The Avengers
Chapter 5: The Avengers
Thor and Lyssa flew over the city, aiming for Stark Tower where they could see Loki standing on the Iron Man landing pad. He was observing the city below, watching as chaos reigned. Civilians ran for cover, fighting when they couldn’t hide, while police officers did their best to protect their innocents.
Thor and Lyssa landed quietly and gracefully on the veranda and looked up at the man they once called ‘brother’.
“Loki!” Thor called, drawing the Trickster’s attention. Loki turned to look at them, a single, elegant eyebrow arched at the sight of Aria strapped to Lyssa’s chest. Aria grinned up at him. “Turn off the Tesseract, or I will destroy it.” Thor ordered firmly.
Lyssa winced, her wings fluttering behind her. “Yeah, honey, about that.” She said, turning to her beloved. “It can’t be turned off.” Lyssa said sheepishly.
“My gazelle-eyed sister is correct, brother.” Loki said, aiming his scepter at them. “There is no stopping it. There is only…” he paused, gritting his teeth. His eyes flickered, changing from blue to green and then back to blue. For several seconds, his eyes shifted, unnoticed by anyone, until they turned back to blue and didn’t change again. “The war.” Loki finished with an angry growl.
“So, be it.” Thor said with resignation. Loki let out a yell and leapt off the landing pad, his scepter raised high and brought it down on Thor and Lyssa. Thor grunted as he blocked the strike, Lyssa dodging the blow and launching herself into the air. “Go! Aid the others!” Thor shouted to her, ducking another strike by Loki before delivering one of his own in return.
Lyssa nodded and flew down towards the street, one arm curled around Aria protectively. At the same time, she could hear the sounds of Thor and Loki exchanging strike for strike, each one being blocked by the other before it was retaliated. She cleanly avoided the large letter that fell from the tower’s side as a result of the duel, waving her hand so that it landed away from the panicking civilians.
“Take cover!” Lyssa shouted, waving her hands in practiced motions to clear paths for the civilians. At the same time, she wandlessly flung aside any Chitauri fighter, whether on the ground or on a chariot, that came near her. “Hurry! Get to safety!” She shouted, landing on the road as she continued her wandless spell casting.
“Huwwy!” Aria shouted, waving her own hands and mirroring Lyssa’s actions.
The civilians seemed too preoccupied and panicked to take notice of the magic Lyssa and Aria were using. Lyssa prayed that it meant they would avoid exposure, not too eager to deal with Cleaners, or the Ministry of Magic for that matter; though the Americans had become more lenient in recent years because of the ‘heroes’ popping up, allowing magic to be used so long as it wasn’t recognized as such, they were just as strict about the Statute of Secrecy as any other magical government. The Americans wouldn’t hesitate to send in Obliviators and if they couldn’t do the job, then Cleaners would be given the task of safeguarding the secret.
So long as Lyssa and Aria didn’t verbally cast any spells, they would be able to maintain the secret. They could excuse their powers, along with Thor and Loki’s, as being a part of their Asgardian heritage. Or so Lyssa hoped.
The Quinjet flew overhead and she shot into the air, maneuvering herself so that she was flying over it. Despite the jet still being in flight and not slowing down, Lyssa easily landed on the roof just as she and Thor had the previous night, adjusting her stance to maintain her balance. Tony flew past the jet at high speed, chased by a squad of Chitauri chariot flyers. Natasha and Clint activated the railgun from beneath the Quinjet’s belly, firing in rapid succession. At the same time, Lyssa cast a series of explosion and blasting spells with the same rapid succession while Aria copied her actions. Both the gun and the spells hit their mark, causing a fiery chain reaction as the chariots all exploded one after another.
The Quinjet, with Lyssa and Aria on the roof, glided through the resulting clouds of dark grey smoke. The railgun continued being fired and Lyssa and Aria followed suit, firing blasting and explosion spells at any fighter they saw. Feeling the jet tilt sideways slightly in a glide, Lyssa lifted herself off the roof and flew alongside it as they approached Stark Tower. Thor and Loki were still battling, the brothers evenly matched.
“Daddy!” Aria shouted before Lyssa could stop her.
