Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty-Eight
"What do you have for me?" Harry asked Tony as he walked into his office.
"See for yourself." Tony said. "She's just been standing there looking at nothing."
Harry looked at the screen and saw an image of a beautiful woman with unkempt hair, just staring off into nothing. There were a couple of Dementors around her, but they seemed to just ignore her. At least the old dwarf, Varko, had been right. It seemed the Aesir were immune to their effects. "When did you find her?" Harry asked.
"About twenty minutes ago." Tony said. He turned from the screen. "What's the plan?"
"I'm thinking we send her a machine that we can talk to her through. Use the satellite as a relay." Harry suggested.
"We could do that." Tony said. "I'm assuming you decided to keep Loki's suggestion in mind about not using magic around her?"
"She can obviously sense magic and is waiting." Loki said as he entered the room. "Did you not notice? She's staring in the direction where we entered through the pathway."
Tony changed the view quickly and Friday marked their point of entry. "Son of a bitch!" he swore. "She's seriously just standing there waiting."
"She's had thousands of years to perfect patience." Harry said. "One way or another, she'll be ready for contact."
"You must be careful, Harry." Loki said. "She'll have been planning for an escape for all this time. If you give her the slightest chance, she'll grab it to escape."
Harry nodded. "I've setup a workshop on Svartalfheim. It's protected by Fidelius. I will setup an area there and we can use that as our starting location. Even if she somehow escapes Niflheim, she'll just end up on another dead planet."
"That's a good idea." Tony said, nodding. "Friday, order us some building materials. We're building a base on Svartalfheim."
"Wait, a whole base?" Harry asked.
"A better testing area you'll never find." Loki agreed. "Once this issue with Hela is resolved, it would be the best place to send people like Rocket, who just want to destroy things."
"Nah, we've got that covered." Harry said. "He comes to the island often to give Groot some time with the Nymphs. Then he spends some time in the Room, where he uses whatever guns he can think of to destroy targets and kill as many bad-guys as he likes. Recently, he's been focussed on blowing up Ego's planet over and over again. It's truly a spectacular thing to see."
"That might be a good selling point to someone like Hela." Loki mused. "If she's as bloodthirsty as we think, a place to constantly fight and kill enemies, would be something she'd love access to."
"I agree." Tony said. "Having one of those as a bargaining chip, would be very useful."
"We can, but then we need to hide it first." Harry said. "Otherwise it's just another source of power."
"Excuse me for interrupting, Mister Potter, but why not use magic inhibiting cuffs?" Jarvis said from his side of his mirror. "I remember you mentioning them at some point."
"Would that work?" Harry asked. "My magic isn't exactly like theirs, after all."
"Technically your magic is more all-encompassing." Loki said. "Something that could inhibit you, would definitely inhibit her."
Harry thought about it for a moment, and finally nodded. "That could work. Thanks Jarvis."
"No problem, Mister Potter." Jarvis smirked before he turned back to his computer, where he was busy designing a new runic device that could potentially be used to reproduce any kind of liquid, temporarily, as long as a proper sample is given to the device. It was a ways off from being completed, but he wasn't in a hurry. He hoped to make a device that could be used like Harry's enchanted taps.
Jarvis' latest device was a simple laser engraver with one function, to apply the rune scheme that they put on conjured MSC Shells to keep the magic from dissipating too fast. It was requested by Harry, as he was working on a new project to create stored spells on conjured items. Harry was still working on that and hadn't achieved success, yet.
"I guess I've got some research to do then." Harry said. "I've never made magic suppressing cuffs before."
"No need." Tony said. "We already know how to make that with runes."
Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at Tony, "And why do you know how to do this?"
Tony looked back at him without a hint of shame. "MI Tech." he said simply.
"Right." Harry said in realisation. Applying that same rune cluster would achieve exactly what they wanted, with only a couple of small tweaks. "That makes sense."
"We'll still need to test its efficacy on both Harry and myself." Loki said.
"Agreed." Harry said.
Tony decided to handle that project, while Friday put together a device that they could drop from orbit, rather than opening a portal on the surface. It took only a couple of days and quite a bit of testing, but they soon had working MI Cuffs that was tamper-proof and worked on both Loki and Harry.
When the time came, Harry called the Avengers together and explained his plan. Except for Thor, for obvious reasons. Steve, Tony, Natasha, Bruce and Clint from the original Avengers. The new recruits were Bucky, Logan, Wanda, Pietro, Rhodey, Jarvis and Sam. Loki was also there, though he was definitely not considered an Avenger, not that he wanted to be, really. Stephen wasn't there either, but he had yet to join them, concentrating rather on setting up protections for the Earth and expanding on the protections currently in place.
Peter had been vetoed out as he was still getting used to following protocol. Aunt May was still of the opinion that off-world missions were not in his wheelhouse, yet. Harry didn't mind giving her veto rights when Peter wasn't strictly necessary, even if he was now considered part of the team because Fury wanted him following their rules.
"I'm in." Steve said instantly. He didn't like the idea of someone stuck on a planet all alone for thousands of years with only demonic-sounding creatures to keep her company.
