Silence reigned in the dark night as Percy finished his story. He looked away, not wanting to see the god give him a pitiful look. He scowled inwardly, he hadn't meant to tell the other so much, but one thing had led to another and he found himself telling the whole thing to a person who was practically a total stranger - never mind the fact that he felt a strange connection to him. He swallowed, he hadn't told anyone about what happened to make him run like hell after that battle, not even Nico or Thalia, and they were his closest friends after her-after Annabeth. In fact, he hadn't even contacted anyone since he left three years ago, just up and left after telling the gods and Chiron via a written note that he was leaving and that he wasn't planning on coming back. The sorrowful look in the centaur's eyes told him that his mentor knew exactly why he was leaving - and it wasn't because of his parents either. Try as he might, Percy couldn't summon the energy to be angry at his mentor, the man who had taught him so much and had accepted him when everyone had turned him out. He couldn't even retain his anger at Annabeth either, just completely drained of energy. He had broken it off with her despite her numerous apologies. What she had done was on a different level from his parents, it created a rift between them, and Percy didn't know if it was repairable or not. Guiltily, he thought of Nico and Thalia, his cousins who had supported him through so much, and how he never bothered to contact them. Granted, Nico knew what he was up to, having been privy to the information that Percy was going to leave; just that he didn't know the reason why, but he probably thought that it was something to do with his parents.

Percy winced when he thought of Thalia, if he ever met her again... He would be in for a world of pain. Nah, he thought amusedly, I'd be getting a one-way ticket to Hades.

Loki on the other hand was stunned into silence. This boy had done what numerous others had tried and failed- he had shocked the Wordsmith into silence. He did not know what to think, he had not felt guilty for leading the invasion straight into the heart of New York, because given the circumstances, it was the best option he had and it had been his ultimate plan. Yet, he looked at the boy beside him, a child in his eyes, one forced to grow up in a world that he did not belong to, he felt a foreign emotion settling in his chest. Loki looked down, his own memories of finding out about his adoption flashing through his head. He remembered how betrayed he had felt when Odin told him that he took him because he wanted to use him to unite both their realms, how he had screamed and shouted at the man who called himself father of Loki and his ensuing madness. Loki felt almost ashamed when he thought of the way he had acted in comparison to the boy sitting beside him. Most of all, he was completely and utterly shocked.

Never in a million years did he think that the two time savior of this realm shared his pain.

Loki pressed his lips together, "What happened after?"

Percy turned back to him, shocked at the vague empathy on his face. "I went straight to Olympus." He smirked, "Demanded a council meeting and told them that I wanted out."

Loki raised an eyebrow at his audacious behavior, to which Percy only continued smirking, he silently thanked the god for changing the subject, he didn't want to dwell on that event any longer than necessary. "Yeah, told them that I had enough of being their tool, and that I needed a break. They granted it surprisingly, I'm still not sure why they allowed me to leave."

He shifted, lying back down with his hands behind his head, "They suppressed my powers, can't erase it apparently, and sent me off on my merry way. I went back to camp and got my stuff and well, I moved around."

"What about the woman you courted?"

Percy blinked, "The woman I-" he laughed, "Dude, just say girlfriend! No one says courted nowadays!"

"Perhaps they should then, it is more courteous that way." The god said stiffly, glaring at him.

Percy smirked, his eyes melancholic, "We broke up. Obviously. I know, it wasn't technically her fault that she didn't tell me about my-heritage. But it doesn't change the fact that she'd been lying to me ever since we met. Its not something you get over that quickly."

Loki cocked his head to one side, "I...see."

Percy sighed, "No, you don't. Look, it wasn't her fault that she couldn't tell me. Really, but she agreed with them, that's why it hurt, because she agreed, and before she knew me, she was willing to treat me as a tool to be molded accordingly. It was only after she got to know me that she began becoming uncertain."

Loki turned away. Percy sighed again, "Well, I didn't really mean for this to become story time. Sorry about that."

"No." Loki said quickly, "No, I am honored that you chose to tell me. Thank you."

