Tony Stark casually walked into the living room one day to find one of the, if not the most, strangest sights he had ever seen. Loki lay upon the floor, sleeping. However, two feet away from him lay sleeping some other guy that Tony had never seen before. This man was strange to say the least. He appeared to be in his early twenties. The man had fiery red hair that was much too long for a professional appearance. He wore a long black trench coat, leather pants, and combat boots. The trench coat was unbuttoned to reveal a shirtless, buff torso seared with a pentagram branded scar that looked as if the hot iron that created it had still left the skin burning. What appeared to be a pitchfork lay at the man's side. A circle of fire encompassed the two. Standing with her hands hovering over Loki and the man's heads was Leah. A green aura of magic glowed from the palms of her outstretched hands and cascaded upon the brows to the sleeping figures beneath her. Looking down on all of this was Ikol. The magpie's eyes could be seen glowing green from atop his perch on the sofa.
The sight left Tony speechless, which was saying something for Tony. His first thought was what the hell? and his second was why would Jarvis not tell me about this?
Leah realized that someone else had entered the room. Without breaking her spell, she looked up to see Tony with his jaw dropped nearly to the floor. Leah looked at him, as if waiting for Tony to ask the question.
Steve and Bruce entered the room at that point. Steve saw the scene unfolding in front of them and exclaimed "My God!" nearly jumping with surprise. Bruce took one look at the scene and slowly backed down the hallway into his room. The clicking of a lock could be heard once he closed the door.
Finally, Tony decided to ask. "Leah," he said, "What is… this supposed to be?"
"A very complicated spell," Leah replied with an even voice.
"Is this some sort of… ritual?" asked Steve hesitantly.
"In a way," said Leah.
"Care to elaborate on that?" Tony more demanded than asked. "And who is the shirtless guy?"
Her hands still locked on the spell she was preforming, Leah explained, "That is Daimon Hellstorm. His lineage is not a pleasant one. Supernatural forces are attacking people all across Midgard. A dark power led Daimon to Loki, who is one of those being attacked. Because of Loki's Asgardian soul and strength in magic, the dark power enjoys feeding off of Loki the most. A powerful Fear Lord wishes to rein above the others using fear brought on by nightmares. As the subconscious of the victims become more pronounced through sleep, Nightmare takes control of their fears to strengthen his power. Loki and Daimon are currently trying to save the victims of Nightmare by fighting him off in the dreams of the ill-fated mortals. I remain here as their anchor so they too do not succumb to Nightmare's dark magic."
Tony and Steve just continued to stare. The explanation of what was currently happening had not made things more clear. It had only made things more complicated. "I'm not gonna pretend that I understood even half of what you just said. Just tell me that this will all be resolved by dinner," said a befuddled Tony.
"Tony, didn't you here, people are in danger," Steve said. "Right?" He asked Leah unsure.
"Correct," confirmed Leah, who was now gazing down at Loki and Daimon, trying to concentrate harder. "However, there is nothing you can do. In a few hours, this will all be finished, one way or anther." Leah's brow became furrowed with determination. "You must leave now, I need to concentrate." Ikol squawked at them from his perch, as if to tell them to get lost.
"This is my building. Don't tell me to—" Steve grabbed Tony by the arm and pushed him into the elevator. The doors closed with the two inside, leaving Leah to concentrate on her spell.
Tony worked in his lab for a few hours with Steve fretting in the corner. When it came close to dinner time, the two headed back up in the elevator, not sure what to expect when they got to the living room. They were mildly relieved at the sight they found. Loki and Daimon were standing upright now along with Leah. They were in the mist of conversation.
"See I told you it would work." Loki said a bit cheerfully.
"Don't push it." Replied Daimon Hellstorm, an unamused look in his fiery eyes. "I don't like being played, boy." The man seemed a lot scarier and taller now that he was awake.
"At least the threat has been subdued." Leah said, eyes closed, rubbing her temples.
"See you around, kids. Hopefully not too soon." Daimon turned to leave. He caught a glimpse of Tony and Steve. He quickly disregarded their presence. Steve was about to get out of the way so the man could use the elevator, but that was not Daimon's intent. He lifted up his pitchfork and stabbed a hole in midair. A circle of fire erupted around the whole and Daimon stepped through, disappearing.
"Well he's a pleasure to be around," said Loki sarcastically, staring at the spot where Daimon vanished.
"I like him," said Leah.
"You do?" asked Loki, turning to face Leah. "Why?"
Leah just smiled. "Everyone loves a bad boy."
"I'm a bad boy," said Loki, putting on a flirtatious grin.
