Loki grunted with effort as flaming debris impacted his hastily erected magical shield. Thank the Nine that Kara hadn't bound his power before they'd headed over here. When the impacts stopped, he peered up through the glowing greenish construct and saw one of the blast shields lying partially atop them. "That didn't help much," he muttered.

Tony was flat on his back underneath him, his dark eyes wide and staring. "I think I'm down to five now, or maybe four. I should probably retire."

"Five or four what?"

"Lives, Loki. He's talking about having too many close calls. But Tony, you're not the cat, remember? You don't get nine lives."

Stark sat up as Loki pushed back with his power and sent the toppled blast shields tumbling backwards. Kara crawled out from under the genius. "Sure I am. Loki and I are the cats, you're the, uh…canine."

"You compared my lady to a dog, Stark?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, no-oo; she did. I just didn't argue with her excessively."

"That's because you were freaked out that I was in bed with Loki."

"Well, duh. You were wrapped up in his arms as though you were already lovers." Stark held up a hand as he glowered at the man. "Easy pal; we didn't know what had gone down then. So far as we knew, you were still hell bent on ruling Earth."

Loki sighed heavily. "I'll let it slide. Now, are you all right?"

"Um, yeah; why aren't you asking her first?"

"Kara's more durable than you are and she's in her armor."

"Sure, pick on the mortal," Tony groused. Loki frowned at him. "I'm kidding, I'm just kind of shaky and that's my way of dealing with it. Why the hell did it blow like that? None of the components or the combination of them should have reacted that way."

"I don't know. You're the mechanical genius, not I."

"Guess I'd better start collecting samples."

… …

Crews were extinguishing the flaming debris that was scattered around the compound. Fortunately, everyone else had already gone indoors for dinner; the only casualty was one of the monitors that still sat out by the egress. "Wow, what a mess," Kara told Loki as they headed back to the residential building after checking on the damage. "Fury is going to have a cow when he gets the report."

Loki shrugged carelessly. "It is only property. What value has it against the lives you might save should you be able to destroy the Mad Titan?"

She smiled and shook her head. "You need to be the one to tell him that. He's still all over your ant and boot comment."

"Humph. That was what the enemy had tried to force me to think. I had to say such things so that they might believe their persuasion worked." One corner of his mouth curved up. "Of course, they are only mortal lives and should not be given all that much consequence."

"Loki…" she grated.

"You're not reading me."

"Yes, I am, but they can't," she explained, directing his attention to a few agents and support staff members who were standing nearby staring at them uneasily. Jasper Sitwell was glaring outright; no doubt he was already planning his call to Nick Fury.

"Ah." Loki stopped and looked at Jasper. "I was but teasing my lady; I'd forgotten the rest of you cannot feel my mischief the way she does."

"You don't honestly think that I'll believe you consider our lives to be anywhere near as valuable as your people's do you?"

"No. But it's…ah, apples and oranges. One cannot truly be compared to the other. I'm not condoning the loss of any life, but I'd grieve far less deeply for most of your teeming masses than I would for a similar number of deaths in Asgard."

"Loki, tell the man that it would also mean a much higher percentage of the population, that's important."

"Is it?"

"You're trying to make him angry now, knock it off. Jasper, Earth has about seven-hundred thousand times more people than Asgard; so if they lose one person, it's like us losing seven-hundred thousand people. They're not going to get as worked up about even thousands of deaths here as they would for only a few there. It's the scale."

"Yes, the director did say something about that in a briefing. I have to tell you, though; it still rankles."

"If you don't wish it to rankle, don't demand I address the issue. I've no wish to be considered callous…or wait; never mind, yes, I do."

"Loki, now you're just being an ass." She groaned as he stared her down. "Sorry, Jasper, he's in a mood."

"Something went terribly wrong, Kara; our friends could well have died. Yes, I'm in a mood," Loki snapped.

