"Shit!" Thor says.
"Brother?" Tony asks. "Point Break, did he just call you his brother?"
"Yes, he did." Thor Says as his eyes begin to glow with electricity. Being on the beach, Thor is shirtless, and this causes the hairs on his chest to stand. He reaches out his right hand and Storm Breaker comes flying into his grip. Thunder can be heard in the distance.
"Guys, what's going on?" Peter Parker asks, as everyone picks up on the tension and prepares for a fight. "Is that Loki?" Peter asks. "Mr. Stark, is that Loki?"
Tony taps his chest causing his suit to partially cover him. "Stay back, Kid. I'm pretty sure that's not Loki." He pauses after answering Peter, then turns back toward Thor. "Thor, is that Loki?"
"No, it's not Loki." Thor answers. "It's much worse." After a brief pause Thor looks to Tony and sees a confused look on his face. "It's my sister."
"Your sister?" Tony asks, a little annoyed. "You're telling me you have another annoyingly violent sibling?"
"Unfortunately, I do..." Thor tells Tony, without looking away. "And this one's much worse, and far more powerful."
"What did she do?" Peter Parker asks.
"She destroyed Asgard." Hulk answers.
"Excuse me." Hela suddenly interrupts them. "I didn't destroy Asgard! Thor and his merry band did that!" He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "You would know, if you were there!"
"I was there!" Hulk raises his voice almost grumbling. "You summoned that giant fire monster."
"Actually..." Valkyrie interrupts this time, "that was us, Bruce."
"What?" Hulk asks.
"Technically, it was Loki." Thor interjects.
"Loki?" Tony Stark asks aloud. "He's still around?"
"When were you going to tell me about this?" Hulk asks Thor.
"I figured you already knew." Thor answers, losing focus. "I mean, you were right there."
"I was there, yes." Hulk responds. "I just assumed we were there to save the planet."
"No," Thor replies, "It was giving her power."
"So you destroyed it?" Tony asks, annoyed and confused now.
"No, we didn't destroy it." Thor protests. "Asgard is the people."
"You blew up everything!" Hulk says in a shocked voice.
"Couldn't you share?" Peter Parker asks, in a sad voice.
"No, we couldn't." Thor argues. "She broke my hammer!"
"What?" Tony asks.
"And she was also trying to kill us all." Thor adds. "It's complicated."
"Guys, can we focus!" Valkyrie shouts out, interrupting everyone.
"Right!" Thor says, and they all turn back to Hela who is smiling and chuckling mischievously.
"Are you done?" Hela asks. "Because I was quite enjoying your conversation."
"What is it you want?" Tony asks Hela, trying to take charge of the situation.
Hela glances at Tony, rolls his eyes, and shakes his head. "Are you letting rodents speak for you now, dear brother?"
"Rodents?" Tony says angrily. The sound of a charging repulsor can be heard, but not seen.
"Don't listen to him." Thor says. "He's only trying to provoke you." Thor locks eyes with Hela, debating his next move. "I didn't expect to ever see you again. I was certain you died on Asgard."
"Died?" Hela scoffs. "I'm the Goddess of Death..." Hela looks to the side with a lost in thought smile. "Well, God of Death now." He turns back to Thor. "What did you think would happen? Field of reeds?" He pauses for Thor to think about his answer. "Anyway, I've come to speak with you."
"Well, I have nothing to say to you!" Thor tells Hela.
Hela smiles very widely, now. "We could always just fight again," He tilts his head, places a hand on his left hip, and draws a blade from his right hand. "But I am sure you remember how our last battle went."
"And, I'm sure you'll find," Thor growls, "I am a very different person compared to our last encounter." In a quick rush, Thor tosses his ax, which gathers intense electricity as it soars through the air. The sky grows dark, and lightning seems to blindingly strike the weapon as it closes in on its target. Everyone covers their eyes.
The loud sound of trailing thunder fills the air, as it echoes across the ocean. Thor frowns with rage as everyone uncovers their face to see the damage.
Hela is still standing there unharmed, and is now holding the ax aloft in the air, by the back end. His pose is very similar to the one he held before breaking Mjolnir. "Did you really think that was going to work, this time?" Hela asks.
"No..." Thor whispers very loudly. Tony and a few of the others take a step back with concern, waiting to see what Thor is going to do.
