"How did this moron become aware of my location?!"

"I was defending you," Bruce mutters while Thor circles the room frantically.

"This is an embarassment, a disgrace to my good name. Korg! Answer for yourself," Thor huffs, plopping back down in his prior position between his friends.

Korg salutes, "I shall lead us to victory in the next one."

The demigod nudges his friend playfully, "Indeed."

Thor lifts the game controller with determination, addressing the paused game on his makeshift television in the middle of the room, "Let us begin!"

. * . * . * . * . * .

Jane cringes over the chatter resonating through the thin walls separating them from the boys, "Oh god, they're playing again…"

Natasha looks up at her from her intricate puzzle, rolling her eyes over the chaotic noise.

"Mommy! Agmundr hit me!" Agatha's shout reaches them before the girl does, pouting and crying.

Jane tries not to make the frustration in her stare too obvious when she addresses her daughter;

"Can you tell me what happened? Honey, you need to breathe-."

"I hit her!" Agmundr owns up to his crimes, standing over by the stairs, "She was touching my stuff!"

Jane looks up and shakes her head, taking Agatha's hand to rub it, "We don't hit each other, we use our voices when we're upset. What you did is not okay. You need to apologize."

"She needs to apologize!"

"Agmundr Erik Thorson!"

"No!"

"Stop with this behaviour! What's gotten into you? Keep it up and your sister will get her own birthday party while you're grounded."

"But moooom!"

"Go to your room!"

"She started it!"

"Now!"

Natasha cringes, eyes down while she breathes and observes, grateful to not have her own children when Agmundr storms off in a full blown rage.

Jane tries to breathe, scooping Agatha up to her lap and eyes Natasha.

Romanoff smiles and tries to rub Agatha's back, "Are you okay?"

"No! He's always mean to me. Yesterday, he- he- turned himself into a lizard and he knows that I love lizards. And then I tried to pet it and then- he-he- turned back into himself and he went 'blah it's me,' and he electrocuted me!"

Jane reaches to hold her head with her free hand, eyeing Natasha with a pleading stare for help.

The redhead bites both of her lips when Thor pushes through the curtain, ready to drop his large full glass of Asgardian mead;

"My son did WHAT?! Where is he?!"

"Thor,' Jane scrambles a bit to stand, aiding Agatha back onto her feet, 'it's not a big deal-."

"-You do not understand, Jane! This behavior resembles that of my brother," Thor shakes his head.

"He's just a kid," Jane sighs.

"Where is he? In his room? I must speak with him-."

"Thor!"

"Gently! I will refrain from yelling. Lady Natasha? Finish my game, for me,' be hands her the controller, 'Beat those morons in my den. They are my friends- but, also…morons. AGMUNDR! We must talk!"

Natasha taps the game controller with her nails and eyeing a stressed Jane, "Sorry."

She holds her head with a laugh, "I'll take that wine now."

"Oh, I've got you."

Valkyrie is a bit more frantic and off balance when she enters the palace while Sif nudges her to the side and waves with a smile;

"Hi Jane, we're looking for Thor?...where is his majesty?"

Jane points upward beyond exasperated, "He's with Agmundr."

Bruce cuts in before Jane can respond, "Valkyrie, hey. What are you doing here?"

She stands straighter at seeing him and follows him back into the other room, "Ooh! Is it game night?! Got room for one more?"

"Yeah!"

"No because I'm swapping out for Thor,' Natasha points to herself, nudging her way through, 'Excuse me. I need to beat all of you, Thor's orders."

Korg lifts a hand in his own wave, "Ah Lady Natasha. Hi!"

She smiles and positions herself in the middle, focused, "What's Valkyrie's highest score?"

"Valkyrie is at 6,000 right now!" Korg boasts proudly.

"The pro, right here," Bruce laughs, high fiving the woman.

Natasha reaches to take a swig of Korg's mead, cringing over the strong taste, and mutters under her breath, "So I need a 6,001. I can do that..."

Alex looks up under the nearby table, whining with a subtle thumping tail wag for his mother.

"Go, go, go," Valkyrie is jumping on the sidelines.

