AN: Tumblr prompt: Prompt idea villain teleports the avengers team into the ghost zone and they wander before danny finds and saves them

Drabble 89-Wanderers

When Clint opened his eyes, his first thought was something on the lines of, damnit, another concussion?

He later learned that no, it was not, but he wish it had been because then maybe the green skies and purple ground would have made more sense. He blinked, his vision bleary for a moment before finally clearing along with his mind. He slowly became aware of a prodding at his side, and he looked over to see Natasha pushing him with her toes, giving him that look that she always does. The one that was saved just for Clint.

"Where are we?" He asked her. She held out her hand and he took the offer, gliding gracefully to his feet. He swayed slightly, and he had a feeling the sky was havng a negative effect on his depth perception.

"We don't know. Stark's suit isn't able to make contact to our world, and unless we see that vampire guy again, there's no getting back."

"So, in simple terms, we're screwed?"

"Pretty much," she said, giving him a small smile. They were in the crapper, but at least they were there together, like a team should be.

"Do we have any sort of plan?" Clint asked nobody in particular. Steve was looking around, eyes wide under the mask as he looked this way and that, and Hulk was kind of just chilling off to the side. Stark was messing with his armor with his face plate up, unable to get a read on anything due to the strange electromagnetic atmosphere, and Thor was looking like he was constipated. However Clint knew that face. He was worried. Like he had seen here before...

Oh.

"Thor, do you know anything?" He asked the mythological warrior.

"Aye," he said, his eyes almost hyperfocused. "I have ventured here before many centuries ago..." he trailed off. In that moment, they all saw what an old soul Thor was. It was easy to forget that he used to be an actual myth and has been around for hundreds of years. "Loki and I were playing in the forest when something opened up and we were transported here," he explained. "My father was the one to come and relieve us from this terrifying world."

His tone didn't bode well for the team. If this place scared even Thor then they were screwed.

"Well, maybe it's not as bad as you thought it was," Clint suggested. "I mean, you were just kids after all. Things are always scarier when you're younger."

"Then why is my chest feel tight with fear?" Thor asked his friend. His blue eyes showed fear and worry for both him and his team, and unless you had known him for a very long time, you wouldn't have been able to see it. But Clint noticed things like that. It was a part of his job description.

"Well, what do you remember?" Steve asked, trying to get them back on track. Any information from Thor could possibly help them escape this alternate universe (?) and get home, where that vampire guy was still hanging around.

"I remember a man with blue skin and a scar over his eye. he didn't say anything, just floated by. It felt as if he was staring straight into our souls. Loki had nightmares for weeks after that, thinking that the drauger was at the foot of his bed."

"Wait, what's a drauger?" Natasha asked.

"I believe you mortals call them spirits or ghosts. They're those, however draugers are much more powerful and much more destructive. They've slain thousands of Asgardians. Only magic can repel them."

"Does your hammer count as magic?" Tony asked.

"Yes, but that power comes from Odin. We need banishing spells and incantations. Loki would be the one to call for these types of situations, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, that's a no," Tony grimaced. Even the thought of teaming up with Loki made his stomach turn, and one glance to Clint told him he felt the same way.

"Then what are we going to do?" Steve asked. He dug into his thoughts for a plan but not one came up. They didn't have the right stuff for this job.

"Well, I might know a guy."

They all whirled around, only to see a scrawny, white haired teenager floating cross legged in front of them. He looked at them with wide eyes, astonished to see them. None of them knew whether it was because they were famous or because they were human.

"Do not listen to him," Thor snarled, stepping forward so he was in between the Avengers and the monster. His hammer was held so tight his knuckles were white, and he looked down right murderous.

"Who is this kid?" Tony asked, flipping his mask back down.

"A drauger," Thor hissed. The spirit was holding its hands up in defense as it eyed Thor and his hammer warily.

"Hey, woah man I'm just trying to help. You guys are the Avengers or something like that, right?" The teen asked, stretching out a gloved hand in a friendly gesture. His toxic green eyes seemed earnest and held back excitement at meeting actual heroes. At their wary nods, he continued. "That's realy cool what you did in New York. Anyway, name's Danny Phantom. My friend can help you guys get back to the human world."

"First," Natasha said, glaring daggers at him. He seemed pretty unfazed by it though, which was impressive in and of itself. "Where are we?"

"Oh, that's easy. You guys are in the Ghost Zone. Yeah, some people, when they die, end up here. Like, maybe they had an obsession strong enough to pass through the veil or something. Or maybe you're just a buildup of ectoplasm that formed a conscious."

"So not everybody who dies comes here?" Steve asked, stepping forward. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, exactly. But not all ghosts were human, either. Some ghosts can even be born. Like, my friend Princess Dora is pregnant with twins right now. It's pretty cool, I guess."

"Mind games," Thor snapped. Danny flinched from the sudden outburst, dropping his legs and letting them turn into a wispy, translucent tail. He was ready to bolt if things went south, and if he did that there would be no way of getting out of here.

"Wait!" Steve said, pushing himself in front of Thor, holding him back with one hand as he reached out for the young ghost with the other. "We're stuck here and really need to get back. Do you know a guy with blue skin and a scar over his eye?"

Steve had no idea if that guy was good or bad, but it was a risk worth taking if it meant they had a chance at getting home.