Percy reddened and looked away. The god grinned lightly at the boy's reaction to being thanked and hesitated slightly, his voice soft, "How can you stand to even be in the same area as I let alone interact with me?"

Percy gave him a questioning look, though he had an inkling as to what this was about. Loki turned away, feeling the first signs of guilt well up in the hollow cavity where his heart supposedly was. "I murdered your parents, I took away your life. How can you know all that and still look me in the eye without any hatred?"

Percy gave a soft 'ah' at the question, pondering the best way to answer the god. "It isn't really your fault you know." He held up a hand, "No let me explain." He took a deep breath, thinking about his mother and Paul was like rubbing salt into an open wound, but he could tell that the god was genuinely curious and guilty, and Percy couldn't in good conscience let him wallow in self pity. "Look, it was...circumstantial. Yes, you brought the attack to New York, yes, I know the exact reason why you did so, but you aren't responsible for every action that your army commits. From what I know, you ordered them to attack, but you directed their attacks at the buildings mainly yes?" Seeing Loki's reluctant nod, he continued, "You tried your best to reduce the death count, but they're not fully under your control are they?"

Percy sighed, rubbing his hands together, "Look, what I'm trying to say is that, my parents - they, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I could blame the space whale for choosing that particular building to crash into, I could blame the avengers for killing it right above my parents, or I could blame myself for not getting there faster. I could even blame Thanatos for reaping their souls." He looked at the god, forcing him to maintain eye contact with him. "I don't blame you because it wasn't your fault that they ran past that particular building." Percy sighed, hugging his knees to his chest, "If anything," he said softly, "It's my fault for running away like a coward. If I had stayed with them then..."

Loki stared at the demigod - no, the child beside him, because that was what he was, a child who had been forced to grow up before he was able to experience the joys of childhood. Forced to step up to carry the mantle of leadership, forced to live through horrors that many could only dream of. The god hesitantly placed a hand on Percy's shoulder, unused but offering the only form of comfort that he knew, "If you had stayed there, perhaps you would not be sitting here now. And I would still be trapped in the dungeons below Asgard." He cleared his throat uncomfortably and removed his hand when Percy looked back at him with gratitude evident in his eyes, deftly changing the subject, "How, pray tell, did you come to work with the mortals then?"

Percy hummed, tracing random designs in the ground beneath him, "Well, I certainly didn't find them that's for sure. After I came down from Olympus... Well, I just headed elsewhere, trekking over random places and hunting any monsters that I came across. I was angry," he looked down, "I was undeniably angry, I didn't want to talk to my dad at all. It's like, they could spare the energy to protect the mortals but he couldn't even lift a finger to save my mum, the woman he loved."

Percy sighed harshly, "Anyway, I was somewhere near San Francisco when SHIELD found me several months later. They sent in one of their best agents to recruit me. I wasn't really keen on working for yet another group of people who wanted to use my talents but at least they were straightforward about it. Despite what I thought about the organization, it wasn't that different from my life as a- as one of the Greeks, but well, it was something I was familiar with. And I needed familiarity."

Loki looked at him, "So you joined them."

Percy nodded, "I needed a purpose in my life again, one that didn't comprise of fighting wars for people who didn't appreciate it. At the time, SHIELD seemed like a perfect idea. I had a purpose, and I could start anew in a place where nothing from my past life could pop up." he sighed, "Well, up until that incident in Alaska which led to everything snowballing into this." He looked at he god, smiling, "But I can't say that I regret it."

They both fell into a sort of awkward silence, sitting out on a cliff in the middle of the night. Percy looked up, tracing out the constellations in the sky. He grinned as an idea came into his head, "Hey, does Asgard have constellations?"

Loki blinked at the sudden question, turning to look curiously at Percy, who was facing the sky. "Yes, we do have many different constellations, although the stars that hang in Asgard's skies are from a different galaxy as yours." He said, unknowingly repeating the words his brother said to his own mortal lover not five Midgardian years ago.

