Tony blinked, "Please don't tell me that that's another god."

Hermes raised an eyebrow, "Of course I am, what else would I be? Now gather round, don't want anyone being left behind now do we?"

Natasha's response was to whip out another gun and pointed it at him, "I asked, who are you and how did you find this place?"

Hermes sighed, "You people... Always so technical." He complained.

"You brought it upon yourself, appearing out of nowhere like that in a secret base." Percy said, smirking at the god's plight .

Hermes sighed again, "Fine fine fine, I'm Hermes, god of travelers and resident messenger of Olympus, which means I deliver goods to places, which explains how I found this place. Happy?" he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And thieves, don't forget the thieves." Percy muttered, dodging Hermes' half hearted swipe.

Hermes rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "Now can we go?"

Loki snorted, "They're mortals, everything is technical to them."

Hermes pointed at him, scowling, "And you, you cost me a hundred drachma buddy, so don't talk to me."

Loki raised an eyebrow, but Hermes turned his attention back to the group, "Now can we really go? I don't want my father to get crankier than he already is."

They looked to Steve, who asked, "Go where?"

Loki answered for them, "Where do you think? Obviously we're going to Olympus."

Hermes clapped, "Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" He said sarcastically.

Steve looked at Percy for confirmation, the demigod nodded, and they all shuffled closer to the god. All of them were staring at the god, but that was because they didn't believe that he was one. On the other hand, Thor was staring at Hermes, slightly thrown off by his youthful and modern appearance. He had expected the god to look more like his age, instead, he was greeted with a modern looking man who seemed exactly like a mortal, if not for the aura he had around him that made Thor pause before he offended the Greeks.

"Close your eyes, no peeking, and I mean that literally. You open your eyes while we travel this way, you're dead. Incinerated. Burnt to cinders. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust." Hermes added in seriously, knowing that some things shouldn't be joked about.

When everyone had closed their eyes reluctantly, – even Tony did so obediently despite his curiosity – Hermes snapped his fingers, and all nine of them vanished in a bright flash of golden light.

They only opened their eyes when they heard Hermes give the all clear, and all were stunned into silence at the hugeness of the structures around them. Tall, golden pillars rose from marble ground up to the ceiling which seemed to be so high up above their heads that it seemed as though one could fit a skyscraper in. The area was devoid of people, being near the throne room of the gods, but there was a soothing atmosphere that was amplified by the soft sounds of water spouting from a fountain located in the middle of the grounds they were on, the liquid shimmering and shining as the sun's rays caught them. The pillars were huge, intricate designs carved on their surface. As Bruce stepped closer to get a better look, he saw small figures spread out across the pillar's main body, intricate battles waged over the concrete canvas. A serpentine creature wound around the upper section of circular pillar, its mouth opened wide at a bow-wielding individual, its fangs dripping with poison, the scales of its body meticulously detailed*.

For a moment, the avengers forgot about where they were, and what they were doing here, mesmerized by the architecture and the beauty of the place.

"Where are we?" Bruce breathed, cleaning his glasses as he admired the carvings. He wasn't one for architecture, but even he could admit that this was some ingenious designing.

Hermes smirked, executing a flawless bow, "Welcome, to Olympus."

For the avengers, the place – palace really – was mesmerizing, none of them having ever seen such a beautiful place on earth before, it was almost ethereal and unreal.

For Percy, the beauty was tainted with bitterness. Aesthetically he could admit that it was a beautiful place, something he often thought about whenever he came up here. But he knew that the designs of the palace was new, Olympus having had to undergo major rebuilding after the Second Titan War where Kronos had decimated much of the temple of the gods. Each carving on the walls were newly added, meant to depict historical battles and events. That wasn't the problem he had with the whole place, it was the person who was behind all the designs that tainted the beauty of the place, the knowledge of the architect left a bitter taste in his mouth at the memory.

Spying the boy's slightly punched expression, Hermes quickly led them to a huge set of double doors that were familiar to Loki, pushing them open.

