A/N: I can't believe it has been so long since I updated this story. I've been a consumer of fanfiction as of late instead of producing. My goal is to finish the story this week. I've got two plot bunnies running around my mind that I might delve into and they have been clogging up the progress of this story. I'm thinking 2-3 more chapters for this story, which is what I had originally mapped out. I figure 10 or so chapters would be a good length for my first story. Thanks for sticking with me and I will make it up to you with quicker updates until the end. This chapter is not as long as my others but I needed to get this transitional chapter out of the way.
Hela left Hades with more understand, which is what she was seeking. She ventured back into her realm, cycling through the dead that had entered the place since she had last left. After pronouncing judgment on those souls that were not innocent, she left orders with her court and returned to Midgard. Odin had just left after lifting the spell that bound Loki's magic. He was now at his full strength. All of the other Avengers had gathered around the table in Tony's penthouse.
Steve started. "We should talk about what we are going up against."
"Yeah, who is this guy?" Clint chimed in.
"He is from a race called the Titans. Most of this race are long since gone." Thor began. "Many ages ago, before any of us were born, Thanos fought to conquer the realms. He was defeated after much bloodshed but he escaped in the end. He has not been heard from in quite some time. Apparently he has been existing in the darkest areas in the abyss between the realms."
"Why would he attack us?" Bruce asked.
"Midgard lies in the center the Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. From Midgard, access to the other 8 realms is more direct." Thor answered.
"So if he conquers this planet, it would essentially serve as his base of operations while he tries to take out the other realms." Steve formulated.
"It seems that would be a valid assumption." Thor said.
"How is he going to get here? Last time there needed to be a portal opened for the Chitauri to get through and the Tesserat was need for that." Tony questioned.
"Aye, and the Tesserat is secured in the weapons vault in Asgard." Thor added.
There was silence for a few moments.
"Maybe he has the Space Gem." Hela said more to Thor and Loki than to the others.
Loki eyes went back and forth between Hela and Thor. "Then he would have two. He possess the mind gem as well."
Thor let out long breath. Hela sat back in her chair staring at the table.
After an awkward silence Tony broke in. "Are you three going to tell us what these gems are?"
"There are 6 Infinity Gems that each possess a great power in the universe: time, mind, reality, soul, power, and space." Hela began to explain.
Thor added. "If you possess the gem, you can wield the power that is embodied in that gem."
"The 6 gems can be united by placing them in the Infinity Gauntlet. Whoever has the Gauntlet with all 6 gems will possess immense power and dominance over all the realms and can be unstoppable." Loki added.
"But you said that Thanos has two?" Steve questioned.
"He definitely possesses the mind gem. You have seen how that power can be used." Loki said flatly.
"If he had the space gem, it would make his travel to each of the realms effortless, along with his armies." Hela added.
"What about the other gems?" Natasha asked
"The gems have been scattered around the realms and it is not necessarily known where all the gems are." Hela said.
"What do you mean 'not necessarily known'?" Tony asked
"There is speculation as to where some of the gems are, but most of them are hidden or secured." Hela explained
"Asgard possess the power gem as well as the Gauntlet, itself. It is also kept in our weapons vault." Thor told the group.
After a few seconds of silence Hela spoke up. "I have the soul gem."
Loki and Thor looked at Hela, almost shocked. "How long have you had it, niece?" Thor asked.
"Possession of it fell to me when I became queen. It has been in Hel since the gems were scattered."
"A detail you have never mentioned previously." Loki said coolly.
"A detail that never needed to be mentioned, previously." Hela replied.
"Besides having these gems, what else do you know about Thanos?" Steve inquired.
"He is ruthless and many of his subordinates are loyal out of fear. If you fail him…" Loki trailed off. "If you fail him, he will make you long for something as sweet as pain."
"And we know that he has some sick obsession with death." Tony added.
"Yes. He will continue his slaughter in hopes that he pleases death with his offerings." Thor continued Tony line of thinking.
"Which is overrunning my realm with people who shouldn't be there yet." Hela jumped in. "I don't have dominion over everyone, so I don't know exactly all the places he has been to. I don't have dominion over Midgard so I wouldn't see when he starts here if we don't head him off first."
"What kind of power does he have?" Steve questioned.
"It's not fully known to me the extent of his power." Loki answered.
"But we know that he will be able to wield the power that of the gems he possess will have." Thor said.
"Are there set things that you can do with these gems?" Natasha inquired.
