The Assemble
Chapter 6: The Assemble
“Send the rest.”
“Loki’s sending more!” Lyssa shouted in warning, turning her gaze up to the portal. Her new teammates didn’t even bother asking how she knew that, instead following her gaze to the portal.
Sure enough, just as the reincarnated Goddess had said, more Chitauri emerged from the portal. However, what she hadn’t said was that ‘more’ meant dozens of Leviathans and hundreds upon hundreds of chariot flyers. And every single one of the chariots and Leviathans made their way down to the city as soon as they emerged through the portal.
“You couldn’t have given a bit more detail?” Tony snarked sarcastically. “Like just what ‘more’ meant?!”
“It’s not an exact science!” Lyssa snapped. “And I would know because I am a scientist! All I heard was Loki saying ‘send the rest’!”
“Guys.” Natasha said, partly from nervousness at what they were facing and partly to nip the rising argument in the bud.
“Call it, Captain.” Tony said, becoming serious.
“All right, listen up.” Steve said firmly, easily slipping into the role of leader that he was tasked with. “Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof.” He pointed to the roof in question. “Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you, Lyssa and Aria got the perimeter. Anything gets over three blocks out, turn it back or turn it to ash.” Steve looked at Aria, meeting her large emerald green eyes with his own light blue orbs. “You got it, kiddo?” He asked her.
“Bad awiens.” Aria said with a determined expression on her tiny face.
“That’s right.” Steve said, nodding. “You and Mommy gotta blow the aliens up.”
“Can you give me a lift?” Clint asked Tony.
“Right.” Tony said, nodding.
“Be careful, my gazelle eyes.” Thor said softly to Lyssa, facing her and Aria. “I have only just gained you once more. I cannot bear to lose you again.” Though his voice was soft, the team’s close proximity allowed them to hear what he was saying and more importantly, the gut-wrenching anguish in his voice. He had an agonized expression on his face, matching his tone.
The team exchanged looks, each of them silently vowing to make sure that, above all, Thor wouldn’t lose Lyssa again. While each of them had lost people they loved, none of them could even begin to imagine the pain of finding true love only to lose it over and over again. Not even Steve and Bruce could imagine it, for all that they had lost the women they loved, one to the passing of time and the other going her separate way for her own safety, despite not wanting to.
“No sad, Daddy.” Aria said gently. Her voice was a clear resonance piercing through the cloud of sorrow and pain that had descended on the group at large. “Ch’auri no huwt Mummy and Daddy.” She declared, strong and firm.
Lyssa and Thor both gasped in shock as they felt a ripple of pure love wash over them, Magic responding to Aria’s declaration. The team looked at the couple in worry, each hoping that the gasp didn’t mean anything bad. While none of them particularly believed in the Norse pantheon as their religion, Steve’s own admission being along the lines of ‘there’s only one God’ as his personal belief, they could all agree that Thor and Lyssa were among their most powerful members.
“What just happened?” Clint asked, looking between Aria’s determined expression and Thor and Lyssa’s slack-jawed and wide-eyed ones.
“Sh-She just i-i-invoked W-Will Magic.” Lyssa stammered, still looking completely shell-shocked.
“Huh?” Tony responded intelligently.
“She willed it so that no harm would come to her mother or I.” Thor explained. “Aria’s pure desire to see us unharmed and her declaration had Magic invoking it upon us both.”
“Okay, for right now, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Steve asked, deciding to focus on what they needed for the moment and deal with everything later.
“Good thing.” Lyssa replied, shaking herself from her shock. Thor followed suit, both of them turning their attention onto the Captain.
“Okay, so, nothing’s changed, then.” Steve said. “We’ll deal with everything else later. Right now, let’s just focus on the battle we’re in.”
“Bad awiens!” Aria exclaimed.
“That’s right.” Steve agreed. “We focus on the bad aliens.”
Thor and Lyssa nodded, seeing the wisdom in the decision. They really didn’t have the luxury of examining Aria’s invocation of Will Magic, though both privately prayed that it was simply a manifestation of her accidental magic. Aria was already powerful; there was no telling what the future held for her if Will Magic was among her abilities. Pushing the turbulent thoughts aside, the couple turned to each other and kissed quickly, expressing all their love for one another in that single action.
Pulling apart, Thor turned to Aria and kissed her forehead gently and lovingly. “I love you, my dear daughter.” He said softly, meeting her emerald green eyes with his own blue ones.
“I lovey, too, Daddy.” Aria replied, reaching up as much as the sling would allow and pecking him on the lips.
Thor straightened up and looked at Lyssa. “And I love you, my gazelle eyes.” He said strongly.
