July 28th, 2012, Asgard

"You have to feel it." The words were comforting, if not a little forceful, and Avery found herself trying just a little bit harder to impress the woman sitting across from her. Avery was drenched in sweat despite the fact that she had been parked on her ass for the last several hours, her clothes - revealing in any other company – stuck to her like a second skin. She reached a hand up to wipe the moisture from her forehead as it dripped dangerously close to her eyes, a practiced gesture that she had repeated several times, and closed her eyes once again.

She was supposed to be focusing.

She was supposed to be pushing through the final of a series of mental barriers that had plagued her going on two decades.

And she had been able to do so for the first few moments, but then her mind did what her mind always seemed to do, and she found herself beginning to wander.

"I do feel it," Avery said, although it came out hollow and just the slightest bit dishonest. She didn't mean to lie but she thought she might feel worse if she told her the truth. She cracked open one eye and looked at Frigga, blushing at the knowing look she was giving her. So she backtracked, chagrined by her own attempts at lying, and tried just a little bit harder. "Sort of. I'm trying."

Frigga saw right through the last remnants of her lie and smiled, eyes crinkling.

"Should we stop for the day?"

"No," Avery said, closing her eyes again as she pulled her hands back into her chest. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, straightening and hunching her back as she tried to refocus her mind. "I can do it."

She was supposed to be searching for a certain feeling, replicating it over and over and over again until she could find it on command. Her training started out small and built on the work she had already done on her own on earth. Just a little probe here and there, again and again, until she was able to slice through Frigga's mental defenses entirely. Frigga told her she had a secret, a tiny little thing that she had never told anyone, waiting for her just behind the invisible walls of her mind.

Avery just had to find it.

It seemed simple enough when they first started two weeks before.

She had been doing it for the last fifteen years when she didn't want to. Her powers had been like a rash, popping up time and time again just when she needed them to be dormant the most. But now, right when she needed them the very most to not cause her crippling embarrassment, they failed her once again.

Today, her embarrassment was to the tune of six solid hours of unmitigated failure.

Avery clenched her fists and concentrated harder, pushing her powers forward once again.

She first tried thinking of them as fingers, grasping and clawing, and then like little daggers, stabbing and pricking, before she finally – feeling truly desperate and wrung out like an old dog towel – sent them surging forward like a wave. The pressure built in her mind and for a moment she thought she might finally pass out from the strain of the day, before something finally snapped deep inside her and she felt what she had been searching for.

She felt it.

While she didn't dare open her eyes fully, she dared a quick peak over at her aunt.

Frigga stared back at her, smile still present despite the little tendrils of gold now boring deep into her skin.

Avery opened her eyes wider, mouth falling open. She lifted her arms, making a gesture to pull her powers back, before Frigga stopped her with a soft hand on top of her knee.

"Keep going."

The tendrils of gold that flowed into Frigga's temples reappeared on the other side of her head and continued upwards to the center of the room. From there, they blossomed outwards into a hundred different branches that split into a thousand. So on and so on, they filled the space and made the whole room glow so bright it might as well have been on fire.

"Is that…"

Frigga tilted her head only slightly, pinned mostly in place by the force of Avery's powers. Her hand squeezed her knee a little tighter.

"My brain? I believe so, yes. Your mother could do this as well. I had hoped your abilities would manifest in a similar way."

Avery would have been terrified if not for the encouraging and endlessly calming look on her aunt's face.

"Holy shit," She breathed, reaching her own hand down to grab onto Frigga's.

"Now. I want you to focus on finishing the map," Frigga said, holding eye contact. "Really focus. Think about the final pieces and put them in place."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You will not. I promise."

Avery believed her. Trying her very hardest not to let out an embarrassing noise of gratitude, she continued ahead. Her powers crept out of the room, slipping beneath the cracks of the doors and out the windows. But she pushed and pushed and pushed until she finally found what she was meant to be looking for at the back of her aunt's mind. The pressure that built up released at once and all she was left with was a surging confidence that traveled up and down her body, lighting up her nerves and practically setting her whole body alight.

"Good," Frigga said, pulling Avery's attention back to her. "Now. I want you to focus on my childhood."

"How ca…"

"Avery. Trust me. More importantly, trust your instincts. Look at what you have already done in so little time. You do not need to know where to look in a mind to search it."

