Ah, Marvel. It's a lifestyle. This story has been bopping around in my head for a long time now, so I hope it has a somewhat coherent storyline! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my work! Thanks for your reviews on the first chapter! Disclaimer: I own nothing MCU

...

Avi sobbed.

She had been lying on the floor of 177A Bleecker Street for approximately ten minutes as her body shook with grief, and her tears soaked her face. How could her father be so harsh with her? It was not a side of him Avi had previously seen. As a warrior, of course, Odin was powerful and mighty. He showed no mercy when his foes caused him to retaliate, and he was the protector of the nine realms for a good reason. But as a father, Odin was the opposite. He was strict with Avi, yes, but he showed her love unmatched by the rest of the family.

When she had broken her wrist as a young child, it was Odin who had tenderly held her to his chest and carried her to the healers, kissing her and promising her she would be well soon. When Avi's lack of focus had become dreadfully apparent to Odin and Frigga during the child's schooling, it had been Odin who had gently taught her little tricks to help keep her mind on track. It was also Odin who had assured her that the imagination she possessed was a beautiful thing. And it was Odin who had comforted the grieving girl when Loki was imprisoned for attacking Midgard, and Avi could not understand why her wonderful, loving, precious big brother had betrayed their family.

"Why?" gasped Avi, pounding the hard floor with her fist. Why had he beaten her? What had caused his rage to bubble up in such a violent manner? Avi was no stranger to an occasional spanking, in truth more often than she cared to admit, but it was always well-earned for a mischievous prank or something of the sort. Odin was a firm disciplinarian, but it never consisted of more than an embarrassing trip over his knee. The whipping he had administered just moments ago was something entirely new to Avi.

"I can tell you why," said Strange, standing across the room and peering out a window.

Avi lifted her tear-stained face to look up at him, "Tell me." Her voice was shaking and hoarse but held a demanding tone.

"You frightened him," replied Strange, turning, and walked towards her. He knelt and held out a hand. "May I help you up?"

Avi looked at him for a moment before reluctantly placing her hand in his and pushing herself to her feet. She stood awkwardly before him, her shirt partially untucked, her dark curls hanging in her face after slipping loose from the braid at the nape of her neck. Tears dripped from her chin and her nose was starting to run from the hard cry she had just had.

"Would you like to…wash your face?" asked Strange, unsure of how to interact with a child. He rarely interacted with anyone younger than twenty — especially not someone who had just finished a good cry. Of course, this child was technically older than twenty, but Asgardians aged slower than Midgardians, and Strange decided she was probably thirteen to fifteen in earth terms.

Avi nodded, dropping her eyes to her boots. Strange snapped his fingers, and Avi was instantly in a bathroom. She recognized the faucet and remembered using one during a previous visit to Midgard. Sinks were not a fixture on Asgard, and it had taken Avi a few minutes when first encountering one to figure out how to make the water run. This sink looked similar to the ones she had previously used, and she started to reach for the faucet, expecting to find a knob or button, when the water turned on, scaring her.

"Oh!" she cried, jumping back. "A magic faucet."

"Motion sensor!" came Strange's voice through the bathroom door. "Need to be wary of spreading germs."

"Ah," said Avi, entirely unsure of what Strange had just said. She splashed water on her face and tucked the loose bits of hair back into her braid. Stepping backward, Avi bent over at the waist and rested her head on her hands, elbows on the sink. "Why?" she whispered again. The water turned off, and Avi stood, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The girl looking back appeared devastated. The skin, generally tanned from the bright Asgard sun, was pale with bright splotches of red on the flushed cheeks. The dark eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and the eyelashes wet. "I haven't seen you since Loki was in prison," said Avi, surveying the girl in the mirror. "I don't like you."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Strange, from outside the door.

"Do you always listen to people when they are in a washroom?" questioned Avi, glaring at the door.

"You aren't in the washroom," said Strange, standing before Avi at the foot of an enormous staircase. Avi stumbled, knocked off balance from the sudden change of rooms, and glared at him.

"You should warn people before you drag them through portals and throw them into strange rooms," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I find it amusing," said Strange, narrowing his eyes as well. "Now, we can stand here for an hour glaring at each other just like we did last time you were here, or we can talk. Do you want answers?"

"What's wrong with my father?" asked Avi. "Why did he…do that?"

"Your father?" asked Strange, lifting an eyebrow. "Your father was terrified of you. He loved your more than he ever imagined possible to love a person, and he was scared you were too much for him. He was young. You were a six-month-old baby that could kick him hard enough to knock him over. Could you blame him for what he did?"

Avi stared at Strange, head cocked to the side and eyes filled with puzzlement. "Um…" she said, "I…what are you…?"

