Author's Note: I sincerely hope you all had a very merry Christmas, I know I did. Just be of note that this will be the final chapter of the year and we'll pick up where we left off in January! In other news, this chapter is pure original content, loosely inspired by the mini comics episode of the same name. Hope you enjoy!
An endless rivalry! Thor may be the god of thunder, but he's not the only deity roaming the world! What happens when two gods or more get together, true believers? When you're as strong as Hercules, adventure and mayhem are never far behind! After all, it's only inevitable-
Chapter 18: With Friends Like These
Tuesday night at Avengers Mansion meant only one thing: game night! Taking an opportunity to embrace a moment of downtime to use for a little team-building comraderie was an idea cast by Captain America, something inspired by soliders in the army trying to kill time. The team thought it was a great idea, but whoever suggested cards they did not think too highly of… given Hawkeye's winning streak.
"Ladies over bullets. Read 'em and weep, suckers." He pronounced with a smile, dropping his winning hand on the table. "Clint Barton wins. Thor, T'Challa, Janet and Connor lose."
"Again?!" Janet exclaimed in disbelief.
"Again." Clint repeated smugly. The rest of the players loosed sighs of discontent, dropping their hands on the table.
"This game confounds me to the point that Hawkeye will own a good portion of Asgard by the time we are done." Thor complained.
"And Wakanda." T'Challa echoed. Of them all, Connor remained fixed on his hand, glancing back and forth with the cards Clint had tossed down.
"Uh… guys?" He said aloud, calling their attention. "Clint, what was your hand?" He asked the archer.
"Full house, three queens and two kings. Beat out Panther's three of a kind aces." Clint confidently answered. With a slowly growing smile, Connor laid his hand down on the table.
"Four kings." He pronounced. Clint turned white as his jaw dropped.
"What?!" He exclaimed. "No way!"
"Sorry, Clint, looks like this hand goes to me." Connor replied with a shrug, pulling the chips into his pile.
"Indeed. Well done for one so new to the game." T'Challa congratulated.
"Ah, a fortuitous stroke of luck, friend Connor!" Thor beamed.
"Luck is right. Beginners luck no less!" Clint grumbled.
"Come on, let's go another hand. I'm still learning your tells." Connor urged, quickly throwing his cards back into the deck in hopes of starting a new round.
"How could you possibly know what my tell is?" Clint wondered.
"Your jaw muscle clenches." Connor recited almost machine-like. The archer's brows shot up.
"How…?!"
"I was a high school wallflower, I learn things from observing." Connor explained, stacking his chips.
"Hmph. Save it for the title of your autobiography." Clint grumped, crossing his arms.
"You're also a sore loser, as evidenced when Janet beat out your full house second game." Connor added, believing he was now officially pouring salt on the wound.
"Aw, does little Clint need to go suck his thumb?" Janet teased, earning a round of chuckles from the others.
"Knock it off, team." Clint said with a frown. He was saved by the loud chiming of the mansion's doorbell.
"Me thinks I best answer that." Thor determined, rising from his seat. "Deal me in for another, I wish to see how much of Asgard Connor can accumulate."
"Oh so you prefer him over me," Clint complained with a huff, "jerk." Ignoring his remark, Thor left the library and made for the twin wooden doors at the end of the long entry hall that were the mansion's entrance, slowly opening one of them in anticipation of some mortal paying them a visit.
"What might-" He began, only to stop suddenly when he recognized the being in question. Someone decidedly not mortal. "Odin's beard! You!" He gasped. The next thing he knew, a fist crashed into his face and sent him flying back across the hall, crashing into the ascending stairwell and shattering the stone levels under his weight. The doors flew open as an impossibly tall and broad man entered the mansion. Clad in green and gold, his feet wrapped in leather sandals and the image of a lion emblazoned on his massive belt buckle, he strode right up to Thor with a broad smirk on his bearded face.
"Yes, it is I… Hercules!" He announced. "The Son of Zeus! The Scion of Olympus! The-"
"The guy who's going to get zapped in the face in about two seconds." Wasp interrupted, suddenly hovering before his visage with her hands glowing, fully charged biostings ready to be unleashed. Behind her, Hawkeye, Black Panther and Cybernaut entered the hall, armed, suited up and ready for a fight.
"You heard the lady. Back up from the thunder god, clash of the titans." Hawkeye threatened, his bowstring drawn taut and an explosive arrow fitted.
"Slowly." Black Panther added, twin Vibranium daggers thrumming with violet power as Cybernaut's irons orbited around his hands. Before any such fighting could erupt, Thor picked himself up and quickly came between the two parties.
"Stay thine hand, archer. As it so happens, our visitor is a man I call friend." He quickly explained, abating their battle-readiness. "Allow me to introduce Hercules." He offered, the name taking them all by surprise.
"Hercules? As in the greek mythology guy?" Hawkeye wondered.