Percy grinned, "That's interesting. Here, you don't get to see much of the stars if you're in the main city, cause all the pollution blocks out any view of the stars. But if you go to a spot like somewhere near a beach, you can usually see the different constellations, and it's nice." He turned to the god of mischief and grinned, "Most are actually Greek you know?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Percy nodded and scooted over closer to the god, pointing upwards, his fingers tracing the outline of the stars, "Look, that's Scorpius, or Scorpio, either one, somewhere beside him is Orion, my half brother, who is a complete and utter jerk, if what Lady Artemis says is true. She placed it up there so that it chases Orion forever, after the guy tried to rape one of her hunters."

Loki leaned back in shock, "Truly? I had always assumed that Artemis loved Orion, and she placed him in the sky to honor him."

Percy laughed, "That's the mortal version, but no, Artemis placed him up there as punishment cause he's deathly afraid of the Scorpion, so she made it such that the creature would chase after him for eternity."

He pointed to another constellation, tracing the outline of a female wielding a bow and arrow, "That's the constellation of The Huntress, also known as Zoe Nightshade." He said quietly, "One of the best hunters to have ever lived, and someone I'm proud to call a friend." He ignored the god's curious look, and continued, "She was Lady Artemis' lieutenant for almost two thousand years, and when I was fourteen, she went on a quest to save her mistress, who had been trapped by Atlas."

He looked sadly at the sky, "She knew that she would die at the hands of Atlas, her father, because of a prophecy we received before the quest, but she still went anyway, and she fought with bravery and honor. Artemis sent her to the sky to honor her."

Loki looked up, feeling respect for a girl he had never known. It took courage to face your death head on, especially knowing that it was coming for you. "What other constellations does this puny world have?" he said, trying to raise the somber mood.

Percy laughed, "Hey, it's not puny alright? Say something more insulting and I won't tell you the stories."

Loki raised his hands in mock surrender, the turmoil in his heart calming as the hero beside him pointed out the stars and the stories he learned from his time at camp. They talked well into the dawn, even after the stars disappeared and gave way to the sun.

Surprisingly, the next morning, Tony was the first to get up. Well, in a manner of speaking, since he had been up the whole night in his lab, tinkering with his suits and upgrading the various weapons of the avengers. He had expected that everyone was in their own rooms sleeping or doing god knows what in there (contrary to popular belief, he didn't really want to know what went on in other people's bedrooms) and it was fine with him because he always stayed up late anyway. Well, depending on your definition of late, since he was just starting on his next sleepless run.

So when he walked to the living room, intent on grabbing more caffeine (the supply in the lab had run out) to jolt him awake to continue on his technological roll, and saw both Loki and Percy out cold on the couch, within touching distance of each other (read: practically cuddling already), his first instinct was to scream his head off.

Both Percy and Loki bolted upright at his scream, the seasoned warriors in them allowing them to react instinctively at the first sign of danger, the two of them found themselves in a half crouch, one on the floor, the other on the couch, daggers and guns held out, eying the room for any dangers. Thor came crashing down through the ceiling nearly less than a second later, hefting Mjolnir, while Natasha and Clint both dropped down silently after Thor through the gaping hole he made. Matthias tumbled down from the stairs, standing in a defensive position with his eyes narrowed dangerously as he vaulted over the railings from the stairs to the second floor and landed softly on the first. All of them had their weapons in hand, looking around for the supposed threat.

"What the hell Tony?" Clint demanded, his sandy blond hair mussed up, sticking out at all angles.

Tony just gaped, not responding to Clint's calls. Percy looked around, frowning, "Were you attacked?" He asked, his mind jumped to their newest guest, thinking that the other had made a move.

Tony didn't say anything; he just kept staring at Percy and Loki.

Loki noticed and scowled at him, straightening out a little, "What is your problem mortal?"

That snapped the genius out of his self-induced shock, "What's my problem?" Tony screeched, pointing at them, "Why the hell are you both sleeping together?"

The rest of them slowly let down their weapons, seeing no assailant in sight, giving confused glances to the questionably mad genius.