The sight of several thrones occupied made the avengers nervous, because not only were the beings on the thrones several feet tall, making them seem like giants, the power they held was evident in the atmosphere of the room, but it only made Percy scowl as he surveyed the room. The fact that only less than half the council was present already implied that his friends were not considered worthy enough of the god's full attention, add to their appearance, it was obvious that this was Zeus' plan to show his friends that the gods were above them.

As it was, only his father, Hades, Zeus, Apollo, Hermes and Hestia were present, the other gods conspicuously missing.

Loki frowned as well, and caught Percy's eye, the demigod knowing that the god had realized what their presence meant as well.

The two of them, seeing the rest of the mortals standing around awkwardly, knelt down on one knee as per the custom and bowed to Zeus, Percy addressing the king of the gods first before his father and uncle.

Loki bowed, giving his brother a look, and greeted, "Lord Zeus."

The mortals all bowed at the waist stiffly, unsure of how to address the authority figures before them. Thor pressed his lips together and let Mjolnir fall to the floor, placing his right fist over his heart and bowing at the waist.

Zeus' eyes flashed with annoyance at the half-hearted greeting, "Thor Odinson," he boomed, "You would dare to come into my domain and yet not give me the respect I deserve?"

Thor stood up, his own ire rising before Loki cut him off, "Lord Zeus, my brother does not mean disrespect. Only that we chose a compromise between what is expected of us on Asgard and what might be considered acceptable on Midgard, a mere misconception borne from our seemingly disrespectful actions." Loki said smoothly, "I assure you Lord Zeus, that my brother does not mean any disrespect, he is merely uninformed of Midgardian culture."

Zeus narrowed his eyes, soothed somewhat by Loki's words, he knew that they were meant to placate him, but he could not find any flaw in his carefully constructed speech and grudgingly accepted it as Loki's ability to talk his way out of anything, saying, "Tread carefully godling, you have slighted me once before by entering my domain and using powers that I am in charge of without my permission. I will not allow another slight." He turned to face the mortals, "Be grateful that you are here. Mortals are not allowed on Olympus."

It was Steve's turn to do damage control as his team all bristled at the condescending tone they were addressed in, he swallowed his pride and annoyance and spoke respectfully, "We thank you for your generosity, uh, lord Zeus. Might we ask though, as to why we are here?"

"Bah!" Zeus huffed, "Mortals, I let them come to Olympus and they dare to question me?"

Poseidon sighed, sharing a look with his elder brother who was sprawled out on his throne, his cheek resting against hand, rolling his eyes. "Brother," he admonished, sensing the rising panic of the mortals, "Can we get to the point of why we are all gathered here?"

Zeus huffed, he looked reluctantly at Hestia, who tilted her head and nodded. The king of the gods pressed his lips together, but the eldest child of Kronos refused to budge, raising an eyebrow meaningfully. Zeus sighed, looking at the mortals, "Very well, I have heard from my brother that several of you managed to retrieve an Infinity Gem, preventing it from falling into the hands of the chitauri. Your reward is the knowledge of our gratitude, expressed by my allowance of mortals into the realm of the gods." The elder thunder god narrowed his eyes, "Do not abuse this gratitude, I will not tolerate you mortals any more than I have to."

Hestia sighed, her stubborn brother had thanked the mortals, but being as pig headed as he was, could not let himself seem lower than the small beings before them. Not waiting for the mortals to respond, the king switched and looked at Loki, "I was informed that Asgard has been breached by Thanos, and that you plan on returning there. Is this true?"

Loki nodded, straightening up, "I received a message from the queen of Asgard, requesting that my brother and I return to Asgard to help defend it. We intend to do as she has requested."

Zeus hummed, "And Lady Frigga did not mention Olympus at all?"

Loki shook his head lightly, "She knows the insincerity of requesting for aid through indirect means. It is my assumption that either the situation in Asgard is not as dire as we think to require external aid, or that she knows that earth might need your defenses."

"That assumption holds merit brother," Poseidon said when Zeus seemed as though he was offended by the thought that their aid was not needed, "Lady Frigga is a seer, and while she cannot speak of what she sees, unlike our Oracle, her actions usually direct to the most favourable outcome."