"Me too." Bucky and Logan said at the same time. Bucky had only recently decided to join the Avengers. He was not completely over his time as the soldier, but he wanted to be useful again. Sitting in his apartment had been driving him mad, so he moved into the Avengers Manor, where he could spend some time meditating with Bruce and both Hanks every day and training with the team in the Room. He still refused to kill anyone, but Harry hardly had a problem with that. He tried to preserve life whenever possible anyway.
"I don't know that I want to make it seem like we're trying to gang up on her…" Harry said.
"That's only if we can convince her to put the cuffs on in the first place." Loki reminded him.
"If she does, and then comes through the portal, she won't expect you to be alone." Tony said. "She was a general, remember. She would probably respect a show of force."
"I'm not going to her as a fighter." Harry reminded them. "I'm trying to be a brother."
"A good brother can still have friends." Jarvis said. He was planning on accompanying them as the Vision, but for now he was just himself.
"You all realise that she's the Goddess of Death, right?" Loki asked.
"Best as I can tell, she's more aligned with War and Killing than Death itself." Harry said. "I have it under good authority that nobody has true reign over Death."
"Why do you say that?" Steve asked. He didn't agree that any of these Aesir were gods, being very happy when Harry refused being referred to as a god as well. He preferred blessed, and Steve could get behind that any day.
"If she was in any way associated with Death, she'd simply want you to die and you'd get sick and die or have a heart-attack." Harry said. "She wants to fight and kill, so that's my reasoning. Even Odin said that she got the name for her prowess with a sword and conquering her enemies."
"You have a point, but that doesn't change how dangerous she is." Loki continued.
"When she's fully powered, maybe." Harry said. "Right now, she's been cut off from Asgard for so long that she probably has very little power." Loki didn't like making assumptions, but they hardly had the option to confirm any of this with Odin. Harry refused to call Heimdall to get more info, not wanting to get his friend in trouble.
His thoughts were interrupted with the arrival of Thor. "Are you planning a fight without me?" he asked of the assembled Avengers.
"Um." Bruce said intelligently.
"Fear not." Thor said. "I have been informed of your plans." He looked at Harry, "If you didn't want him to know, you would have discussed this somewhere Heimdall could not see you, like at your office."
"I didn't want to get either of you in trouble," Harry said, "but I also thought he could keep watch in case something goes horribly wrong."
"Well, he informs me that you have taken steps to not break the letter of the law, if not the spirit." Thor said with a smile. "Since you are breaking no laws, I see no problem with visiting with my brothers as they go about their business. Should the opportunity arise for a good fight, I'd enjoy that too."
Harry smiled gratefully at Thor. "Thanks, bro."
"It's what family is for." Thor grinned back. "Now, tell me of your plans, so that I can tell you that you're doing it wrong, as any older brother would."
The Avengers all ended up deciding to join Harry. Natasha had contacted Fury, who had decided to add his own plans to the mix, when he realised Harry could not be persuaded to leave his plans behind.
They broke up for the day after their discussions and planned to leave in the morning, giving everyone time to prepare, should the worst occur. Harry's day wasn't over, yet, since he was making the new Room of Requirement and then, security portkeys. It would not allow someone to activate their portkey with any additional people as passengers. Just in case, he planned to bind the portkeys by blood as well. He was taking zero chances, so he allowed for a full extra day to pass, while he did everything he could to protect his people.
The next morning, after everyone including both Ghost Squads Fury was sending along, were paired to their new portkeys, Harry opened a portal to the new area, which he had furnished with the barest of furnishings. Nothing conjured either. Once they were through, he appeared in the hanger on the moon where the drop-package was located. He levitated it out and left the device close to the satellite they had set up to search for Hela. Then he went to join his friends on Svartalfheim.
"We good?" Tony asked as he tapped away on a console. He was already logged into the package and navigating it with the on-board thrusters towards where Hela waited. He was aiming to drop the package in front of her, so that she would see its landing, since she was still eerily staring at the same spot.
"Yup." Harry said with a bit of a smile. He couldn't help himself; he was becoming excited. The prospect of an older sister, somehow exciting him more than he knew he'd be now that the time drew close. "Everyone ready, here?"
Steve looked around at his team. They were varied in their skillsets, but everyone had unanimously decided to be there for their mutual friend. Harry had opened so many doors for everyone here, solving problems as he went, without seeming effort or caring for costs, simply to help his friends. He was proud to call them all his own friends and team-mates. "I think we are, Harry."
Harry nodded in thanks when he received nods and different forms of affirmation from the people around him. Thor, Loki, Steve, Bucky, Sam, Logan, Natasha, Tony and Bruce stood with him today. The others were on stand-by at phase two. Or 'Plan B', depending on what happened. "Thanks." he said before turning to Tony. "How long till the package arrives at the destination?"
"Almost there." Tony said as he continued watching the screen. The package had been designed to drop to the target within minutes and soon deployed its parachute, softly laying it down. The octagonal tube then opened and folded out to reveal a large holographic projection of a screen through which they would be visible once Hela arrived.
They only waited a couple of minutes, watching as she started moving from her location via the satellite still on her. Her face looked amused as she approached the drop location.
Tony tapped a command and suddenly the holographic screen came to life. "Hi there." he said before he turned the camera on Harry, with his friends arrayed behind him, before he got up and joined them.
"Who are you?" were her first words. She spoke calmly and with a certain bemusement.
"Hi." Harry started. "I'm Harry James Potter Odinson. Prince of Asgard and King of New Atlantis. Are you Hela Odinsdottir?"
