Author's note

Hey guys! Long time no see. Long story short, I lost this chapter to a dying computer about a year ago and one of my best friends/cowriters decided that disappearing off the face of the earth was a completely acceptable idea. This chapter's been long and coming, but hey! I was able to get this out for you guys :3 Anyway, I finally just got a new computer, so I'll do my best to start cranking out chapters. If you guys enjoyed this chapter please drop a review into that nifty little box down below. It really makes my day every time! See you next chapter, (I'm going to try to get a beta who will not only check my chapters, but nag me into updating as well. I promise you won't have to wait this long again if I can help it!)

Fun Fact: This chapter is 11,395 words long, excluding the author's note. Wow. I made it super long to make up for not updating ;.; Forgive me! 3

Also, HUGE OH-MY-GOODNESS-THANK-YOU-SO-MUCH shout out to grapejuice101 for being my temporary beta for this chapter. You're epic, and if you want to kick my butt next time it takes me a year to update please do so :3 (not that there will be a next time).

-R.E.

(P.s,

To a certain person whose been looking forward to "Field trip" for the longest time ever (*cough* also grapejuice101 *cough*), I really hope the next chapter lives up to your expectations. I can't thank you enough for all your support and great ideas; I just have to give you a shout out instead :D

So you curious people reading the ps, go read grapjuice's stuff. I'm a pretty big fan of it myself! )

(P.s.s,

You may have noticedI skipped the episode "exclusive". It's one of my favorites, and I couldn't bring myself to touch it :D )

(P.S.S.S,

These are all the people who reviewed the last chapter!

Guest (gotta love the guests :3)

Chilipowderlover (Your name sounds painful 0.o)

Guest (I wonder if all guests are the same person!?)

BlackAngel1234 (Thanks for reviewing!)

VenaHope (Love your name, its super pretty!)

Wonderlandiful (You didn't have an account so I hope you know your name!)

Guest (The Guest who said I should update this when they read my "Universe Hopping 101: Firebreather" Update. Thanks!)

Wattpadmlp701225 (Thanks for saying that Linzy isn't a Mary Sue!)

Guest (Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, since both Loki and Thor are in it and you said those are your favorites!)

Guest (Yeah, I don't know how all my chapters got mixed up either. I'll fix it at some point :p)

Guest (I love your comment! Please continue to comment!)

Guest (Trust me, I don't want the reveal to be angsty or awkward either. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens~!)

Wowza03 (Thanks so much for reviewing! It didn't make sense but I appreciate it anyway :D)

grapejuice101 (You're my favorite T.T Thanks for putting up with me! Also, your update on your Merlin story was SO GOOD.)

AND that's all! Enjoy the chapter ~(^_^)~

Chapter 21…18…who cares anymore (I'll fix the numbers later -.-)

The Field Trip

When you lie to Aunt May, there are only two possible outcomes. One, she believes you and everyone goes on with their lives, or two… she calls your bluff and tries everything in her power to get the truth out of you. This mostly results in being stalked around for a few days so she can ensure that you HAVEN'T been tossed around by a supervillain, when indeed, you have been. Repeatedly. How do I know this? Battered and bruised from the whole Venom incident, I made the mistake of saying "Nothing!" when she'd asked me what was wrong, and she hadn't left me alone since. It'd been a WEEK already. I mean, sure. She wasn't that hard to avoid, but when you know your nosy Aunt/Mom is doing her best to tail you around whenever she can, it's INCREDIBLY ANNOYING.

"Aunt May, PLEASE stop. You've been staring at me the whole time I've been doing this, and the potatoes are suffering for it!" I complained, the potato peeler in my hand bobbing as I shook my fist for emphasis. She blew back a tuft of her white hair and looked away.

"Well, I can't help it. If someone is bullying my sweet niece and she won't tell me about it-"

"-No one's bullying me! Please, this HAS to stop! I get that you're worried, but it's been a week. I promise, nothing happened that I can't handle. Can't you just… trust me..?" I squeaked, realizing that those words seemed eerily familiar. Harry had said almost the same thing before he'd turned into Venom…

I shook my head roughly and went back to peeling potatoes, trying to avoid thinking about it again. I'd already forgiven him- he hadn't exactly been in control when he'd kidnapped me- but sometimes my consciousness liked to sneak a little bit of bitterness into my thoughts about the situation. I figured it was safer just to avoid that train all together.

"Give me a break, Linzy. I'm just worried about you. I know you're a teenager and you think you can take on the world by yourself, but I can help. You're important to me, to us. We don't want you getting hurt."

I tossed my peeled potato into the bowl and didn't reply, my mouth twitching slightly. Peter hadn't really talked to me much since then other than to make sure I was ok. His secret was wearing on him, I guess, my secret too. Once he figures it all out it'll be like opening a can of explosive worms, each one deadlier than the last.

…Not looking forward to that in the least bit.

I hoped he was handling Harry ok. The poor guy had been trying to apologize, but each time he did it was like it turned even more awkward than the last. I really wished he'd just stop, it'd turned into "Uh… I know you said not to apologize again, but I'm just SO SORRY. I mean, I kidnapped you! And you got hurt, and-"

See what I mean? Just painful.

At least Fury hadn't grilled me about it as much as I'd expected him to. He did ask me who Venom was a few different times, but like Peter I feigned ignorance and refused to give up any information about what had happened.

"Hey guys, what's cookin'?" Peter asked as he walked into the kitchen. I finished scraping the potato peels into the trash and listened as Aunt May explained the menu.

"Mashed potatoes and gravy, baked chicken, and fresh green beans. A friend of mine likes to garden, and she gave them to me."

"Sounds good. Need some company?"

"No, but we do need someone to do the dishes." I said suggestively, and Peter groaned.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes please, oh great and powerful man of the house. Your help would be MUCH appreciated." I joked.

He frowned and trudged over to the sink where he began to take care of yesterday's dishes, and with a smile I added the peeler to his small tower.

'It seems like everything is finally starting to go back to normal' I thought, my grin widening.

"So, is anything interesting going on at school?" Aunt May asked, successfully breaking the last of our tension.

"Not really, other than that…field trip… tomorrow." Peter said, sounding sour. I chuckled and turned the stove on to boil my potatoes.

"Not a big fan of school outings, huh?" I teased.

"Nope. If things would stop biting me, maybe."

I raised a brow and Aunt May shook her head.

"Are you still mad about the petting zoo?" She looked to me. " Peter got bitten by a goat back then. Such a shame- he's been afraid of them ever since."

"What? Have not! I just …don't like them. They're smelly."

I snorted and moved to help Peter with the dishes, nudging him in the side to get him out of my way.

"Sure thing, kid." I grinned maniacally and laughed as Peter rejected me for the bad pun.

"Whatever floats your goat, Linz."

"Oooohhhhh!"

Aunt May ignored the both of us, but I saw the smile that lit up her features.

"You're two of a kind." She observed, and Peter and I smiled at each other.

"Yep. Peas in a pod."

…I really love my family.

