This one's a little dense with worldbuilding, and it definitely would help if you've read the rest of the Kryptonverse! I hope this little primer will still help you get up to speed if you haven't!
The trio of Avengers is greeted with the interior of a rather stately looking manor, of sorts, shelves full of books and pedestals topped with strange artifacts everywhere around them. At first glance, the place looks relatively normal, if slightly eccentric – like the retirement home of the richest librarian in the planet, perhaps – but looking a little longer makes it clear that this is, indeed, a place of magic.
It's the floating red cape that does it, really. It hangs in mid-air inside a glass casing, turning to them and waving one of its golden clasps as if to say 'hi'.
Of course, it's not just that. It's the massive orb representing the Earth in the atrium before them, flanked by staircases, lit up like a Christmas tree by pinpricks of golden light all over the globe, floating unaided. It's the lineup of enchanted weapons – a purple, spectral bow, a bronze trident awash in a torrent of water, a wooden staff topped with the biggest ruby she's ever seen, wreathed in flame…and a very old revolver, also on fire, just to name a few. It's the skeleton of an honest-to-goodness griffin, posed in flight, pouncing on what is apparently a Manticore, given the plaque beneath them both, hanging over a tapestry depicting all sorts of mythological creatures, from goblins to actual, real-life dragons.
"This is..." –Kara trails off.
"A lot?" –Bruce mutters.
"It's magic, my friends." –Thor smirks. "And only but a taste."
"Oh, you have no idea." –a young, exhausted sounding voice comes up behind them. The trio turn, and a dour-looking young man waves at them, half-heartedly. His hair is long, unruly, and pitch-black. He wears an old aviator's jacket over what looks to be an Ancient Greek-style breastplate, made of dark metal and engraved with deathly motifs. The breastplate fits him perfectly, but the jacket and his ripped black jeans are a little ill-fitting, overly loose on him, owing to his lanky physique. A short sword hangs from a scabbard at his waist, and an ornate skull ring adorns his left hand. "Doc Strange said you were coming. He'll, uh...be a moment. He's at the London Sanctum right now. What's left of it, anyway."
Bruce blinks. "How on Earth is he gonna 'be a moment'?"
"The Masters of the Mystic Arts can open portals to any location a sorcerer has been to before." –Nico explains. He glowers. "Sure could've used something like that while I was hauling a forty-foot tall statue of Athena across the Atlantic a couple years back, but I digress." –he says, sarcastically.
Kara purses her lips, trying to parse through the bevy of new terms. "Right. I guess introductions are in order, then."
"Eh, I know who you guys are." –he drawls, waving her off. "Not really one to keep up with the news, but even then, it's kinda hard not to know about the Avengers."
"Then you have us at a disadvantage." –Bruce points out.
He sighs. "Nico di Angelo. Demigod, of the Greek variety." –he says, like he's been through this a lot.
"Son of…Hades?" –Thor asks.
Nico smirks sardonically. "What gave it away? Was it the skulls? I bet it was the skulls."
"Oh, no, it's the general aura of death around you." –Thor shrugs. "Your presence feels quite like the stilled air of Helheim."
"Right. Forgot you guys have your own death realms." –Nico admits. "I don't think human souls go to those much…at least, not anymore."
"Not since I was young, no."
"Christianity, huh? We know that song and dance."
Bruce shoots them both a withering look. "Can we postpone the afterlife discussion for another day? I don't think I have the mental bandwidth for more than a couple of earth-shattering revelations today, and I'm betting Strange will have some doozies in store for us."
"Safe bet, Doctor Banner." –Nico acknowledges. "I'm not one for small talk, but do you have any questions? Most people do, when confronted with the existence of the son of a real life god."
He doesn't look like he'd enjoy the questionnaire, but Kara can't really help herself; the existence of the Kryptonian gods was debatable, even among those few who wielded magic and truly believed in their power, but Nico is as tangible as proof gets that the Olympian pantheon was more than a figure of myth and worship for the Ancient Greeks. "Are there more of you?" –Kara asks.