“I love you, too.” Lyssa said with a small smile. She stepped back from him and unfurled her wings, shooting into the air.
Tony stepped towards Clint and grabbed the back of his suit. “Better clench up, Legolas.”
“Wha-?” Clint started to ask before ending with a scream as Tony fired his thrusters and shot into the air.
Tony dropped Clint off on his perch before flying through the streets, quickly catching up with Lyssa and Aria. The armored philanthropist and the two witches worked in tandem, firing spells and weapons at the Chitauri fighters and chariot flyers, blowing them up. Being mindful of the less than friendly mix of magic and technology, Tony focused on one side of the street while Lyssa and Aria focused on the other, but still stayed within shouting distance of each other even with the comms.
Overhead, dark storm clouds gathered, circling around the Empire State Building where Thor stood on the mast. He channeled a strong, concentrated current of lightning through Mjølnir and directed it straight at the portal. Immediately, many of the still-emerging fighters and chariot flyers were destroyed, the explosions rippling back through the portal. Several smaller lightning currents danced along the building’s length, preventing Thor’s actions from being stopped as the concentrated stream destroyed a Leviathan. The resulting explosions caused a chain reaction that blew up dozens more chariots and fighters, the blast centered around the portal.
“Stark, Lyssa, Aria, you got a lot of strays sniffing your tails.” Clint warned from his perch, continuously firing his arrows at the Chitauri.
“We noticed!” Lyssa replied, she and Tony turning a corner.
“We’re just trying to keep them off the streets.” Tony said.
“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.
“Well, they can’t bank worth a damn.” Clint remarked. “Find a tight corner.” He told them.
“I will roger that.” Tony replied. He gestured to Lyssa and they both picked up speed, zooming through the streets.
They turned a corner, passing Clint’s perch seconds before two of the chariots chasing them exploded. Lyssa and Tony both shifted their positions in order to fire spells and weapons at the other chariots, taking advantage of the opportunity they had been given.
The Chitauri didn’t seem very happy with their actions and picked up speed.
“Uh oh. Bad awiens angwy.” Aria chirped with wide eyes.
“No kidding.” Tony muttered.
“Less quipping, more flying!” Lyssa shouted, flapping her wings rapidly. She flew through the arch of one of the buildings with Tony beside her, the chariot flyers chasing after them.
With some very fancy maneuvering, Lyssa and Tony were able to manipulate two of the chariots to crash into a building, avoiding the resulting explosion in the process. They flew back the way they had come, through the arch as more chariot flyers chased after them.
“Oh, boy.” Tony muttered.
“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.
Somehow, with Lyssa facing forward, Aria managed to conjure a fireball and throw it at their pursuers. Aria’s aim was true, and the fireball hit the target, causing the lead flyer to go up in flames. The flames covering the flyer leapt from one to another and within seconds, there was a massive, fiery ball chasing after them.
Tony bit back a swear. He reached out and grabbed Lyssa’s hand, both of them pushing their flight capabilities to the limits as they flew out from beneath the arch. The flaming mass of fighters followed after them and as Tony and Lyssa arched upwards, their pursuers crashed into the building. There was a rippling explosion that took out several fighters clinging to the building’s side in the process.
“Nice call.” Tony remarked. “Though can we keep the fireballs for when we’re not somewhat indoors, kiddo?” Tony asked, looking at Aria through his visor.
“Otay.” Aria replied, looking suitably chastised. Despite being barely 3 years old, she seemed to have realized that she was a bit premature in throwing the fireball while they had been under the arch.
“But good work, kiddo.” Tony praised sincerely, not wanting the toddler to feel that she hadn’t done a good job when she certainly had.
Aria perked up. “Bad awiens go boom!” She cheered.
Lyssa laughed. “Yes, Prongslet, the bad aliens went boom.” She said.
“Barton, what else you got?” Tony asked.
“Thor is taking on a squadron down on Sixth.” Clint replied.
“Daddy!” Aria chirped happily.
“Yeah, your Daddy’s having fun and he didn’t invite us.” Tony said in mock disappointment.
Lyssa rolled her large, gazelle eyes with a laugh. “Come on.” She said, flying down the street.
Tony quickly caught up to her and just like before, the two adults and one toddler worked in tandem destroying the various fighters and chariot flyers they passed. Just as Steve had ordered, anything that got more than three blocks out was either turned back or turned to ash, the latter being the more used option. All the while, Aria was loudly shouting ‘Bad awiens!’ much Tony’s amusement.
“Aunnie Tasha!” Aria cried as the red-headed spy flew past them, on a chariot.
“What the hell?!” Tony exclaimed in shock. Despite the surprise, he didn’t waste any time in covering her back, taking care of Natasha’s pursuers, allowing the spy to focus on piloting her commandeered craft.