Jasper looked at her and nodded then turned to Loki. "I can understand that, sir. I'll see if there's anything our people can do to help Stark and Banner figure out what went wrong so that it can be prevented from happening again." He turned and headed for the command building.

"Thank you, Agent," Loki said to his back. Sitwell raised a hand in acknowledgment.

"Loki?"

"Not now, Kara. Go change and get some dinner. I need some time alone."

… …

Bruce looked up from the electron microscope as Kara entered their lab. "Where's your shadow?" he asked playfully.

"Off brooding."

"What's he brooding about?" Tony asked. "I'm the one who could have gotten killed."

Bruce ducked his head to hide his smile. "Uh, Tony? You just answered your own question."

"He's right," Kara agreed. "It's funny, Loki was worried about how I'd feel watching all of you eventually grow old and die. He's starting to realize that it isn't going to be any picnic for him either."

"Jarvis?" Tony directed at the tablet he'd set up to connect to his main processors back in the Tower. "Add finding a cure to aging to my to-do list. In fact, put it at the top."

"Yes, sir," the AI said in his trademark dry tone.

"There, no problem. I'll get it handled."

Kara sighed and sat down on a bench. "It's not funny, Tony. You guys are his friends now. He hasn't had anyone at all to care about him or for him to care about outside of Thor and his mom for so long that he's never had to deal with the possibility of loss before. Now he does and those people he cares about are a lot more fragile and short-lived in general than he'd like. He's going to have to come to terms with it."

"It's not just that," Bruce decided to add. "He's not used to making friends. I think he might be concerned that once we're all gone he won't have any again. Well, he'll have you, but that's not the same thing."

"Exactly. He doesn't know how to make friends; to him it's some kind of miracle that he probably doubts he's ever going to be able to duplicate."

"Oh, come on; Bambi isn't that stupid." Tony picked up the piece of debris he'd been analyzing and then set it down again. "Ah hell, about relationships he is. Okay, we're just going to have to teach him otherwise. You're welcome. Next problem?"

"If it's any comfort, Kara, I'll be around for a while. I, uh, I've noticed that my aging has, well, slowed."

"What?" Tony barked.

"My cellular degeneration is no longer as evident as a normal human, Tony. I'm probably going to live a long time." He shrugged. "That's another reason I'm still kind of waffling about a relationship with Darcy. Eventually she's going to catch up to me in physical age and then, well, it won't be a happy time."

"You're what, Bruce? Not quite forty?" Kara guessed.

"Forty-eight. I got hit with the gamma radiation when I was forty. I still look the same."

"Cool. Well, not so much considering the crap you have to deal with otherwise, but you know what I mean."

He managed a wry smile. "Yes, I do."

"Hell," Tony groused. "Cap may have an extended life span, possibly Romanov as well. Only Barton and I are going to crap out on you guys. Too bad there's no truth to that eat the golden apple and become immortal myth."

"Apparently that golden mist was made from one of those apples, Tony," Kara told him. "The problem is that the change could every bit as easily kill a normal human as change them to Æsir. The only reason Loki didn't have a fit when Odin offered it to me was because he knew Eir wouldn't have been a part of the process if she wasn't certain I could survive it with my enhanced nervous system."

"Jarvis? Any ideas on where I can find the fountain of youth?"

"No, sir."

"Damn. Oh well, you'll still have Bruce and you might be stuck with Captain Perfect."

… …

Kara was lying on the bed in her underpants when Loki finally returned. "Is it hotter here than when I left, or is it just the contrast between the realms?" he asked.

"It's much hotter. Your ward on the tank is still working, it's just that the outside temperature broke all records and this system can't keep up with it even with the boost from the slush in the tank."

"Hmm. I suppose it's manageable for sleeping, but not for much else."

"Does the heat affect you more or less if you're in your Jötunn form?"

"Much more. It would be exceedingly unwise to go outdoors with it in this heat except in an emergency, and I cannot imagine any emergency that would make it worth the effort."