Hela looked at him with a certain gleam in her eye, "Truly? Are you the one that was meant to replace me? Could Odin not spawn another heir after he banished me to Hel?"
"Nay." Thor said stepping forward. "Harry is our youngest sibling by adoption. I am Thor Odinson. Until recently, I thought I was the firstborn of the Crown of Asgard."
"I am Loki Odinson." Loki said also stepping up behind Harry. "I am also adopted, but by the power of Asgard and that of the royal blood."
"Interesting." Hela said. "Odin has not yet passed, so I wonder; how many laws are you breaking, contacting me?"
Harry smirked, but before he could answer, Loki spoke up. "No law has been broken, and we hope not to break any going forward. When our youngest sibling," he said putting a hand on Harry's shoulder, "found out about your imprisonment a short while ago, he set out to correct what he felt was a grave injustice. I am here only to support him, as he is the reason I myself am not imprisoned and have sworn myself to my families' protection."
"Loki speaks the truth." Thor said also placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We would not be here if not for Harry, so please, sister, hear him out. He is your biggest chance at freedom. I too, would not mind having a bigger family." he said.
"And who are those I see arrayed behind you?" Hela asked.
Tony spoke up, "We are the Avengers. Earth's mightiest heroes-"
Bruce interrupted, "-But we are not here for a fight. We're here to support our friend, Harry."
"But should there be a fight, you'd stand with him." Hela said with a smirk. "I haven't had a good fight in many years. What if I decide to stretch my muscles?"
"You would be free to do so, as long as you put on the bracers we have included in the package." Tony said as he pressed a button and the magic inhibiting cuffs, made to look like black and gray bracers to fit in with her outfit, were presented to Hela.
Hela examined the cuffs and scowled, "You would stop me from commanding my power? Why would I do this? I would be helpless before you."
Harry spoke up again, "They are inhibiting cuffs. If you put them on, we will open a passage for you to meet with us off of Niflheim. When you are here with us, we will discuss the requirements for your release from them and potential release back to Asgard."
"You do not have the authority." Hela said, much as Loki once had.
"You are correct, of course," Thor said, "but that does not mean I will not have the authority. I am to be coroneted in a scant few months. When I am and if I am convinced that you are capable of controlling your bloodlust, I will have no reason not to re-instate you to Asgard and your power. I must be able to trust you, however."
Hela considered this, "So you, the would-be king of Asgard, would return me to my rightful place, which would then make me Queen. I think not. You are playing another game."
"No games, sister." Harry said. "I have a means by which I can enforce compacts by the very power of your own life. I have been warned by many that you would be unreasonable and quite incapable of rationality, but it seems you have somehow retained your sanity throughout these many years. Please, don the bracers and join us for a civilized discussion. I give you my word that you will be given your freedom of them by the end of the day."
"So long as I return to Hel?" Hela asked with narrowed eyes, a mocking tone in her voice, indicating that she was no fool.
"Listen, lady." Tony spoke up, with a bit of irritation in his voice. "Do you think he went through all of this trouble just to mess with you? He's been working his ass off to try and help you! Don't throw it in his teeth just because you would have taken advantage of this situation."
The affirmative nods and slight looks of disgust from some of the watching faces convinced her that she'd be better off at least attempting to discuss this. If she saw an opening, she'd take it. She doubted this 'adopted' brother of hers could really bring her freedom, but this was just another battle of wills and she'd come out the better for it.
Hela looked at Harry, "I have your sworn word that you will release me from these constraints should our talks not bear any fruit for you?" Harry nodded. "I will at least listen to your terms then." She walked to the device and picked up one of the bracers. She looked at it critically, before sticking a hand through. The bracer locked itself into place, closing around her forearm with a mechanical click. She didn't seem impressed, but donned the other bracer as well. "There, I have made myself hostage to your whim."
"You will find that I have no ill will towards you." Harry said. "Give me a moment, while I set up protections from the Terrors. I would not like for them to come after my friends." Hela smirked. She had never seen any form of protection work against these creatures. Harry summoned four patroni and turned a portal into being right next to her. Two of the patroni walked through and the Dementors that had been floating around were instantly repelled by Harry's spells.
"How remarkable." Hela said, looking at the Dementors, still retreating from the holy glow of the Patroni. "You are a sorcerer, then?" she asked as she stepped through the obviously magical portal.
"He is more than a mere sorcerer." Loki said.
"We are not here to argue about what I am." Harry stated.
"Why are we here then?" Hela asked. "Do you wish to offer me amnesty, for me to escape one prison for another? Leave one master who chained his attack dog up, for another who has enemies to slay?"
"If you come with me, you will never be required to fight again." Harry said. "I'm trying to reunite our family, not gain a servant."
"Please, sister. Hear us out." Thor said. "Odin has changed. He makes time to understand his children now."
"That doesn't sound like him." Hela scoffed.
"If not for Odin, what about us?" Loki offered. "Don't you care for family?"
"My 'family' locked me away in Hel." Hela rebuffed. Then she focussed on Harry, "You interest me, though. You have a strong connection to my aspect. What are you the god of?"
"I'm not a god." Harry said. "I'm just blessed in some ways and cursed in others."
