IV
It was the thunder that had given Thor, Prince of Asgard, a clue to the fact that he, this Man of Iron and the spangled man of red, white and blue, were not alone. He knew that the man was moving with a speed that no human had a right to but he didn't give him much thought.
Enhanced or otherwise humans they may be but he is an Asgardian. The veritable God of Thunder and Son of Odin. His abilities and prowess were on that of another level of these mortals.
Still, he did not desire to kill the two. It was clear to him that they were simply attempting to protect their own realm and in doing so had accidently come into conflict with the interests of Asgard.
However, despite their tenacity they didn't constitute as much as a threat as whatever was coming was.
In fact, they barely even registered in his mind.
As to the reason that the deafening crack of lightning that addled and disturbed him so was that it wasn't his lightning.
Where as his lightning and powers were controlled and precise and devastating. This was…erratic…unpredictable…as if the wildness and uncontrollability had granted a mind unto the primal forces displaying across the sky.
The wind began to pick up slightly, minutely as a small breeze. A slight patter of rain, only a drizzle began to fall from the skies above and arcs of blue energy crossed the night sky, illuminating the destruction wrought by him and the two humans.
If the crack of thunder did not stop their fighting, then the change of weather certainly did. It was unnatural but natural. As if nature incarnate had decided to make an appearance and brought with it a storm. A gentle one but a storm nonetheless.
The three looked around as if there was a source to be found. The human craft was hovering above them, its blue illuminate lights scanning across the tattered forest as if its pilots also knew that there was someone there.
Thor was the first to see it though. His sharp eyes seeing the slight coalescing of mist in the shape of a man. Whoever this was didn't so much as materialize of the water, but rather he had walked from it as if he were crossing some sort of threshold to appear before them. He entered in a casual walking stride with water vapor and mist creating his form, arms and armor.
Sporting a resplendent golden molded cuirass, engraved along the edges with golden writing the Asgardian Prince recognized as ancient Greek with bits of elder Latin, both languages that were long dead to this realm. The cuirass depicted what appeared to be a pair of tidal waves pushing against each other at the chest, where the tips of the wave pointed to a simple grey steel engraved trident at the center of his chest.
He wore a tight Corinthian helm, one with a vertical slit that didn't reveal any of his face. At the crest of his forehead was an engraved steel delta where more engravings and depictions of a raging ocean on the cheek plates. Instead of a vertical horse hair plume top his head, there was a singular sharpened metal frill that had the appearance of a seashell, with its jagged edge highlighted in a blood red over a grey steel.
He wore a pair of bracers and greaves both gold as well as adorned with more depictions of raging seas. To complete his ensemble the warrior wore two golden spaulders each both adorned with the Greek symbol for Omega.
He wore a pair of padded tactical pants and boots and a long tight black long sleeve underneath the armor.
In his left hand, he wielded a spear. Tipped with a gleaming silver blade, arcs and tendrils of lightning cascaded down the blade and around the upper shaft made of a darkened wood reinforced and accented with an equally dark metal.
In his right hand, a large circular bronze shield formed from the mists of water. Upon the face of the shield the mist depicted the gaze of a menacing and frightening woman with head of snakes and glowing piercing, venomous blue eyes.
The man stopped a couple dozen meters away from the tired trio and cocked his head to the side. Whether in curiosity or annoyance, Thor did not know for he was too far but he could see the glowing and powerful sea green eyes stare at them.
Almost as if he was evaluating them.
Judging them.
Thor gnashed his teeth and growled. Lightning sparked off the metal stone of Mjolnir. The Asgardian Prince was overcome with an innate desire to destroy this warrior. To prove himself better. To render unto him such a bloody and lifeless corpse that he would be unrecognizable.
He forced the thought from his mind as they began to cloud his senses, turning his vision red in rage and make his blood boil in anger and wash his mind black with primal instinct.
Thor did not like this warrior but he had an inkling as to who it was.
And if it was who he thought, then they were in for some trouble.
The Prince would later swear by the Nine Realms that the warrior raised an eyebrow in humor at the Thunder God's attempt to appear frightening.
