Jason Fuller & The Elementals: The Stones Of Olympus

This story is dedicated to Stan Lee. Because of him, I will always believe in heroes.

Prologue:

It was December 17, 2014 in New York City; eight days before Christmas. Parents were shuffling around from store to store trying to buy the latest must haves for their children. Christmas carolers were going door to door, spreading Christmas cheer through holiday songs. Elsewhere, Spider-Man was putting the smackdown on some thugs who were trying to make way with an old lady's purse. It seemed as if this would be another average holiday season for New York and for the world. Or so it seemed.

Chapter 1: A Hero Named John

12:00 A.M. December 10, 2014, St. Mark Industries, New York Division

John Mason, a security guard who worked at St. Mark Industries, was working a double shift, keeping an eye on a truck load of presents in the complex basement. These presents were all a part of St. Mark Industries Holiday Helping Hand. Every year, during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, St. Mark Industries would donate massive amounts of food, clothes, toys and various other holiday goodies to homeless shelters and foster homes. The presents that John was keeping watch over were scheduled to be delivered to their destinations in two weeks on Christmas Eve. As John was keeping watch over the presents, via security footage, he noticed one of the basement doors being blasted off of its hinges and across the room. "Burglars"?! John thought at first. But that didn't make sense. The doors of the basement were reinforced with Titanium. No regular weapon would be able to break through them. Plus, there was no need to steal. St. Mark Industries offered a 24 hour buffet in the lobbies of their business places, as well as free presents that were always restocked everyday. "So why is someone breaking into the presents stockpile, and what weapons are they using that could blow a Titanium door across the room?" John asked himself. John was the only guard on duty. Police reinforcement would soon arrive, as the doors had silent alarms on them, but by the time they arrived, the burglars could be long gone. John steeled himself, grabbed his nightstick and taser gun, and started on his way down to the basement.

5 minutes and 20 floors later, John was at the entrance of the basement. He quickly made his way inside, and hid behind a 10 foot tall wall of presents (yes there were that many). Despite the frantic hammering of his heart, John settled down so that he could listen for clues on who the invaders could be. When he heard one of their voices, John nearly screamed.

"Loki, are you certain that the artifact is in this place?" asked a dark and menacing voice.

"But of course, my good Doctor Doom," replied a smooth and silky voice. "You of course feel the arcane energy that radiates from this area?"

"Of that I do, yet I cannot pinpoint where it originates from; there must be a thousand presents in here"

"What are we to do, take them all with us?"

"Precisely. Use your magic. Transport them to the Doomship. I will instruct Magneto and the others to do the same."

At this point, John was frozen in fear. This was no ordinary looting. This was some part of a diabolical plan by none other than Dr. Doom and Loki; two of the most notorious villains on the planet. Though he was frightened, he knew he could not let fear get the best of him. About 100 feet to his left was a pole with a large red button that had an emergency security frequency on it. This frequency would attract not only regular law enforcement, but also superheroes and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. John knew without a doubt he had to get to this security alarm. He may not have been the brightest man alive, but he did know arcane meant mystical mumbo jumbo; which meant that you did not want it in the hands of the two men who were in this room with him. Carefully, very carefully, John peered around the corner of presents, scanning for the presence of the villains. Of course, he saw nothing but more piles of presents. "That's ok. This is a good thing," he thought. This gigantic amount of Christmas goodies would provide the perfect concealment. If something fell, the villains would most likely assume it was a package that fell out of place. If they came looking for the disturbance, they would have to traverse the maze-like environment. John, now confident that he could pull this off, took a deep breath and began to walk toward his goal. He managed to get around one corner, before the edge of Loki's dagger was pressed to his throat.

"Hello human," said Loki, with a very cocky smirk. "Doing a bit of late night Christmas shopping?"

John knew he was dead. Even if by some miracle he was able to trigger the alarm, there would be no way he'd ever walk out of here alive. Most people would break down, or beg for mercy, but not John. John knew that he had a job to do; a mission to complete. Even if it cost him his life, John was going to set off that alarm.

"Yeah," he started. "I just have to grab that green present over there, and i'll be on my way."

"Sorry,friend," Loki responded. "You're on Santa's naughty list. No presents for you. However, you can have this dagger through your fat-"

"I wanna talk to your boss," John quickly interrupted.

"What?" Loki asked.

Clearly, he was bewildered and confused. His face said something like: 'Did this piece of trash just talk back to me? Why is he not begging for mercy, like he's supposed too?'

"Your boss," John once again stated. "You know, the guy giving you orders? The guy you work for? Your boss."

Loki's eyes flashed dangerously. He was clearly not used to being addressed in such a disrespectful tone.