It made very little sense, when said out loud and when placed against the backdrop of the room sized brain map she was currently staring at, but she knew she would need to trust her if she was ever going to get anywhere. Two weeks ago she would have laughed audibly at the notion that she would be able to navigate a mind by just the feel of her powers. She would have dismissed it summarily, scornfully even, and continued on her merry way of learning about her powers just enough to not cause any more problems.

But Frigga had seen more in her.

Demanded more.

And Avery, so tired of getting in her own way, finally stopped letting her own insecurities dictate her life.

With just the slightest bit of informed guidance, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Painful, at times, but natural, and she found herself looking forward to the strides she took each day she spent with her aunt.

It was not lost on her how much further along she might have been if she had this opportunity years ago. What might she have been able to accomplish if she had not lost years of her development to a foster care system and a decade of resentment for her mother. She had tried very hard over the last few weeks to not feel anger towards her, but she just couldn't stop it anymore. Not when she was staring down a power upgrade that was nothing short of miraculous in so little time.

The golden tendrils continued to swirl around the room, taking shape even more just as they started to shake, her anger seeping through.

"Focus."

"I'm trying."

"You're angry. I can smell it on you."

"That's sweat."

"No. It is anger and resentment and fear," Frigga said, holding her gaze despite the cords of power acting up all around her. "And you have every right to feel that. But you have to control it or it will control you as if has for your entire life."

"Why?" Avery finally asked, frustration bursting out despite her best efforts to keep it contained. She was ashamed of it, of holding onto it for so long and doing a damn thing to address it, and for only really talking about it with Steve on the rare occasion. But she just couldn't resist Frigga's stare and the way she implored her to finally, finally, open up that part of herself once and for all. She had been trying to ever since Nick Fury and his goon squad unceremoniously plucked her up from her entirely unremarkable life all those months ago to minimal success.

Well, minimal might be downplaying her own hard work just a touch.

She was certainly better off than she had ever been and it served very little purpose beyond self-centered pitying to pretend otherwise.

But Avery was nothing if not overindulgent in her own negativity.

Whatever was happening – in her mind, under hands, flowing all around them in the room – was far beyond her ability to comprehend and put into words and she felt even angrier at her mother for that fact.

"Hello."

"Focus."

Avery scrunched up her face and tried to control her sudden surge of anger. Her powers fizzled, growing brighter in color for a brief moment before they began to shake under her hands.

"Avery."

She could do it. She had done it. Several times over, she had fought through her own cycling thoughts, self-destructive tendencies, and pin-balling emotions, and come out on the other side. Stronger, more in control, able to be the team member that she should be.

It felt all the worse knowing that Steve, who had been so out of sorts when they first arrived, was now positively thriving.

And then it felt worst of all that she had even allowed herself to feel the tiniest kernel of resentment towards him for that fact.

"Pathetic." The voice, so silky smooth and oh so familiar, bumped against her mind. "Truly pathetic."

Avery's eyes snapped open just in time to see her powers slam back into her with enough force to send her and Frigga flying backwards and away from each other. Avery's head slammed into the hard marble floor, a deafening crack replacing the mocking tone before the room fell entirely silent.

She laid there for a moment, too embarrassed to even think about moving. She half hoped the floor might just open up and consume her before she had to think about much else. She covered her face with her hands, unsure if the moisture was still all sweat, and allowed herself a few seconds to wallow.

A soft hand touched the side of her neck after only a moment, pulling her back to the moment.

"Avery, do not cry," Frigga said, moving her hand up her neck to the knot of hair piled on top of her head.

"I'm not, " Avery said, continuing to cover her face just to be sure that she was not, in fact, crying. "My eyes are just sweating. I swear."

"There is no need to be ashamed or embarrassed."

Frigga stroked her hair, the gesture awkward at first before they both settled into it. Avery turned her head and peered out from behind her hands, staring up at the woman who reminded her so very much of her mom in that moment that the urge to actually cry welled up inside her like a tsunami.

"I'm not. Not really."

"I know."

"Can we talk about something else?"

Truthfully, she would have preferred Frigga prattle on about something inconsequential to fill the time. If not that, than just let her go join Steve and Thor down at the training grounds. Anything, really.

"Of course!" How is Steve doing? I trust he has settled in well."

Anything but that.

The initial tour of the palace had been short-lived on their first day, although nothing short of mesmerizing. Frigga decided to keep to the main living area for the most part, leading them through a golden maze of gardens, carved marble, and the richest rooms Avery had ever seen in her entire life. The overwhelming feeling came and went, ebbing and flowing, building up as she tried to process things in full before she gave up entirely and instead took it all in stride.