"Is Aqua Man with you, Shakespeare?" The Man of Iron asked, throwing an arm in the direction of the newcomer but looking to him.
Thor shook his head but continued to glare at the warrior who leveled a neutral stare him, completely ignoring the Iron Man's question.
"What do you want?" The flamboyant man brandished his equally flamboyant shield, clearly anticipating conflict.
That was good. The enhanced human had a good evaluation of the situation. If they get out of here, Thor would be sure to commend him for it.
The warrior pointedly tore his gaze away from the trio and turned the tip of his spear towards the top of the hill where Loki was eagerly watching the spectacle unfold. Lightning crackled angrily off the tip of his spear, sparks flying off and cascading to the forest floor.
The sparse drizzle turned into a heavier but still light sprinkle.
"Loki is in the custody of SHIELD." The spangled man spoke, his voice confidant and assured.
The being brought his spear down and the lightning rocked across the shaft of the spear as it grounded itself into the earth, a scorch mark appearing from the action and steam rose in the air as tall pillars. Though it didn't seem to affect the warrior before them. But he didn't speak in Common Midgardian, no he spoke in the dialect of Ancient Greek but Thor understood it perfectly. "Does the mortal speak for you?"
The spangled man winced at the noise as he tore off the communicator on his ear. The Man of Iron clamped down his helmet and raised his hand at the person, Thor had caught the split second wince on the face of human.
And the human craft swerved slightly at the noise.
Magic. Thor realized, masking his voice and words. His intent was clear. This was not a conversation for human ears.
"No, he does not. Loki is of Asgard. Leave us in peace. This does not concern you." Thor brandished Mjolnir, clear warning in his tone. Rage began to seep into him.
The eyes of the warrior narrowed and a sudden chill was in the air. One that pierced straight to the spine of the battle-hardened Thor.
And for the first time, in the longest time, Thor felt a feeling that he had felt only so recently when he was last in realm of Midgard when his life was at the hands of the Destroyer of Asgard.
He felt fear.
And everything slowed to a snail's pace as Thor's instincts took over.
He was lucky they did.
Thor watched as a mist of water thickened to a thin but incredibly hardened sheet of ice that coalesced around the Man of Iron, completely encasing him in a sarcophagus of metal and ice, and immobilizing him.
Thor watched as a spout of pressurized water burst forth from the ground at the feet of the spangled man as it crashed into his face and knocked him back. Several more spouts broke through the hardened ground and kept the enhanced man on his back as the constant pressure made it impossible to bring his red, white and blue shield to bear.
Thor watched as four tendrils of water burst forth from those gouts of water and lash around and about the jet, clogging it and dragging it into the earth behind them. Hopefully, the pilots were unharmed but he knew that the warrior would not care if they were.
And Thor watched as the reinforced spear came sailing towards him, intent on striking and impaling him straight through his skull.
His instincts, of course, had already taken over his consciousness. He swung Mjolnir, the mighty hammer easily forcing the spear to careen off course.
However, the warrior was already moving throughout it all, using the seconds of distraction to close the distance between himself and the Asgardian Prince.
Time took back its normal pace and Thor charged as well, throwing Mjolnir as he did so. To his surprise, the warrior twisted ever so slightly so as to avoid the flying hammer.
The warrior brandished his shield and the glowing blue eyes of the snake woman pulsed.
Thor recoiled at the sight and rooted to his current position. The Son of Odin stood petrified for but a split-second.
And a split second was all the warrior needed.
In that moment of time, the warrior landed his first hit against the Asgardian Thunder God, a solid bash to his face with that same enchanted bronze shield. A second immediately followed the first with a swift hook smashing against his face, the bracer leaving a nasty cut on his cheek. And a third following the second was the shield being used as weapon once again, as its bronze edge slammed into the edge of Thor's shoulder sending him stumbling.
The stumble cost him another split second.
And the unforgiving warrior would not allow such payment to go unsatisfied.
An armored shin collided with his face sending his head upwards but that hellish shield met him halfway as the edge sent him into the muddy ground.
Thor reacted purely on instinct as it seemed that getting caught off guard had cost him the initiative. He would have to react until he found an opening to capitalize on.