"Firstly, mortal," he spat out. "You are in no position to make any demands. Secondly, I do not have a boss. I serve no one."

"Ok then," John responded. "Well, then let me talk to your partner"

"I am going to kill you! I am going to slit your throat, and watch you bleed out like the pig you are! Why-"

"Did your boss tell you to do that?"

"HE'S NOT MY-"

"LOKI!" said the voice of Doctor Doom, who had just arrived at the scene. "WHO IS THIS MAN, AND WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED HIM YET?!"

"This pathetic creature," Loki started; now seething in rage. "Would have words with you, my good Doctor."

"What do you want, fool?" Doctor Doom asked John. "Speak quickly, lest I blast you to dust for your insolence."

"My name is John Mason," John started. "I wanna know why you're stealing all of these presents. What's the point?"

"That is none of your concern, mortal man. Prepare to die."

"Even if you do kill me, you won't get very far before The Avengers are on your tail."

"What are you prattling about?"

"This building has a special security alarm that alerts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. As soon as you leave, the Avengers will be on your butts faster than you can possibly imagine."

Dr. Doom grabbed John by his shirt, and hoisted him six feet off of the ground.

"You will deactivate that alarm," he snarled. "Or you will suffer a fate far worse than death."

"Ok, ok, ok," said John, who was on the verge of pissing his pants. "Just set me down, and i'll reset the alarm on the access panel in the far corner." He pointed to an area that was in the general direction of the pole with the button on it.

Doctor Doom put him down, and sent him on his way with a shove.

"Go," he said menacingly.

Despite being in mortal danger, John had never been more calm, collected, and focused in his entire life. As he made his way towards the control panel that did not exist, he began to think of ways to escape, and trigger the alarm. After a minute of walking and lots of turning, John was beginning to despair, when something caught his eye. About 5 feet in front of the pole with the alarm on it, was a metal rod lying on the floor. How it got there, John had no clue. Maybe shrapnel from the explosion that blew the door down. Immediately, John formed a plan. To make matters more helpful, his shoes were untied. This would make the charade more believable. John pretended to trip and fall, making sure to lie with his hands forward, as to avoid suspicion, and to prevent any clanging or scuffling noises the rod might make if he tried to reach for it. Next, John slowly eased himself up, muttering a few swear words to make the fall look like an accident, and managed to get a grip on the metal pipe. As Doctor Doom reached down to grab John, he was surprised as the security guard quickly whacked him across the head with the pipe, making a very loud CLANG! The hit did not harm Doctor Doom, but it surprised him just enough for John to run and press the red button. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of sirens so loud, everyone in New York City could probably hear them. John had completed his mission.

"NOOOOOOO!" shouted Doctor Doom, as he blasted John in the chest with a bolt of lightning, killing the guard instantly.

"LOKI-"

"I'm on it." Loki quickly responded.

He muttered a few words in ancient magic, and his hands went ablaze in emerald flame. Loki then clapped his hands, releasing a shockwave that traveled through the entire basement. After the wave had dissipated, everything in the basement was gone. As if on cue, 50 security guards and police officers dashed into the room from both sides, loading their guns, and ordering the two villains to stand down.

"I do not have time for these idiots," said Doctor Doom. "Loki, kill them all quickly, then rendezvous with me on the Doomship. We will most likely have guests arriving soon."

"As you wish, my good Doctor," said Loki, who was smiling, and had pretty much stopped listening after 'kill them all'.

Doctor Doom clenched his fist, and was engulfed in a beacon of light that teleported him to his vessel. Immediately, law enforcement opened fire on Loki, and after emptying their clips, which totaled at about 200 bullets, Loki was still standing. Loki retaliated by releasing another shockwave of magic energy that blew his attackers off of their feet. Next, he pulled out two throwing daggers, and quicker than the eye could see, threw them through the hearts of two cops. As the daggers left his hands, two more materialized in a flash of green light. These daggers were put through the hearts of two more cops. After killing 30 cops and security guards this way, Loki conjured a wicked looking golden spear ,and assaulted the remaining 20 guards and cops. The entire fight took less than 50 seconds, as Loki slashed and stabbed the guards with more strength and ferocity than they had ever witnessed in their lives. When only five security guards remained, Loki used his spear to cut one in half at the waist, and then threw his spear through the head of another. Loki then pulled out three daggers, and threw them all at once through the heads of the last three guards. Loki surveyed the battle ground gleefully; bathing in the gore and carnage. He thought about Magneto, Venom, Goblin, and the others who were on their various collection assignments. "How many people have died tonight?" he thought, as he surveyed the battle ground one last time.

"Five down, two to go." he said as he snapped his fingers, and vanished in a flash of green light.