"Mmm, many. The gods have hundreds of children, and tens of thousands of direct descendants – legacies, we call them – spread throughout several communities all over the world." –Nico says. "Though if you're asking if there are any more demigod children of Hades, the answer is no; my father is quite faithful to Queen Persephone, all things considered. I have a…half-sister, I guess, but her father is Pluto, Hades' Roman counterpart."
Thor tilts his head. "Is that not the same god as Lord Hades?"
"It doesn't really work that way. Same entity, different person, if that makes sense." –the teen shrugs. "Pluto wouldn't recognize me as his son, and Hades wouldn't think of Hazel as his daughter. Though I'm sure they wouldn't hang us out to dry, either way."
"Who's the Doctor a son of?" –Kara wonders.
Nico seems to find this funny. "A couple of mortals, I'm assuming." –he says. "He's not a demigod, if that's what you're asking. He's just a regular human being, though admittedly a pretty dang powerful one that's definitely mastered the kind of magic available to mortals. I'm the newcomer to the Sanctum, here; we're putting together a team to tackle magical threats, kind of inspired by you guys."
Kara's not sure if she's all that happy that Nico's yet another underaged superhero, but she can't exactly talk, since she's encouraged both Peter and Ben's team. To be fair, she's only coming up on twenty-one, herself.
"So…what, you're saying I could learn magic if I wanted to?" –Bruce asks.
"I doubt you'd have the time as an Avenger, but I see no reason you couldn't physically master the Mystic Arts." –Nico says. "Though... you'll forgive me if I'm a little apprehensive about the prospect of a magically empowered Hulk."
"No, no, that's…sensible." –Bruce winces.
Thor snorts. "Nonsense – I'd welcome the challenge!"
Nico rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you're a god, alright." –he mutters.
"What about other pantheons? Other gods?" –Kara asks. "Heck, what about gods on other planets? Have you ever heard of Rao?" –she asks, hoping against hope.
The demigod tilts his head. "I've heard of Ra, but…no, not Rao, sorry. The gods don't have any power or influence beyond the confines of the Earth, and I expect the same is true for the gods of other planets." –he explains. "As for the other pantheons, it's a case by case basis; some pantheons, like the Olympians, managed to survive – and even thrive – despite their active worship practically stopping altogether. Others faded away into obscurity, as their people took on other beliefs. Some were even actively shunned – most of the Egyptian gods were eventually deemed too dangerous to directly interact with humanity, and banished to the deepest depths of their magical realm."
"I remember Midgard had a great many deities." –Thor says, narrowing his eyes.
Nico shrugs. "Most of them are still around, in some form or another. But the big religions – and atheism, for that matter – are so massively widespread that they've either suppressed or absorbed many of the quote-unquote pagan gods."
"You say that, but Hinduism is full of gods and the third largest religion on the planet." –Bruce points out.
"Right. And the rest of the world couldn't name three of their gods." –Nico crosses his arms. "Some cultures keep their gods private. Others don't, but the divide between cultural regions practically keeps them that way unless you purposefully go there and do your research. I can't speak for what the Hindu gods are like, to be perfectly honest, or the gods of China and Japan. They exist, but...that's really all I know." –he says, apologetic. "Maybe a question for the Doctor, though given how annoyingly cryptic he usually is, I wouldn't get my hopes up."
A portal appears, Strange floating through it. "Sounds about right." –he quips. "Gentlemen, Mademoiselle. Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum. I imagine young Mr. di Angelo's given you the tour?"
Kara shrugs. "Not so much, actually. We were too busy discussing this planet's gods to see much of anything."
"Right, well. To your right, you'll see a small sample of the Sanctum's magical artifact collection, including the Trident of King Namor, the Staff of Bellroc, and a 19th century Hellfire-infused revolver donated by some Spirit of Vengeance or another." –he says, sounding like he'd rather be doing anything else than playing tour guide.
Bruce snorts. "It's alright, Doctor. We can get on with our business, plenty of time to look around afterwards."