But his opening would not be so distant.
His being called for Mjolnir and hammer responded instantly., recognizing the almost begging need of his companion.
The Asgardian hammer crashed against the side of the unsuspecting warrior who was tossed against the muddy ground.
The attack was able to lessen the hold the warrior had on the ice encasing the Metal Man as an icy steel arm broke free and began attempting to break the rest of the ice encasing him.
It also had the added effect of lessening the pressure the spouts of water had on the drowning spangled man who coughed up fits of water. At the very least, he was quick enough to bring his shield to bear as another more powerful torrent of water sent the man further into the wooded treeline.
As that was happening, Thor charged Mjolnir with a bolt of lightning and sent it blasting towards the warrior who tossed his bronze shield in retaliation, in a similar manner in which the costumed man had attacked him with his own shield.
The shield easily absorbed the strike however, and impacted Thor.
The ensuring explosion sent both a shockwave and an Asgardian Prince into the forest floor.
Thor shook off his daze fast enough to see a redheaded woman rush the golden warrior at his flank, attempting to catch him unawares.
However, the warrior was not so blinded by her approach as he caught her by the throat and raised her into the air. She desperately clawed at her throat as her wrists glowed and sparked blue against the unarmored arm of the man. Her legs kicked at the warrior but he was all but unfazed at her attacks.
She was only saved when the Iron Man sent a beam of light that crashed into the man and who released the blood haired woman from his grasp and was sent flying into the tree stump a couple of yards behind him.
Though he didn't look at all fazed from the attack either.
Instead he could feel the frustration emanating from the being. A torrential rain began cascading down on them while a wind was growing and howling with his anger.
That was until the Man of Iron, unfurled all sorts of contraptions from within his suit and unleashed them upon the warrior.
Many of the weapons careened from the wind and crashed into the forest floor around them but a few stayed true.
Thor was able to see the man's eyes widen and reflexively summon a thick wall of solid water, not ice, in front of him. The explosion evaporated the wall but the mist and steam coalesced into sharp spears of steam that he willed forward turning into ice as they flew towards the Man of Iron.
Thor stood and brandished Mjolnir again, throwing his hammer and allowing it to carry him towards his target.
The warrior ducked and grabbed Thor by his muddy red cape threw him in another direction.
Thor let himself down but when he turned to face the warrior…he was gone. As if he had never been there to begin with. It was then did the winds and rain begin to die down until it was completely gone.
The spangled man was drenched and was helping the coughing and equally drenched red-haired woman to her feet. The Man of Iron had apparently been thrown against the forest floor from the ice spears and was scraping chucks of mud and twigs from himself with his armored gauntlets.
Though Thor was equally as beaten and tired as they were, his mind contemplative as his healing factor began to ease the bruises and cuts that he had sustained.
His mind was on one thing and that was the warrior wreathed in gold.
Percy materialized in an alcove of a nearby mountain, a small flat area that led further into an empty and dead cave.
He adjusted the cuirass and pounded the numbing sensation from his arm away. The woman had a neat bit of technology that concentrated electricity into his arms. It didn't do anything for her other than annoy him as he had been hit with lightning stronger than those little wristbands could ever hope to conjure, but it had surprised him nonetheless.
Then there was the…being that exuded a divine energy but was not an immortal. His bloody cheek serving as proof that he did not have ichor running through his veins. The being clearly knew who he was though.
The Son of Poseidon saw that the four that he had contended with apprehend the one he was sent to question and/or kill. The trespasser seemed compliant.
A little too compliant for Percy's liking.
He recognized it, of course.
The few demigod infiltrators that had appeared in the war, allowing themselves to get captured and taken behind their lines and into their war camps.
After the first couple greek fire suicidal attacks, enemy demigods were treated like any other monster. It was suspected that they were being possessed by Eidolons or maybe even Gaea herself but there wasn't any easily attainable evidence that proved it.
A flash of silver was behind him but he didn't look to the source. A sprinkle of rain still persisted and the fighting had made a dense fog come in to blanket the forest floor.