"And in here?"

"Not particularly comfortable, but manageable for an hour or so, why?"

"Never mind, you're uncomfortable enough."

He stared at her for a moment then his expression cleared. "Ah. Tempting, though." His eyes narrowed as he considered the idea. "You know, if I changed forms, I could freeze the walls which would cool the room a great deal. It would melt fairly quickly, but…"

She grinned at him. "We'd have to explain how the floor got flooded."

"No, we'll just feign innocence."

"I'm not any good at that."

"Then you simply say 'it would be TMI'…that is the phrase, yes?"

Kara laughed at his smirk. "You know very well that it is the phrase. You're just being silly."

"Never. Devious perhaps. Now; does my lady wish a rather chilly lover this night?"

"Absolutely." She watched eagerly as he stripped, shifted forms and then laid his hands on each wall in turn. They frosted over and the room temperature dropped a good twenty degrees in a few short minutes. "You're beautiful like this," she whispered as he came back to the bed and hovered over her lips.

"You think me beautiful in my Æsir form."

"Well, yes." She frowned thoughtfully. "It's a different kind of beautiful. Doesn't matter, you're just gorgeous no matter what."

Loki closed the distance between them, ravaged her mouth briefly and then pulled back. "Your energy levels are good?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have suggested this otherwise." She smiled as his now icy lips ghosted over the pulse in her neck. "Do you have any idea how much I wanted you like this the whole time we were in Jötunheim? It was all I could think about."

"Your energy wouldn't have lasted long enough, love. You were already fighting to counteract the cold of the environment."

She shrugged. "That doesn't mean I wasn't craving you anyway."

He slipped her panties off of her hips and held up the scrap of fabric. "Hmm, your arousal freezes when it's separated from your body. Interesting."

"Loki!"

Laughing, he tossed them aside and grabbed her hips, pulling her hot center up to his mouth. She shivered as his tongue stroked deep in her cleft and arched her back as he flicked the eager nub of nerves. He didn't spend as much time as usual on it; he knew she could only take his cold for so long. His tongue dipped into her canal and she squealed at the sensation. "I love how you taste; so hot, sweet and salty, all at once." She bucked at his words and felt her fluids gush out into his waiting mouth. He moaned as he drank them down, that cold smooth tongue lashing her hot flesh and making her shudder.

"Loki, please," she gasped as he pulled back.

"Please what, my love?" He pushed her thighs back and guided her hands to hold them in place. The less physical contact they had, the longer she could maintain her body heat. Kara groaned as he slid his erection into her dripping sex, the ridges on the cold hard silky flesh making her shudder. "Is this what my beloved needs?" He reached between her widespread thighs and captured her nipples between frigid thumbs and forefingers then twisted them sharply; she shrieked in reaction. "Yes, love, come for me." He began to pound deep inside her and she gasped as the coldness fought her heat. Another orgasm rippled through her and this one didn't want to end.

Tremors shook her body in waves as her entire nervous system lit up with sensation. Kara screamed with the pleasure of it; some small portion of her mind tried and failed to remember if Loki had soundproofed their room this time. It didn't matter. She could no more stay quiet than she could stay still. Words spilled from Loki's mouth in quick succession, most of them didn't register, but the ones she remembered were full of love and praise. Just as her orgasm finally started to fade, Loki began to come. The cool cum filling her triggered an even more violent orgasm and she sobbed his name over and over. "So perfect for me, Loki," she finally breathed out with a sigh.

… …

Another Quinjet was landing. Loki stepped out of the dining hall to see who or what had arrived. He'd had quite a start earlier in the morning when he'd left the residential building and come face to face with one of what Tony had dubbed the MTDs for Mad Titan Dummies. He really was not in the mood for any further surprises this day. Fury's bald head ducking under the edge of the aircraft as he came down the ramp wasn't much of a surprise. "Good morning," the director called out in a civil tone. Now that; that was surprising.

