Chapter 4
Tony and Natasha were taken back, his parents? So he needed to find a set of graves? Steve understood though.
"We may need another team member to fully help us." Steve told the group. "We need Thor."
"Thor?" Tony asked, "I think a simple Google search will be suffice."
Steve shook his head, laughing a bit. "It's more complicated than that Tony. Way more complicated."
"Seriously? How can it be that hard?" Tony mused.
Steve sighed, "Trust me, Bucky will explain once Thor gets here. I am just happy you remember." Bucky nodded at the notice.
"Yeah, HYDRA didn't find that information for some reason. I don't know if it was something they just didn't know, or something my dad did to protect those memories." Bucky replied, his gaze looking out a window. He had always remembered his parents, well who they were at least. Those memories would usually leak first when he was thawed out for long periods. There are those that say it is hard to forget your parents, his mother was on his mind most of all. What boy wasn't a Momma's boy? Bucky was very much attached to the woman he called mother. Though he had been parted for her for almost 75 years. He worried about the fact he had come from a different timeline, one that had needed help and did not have these heroes. His mother he could always find, his father he was not as certain about.
Tony pulled out a small device, hitting a small button. Bucky tensed at this action, not knowing the purpose of the button. "Calm down, Kid, that was just our way to let Thor know he was needed. The big guy has to travel all the way from Asgard you know."
Bucky bit his lip, ashamed he had gotten tense just because of a small control. Of course they would be summoning Thor. He was the God of lightning. Well, the Norse God. Norse Gods were part of the reason he was in this mess. Well Odin at least. Odin had helped the man that worshipped him gain some powers. One Johann, or The Red Skull. These abilities had added in Bucky's capture and transformation as well as his eventual fall.
Bucky was lost in thought, when he looked over to see Ceres talking to Natasha. His eyes grew a happy glance from their interaction. He knew she had always wanted a child, something The Red Room was going to deny her. This little girl was as close as she would ever get to a baby, and she seemed to enjoy their small conversation. The conversation was about ballerinas. A very innocent talk, but Natasha was learning the little girl loved the dancers in white and had once seen a music box with one, something her father had brought her before she was put on ice.
A rattle of thunder rang through the tower. Thor was a fast traveler and when his brothers and sisters in arms needed him, he was there without question and without fail. He had no idea what kind of mission lay in store, but he charged into the living quarters with a battle cry and all the excitement he could muster, slowing to a confused walk as he saw the welcoming committee.
"What is the meaning of this? Why have I been summoned for a feast?" He questioned, spinning around to get a good look at the people in the room.
"Thor, thank you for coming. This is my friend James Buchanan Barnes. He was once a prisoner of HYDRA, but he is here now and we need your help." Steve reported to the confused Prince.
Thor walked over to Bucky and embarrassed him in a tight hug. "A friend of Rogers is a friend of mine. How may I be of assistants?"
Bucky turned bright red, this hug was a bit unwanted but it was obviously harmless. As he pulled from the hug, he saw a big smile and the willingness to help from this complete stranger. He almost reminded him of Dum Dum. Made him laugh for a second.
"I am looking for my parents. Based on who you are, I think Steve figures you can help find my mother." Bucky began.
"Finding people isn't my strongest ability, you know that Steve." Thor told them.
"Well, no, but she may be somebody only the likes of you of even somebody else in Asgard can find." Steve explained, in a simple smooth voice.
"Who is your mother, if she can be found by my fellow Gods?" Thor asked, his eyebrows raising with interest as he now studied the friend of Steve's.
"My mother is the Greek Goddess Demeter." Bucky admitted. "She and my father sent me to Steve's timeline to seek out somebody to turn into a hero. You see, I came from a different time, one where there were no super heroes. There was a Great War in Asgard, Ragnorak. It had split over to Earth and people were dying. I don't know if I can find my father, with the changes that were made, but I figure my mother I can find."
Thor's eyes grew wider, he did know the woman Bucky spoke of. She was fierce and had hated his fellow Gods. She had especially found a dislike for Thor and his brother Loki, when they were younger. She had caught them in one of her Nymph gardens, spying on the young females as the bathed. As of late he knew the woman had attacked a few of his people and he had a small fear of the dainty female. Unlike him she was fully immortal and lately she had more powers than even his own father. The look on Bucky's face made him sigh, though. He knew how important a mother was to a son, and a son to a mother. He knew by helping this man find his mother, it may calm the angered Goddess.
"I can offer my help, as I know the woman of which you seek. I am not certain where she is, because she has not been in this realm for years, but I bet Heimdall will be able to find her." Thor responded.
Before he could exit the room, to return to Asgard, a bolt of light appeared in the room itself. As the light dissipated, a young female emerged from it. Bucky immediately ran to her arms, laying his head on her chest, as she wrapped comforting arms around the now crying man.
Steve felt a bit of awe as he saw this bond, this woman comforting Bucky with soft whispers and a hand rubbing his back.
"You're his mother?" Steve questioned.
"And you're the man that stole my son's heart." She snidely remarked, as she blamed Steve for her son not returning from his mission to find help. She did not blame Steve for his time with the KBG or the torture, just for letting Bucky fall in love with somebody that could not go with him. She shot Steve a look full of daggers before returning her attention to Bucky.
Steve felt sheepish, how much did she know of his relationship with her son? Did he think they were just good friends, or did she know that her son had been in a relationship with him and the two had been an official couple almost since the beginning.