He jabbed his spear into the ground and slipped his helmet off his head, clipping it to his hip. The rain didn't bother him but instead rejuvenated his aching muscles.
That magic hammer packed quite the punch to it.
"Lady Artemis." He inclined his head to her in acknowledgement. Not deference but as if he was greeting an estranged acquaintance. An invisible shield protected the goddess from the rains and the light silver jacket hugged her torso tightly along with her own silver camouflage hunting pants and boots.
A thin tiara crowned her head of auburn hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail. Her bow slung across her body.
Her usual appearance if nothing else but instead of appearing as a twelve year old girl, she took on the form of young woman that was about his age. Most likely for the sake of ease and not to be looking up at who would've been an otherwise tall demigod.
"Perseus." She said in an equally disinterested tone but he missed the slight scowl that marred her face when he did greet her.
"There are two of them." He inclined his head towards the unnatural jet that had come to retrieve them as it prepared to take off. He had, after all, destroyed the first one.
The Immortal Huntress stepped beside them and squinted her eyes at the torn forest land below. "Was that necessary?" She gestured to the forest floor, particularly the clearing that was surrounded by felled trees.
"it was like that when I got here." Percy shrugged. "My handiwork is there." He nodded his head into the direction of the forming body of water, as the gouts of water still spewed their reservoirs of water into the air. Turned out there was a large deposit of fresh water underneath the ground there, calling upon that certainly beat forming the liquid from the moisture in the air.
The element of surprise didn't hurt either.
He would have to talk to the nymph though. Her irate shouts at being disturbed from her beauty sleep could be heard even from here. His appearance should easily placate her, nature spirits in general tended to be all too willing to help the Son of Poseidon.
She scoffed. "She doesn't look too happy" Artemis muttered into a pause of silence. They watched the jet take-off into the night sky. The Moon Goddess turned towards him, a slight frown on her features. "Continue after the first being. Leave this new one alive."
"That won't be easy if I have to kill Loki." Why did the name sound familiar to him? He just couldn't place it anywhere. "If this new one is adamant about protecting him, we will fight again and if that happens, I cannot guarantee his life."
"That is an order from Olympus, Perseus." She said though the harshness in her tone betrayed her remorseful expression.
"And the mortals?"
"They are no matter. What to do with them is up to you." Artemis waved off his question. "If you decide that they are in need of disposal then feel free to do so without repercussion." She paused. "It is tantamount that this being be questioned, as such when you get him alone, call for my brother and I. We will question him to determine his intentions."
At that Percy did look to the Huntress, an expression of concern directed at her. Were they really that worried at what this being might do, that they would send not one but two Olympians to ensure the results of the investigation?
If that was the case then he had better take it even more seriously. He was caught off-guard before and could have had him had he pressed the issue.
He would not make that mistake again.
"If that is the Will of Olympus." The Son of Poseidon stiffen as he felt the sour words leave his mouth. "I will do what I can." Artemis noticed and spoke once again.
"I am sorry, Perseus but there is no one else."
Percy turned away and unclipped his helm from his hip but did not don it. "There are other demigods out there. They have their purpose as I have mine."
"They can't stand against these beings as you can."
"They will never stand against these beings if you don't give them a chance to." Perseus said, ice in his tone as his irritation began to grow and thrusting his helmet at her in an accusatory manner. "What happens should I die? The heroes haven't known hardship for the past two years."
Artemis looked away from him at that.
But he understood all too well as to why they sent him here.
It was a matter of convenience and logic. One that he couldn't really begrudge them for as he would most likely have done the same if he was in their place.
Why would they send a group of inexperienced demigods after another divine being that had no qualms about attacking someone regardless of being challenged or not? Not to mention they would most likely not be as comfortable as combating mortals as he was.
They sent him, not only because he was easily their most powerful agent but also because of him having no qualms about killing whoever stood in his way.
That wasn't to say that Percy was bloodthirsty or uncomfortable when it came to the idea of dealing with mortals.
He was simply indifferent to them. If they attacked, then he would retaliate in kind. Simple.
The Son of Poseidon wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, he thought to himself as slipped on his helmet once again and grabbed his spear.