"And to you director," Loki responded after glancing around to be certain the man wasn't addressing someone else.

"I hear we had another unexpected explosion. Please tell me my people didn't mess up again."

"Not that we're aware. Stark and Banner are still examining the remains of the target to determine why it reacted in that manner."

"Good. Nice reflexes, by the way. I saw the security feed. We're going to need to bury the bottom edge of the blast shields and maybe brace them in a concrete base for stability before Hellbringer makes another attempt."

"Agent Sitwell suggested such. Rogers, Barton and Romanov are out in a jeep looking for a suitable testing site a bit further from the compound and from the Bifröst egress to provide more safety." Loki frowned. He was having a civil discussion with Fury. This was more than passing strange.

"Excellent plan."

Loki decided he was tired of waiting for the mortal to come to his point. "I'm certain you did not come here just to discuss the latest training mishap, director. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to the purpose of your visit?"

"You and Stark have become close, correct?"

"No, I will not tell him to turn over his suit technology to you."

Fury blinked. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has no current issue with Stark retaining his own suit technology. We're not the military, Loki." The mortal stared at the ground for a moment. "We're concerned about his health."

Now that was another surprise. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. He's funding the Avengers, and seems to be the glue, oddly enough, that's holding them all together. He's providing energy technology to the entire world and that technology is improving on what seems to be a daily basis. Do you have any idea what his innovations will mean to Earth?"

"Yes, actually."

"Good. Look, I'm not too stubborn to admit that we need him. What we do not need is him dying young because of his drinking binges."

"He hasn't been obviously drunk since I returned from my latest sojourn with our mutual enemy; well, other than at my wedding feast."

"Yes, but the damage was already done. The latest physical he consented to showed that he is developing cirrhosis of the liver, easily a fatal disease. The only means we have to stop the condition from worsening is a complete avoidance of alcohol. Do you see Stark agreeing to that?"

Loki swallowed heavily. "No. Is there naught else that can be done?"

"Once the liver fails, a liver transplant would prolong his life. That assumes a compatible donor can be found." Fury grimaced. "Even with his money, that's not always a sure thing and it would put the Iron Man out of commission, probably permanently. Obviously Asgard's medical capabilities are far beyond ours. Is there anything Asgard's healers can do for him?"

He stared at the director, still fighting shock. His friend, the one who had helped him win his lady despite his better judgment, who had stood for him in Asgard, who had helped him utterly destroy one of his tormentors, who had…he wouldn't go there…could die decades before he should have to. "I think it is more a matter of will rather than can." Holding up a hand as Fury began to speak he shook his head. "I-I will ask. It helps that they hold him in esteem. How much time have we?"

"He's in the early stages, barely even exhibiting any symptoms, so there's a good amount of time yet. I'll send you a list of things to watch for and the physicians' reports. Discuss it with Ms. Anderson since she'll be the team's personal physician."

Nodding, he turned away and then stopped. "Do you have friends, director?"

"A few."

He waited until the man came abreast of him. "Are any of them within your organization?" he asked. Fury simply nodded. "How do you handle it? You know they can die at any time, even from small things. How do you live with that knowledge?"

The mortal sighed. "You treasure the moments you do have with them. When you lose one, you grieve, but you go on for them. You know that they would not want you to wallow, that they would want you to continue on living the life that they had been a part of. So, you carry on in their honor."

"It's painful."

"Yes, it is. The pain of grief is the price we know that we will eventually pay for love, whether romantic or the love of a friend; and it makes that love all the more precious while we have it."

"I've learned that lesson; I've no desire to be taught it again." He bit back a sigh. "I'll speak to my mother when she arrives for the engagement ball. We owe a debt to Tony Stark. Perhaps she'll agree that this is a way it might be paid."

… …

"She did it. She fucking did it!" Tony crowed as he stared at the magnified piece of what had originally been tantalum.

"Care to share?" his science bro asked from where he was hunched over another piece of debris.