“Thank you!” Natasha called.
“Welcome!” Tony shouted, already several feet away. He and Lyssa focused their attention on the fighters converging on Steve, who was valiantly holding his own on the bridge.
Tony and Lyssa barreled through the fighters while Aria cast several Blasting Hexes in rapid succession. Tony landed in front of Steve, firing the miniature pulse rays at the Chitauri fighters. Lyssa landed as well, a few feet away from the men, and cast a Cascading Jinx that targeted a handful of fighters at once. At the same time, Aria used a Levitation Charm to play ‘ragdoll’ again with another pair of fighters.
“Tony, fire a pulse against the shield!” Lyssa shouted over the cacophony of noise that surrounded them. “Vibranium should amplify the blast!”
Neither Tony nor Steve responded, but they did as she suggested. Lyssa’s theory was correct, the vibranium shield amplifying the blast radius of Tony’s palm-pulse beam. Steve went a step further and guided his shield around, further increasing the range of the blast.
The result was a bridge full of dead Chitauri fighters.
Tony shot back into the air and resumed his task of maintaining a perimeter. Lyssa, and Aria, stayed with Steve, leaping off the bridge and onto the road below where they resumed the fight against the endless droves of fighters. Neither Steve nor Lyssa tried amplifying any spells with the shield, the risk of a volatile backlash too great.
Through the smoke and dust, Lyssa could see military tanks roll onto the scene, the soldiers immediately beginning to help. Some used the tanks’ weapons against the Chitauri while others climbed down from the armored vehicles and began evacuating civilians. Those out in the open were seen to first, naturally being more in danger than those that had managed to find shelter in the buildings, the soldiers getting them out of the line of fire with the police officers helping them.
On and on, the battle continued, explosions erupting regularly mingled with panicked screams from civilians. Amid it all was Aria’s periodic shout of ‘Bad awiens!’ and her delighted laughter.
“Should I just take this in stride or be worried about what it means?” Lyssa asked after Aria blew up a small group of fighters. Lyssa fired off a series of conjuration spells, creating knives and plunging them into the fighters. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad that she’s not afraid of what’s going on. But still, this much excitement over battle and carnage is not normal. At least, I don’t think it is.” She added as an afterthought.
“Definitely not normal for Earth. As far as my view goes.” Steve replied honestly, pointing out that his point of reference was at least 70 years old. He whacked a fighter with his shield and Lyssa fired a spell, the beam of light streaming over his shoulder and destroying the fighter creeping up behind him. “Thanks.” Steve said in relief. “But anyway, if her behavior is normal for the 21st century, I don’t have a clue. And she was also raised on Asgard for the past year. Maybe it’s normal for them?” He suggested. “And don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little?” Steve asked.
Aria fired off a series of Cascading Jinxes followed by Blasting Hexes and Exploding Curses. As each spell hit the target, causing a rippling explosion effect to surround them, Aria laughed delightedly, clapping her hands at the same time. “Yay!” She exclaimed happily. “Bad awiens!”
Lyssa and Steve looked between the cheerful toddler and the explosions she wrought. “No.” Lyssa said shaking her head and turning back to Steve. “I don’t think I’m overreacting.” She said faintly.
“Then again, what do I know.” Steve backtracked numbly.
“Captain, Lyssa, the bank on 42nd past Madison.” Clint called over the comms. “They’ve cornered a lot of civilians in there.”
“We’re on it.” Lyssa said, becoming serious. She looked at Steve. “You know where that is?” She asked.
“Yeah.” Steve replied, nodding.
Lyssa unfurled her wings and launched herself and Aria into the air. Steve leapt over an overturned motorcycle and Lyssa grabbed his hand before he could hit the ground, flying them through the streets. Steve took a second to get his bearings at the change before calling out directions. To Lyssa’s mild surprise, he was remarkably unfazed by the dizzying turns she was taking to avoid the ongoing battle around them.
They reached the bank barely two minutes later. Through the windows, they could see the crowd of civilians packed within the foyer, a group of four Chitauri fighters on the upper level, pointing their weapons down.
“Launch me through the upper window!” Steve shouted.
Rather than giving a verbal response, she did as he told her, sending him flying in through the window. Steve curled to a ball as soon as he hit the floor and rolled to a smooth stop as Lyssa flew in behind him. He gracefully uncurled himself back into a standing position, flinging his shield at the fighter holding a beeping device without pausing. The fighter dropped the device and was knocked over, but the action drew the attention of the other three.