Thankfully, her tiny voice was lost amid the chaos and Thor wasn’t distracted from his duel.
“No, baby. You can’t call for Daddy.” Lyssa said firmly. “It will only distract him from the fight.” She knocked on the jet window, catching Clint and Natasha’s eyes and gestured towards the princes.
Clint seemed to understand what she had been trying to say and nodded, exchanging a look with Natasha. The redheaded spy made a series of gestures to Lyssa as Clint maneuvered the jet to face the Tower nose first. Lyssa nodded and flew up, hovering over the windshield but staying out of Natasha and Clint’s way.
Loki succeeded in throwing Thor to the side. As soon as the blonde prince was out of the way, Natasha fired the railgun at Loki, Lyssa casting an enhanced Fire-Making Spell at the same time. The railgun bullets didn’t seem to penetrate the armor, but the spell hit him dead center, pushing him back several feet. He managed to regain his bearings enough to aim his scepter at the jet and fire a pulse, hitting the side before Lyssa could deflect it.
Thor barreled into Loki with a roar and Lyssa turned her attention to the burning jet. She could see Clint and Natasha both struggling to maintain altitude as they dropped.
“Mummy!” Aria cried in alarm.
“We need to slow the jet down.” Lyssa said calmly, only her racing heart belying her expression. “Remember, silent spells only.”
Aria nodded. Mother and daughter worked in unison to slow down the jet’s momentum. While they weren’t quite so successful in keeping the craft from crashing into several trees, they were able to slow down the descent enough that the civilians were able to clear the area. They also succeeded in keeping the jet from crashing straight into one of the many buildings that surrounded them, though it did clip a few at the corners.
The rear hatch opened, and Steve ran out, in full suit with his mask on, followed by Natasha and Clint. The three of them stopped in front of Lyssa and Aria, simultaneously assessing their surroundings, the chaos they had landed in and examining the young mother and child for outward signs of injury.
“We’re okay.” Lyssa said quickly, noticing the onceovers she and Aria were being given.
“Otay.” Aria echoed, smiling up at the adults.
Trusting them both to know their bodies and their limits, even if Aria was still a child, Steve turned and jogged towards the road. “We gotta get back up there.” He called over his shoulder.
Natasha, Clint and Lyssa followed after him, easily keeping pace with his long strides. At the same time, Natasha gave Lyssa a comm unit that she put in her ear, tuning into the frequency that they were using while Clint secured another one to Aria’s ear.
A loud mechanical grumble echoed on the air, piercing through the panicked screams of the clamoring civilians. Steve, Natasha, Clint and Lyssa slowed to a stop in front of Grand Central Station, all four of them and Aria looking up at the sky. More specifically, at the portal in the sky above Stark Tower.
They could only watch in horror as a massive Leviathan emerged, flanked by hundreds of chariot flyers. Fighters were launched from the Leviathan’s sides, catching themselves on the towering buildings that New York was known for. While some slid down to the ground, others crashed through the windows and into the buildings where civilians had taken refuge in groups. All at once, the civilians, who had paused and looked up at the portal when the mechanical grumble filled the air, resumed their panicking and screaming, all of them clamoring to get to safety.
“Uh oh.” Aria said her eyes wide.
Lyssa just nodded mutely; all that she had seen, in her past lives and her current life, could not have prepared her for the sight before her.
“Stark, are you seeing this?” Steve asked numbly, not tearing his gaze away from what he was seeing. It was as though the surge of chariots was endless, pouring out through the portal in droves.
“Seeing.” Tony replied. “Still working on believing.”
“Same.” Lyssa said numbly.
“Uh huh.” Natasha and Clint agreed, nodding, slack jawed.
“Where’s Banner?” Tony asked, becoming serious. “Has he shown up yet?”
“Banner?” Steve asked in confusion, shaking himself out of his stupor.
“Just keep me posted.” Tony ordered. “JARVIS, find me a soft spot.”
Lyssa threw up a Protego spell, protecting them against a series of weapons blasts fired at them. In retaliation, Clint fired several arrows that Aria silently charmed to explode on impact.
