"I have to return!" Loki said in a panicked tone. "Why hadn't I thought of her! I have to return!"
"To Asgard?" Bruce wondered, worried about his friend.
"Yes! I need to find Idunn before Thor learns about her. Odin's death must have caused the meadow to vanish. The same as Hela. "I have to return!"
Nobody really understood what he was talking about. The little they understood about the situation seemed to tell them that another person had been imprisoned by Odin just like Hela had been. That man had been extremely cruel during his long reign and yet, he had been revered by all. The way the Aesirs were conducting their lives was seriously flawed in their poor Midgardians' eyes. The old man had not hesitated to play with the mind of his loyal subjects. How loyal were they really? They had no way of knowing how much.
If Loki was so adamant in going back, then they would go with him. Every member of the team was trusted not to use their collective powers for foolish missions. They were all exhausted, but there was such a sense of urgency in the god's words that they all got ready once more. This time, Hope would not be left behind. Even though Agatha was worried, she knew that Hela would follow her son. The witch would protect those two with her life if she had to.
Before they had a chance to actually leave, skywalking to Asgard once more, a golden shimmer began to appear in the centre of the room. It was beautiful, the dust dancing in the light, sparkling even more as it grew larger. They all stared at it in fascination, not daring to touch it. It soon took the shape of a woman. Her features appeared little by little. She was tall, blond with fair skin. And then, almost as suddenly as the event had started, she became solid, real, in the middle of their group. She was smiling kindly, her eyes on Loki.
"Idunn!" said Loki, happiness lacing his voice.
"Good day child. It had been a while."
The trickster went to her quickly and gave the lady a hug. She was taken aback by this reaction, but she was more than happy to reciprocate. Idunn didn't have skin contact with anyone for quite some time. She had been missing it and the boy even more. Both of them were now free.
"Sorry to interrupt the reunion but who are you and erm.. How did you get here?"
Tony didn't want to be rude, but he was legitimately concerned that someone, anyone, had gotten past all of his defences. Jarvis and Friday had made that location the most secure on Earth, and then, Agatha and Loki's wards protected the tower from the rest of the nine realms. Nobody should be able to get inside without, at the very least, giving the occupants some sort of loud warning. Tony had a problem with trust. Asgard had not done anything for him to have even a modicum of faith in them.
"I apologise for entering your house so abruptly. I have forgotten all my manners. I am Idunn, goddess of youth and protector of the golden tree. Are you the owner of that place?" inquired the goddess softly.
"I realise you all want to know who I am and what I am doing here. Would it be okay if we sat down so that I could tell you my story?"
"Please do. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink? How about some tea?" asked Tony.
At that, Idunn smiled at him happily and accepted the tea. Bruce and Hope accompanied him to the kitchen to prepare a snack for everyone. Hope quietly questioned him as to why he was so welcoming. Tony simply stated that he believed Loki. Bruce agreed with a nod. Hope was still sceptical, but she didn't say anything else. To be honest, there was something about the woman that was soothing, almost pure. He had the impression he was not the only one who was seeing that aura around the goddess.