Time skip

I stared in awe at the many artifacts lining the museum walls, my curiosity peaked at each ancient item. There was a Nordic exhibit today, though the main reason I was so enthralled is my love of all things archaic, not just a specific people or timeframe. Principal Colson lead our class into the next chamber and we all came to a stop in front of the display- a glass case that housed a dark grey rock, carved from top to bottom with ancient letters.

"A Nordic rune stone. We used to believe that the legends of Asgard were myth: names like Odin, Loki, and of course, the mighty Thor." Colson explained, and I moved closer to the stone, lightly tracing my fingers over the glass as he continued. It didn't seem like much, this stone, but I remember this episode well. There's no reason I should be this nervous. In the episode, Spiderman meets Thor and… Loki… but in the end he tricks the trickster and saves the day. I guess I just feel unsettled because of… myself. I'm not supposed to be on the team so I don't know what my presence will change, if anything. Will I get a weapon from the master smith? Will I be overpowered by the frost giants like the rest of the team, or will I be strong enough to hold my own? It's hard to tell. I'm still learning my about my abilities, and I don't want to overestimate myself.

I stared at the stone and sighed quietly. It was so scary how I could change everything, if I wanted. I glanced back over my shoulder at Peter, who was casually sipping a juice box at the back of the crowd. His momentary disinterest in history was a little odd, but I understood why. He really has a terrible past when it comes to fieldtrips. I silently groaned when the world paused, and waited for Peter to stop talking to the viewers before I finally turned back around and continued my observation of the stone. To my left I could see Danny, Sam, Ava, and Luke studying it as well. Sam looked less than impressed with the intriguing artifact.

"What? It's a rock." He commented, and I rolled my eyes. Some people just don't care for history. Personally, I don't get the disinterest. Everything that's happened in the past has shaped who we are, as a people and as individuals. That's why it's so important to learn about our ancestors.

"I studied ancient texts in K'un-lun. Let me see…" Danny began. I backed up from the stone and began speed walking into the nearest corridor.

"Warrior, be afraid" I whispered, "of the coming winter." Have I mentioned that before all this, I watched way too much TV? No? Well... I did.

I heard a loud noise, followed by the panicked screams of my classmates. After checking to ensure no one was around, I ducked into the women's restroom and activated my choker. Stealth mode turned on automatically and I slipped out into the hall to help my friends. When I emerged I found a good portion of the exhibits… already trashed. Spiderman was leading the icy giant towards a replica of one of the Viking's ships, and I knew how expensive it must've been to create. I pulled out one of the shield generators T.B had created for me, and threw it just in time for the giant's club to smash into the green energy wall it produced.

"Go ahead, guys. I'll keep the damage to a medium." I called as I tossed out another shield. They only had enough power to maintain themselves for a few moments at a time, so I needed all my attention to remain solely on damage control. Nova shot a blue beam of light from his fists, and the giant roared in annoyance.

"Stand down, bug boy! I can handle this." He shouted as he flew directly at the giant with his arms outstretched.

"Nova!" I cried in warning, but before I could do anything the giant swung his club and smacked Nova in the gut. The blow sent the bucket head crashing into the glass display several feet behind us and I winced in pity as he gave a pained groan.

"I dunno about you guys, but I wanna see Nova "handled this" in slo-mo." Spidey grinned as he looked at the camera. The world rewound and I grimaced as Nova got thrown in slow motion, his tongue lolling out as he made contact with the display.

"Oooh. Totally not handled!"

'Ouch.' I heard T.B say, and I nodded in agreement. Ouch indeed.

Nova wobbled to his feet and made his way over to Spiderman, stumbling like a drunk.

"Uooh… Who are you talkin' to?" He leaned in close and walked towards the floating white outline of the camera. "Come out! I'll go… sunlight all over… yooou…"

I shook my head and threw out another shield as Iron Fist approached the Frost Giant and eyed the beast critically.

"You must have a weak spot." He noted aloud, and backed off as the giant tried to get close enough to harm him. He swung his club and Powerman intercepted. He caught the weapon with his super strength and struggled against the giant's imposing force for a moment before saying, "Dude! Now is not the time to be thinking about it."

I glanced at White Tiger, poised to throw another shield out if need be. During our training I'd noticed that no matter what I say, they always end up doing things how they want to despite the outcome. The only time their teamwork has ever improved is out on the field, so I decided to work on defense and protection of property while they beat down on the baddies. It worked for the most part- there was far less collateral damage than there had been in the past- but it was a boring task and I always had to fight my instincts to attack, instead depending on the others to protect me while I protected them. I guess at this point I've been placed in the support position on the team.

I backed away as the fight moved a little too close for comfort and listened as White Tiger tried to bring the boys to their senses.

"Iron Fist, stop waiting for the perfect move! Powerman, don't just jump into-" I hurried forward and pushed her out of the way as the giant shot a stream of ice in her direction, my leg getting caught in the beam. Distracted by us the two boys fighting the giant were pushed back, and they smashed into the last force shield a second before it blinked out of existence.

"Are you guys ok?" I asked as White Tiger helped me to my feet. They groaned in response and I moved to help, only to find that the ice beam had encased my foot in a chunk of frozen water. "Great, now I'm immobile. Spidey, wait for them to recover before you-"

He ignored me, of course, and swung into battle. "Less talking, more teamwork!"

"That's what I'm trying to-"

"Right Mr. Abominable Snow…thing?"

I growled lowly and bashed my foot against the wall as hard as I could. The ice shattered and I barely paused before running towards the battle. I managed to get in a few hits while the giant was focused on attacking Spiderman, but unfortunately that came at the cost of a frozen web that broke as soon as the ice man touched it. I yelped as Spidey began to fall, and dove beneath him to cushion the impact. Not my smartest decision- I admit it. While the suit enabled me to lift hundreds of pounds worth of weight, it wasn't able to stop us from landing in an awkward and dangerous position directly before the feet of the giant. With a wicked grin he lifted his club and swung it at our heads. I back-flipped out of the way, glad to see Spidey doing the same, then slid up to stand next to my team.

"We're not doing so hot." Powerman said as the giant closed in on us, and I saw Ava nod from the corner of my eye.

"Wait." Spiderman said. "Was that "hot" a pun, or just an expression? 'Cause really, you could do better."

I snorted. "He's not the only one."

Lightning flashed overhead causing the domed ceiling to light up brightly. All of us turned to look, Frost Giant included.
"Oh look, it's the thunderer." I mumbled as Thor crashed through the glass dome, hammer held high in self-righteous triumph. He slammed his powerful weapon into the ground and waves of blue light flashed off of it in sparking slivers.

I've never really liked Thor. I mean, he's ok. But I can easily say Spiderman's always been my favorite super hero. Ironic, isn't it? Fate just loves me.

"Is that-"

"Ooh yeeah."

I forced myself not to react as Thor lifted his hammer and shouted the famous line, "FOR ASGARD!"

He walked toward the Frost Giant, the light from his hammer pushing the monster back in fright. The team and I rushed forward to help seal the deal, but Thor held out his hand to stop us.