"She changed the molecular composition of the tantalum, made it unstable and made the son of a bitch blow sky high."

"You know what this means?"

"Shit. We've got to replace the tantalum with as many different non-flammable elements as we can to see if it's just the tantalum or if she can do it with anything."

Brucie boy nodded agreement. "And ask Loki if Asgard can provide anything to work with as well."

"And the elf. Keebler's got to be good for something besides frustrating the amazon."

A quiet chuckle agreed with him. "He is good at that. Who's running the pool on their eventual, uh, combustion?"

"Loki. I know, I know," he said hastily. "He says he can't in good conscience participate since he's one of the factors that will affect the timing so he might as well have the fun of holding and monitoring the bets."

"Nice to know his conscience extends to wagers. I've got to get in on that one."

"Uh huh. So, do you want to know what the pool is on you and Ms. Taser-tricks?"

"Not really."

"Fine, spoil my fun," he mumbled as he stared at a piece of the aerogel. "Wow. Did you look at the silica aerogel yet?"

"Looking at it now; I've never seen anything like it." Bruce straightened looking thoughtful. Tony knew that look; he wore it himself when an idea was dawning. "Can you imagine what this could do for the housing insulation industry if it's retained those properties?"

"I'm thinking you could use it as the actual construction material for the home and not have to add insulation. Probably wouldn't hold up well for more than a two or three story building, but for residential properties? This could be the next big thing if we can find an inexpensive way to duplicate it."

"I'll see if we have enough of it to send out for full testing."

"You sure that you don't want to know what the pool is about?" Tony grinned at Banner's sour look.

"Positive. I've got enough problems, okay?"

"Spoilsport."

… …

Kara stood behind the blast shield with Loki and Tony. They were all in full armor and she'd released Loki's magic just in case. A third twelve by eight foot screen had been added and they'd all been turned on their narrow end and embedded over two feet deep in the ground and another foot was covered by a concrete and steel base. Loki had ordered everyone else to remain back at the compound, over a quarter mile away from the new testing site. "Okay, I'm going to go for it," she told them. Tony nodded and flipped his faceplate closed. Loki gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Staring at the MTD, she concentrated on payback and let loose. Nothing happened. "Well, shit."

"Wait for it," Tony told her. "Yep, the sensors are starting to go nuts." He leaned back against the blast shield and braced the servos in his suit. "Holy shit, here it comes."

She and Loki watched as the MTD started to list to one side, just as it had before, and she reflexively ducked as it exploded violently. Debris hit the shield and she and Loki pushed against it as it leaned towards them in spite of the bracing Iron Man provided.

"Damnation," Loki hissed as he pulled his hands away and then used his power to brace it instead.

"Why's the shield heating up?" she asked Tony as she hastily adjusted her body temperature to avoid being boiled inside her armor then let it normalize as the rain of debris ended and the shield stopped leaning.

"Don't know, maybe we're too close to the center of the blast. Jarvis, you want to run the numbers on that?"

"Yes sir."

… …

"How are you handling the reporting?" Loki asked him as they all sat around a conference table discussing their next steps.

"I'm lying through my teeth," Nick told the god of such things in all seriousness. "The reports are claiming that you are testing properties of a last ditch magical defensive shield by intentionally blowing things up. No reference is made into how these things are being blown up."

The god's eyes brightened and his mouth stretched into a grin. "A strong element of truth buried in the misdirection; very good technique. I'm impressed."

"I'll take that as a compliment." The god of pain in the assery nodded in agreement. "I've vetted all of the staff here personally; we won't have any contradictory reports being filed behind our backs. The first three of the altered MTDs should be here tomorrow. The rest are going to take a while, not all of the elements on Stark and Banner's list are as readily available."

"Not much more we can do here in the meantime," Rogers commented. "We should head back to New York. Won't the off-realm guests for the engagement ball be arriving soon?"