"He is the god of Artifice and Enchantment." Thor argued. "His most recent creation is a weapon that can cut through dwarven swords and stand against the might of Mjolnir."
"Impressive, but I can do those things too." She smiled as she stomped her foot and a blade shot out of the ground and impacted the bracer on one of her hands. Her eyes showed shock only for a second, when the blade failed to secure her freedom. She shrugged and grabbed up the sword. Before she could move, she fell to the floor unconscious.
Natasha became visible behind her and shrugged. "What was the next plan again?"
When Hela came too, she berated herself for letting her guard down. She had felt the invisible person, of-course, but the fact that they were moving closer had led her to believe they were going for a physical hit. The magic that caught her had been summoned in such a way that it felt like it would miss. Apparently someone had taken the time to make it function that way on purpose. She'd not fall for it again.
As she got up, it was to see only Harry standing in front of her. "Where did your friends go?" she asked. "Did you send them away so that I don't kill them?"
"I sent them away, because if we fight, they'd be tempted to kill you." Harry countered. "I also thought it would be a nice moment to have a conversation, while we have a friendly spar. Tony did say you can do what you want as long as you have the bracers on and I'm not going to make him a liar." It had actually been said on purpose. It was all part of the plan.
"So you are going to fight me with your enchanted weapon? The one that can destroy weapons made of Uru?" Hela asked.
"If that's what you want?" Harry half asked. "I don't really have a preference. Honestly, I'd rather have a drink at my bar, but I understand that you were raised on violence and wouldn't understand that kind of thing."
Hela just smiled at him and picked up her blade. "Whenever you're ready, little brother." she said.
Harry drew his weapon and stood at the ready, in the stance Sif had taught him. "Don't be too hard on me. I'm no expert at sword-fighting."
"That sounds like an excuse!" Hela exclaimed as she lunged at Harry, ready to skewer him. Harry's sword parried her strike and went on the offensive, trying to impale her shoulder. Hela blocked it easily and returned with an overhead strike, "You don't seem too bad at this. Who did you train under?"
"I just started learning, actually." Harry said as his sword blocked the strike. His hand was just going along for the ride. He returned with an attempt to hit her hand to disarm her, but she was too quick and dodged his attack taking a step back to re-assess. "My friend tells me that if you have a weapon, you should know how to use it." he continued. "I just wanted to make the damn thing! It was a fun little side-project."
"You made a dwarven-blade cutter for enjoyment?" Hela asked with an upturned lip as she looked at his stance to figure out any weaknesses. She wouldn't normally take so long, but the boy had skill and she was starting to enjoy the conversation. "You truly are an artificer. Are you really such a great enchanter, though?" she asked as she stamped her foot again, causing four swords to shoot out of the ground at him.
Harry took a step back as one of the swords came a little close for comfort as his enchanted blade automatically blocked all the incoming blades with a single swipe. "I get by." he replied modestly.
"How are you doing that?" Hela asked. "I've see your reflexes. You aren't that fast."
"I could be." Harry offered with a bored look as he activated his time dilation and shot forward and past her. "I just thought I'd make it a fair fight." he said from behind her as she watched her sword's blade fly from the handle.
Hela looked around incredulously at the mere boy who seemed to have shot past her even faster than she could follow. "How are you doing these things?" she asked.
"Magic." Harry said with another shrug. "Sorry about your sword. I can replace it if it was special to you, but I'm assuming it's not, since you conjured it."
Hela was no longer smiling. If only she had access to her full power, she'd have this whelp on his knees before her by now. "You have me at a disadvantage." she began, "You had time to prepare for me, yet I know nothing about you."
"I'm willing to talk," Harry offered, "but you want to fight, right? I also didn't have anything to go on, besides that you were called the Goddess of Death, I mean." He stuck a hand though a small portal and retrieved the other sword he had made with the Adamantium blade. It didn't have any enchantments and no vibranium core, but it was well balanced, and runed, so it should work. He tossed it at Hela, "Here, this one should last you longer. It was a prototype."
"I AM the Goddess of Death!" Hela said as she grabbed the sword out of the air and rushed at Harry.
"No." Harry argued, as the swordfight started anew, only faster this time. Harry kept his face calm throughout. "You are more like the goddess of War. You have a small affinity for Death, but not strong enough to command it. You might be able to do some necromancy, though." he offered as he allowed the sword to go completely defensive and blocking all of Hela's hits.
Hela could not stand this, the man was talking as casually as if he were taking a stroll in the park, insulting her divine right, while he blocked and parried her every hit. It was strange, though. She saw no movements in preparation of her attacks, yet none of her hits struck home. She decided to try a different tactic. As she lunged at him, she took a hard step forward and channelled some of her remaining power through her feet to conjure a blade from behind him.
Harry was becoming tired of this. Hela was really strong! He could feel the hits as their kinetic energy failed to be completely absorbed by the vibranium core. This was her weak? He now understood Odin's worry. Suddenly Urubane hit him in the shoulder with the flat of the blade and forced him to the side, his hand having to let go to allow the blade to do so. As he fell to the floor, he saw the shocked look from Hela as she was impaled by her own blade, flying through the air where Harry had just stood, right through her stomach.
"Where you trying to kill me?" Harry observed as he got up and dusted himself off. "Urubane is enchanted to protect me more aggressively when my opponent becomes more intent on killing me and it's never done that before." The blade in question just hung in the air between them.