The Chitauri fired their weapons at Steve, Lyssa and Aria, all three of them dodging the blasts. The fighters continued firing their weapons, pinning Lyssa, Steve and Aria behind an upturned desk.
“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.
Steve kicked the upturned table towards the fighters, pushing them back. One tumbled over the front of the desk while the other two were pinned against the railing. Lyssa and Steve swiftly got their feet and attacked the pinned fighters with swift moves, quickly snapping their necks. The crowd watched with bated breath, all of them gasping when the two fighters were swiftly killed. Steve’s opponent was thrown over the railing and down into the foyer, the crowd immediately moving away from the dead creature.
“Everyone! Clear out!” Steve ordered. “Lyssa, help them!”
Lyssa nodded and vaulted over the railing, hovering above the foyer. She turned back to Steve when she heard him straining, finding him struggling against a fighter that had its arms wrapped around him from behind.
“I can’t get a clear shot!” Lyssa shouted helplessly, the Captain being inadvertently used a shield.
“Protect them!” Steve gritted out, straining against the grip on him.
Trusting him and his choice, Lyssa dropped down several feet and waved her hands. “Aria, shield.” She said softly to the silent toddler.
Aria obeyed, waving her hands in time with Lyssa’s, helping her enhance the shield further to protect the crown of civilians. “Bad awiens!” Aria growled, showing anger for the first time since the battle began.
Steve managed to flip over the fighter’s shoulder to land behind it, reversing their roles and losing his mask in the struggle. His action wasn’t a moment too soon as the remaining fighter regained its bearing and fired its weapon, catching the alien rather than the human. But before either Avenger or the toddler could express their relief, the beeping emitting from the device increased in tempo and the remaining fighter picked it up.
Lyssa and Aria poured more magic into the shield while Steve grabbed his shield and ducked behind it. Less than a second later, the remaining fighter tossed the device towards him, releasing a shockwave made of the same composition as the Chitauri weapons. The force of the wave killed the Chitauri and threw Steve out of the window, onto an idling car below, which promptly began blaring its siren.
Lyssa and Aria lowered the spell as the civilians slowly raised their heads, murmuring amongst themselves.
“Steve?” Lyssa called into her comm.
“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria called.
“Answer me, da-!” Lyssa cut herself off, glancing down at the toddler strapped to her chest. “Mister!” Lyssa said instead.
“Really? That’s what you’re going with?” Steve asked in response, coughing slightly.
“Oh, thank the Norns you’re all right.” Lyssa breathed in relief. “And don’t judge me my Mama’s prerogative.” She added. “Wait until you have kids of your own.”
Steve snorted under his breath, picked up by the active comms.
“Bad awiens.” Aria said, scowling at the corpse in the middle of the foyer.
“Okay, Prongslet, technically, Mummy and Daddy are also aliens.” Lyssa said with a sigh.
“Mummy and Daddy good awiens.” Aria said matter-of-factly. “Ch’auri bad awiens.” She punctuated her statement with a glare at the dead Chitauri fighter.
“You have to admit, kiddo’s got a point.” Steve pointed out.
“Fair enough.” Lyssa muttered, seeing that there really was no arguing with her determined daughter.
“EMS and the soldiers are here.” Steve said. “Send everyone out to be evacuated.”
Lyssa made a sound of acknowledgement. She turned to the silent, frightened crowd. “All right, everyone. Let’s get moving.” She called, flying up so that she was high enough to see everyone. “EMS and the army are here to get you all to safety. Let’s go, calm and orderly, if you please.” She said. She gestured to the doors behind the crowd that had been opened by a firefighter.
Slowly, the crowd began moving out, herded along by the various firefighters and soldiers. Lyssa followed them out before moving away, going to Steve instead. She landed next to him, taking note of how he was panting, cuts, bruises and abrasions all over his body and the tiredness in his eyes.
“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria cried in alarm, her large eyes taking in his injured form worriedly.
“I’m okay.” He said softly, turning to the witches.
“I’ll be the judge of that, Captain.” Lyssa said firmly.
But there was no time for her to heal him as they were surrounded by another squadron of fighters. Immediately, Aria cast a shield spell around the still-evacuating civilians while Lyssa and Steve fought the Chitauri squadron. The evacuators hurriedly ushered the civilians towards safety, the soldiers helping by providing cover in addition to Aria’s shield.
Thor joined them, heralded by Mjølnir plowing through a dozen fighters before returning to its wielder. He landed next to Lyssa, grabbing Mjølnir when it returned to him before tossing it again while Steve flung his shield. Lyssa cast a series of Cascading Jinxes in rapid succession, blowing up her targets. Aria joined in the spell casting once the last of the civilians had been evacuated from the immediate area along with the soldiers. Thor began using Mjølnir as a weapon, in a manner similar to the popular children’s game ‘whack-a-mole’ while Steve followed suit with his shield.