"Stand back," He commanded, "the matters of Asgard are no place for oddly dressed younglings."

There was a pause.

"Did he just call us younglings?" Tiger asked indignantly.

"And oddly dressed. Yeah, Sam maybe." Nova growled at my Cousin and I grinned cheekily. How they keep their secrets when they're always making jibes with each other's real names, I'll never know. I'm pretty sure they just forget that I'm not supposed to know who they are( I'd have guessed by now if I really didn't. ).

The Frost Giant roared and lunged at Thor who dodged in time to retaliate with a blow of his own. Spiderman took this opportunity to worm his way back into the conversation.

"Thor, look! We've got amazing spider powers, mad bad super strength, kung fu master, mystic tiger mojo, witty advanced technology -" my eyes widened. Was he talking about me? "-and annoying cosmic bucket head lad. We can help you take down that big ugly."

Thor got thrown back slightly and glided to his feet in front of us. He held his arm out to the side to keep us back.

"Your bravery is admirable. But the "big ugly" as you call it is a Frost Giant- a common thief." With that perfectly polite and somehow also rude reply, Thor jumped back into battle and left us to our own devices.

"Uh uh. Did he just diss us?" Asked Powerman, and I saw his annoyed look reflected on my teammate's masked faces.

"He'd have to notice us to diss us."

I nodded in agreement to Ava's comment. Thor wasn't exactly the embodiment of humility popular culture would make him out to be. He was- to put it in modern terms- full of himself, and I guess he thought he had every right to be. Son of Odin, powerful wielder of lightning, Avenger… you know, the works. Hopefully the lessons he learns during this adventure will make him a bit more likeable in the future.

My eyes widened as Thor twirled his hammer in the air and threw it at the frost giant, causing the beastly creature to crash through an ancient relic the size of the wall it hung upon. The monster landed on his back in the other room, and seemed to be down for now.

"Keh, collateral damage means nothing to ANY of these superheroes, geez." I mumbled under my breath.

His job seemingly complete, Thor decided to grace us measly "younglings" with his presence and drifted down slowly.

"Fortune was merciful on you today. You could've been hurt."

"Thor, we can take care of ourselves." Peter interjected, sounding defensive.

"Aye. Someday I'm sure you will make fine warriors." He clasped my cousin's shoulder and smiled. I sighed. He thinks so little of us because we are young. Pretty sure there's a good quote out there to disprove that behavior. "Go, fetch son of Col. Inform him the trouble has been handled."

"Son of Col?" Spidey repeated.

"He means Colson." I supplied as I crossed my arms. "He must've called Thor in."

"We didn't need you!" Ava defended crossly. "You didn't notice, but we're a pretty solid team."

"Woah, woah. I wouldn't go that far. Let the team leader handle this."

I huffed and slapped my palm to my forehead as they began to bicker, still not used to it even though it happened ALL the time. I mean really, if anyone should argue like siblings it should be Peter and I since we live together, but no. We get along fine. I guess it's just their grating personalities that cause fiction between them, though the other three boys don't help at all.

Thor must've gotten bored of their conversation as well, for he turned away silently and walked back over to the fallen giant. I followed him. I stayed quiet though, not wanting to risk getting on his bad side, but I knew something was up. That amulet on the creature's neck was the cause of everything. I didn't remember exactly HOW it kicked things off, but I remember it had something to do with one of Loki's tricks..? Wait a second. Didn't Thor get turned into a frog during this episode?

"I would recommend not touching that, sir." I advised as Thor stared at the silver collar around the creature's neck and knelt down beside it. Before he could reply Spidey webbed over from the other side of the room and yelled, "THOR! Don't touch that!"

Thor looked at him crossly, and I could just see the thoughts rolling around in his mind. Why are these children telling me what to do? I am Thor The Thunderer, I know when there's danger!

And the like.

"I-I-I mean, 'Don't touch that Thor, sir!'"

So, in a petty effort to spite us, he ignored our warnings and looked away.

"Stand down little ones. The matter is well in hand."

Then he GRABBED the amulet.

GRABBED!

I bit my lip angrily and clenched my fists. I HATE being ignored, especially when the person doing the ignoring is treating my friends and I unfairly.

There was a flash of green energy and Thor cried out as it threw him back. I covered my face with my arms and Spidey jumped out of the way as the pulse shot outwards then disappeared in a flash of light. In Thor's place… was a frog.

"…Thor?" Peter got on his hands and knees to become eye level with the frog. " Laugh, or drop in shock?"

I chose the first option when Thor, yes THOR, bit Spiderman's finger like a common animal.

My body shook as I fought back a fit of the strongest giggles I've felt in a long time, and I even let a few out as I laughed at the prince's expense. He deserved it, at least in this situation.

"Well, we did warn you!" I managed to choke out, and they looked away from their little staring contest in surprise. "Geez, take a hint every once in a while. 'Well in hand' he said. Ha!"

"Stop that!" Thor shouted, and I stifled my laughter as he slammed his hammer down onto the concrete floor. My mirth died away quickly and I took that moment to reign the teenager in me back in.

"Sorry, it's just that… from this angle… you're a frog." Spidey said in my defense.

I blushed. No one else had burst out laughing. There go some of R.E's cool points with my teammates.

…This tough girl façade I've built up is going to crumble really fast at this point, isn't it? I knew it wouldn't last long.

"There is only one in all the nine worlds who could've accomplished such bewitchments."

"The wizard of Oz?" Spidey asked, and I was forced to bite my tongue or burst out laughing again and loose whatever reputation I'd managed to hold on to.

Without a beat to acknowledge the quip, Thor replied, "My evil half-brother Loki." He went on to explain that Loki was constantly trying to seize the throne from their father, Odin, and causing mischief that Thor had to endure in order to protect the nine worlds, including Midgard. You know, earth?

I frowned and thought about what principal Coulson had been trying to teach us on the way to the museum. I'd been doing my best to pay attention, but Flash was making that impossible by blasting his music player in my ear the whole time. The only thing I remember is that Loki was forbidden to use his powers to directly kill anyone. This was handy, and explained why he hadn't tried to just flat out kill Spidey or Thor in the original series, but it didn't help since he was always trying to find loopholes like sending those warriors after spider-pig. I grinned at the memory of that episode- it was hilarious! But, not so fun for my cousin…

I frowned when I realized just how terrible the whole thing will actually be, now that I'm here and related to Spidey.

"Trouble is at hand." Thor began, breaking me away from my musings. "I must return to Asgard at once!" He turned and walked- er, hopped- away, while Spidey made another pun that fell flat on our tense shoulders. Recovering from his fail he decided to use logic to reason with the blond.

"But, come on Thor. You're not exactly in a position to exact revenge."

I nodded astutely, but didn't say anything.

"I am still Thor the Thunderer! Loki will face my-"

A fly buzzed near his head, and he eyed it critically for a moment. You could tell he was considering SOMETHING. Then his tongue shot out and sucked in the fly. I gagged.

"O-kay," Spidey said, grossed out. "we're coming with you."