"I am sorry." The Huntress mumbled again as he began his journey down the slope on which they stood. A flash of silver emanated from behind him.
Tony Stark was an open-minded individual. At least, he thought he was. If his time in Afghanistan didn't force a perspective on things then the Stark Expo certainly did.
Of course, he had to play the part. Debate and politics. God, he hated it and even the notion of sitting down and debating with others left the taste of metal in his mouth not unlike one he had when was dying of palladium poisoning.
You see, here was this individual with extraordinary powers that made Thor, a supposed God of Thunder, into a literal punching bag. Essentially waterboarding Rogers, The supersoldier and rendered him useless. Romanoff's little spy gadgets and her training were all but gone in the face of this…person.
And made a multi-million dollar exoskeleton, equipped with state of the art technology and enough firepower to match if not surpass the entirety of the United States Military, into a tomb of ice of titanium.
He would never make fun of the Captain again for his own situation.
The feeling of being so insignificant did not sit well with him. That he didn't even register on this person's radar addled him and made the genius want to dissect the warrior on how he ticked. On why they were so far beneath him.
This wasn't Loki's proclamations and exclamations of being a king. This being was another matter entirely. He didn't need to say anything. His very presence demanded that they bend or he would break them.
And here they were, debating. Not acting.
The fact that they still had to find the Tesseract was not lost on them but Loki was not singing and was instead grinning his mad smile whenever someone entered his holding area.
The only thing Tony was debating on in his mind was if it was worth the expression of surprise when word reached the esteemed Director of SHIELD that another player was after Loki.
On one hand, surprise was not something that he thought would ever grace the nominally stoic man that made a brick look happy in comparison. So that weighed heavy.
On the other however, this other party seemed intent on getting their hands on Thor's adoptive brother and he didn't seem too keen on talking to anyone except the Prince of Asgard. Maybe he was another Asgardian?
But why would he attack Thor if that was the case?
It was a heavy decision, to say the least.
And here they were. Talking.
Fury's eye was twitching clearly showing his anger. The Director had reviewed the surveillance footage they had on him. There was no color and the image was distorted to hell and back. All they had were the first-hand accounts of those that got their asses handed to them.
"If it is who I think it is we must be cautious." Thor spoke, cutting Tony from his thoughts. The rest of the…team looked towards the Prince of Asgard who shifted slightly under the attention.
"And just who is he?" Fury asked, a tone of accusation in his voice but it was masked in a veil of curiosity.
Everyone leaned in a little closer to hear.
"You would do well to remember that names have power, Director." Thor spoke his voice resolute. "I will not draw him here should I be correct."
"Names have power?" Tony questioned. "What is this, like Voldemort?"
Natasha and Bruce scoffed and chuckled lightly at the reference.
"Anthony Stark." Thor intoned and Tony flinched at the use of his full name and narrowed his eyes at the Son of Odin who only gestured towards him. "My point proven. It is primal instinct to respond and look towards those who address them directly. In you humans it is not exactly a thing to be worried about, however, beings of power would look to the source and would sooner kill those who would call upon them."
"We are thirty thousand feet in the air." Fury said. "I don't think whoever this is can reach us."
"It only good that we are so high. He would not dare travel in this realm." Thor nodded.
"So what's the plan, oh powerful being?" Tony asked and Rogers coughed harshly. Those jets of water did a number on him.
"He will not hesitate to kill us." Thor said. "We will need to be cautious." He repeated and stressed. Okay so caution was the name of the game. Tony could work with that. Some plan was better than no plan after all.
"He sure wasn't hesitating to kill when we fought him." Natasha spoke up rubbing her bruised neck absentmindedly. Tony had to agree with a nod. He almost got frostbite from that ice block.
"Trust me, red-haired woman, if he wanted to kill he would have." Thor rumbled while he slaps his hands in front of him. "He was not expecting us to be there."
"We surprised him so he didn't kill us?" Rogers said aloud for clarification. It didn't make sense to Tony either. They surprised him? He surprised them!
Thor nodded and Fury's eye twitched again.
He may have to get that checked. It was his only eye, and it wouldn't do for a spy to be blind from excessive twitching.