“Wicked.” The archer breathed in amazement, seeing the arrows explode. He looked at Aria, the toddler grinning brightly. “Good girl.” He praised her.
“Yay!” Aria cheered happily, clapping her hands delightedly. Aria laughed delightedly as she played ‘rag doll’ with two of the fighters, levitating them into each other repeatedly.
Lyssa cocked her head to the side, looking at her daughter’s delighted expression. “Should I be worried about her apparent love for battle and carnage?” Lyssa asked in concern.
Natasha shrugged. “Hell if I know.” She said unconcernedly. “I’m not a Mom.”
“Her dad is a warrior-prince and you’re both from legendary warrior races.” Clint pointed out. “At least Thor is, I’m not too sure about Light Elves. My mythology sucks.” He admitted sheepishly, firing off another series of arrows that also exploded on impact.
“We are warriors, too.” Lyssa said nodding. She cast a series of fire, blasting and explosion spells in rapid succession. Aria continued playing ‘rag doll’, though she had moved on to another group of fighters since her previous set had become nothing more than a lump of metal and flesh. “Just not as much as the Asgardians.” Lyssa said. “Our divine designations are more nature based. Sun, Moon, Spring, Harvest.” She listed a few.
“And you?” Natasha asked curiously. “Anything other than the Moon?”
“Magic and Healing.” Lyssa replied. “But right now, the magic part is more along the lines of what I learned in school since I’m still regaining all my memories.”
“I’m confused.” Clint said, looking between the two redheads in confusion. “What are you two talking about?”
“Remember, I told you that Lyssa was a reincarnated Goddess.” Natasha reminded him, her attention focused on shooting at the chariots overhead.
“Yeah, I remember. Clearly there’s a lot more to that conversation that I clearly missed.” Clint muttered. Natasha had really just given him an overview to explain Lyssa’s changed appearance after she mentioned that the witch and Thor had been present. It was more of a preemptive measure so he wouldn't be too shocked when he actually saw her, which turned out to be a good thing.
“You have no idea.” Natasha said with a sigh.
They ducked behind an abandoned taxicab for a momentary respite, Clint keeping his hawk-eyed gaze on their surroundings. Natasha reloaded her guns with fresh clips while Lyssa retracted her wings for the moment and adjusted Aria’s position in the sling. The toddler was pressing quite painfully against Lyssa’s chest, despite the protective, armored bodice. Lyssa let out a sigh of relief when the pressure eased, Aria oblivious to her mother’s brief discomfort as the pale sunlight glinting off their tiaras. Steve, who had split away to scout the surroundings, rejoined the trio and toddler behind the taxicab.
“We’ve got civilians still trapped up here.” Clint said, gesturing to the buildings across from them. Amid the fighting, they had managed to get the civilians hiding in the abandoned and idling vehicles to safety. But they hadn’t been successful in doing the same for those stuck inside the public bus.
Loki flew past them on the back of a chariot, followed by a squad of chariot flyers.
“Loki.” Lyssa said softly, her moonlit eyes filled with sadness. “But where’s Thor?” She asked in concern.
“Daddy?” Aria asked.
Before anyone could respond, explosions rocked the streets as the Chitauri fired at the idling cars below without prejudice. The civilians that had been hiding behind the vehicles screamed as they ran for cover once more, dodging the explosions as best they could.
Chaos reigned throughout the city, unchecked and unchallenged.
“They’re fish in a barrel down there.” Steve remarked, looking down at the street directly below them. Officers, both on and off duty, struggled to stay ahead of the explosions while providing what cover they could for civilians to escape.
Natasha stood up and fired her guns at the fighters, Lyssa and Aria following suit with explosion spells. Several fighters dropped down in front of them from the passing overhead chariots.
“We got this.” Natasha told Steve, gesturing to herself, Clint, Lyssa and Aria. “It’s good. Go.”
“Do you think you can hold them off?” Steve asked, looking at Clint and Lyssa for confirmation.
“Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.” Clint replied with a grin. In one swift move, he shot to his feet, spun around and fired an arrow at one of the fighters, hitting it dead center in the forehead.