Natasha is focused, nudging the boys with her elbows when she tries to maneuver herself on the screen, pummeling her buttons as if they're some sort of tangible weapon.

"What are the stakes, boys?"

"Ooh! You may have this Midgardian," Korg offers.

Bruce suddenly gets competitive, nudging her back, "They're passing you, Nat."

"Shush!"

"You shush!"

"You're the one dying over there."

"Ha! Now you're dying."

"Maybe if you were a little greener?"

"That was uncalled for-."

Natasha snickers, "I have a top score to beat here. What's yours?"

"Don't worry about it-."

Valkyrie cheers when the round ends and Natasha's character with the quirky goggles beats the rest of them.

Natasha drops her 'weapon' victoriously, "6,100! Beat that, Val."

Bruce's jaw is on the floor, proudly watching his wife stand up from the sofa as if what she just accomplished didn't require any skill. He's gawking, she grins and leans down to attack his mouth with her tongue.

Valkyrie whistles and Korg rambles, "I am impressed by the spy woman."

"I love her," Bruce admits once Natasha leaves.

Valkyrie jumps in between them, "Alright boys! What are we wrecking next?!"

. * . * . * . * . * .

Natasha returns to the other room, watching Sif contort her mouth and drum her fingers against the table.

Jane is gone, presumably with Agatha to go work on their stained glass mural at the gateway.

Romanoff narrows her eyes and leans her elbows over the counter, "You look stressed."

"You're a good spy," She calls dryly, "It's our latest mission. Some Asgardian objects need to be found."

"Thor cleared this?"

"Yes. How good is your retrieval record?"

"Are you offering me a mission?"

Sif chuckles lightly, "It's Valkyrie's assignment. I bet she'd even let you bring the Hulk."

"I bet she would," Natasha's thoughts are on Loki and the box currently in her apartment, "What sort of objects are we talking about?"

Sif answers with her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she tries to modify the mythical explanation in her head, "Think of obscure crystals that glow. They all have the power to reconstruct our very reality-, if you can imagine that.."

"Why the sudden interest," Natasha bites her cheek, swiftly moving her jaw from right to left.

"The stones' absence from Asgard could signify a loss of control throughout the realms. Already, there have been rumors about one or two missing from their place. If they fall into the wrong hands the consequences could be disastrous. The safest place for all stones is in Asgard, under Thor's protection."

She nods toward the den as if to volunteer her husband, "How can we help?"

"Ask Brunnhilde,' Sif smiles wide, waving to her entering friend,' Hi Thor."

"What brings you here, my dear friend? So late in the night. Shall I pour you a drink?" Thor stumbles tiredly back down the stairs.

"It's the mission," Sif starts.

Before she can finish, Thor is rolling his entire neck, "Valkyrie!"

"I believe you are aware of other interested parties?"

"Indeed. Lady Natasha?"

Romanoff's throat tightens, "Thor?"

"Where's- ah. Never mind,' he bumps into a table, a bit of beer spilling from his large jug, 'Forgive my clumsy action, my offspring is causing me stress. BANNER?!"

Bruce pokes his head through the curtain alongside Valkyrie.

"Thor?"

Thor smiles and lifts his drink, "I have a mission. One we shall all embark on together as long as it is in harmony with Valkyrie's plan."

The warrior chuckles and wraps her forearm around the physicist's neck in a playful choke hold he's not impressed with, "As long as my big green friend joins us."

"Ow…-Choking me," Bruce taps her arm for release.

"Sorry," she relents and messes up his hair.

Natasha shakes her head and rolls her eyes, tucking a hand under her chin;

"I assume our search begins at dawn,' she glares at Brunnhilde and Bruce, 'So bedtime; All of you!"

Antonia is in a panic, color missing from her cheeks, "I feel sick!"

Izabella breathes, stumbling backward and brushing the damp blood drop she can feel from her nose and ears;

"I'm sorry-."

"Watch it," Lucy reaches to catch Anna from falling completely to the ground while Izzy collapses in her own dizzy spell.

Mikhailov checks her palm after wiping her nose, unsurprised to see the blood. Her ears feel damp as well so she brushes them next and takes a moment to breathe.