"As in the guy who looks weirdly good in a skirt?" Wasp questioned, raising a brow.
"As in the titular hero of that Disney animated movie?" Cybernaut pried.
"That mortal contrivance is an abomination!" Hercules proclaimed.
"You're telling me." Connor agreed.
"Yes, calm yourselves, mortals. This is merely the way great immortals such as Thor and I greet each other after long absences… with the gift of battle." Hercules explained, his expression still bright and beaming. "When was the last time, thunderer? Paris… during the Second World War, was it not?"
"Aye, it was." Thor confirmed. "But these are different times now, as such we immortals must set better examples for those who deem us 'gods'." He inferred. "Do we understand each other, old friend?" He asked, offering Hercules his hand out of mutual respect. Arching a brow, the Greco-strongman accepted it.
"Oh, we understand each other." He replied, leaning forward and looking Thor straight in the eye. "I understand you have been living among mortals for too long. You gave grown soft." He sneered. "Thankfully, Hercules is here to remind you of who you are." His words took everyone by surprise, Thor especially.
"Oh brother, this guy doesn't get it." Hawkeye realized.
"Looks like he's willing to do anything to get him to fight." Cybernaut noted fretfully.
"Thankfully, Thor does not seem to be obliging his foolishness." Black Panther added. But at that moment, Thor frowned as Mjolnir crackled with electricity.
"Thou dare call yon Odinson soft?!" He roared, grabbing Hercules' hand and throwing him across the room, slamming the demigod into a decorative pillar.
"Perhaps I have spoken too soon." Black Panther mused to his chagrin.
"Perhaps?" Wasp echoed in disbelief. Thunder filled the room as dark clouds formed near the ceiling, Mjolnir glowing blue as it was now trapped in Thor's tight grip.
"If it is the true might of the god of thunder that you seek… then that is what you shall have!" He roared as Hercules picked himself up.
"Well, it's about time!" He mused with a toothy grin, his hand open to summon his golden mace into his grip.
"HAVE AT THEE!" Thor shouted as he charged Hercules, Olympian and Asgardian colliding in a brilliant display of power that nearly bowled the Avengers over.
"Someone's gotta put a stop to them before they turn the mansion into a parking lot." Cybernaut gasped.
"But who? And how?" Wasp urgently asked her teammates. Hawkeye already had a solution.
"Easy," he answered, withdrawing his ID card, "make a call to someone who can." He said simply, putting out a call to their big green friend. Thor and Herclues traded blows, each one capable of shattering buildings, as they dueled one another with heated looks of eager anticipation of overcoming the other.
"Thou cannot match my furious lightning, demigod!" Thor snapped as Mjolnir collided with Hercules' mace.
"Your strength pales in comparison to the might of an Olympian, thunderer!" He retorted with a gleam in his eye, easily holding his ground as Thor pressed in, both fighting to overhwelm the other. Their battle was suddenly interrupted when a pair of green hands grasped the two gods from by the neck and hoisted them off the ground. Stopped so abruptly, the two barely had an opportunity to register what was happening as they stared into the snarling visage of this third party.
"Hmph." Hulk grumbled. "Puny gods."
"Zounds! A hairless troll!" Hercules choked.
"Nay, he is the Hulk, a friend… believe that if you may…" Thor rasped in response.
"Enough." Hulk ordered as he threw the two into the ground. "And people call me a menace. Just look at the hall." He growled, gesturing to the wrecked floors and walls as a result of their combat. The fog of violence clearing from their heads, both Hercules and Thor took a moment to recognize the consequences of their actions.
"Aye, it would appear we have made a mess of things." Thor concurred.
"Among other things." Hawkeye remarked, wiping dust off his costume.
"We must end this contest, Hercules, before the Avengers are left homeless because of us." Thor determined as they picked themselves up.
"Alright, we'll call it a draw." Hercules decided. Thor's eyes widened.
"A draw? Hardly! I had you vexed!" He accused.
"But you-" Hercules started to say,
"Don't." Hulk growled, shooting them both a withering look that definitively forced the two to back down.
"Look, was there a reason for your visit, Herc? Or was it just to come and ruin our front hall?" Connor questioned. Hercules paused to ponder his statement as his mace vanished in a shimmer of gold.
"Ah yes, the purpose of my visit!" He recalled with a snap of his fingers. His expression quite suddenly fell, the mood shift almost tangible. "I bring ill news, thunderer. The Tuatha de Danaan have gone silent. None have heard from them and even swift Hermes has found Avalon void of life." He revealed. Thor gasped.
"Tis most odd, mighty Iarbonel would've told someone if something was awry." He mused.
"Indeed. My father Zeus suspects something foul is afoot. Possibly the Netherworld has lain siege to them, but we cannot be certain." Hercules stated.
"The tutor of damn? What?" Wasp wondered, scratching her head.