"He has to be working for someone." Fury stated as he continued to look at Thor. "Any idea?"
Thor didn't answer, only looking away as everyone looked at him.
That gave everyone the answer he was so desperately trying to hide.
The Son of Odin knew.
Tony made a mental note to ask the God of Thunder to play poker with him sometime.
Just for fun.
"I would rather negotiate with him than fight him again." Thor said calmly.
"And why would we want to do that?" Fury pressed.
"Because he wants Loki." Tony intervened. "He pointed to him with his lightning spear when Steve asked him."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Hill quoted and Tony blinked. "You think he will help us?"
When did she get here?
"It is not so simple." He hesitated his next words, deliberating on whether he should say them or not. "Our goals may align but he will be no friend nor ally of ours."
"And why not?" Banner asked, his quiet voice interrupting everyone else before they could get a word in.
"Because if he believes that the cost to retrieve my brother to be the lives of this crew and the destruction of this vessel, it would be one he would pay without hesitation."
An ominous silence hung over them like a thick blanket and Tony felt a lump form in his throat at the revelation. The billionaire knew a gamble when he heard one. Were they willing to bet on the lives of three thousand people?
Rogers, the hero that he was, spoke up. "How do we contact him?" Tony was inclined to agree with him. Yinsen's death was the only one he had room for. He did not think he would do all that well being directly responsible for others.
"Are we over the ocean still? If we are, land this vessel." Thor looked to the Director. "We need to make our intent clear that we want to negotiate."
Tony could see that the Director was conflicted but it appeared that his curiosity had won out as Fury turned to his second in command. "Hill, set us down."
"Sir." She began barking out orders and the population of the command center began to move with increased fervor as they set about preparing to turn the helicarrier into a normal seafaring vessel.
There was silence as they continued before Banner spoke up again. "Well, I have a Tesseract to find so…" He trailed off as he stood from his seat.
"I think I'll come with you." Natasha said slowly, her eyes flicking across the other gathered individuals. "No offense but I don't think I'll be much help here."
"Be ready, Romanoff." Fury nodded his assent. "This takes a turn for the worse, I want you helping with evacuations."
"Sir." She sauntered after Banner.
After that it took a couple of hours for the helicarrier to set down into the water below them and in that time, the tech savant repaired what he could of the Mark VI but also began drawing up plans for the Mark VIII. Thor did a number on did a number on this suit with his bolt of lightning and he would need a way to either make use of it without overloading and damaging his armor or redirecting it completely.
And maybe figure out a way to warm up his suit so he didn't become an ice cube again.
Tony already had a few ideas planned out when he felt the helicarrier touch down against the ocean surface and he was called to the deck of the vessel.
Donning the damaged Mark VI, he was met on the deck with Thor and Rogers who had also suited up. Following him was Fury and a small team of STRIKE commandoes. Tony left his helmet off but still carried it to his side.
They were awfully close to the edge of the ship.
Fury walked up to the Asgardian Prince, impatience clear on his features. "Well?"
"Remove your communicators." Thor gestured to the small bits of electronics in their ears. "The language he speaks would damage them and your ears." They did but were clearly hesitant in doing so.
That was why Tony kept his helmet off.
He noted that the Captain also did not have an earpiece as well. Most likely for the same reason.
After that the God of Thunder walked closer to the edge and peered over the side, looking uncertain but determined nonetheless.
Brandishing Mjolnir as one would a sword, he knelt and mumbled in that same indecipherable tongue that sounded more like gibberish than any actual language. Tony guessed it was the same language spoken by that golden warrior.
After his lips finished moving, Thor stood up and just…stood there?
Tony honestly expected something a little more…grander, given the gravity of the situation. "And now we wait." The Asgardian said at the sight of several questioning glances.
It did not take long for the atmosphere to begin to change. Heavy, dark clouds began to form around them and over the horizon as lightning jumped to and fro. Waves began lapping at the sides of the helicarrier and the small sea breeze from before had begun to pick up.
The moving ship, that weighed several hundred thousand tons lurched suddenly, causing everyone to stumble and brace to catch their footing.