Hela makes a daring face. Thor studies Hela, then looks at the ax, then back to Hela, then the ax again, before speaking.
"Please don't break my ax!" Thor starts to plead. "I don't think I could handle losing another weapon like it. It means a lot to me."
The others continue to watch in awe at the unexpected spectacle occurring just before their eyes. Even Valkyrie seems completely shocked by Thor's sudden vulnerability.
"Relax, you moron!" Hela says, dropping the ax with a loud thud. "I didn't come here to break your stupid new toy." He smirks again. "Nor enact primitive tendencies like revenge and petty grudges."
"You're not?" Thor asks, somewhat surprised.
"No, dear brother." Hela says in a very truthful tone. "What happened on Asgard was a war. You won and I lost." Thor looks at Hela, somewhat confused. "One thing father taught me, that he clearly didn't teach you was, never hold grudges in battle. It clouds your mind and is the quickest route to defeat."
Thor still looks confused, but is trying to regain his composure. "He might have mentioned it, at some point." He tells Hela, unsure.
"Anyway," Hela interrupts, "I am not here to fight." He looks around making sure to say this to everyone. "I am here," he looks back to Thor, "to cut a deal."
"To cut a deal?" "Tony asks. "What kind of deal?"
Hela rolls his eyes again and looks at Tony. "Son of Odin! That thing is still talking." He looks at Tony Stark challengingly, but is distracted by something else behind Tony and grins. "Thor, not only did you bring these primitive life forms to help you, but you brought a crippled one as well?"
"You watch your tone!" Tony Stark shouts angrily.
"Oh!" Hela giggles annoyingly. "I seem to have angered this one." Hela looks back toward Tony. "Is she your lover?"
"That's enough!" The Hulk says as he steps in front of Tony and the Captain. "Choose your next words wisely!" He says, pointing aggressively at Hela.
Hela looks Hulk up and down, places his hand on his own chest, and smiles mischievously. "Oh my. Whatever you say." The Hulk can't help but feel very uncomfortable now.
"Say your peace and leave." Thor snaps at Hela. "You will get nothing but pain by continuing to provoke my friends. If you haven't heard, they're the ones who recently took down the Mad Titan Thanos."
Hela turns back toward Thor. "Yes, I'm aware of your recent adventures on Sanctuary. In fact, that is a large part of the reason I am here."
"What does our fight with Thanos have to do with this?" Thor asks, somewhat curious now.
"Well, I was going to ask him for a favor, but it seems your new pets managed to get to him first." Hela says. "Now I've got to make an exception to my plans."
"You were going to ask Thanos for a favor?" Thor asks, rather surprised. "What makes you think Thanos would want to grant you any favors."
Hela smirks, puts away his dagger, then lifts his hand to look at his nails. "He kind of has a thing for me." He says.
"Eww..." Peter Quill says aloud from somewhere behind Thor.
Hela doesn't like this and glares at Star-Lord for a long moment. Thor can't help but silently chuckle.
"The halfling." Hela says, recognizing Star-Lord. "Your father would be so pleased to see you again, if you'd like me to arrange that?"
"You know my father?" Star-Lord asks, somewhat intrigued now. Hela smirks again.
"She means, she'll kill you." Nebula tells Star-Lord. "She guards the gates to the underworld. She exerts control over all life and death."
"Are you saying he can bring back Gamora?" Rocket asks aloud.
"I already told you idiots!" Hela snaps. "Your friend is not dead. She's been claimed by the Soul Stone." As Hela says this he opens his right hand revealing the very same stone. Everyone takes a step back, afraid Hela may use it. "Once claimed by the soul stone, there is no escaping. You'll find it much greedier than even I am."
"How did you get that?" Star-Lord asks.
Hela smiles. "It's mine, Egoson. I've been the stone's guardian for the last 5000 years."
"And you hid this from Thanos?" Gamora asks.
"He never asked." Hela responds coyly. "He had the same odds of finding it as everyone else."
"Why are you saying all this to us?" Thor asks, realizing the severity of Hela's revelation. "You realize we could just take it from you?"
"You're welcome to try." Hela says happily before closing his hand and causing the stone to vanish. "But then you'd just be making things harder for everyone."
"Are you saying you might give us the stone?" Thor asks, un-trustingly.
