Somewhere, Thor and Loki were also in the sky, headed to Belize on Tony's jet. She'd been dumbstruck when Loki retrieved his uncle's book and spread out its pages in front of the Avengers, explaining the concept of Yggdrasil and the connectedness of the worlds. How was it possible for Earth to have so many paths into space without humanity ever realizing?

But humanity had found some of them, Loki explained; the old Norse peoples venerated Odin, and the Frost Giants appeared in their legends. And Ixchel, along with being the name of a world, was the name of a goddess that the ancient Mayans- who lived in Central America- once worshipped. It is entirely possible that one of them found the bridge, he said.

So the brothers headed to Central America, and Natasha left on her own mission.

"Agent Romanoff." Fury closed the door behind him. "What can I do for you?"

"Sir, I'm here to request that Loki's staff be returned to him."

He raised a sharp eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"You know that I'm trained to read people. He's changed. And if we want a chance to win that war- well, you talked about weapons, and if he's wielding that, that gives us a huge advantage."

Fury shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Sir-"

"You misunderstand. I quite literally cannot. It has been destroyed."

She sat back in her chair.

"Look. From what I hear, you're on some sort of mission to turn this man into an Avenger himself."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. Barton told me all I needed to know."

Gritting her teeth, she made a mental note to thoroughly dress him down upon her return to Stark Tower.

"Don't go tearing him to shreds, Romanoff, that's his job. He's my eyes. And he's telling me that you think he can be reformed. What makes you think a man like that- who tried to kill the entire population of Manhattan- can be reformed?"

She leaned forward, crossing her arms. "Am I wrong in remembering that you still take orders from a group of people who tried to kill the entire population of Manhattan?"

He sighed. "To try to stop him."

"Do you realize how hypocritical you're being right now?"

Fury pressed on. "And now I hear Stark's got him on his private jet?"

"You wouldn't let them use a Quinjet."

"You damn right I wouldn't!" Fury glared at her. "You guys were supposed to keep him under your thumb, not let him go flying out to the rainforest. Who knows what he's planning?"

"He's planning to help Thor get to Ixchel, so that we can muster up some allies! He's planning to save our planet by taking the fight to his!"

"I don't believe a word of it, and it surprises me that you're so gullible." He shook his head. "Maybe I should let Brand out of her cell and give her a second shot at this guy."

Natasha flew to her feet. "With all due respect, fuck you, sir. It's a good thing it wasn't your call whether to give me a chance, or I'd have a bullet in my brain and be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere. Barton believed in me, and I've turned my life around. Not everyone deserves a shot at redemption. But when they've been dealt a hand and given little choice in the matter, when they see where they've went wrong and realize that they need to fix it, they deserve that chance. And you'll have to shoot me before you get me to stop helping him." Without waiting for a reply, she threw the door open and strode out.

xx

Wielding a machete, Loki cut through the thick foliage of the Belizean wetlands. The foliage crowning the rainforest was like a cupola, even more impressive than the world's grandest cathedrals; for in place of the gaudy frescoes painted by the hand of man, sunlight wrought by the hand of the gods filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the lush forest floor with fingers of radiance. Thor remembered, when he was young, asking if the sun really was a maiden called Sól who would be chased by two wolves for eternity. He'd hoped the old legend had some truth to it; it was Odin who told him that their sun was just one of many suns, scattered across the universe, great orbs of flame.

"It's really interesting," Loki said, panting, interrupting Thor's train of thought. "I was reading- and the humans who used to live here- they worshipped a goddess whom they called Ixchel." He stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. "This was long after our last visit, long after Odin came to the people of Norway. I wonder if one of the Ixchelians came to this world, or if one of the humans found theirs? Anyway-" he resumed his chopping- "Ixchel was known as the goddess of medicine. Which means-" He paused, working at an especially tough tangle of branches and flora- "which means, since Ixchelians are good at healing- did you know that they were the ones who gave Asgard the healing stones, back in the days of our grandparents?- they had to have helped these humans."

Thor followed behind his brother, smiling, not saying a word.

Loki stopped and turned. "What?"

"Nothing," Thor replied, with a chuckle. "It just does me good to see my brother again. Chattering on about history."

Loki allowed himself to return the smile.

"You sound like a teacher. Vili would be proud of you."

Tears sprang to Loki's eyes. "I miss him." Sighing, he sat down on a log, needing a rest. "Do you think Niflheim is an awful place, really? You know that's where he's gone."

"Valhalla is for warriors," Thor said gently, sitting down next to him. "But I do not think that Vili would spend eternity in suffering. He was a good man. I may have cursed him once or twice when he wanted me to memorize the sagas of our forefathers," he admitted with a laugh, "but he was wise, and he was the only one smart enough to realize just how important you were."

He stared into the distance. "He was more of a father to me than Odin ever was."

"And what of your patronym, brother? Are you still calling yourself Laufeyson?"

"I am no one's son," he said in a small voice, after a moment of reflection. "Odin adopted me, but cared nothing for me. Laufey sired me, but left me to die. Vili was like my father, but truly my uncle. I have no one to call 'Father.'"

"So be free of it all," Thor pressed. "You are Loki of Asgard. Nothing more; nothing less."