"They're the Celtic godhood of ancient mythology." Cybernaut explained.
"Celtic? Didn't they become Scotland or whatever?" Hawkeye queried.
"The Celtic people are a conglomeration of ancient tribes, most notably the European Gauls and Britons." Black Panther clarified.
"You speak wisely, friend T'Challa." Thor affirmed with a nod. "Like the Olympians, the Tuatha de Danaan are another division of Midgard's gods."
"So, Asgardians aren't alone as far as gods go?" Wasp queried, growing to full size.
"Aye, there are a great many." Thor replied.
"More than either of us care to recall." Hercules added.
"But if an entire race of deities has gone missing, it is an endeavour worthy of investigating." Thor determined. "Some foul magic keeps me from accessing Asgard, I question if some similar menace has befallen the Tuatha. We must make haste for Avalon, friend Hercules." Thor declared, placing a hand on the equally beefy shoulder of the demigod. "Whatever trouble plagues Iarbonel and his kind, it will be no match for our combined might." Hercules grinned.
"I like the way you think Thor! Let evil know the power of the son of Odin and the son of Zeus, and tremble with fear!" He replied. Thor turned to his team.
"I would be honored if you Avengers were to join us." He offered. "A quest of this proportion is best not undertaken alone."
"Where is this Avalon?" Wasp curiously asked.
"Located in Otherworld, a dimensional shift away from the reality you mortals call home." Hercules answered.
"To travel there we must find venture forth to the country called Ireland, where we may find the gateway to the home of the Tuatha De Danaan; Tir na nOg." Thor continued.
"That's a whole lotta jibberish." Hawkeye remarked, shouldering his bow. "But if it means a road trip, I'm game."
"We will come to assist you, Thor. If something could plague the gods, it may prove trouble for we humans as well." Black Panther agreed.
"Is it just me or did that sound really, really ominous." Wasp whispered to Cybernaut.
"If something could take down a god, what chance do humans stand against it?" He replied in equally hushed tones, agreeing with her every sentiment.
Later that day…
Using a Quinjet to cross the Atlantic was the only suitable course of action, as far as the Avengers could tell. With Wasp at the controls, Panther, Cybernaut and Hawkeye on additional terminals, the burly bulks of Thor, Hercules and Hulk crammed into the rear of the jet as they took flight through clouded skies en route to the Emerald Isle.
"I've never seen Ireland before." Janet commented.
"Me neither." Connor chimed in from beside her. "And Peterson is an Irish last name."
"Is it now?" She mused, glancing his way. "So this is like going home for you."
"Maybe to an ancestral home…" Connor surmised. "But we're here to help the Tuatha de Danaan, not sightsee."
"Indeed. Thor, what does the portal to Avalon look like?" T'Challa inquired.
"It is one of Ireland's many famous 'standing stones', they are in actuality portals to the realm of the Tuatha." He answered.
"Our combined magics should be enough to open a portal. However we must find the right one that leads to Tir na nOg." Hercules added.
"Sounds like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Nay, Hawkeye, I know which stone to find. I once helped the Warriors Three reclaim sacred artifacts from Tir na nOg and my memory is as longstanding as Asgard's alliance with Olympus." Thor replied confidently.
"Not as vast as your strength?" Hercules teased.
"Had our contest continued, you would've known my strength in full, scion." Thor retorted.
"No smashing the Quinjet." Hulk growled.
"I'm with big green on this one." Hawkeye echoed, performing a quick extravehicular sensory sweep. "Hey that's odd… why's the temperature reading going up?"
"We are approaching the coast of Ireland." Black Panther announced.
"Uh, shouldn't it be rainy and cold?" Wasp wondered. "I thought this place was known for its fog and stuff?"
"Some say that the land above reflects the ramifications from Otherworld." The demigod intoned.
"Indeed, Hercules. Legend tells that the land of Britain prospers when Avalon does, and when Avalon is in peril then Britain may feel the heat. I propose something similar is effecting Ireland, stemming from the peril afflicting Tir na nOg." Thor presumed.
"If that is true, then something is really giving Tir na nOg the works. Temperature is vastly different in comparison to surrounding environments." Hawkeye reported.
"We must move quickly then, friends. I will guide you!" Thor vowed, quickly bailing out of the Quinjet and leading the team towards the isle below. Wasp immediately banked to pursue, chasing Thor through the Irish airspace until the thunder god dove low and made for the sparsely populated woodlands, taking his time finding the exact location while Wasp considered a parking space. The moment Thor dove down into the trees, clearly in pursuit of something, she forced the Quinjet down into the closest glade she could find. It was small and trees brushed up against the wings and hull, but she made it.
"Thank you Carol for parking lessons." She remarked as the team quickly disembarked, each Avenger taking off in pursuit of Thor. Pressing through the heavily wooded area, they soon came upon a tree-less mound of short grass, continuing three pillar-like stones standing straight up, their rounded tops pointing towards the sky. Thor knelt beside one in particular, his hand running across its smooth surface while Mjolnir glowed.