Percy, who had realized what he was talking about, scowled. He clicked the safety of the gun back on and stored it in his jacket, which he had apparently slept in. He glared at the superhero, who was still staring at them in shock. "What, it's a crime to sleep on the couch now?" he demanded, coming out of his crouch when it became apparent there was no danger in sight, his cheeks tinted red.

Loki sneered and re-sheathed his dagger, which was hidden in his boot, glaring at the mortal who had interrupted his much needed sleep.

"No!" Tony protested, his hand waving about in elaborate gestures, "I mean, you both were on the couch, sleeping and what was I supposed to think?"

Percy stared incredulously at the other man, "How about, we were both sleeping?" he said slowly, as if he was talking to a child. Honestly, certified genius or not, Tony Stark acted like a kid more often than not. It was a wonder how this man had created the Iron Man suits.

Clint glared at Loki, and then turned to Percy, "You slept with him?"

Percy groaned, glaring at Tony, "Stop putting it like that, I didn't sleep with him you bunch of annoying idiots. We talked, we got tired, and we slept on the nearest thing which happened to be the couch. Okay?"

Thor frowned at his brother, who glared back at him, a hint of a smirk in his sharp green eyes, daring him to say anything.

The god of mischief sneered, "Some of us do actually need to rest like a normal being Stark. How you mortals put up with his ceaseless, childish prattling befuddles me."

Percy rolled his eyes, interrupting Tony's annoyed rant at the god, "He's right Tony, and it's like what, six in the morning?" he squinted out at the still dark sky, "I just fell asleep damn it."

"Well it's your fault for staying up to talk kiddo. Children should go to bed by ten." Tony sniped, trying to salvage whatever pride he had left..

Percy scowled at him and sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Whatever, since I'm up now," he yawned, "I might as well go wash up. I need to talk to you all about some stuff anyway." He looked around, "Where's Bruce? And Steve?"

The avengers all blinked then looked upwards, "I think he slept right through Tony's girlish scream." Natasha murmured.

Clint shook his head, "I think Cap went to check on Bruce. So he doesn't Hulk out because someone screamed like a little girl."

"Hey!" Tony protested, "It's not girlish! I was shocked alright?"

Percy rolled his eyes and hopped off the couch, beckoning for Loki to follow him, "I have some clothes that you might just be able to fit in... Although I think it may be a tad small since you're taller than me." He turned to the rest of the avengers, giving them a significant look, "We need to talk, and can we meet back here in about fifteen? Since we're all up anyway."

The other avengers all nodded, "I'll go tell Steve." Natasha said.

Loki raised his eyebrow at Percy and nodded, his mind already alert despite the surprise wake up call. "What are you going to tell them?" He asked quietly as he followed the demigod to his room.

Percy's face became serious, "We need to talk about our newest guest, for one. What's your opinion of him?"

Loki blinked at him in shock, not expecting the other to ask him for his input.

Percy read his expression correctly and said, "You are the god of lies you know, if anything, I bet that like Apollo can tell if someone isn't speaking the truth, you can tell when someone is telling a lie." He smirked as a thought came into his mind, "I wonder how you and Apollo would get along? God of Truth versus the God of Lies."

Loki scowled at his antics but nodded, deftly ignoring the second part of his sentence, "I would advise you not to trust him, though that should be obvious." He said, "His behavior suggests that whatever he says is true, but that could be a product of excellent acting, which I doubt. And sometimes, the best lies are the truth. He could be using the truth to fuel whatever ulterior motives he has."

Percy frowned, opening the door to his room, heading for the closet first.

"So, no trusting huh. We can do that. We need to keep an eye on him anyway. Right, we also need to tell them about Asgard." He said, looking Loki straight in the eye, "About what I told you last night. This morning. Whatever."

Loki nodded, grimacing slightly. He didn't have much choice; one of the avengers was from Asgard anyway. He was only worried that everything would turn on him somehow, knowing his brother, he was liable to place the blame on him somehow.

"You don't have to worry you know," a voice cut through his musings, he looked up to see Percy staring amusedly at him, "They'll be fine."

Loki scowled, "I was not worried about them." He snapped, annoyed that the other had assumed as such.