"Perhaps you should sit," said Strange.

The two were now seated comfortably in cushioned chairs by a fireplace, and Avi stomped her foot hard. "Stop doing that!" she snapped. "You're going to make me sick."

"Sorry, a force of habit," said Strange. "Now, if you want to know about your real parents, sit still, and listen."

Avi's head snapped up, and she looked at the sorcerer in surprise, "My real parents?"

"Yes, your real parents," said Strange. "In case you haven't noticed, you have dark brown hair, and the rest of your family is blonde or ginger. You have the attention span of a puppy while the rest of your family…well, Thor may be an exception…but the rest of them are stoic and focused. You age faster than most Asgardian children. What are you mentally? Fourteen? Probably around there. Physically you could wrestle a WWE star, but I suppose that goes with the lineage. But back to my point, it only took you a couple decades to age this far. The other children born at the same time as you are only five or six-years-old in earth terms. I assume you see where I am going with this?"

Avi stared at Strange and shook her head, "Um. I'm afraid not."

"You're adopted," said the man.

Avi's eyes grew wide, and she slid to the edge of her seat, "What? No, I'm not. I'm a goddess! I have powers!"

"Yes, obviously," said Strange. "Odin and Frigga are your grandparents, so naturally, you have inherited family traits. You are just as impulsive as Thor can be. And you wouldn't know this, but you look similar to your mother. I've seen her in the past. She was a wonderful girl. Well, I haven't seen her in the past. I mean I literally looked back in time and saw her."

"My mother? My grandparents?" Avi stood, confusion enveloping her at the sudden history of her lineage. "What are you saying? Papa and Mama are my parents! Thor is my brother, and Loki is my adopted brother!"

"They are both your adopted brothers," corrected Strange. "And also your uncles. You can ask either one of them and they will verify."

A knock echoed through the house, and Strange glanced to his left.

"Hm," he mused, "there is your uncle now."

The two stood before the front door, and Avi fell backward, crying out in shock. "Stop doing that!" she snapped angrily.

Strange ignored her and opened the door to reveal a slightly breathless Loki.

"May I come in?" he asked, gathering himself to full height. He was dressed in a dark suit and seemed to blend in with the rest of New York City now that his Asgardian clothes were enchanted.

"Isn't that Loki?" came a girl's voice from the sidewalk below.

Loki growled and shoved past Strange, slamming the door shut behind him. "Attack the city once, and you can never show your face again," he mumbled. Loki caught sight of Avi and immediately pushed aside his agitation, pulling his sister close in a tight embrace, "Oh, my love. It's alright. I'll protect you."

"Yes, you were doing a marvelous job of that on Asgard," said Strange sarcastically.

Loki released his sister and approached the Midgardian sorcerer with a threatening gait, "How dare you! This girl is my sister, and I care more deeply for her than you can imagine. Perhaps you would like to explain why you have embedded yourself in our family affairs?"

"Perhaps you should back down," said Strange. "I did just save this child you claim to love so dearly from being beaten."

Loki glared at him but visibly softened his defensive stature. "Alright, yes," he said, reaching out an arm and letting Avi fall back against his chest. "I should thank you for that. But why? Why did you save her? How did you even know?"

"I know much more complicated magic than you could understand," taunted Strange. Loki bristled at the claim but remained silent as Strange continued. "The girl came to me a few weeks ago when she was looking for Thor. He was out hunting down that astrophysicist he is so smitten by, and Avi thought I could tell her where he was. Long story short, we started comparing magic and I taught her a few things. If you remember correctly, Avi, we experimented with visiting the past, and I saw a few things in your past that I didn't feel at liberty to divulge. Those would be the things I just told you upstairs. She knows everything, Uncle Loki."

"Uncle Loki?" cried Loki, glaring at Strange. "What have you been telling this child?"

"The truth," said Strange, turning and beginning to pace. "What she should have been told from the beginning."

"And you feel in authority to do this for what reason?" demanded Loki, seriously fighting the urge to pull his knife.

"In authority to do this?" repeated Avi, stepping back from Loki and staring at him. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that he…told me that truth?"

Strange glanced at Loki and then turned away. "Suppose I leave you two alone?" he muttered, and the next instant, he was gone.

Loki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Oh, Avi. My darling. You were never meant to find out this way."

"Find out!" cried Avi, taking a step backward. "So it's true! Papa and Mama are my grandparents! Who are my mother and father, Loki? Who are they? Who am I?" Shock and resentment tore through Avi's body as she waited frantically for answers. She should have known from the moment she tripped over her rug this morning that it was going to be a horrific day.