"Huh. Standing stones. I get it now." Hawkeye mused, his bow unfolding within his hand.
"Are you certain this is the right sidhe, thunderer?" Hercules questioned.
"Sid-what?" Wasp repeated in confusion.
"Sidhe. It means 'fairy mound'." Black Panther clarified.
"Ohhhhh, where the fairy-like gods come from… gotcha." She responded.
"I am certain, Hercules. I led the Warriors Three through this very stone." Thor told the demigod, a single tap from his hammer causing glowing green veins to light up across the stone. From their epicentre, a portal spun to life with a shower of green sparks, holding securely for the group of heroes.
"Is it just me, or is anyone else noticing a color theme?" Hawkeye wondered, raising a brow at the green shade of the portal.
"They do not call Ireland the 'Emerald Isle' for nothing." Black Panther responded.
"Come my friends, to Tir na nOg!" Thor urged, taking the first step through as Hercules followed suit, followed closely by the other Avengers. Emerging on the other side, they were greeted by the sight of a tremendous view. Rolling hills of lush green grass, massive mossy stone structures dotting the distance, and cloudless blue skies lining the horizon. The Avengers were astounded by this realm, like Ireland but older, more medieval and historic.
"Oh look, more green." Hawkeye snarked.
"Too much green. Stupid island." Hulk grumbled.
"Look at the bright side, big guy; you can blend in with your surroundings!" Wasp commented. "You know, get the drop on bad guys when you wanna smash 'em!" Hulk cracked a smile.
"Might be useful." He rumbled.
"Are we sure there's something evil going on here? This looks kinda… peaceful and pleasant." Cybernaut noted, looking around the pristine landscape.
"You cannot sense it, friend Connor, but there is a dark and foul presence here. The magic in the air has shifted for the worse." Thor told him.
"Aye, the quaint nature of these lands masks a villainous aura." Hercules agreed, conjuring his mace. "Let us proceed and cut it out by the root."
"Verily." Thor agreed, stalking forward. Suddenly, a dark blur sped past the group, striking Thor and knocking him down. Within moments, everyone was on high alert.
"What… was that?" Wasp questioned fearfully, shrinking down as her fists glowed.
"I don't know, but if I see it again I'm shooting it." Hawkeye replied, his bowstring pulled tensely with an arrow primed to loose. Panther had a pair of daggers at the ready while Cybernaut's irons orbited his hands.
"Show yourself, villain!" Hercules ordered. "We sense your presence, we know of your wretched existence. Face us in battle, we command you!" His fierce cry was met by the same dark blur that began to circle the heroes even as Thor picked himself up, charging Mjolnir with electric power. Suddenly, the blur moved away from the team and slowed to a halt, revealing the armored form of a truly vile being. His eyes like red fire, his cape like soot, his blade wicked and sharp, his entire visage gave off a demonic air. To most of the Avengers, his appearance seemed more like a samurai than anything Celtic. But the gods in their midst knew him well.
"Necromon!" Thor growled. The dark being glanced between them.
"You do not belong here, mac athar." Necromon hissed. "Nor do you, duine laidir." He addressed them.
"We have come for the Tuatha de Danaan, Necromon!" Hercules declared. "Where in that twisted mind of yours have you contrived to hide them?"
"Nowhere you may find, son of Zeus." Nercomon rasped. "Now leave this place, it belongs to the Nethergods now!"
"We would beg to differ, foul beast!" Thor roared, unleashing a charged burst of lightning that struck his blade, but did little to deter Necromon. Hawkeye took a chance to loose his arrow, but Necromon moved swiftly and cut clean through it, the two halves spiralling away before exploding. Hercules charged to meet him, mace raised high and ready to strike. Necromon, however, proved quick and fierce, his blade cutting across the Olympian's exposed ribs as he avoided his blow with ease.
"Woah! That guy is crazy fast!" Wasp exclaimed.
"Reminds me of Kang's goon squad." Hawkeye remarked.
"Connor, can you control his armor?" Black Panther asked.
"Get him to sit still long enough and I just might," Cybernaut replied, his words cut short as deafening thunder lit the skies as Thor summoned powerful lightning strikes to blast Necromon. The Nethergod was quick to dodge each one, sheathing his sword and summoning a series of orbs that zipped through the air and pummeled Thor with concussive force.
"Okay, this guy's full of tricks." Hawkeye noted, quickly loosing a trio of arrows.
"Beware his Orbs, Avengers!" Hercules warned as Necromon seemingly teleported around at high speed, avoiding each shot from Hawkeye. "They are laced with potent magic, negligible to immortals such as Thor and I, but potentially lethal to mortals such as yourselves." A wretched sound filled the air, like the measured hiss of air escaping a balloon. Necromon stood tall, a single hand on the hilt of his sword, chuckling to himself.