Lyssa conjured a ball of flames in her hand and threw it at another fighter while Aria cast an enhanced blasting spell. Both of their spells hit true to their targets, causing a chain reaction of explosions. “We have this covered.” Lyssa said with a brilliant smile.
“Mummy, Awia wanna go wit Unnle ‘Teve.” Aria said, reaching out to the Captain.
Steve looked stunned at being called ‘Uncle’ before registering the request. He glanced at Lyssa who gave him a half shrug. “It’s up to you.” She said.
Steve looked back at Aria, seeing the hopeful expression on her cherubic features. “Sweetie, I’d love for you to come with me, but the truth is, I don’t very much experience fighting with a baby strapped to my chest. Not the way your Mommy and Daddy do.” Steve said regretfully.
“Otay.” Aria said, looking dejected.
“Next time.” Steve said sincerely.
“Pwomise?” Aria asked, holding her tiny hand out with the pinky extended towards him.
“Promise.” Steve said determinedly, linking their pinkies together. They shook, sealing the agreement before pulling apart.
While Natasha fired her guns in rapid succession, Steve turned and vaulted over the hood of the taxicab. Lyssa and Aria turned their focus on Natasha and Clint, who were seamlessly working in unison, firing their guns and arrows respectively. The two witches wasted no time in charming the bullets and arrows to explode on impact. At the same time, Lyssa erected a shield around them all to protect them against the resulting explosions while still allowing Natasha and Clint’s bullets and arrows to go through.
“Baby, you see that bus over there? With the people trapped inside?” Lyssa asked.
Aria nodded in response.
“We need to expand the shield to cover it so Uncle Clint can help the driver get everyone to safety.” Lyssa said.
“Otay, Mummy.” Aria replied.
“Clint, on my signal.” Lyssa called to the archer before he had the chance to register what he had been referred to. Not waiting for a response, Lyssa and Aria worked in unison to expand the Protego spell, pouring more power into it while keeping it one-way to allow Natasha’s bullets to penetrate it. Lyssa gritted her teeth, her brow furrowed in concentration. Aria whimpered, her tongue sticking out between her teeth in concentration. Slowly, the shield expanded, inch by inch, until it covered the entire bus as well as the entrance of the closest building. “Go!” Lyssa shouted.
Clint didn’t waste any time and neither did the driver. Both men worked in conjunction, the driver helping each passenger through the window while Clint caught them and set them to the ground. As soon as the last child was through, they both manually pushed open the doors, Clint from the outside and the driver from the inside.
“The buiwdin’.” Aria shouted to the clamoring passengers, pointing to the partially shielded building.
“Head to that building over there!” Lyssa yelled in explanation. “We have the entrance shielded, but it’s not going to last long!”
The passengers immediately ran to the building, the adults taking hold of the children’s hands to keep from being separated. For all their panic and the chaos that reigned, there was a measure of order as the adults kept the children close while running for safety.
As soon as the last of the civilians were off the bus, Clint rejoined Natasha in firing at the fighters. Both spies stood just behind Lyssa and Aria, providing cover while the two witches focused on maintaining the enhanced shield to protect the still-exposed civilians.
“Just like Budapest all over again.” Natasha remarked.
“You and I remember Budapest very differently.” Clint said dryly, firing his arrows in quick succession.
Lyssa canceled the shield spell once the last of the civilians were out of the open and turned her attention onto the fighters. They seemed to realize that they were no longer being held back and surged forward, crowding around the heroes.
Natasha and Clint displayed their array of lethal combat skills while Lyssa showed that having a toddler strapped to her chest did not, in fact, impede her ability to fight. The witch spun on her heels, ducking weapons blasts and firing several Cascading Jinxes in quick succession. The jinx targeted the fighters in close range, causing explosions that resulted in a chain reaction. Natasha holstered her guns and used her Widow’s Bite against the group of fighters that closed in on her, swiftly climbing up onto one’s shoulders, pinning it in place with her legs while activating her weapon. Clint leapt over a taxicab and fired his arrows in rapid succession, stalking towards a fighter that was approaching Lyssa from the side while she was focused on casting another Cascading Jinx. He used his bow to swipe its legs out from underneath, slamming it down onto its back before plunging an arrow into its chest.
