The Amazing Avenger.
A/N-I am SO sorry for the late update. This week has been hell. But thank you to all who read, commented and favorited/alerted my story in the meantime. You guys all rock!
Recap: Tony fills the team (minus Thor) in on Spiderman's upcoming arrival into The Avengers. Peter makes his decision. Now on to Ch.4.
Chapter 4.
Thor was angry, more angry than he had ever been in his life. He paced back and forth in his chambers, his Mjollnir in his hand and his breath coming out in small hitches. How could his father do this? Loki had done his time, spent two years in a prison cell. Now he was to be banished? To MIDGARD, no less?
"He cannot stay here, Thor. You know this." Odin tried reasoning, but Thor was having none of it.
"He cannot go to Midgard, either!" Thor boomed.
"He chooses to go there. I can have him banished to Jotenheim, if I had wanted to, but I allowed him to choose, and he chose Earth."
"If he goes to Earth, they will kill him there!" Thor cried.
"He will be in less danger there, I assure you." Odin replied.
Thor clenched his teeth. "Father, I have sworn to uphold a duty to the Midgardians. Loki's presence on Earth will only jeapardize that."
"And what of the duty to your own people, Thor?"
Thor just looked at his father. He knew what his father was saying was right. Loki was wanted by the Chitauri and banishing him to other realms would expose him and leave him unprotected. At least on Earth, Thor could protect him.
He also understood Odin's position. With Loki's heritage now known, he was feared and hated by many Asgardians. Even though Odin would have accepted Loki back, doing so would cause great unrest in his kingdom. He just couldn't risk it. It was as though Loki wanted to stay anyway. He still carried great anger toward his family, including Odin. The only one he allowed to visit him while imprisoned was his mother, Frigga, who insisted against Odin's wishes on weekly visits to check on the welfare of her youngest son. She may have been horrified by his crimes, but he was still her baby. She made sure he was taken care of and treated properly by the guards. She often brought him his favorite books and occasionally his favorite foods. She cherished every one of their visits and she knew that even though Loki put up a front most of the time, he liked them too. But he had refused to see his brother.
Thor hated it, but he understood too. As much as he wished they hadn't, things had definitely changed between them. Loki had become someone he didn't know, or even wanted to know, but nevertheless he was still his brother. They had been through too much together all their lives to completely disown him. But there were times when Thor would be just downright miserable. He wished for so long that it could go back to the way it was, but he also knew that fairy tales were for children.
Now the time had come for Thor to break the news to his friends, his teammates, his fellow Avengers. They would not be happy, but Thor could only hope Loki wouldn't be anymore a threat now that he was out and has clearly stated that he wanted no more to do with Earth as far as wanting to rule it. Thor didn't know if he quite believed him, but he knew that as long as Loki stayed there, he would have to keep his eye on him. As much as he dreaded it, he needed to warn his friends as soon as possible.
"The Allfather is ready for you now." a guard had informed Thor, who awakened from his thoughts and nodded at the guard. The guard disappeared as fast as he came and Thor took a deep breath before gripping his Mjollnir and walking out to meet his father and Heimdall at the gate of the newly restored rainbow bridge. Once he got there, he was met by nods from both of them.
"Father, I must ask that you please reconsider." Thor pleaded last minute. "No good can come of this."
Odin just sighed and looked upon his oldest son. "Thor, I need you to trust me."
Thor was about to ask why and what his father was talking about when they were all alerted to the entrance of Loki, standing with two armed guards on both sides of him. He was dressed down from his usual Asgardian attire, dressed entirely in black. His hair did not have the raven style that Thor saw on Earth, but was slicked back the way he had usually had it in the old days. But Thor did notice a difference in his features. He was less pale than he was a couple years before, but his eyes were still dark and cold and his cheekbones hollow. The two brothers stared at each other, but stayed silent while Odin tapped his staff to the floor and stepped in front of Thor while Hemdall stayed put, his eyes never leaving Loki.
"My son." Odin nodded at Loki, who only scoffed and shook his head in distaste, but stayed silent.
"Odin." he finally acknowledged, but stared at Thor, whose jaw line was set like a steel bar.