Thor held out his hand in dismissal, surprisingly only a little perturbed by the fact he just ate a fly.

"Where I go is no place for mortals."

White Tiger stepped forward.

"Thor, you said Loki plans on conquering the nine worlds. Earth is one of those worlds, right?"

"Oh, not to mention there's that eensy weensy detail that YOU ARE A FROG." Can't argue with that logic, Spidey. Well played.

Thor sighed (more of a croak, really) and his shoulders slumped.

"Eh, so be it."

Then he swung his hammer in a tight circle so it could gather energy. Glowing slightly with a light blue tinge, he stopped the momentum and aimed Mjolnir at the sky. A small portal appeared hovering in mid-air, and a resounding crack split the air. The image of a rainbow bridge and what could only be Asgard flickered into existence.

"Thou art entering the realm of Asgard." He said, turning his head momentarily to face us. "Prepare for wonders beyond your imagination."

"Sweet!" Spidey said. Thor hopped through the portal, and the team followed suit. I braced myself and brought up the rear, the portal snapping shut once I stepped foot onto the bridge of color. I bit my lip as we crossed, tentatively placing each foot before the other. The bridge was none too opaque for my taste.

Asgard was in shambles. Frozen from top to bottom, buildings and people alike were motionless from the cold. Terror filled the features of every citizen we passed. It was clear something terrible had happened here.

"Asgard, covered in ice?!" Thor observed in shock. "No- then Loki has already seized control! Beware, young heroes."

Spiderman sighed and a puff his breath floated visible in the cold.

"And me without my snowboard…" he muttered. I reached into my fanny pack and pulled out a blanket which I then proceeded to place on his head like a hat.

"Um…"

"You're welcome." I replied to his unvoiced question, continuing to hand over blankets to the rest of the team.

"How did these fit in your nerdy fanny pack?" Nova asked in disbelief, and I shrugged. (A/N: TB said some rather ugly things at that moment, but I'm not gonna write 'em down. Use your imaginations ._.)

"You're warm now; do you really want to question me?"

He pursed his lips- pouted, more like it- but didn't say a word. I smirked under my mask and could sense Spidey doing the same.

"Loki, come out!" Thor exclaimed, ignoring our little exchange. Spidey gave a startled yelp and jumped back as ice began to form around the frog prince, and said amphibian froze solid as towering forms sprang up from the ice.

"Frost giant…" I muttered, wincing as the creature growled savagely and many more of the monsters began to appear in the same matter as the first. They started attacking, ice beaming out from their palms and clubs of frozen water ready to come crashing down. I leapt out of the way, my reflexes barely bothered by the cold.

"Alright guys, time to-"Spidey began, but soon followed with an "-uh oh" when he looked over his colorful shoulder to see our teammates frozen in a block of ice. Just as I met his gaze the giant brought down his club onto Spidey's head, and my cousin collapsed from the blow. I frowned, and although I could've avoided it, allowed a giant to freeze me solid. "Darned story progression." I thought in annoyance as I was hoisted up onto a cold and furry shoulder to be carried into the home of Odin. This was the easiest and safest way to keep everything moving forward. It was also the most boring, as my suit made it impossible for me to pass out from the magic in the ice. I watched and waited as we were lugged across the barren wasteland that was once a beautiful paradise, trying not to twitch or move since I suspected my enhanced strength would break me right out of this little prison. It took absolute ages to get all the way up the grand front steps of the palace, covered in ice and tall as they were, and ultimately ignoring the finery inside the palace the creatures plopped my team and I down and formed a dome around us. Loki sat on a wide, stone throne with a prideful grin. Soon after the giants retreated from our immediate surroundings, the ice around our bodies began to dissipate and the team came to. I watched (slightly amused, slightly horrified) as Loki toyed with his captured brother, holding him in a small containment bubble and tossing him around like a child with a new ball.

"Apologies for the chilly reception, brother." He said, a depreciating smirk etched across his features. "Nothing? Not even a sneer of disdain for my spell of containment? " Thor strained to reply, but Loki didn't allow him the time as he threw the bubble his brother was in, where it bounced off our ice prison and back into his waiting palm. " I hope you appreciate the effort it took to drag you and your cursed hammer all the way here from Midgard." He continued, chuckling darkly.

"Brother! Release me or I'll-"

"-It was so easy to use your arrogance against you, brother. You never could resist showing off against frost giants- one reason why I made a pact with them- I simply set the stage, and you came blustering in, warts and all." He laughed. "So many frog jokes, the mind dreams…"

I began to space out as he explained something about a magical stone that was responsible for Thor's amphibious transformation, as well as keeping the whole of Asgard locked in ice. He was also going on about his plans to murder his own father, but eh, who really cares about the details. I turned to Iron Fist and gestured to the wall in front of us.

"Think you can do something to find the weakness of this ice?" I asked in a low voice, and he nodded.

"Yes, I was just thinking about that…" He replied and trailed off in thought. His hand glowed a pale yellow-so insipid it was nearly invisible- and he placed his palm against the ice, deep in concentration.

"-denied these long centuries is at last within my grasp! Thor dishonored, Loki triumphant."

"That may be what all your fangirls want, but I really don't think you'll get that far." I said blandly, my arms crossed over my chest in a show of defiance. Loki's head whipped around and he narrowed his eyes at me, taking in the outlandish colors decorating my body as well as my nonchalant posture.

"Then there are these," He commented, his voice sounding vaguely amused as he rose from his throne and glided towards us, brother in hand. "I do wonder Thor, keeping pets of your own?"

"He did not just call us pets!" White Tiger cried, her voice raising a few octaves with her outrage.

Nova grinned and stepped closer to her, "This coming from a girl dressed as a cat?"

I snorted- I love hearing that even more in person!

"Found it." I turned to Iron Fist as he shattered the barrier, Powerman assisting him with his raw strength, and followed them out in a dramatic display of smoke (or steam?) somehow generated by the broken ice.

"Bring it!" Spiderman called brashly as he landed, then swung into battle. I flew ahead of him and took out the first Frost Giant I could, followed soon after by another and another.

"Nova, R.E, get the frog!" Spidey shouted, and I jetted over in that direction.

"Do I have to touch it?" Nova complained, and as I flew up next to him I smirked and said, "Only if you want to beat me to it!"

"You're on!" He replied, pushed on by the promise of competition. Of course I pulled back and let him grab the unlucky object of our game, giggling quietly at his triumphant laugh. Thor summoned his hammer and attempted to leap (A/N: XD gotta love the frog puns!) into battle, but quailed when the towering form of his usually easily defeated foe loomed above him. As White Tiger came to his rescue I side stepped some of Loki's green attacks and frowned as he captured Nova in one, his free hand trained on me as I dodged repeatedly.

"Come on, you've gotta have better aim then that." I teased, escaping each attack by mere centimeters each time as if it were a simple dance. He grunted in infuriation and released Nova onto the ground in order to attack me with both hands, but I evaded each attempt dexterously. The rest of my team was struggling though, and I knew Spidey was about to call a retreat. I wasn't sure if that'd be possible if I was this close to the main bad guy here, but hopefully they'd manage to get me out as well so we could regroup and visit my favorite character from this episode.