Leah rolled her eyes. "Not actual boys."
Tony cleared his throat. "So," he said, "I take it your mission was a success."
"In a way," said Leah, glaring at Loki for some reason.
"Hey, my plan worked perfectly," he said defensively. "The Fear Lords are now in a perpetual stalemate." Loki crossed his arms and looked triumphant. Leah just shot him another glare.
"So," said Steve, trying to break the tension between the two, "Who wants dinner?"
Thor had left to go to Asgard the following week. When the Avengers did not see Loki after his departure, they assumed he had gone with Thor. That assumption proved wrong when Loki came back to the tower a few days later, with Thor nowhere in sight. He walked into the lobby of the Avengers Tower accompanied by six young teenagers. When Jarvis informed the Avengers to the gests downstairs, they all dropped what they were doing and headed for the lobby.
"Loki, where have you been," demanded Natasha. "We thought you were on Asgard with Thor."
"Obviously he's been out partying with some friends," commented Hawkeye, looking at the group of weird looking teenagers surrounding Loki. One of them looked to be made of metal, probably an iron man wannabe.
"It's nice to see you guys again too," said Loki casually. "I'd like you to meet the New Mutants," Loki introduced.
"You've been hanging out with mutants?" asked Natasha.
"Actually, he's been helping us save people," said a tan girl with braided hair.
"Yeah, he helped save Asgard that was under this wicked spell which brought the whole place to Oklahoma," said a dark haired boy. "We were caught up in it and all."
"Thor has stayed behind to help sort things out," said Loki.
"Wait a minuet," said Clint, holding his hand up. "All of Asgard came crashing down on Oklahoma? I think we would have herd about this."
"Both realms were in a trance," explained Loki. "Even I didn't remember who I was. But don't worry, Asgard is back where it's suppose to be." The Avengers looked at one another, confused.
"Anyway, we have to be getting back to Professor Xavier," said a blond girl in a pink dress.
"Later kid," the girl with the braids called back as the New Mutants headed for the exit. "And tell Thor we want our car ready by Tuesday."
"Bye Dani," Loki called after her. Loki watched them leave then turned to face the Avengers.
"So you really did go with Thor?" asked Cap.
"Yeah, and I saved Asgard," boasted Loki. "Just ask Thor when he gets back."
Tony rubbed his temples. He couldn't take all this freakiness that Loki brought about. "Well at least you didn't sneak off without permission," mumbled Stark.
"Oh," said Loki, just remembering something. "Speaking of Permission." He pulled out a piece of parchment with elegant writing on it. "Leah and I are going to London."
"What?" asked Tony, a bit shocked. "London, England?"
"That's the one." Confirmed Loki in a cheerful voice.
Steve took the parchment and read out loud, "The Council of the All-Mother hereby decrees to sent Loki Laufeyson to… Camalot? To set right that which has been disrupted… must bring the Old Gods back into power… Celtic Pantheon shall Once again sit upon the throne?" Steve looked up from the parchment. "I don't understand half of this."
"Well I'm leaving tomorrow from the J.F.K. airport headed to London. There'll be a representative to meet me at the Heathrow Airport." Loki held up a second piece of parchment. "I've even got a diplomatic passport. Did you know Asgard is a recognized state?"
It took a while, but the Avengers came to terms with the fact that Loki and Leah were going to leave the country by themselves. How could they refuse an executive order? By the next day, the two were headed to London, and would apparently be heading to Camelot from there.
Two weeks passed before the Avengers saw Loki again. They did not know that he had arrived back in New York until he came trudging into the tower. He met the Avengers in the living room. Thor was with them, back from his business on Asgard.
"Loki," he greeted, "Tis great to see you again." On his way to embrace his brother, Thor stopped halfway, noticing the solemn look Loki wore. "What is the matter, brother?"
"Hey kid," Tony greeted. Something was wrong. "Where's Leah?" he asked, noticing her absence. Loki seemed to sadden even more at the question.
"Loki," said Steve gently. "What happened? Did the mission go wrong?"
"The mission," said Loki, "went alright, not great, but alright."
"Then what happened to Leah," asked Steve as gently as he could.
Loki paused a bit before saying, "My debt to Hela is paid." He looked on the verge of tears. "The Queen of Helhiem has a right hand once more." With that, Loki stormed off and slammed the door to his room. He had accomplished what he had promised to do. But he had lost his best friend. He found the Holy Grail for Hela. She drank from it and healed herself. As she did so, the girl that was Leah, had disappeared, put back in her original form and place as Hela's right hand. Loki still remembered her final words. "I'll miss you too," he said in response, "B.F.F."