"You have truly enchanted a weapon to fight for you?" Hela asked. That makes so much more sense. Urubane sounded like a decent enough name for a weapon of that calibre. "I'll admit that I am impressed," she said reluctantly, "but that won't stop me." She suddenly lunged at Harry, the sword in her stomach falling out of her to the ground, unblemished, his own sword extended as another shot out of the ground for her to catch, ready to react when the first blade was diverted.
Harry saw the other blade shoot out of the ground and decided to go for a bit of a show of force. He channelled his magic to the scabbard he was holding and enlarged the blade in front of himself as fast as he could. Hela's shocked face was comical as it disappeared behind the giant blade and Harry lost sight of her, but the clang of metal on metal and her oomph as the blade shot forward and punted her back was funny and he couldn't help the smile on his face as he walked up to her prone form. His blade was still giant, but it was hovering over her body, only barely pressing down on her legs, to ensure she doesn't channel her power through them again, keeping her from attacking him and escaping.
"Can we stop for a bit?" Harry asked, his smile fading. "I think I've proven my point and I don't like feeling like a bully."
"You were simply having fun with me, weren't you?" Hela asked, refusing to answer his question, but Harry took it as a good sign that she was talking in the past tense, so he shrunk the blade and returned it to his sheath. She lunged at him suddenly and he locked her in place with his magic. It took more power than he'd thought it would, but he just barely made it look effortless.
"I could have done this from the start, yes, but I also know you might respect a show of what I can do for you, rather than just against you." Harry explained as his friends stepped out of the Fidelius hidden location. It was difficult to setup inside a Room of Requirement, but Harry had managed. "Now you know that I can protect you and that I don't need anyone to do my fighting for me. And if it wasn't clear," Harry released the reins on his power completely and added just a bit from his ring, "there's no lack of power on this side."
Hela looked in astonishment as this young man, for surely he could not be a boy with such strength, released his power, which he had held tightly contained until just then. That's when she felt it. Harry didn't just have a passing connection with Death. He was entwined with it in such a way that it made her own connection seem like a child's toy. "What are you?" she asked despite herself.
"He is your brother." Loki said having reached them again. "And this is the last offer we make you."
"Stop fighting us, we are not here for violence." Thor pleaded.
"It's all I know!" Hela shot back. Then her features calmed with some effort. "Though, I suppose I can take time to listen." she said begrudgingly. "You've earned that much."
"Thank you." Harry said, willing some comfortable couches to appear. In the centre rose a coffee table on which he conjured two pitchers of water, with glasses, and made some butterbeer. "Please, help yourself. Can I get you something to eat? I imagine options were limited on Niflheim."
Hela waited to see what happened when Harry's friends poured themselves some butterbeer and took sips. When Loki, the first adopted from what she could tell, took a sip with no negative effects, she took the pitcher and drank greedily from it. She could tell the substance turned to water, just as she had observed it do when Loki took a sip, but it was delicious. The most delicious thing she had drunk in a long time. Even better than the supplies that sometimes appeared on the planet for her, on occasion. She had her suspicions where they came from, but would never thank the old man. This drink, however, contained power and she could feel it slowly recharging her meagre supply.
When she finished downing the entire pitcher, she looked back at the others there and noted that Thor had grabbed the other pitcher and was just finishing the last of it, having apparently tried to challenge her. He'd never beat her in a contest of drinking. She had learned to drink with the Valkyries.
Harry just shook his head and replaced the pitchers before pouring himself a glass and drinking deeply. "You've got a strong arm." he said to Hela. "My arm was getting tired and I didn't even feel your full force. No wonder I was warned against contacting you. If I had anything but that blade, I would have certainly died at the first attack."
Hela watched as a redhead she had not seen before, but now realised was the hidden attacker that had downed her earlier, approached and sat next to Harry on a double couch. Closer than would be proper for simply friends or comrades. "Is she your paramour?" Hela asked.
"She is." Harry agreed. "Sorry for not introducing you earlier. This is Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow," he indicated the redhead next to him, "that is Tony Stark, the Iron Man," he said pointing at the man who had worn full armour earlier, but had since removed his helm, "that's Bruce Banner, the Hulk-"
"Don't think him weak for his small frame. He's by far the most dangerous of them if you allow him to get close to you." Loki warned.
"That's Steve Rogers, Captain America," Harry continued, with a smile and a shake of his head, as he pointed at the man dressed in a strange uniform of blue, red and white, who nodded at her politely, "that's Sam Wilson, the Falcon," he said pointing at a man in a silver and red suit, with a device on his back, for flight she presumed , going by his name, "that's Bucky Barnes," he said pointing at a man with long hair and a metal arm, "that's Logan, the Wolverine," he said pointing at a man who had not made a move besides taking a position close by. He seemed ready for a fight at any moment. She got a sense of wildness from him that attracted her need for violence.
"I am Thor, god of Thunder, wielder of Mjolnir, first… second child of Odin." Thor introduced himself, having to correct himself.
"I am Loki, god of Mischief and Trickery." Loki smiled a roguish smile at her as he refilled his drink. "First adopted son of Odin and Frigga." Then he pointed at Harry, "He is our youngest sibling. I intend to convince him to take the potion to become part of our family properly, once his intended has borne him some children to continue his heritage."