"Your very weakness is revealed, neo-bhasmhor," he said aloud, "the frail mortal company you keep." At his word, a piece of his breastplate pulled apart of its own will, revealing an eye of red so bright and intense the Avengers shielded their eyes from its hue. All, that is, save Hawkeye, his vision drawn inexplicably towards the central red hue. His body shuddering, he fell to his knees as his eyes rolled back and fell white as his mouth hung limply open. The red glow faded away, revealing an unconscious Clint who's skin had turned ashen.
"Hawkeye?" Connor whispered, prodding him. "Hawkeye!"
"I have no pulse…" T'Challa whispered in dismay. Cybernaut and Wasp turned to him in shock.
"Is he…" Wasp trailed off, her bottom lip quivering.
"He has fallen under one of Necromon's nether-spells." Hercules stated gravely, examining Hawkeye.
"Aye, the Eye of Necros puts those it gazes upon into a deathlike state. We would be wise to avoid it." Thor explained.
"Now you tell us!" Wasp complained. Taking flight, she bore down on Necromon and unleashed a volley of biostings, each one striking his armored form but dealing no damage whatsoever. Cybernaut and Panther, their determination renewed by their fallen comrade, charged in with daggers and irons hurtling towards the stagnant Necromon. Vanishing in a haze of black, he reappeared just in time to fall under the weight of the Hulk, the gamma beast coming crashing into him from above. He grabbed Necromon's feet, "STUPID GOD HURT HAWKEYE!" He roared, smashing his body into the ground as he wailed back and forth until he finally dropped Necromon within a heap of upturned turf.
Pouncing on him, Thor dropped his hammer on Necromon's chest, pinning the Nethergod beneath the immovable might of Mjolnir. "Yield, Necromon! You are undone!" He commanded. Struggling to move at all, the Nethergod lay still as the heroes surrounded. "He is beaten." Thor declared.
"What is more troubling is how you have dealt with the Tuatha de Danaan." Hercules mused. His gaze turned on the defeated Nethergod. "You alone could not have succeeded, tell us now your scheme, Nethergod!" He commanded. At first, Necromon said nothing, but with a rasping laugh he lifted his head and fixed the two with a sinister gaze.
"I had help." He said simply.
The ground began to tremble and shake, the Avengers thrown the worst of curves as they realized Necromon had not acted alone. The thunderous shaking failed to harm Wasp as she remained in their air, but its constant reverberations began to take a toll on the others. Yet Hercules and Thor persisted and managed to discern something.
"Earthquake?" Wasp asked.
"N-Nay, friend Wasp," Thor stuttered, struggling to maintain his footing, "it is too methodical, this shaking."
"Aye… too controlled, too concise," Hercules agreed, "reminds me of the footfalls of Talos!"
"But far faster." Thor continued. "Like the beat of Slepnir at full gallop!"
"Are you saying it's a horse?" Wasp questioned. The deafening sound of a horse neigh consumed their hearing, the Avengers blocking out their ears as the combined footfalls pelted them. Then they saw it, a massive black steed approaching them with wings folded along its sides.
But riding it was a far more terrifying creature.
Tall, broad and musclebound, every inch of his frame sported sinewy grey skin stretched over impossibly massive muscles. His armor was dark and vile, the image of a screaming skull cast in iron and strapped to his chest. A great horned helm sat atop his head, his face a mere pallet of inky blackness where two glowing eyes and a mouth of gleaming crimson heat sat within. His massive frame dwarfed even Hulk, the immortal gods nowhere near his size. A pair of great leathery wings lay folded across his back, further testament to his enormity.
"Odin's beard!" Thor gasped.
"Zeus' thunderbolt!" Hercules cried in dismay.
"What… is that?" A terrified Wasp nearly screamed.
"Not gonna lie, I'm kinda freaking out right now!" Cybernaut echoed. "Thor, what is that thing?" The thunder god had only one answer, the very word chilled him to the bone in a way no other could.
"Chernobog the Black." He replied.
Before them all, the Slavic god of death stood tall and menacing, dismounting his steed as he strode towards the heroes. Far more terrifying than anything they had ever encountered before, the Avengers were genuinely frozen with fear.
"Welcome, Odinson and Scion, to the new age of the godhood! The black age of death!" The Deivas deity boomed.
"We do not fear you, Chernobog!" Hercules boldly stated. "Your siege on Tir na nOg will be thwarted by the Scion of Olympus!"
"The Prince of Asgard shall see to your banishment! In the name of the Tuatha de Danaan!" Thor roared, charging ahead of Hercules with Mjolnir glowing blue. The death god cackled.
"By all means, little thunder god, do your worst!" Chernobog beckoned. Thor rocketed towards him, arm drawn back and ready to strike. But a mere swing of Chernobog's hand sent him crashing into the ground with brutal force.