Zeus nodded, "And your companions, do they follow you?"

"Well not really him per se, we're kind of on the boat because of Thor, not Loki." Tony piped up, unable to stand being talked over any longer. Everyone in the room sighed and glared at him, Clint even going so far as to stand away from him. Loki closed his eyes in annoyance, wishing that he'd thought to shut the genius first before he could offend the gods. Percy hid a smirk, knowing that Tony was much like him in that way, the two of them weren't able to stand other people stifling them.

Zeus scowled heavily, his entire form crackling with energy, but Apollo's laugh cut him off as he grinned, his sunglasses still perched on his nose despite being indoors, "Oh, I like him."

Hades rolled his eyes at his nephew's immaturity and sent a shadow to flick the god's head, said god yelping in pain.

Zeus, tired of the mortals' presence in his pristine throne room, turned to Percy, who stared back at him defiantly, "And I suppose you are going along then Perseus Jackson?"

Percy nodded, "Obviously." He said, "They're my friends, you really expect me to let them fight alone?"

The king ignored his second statement and turned back to Loki, the unofficially designated spokesperson of their ragtag group, "I have no qualms about you taking the mortals with you, they are none of my concern, but you are taking one of our best demigods with you. Did you not think to ask permission first?"

"Okay wait up." Percy said, stepping forward to the surprise and shock of his friends, his father and uncle frowning in the background as Apollo and Hermes face-palmed at their father's stupidity. "First of all," he snarled, glaring at Zeus, "I am not a possession for you to lend others. Second, I don't even belong to you. And third, I don't even belong in this world am I right? So you shouldn't even have jurisdiction over me."

Zeus snarled and stood up, his master bolt crackling with energy in his hand as he pointed it towards Percy.

In an instant, Poseidon moved from his throne to stand in front of Percy, his own trident glowing with energy as he pointed it to his brother, "If you insist on attacking my son brother," he growled, "Know that you will face war against me."

Zeus hissed, his master bolt crackling with enough energy to make the avengers step back in caution, "You dare defy me?"

"It wouldn't just be him." Hades drawled, his posture relaxed but his black eyes swirling with power, sword already in his hands. "I would hate to lose my favorite nephew just because you had a temper tantrum."

Apollo and Hermes looked at each other uneasily, the room filling with tension as the big three faced off against each other.

Hestia sighed and got up from where she had been tending to the hearth, growing in size until she was the same height as her brothers. She laid a hand on Zeus' shoulder, whispering in his ear, calming him down.

Slowly, the king lowered his arm, his brothers doing likewise. Zeus glared at all of them and sneered, "Do what you want, I wash my hands of you lot." With a loud clap of thunder he flashed out, taking all the tension with him.

Poseidon sighed, nodding his thanks to his eldest sister, who smiled at him and offered a similar smile to the mortals and returned to her hearth. The god of the oceans shrunk down to human size, turning to the group of mortals.

"I apologize for that." He said, "Zeus isn't usually that cranky."

"You're just being polite brother," Hades drawled, his robes billowing about him as he drifted over to the group, human sized as well, "Zeus is a cranky, cantankerous old man who throws tantrums as easily as a child." Thunder roared through the air, making everyone jump, but Hades ignored it, saying, "Case in point, he's throwing one now."

Everyone gave the lord of the dead an incredulous stare, Percy wondering when Hades had such a rebellious streak within him. It made him wonder if Hades was originally like that before he became bitter and revengeful after Zeus had killed his family or if Nico was spending too much time around his father and influencing him with his boyishness.

Percy suspected that it was the former.

Nevertheless, he was happy that his uncle seemed to be getting out of his dark and oppressive mood more often. He had to admit, Hades was scary as hell the first time they met, and until now, Percy had no idea how he managed to be so calm in front of Hades who had been more than enraged at that time, and escaped his realm so blatantly. He had only met Hades several times before the Second Titan War, and each time, if the god wasn't in one way or another angry at him, then Percy was somehow annoyed at said god. The only time he ever had to really connect with Hades was when Percy had been severely wounded taking a blow for Nico. The dark god had appeared by his bed side – much to the surprise of the aquatic demigod – and he had tried to give his uncle the appropriate greetings, but the god had waved him aside, instead, plopping down on a wooden chair, looking extremely out of place in the healing tent.