"And what is that heritage?" Hela asked intrigued. Never had she felt such power, never had she sensed such a strong connection to Death.
"I was brought here through necessity and the machinations of a higher existence." Harry said. "I hail from another reality."
"Not dimension or realm, either." The man in the armour interjected after sitting himself down and looking completely calm as he drank his beverage.
Hela suspected she knew which higher existence he was referring to as she felt a tug at her own connection at the mere mention of it.
Harry conjured a large stack of mini-cheeseburgers on the table for everyone to snack on. They all knew it was temporary. Hela watched as the man in the armour as well as half of those gathered there reached for the food. "It's just a snack." Harry explained, "They're-"
"Not real, I can tell." Hela answered. "Why not make it like you made the water?"
"It has to do with how my magic works." Harry explained. "I can summon you some real food if you want. I've had something prepared, just in case."
"So you are a sorcerer?" Hela asked.
"I'm a Wizard." Harry corrected. "Sorcerers from Earth, Midgard, work with mystical energies summoned from other dimensions. I use magic, not mystic forces."
"The difference being that you can access a large store of personal power, where sorcerers channel only that which is available through their own capacity." Hela nodded in understanding. "I have seen such as what you describe. Are you saying you're more powerful than a sorcerer?"
"Different." Harry corrected again.
"Bullshit." Tony interjected, trying to make it sound like a cough and failing horribly.
"Good luck trying to get him to admit he's stronger than anyone." Loki said with a roll of his eyes.
"It brings me no shame to admit that he could probably best even me." Thor said with a proud smile.
"'Probably'." Tony scoffed. He had no doubt Harry would win.
"And Hulk wouldn't want to fight Harry seriously, though he believes he'd win if he had to." Bruce said taking a bite of one of the mini burgers.
Harry just shook his head and summoned a burger from the diminishing pile to snack on, sending one to Hela, who'd finally sat down in a comfortable armchair. He'd rather not have this conversation again. He'd already refused to try and wield Mjolnir, since he could feel he was quite capable and didn't want to embarrass Thor after he had claimed that he who wields Mjolnir can rule Asgard.
Hela took the Burger that Harry floated out to her and tried it as well. It was delicious! These Midgardians were quite inventive. She could taste so many different flavours and textures with just one bite. Her grudging respect for her youngest sibling grew, for the skill and ease with which he created such a complicated conjuring. She was skilled at the same art as well, but used it mostly to create weapons. She could tell there was something different in their power as, when she ate this food, she could feel her power rising slowly. It was made of pure energy! She'd not need sustenance as long as she could fill her energy this way.
"Don't look so surprised." Loki said to her with a knowing look. "He's quite aware that he's giving you power, but can afford to offer you this much. If you end up signing the contract and going with him, you'd probably reside on his living island kingdom of magic, where his power has suffused even the magical creatures that live in harmony there."
"And you aint getting close to my critters until you sign another one to specifically protect them." Logan said from where he still stood, watching.
"You're the boss Logan," Harry said with a smile, "But do you mind if I don't make it a blood-oath binding? Hela might need to protect herself, after all. I'm not leaving her helpless."
"What is this contract and blood-oath you speak of?" Hela asked.
"It is a magical binding that binds you to the agreed upon terms." Loki said. "My own contract was made in such a way as to assure me of my freedoms, so long as I never betray my family or people. Our brother is quite considerate that way."
"I won't require anything from you." Harry said. "All I want is to ensure the safety of my friends, family and people. If you can agree to that, we can definitely arrange something for you."
"Will I be allowed to lead your armies against your enemies?" Hela asked. She wasn't stupid. This could only be a trap of some sort. He obviously wanted something from her.
"I'm afraid not." Harry apologised, completely shattering her last thought. "I already have a command structure in place for my people. I think Steve would be the best person to ask if we even have only one general." He said looking over at Steve, who had stuffed a whole burger in his mouth.
He looked surprised, but quickly chewed and swallowed before replying, "I think Fury is at the top, at least for the ground forces, but the decisions are run by your field commanders. There's a couple of divisions, with the flying forts, medical extraction, ghost squads, normal troops, special ops and those from the magic corps who have higher level access to magical equipment."
"So, no." Harry said. "I don't have one general. I have many people who specialise in their own divisions. And they aren't technically my people. They just work for my company."
"He's always like that." Natasha said fondly. "He's technically at the head of a company that protects the lives of billions of people."
"If you think you can offer something, you'd always be welcome to speak to the right people, but we're not here to recruit you." Harry continued. "Let me demonstrate the contract."
Harry did just that, allowing Hela to inspect the magic on the contracts. She wasn't an enchanter, but she was able to confirm what it does, loosely. Harry signed his demo contract and showed her the consequences of breaking them and then he destroyed the contract to show her how the effect ended. Then he explained to her what her contract would do.
"So my contract would do the same, but with my own power enforcing my compliance?" Hela asked. So far he seemed to be doing this completely altruistically, but why? She had never known someone to do something like this, unless he was sincere about his claims about family. She was too experienced to believe such a thing. Maybe he was just young and thus, naive enough.
"That's right, and you'd also receive the same protections as we get." Harry confirmed. "It's the only way I know of to ensure that everyone stays safe and happy."