But that had been two weeks ago and she had finally managed to not be so dumbstruck every time she left her room.

Steve had adjusted as well. Far better, in fact, than she ever would have imagined. For a man who said he felt like such a relic in 2012, he sure seemed comfortable in the outer space version of Medieval Times.

His only true sign of discomfort came on their very first night. Frigga, unaware of their status as friends – just friends – showed them to a single room to share.

As was normal for people in a relationship.

Or so Frigga assumed.

Avery still hadn't managed to get her blush to go away entirely. And now, confronted with the subject once again, she still couldn't bring herself to correct the mistake.

The fact that she was so upset by that notion was a thought that had lingered with her for weeks.

Steve was surprisingly calm about their living arrangement, preferred it even, and they had settled into a comfortable routine almost immediately. The room, larger than basically all of Avery's numerous studio apartments and motel room homes combined, had enough space for them both to spread out. While it didn't have two beds, it did have a massive chaise on the balcony that Avery had claimed as her own basically the moment they stepped inside.

Neither of them had even bothered to address the weirdness of it all.

They simply chose to ground themselves in the familiar of each other as they both dived headfirst – separate, together, all at once – in the complete and total unknown that was Asgard.

Frigga looped Avery's hair into tiny, intricate knots, a slight quirk to her lips as she waited for Avery to answer.

"Something else else."

"Come now. Palace gossip has grown stale. I have only sons and their affections for the opposite sex have always been stunted, at best. Surely you can have mercy on me?"

Avery turned her head to the side and looked up at her, a little nonplussed by the conspiratorial and prying tone. But it was good natured and she could see, just from looking at her for a brief moment, that she genuinely wanted to know.

"I don't know if you'll be scandalized by the truth."

"That you and he are not yet involved in anything greater than a friendly capacity?"

"Tragic, isn't it?"

"Only if you allow these sad state of affairs to continue."

"I wouldn't exactly say he is emotionally available," Avery said, voice dipping into profound dramatics. "He's complicated and his situation is complicated and there is this whole thing with one of the prettiest women I've seen."

"Shame," Frigga said, hands pausing in her hair. "He is quite handsome."

"He is." She realized, half a second too late, that her admission had well and truly trapped her in the feeling. There was no going back now and all she could really do was suffer in silence and hope, with enough time and enough other things to distract her, that she might just get over it.

"And very dedicated to you."

Frigga was prying. Needling, even, if such an undignified practice could be ascribed to such a dignified woman. Her curiosity reminded her so much of her mother in that moment she found herself, once again, remembering the times she had had the same sorts of conversations with her. The bitterness flared up in her chest and she tried to force it down with all she had, but Frigga could tell something was wrong almost immediately.

Avery sat up, ignoring the way Frigga's fingers caught in her hair and pulled as she turned to face her full on.

"Did you know?" Avery asked, trying to keep her tone as non-accusatory as possible. "Did you know that I existed?"

"No."

Avery reached her hand forward and wrapped it around Frigga's wrist, throwing her powers forward and latching onto whatever sort of secrecy she could find.

But there was none.

And she felt all the worse for doubting her aunt when she pulled her hand back and balled it into a fist in her lap.

"I'm sorry."

"There is no need. Your mo…"

"Please don't compare me to her," Avery practically begged. "Please. Not right now."

Frigga looked at her and instead of seeing the pity that she expected, she saw nothing but understanding. "Your mother was gifted at many things, Avery. She was funny, and kind, and had a playful streak that could rival Loki's as a small boy. She was also unfailingly kind and generous with her time and with the things she gave us. But she was also stubborn as a hakkmule…"

"I don't know what that is."

"And blamed others for problems that she created for herself. When we were children, she was the elder of my two sisters. I do not remember when Fulla and Forra were born, but I scarcely remember a time without them."

"There's another?"

"Yes. A twin. I believe you inherited her ability to create energy shields."

"Is she alive?"

"She passed from space pox a two hundred years ago."

"Oh."

Frigga shook her head, a brief cut of pain flashing across her face before she schooled her features and continued. "Fulla was always the more care free of the two, but she was also so guarded. When she developed her gifts, so similar to your own, she suffered greatly under the pressure. She kept all my secrets, and the secrets of our sister Forra, and those of Odin after I married him. Eventually, she kept the secrets of Thor and Loki as well."

Frigga paused, thinking of her next words carefully.