Percy had been stunned, and Hades had remained silent, just staring at him. The awkward silence was more than enough to make Percy fidget, and he couldn't even do that because he had explicit instructions not to open the stitches in his side. So that left an ADHD demigod stuck on a bed with nothing to do save stare back at the god who had appeared for some reason.

That had been the most enlightening conversation Percy had ever had with Hades.

It was the icebreaker for them, so to speak, and Percy had had many more conversations with Hades after that, realizing that the sullen god was not as everyone described him to be. He was misunderstood, misrepresented, and neglected. Yet he was one of Percy's main supporters, something the demigod was grateful for because it seemed as though he had pissed off ninety percent of the gods he met.

Percy shook his head, bringing himself out of his reverie. He turned to his father, feeling Hades' eyes on him, asking, "Dad, exactly what were we called here for? I mean Zeus just up and left in the middle of nowhere."

Poseidon sighed, wishing that Percy hadn't brought it up, "To tell you the truth Percy, Zeus merely wanted to know of the arrangements that you were making to leave –"

"Oh stop standing up for that bigoted idiot already now would you?" Hades interrupted, scowling.

"You're being far too polite brother." Hades interrupted, making Percy look at him questioningly, "My idiotic younger brother, Zeus, not Poseidon, wishes to control you. He called you here to forbid you from going to Asgard with your companions."

Percy's eyes widened, "What?" He hissed, "Control me? Forbid me from going to Asgard? I do what I want, I don't answer to him! He's not even my father!"

Hades smirked, "Exactly what I said, but does he listen? No, no one deems the dark, broody god important enough to listen to." He drawled sarcastically.

Percy rounded on his father, his anger blazing, "You knew what he was doing and you still want to cover up for him?"

Poseidon sighed, glaring at Hades, "Percy, control or not, and believe me, I'm well aware of how much you hate to be controlled, Zeus is still the king of the gods, and he is, in effect, a god. Whereas you are a demigod. I might be able to protect you from his wrath at times, but I cannot look after you 24/7 if you incur his wrath."

Percy scowled, "I can take care of myself fine." He said stubbornly, "It's what I've been doing the past three years."

"Your father has a point, there isn't any point in angering someone who could and probably would smite you the first chance they get." Loki interjected, giving Percy a pointed look.

The demigod huffed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But if he's originally a mortal, doesn't that mean that he's not technically under that guy's rule?" Tony asked, jerking a finger over his shoulder as a reference to Zeus.

Poseidon shook his head, unperturbed by the tone, "You cannot have the best of both worlds. If Percy claims to be a full mortal, his powers will be sealed and taken away," he looked at his son, "and I don't mean what Hecate did when you left to stay in the mortal world the past three years or so. That was temporal binding. You still had access to your powers. If you claimed to be a full mortal and therefore not under the Greek rule, not only will all your powers be bound, so will your memory. You will not have any memory of the Greek world, and considering that means eighteen years of your life, you'll be an adult with amnesiac symptoms."

Percy stiffened, and he clenched his fists, his face marred by an ugly frown. He could not imagine – after living like this for so long – not being able to hear the call of the water.

Seeing the teen's discomfort, Steve asked, "If the main point was to ask Percy not to leave, then why call us here?"

It was Hestia's turn to answer, as she walked over to their group in her child form. She smiled up at the captain, who smiled back hesitantly, "My brother is angry with Odin, justifiably so, and as Odin's sons are here on earth, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to get back at him. I had Hermes bring the rest of you so that we might thank you for your help." She sighed, giving the Avengers a warm smile, "I apologize for my brother's temperament, and I sincerely thank you for your aid in findin and retrieving the Infinity Stone."