"Hmm. Assuming Victor von Doom doesn't unmake the fabric of reality in the near future, I suppose you're right." –Strange says.
The Sorcerer Supreme waves his hands, and suddenly, they're somewhere else – still in the Sanctum, but in a study of sorts, overlooked by a massive, circular window with a strange seal that looks like a messed up tic-tac-toe grid. They're all seated – except for Nico, who's nowhere to be seen – around a large desk, behind which sits the Doctor.
"On to the matter at hand, then."
"Do you know where Victor von Doom is?" –Kara asks, no nonsense.
"Not at the moment." –he says. "But thanks to you, I can find out. You were struck by one of his spells, correct?"
She nods. "Some kind of paralysis magic. It didn't hurt me, but I couldn't move a muscle."
The Sorcerer hums. "The spell would've left its mark on you. I can use it to track down Victor's magical signature." –he explains, then narrows his eyes. "Interesting that he would be able to employ Hecate's magic; typically, magic wielders don't mix and match their sorcery. They pick a school of magic, and stick to it."
"It kinda felt like Doctor Doom had an answer for everything we could throw at him; tech, magic…even a bit of martial arts." –Kara recounts.
Strange nods. "He is nothing if not prepared." –he says. "While I can't speak for his technological or martial prowess, I have looked into his magical training. It's rather odd; despite his rather public profile as ruler of Latveria and the many powers he wields, I have found scant evidence of him coming into contact with any of the various magical communities on Earth. He wields a wizard's power, for example, but he's received no formal education from the various wizarding schools. He can summon and control Hellfire, but no demon recalls ever dealing with him."
"You said he's killed other versions of you out in the Multiverse, right?" –Bruce points out. "Maybe he learned on other Earths."
"Quite possible, though there are some hurdles he would've had to overcome." –Strange says. "Magic is a fickle thing, Doctor Banner; spells don't necessarily translate one-to-one from universe to universe, and some magicks will simply refuse to work beyond their source, so to speak. It would take a tremendous amount of time and effort to master such techniques across various universes – and the mental fortitude required to command magic in such a way…it's simply unheard of in a human."
Kara rolls her eyes. "Great. I guess we're complimenting the supervillain, now."
"Underestimating a foe will do you no favors, my friend." –Thor points out.
"Yeah, yeah. Learned that one already, thanks." –Kara retorts, her hand automatically resting over the scar on her abdomen. She turns to the Sorcerer, ready to move the conversation along. "You said you fought him, right?"
Strange sighs. "Briefly. Stupidly." –he admits. "I'd only been the Sorcerer Supreme for a week – defeated Dread Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension, and saved the world from being absorbed into his domain. The gods of Olympus had sought my aid in searching for the goddess Hecate, who has been absent since the end of the war against Gaia and her Giants."
Bruce withers. "I'm sorry, I, uh…think you're gonna have to take that one from the top, Doctor."
The Sorcerer grumbles. "Short version: the Sorcerer Supreme gets to protect Earth from a great many magical threats, the being known as Dormammu perhaps chief among them. A rogue sorcerer attempted to gain the secret to immortality for humankind in exchange for our eternal service to Dormammu, and killed the previous Sorcerer Supreme, known only as the Ancient One, before I could put an end to his plans." –he explains. "As for Gaia…"
He snaps his fingers, and Nico is suddenly standing beside him. He appears to have been about to start having lunch, as he holds a McNugget in one hand and a bottle of ketchup in the other. "Styx, would it kill you to make up your goddamn mind about including me or not?" –the demigod complains. Thunder rumbles in the distance, despite the day being perfectly sunny and clear. "What do you guys want now?"
"Something about Mother Earth and some Giants?" –Bruce prompts.
Nico sighs. "It's not a pretty story."
"So tell it quickly and be done with it." –Strange urges.