"Not give, Brother." Hela replies. "But I might let you borrow it for a moment."
"Borrow?" Thor asks, shocked. He turns to the others and sees that most seem as equally surprised. "Why would you let us do that?"
Hela's smirk turns into a very big smile. "For Asgard."
"Asgard?" Thor asks, confused. "Why for Asgard? Asgard was destroyed."
"Yes, and I intend to bring it back." Hela replies.
"Bring it back..." Thor repeats. "How? By collecting the stones?" He asks.
Hela shakes his head. "Not all of them..." He raises a finger. "Just one."
"Just one?" Thor wonders aloud.
"The reality stone." Nebula responds. "That stone alone has the power of creation. It can create matter, life, and even entire planets."
"See, this one knows." Hela says gesturing toward Nebula. He looks him up and down and raises an interested eyebrow.
"So, you want me to help you steal the reality stone?" Thor asks.
"Maybe not steal." Hela responds. "Maybe borrow it. I don't know. It all depends on how the Idiot King reacts."
"Idiot King?" Thor doesn't know who Hela is talking about.
"He means your cousin!" Rocket tells Thor. "The God of Lightning. That moron has been waving the reality stone around everywhere, like it's a trophy."
"Oh, Zeus?" Thor says. "He's not my cousin. In fact, we're not even related at all."
"We figured as much." Rocket responds. "It's just easier to call him that."
"Ok," Thor says, turning back to Hela, "so let me get this straight. You want me to approach Zeus, and ask him if we can borrow his infinity stone, restore Asgard, and then you'll let us use your stone?"
"In a manner of speaking," Hela pauses to smile, "yes."
"And why can't you just ask him yourself?" Valkyrie asks.
"Because he has already returned to Omniopence City," Hela pauses to sigh loudly before continuing, "and I am banned from Olympus."
"Banned from Olympus?" Thor asks aloud. "What did you do?"
"Dear Brother! Haven't you even studied your history?" Hela asks, somewhat baffled.
"Oh, that's right." Thor says somewhat sarcastically. "The whole, trying to conquer the nine realms thing." Thor nods, as he thinks back on it. "And what makes you think I would ever trust you?"
Hela begins to smile again. "Because, Brother. I've brought you a gift." As he tells Thor this Hela raises his left hand, and several streams of black smoke seem to protrude from the sand. Soon they reach a height of nearly two meters and take on a human-like shape. When the smoke clears, there is a small blond curly haired woman bound and gagged standing in front of Hela. The woman looks terrified and panicked.
Hela releases the gag and pushes the woman forward, causing her to fall into the sand. The woman looks up at Thor, then looks toward Tony, Valkyrie and then the others before speaking. "Please noble heroes," she cries out, "You have to help me! This horrible monster is threatening to end my life and torture me."
"Oh, for the love of..." Hela rolls his eyes once again, takes a few steps forward, and kicks the woman hard.
"Owww!" The woman exclaims. She looks at Hela angrily. "I was going to tell them. No need to be so rough." Despite having her hands bound behind her back, the woman stands up on her own and casts a spell to look like her more familiar image.
"Loki!" Thor shouts happily. "You're alive!"
"Yes brother." Loki responds. "I'm alive. We really should stop meeting like this."
"By the Gods." Thor says happily, stepping toward his brother and starting to tear up. He doesn't get to say much more before he hears Tony Stark charging a laser. He turns and can see Natasha, Clint, and a few others are even more on guard now. Tony is unmistakably pointing two repulsor cannons directly at Loki.
"Wait! Wait, wait!" Thor shouts, turning around and blocking Loki. "He's our friend now!"
"Excuse me?!" Tony Stark asks aloud. "Friend? You realize, the last time we saw him, he had just caused the deaths of over seventy innocent lives?"
"Yes, but he's changed now." Thor protests.
"Didn't he destroy your planet?" Spider-Man asks.
"Well, yes," Thor shrugs, "but..." Thor tries to think of an easy way to tell them, but can't, "we asked him to do that."
"What?! You asked him to?" Tony shouts, now annoyed and confused. He lowers his beams and grabs his temples. "OK, now my head is starting to hurt. I don't think I can deal with you and your family right now."
"I'm sorry. Tony... Guys." Thor gestures toward the others. "I promise, it'll all make sense." He turns back toward Hela and Loki. "Loki, are you alright? He didn't hurt you or anything?"