Hela looked at her contract again. It was much the same as Loki's, stating that she was not allowed to overthrow or attack any realm, unless it was against tyrannical rule, and that she would be given all the freedoms she could ask for as long as it didn't affect anyone else's negatively. She considered it for a while, but the thing that finally sold it for her was the part that stated that Harry would need to deliver her back to Niflheim at any time she wanted, should she so desire, and to then release her from the contract. Even if she was drained of any power she gained because of the deal, she could at least have a small reprieve from her banishment.
In the end she signed, but only after Harry revealed that they were in a Room of Requirement. Demonstrating its capabilities by setting her up with a dragon to fight like he had done for Thor and Sif all those years ago, really impressed her. Showing her that the room was in its own contained dimension through a shrinkable door, which was part of her 'signing bonus', blew her away.
"And you are certain you are not breaking any laws by offering me this?" Hela asked, hanging the shrunken door, which now looked like a stylized amulet, around her neck from the chain provided for it.
"Are you worried for our brother?" Loki asked with a smirk.
"Even I must admit he is a skilled and powerful ally to have." Hela scoffed. "I would not risk such a valuable commodity if he could still be useful in the future."
"He has contrived of this plan in such a way as to assure that he never broke any laws." Thor said with a smile and shake of his head. "Had he broken the law he'd have put me in a difficult position."
"How so?" Hela asked.
"Odin refused to pass judgement on Harry and told me it would be my first task as King, should he break the law." Thor confided.
"How long has he known Harry, for him to be so incapable of doing to him what he did to me so easily?" Hela demanded, a look of anger passing her face.
"He met me only a couple of years ago." Harry confided, knowing it wouldn't help. "I honestly didn't know about this."
"It is not Harry's fault." Thor said. "Odin has changed. Harry had a hand in it, but I suspect it was mostly my fault. Shortly before Harry came to our world, I was brash and vied for war. Odin had to punish me by turning me mortal. I almost died and the shock of the series of events in those days tired Odin. He was forced into the Odinsleep early-"
"-And when he awoke, it was to me falling from the bifrost, after trying to destroy Jotunheim with it." Loki interjected. "Much of what happened in those days was my fault. I think I am to blame for that situation more than you brother." he said to Thor.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it was." Thor said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It was because of Harry's intervention that Frigga lives and I suspect we can thank him that Odin is even still with us now."
"The Odin's Brew certainly helped." Natasha said. "It works like an antidepressant and Odin is drinking it daily these days, as I understand it." Then she turned to Hela, "And don't think that Odin didn't struggle with the choice. I'm an expert at reading people. I could see the pain in his face when he spoke of you. Then there's also the people you killed before you were banished. Harry's personality demands that he do what he believes is right. You could hardly compare your situation with his."
"Are you certain it wasn't just disappointment you saw on his face?" Hela asked scathingly. Where had this person been when she needed someone to stand up for her? Then she realised, he was here now, a scant few years after meeting Odin, weeks after learning of her. He had yet to lie to her, she could tell. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt at least. Her older siblings had thousands of years to help her.
Harry, though, seemed to be someone she could trust to do what he believed was right, even if he may not be completely sane to try and help her. She didn't even believe that she was capable of being redeemed. She didn't know that she wanted to be. To break the tedium of Hel, though, was something she'd give much for.
When they were ready to leave, the rest of the Avengers revealed themselves along with the Ghost Squads and magical support Fury had sent along. Harry turned a portal for them and they all left for EPI HQ. Only Logan, Thor, Loki, Natasha and Harry stayed behind.
Tony said he'd see them later, though. He planned on staying on stand-by and having Friday monitor through the systems on the island, should their presence be required. He didn't trust this woman yet. Something about her was off. He'd known enough crazies to pick up on it from her.
Harry opened the final portal and indicated for everyone to precede him.
Hela stepped through the latest portal. Intellectually she had known that they were traveling vast distances, but she had stepped from one dead planet to another. Suddenly seeing all the life and feeling all the power in the air, left her slightly breathless. It had been a long time since she had seen trees or heard laughter or seen any colours besides the prevailing grey that was in so much abundance on the dead planets she had just left.
There was a pool of crystal clear water with light elves and nature spirits playing and singing along to music she heard coming from the colourful area in its centre, where another elf was smiling as he handed what looked like an alcoholic beverage to one of the nature spirits. There was so much magic in everything around her that she felt for a second that she was on Asgard.
It was all so welcoming and open, free and peaceful, without pomp or grand displays of power or towers covered in gold. This was an island with a singular purpose; rest and relaxation. She could feel something else as well as she observed the pulse of life running through the very sand beneath her feet. In that second she felt an awareness; an awareness that somehow smiled at her and welcomed her. She got a flash of an image of a grazing deer, surrounded by other creatures all looking at her as if asking her to join them.
In that moment, she felt the connections on the island, all of which connected to the wild man, Logan. A stronger connection becoming almost visible when Harry stepped through the portal. She sensed a flow of power from and to Harry. He truly was the one to supply all the power of this island. It wasn't something she hadn't seen before, but strangely none of the power on the island had the taint of Death she had thought she'd sense, especially with how intrinsically Harry was connected to the aspect.
Instead, it was as if Harry had specifically made this island to be the opposite of Death. A respite from the aspect which meant the end of all things and would one day claim them all.