The Avengers all ducked their heads at her words, giving various forms of reassurance. The female goddess had a way with words and her mannerism made them feel at home.

Loki frowned at her words though, speaking up, "What for? First, I am no son of Odin, he cares not about me. And second, Thor is not the type to run to Odin to complain about mistreatment. So exactly why would Zeus call us here for? To humiliate us?" He snorted, "He would have to do better than that. The oaf beside me has skin thicker than the biggest bilgesnipe. If not even being forced to dress as a woman about to be married to a giant can embarrass him, I know not what would."

Thor punched his brother in the arm for the insult, scowling at Loki who took it all in stride. Tony's eyes lit up at Loki's offhanded words, but he kept his mouth shut, giving Thor a sly look.

Hades sighed, his lips twitching slightly as he interpreted the look that Tony gave the thunder god correctly, "Who knows what goes on in that airhead of his?" He said bored from all the talk about Zeus, "I can understand that he might feel insulted that Odinson came down without prior permission and took hold of his domain without asking, that I can really understand, seeing as how I absolutely detest it when the other immortals invade my home, but how this gets back to the Allfather I have no idea. Probably through his all-seeing eye. Perhaps my brother thought that he might be angered enough at the treatment of his son and come down seeking a battle or something."

"But enough of that," the dark god said, "How are you lot planning to get to Asgard? The bifrost remains closed no?"

They all looked to Loki, who answered, "I know pathways between the realms." He looked at Hermes and Apollo, who were standing in the corner, speaking quietly within themselves, "Those two should know best, considering how often they made me come down here for no reason at all. And I couldn't exactly tell Heimdall to open the bifrost for me because I wanted to come to Midgard now could I?"

"Where is the pathway then?" Percy asked, "I mean, if it's in the middle of the city then it might not be such a good idea to go in the day."

Loki hummed, "I know where it is located, but I do not know enough of Midgard to know where the location is now. Though I am certain that it is nowhere near any of your populated cities. Rest assured, I will not leave you behind."

"Yeah I'm feeling assured alright." Clint muttered, grimacing as Natasha's elbow duh into his side.

"You are going then?" Poseidon asked his son quietly.

Percy looked back at him, "You're not forbidding me from going are you?"

Poseidon laughed, "Forbid you? Percy, I am your father, I know better than to tell you not to do something. You're liable to do the opposite." He smiled, "I want you to be careful Percy, and I want you to have this." The Hawaiian dressed god duh into the pocket of his Bermuda pants, producing a bronze pen which gleamed in the light of Olympus.

Percy looked at his father in shock, but Poseidon didn't allow him to say anything, "You gave it to me after that incident in New York, claiming that you wanted nothing to do with us. I've kept it for you, kept the spell from working, but now that you've returned, I think it's time for it to return to your side too. Anaklusmos has seen many battles, with different heroes, but none more so than you. Wield it once more, it's blade is thirsting for battle."

Percy blinked, gingerly picking the pen from his father's weathered hand. "I –"

"That. Is a pen." Tony deadpanned. "It's a pen which can be bought at the nearest convenience store for less than a dollar."

Loki and Thor sighed simultaneously, Steve and Natasha reaching out to flick the genius in the head, while Bruce sighed and Clint rolled his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently even as his eyes shone with curiosity.

Percy uncapped the pen, the writing utensil transforming into a bronze sword which felt perfectly balanced in his hands, the blade shining as though happy that it was finally reunited with its master.

"Thanks dad." He said, twirling the sword between his fingers, his instincts not allowing the hilt to fall from his fingers.

They all bade goodbye to the gods, walking to where Hermes was waving them over, the messenger god being the designated person to bring them back down from Olympus.

Poseidon held Percy back for a moment, the demigod gesturing for Loki - who had turned back – to go on. The god said seriously, "Be careful Percy, Thanos is no pushover. His deeds across the universe has reached even our ears, and his conquest for death, while spurned and mocked by many, remain one of the most horrendous events that have happened. I've lost you once before Percy, don't make me go through that again."

Percy nodded solemnly, his father crushing him within his embrace.