"Day after tomorrow, if all goes according to the schedule I was given before I returned," Loki agreed.

"Ambassador Haakun has arranged lodging and activities for the visitors," Prince Nyvorlas contributed, looking glum for some reason. "I'm not certain my queen will approve of any of it, but then, she rarely approves of anything these days."

More family issues. What was it with the damned virtually immortal races? "Do any of you not have serious family issues?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The three Æsir, Loki and the damned elf all looked thoughtful. "No," Fandral finally answered for them. Perhaps it is a matter of having too much time with them?"

"Familiarity breeds contempt," Kara interjected. The off-realm members of the group all frowned at her. "It's a Midgard saying. If you don't nurture your relationships and value them, they eventually go sour. I can see that easily happening if you've got thousands of years to deal with. Hell, we manage it with only a few decades."

"They," Loki said quietly.

"I've been mortal and a citizen of Earth for twenty-eight years, Loki. It's going to be a while before I stop thinking of myself as one of them."

He shrugged and then smirked as she flashed him an irritated look. "I do understand that they will always hold a special place in your heart, my lady."

"Nice save."

Loki chuckled and sat back looking insufferably pleased with himself. Though thinking about it, Nick realized that was the god's normal expression. He'd bet it was cultivated just for the irritation factor. "Loki, who's going to be watching the store while the VIPs are here?" he asked.

"Odin will remain on Asgard for this one. The other dignitaries will have chancellors or designated heirs that they trust sitting in for them."

"And for the wedding?"

"Both of my parents plan to attend as will their heir. Haakun will return to Asgard. He, the head of the sorcerer's guild and Lord Heimdall will handle any issues that come up in their absence. The other realms have similar contingencies."

"My elder brother will remain in Ljósálfheim," Nyvorlas offered with a frown. "What will Helblindi do? Does he have an heir?"

Loki's normal smirk widened. "Yes, me. That's not terribly helpful in this situation, though. I imagine he'll appoint one of his shield brothers as regent in his absence."

Something about this was bothering Nick and he couldn't put his finger on it…oh. "Wait, are you talking about the Frost Giants?"

"We are."

"Isn't it going to be too warm for them here?"

"It will. Father has prepared several amulets that will provide them with relief from the relatively hot temperatures. All of the visitors will travel to Asgard first and then from Asgard to Midgard with my mother and Thor. Kara and I will need to be here to greet them," he directed to Rogers. "Perhaps the rest of you should return to New York without us."

"Why don't I stay with Loki and Kara for the next two days?" Stark suggested. "We can test the three incoming MTDs, greet the guests and then come back to New York with them. I'll be able to do a preliminary examination of debris and then send samples on to Bruce for full analysis in our lab at Avengers' Tower."

Rogers nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Director?"

"Let's do it."

… …

"It is way too freaking hot for this," Kara complained as she pulled her blouse away from her skin.

"Imagine it from my perspective, love. I'm not particularly comfortable in your normal temperatures."

"Haakun should have had to greet them. Isn't that what ambassadors do?"

"Hush, younger members of royal families are always saddled with such responsibilities. Ask Nyvorlas."

"It's true. It's considered respectful. Of course, since the entire reason any of them are coming here is your engagement, it is doubly important that you greet them."

"Damn. Loki? Why couldn't you just be some random noble and not a prince?"

His eyebrow lifted. "Were I such, we would never have met. Please, Kara, just…ah…"

"Suck it up?" Tony suggested. Loki shook his head, that wasn't it. "Put on your big girl panties and deal?"

"That's the one," he agreed.

"Humph. Fine. Why doesn't Nyvorlas look overheated?"

The man in question looked smug. "I do not know. He is also used to much cooler temperatures." Loki concentrated as he looked his old friend over. "Ah. He's cheating."

"It is not cheating," he protested. "A ward against the heat is a legitimate means to remain comfortable."

"It is cheating because I cannot have my power released for so paltry a reason," Loki told him.