"Asgardians may fall, but Olympians will not!" Hercules challenged, racing ahead to strike Chernobog down with his mace. He was met with a clawed hand that swatted him like an insect, the death god promptly crushing him into the floor under an armored boot.
"So, uh… what can mortal men do against that which lays gods low?" Connor wondered, swallowing nervously as he bravely formed his batons.
"At best we can hold out and hope to buy this realm a chance." T'Challa answered, a fresh set of daggers in his grip.
"Right… we little ol' humans are gonna stand a chance against a death god." Janet remarked.
"I bet I'll last longer." Hulk rumbled, leaping over his team as he tackled Chernobog and drove him back. The giant death god roared as Hulk gripped his breastplate and rained down powerful blows.
"Your energy… I feel it…!" Chernobog rumbled.
"It's called gamma, stupid god," Hulk retorted, "get used to it!" With a roar he landed an axehandle blow that caused Chernobog to stumble backwards.
"Well, great, Hulk's got him covered." Wasp mused with mixed feelings of elation and chagrin. The Avengers turned to find Necromon, freed from beneath Mjolnir, on his feet and drawing his blade.
"Now we just have to deal with 'last samurai' over here." Connor mused.
"Pitiful creatures… I fight immortals on a daily basis, what chance do you mortals think you stand?" Necromon hissed.
"You will not know until you try us, Nethergod." Panther challenged. With a sweep of his sword, Necromon unleashed a series of his orbs towards the Avengers, the team quickly leaping out of the way as they observed grass wither and die beneath their aura. Panther went on the offence, unleashing a series of Vibranium daggers that Necromon blocked with ease. He made to strike until Wasp caught him between the eyes with a biosting, momentarily blinding him as Connor used his magnets to generate a reverse-polarity field, knocking Necromon over. The Nethergod promptly vanished into a black mist, running around at high speed as the Avengers were thrown off once more.
Crawling to his feet, Thor picked himself up at the same time Hercules did, the two spying Hulk brawling with Chernobog. "I shall aid my friend in dealing with the death god, Hercules, deal with Necromon as best you can." He quickly tasked.
"That hairless troll you call friend will not last as long as mighty Hercules can!" The demigod retorted. "Save your friend while I reap Chernobog's soul."
"I say thee nay!" Thor retorted. The two darted off, lunging towards Chernobog simultaneously. Spying their approach, the death god grabbed Hulk and hurled him towards the two immortals, knocking them all to the ground in a heap.
"Ugh! Seems neither of us have gotten to him." Hercules remarked.
"Aye, 'tis harder than deemed." Thor agreed.
"I had him." Hulk grumbled, using the two gods as leverage to push himself up.
"Only for a moment longer." Hercules remarked. "Thine friend Thor chooses well, if only temporarily."
"I don't see any of your friends present, Hercules!" Thor stated sharply, casting a withering glare towards the demigod.
"I need none to stop a mere faerie like Chernobog!" Hercules snapped, surging forward with his mace. "In the name of Olympus!" Having recovered, the towering Chernobog scooped up Hercules in his hand, clawed fingers ensnaring the demigod with an unmatched strength.
"See Hulk? The Olympian needs my aid, for none are as mighty as Asgardians." Thor gloated.
"Prove it, Goldilocks." Hulk rumbled, lifting a chunk of earth free and sending it hurtling towards Chernobog. It crashed into his helmet, drawing his gaze.
"I shall!" Thor promised, leaping ahead with hammer held aloft. "For Asgard!" With Mjolnir charged and ready, Thor was certain he could land a crushing blow. But Chernobog snatched him out of the air, grabbing Thor within an equally crushing grip alongside Hercules.
"It takes great time and energy for me to drain the souls of immortals," Chernobog rumbled, his simple features curling into a devilish smile, "but the rewards will be worth it. Die, postoronniye!" He lifted his victims high, Thor and Hercules on display as blue energy formed in Chernobog's hands, threatening to tear the souls from their bodies.
But then, a lightning bolt struck him from behind.
Lurching forward, Chernobog dropped his victims and turned to face his attacker, eyes widening in the face of a new player.
Clad in a horned helmet and dark armor like Thor, his long beard and sharp two-headed axe were a far cry from the stately Asgardian. He looked tough, more wild and rough-hewn by comparison. "Know my wrath, gryaznyy parazit!" He commanded with a thick accent. "Your reign of havoc ends now, Chernobog! Says I, Perun! God of storms!" With a roar, his axe was filled with an electric current and he dove low, slamming into Chernobog and driving him into the ground.
"Friend of yours?" Hulk questioned as Thor recovered slowly.
"Nay." Thor grimace, casting a glance towards his fellow… rival thunder god. The other Avengers caught on quickly, turning their backs on Necromon as they watched the arrival of Perun in awe.
"Hey, look! That guy's stealing Thor's thunder!" Wasp commented.