"Fine, whatever. The Olympians have been more or less the top dogs among the various pantheons for thousands of years. Their predecessors, the Titans, weren't particularly happy about it, and tried to overthrow them about five years ago. We managed to stop them and slay their ringleader – Kronos, the Titan of Time." –he drones on. "Then his mother, Mother Earth herself, tried to capitalize on our losses, and brought back some of her other children, the Gigantes, pretty much what you might call the anti-gods. I think they wanted to start Earth over, wipe the slate clean, if you will. It was a close call, but we also managed to stop them."
Bruce blinks. "…so you're telling me there were at least four apocalyptic events in the past five years? The Titans, the Giants, this Dormammu business, and the Chitauri invasion?"
"Five if you count Vilgax." –Kara reminds him. "His ship probably would've wiped out half the country if it'd crashed."
"I just…it's nuts, isn't it?" –Bruce wonders. "It's not just me? How is the world so close to being destroyed so often?"
"The threats our planet faces are as powerful as the people defending it." –Strange says. "And not to sound conceited, but we are pretty damn powerful. It's to be expected."
Kara snorts. "That's one way to put it, I guess."
"And how is it even possible that people don't know about half of this crap? The aliens I get, that took everyone by surprise, but how do these gods and monsters survive to be a problem all the way to the twenty-first century?" –Bruce wonders.
"The same way wizards and witches survived the dark ages, Doctor Banner. The same way people ignore hundreds of ghost attacks in Amity Park, Minnesota, or an interdimensional dream demon turning the small town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, into his personal hellscape for a day or two." –Nico explains to his very confused audience. "Hell, it's the same reason some people can believe that Thor is an alien but won't buy that he's the same deity worshipped by the Vikings a thousand years ago; there's a mystical layer to reality that keeps mortals who aren't in the know blissfully ignorant."
"Most call it the Mist." –Strange supplies. "That freak storm system that swept through the country five years ago, for example? Typhon, Greatest of All Monsters, making his way to Olympus and shrugging off the gods' attacks."
Kara does remember that; she also remembers feeling like she'd lost the day before the storm dissipated for no reason, almost like she'd slept through the whole thing.
Something tells her the two events are related.
"It didn't always exist." –Thor raises an eyebrow. "Or at least, not to the extent it appears to now. The mortals I knew when I first visited Midgard were quite aware that I was an Asgardian god, and they saw the Jötnar we slayed for what they were."
"True enough. The Mist was sparsely used through much of antiquity, typically only employed to obscure the worst of magical conflicts; the people knew for a fact that their gods existed, that it was possible to encounter what we consider mythical creatures as easily as one might run into a bear in the woods." –Strange agrees. "It was only during and after the Dark Ages that humanity began to fear and hate the unknown so much that they tried to destroy it."
"Mortals call it the Dark Ages because societal progress stagnated and illiteracy ran rampant." –Nico says. "The magical communities have a better reason; magical creatures were hunted down, to extinction in many cases. Satyrs run through by knights, Centaurs shot dead by crossbowmen, witches burned at the stake. What was once a sprawling magical world retreated into the safety of the darkest corners of the Earth, or attempted to hide amongst the mortals."
"Toss in a few centuries of witch hunting, rampant colonization, and religious hegemony and you get the modern magical landscape: a few hidden magical groups and a massive amount of mortals completely unaware of their existence, outside of pop culture."
Kara rubs her chin. "But it's changing, isn't it? S.H.I.E.L.D. is aware of their existence now. Fury's working with you. And there's been an increase in reports of cryptids and other such mythical creatures in the past few months."
"Since the Chitauri invasion, yes." –Strange nods. "There's always been a scant few people naturally able to see through the veil of the Mist, but for most people, being asked to believe that modern day demigods exist would be a step too far."
Nico crosses his arms. "At least, it used to be. But then aliens started raining from the sky, and superheroes popped up to drive them back." –he says, nodding at the Avengers. "It's a lot harder for the Mist to exploit human disbelief when you guys constantly push the bar lower and lower. Is it that hard to believe in Olympus when Thor hurls lightning at aliens atop the Empire State Building?"