"You are Avila, Goddess of Stars and Magic," replied Loki, his stressed expression softening to one of love. "You are my sister. You have been your whole life, and you always will be just as I am Thor's brother. Your birth does not matter."

"Does not matter!" cried Avi, slamming her fist into the wall beside her. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the room beside them was visible from the hole her strike had left. "Loki, you know what I am feeling! You told me how despairing it was when Papa told you who you were! How can you tell me it doesn't matter?"

"Yes, darling, you're right," soothed Loki, stepping forward and grabbing Avi's shoulders. "I beg your forgiveness; I should have thought of that. I will tell you everything. Of course, you deserve to know." He felt ashamed at his seeming disregard for her emotions, and he gently pulled her towards his chest for an embrace. Avi stiffened and pushed away from him.

"No," she seethed. "Tell me."

Loki felt a pang of anger at Avi's reaction, but he also remembered it very clearly from his own experience. His hatred for Odin had grown considerably when the man told him he was adopted. Loki had been used. He had been a tool to unite kingdoms. He did not want his beloved sister to feel the pain he had felt.

"Avi, before I start know this," said Loki, "Father and Mother love you. I don't understand why Father treated you the way he did today, but I do know that he truly loves you. He did not take you in as an asset to his own good. He took you in because he wanted you."

A faint memory of Loki's pain flashed through Avi's mind, but she selfishly pushed it aside, caring only about the truth. "Tell me who I am," she demanded, annunciating every word clearly.

Loki sighed and nodded.

Twenty-Four Years Before

"It's alright, sweetheart," soothed twenty-two-year-old Tony Stark, wincing as his hand was squeezed with an incredible amount of force. "Ah, baby, you'll be okay." He groaned inwardly and tried to pull his hand free, but it was only gripped tighter.

"Anthony!" shrieked the young Asgardian woman, sweat pouring down her face.

"I'm here," said Tony, brushing the girl's damp hair back. "Freya, I'm right here."

"There is a lot of blood, doctor," came a nurse's voice. "Too much."

Tony felt his heart drop into his stomach.

Freya let out a wail of pain, and the next second, the cries of a baby filled the room.

"You have a baby girl!" said the doctor.

Tony felt a wave of sheer joy wash over him in a way he had never felt it before. The tiny form was laid on Freya's chest, and the mother sobbed happily, holding her child close.

"Anthony!" she cried, "look! Look!"

Tony was looking. And he never wanted to look away. A daughter. He had a daughter. This tiny baby was so helpless and new and moldable, and she was his. A jolt of fear slightly impinged the joy, but Tony pushed it away, wanting to relish in his delight. The details would come later. For now, it was just Freya, Tony, and baby. A happy family.

Tony had met Freya just a year before. She had attended a convention of his father's and caught Tony's eye immediately. The two had been inseparable ever since, and for once, Howard Stark approved of one of Tony's girlfriends. Freya was smart, capable, and mature. She had scientific ideas that outmatched anything Howard's assistants could do, and he had been actively working at enlisting her services. Freya seemed hesitant, though, to work for Stark Industries, and Tony had insisted his father back down.

When they found out Freya was pregnant, Freya had appeared scared and nervous, and it was then that she told Tony the truth. She was a goddess. Tony, of course, had assumed it was the pregnancy hormones talking and tried to brush off the claim. A goddess? No such thing. Freya was just in the early stages of pregnancy and fighting weird baby chemicals. Right?

In November of 1991, Freya had taken Tony out into a field and looked up at the stars. She had merely whispered, "Heimdall, bring us home," and seconds later, Tony was experiencing the most terrifying few moments of his life so far. They were traveling through space, …but in a tunnel of light? He had clung to Freya, possibly screaming though he wasn't sure if any sound came out. And then, just as quickly as it had started, the space journey ended, and Tony was staggering to find his balance in a massive dome-like room.

"This is Asgard," said Freya, standing solidly and looking beautiful as ever. "This is my home."

They had spent a week there, visiting with Freya's family. Her father, Odin, seemed unhappy with Freya's choice in love, but treated Tony courteously. When Freya finally told her parents she was expecting, Odin had gone into outrage and insisted the baby be raised on Asgard. Freya had fought back, trying to convince her father that she enjoyed the life she had built on Midgard with Tony. They wanted to raise their daughter on earth.

That night, Freya and Tony had slipped back to earth, using one of Loki's secret portals. Loki had appeared at their home the next day to inform them that if Freya did not return to Asgard with him, Odin would disown her.

She had stayed with Tony.