"I'm afraid not." Thor answered. "The holder of the gem can do vast things with its power and the power of each gem still is not fully understood. Many of those who possess them do not use them; they instead keep them safe and out of the reach of those who would use them for tyrannical means. Those that do use them often keep the nature of their use secret."
"Is the soul gem how you would have been able to hide Loki in your place?" Clint asked Hela.
Hela shook her head. "No. I possess that power without the gem. It is part of the power that comes from my position. I control who enters and leaves my realm and where they go once they are there. No one can remove someone from my realm without my consent….not even Odin."
"Wait…who leaves? You mean people can leave once they are dead. Like come back to life?" Tony jumped in.
"Sometimes." Hela answered. "There's a procedure or kind of ritual. There's pleading…and a price that has to be paid…and I have to be in a good mood. Well maybe not the last one…but it helps. Unless you're special and then I just let you go without going through all that." Hela winked at Loki. "I have my own power that I have naturally, I have the powers that come from being the Guardian of the Dead and then I can possess the powers given from the soul gem."
"So, do you have the same abilities as Loki?" Bruce asked.
"Hmmmm, I possess many of the same abilities, yes. Hela answered vaguely.
Steve decided to get back on topic. "So if Thanos were to use the space gem to get to Earth; would there still be a portal?"
Loki explained. "Yes, but the portal would not need to come from the sky. It could be a rip in any area."
"So we could have a ground level portal opening up?" Tony asked.
"Yes. Depending on the type of forces Thanos was using would determine what area he would want to open a portal in." Loki continued. "The Chitauri that I was using were skilled as a flying force with small pockets of ground forces, as you know. However, if Thanos was using an army that was more skilled as a ground force, he would open a portal on the ground instead of the sky."
"Any idea who he is using?" Natasha asked.
"I don't have any current knowledge in that aspect." Loki answered.
"You are being awfully cooperative, answering all of these questions." Tony assessed.
"Like I told your Director Fury, it benefits me greatly to see Thanos destroyed." Loki answered flatly.
"Any idea where he would open his portal?" Bruce questioned.
"I would imagine it would be close to where he sent his scouting party. He would probably start outside of where the last attack was in order to be able to mobilize." Loki answered.
"We need to develop an initial strategy for dealing with another invasion." Steve directed. "We'll work with the assumption that he will at least have some Chitauri with him since they were was the scouting party was."
The group began talking about initial strategies based on the first encounter with Chitauri. They talked over mobilization and the use of SHIELD forces as well as how they could combine their talents and work as a unified force to repel this attack. They strategized well into the evening.
"Okay, so I guess now, we keep an eye what Shield, Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig pick up as far as energy spikes go that would indicate a portal opening. We need to be at the ready so we can move out when this happens. " Steve adjourned their meeting.
The group started to break apart. Loki eyes met with Hela's and with a tilt of his head indicated that he wanted her to follow him out to the balcony. She followed him out so they were by themselves.
"What can you do with the soul gem?" Loki said to her as soon as the door was closed.
"Not wasting any time getting to the point, father?" Hela sighed as she looked out over the city.
After a few moments she began to answer. "I didn't do anything with it for a while. I never really saw a need. But, eventually I figured that I better see what I could do with it, in case I needed to actually use it. So I began experimenting with it. I sought out advice and tried some things."
"From Hades." Loki threw in.
"Yes. We've been looking at how the gem affects beings from realms that I don't have dominion over."
"Is there a difference?" Loki asked.
"Not really." Hela looked over at her father briefly before turning her gaze back to the city's nighttime skyline. "It allows me to use some of my powers on them, those that I would only be able to use on those I have dominion over."
Loki gave a hum of acknowledgement.
"I haven't tried to use it for anything detrimental or destructive. I'm sure I could if I wanted to." Hela chuckled to herself. "Maybe I should try to steal Thanos's soul."
Loki turned and stared at Hela thoughtfully.
"I said that in jest." She said looking at him.
"But you probably could…" Loki trailed off in thought.
Hela thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Could you corrupt a soul and poison it as one could do to the mind with the mind gem?" Loki was still thinking as he spoke.
"I don't see why not." Hela said after thinking through Loki's reasoning. "The amount of influence the gem has can vary from being to being, though. It might not be as powerful on someone like Thanos compared to a being with minimal power."
"Even still, this could work to our advantage. It's a weapon we didn't know we had and it might help hasten Thanos's demise." Loki told her.
Hela hooked her arm through Loki she turned to go back inside. "Looks like we need to add some new aspects to our strategy."