Tony saw a runner from the bridge approach them. He had to shout over the growing wind. "Director! The helicarrier just stopped!"
"Explain!"
"It just stopped moving, sir! The reactor and engines are still running but we are dead in the water! None of the controls are responding!"
The Director looked to Thor for an explanation, who just looked suspiciously over the ocean surface.
"Get us moving again!"
The runner merely nodded and left at another run.
As if a dime had been dropped, dozens of spires of water jutted upwards, surrounding the helicarrier like so many tentacles. They waved in the breeze and stood a good twenty feet over the flight deck of the carrier with sharp tips.
"Don't be alarmed!" Thor shouted as he steadied the STRIKE commandos who raised their weapons.
It was not long after that did another spire rise from the surface of the ocean, though this one much slower and shorter than the others but it still rose halfway above them.
A moment later and a figure coalesced from mist of seawater atop the most recently formed spire. It was that same golden warrior, armed with his signature spear, sword and shield. His helmet obscured any view of his face minus his eyes.
Powerful, Prismatic, Poisonous Green Eyes.
His eyes were glowing.
Tony watched the warrior scan the group, who had for all intents and purposes prepared to engage.
But not Tony. No, the multibillionaire felt a primal fear take hold of him as he stayed rooted to the spot as the warrior looked at them in annoyance, before turning his attention to the person whose idea this all was.
If Tony died here, he was going to haunt Thor, he decided. Prince of Asgard or not. Or maybe Loki. It was his fault that this they had to deal with this golden guy in the first place.
He was so out of his depth here.
"We ask for a chance at negotiation." Fury announced, his hand resting on the sidearm that was attached to his thigh. "I believe we can help each other."
The warrior purposefully inclined his green gaze to the Director before turning his gaze back to Thor. The warrior spoke his voice easily carrying over the howling wind and the small rain that began to permeate.
But it was that same garbled and gibberish language that he spoke before.
"What did he say?" Fury cut in. The being spoke again and Thor hesitantly looked to the Director of SHIELD.
"He asked me if mortals always speak on my behalf." Thor said with a slight scowl.
Was this guy a god? Tony's breath caught in his throat.
Fury scowled deeply but wisely didn't say anything in response.
Thor turned to the warrior. "The man is correct. We may be able to work together. Loki is under my care as his brother, Thor Odinson." He bit out the words as if it was the most horrendous thing he could say.
The man's garbled voice spoke again, and a hint of amusement sparked across his glowing eyes.
"You just need to ask Loki a couple questions?" Thor, while his agitation was shown, there was surprise.
Hell, Tony thought they all were. This guy attacked them so he could ask Loki a couple questions. Why didn't he just say so?
"Loki is not in the talking mood." Rogers said.
This time the warrior seemed to wipe his face with his forearm. There was nothing different about him but when he spoke. He spoke English, though it was as if it were distorted and tinged in metal and constraining the words. "He will not have an option. He will speak or he will die." He moved his shield over his mouth again.
Thor spun Mjolnir in his grip at the threat but the warrior spoke in that same garbled tongue. Thor nodded at a pause and the man continued speaking and before long Thor spoke again. "I agree to your terms."
Thunder boomed overhead and lightning crackled across the dark sky. The tendrils that surrounded the helicarrier began to retreat slowly into the water.
The warrior began to descend down a set of stairs made of water appearing and disappearing with every step he took. Tony forced himself to look away at that. The warrior's presence was all too discomforting and forced his attention to Thor.
"What did you do?" Fury demanded from the Asgard Prince.
"I just spared the lives of this vessel and its crew. In return, he wil question Loki. Any answers that may relate to the Tesseract are ours to use."
"What do you mean? He's not after the Tesseract?"
"No…he is here on an…unrelated matter." Thunder boomed overhead at his words. Though the hesitation at the words made it hard to determine if that was the truth.
The warrior stepped onto the deck and his spear and shield disappeared in clouds of mist.
The voice was tinged in that same distorted lining as the golden man approached the group. "Now…God of Thunder…" His voice was mocking and it made Thor growl in annoyance. "Shall we?"
'No one hates war like a soldier hates war.'
-Tommy Franks