“Thanks.” Lyssa breathed in relief.
“No problem.” Clint replied, grinning playfully at her.
“Well, we got its attention.” Tony said, though it was obvious he wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. “What the hell was step two?”
“Not getting killed!” Lyssa exclaimed, firing off a series of blasting and explosion spells.
“Bad awien!” Aria shouted, waving her hands at the fighters. They shot ten feet into the air before falling back to the ground where Lyssa smoothly blew them up with a Cascading Jinx.
“Good girl!” Natasha praised proudly, grabbing a Chitauri staff weapon. She easily figured out how to use it, firing it at a fighter before using it as an add-on while going up against another pair simultaneously.
Several more fighters dropped down around them, firing their staffs. Aria fired off a series of fire, blasting and explosion spells while Lyssa dodged the weapons fire. Clint slid across the ground, laying back and using his low vantage point to fire his arrows up at the chariots and their flyers, Lyssa charming the weapons to explode on impact.
Steve leapt over the bridge railing and landed gracefully in front of the spies and the witches. He used his shield to attack the fighters as well as defend against the weapon blasts, covering Clint as he got back to his feet.
Like a never-ending wave, more fighters surged towards the small group. But before any of them could fight back, a streak of lightning shot down from the sky, branching out and striking each fighter simultaneously.
“Thor.” Lyssa said with a grin. She watched as the Thunderer landed on his knee in front of them.
“Daddy!” Aria called delightedly.
“My gazelle eyes, my love.” Thor said, smiling at them and looking relieved that they were relatively okay. He pushed himself up to his feet using a nearby car, his right hand clutching his left side.
Lyssa frowned, seeing the way he was holding his side and hurried to him. “What happened?” She asked in concern. Before Thor could reply, she looked up at him with a fierce expression. “And don’t you dare say it is nothing, Thor Odinson.” She warned.
“Loki stabbed me.” Thor replied. “’Tis no big deal.” He added quickly.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” She replied with a growl. She looked at his wound which, admittedly, wasn’t very deep or life-threatening. She waved her hand over the wound, a soft, silvery-golden glow emitting from her palm. The glow was different from the one she emanated which appeared as though the moon was shining from beneath her skin.
Natasha, Clint and Steve watched in amazement as the stab wound healed and Thor’s armor repaired itself. Within a second, there was neither a stab wound nor a point of entry in the God’s clothes.
“Awl gone.” Aria chirped cheerfully.
“That was cool.” Steve said faintly. Clint and Natasha nodded in agreement.
“Wait, why didn’t you do that when you were healing me on the Helicarrier?” Natasha asked curiously.
“This form of healing emits a glow. The kind I used on you had no such effect.” Lyssa replied. “I was also trying to avoid drawing Hulk’s attention away from Thor.”
Natasha nodded in understanding. Though she could have done without the side effect she had experienced, she hadn’t been in any hurry to revisit her encounter with the massive Hulk when he was already pissed off. She was well aware that her actions in bringing Bruce into the fold hadn’t endeared her to either aspect of the scientist’s personality.
Steve shook his head and turned to Thor. “Okay, what’s the story upstairs?” Steve asked, the question bringing everyone back on track.
“The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable.” Thor replied.
“Thor’s right.” Tony called over the comms, zooming passed them with several chariots on his tail. “We gotta deal with these guys.”
“How do we do this?” Natasha asked.
“As a team.” Steve said.
“I have unfinished business with Loki.” Thor said.
“As do I.” Lyssa said in agreement.
“Yeah? Well, get in line.” Clint retorted, collecting his arrows and keeping the still usable ones while tossing the ones that weren’t.
“Awia too!” Aria chirped, not wanting to be left out.
“Save it.” Steve said firmly, ending the forming bickering match before it could start. “Loki’s going to keep this fight focused on us, and that’s what we need. Without him, these things could run wild.” Steve turned around to face the group. “We got Stark up top. He’s going to need us to…” He trailed off as the sound of an engine rumbling reached them.
Steve turned to the sound, the rest of the group following his line of sight. It was Bruce riding up to them on a motorcycle, a helmet on his head. He cut the engine, removed the helmet and climbed off the bike, walking towards them.