Percy just laughed and threw a set of clothes at the god, giving him a knowing look, "Go change, I need to change too. I smell."

As agreed, the avengers regrouped in the living room after fifteen minutes, Tony giving Percy and Loki weird looks when the latter came out wearing a black shirt that he had somehow managed to fit in without it looking too small. They sat- or in Loki's case, lounged – on the couch, waiting for the other avengers. Once the rest, minus Bruce, had arrived, Steve assumed his role.

"Right, Bruce is giving – Agent – Matthias a full physical, so we have roughly an hour and a half before he comes out. He said that he would drag the physical for as long as he can. So, what have we got? Percy?" Steve said, directing the conversation to the youngest of their group.

Percy raised dark eyes to them, frowning, "SHIELD is compromised." He said bluntly, seeing no point in mincing his words at this crucial time.

Clint leapt to his feet, his eyes growing wide in shock, "That's not possible!" he shouted, "We received a valid order from Hill herself!"

Percy narrowed his eyes, "And I talked to Hill myself too. Right before I was attacked."

The avengers all gasped and looked at each other, Steve and Natasha frowning thoughtfully. Tony scowled, "As much as I hate SHIELD, couldn't it have just been some individuals?"

Steve shook his head, "I don't think so."

Natasha continued for him, "We were attacked on the plane as well, by chitauri that were supposed to be our pilots of all things. Those were SHIELD agents, or they were supposed to be. It was too well coordinated to be just a few individuals."

Percy nodded, scowling, "I know they were following me, and I hightailed it out of there before they could really launch an attack though. But that was on the Helicarrier, the one at your tower," he nodded at Tony, "that one was by SHIELD as well."

Clint still gave them dubious looks, while Thor remained silent, he did not have much affiliation with the organization that they were discussing about, so he was not as affected as they were.

"But it was a legit mission, maybe they were supposed to off us in the plane, they probably didn't expect us to survive it." Even as he said it, Clint didn't sound as though he believed his own words.

Before any of the other avengers could comment, Loki spoke up, "No. it was a trap."

Clint glared at him, "And how the hell would you know that?" he sneered, "You keep in contact with your alien buddies?"

Loki stared impassively at him, "Following your train of thought, assuming that the attack on the plane was an individual event, then there would be two avengers left alive if they were successful." By now, the god had the avengers' undivided attention, because as much as they didn't like it, he was making a hell lot of sense.

He continued, reveling slightly in the attention he garnered, "SHIELD would undoubtedly be aware of your tactics, they would know that you would send your two fastest members - the fliers, to the site first to scout the area, leaving the four of you in a plane, trapped in a confined area where the chitauri can easily take you out." He glanced at his brother momentarily, "The base was filled with chitauri, any mortals that could have been there were all long dead, they set up the area to eliminate the remaining two avengers. Two attacks on two separate groups of heroes, taking out the entire team in one shot."

Steve frowned, "There's a lot that's been left to chance. There was no guarantee that the attack on the plane would have been successful."

Loki raised his eyebrow, a mocking smile spreading across his lips, "No guarantee? Oh Captain," he drawled, earning multiple glares, "If I had not diverted that chitauri's weapon, you would have a gaping hole in your chest that not even your advanced healing or Stark's invention could save you from." He smirked at the other avengers who were on the plane, ignoring Stark's gasp and surprised look at the Captain, "If I did not alert you mortals to the fact that your pilots were not ordinary, you would all be lying dead in the very transport that you have sitting outside this mansion."

Clint snarled, "So what, you trying to say that without you we'd be dead or something?"

Loki grinned, "Actually, yes. That is what I was trying to say. Thank you for your wonderful insight." He smirked, "I knew there was a reason why I chose you."

"Why you little - !" the archer snarled, leaping up, causing the god of mischief to stand as well.

Percy got in between them, with Natasha gripping Clint's arm tightly, one hand on each of their chests, "Woah woah woah. We're supposed to be discussing, not fighting damn it!"

Clint bared his teeth, "Blame the fucking asshole then, he's the one asking for it."