As I predicted, Spidey gave the order.

"Hey, Frog Prince! I'm ordering a tactical retreat. Get us out of here!"

Thor looked at him with a flustered expression, but nevertheless rose his hammer to the sky.

"By Odin's beard- this is humiliating…" He swung his hammer and suddenly everything disappeared. For a few seconds I was very disoriented, and then I found myself face planting in the snow along with everyone else.

"What are we thinking?!" Thor demanded as he floated above us, basking in the moonlight with all his frog-prince glory. "Fleeing from battle?! The son of Odin never-"

"-Will you stow the attitude?" Spiderman interrupted as Powerman helped me to my feet. "No one likes to run away. Personally the only thing I hate more than running away is getting obliterated, which is exactly what would've happened if we stayed. We need to spitball, folks. Rally forces. I-inventory strengths. Assess weakness! You know, come up with a real plan."

Nova popped up from under the snow, looking unhappy.

"Oh yeah? And who put you in charge?" he demanded, and I oh so helpfully supplied the answer.

"Fury."

He glared at me and continued to speak, " I was doing pretty good back there!"

"You broke a fish bowl." Spidey retaliated, looking exasperated.

"Come on, fighting among ourselves isn't helping anyone." Powerman interjected, and I hugged my arms close to my chest as I bit my tongue. Something wasn't right here, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Everyone was saying their lines…

"Spiderman's words ring true", Thor said as he alighted gently onto the fresh snow. "Loki has gained advantage by exploiting my pride. My rush to battle may have doomed us all." He looked down at his hammer in shame, and White Tiger shook her head.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. We all could have handled it better."

Thor frowned and gazed aside with a croak. "You are mortals. I… am not."

I brushed the snow off my legs and stretched my arms. "Losing an illusion is better than finding a truth." Iron Fist said sagely, his masked expression unreadable in the cold. I tilted my head sideways; I'd been about to utter something very similar. Who knew how many of his little credos I'd picked up over the course of my fangirl days? I snorted at this thought, causing the others to look at me strangely. Who am I kidding. I've never been anything but a fangirl. Good thing I can use that to my advantage, huh?

"You might be right Thor, perhaps this Asgard stuff is a bit over our heads." I coughed, trying to cover up my odd sound from before. " But if we can find a way to get rid of this enchantment, we might still have a chance to reclaim this world."

Nova perked up suddenly, and pointed at the white-clad girl standing next to me. "I got it!" he exclaimed. "Ava, kiss the frog!"

She stiffened, startled by the request. "What?!" She demanded. "You kiss the frog!"

"Nuh uh, that's not how this works. I've seen the movie." He replied with a smug look on his face.

"An idea!" The frog mused, "Yes, the odds are long, but there may be someone who Loki has ignored in his conquest. He may offer us both the chance at tipping the scales back in our favor…" He trailed off, and I smiled. The blacksmith. He was one of my favorite minor characters and I was really looking forward to being able to meet him. It was bound to be an interesting encounter, since I felt like the series had skipped a few important details in the original episode. For example, how did the blacksmith know so much about the team? He'd never met them before and yet he knew each of their faults and strengths even better than they did. Well… that's not really a hard feat, I guess. After all, it's usually easy to see the root of someone else's problems rather than your own. You know, tunnel vision.

The others began to follow Thor though the snow, and I followed suit. Ava was shivering violently, and though the male portion of our team were trying to tough it out I could tell they weren't exactly warm and toasty either. I pulled out several more space blankets and passed them out to my friends, their thanks ringing loudly in my ears no matter how quietly they spoke due to the silence of the snow. We passed several more frozen effigies of citizens, their haunting gazes seeming to lock onto my every move. It suddenly hit me, this is important. I shouldn't be fangirling over a dwarf mentor and geeking out on the inside while this is going on. I need to be on my toes. Even if I've seen this before, there are a few new variables in play. Namely, me. I gulped self-consciously as we arrived at the cave where the master forger resided, already beginning to smell the smoke and hear the clash of iron on iron that filled the cavern though the open mouth. We were already fairly far in in when Ava spoke.

"Are we almost there? This is taking forever."

"Fighting Loki would've been faster." Luke agreed, the space blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a tin foil shawl. Spiderman looked at us over his shoulder, and since I was trailing behind the others I could see the fog of his breath crystalize in the air.

"If we ever get back alive, no one will believe us." He added with a pause. "Well, unless we bring back souvenirs."

As my cousin fantasized about the inexistent Asgard gift shop, we emerged into a large chamber where the clash of metal work was louder than it had been previously. "I smell…" He sniffed. "…smores?"

In front of us, Thor came to a halt and effectively stopped our onward march.

"We are here, in the home of the Dwarf Eitri, master Forger." He announced, his yellowed amphibious eyes locked on the stout, pointy eared blacksmith that continued pounding away at his anvil. I remained in the back next to Powerman, my gloved hands linked together to keep myself from fidgeting as our two clowns (Nova and Spiderman, duh) commented on Lollypop guilds and of course, Dopey. My eye twitched as I fought back a grin at the thought of Eitri wearing the fashions of either of those dwarf icons; especially the oddly slicked back, colorful hair of the former. Silencing these thoughts, I noticed the dwarf's gaze flickering up every now and then to observe our party. When his eyes fell on me, I inclined my head in a respectful acknowledgement which caused a slight smile to tug at his lips. Not noticing our exchange Thor hopped forward and announced himself loudly in hopes of speaking over the ringing clash of metal.

"Master dwarf, it is I Thor the Thunderer, son of Odin the all father. I come on an urgent-!" He stopped speaking abruptly as Eitri held up his soot darkened hand.

"I know I know; make this, sign here, fix that, pull there-"

"But-!" Thor interrupted, yet the Dwarf continued speaking, unfazed by the attempted protest.

"-I knew the moment you walked in Thor Odinson. I made your hammer. Greatest weapon in the nine worlds! But did you come to thank me? Did you visit? Right?! NO! You come only when you need something." The blacksmith huffed as he returned to his work. It was silent for a moment, except for the clanking of his smith's hammer against the anvil.

"Scratch that, he's grumpy." Spiderman fixed his previous observation, then crouched down next to Thor's slumped form. "You want to help? This is when you turn around the whole "arrogant prince" thing. Just sayin'."

Thor gazed off into space for a moment, contemplating his words. He drew in a deep breath and stuttered, "I-I apologize." When the blacksmith didn't show any signs of hearing this, Thor removed his helmet and bowed his head toward the ground. "You deserve the highest respect, Master Dwarf. T-the prince of Asgard should have accorded you that respect. For that, I am sorry."

The pounding of the hammer ceased.

"Hmph." Eitri loomed over the frog, his bushy white brows drawn together in concentration. "Your state has taught you some humility." A grin tugged at his mouth, and he placed his hand on his hip as his rigid posture relaxed. "If a prince can bow to a dwarf, perhaps there is still hope left in Asgard," He turned to the rest of us and his dark eyes seemed to dance in the light of the forge, "Hope for you all! Now, what can a dwarf do for you, my frog prince?"