Odin ignored Loki's cold response and set about business. He nodded to the guards, one stepping to Loki and removing his chains. Once they were off, Loki stretched out his arms and hands, but then placed them back to his sides. Thor had realized that it was the first time since Loki's captivity that he had been unbound.
"I take it you understand our agreement?" Odin asked his youngest son.
Loki only nodded, but Thor was confused. "What agreement?" he asked, looking from Odin to Loki. "Father, what is this?" he asked again, his voice raising. He didn't know what made him even angrier, Loki being banished to Earth, or him being kept out of the loop.
Odin paid no attention to Thor and carried on. "Then so be it. Loki Odinson-"
"Laufeyson!" Loki corrected sharply. His gaze moved over to Thor, who was gripping his Mjollnir and staring at Loki with a seething anger in his eyes. Loki knew that look all too well. He kept his cold stare, but a slightly soft smile circled around his mouth.
"Loki Laufeyson, I Odin Allfather hereby banish thee to the realm of Midgard indefinitely." Odin then pointed his staff and a soft glow centered around Loki and within seconds, Loki vanished. Thor just stared at the spot Loki was standing in for a few minutes before turning towards his father.
"What agreement?" He asked, his tone concrete.
Odin inhaled. "Loki will remain on Midgard in order for us to know where we stand with the Chitauri. If he remained here, our realm would have been exposed to immediate danger. Loki had made a deal with the Chitauri that he had not followed through on and now that he has been released from our prison, they intend on following through on their promise to find and punish him."
Thor was just more confused. "Father, I don't understand. We could've protected him against the Chitauri. I, along with the Midgardians, have fought against them and won. Surely, we could fight them."
"Thor, there is more than just the threat of the Chitauri. Your brother had told me in great detail that the Chitauri has also joined forces with one who is called Thanos, a Titan who is bent on causing nothing but death and destruction. Even we are not powerful enough to defeat such a being."
Thor was stunned. He had known of Thanos and beings such as him. What he didn't know was how much of a closer threat he had just became, or Loki's association with him. Why did he suddenly feel like he was kept out of everything?
"So banishing Loki to Earth was your plan to keep them from coming here?" Thor asked, everything all making sense to him now.
"I had to do everything in my power to ensure Asgard's survival. Do you have any idea how much damage just Thanos himself can cause? Your brother knew they would come here first looking for him, so that's why he agreed to be sent elsewhere."
"and Earth was the only choice?"
"Like I had said before, I allowed him to choose." Odin simply said.
Thor couldn't hear anymore. He immediately turned toward Heimdall. "I need to get to Earth right away!"
Heimdall looked over at Odin, who only sighed and nodded and then Heimdall nodded at Thor. "As you wish."
Thor could no longer think. He had to get to the others and warn them, and he had to do so now.
Peter looked around his room. It felt weird knowing it would be the last time he would stand in it, at least for a while. He had his bags packed and was getting a few last minute things together. Aunt May had been supportive and helpful, but Peter could see the sadness in her eyes. He hated like hell having to leave her, but May was insistent on this being the right thing for him. Although he still hated it, he knew she was right.
It had been two days since he had taken SHIELD up on their offer. He had been particularly stunned to learn that not only would he be teaming up with the Avengers, but that he would also be living at Tony Stark's tower. He was excited and a tad nervous at the same time. Even though he has idolized Stark for a the last few years, he found himself a bit intimidated by him. After all, he was Tony Stark.
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll all love you." Aunt May said from the doorway. Peter turned and smiled at her. "I know I do."
"I love you too, Aunt May." Peter replied, but his tone was soft.
"Peter Parker, you stop that." Aunt May mock-scolded. With that, she walked over and embraced her nephew. "You are not allowed to feel guilty about leaving. You have to move on with your life."
"I'll miss you." he said softly.
"I'll miss you too, everyday." she replied.
Just then, there was a knock on the front door. Peter felt his heart begin to race as Aunt May went to answer it. It was a couple of SHIELD agents, minus Agent Coulson.
"Good afternoon, Maam." one of them greeted May. "Agent Coulson sent us to escort Mr. Parker to his new residence."
Aunt May silently nodded and looked behind her to see Peter standing in the doorway with his bag. He also had another bag set by the door containing his Spiderman suit. Aunt May picked it up and handed it to him.