Loki sneered, "I was merely stating the truth. You criticize my lies but you cannot handle it when I state the facts, how utterly hypocritical."

Percy growled, "Shut up both of you!" He glared at Clint and Loki, who were locked in a staring contest. He pushed them both backwards, still standing between them. He glared at Clint first, "Clint, sit down and shut up. Please. We can't afford to be sidetracked now." He turned away from Clint's indignant face and looked at Loki's triumphantly smiling one.

He pointed at the god, scowling, "And you," he snapped, unconsciously sliding into the role of a leader with ease, "stop antagonizing others. You want to state the facts? State it, don't add your own twist in it. As I said, we don't have time to get sidetracked." He took one look at the god's surprised face and huffed, settling back in his seat, inclining his head at Steve. A bunch of children, he thought, I'm dealing with a bunch of children. And here I thought that only the Stolls and Clarisse did that. He grinned inwardly at the thought of the three of them. He realized that he missed them, he missed their quarrels, their pranks, even Clarisse's 'Prissy' comments. Most of all, he missed camp, the place he had called home for so long. He had shoved all those thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind when he had joined SHIELD, but facing the gods again, spilling his entire story to the green-eyed god beside him had brought out those memories again. He didn't know if he could even face them, not after what he knew. He shook his head and refocused on the conversation, Steve ordering the two of them to cease and desist.

They discussed the implications of the attacks, if it meant that SHIELD was completely taken over and if Hill had been compromised as well. Percy shook his head when Clint suggested that she had been mind-controlled, glaring at Loki all the while. "She didn't have blue eyes, her eyes were the normal black." Percy said, shooting down Clint's theory.

Natasha started, and the avengers turned to her, "I hadn't noticed at first, but now that you said it, Hill has brown eyes, not black."

Silence descended.

Tony scowled, "So what, they have another mind-control spell?"

Loki shook his head this time, "No." he frowned, "The previous time, that scepter, it was the only weapon that could channel the mind gem. A mind-control spell, as you mortals say, is feasible, but highly unpractical. It requires far too much energy to maintain for long periods of time, and is highly inefficient if you use it on only one person, as it is in this case, and also if you take into account the distance between the caster and the victim-" he broke off when he saw the confused expressions on the mortals' faces. Only Percy had an amused look, but that was because he knew about the gems, even though the explanation of magic went over his head.

Tony frowned and leaned forward, "Wait, you said mind gem. What's that supposed to mean?"

Loki rolled his eyes and sighed, mortals, he thought, complete and utter ignorance of everything important. "The gems," he hissed, exasperated and annoyed at their ignorance, "There are six gems, called the Infinity Gems, the mind gem is one of them, it's uses are exactly what it sounds like-"

"Whoa wait up." Tony cut in, "What are the Infinity Gems?"

Loki gritted his teeth in frustration, closing his eyes to reign in his anger, it wouldn't do to blast the mortals anyway, as much as he wanted to, he didn't want to go against the Norns, and even he was not as foolish as to do that. He glared at Thor, his green eyes frigid, "Did you not," he said lowly, "explain to your precious mortal friends what those were?"

Thor had the gall to blink confusedly at him, "Brother, I have had no reason to do so, nor would I have known how to explain the gems, other than they were artifacts of extreme power."

Loki hissed at him, "No reason to do so? No reason to do so?" he snarled, slamming his hands against the couch, "I gave you a reason three mortal years ago!"

They all started, "What-" Steve began, but Natasha was faster, "The Tesseract?"

Loki growled in frustration, running a hand agitatedly through his hair, he reached beside him and grabbed Percy's hand, yanking it up for all of them to see, ignoring the demigod's startled yelp, "This," he hissed, "Is a gem. It is the power gem, also known as the Aether. If," he turned to Thor, who had opened his mouth, "You are going to ask me how I know that and you don't, it is because you never paid attention to your history lessons." He watched in vicious satisfaction as Thor snapped his mouth shut, doing a superb impression of a fish.