“Unnle Bwuce!” Aria called delightedly, a bright smile on her face.
Bruce smiled at her. His raised eyebrow was the only indication of his surprise at what Aria called him. “So, this all seems horrible.” He commented as they all met in the middle.
“I’ve seen worse.” Natasha said with a shrug.
“Sorry.” Bruce apologized sheepishly.
“Trust me. This is nothing compared to the Hogwarts Great Hall after the boys’ ‘welcome back’ prank at the annual Welcome Feast.” Lyssa said.
“Or the celebration following the Battle of Harokin.” Thor added.
“And we could use a little worse.” Natasha told Bruce.
“Stark, we got him.” Steve said into his comm.
“Banner?” Tony asked in confirmation.
“Just like you said.” Steve remarked, impressed.
“Then tell him to suit up.” Tony ordered. “I’m bringing the party to you.”
He turned around the corner and flew towards the gathered group, the massive Leviathan on his tail. The massive creature swiped the corner of the building as it made the turn, sending debris, dust and glass everywhere.
Bruce, the only one with his back to the approach, turned around while everyone else looked on. Thor snarled, tightening his grip on Mjølnir while Aria cheered delightedly.
“I-I don’t see how that’s a party.” Natasha said, shaking her head and looking at the incoming beast.
Lyssa looked down at the delighted toddler before looking up at Thor. “She gets this from you.” Lyssa said exasperatedly.
“How is this my doing?” Thor asked defensively.
“Toddlers are not usually so excited about battles, carnage and massive beasts that can kill them with a flick of a tail!” Lyssa exclaimed.
“You were just as eager for battle!” Thor retorted. “Particularly when you had been Volstagg’s daughter and Fandral’s sister.”
“Not this much!” Lyssa argued, gesturing to their grinning daughter.
“Guys, now is really not the time.” Clint said as Tony flew over their heads
The Leviathan lowered itself to the ground, sliding between the idling and abandoned cars. Bruce began walking towards it.
“Dr. Banner.” Steve called to the scientist’s retreating back. “Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.”
“That’s my secret, Captain.” Bruce said over his shoulder, shooting the group at large a depreciative smile. “I’m always angry.”
Lyssa realized with a start that anger was Bruce’s anchor. She watched as Bruce let out a low roar and he began to morph just as he did on the Helicarrier. Except, this time, he allowed the change, letting it ripple over him seamlessly as his body grew in size and his skin turned a deep, green color. His clothes ripped as a result of the change, his shoes getting destroyed as well, and all that he was left wearing were the trousers, cut off at the knees.
The Hulk curled his hand into a fist, delivering a mighty punch to the Leviathan as soon as it was in range. The force of the blow combined with the creature’s own momentum pushed the Hulk back several feet until he was able to regain his purchase, stopping directly in front of the gathered group. The back end of the Leviathan flew upwards, arching through the air and curved over them.
“Hold on!” Tony called from above. He fired a small, anti-armor missile from his gauntlet at the Leviathan.
The attack hit the mark, causing an explosion along the Leviathan’s underbelly and sides. It also resulted in a series of explosions occurring all along the sides.
Immediately, Lyssa and Aria worked in tandem, casting an enhanced Protego around the entire group. As an added precaution, Thor moved so that he was standing in front of them while Steve curled around Natasha with his shield protecting them and Clint ducked behind an overturned van. Hulk, just as unfazed by the explosion as Thor and Lyssa were, leaned away from the heat and shifted slightly so that he was protecting Clint.
The Leviathan groaned low as it fell over the side of the bridge and onto the street below, the few civilians on the road ducking out of the way. It twitched for a second before falling completely still. Several warriors that lined the walls of the surrounding buildings screeched angrily and the Hulk roared back as Tony lowered down to the ground and filled in the group’s ranks.
The team stood back-to-back in a wide circle. Lyssa and Aria raised their hands while Thor lifted Mjølnir. Clint notched his bow while Natasha reloaded her guns with fresh clips and Steve adjusted his shield.
The Avengers had assembled, and they were ready. As was their youngest affiliate.