"Not my problem."

"Prat." Loki frowned at him. "Consider yourself on notice; revenge will be sweet." He smirked at the Ljósálfar's uneasy frown. "And no, I have not forgotten my promise. I'll find another means of…inconveniencing you."

"Hmm, looks like somebody's sweet on Sif," Kara said. "Considering she looks suspiciously comfortable, that is."

A flush rode high on Nyvorlas' already high cheekbones and Sif had turned to stare at her erstwhile suitor. Oh, this was too good. "Hmm. Yes, that ward has been extended to Lady Sif. How…interesting." The portal from Asgard began to open, cutting off any further discussion. Loki winked at Kara and settled her hand on his arm. "Very timely observation." She grinned in response. Yes, his sweet lady had done it a purpose. The figures of their guests were appearing. Helblindi and Gymir stood behind Thor and Frigga. The two Jötnar were wearing their normal lack of garb with the addition of a wrap that draped over one shoulder. Chains holding the promised amulets hung from their necks. Both squinted in the still bright sun. "Perhaps we should have scheduled this for later in the day. I'd forgotten their eyes would be sensitive to direct sunlight."

"I don't think we're going to find sunglasses that will fit them."

"No."

Tony was nudging him. He frowned at the mortal who leaned close and whispered in his ear. "They're a lot bigger than I remember."

"You've only been this close to them when you were drunk."

"Oh. Right."

Loki choked back a laugh at Tony's chagrined expression as the genius stepped back then tugged Kara along with him as he stepped forward. "Welcome, family and friends, to the Realm of Midgard." Kara joined him in the slight bow called for by the occasion.

… …

Thor grinned and stepped forward to gather them both in a hug. Certainly he had just seen his brother a few short days ago, but it had been weeks since he'd seen his new sister. At the last minute he remembered to temper his strength. "I, for one, am glad to be here and for such a joyous occasion," he announced.

Kara was smiling, for once not looking pained. "You remembered," she whispered.

"Aye, for once." He released them and was quickly replaced by his mother.

"Kara, my dear. You look a bit wilted," Frigga began and then frowned. "Oh, it is exceedingly warm here."

"Record breaking temperatures. If we can move everyone inside for introductions and greetings, I'm sure we'll all be more comfortable," Kara agreed. The gathered visitors indicated their acquiescence and followed the pair to the nearby compound.

They crossed a rise and the entire group came to a shocked halt. A large purplish figure stood next to one of the buildings. It wasn't moving, but looked quite alive. "Oh for pity's sake," Kara grumbled. "Nick! What are you trying to do? Give our guests heart failure?" She placed a hand on Loki's chest as his brother started forward. "Let me handle it," she said under her breath."Where did this come from?"

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury moved from behind the statue of the Mad Titan. "It just arrived; we were able to get it refitted with one of the rarer elements. I was just about to have it taken out to the target range."

"You should have left it in the shipping crate."

Nick reached them and shrugged. "I was expecting you to be involved in official greetings for another fifteen minutes or so, it would have been gone by then."

"Yes, well, it's too hot. We're going inside. Please get that out of here."

Thor watched as the group filed past the statue, each one eyeing it warily. "Is that the same statue you encountered when…" he began to ask his brother.

"Yes. I can attest that it is a very good likeness."

"It's not a statue, it's a practice target. We wanted everyone to know what the being they'd be facing looked like so we wouldn't have to deal with the element of surprise when the real thing finally shows up. We're putting them individually on a target range and I've been releasing Loki's power long enough for him and Prince Nyvorlas to ward the things with every kind of defense they can think of. Then we try to destroy it individually. It's really honing our destructive capabilities," Kara explained. "Our hope is that when the real Titan shows up we can combine our efforts and with all of us using all of our abilities at once we may be able to take him out."

"And have you succeeded in destroying any of these targets?" King Frey asked.

"Yes, this is the fourth one we've gotten in."