It continued until a weapons blast hit Steve in the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, face first, with a pained groan.
“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria screamed. She turned her attention to the Chitauri, a fierce glare on her cherubic features. “Bad awiens!” She screamed. “Go away!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face.
Instantly, as though in response to her desire, each of the fighters that surrounded them exploded. Not only in the immediate area, but every Chitauri fighter in a one-mile radius exploded. Lyssa quickly put up a shield as protection against the shower of metal and flesh as Steve slowly pushed himself up to his knees. Thor held his hand out to the Captain, and he took it gratefully, pulling himself up to his feet.
“Good girl.” Steve gasped, covering his wound with his gloved hand.
“Unnle ‘Teve.” Aria sobbed, holding her arms out to him.
Steve crouched, wincing but managing to bite back a pained hiss. He hugged the toddler tightly for a moment before pulling back. “I can’t carry you right now, little one.” He said regretfully, seeing her keep her arms out to him the classic gesture. “I’m sorry.”
“Mummy heal.” Aria said, looking up at Lyssa.
Lyssa, who had already begun examining the wound, nodded. She straightened up and turned to Thor, loosening the sling’s straps. “Thor, take Aria and cover me. This is going to take a few moments.”
Thor nodded and lifted Aria, and her blanket, from the sling. He perched her on his hip, shifting slightly so that his large frame concealed Lyssa from view.
Lyssa waved her hand over Steve’s injury, her palm glowing silvery gold as the wound healed and his suit was repaired. Not pausing, she waved her hand over the rest of his wounds, healing him completely.
They didn’t have time to enjoy the reprieve as more fighters slowly converged on them. However, they were almost cautious, inching forwards rather than approaching in droves as they previously had.
“I can close it.” Natasha called over the comms. “Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down.”
“Do it!” Steve ordered.
“No, wait.” Tony countered.
“Tony, these things are still coming even with Aria’s little explosion.” Lyssa said.
“I got a nuke coming in.” Tony revealed. “It’s gonna blow in less than a minute.”
“Did he say ‘nuke’?” Clint asked in alarm.
“What is a ‘nuke’?” Thor asked.
“Please tell me ‘nuke’ doesn’t mean ‘nuclear device’!” Steve shrieked with wide eyes. Thor’s own eyes also widened in alarm.
“Sorry, that’s exactly what it means.” Lyssa said apologetically.
“What fool would order such a tactic?” Thor asked. “Especially as innocent lives still reside within the city?”
“Most likely the Council.” Tony replied dryly. “And I know just where to put this thing.”
“Council?” Thor repeated in confusion. Steve looked similarly confused. Both men looked at Lyssa.
“World Security Council.” Lyssa replied. “That we are not supposed to know about, by the way.”
Steve and Thor both nodded in understanding. “Wait, Stark, you know that’s a one-way trip.” Steve pointed out, his eyes wide in realization at what the billionaire was about to do.
“He’s right. I can’t apparate through the portal.” Lyssa added, her features pinched with worry.
Tony didn’t respond. Lyssa, Thor and Steve exchanged looks, concern filling each of them.
“Unnle Tony?” Aria asked quietly, one hand gripping her blanket and the other curled around Thor’s neck.
None of the adults responded, Thor only rubbing her back. They all looked up as Tony flew past them, the nuke on his back. They waited, tense as the Chitauri fighters continued inching towards them. Lyssa cast a Protego around herself, Thor, Aria and Steve, giving them a bit of a reprieve.
Suddenly, the Chitauri fighters powered down, collapsing where they had stood. All around them, fighters, chariots and Leviathan’s powered down and collapsed, either to the ground or onto buildings.
“Yook!” Aria cried, pointing up at the sky.
Lyssa, Thor and Steve followed her finger and saw the fire of an explosion occur on the other side of the portal.
“But where is Tony?” Lyssa asked in concern.
Thor and Steve exchanged looks, both aware of what needed to be done. “Close it.” Steve ordered softly.
Lyssa looked at him in alarm, her argument dying on her tongue at seeing his pained expression. She realized with a start that for all his earlier comments about Tony, the billionaire was still the son of his best friend, one of the only links he had to the past.
“Unnle Tony?” Aria asked.
No one responded. Instead, the three adults looked up at the slowly closing portal. Aria whimpered, realizing the reason behind the silence though her young mind couldn’t comprehend it. Seconds before it closed completely, Tony fell through it.
“Son of a gun.” Steve breathed in amazement.
Lyssa let out a laugh, not bothering to reprimand him.