As if hearing her thoughts, Harry spoke up, "I am happy to welcome you to the Island of New Atlantis. It is home to many who deserve a chance at life."
"Thank you for giving me the same chance." Hela said, almost despite herself. As she stood there basking in the warm sun, she felt the welcome of the island again, like it was waiting for Harry to greet her. Suddenly the power in the air started flowing into her, Harry's welcome being enough to allow her access.
The power of the island was not as plentiful as it would be on Asgard, but it was teaming with life. Harry's magic was different from that of Asgard, where the wills of those who inhabit it focus on strength. Here it seems all the power is focussed on life. Her outfit's accents, which had long since turned the grey of the dead world she lived on, suddenly gained a vibrant green colour, as her power slowly filled her stores with its potential.
"You never told me you'd be offering me the energy of the island." Hela said looking at Harry.
"Don't look at me." Harry said.
"It's Prongs' doing." Logan spoke up as the island communicated with him in the way it had come to. "Harry's the power, I'm the caretaker and Prongs is the spirit. He's young still, and always shares what he feels people needs." He looked her dead in the eye as he approached her, "If you betray this island, you won't have to worry about Harry or your contract." He then lowered his voice so only she could hear, "If you betray this island, I'll force-feed you water from its pool of eternity and then have Harry send you back. You'll never find this island again."
Hela had actually paled at this. She knew the cost that would have on her soul. Then she smiled. This man was a worthy sort, it seemed. She hadn't ever been threatened thusly, or so thoroughly. Harry had chosen wisely to give him responsibility here. "I'll have to endeavour not to betray the island, then." she responded.
"Make sure you don't." Logan said. Suddenly there was a gust of wind and she looked up as a large dragon made a slow landing next to Logan, who patted her with a smile on his face. "Hey there Puppy. Mind giving me a lift to the Manticores' Lair? It's almost feeding time."
Hela had never seen this kind of relationship. The dragon deferred to Logan as an equal, but with what she could only describe as some form of reverence. The dragon lifted a claw and allowed Logan to step on it to mount her back, before she took off and Hela spotted a wing of smaller dragons join her on her way towards a plateau she could see in the centre of the island. "What a man." she muttered to herself.
Harry decided not to respond to that. He knew Logan was already in the start of a relationship with May Parker, but would rather not step on any toes. He'd leave that situation for Logan to handle. It didn't stop him from smiling, though. "Come, let's have Eldrin pour us a drink and then I'll take you for a tour of your accommodations."
"I thought the Room was to be my residence?" Hela asked touching the amulet.
"If you want, I suppose," Harry shrugged, "but it would cut you off from the power of the island and you can't absorb power in the room, as it returns to the room when you exit."
"I see." Hela nodded in understanding. It made sense; otherwise the enchantments would lose their power and cease to function.
Eldrin had already started pouring drinks on their approach. He'd apparently already made a batch of Bahama Mama's for Harry, because the moment he set foot near the bar, the drink was waiting. Harry had long since stopped trying to figure out how he was so fast with it, never realizing Eldrin had made a couple of pitchers, which he kept in stasis, for when they were needed. Since the ice didn't melt and the alcohol didn't evaporate in stasis, it was always fresh and ready for him.
The elves had slowly been rediscovering their own magics, as they became more prominent. Light spells and small acts of telekinetic ability became more commonplace. Eldrin was showing a slight affinity for divination, which would explain his near-perfect record of always knowing what to serve his clients, making up drinks as he went, always knowing just what to add to make something special.
Little Xamantha was also showing signs of a strong magical ability. Xera suspected it had to do with her youth and growing up with so much ambient magic available. Harry thought it made sense. Fleur was a similar creature raised in a magical household and was a strong witch, so if Xamantha was the same, they'd have to consider getting her a wand soon. Luckily she'd have 'big sis' Wanda to help her learn to use her magic and make her a wand.
As it was, New Atlantis became just a little bit more magical as the days passed.
Hela's favourite drink was unsurprisingly Firewhiskey. She settled in rather quickly, but she seldom socialized with the other inhabitants. She was often seen sitting on her favourite dune, just watching the ocean with a far off look as she sipped at a drink. She'd not seen as much water in a long time and found watching the ocean meditative.
The inhabitants showed her the same respect any of Harry's family was shown, something that met with Hela's approval, even when she realised they were doing it despite Harry's orders for them to try and be more familiar. She soon discovered that it wasn't an intentional disobedience as much as it was an inability to show less respect for the man that had rescued all of them from lives served in slavery.
Hela was never a vindictive person. She'd not make people suffer as much as kill them outright. She found herself respecting his ideals, if not his methodology. She'd have wiped the wrongdoers off the face of Vanaheim. Especially when the small one, Xamantha, started referring to her as Aunt Hela and refused to let her be alone for any extended period of time. Despite herself, she started caring for the happy little sprite, as she started referring to her.
By the time Hela had settled, Harry was already on mission again. It seemed a certain Ulysses Klaue was planning a bit of a foray into Wakanda and one of EPI's operatives had caught wind of it. Klaue was taking a guest, a certain Erik Stevens, AKA Killmonger.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
burnable
burnable This Chapter is dedicated to my sister, who died in a car accident in December last year. Since it was on the author's note on the original site, I decided to mention it here.
Weekly Power Status
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