Once Again Chapter 26

Author's Note: Hela is one of Loki's children, and also the Goddess of Helheim. (Hell in Midgardian Language.) Congratx to those who guessed correctly~!

"These bastards just don't know when to give up," Tony groaned, his labored panting audible from even within his helmet. "Jesus, this time we don't even know where they're coming from."

Clint shot a Chitauri in the eye before ducking as Tony let loose a row of missiles over his head, taking out most of the aliens around them. Just as quickly as they'd disintegrated, a new line of Chitauri formed in place. "They just keep coming!"

"Have all the mortals been evacuated?"

"Yep!" Steve shouted back at Thor over the hisses and crackles of the Chitauri.

The Avengers had already left the Tesseract at Asgard, but the Chitauri just kept coming like annoying bees. Bigger, really ugly bees with deadly magic scepters.

" Tony! Steve screamed. "Behind you!"

Tony whirled to see four of the creatures had surrounded him, all raising their scepters, the blue light glinting under the flashes of lightning. The radar on the Iron Man suit was beeping furiously and Tony was beginning to panic.

One of the scepters expelled a huge blast of energy that blew Tony to the ground. The others were closing in on him, and Tony couldn't move fast enough, not even with the suit-

All four Chitauri crumpled into his lap.

Tony did his best to muffle the unmanly squeak that escaped his lips. He tried to push the things off but they were heavy and he was in shock. And weird purple liquid was oozing out from the disgusting openings on their faces.

"A little help here?"

"Dude, you're the Iron Man. You never require help, you basically said it yourself."

"It's touching me!"

"It's not touching you, you have the suit on."

"Oh yuck!" Tony's lip curled in disgust as the sticky ooze dribbled all over the beautiful titanium suit's legs. Where the liquid touched, the paint peeled off and dissolved like smoke. "Just- just get them off-"

"Hang on, guys," Natasha prodded one of the collapsed aliens. All of the Chitauri had seemed to collapse, but unlike the last time it happened… "It's still breathing."

Clint sent an arrow into the one Natasha had poked. "Not anymore."

"No, it's almost like they're..." Natasha furrowed her brow as she checked the other ones that littered the streets, "…resting. Tony, what's the time?"

"Er," Tony glanced up at the small corner in his screen. "Five forty-seven, why?"

"Oh!" Natasha's eyes widened. "The time, it's been exactly half-"

"Impressive, mortal." A chuckle echoed from the dark skies, a dreadful familiar voice that made their blood boil. "I did not expect you to figure it out."

"Show yourself, Thanos, I'll shove my gun down your goddamn jugular-!"

"Oh, but you know far too much already."

Clint understood. He was an assasin, after all.

He knows far too much. Exterminate him.

How many times had he heard that order from Nick Fury and his many other clients?

"TASHA!" Clint glimpsed a crackle of lightning from the sky. Except, unlike the stunning white it usually was, this one was black as night. His bow clattered to the rubble as he leapt towards Natasha.

The archer knocked the spy to the ground, and Natasha could only watch as a flare of dark magic struck the spot where she was standing a moment ago. Where Clint was standing now.

She could only watch as the only man she ever cared for crumpled into her arms.

OOO

Loki felt a shiver run down his spine.

He sighed wearily and sprawled himself out on the huge leather couch. It was not the first time he had felt so, and it usually meant something horrible had happened somewhere. Or was about to happen.

Given the horrendous thing he had just done, he wouldn't be surprised if it involved him dying in some spectacular way.

He flipped idly through his book, the Norse letters so old and faded it was barely recognizable. It was a boring, meaningless story anyway. Hela had certainly not inherited his love for reading. It was the only book he could find in the mansion. His eyes slowly closed-

"FATHER!" Hela's long, drawn-out scream echoed through the mansion. Loki was rudely jolted out of his rest. He debated whether to hide, but figured Hela could find anyone anywhere in Helheim, and didn't bother.

"Father, I have had enough! In the past week, you have done nothing but pull prank after prank on me!" Hela strode into the room, shaking with anger.  

Loki sneaked a glance at her, and had to stifle a laugh.

"I only allowed you to live in the mansion because you're my father, but if you keep pulling pranks like that-"

"Oh, it was just a bit of fun."

"F-Fun?!" Hela grabbed her father's collar and yanked him to the ground. Goodness, the child had no manners, Loki thought to himself as he put up no resistance. "You. Dyed. My. Hair. Hot. Pink."

"It's not quite hot pink," Loki tilted his head and admired his handiwork. "Back on Midgard it was known as 'vibrant bubblegum pink'. It took me ages to get the color right."

"Bu-but why ?" Hela looked like she was near tears.

"Well, on Midgard most pretty young girls seemed to like this light color." Loki studied Hela for a moment more.

Hela's flowing shadowy gown turned to an extremely frilly, extremely fluffy, extremely pink dress.

Hela's expression pretty much said that she'd rather be stark naked and belly-dancing in front of Loki instead of stuck in that horrible dress.

"FATHER!" Hela exclaimed for the umpteenth time since Loki had arrived. "I am ruler of the underworld, not some disgusting mortal infant!"

"Your point being?"

"I. Do. Not. Wear. Pink." Hela ran her fingers over her dress, evidently trying to change it back, but ultimately, Loki's magic won the battle. "Imagine the dead seeing me like this. Just imagine, Father."

"No one's here to see you anyway." Loki glanced around the mansion. "This place is only for me and you, no?"

"I only ever allowed you into my mansion because-"

Loki snapped his fingers. "Oh yes, that reminds me. And your room is now a delightful hot magenta-"

Hela let go of Loki's collar, eyes widening. "Father!"

Loki didn't think he could even count the number of times Hela had said his name disapprovingly.

"I only let you stay here because I am of your blood," Hela growled. "Mark my words, one more prank and I'll have you thrown-"

"I am the God of Mischief." Loki raised one slender hand, his fingers crackling with green embers. "Pranks feed my soul. And honestly, my dear daughter, do you think kicking me out of your mansion will keep me out of the mansion?"

Hela paused for a moment.

"Curse you to the deepest, darkest pits of Helheim." She groaned in defeat.

"I love you too."

"Why had I ever fought for the right to have you come here to my realm?" Hela groaned. With another quiet incantation, Hela's hair went back to the normal sleek black, but the Goddess didn't seem to notice. Loki didn't bother telling her. He was already busy planning his next trick upon his daughter to listen to her whining.

"-to the Avengers?"

That caught the Trickster's attention.

"…What?" Loki managed to choke out. He had almost managed to forget about the happenings on Midgard. It had been an almost unspoken rule that they did not mention the A-word.

Or the T-words, the S-word, C-word, N-word, and the B-word, for that matter.

Curse you, Hela, he thought bitterly. The memories were coming back, in a gush, and he didn't want them to.

"What, don't you want to go back to Midgard?"

Loki froze, lids peeled back.

"Are you saying that-"

"I believe I can make it work."

"Won't you get into trouble?"

"Anything for you to leave, Father."

Loki chuckled softly. "Well, is that really how a daughter should treat her father?"

"Oh no," Hela said sweetly. "I meant, I merely wish for my father to have a good life in the world of the living."

"That's more like it." Loki pursed his lips and thought for a while. "Actually, I have grown rather fond of the Underworld. Your reactions are priceless. I think I won't go back after all."

"Father!" Hela groaned. "Think about your friends, about Uncle Thor-"

"I jest, dear daughter." Loki flashed a smile of sharp white teeth. "Let's go."