“He’s not slowing down.” Thor said worriedly.
“I got him.” Lyssa said, spreading her wings.
Just as she was about to launch herself into the sky, Hulk climbed up the side of the building closest to the falling billionaire. He reached out and caught Tony before making his way back down, crashing into the ground, protectively curled around Tony’s limp form. Hulk gently set Tony down on the debris and Chitauri-remnant covered ground as Lyssa, Thor, with Aria on his hip, and Steve ran up to him.
“Is he breathing?” Steve asked frantically.
Thor reached down and tore off Tony’s visor, revealing the billionaire’s aristocratic features. Tony’s eyes were closed, and his face was almost peaceful. Lyssa conjured a dagger and held it beneath Tony’s nose, checking to see if there was any breath.
“Nothing.” She said, shaking her head. She tossed the dagger aside and probed at Tony’s armor, trying to find a way to check his pulse. “I can’t get through the armor to check his pulse.” She said frustrated.
“Try healing him anyway.” Thor suggested. “You need not be certain in order to do it.”
Lyssa nodded and held both hands over Tony’s face, the only part of him that was exposed. Her palms glowed the soft silvery gold color and the light shone down on the unconscious man.
It lasted for several tense seconds, the only sounds being Aria’s quiet whimpers and Hulk’s soft rumbling.
Then, Tony woke with a gasped scream. “What the hell?” He gasped. Lyssa sat back on her hunches with a sigh of relief.“What just happened?” Tony asked. There was none of the aches and pains that he had amassed over the course of the battle. He glanced at Lyssa and assumed that she healed him, based on how she had been kneeling over him. “Please tell me nobody kissed me.” His eyes fell on Aria in Thor’s arms. “On second thought, I want a kiss from one of the two most beautiful women in the world.”
Aria smiled at him, wriggling in Thor’s grasp. “Down, Daddy.” She said. The Thunderer obliged her request, setting her down in front of him. Aria went to Tony, crouching beside his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I lovey.” She said with a sweet smile.
Tony smiled back. “You know what, Kiddo? I love you, too.” He said with complete sincerity.
Hulk roared, expressing his relief in his own way. At the same time, it was also an expression of the love he himself felt for the tiny toddler, the one person who didn’t fear him while even her parents, God and Goddess that they were, did so.
Aria looked up at him and grinned brightly, a delighted laugh escaping her lips. She went to him, being careful when walking around Tony’s head, and held her arms out to the green giant. It was clear what she wanted.
Hulk looked at her before looking between Lyssa and Thor, who were helping Tony sit up. The couple nodded in response to the silent question, both sporting small smiles. Hulk picked Aria up, perching her in the crook of his massive elbow, and roared again. Aria roared with him for a moment before descending into a fit of giggles, the sound drawing chuckles from the others.
“We won.” Steve breathed in realization, the fact finally hitting him.
“By the Norns.” Lyssa said in amazement.
Tony sighed in relief at the confirmation; he had suspected because of the way everyone was focused on him and the distinct lack of weapons fire, but he hadn’t been certain. “All right, yay!” Tony said, taking a page out of Aria’s book. “Hurray. Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day.” He suggested as Thor carefully let him go. Tony swayed for a second before regaining his footing, Thor remaining ready to catch him if he stumbled. “Your healing ability aside, which is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I think we could all use a day of serious pampering after this.” Tony said, looking at Lyssa.
“I’m in complete agreement.” The redheaded Goddess replied, nodding.
“Hey, have you tried shawarma?” Tony asked randomly. “There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.”
“I’ve had shawarma.” Lyssa revealed. “It’s a Middle-Eastern dish and it’s absolutely delicious.”
“I’m up for trying it.” Steve said.
“Awia and Unnle Huwk too!” Aria chirped. She had moved from her perch on Hulk’s arm to his massive hand, happily sitting in the flat palm. She was holding a corner of her blanket with one hand while her other was curled around Hulk’s thick thumb.
“We’re not finished yet.” Thor reminded all of them gently.
“And then shawarma after.” Tony said.
“And then shawarma after.” Thor agreed.
~*~
The Avengers and Aria gathered together in the common area of the penthouse of Stark Tower. They watched as Loki pulled himself out of the decent sized hole Hulk had left him in, created in the middle of the room. Tony stood on one end with Steve beside him, Hulk behind them, Aria perched on one massive, green shoulder. Clint was in the center with Lyssa next to him, both directly in front of the defeated Trickster. Thor was standing beside her with Natasha on his other side, holding the scepter tightly.
Loki groaned and winced in pain, stiffly turning around when he heard the distinct hiss of an arrow being notched and the string drawn back. It was Clint, his arrow aimed directly at his heart.