After Tony's parents were killed, Freya was the only thing that kept him going as he took over Stark Industries and transitioned from wild child to business owner and soon-to-be father. Tony grew in maturity and wisdom as he found himself enjoying the life of a family man, and the parents eagerly awaited the birth of their son or daughter. When the baby girl was born, Freya had insisted they name her Avila, as it meant "long desired of my heart." Avila Maria Stark was born on June 13th, 1992. Freya only saw her baby once, as she and Tony gazed upon the beautiful face on their newborn child. Two hours later, Freya was dead.

Two Years Later

It was a devastated Tony Stark that held his baby, kissing her face and fighting back the tears. "You'll be safe here," he whispered. "They know how to take care of you. I'll always love you, my Avila. My pride and joy. You'll always be my girl." Odin's imposing form cast a shadow over Tony, and the young father timidly looked up at the All-Father. "Love her," he said. It was partially a plea and partly a demand.

"She is my granddaughter," replied Odin. "I would do nothing less."

Frigga appeared and gently lifted the child from Tony's arms. Avila began to fuss, and for a second, Tony almost grabbed her back. He forced himself not too. This was all for the best. How could he raise a goddess? The child had cried so hard the other night that a lightning bolt had come through the nursery window and caught the crib on fire. It had terrified Tony, but the instant he realized Avila had caused the lightning, he had felt his will give way. Without Freya, how could he be a father to this baby? He knew then he had to give her back to Asgard. It was where Avila truly belonged. They would understand her strength and powers and teach her to use them. If Tony kept her, he feared they would both end up dead before much longer. If he couldn't even keep Freya alive after the difficult birth, how could he possibly keep this helpless baby alive?

As Tony had left the palace, tears streaming down his cheeks, a hand had caught his arm, and he looked up into the face of Loki.

"I'll protect her," he said, his piercing eyes looking straight into Tony's soul. "I will die before harm comes to her."

Tony had felt grateful but was too grieved to show. He merely nodded and pulled away, wanting to return to earth as quickly as possible. The only thing that mattered now was his work, and he wanted to forget about Avila as fast as he could.

Present

"My father is Tony Stark," whispered Avi, staring straight ahead. "Iron Man. Tony Stark."

Loki shifted uncomfortably, memories of the Battle of New York bubbling up to shame him, "Yes, and, um, you are probably wondering why I…"

"Tried to kill him?" asked Avi, giving him an emotionless gaze.

Loki blushed and looked down, "I was…that wasn't me. It was, but I was entranced. I don't know how to explain it."

"It doesn't matter," said Avi. "Nothing matters. Mama and Papa have lied to me my entire life, and now my real mother is dead, and my father doesn't want me."

"You hate them all," said Loki. "I know. I did, too. Don't let yourself. You have no idea what I would give to be back in our parent's favor."

"Your parents," hissed Avi. "At least they adopted you. They merely lied to me."

"They raised you as a daughter, and they are every bit your parents as they are mine," said Loki, narrowing his eyes. "I am not telling you that what you are feeling is wrong, because I understand it completely. You feel used and unloved. You feel as if your whole life is a lie. I know. But listen to me when I say not to let it control you. Fight back these feelings! Do not lose Father and Mother's support, for without it, your life will be miserable. Come back to Asgard with me and we will talk this out with Father. Surely he will be understanding when he finds out you know the truth."

"Did you forget he just attempted to beat me to death!" cried Avi. "Is that the action of an understanding father?"

"I'll admit I do not understand Father's actions," said Loki, "but perhaps if Strange came back with us and acted as mediator…"

"No!" cried Avi. "I will not go back to Asgard! I never want to see the All-Father or his wife again!"

Loki grimaced at Avi's lack of 'Papa' and 'Mama.' It had always been so sweet to hear her calling for them, her voice echoing through the palace. He remembered using the terms himself, though he had switched to Father and Mother to appear more mature when he was a little younger than Avi. He hated to admit it, but he generally dropped the term 'Father' himself now. Odin did not trust Loki yet, and Loki was bitter for it. He knew he deserved being guarded carefully, but the years of taking second place after Thor did nothing to help Loki respect Odin. He completely understood how Avi felt, but he also knew terrible things could happen when anger and bitterness took over.

"I'm sorry," said Loki, and he cast a spell over Avi to put her to sleep. Unfortunately for Loki, Avi had expected it and reversed it, sending Loki backward into a wall. He was instantly out cold and dropped to the ground, sound asleep.

"So am I," whispered Avi, staring sadly at her brother. Or was it her uncle? Since he was adopted, was he even either one? She had no idea. One thing she did know for sure, and that was that she needed answers. And if anyone could give her the real story, it was a man living in upstate New York.

A man named Tony Stark.

Thanks so much for reading! Leave a review if you like and I hope you come back for chapter three! Have a great day!