Tony nearly choked on a blueberry, "Wait, are you telling us the spanglie man bats for the other team?"
Steve turned bright red, the secret had made it to the surface, his eyes cast to the ground, trying to hide their embarrassment.
"He's bisexual, like me. Have a problem with that?" Came the voice of Bucky, pulling up from his mother, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. He would fight Tony if it came to that, especially to protect his Steve.
"No, it's just who would've guessed. I am for love in all its forms." Tony defended, throwing his hands in front, showing he really meant no harm.
Bucky sighed and so did Steve. Steve noticed nobody was really making a big deal out of the matter, a relief that struck him and made the red vanish. He looked back at Bucky's mother though.
"So you remembered your son, if you did why didn't you save him from HYDRA and the KBG?" He asked.
"Because a big Norse God made it so I couldn't find him after his fall. It was a mental projection that he was dead. I should have known better, the boy is half Olympian and had already had a bit of that serum given to him by the toad known as Zola." She replied. "I just now got the message he was alive, from his lips asking for me. I had been off on a planet I made for myself, not wanting to associate with a planet or people that hurt their own."
Steve nodded, he understood that. He had also thought Bucky had died at the bottom of the mountains. A Norse God? Wait, what? He looked at Thor. "Your people helped HYDRA?"
Thor shook his head, "Of that I am not certain. My father does many a thing he does not tell us about. Perhaps he did, it is not often a Norse God is worshiped and he may have helped blindly."
The Goddess looked at Thor, so this big oaf was here. She stepped away from Bucky and walked right over to the thunder God and slugged him across his chin, sending him body flying into the closest wall.
The Avengers' jaws all dropped, who was this chick? She just sent one of their heaviest hitters to the ground without much of an effort.
"That is for my Nymphs, and you can send one to Loki as well." She snarled.
"Loki is dead." Thor mentioned.
Demeter thought a moment, her mind flipping through the recent history of the planet. "I think you will find he is very much alive. You put in in prison for a crime he never committed, trying to take over the Earth. Funny, he didn't, he had the mind stone in a staff. It was controlling him much like those mortals controlled James." She replied, swiftly. "Nice to see Asgardians put their own in prison without reason."
Thor's expression showed regret, his brother meant a lot to him, and to hear that he wasn't guilty to begin with was shocking to say the least.
"In fact you could all use Loki as a teammate with the shit that is bound to happen because of that little girl." She added, pointing to Ceres. "I mean, I must give HYDRA credit, that is an interesting place to hide Infinity Stones."
"The child hosts the stones?" Thor asked, showing concern for the small female.
"Yes, she is missing only three. The Mind Stone, the Time Stone and the Soul Stone. As the others were collected they were added. The Power and Reality most recently. It's astonishing she has lived with them. I don't foresee that going well for long."
Bucky gasped, "Mother, she is my child. Please tell me you can help."
She looked into her son's eyes, calmness and kindness came over her own. "I will reflect on the matter and try to find a solution. May take a bit, but once I reunite with your father we will have a plan in no time."
Bucky nodded, "So you two are not still together?"
"Well the timeline changed, kind of a parallel universe going on. We thought it best I come to this one to guide our champions to where they needed to be, besides that one is dead. Your father lives in this universe. He just needs a jump start to remember." She explained.
"And who is his father?" Steve asked.
"A jackass neurosurgeon, goes by the name of Stephen Strange."
Tony looked up, beaming. Finally he had an answer to something. "I know the guy. In fact, I can take you right to his hospital. Doubt you will be able to see him easily, but I can arrange it." He stopped a moment, "Wait he's Bucko's father? What made you fall for that jerk?"
"The same could be asked of women that throw themselves on you Anthony." Demeter replied. The room filled with laughter. "He is actually a great sorcerer, if you must know. I can jolt his knowledge and give him the memories of the former Stephen once I get to him. A spell we found before we split. The Eye of Agamotto will be retrieved once I restore his mind. From there he can disable what those horrid mortals did to your mind then he and I will fix the child." She informed her son, before hugging him again.
"Thank you." Bucky sighed.
"For my son, anything." She told him, with a pat on his shoulder. "Now, introduce me to these fine people we sent you back to spur."
"Steve would be better at that, I just got here. Best I can tell you about is Natalia and Steve." Bucky smiled, softly.
She looked to Steve, "Fine then, give me a breakdown of everyone of your team. I must know what I sacrificed my son's mental and physical health for." She stated, making Steve look a little sad but he gave a confident nod and began to introduce her to the Avengers, mentioning even the absent ones. He gave her the Intel over their missions and all that had been accomplished over the years. "Well, it's actually about what I expected, but that is still a good result. I don't know if it was worth the damage to James, but the Earth is in better health than it had been."
Steve could see sadness in her eyes as well. Bucky was her son too. Steve, being the idiot that jumped into any battle walked over and gave her a hug himself, "Thank you for the gift of Bucky. He not only helped us save Earth, but he saved my life and gave me so much happiness in a time I had nothing."
Demeter gave him a hug back, shocking the super soldier. "You are welcome Steven. And thank you for taking good care of my son in an era where he was lost." She replied. "Now, we should get to Stephen, I have been away from my love almost too long, and he will want to see his son is alive."
The group all nodded in agreement, preparing for the decent onto a local hospital to reunite Father and Son.