“If it’s all the same to you.” Loki said, looking at Tony with green eyes. Loki let out a pained breath. “I’ll have that drink now.”
Hulk growled. Aria patted his shoulder calmly as Loki flinched back instinctively at the sound. He vividly remembered his encounter with the green giant.
“All right, get him on his feet.” Tony said. “We can all stand around posing up a storm later.” He began walking towards the bar. Erik entered through the veranda doors, seeing that it was safe once more and made his way over to Lyssa. “By the way, feel free to clean up.” Tony called over his shoulder. “Lyssa, any magic that can help speed things up?” He asked curiously.
“Yeah, but I’m not casting magic with all of this technology.” She replied firmly, pulling back from the hug she had given Erik. “Magic and Earth technology, bad mix.” Lyssa remarked with a wince.
Thor, who had put Loki in restraints and made him stand against the bar, winced in memory. Loki had a similar reaction, both princes vividly remembering some of the more volatile reactions that occurred when magic and Midgardian technology were combined. It was different from Asgard, where science and magic were one and the same; they were two very different elements on Earth.
“Who gets the, uh, magic glow stick?” Natasha asked, holding up the scepter she had in her hands.
“Gyandpa!” Aria cheered delightedly, reaching out to Erik from her perch on Hulk’s shoulder. Hulk quickly set her on the ground before she could fall. Aria wasted no time running to Erik, being swept up into a tight hug.
“STRIKE team’s coming to secure it.” Tony replied.
As though on cue, the elevator beeped and a group of men, led by Brock Rumlow, exited with SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell.
“We can take that off your hands.” Sitwell said, walking up to Natasha.
“By all means.” Natasha replied. She carefully handed the scepter to Sitwell before joining Clint at the bar. “Careful with that thing.” She called over her shoulder
“Unless you want your mind erased.” Clint added.
“Not fun.” Aria chirped, happily playing with her blanket. After her enthusiastic reunion with Erik, she had returned to Hulk, who settled her on his open palm once more. She also had a stuffed stag that she had conjured, similar to the one that Odin had given her the previous year on Asgard.
“We promise to be careful.” Rumlow said, opening up a briefcase on the table. Sitwell carefully set the scepter inside, being watched closely by Hulk.
“Uh, guys, where did that door come from?” Tony asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “’Cos it wasn’t there when this place was being built.”
The door was simple, made of dark brown wood, though intricately carved with beautiful designs. It was in the wall as though it always had been, despite it very much not being so.
“It wasn’t there five minutes ago.” Natasha said, she and Clint becoming alert and on guard.
“It’s okay, you guys.” Lyssa said reassuringly. “It’s the door to Magic School.”
“But why would-?” Thor began only to cut himself off. He turned and looked at Aria pointedly, his actions mirrored by Lyssa.
“I ‘idn’t do it.” Aria said with a completely innocent expression.
“Did you use magic after the battle ended?” Lyssa asked her, already knowing the answer.
“Yeth.” Aria replied sheepishly.
“So you did cause the door to appear.” Lyssa told her.
“Is it safe to come through?” An American accented voice called through the door.
“Yeah!” Lyssa called back.
The door opened and a man, around 6’ tall with dark blonde hair, green eyes and a Caucasian skin tone stepped through. He was dressed in a simple, white button-down shirt, black trousers and shoes with a black robe overtop. He looked around at the room’s assembled occupants, not at all fazed at the sight of Hulk holding a grinning toddler in his hand or the two armored Asgardian princes. His eyes landed on Lyssa and a brilliant smile crossed his face.
“Lyssa, it’s good to see you again.” The man said, though he didn’t make any move towards her.
“It’s good to see you, too, Leo.” Lyssa replied with a grin. She crossed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. They pulled apart after a moment and Lyssa stepped back. “What’s up?” She asked curiously.
“I received an alert of magic being performed in this area, magic of an untrained child.” Leo explained.
“That would be Thor and my daughter, Aria.” Lyssa replied, gesturing to the grinning toddler.
Leo looked at Aria, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Lyssa noticed the reaction but assumed that he had recognized Aria as the Girl Who Lived. The redheaded Goddess didn’t point it out, opting to wait and see if Leo mentioned it.
“Uh, hi, hello.” Tony interrupted before anything else could be said. He looked at Lyssa. “How do you know him?” Not waiting for a response, Tony turned to Leo. “How did you make a freaking door appear in the middle of the wall?” Tony asked.
“We met 3 years ago in San Francisco. His family saved my life from demons.” Lyssa replied.
“Demons?” Rumlow repeated incredulously. “You expect us to believe demons are real?”