"Add in the disappearance of the goddess Hecate, caretaker of this magical barrier, and you'll understand the situation that compels us to join forces with you and seek the assistance of other worthy champions: the mortal world is on the verge of rediscovering its arcane past, and none of us know precisely how they'll react." –Doctor Strange says.
Mass hysteria is the first thing that comes to Kara's mind. Then again, Nico's right; most people have taken her whole being – an alien capable of flying, seemingly indestructible and limitless in strength – remarkably well. The Avengers are fairly universally seen in a positive light – who's to say that they wouldn't accept the magical community, or at least the not-too-scary parts of it, just as easily?
"Right, so…appreciate the explainer, but how does this get us closer to Doctor Doom? If it relates at all, that is." –Kara asks.
Strange leans forward. "Well, it just so happens that I believe all of these events are linked." –he says, turning to Kara. "Stop me if this sounds familiar, Miss Danvers: while tracking down Hecate's whereabouts, I am drawn by a powerful magical essence to a secluded underground lair in Latveria's neighboring country of Sokovia. The place holds monsters captive; Greek Telkhines and Gorgons, Egyptian Serpopards – even a handful of Norse Wights, freshly dug up from their barrows." –he recounts.
"I am accosted by several dozen armed mercenaries, whom I defeat with ease. After I make my way through the facility, ensuring that all the monsters are banished to their respective underworlds and places of power, I'm attacked by a group of Egyptian magicians led by a Greek demigod – a daughter of Hecate, to be precise. She is formidable, but inexperienced, and I am able to swiftly defeat her and her entourage – only to come face to face with none other than Victor von Doom, in turn the source of this magical signature, and briefly duel the man."
He frowns, his pride clearly insulted. "Victor easily overpowers me, practically toys with me. I sense echoes of past fights he's had with other versions of me. He taunts me with this knowledge, mocks my weakness. Defeats me, if I'm honest, but before he can deliver the killing blow, he stays his hand and urges me to grow stronger – to become worthy of the title of Sorcerer Supreme. The next thing I know, I'm here, in the Sanctum, safe and sound and, I suppose, properly humbled."
Kara scowls. "I guess I can pick up a few similarities." –she admits.
"Indeed. Given our combined experiences, I believe, when it comes right down to it, that Victor is trying to prepare a generation of powerful heroes in order to defend the Earth from an incoming threat of colossal proportions." –Strange says. "I believe he is trying to harden the population of Earth as a whole, to provoke the appearance of more and more champions by sponsoring supervillains by revealing the monsters and other such supernatural creatures that the Mist has kept hidden for centuries as potential threats to mortalkind."
Kara pales, and turns to her fellow Avengers. Thor doesn't seem too impressed, but Bruce is similarly shocked; he might not have been around to hear Doctor Doom's little monologue, but he was still told by the others.
"This…incoming threat." –Kara mutters, her mind spinning with so many revelations, her thoughts straying to Thanos and his Black Order. "What did he say about it? What do you know?"
"He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. I told you at the Tower that he knew about the Chitauri before they'd invaded. Among his richly detailed memories of killing my Multiversal selves, I managed to steal a memory he didn't mean to show me: his younger self, without any armor or powers, looking up at the sky as a seemingly endless horde of Chitauri descended on his fellow countrymen, razing Latveria to the ground." –Strange says, somber. "Whatever dimension he originally comes from, Loki and the Chitauri must've been successful – either defeated that world's version of the Avengers, or were left unimpeded by their absence."
"So he's attempting a do-over?" –Nico ponders. "Try again, this time with gusto, in the form of…what, a few extra heroes, or something?"
A thought comes to Kara, unbidden; she wonders what other teams of Avengers look like out in the Multiverse. Does Captain Rogers always go down with the Valkyrie, only to be dug up from the ice decades later, just in time to lead the team? Does Tony always get kidnapped, forced to create weapons for terrorists only to invent the Iron Man suit and bust out instead? What about her? How many Avengers teams is she a part of? What if Kal had survived? Would he be a young hero, like Peter and Ben?
Is Krypton and her species always doomed to die?