He turned cold eyes to the other avengers, "Foolish mortals. You fished the Tesseract out from one of your oceans and you attempt to use its power, all without knowing what it truly is capable of."

Clint scowled, "Then why don't you explain to us oh mighty and knowledgeable one?" he mocked.

Loki pressed his lips together but did not rise to the bait. He stared at the Captain, who nodded once, then sighed, "There are six gems, Mind, Power, Reality, Soul, Space and Time." he said, counting them off on his fingers, "If an individual has all six gems, and the Infinity Gauntlet, that individual would be raised to a god-like status, and I do not mean the standard of Thor and I, the being would be infinitely more powerful and on top of that, the individual would also be able to manipulate the six aspects that the six gems represent all at once."

He grabbed Percy's hand again, with Percy just sighing at being used as an example, "This is the power gem, it enhances power and grants the user a strengthened body. The only drawback is that the energy it gives off is extremely potent and which acts as a beacon. I felt it in Asgard, when it was awakened here on Midgard. Hence the reason why the chitauri found you and attacked." He turned to Percy, saying, "You escaped the first time I believe, when you used it again, they tracked its energy signature and targeted you specifically."

Percy nodded, as did the other avengers, with Tony wincing slightly, though the movement went unnoticed.

Loki continued, releasing his grip on Percy's wrist, "The Tesseract is the Space Gem, as you should know," he looked at Clint, who scowled, but nodded, having been the one to suggest to Fury that it was a doorway. "It takes the user through space, opening wormholes and doorways."

He crossed his legs and leaned back into the couch, "Of all the gems, the Tesseract is perhaps the most active gem, being able to be used outside of the Gauntlet. Of course, all gems can be used, like how the Tesseract was used by the chitauri to open a portal for me, but none can be used to their full potential. It usually requires a magical conduit to be able to operate, like the machine that I had Selvig build in order to open a stable portal to allow the chitauri to enter Midgard, which is why, it is surprising for Perseus to be able to wield it as though it were his own weapon."

Percy frowned when the attention of the avengers turned to him, but he did not shrink back, like he would have done years ago.

"So," Steve said hesitantly, "The scepter, it has the mind gem?"

Loki shook his head, "No." he bit his lip, unsure of whether to tell them, "Thanos," he contained a flinch at saying the Mad Titan's name, "seeks the Tesseract, he would not have been willing to risk the mind gem in order to gain the Tesseract."

Natasha scrutinized him, "What do you mean risk the mind gem?"

Loki sighed, "Thanos would not have allowed me to bring the mind gem to Midgard. Not even for the Tesseract."

Percy nodded understandingly, while the avengers all contemplated his underlying meaning, "In case you failed, then he would only lose one gem instead of two."

Loki nodded, "Not much is known about the Soul and the Reality gems, except that which can be inferred from the names itself. That leaves the Time gem, which again, lies in Thanos' hands."

Steve gained a thoughtful look on his face, "So this guy, Thanos, has two of the gems, we have two of them as well. Well," he amended, "Us and Asgard. There are only two left which cannot be found-"

"Wait up." Clint interjected, "How do we know you aren't having us?"

Loki rolled his eyes, it was a wonder how the mortals got anything done at all, being so petty all the time, "Ask your own Asgardian."

They all looked to Thor, who fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, "I do know of the existence of the gems, but I do not know much about them." He turned to his brother, "How did you come by such extensive information?"

Loki sneered, "Only a fool would not look up information on the powers that could very well destroy Asgard!"

Thor frowned, "Brother, this is no time for games and riddles! Speak clearly now!"

Loki laughed, "I do not take orders from you, you buffoon." He sneered, "And if you would just use that pathetic excuse of a brain for once, you would understand that I am referring to the fact that the very weapon that I was describing, the Infinity Gauntlet that allows the suer to control the gems to its fullest powers lies in Asgard's vaults!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, all color drained away from his face, he hadn't guessed why the chitauri had gone straight to Asgard when Percy had told him what the gods had relayed to him last night, but it all made that much sense now.

What shocked him more was the equally horrified look on his own brother's face.