Thoughts Can Hurt || Percy & Avengers Crossover

can monsters feel sorrow?

"I can explain." Stephen murmurs, still focused on the magic surrounding Loki.

"Yeah," Tony says, a bit high-pitched, "that'd be nice to have when Thor comes back to visit his oh-so-precious baby brother!"

Stephen's hands drop down and the glow of his magic dissipates. He reaches towards a nearby table and grabs a capri-sun. For the sugar, not the taste. Of course. The sugar will help his body in regaining back the magic he spent.

He plops down in Thor's usual chair. "I figured out why he wouldn't wake up. And it was no work of Thor's father. Your theory was right." He takes a sip of his juice. "He was being controlled. There's a ship uncomfortably close to Earth where they were keeping Loki's astral form."

Tony frowns.

"His consciousness, basically." Stephen explains.

"But... how do you hurt a consciousness?"

"Magic."

"Well, obviously, but-"

"Don't worry. It won't happen to you unless you allow — or are forced by someone — to give access to the deepest parts of your consciousness."

A clattering sound echoes through the room and Tony whips around, hand out before pausing.

Thor stands at the door, a bottle of sprite still rolling behind him from where he dropped it.

"I should have known." He murmurs, walking into the room and falling into a chair. "Or rather, I did know, I just didn't want to believe it was true due to the implications  it would bring." He laughs sullenly, and for such a big man, he had never seemed so small.

"Thor, you didn't-"

"No, because I even asked him; 'Who controls the would be king?' Why didn't I look into this further? Why was I so stupid?"

"We all make mistakes, Thor."

"No," Thor  holds his finger up, eyebrows pressed together and his lip trembling slightly, "that. That is more than a mistake, that type of behavior was-is unacceptable."

"...True, but, Thor, you have to understand-"    

"Currently," Stephen interrupts, looking quite tired, "we need to focus on Loki. I've removed all of the magic placed on him, but I highly doubt his mental state is going to be in any sort of semblance of a good state. "

"Yes," Thor says quietly, "you're right. I will stay by his side until he awakes."

Stephen sips his juice. "I will stay as well. All of his magic is unsealed, so he is emitting quite a large... ehm, signal at the moment. It shouldn't reach other realms, but me being here kind of cancels out his magic aura."

Thor nods. "I will create a small storm then, to help as well."

It begins raining outside and Tony sighs. "Alright. J, I need tea now. I'm in a tea mood. Also, call everyone up so I can explain this to them, would ya?"

"Yes, boss."

Tony walks out, heading towards the conference room, muttering about stupid gods the whole way.

Once everyone -- minus Thor -- have reached the conference room, Tony begins explaining in detail about the whole situation. Not much to anyways surprise, due to the wounds on Loki's body and their own study of the footage of the attack after the theory that he was being controlled was presented.

"So what do we do now?" Natasha asks.

Steve looks up from where he was resting his head on the table. He'd been visiting Bucky a lot to try and help jog his memories, but he'd been taking so much care of his friend he'd been neglecting himself. "We take care of him," he murmurs softly, "he obviously needs help, and we have the power to take care of him."