Consort Tolthe gave her a disdainful look. "And what might be the key?" the Ljósálfar asked.

"Well, the only real…"

"If we knew the key," Loki interrupted. "We could leave off with this foolishness." He shrugged as if it were of little import. "It's no matter. Obviously we cannot duplicate the Titan's defenses. All that we can do is see that we are as prepared as possible."

Thor held back as the others entered the building, Loki noticed and waited with him. "You do not trust Tolthe."

"I have never trusted Tolthe. He hates me, always has, always will. Queen Elénaril has a roving eye and it roved to me after the prank I pulled on him."

"Did you accept her advances?"

"No, but that made it worse. Not only did she favor me over him, my rejection of her was an insult in his eyes. He wasn't about to understand that a dalliance with my companions' mother was not appealing simply because she was their mother."

Thor shifted uneasily. If the Ljósálfar Queen had been insulted…this could serve them ill. "Did she understand?" he asked.

Loki smiled. "Yes. I was quite honest with her and she knew it. Elénaril is neither blind nor foolish. She could tell that her beauty aroused me and she could read my consternation with that fact."

"Does she still arouse you, brother?"

"Not any longer. She is still a beautiful woman, but my appreciation of that beauty is more in the manner of appreciating a fine work of art. My tastes run more toward the lusty sensuality my lady embodies."

"Perhaps one day I will find a love who steals my eyes from all others."

"Hmm. Well, mother has not given up on the idea, so I should expect that you shall."

… …

More elves. And don't forget the blue Avatar rejects. Nick frowned as the idea of retirement surfaced yet again. But no, based on the reaction to the MTD, the threat was real and all of these powerful beings were wary of it. That wasn't good. Thor and Loki finally followed the others into the dining hall. Loki strode up to join him at the part of the room designated as the front when they used it for meetings. "My apologies for the lack of protocol," the god said to the group. "This area is experiencing greater than normal heat and it is rather vile. Might I perform some quick informal introductions? More formal greetings can be reserved for encounters with Midgard's government officials."

None of the gathering seemed unhappy with that idea. "It's good with us, too," he told Loki as he stood. "My name is Nick Fury. I am the director of a group called S.H.I.E.L.D., an international organization that coordinates military efforts in defense of this planet or Realm as I'm told you call it. We'll be seeing to your security while you are here. Acting as my deputy in that effort will be this gentleman, his title is Agent, and his name is Jasper Sitwell. He can be politely addressed either as Agent or as Agent Sitwell, your choice. My form of address is Director or Director Fury." He stepped back and nodded to Loki.

"Many of you have met my lady, Kara Gunnarssen. She is called Hellbringer as a member of a group of Midgard's mightiest heroes known as the Avengers. This is her honorary brother, Tony Stark, a founding member of that same group where he is called the Iron Man. I consider Tony family by marriage; I tell you this so that you will understand why I tolerate his overly familiar attitude. It is an indelible part of his personality; I hope you will honor my lady and me by tolerating it as well. You will all have an opportunity to meet the rest of the Avengers and their loved ones and support staff when we reach New York City."

Thor stood. "My sister by marriage, honorary brother by marriage, Director Fury, Agent Sitwell; I will introduce all of the royalty who have come, though Kara and Tony know many of them. "First, my mother, Queen Frigga of Asgard. Next, King Frey and Queen Freya of the Vanir, a sister-race of the Æsir. Queen Elénaril and her Lord Consort Tolthe of the Ljósálfar, mother and stepfather to Prince Nyvorlas. King Helblindi of the Jötnar who is my brother Loki's half-brother, and his shield brother and councilor Gymir. Alas, Queen Hel was not able to attend, nor were the Lord and Lady of the Dökkálfar. They send their regrets and do hope to be in attendance at your wedding."

Nick stepped forward. "On behalf of the governments of Earth, which you call Midgard, welcome. We will do everything in our power to make your visit an enjoyable one."