The clouded expression on Thor's face seemed to melt away with the kindness of the master forger.

"These warriors are in need of weapons if we are to defeat my brother. They are mighty already, but I believe the situation calls for the aid of Asgard itself." Thor replied, resting his free hand on the hilt of his hammer. The dwarf hummed thoughtfully and looked at Spiderman, Nova, White Tiger, Powerman, Iron Fist, and finally me, his expression turning from amusement to intense focus.

"I see. Well, I have several weapons that would most likely suit your needs. However… I do not know your abilities." He looked away from me and walked up to Spidey, extending his smithing hammer to the masked hero. "Hold this."

Blinking the eyes of his suit in confusion, the spider took the tool into his hands and held it for a brief moment.

"Uh, do you expect me to make something with this? I have no idea how to use it." He told the master forger as he attempted to hold the hammer in a way that made it less awkward and unwieldy in his hands.

Without responding, the dwarf snatched back his tool and shook his head at the spider with a smirk. He then angled himself toward Nova and offered the hammer to him as well. Without questioning it, Nova took it and swung it a few times as if he was beating something up.

"Ha, this is rich. He knows I'm better t-" He looked down and noticed that the hammer he had been swinging had disappeared out of his grasp. "-hey, what gives?!" He demanded, and the blacksmith slapped the side of his helmet with his heavy hand.

"No! This is no contest of who is better than who. And you're not making anything with my forging hammer." Eitri reprimanded as he looked between the muttering bucket head and the snickering spider.

"Then what are we doing?" Ava questioned as she was presented with the master's tool. I watched with keen interest as the other girl inspected the hammer critically before accepting it from him. He allowed her to hold it for a while before taking it back, then repeated the process with Iron Fist, who remained silent. My brow rose as Iron Fist held the hammer far longer than any of the others, giving it a few well controlled test swings before handing it back to the dwarf unprompted.

Instead of answering her, Eitri looked at me. I blinked and tilted my head to the side as he spoke.

"Tell me, what is this hammer used for?"

I looked behind me, not sure who he was speaking to. Powerman chose to respond as he got his chance to handle the hammer.

"It's used to make weapons, isn't it?"

The dwarf frowned stiffly, his eyes still on me though they flickered towards Luke from time to time as he tested the hammer.

"That is true, but it is not the only thing my hammer can be used for." He paused and ambled over to his anvil, from which he took the sword he had been forging earlier. "Have you ever noticed the way a person handles a weapon?" He inquired. He swiped the sword though the air expertly and tossed it from hand to hand. "Either they treat it as though it can hurt them, or as though it can hurt others. A tool on the other hand…" He placed the sword back down and took the hammer from Powerman, holding it firmly in a two-handed manner. He swung it in an arc and stopped his brutal motion less than an inch away from my face, causing me to flinch involuntarily. "A tool is used to create. Should it inflict damage, it does so with its user's intent, not the intent with which it was created."

"I'm not following." Powerman interrupted as he scratched his head. The dwarf once again held up his hand for quiet.

"Watch."

I took the hammer when he offered it to me, slightly concerned that he was using me as an example. It was lighter than I expected, despite the wide blunt iron head that looked ten times larger than my fist. The handle was wooden, and worn. It might've had inscriptions carved into it at some point, as I could see trace amounts of gold inlay between weathered grooves where my fingers were wrapped. I looked up at the blacksmith, who nodded at me to continue. But to continue what? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Focus. I didn't remember anything about this in the episode, so it must've been something that was skipped in the series. If it was skipped, it wasn't important, right? But no… that's not right. I couldn't imagine the "Master Forger" doing anything for no reason. I opened my eyes and looked down at the tool clenched in my fist. I wanted to touch it, to really feel the wood with my fingertips. Not really thinking about what I was doing, I took my finger and traced an invisible line around my wrist. My glove receded into my suit, and I could see my pale hand grasping the handle. It was… warm. Like, how you'd feel if you reached up towards the sky during a sunny day. It felt… like… sunlight? I looked up at the blacksmith, confusion in my gaze.

"You feel it don't you?" He asked, though it was more of a statement. "You understand. Tell them."

I didn't really understand anything, to be honest. I shifted nervously and looked back at my team. Iron Fist and Spidey were staring at my ungloved hand as though it was far more interesting than what was currently going on. I inwardly sighed; great. Hopefully I don't have any distinguishing freckles or anything that will give away my identity... I angled my body away from them so I could hide my hand.

"Well…" I started, meeting the blacksmith's gaze, "… you're saying that this is not exactly a tool. It's intended to create, and as a measurement. Personality, ability, skill… those are all things that translate into fighting styles. And fighting styles match different types of weapons. So… this hammer is a test. How we react to it- something that creates, not destroys- should reveal what sort of weapon we have an affinity for…" I trailed off, distracted by the blank looks I was getting from my team and Thor himself. Despite the others' obvious loss of speech, the dwarf nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly! Well spoken…"

"Rosezelene Ersa" I replied automatically, and he paused to look at me more closely.

"Hm. That's unexpected." I heard him mutter, but before I could ask what he meant he was already walking away. "Now," He said in a louder voice, "You shall see what exactly I have learned about you from this exercise." The dwarf disappeared into another passage for a moment then reemerged holding a golden bow in his coarse hands. "To defeat Loki, each must turn their shortfall into strength." He handed the weapon to White Tiger. "This bow draws on your ability to see flaws in others, yet requires absolute concentration to fire. Block out distractions- focus on the task ahead- you will find your aim to be straight and true."

"You got all that from the way I held a hammer?" She queried as she drew back on the bow, and a mysterious blue string appeared in her fingers. He moved onto Nova without a reply.

"This halberd is difficult to balance." He informed as he handed the boy an axe with a long, staff-like handle. Nova struggled under the weight for a moment before resting the pole on the ground to keep it upright. "It requires a steady hand! Be patient. Pick the right moment. Then unleash your power!"

Then Eitri moved onto Iron Fist and presented him with a short sword, not unlike the one the blacksmith had been forging only a little while beforehand.

"There is no margin for error with this short sword." The weapon's creator said in a serious tone as Iron Fist accepted the shining object. "You cannot wait for opportunity. You must make your own! Trust your instincts. Attack!"

With that, the blacksmith went to retrieve another weapon. Though he looked less than enthused I could tell that Powerman was fighting back a grin at the sight of the deadly looking axe the smith was wielding when he came back into the chamber. "You hesitate to unleash your full power. You hold back and use your powers defensively. This axe is meant to attack! Use your power. Wield it! Own it!"

With a deep breath, I steadied myself for what was to come next. I prepared to hand back his hammer in order to accept whatever weapon he was going to give me. I mean, I already knew Spiderman wasn't going to get one. But me? My words weren't sharp enough to be a weapon on their own. I needed something mythical like the other guys on my team. I waited my turn. But Eitri said nothing.

"And us? What about us?" Spidey asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward.