Kara suddenly stands up. "Whatever it is, we need to put a stop to it." –she says, resolute. "Victor could've chosen to lead us into whatever great destiny we're supposed to confront; instead, he sponsors secret supervillain societies and beats superheroes within an inch of their lives. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think his oh-so-noble intentions matter at all. He's a menace, and we need to take him down."
"Hear, hear!" –Thor cheers.
"Bravado and chest-pounding, hooray." –Strange says, sarcastically. "On to the matter of tracking him down, then." –he says, rising from the chair, and suddenly, they're back at the floating model of the planet. Nico is, once again, nowhere to be seen – Kara's pretty sure he hears an annoyed groan in the distance.
Strange waves his hands over her form, and pulls some kind of golden energy out of her. It congeals into...well, into her, mirroring her movements and everything. There are a couple of stains, so to speak, on her body; one on her chest, colored a brilliant white, and two on her knuckles, whose color reminds her of the Tesseract.
"When our bodies are affected by magical energy, they're left with scars – sometimes physical ones, and others, such as this, a stain upon our immortal souls. They tend to fade away with time, but these are certainly fresh enough." –he explains. "The white magic here is a full-body binding curse. The cyan on your knuckles, though...not entirely sure, but it resembles the energy of the Eye of Agamotto, one of our most powerful artifacts."
"I punched Titanium Man, and he was protected by energy from the Tesseract." –she supplies.
The Sorcerer blinks. "Well, I certainly appreciate the perspective. Suddenly, my day job doesn't seem quite as weird." –he quips. "At any rate, while spells and curses can be learned by anyone with the discipline, divine heritage, or unholy patronage, the caster will always leave their particular mark, which I can use in a tracking spell. I was in no position to pursue Victor after my first defeat, but now..."
He takes the white magic, balls it between his gloved hands, and tosses it at the model of Earth. It splashes like water, then scurries along the globe in wide, curving paths, before finally settling into a single spot.
"...well, that's concerning." –Bruce says, apprehensive.
Kara would rather call it terrifying; according to the tracking spell, Victor von Doom is in New York right now. Somewhere underground, not two miles from the Sanctum, in fact.
"Interesting." –Strange mutters.
"Convenient!" –Thor says, overly eager.
Strange rolls his eyes. Bruce tilts his head, confused. "What, is he riding the subway?"
The Sorcerer shakes his head, and snaps his fingers. Nico once more stands in their midst, a chicken nugget covered in barbeque sauce falling from his hand, down his breastplate, and onto the floor from the sudden transportation. "...I think I actually hate you, Strange." –he hisses.
"Nevermind that." –he dismisses the demigod's complaint. "It appears you and Ellie will be taking point on this one, Nico; Victor appears to have secured himself a portion of Daedalus' ruined Labyrinth."
Alright, a few things to break down!
-The spectral bow is a reference to the Conjure Bow spell from Skyrim!
-As you'll know if you've read the anthology series, King Namor has been dead for over two thousand years
-Bellroc is from the Tales of Arcadia series! They're a major antagonist in that universe, but here, they were the very first Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, some 127,000 years ago.
-The revolver obviously belongs to a past Ghost Rider, one that roamed the Wild West!
-Obviously, there are references to Danny Phantom, Gravity Falls, the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles series all over this chapter! As I said, it helps a lot if you've read the rest of the Kryptonverse, but I hope you weren't too lost!
-There's some truth and some misconceptions to Strange's assumptions about Doom, his plans, and his motives; what do you think he's right about? What did he get wrong?
-The original version of these events was quite different; it involved Hermione Granger, did not include any demigods, and the team was quite different! Thor and Bruce were not involved, and instead Kara was joined by Lena, Peter, and Gwen Stacy. It was kind of a mess - I still have the original file somewhere, if you wanna read it, but it really wasn't very good. This is a lot better integrated and more concise - which is saying a lot, as this chapter was still a little dense, I feel.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out! You can send me a comment/review or submit an ask over on my tumblr (darthkvznblogs), open to anyone! See you soon-ish, I hope!