"Where are we?" Riley is trying to use her senses to assess their situation, on her hands and knees to stabilize herself once she recognizes her teammates' energy. She breathes, "I am hoping one of you will tell me we're in Asgard."

Lucy snickers, "Doubt it! Thor never talked about the woods…?! So! What the fuck."

"We have a child present, why are you so foul mouthed around her?!" Izabella yells.

"CLEARLY Steve had check-ins with you? Did you have Friday lunch with grandpa?"

Antonia grips at Lucy's shirt, practically in tears, "I'm gonna throw up!"

"Not on me you ain't,' Lucy pushes her gently, 'aim for Izzy! Maybe she'll confess and tell us where we are."

"I think it's Asgard." Izabella glares, trying to catch her breath.

Riley stands, "A physical shoulder to lean on would be incredible, thanks for asking. Do I really need to remind you all that I'm blind?!"

"Let me paint you a picture,' Lucy wipes her nose, 'We are in the middle of a wooded forest. I hear a river down and to the right, maybe about a half mile south. Over yonder there's a path that looks, I don't know, like something out of a haunting mystery murder documentary? If we take it, we'll one find a body."

Izabella takes another breath and moves to guide Riley, "We should follow this path."

"Or,' Lucy pats Anna's back when the Stark child starts to heave, 'You could try thinking about that rainbow bridge Thor used to talk about and warp us there. At least we KNOW for sure, that's Asgard."

Izabella's thick Russian accent comes out strong as she waves to the Stark child, " Ty sumasshedshiy - I think I just warped Anna across the realm and she podbrosit'! I don't want to risk hurting her! You shouldn't be here- none of you! I wanted to warp alone! Ya ne budu- ,"

"You have blood on your cheek…are you okay?"

She wipes it away aggressively, "We are walking! Let's go Anna; It's mild nausea you have not lost a limb. ... zhenshchina vverkh !"

"Woahhh the Russian is strong with this one! Who spit in your stroganoff this morning? Trust me! I don't wanna be here," Lucy snickers.

"Ugh! Stay out of my warp zone next time!"

"There's a next time?!"

Izabella holds her head as if it's about to split, "I'm sorry! I'm just so-! I'm soooo-!"

"What?"

"Angry!"

"Wait….Angry?! You're ANGRY?! Honey, oh sweet honey bunches of Russia," Lucy laughs way too hard, "You call THAT angry?! Hahaha! See I know 'angry'- that's not angry- you're cute when you're all mad. Like a little Kitten who wants to be a tiger that's just 'roar', it's actually hilarious."

Izabella is steaming, lowering her chin with her glare fixated on Lucy.

Lucy taps her collarbone, "Look, Grand Duchess Romanov! I didn't crash your bubble, Anna did. Diving like a snow fox."

"This is my mission so I breached Izabella's mind and sensed she was ready to run off. I have a valid excuse for following- wait, shhh," Riley raises her volume with her interruption and refuses to move, her senses at an all time high. With a hand on Izabella's shoulder, she grips a little harder.

"What?" Anna asks in fear.

She lowers her head, unable to talk. Her heart flutters a bit, "I don't know why...I just- it felt like I might've been- mid mind games with someone. Like we're being watched? He's trying to tell me something…"

Lucy nods, "Yeah! Like I said, FOR THE UPTEENTH TIME; this place is 'HAUNTED'!"

"He's nice…Never mind. Let go find some humans- I mean Demigods. I need to read some brains. Lucy? Pick up the princess. Let's go."

"I'm not touching Anna,' Lucy checks her nails, then her pockets, 'Hey Izzy; You know what would've been so amazingly helpful?! Warping my bow and arrows. My vape? It was in my hoodie pocket."

Izabella grinds her teeth together, a flicker of green in her glossy eyes to meet Lucy's yellow ones;

"For the 'upteenth time'; I didn't invite you!"

"Harsh."

Riley holds her temple, "You are giving me a headache."

"How do you know it's us," Lucy snickers.

"Oh it's not Izzy, and for the first time in her life it's not even Anna! It's just you. You can't shut up! You just enter into my 25 foot radius and I get a migraine."