"So I guess this is it." Peter said, slinging the smaller bag over his shoulder.
"I'll be right here if you need me." Aunt May told him. "In the meantime, you take care of yourself and be careful."
Tears began to well in Peter's eyes, but he fought them from escaping. "I will."
He gave her a final embrace and she cupped her hand on his cheek before he turned and followed the agents to a black SUV parked in front of the house. Aunt May stood on the porch and saw her nephew off. Once he was in, he stared at his aunt and smiled at her. She smiled back and mouthed "I love you" to him and it was then he let the captive tears escape. As the SUV drove off, Aunt May let out the breath she had been holding and let her own tears fall.
"Please keep him safe." she whispered.
Tony was in the mood for a drink. All that morning had revolved in making plans for the new member to arrive at the Tower. Despite his initial skepticism, he had to admit that he was a tad anxious to meet the one they call Spiderman. After the last meeting with his fellow Avengers, he had spent a considerable amount of time hacking into SHEILD's database and retrieving every bit of information they had on Peter Parker and his alter-ego. Now he was about to meet the kid himself.
The other members had all agreed to assemble and meet Parker when he arrived. Steve was the first to arrive. Tony smirked at his unending punctuality.
"Hey Cap. Can I get you a drink?" Tony greeted.
Steve looked at Stark's glass of scotch and gave him a "Really?" face. "Water will be fine, thanks."
Tony chuckled. "A little too early to be completely boring, don't you think, Cap?"
Steve rolled his eyes and retorted, "A little too early to be drinking yourself stupid, don't you think, Stark?"
Tony placed a hand on his chest and mocked being stung by that comeback. "Ouch. And the ref takes a point away." He walked over and handed Steve his water.
"Thank you." Steve accepted.
"Now don't go drinking too many of those, you hear?" Tony said. "I hear the water here puts hair on your chest, which in your case, I better just turn the hose on you."
"Charming." Steve replied.
Just then, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha enter the room. "Hey, my trusty bartender has arrived along with the rest of the posse." Tony greeted, earning him a smile from Clint, a chuckle from Bruce, and a glare from Natasha.
"Tash, please. Enough with the looks, you're beginning to make me blush, I swear." Tony said, but Natasha did manage a slight smirk.
"I'm willing to bet she's going to kill you one day, Stark." Steve said.
"Oh I'm sure you would be beside yourself about that." Stark retorted.
"Actually, yes I would. Where else am I gonna get the best ice water money can buy?" he replied, holding up his glass.
Bruce and Clint laughed at that. Tony stared at them and replied, "Oh, ha ha ha…the captain has finally managed to learn the art of a sense of humor." But then he, in turn, laughed along with them and moved to go sit on his sofa. "If any of you want a drink, you will have to refer to my bartender."
Clint just smiled and shook his head. "Yes sir!" He made his way to the bar and asked, "I'm sure his royal highness would like a refill, no?"
Tony raised his glass and smiled.
"Is that a trick question?" Natasha asked.
Clint only nodded and went about making drinks with Natasha joining him at the bar and Bruce and Steve making their way to sit on the chairs in the room.
"So when do we expect the newbie to arrive?" Bruce asked, accepting a drink from Clint.
Tony looked at his watch. "I'm guessing in the next half hour or so, but who knows?" He took his freshly refilled glass and took a swig.
"Sir?" Jarvis interrupted.
"Yes Jarvis?" Tony answered.
"Director Fury has arrived."
"Or maybe sooner than expected." he mumbled. "Thank you Jarvis. Send them in." He placed his glass down and got up, along with the others.
Fury came in alone. He looked at all of them before he said, "Glad you're all here."
"Do you have the new kid with you?" Tony asked.
"He is on his way and will be arriving shortly." Fury answered. "But before he does, there is someone who is eager to see all of you again."
The team looked confused, but Fury went to the door and nodded and in walked Agent Coulson. The entire room went silent.
"Hello guys." Coulson greeted with a nod.
"Tell me I'm not the only one seeing this." Tony spouted, as the others just stood there with their mouths open, even Clint had stopped amid pouring a drink.