"You?" Eitri asked. The very thought of us needing anything appeared to seem preposterous to him. 'Please tell me I don't get the whole, 'you've had the power within you all along speech' as well.' I thought with a slight pout. Hey, as far as I'm concerned, I'm not the title character. I don't have to worry about a lesson being more important that a cool weapon like our dear web-head. "You, Spiderman, have had the power inside you all along. But you must fully accept your charge. You have others who trust you. Lead them."

The spider sighed, half-heartedly moaning about missing out on cool weapons because of the lesson he was being taught.

"Power inside me? Your acting as though I have some strong weapon already." Spidey said, disbelievingly.

"You do. Your strongest weapon, to be exact. Your words. You use as armor to protect yourself from an unkind world. Today, you must turn them into a weapon!" He seemed to be taking a moment to Meanwhile, I pulled my hand out of his grasp. My motion reminded him that I was still there, and he brought this to the attention of the Master Forger.

"Okay, I get that. I really do. But what about R.E?"

The dwarf smiled at me and nodded at the hammer I still held in my hands.

"I believe she knows the answer to that. Lady Ersa?"

I deflated immediately. Welp, guess Thor isn't the only one submitting himself to humility today. Also, it was kind of nice being called "Lady Ersa". It reminded me of something…

"I suppose you mean that your smithing hammer is my weapon, Master Forger?" I said, shaking myself out of my thoughts.

"No." He said, startling me. I thought for sure that's what he meant. How was I wrong? "I mean that YOUR smithing hammer is YOUR weapon. You provide for others, yet fear overshadowing those who you are meant to follow. So, take the hammer. It is not new like the other weapons, but worn and tested by time. Like an old glove fitting perfectly to the owner's hand, this hammer is ready for you to use. Not to destroy, but to defend. You'll find that it suits this purpose perfectly."

I looked down at the hammer in my hands. I never would've pegged myself to have a hammer as a weapon. Maybe a long sword, dagger, or something unusual like… I don't know, nunchucks or something. But a hammer? They were hard enough to use when building, let alone crushing skulls. But it was interesting to me that my weapon was of the same type as Thor's famous Mjölnir. I felt my interest peak.

"Master Forger… does your- erm, my- hammer have a name?"

My question seemed to make the old dwarf extremely happy, as his eyes lit up and the largest smile I've ever seen appeared on his face. His appearance seemed to say, 'I knew I picked you for a reason!' … which kind of scared me, but whatever.

"Indeed it does." He began, then in a quieter voice continued, " Lán Lofi."

"Hm…'to lend a hand'." Thor translated for me in a thoughtful tone. "Fitting."

A moment of silence passed.

"Everyone is ready, then. What's the plan?" Nova asked, crossing his arms around his halberd.

"I will go in first, ahead of you young warriors." Thor responded slowly, his head bowed in thought. "Then, I will teleport you into the fray. Be ready to fight. The Frost Giants, and Loki, will be waiting."

Then, in a flash of light, he was gone.

"Alright. Get ready guys!" Spidey called, and a split second later I found myself standing, hammer raised, behind Thor in the royal throne room.

"Surprise!" Spiderman taunted, "The gift shop was all out of bobble heads."

The Frost Giants were already bounding towards us when Spidey began to give his orders. "Okay team, let's show them what we can do. On my count-" Everyone aside from myself charged, leaving the two of us to stand behind them in the dust.

"Wait for us!" We shouted in tandem, then took off running after them. I stuck close to my cousin as he evaded attacks, swinging my hammer in wide arcs to shatter any ice that got in my way. After fighting our way through to the middle, the team rejoined and Spiderman gave another attempt at directing his troops.

"Powerman and Iron Fist on the left! Nova and Throg, on the right. White Tiger and R.E, you're with me. Show 'em what you got!"

You know the feeling when you've been practicing something for a long time- a sport, a presentation, a solo- and it just comes together in perfect harmony? When all your hard work and dedication blooms into fruition, and you can see it all pay off? Well, that's what happened when we jumped into action. In that moment, It was like we were all a part of one entity. White Tiger, Spidey, and myself were the head, blowing through the ranks of the Frost Giants with impossible ease. Powerman, Iron Fist, Thor, and Nova flanked us on either side and made it possible for the whole unit to move fluidly, as though we'd practiced it a million times. Everyone was in sync. It was… almost blissful. My exuberance soon began leaking into my fighting, and though I was unaware at the time it started to fuel Lán Lofi's hidden ability. If the handle had felt like sunlight before, now it felt like a blazing inferno. Not that it burned, mind you, but the power pulsating between my fingertips seemed to overflow with strength. The head of Lán Lofi broke through the Frost Giant's ice armor like it were thousands of degrees hotter than the sun, and I soon found myself breaking though their ranks before the rest of my team. I could see Loki already making advances towards the door to his father's chamber, and Spidey was helping Tiger stave off an influx of new Frost Giants that were flooding in from the left corridor.

"You won't stop me, I will destroy my father!" Loki announced as he started stepping towards the door, and in an instant my body had moved on its own. As

I leapt over Loki's head to land in front of the doorway I threw out a handful of my force shields to block him from proceeding any further, and when I landed I felt the rush of battle disappear.

'What the heck am I doing.'

The thought flooded my mind, and my heart dropped as Loki glared at me. Wasn't Spiderman supposed to be standing here right about now?

"Stand aside, mortal!" Loki demanded, and I held out my arms defensively as he took a step closer to me.

'I don't know how this happened but I'd better think of something!' I thought in shock. Thor attempted to get close enough to us to help, but Loki saw him coming and zapped him with a bit of his green energy, causing the flying frog to plummet to his brother's feet.

Loki looked up at me with a confident smirk. "Odin's end is nigh."

I gulped. Those horns on his helmet look… sharp. He wouldn't impale me, would he?

"Okay." I heard Spidey think from across the room. "R.E against Loki. This isn't going to be good. Not unless I help her with my "Strongest Weapon"!"

Even though he couldn't see it, I shot him a grateful smile. With his help, even I couldn't mess this up. Things would work out just how they were supposed to; I just have to let Spidey take over!

"Hey Loogie!" Spiderman called tauntingly. "You really want to take over the world like this?"

He pointed at the fallen Thor with both hands, disbelief evident in his voice. Loki released a drawn out sigh.

"Ugh, what are you prattling about?" He asked in annoyance. However, in trying to distract Loki from me Spidey took his eyes off the Frost Giant he was fighting and was hit from behind.

"OOFH!" He groaned as he was thrown against the wall.

"Spidey?!" I yelled, and he waved his hand at me dismissively from spot on the floor.

"I'm fine! You know what to do! Oh that's cold!" He replied loudly as he focused his full attention on the Frost Giants.

I looked back at Loki, who had approached me during my chat with Spiderman. Oh no.

"Y-you know they're going to say you didn't earn this victory, right?" I asked nervously as I backed up against the force field behind me. There was nowhere for me to go, and Spiderman was preoccupied. But it would still be fine. I know what to say, right? "I mean, you attacked people when they had their backs turned and hired a bunch of derpy snow men, big whoop!"