"Maybe it's your mysterious new mind reading ghost boyfriend-."

"Okay, enough,' Izabella pushes herself between them, 'We are stuck here, so! So! Let's figure this out."

Lucy snaps her fingers, "What she said. Focus people! We've got glass ceilings to break."

Riley's expression goes blank, her jaw slack, "Are you serious-…Do you want to break some glass ceilings?! Stay out of jail!"

Antonia coughs one more time, insulted when she points to Izabella, "I'm telling Happy I threw up!"

Lucy pauses in her steps, channeling her mother like never before, "Antonia Stark! I'm cranky too! But it is not our fault you decided to recklessly dive into an energizing green mist!"

"I wanted to touch it! I didn't dive!"

"I SAW YOU DIVE, CHIC!"

"Noooo!"

Lucy holds her head, tugging her cheeks down next, "Do me a favor?! Hold my hand and be a good little child?!"

"I don't wanna walk, I'm tired!"

"Don't make me carry you!"

Brody and Darcy are standing closest to the aircraft, the Mikhailov boy holding his head with regret. He's tense, sad when he finally speaks up;

"I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry Doc."

Darcy shrugs, "It's just, a million dollars of equipment, right? It's not like it was a helicarrier."

He shakes his head as she pats his shoulder. Being stuck with the boy he spent his early childhood with on the streets of Boston, prior to Avenger life, wouldn't be the worst thing if Garrett weren't so fixated on making things right with SHIELD.

The look on his face is pure disappointment. Garrett blows out a harsh exhale, snapping his burner phone closed;

"Tony's gonna kill us. Maria has banned me from ever showing up at Headquarters again, and we owe SHIELD about 4 million dollars in damages…"

Darcy laughs numbly, "Yeahhh….good luck with that."

Garrett continues, "Hill is sending a pickup that would move us to Cali. She thinks we're on HUDRA's radar now with all the...warping, laser vision...stuff. Tony Stark is um...Yeah. I mean we lost his baby, so. My dad is going to hunt me down, chop my head off, and hang it on the wall of his hunting lodge if I don't pay these damages off...I'm gonna get unadopted…get a new last name...new credit cards. It's back to the streets for us Brody. Pack your bags. We'll join a traveling circus- that worked out for dad-."

"Guys,' Rick shows off his neck, 'Is that green by chance?! It's burning real bad."

Darcy leans in, her arms crossing while she investigates, "Nah. It's metallic blue. Ew. What are you?!"

"'Ew'?! Well jeepers, thanks!"

"'Jeepers'?!" Darcy laughs, "Where are you from?! The 70's?!"

"Is it really that gross?"

"Guys have shown me way worse."

Brody has had enough and grabs a wrench, "Are we really just planning on sitting around to get our butts whooped? Riley's mission was to get help. A broken jet, missing teammates- it's not ideal but it's not the end of the world knowing my sis...hopefully. I believe in Izzy and I trust Riley. We're gonna be fine but stayin' away from the fight doesn't help anyone. If Maria needs backup, we're the backup. We can pick up stragglers on the way."

"I-," Garrett starts, tugging his neck.

"Don't start with me," Brody points with his wrench, "Tell Agent Hill to cancel the pickup. I'll contact Cap and Sam to let them know our plan. We have to step up now."

Rick nods, humbly addressing Brody who seems to be adopting the role of team leader with Riley missing, "Tell me what I can do."

"Stop creeping out Darcy. We need her car."

"Uh,' Darcy points to herself, ' my car?! That would mean I'm coming along…?"

"Because you are. We need a sane person with a brain."

"High praise if I dooo say so myself, and I do," her knee pops.

"And we need to make a phone call."

Garrett lifts his phone, "Heyyy Rick? Can you be the rebel of the group who makes the call? Maria might shoot me through the phone if she hears me and I'd really like to see my girlfriend again if she poofs back. So, could you be the bad guy?"

Darcy cringes, "SHIELD is gonna declare war on the Jones boy…"

Garrett shrugs with a whisper for Darcy, "Better him than me."