"In the most literal sense!" Cybernaut agreed.
"Perhaps that is the key to defeating these two. We require more of their kind." Black Panther suggested. Hearing his words, Thor cast a glimpse at Mjolnir as Hercules eyed his golden mace.
"Perhaps… neither one of us alone can defeat them." Thor quietly mused.
"Perhaps uniting is the answer." Hercules responded in turn. "But we alone cannot stop Chernobog and Necromon combined. I fear not even mighty Perun can turn such an evil tide."
"But the Tuatha de Danaan can tend to their own." Thor replied, a plan forming in his mind. Hercules caught on and nodded slowly. "If you would have my hand in friendship, fair Hercules, let us put an end to these foul villains once and for all." Thor offered, extending his free hand.
"Aye! Let this mark the final contest between the son of Odin and the son of Zeus." Hercules agreed, shaking it with a firm grip that Thor returned. "Speak plainly and tell me of your plan, thunderer."
"Our magics might be enough to free one of the Tuatha from the imprisonment of Necromon." Thor stated.
"You have one in mind?" Hercules queried.
"Aye, though I am loathe to even speak his name." Thor replied with a sigh. Seeing his vexed expression, and knowing his past, Hercules knew exactly who Thor had in mind.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, my friend." He offered. Thor nodded with a growing smile.
"You speak wisely, my friend." He replied. Holding out their weapons, the two immortals channeled their powers. "Together, as one!" Bolts of lightning shot forth from Mjolnir as powerful rays of light emerged from the mace, intermingling as they formed a portal in thin air, allowing the two to break through Necromon's binding curse and the raw power of Chernobog to reach beyond the void and call forth one of the Tuatha de Danaan.
Turning from his fight with the Avengers, Necromon watched in shock as a being began to emerge, the telltale shape of his flowing robes a dead giveaway to his identity. "No… no!" He rasped in horror. "It cannot be!"
"Aye but it is, rot uaigh," the newcomer announced, his accent strong as he emerged from the portal. Clad in brightly coloured robes of blue and yellow, golden thunderbolts lined his attire in pronunciation of his occupancy. His flaming red hair and matching moustache bright in the sun of Tir na nOg, his appearance had Necromon shaking in his armor. "'Tis I, Leir the Lightning Lord!" He declared, thunder crackling overhead in accompaniment. Conjuring his power, Leir unleashed twin bursts of golden lightning from his hands, striking Necromon and knocking him down.
"Wha-… How many thunder gods are there?!" Wasp wondered incredulously.
"At least one for every mythos." Cybernaut responded.
"Indeed. I can think of at least three more." Black Panther concurred. As they conversed, Thor and Hercules met with the newcomer.
"Ho, noble Leir!" Thor called out in greeting.
"Doth mine eyes decieve me? Or is this a faerie Asgardian in my realm?" Leir questioned.
"I have come to aid your realm with good cause," Thor responded, doing his best to keep his bitterness in check, "for it is not glad tidings that are rife in Tir na nOg this day."
"Aye, that iosal Necromon saw fit to imprison the Tuatha de Danaan within his Void Fortress on the brink of the chaos. He did so only with the aid of foul Chernobog here." Leir explained. "Seeing as I am now free of his bonds, I should like nothing more than to exact fair retribution upon him." He added, thunder flashing within his clenched fists. "Divide yourselves as you see fit, but Necromon is mine!" With that, Leir summoned his golden spear and gave chase after Necromon. Left to their own devices, Hercules moved first.
"For your sake, I will aid Leir." He offered. Thor breathed in relief.
"Many thanks, my friend." He replied, spinning his hammer around before taking flight to join Perun and Hulk. While the gamma giant had been kicked away, the Slavic storm god fared better as he swung his axe hard, smashing Chernobog across the face and pitching him to the side. Thor's arrival was timely and he struck hard with a shout, Mjolnir driven into the death god's chin and knocking him flat on his back. Hovering in the air, Thor and Perun finally greeted one another.
"Ah, Vseotets syn! I welcome your aid, mighty Thor." Perun offered.
"And my spirit is lifted by your presence, Perun. But prithee, what brings a Deivas here to Tir na nOg?" Thor answered.
"Much like you, I suspect. We have been keeping a careful eye on Chernobog. The moment he escaped our sight, wise Svarog sent me to find him and return him to the Underworld. It has taken some time for me to find him, long enough for him to work devilish deeds with Necromon." Perun answered at length.
"Then let us put an end to their unholy alliance." Thor determined, holding Mjolnir aloft.
"Da! We shall return him to the hole he crawled out of!" Perun agreed, his axe held tightly and ready to strike. Both of them conjured powerful lightning storms as beams of white and blue rained down from above, striking Chernobog multiple times.