"Does he have a giant grandfather clock torso thing? Can switch to an old man and a baby?" Danny asked, an eyebrow rasied as he turned back to them. Steve looked back at Thor, whose eyes were narrowed at Danny as he nodded, his jaw clenched.

"Aye, drauger."

"What the hell is that?" He asked, looking confused.

"So you know him?" Tony asked, coming forward to stand with the other two.

"Well, yeah, that;s Clockwork. He's the master of time and all that. He can help you guys get back to the human world by opening a portal with his staff or whatever."

His legs returned and he stepped on the ground. Steve almost jumped back when ice shot out from his feet, but the kid didn't seem to notice as he turned around and started walking, an ice bridge being made with every step he took. He turned back around, frowning when he realized nobody was following him.

"Are you coming or not?"

It was strange, walking over an ice bridge but still having complete traction. And then there was Hulk, who somehow wasn't breaking it with his weight. Or all of their combined weights. It was interesting to see ice glitter in a new way since he had been thawed out.

Steve was walking alongside Danny, who refused to meet him in the eyes, but Steve could see him trying to sneak looks form the corner of his eyes. He smiled to himself as he looked down at Danny, taking his shield off of his arms.

"You can hold it if you want," he said, trying to start a friendly conversation. Danny's eyes were like Christmas, sparkling and lighting up with a unique joy that Steve had never seen before. He often got that same look when kids realized who he was, not with dead teenagers.

Dead teenagers.

Danny was a dead teenager.

Steve mulled this over as Danny looked over the shield that was now strapped to his small arm, running his fingers lightly over the edge.

"How did you die?" Steve asked, his voice quiet. Danny's head shot up, the excitement gone as he dropped his arms and looks away. Steve sighed. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about it I won't make you. But you're so...Young. You deserve better."

Danny was silent for a little while as they walked, and Steve could swear that it got colder the more Danny thought it over, trying to decide whether or not he should tell a complete stranger. But something inside of him told Danny he could trust this guy. After all, he was Captain America.

"I was in a lab accident," he said after a while. He seemed to struggle finding the right words to describe everything. But when he did he never met Steve's eyes. Just kept his eyes on the ground or ahead of him. "See, my parents are scientists. They actually specialize in ghosts. They built a portal to this place, but it didn't work. My friends convinced me to go in, and I tripped. The on button was on the inside of the portal, apparently, and I accidentally hit it."

"What happened after that?"

"I was electrocuted with 100% ectoplasm. It's...Weird, though. I mean, I'm dead but also not? The ghosts here call me a halfa-half human, half ghost. Said I;'the savior or something. But they try to kill me, and my parents try to kill me, and-honestly, it's just a mess. That's why I usually hang out with Clockwork or Frostbit when I come here."

"And Frostbite is...?"

"The King of the Far Frozen. He and his people are yetis that specialize in ice cores. He helps me perfect mine, and helps me discover new things I can do. Like ice coming from my feet," he gestured in front of him.

"What do you do when you're in the human world?" Steve asked. He felt bad for the kid, what with both of his kinds wanted to kill him. Especially for something he had no control over in the first place.

"School, mostly, and I hang out with my friends. They help me hunt ghosts and send them back here."

"Jesus, that sound like a lot of work for a kid."

"Hey, I'm fifteen! That's not a kid," Danny hilariously tried to defend himself, and behind him he heard Clint laughing.

"Oh my god, you're a baby!" He laughed. "Am I right?" He asked Hulk, who was smirking at the ghost child while Hawkeye elbowed him in the ribs.

"From the looks of it he's more of an adult than you are, Mr. I-eat-frozen-pizza-for-breakfast," Stark defended, giving Clint a raised eyebrow from under the mask. Clint stopped laughing, which made Hulk practically bust a gut as he slapped Hawkeye on the back, sending him forward on the ice bridge.

"Hulk likes ghost kid," Hulk said proudly as he crossed his arms over his chest with a smile. Danny grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Ah, hello, Daniel," someone said. Danny turned back around to see Clockwork, his cloak billowing in the nonexistant wind and a kind look on his face. "Avengers," he nodded to them. Steve stuck out his hand, but Clockwork just twisted his staff a couple of times before slamming it down on the ice, opening up a unique portal.

"Go with them, Danny," he said.

"Why?" Danny asked, going up to Clockwork.

"Time will tell. Time always tells. Now go. Hurry up and save your town."

One by one the Avengers went through, and Danny turned to Clockwork.

"Dude, what is this about?" He asked.

"Just go. Help them. They're going to need it."

"Fine. But you so owe me some of those biscuit things you made that one time."

"It's a deal, child. Good luck."

Danny flew through the other side of the portal and was greeted with a catastrophic scene of some New York street. The Avengers were fighting someone they could'tt even touch. Danny sighed and flew up, giving his old nemesis a painfully powerful uppercut.

"Seriously, Vlad? New York? You couldn't be original for once?" Danny yelled at him. Vlad growled as he powered up his hands, glaring at Danny and the Avengers that now surrounded him. Danny put a fist into his palm and popped his neck by turning it to the side.

"Let me show you guys how it's done in the Ghost Zone."

Danny charged, feeling like he was finally a part of something right. The feeling in his chest said this was what the universe wanted with every punch he gave until Vlad finally retreated back to the Zone. Danny was barely even winded.

The Avengers stared at him with expressions of awe, and Tony marched up to him, his mask flipping up as he did so.

"Do you wanna come get shwarma with us?"