"How can I claim that world after all I have done to ruin it? My beloved home..."

"For that reason." Thor held his brother's gaze. "Because it is your beloved home. Because you are fighting to save it. You have always been an Asgardian, brother, and you shall always be an Asgardian. It is there that you belong."

"Well, I certainly do not belong here," Loki said after a moment, wrinkling his nose and peeling his sweat-soaked shirt off. "Jotuns were not designed for tropical weather."

They shared a laugh, and Thor offered him a drink of water. "Come on, then. Are we near the bridge?"

"It shouldn't be far now. Just through this grove." Tying his shirt around his waist, he wiped his brow again and began to hack at the brush.

"Loki... can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

He wondered if he should broach the subject, especially since Loki was armed with a blade and was known for his precision with that particular weapon, but he was dying of curiosity. "You and Natasha."

Loki scowled at the little white flowers he was shredding. "Is there a question there?"

"You enjoy her company."

"That is a statement, brother."

Thor sighed. "All right."

They went on in silence for a moment, until Loki clenched his teeth around the hilt of the blade and broke a particularly tough branch in half with his hands. "She understands," he said simply, taking the machete back into his palm. "I have only ever felt truly comfortable in the presence of three people. Vili, you, and now Natasha."

"So she is like a sister to you."

Loki rolled his eyes and faced his brother. "If you think you are being subtle, brother..."

"Are you attracted to her?"

"I am. And what of it? I cannot explain it; I may be foolish, this is true, but when she is with me, I am happy. We danced together the other day. Did you know that the humans have a dance like our forgylt dans? No, of course not; you hate dancing." Flustered, he sank the blade into the damp ground.

"Loki." Thor set a hand on his shoulder, that familiar, grounding gesture. "Do not misunderstand. I do not know dancing, but I know love."

He searched his brother's glowing face. "What have you been keeping from me?"

"I have asked Jane to marry me."

Loki laughed. "Queen Jane Foster, the scientist with a crown. How does she feel about that?"

"Never mind that for now," Thor said with a smile, "though I can assure you she would never set aside that passion, and I would not ask her to do such a thing. But we are princes and warriors, you and I; our lives could be gone in an instant. What I am saying, brother, is that life is too short to hide your affections. Life is too uncertain to let years pass you by. I assure you, there is something in Natasha's heart as well. I see it. Do not be afraid to tell her what you feel."

Loki retrieved his blade and wiped it clean. "We're nearly there."

With one last mighty push, a dagger of sunlight pierced through the leaves and the brothers came into a small clearing. A crystalline pool teemed with life; the chirping of frogs mingled with the buzz of insects flitting above the water. A tall statue, its features worn by time, rose above them. She was a goddess, with the legs of a woman and the head of a jaguar, clothed in a bone-crossed skirt, her head wreathed with a serpent. "Ixchel," Loki explained. "The Mayan rendering. She guards the 'temezcal, or the sweat bath." He gestured to the small stone building at her side. "This is where you will find the bridge. There is a slab of stone on the floor. Remove it, and step underground."

"Are you not coming with me?"

Loki shook his head, wiping his brow again. "I do not know if I could survive something called a 'sweat bath.'"

Thor laughed appreciatively.

"I would accompany you. But despite your best efforts, you are wise sometimes, Thor, and you are right. Life is too short for me to make that journey. I must return to Stark Tower."

Thor nodded his understanding, with a smile at Loki's jest. "Good luck, brother."

"And to you."

xx

In Virginia, Phil Coulson sat on the counter of the same abandoned gas station Loki had used as a base of operations, taking a break from Phase Two weapons development with a ham-and-cheese sandwich. He was just opening up a bag of Lay's chips when his cell phone rang.

Expecting a call from his cellist girlfriend- with whom he'd been recently reunited- he was slightly disappointed to see Natasha's name pop up on the screen.

"Coulson," he answered.

"I need your help. Are you using Tesseract technology down there?"

He sighed, looking longingly out the dirty window at the open road. Yvelina lived just an hour away. "You know that's classified-"

"I'll take that as a yes. I need a favor, Coulson, and the future of the universe could be riding on it."

"You know the protocol. Go to Fury."

"To hell with Fury. He's not seeing the big picture; he's too set against Loki to realize that he can help us."

"So this is a favor for Loki, not a favor for you."

"He needs a weapon. Fury says his staff was destroyed, and he needs something to fight Thanos with. A sword or a gun isn't going to do it. He has to have something more. Something extraordinary."

"I'll see what I can do. But if I lose my job over this-"

"You won't. If you do, Hill will take you back the instant Fury's gone."

"Are you going to make her?" He smiled.

"If you're out of a job, I'll buy you the ring for Yvelina, all right?"

"Who said anything about a ring?"

"I can read people, remember? I'll see you in a couple of days."

Shaking his head, he polished off his sandwich and hopped off the counter. He already had a weapon in mind. Grabbing his phone, he tapped in a name.

The phone rang once, twice, three times... "I told you about my consulting hours," came the sarcastic greeting. "It's not a Thursday."

"Make room in your castle, Stark. I'm coming to New York. I need your help."