"No brother, I'm fine." Loki responds. "Just peachy." He tugs at the bindings.
"Why were you disguised as a woman?" Thor asks.
"Because, brother," Loki snaps. He peaks back over his shoulder to see Hela smirking again. He returns to the female form. "Because, I am a woman now."
"Oh..." Thor replies. "Oh! I uhm... I'm uhh... sorry." Loki hears a strange tone in her brother's voice and looks up at his face.
Are you..." Loki scowls, "Are you laughing at me?!" She gets annoyed and tries kicking Thor. Her small feet cause her to just shoot sand at him. Thor is chuckling loudly now. Loki looks back toward Hela, annoyed. "Are you sure you don't want to just kill him now? I could help, you know."
"It's good to see you, my sister!" Thor says as he moves in and lifts Loki up in a hug.
Loki is still looking at Hela. "Or you could just kill me." She tells him sarcastically. "You'd be doing me a service."
"I found her trying to escape some time-police." Hela tells Thor. "It seems she's been causing quite the stir since I last saw you two."
"Time police?" Thor asks, setting Loki down. "I've never heard of such a thing. Are they new?"
"No," Hela responds, "They like to operate in secret. I'll hear about them every now and then from some of my lost souls."
"I assumed you knew about them." Loki tells Thor. "They're mostly Terran."
"Really?" Thor asks, fascinated.
"Can you untie me now?" Loki snaps at Hela. Hela looks to Thor for permission, which he gets with a nod. Loki lets loose a relieved breath as she is able to move freely, again.
"So, are you going to help me or not?" Hela asks, interrupting their reunion.
Thor looks at Hela, then Loki, then the Avengers. "How can I be sure," he asks, "you won't try to kill us? Especially once you've had your way?"
"Oh, I'm definitely going to try and kill you," Hela responds "but I figure it won't hurt to allow you and your merry men to have your one wish before I do so. It's not like I don't know what you're going to wish for. Gods know, that's all your team was screaming about at the hearing."
"Hold on a second." Tony calls out as he pushes through the sand to approach Thor. "Thor, you're not seriously thinking of taking this guy up on his offer, are you?"
"I don't know, Thor responds, thinking for a moment. "Maybe." He makes an unsure face toward Tony. "This could be my one chance to restore Asgard."
"But we need you here," Tony protests, "to get the stones."
"I am getting the stones, Tony." Thor replies. "In fact, I'd be getting two of them."
"Well.. yes, but..." Tony hesitates to think. "Didn't you just say that he was trying to kill you?"
"Yes, but this time is different." Thor counters. "This time it's just him versus me... and Valkyrie."
"What?" Valkyrie asks. "Don't drag me into this!"
"Come on, Valkyrie." Thor pleads. "It's Asgard! Then afterwards we can extract our vengeance on him."
"I'm not going anywhere with you two." Valkyrie protests. "Don't you remember? Last time he kicked our asses."
"Yeah, but this time we have Loki, my sister!" Thor adds. "She's a powerful sorcerer!"
"Hang on!" Loki says. "I never volunteered for this!"
"And didn't he try to kill you, also?" Tony Stark contributes. "Like, several times?"
"Yes, he did!" Thor confirms. "But he's different now. A changed... woman. She's one of the good guys now."
"I don't know if I would necessarily call myself good." Loki says with a charming grin.
Tony turns to Loki and glares angrily. "Look, I know you look different now, but I still don't trust you, and I definitely don't like you!"
"Is it because I threw you out the window?" Loki asks. "I knew it wouldn't kill you."
"See, she wasn't trying to kill you." Thor tries to contribute. "She just plays around like that sometimes. Like this one time, when we were kids, she pretended to be a snake. She knows I love snakes..."
"Ok, no!" Valkyrie interrupts. "I am definitely not getting a spaceship with you and your two psychotic siblings!"
"See, I'm too dangerous." Loki agrees. "You can't trust me."
"Loki, you're going!" Thor says, matter of factly before talking to Valkyrie. "Ok, fine. What if we bring someone else... and beer?"
"I don't know," Valkyrie wonders, "Maybe."
"Great!" Thor says happily, before looking around. He spots the Hulk. "Banner! Do you wanna join us on another adventure?"
"No can do." Hulk responds. "I have to stay here, help Tony, and the others."