"H-How-?" Natasha managed, but her shock just left her unable to complete the question that was obviously on everyone else's mind.
"It's a rather long story." Coulson replied, glancing at Fury, who returned his stare, but stayed silent.
Bruce then broke the ice. "Well, it's definitely a story we would all love to hear, but in the meantime, welcome back, Coulson." He walked over and shook his hand.
Tony then followed. "Glad to see you again, you son of a bitch." He took Coulson's handshake, but then got him in an embrace.
"Thank you, Stark. I see you still ooze the charm." Coulson answered.
Clint followed, giving Coulson a pat on the back and Natasha walked up, still at a loss for words. Coulson just stared at her and nodded, their wordless exchange understood by only them. Then Coulson eyed Steve, who was still standing in the same spot, a confused and torn look displayed along his features.
Coulson walked over to Steve. Standing in front of him, he said, "It's especially great seeing you again."
Steve seemed to break out of his trance and nodded. He didn't know what to think. "You too, man. You too." was all he could get out before he pulled the agent into a tight hug. It was not normally like him to do so, but this time was different. When Coulson was 'killed', Steve carried around so much guilt that he was not able to be there to save him from Loki. Coulson looked up to him, like a true hero, and he felt he let him down. Now here he was, alive and well. As much as Steve wanted to know how, at that moment, it didn't matter.
After Steve broke the embrace, Tony clapped his hands together. "I say if any moment calls for a drink, this would be one." He then looked at Clint, who rolled his eyes and retreated back to the bar. Bruce laughed and went to join him.
Fury's phone beeped and he answered. He then flipped it closed and looked at the team. "He's here."
Peter got out of the SUV and gazed up at the enormous tower. "Wow." he whispered.
He had seen many pictures of the tower and even from afar, but he had never been this close. He had silently wondered to himself what it would be like to climb such a building, but his thoughts were cut off when an agent handed him his bags. Taking a deep breath, he followed them inside. He was excited and a bit nauseous at the same time, but managed to hide it as they were approached by Fury and Coulson.
"Thank you, gentlemen, we will take it from here." Fury nodded toward Peter's escorts and they retreated back outside, leaving Peter to gaze at the tall man with the eye patch.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Parker, my name is Nick Fury and of course you remember Agent Coulson." Coulson nodded as did Peter.
"Yes." Peter replied.
"Well, I'm sure you would like to get settled, but before you do that, there is a team upstairs that is waiting to meet you." Fury stated and motioned for Peter to follow. Peter tried to hide his smile and he looked all around him. He couldn't get over how incredibly big it was. He followed the men all the way up a flight of stairs until they came to a large room. Fury opened the door and when Peter walked inside, he could only swear he was dreaming.
"Guys, may I introduce Peter Parker." Fury said.
"Hello." Peter greeted, ignoring the nervous rumbles his stomach was producing.
The group was quiet at first, taking in just how young the kid was. But Steve, ever the polite one, walked over and stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Peter, my name is Steve Rogers."
Peter took his hand, awestruck. "You're Captain America."
Steve smiled and nodded. "That's right."
Bruce followed suit and soon introductions were made and all were taking the new kid in well. Then came Tony's turn.
"Peter Parker, we meet at last." he said, shaking his hand. "As you probably already know, my name is Tony Stark and this is my tower."
Peter tried hard to hold down his excitement, but Tony could see the gleam in the kid's eyes. "Thank you for having me, Mr. Stark."
Tony nodded and took a swig from his glass. What he really wanted to do was take this kid and see what he really could do. But he supposed that could wait until later.
As they all chatted, Coulson and Fury nodded toward each other and turned to leave, but before they could, Thor pushed right through the door. His sudden entrance startled them all, especially Peter, but the look on the god's face was evident enough that this was not a casual visit.
"What is it, Thor?" Steve asked.
"There is serious matter I must speak to you all about." Thor answered.
"Like, how serious?" Tony asked.
Taking a deep breath, Thor gripped his Mjollnir and stared at his teammates.
"Loki is back."
A/N-There. Another chapter finally done. I will do my absolute best to get Ch. 5 out before the day is over. I know I did not have any dialogue between Thor and Loki, but trust me, they will have their scenes together soon. ;) Thank you all for being so patient with me.