The father and son remained like that for several seconds, Hades looking on, before Percy separated from his father. "I'll come back dad. I promise."

He smiled at Hades, the dark god nodding back at him before he turned and caught up with the group, Hermes gathering all of them around before they disappeared in a bright flash.

Poseidon stared at the spot they had disappeared from, his mind elsewhere, a frown in his face. In an uncharacteristic move, Hades clapped a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder, squeezing assuringly. "He'll be fine, Percy is a strong and powerful demigod."

"And look what happened to him." Poseidon murmured, "Even the mightiest hero can fall."

"You have to believe in your son brother." Hades said, raising an eyebrow, "He came back before did he not?"

Poseidon remained uncharacteristically silent, random thoughts swirling in his head. He nodded distractedly at his brother, saying softly, "I know, I just have a bad feeling about this." The sea god vanished into sea mist, leaving behind a lingering smell of the ocean and a chilling sensation in Hades' bones as the words of the second of the Big Three rang in his head. The god of the underworld shook his head and vanished in a swirl or shadows.

They didn't notice the sad look that Hestia had on her face as she tended to her hearth, the fire small yet bright.

Hermes dropped them off at the Hudson River, saying a quick goodbye to Loki and giving Percy a quick hug before he disappeared, leaving behind a group of mortals and gods on the deserted river bank.

Clint scowled, "What was the point of that?" He turned and pinned Loki with a glare, "Did you tell them to do this? Exhibit their power to remind us of our so called 'mortalness'?"

Loki sneered, "As much as I love rubbing your weakness into your faces, one does not tell Zeus to do anything. Not unless you have enough evidence and back up to support why you contradicted him in the first place, or you plain just have enough power to withstand his master bolt."

Natasha gripped Clint's shoulder tightly, voicing her own opinions, "And what was that? The gods you were telling us about? How does SHIELD know none of this if their power is as great as they say it is?"

Percy stepped in, "SHIELD didn't know about me either did they? All they had on me were records of my 'misbehavior' in school." He said, his fingers forming air quotes at the word misbehavior. "The Mist works to cover up anything that happens in the mortal world that is demigod or god related, although sometimes, some people are able to see through the mist. Children are a prime example, because they will believe anything and everything, which is why you hear kids saying they saw a monster in the park. But adults don't, they just brush it off as the child's wild imagination." Percy sighed, "It's why when they grow up, they eventually stop believing, and slowly, their clear sight diminishes until they cannot see the monsters for who they are, usually resulting in their death. Of course," he piped up, "there are adults and people who can still see them even when they're not kids anymore, my friend, who is a mortal, can see through the mist. The only other person I know who could do that was my mum. Before she – y'know."

He said, his eyes dropping at the last part.

Shifting the spotlight away from Percy, Steve asked Loki, "Is there any way we can get to Asgard? From here I mean."

Surprisingly enough, the god didn't respond with condescension or sarcasm. Instead, he merely nodded his assent, his magic swirling in his hands, "I do believe that I can locate the area where the rift is. It will lead us to Yggdrasil where we can then traverse it's branches and reach Asgard."

Tony rolled his eyes and threw his hands up exasperatedly, "Alright, let's just have a unanimous agreement to confuse ourselves. What the hell is Yggdrasil?"

"It is the tree of life." Thor rumbled, slightly disgruntled at the casual way that his friend referred to the sacred tree, "It is known to be in the centre of the Nine Realms, each of its branches connecting to a single realm. It is also where the Norns are said to rest, watering its roots and nurturing it, all while they weave the fates of the multitude."

Loki looked away at the description under the pretence of rummaging through his mind for the memory of the rift. While he was in actual fact doing that – he did not know if it was a Jotun thing or a side effect of learning seidr, but he found that he could follow several train of thoughts at once – he was also thinking about the time when the Norns had brought him to their abode, and he had nearly lost himself gazing at Yggdrasil's majesty. His gaze dropped to his hand, specifically, his wrist. Where squarish, ugly runes had once adorned it, binding his magic within him, now, a faint outline – barely a shimmer – of iridescent runes that curved along his wrist stood proudly as a symbol of the Norns for all to see.