"Right." Thor answers, before looking around again. "What say you... Guardians?" Thor asks Star-Lord directly.
Star-Lord crosses her arms as if pretending to think. "We could probably join you." She offers. "But we'd have to take our ship." She points to it just further up the beach. "We won't all fit in that one." He points at the Commodore.
"Well, I'm not flying in that thing!" Hela says, looking at the Benetar.
"I'm not either." Loki adds.
"What's wrong with my ship?" Star-Lord asks, offended.
"You guys can't go either!" Tony protests toward Star-Lord. "There are four other stones on this planet we need to find."
"He has a point." Rocket adds.
"But he has the soul stone." Peter Quill says, pointing at Hela. "That's the only one I care about right now."
Rocket looks at Hela, then back at Star-Lord. She is unsure what to say, as she feels the same way.
"I'll go!" Nebula suddenly speaks up.
"Yes!" Thor shouts. "My brother!"
"We'll go together!" Star-Lord tells Nebula.
"No!" Nebula responds. "Your ship isn't capable of traveling to Olympus."
"Don't tell me what my ship can't do." Star-Lord protests.
"You have to take the Rainbow Road. It would destroy your vessel, and you along with it." Nebula tells them. "Stay here. Help them retrieve the stones. I will bring back my sister... and the stones."
"Oooh! Very bold of you!" Hela says with interest. "You're welcome to try, but no one has ever succeeded." Nebula looks toward Hela and nods. "But," Hela continues, "only after you've helped me restore Asgard."
Nebula doesn't hesitate and nods again.
"Nebula!" Star-Lord calls, suddenly feeling emotional. "Are you sure about this? We can come with you."
"It's fine." Nebula replies. "She's my sister. I have to try."
"Wait!" Rocket shouts as she comes rushing up. "Take this." Nebula has to kneel down as Rocket places a tiny device in his hand. "Just press that button, and you can call us at any time. We'll be there in an instant."
"Thank you." Nebula responds. He is unsure why, but he instinctively strokes Rocket's head. She seems to like it. Nebula looks up at the others, then locks eyes with Drax, who has been silent the entire time. "I'll come back."
Drax nods and places a fist against her breasts in a form of warrior's salute. "I'll wait for you." she tells Nebula.
"By the Odenforce!" Hela says in surprise. "Has she just been standing there the whole time?"
"You could not see me," Drax says, "because I have mastered the art of invisibility."
Star-Lord shakes her head, and chooses not to say anything. Hela just shrugs accepting the answer.
"Very well then!" Thor says loudly. "We're good." He looks at Valkyrie. "Are we good?"
Valkyrie thinks for a moment before responding. "Fine, we're good, but you said there'd be drinks. There'd better be drinks!"
"Yes, Loki can handle that." Thor tells him.
"I still haven't agreed to go." Loki protests.
"Loki, we need you." Thor tells her as he places a hand on her shoulder. "You know what Hela is capable of, and after everything that has happened, I still trust you."
Loki grumbles but feels Thor's words. "You really shouldn't, brother."
"But I do!" Thor retorts. He then looks at Tony. "Tony, I promise, when we meet again, I will have two stones in hand, and we will once again, save the Universe."
Tony studies Thor hesitantly, but realizes it may be their best choice, so he agrees. "Fine, just be careful ok, Thor." Using Thor's name feels a little odd, but it has the desired effect. Thor nods accepting Tony's concern.
"I'm always careful!" Thor says, turning back toward Hela. He reaches out and his ax flies back into his hand.
"Are we ready?" Hela asks casually.
"Yes, I believe so." Thor responds.
"Then let's go." Hela turns to walk away but stops for one last look at the Hulk. "I hope to see you again sometime." He says with a wink, before turning back toward the Commodore and beginning to trek through the sand. His horns start to shrink until they become greasy hair once more.
Valkyrie openly shutters. "Creepy!" He says of Hela's behavior. "He's not going to act like that the entire way, is he?"
"I don't know." Thor responds, also feeling uneasy.
"You do know, he's going to betray us, right?" Loki asks. "I mean he basically and very openly admitted it."
"Yes I do, sister." Thor tells Loki. "When he does," Thor lifts his ax, "we'll be ready."
Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, and Nebula all turn toward the Commodore and follow Death into the ship.