“Why not? We just fought an army from outer space.” Steve pointed out dryly.
“The way I remember it is that Piper and her sisters were about to save you, but you were able to save yourself.” Leo said.
Lyssa shrugged. “To-may-to, to-mah-to.” She said unconcernedly.
“How does SHIELD not know about any of this?” Sitwell asked with a frown.
Thor, Lyssa, Leo and Loki exchanged looks. “Magic.” They said in unison.
“Right. Of course.” Sitwell said sarcastically.
Lyssa frowned and looked at Leo. “Actually, Tony has a point.” She said thoughtfully. “How were you able to create the door? You’re mortal now.” She said.
During her stay in San Francisco, Lyssa had gotten to know the Halliwell family quite well. She even occasionally helped them in their fight against demons, whether it was by looking after the boys, Wyatt and Chris, or actually fighting. Lyssa had formed a connection with the different family members in various ways, forging a deep and lasting friendship. It led to Lyssa trusting the Halliwells with her secrets and vice versa; Phoebe had even helped Lyssa make the decision to stay in America after the redhead had gotten a vision of Lily and James’ death. Lyssa had contacted Sirius and James, warning them of what she had seen.
Knowing what she now knew about her visions, she was able to realize that there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. It didn't make the deaths any easier to bear, but it did help ease the guilt she felt.
“The Elders realized that I had only fallen from grace because the test they had given had been rigged.” Leo replied. “It had been done to steer me towards them rather than my family, or even letting my paths lead me to where I was meant to be. They didn’t make me retake the test but gave me my powers and status as a Whitelighter back.”
“So you’re dead again?” Thor asked curiously. He had met Whitelighters a few times over the centuries, along with many other magical beings.
Leo laughed. “No. I have all my powers and my wings just as before, except that I’m still mortal.” He explained. “My only charges are my family, allowing me to be a father and a husband. At the same time, I’m the headmaster of Magic School.”
“Which leads us back to why you are here.” Clint stated.
“Exactly.” Leo replied, nodding. He turned to Lyssa and Thor. “There is a place for Aria at my school.” He glanced at Aria who had fallen asleep and was curled in the crook of Hulk’s arm, the events of the day combined with the amount of magic used catching up with her. “I know that she may follow in your footsteps Lyssa, and go to Hogwarts when she turns 11, but I feel that I should inform you that she has a place at Magic School.”
Lyssa and Thor exchanged looks. They turned back to Leo. “It sounds great. But we’re going back to Asgard shortly.” Lyssa revealed.
“We stay only long enough to see to some affairs before we depart.” Thor added. Lyssa wanted to stop by Hogwarts to catch up with Remus, give him a chance to spend some time with his honorary niece. At the same time, she intended to catch up with Albus on the progress of Sirius’ case.
“Fair enough.” Leo said, graciously accepting the rejection.
“Wait, if the door can open here, can’t it open in Asgard?” Tony asked.
“No.” Leo replied, turning to him. “The door can appear anywhere on Earth only.” He sighed and turned back to Lyssa. “Well, it was good seeing you again.” He said sincerely.
“You, too, Leo.” Lyssa replied, hugging him again. They pulled apart and separated. “Give my love to the others.” Lyssa requested.
“I will.” Leo promised. He turned and walked back through the door and once it closed behind him, it disappeared just as silently as it had appeared.
“That was cool.” Tony said, looking impressed.
Lyssa rolled her eyes and turned to Hulk. “Do you want me to take Aria, or do you want her to stay with you?” She asked, looking up at the green giant.
“Little Goddess stay.” Hulk replied.
“Okay.” Lyssa agreed, nodding. “Only for now.” She said firmly.
“Stay now.” Hulk repeated.
“On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.” Steve said briskly, becoming serious. He walked past Loki and headed towards the elevators, one hand held up to his ear comm. Natasha and Clint followed him while Rumlow and Sitwell rejoined the rest of STRIKE and entered the second elevator.
Loki’s form shimmered and he took on Steve’s image. “On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.” The Trickster mimicked the Captain, complete with the accent. Loki’s body glowed and the illusion dropped, revealing himself once again. “I mean, honestly, how do you keep your food down?” Loki asked.
Thor sighed exasperatedly. Lyssa tossed him a small device that he slapped against Loki’s mouth. “Shut up.” Thor growled, the device forming a collar preventing Loki from speaking any further.
Lyssa and Thor each grabbed one of Loki’s arms and marched him towards the remaining elevator, met by a group of armed SHIELD agents. Hulk followed behind them; Aria was fast asleep in the crook of his arm as he gently covered her with her blanket using his free hand. Tony secured the Cube in its own case and closed the lid, following them towards the elevator.