"I shall prepare the way for you!" Thor roared, dropping down with Mjolnir glowing blue. With a mighty shout he hammered Chernobog in the chest, shattering the sigil there and driving the hulking death god deeper into the earth. Perun remained above, the power of his axe blazing white as he brought the full weight of his storm to bear.
"Vernut'sya v mogilu!" He thundered, unleashing a beam of energy that conjured a portal beneath Chernobog, the beastly Deivas desperately gripping the ground to keep from falling through. Perun took his chance and descended, his boot colliding with Chernobog's chest and his axe following closely, enough weighty power pushing Chernobog through.
"This is not over povelitel' buri…" The death god growled.
"But it is over for now." Perun replied, conjuring another bolt of white lightning to strike him as Thor gave aid with Mjolnir. Their combined might shoved Chernobog through the portal, the death god disappearing with a roar as Thor and Perun remained triumphant above.
Meanwhile, Necromon had taken flight, attempting to outrun the Avengers pursuing him. None of them could reach him, Panther's daggers, Cybernaut's irons and Wasp's stings falling short and missing him entirely. But golden lightning lanced forth and struck him, causing the Nethergod to stumble and fall as Leir caught up to them.
"Worry yourselves not, frail mortals. Mighty Leir shall sully this creature!" He promised, diving in to attack as Hercules charged in alongside him. His power channeled through his spear, Leir struck Necromon's sword and knocked it out of his hands, the Nethergod promptly conjuring his orbs in retaliation. Hercules came between the two and knocked out three with his golden mace before swinging hard and smashing Necromon upside the chin. He was pitched back into the ground as the panels of his breastplate slid apart, revealing the deathly gaze of the Eye of Necros.
"The Netherworld shall claim you!" He hissed. The others held back, but Leir dove headlong towards his foe.
"Never again!" He roared, his speartip driven deep into the eye and shattering its casing, disrupting its power along with that of Necromon's.
"Curse you, tighearna dealnaich… curse you!" The Nethergod screeched.
"I have run afoul of your curses one time too many, Necromon," Leir growled, bending down and getting in the face of Necromon, "never again."
Later…
With the two gods properly dealt with and the Tuatha de Danaan restored, the victory of the Avengers was greatly heralded. What made things even better was the restoration of Hawkeye, the archer freed from Necromon's curse the moment Leir shattered his amulet.
"Why do the bad guys always get the good stuff… and why am I always on the receiving end of it?" He complained.
"Be thankful your soul was not taken by Chernobog." Black Panther advised him. "A mere coma is fear easier to recover from than being swallowed by a god of death."
"Still, next time, I'd appreciate it if one of you could take a hit for me." Hawkeye mumbled.
"After you beat us at poker three times in a row?" Janet teased. "You're gonna have to up the stakes on that play, Hawkeye."
"Yeah, sweeten the pot a little, Barton." Connor echoed. Hawkeye sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Have I mentioned how much I love this team?" He wondered sarcastically. A meaty hand suddenly settled on his shoulder and he looked up to see Hulk looming beside him.
"Nice to see you living." He rumbled with a small smile.
A short distance away, Hercules, Thor, Perun and Leir conversed among themselves, the matter of Chernobog and Necromon's alliance weighing heavily upon them.
"Of all beings to set foot in our realm, the last we expected was Chernobog the Black." Leir remarked. "And for him to be in partnership with Necromon? Unthinkable!"
"Da, the air is foul. There is a dark omen about their partnership. It is plokhoy." Perun gruffly agreed. "To conquer Tir na nOg, to even attempt something so bold…"
"Their scheme might've succeed had it not been for our careful observation." Hercules intoned. "We must remain vigilant lest another attempt arise."
"But what could embolden these two to enact such an unsightly plan?" Leir inquired.
"Perhaps the same foul forces barring me from Asgard." Thor mused, crossing his arms. "Every attempt I have made over the past days has ended in failure, I grow worried over what might be occurring on the other side."
"Few would've considered an alliance between a Tuatha and a Deivas. There must be some trickery about this." Hercules determined ruefully.
"Aye, but you have our thanks for your unseemly alliance, Scion. The Tuatha de Danaan owe you a debt of gratitude, Hercules, and you, Thor Odinson." Leir replied.
"If your word is bond, I shall hold you to it." Thor replied. "For if another evil threatens the other realms of the godhood, we will have to compile our strength to repulse it."
"What is this? An Asgardian seeking aid? The tales are true, Thor, thou hast softened amid your stay in Midgard." Leir jeered, soon joined by Perun and Hercules by peals of booming laughter. Thor frowned, even when the Olympian threw his arm across his shoulders.
"Ah, this reminds me of my many labors, fighting horrid beasts and overcoming impossible odds… why, the songs we could sing of this day, my friend!" He remarked with a twinkle in his eyes. "Come, thunderer! We have songs to sing, maidens to woo, drinks to consume-"
"Hercules, old friend…" Thor interrupted.
"Yes?"
"Shut up."