"She was a seer. By the time she was fully grown, she was not only burdened with the secrets of her entire family, but the secrets of the future as well."

"That does…."

"Listen, please. Please. I loved your mother more than I can scarcely put into words and I cannot erase her decisions to keep you hidden, but I can help you to understand. Please." Frigga reached forward and grabbed Avery's hand, clasping it between her own and squeezing it tight. "The day she developed her gift of foresight, she made a promise to Odin. She swore to never tell the future and let it come to pass without intervention. She saw everything – the rise and fall of the universe, how we all would die, you."

"Wh…"

"Avery, please. Before she was banished, she told me and Forra of a little secret that she would guard for the rest of her life. At the time, we assumed it was of little consequence. She always tried to hint at things to come in such vagaries to ease her own burden in whatever way she could. It was all she could do and still keep her word to Odin. She kept her oath for nearly a millennia and then one day, she could no longer do it. I do not know who she told or what she shared, but she was banished the next day."

"To earth."

"I believe she must have felt called there by something rather significant," Frigga said. "If any of us had known where she went, let alone that she had a child, we never would have left you there. You are family and our table is not complete unless you are sitting at it as you always should have been."

Really, what was she supposed to say to that?

She pulled her hands back and leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Frigga so tight she feared the poor woman might not be able to breathe. Frigga returned the gesture in kind and the two of them, such an odd sight huddled on the floor together and covered in sweat, continued to hold each other.

"Forra and I always hoped that one of us might have a daughter one day. Our powers were always meant to be passed to the women of our line. It seems that Fulla couldn't leave without giving us one final gift."

It was cheesy and if the situation had been any different she might have scoffed at it all, but instead she found herself pulling in even tighter. They both pulled back after another long moment, each smiling at each other.

"What do you say we call it a day," Frigga said, reaching up to wipe a few tears from her face. "Go spend the rest of the daylight with Thor and Steve. Things will be clearer in the sunlight and surrounded by friends."

Avery smiled, wiping a few tears of her own. "And by clear, you mean more confusing than ever."

Frigga reached her hand up and touched the side of her face, feather light and warm all at once. "Perhaps. At the very least, a man as handsome as him can only get better looking in a wash of golden sunlight."

"Poetic. And horny."

"I am still quite young, Avery. I know a good looking man when I see one." She tapped her cheek, smile now just a bit mischievous as she ushered her towards the door.

Avery paused, hand lingering over the ornate door handle. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Same time tomorrow. You never did find that secret of mine today."

"Well now you have my attention."

"Something to look forward to, then," Frigga said, giving her a small wave as Avery disappeared out the door.

The halls of the palace were meant to confuse, Avery was absolutely certain. She had gotten lost at least a dozen times and only managed to find her way thanks to a few helpful guards. She knew her way from her room, to the main dining area the family used, the training grounds, Frigga's solarium, and back again. She wasn't brave enough to venture off her beaten paths, afraid of getting lost and running into Odin in uncontrolled settings, and wasn't about to start now.

Especially not when Frigga had painted such a vivid picture of Steve in sunlight.

She started down the long hallways, a new bounce to her step as she moved in his direction.

"Avery."

She ignored the voice at first, half convinced she had made it up, and continued on her way. But it got more insistent. Quiet and then loud and then louder to the point that she couldn't hear even her own footsteps anymore. She didn't want to be caught running but she also didn't want to be caught by whoever, whatever, was currently shouting her name.

"Avery!"

She stopped at the top of an unfamiliar staircase, panting slightly.

"Turn left."

Why, she would never understand, but followed the instructions.

Left, left, right, left again. Deeper and Deeper into the palace she went, following the voice without reason. There was something familiar about it, like it had visited her in a nightmare when she was a kid and had stuck in the back of her mind ever since. She took the final set of stairs and paused at the edge of the long room, eyes narrowing.

Despite the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she walked forward until she reached the final glowing cell at the end of the room.

"Hello, Avery."

Loki.

Whatever relief she had been feeling at her breakthroughs with Frigga and her powers turned to dust before her very eyes at the sight of that greasy little turd smirking at her from behind a blanket of gold.

"Oh fuck me."

Loki really is a greasy little turd right now, lol. Anyway, Avery is finally getting the family that she's always wanted, but of course that also includes the weird homicidal cousin that tried to conquer earth. Its a package deal. Some of this story's lore is finally coming into play here with Frigga's sisters and where Avery got her powers from.

Next chapter: Tony, Steve, and Peter get a little love and screen time!