The change in his expression was immediate. He narrowed his eyes at me and lifted his fist, in which was clenched the glowing green stone responsible for Thor's transformation.

"You, then Odin, then the universe." He growled darkly as he closed the space between us. I flinched away from shining stone and continued speaking, my nerves shot from trying to remember exactly what to say. I was sure I'd messed up already, but I didn't have much choice to do anything else at this point. I took a deep breath.

"You'd only ever really get respect is if you take out Thor, and he's a FROG!"

"Big deal, frog slayer!" Spidey chimed in from his side of the room, and Loki snarled, his eyes flickering from me to Thor. He lifted his fist as if to hit me with the stone, but instead turned swiftly on his heel and held it over Thor's prone form.

'Please work please work please work.' I prayed silently, the force shields flickering out of existence behind my back. If Thor really was K.O'd this time, I'd be screwed. The green light shot from the stone to settled over Thor, and he was turned back into his former self.

"GOODBYE, BROTHER! NO ONE WILL CHALLENGE MY RIGHTFUL CLAIM TO-!" The world paused.

"He didn't just fall for that, did he?"

For once, Spidey's and my thoughts were exactly the same, and as everything started back up at full speed I had a front row seat to the show. Thor opened his eyes and smiled at me as he leapt up, slamming Mjölnir onto the ground. Lightning flared out from where the hammer hit the tiles, and the stone in Loki's hand was destroyed in the chaos. The entire castle shook as I watched with a slack jaw.

"Well color her Aladdin! Great Job R.E!" The Spider cheered from his perch upon a tower of fallen Frost Giants. Both Loki's and Thor's heads swiveled to look at me, and I felt my relief being pulled out from under me.

"The trickster tricked?!" Loki cried, poised as if to attack. "BY A MORTAL!?" His right hand lit up with green flame and with his left he grabbed a fistful of my suit. I felt my legs give out from under me, but at the same moment Thor pulled his brother away forcing him to release me. Holding the mischief maker by his bronze collar, Thor didn't allow his feet to touch the floor as he proudly announced, "She is no mere mortal. She is Rosezelene, daughter of Ersa!"

"…" I gawked. He sounded so cool defending me like that, I didn't want to tell him that Ersa wasn't my surname. Aw well, close enough.

The remaining Frost Giants took this opportunity to high-tail it out of there, leaving me face to face with the two brothers. Loki glared at me, his dark brows drawn together in intense hatred.

"Stay on your guard Rosezelene Ersa- for the rest of your USELESS LIFE!" With that foreboding warning, he disappeared in a flash of emerald light. Fighting the desire to sink to my knees, I took a deep shaky breath and turned to face my team.

"Welp, that wasn't supposed to happen." I thought worriedly. Hopefully Loki having a vendetta against me instead of the Spider won't have any huge implications on the future…

"Don't go away mad Loki, just go away." My cousin commented as he and the rest of the team joined Thor and I at the dais. The Thunderer placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled warmly at me as he pointed into Odin's chamber.

"Ah, my father still sleeps. Shhh."

Even though he couldn't see it, I returned the smile (albiet weakly). I'd had enough excitement for a lifetime; I don't know how these superhero types handle it all.

'Aren't you a superhero type too now, miss "Rosezelene daughter of Ersa"?' TB asked teasingly, and I jumped a little when I heard him speak.

"What the- where have you been?! I haven't heard from you at all during this whole thing!" I scolded, though he was saved from a more in depth reproach when Thor teleported us back into the Master Forger's cave. While the others were made to return their weapons to the master smith, I continued my silent conversation with my bag. "And why do you sound so snide?!"

'I knew if I bothered you you'd be even more nervous. You handled it okay though, so just focus on getting home. And I'm not "snide". We can talk later.'

Groaning since I can't exactly argue with my backpack while the others are around to see my changing posture, I settled for swiftly smacking my fanny pack when they weren't looking. Hearing no sound to confirm if he'd felt it or not, I huffed and waited for my turn to approach the master forger.

"Here you go." I said as I extended my hammer to him when it came to be my turn. It felt wrong, like I was offering up something that was a part of me. Which is ridiculous; I've only held then darn thing for less than a few hours. Eitri looked at me sternly, his arms crossed over his chest.

"If I take that now, you won't have a way to come back." He said gruffly, his eyes piercing my soul from under his bushy brows. I stared back at him in confusion.

"Excuse me?" I said, my hands falling to my sides.

"You heard me before. Lán Lofi belongs to you now. Unlike the weapons I gave your friends, it has bonded with you and its powers are yours to wield, however you wish to do so. If that means teleporting back here in order to learn the art of blacksmithery, then who am I to take away what is yours?"

I stood there, staring at him, not quite comprehending what he was saying.

Learn the art of blacksmithery.

Learn the art of blacksmithery.

Learn. The. Art. Of. HOLY COW HE WANTS TO TEACH ME TO BE A BLACKSMITH!

"I- Uh- Er- Eh- I- D-don't…" I stuttered, and Nova punched me in the shoulder.

"Come on, spit it out R.E! you're getting special attention; at least say thank you!" He reprimanded, and I rubbed my shoulder with a pout.

"T-thank you, Master Forger." I finally managed to say.

The old dwarf chuckled and returned to his anvil.

"You may call me Eitri, young Ersa. I expect to see you soon."

Thor was gathering everyone all together, so I gingerly started walking towards them, feeling very overwhelmed.

"I need a nap." I muttered under my breath, and White Tiger looked over at me with a nod.

"You and me both, sister!" She agreed, and I flushed since she wasn't supposed to be able to hear me. In a flash of blue we found ourselves back in the museum, and Thor faced us with a satisfied grin.

"Till we meet again, friends! Your names shall be sung in the halls of Valhalla."

"I'd have settled for a tee shirt." Spiderman replied thoughtfully. "Or those weapons!"

"The dwarves will keep them safe in case you have need of them again. But perhaps this will satisfy?" He gestured towards a smaller portal and out stepped: "A traditional "hero of Asgard" reward!"

It was a two-headed goat, wearing a golden blanket on its back. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, and as the team decided Spidey could have it I howled even louder. A second later it bit his hand. I died, curling up on the floor as my whole body shook with the giggles. I'm sure I was quite the sight, but at that point I just didn't care anymore. If I was going to be working with my team, they'd find out my true personality before too long anyway. No need to hide it! The goat made its way over to me and laid its head on my side, causing the still "ouch!"-ing Spidey to mope at his pet's traitorous ways. I took a deep breath and let out a long, happy sigh, still giggling intermittently. That ordeal was over for now. My team was closer than ever before, and I even had the promising opportunity to train under an Asgardian blacksmith in the future.

"I just hope Aunt May won't go overboard when she finds out about the Frost Giant attacking the museum." The thought hit me like a sack of bricks, reminding me of the overprotective woman who would be awaiting my cousin and I when we got back home.

"Ugh. This is going to be a loooong day."

End Of Chapter

A/N-

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