He came back to himself when his location spell dissipated, and he turned back to the mortals, sensing and ignoring the red haired assassin's assessing gaze on him. "We should go. I know not how long the chitauri will take to reach our position, they have an uncanny habit of popping up when we least expect it."

Reluctantly – or very reluctantly in Clint's case – they gathered around him again, and he let his magic envelope them.

Of course, with all the smooth traveling that they had done so far, there was bound to be one travel that didn't go as smoothly.

Granted, they weren't expecting to emerge several feet above ground.

Nor did they expect to land in sub-zero temperature.

The avengers and Percy all gave an assortment of yelps and exclamations as their bare skin made contact with pure snow, everyone jumping up and down to reduce the skin to snow contact, resulting in them mimicking a funny imitation of snow bunnies.

Loki, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow at their antics, forcibly repressing the snickers that were trying to claw their way out of his throat.

"What the hell?!" Tony yelped, jumping up immediately, slipping backwards, unable to balance in the soft snow, colliding with Bruce, who was just getting up, the both of them falling back on the ground.

Steve scrambled to his feet, wobbling slightly but able to balance since he had experience with mountainous trekking. Natasha had even less problems with the soft snow, adjusting easily to the sudden shift in terrain.

Percy cheated and solidified the crystallized water, standing on the platform he had created. Clint, who was beside him, scowled and grabbed Percy's outstretched hand, the demigod grinning at his lack of balance.

Sharpshooter he was, acrobat he wasn't.

Thor was perhaps the least affected one, apart from Loki and Natasha. Having been to Jotunheim – a realm much much colder than the coldest peaks of Midgard – the cold was no problem for him, and neither was the soft element beneath his feet, his boots handled that perfectly fine.

And if Thor was comfortable in the cold, Loki was right at home in it. He had never realized it but whenever Asgard had its heat wave, he would hide in the collets corner he could find, or spell his room to be colder than the rest of the realm. Since Asgard didn't really have winters like Midgard did, all they had were periods of extreme heat, and moderate heat. Loki didn't know that even then, his Jotun heritage had been showing itself. As a frost giant, whose body was made to withstand the frigid cold of the icy realm, he had been unable to deal with heat, at least, until he learned how to keep himself cool and adapt accordingly.

The god waited until everyone had gotten to their feet, rolling his eyes and snapping his fingers, a solid platform appearing beneath Tony, the genius finally able to stand for more than several seconds at a time.

"Why the hell did you bring us here for?" The genius exclaimed angrily, looking around, "And for that matter, where the hell are we?"

Clint turned in a circle, careful not to step off the solid ice that Percy had created. He frowned, "Are we on the Alps? Because it's either that, or the Himalayas. Or Everest. Although I don't think so because I remember the Everest being much higher than this." He said flatly.

Loki shrugged carelessly, "I have absolutely no idea, nor do I care what you mortals name your mountains. Obviously, I could not have traversed through the realms and appear in Midgard in the middle of the street can I? Knowing your species, you might just accidentally wander through the rift and end up in Muspelheim or Jotunheim, or Norns forbid, the Void." The god shook his head, "That doesn't matter, the rift should be somewhere around here."

Steve sighed, looking skyward for several seconds to calm himself down before he faced the wayward god again, "How do we recognize it? And for that matter, what do we do once we find it?"

Loki smiled, "The rift should basically seem like a cave opening, or a small hole in the rock wall, but you would not be able to see the other side. All that your eyes can comprehend will be absolute darkness. As for what you will do when you find it..." He trailed off, "I will instruct you further. But whatever you do, do not, I repeat, do not open your eyes while you are on the path." He said sternly. "If you do, you will be ensnared by the great tree, and you will be lost between the worlds forever."

They all looked at each other uncertainly at the omnious words. Seeing their hesitance, Percy rolled his eyes and spoke up, looking Loki straight in the eye, "Let's get going then, we're on a schedule aren't we?"